Cindy-Campbell.com

Truth: The key to getting an “A” on a paper in my 11th grade English class was to use a quote in your opening paragraph.  Not a quote from the book, necessarily, just one that contained a word that was a theme in the book. Bartlett’s Familiar Quotations came in quite handy.  It was the 90’s, we didn’t have Pinterest yet. Or Facebook. Or Smartphones. Seriously, the Internet and Email were just catching on. And now I feel old.

Outside of English class, I am not one who particularly “likes” quotes or mantras. And thanks to the Internet, words can be copied and manipulated so easily, it is hard to tell who originally said what.  Or if that is exactly what they said, or the context of what they were saying… Abraham Lincoln said never trust a quote you see on the Internet.

But.  Sometimes someone at some point is able to articulate a concept that I feel but cannot quite explain.  “Practice Random Acts of Kindness and Senseless Beauty.”  Putting beautiful things into the world for no real reason.  Just because.  And doing something nice for someone else, without expecting anything in return.  Just because.  With all the chaos any negativity in the world, practicing kindness and adding beauty to the everyday helps restore some balance.

Adding beauty to everyday life was the original intention behind the Etsy shop I opened 3 years ago.  It is also the reason I peruse the Manager’s Specials in the Floral Department at Kroger (grocery store).  This pretty bouquet of Pink Flowers:  99 cents.  Less than $1 to add some beauty and happiness to my home (re-using glass vases helps keep the flower buying/giving budget in check).  Just a little bit of care, these flowers will last a week, maybe more!

Add a bow, and for a couple bucks, you can give a “just because” gift to a friend or neighbor.

 

Don’t have a lot of empty vases lying around?  Any piece of glassware can do the job… like a mason jar, or that tasting glass from your favorite Craft Brewery! [Shameless plug for Saint Arnold, Texas’s Oldest Craft Brewery]

 

Now go do something beautiful and/or nice, for goodness sakes!  Literally.  For the sake of all thing good still left in the world.
Thanks

Crispy treats seem to be the name of the game this week. First I see Jeff make some goo-balls on Chopped All Stars ... then Bakerella posts her version hours later, which were inspired by these treats at Smitten Kitchen.

They have reminded me of the cereal treats I made for edible gifts last Christmas (especially since the Chopped basket had marshmallows and coconut for mystery ingredients).

Behold! Toasted Coconut Pecan Treats!
The 1st batch was shipped to my sister & her boyfriend.
The 2nd batch went to my co-worker… she said her family ate them for breakfast!

I was initially inspired by a Martha Stewart Recipe, wanting to make something unique as a Christmas gift for my sister’s Boyfriend. He loves coconut, but my sister does not. So a dessert with coconut is quite an occasion. I tweaks I made to the Martha version seemed very sensible.

The 1st batch was pretty good, but I knew it could be better. So, I adjust the proportions a bit, and DIPPED THEM IN CHOCOLATE. This new version went to my coworker, and her family was very pleased!

Here is the updated (dare I say BETTER) recipe for you to try. Your life will be a lot easier if you use a kitchen scale to weigh out your ingredients. You don’t have to weigh everything… it just that ingredients like pecans and cornflakes can be hard to measure with the scoop method.

Toasted Coconut Pecan Treats

7.5 oz. sweetened shredded coconut, Toasted (½ of a 15oz bag)
3 oz. pecans, toasted, then roughly chopped (3/4 of a cup, or ½ of a 6oz bag)
4 TBL Butter (½ a stick)
10 oz. Mini Marshmallows (1 standard size bag)
3.5 oz. Cornflakes (4 cups)
Non Stick Cooking Spray
8 oz. Chocolate/Chocolate Bark/Chocolate Candy Coating, melted

Spray a 8”x11” Baking Dish with cooking spray.
(The original recipe calls for 8×8, but that makes THICK squares, but 9×13 makes thin squares… any dish that seems bigger that a 8” square but smaller than a 9×13 should work out fine.)

Combine Toasted Coconut, Pecans, and Corn Flakes in a large heatproof bowl. Set aside.

Melt butter and marshmallow on the stove over medium heat. Stir constantly (to avoid burning) until marshmallow is a creamy consistency and the butter has been completely combined.

Using a wooden spoon or heat-proof spatula, transfer the marshmallow to the cereal mixture. Stir until all ingredients are equally combined.

Transfer entire contents of the bowl to the baking dish. Spray some cooking spray on 1 hand so you can press the treats into an even layer. Allow to cool.

Cut cooled treats into desired shapes. Hold treats at top edge and dip the bottom into melted chocolate, so the chocolate come ½ way u the treat. Let excess chocolate drip back into the bowl.

Place treats chocolate-side down on a wax-paper lined cookie sheets (any flat surface will work, really) and let the chocolate harden.

Enjoy!

Don’t know how to toast coconut? Here are some simple instructions!
It is not scary. Just don’t abandon the coconut during the toasting process and you will be fine.

I you can think of any more fun additions to the traditional Rice Crispie Treat, please let me know!

