Crocheted Owl Hat

I know I haven't crafted in  a while, but it's getting to be that chilly time of year, which means, crocheted hats and stuff! =o)

My friend Laura's son's birthday is coming up, and she asked me to make him a hat. I made im a bear hat when he was born, (TWO years ago.. omg..), and obviously he needs a new one.  Lexi has this Owl hat that my friend Janet bought for her for her 2nd birthday, and Lexi is absolutely in love with it! Since Lexi and Brody had matching bear hats, I figured they needed matching Owl hats as well. =o)

So I went online and searched for  a pattern to follow.
This is the one I found. Repeat Crafter Me

It is pretty good because it gives you the pattern for all different sizes. The only thing it that I think my yarn was a little thinner than the one she used, so I had to use a bigger size (child size) and I added more rows. I used Lexi's Owl hat as a guideline as to how big to make it. 

DCH= Double Crochet

Sl St= Slip Stich

Also for the ears, I just made the magic circle and DCH 9, then increased it each row, totaling 4 rows. 

The eyes, I started with a magic circle and DCH 9. Sl St, Changed colors, and crocheted two DCH in each DCH. (18 total DCH). Sl St, Changed colors again and 2 DCH in the first DCH, then 1 DCH in the next, repeat until you reach 27 DCH.

That's pretty much it. =o)

Let me know if you have any questions! =o)

Pumpkin chocolate chip cookies

Fall is well on its way and pumpkin is in the air! It is holiday season and baking cookies is what I do! =o) I know, you are all thinking, cookies???, she makes cupcakes! Well, cookies are so much easier to share and test recipes and so much easier to eat. (And I eat way too many on them..=o)). As much as I love cupcakes, cookies are my weakness. 

So I was planning this weeks dinner menu, and I stumbled upon this pumpkin chocolate chip cookie recipe. I was intrigued since I am always trying to find new ways to use pumpkin in my recipes. How could you go wrong with a spin off of chocolate chip cookies? =o) 

Well, I was pleasantly surprised .

The cookies were chocolatey with a hint of pumpkin pie, pure deliciousness.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies
Recipe slightly adapted from Foodnetwork

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup white sugar
1 cup light brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup canned pumpkin puree
3 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
2 cups (12-ounce bag) semisweet chocolate chips

1/4 cup of Dark Nestle Chocolate Morsels
Nonstick cooking spray or parchment paper

Directions

Heat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray cookie sheets with nonstick spray or line them with parchment paper.

Using a mixer, beat the butter until smooth. Beat in the white and brown sugars, a little at a time, until the mixture is light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs 1 at a time, then mix in the vanilla and pumpkin puree. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves. Slowly beat the flour mixture into the batter in thirds. Stir in the chips. 

 Scoop the cookie dough by heaping tablespoons onto the prepared cookie sheets. Then stick the pan in the freezer for 2-4 minutes until the dough becomes slightly stiff. (I found that the dough was too goopy, not like a typical cookie so I pooped them in the freezer to harden a little. Also this helps to keep them softer.)

Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the cookies are browned around the edges. Remove the cookie sheets from the oven and let them rest for 2 minutes. Take the cookies off with a spatula and cool them on wire racks.

SERVES: 60 (PER COOKIE); Calories: 106; Total Fat 5 grams; Saturated Fat: 3 grams; Protein: 1 grams; Total carbohydrates: 14 grams; Sugar: 9 grams Fiber: 1 gram; Cholesterol: 16 milligrams; Sodium: 70 milligrams