Traditional Cheesecake. Simple and Elegant for Any Occasion!

March 17, 2017 - Brynna

I love fancy cheesecakes: pumpkin, turtle, white chocolate, you get the idea! But there is something to be said for the simplicity of a traditional cheesecake. This bold, confident “Take Me as I Am” statement. No fluff. No frills.

This cheesecake recipe totally delivers, and it isn’t as difficult to make as you might think!

It uses cornstarch in the filling, which I’d never tried doing before. However, I actually really liked the slightly more dense texture it created. Other benefits of adding cornstarch are that your cheesecake is less likely to crack or get weepy (soggy).

This recipe comes from the book “Wedding Cake” by Josi Kilpack, the last book in her culinary mystery series. I highly recommend these books, and all the recipes in them! These books were recommended to me by a book group friend, and they are a delightful combination of suspense and deliciousness!

Anyway, this traditional cheesecake is simple and basic, yet completely elegant, and ready for any toppings or embellishments your heart desires!

Traditional Cheesecake

Preheat oven to 325° F. Set out the filling ingredients to come to room temperature while preparing the crust.

Grease the bottom only of a 9- or 10-inch spring form pan. Wrap the bottom of the pan in tin foil to prepare it for the water bath later on. (Water baths help the filling bake evenly).

Crust:

1 1/2 C graham cracker crumbs
1/3 C white sugar
1/3 C brown sugar
1/2 C butter, softened

Mix all crust ingredients together in a large bowl, until the consistent is like thick Play-Doh. Press the mixture into the bottom of the pan only (traditional cheesecakes don’t have crust up the sides). Bake for 5 minutes, until the crumbs look shiny. Don’t overbake! Remove from the oven, cool for a few minutes, then repress the crust gently. Set crust aside to cool while preparing the filling.

Filling:

4 (8-ounce) packages of full-fat cream cheese, room temp. (no low-fat substitutions!)
3/4 C whipping cream or half-and-half, room temp.
1 2/3 C white sugar
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla
2 large eggs, room temp.
1/3 C cornstarch

In a large bowl, mix the cream cheese and whipping cream until smooth. Add the remaining filling ingredients and mix until the batter is smooth and creamy. Pour the filling over the crust until it is about 1 inch from the top of the pan (the cake will rise slightly while cooking).

Fill a jelly roll pan with 1/2 inch of water. Place the cheesecake in the pan of water. Bake for 60-90 minutes, until the top of the cake is golden brown and firm in the center.

Let the cake cool at room temperature for 30 minutes, then refrigerate for at least 3 hours before removing the springform pan.

Serve chilled, with or without your favorite toppings! It’s pretty amazing all on it’s own!

More Delicious Recipes!

It’s Not the Food, It’s YOU (and why that’s a GOOD thing!) 5 Simple, FREE Steps to Heal your Relationship with Food

March 9, 2017March 27, 2017 - Brynna

You’re in a Relationship with Food!

Think of the most constant relationships in your life. The ones requiring daily attention. Was your relationship with food on the list? We don’t often think about having a “relationship” with food, but it’s one of our most frequent interactions!

So, how’s your relationship with food going? If food were a person, would you guys be considering therapy?? I spent over two decades of my life in a highly toxic relationship with food. I wanted the relationship to improve, but it seemed like everything I tried only made things worse!

I know you hear me: jumping from diet to diet, trying desperately to make this one work for good. Here’s why it never does! In our relationship with foods, diets ignore the age-old advice we’ve all heard a thousand times….

You can’t change another person, you can only change yourself.

Diets only try to change the food, the other “person” in the relationship! Eat more of this, less of that, substitute lower calorie ingredients, etc. Endless tips and tricks to change the food! Food is the problem, and changing the food you eat is the answer. Only, it’s not true.

This might sound harsh, but the bottom line is if you are existing in a toxic relationship with food, the problem isn’t food, it’s YOU. Changing the food you eat will not fix this thing; cannot fix it. Because you are attempting to change the side of the equation you can’t always control!

And trying to change things you can’t control will inevitably lead to the same place over and over again.

Failure. Frustration. A continued dysfunctional relationship with food.

What Happens When You Can’t Control the Food

Think of some examples of when you can’t control the food. You don’t decide what’s being served at a lunch meeting, or for Sunday dinner with the in-laws. You can’t always pick the restaurant or the birthday dessert for your sister’s surprise party. And if you’re invited to a Summer BBQ? Forget about it!!

You go into these situations with the belief that changing the food is what matters. So, you either bring a tupperware of you own food, or you eat before you go, or you try to just pick the lowest calorie option. But that never seems to work like you planned it!

One of two things usually happens: either you eat perfectly at the event, not letting a single unholy morsel of sugar or fat (or whatever) pass you lips, only to raid the pantry the minute you get home. OR you have a bite or two of some forbidden fare, and the floodgates open! You commence eating everything in sight! Because, hey, once you’ve messed up even a little bit, it’s all over and you’ll start again tomorrow. Either way, it’s a total disaster.

What Happens when YOU Change!

Consider a different scenario. You look forward to the event because there will be good food, but also good company and conversation! You go to the event hungry, and eat until you are comfortably satisfied, then never think about food again. You’re too busy enjoying being with people you care about! You get home feeling awesome, physically and emotionally.

This is what happens when you stop trying to change the food and learn to change yourself! You have not changed what you eat, but how you eat. How you relate to food in any and all situations.

Othat’s where the age-old relationship advice actually offers good news! Since the thing that needs changing is the thing we actually have control over! Ourselves. If you think you can’t change these behaviors, if you think you’ve tried everything, I promise all this means is that what you were actually trying to change was the food, not yourself!

