365 Days of Creativity – Day 42

Continuing with my Photoshop kick this week (my graphic design diploma is something that I rarely put to use), I made some labels for my husband Rob’s beef jerky, Durdle Jerky.  He currently makes 3 flavors, mild, regular (or, medium), and hot.  We worked together to come up with some design ideas, I did some rough sketching, and then scanned the sketches into Photoshop and went from there.  What do you think?  😀  I love that Rob let me put little kawaii faces on the thermometers! *giggle*  I’ve also got a label done for his ghost pepper jerky, which he has yet to make, but I’ll share the pic anyways.  🙂

 

See the little ghosts that are supposed to represent smoke, but are also ghosts because it’s ghost peppers?  Oh snap, I laughed at that idea for a while, I was pretty tickled with it. hehehehe  Rob had the fantastic idea to have the top of the thermometer looking like a burned match.  Brilliant.  We work so well together, especially when it comes to thinking up creative things. 🙂

365 Days of Creativity – Day 8

For today’s creative project, I gave a new recipe a try. I bought some pecans, with the intentions of trying out a few recipes for candling or flavouring them. They were fast and easy. They tasted okay, but weren’t as good as I thought they’d be. I’ll post the recipe after the pic incase you want to give them a try.

Spicy Cocoa Glazed Pecans

1/4 cup plus 2 Tablespoons sugar, divided
1 cup warm water
1 1/2 cups pecan halves
1 Tablespoon cocoa
3 – 4 teaspoons chilli powder
1/8 – 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Heat oven to 350F. Lightly spray a shallow baking dish with vegetable oil spray. Stir together 1/4 cup sugar and water, stirring until sugar dissolves. Add pecans; let soak 10 mins. Drain water and discard. Stir together remaining 2 Tablespoons sugar, cocoa, chilli powder, and cayenne pepper in medium bowl. Add pecans and toss to coat. Spread pecans on prepared pan. Bake 10 a 15 minutes or until pecans start to glisten and appear dry. Stir occasionally while baking. Cool completely. Store in a cool, dry place.

365 Days of Creativity – Day 7

Ok, this one is a cheat, I’ll be honest. I made these a couple of days after Christmas. We were invited to a friend of Robs for Christmas dinner. I intended to make a cheesecake for the date. Well, I did make a cheesecake, it just flopped. It was my fault completely; I had gone back and forth as to which cheesecake I was going to make (I have a cheesecake cookbook), and decided that I’d make it easy on myself and make my most made cheesecake, Rob’s favorite, Key Lime. We stayed out too late Christmas Eve, so I was tired by the time I got home. I made the cheesecake, and just shut the oven off when it was done, the same time it always takes, and went to bed. Turns out it wasn’t done. I didn’t notice until it was too late to cook it for a bit more. So,it was gooey in the middle, and I wasn’t bringing it to the party that way. I was talking about it at dinner, and our host Byron gave me the great idea to make frozen cake pops out of them. I’ve never made cake pops, and it’s easier said than done, with cheesecake anyways. I out the whole cheesecake, crust and all I to the food processor to blend, then froze the batter. However, they just wouldn’t form perfect little balls, even with a cookie scoop. So, I put the goo into a piping bag and piped them out onto a cookie sheet and stick them back into the freezer. When they were frozen again, I took them out and dipped them into melted chocolate. Voila! They’re not very pretty, but they’re yummy!

David’s Tea Advent Calendar – Day 23 – Vanilla Oolong

Today’s tea is Vanilla Oolong, a nice, mild tea. It smells wonderful, and tastes the same. The vanilla is delicious.

I give Vanilla Oolong a 4 out of 5.

David’s Tea Advent Calendar – Day 22 – The Skinny

Today’s tea is a part of my collection at home, and from what I understand, it must be one of David’s best sellers, as they have a hard time keeping it in stock in store. The Skinny is an oolong tea, and contains ginseng, which is supposed to aid digestion and help stop fat absorption in the body.

I’m not too sure about its weight loss claims, as I don’t drink this tea regularly, but it is a nice finish to a heavy meal. It’s slightly similar to orange pekoe, but with a hint of sweetness.

I give The Skinny a 3.5 out of 5.

David’s Tea Advent Calendar – Day 21 – Sweet Dreams

Today’s tea is Sweet Dreams, a nice hopped-up chamomile tea. It tastes like chamomile, but with hints of citrus and rose. It’s nice and relaxing, and I’m hoping it gives me a good nights sleep. 🙂

I give Sweet Dreams a 3.5 out of 5.

David’s Tea Advent Calendar – Day 20 – Kiwi’s Big Adventure

Sorry for missing my post yesterday. I went to bed as soon as I got home after work yesterday, and didn’t get up until this morning. So, I had two teas this morning.

Yesterday’s tea was Kiwi’s Big Adventure. I have to say, this tea was pretty good for a green tea. The kiwi fruitiness really takes Ll but. Bit of the green tea taste out of it.

I give Kiwi’s Big Adventure a 3.5 out of 5.

David’s Tea Advent Calendar – Day 19 – Read My Lips

Yay, an exciting tea! Read My Lips is a long time David’s classic. It’s got chocolate in it, so where could it go wrong? And if that’s not enough to impress, it’s got red candy lips too. Hehe. I tried this tea at the recommended max brew time, but I found it a bit watery, so I steeped it longer, and the chocolatey taste was even more yummy. I didn’t really taste to much spice from the red peppercorns, but I’m not a lightweight when it comes to spice as Rob is a hot sauce collector, so maybe I’m just immune. Hehe

I give Read My Lips a 4 out of 5.

David’s Tea Advent Calendar – Day 18 – Toasted Walnut

Today’s tea is yet another green tea, Toasted Walnut. By way of green teas though, I must say this is the least ick one I’ve tasted. It smells like tossed walnuts and coconut. The taste is not too bad. Sort of coconutty and walnutty, with just a hint of the green tea ick aftertaste.

I give Toasted Walnut a 2.5 out of 5.

Check out my funky new mug. I saw it at the thrift store and had to have it. It’s so cheerful and quirky. Hehe

David’s Tea Advent Calendar – Day 17 – Checkmate

I think after two days of green teas, I’m happy to see anything else at all. It’s nice to finally have a white tea, the first of this advent calendar. Checkmate is actually a blend of white and black teas, but David’s classifies it as a white. There is a chocolate smell to this tea, which is nice. The taste is also fairly chocolatey.

I give Checkmate a 3.5 out of 5.