Low Calorie Chocolate Cookies

The other night I was looking for a recipe for chocolate cookies that were somewhat healthy - who could ask for more? Anyway, these cookies use only egg whites and I have substituted the corn syrup in it for honey. Give them a try!

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup honey
3 egg whites

Step 1: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and spray your cookie sheets with cooking spray.

Step 2: In a bowl combine flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda and salt.

Step 3: Mix in the honey and egg whites until well blended-will be sticky and thick

Step 4: Drop the mixture onto the cookie sheets by the teaspoon (mine had to be modest teaspoons in order to make the 40 cookies the recipe suggested it should make, though perhaps my mixture was not perfect).

Step 5: Bake in the oven for 7-9 minutes or until just set - the cookies should be soft when pressed. Do not overbake.

Should make about 40 cookies. When made with the Karo syrup (corn syrup) it is estimated to be about 36 calories a cookie, I'm not sure what it is with honey instead, but I prefer the taste of the honey to corn syrup.

Some suggestions for using up those egg yolks are to make: key lime pie, pudding, creme brulee, sponge cake or custard. Don't want to waste anything, right?

Chocolate Snacking Cake Recipe from Canadian Living

from Canadian Living website

I tried this recipe two weeks ago, and now that I am back to writing more papers I am in need of it again! It is super moist and satisfying! Great for a finger treat at parties or for late night snacking, this recipe is super easy and is great for cutting out fat!! No eggs and no butter!

Now if you're like me, you never have brown sugar or buttermilk in the house. No worries, I have substitutes for you!


Ingredients
1-1/3 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup packed brown sugar (Sub: equal amount white sugar + 1tbsp molasses then mash with a fork OR just use 1 cup regular sugar)
1/2 cup buttermilk (Sub: 1/2 tbsp vinegar or lemon juice + enough milk to hit the 1/2 cup line then let sit for 5 minutes before using)
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup vegetable oil (I never have this either so I just use olive oil haha)
1-1/2 tsp vanilla
Icing sugar, (optional)

Step 1: Sift together flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Press the brown sugar through the sift (if you just mashed it fresh then you didn't have to pack the sugar, and thus don't need to sift it). Mix together.

Step 2:  Add the buttermilk, water, oil and vanilla and stir together until smooth. Pour into a greased 9"x9" square pan.

Step 3: Bake in a preheated 350°F (180°C) oven for about 35 minutes or until tester comes out clean. Let cool in pan for about 10 minutes before removing it from the pan. Cut into about 20 squares. Dust with icing sugar if desired.

According to the Canadian Living website if you cut this into 20 squares then each square is about 100 calories. Perfect snack, right!?

BiKa Boyswear

Another BiKa update! We have delivered our first boyswear designs to Project Kids! The first piece is a green rayon jersey tank top with an orange mesh hood. And the other piece is linen and rayon butterscotch shorts! Hope you all like them!

Nutella Brownie Cups

from http://butterbaking.wordpress.com/2012/01/25/easy-nutella-brownie-cups/

I came across this recipe while looking for something chocolatey that didn't require any butter.  This recipe uses very few ingredients and is made in a flash! To go to this recipe click on the link below:

Link to Original Recipe





Ingredients
1 cup Nutella (280g, 10 oz)
2 eggs
10 tbsp plain flour
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 cup chocolate chips (optional)

Step 1 Preheat the oven to 180 C and line a 12 hole muffin pan with cupcake liners.
Step 2 In a medium bowl, mix together the Nutella, eggs, flour and salt until combined.
Step 3 Divide the batter evenly between the 12 muffin holes. If using, sprinkle each brownie cup with a few chocolate chips.
Step 4 Bake for 12 minutes. Makes 12 Nutella brownie cups.

Here's my photo!

BiKa Update and Online Shop!

It's been a while since I've updated on the current BiKa pieces. The last two items we released to the stores were brought in a couple of weeks ago. One piece was a petal sleeved blouse, and the other was a tiered dress! Here are a couple of pictures!

The first is an elastic waist, petal-sleeved blouse! Very cute with jeans, shorts or tights! There is a button-opening on the back neck. The fabric is a poly-cotton blend. This item is very washable and wearable! Perfect for a day out!

