The precursor to this was when, about a month ago, I moped, as I often do, to my husband that we never entertain anymore and that we should just do it, just throw a party and have enough aperatifs around that pesky details such as cranky child up past their bedtime and who needs chairs? pull up a corner of carpet to sit on! and oops, did we invite more people than we have forks for again? would cease to matter. Wine solves everything, doesn’t it?

... Read the rest of two classic sangrias on smittenkitchen.com

© smitten kitchen 2006-2012. | permalink to two classic sangrias | 34 comments to date | see more: Drinks, Photo

The other day I gasped as my boys walked out of their science class. They were holding what I later learned was a polyhedra.

I had always called it that cool shapey, faceted thing I’ve had on my table for over a year. Now my boys were walking out each carrying one of these wonderful things. They said it was easy and fun to make. What?! How?!…

Here’s how to make your own, they used masking tape in their class, seems a little easier. Here’s a better visual.

They were excited to see a larger version at Epcot a few weeks ago.

Once I started googling around I was slightly amazed at what I found. Given enough paper and patience you can make almost anything. How about a garland with templates? Yes, please.

Now I’m slightly obsessed with this pink star, she even has a template but watch out, it can take an hour to create.

Lydia Kasumi Shirreff

Not for the beginner.  I now have a huge appreciation for this.

And this wows. Make your own conversation piece via oh happy day

sarah wood

And it all reminds me of the beautiful faceted lighting that’s going around.

Jennifer Lopez home designed by Thom Felicia?

What about you, have you made, collected, spotted interesting faceted, geo, polyhedra awesomeness you want to share?

My sister and brother-in-law have a gorgeous backyard retreat and I recently got to try out some new products and since my backyard is not exactly photo worthy at the moment, I did my photoshoot at their house.  It's been fun to watch their outdoor space really evolve and it's such a peaceful backyard retreat now.

The post Summer Entertaining with TIKI Torches appeared first on Southern Hospitality.

I am going through a taco phase, and it might have started out with these. Well, mostly I just really like tacos, because who doesn’t, but things have ramped up in recent weeks. We’ve had all sorts of tasty fillings recently, but it’s hard to beat barbacoa.

Barbacoa has so many satisfying flavors – it’s a little sweet, a little sour with a squeeze of lime juice, plenty meaty of course. It definitely has a spicy kick. It’s coated in a rich layer of sauce that delivers loads of flavor, with nothing left behind in the pot.

It only gets better with toppings. Avocado is arguably my favorite part of most tacos (not these; the barbacoa wins by a mile), and queso fresco is the perfect salty fresh compliment to the rich meat. Those two and a wedge of lime are my only requirements, but pickled onions and a smattering of cilantro are nice too.

This isn’t a hard recipe, although it’s far from fast. The long ingredient list looks worse than it is. There’s a lot of spices, chiles, and condiments, but nothing other than an onion and some garlic require a cutting board. Not even the beef needs to be sliced or cut into cubes. What I thought was going to be a significant project took me about half an hour.

Of course, you don’t actually get to eat until almost 5 hours layer, after the beef has become tender and rich and the broth has been reduced down to a sauce. It’s getting warm out and you might not want to leave your oven on for four hours while the beef cooks, but the result is worth some air-conditioning. Plus, it reheats great, maybe even better than it was the first day. I have to admit that I haven’t really been in a taco phase, just a barbacoa phase. I’ve got one more batch stored in the freezer, and I can’t wait.

One year ago: California Roll Burgers Two years ago: Basic Coleslaw Three years ago: Quinoa Tabbouleh Four years ago: Fresh Strawberry Scones Five years ago: Ricotta Spinach and Tofu Ravioli

Printer Friendly Recipe Beef Barbacoa (very slightly adapted from The Food Lab on Serious Eats)

About 6 servings

I think the crockpot is a definite possibility here, but it’ll take you a lot longer to reduce the liquid to a sauce after the cooking time.  You’ll still need to brown the oxtails and onions beforehand, because that adds tons of flavor.  That’s an easy tradeoff to save 4 hours of oven use when the weather’s warm!

If you can’t find these exact types of chiles, any combination of mild, fruity and bright-tasting chiles will do, such as guajillo or Colorado.  I used a New Mexico, an ancho, and an arbol chile.  I couldn’t find oxtails either, so I used beef ribs.

1 whole dried New Mexico, costeño, or choricero chili, seeds and stem removed 1 whole chile ancho or pasilla, seeds and stem removed 1 whole chile negro, seeds and stem removed 4 cups low-sodium chicken stock, divided 3 tablespoons vegetable or canola oil, divided 1 pound oxtails 1 small onion, diced 6 medium cloves garlic, peeled and smashed 2 teaspoons ground cumin ½ teaspoon ground cloves 2 teaspoons dried oregano 4 chipotle chiles packed in adobo, chopped, with 2 tablespoons adobo sauce ¼ cup apple cider vinegar 2 teaspoons fish sauce 1 whole chuck roast (about 4 pounds) Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper 2 whole bay leaves Kosher salt Warm corn tortillas, avocados, queso fresco, pickled onions, cilantro, salsa, limes, and other condiments for serving

1. Adjust an oven rack to the lower-middle position and preheat the oven to 275 degrees. Place the dried chiles in the bottom of a large Dutch oven and heat over high heat. Cook, turning the chiles with tongs occasionally, until fragrant and toasted, about 3 minutes. Transfer the chiles to a small saucepan and cover with 2 cups of chicken broth. Bring to a boil over high heat, reduce to a simmer, and cook until chiles are completely tender, about 15 minutes. Set aside.

2. Meanwhile, heat 1 tablespoon of oil in the now-empty Dutch oven over high heat until shimmering. Cook the oxtails until they’re well-browned on all sides, about 8 minutes total. Remove the oxtails and set aside. Reduce the heat to medium.

3. Add the remaining two tablespoons oil and heat along with the onions and garlic, and cook, stirring frequently, until deep brown and just starting to burn, about 10 minutes. Add the cumin, cloves, and oregano, and cook, stirring constantly until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the chipotle chiles, vinegar, and remaining chicken broth. Scrape up the browned bits from the bottom of the pan, simmer until reduced by about half, then transfer the entire contents to the jar of a blender.

4. Add the soaked chiles and their liquid to the blender along with the fish sauce. Start the blender on low (be careful of blowups!) and slowly increase the speed to high. Puree until smooth, about 1 minute. Set aside.

5. Place the beef roast in the Dutch oven. Add the browned oxtails, 2 teaspoons salt, 1 teaspoon black pepper, the bay leaves, and the sauce. Bring to a boil over high heat. Place the lid on the pot, slightly cracked, then transfer to the oven. Cook, turning the beef occasionally, until completely tender and a cake tester or metal skewer inserted into the meat shows little to no resistance, about 4 hours. Discard the bay leaves and oxtails (meat from oxtails can be eaten if desired). Transfer the chuck to a large plate. Return the Dutch oven to the stovetop, and cook, stirring frequently, over medium-high heat until the liquid is reduced to about 1½ cups, about 5 minutes.

6. Beef can be shredded and served immediately or transferred to a sealed container along with the liquid and refrigerate up to five days. When ready to serve, shred into large chunks with your fingers or two forks. Return the beef to a pot along with the sauce. Bring to a simmer and cook, gently stirring and folding until the beef is hot, tender, and coated in sauce. Season to taste with salt. Serve immediately, piling the beef into warm corn tortillas with onions, queso fresco, avocados, cilantro, salsa, limes, or other condiments as desired.

I have an affiliation with Silhouette America, purchasing an item with the code REPURPOSED helps support My Repurposed Life. See full disclosure below.

Do I need to tell you how much I love my Silhouette machines?  I currently have both the Silhouette CAMEO® and Silhouette Portrait™.  To ask me which I love better would be like asking a mother which child is her favorite.  I will say that my Silhouette Portrait™ spends a lot more time seeing daylight these days.  I LOVE how small it is.  It takes up very little room on my coffee table.   I use it all the time.

This month’s promotion is all about fabric!  That’s right, did you know that you can cut fabric with these fabulous machines? You can find some great fabric projects on Silhouette’s Pinterest Boards

To take advantage of one of these great deals, click here and thank you for  supporting  MRL by using the code REPURPOSED.

Fabric Bundle $29.99 (savings of almost $24)

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• Silhouette Portrait™ Fabric Project Bundle $129.99 (savings of almost $104)  
• 1 Clean Cut Fabric Interfacing
• 1 Sewable Fabric Interfacing
• 1 Fabric Blade
• 1 $25 Download Card
• 1 Silhouette Portrait™

Silhouette CAMEO® Fabric Project Bundle $269.99  (savings of almost $79)

• 1 Clean Cut Fabric Interfacing
• 1 Sewable Fabric Interfacing
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• 1 12”x24” Cutting Mat
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a Rafflecopter giveaway

This post was brought to you by Silhouette.  All opinions are 100% my own.  ----- Seriously...I LOVE giving Silhouette Portraits away!!!  Wahoo!!! You'll find all the details at the end of the post... This month's promo is featuring fabric interfacing, which opens up a whole new world of fabric projects.  I was so excited when [...]

The post {silhouette promo & GIVEAWAY!!!} appeared first on Simply Kierste.

We’re on the cusp of a holiday weekend which means one thing: food! Well, for me this year, it means carrying and unpacking a never-ending mountain of boxes (yay new house!), but for pretty much the rest of the country, this weekend is the unofficial start to summer. It’s time for the grills to get fired up, for pools to open and to enjoy some serious relaxation outside on the deck or patio. No holiday picnic is complete without a great lineup of food, which of course includes dessert! I have no idea how it’s taken me a year to make this brownie sundae, because I wanted to dig into it the moment I saw it on Emily’s site nearly a year ago. Layers of brownies, vanilla ice cream, peanuts and fudge topping is pretty impossible to resist. Now that I’ve made an entire pan of it, I’m going to need to share some before I devour it all!

For the brownie layers, you can use the recipe I’ve linked to below (my favorite thin, fudgy brownie recipe) or you can use a box mix, but if you do, be sure that it’s one that makes enough for a 9×13-inch pan (some only make enough batter for a square pan). Once your brownies are cool, top them with a layer of your favorite vanilla ice cream, lots of salted peanuts, and then cap it all off with a homemade fudge topping. Whipped cream and cherry are not optional in my world, but you can leave them off if you prefer.

This tastes like a cross between a Peanut Buster Parfait (or a Buster Bar) and a frozen Snickers. Which is to say, if you like peanuts, chocolate and ice cream, you’re going to LOVE this dessert.

What are you cooking up for Memorial Day weekend?