And here’s the even better news: once you have changed yourself, you will never have to worry about trying to change the food again. That’s right! No more toting Tupperware and being anti-social! No more binge eating when you try to change the food, it doesn’t work, and you feel like a total failure. When YOU have changed, your relationship with food will change completely! Then you can interact with ALL foods–anytime, anywhere–in a healthy and functional way. Total freedom with food!!

Start with 5 Simple, FREE Steps!

So, where do you start in this process of self change? Here are 5 ideas to get you started!

Eat when you are hungry. Don’t ignore your hunger! Getting too hungry adds fuel to the fire of appetite, because your survival drive kicks in. It thinks you are literally starving. You’re not, of course, but once you’ve awakened the beast, good luck taming it. Eat when you are hungry to keep those animal instincts calm and under your control.
When you are hungry, eat foods that sound satisfying to you. Don’t eat what you think you should eat. Eat what you want to eat! It seems counter-intuitive, but eating what you actually want will trigger a feeling of satisfaction sooner and it will last for longer.
Savor each bite. When you rush through your meal, you don’t give all your systems a chance to register the experience. It’s over before it started! Taking the time to enjoy your food tells each part of your brain that you are doing what it takes to stay alive. This keeps your survival drive in neutral, and also satisfies your emotional desire for food, allowing you to walk away from the meal without a physical or mental hankering for more!
Plan 10 minutes a day for a non-food self indulgence. Is food the only outlet you have? The only way you can unwind? The only thing you look forward to? When you forget to give yourself permission to relax during the day, you’ll often find yourself looking for that release in the pantry!
Move your body in an enjoyable way every day. Exercise isn’t a chore, and should never be a punishment to make up for “bad” food choices. It should be a chance to feel alive and invigorated in your body! Find something you truly enjoy and plan a reasonable time for it every day!

Try these 5 simple things for just one week and see how different your relationship with food can be without changing a single thing in your fridge or pantry!

What’s YOUR Emotional Eating Type?? Take this awesome quiz to learn what your emotional eating is trying to tell YOU!

Storage Room Soup

March 7, 2017March 27, 2017 - Brynna

I love this simple soup! It uses things I always have on hand in my food storage room. Then I just toss in whatever fresh ingredients I have in my fridge. It’s hearty and delicious! It goes beautifully with my Rustic Bread recipe, as well! Nothing beats homemade soup and bread for dinner.

The items from my storage room I use in this soup are:

16-bean soup mix (I have a big 5 gallon bucket of this in my storage room; it’s just a mix of dry beans and lentils)
canned diced or crushed tomatoes
canned cut green beans
Better than Bullion soup base (LOVE this stuff!)

And honestly, if that were all I put in this soup, it would still be delicious!!

TIP: If beans and lentils do a number on your digestive system, consider soaking them in water with 1 Tbsp. vinegar added in for 12-24 hours before cooking with them. This breaks down the phytic acid and enzyme exhibitors in the beans before they hit your gut, so that process no longer happens in your intestines (which is where all the trouble is coming from!) And it doesn’t change the taste at all! Just remember to rinse them well after draining them.

STORAGE ROOM SOUP

1 Cup dry 16-bean soup mix, or other bean/lentil combination (soaked 6-12 hours in water plus 1 Tbsp. vinegar, if desired)
4 C broth (4 C water plus 4 tsp. Better than Bullion soup base in the flavor of your choice)
2 C water
1 14.5-oz. can diced or crushed tomatoes
1 Tbsp. salt

Drain and rinse the beans if you soaked them. Place in a large soup pot with the broth, water, tomatoes, and salt. You can blend the tomatoes in a blender to your desired consistency. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat, cover and simmer for 3-4 hours, until the beans softened to your liking.

(We could stop here, add some green beans, and have a really delicious, simple soup! In an emergency situation, that is probably what I’ll do. But today isn’t an emergency, so I’ll throw in some stuff from the fridge too!)

1/2 lb. ground beef, chicken, or turkey (whatever you have on hand!)
1/2 onion, diced
3 carrots, peeled and diced
3 celery stalks, diced
1 tsp. each: basil, thyme, sage
1/4 C white or red cooking wine (optional, but recommended!)
1 14.5-oz. can cut green beans

Once the beans have cooked for several hours, brown the meat in a medium skillet over medium heat. When only a little pink remains, add the onion, carrots, celery and dried herbs. Sauté 5 minutes more. Add the cooking wine to deglaze the pan (this picks up all the little bits of flavor in the pan and blends them all together!)

And the meat and vegetable mixture and green beans to the pot of simmering beans. Return to a low boil and simmer for 15 minutes, until the vegetables are tender.

Serve hot with your favorite bread and a salad!

Hearty and delicious!

More Awesome Recipes!

What’s YOUR Emotional Eating Type?? Take the Quiz and find out what your emotional eating is trying to tell you!

Festive Pumpkin Roll

February 6, 2017 - Brynna

This is my husband’s favorite holiday dessert. I always make it at least once during the holiday season!

We lived in Shanghai, China for 3 years, and the second Christmas we were there, I realized I hadn’t made pumpkin roll yet that season, and hadn’t made it at all the year before! I felt terrible! How had I let this happen??

So I set to work straight away finding and purchasing the ingredients (not so easy in China!) and then preparing this fabulous treat.

I poured my lovely batter into the jelly roll pan and went to slide the pan into the hot oven. At which point I remembered WHY I hadn’t made this dessert since moving to China. Our oven was too small for a jelly roll pan. It didn’t fit, no matter how I tried to wedge it in there!

I honestly don’t remember what I did at that point, which is probably just as well! The good news is that the third Christmas we spent in China, we lived in a different house, and our oven there WAS big enough for a jelly roll pan! I’ve never taken that for granted again!

