Teach Love Craft - Page 30 of 42

28
Apr
2014

Easy Lemon Curd

Written by: Grace

When I like something, I tend to go overboard with it I am sure that my lovely husband is about sick of lemon desserts and my easy lemon curd, but I just can’t stop making this easy lemon curd (and apparently I won’t stop posting about it until all you people try it!). This lemon curd is easy, delicious, and it lends itself to so many different treats (lemon curd mixed with a delicious coconut milk whipped cream, lemon curd cheesecake, lemon curd cookie tarts, lemon curd on a spoon). Also, if you are clean eating, this recipe is right up your clean eating alley!

Recipe for Easy Lemon Curd

1/2 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/4 c honey (slightly less if you want a tarter curd)
4 Tablespoons butter
Pinch of sea salt
2 egg and 4 egg yolks
Zest of one Lemon

Directions for the Lemon Curd

Put the lemon juice, honey and butter, along with a pinch (or two) of salt into a double boiler or a glass bowl nested in a pot with water (make sure the water does not touch the bottom of the bowl)
Heat until the butter, lemon, and honey are fully blended and melted.
In a separate bowl, beat the egg and yolks lightly with a fork.
Move the pan off the heat and stir the beaten eggs into the warm lemon mixture.
Return to the double boiler and cook, stirring regularly until mixture becomes thick and custard-like. This usually takes about 3-5 minutes. (The curd should be smooth and creamy.) I usually stand by the stove with my whisk and whisk for 30 seconds on and 40 seconds off. Once the curd is thick, remove immediately from heat (Do not delay on this because the curd can turn lumpy).
Remove from the heat and stir occasionally as it cools.
Pour into a clean jar and chill in refrigerator (I usually put it in a mason jar, and I always marvel at how sweet and quaint it looks).

And now for some lemon curd glamour shots!

That lemon curd sure knows how to work it!

25
Apr
2014

The Big One!

Written by: Rona

L turned one last month. In Chinese culture, the first birthday is a big milestone. It signifies children surviving the first and most crucial part of their life. Also in Chinese culture, big milestone equates huge birthday bash. We decided to celebrate this occasion with an intimate family affair. Good thing we did keep it low key because the birthday girl got sick right before her party. Of course, right?

Instead of a themed party for L, I went with a “traditional” girl party color palette: pink and purple. I kept things simple with a few quick DIY projects, starting with the invitations. The photo collage was created via Photoshop by using a picture of L from each month of her first year. I thought it would be fun to show the progression of her growth and make a sweet little keepsake for the grandparents. I printed these as 5 by 7 photos at Costco for $0.37 a pop which is a steal compare to my original plan of using Tiny Print.

For the decorations, I cut out some pennants, circles and letters using a roll of wrapping paper and a pack of construction paper. Cup cake toppers and wish tags were made from a few sheets of scrapbook paper.

In the past year, I’ve been taking weekly photos of L, inspired by Clara’s photo project. I printed all 52 pictures to create two displays. We still have those up since L seems to be pretty enamored with looking at pictures of herself.

From my party research on Pinterest I noticed that photo booths are becoming the new hot thing. I decided to jump on that bandwagon. Using circles cut from construction paper, I made a gradient photo drop of the number “1″. Love me some geometric shapes! Each guest took turn holding the birthday girl as the “prop” at the photo booth. I printed the pictures as individualized thank you cards afterwards.

And La piece de resistance, the smash cake! I made L a gluten free yellow cake with low sugar/no butter vanilla icing (we are trying out gluten free to help with L’s eczema). I know, I know, it’s not nearly as scrumptious looking as Ronan’s chocolate cake but it was moist and delicious. Sadly no baby covered in cake/icing picture. L wasn’t feeling well, poor thing barely put a hand print in her cake.

As for party games, L partook in the traditional first birthday custom of object picking. Yet another Chinese tradition. On the first birthday, the baby is presented with an assortment of objects. What the child chooses is said to determine her future inclination and career (not sure how true this is, but I did chose a ruler). L’s first pick was a book: Intro to Calculus for Infants. Her second choice was a graphing calculator. She chose those two items over a computer mouse, a pen, cash money and lip stick. I’m a proud momma!

How do you celebrate birthdays? Small and intimate or go big or go home?

23
Apr
2014

Jute Cross Wall Art

Written by: Lisa

In the weeks leading up to Easter, I’d wanted to make something that showcased a cross. It’s always nice to have a few Easter-specific decorations to add to the overall spring décor.

I’ve liked the look of the nail art that took Pinterest by storm earlier this year. You’ve probably seen it; usually it’s a state outline such as this one. Given its materials, to me, this would be the perfect means for my Easter cross.

I chose to work with jute for this project (I’ve got tons left over from my wrapped Easter eggs). I’m sure you could use twine, yarn, or string as well.

What you need:

Wood- we have plenty of remnants from which to choose

Fine grit sandpaper

Circular Saw- if you need to cut your wood

Stain or paint

Stain rag or paintbrush

Clear finish- I used some that we had on hand

Nails

Hammer

Jute

Step 1:

Using a circular saw cut your wood down to the size/shape you want it to be. I settled on a good old fashioned rectangle. This will be leaning against a wall on a shelf, so I didn’t make it that large, only 10.5 x 13. Give your wood a quick sand to ensure there are no jagged pieces anywhere.

Step 2:

Stain or paint your wood. I wanted to keep the natural look of the wood so I decided on stain. I’ve used Minwax before and was happy with the results—this time I went with the color Provincial. Follow the directions on your stain can to make sure you use the correct procedure. After your stain dries, apply a coat of finish. Let dry completely- I decided to let it dry overnight and pick up with the rest of the project the next day.

Step 3:

I did a quick sketch of my cross on paper so I could choose the shape/size I wanted it to be. I also made sure to decide on where I wanted my nails to go. I settled with only doing nails in the corners of the cross—quite different from the state nail art that uses tons of nails.

Step 4:

Lay your sketch on top of your wood. You could just hammer in your nails where you want them to go, and when finished, tear away your paper. However, I chose to use an awl to mark where my nails would go. I then took off the paper and got to hammering. Remember not to nail them all the way down—you need to have nail exposed to wrap the jute around!

Step 5:

Now that you have your outline/nails in place, start wrapping. Make sure you tie a knot around your first and last nails so it doesn’t unravel. I chose to keep my wrapping to a minimum because I wanted this design to be simplistic and not too “perfect” looking.

I’m quite happy with how this came out. It’s a nice nod to the meaning behind the holiday.

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