One year ago: Lemon Blueberry Cheesecake Bars Two years ago: Rhubarb Pie-Tartlets Three years ago: Blackberry Pie Bars Four years ago: Greek Celebration Bread (Christopsomos) Five years ago: Lighter Chicken Parmesan

Frozen Brownie Sundae

Yield: 16 to 20 servings

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 6 hours

A layer of fudgy brownies topped with vanilla ice cream, peanuts and hot fudge topping, served straight from the freezer.

Ingredients:

1 brownie recipe for a 9x13-inch pan ½ gallon vanilla ice cream, softened 1½ cups salted peanuts

For the Topping: 2 cups powdered sugar 1 cup evaporated milk ⅔ cup semisweet chocolate chips ½ cup unsalted butter 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:

1. Prepare the brownies as directed and allow to cool completely.

2. Spread the vanilla ice cream over the cooled brownies, then sprinkle the peanuts evenly over the ice cream. Place in the freezer until the ice cream is completely firm, at least 2 hours.

3. Meanwhile, make the topping. Combine the powdered sugar, evaporated milk, chocolate chips and butter in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring the mixture to a boil and cook for 8 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla extract. Allow to cool for 30 minutes.

4. When ready, pour the chocolate topping evenly over the ice cream and peanuts. Return to the freezer for at least 2 hours, or until firm. Let sit at room temperature for 5 to 10 minutes before slicing and serving.

(Recipe adapted from The Culinary Couple)

We went camping last weekend and I made a simple steak dinner with broccoli and salad. I had a bit of extra vinaigrette left over from our salad so I decided to toss the steamed broccoli with it…I am so glad I did! It gave the broccoli such a nice flavor! For once, my kids actually ate every single broccoli floret on their plates – YEAH! I decided to make it again this week and thought it would pair nicely with the Italian Chicken and the Garlic Rice with Sautéed Onions, Sun-Dried Tomatoes, and Toasted Pine Nuts. This is a quick and simple way to give broccoli an extra kick of flavor that your whole family will gobble up.

Combine the olive oil, seasoned vinegar, red wine vinegar, sugar, garlic, and sea salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste. Whisk until evenly combined. Let the vinaigrette sit for 20-30 minutes to allow flavors to mingle.

Place the broccoli florets in a steamer tray that you have placed in a pot of boiling water. Once the water is boiling, place a lid on the pot and steam for 3-4 minutes or until broccoli is fork tender. Remove from the pot of water and steamer immediately. Pour the broccoli into a serving bowl then drizzle it with the vinaigrette and season with sea salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste. Toss to coat the broccoli evenly. Serve & enjoy.

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Italian Broccoli

Ingredients:

1 tbsp olive oil 1/2 tbsp seasoned rice vinegar 1/2 tsp red wine vinegar Pinch of sugar 1 clove of garlic, minced Sea salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste 2 cups of broccoli florets

Directions:

Combine the olive oil, seasoned vinegar, red wine vinegar, sugar, garlic, and sea salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste. Whisk until evenly combined. Let the vinaigrette sit for 20-30 minutes to allow flavors to mingle.

Place the broccoli florets in a steamer tray that you have placed in a pot of boiling water. Once the water is boiling, place a lid on the pot and steam for 3-4 minutes or until broccoli is fork tender. Remove from the pot of water and steamer immediately. Pour the broccoli into a serving bowl then drizzle it with the vinaigrette and season with sea salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste. Toss to coat the broccoli evenly. Serve & enjoy.

Recipe and photos by For the Love of Cooking.net

Eric and I just got back from Orlando, which was blazin’ hot. We thought we’d get a little reprieve once we landed in Ohio, only to be welcomed by 95 degree temperatures. Not cool, Ohio – not cool at all. So of course, what better plan is there than to crank up my oven and bake a delicious summer play on Cornmeal Muffins?

When the weather heats up, I find myself craving lemonade. I’m fairly certain there isn’t anything more refreshing than a tall, ice cold glass of homemade lemonade – more specifically Raspberry Lemonade. I’m also a lover of fresh berries in my lemonade, I think they combine perfectly to a create sweet and tart flavor that truly hits the spot.

(...) Read the rest of Raspberry Lemon Cornmeal Muffins (155 words)

© Jamie for My Baking Addiction, 2013. | Permalink | No comment | Add to del.icio.us Post tags: Breakfast, Brunch, Lemon, Muffins, Raspberries, Spring Desserts

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Hurray! The weather is finally warm enough for me to share a sorbet recipe with y’all. Mixing strawberries with lemon juice gives it that bright red flavor, and is a delicious treat on a hot summer day. The best part? It relies on natural sweetness of the berries and honey so there is no sugar involved.

I can’t wait to try it with other fruit like mangoes and peaches!

Strawberry and Honey Sorbet From The Kitchn

Serves 2 to 4

Ingredients:

1 pint (16 ounces) strawberries, hulled and quartered 1/4 cup honey 1 tablespoon vodka (or 1 teaspoon of bloomed powdered gelatin), optional Juice from one lemon

Procedure:

1. Place the strawberries in a blender and puree until very smooth. Push the puree through a fine mesh sieve to remove some of the seeds. Whisk in the honey, vodka (if using), and lemon juice. (You want this to be on the sweet side since freezing will dull the flavor.

2. Cover and chill the mixture – this step is super important so don’t skip!

3. Once the strawberry mixture is completely chilled, pour into the ice cream maker and freeze according to manufacturer’s instructions. Return the sorbet to the freezer for a couple more hours to continue firming up.

Note: the vodka helps lower the freezing point of the sorbet, giving it a softer texture and preventing it from getting too hard.

We’re already on week #20 of WCW!! I can hardly believe it! Thank y’all for making WCW such a fun time week after week!

This week is sort of torturous for me, because I’m on vacation and most definitely not cooking. Looking through these links was torture!

Here are a few of my favorites!

Mini Raspberry Pink Lemonade Pies…they just scrIeam summer, don’t they?

These Caramel Drumstick Cupcakes are such a fun twist on a classic summer treat. My kids would love them, too

Continue reading at Buns In My Oven!What’s Cookin’ Wednesday #20

Buns In My Oven - Buns: The Yeasty Kind. Not The Baby Kind.

Our bedroom is one of the few places in our house where I feel like I can make a vignette and it will stay that way. But that’s the one room where I go a little crazy and demand that everything in the room be ‘quiet’.  The duct tape wall is loud enough for me, I want everything else to be almost silent. So I admit, my dresser vignette lacks pizzaz but, it makes me feel all calm.

The reality in most of our house is that I’m the messiest person and set my junk down everywhere. So my surfaces have a choice, they can either be a cute vignette that is interrupted with a Starbucks cup, random jewels that I unknowingly removed, a pen without a cap and my phone. I can NEVER find my phone.

Or,

I can keep so little on a space that when I set down my junk (that’s my stuff, not my hiney) I can easily find where I put it because the surface doesn’t have much on it in the first place. It’s not glamorous, it’s not a high-end decorating tip, it’s just my reality. Most of my surfaces are cleared off (when not in use with a project which is often) or, have one to three things on them. Nothing like all those beautifully full vignettes in many of those pinterest pins.

By the way, that’s the only Peony I have right now. After The Great Peony Debacle of 2012, one of my planted plants did come back, another was protected by being in a huge container (shocked it bloomed again) but, alas, our Disney trip was last week and I left four ready-to-burst-buds and came home to brown flowers. I will remain strong in my love for peonies even though they mock me. So this flower is getting a workout around my house…

A hem.

disclaimer, the lampshade photographs purple but it is dark grey in real life, I am so vain I have to tell you that–an empty canvas is beautiful to be, but I cringe at the thought that you might think my shade is purple…clearly I have issues

So back to my vignette. It’s empty. And I not-so-secretly like it that way.

Remember how I hot glued the wooden monogram to this canvas? I LOVED it. But a few months ago while I was moving the canvas around to see if I liked it on the downstairs gallery wall, the monogram popped off (no damage to either, I LOVE that about hot glue–the perfect adhesive!) and when I put the canvas back in our room it let out a huge breath. And so did I.

I’m actually not looking to put anything on the canvas. The point of this post is that I like it empty. So I’m purposely keeping it empty *gasp* for now. Right now in my life, I can use a little breathing room. Hence an empty canvas. Kind of a metaphor that I like. I know better than to think it will stay like this forever–that’s the best part, I can change it whenever I want. And I’m already looking for a new fun place for the monogram. Or maybe I’ll put it back.

I’m keeping it empty for now on purpose. Because I like it that way. Did you know you are allowed to do that?

So yes, I love and adore and dream about and preach about vignettes. Mine really aren’t that remarkable. But they are quite livable, serve our needs and represent where we are right now.  A little in transition, a little white space, a little risky, and that flower will die in three days and I’ll need to find something else to put there. Really, when it comes to vignettes, my goal isn’t to create something everyone will oooh and ahhh over and shake their head in agreement that I did it ‘right’, it’s about being intentional and knowing what I like and what our family needs.

amen.

It’s that time again.

Time to share with you six of my favorite recipes that you may have looked over in light of more recent/more popular recipes. There are some doozies here today (in a good way, of course). These recipes aren’t just ok or good or average. They are huge family favorites and are oft-requested around these parts. That salsa? Eat-it-with-a-spoon-worthy. And the cream puff cake is unreal.

If you’ve missed it, parts 1, 2, 3 can be found here. I get all giddy inside thinking about each of the recipes featured so far because I love them just so, so much.

While in New Orleans, I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to enjoy some time with my niece, Lauren.  She’s been living in New Orleans over 2 years now. Can’t believe it’s been 2 years since she got married at the most beautiful wedding of 2011, but time does indeed fly.  So, when I found out I was heading to New Orleans, I let her know when I’d be there and she arranged to meet up with me. She’s a practicing lawyer down there now, after passing the Louisiana bar, which I hear is no small feat.  She’s a smart one, that girl.

The post New Orleans Flavor appeared first on Southern Hospitality.

Given the nature of my business I move a LOT of furniture by myself.  It’s amazing what you can do if you have the right tools.

I picked up these four small dollies at Home Depot. They were a special deal, my store no longer has these. I put a scrap piece of wood on each of these small workhorses in order to move this huge table by myself.  I would NEVER be able to budge this table without these little guys.

This is another example of when I’ve used one of these.  I can lay a large piece like this onto the dolly then move it anywhere, and set it back up.

Sometimes something will be very heavy, but low to the ground, so I thought it would be a great idea to configure a handle to help me wheel things around.

I had some pvc pieces, and bought a few extra pieces in order to make a handle.