The next piece is a tiered sun dress. This dress sports tie-able arm straps, which allows for the length to be slightly adjustable! Two tiers of this dress are 100% cotton, and the third tier is a poly-cotton. This dress is great on its own, or with tights and an undershirt.






As an addition to BiKa, we have started a boy's section! The first pieces are a tank top with a mesh hood, and some adorable boy shorts with an elastic waist. These items will be available at Project Kids as of Friday June 29. We hope that people will be as happy with the boyswear as they were with our girlswear!

Another piece of exciting news in the world of BiKa is that we have finally opened up our online shop on Etsy! Currently we only have two items available, but there will be more soon! The URL for the shop is http://www.etsy.com/shop/BikaKids so check it out! Maybe there will be something your child will love!

Peanut butter, chocolate chip and marshmallow pizza

Today David and I were outside in the backyard since it was so beautiful out! We decided to do some weeding while out there, and once we came inside we were so hungry. I mean while out there we ate raw sliced carrots and drank water... but just needed something really sweet! I've been wanting to make something with marshmallows, peanut butter and chocolate chips and I found a recipe for a "pizza". I hope all of you with a craving for something similar try it out! You can add a bunch of different things for toppings (like nuts), so try it out simply and then play with it! Anyway, here goes!

Ingredients

1 1/4 cups flour

3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup firmly packed dark or light brown sugar
1 egg
1 1/2 cups miniature marshmallows
2 cups (about 12 ounces) semisweet chocolate chips

Step 1: Set oven to 375 degrees. Grease a 12 or 14 inch pizza pan.

Step 2: Put the flour, baking soda and baking powder in a medium mixing bowl. Mix lightly. Set the bowl aside.

Step 3: Put the butter, peanut butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar, and egg in a large mixing bowl. With the electric mixer set on medium-high speed, beat until the mixture is smooth and creamy. With the mixer set to low speed, add the flour mixture and beat just until blended.

Step 4: Gather the dough into a rough ball and put it in the center of the greased pizza pan. Dust your hands with flour. With your hands, press the dough evenly over the bottom of the pan. With your fingers, pinch a little round rim around the edge of the circle. Bake until the crust is just beginning to brown, 8 to 12 minutes. Put a cooling rack on your counter, and put the pan on it.

Step 5: Sprinkle the marshmallows over the crust, and the chocolate chips over the marshmallows. Return the pan to the oven and bake until the marshmallows are puffy and lightly browned, 5 to 8 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven and put it on the rack.
Let the pizza cool until the chocolate is firm, about 3 hours. With a pizza cutter, cut the pizza into about 20 wedges. Makes 1 pizza. 

Sour Cream Sugar Cookies

So today I was baking for Mother's Day (tomorrow) and I had been wanting to make sugar cookies. I found a recipe in Better Home & Gardens: The Ultimate Cookie Book called Sugar Cookie Star Cutouts. Now as you can see I did not make stars, but they came out soft and delicious! I made a change to the recipe on the request of my boyfriend and the fact that I didn't have shortening in the house or enough butter to use instead of shortening. Instead I put a bit of extra butter into the mix as well as some sour cream. Please buy the book for the original recipe (on page 129) :)

Sour Cream Sugar Cookies

Ingredients

1/2 cup of butter, softened

3/4 cup granulated sugar

1 teaspoon baking powder

Dash of salt

1 egg
1/4 cup sour cream

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 cups all-purpose flour

Step 1:
In a medium mixing bowl, beat butter with an electric mixer on medium to high speed for 30 seconds.Add the sugar, baking powder and salt. Beat until combined.

Step 2:
Beat in egg, sour cream, and vanilla until combined. Beat in as much flour as you can with the mixer, then stir in any remaining flour.

Cover and chill dough for about 1 hour.

Step 3:Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. On a floured surface, roll half the dough at a time, until 1/4" thick. Using your cookie cutter (I used round, but whatever serves your purpose), cut out your dough. Place cutouts on an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake for 8-10 minutes, or until edges are firm and bottoms are very light brown. Let stand for 1 minute and then transfer them to a cooling rack.

