Pistachio Torte Recipe

I meant to share the recipe for the Pistachio Torte with you, but I forgot! My mom got this recipe about 17 years ago from some family friends. I stole it from her. This is how much we have used it over the years. I think it's about time I get this recipe on a card.

First of all, I don't like pistachio's. When my mom first made this I was like, "Yuck. I'm not even gonna eat that. Grody to the max." So, if you think it doesn't sound good, just make it. PLEASE. It is awesome!!! AND, the cool thing I just found out is that you can substitute ANY flavor of instant pudding in this recipe! Here goes....

ONE.

1 1/2 Cups flour

1 1/2 Sticks butter

2/3 Cup chopped walnuts

Mix & press into 9x13 pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. Do not brown.

TWO.

Beat these until smooth:

1- 8 oz. package cream cheese, softened

1 Cup powdered sugar

1/2 carton cool whip, 9 or 12 oz size. (12 oz. size makes it creamier)

Spread over cooled crust.

THREE.

Beat these until smooth:

3 Cups milk

2- 3 oz. packages of instant pistachio pudding (just the powder in the box)

Pour over cream cheese mixture & refrigerate.

Before serving, spread the rest of the cool whip on top.

And this, as I'm sure you're aware, is the last day of April. My goal for this month has not been met. My goal, in case you forgot, was to learn how to use my video camera. My sister has had it for the past 25 days & I couldn't cram that fast. So, I'm giving myself an extension. I've got a super easy & fun tutorial planned to record & I can't wait!!

Nik's Adventure Day

Why am I looking so awesomely dorky & why am I holding a gun? WELL, I got to do something super fun & unexpected last Saturday. My friend Tia invited me to an event happening at our church that I wasn't really sure of & hadn't planned on going to. But Tia lured me in with the word "bonfire". In hindsight, I should have immediately signed up. 5 hours of your own time, like a mini vacay? That's a no-brainer.
The event was called "Women's Adventure Day" & it was so much fun! I'm guessing there were about 25 ladies. We broke into 4 groups, each group receiving a different colored camouflaged strip of fabric. I tied mine around my head, as you can see. I realize I do look a bit like Pocahontas. Others in my group resembled Rambo or a ninja (**waves to Tia). We were all dorks (in, like, a totally cool way) & we all had a BLAST!

The first event was shooting. It's only a BB gun. I am actually afraid of guns, but I handled this one quite well. KAPOW! Did you see my bulls eye? I'm TOTALLY gonna frame this. My sharpshooter paper somehow got crumpled a bit. I'm still upset about that. If you want to copy & paste this image, you can. Like, if you want to use it as your screen saver or whatever. HAHA!

This is our group. We were called "The Blade Throwing Babes". In the back row is Becky, Kaylie, Nikki. Front row is Tia & Angel. We were renamed "The Dead Eye Dolls" after some of our sharpshooter skills surfaced.

The 2nd event was also shooting---bow & arrows. I asked to wear the instructor's "fuzzy backpack" & he let me wear it. It's a "quiver" I was informed. I wanted to do the whole Robin Hood thing & grab an arrow & shoot it at the target with one smooth flow ya know? I'm holding the youth bow in this picture. It's easier to shoot. I think I was handed the wee bow because my muscles are puny.

I decided to step it up a notch & use this beautiful wooden bow. A REAL bow. It was a 30lb. bow--& hHandmade. Hey, right up my crafty alley! Oh, & the quiver was handmade too. It's fox & coyote fur.

I managed to get my target in the belly the first time & in the knee the second time. I'm trying to make his owie all better with kisses. It's not working. Have you ever been punctured in the Styrofoam knee? It hurts!

There was a turkey & a beaver sitting nearby, but the deer was my prize that day.

The 3rd event was Tomahawk & Knife throwing. I must admit, I was a bit nervous with the sharp things. It was very hard to throw them into the target. Only 3 ladies in our group hit the mark. Woo hoo! I was one of them!

I totally shoulda sucked my gut in for these pictures. Ugh. I left my adventure girdle at home.


Here's me & Tia!! I am smiling so big because I was a super happy girl!