I drilled some holes in the end of one of my dollies—I tried everything to get the pvc pieces to work.  But it was a major.project.fail.

But!!  Then I saw this wonderful swivel handle.  I don’t remember if I saw it online, or in an ad, or if I actually saw it in the store when I went to buy a cart.  With my upcoming show, I was concerned about moving all my heavy boxes of signs. So, I was looking for a better way.  I found it!

This handle was less than $10, and worth every penny!  It installed on my dolly in no time.  After ALL of that time and energy I wasted on the pvc configuration, I happily spent money on this puppy!

It allows it to act sort of like a wagon.  (look at the holes in my dolly!)  The handle is adjustable, but not very easily.  It doesn’t have those little tabs that push in, but screws and nuts that have to be done and undone.

The handle folds under the furniture dolly and clips in place for easy storage.   I can tell you that since I got it, I have used it a LOT.  I will be purchasing another one for another dolly I have. All together I have 4 of the small dollies, and three of these larger ones.

You can see the dollies and the swivel handle at Harbor Freight

While at Harbor Freight, I picked up this handled cart.  I wasn’t sure the swivel handle was going to do what I wanted it to do.  I haven’t used this cart around the shop much, but I figure it will be handy for craft shows.

They had different sizes, but I chose the smaller one, so that it’s easier for this old gal to handle, store, and pack around in my SUV.

My signs are all boxed up into the boxes that I got at the Salvation Army during the Spring Fling.  These boxes will be easy to move with my new dolly and cart!

I also bought a couple of fold up tables.  I have one 6ft buffet table, but I’m concerned everything won’t fit in my car.  I will have two booth spaces in the fall at Glendale, so these tables will really come in handy for that.

I opened the tables to make sure they work right, and decided to do a sort of dress rehearsal. I will be setting up at my show from 1-2:30 am, so I want to get a good idea of what I’ll be doing.

Some of my signs don’t have hardware or stakes on them. In order to display them, I came up with this idea of tying some jute around the chicken wire that allows the sign to slip in and out easily.

The signs on the very top are examples, and not for sale. Therefore I won’t have to be removing them.  My thought behind the screen door is this—I hope that people a couple of aisles away will be able to see this display and want to come check it out.  I only hung a couple of signs on the tri-fold display for the dress rehearsal.  It was HOT, and I was sweating profusely.

You can see on the (inset) photos how I am using the ornament hooks to hang the signs.

Here you can see that one table is longer, and the other is a 4 ft table.

I still have to gather all the stuff I’ll need, like zip ties, bungee cords, table cloths, etc.  The show starts at noon on Friday!  I hope I’ll be ready. 

whoa-I better get busy!  If you’re local, or visiting Louisville KY this weekend, stop by the West Wing at the Kentucky Fairgrounds and say hi!  Hopefully I’ll be easy to spot with this tall screen door!

gail

Disclosure: This is NOT a sponsored post.  You know that when I love something, I like to share it with you. IF you do furniture makeovers on a regular basis, do yourself a favor and pick up some furniture dollies. It will save your aching back.

Does anyone else have a hard time shopping for the men in their lives??  I tell my husband all the time that I’m the easiest person in the world to shop for because I am easily pleased with things that would make a six year old happy, like lip gloss, nail polish, or a cookie.  But boys?  They like big things.  Expensive things.  And if your man is anything like mine, they often just go buy stuff when they want it, instead of inconspicuously hint dropping like I do.  So it’s always fun when you find something cool and unique, that they might not have thought of themselves, and this one fits the bill!  Kate and I really wanted to do something man-centric this Father’s Day, and what’s more manly than a sleek steel box filled with fire, wood, and meat??

I’ve been dying to get my hands on a smoker, and Outdoorcooking.com came through for me and sent over a Smoke Vault to try out.

This baby has a matchless-ignition system, fully adjustable heat-control dials, and 18,000 BTU’s of heat.

The 24″ Vault is even roomy enough to smoke a full turkey in!  And while this box is specially designed for smoking, it can be used without smoke as an outdoor oven to cook all sorts of things, like casseroles, breads and pies!

For my first go at smoking, I pulled out the big guns and went for the king of bbq: brisket.

You can easily control the heat on the Smoke Vault by adjusting the gas itself,

and using the three damper valves.

You can keep an eye on the exact temperature on the heavy duty temperature gauge right on the front.

For Mother’s Day, I just wanted to eat a giant hunk of beef.  Brisket is my cut, and my was it delish.

All that smoky flavor is absorbed right into the meat, and then it’s slow-cooked, this one for about 10 hours.  That crusty exterior is scraped off, and succulent beef is thin sliced.  Happy Mother’s Day to me!  You can smoke all cuts of beef, chicken, fish, jerky, you name it.

GIVEAWAY:  We’re excited to be partnering with outdoorcooking.com to offer a fantastic giveaway!  One lucky reader is going to receive a 24″ Smoke Vault Smoker, and in addition, you’ll get a Patio Cover as well, to keep it looking its best!  This would make a pretty killer Father’s Day gift to just about any guy on your list (or say forget it with the Father’s Day stuff and keep it for YOU!)  Leave one comment on this post to enter.  Giveaway ends one week from today!

DISCOUNT CODE:  And don’t fear, not everyone can win- but everyone can get a discount!  Outdoorcooking.com has so much cool stuff, and if you use the code OBB15 you’ll get 15% off your purchase (valid 5/22-6/22).    Start shopping!

I am a total kid at heart when it comes to Rice Krispies treats. I’ve always loved the gooey, crispy treats and never turn them down if I have the opportunity to eat one. Recently, I had lunch at Noodles & Company where I always, always get one of their enormous snickerdoodle cookies. Last week, however, I was lured away from the snickerdoodle by the massive Rice Krispies treats that were stacked right next to the cookies. Getting a Rice Krispies treat that day was a very good decision. Ever since then, I’ve been craving more and since it’s not exactly convenient to pop into Noodles everyday, I decided to make a batch at home; it has been a few months since my Snickers Rice Krispies Treats, after all. With the holiday weekend approaching, I wanted to make a flavor combination that celebrated summer. Rocky road is a quintessential ice cream flavor and, as it turns out, it makes for one heck of a Rice Krispies treat!

I fashioned these treats after the rocky road ice cream concoction from Marble Slab Creamery, which featured a dark chocolate ice cream mixed together with miniature marshmallows, mini chocolate chips and chopped walnuts. To make the Rice Krispies treats, I added Dutch-process cocoa powder to the butter and marshmallow mixture, along with some almond butter, since almonds are traditionally used in rocky road ice cream. To the mixture, I threw in more (unmelted) mini marshmallows, miniature chocolate chips and chopped walnuts. You could play around with whatever you’d like – different nut butters, different types of nuts, etc.

If you’re hosting or going to a Memorial Day party, these would be a perfect easy snack. Really, Rice Krispies treats are good anytime of year, for any occasion!

One year ago: Grilled Chicken Drumsticks with Spicy Apple Glaze Two years ago: Peanut Butter Brownies Three years ago: Guacamole Four years ago: Coconut Chocolate Chunk Blondies Six years ago: Taco Rice Salad

Rocky Road Rice Krispies Treats

Yield: 24 treats

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 20 minutes

Rice Krispies Treats are always a crowd favorite; this version highlights the best parts of rocky road ice cream - nuts, more marshmallows, and chocolate chips!

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons unsalted butter 1 (10-ounce) bag + 2 cups miniature marshmallows, divided ¼ cup Dutch-process cocoa powder ½ cup almond butter 6 cups Rice Krispies 1 cup chopped walnuts 1 cup mini chocolate chips

Directions:

1. Grease a 9x13-inch baking dish; set aside.

2. Melt the butter, the bag of marshmallows and cocoa powder together in a medium saucepan over low heat. Once melted, stir in the almond butter and remove from the heat.

3. Stir in the Rice Krispies until they are evenly coated with the sauce. Working quickly, stir in the remaining 2 cups marshmallows, walnuts and mini chocolate chips, mixing as gently as possible.

4. Pour the mixture into the prepared pan and press into an even layer. Use the back of a greased wooden spoon to press down firmly over the surface of the treats to ensure that they are packed down tightly.

5. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, or until set. Cut into bars and serve. Leftovers should be stored in an airtight container at room temperature or in the refrigerator (room temperature for softer, more gooey bars; refrigerator for firmer bars).

I have often seen recipes for chicken using an Italian vinaigrette as a marinade so I decided to give it a try. I made a tangy vinaigrette using seasoned rice vinegar, red wine vinegar, olive oil, garlic, and seasonings. I marinated the chicken thighs for 8 hours then did a quick sear before cooking them off in the oven. They turned out moist, flavorful, and so delicious. I will definitely be making this chicken again! I served these chicken thighs with the Garlic Rice with Sautéed Onions, Sun-Dried Tomatoes, and Toasted Pine Nuts and broccoli for a tasty and healthy meal.

Combine the olive oil, water, seasoned rice vinegar, red wine vinegar, minced garlic, sugar, sea salt, and freshly cracked pepper, to taste, together in a large zip lock bag, seal and shake the bag to mix well. Place the trimmed chicken thighs in the bag and squish them around to make sure they are evenly coated. Place into the refrigerator for 8 hours (or overnight). Remove the bag from the refrigerator 20 minutes prior to cooking the chicken.

Preheat an OVEN PROOF pan over medium high heat and coat it with cooking spray.  Add the chicken thighs to the hot pan and cook for 4 minutes or until golden brown, flip the chicken over and place the pan into the oven. Roast the chicken for 15 minutes then remove from the oven. Let the chicken rest for a few minutes prior to serving. Enjoy.

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Italian Chicken Thighs

Yield: 4

Prep Time: 5 min. + 8 hours marinating time

Cook Time: 20 min.

Ingredients:

5 boneless and skinless chicken thighs, trimmed of any fat 3 tbsp olive oil 1 tbsp water 1 tbsp seasoned rice vinegar 1 tsp red wine vinegar 1 clove of garlic, minced Pinch of sugar Sea salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste

Directions:

Combine the olive oil, water, seasoned rice vinegar, red wine vinegar, minced garlic, sugar, sea salt, and freshly cracked pepper, to taste, together in a large zip lock bag, seal and shake the bag to mix well. Place the trimmed chicken thighs in the bag and squish them around to make sure they are evenly coated. Place into the refrigerator for 8 hours (or overnight). Remove the bag from the refrigerator 20 minutes prior to cooking the chicken.

Preheat an OVEN PROOF pan over medium high heat and coat it with cooking spray. Add the chicken thighs to the hot pan and cook for 4 minutes or until golden brown, flip the chicken over and place the pan into the oven. Roast the chicken for 15 minutes then remove from the oven. Let the chicken rest for a few minutes prior to serving. Enjoy.