Anyway, once you’ve checked that your jelly roll pan actually fits in your oven 😉 lightly spray it with non-stick cooking spray, line it with wax paper (wax paper works better than parchment paper here), then lightly spray the wax paper with the cooking spray. And preheat your oven to 375°F.

In a small bowl, combine flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg. Set aside.

In a medium mixing bowl, whisk the eggs with an electric hand mixer on high speed for 5 minutes, until thick and lemon-colored. With the mixer running on low, gradually pour in the sugar, beating until dissolved. Gently stir in the pumpkin and lemon juice by hand. Fold dry ingredients into pumpkin mixture. Spread batter evenly into the prepared jelly roll pan. This batter is NOT self-leveling, so get it as even as you can!

Bake at 375° for 12-15 minutes, until golden, but not brown. While it’s baking, spread a tea towel (no nap) flat on the counter and dust evenly with powdered sugar. When the cake is down baking, remove from the oven and immediately invert it onto the dusted tea towel. Remove the wax paper gently from the cake.

Beginning at a short end, roll the warm cake and towel together. Cool on a wire rack at room temperature for one hour.

When the cake is almost done cooling, make the cream cheese filling. Unroll the cake and frost. Then re-roll the frosted cake, this time without the towel! Wrap in saran wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.

When you’re ready to serve, use an 18-24″ length of thread or dental floss to cut the roll into 1-inch thick slices. Put the thread under the roll, cross it over on the top, then pull it tight. Voila! A perfectly cut slice, without mashing the delicate sponge cake or getting frosting everywhere.

Dust with additional powdered sugar, if desired, and enjoy!

Gorgeous!

Perfect textures!

Festive Pumpkin Roll

The cake:

3/4 C flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
2 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. ginger
1 tsp. nutmeg
3 eggs
1 C sugar
2/3 C canned pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling!)
1 tsp. lemon juice
powdered sugar for dusting

The filling:

8 ounces cream cheese (full fat), room temp.
6 Tbsp. butter, softened
1 tsp. vanilla
1 C powdered sugar

Preheat the oven to 375° F. Grease a 15″ x 10″ x 1″ jelly roll pan. Line with wax paper and then grease it again.

Stir together the dry ingredients in a small bowl: flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg. In a medium mixing bowl, whisk the eggs with an electric hand mixer on high speed for 5 minutes, until thick and lemon-colored. With the mixer running on low, gradually pour in the sugar, beating until dissolved. Gently stir in the pumpkin and lemon juice by hand. Fold dry ingredients into pumpkin mixture. Spread batter evenly into the prepared jelly roll pan.

Bake for 12-15 minutes. Loosen edges and turn cake out onto a tea towel dusted with powdered sugar. Starting at a narrow end, roll the warm cake and towel together. Cool on a wire rack for 1 hour.

For filling, beat together butter and cream cheese until smooth. Beat in vanilla and powdered sugar until evenly incorporated.

Unroll cooled cake and spread filling evenly to the very edges. Roll cake back up with filling and without towel. Wrap in plastic wrap and chill in fridge at least 2 hours. Slice into 1″ thick pieces, dust with additional powdered sugar if desired, and serve!

Simple Rustic Bread

October 6, 2016March 7, 2017 - Brynna

My health coach Ashley, from www.youtrition.net, was telling me she loves sourdough bread, but isn’t a big fan of the sourdough she’s found here in Utah. And it’s true that location is a big part of how a true sourdough bread tastes, because sourdough relies on naturally occurring bacteria and mold spores in the air to rise. So sourdough bread really is better in San Fransisco, with the fresh sea air!

This extremely simple bread recipe mimics sourdough, but without all the work and and worry. It is a slow-rise, artisan dough. It has a very mild sourdough flavor, a nice crackly crust, and it’s perfectly chewy inside. But because this isn’t a true sourdough, it doesn’t rely on the environment for it’s taste. It will turn out awesome anywhere!

Plus, it’s easy, easy, easy! Non-breadmakers, rejoice!! All your unfulfilled homemade bread dreams are about to come true 😉

Simple Rustic Bread

3 cups bread flour (or all-purpose flour, mixed with 1 heaping Tbsp. wheat gluten)
1 heaping tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. quick rise yeast
1 1/2 C water
1 Tbsp. vinegar

In a large bowl, mix together the flour (and gluten, if using), salt and yeast. Add the vinegar to the water, then pour the liquid into the dry ingredients. Stir until evenly incorporated. Cover with saran wrap and let sit for 12-18 hours.

Above is a picture of what my dough looked like immediately after mixing the wet and dry together. Then to the right is 17 hours later!

Turn the dough out onto a well-floured surface, with well-floured hands! I like to use my silpat mat so I can stick the whole floury mess in the sink when I’m done, and my counter is still clean. Knead the dough about 10 times, adding flour as necessary to prevent sticking.

Place the dough in a bowl lined with enough parchment paper that it comes up and out the sides for lifting. Don’t use wax paper here, only parchment will work (they are interchangeable sometimes, but not this time!)

Cover the dough with a kitchen towel, set aside, and let it rise again for 2 hours.

About 20-25 minutes before the 2-hour second rise is complete, place an iron dutch oven into the oven with the lid on, and turn the oven to 450°F. When the 2-hour rise is complete, remove the hot dutch oven from the hot oven, take off the lid, and lift the dough out of the bowl and into the dutch oven, using the parchment paper “handles.”

If you want to slash the dough, flour the surface, then use a very sharp serrated bread knife, and make two or three 1/2″ deep cuts across the top of the top of the loaf.

Put the lid back on. Place dutch oven back in the oven, making sure the parchment paper doesn’t touch the oven walls anywhere.

Bake at 450°F for 50-60 minutes, until golden brown. The smell of burning paper is normal!! LOL!

