Silent Sunday:Mustache Cupcake Wrappers

 

 

Silhouette Cameo-I Love (Hate) You

So it has been well over a month of monkeying around with the Silhouette Cameo. Well not the machine itself, just the software. I have bought and downloaded the free weekly image. I have even created my own awesome cupcake wrappers. But I have yet to cut anything out. Until today. I decided that I needed to try this crazy machine out and I have mixed reviews.
I am going to be honest. I am not a crafter. I am more of a wannabe. But for the first time ever in my life, I went into Michaels knowing more than the associates. And I was secretly doing fist pumps because they thought the Silhouette was a baking kit.  Nonetheless I was still pretty grumpy that they did not have the tools I needed and ended up leaving with a just few sheets of card stock and a new piping tip.
But back to my cutting experience.....I followed the directions to a T. Stuck the card stock to the WAY too sticky mat. Loaded the mat. Pushed Print. Waited. A few crazy sounds later, a totally messed up mustache came out. Apparently you need to adjust the blade setting to the type of paper you are using. My machine thought it was smart and decided to set itself to what it wanted. And I ended up with a mat that was almost cut all the way through. :( Sadness. After I figured out the blade settings though I was good to go!

 Mustache success!

The my hubby asked me to do something more intricate. And while the machine ( I think I will name it Stan) can do amazing pattern work, that darn sticky mat pretty much hosed me. 

You can see the outline of the mustache that almost cut through my mat. And the pieces of the pattern stuck all over.

I decided to give up on ol Stan for the evening. I plan to do a few more test runs before I dive head first into the mustache mania that is Little E's 1st birthday party. I will be posting up all the neat things I make or fail miserably at making. Adios!

Penne with Tomatoes Goat Cheese and Arugula

I am a cheese person. I like everything from Gouda to good ol American sliced cheese. I even appreciate a stinky cheese every now and then. But one cheese I just cant get a taste for is goat cheese. I don't know what it is about it. It has a pungent and tangy aroma that makes me catch my breath in my throat. And while I know I am not a fan of this type of cheese, I keep trying it over and over again. I really want to like it! I feel like a foodie failure carrying around this dislike of such a versatile cheese. I have tried it rolled in herbs, spread on crackers, thrown in salads. But I just cant make myself love it. My latest attempt at using goat cheese was in a pasta dish. It makes sense to let the cheese coat over the warm pasta, tomatoes and wilted arugula...sounds delicious right? Well, I will say this has been the best way I have eaten it so far. I will go with a mozzarella or a smoked cheese next time for sure. Maybe I will give goat cheese another try soon but for now I still feel pretty "meh" about it. Any suggestions or recipe recommendations? Until then Enjoy!

Penne with Tomatoes, Goat Cheese and Arugula
3 ounces goat cheese
1 cup coarsely chopped arugula, stems included
1/2 cup quartered cherry tomatoes
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt
 1/4 pound penne pasta
  
Cook pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water until al dente. Crumble goat cheese into a large serving bowl. Add arugula, cherry tomatoes, olive oil, garlic, and salt and pepper. Drain pasta, and toss with goat cheese mixture. 

Adapted from All Recipes

 It sure was a pretty dish

  I used a spinach/arugula mix. I also think basil would have been a nice addition.