My neighbor invited me over for East lunch and served this Pork Tenderloin. It was delicious!

Ever since I tried the Alton Brown Pork Tenderloin, I’ve been hooked on the grilling method for this cut of meat. Another recipe to add to my arsenal!

Pork Tenderloin with Balsamic Strawberries

1 (3-lb.) package pork tenderloins
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 teaspoons kosher salt, divided 10 bacon slices
2 (8-oz.) packages haricots verts (thin green beans)
2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
4 garlic cloves, divided
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
1/3 cup strawberry preserves
1/2 cup quartered fresh strawberries

Preheat grill to 400° to 500° (high) heat.

Sprinkle pork with pepper and 1 tsp. salt; wrap 5 bacon slices around each tenderloin, and secure with wooden picks.

Place green beans, 1 Tbsp. olive oil, 2 garlic cloves, and remaining 1 tsp. salt in center of a 24- x 18-inch piece of heavy-duty aluminum foil; toss to coat. Bring up sides of foil over beans; double fold top and side edges to seal, making a packet.  

Turn off one side of grill. Arrange pork and foil packet over unlit side, and grill, covered with grill lid, 25 to 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, mince remaining 2 garlic cloves; sauté in remaining 1 Tbsp. hot olive oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat 2 to 3 minutes or until golden. Add vinegar; bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Boil 5 minutes. Remove from heat, and stir in preserves. Reserve half of mixture for basting. Stir fresh strawberries into remaining mixture.

Remove foil packet from grill; transfer pork to lit side. Baste pork with reserved strawberry mixture. Grill 5 more minutes over lit side, turning once. Remove pork from grill.  Rest, before slicing.  Serve with strawberry mixture and green beans.  

Today is Easter. Yay!
Today is also the last day of National Craft Month. Aww.

I hope everyone has been inspired to create something new this March, whether it is picking up a previously abandoned project, brushing up on some of your old favorite skills, or trying your hand at a new craft. I’ve dabbled in a few different projects this past month (the polite way of saying some I’ve finished, some I haven’t, and some I’ve finished but have turned out a bit wonky looking. Oh dear.)

Of course, I have been doing some Glass Etching for my Etsy Shop.

I’ve also made some more cute baby onesies… I seriously have 4 or 5 friends all due at any moment. And they are all having boys. Jeepers. I really need to get smart and just make extras to be prepared for the next baby boom.

I’ve also revisited my Alpha Phi Omega T-shirt Quilt… it just didn’t seem right to cut up my official Letters, so I recreated them out of leftover t-shirt material and fabric swatches. The sewing machine is out. All of the squares have been cut. Now it’s just a matter of sewing them all together!

Late December I decided to teach myself how to knit. Operation Gratitude and relief efforts for Hurricane Sandy were asking for scarves, and the go to for yarn fashion always seems to be knit. As a crochet-er, knitting had always been a mysterious, illusive thing. But I signed up for Ravelry, watched lots of YouTube videos, and invested in some bamboo needles. So far my scarves look a little homemade, but that is just an excuse to practice more!

 

March was for knitting dishcloths. They are small enough to carry around and work on in my spare time. Though I have found that knitting in public attracts attention, as in people getting up close and personal to see what I am doing and ask me if I am pregnant. We’re talking crowded New York subway car close. This is what ladies must feel like when strangers want to touch their pregnant bellies. Geesh.

I hope everyone has had a fun crafting month, and will keep creating the rest of the year! I definitely intend to, especially since my jeans are getting a little snug. That is usually the sign to focus less on desserts and more on art projects. Oh dear.

My website is in the middle of a good face-lift/restructuring*. In the meantime, enjoy a great kitchen tip: How to toast coconut!

Toasted Coconut adds a little bit of class to your desserts. It is a great way to make up for a lack of cake decorating skills, turning an ordinary white cake into something elegant (like the Charleston South Carolina cake). I also prefer the texture of eating roasted coconut as opposed to raw. But I am finicky like that.

Don’t worry, it is not scary.
Just Remember: Don’t abandon the coconut during the toasting process and you will be fine.

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

Spread the coconut out in as thin and even a layer as possible on a cookie sheet.

Put the pan in the oven and set a timer for 20 minutes.
DO NOT WALK AWAY!

After about 5 minutes, open the oven and use a spatula to “rake” the coconut (like raking and in those little desktop Zen Gardens). This rotates the shavings from the bottom to the top… it’s the coconut touching the pan that gets toasted. So if you don’t rake, the bottom will burn and the top will still be raw.

Repeat the raking process every few minutes, especially if you see the bottom edges start to look crispy.

You’re done then the coconut is no longer moist… the dried coconut has the consistency of hay and the shavings doesn’t stick to each other anymore.

That’s it! You did it!
Now go dip a frosted cupcake in your toasted flakes or goodness… or even add some to your next batch of cereal-crispy treats!

*My Master Plan is to turn this web space into a Reference Guide for all of the thing I love that make up my life… and less of a blog of my random ramblings. We’ll see how it goes!