Remove loaf from dutch oven immediately and left it cool on a wire rack. Keep the parchment paper on during cooling for a softer crust. Remove it for a harder crust.

Gorgeous!

This bread is the perfect accompaniment for all your fall soups and stews. Here, I’ve served it with my Storage Room Soup (beef and vegetable, with lentils!)

Mmmmm, there are many reasons to love Autumn, and this is definitely one of them!

Simple Rustic Bread

3 cups bread flour (or all-purpose flour, mixed with 1 heaping Tbsp. wheat gluten)
1 heaping tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. quick rise yeast
1 1/2 C water
1 Tbsp. vinegar

Turn the dough out onto a well-floured surface. Knead the dough about 10 times, adding flour as necessary to prevent sticking.

Place the dough in a bowl lined with enough parchment paper that it comes up and out the sides for lifting.

Cover the dough with a kitchen towel, set aside, and let it rise again for 2 hours.

Put the lid back on. Bake at 450°F for 50-60 minutes, until golden brown.

Remove loaf from dutch oven immediately and left it cool on a wire rack. Keep the parchment paper on during cooling for a softer crust. Remove it for a harder crust.

Darling Disney Princess Costume T-shirts!

October 3, 2016October 28, 2016 - Brynna

This “Did It Myself” project was such a blast! It started out with me wanting to have a Disney Princess costume for Halloween, but also only wanting to put on a T-shirt and jeans for my costume 😉 I’m lazy like that!

Then we decided to take our kids to Disneyland for Fall Break, 2016. I know a lot of little girls wear full princess regalia when visiting Disneyland, but I was worried my girls (8 and 6 years old) would be hot, itchy and generally uncomfortable in costumes all day long (read: turn into whiny, complaining brats!)

So I decided, why not make T-shirt costumes for all of us?? The girls can feel like princesses, yet run around a theme park for 3 days in cool comfort. So I dove in! I made 3 shirts for myself, and 2 for each of the girls. I figured they can wear an actual princess costume one of the days, or wear one of their shirts twice!

I made Ariel, Aurora, Belle, Rapunzel, Snow White, Elsa, and Cinderella. And there’s a tutorial for each one!

Supplies

I used solid colored T-shirts we already owned.

I used scissors, hot glue, craft glue, craft paint and paintbrush, needle and thread, and a sewing machine I already owned.

I used pink bias tape, sequins, and decorative buttons I already owned.

I purchased 31-yard rolls of tulle in green, purple, white, yellow, and light blue. I also purchased a roll of each: thin pink ribbon, thin red ribbon, thick turquoise ribbon, yellow ric-rac, medium thickness silver ribbon, and white beaded bridal trim. I got all this at Wal-Mart for about $25.

Seven costumes for $25?? That’s my kind of project!

ARIEL TUTORIAL

This is the first shirt I made, and my learning curve was still steep! If I could go back, I’d do a few things differently, and I’ll let you know what those things are!

I started with a lime green t-shirt and some purple tulle. I wish I’d used several thicknesses of tulle, instead of just one layer, for more fullness of texture and depth of color. The idea is to create a mock bikini top on the shirt, then have some green ruffles at the bottom of the shirt to imitate Ariel’s fins.

I laid the tulle across the chest of the shirt, allowing about 2 extra inches in length for gathering, and leaving about 18 inches of length on either side of the shirt to tie in the back.
I sewed the tulle to the shirt along each of the underarm seams.
I gathered the tulle together at the exact center and whip-stitched it to to the T-shirt.
I covered the white thread with purple sequins, hot-gluing them in place.

I measured the circumference of the entire bottom hem of the shirt. Then I measured out twice as much green tulle. (Again, I wish I’d used 2 or 3 layers of tulle here for more fullness, and I may go back and add a little more if I have time before our trip!) But in these pics I only used one layer of tulle.
I did a stitch on the tulle with a 1/2 inch seam allowance, then gathered the tulle loosely until it was the same length as the entire hem of the shirt.
I pinned the tulle to the hem of the shirt, matching my stitching on the tulle to the hem line of the shirt. Right side of the tulle to wrong side of the shirt.
I sewed the tulle to the shirt, with the tulle extending below the bottom of the shirt.

I glued some more purple sequins to the bikini “shells” and tied the tulle in the back. One down!!

AURORA TUTORIAL

I love how this one turned out! Again, I wish I’d used a little more tulle for fullness with the skirt. Still learning! But the neckline is adorable!!

I started with a plain pink t-shirt. I measured the neck line, added 3 inches for fullness, and cut that much white tulle.
I folded the tulle in thirds length-wise (hot dog!) Then I sewed it to the right side of the shirt, along the top shoulder seam between the neck line and the sleeve. I repeated that step with the other end of the tulle on the other shoulder seam.
I found the center of the front of the shirt 2 inches below the neckline, and gathered the tulle to that point. Then I hot glued beaded bridal trim from the shoulder seam down to the center point. I made sure the edge of the tulle was glued in there, as well! Then glued from the center point up to the other shoulder seam, securing the tulle between the shirt and the trim.

I glued silver ribbon from the center point of the neckline down to the center of the shirt, 3 inches above the hem. Then glued thin pink ribbon over the silver ribbon, and from the outer shoulder seams to the center point.
I sewed 2 layers of tulle to the entire circumference of the right side of the shirt, 3 inches above the hem, so it meets the point where the ribbon ends. I started and finished at a side seam, and sewed along the side seam as well, to secure the tulle to the shirt completely. I wish I’d used 3 layers of tulle and done some gathering here. Oh, well!
I cut an alternating zig-zag pattern in the bottom of the tulle, to mimic the darts in Princess Aurora’s dress.