The 4th event was fly fishing. I didn't get any good photos of that one, but it was actually a lot of fun! I immediately thought of the movie "A River Runs Through It" & pictured myself fishing next to Brad Pitt.

The final event was EATING! I forgot to mention that at the very beginning of the day we were all shown how to use a dutch oven. Our meal & dessert were cooked over coals in the ovens & ready for us as soon as we were finished throwing sharp objects.
I LOVE the smell of a campfire. I love the way it makes your clothes smell. I'm never going to wash that sweatshirt I was wearing. Or my hair.

And I LOVE roasting marshmallows. We all sat around the wee bonfire & told stories & giggled & ate & totally chilled out.

It was such a perfect day. The weather was beautiful, I got to meet some awesome ladies, I laughed & laughed all day, I learned so many new things & I tried things I have NEVER done before! I love adventures.

Front Page of Etsy!

I was on the front page of Etsy!!! I've been on the front page a few times before (brag, brag) but I've never gotten a screen shot of it. My BFF Beck at Little Daisy Chains sent me the shot & I was super surprised & excited! I took a crafty break this weekend, so I had no clue. YAY! The Vintage Button Ring-"Bullseye" was featured.

I'll post later today about my adventures this weekend!

A Fun Weekend!

I knew I'd have a great weekend when it started out with an impromptu photo shoot with my girls......

....& ended with one of my all-time favorite desserts- pistachio torte!

And what happened in between silliness & dessert? Well, you'll hear about most of it in tomorrow's post.

But until then, here are some photos of my fabulously random weekend...

The fact that its was warm enough to drive around town with my windows open made me very happy! A trip to the park was under way.

I caught a busy bee doing his little bee thang.

I decorated the bike of my wee-est one with branches from a flowering tree for a ride through the park. She plucked the petals & left a trail so we could find our way back. (If you look close, you can see the petals behind her. So cute!)

What this scene needs is two cute old men with their vintage game pieces.

I tried to make a cupcake at the playground. Do you see it?

Remember the tree I showed a while back that was just starting to get carved? Well, it's done! Two trees in the park, including this one, are diseased. Instead of chopping them down the city has created a beautiful landmark. Really cool!

On the way home from the park I spotted my dream ride. I snapped the photos as we were driving by. I am totally gonna save my pennies for it! It's so pink & adorable!

I also managed to find my sheets for the Summer Skirt Sheet Swap. I sent them off & can't wait to get my surprise sheets in the mail to make into fabulous summer skirts! And just in time for my family vacay to Arizona in a month!

I thrifted the orange-ish floral sheets from Value Village for $2.50 & the vintage shabby chic sheets were plundered from my own linen closet. I kept a piece for myself to attempt my very first skirt.

OK, here's a sneak peek of what ELSE I did this weekend. You'll hear about it tomorrow.....
And, yes, that's me in all my dorky glory.
See you tomorrow!

Friday is a Good Day.

I went shoe shopping yesterday. I actually went thrifting & bought TONS of Barbie stuff for my girls. My youngest is really starting to get into Barbie's with her sis & so I thought I'd treat them to tons of clothes, shoes & a few Barbies. I counted 22 pairs of shoes. Splitting them between my kidlets wasn't easy. Especially when I pulled out the high-heeled chrome-colored fancy schmancy shoes from the bag. It prompted an immediate wee cat-fight. The youngest finally got them after I bribed her older sister with HER choice of any pair of shoes left in the pile AND a fuzzy Barbie bathrobe.
In the stash of tiny outfits & such there were 36 lonely & pair-less shoes. It'll work out great for the girls' one legged Barbie. But I think I'll keep them & make them into a charm bracelet or something. I'm serious!

This morning was a slow-going kind of morning. Still in our jammies at 10am, we made pancakes. Peanut butter & syrup is my favorite topping. It's now 4pm & I JUST got bathed & dressed. HAHA! It's just one of those days. And I'm allowed "one of those days" every once in a while.

We're heading off to the park by the river now & the girls are anxious to ride bikes & roller skates. I'm bringing the camera for some fun outdoor & candid pics.

