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Sickie Snuggler or Sock Stuffie

01/07/2012

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Have you ever been digging through what seems like hundreds of baby socks and not a single one seems to have a match? 

Have you ever been walking through a store and come across an item that you find particularly clever but much too expensive?

Well this little guy was a result of that. My kids were both sick and one had a fever. When my daughter was little i got some sort of free gift with purchase type thing and it was a little stuffed animal with a pocket that could fit an ice pack. Then I saw at the hardware store these beanbag type animals that you could freeze or microwave, hmm clever. 

While digging through the sock basket it all clicked.

All you need is:


2 baby socks ( they do not have to match)
needle and thread
scissors 
rice
herbs or dry flowers or tea ( make sure they are completely dry)
cotton ( optional )

1. Point the toe of one of the socks toward you and flatten the ankle band.
2. Cut a slit up the center of the ankle tube. These will be the legs so you an cut them as long or short as you want.
3. Turn the sock inside out. Stitch up the legs leaving a small hole to turn right side out and fill with rice and good smelling stuff.
4. Fill with rice and scented items. You can use your fingers or a piece of paper rolled into a cone. You can also stuff the legs with cotton if you like.
5. Stitch the hole up. 
6. Take the other sock and fashion arms ears and tail in what ever style you want. You can sew on buttons for eyes if you like, just make sure there can safely go in the microwave. I made a dog!
7. Name it.

You can make these little animals with any size socks you like. A snake out of an old pair of tight Make sure to keep in mind the size when heating them in the microwave. You don't want to burn your little one. A few seconds is all you need for a baby sock size. If your baby has a fever you can put it in the freezer for a few hours and then they have a cool cuddle buddy.

Have fun!

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Happy New Year!

01/07/2012

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Well 2011 ended on such a lovely high note! Jonathan Kauffman's article that came out in the summer was one of the best  I have had yet and to top it off he chose my pie for one of his top 5 favorite dishes for 2011! We came in at #4 and we were the only sweet item on his list. Check it out:

A Year in Food: Five Favorite Dishes by Jonathan Kauffman
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Butter Love Bakeshop in SFWeekly!

07/10/2011

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This week Butter Love Bakeshop was featured in an article in SF Weekly! It is moments like this when I feel that all the struggle to get my business off the ground has been worth while. Even though I am still a one woman show it is moments like these that I realize how much support I receive from my family, my friends and my loyal customers. It has really been a whirl wind these past 6 years since the birth of my daughter, temporarily switching careers for the good of the family, striving for balance, the birth of my son, being laid off, and then returning to my first love, my love of working with my hands and producing something that warms both my soul and the souls of those who consume it.

That all being said here are the links to by far the loveliest review to date my pies have received, the interview with me about my pies, and the blurb that is accompanied by a photo with the caption, "Butter Love Bakeshop's apricot-cherry pie, pretty much my favorite."!
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BLB was written up in SFWeekly on 7/06/2011!
http://www.sfweekly.com/2011-07-06/restaurants/pie-fridays-three-babes-bakeshop-pietisserie-butter-love-bakeshop-food-review-jonathan-kauffman/
Interview for SFWeekly
http://blogs.sfweekly.com/foodie/2011/07/butter_love_bakeshops_esa_yonn.php
"Butter Love Bakeshop's apricot-cherry pie, pretty much my favorite."
http://blogs.sfweekly.com/foodie/2011/07/this_weeks_review_pie_on_the_r.php
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ABC Baby!

06/17/2011

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One of my dearest friends is having a baby! Practically none of my pre children friends have kids. In fact I can only think of one that I speak to with any regularity and she lives out of state. I am excited to say the least. I will finally have a complete conection with her that I was unable to have before. 

Something about kids really changes relationships. Not always for the bad, just creates an invisible not talked about divide that becomes harder and harder to cross when you are a working mom. There just never seems to be enough time in the day to be the mom you want and need to be and have a social life. Playdates become your social life and since your, single, child free friends don't really want to hang out on the couch watching family friendly movies with the kids, then speaking real quiet like after they drift into sleep on a Friday or Saturday night, that once unyielding, unbreakable bond you have becomes flexible and frankly sometimes nonexistant. This is where you disover where your truly devoted friends lie. The ones that despite the meandering connection that once seemed unwavering, still manage to show up for the big moments. 