Recipe and photos by For the Love of Cooking.net

Do you want to wow your friends and family with a dessert that will knock their socks off?  These Chocolate Mousse Squares get rave reviews, recipe requests, and the occasional bowing at my feet.  :)  It's one of my most favorite recipes, and with summer upon us, this cold dessert is perfect for any gathering! 

The post {insanely divine chocolate mousse squares} appeared first on Simply Kierste.

Now, I was perfectly content to keep this dull stuff to myself — workaday salads, breaded thigh cutlets, flatbread with whatever vegetable needs to be used up first — but you asked. And while at first I resisted because I just thought you were being polite in a “We’d love to hear every precious new word your kid used incorrectly this week” or “No, please tell me more about how web analytics work,” kind of way, I’ve since concluded that this is silly. Everyone needs dinner inspiration. Maybe something here could be yours. I hope it will be.

... Read the rest of greek salad with lemon and oregano on smittenkitchen.com

© smitten kitchen 2006-2012. | permalink to greek salad with lemon and oregano | 76 comments to date | see more: Cucumber, Greek, Peppers, Photo, Quick, Salad, Summer, Tomatoes

It grew back. Remember my agony, tears and big fight with my husband?

A bloom grown in the midst of imperfection is still beautiful. Maybe the most beautiful of all.

Tomorrow I’ll show you my vignette. Did you make one?

It’s amazing the opportunities that come my way and I never know what’s around the next corner. I recently got invited to attend an all expenses paid trip to New Orleans, to join a group of 14 bloggers/writers in the food industry to tour and appreciate the Gulf seafood industry. What better place to do that than New Orleans, known for delicious and tasty food.  It was a treat to be included in this event and we all learned a lot about how the seafood industry works.  I wasn’t about to pass it up.  Eating seafood and getting to see my niece! Yes, please!

The post Gulf Seafood Media Event appeared first on Southern Hospitality.

How to Paint a Ceiling Fan

How to Build a Kitchen Island from a desk

Using a Kreg Jig Jr. to Make a table top (for the kitchen island)

Microwave Cart and Craig’s List Table Makeover

How to paint a vinyl floor

I used stainless steel paint to update my kitchen accessories

spray paint hinges instead of replacing them

How to Paint Oak Cabinets

How To Remove old Backsplash

Board & Batten Backsplash Tutorial

board and batten backsplash reveal

how to install a new faucet

$25 Thrift Store Table Makeover

Paint laminate counter tops with Faux granite paint

How to make faux barn doors

How to Install Tractor Supply Barn Door Hardware

I updated the color of my kitchen island

I updated (repainted) the vinyl kitchen floor

Updating the paint on the bead board wall

Inexpensive pendant light

after my light fixture was moved I had to patch and paint the ceiling

I finished off an old piano front for my new gray wall

Crab dip always makes me think of summer – warm, breezy days sitting somewhere near water and enjoying a meal without a care in the world. When my Chief Culinary Consultant lived outside of Washington, D.C., we did a lot of eating out at restaurants when I would visit for the weekend. Crab dip was always one of our go-to appetizers, especially if it was during the spring or summer. If it was on the menu, there was a 99% chance we’d order it. Some of our favorite crab dips came from restaurants in Baltimore’s Inner Harbor and in Annapolis. Unfortunately, I don’t find crab dip on menus nearly as often here in Pittsburgh as I did in the D.C. area, which means I had a kitchen project to tackle. It’s been a long time coming, but I finally put together a crab dip recipe to rival those that we would enjoy in Maryland-area restaurants.

While the flavors and textures of the crap dips we enjoyed varied from restaurant to restaurant, there were quite a few similarities – plenty of crab, creamy, cheesy, with a pop of lemon flavor and a touch of spice. I blended together a lot of different flavors and textures to create this dip and was thrilled with the result. It reminded me of sitting outside, the warm sun on my face, enjoying a leisurely weekend lunch.

This is a fabulous appetizer for any summertime get-together; it will be devoured in no time. What foods remind you of carefree summer days?

One year ago: Homemade Salted Caramel Sauce + Chocolate Salted Caramel Cupcakes Two years ago: Top 10 List: Favorite Cupcake Recipes Three years ago: Polenta French Toast Four years ago: Traditional Hummus Five years ago: Homemade Pita Bread

Crab Dip

Yield: 6 to 8 servings

Prep Time: 25 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 45 minutes

An easy recipe for Crab Dip - warm, cheesy, full of flavor and perfect for parties.

Ingredients:

For the Dip: 2 teaspoons olive oil 1 small red pepper, finely chopped 1 small yellow onion, finely chopped 2 garlic cloves, minced 16 ounces lump crab meat (drained, if canned) 8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature 1 cup mayonnaise 4 ounces Monterey Jack cheese, shredded (1 cup shredded) ¼ cup Parmesan cheese 3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce 2 tablespoons lemon juice 2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley 1½ teaspoons Old Bay seasoning 1 teaspoon hot sauce

For the Topping: ½ cup Panko bread crumbs 1 tablespoon Parmesan cheese 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Grease a 1½-quart casserole dish; set aside.

2. Heat the olive oil over medium-high heat in a large skillet. Add the red pepper and onion and cook until softened and all moisture has evaporated, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for an additional 30 seconds to 1 minute, or until fragrant. Remove the mixture to a large bowl and allow to cool.

3. Add the rest of the dip ingredients to the bowl with the pepper mixture and gently stir together until combined, being careful not to smash the crab meat too much. Transfer the mixture to the prepared casserole dish.

4. With a fork, toss together the bread crumbs, Parmesan and melted butter and sprinkle evenly over the top of the dip.

5. Bake for 20 minutes, or until golden brown and bubbly. Allow to rest for 10 minutes before serving. Serve with baguette slices or your favorite tortilla or pita chips. Refrigerate any leftovers in an airtight container for up to 2 days.

I never got around to telling you about my New Awesome Recipe Database back when it was new. It’s still awesome. But now that it’s well over a year old and has over 1500 recipes entered into it, it definitely isn’t new.

I love it. I built it myself, something I’d wanted to do for at least a decade. I remember getting Microsoft Access for Dummies from the library shortly after I moved out of my parents’ house for graduate school. But without anything to really push me or anyone around to help me, the project never got off the ground. It wasn’t until I had to use databases at work that it finally clicked.

I seem to have a bit of a natural aptitude for them, probably because I love organizing things and playing with data. There were a couple online recipe databases I could have downloaded and built upon, but they didn’t have all of the categories and features that I was looking for, so I made my own database from scratch. And almost a year and a half later, I still absolutely love it.

One of the ways it’s so useful is that when the grocery store carries relatively fresh-looking rhubarb, I snatch it up whether I have a plan for it or not. And then I can go to my Not-New Awesome Recipe Database and do a search of all the recipes I’ve saved over the last few years that include rhubarb.  Narrowing down to the one that only includes ingredients I already have and can be made after work takes no time at all.  The only problem, other than the tedium of entering recipes (my goal is 6 per weekday), is that searching for recipes is so easy and fun with my database that I hardly use my beautiful and inspiring cookbook collection anymore.  Until someday, when I enter those recipes into my Awesome Recipe database, and then I’ll have the best of both worlds.

One year ago: Shrimp Ricotta Ravioli Two years ago: Barbecued Pulled Pork Three years ago: Cream Cheese Spritz Four years ago: Orange-Oatmeal-Currant Cookies Five years ago: Snickery Squares

Printer Friendly Recipe Rhubarb Snack Cake (adapted from Smitten Kitchen)

Makes about 24 servings

Crumb: 1 cup (4.8 ounces) all-purpose flour ¼ cup (1.75 ounces) light brown sugar ⅛ teaspoon table salt ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

Cake: 1¼ pounds rhubarb, trimmed and cut into ½-inch lengths 1 tablespoon lemon juice 1⅓ cup (9.65 ounces) granulated sugar, divided 8 ounces (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened ½ teaspoon finely grated lemon zest 2 large eggs 1⅓ cups (6.4 ounces) all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon baking powder ¾ teaspoon table salt ¼ teaspoon ground ginger ⅓ cup (2.75 ounces) sour cream

1. To make the crumb mixture: In a small bowl, whisk the flour, brown sugar, salt, and cinnamon together, then stir in the melted butter. Set aside.

2. Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray the bottom and sides of a 9-by-13-inch baking pan with nonstick cooking spray, then line the bottom with parchment paper, extending the lengths up two opposite sides of the pan to form a sling. In a medium bowl, stir together rhubarb, lemon juice and ⅔ cup (4.67 ounces) sugar; set aside.

3. For the cake: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or in a medium-sized mixing bowl with a hand-held mixer), beat the butter, remaining ⅔ cup (4.67 ounces) sugar, and the lemon zest until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, scraping down the sides after each addition. In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt and ground ginger. Add one-third of this mixture to the batter, mixing until just combined. Continue beating, adding half of the sour cream, half of the remaining flour mixture, the remaining sour cream, and then the remaining flour mixture, mixing between each addition until just combined.

4. Spread the batter in the prepared pan. Pour the rhubarb mixture over the batter, spreading it into an even layer. Scatter the crumbs evenly over the rhubarb layer.

5. Bake the cake for 50 to 60 minutes, or until a tester comes out free of the cake batter. It will be golden on top. Cool completely in the pan on a rack. To serve, use the parchment sling to remove the cake from the pan; cut into 2-inch squares.

I really loved the Garlic Rice I recently made so I decided to make it again but this time added a little pizazz to it by adding sautéed onion, sun dried tomatoes, toasted pine nuts, and fresh parsley. It turned out delicious. I loved the flavors and textures the different ingredients gave to this dish. It was a big hit with my husband and I but both of our kids  said they like plain rice better – you can’t win them all!  This rice paired nicely with the chicken thighs and broccoli I served for dinner.

To toast your pine nuts, heat the same pot you will cook your rice in over medium-low heat. Add the pine nuts to the DRY pot (you don’t need oil) and cook, stirring often, until golden brown, about 3-4 minutes. Remove from the pot and set aside.

Heat the half of the olive oil in a pot over medium heat. Add the diced onion and cook, stirring frequently, for 3-4 minutes or until tender; add the sun-dried tomatoes and crushed red pepper flakes, then cook, stirring often, for 2 minutes. Pour into a small dish and set aside. Add the remaining olive oil to the pot then add the minced garlic and cook, stirring constantly, for 1 minute. Add the rice and cook, stirring often so the rice doesn’t stick to the pan, for 3-4 minutes. Add the chicken broth and season with sea salt and white pepper, to taste. Bring to a boil then reduce heat to medium low. Cover with a lid and let it cook for 20 minutes.