Once cool, decorate to your desire!

New BiKa Delivery

I'm back to tell you about our newest delivery of BiKa pieces!

The first piece is a simple puff sleeve blouse with a peter pan collar. It is 100% cotton. The fabric is light for those hot days and has an imprinted stripe pattern. It is very simple and can go with any BiKa piece! We are selling this item for $20!

Our other new piece is the puff shorts. They are made of 100% cotton, the fabric is like a light-weight denim. The elastic waist and legs make dressing easy! The bow on the back is perfect for all of the tiny fashionistas, while the puff shorts could hide the fact that your 2 year old may still be wearing diapers (don't worry, we won't tell!). This item is also sold for $20, but is only available at this time in size 2 and 3.

We have also been informed that Project Kids will be holding a sale sometime soon. While the rest of the store (pre-loved items) will be 50% off, our BiKa line will be 25% off (any BiKa item, new or old)! Make sure to keep checking the Project Kids Facebook Page for when the sale will be!

Chewy Chocolate Brownies

I love making brownies. They are simple, fast and make everyone happy! This recipe is similar to the one my mother makes, but uses more sugar and less flour, and a bit of salt to make it that much tastier!

I find that in order to make cutting the brownies easier, you should run your knife along the edge of the pan soon after removing the brownies from the oven or it may be stiff after.

I hope you enjoy this recipe! Would love to hear any suggestions or ways to play with this recipe! :)

Chewy Chocolate Brownies

Ingredients:

Dry Ingredient Mixture

3/4 Cup Flour

1 Cup Sugar

1/2 Teaspoon Salt 

"Wet" Ingredient Mixture

1/3 Cup Butter + 2 Tablespoon Butter (remove 2 tbsp if using baker`s chocolate)

6 Tablespoon Cocoa Powder

2 Eggs (lightly beaten)

1/2 Teaspoon Salt 

Step 1: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F, and grease a 9x9" pan.

Step 2: In a bowl, mix together the "dry ingredients" and set aside.

Step 3: In a saucepan (or doubleboiler if you are using baker's chocolate), over medium to high heat, melt the butter. Then mix in the cocoa and remove from heat.
Step 4: Add beaten eggs and vanilla to the chocolate-butter mixture, and mix until smooth (try to make sure the egg doesn't cook in the hot mixture).

Step 5: Mix the "dry mixture" with the "wet mixture" until it is well blended. Pour mixture into your pan and place in the oven for about 25 minutes (or until a toothpick comes out clean from the center).

Makes about 35 brownies.

 

BiKa's New Website

Today I set up BiKa's new website. At the moment it just has photos and locations. I hope to be able to add more items soon. Check it out! :)

Click here to go to BiKa's website!

Chocolate Peanut Butter Dots

I have been craving chocolate but have nothing but cocoa powder so I was searching for something simple and fast I could make to satisfy my craving. I came across a recipe that is simply chocolate and peanut butter and it tastes amazing. Click here to go to the original website. I have given this recipe a name and I found that in order to make 30 dots nicely it's better to double the recipe (my doubled recipe was about 32 dots). Below is the doubled recipe.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Dots

Ingredients

• 4 tablespoons Butter
• 1 tablespoon baking cocoa powder
• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 1 teaspoon milk
• 4 tablespoons creamy style peanut butter
• Waxed paper

Step 1: In a sauce pan, over medium heat, melt the butter and then remove from heat.
Step 2: Mix in the cocoa powder until smooth and then mix in the powdered sugar.
Step 3: Add the milk and mix until a smooth consistency.
Step 4: Mix in the peanut butter.
Step 5: Line a baking sheet with wax paper and drop the mixture by the teaspoon on the sheet. Press down on the drop and make a circle about 1 to 1-1/2 inches in diameter.

You're all done! Seriously takes 5 minutes and edible right away. You'll thank me after. Enjoy!