This lovely lady just happens to be one of those people. 
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She was there in the room for both my kids births and shows up to every birthday party and holiday that she is invited to, assuming her own family isn't doing something the same day. She is the closest thing I have ever had to a sister and I love her with all my heart. 

Because of this love I also love her unborn baby and as she is called Auntie by my children I look forward to the honorary title being hopefully bestowed on me as well. So, Auntie E has been working on something special. I fear that with my schedule it will not be done in time but I will try my very best.
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I had the idea of doing a baby blanket with the alphabet on it about 6 months ago right after the pregnancy was announced. I searched high and low for a knit pattern but many of the ones I found were taken down. I think they were all versions of a Debbie Bliss pattern and since I refuse to pay $30 for a single pattern out of a book, I decided to return to my first love when it comes to yarn, crochet. 

Crochet offers more instant gratification compared to knitting because you can finish a project in one afternoon, which is pretty rare for knit items. The down falls for crochet are that many of the patterns are pretty dated or kinda tacky when it comes to adult fashion, but when it comes to babies it is perfect. It offers a bulkier fabric which is warmer and all those things that seem tacky on an adults sweater, become rather adorable on a baby. Just think how cute a Cosby sweater would be in miniature. . . catch my drift?

What I found was this grid pattern. I had never followed one of these before and was nervous but once I started I realized how easy it was. All you need to know to be able to do this pattern is single crochet and bobbles which are much easier than they look and sound. What you get is this sophisticated looking blanket which as you can see from the picture is not quite done. It looks as though it is quilted together but it is not. It is all one piece! 

I plan on sewing on a satin back with some batting to make it warm when I am done. I used a bamboo cotton blend for the yarn which is washable. If you are interested in checking this pattern out do it here:
http://www.crochetnmore.com/babysabcsafghan.htm


Next time I plan on something much smaller because although I love this blanket so far, blankets just take way too long for my busy life. I have some tasty ideas for the next baby already!

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Fresh Butter, Milk, and Egg Pasta

06/13/2011

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I grew up in a household where my parents, my mom mostly made everything from scratch. It was pretty rare to see anything canned in our cupboard other than tomatoes, sardines, bonito (instead of tuna, dolphin safe and all), and sweetened condensed milk.

In more recent years my mom started making fresh pasta in place of buying the dry pasta, saying it wasn't really that hard, tasted better and was cheaper. So I was inspired to try it myself. I had made fresh pasta in one of the restaurants I worked in before I had children but it was made in a big machine that did most of the work for you and I just had to cut it as the noodles were pressed through the chosen shaped die to the desired length. 

I wanted to do something that was going to be quick and easy because dinner time was quickly approaching and throwing off dinner as many people with small children know, throws off bed time and throwing off bedtime even just once can spiral into two weeks of trying to get them back on the right sleep pattern.

I had left over roast beef that the hubby had made, I had onions, thyme, and sour cream. I opted for a stroganoff. I looked up egg noodles and this recipe caught my eye. It not only had eggs in it but butter and milk too? I found this strange and therefore compelling and in my experience butter never hurts in a recipe.

Ingredients
  • 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 pinch salt
  • 2 eggs, beaten
  • 1/2 cup milk
  • 1 tablespoon butter 
  1.  In a large bowl, stir together the flour and salt. 


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    Meet Me!

    Esa (that's me) is an SF native striving to find balance in her everyday life while raising two kids, maintaining  a little glimmer of romance with the hubby, starting up her business Butter Love Bakeshop, and still trying diligently to maintain her own interests and friendships! Amongst the chaos she still manages to find inspirations all around her and looks forward to sharing some of her explorations into family, food, work, creativity, life, and love all while trying to maintain balance for all involved!

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