Pretzel Log Cabin

Celebrate President's Day with your children by constructing a frontier, patriot village made from pretzels -- or even Lincoln Logs.

There is nothing more conducive to teaching our children America's history than by creating costumes, toys, and visual aids that allow them the freedom of creativity and imagination. This project I came across at Kabboose is something that even the adults in your home will love. And the best part is ... it is completely edible.

Pretzel Log Cabin
By: Amanda Formaro

What you'll need:

Small empty milk carton
Pretzel sticks
Chocolate frosting or peanut butter
1 Rolo or other tubular shaped candy
1 square cracker
Scissors
Hot glue or tape

How to make it:

Cut the top flap of the milk carton off and tape or hot glue it closed to form the roof.

Spread chocolate frosting or peanut butter on one side of milk carton then cover with pretzels. Repeat this step all over the milk carton until log cabin is complete. You may need to break the tips off of some of the pretzels to make then fit up the sides.

Break a square cracker in half, then break one of the halves in half. Spread some frosting or peanut butter on the back of the first half. “Glue” it to the front of the cabin as the door. Repeat this step with a smaller broken piece for the window.

Spread some frosting or peanut butter to the bottom of Rolo and stick to the roof.

Tips:

You can make this a larger project using any box and large pretzel logs.

This is an edible craft project, just be sure you check for allergies, especially if using peanut butter as your glue.

Ask children to save their milk carton from their school lunch and wash them out thoroughly before using.

Taking Better Pictures

We all want to take better pictures. It doesn’t matter if you’ve spent thousands of dollars on your photo gear or you’re just using the camera that’s built into your phone. What you need are some tips from the pros, and you too can take great pictures.

The most logical place to start any discussion about photography is with the camera. When I write this next line, it’s going to kill any chance of me getting Nikon to sponsor me: you can take great pictures with any camera. My local newspaper runs regular photo contests. Sometimes the winners are pros, but more often than not, the winners are average people using an inexpensive camera.

Let’s start by making an assumption that we are talking about digital cameras. Film cameras are getting increasingly difficult to find at camera shops – and increasingly easier to find on eBay.

I hate to break this to you but if you still have a film camera, it’s almost worthless... Sorry.

There are three kinds of cameras: DSLR, point-and-shoot and “included”. A DSLR (Digital Single Lens Reflex) camera is a camera with removable lenses. If you’re a serious hobbyist, or you’re a wannabe, then a DSLR is the way to go. They give you more control with a host of manual settings. Being able to change lenses and filters are critical to high-end photography.

A point-and-shoot camera is one designed to be easy to use. Most have some manual settings but primarily they’re intended to be used in an automatic mode. Focus, shutter speed and all of the other worries are done for the photographer automatically. They also have built-in lenses.

A new category of cameras is the “included” camera. These are cameras built into other things. My phone has two cameras. My computer has a camera. My video game has one. My car even has one. The idea behind these cameras is that the camera you have with you is always better than the camera that you don’t have with you. To date, the one thing that all included cameras have in common is that they don’t take high quality pictures. They’re getting better but they don’t yet compete with stand-alone cameras in terms of quality.

Which model should I buy?

Once you have decided the category that suits you best, the obvious question is which model. A person could go nuts evaluating all of the options and reading all of the reviews that are out there. The options are constantly changing. Rather than trying to make a futile recommendation, let me share some information that will make choosing easier.

First, it’s not a Maytag. My mom has had the same Maytag washer and dryer my whole life. Good for my mom but bad for Maytag. Unlike Maytag, the marketing folks at Canon think of their customers in terms of “lifecycle”. They have designed their product plan around the idea that every 5 years you’re going to buy a new camera. To make that happen, they design obsolescence into their product line. Cool new features will keep coming out and eventually you won’t be able to help yourself and you’ll buy a new camera. It’s inevitable. The best hedge against this is to buy the latest and greatest. Buying last year’s model won’t save you any money because right away, you’re a year closer to obsolescence.

Another decision that you’re going to make is which brand. The two most popular brands are Nikon and Canon. I would stick with one of them because both are very active in their lines. They have the sales volume to justify developing new technology and releasing new models. Competitors like Pentax, Olympus, Panasonic, Sony and Kodak simply don’t have that horsepower.

When you make a choice of brand, you should figure that you will probably stick with it forever. The controls differ so much between brands that once you learn one, it will be hard to learn the other system. If you’ve opted for a DSLR, the other reason for brand loyalty is that you’re going to have accessories that only work on that brand’s cameras.

How to pick a brand? Generally speaking, professional photographers will tell you that Nikon pictures are warmer and Canon pictures are more saturated. The difference is minimal but that’s the feeling. Both take great pictures and you can’t go wrong.

So what do I use? I have two cameras: one for work and one for personal use. Both are DSLRs. The work camera is a Canon 7D. I love it because it’s fast and loaded with features. It’s the top of the consumer line of cameras… a “prosumer” model. My personal camera is a Canon T2i. What I love about it is that it has most of the features of the 7D, it uses the same image sensor, but it’s much lighter which makes it great for carrying around.

Ron J. Miller
My Flickr Photostream

This is the first article in a series on photography. Watch Good Living Magazine for more tips. If you have any questions, write me at ronjm@yahoo.com

Currant Buttermilk Scones

I'm a tea party kind of girl. There is nothing I love more than chintz and Royal Doulton and Staffordshire and roses ... and the idea of tea. While my home no longer reflects this love, a house full of my men and china don't mix superbly, so I've found Pottery Barn works much better for them. However, I travel as often as I can to Victoria and soak in all the old English, tea loving rituals I possibly can.

Here is a recipe for one of my favorite tea party standards. For Valentine's Day, I make them into the shape of hearts and will serve on the morning of. Enjoy!

Buttermilk Scones

Makes 12

Ingredients

3 cups flour

1/3 cup sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

3/4 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 sticks (or 6 ounces) cold butter, diced

1 cup buttermilk

1 tablespoon grated orange or lemon zest

1/2 stick butter, melted, for brushing scones

1/4 cup sugar, for dusting scones

1/2 cup currants or 1/3 cup raisins

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

In a medium bowl stir the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt together with a fork. Add cold butter and using fingers or two knives, work the butter into the dry ingredients until the mixture resembles course meal. If larger pieces of butter remain, that will only add to the texture and flavor.

Pour buttermilk into the dry ingredients and mix only until moistened. Gently gather the dough into a ball shape and turn out onto a floured surface. Knead the dough slightly and cut in half.

Take one half of your dough and press or roll it into a disc shaped 7-inch piece. Brush the dough with half of the melted butter, sprinkle with 2 tablespoons of the sugar, and half of your dried fruit. Cut the circle into 6 triangles. Place on an ungreased, parchment lined baking sheet and set aside while you prepare the second disc.

Bake the scones on the middle rack in your oven for 10-12 minutes and until both the tops and bottoms are golden. Transfer the scones to a rack for cooling. Serve warm and with tea. My favorite? PG Tips.

These scones freeze exceptionally well for about a month.