Cute, cute!!

BELLE

For Belle, I finally learned my lesson and was very liberal with the tulle! I think it worked.

I measured the circumference of the hem of my daughter’s cream t-shirt. Then I tripled that length. I used 3 layers of yellow tulle and 1 layer of white tulle, all cut to that triple length, then stacked together.
I sewed all the tulle, leaving 1 inch overhang, to a side seam on the right side of the shirt, 5 inches above the hemline.
I measured the width of the shirt, and divided it into thirds, marking each point on both the front and back of the shirt, staying 5 inches above the hemline. I also marked the opposite side seam at 5 inches above the hemline.
I draped the tulle in a scallop shape from one point to the next, whip-stitching all the tulle to the shirt at each point.

I left several inches of extra tulle between each stitch point for plenty of fullness, just like Belle’s skirt.
I went around the hem of the shirt with the tulle a second time. This time I just stitched at the halfway points, so the scallops would be alternating between the two layers.
I hid the two ends of the tulle in the all the ruffles and secured them with hot glue.
I measured from the center-front of the shirt, around the outside of the shoulder seams, across the back, and back to the center-front. I added 6 inches to that, and cut three layers of tulle to that length. Then I folded them each in half and stacked them on top of each other.

I found the center of the length of tulle and sewed it to the right side of the shirt, on the center-back of the shirt, the top of the tulle at 2 inches below the neckline. I draped the tulle to the outside of the shoulder seam where it meets the sleeve and whip-stitched it in place. I did this on both sides.
I found the exact center of the front of the shirt, 2 inches below the neckline. There I cut a small, vertical slit, about 1/2 inch in length. I pushed both ends of the tulle through the hole and pulled it through, so there was about 2 inches of excess tulle on the inside of the shirt.
I sewed both ends of the tulle to the wrong side of the shirt, careful not to catch any of the tulle on the outside of the shirt in my stitches!
I covered the tulle on the inside of the shirt with a piece of soft flannel, so it won’t be itchy! I just hot glued it in place.

Bellissimo!

RAPUNZEL

Finally a shirt for me! I figure with my short, dark, textured hair, I can pass for Rapunzel at the end of the movie Tangled, right??

I started with a plain, light purple shirt. I found the center of the neckline and the center of the hem, and marked them with pins. Then I centered a layer of white, sparkly tulle over the top of the right side of the front of the shirt (the one time using a single layer of tulle was a good idea!)
I measured and marked 3 inches out in both directions from the center of the neckline.
I measured and marked 1.5 inches in both directions form the center of the hem (look closely, the black dots are there!)

Using a straight edge, I made a line from the right point on the hem to the right point on the neckline. Then I marked every 3 inches up that line. I did the same thing with the left points. This gave me my outer points for the laces up the front.
I found the exact center of my length of pink bias tape and hot glued it to the shirt between the two points I made from the center. The tulle is being secured between the shirt and the bias tape.
I criss-crossed the bias tape to the next point up on the opposite side and secured it in place with hot glue. You can see I had a little mishap with the hot glue and the tulle, but I patched it up and with all the trim on now, you barely notice it!
I continued the criss-crossing and hot-gluing all the way to the top points on the neckline, again with the tulle secured between the shirt and the bias tape.

I hot-glued silver ribbon from the top right point to the bottom right point, and from the top left point to the bottom left point. I made sure to cover the outside corner of all my criss-crosses.
I trimmed the excess bias tape and silver ribbon.
I hot-glued beaded bridal trim along the front of the neckline, covering the top of the silver ribbon, pink bias tape, and tulle. Then I trimmed the excess tulle.
I hot-glued thin pink ribbon to the sleeves. Starting at the top shoulder seam, I spaced each stripe 1.5 inches apart. That made 7 stripes on each sleeve. Once the glue was cooled, I trimmed the excess ribbon.

I think this one looks the most like the original!

SNOW WHITE

This one was the easiest. And I could have left the yellow ruffle off the bottom and it would have been even easier! This shirt is also for me. I like the princesses with short, dark hair 🙂

The sleeves on my royal blue t-shirt are a little ruffly, so I just fanned them out as flat as I could and did my best!
Starting from the top shoulder seam, I hot-glued lengths of turquoise ribbon to the sleeves. I spaced them every 1.5 inches, for 5 stripes per sleeve.
Then I hot glued thin red ribbon down the center of each turquoise ribbon, and trimmed all the excess.

Add yellow ric-rac down the center of the front (and an optional yellow tulle ruffle on the bottom) and you’re Snow White!

CINDERELLA

The last shirt for me. Sadly, this princess does not have short, dark hair. But I had a plain, light blue t-shirt already, so I couldn’t be too picky!

I found the exact center of the front of the shirt and marked 2 inches above the hem. Then on each side seam, I marked 3 inches above the hem. I made a light dotted line from the center point out to each of the side seam points.
I made a dotted line across the back of the shirt, following the line 3 inches above the hem.
I measured the circumference of the bottom hem of the the shirt and doubled it. I cut 3 layers of light blue tulle to that length, stitched it, and gathered it to the same length as the shirt’s circumference measurement. Then I pinned the tulle to the shirt along the dotted lines, right sides together, with the tulle going up toward the top of the shirt.
I sewed the tulle to the shirt, starting and ending at the center front point. When I flipped the tulle down, it covered its own seam and had more fullness.

At the center point on the front of the shirt, I trimmed the tulle in a cut-away scallop shape, like the white bustle on Cinderella’s gown.
I hot-glued silver ribbon over the seam.
I shaped the silver ribbon into a point at the center front.
I trimmed away a little more tulle to get the shape perfectly even.