Oh poo! I jus thought of something. I have to come up with a dessert to bring over to some friend's of ours on Sunday. I was thinking of making the strawberry tart again, unless I get some sweet inspiration elsewhere...

Have a great weekend. I'll be helping my bro caulk the outside of his house this weekend & oh, Mr. WhiMSy love & I are baby-sitting tonight for some friends. Fun times.

They Got Me

I have crossed over. To the dark side. I didn't want to do it. But I had to. I have been lured into the way of the CAPTCHA. I am so ashamed.

In case you're wondering what I'm talking about, I'll fill you in. You know those little annoying scrambled letters you're asked to type into the little box when you leave a comment on some blogs? Well, that's what a "captcha" is. They are one of my all-time pet peeves & I am so embarrassed to say that I am now a member of the Captcha Club.

I have also set my comments to be moderated because, for some reason, I have not been receiving email notices when lovely blog friends leave lovely comments. So now I am certain to receive the comments.

OK, now that all those bloggy shananigans are done being discussed, let me show you what WONDERFUL thrifty things I picked up today!!!! Look at that picnic table & chairs. I am positive they are vintage. As you can see, the skeleton of the umbrella is there, but it needs some clothes. Yikes! What a big project--but I am totally ready for it! The set needs a little scraping, sanding & prettiness, but I have been wanting a picnic set for a long time. It was one of those "right place...right time" moments. Goodwill for 48 bucks!

I also picked up this large heap of vintage fabric.

What I was REALLY looking for while thrifting was a vintage twin sheet. I joined Polka Dot Creations swap--which sounds SUPER DUPER fun!!!! The swap is called "The Summer Skirt Sheet Swap". All you do is find a twin sized sheet (which makes about 4 skirts), cut it up into 4 pieces, & send the pieces to 4 people. You'll get 4 different sheet pieces back to make 4 different fun summer skirts!!! (Or you can make yourself a skirt & send the remaining 3 pieces. However many sheet pieces you send is how many you'll get in return.) Click HERE to check Lisa's blog post about all the details & how to join. Cutoff to join is April 25th--THIS FRIDAY!!!

I have never made a skirt before, but Lisa has a tutorial & I'm ready to get my novice sewing butt in a sweet summer skirt!

I had no luck finding a nice vintage sheet this morning, so I'm off this afternoon to drag the girls to Value Village. I'm crossing my thrifty fingers!!

Tuesday Things

I said goodbye to the pinwheels yesterday. I had a final photo shoot--hanging them from the grapevines in my backyard. I have never been so nervous in my life as I am now about a package/order arriving safely & in one piece. I used UPS for the first time. It was so nice! I walked in, handed over my pinwheels & they took over & did everything! The items should get there Friday. Phew! Glad to have them on their way.
I can totally picture the pinwheels at the wedding, lined up the walkway leading guests to the chapel. And then after the ceremony I can TOTALLY see little kids saying, "I want one! I want one!" How fun!

Remember that "Ugly Biz Card Contest" I had last year? Well, I have almost used up all the lovely cards I received from all the contestants. Jen of Jen Bowles design won the contest & I really LOVE her design. She has sooooo graciously allowed me to copy her design on the rest of my 850-some-odd biz cards. Thank you Jen!!!!

I'm sending a big stack of biz cards & also a big stack of my silly cupcake art postcards to an Etsy friend in Portland--Beck of Little Daisy Chains. Beck & I are planning on cross-promoting each other's shops. I do this with Laura of katydid designs as well. My postcards (or whatever freebie I have going at the time) will be tucked inside every order that Beck sends out. And whatever freebies I receive from Beck or Laura will be sent out with MY orders. If you aren't doing this already, it's a great way to promote each other's shops & give your customers some extra fun goodies! (Just make sure that your freebies mention your shop name &/or link.)

I was asked about the "Tillamook Mudslide Ice Cream" I mentioned on the last post, so here it is! ...."Rich chocolate ice cream with chocolate fudge pieces & a thick fudge ripple." It's my fave! Get ready for a toothache---but in a good way.