Remove the rice from the burner without removing the lid and let it sit for 5 minutes. Carefully remove the lid and fluff rice with a fork. Add the onion and tomatoes along with the toasted pine nuts and chopped parsley then season with sea salt and white pepper, to taste; stir until well combined and serve. Enjoy.

Print Save

Garlic Rice with Sautéed Onions, Sun-Dried Tomatoes, and Toasted Pine Nuts

Yield: 4

Prep Time: 10 min.

Cook Time: 35 min.

Ingredients:

2-3 tbsp pine nuts 1 tbsp olive oil, divided 1/2 sweet yellow onion, diced 1/4 cup of sun-dried tomatoes, chopped Pinch of crushed red pepper flakes 4-5 cloves of garlic, minced 3/4 cup basmati rice 1 1/2 cups of chicken broth 2 tbsp fresh parsley Sea salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste

Directions:

To toast your pine nuts, heat the same pot you will cook your rice in over medium-low heat. Add the pine nuts to the DRY pot (you don't need oil) and cook, stirring often, until golden brown, about 3-4 minutes. Remove from the pot and set aside.

Heat the half of the olive oil in a pot over medium heat. Add the diced onion and cook, stirring frequently, for 3-4 minutes or until tender; add the sun-dried tomatoes and crushed red pepper flakes, then cook, stirring often, for 2 minutes. Pour into a small dish and set aside. Add the remaining olive oil to the pot then add the minced garlic and cook, stirring constantly, for 1 minute. Add the rice and cook, stirring often so the rice doesn't stick to the pan, for 3-4 minutes. Add the chicken broth and season with sea salt and white pepper, to taste. Bring to a boil then reduce heat to medium low. Cover with a lid and let it cook for 20 minutes.

Remove the rice from the burner without removing the lid and let it sit for 5 minutes. Carefully remove the lid and fluff rice with a fork. Add the onion and tomatoes along with the toasted pine nuts and chopped parsley then season with sea salt and white pepper, to taste; stir until well combined and serve. Enjoy.

Recipe and photos by For the Love of Cooking.net

CLICK HERE TO CONTINUE READING!!! XOXO

The post {burlap flag pillow} appeared first on Simply Kierste.

mystery

When I say the word vignette (vin-yet) I feel all fancy and French like.

When I try to make a vignette I feel all 12-years-old and dumb.

And that’s when I head to Pinterest.

decorpad

Look at vignettes with a discerning eye (or two if you have them) here are my tips use the ones that speak to you, ignore the ones you think are dumb, and that one that sounds crazy? that’s the one you should probably focus on:

Notice the use of:

• shape
• color
• texture
• size
• layering
• balance and symmetry
• juxtaposition
• quirk & personality
• sparkle (mirrors, metals)
• matte objects
• plants & natural items
• scale
• white space
• mixing of styles and eras
• how the wall art relates to the items on the surface–this is huge and often overlooked
• is it full or simple?
• does the architecture of the room contribute to the vignette?
• look at each item individually, but also, as a whole grouping
• ask yourself if one item was removed, would the vignette have the same impact?

Don’t forget to notice the difference between liking the way a photo looks, and wanting to have a certain look in your home.

I made a pinboard with over 130 vignettes and or tablescapes so you and I could get a feel for what we do and don’t like.

Once you get inspired, pick ONE place in your home to makeover a vignette. It could be an entry table, dresser, even a fireplace mantel. Give yourself just a few minutes (or more if you want) and remove the art from the wall, clear off the surface and start fresh.

Lindsey Bond

Pick a few inspiration vignettes and see if you can mimic a few of the ideas they used to get a look you like.

Shop the house and see what you can find to just try out in the space, you can always move it back. Pick a few things you might not usually try–a large-leaved tree branch, a pair of lamps, an oversized pot and just play around.  We are our own worst enemy when it comes to being creative. We assume we can’t use certain things because ‘that goes here not there’  We are afraid to change it up because it will be wrong. This is decorating, it’s fun. You are supposed to like it, your home can represent you.

You know how your friend is brave and decorates with abandon and you love her house? Pretend you are her and start with that ONE THING that you have packed away that you love, but scares you. That’s your starting point.

I’m having so much fun working with Cracker Barrel to bring you all kinds of cheese related things. I mean, hello. Cheese.

Cracker Barrel is truly passionate about their cheese making and they’ve asked me to share what I’m passionate about. You know, besides stuffing cheese in my face at every opportunity.

Food, obviously, is something that I’m oh so passionate about. Cooking, baking, tasting, smelling…all of it. It just makes me happy. But, I thought I’d talk about something besides food.

Photography, y’all. It’s my thang.

Continue reading at Buns In My Oven!Share Your Passion!

Buns In My Oven - Buns: The Yeasty Kind. Not The Baby Kind.

So last week, my husband was in Europe for work, which is really fun for about the first three days when I can watch things like Teen Mom without feeling him silently judging me and I can sprawl out over the whole bed. Then I start getting slightly neurotic and scared I’m going to choke on food while I’m all alone and my children will be left stranded at the bus stop and then (shockingly) I don’t die and I realize I’m ready for him to come home. This also happens around the same time I get sick of eating oatmeal for dinner, but I also don’t really want to COOK cook for 2 1/2 little people who are unlikely to eat what I make without a good deal of bribery, so I turn to the old standby–English muffin pizzas.

But I don’t want the little kid version.

So this is what I turn to. It’s super easy to make an individual portion, or you can make a bunch for a meal, or you can even freeze the extras and re-heat them for a quick weekday lunch so you can get back to your  guilt-free Catfish marathon/laundry-folding party.

You’ll need 6 whole wheat English muffins (the whole muffins, not halves), 1 1/2 cups smashed oven-roasted tomatoes (you can cook them for a shorter amount of time for saucier tomatoes), chopped artichoke hearts, baby spinach leaves, fresh chopped basil, fresh mozzarella, and balsamic vinegar.

Preheat oven to 400. Split the English muffins and lie them open-face on a baking sheet.  Spread  the roasted tomato mixture over the English muffins.

Top with chopped artichoke hearts,

baby spinach, basil,

and mozzarella.

Bake for 10-12 minutes or until the cheese is melted. Drizzle lightly with balsamic vinegar before serving. Makes 6 servings.

The awesome thing? Not only are they super quick and easy, they are healthy and filling, too!

Calories: 277Fat: 5
Carbs: 34Fiber: 4
Protein: 10WW Points Plus: 6

If you only make one thing from my blog, please make this. Please? I’m begging and pleading and groveling and I’m not ashamed to admit it.

Because these chicken skewers are amazing. Like, knock-it-out-of-the-park amazing. I was a little worried about the spice level because I’ve used chipotle chiles in the past and while I love the flavor, the heat is a bit much for the kids (and sometimes me, to be honest). But in this recipe? It works. Really, really, really works.

The grilled chicken skewers pack a bit of spice (which you can dumb down even more by scraping the seeds first) but dipped in the cool, creamy sauce and it is like an instant cooling pool party on your palate.

A perfect light, healthy dinner for the warm months ahead, I am not exaggerating when I say I could eat this every night for a week and still be craving it come the next Monday. The tender chicken is a perfect marriage of sweet and heat and is so refreshing and tasty with the dipping sauce that it nearly left me speechless. Except my one real talent on this earth is that I’m never speechless. Close call only.

To say this was well-received amongst the family is an understatement. I had to cut my two oldest boys off after four skewers apiece. I mean, a mom needs her protein too, right? Oh, and by the way, I served these with the golden skillet potatoes of yesterweek which made the already fabulous meal absolutely exceptional.

One Year Ago: Blueberry Coconut Cake with Lemon Sauce Two Years Ago: Mexican Rice Three Years Ago: Giant Cookie!

It’s going to be SO great to have a fully functional, yet pretty laundry room space around here. I still can’t believe the changes when I look at the Before shots of this space. Dingy and dreary are two words that come to mind, but not anymore!  Lighter, brighter and fun are now words in my vocabulary when I talk about my beautiful new and improved laundry room.

The post The Laundry Room Makeover! appeared first on Southern Hospitality.

This is a long {tutorial} post, and very picture heavy.  If you want details, feel free to read all the tips. If you’re like me, you’ll skim over the words, and just look at the pictures.

I’ve been trying to get back into working on larger projects, but still resting my shoulder every other day or so. Some days are okay, others are still quite painful.   But you’re not here to hear about that, you’re here to see this great repurpose of a headboard.

I started with the taller of these two pieces.  I used the shorter one for this bench made from a chest of drawers.

This is a picture of me trying to figure out the design.  I have the sides of the box sitting on the back board.

I decided to cut the back board, and have the sides rest in between the back board and the sides of the bedposts.

To build the box I use my Kreg Jig Jr and one of their fabulous face clamps.  It fits so nicely into the clamp and it allows the jig to be easily moved from spot to spot.

Because the box is small, I was unable to use the drill to install the pocket hole screws.  I used a ratchet screw driver.

TIP: to hold the front on while I install the screws, I popped a couple of brad nails into the board.

Now, I can easily apply pressure to install the screws.

The box is complete and attached to the bed.  I used extra long screws on the left and right pocket holes (in the back) which allowed them to be screwed through the side boards directly into the side bedposts.  I also installed some screws through the back of the headboard into the box.

In the picture, I’m testing out some legs. These were the perfect height already.

Because this is going to be a planter, I opted for slats in the bottom instead of a full sized board.  The slats will allow water to drain. I used a sharpie to get the board even all the way across. I drilled pocket holes and used pocket hole screws to attach the slats.

Meanwhile I’m not happy with the green legs, so I move on to plan b.  I’ve had these tall bedposts for a long, long time.

They are from this headboard I parted out.  Sad to say, I believe I threw this out to the garbage.  Would I throw it away today? Nope, I would make a sign and/or a shelf from it.  This picture was taken three years ago. 

The bedposts are way too tall, so I cut them off.  Look at that sweet piece on the right that was left after cutting off the tall bedposts.

Dry fit.

This was a bunk bed and I didn’t want that piece on the top. I used my Dremel Multi-Max to do a flush cut and ZAP!  it was gone.

Easy peasy!  I used my orbital sander to smooth out the part I removed.

Looks good, eh? This is a good angle to see how I did the slats across the bottom.

I check my Krylon paint stash, and I decide to go with this bright yellow.  I don’t have enough, so I use the green for the inside of the box and the bottom.

Into the paint booth it goes to get it’s makeover.