Irons make all the difference in a garment

Sunbeam Iron
Photo from consumerreports.org

Since purchasing my industrial sewing machine I have found that I sew a lot more at home instead of at school. While my sewing machine is amazing and 100x better than my domestic sewing machine (which still has its merits), my garments don't always have the same quality that they do when I'm at school. The main reason for this is that I have a domestic iron (Sunbeam) and a $14 ironing board. Seams don't press as flat because the iron doesn't get as hot, and when pressing up hems it doesn't hold because there is too much moisture since the board doesn't vacuum it out. So in order to remedy the situation I have been researching irons(hoping I can find an affordable solution).

Reliable i700 Professional
Photo from reliablecorporation.com

The irons we use at school are from a brand called Reliable, and the model is (or is similar to) the i700 Professional. This would be my dream iron (this post seems a little sad as I'm talking about 'dream irons'). What you see in the photo is the actual iron press and the water tank/heater. The pressure on this iron is pretty intense, and can steam for up to 8 hours continuously. Unfortunately, unlike the quick domestic irons, this model takes 30-40 minutes to heat up. The other downside to this amazing iron is the price. This sucker sells on the Reliable website for $1299.99. Definitely not in my price range, and very unlikely to find used.

Reliable Velocity

I found another iron on the Reliable website, called Velocity, that is for home use that seems like it would be a great upgrade for my Sunbeam. $99 is still quite a bit more than I spent on my Sunbeam, but it claims to press like a professional iron. It also claims that it has no spitting or leaking (which mine does.... all the time..). And to top it all off, it's a really cute design. Though I don't feel as though it's as close to the industrial that I can get.

Reliable IronMaven

 A step up from this iron seems to be Reliable's IronMaven. This iron can take up to 5 cups of water for steaming, which means a longer time inbetween refills. The iron is separate from the water tank, and the movable tray allows for you to place the iron anywhere while it collects steam. One of the downsides to this iron is the size and portability of it. The next is that it is $299.99 which, while much lower than the i700, is probably out of my price range until I have a permanent studio set up.

Shark Ultimate Professional Iron

Another option is under the Shark brand. I have used my mother's Shark and I have found that it has quite a weight to it, but makes a nice press. This iron is sold at Canadian Tire for $120 and has 5 star reviews. It is called the Shark Ultimate Professional Iron. I'm not sure how great this iron is as the website does not give much in the way of details, but from my experience I would think it might be a decent alternative.

Reliable 624HA

As for ironing boards, the one we use at school has a vacuum suction to suck out the steam and moisture from the garment. This makes for a sharp press and easy fusing. The school board usually also has a sleeve board for pressing. The Reliable 624HA Professional Vacuum Board Pressing Table is very similar to our school model. The sleeve board is also heated which helps to evaporate the moisture. Unfortunately this board sells for $1699, again out of my budget.

The closest home board they had on the Reliable website was still out of my price range. The C81 Vacuum  & Up Air Ironing Board has a similar vacuum and air blowing features and heated board. The cool part about this board is that it folds up like a regular home ironing board. This board sells for $499.

The next closest board I could find was this board off of allbrands.com. I'm not even sure of the name of the board, but it, again, has similar features to the 624HA. This board sells on the website for $399, still really expensive.

Overall, I think finding a similar iron for home use is do-able, but finding an ironing board with vacuum suction in my price range is next to impossible. I feel as though the ironing board is the part that will make all of the difference in pressing my garments. Any additional links or suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

New BiKa additions at Project Kids

Today Bianca and I delivered two new styles to Project Kids. With this addition we made new garment tags and hang tags. Our original garment tags were made by a hand carved stamp and silk screen paint. This time I designed a tag using Illustrator and printed them on printable fabric until our new tags come in.

Our new hang tags were printed on hard paper and were double sided with our tag design on one side and the garment details on the back. Before we had been using the tags from the store, but I feel these new ones really reflect our image of the moment.

Back to the clothes now. When we got to the store we were told 3 of our garments had sold (which is awesome!) and so we checked the sizes that sold and I was rather surprised to find that it was sizes 2 and 3. To be honest, I had been expecting the larger sizes to sell first.

So our new garments we brought in today was a pink cotton and bamboo bolero which we are selling for $20 and a 100% cotton jumper that is stain and soil repellant with a cotton lace trim that we are selling for $25.