I cut two 6-inch lengths of 2 layers of light blue tulle. I gathered them along the 6-inch edge.
I pinned the gathered edge to the seam where the sleeve meets the shoulder, right sides together, with the tulle facing the neckline of the shirt.
I sewed the tulle to the shirt on each side. When I flipped the tulle over, it made a nice, puffy sleeve.
I covered the seam with the beaded bridal ribbon, trimmed the excess ribbon, and cut the tulle sleeve into a nice rounded shape.

Magical!

ELSA

Last but not least, what little girl doesn’t want to dress up like Frozen?? I made this shirt for my six-year-old, and of course the eight-year-old was instantly jealous! But the red-headed eight-year-old has an Anna dress, so that will have to do.

I started with a white t-shirt. I found the center of the front of the shirt, 2 inches below the point of the V-neck. From that point, I lightly drew a sweetheart neckline out to the side seams. Then I slid a piece of cardboard up inside the shirt.
I mixed some white and blue acrylic paint together to make light blue. I used a regular old paint brush to paint the front of the shirt, up to the sweetheart neckline I drew.
While the paint was still wet, I placed light blue, sparkly tule over the top of it. It wasn’t wide enough to do the whole shirt at once. So I did it like wallpaper, and just got the seams as smooth as possible. I really pressed the tulle down into the wet paint so it would adhere.
I hot-glued beaded bridal trim along the sweetheart neckline, covering the edge of the paint and securing the tulle to the shirt.

I also hot-glued the beaded trim to the bottom hem of the shirt and side seams, covering all the painting edges and continuing to secure the tulle in place.
I cut 14 2-foot lengths of light blue tulle to make seven double layers of tulle. I gathered the 7 lengths together along the short edge, using one continuous seam for all seven pieces.
It looked like a huge, tulle bunting before I gathered it! The gathered edge is 6 inches in length.
I sewed the gathered edge to a 12-inch length of turquoise ribbon.

I sewed each end of ribbon to the shirt along the back edge of the shoulder seam where it meets the sleeve, on the right side of the shirt.
Let It Go, and it’s a lovely, flowing Queen Elsa cape!

Front

Back

So there you have it! Fun ideas for making costumes for all the little princesses in your life. But be warned! Now my son is asking me to make him Flynn Rider and Woody costume t-shirts! With Disney, the “fun” never ends! I’ll be sure to post some pics on the blog of our Disneyland trip, wearing our shirts. Wish me luck!

To the Max: Snowshoeing!!

September 29, 2016November 1, 2016 - Brynna

I love the outdoors. But I will not sleep there. I’m a non-camper! Hiking is my preferred method to enjoy being outside.

And I love the snow. But I don’t like going super fast down steep and slippery slopes with sticks attached to my feet (AKA: Skiing!) Scary!

So I snowshoe. It’s hiking and snow all in one! Plus it is a fun, easy, romantic date.

My cute snowshoeing date 😉

We got snowshoes for Christmas early in our marriage and try to put them to good use every Winter. Sometimes we will drive to a trailhead in our area.

This was at Big Springs Trail, up Provo Canyon in Utah, about 15 minutes from our home. We went up for about an hour before sunset. There was a gorgeous ravine and a huge meadow. And some steep hills that somehow my husband always convinces me to climb with him!

Sometimes we stay on the beaten path, but snowshoeing in powder is a blast (and a workout!!) That’s when we hit the hills just behind our house.

We can walk to these hills from our house, then strap on the snowshoes and explore! How many deer can you find in this picture? (Hint: there’s only two).

Me, at the top of the foothills

Amazing views and look at that sky! No photoshopping necessary. I’m on top of the world, hey!

One day when we went out, we came across this lovely reminder of the food chain:

My husband said we should keep an eye out for the rest of the deer. I was thinking we should keep an eye out for a mountain lion!! Thankfully, we ran into neither. But we will always have this little reminder to be careful out in the wild. Thankfully, we have always gotten home in one piece 😉

Squinty selfie, but we always have a great time together!

Here’s the foothills behind our house as they look today, from my back porch:

Can’t wait until they are covered in snow again so we can go on an adventure! Winter’s coming!!

Have you ever snowshoed? If not, rent some and give it a try!

More fun ideas for Exercise!!

Never-Go-Flat Chocolate Chip Cookies!

September 28, 2016November 1, 2016 - Brynna

Because I live at high elevations, baking cookies can be a problem. I can have a recipe turn out great one time, and then fall flat the next time. About 10 years ago, I set out to find a recipe that worked. Every. Single. Time. And I thought I found one. But then after about a year, it stopped working, like it had expired or something!

Well, you can imagine my delight when we moved to Shanghai, China in 2010. It’s right at sea level, and living there was a baker’s dream! All my cookies just turned out right, no matter what. I forgot I’d ever had baking troubles! Until we moved back to the USA and 4,500 ft. elevation. Then it was back to the drawing board with cookies 🙁 But not for long!

I have tweaked this recipe and it works for me every single time now. I love it!

So if this is how you like your cookies to turn out, this recipe is for you!

Basic Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 C butter, room temperature
1 1/2 C brown sugar
1/2 C sugar
1 3.5 oz. package instant vanilla pudding mix
1 Tbsp. cornstarch
4 eggs, room temperature
1 T vanilla
4 1/2 C flour
2 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
2 1/2 to 3 C semi-sweet chocolate chips (or combo of your favorite chips!)

Preheat the oven to 350° F. If your eggs are cold, place them in a bowl of hot tap water until ready to use. This helps a lot!

Beat the butter and sugars together for 2 minutes, until light and fluffy. Stop the mixer to scrape down the sides as needed.

Then, while the mixer is running, add the pudding mix powder, cornstarch, room-temperature eggs, and vanilla. Mix until well combined.