I have a change of plans, and happily paint the bed with my Krylon Banner red.  Bad move, do you see the Grinch?

I move on to other business.  The bedposts I’m using for the front legs have those huge slots for the bed rails.  In order to fill the void, I grab some scrap shutter/bi-fold door slats and cut them to size, and stuff them in the hole.

Here is the after!  After putting the slats in there, I used spackling to fill the cracks.  It wasn’t until I saw this picture that I realized I didn’t fill the holes.  LOL

I start taping off the red portions of the flower bed so I can paint the posts. You can see that I used more red for the inside of the box to get rid of the Grinch.

After lots of tape and newspaper, it’s ready to be painted.

A few portions of the bed didn’t take the paint very well. I don’t always follow directions like I’m suppose to.  I really should have washed the bed down.  I think it had some waxy residue, maybe some pledge?

p.s.  are you still with me?  is anyone actually reading all of this?

I think the red against the yellow is very cheery, don’t you?

I get down to business of attaching the front legs.  I use the level and a clamp to make sure the legs are in the right position.

After drilling some pilot holes, I used some extra long screws and drove them from the box into the front bedposts.

The grinch is gone, but now I’m feeling like I want a hot dog with some mustard and ketchup.

I knew from the very beginning that I wanted the box to resemble a drawer.  In fact I was initially going to use a drawer, but I didn’t have one large enough. I root around to find some hardware.

I chose these large handles and ended up spray painting them black.

I suppose there’s something to be said for collecting junk.  I needed something for the front legs, and sure enough, I had these perfect pieces in the basement, just waiting to be given a useful purpose.

While the top posts are drying, I attach the hardware to the front of the box.

Does it make you smile?  I’m really loving it!

It’s time to attach the top posts which already had holes in them. . I drilled a hole in the post and glued a dowel in place. I then placed the Gorilla wood glue into the hole and slid the top post onto the dowel.

There ya go!, so much better!

What kind of flowers would you plant in this “flower bed”?  What kind and what color?

gail

I tend to think I’m a “regular Joe” when it comes to the type of desserts that I enjoy. You’d be surprised how many times I steal a handful of chocolate chips from a bag, eat a chocolate-covered pretzel left over from my last birthday, frequent the local soft serve establishment, and enjoy otherwise very “regular” types of desserts. Yes, I absolutely love creating sky-high layer cakes. No, they are not the only types of things I make or eat. Many times, I crave what I loved when I was a kid.

This “dirt” recipe is one that I remember fondly. I distinctly remember eating it while visiting my parents’ friends during the summer. They had two daughters roughly the same age as my sister and I, and we all got together very often when I was little. My mom’s friend Karen would serve this in individual cups or faux flower pots to all of the kids. I thought it was the coolest thing, and I still appreciate all of the wonderful flavors as an adult. (I even secretly enjoy eating the gummy worms!)

The old-fashioned Dirt recipe consists of alternating layers of crushed Oreo cookies and a chocolate pudding mixture that has been lightened up with cream cheese and Cool Whip. You can make this dessert as quick and easy as you’d like, or you can substitute homemade versions of the Oreo cookies, chocolate pudding and Cool Whip for a 100% from-scratch dessert. I have written the dessert as it was made by my family, but feel free to make any of those substitutions if you’d like. The combination of flavors is bound to be delicious no matter what!

What were your favorite childhood desserts?

One year ago: Bacon and Cheese Quiche Tart Two years ago: Mushroom Barley Risotto Three years ago: Honey-Oatmeal Sandwich Bread Four years ago: Mushroom Spinach & Gruyere Quiche Five years ago: Traditional Madeleines

Dirt Dessert

Yield: 16 to 20 servings

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 4 hours

A summertime favorite! Dirt dessert is alternating layers of crushed Oreo cookies and a lightened chocolate pudding mixture that is made to look like "dirt", complete with (gummy) worms!

Ingredients:

1 package (about 15 ounces) Oreo Cookies 2 (3.9-ounces) packages instant chocolate pudding 4 cups milk 8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature ¼ cup butter, at room temperature 1 cup powdered sugar 8 ounces Cool Whip Gummy worms (optional)

Directions:

1. Crush the Oreo cookies into fine crumbs using a food processor (or, place the cookies in a resealable plastic bag and crush with a rolling pin); set aside.

2. In a large bowl, whisk together both boxes of the instant pudding with the milk for about 2 minutes. Let sit for 5 minutes.

3. Meanwhile, beat together the cream cheese and butter on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Reduce the speed to low, add the powdered sugar, then gradually increase the speed back to medium until a fluffy texture is reached.

4. Using a rubber spatula, fold the cream cheese mixture into the chocolate pudding, then fold in the Cool Whip until completely combined.

5. The dessert can be assembled in a number of ways - in a rectangular or square serving dish, in a trifle dish, or in individual cups. However you plan to serve it, layer the dessert with alternating layers of the crushed Oreos and pudding mixture, beginning and ending with the crushed Oreos. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours (or overnight) before serving. Decorate the top with gummy worms before serving, if desired.

I had a couple of ripe bananas to use up so I decided to make a recipe for banana cake I found on MyRecipes. I loved that it used no butter or oil and that it was quick and easy to prepare. I decided to throw in some extra candied pecans that I had leftover. It smelled amazing while it baked and looked amazing when it came out of the oven. I let it cool before sprinkling the top with powdered sugar. Needless to say, my kids were thrilled to come home from school to this cake. It was moist, tender, and super flavorful and both of my kids loved it.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Coat a 9 inch square baking pan with cooking spray.

Beat the eggs, sugar, sour cream, mashed bananas, and vanilla together with a mixer until creamy. In another bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves until mixed well. Slowly stir flour mixture along with the chopped candied pecans into the banana mixture until well combined. Scrape batter into the prepared baking pan.

Place into the oven and bake for 35-40 minutes, or until the top springs back when gently pressed and a skewer inserted into the center comes out with moist crumbs attached. Remove from the oven and let cool. Dust with powdered sugar before cutting into squares and serving. Enjoy.

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Banana and Candy Pecan Cake

Ingredients:

2 large eggs 1 cup sugar 1 cup sour cream 2 large bananas, mashed 1 tsp vanilla extract 2 cups flour 2 tsp baking powder 1 tsp baking soda 1/2 tsp salt 1 tsp ground cinnamon 1/8 tsp ground ginger 1/8 tsp ground nutmeg 1/8 tsp ground cloves 1/2 cup of candied pecans, chopped Powdered sugar

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Coat a 9 inch square baking pan with cooking spray.

Beat the eggs, sugar, sour cream, mashed bananas, and vanilla together with a mixer until creamy. In another bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves until mixed well. Slowly stir flour mixture along with the chopped candied pecans into the banana mixture until well combined. Scrape batter into the prepared baking pan.

Place into the oven and bake for 35-40 minutes, or until the top springs back when gently pressed and a skewer inserted into the center comes out with moist crumbs attached. Remove from the oven and let cool. Dust with powdered sugar before cutting into squares and serving. Enjoy.

Adapted recipe and photos by For the Love of Cooking.net Original recipe by MyRecipes

If your name is Heidi Madsen Robbins, check your e-mail, because you are lucky winner of the Carter's $50 Gift Card!!!  CONGRATS!!!! 

The post {carter’s giveaway winner} appeared first on Simply Kierste.

photo: unsourced

Such an easy way to display black and whites. Or instagram photos that you have printed up.

Pecan Cobbler? Stop the world.

photo: Benjamin Stelly

The Ways We Are Perfect : Richella is one of the first people I met through blogging, her oldest son just graduated from Duke University, this is her post on mothering, and children.

sadly, unsourced

Let Them Come Home

Becoming Home: A Photo Tour, I’m a little bit in love with this blog. A family of 5 living in 665 square feet. Be sure to read this.

Lessons in a Boy Fort also from Carmella @Assortment, thinking about small

One Thing Your Daughter Doesn’t Need You to Say and 12 Things Your Daughter Needs You to Say –these posts written by my sister went viral this week

Ashlee Raubach photography see more here

A Helpful Guide to Becoming Unbusy @ Becoming Minimalist

For the record, I’d like to state that I’m still cool enough and strong enough to push a tire swing so fast that my boys scream like little girls and beg for just one more push.

And now that we’ve got that out of the way, I’d like to share three of my favorite things lately.

Warning: this list is as random as it gets but all of these things are fantastically awesome and need to be shared with the world. (P.S. I’m not affiliated with any of these companies or products other than the fact that I can’t imagine life without them.)

1) Klutz Face Painting Book: This just might be one of the funnest kid-items (heck, it’s great for adults, too!) we own and we use it all the time so don’t be alarmed if you run into us at the store and my kids have a killer whale painted on their cheeks. My dear friend, Jenna, gifted this book to us years ago and we still are getting good use out of it. In fact, just last week, I bribed my cute neighbor to let me paint her face like a butterfly since no one in my house has chosen that design yet (shocker). I know, don’t quit my day job, right? But still, she loved it and her sweet mom wheeled Miss C around in the stroller while I worked on the masterpiece outside on our front steps so it was a win-win for all.

2) My Life Planner: Yes, I realize that I’m completely old school in that I still prefer to paper-plan versus electronic-plan. I can’t get behind the phone or app calendars because I still love having a paper planner sitting right in front of me. This planner from Erin Condren has revolutionized keeping our schedules organized. I just can’t even begin to express how much I love it. There are labels and color-coordination pens and bookmarks and glorious colored tabs. Basically, there’s a whole lot to love even though Brian pulls the I-feel-like-the-3rd-wheel-card every time I plop down on the couch next to him for date night-movie night with my planner and colored pens in hand. Anytime is a good time to calendar.

3) Korr Lip Butter: I don’t wear a lot of makeup and the whole makeup industry scares and confuses me. I kind of stick to mascara and call it good. However, my very classy makeup-knowledgeable friend, Jen, gave me some of this lip butter last summer and I.Am.Hooked. I feel like I’m all dressed up with nowhere to go when I’m wearing it and I keep it with me at all times. It’s not too tacky and sticky (which I hate in some lip glosses) but adds the perfect amount of shine and gloss while still moisturizing. Love, love, love. I have the Jasmine and Mango and oh my gosh, I just saw that the Jasmine is only $5 which is way less than when I bought it a few weeks ago. Buy some now.

And on a closing note, I just have to share a picture of this pumpkin lounging on the couch. I mean, with a body and hair like that, wouldn’t you think you owned the place, too?

Thanks for sticking with me through the randomness today. Have a great weekend!

If you’d like to check out past Snapshot Saturdays, click HERE.