On the search for mannequins

Photo from
mannequinmode.com

Since Bianca and I have become more confident with our kidswear line we  have been on the search for child mannequins and dressforms (preferably used) and it has brought to light how poorly some of them are designed.

For example, this dressform would probably not be suitable as the stand goes to the middle of the form. How do you put pants on this dressform? As for the price, I think $75 is pretty reasonable considering it is in new condition. Though while searching I have found so many people selling items like this for extremely high prices. Up to $450.

Another problem I've found is the difference in prices. This cool form with poseable arms is also from MannequinMode.com and is also $75. Though while searching, I can't remember the exact website as I didn't save it, marked it as $195. For the exact same form. I feel as though Mannequin Mode is one of my favourite retailers that I`ve found so far. For the form I believe it is something like $30 shipping, which I think is very fair.

Photo from mannequinmode.com

 While I have decent pattern blocks for drafting, I feel that having a good dressform is important for good fit, not to mention should I want to drape a design.

On a side note... I`m still waiting for Staples to deliver my supplies for making tags! Delivery time "anytime between 9am and 5pm". Hope it comes soon!

No Bake Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies

Photo from Cosmopolitan.com

Recently I have been playing around with recipes because I just wanted something chocolatey with oatmeal! And this recipe was really simple and fast and required no baking (SCORE for those who don't want to heat up their kitchen when it's hot outside).

So I saw this recipe on the Cosmopolitan website and thought it would be worth a shot. Here is the link to the original website: http://www.cosmopolitan.com/sex-love/relationship-advice/katie-lee-joel-recipes-3

Ingredients (with my suggestions!)

2 c. sugar
8 T (1 stick) unsalted butter (I used margarine)
1/3 c. cocoa powder
1/2 c. milk
1 t. pure vanilla extract
1/2 c. peanut butter, creamy or crunchy (I used natural peanut butter with no salt)
2 1/2 to 3 c. rolled oats (just use 2 1/2 if you want to do this the same as me!)
***1/4-1/2 c. shredded coconut

Makes 30 cookies

Instructions

1. In a medium saucepan, combine the sugar, butter, cocoa, milk, and vanilla. Bring to a slow boil, and simmer until the sugar has dissolved. Stir in the peanut butter. Remove from the heat. Stir in 2 1/2 c. oats. The mixture should be thick. Add the remaining 1/2 c. oats if necessary (or coconut if you prefer).

2. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Drop the mixture by the heaping tablespoonful onto the parchment. Allow the cookies to firm up at room temperature, about one hour (mine took more than an hour to firm up).


These are delicious and satisfying! Not for those who want a fluffy cookie. I found mine turned out a bit like macaroons compared to the photo the website showed, but still really good! Give it a try if you've got time!

Photoshoot

I recently received the photos from the photoshoot I did recently of some pieces I created in 2011.

The first one is called Winter Warrior and it was for a wool coat project. I features 100% wool with a Kasha lining, asymmetrical front, raw edges and a seamless neck at the back hood.

Next is a leather jacket I made for a contest we had to do in school. It is steampunk inspired and features two different colours of leather-black and a mottled brown. The flaps on the arms are fake pockets though the pockets on the front are real (I didn't really want pockets on the front but it was a requirement). I used Kasha lining inside for extra warmth as some of you may know that leather jackets are not always the warmest!

And the final look I had photographed was the siren inspired eveningwear dress I made. This dress has a leather, lace up bodice, a rouched and gathered rayon skirt on top of a knife pleated tafetta under skirt. This dress was VERY heavy!

I hope you guys liked my garments!

Credits (last names are excluded for privacy):
Model: Jenna
Photographer: Alex
MUA: Natasha

And finally all garments were designed, drafted, draped, cut and sewn by me.

Let me introduce myself

Hi all,

This is my first post to this blog and I will probably upload a few posts to show a few of my passions in life. To start off I would like to introduce myself!

My name is Kathleen and I just finished my third year of Fashion Design at Ryerson University. I love to draft and sew any type of clothing and have recently started a childrenswear line with a friend that is currently for sale in Toronto, ON. I also love to do lots of DIY projects as well as bake so I hope to be able to share some of my creations with you all.

Thanks and happy reading!

Closet Child