I was also asked about the recipe for the "Spiced Oatmeal Shortbread Wedges". It's from the Better Homes & Gardens NEW COOK BOOK--10th edition.

• 1 cup all purpose flour
• 1/3 cup quick-cooking rolled oats
• 3 TB brown sugar
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp ground ginger
• 1/8 tsp ground cloves

In a mixing bowl, combine flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, ginger & cloves. Cut in butter until mixture resembles fine crumbs & starts to cling. Stir in oats.

To make wedges, pat or roll the dough into an 8-inch circle on an ungreased cookie sheet. Using your fingers, press edges into a scalloped shape. With a knife, cut circle into 16 pie-shape wedges. Leave wedges in the circle shape. Bake in a 325 degree oven for 25-30 minutes or until bottom just starts to brown & center is set. Cut circle into wedges again while warm. Cool on the cookie sheet for 5 minutes, then cool on a wire rack.

Drill Girl

I love using power tools. I mean, a drill is probably the simplest of them all & isn't as MACHO as a table saw or anything. But it's way cooler than my hot glue gun & makes more noise than most of my art supplies so that's neato.
I've finished up the custom order pinwheels today. When I first bought all the supplies, I made a big ole mistake & bought a dozen pieces of the wrong paper at the craft store. It was a slightly different hue than my prototype. That sucked (because I couldn't return them as I'd already cut the paper!), but it just taught me a lesson to bring in a sample or swatch to match next time.
The pinwheels ship off tomorrow. I've always shipped USPS. But, I'm going to UPS tomorrow to ask them about the best way to package & ship these. I'm sure it'll be a bit more spendy, but worth it for something so delicate.

I'm totally into baking lately. My girls were having a sweet tooth attack the other day & I had no sweets in the house. So, I baked up a batch of oatmeal spice shortbread cookies. I made them into the same circular shape as my strawberry tart last week, but then cut them into wedges. Yummo! With a cup-o-tea or my favorite English Toffee Coffee Drink it was a perfect snack.

I'm off to make some more vintage button bouquets. Don't you just love crafty projects that you can curl up on the couch & make....(while eating a large bowl of Tillamook Mudslide ice cream & watching a rad TV show?)?

Pinwheels....Supersized!!!

I am super, suPER, SUPER excited about this project I am working on. Several posts ago I mentioned that I am working on something & couldn't wait to tell ya. Well, I'm tellin' ya now! A customer of mine is getting married & has asked me to make a dozen of these pinwheel beauties to line each side of the walkway to lead her guests to the chapel.
I've embellished each with a large pearl in the center. They've been hand cut with decorative scissors & glitterized! And get this--her colors are blush pink, periwinkle blue & white. TOTALLY up my crafty alley. Aren't they sweet??!! I'm finishing them up this week & shipping them Monday.
Making these is QUITE a different change from making my wee pinwheel cupcake picks. They are monstrous in proportion!


Here's the book I was talking about yesterday--the one I got the meatloaf recipe from. It's a library loaner & was published in 2002. I love the library. I could seriously camp out there. I bring home stacks of books every visit. I think I'm also helping to fund the new library addition/renovation with my um, library fees. It's not THAT bad.

Look at these flowers I snapped a photo of at my grandmother's house today. They are called bleeding hearts. I have always been fascinated by these. They are so beautiful. They are actually native to Japan & I found a story--folklore of sorts--that goes along with the flower. Read it HERE. It is quite sweet & sad. I can't wait to share the story with my girls by taking the flower apart.

I had to show this picture of my girls I took today. This is the "garden area" behind our yard. Of course there is no garden. It looks quite shabby, & not in a good way. Someday I'll clear it out & have it a nice space for something lovely. But for now, my girls love just being back there. I think they look like a pair of old ladies sittin' in their sun chairs just chatting the hours away. That's all they do. Just sit. It's funny!

Today is a lovely 71 degrees! It's amazingly warm weather & I love it. But get this: it's supposed to snow on Sunday. WHAT? Flip-flops today, ear muffs on the weekend? Craziness.