Happy Saturday to you! Are you geared up for your weekend? Doing anything fun? I’m spending the bulk of the weekend getting things organized, purged and in order for our move this week!! So excited, but so much to do! I am looking forward to getting in, unpacking, and getting settled. Next week’s Weekend Dish will be coming to you from our new home! I hope you all have an awesome weekend and get to do something fun!

As always, you’ll find a recap of what was posted to the site this week as well as some bookmarked recipes from other blogs. Enjoy!

On Brown Eyed Baker This Week

Katharine Hepburn Brownies – Katharine Hepburn’s famed brownie recipe, complete with walnuts.

Buttermilk Fried Chicken – The most flavorful, juicy and crunchy fried chicken you’ll ever make at home. Perfection!

DIY: Iced Coffee – An easy method for making iced coffee at home; no more coffee shop runs!

Homemade Marshmallow Creme – I’d be lying if I said I didn’t want to lick the beaters.

Friday Things – Pretty water droplets, new movies, moving, and puppies in the car!

Most Viewed Post This Week: Top 10 List: Favorite Cupcake Recipes

Most Pinned Post This Week: Katharine Hepburn Brownies

Most Emailed Post This Week: Vanilla Cupcakes with Vanilla Buttercream Frosting

Most Facebook Shared Post This Week: Loaded Baked Potato Dip

Most Tweeted Post This Week: Buttermilk Fried Chicken

What I Bookmarked This Week

Recipes and posts from other blogs that I thought looked especially delicious and that I thought you would like, too:

Chocolate Cream of Coconut Cake (Inside BruCrew Life) I love this flavor combination for a traditional poke cake. It looks so fluffy and moist, plus it packs tons of coconut flavor.

French Toast Muffins (Two Peas and Their Pod) These are perfect for brunch or overnight guests; I might even add a little bacon to them

Peach Vanilla Bean Bundt Cake (Week of Menus) This cake just screams summer; I’m ready!

Potato Skins Mac and Cheese (A Spicy Perspective) I just died and went to heaven. I cannot make this fast enough.

Strawberry Rhubarb Crumb Pie (Joy the Baker) This is such a beautiful pie, and I love that the crumb topping has coconut in it.

What was the best thing you ate this week??

Have a delicious weekend!

Guys, I have a serious problem with chicken.

I am obsessed. My husband has started doing that thing where he nonchalantly wonders aloud whether or not he’ll ever see a piece of red meat in his sad little life. Would I mind picking him up some iron supplements, he asks. He’s feeling a little low. Hey, by the way, red meat is full of iron, he notes.

He’s a total drama queen

Continue reading at Buns In My Oven!Chicken and Bacon Pockets

Buns In My Oven - Buns: The Yeasty Kind. Not The Baby Kind.

When I saw Virginia’s house at Live Love DIY, it was especially fun to check out, since she and her hubby also have a 1970’s fixer-upper home and I do believe our homes had some things in common, like a big stone fireplace and lots of stained wood.  But, they have been busy, just as we have been on this house and she’s taken that relic house into something pretty fabulous with lots of paint and DIY.

The post Feature Friday: Live Love DIY appeared first on Southern Hospitality.

Repurposing a Console TV I am so excited to have the opportunity to post at My Repurposed Life.  So, thank you gail, for allowing me this opportunity! I have repurposed a few things, including a dresser into a bench and an old TV console into a tv stand. The console TV had been my grandmother’s. I’d seen a few things on Pinterest that you could do with an old TV console, and decided that with my dad’s help, I could make my family a new TV stand that was better for our space. This is not a picture of my grandmother’s console TV, however it is a picture of a console TV that looks very similar to my grandmother’s. I unscrewed the back, tube, and speakers. I pulled everything out and recycled those parts with the garbage man.  I also removed the speaker covers. There were some things that I wanted this TV stand to have. I have two small children so I had to have doors. With all of the devices that we have, it needed to have shelves. And I also wanted a place to hide cords. The cord hiding place actually ended up being fairly easy to make, because there was a lip around the bottom of the interior of the console anyways. My dad just put a piece of thin plywood on top, cut a hole near the back for the cords to come out of, and air-gunned nails to the original lip. Now all that cord mess, even though I do try to keep it fairly organized, is hidden under this is piece of plywood.

For the shelves, he just put a couple of guides on the sides of the console (after he had lined the sides with plywood),  cut boards to fit inside, and air-gunned nails into that.

The doors were a bit trickier. Partially because I wasn’t really sure what I wanted, and he and I have very different visions of things. He’s more old school and I’m way more modern. But I think we came up with the good compromise. He took two pieces of plywood, and outlined them with a small, plain trim.  That was air-gunned on.  We used some decorative trim and put that on the inside of the original plywood to give it more of a finished look. It was important to me that I could baby proof this stand, so we chose to knobs near the interior of both doors so that I could latch them. I have recently found out that knobs are 50% off all the time at Hobby Lobby. I wish I would’ve known that then, I could save some money! The TV stand that we had been replacing had this swivel top. It was a board with rollers, which were located in cutouts on the bottom of the board.  I really like the idea of being able to turn the television. We just removed the swivel top, and screwed it into the top of the console TV, the same way it had been screwed into the old TV stand. I was a bit worried that it would look funny because that swivel top was smaller than the top of the console, but I think it gives a nice look. Since they are both painted the same color it doesn’t really stand out to me like I thought it might. I think it looks pretty cool! By the way the paint color is Yellow Star BHG615.

When I think about changing something, I always just think, “I’ll Just Paint It”. That never is the only part of the process, but my mind likes thinking that way in order to start and finish things. I try desperately to organize my life in order to fit this blog into it! I organize my time with less sleep, my food with freezer meals, and spend as much time as possible playing with my two girls. Truly, it’s a miracle that I’m able to get anything done because I also work full time. But, where there’s a will, there’s a way! I live in Indiana with my husband and two daughters. Lily is one and Bailey is two.

Thank you Rachel for sharing your repurposed console t.v. with us today.  I love the doors, great job!

Hop over to visit Rachel at I’ll Just Paint It, and be sure to follow her on facebook.

gail

Before I started this cooking gig and my husband entered the medical field, we were college students studying soil compositions in chem labs, memorizing hundreds of latin terms for plant ID class, and learning how to propagate rare plant species.  We met because we were both finishing up undergraduate degrees in horticulture science and had almost all of our classes together one semester.  People who know us now, and the fields we’re in, think it’s super random that we studied plants, but I always say it must have been to meet each other, and it’s an awesome thing to have in common because now it’s a great (and useful) hobby, and one we’re teaching our 3 sons about.  I’m a huge supporter of getting kids involved in fruit and vegetable gardening in particular.  In a world of pre-packaged everything, forming a sense of partnership with the earth and a responsibility for the food we eat is educational in so many ways.  Besides that, there is something absolutely magical about witnessing the whole process of a tiny dry seed turning into a huge food-bearing plant.  Kids learn about the actual science of plant growth, but also about how to take care of something, tend it, nurture it, watch it grow, and enjoy the very real fruits of their labors.

In most parts of the country, garden season is entering full swing and it’s the perfect time to think about planting.  I’m going to show you what my family has been up to, and even if you’re not interested or able to start a project to this scale, read on!  You can garden in super small spaces, and even without a yard!  Here’s a few tips.  Before you begin:

We have a big open canvas on the side of our house in a sunny spot so my husband and I sketched out what we wanted to do.  4 raised garden boxes, 6′ x 10′ each.  Since we need a post in the corner of each garden box for stability, we’re using the 4 center ones for an arbor.

If you’re making a larger garden, or want to build raised beds like I am, you’ll want to actually measure things out where you’re going to put them.

It’s easy to estimate and eyeball, but (especially if you’re building structures) it helps to actually see it.  What you imagine in your head, and what it actually looks like can be quite different.

I like to actually paint things out, so we measured exactly how large our raised boxes would be and slapped some paint on the ground so we could walk around it and make sure we had enough room to walk in between, drive our lawnmower through, pass a wheelbarrow, etc.

Once that was ready, we (and by we I mean my husband) grabbed some wood from Lowe’s.  We’re using 10′ x 12″ boards so we can use one full board for the side of our boxes and just cut one board in half to use for the two smaller sizes.

I’ll stop using the word “we” at this point, since it’s obvious I had nothing to do with the following steps besides snapping the occasional photo and yelling, “Good job, guys!”  My husband and little brother gave the boards a quick cut ( the brother who made it very clear during the process these photos better not end up on my blog.  ha.  Sorry bro, at least it’s only like, half of the back of your head so no one knows it’s you.  Except I just told them all.)

And then connected them with large wood screws.  Seriously, assembling these boxes took maybe 3 1/2 minutes, each.  You can see we have one smaller board running across the middle of the box- if your box is large like mine, that middle board will stabilize the box and keep it from bowing out once’s it’s filled with dirt and settled.  There are tons of tutorials online if you want to get fancy with raised beds; ours are very, very basic (and very, very easy to make!)

After the boxes were put together, we (no really, I actually helped with this part) gave them a quick coat of stain.  The stain not only adds to the aesthetic, but helps seal the wood so it will last longer.  To stabilize the boxes even more, you can put metal brackets on those corners.

Once the garden boxes are assembled, you’ll need to fill them.  We used a mix of 3 parts topsoil to 1 part compost.  If you already have dirt in your yard, you can just grab a few bags of compost or peat moss (available and garden or home improvement stores) and toss them in there.  Compost adds vital nutrients that will help your plants grow faster and stronger.  In fact once your garden is planted, grass clippings (as long as your grass hasn’t been treated with chemicals) does wonders sprinkled in around your plants.

Do you notice in the photo below how the dirt is sitting right next to the boxes?

Wouldn’t it have been awesome had we arranged with the dump truck driver to dump the dirt directly into our boxes, since they’re conveniently located just inches from our driveway?  And it wouldn’t it totally suck if he showed up 4 hours early when we weren’t home and left it in our driveway to shovel?  Yes.  Yes it would.

Once the boxes are built, placed, and filled, you’re ready for the very very best part.  The plants!

Think about what your family likes to eat, but also think out of the box.  One of the very best ways to add flavors to your palate is to grow them yourself.

A lot of people think since I’m a horticulturist, I must have an elaborate sprouting operation going on, growing my own heirloom varieties indoors in the winter.  Not so.  I never get started till about right now.  We grow some things from seed, like zucchini, squash, beans, and melons, because they sprout so quickly and grow fast.  However for most other things, I just buy small plants.

Seeds are obviously much less expensive than plants, and you get quite a few seeds in a single packet, but I usually just spend the 2 bucks and buy a little plant for the head start it gives me in the middle of May.