Sift together the flour, baking soda and powder, and salt. Remember to spoon the flour into your measuring cup, then level off the top with a butter knife. Don’t scoop your flour or the cookies will be too dense!

Add the dry ingredients to the wet and mix until barely combined. Add the chips and mix until evenly distributed. I used half semi-sweet and half butterscotch in this batch. Love the flavor combination!

Now, if you are going for perfection here, cover the dough with saran wrap and place in the fridge for 2 hours before baking. If you can’t wait, bake them immediately. Believe me, I get it 😉 But I’m telling you, there is some sort of magic in the refrigerator. At least, there is in mine! Cookies turn out better for me when the dough is cold.

Scoop the dough into balls of about 2 Tbsp. each, and place them on either an ungreased cookie sheet, or a cookie sheet lined with a silpat mat. I really don’t know why I ever bothered baking cookies before I had a silpat mat. It makes all the difference! Press the top of each cookie down slightly. You don’t want them completely flat like peanut butter cookies, just help them start spreading out a little. I’m telling you, the devil (or possibly choirs of heavenly angels, depending on how you look at it) are in these details!

Bake 10-11 minutes at 350°, until edges are set and tops are just turning a golden brown.

Allow them to cool for 2-3 minutes on the baking sheet, then remove to a cooling rack.

Yields 4 dozen fabulous cookies. Note here: this recipe can be cut in half easily. Still use the entire package of pudding mix, but omit the cornstarch.

Having said that, I really prefer the way the cookies turn out using the ratios as I’ve worked them out in the full recipe. And since I put the dough in the fridge ’til I’m ready to use it (and since I have 5 kids!) I always make a full batch.

Gorgeous!

Better taste one, just to be sure….

Yep, completely divine. Sing, choirs of angels, sing!

“One Piece, Three Looks” Series: Chambray Shirt Dress

September 26, 2016November 1, 2016 - Brynna

Everyone needs a fabulous shirt dress! I found this Chambray one at Banana Republic. It may seem like I shop at that store a lot. That’s because I do! Their clothes fit me really well, and I can usually hit a pretty good sale. I NEVER pay full price in there! Anyway, I digress…

This shirt dress is just darling. I love the details! The topstitching, sash, and pockets are so fun. And a shirt dress is easy to accessorize for any season, so it really is a closet staple.

For Summertime, just add some sandals and jewelry for a cool and casual look.

I did my thrift store bracelets, tribal earrings from DSW Shoes, and strappy high-heel sandals by Life Stride, also from DSW.

With a straight hairstyle, this look is simple, yet chic! Perfect for a hot day (or a hot date!)

For Spring and Fall, add some leggings and ballet flats.

I went high-impact with the color! I love these orange flats I snagged for a good price at a market in China years ago (my negotiating skills got pretty good while we lived there!) And the patterned leggings from LuLaRoe clothing. Have you heard of that company? It’s really cool. They only make a certain number of pieces in any given print, then it becomes a “unicorn,” and new pieces are never made in that print again. It’s like the Disney Vault, but with clothing 😉 I went simple with the jewelry, with a shimmery stone bracelet from LOFT and triangle studs from Bella Ella Boutique.

Soft, wavy hair compliments the whimsy in the legging print, and is great for the breezy days of Fall and Spring.

Or take this shirt dress clear into Winter. It’s warmth meets fashionable functionality!

I don’t wear my hair pulled back very often, but with the scarf up around my neck, it’s a nice change.

Aren’t those colors gorgeous together?! Warm, comforting, and rich, they make me think of pumpkin pie, mmmmm…..

I went simple with the jewelry again because of the deep colors. Terra cotta leggings from Bella Ella, b.o.c. boots I bought at Macy’s, and a creamy cable knit infinity scarf from Wal-Mart (I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, I’m not a brand snob!) Then my triangle earrings again, plus a jewel-studded ring from Banana Republic (I just discovered they have way cool jewelry!)

We’ve gone all the way through the calendar with this dress! And did I mention how comfy it is? Truly a piece every girl should own, to wear a zillion different ways, any time of year!

More from my “One Piece, Three Looks” Series!

The Order of Operations for Sustainable Weight Loss!

September 23, 2016April 4, 2017 - Brynna

Math and Lasting Weight Loss!

You may be wondering what elementary school math concepts have to do with sustainable weight loss, or weight loss without dieting. As it turns out, quite a lot! And I don’t mean for calorie or macro counting, because I don’t do any of that! But everything came to me the other day as I was helping my 5th grader with his homework.

The assignment was dealing with the “basic number properties,” namely the associative, distributive and commutative properties. Remember those? Ha! I didn’t! So I did a quick little review on Google! The overall idea is that there are ways you can rearrange and reconfigure numbers as you add, subtract, multiply and divide them that will not change your answer. But there are also ways to rearrange and reconfigure the numbers that WILL change the outcome. And you need to know the difference!

Order of Operations Lesson

So 2 + 4 + 5 is the same as 4 + 5 + 2. You can move the numbers around and the order doesn’t matter (this is the commutative property of addition, since I know you were wondering 😉 ) But 2 – 4 – 5 is not the same as 4 – 5 – 2. Subtraction is non-commutative. The order you put the numbers in does matter, and if you change the order, you change the answer.

Okay, math lesson is over! And now you really are smarter than a 5th grader 😉 So, when it comes to creating a functional relationship with food and sustainable weight loss, the order you do things in matters! There are things you need to do first, second, and so on to lay a solid foundation for change and results that last. If you switch up the order, you get a different (and perhaps undesirable) outcome.

Elements of the Equation

So what are the elements in this equation for successful, sustainable weight loss? I’m glad you asked! They aren’t any big secret: just the things we all want.

