DECK THE HOLIDAY'S

Chocolate Cream Swiss Roll Have you ever heard of a recipe and instantly thought... I.MUST. MAKE. THAT!  Well this totally happened to me last week.  In class we learned to make roulades.  These are basically small thin sponge cakes that you layer with a tasty filling, roll up, and frost.  They are so much fun but as we made a vanilla, raspberry one in class I couldn't even concentrate because all I was thinking was... I can make Little Debbie Swiss Rolls now!   That's right, the lunch box treat from grade school that everyone loved.  I can make them and better yet - I can make a GIANT one.  How much fun would it be to go to a party and have dessert be a giant Swiss Roll?!  I knew I would have to give this a try.   The cake is a little fussy and takes some extra steps which is never my favorite way to lead into a recipe.  The technique, however, is critical.  These little cakes...

    The  Nachi Fire Festival  is one of Japan's cultural gems. Listed as an intangible cultural asset the festival has a history of more than 1500 years and is one of the most spectacular festivals of the summer. Held on July 14th each year, the Nachi no Hi Matsuri or Nachi Ogi Matsuri (Fan Festival) is a traditional fire festival involving ritual offerings, music and dance. The festival is held in a remote area of the Yoshino-Kumano National Park on the Kii Peninsula. The shrines where the Nachi Fire Festival takes place are part of the UNESCO World Heritage list, the Kumano Nachi Grand Shrine and the Hiryu shrine, which is located at the base of the massive Nachi waterfall, which with a 133 meter (about 436 feet) drop is the highest waterfall in Japan.     The festival involves 12 (portable) mikoshi shrines, each decorated with mirrors and gold, and 12 massive ceremonial torches. Carried from Kumano Nachi Grand Shrine down the old...

Halloween Recipe Box Don't you think it's time to have a place to stash all your favorite Halloween recipes? Yes, I know we all have burgeoning Pinterest boards chalk full of ghoulish recipes but in 20 or 30 years will you be able to pass down your Pinterest boards to your kids! Why not start a tradition of filling this little beauty with all the recipes that you love to make at Halloween. How cool will it be when your kids, all grown up, pull out flour dusted recipe cards stained with sticky finger prints and relish the memories of warm Witch Fingers or Graveyard Brownies being pulled from the oven on All Hallows Eve. Part One of this tutorial will tell you what supplies you will require and how to measure and cut the materials. An important note before we start: the thickness of the chipboard is essential to the success of this project!! The chipboard I've used is 40PT, available at Michaels in packs of 25 sheets. Each pattern piece has been cut TW...