Saw This and HAD to Try It

I was blurfing and came across Monika's blog, where she made this marvelous mini card with a sewing machine stitched spider web -- well, we all know how I love stitching on cards, so of course, I had to try it. It turned out to be surprisingly harder than I thought it would be, but the results are just awesome! I ended up using a white colored pencil to gently make a thin line to guide me on the curvy line parts. This worked SUPER well. Of course, I figured that out on my third time. Also, Monika said she hand turned the sewing machine wheel to have greater control and I would also recommend this!!!

I made this into a recipe card tag and made some Pumpkin Spiced Gingersnap Truffles (recipe from Oct. Better Homes & Gardens) to go along with it to give away. We went to a Halloween party last night and I thought they would make the perfect hostess gift in a cute little bag Hope she liked them.

Pumpkin Spiced Gingersnap Truffles

1 1/4 c. semi sweet chocolate pieces
1/4 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1/4 tsp vanilla
1/2 c. whipping cream
3/4 c. chopped gingersnaps (about 10 cookies)
1/3 c. crushed gingersnaps (about 7 cookies) and/or
1/4 c. unsweetened cocoa powder

1. In a medium bowl combine chocolate pieces, pumpkin pie spice and vanilla.

2. In a medium microwave safe bowl place whipping cream. Microwave on 100% power for 70 seconds or until boiling. Pour cream over chocolate mixture. Let stand 5 minutes. Whisk until smooth. Stir in chopped gingersnaps. Cover, refrigerate 1.5-2 hours until firm but soft enough to form into balls.

3. Place crushed gingersnaps and/or cocoa powder in small bowl. Using a small spoon, scoop 1 tablespoon portions of truffle mixture and shape into balls. Roll in crushed gingersnaps or cocoa powder to coat. Refrigerate 1 hour or until firm. Store, covered, in refrigerator up to three days.

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Here are some pictures from lunch yesterday where we tried out the Yummy Mummy Dogs recipe that I posted recently! They turned out fun and the kids liked them (still refused to eat them but thought they were cool, eventually they ate them, but they were slow in getting started with it). I think J might have been a little nervous about them -- big imagination probably made him think they were eating real mummies or something.