We want to lose weight, live a good life, have freedom with food, and keep the weight off. Right? And these are worthy goals! The problem isn’t with the objectives themselves, but in the order we believe they come in. Because just like with subtraction, the order makes a difference. Change the order; change the results! Let’s look at the order most people–and most of the weight loss industry, for that matter!–think things go in.

Here’s how we believe it should play out:

First, you lose the weight
Then you have freedom with food
So you are able to live a good life
And you will be able to keep the weight off

This scenario is based on the false assumption that losing weight automatically brings freedom with food, happiness, and self-acceptance. But if you’re like me, you’ve been on enough diets to know this isn’t true. In fact, the complete opposite is likely the case! You finally see the number you’ve been hoping for on the scale, and instead of happiness, you feel anxiety. It’s like a house of cards, ready to crash down at any moment. You don’t know if you can possibly maintain the efforts it took to achieve these results! There’s so much fear that the weight will come back. This isn’t the good life. All the things you hoped for, the way you envisioned you life as being once the weight was gone, seem as far away as ever!

Because here’s the reality. Weight loss does not equal freedom and peace with food. Weight loss does not bring automatic happiness. By itself, it doesn’t change your personality or sociality. It doesn’t make you more fun or likable. It doesn’t automatically give you the skills to manage your food choices well. Weight loss only means you are a smaller version of your exact same self. We fantasize that changing our jeans size will change everything. But it just isn’t so!

My Last Diet Ever

I remember the very last diet I ever went on. It was 2011 and I did MediFast with my mom, and I just knew it was going to solve all my problems!! I spent a fortune on the food, and got all the weight off. Overjoyed, I went to Nordstrom and spent another small fortune on clothes in my new size. By this time, the restrictions of the diet were beginning to take their toll. But I was determined, and I just knew if I could continue to change how I looked, it would all come together for me!

So I went out and spent several hundred dollars on new makeup. And several hundred more on a Brazilian blow-out in my hair. More and more money, grasping at straws trying to fix what I thought was the source of all my problems: my appearance. Only to find I was still unhappy, still angry, still anxious and worried all the time.

And then I couldn’t stick to the diet any more. And the weight came back soooooo quickly. Plus more! And the new clothes no longer fit. Then the Brazilian blow-out wore off. And the make-up couldn’t hide my double chin. I was back to my same old self. Except about $2,000 poorer (with NOTHING to show for it!), 5 pounds heavier than when I started, and more miserable than ever.

I bet you have a similar story. We’ve all been there. It’s so painful! So let’s start challenging the assumption that weight loss is the first step in creating a better life. When weight loss is the only priority, it simply does not create the results we are hoping for.

Formula for Success!

Now fast-forward to present day in my life: I have lost the weight, and kept it off! But weight loss didn’t come first. And losing weight on its own did not make me a better friend, mom, or wife. HOWEVER other changes I made before I lost the weight–changes that HELPED me lose the weight–did make me a better person! So let’s talk about some of those changes, because they are what need to happen first and they are what really count in getting the results you want!! Remember, if you change up the order, you change up the outcome. And when I learned a new order of operations, every outcome in my life was completely different….for the better!!

A Key Change: Not long after my MediFast rebound weight gain, I made my declaration to never diet again. You can read all the nitty-gritty in that post, but the general idea is that I promised myself I would never again do anything miserable or unsustainable for the purpose of losing weight (in other words, DIET!) In addition, I began seeing a therapist to help heal the pain and anxiety I was experiencing. My path toward lifelong thinness began with creating a better life for myself. See what happened there? I took the element of the equation that used to be third on the list and made it first! My number one priority!

That was a huge paradigm shift for me: embracing the good things in my life that had absolutely NOTHING to do with my size! So liberating!! I talk a lot more about this in my post Heavy, but Happy. There is so much good in our lives that isn’t contingent upon losing weight! We just have to start looking for it! So that is what belongs first in the equation: Living a good life!

The peace I experienced as I learned to enjoy my life, and to accept myself just as I was, set me on a path for continued change and growth. It was only at this point that I began to experience freedom with food! I learned a skill set to help me honor my body, my appetites, and accept challenges and setbacks as part of the weight loss process.

The mindset shift and the skills I have gained are so powerful, that when I began using them consistently, the weight came off. Without any calorie counting, crazy exercising, or special diet foods. Just new behaviors, learned and practiced as part of living and loving my life! And these skills are like riding a bike. Once you learn them, you don’t forget them or stop using them.

Because they aren’t things like knowing the perfect portion size for chicken breasts. Or putting half your meal in a box at a restaurant before you even start eating. Rather, they are skills that changed me from the inside out: enabling me to understand my body’s signals and my emotions, and respond appropriately.

And because the changes are so integrally part of who I am now, the weight stays off. But the weight loss and maintenance are based on a foundation of mental and emotional changes, not the other way around! This is why my blog has the subtitle: quit dieting. love life. lose weight. In that order!! I let go of dieting and a focus on weight loss and began focusing on living a good life first. Which led to peace and freedom with food. Which allowed me to learn the skills that took the weight off easily. And now the weight stays off effortlessly.

I now have my desired outcome–completely sustainable weight loss–but the steps I took to get there weren’t in the order you may have expected. It turns out sustainable weight loss really is all about the math! Who knew?? 😉

More about Weight Loss!

Want to learn more? Take this free AWESOME QUIZ to find out your Emotional Eating Type, and what it is trying to tell YOU!

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You’re in a Relationship with Food!

You can’t change another person, you can only change yourself.

What Happens When You Can’t Control the Food

What Happens when YOU Change!

Start with 5 Simple, FREE Steps!

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Math and Lasting Weight Loss!

Order of Operations Lesson

Elements of the Equation

My Last Diet Ever

Formula for Success!

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