Recently, someone left a comment on one of our blog posts complimenting me on always being dressed and accessorized with my hair done and asked if I ever wore yoga pants.  I spit a little water on my keyboard.  Remember our recent post about keepin’ it real?  Here’s a little real for ya.  Still in my workout clothes about 9 hours after working out.  Nasty sweaty hair and dirt-rubbed face and all.  Super glam.

Back to the garden.  We’ve experimented with a lot of different plants over the years and now we grow a lot of what we know we like, and then a few wild-cards just for fun.  One of my favorites is the herb section.  If you grow nothing else, grow a pot of basil.  Your pasta will thank you.

And if you have kids, involve them!  I’ve never seen my kids so excited about vegetables than when we were looking at the hundreds of little sprouts and seed packets at the store and they could look at the photos and pick what they wanted to grow.

Magical, I tell ya.

And they will absolutely be more interested in eating something they helped pick out and take care of.

These little guys have already been hard at work and I can’t wait for them to see the fruits of their labors!

Even if you don’t take on something this size, think about planting a tomato plant in a pot on your porch, or a little container of basil and oregano.  You’ll be happy on a warm summer night when you’ve got a bowl of pasta in front of you!

So where are all of my gardeners?  What are you guys planting this year?  Any requests for recipes using things you know you’ll have tons of this summer??

APP ANNOUNCEMENT:  We’re SO thrilled that so many of you downloaded our app and are loving it!  We wanted to let you know that at the time of the app release, there were a bunch of recipes that weren’t formatted on our blog in a way that the app could read the data, so those are the recipes you will see error messages for.  We just wanted to let you know that it’s an easy fix on our end and we’re taking note of every recipe that isn’t loading correctly and making sure they are readable.  The full collection of over 700 OBB recipes should all be working fine over the next few weeks as we update them.  We’re sorry for any inconvenience and we’ll get them going as fast as we can.  Happy Cooking!

This is a sponsored post and giveaway by Pennington. All opinions are 100% my own. Please see full disclosure below.  It's spring, and you all know what that brings! It means trips to Home Depot, Lowe's and other home & garden stores to get flowers and plants for your yard and garden. It's probably the [...]

The post {spring fling must-haves} and a giveaway!!! appeared first on Simply Kierste.

1. I’ve always wanted to take photos of water droplets with my macro lens and a few mornings ago I saw some picture-perfect droplets sitting on leaves. I grabbed my camera and got a few good pictures. I take so many pictures of food, that sometimes I have to remind myself to expand my photography horizons.

2. Last Friday, my mom and I went to get pedicures after she got home from work. I sat down and started playing around on my phone, checking email, etc. I realized after a few minutes that I have a terrible time unplugging, so I put my phone away, closed my eyes and just relaxed. It was a wonderfully relaxing hour, and a reminder that I need to put away the electronics more often!

3. I hope that all of you mom’s had a wonderful Mother’s Day last weekend! We took my mom out to lunch and then to play around at the Rivers Casino in Pittsburgh. My sister walked away the big winner at the digital roulette games; I ended up donating my money to the blackjack machines. I’m an awful gambler, once I lose $20 I’m pretty much ready to quit.

4. I’m loving this beehive drink dispenser from World Market – perfect for summer!

5. Am I the only person that goes into a chocolate store to buy gifts for other people and walks out with an equal amount of chocolate for myself? No? Okay, good.

6. I saw the new Star Trek movie last night and absolutely loved it! If you’re thinking about seeing the new movie, I highly recommend it! Next on my list are Ironman 3 and The Great Gatsby. I also want to see The Interns and can’t wait for the new Anchorman. What new movies have you seen lately?

7. My Chief Culinary Consultant and I are closing on our house in FIVE days. Five! That’s less than a week! We’ve done an insane amount of furniture shopping this week and are excited to get settled in.

8. Speaking of moving, I’ve realized that when you start sorting through all of your belongings in an effort to purge and pack, it becomes pretty clear what’s most important to you. It appears my life can be grouped into three simple categories: Kitchen, Sports and Christmas. So there you have it.

9. The warm weather the last few days has me craving a s’more. On a related note, I’m also craving this s’mores bar.

10. TGIF! Let your hair down and enjoy the ride!

If you read my blog you know that I love Mexican food and eggs (runny yolks are my favorite). I gathered a few ingredients that I had leftover from taco night recently and made myself a breakfast taco. Guess what? I LOVED IT! Seriously, I loved it so much I made one for lunch the following day too. It’s amazing how just a few ingredients make such a flavorful and delicious dish.

Combine the diced avocado, tomatoes, jalapeno, and cilantro together in a bowl. Season with sea salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste. Set aside.

Heat a small skillet that is coated with cooking spray over medium heat. Crack the egg into the pan and season with salt and pepper. Once the white of the egg is no longer transparent, add the water to the pan and cover with a lid. Cook for about 1 minute or until the yolk is clouded over. Do not overcook or the yolk will be hard.

While the egg is cooking, heat another small skillet over medium heat. Cook the corn tortilla on both sides for a minute, or until warm and pliable. Spread the avocado salsa over the warm tortilla then place the steamed egg on top. Sprinkle with cotija cheese and extra cilantro. Serve immediately. Enjoy!

Print Save

Breakfast Taco with Avocado Salsa and Steamed Egg

Yield: 1

Prep Time: 5 min.

Cook Time: 5 min.

Total Time: 10 min.

Ingredients:

1/2 avocado, diced 3 cherry tomatoes, diced 2 tsp jalapeno, finely diced 1 tbsp fresh cilantro, chopped, divided (save half for the garnish) Sea salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste 1 egg 1 tbsp water 1 corn tortilla 1 tbsp cotija cheese, crumbled

Directions:

Combine the diced avocado, tomatoes, jalapeno, and cilantro together in a bowl. Season with sea salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste. Set aside.

Heat a small skillet that is coated with cooking spray over medium heat. Crack the egg into the pan and season with salt and pepper. Once the white of the egg is no longer transparent, add the water to the pan and cover with a lid. Cook for about 1 minute or until the yolk is clouded over. Do not overcook or the yolk will be hard.

While the egg is cooking, heat another small skillet over medium heat. Cook the corn tortilla on both sides for a minute, or until warm and pliable. Spread the avocado salsa over the warm tortilla then place the steamed egg on top. Sprinkle with cotija cheese and extra cilantro. Serve immediately. Enjoy!

Recipe and photos by For the Love of Cooking.net

Look what caught my eye last week! 

Pretty Milk Paint Table

DIY chalkboard paint with plaster of paris

closet into a small butler pantry

amazing patio table makeover with bargain seating

pretty furniture makeovers

shabby yardstick table

hack on some Ikea nightstands

Your Favorite:

Organizing ideas and storage solutions

If you were caught, grab a button.

If you are linking up this week, you must include a link back in your post. You can grab the button below, or do this text link: My Repurposed Life. LinkyTools will not accept your link if you do not have the link back in your post with the correct URL. This party takes a lot of time, I’m happy to send new friends to visit you, and I appreciate you returning the favor.

By linking up, you agree to let me feature your blog (post) on My Repurposed Life and “Pin” it on Pinterest. Please pin responsibly-click over to the blog and pin from there, not from MRL. Thank You! Let’s see what you’ve got!

gail

This post is sponsored by Pillsbury. As always, all opinions are my own.

Let’s talk about dessert.

Some of you people don’t eat enough of it. I mean, I’ve heard from a few of you that only eat dessert once a week.

Guys, I don’t want to be the bearer of bad news, but I’m not even sure that’s legal. Dessert is sorta important, is what I’m saying.

I mean, I can think of a reason to celebrate just about any occasion with dessert.

Last day of school? You need cookies.

First day of a new job? Better make some brownies.

The mailman brought you mail today? Ice cream.

The sun was shining? Bake a cake.

There was plenty of oxygen on Earth for everyone this evening? I think that calls for a candy bar.

It’s the first day of Summer? Dessert Waffles.

Oh, yes. I just said dessert waffles. They’re a thing.

You see, when it’s ridiculously hot out no one wants to turn on the oven. I mean, I will generally be the crazy one that heats the whole house up for a cookie, but that’s mostly just because I really love cookies. It makes much more sense to keep the oven off, the house cool, and the waffle maker at the ready.

I used Pillsbury’s Orangesicle cake mix to create these simple waffles that are perfect for a quick and easy dessert.m I thought they’d be a fun way to celebrate the oncoming of summer. The new summer flavors are not only tasty (hello, Orangesicle and Key Lime Pie!), but the colors are so fun and vibrant!

For more baking inspiration, visit Pillsbury’s website, facebook page, or find them on Pinterest!

Want to win a Celebration Starter Kit, full of seasonal cake mixes and frostings and a $50 Visa gift card? Check out the rafflecopter widget below the recipe to enter!

Orange Dream Dessert Waffles

Ingredients:

1 box Pillsbury Orangesicle cake mix 1 cup water 1/3 cup oil 3 eggs 1 cup powdered sugar 2 tablespoons water sprinkles, for topping

Directions:

In a large bowl, beat together the cake mix, water, oil, and eggs as directed on the package. Heat your waffle iron. Fill the waffle iron with the cake batter. Amounts will vary depending on your individual waffle iron. Cook about 3 minutes or until cooked through. In a small bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar and water. Drizzle over the warm waffles and top with sprinkles.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Buns In My Oven - Buns: The Yeasty Kind. Not The Baby Kind.

I happen to think sweet dips-slash-appetizers are brilliant. I mean, salsas and bean dips and spinach artichoke dips are everywhere, right? Every party. Always the same. But sweet dips? They are so where it’s at or at least where I’m at. Yep, that’s me. Hunkered over the sweet dip at the party hoarding it to myself and showing off my awesome social skills.

It was just a matter of time before I figured out a version for peanut butter cookie dough. I realize not everyone has peanut butter cookie dough on the brain but I’ll forgive you; we can still be friends, especially because this dip is so incredibly tasty. Creamy, lightly peanut buttery, sweet and filled with nibbles of peanut butter cups and chocolate chips, this dip is highly delicious.

And here’s the deal (no scoffing, please), if you make this with light cream cheese and adhere to the 12 mini peanut butter cups (instead of throwing in the whole bag which I wasn’t tempted to do at all, uh-uh, not me, no never), it really isn’t that bad for you. Now I’m not calling it health food so please, no hate mail, but you could get all crazy and dip apples in it for Pete’s sake, if that helps rationalize the making of it. One of the boys’ favorite after-school snacks is apple slices dipped in peanut butter. This isn’t so different, right?

Right. So glad we had this talk. Happy weekend!

P.S.: Oh hey, by the way, I just added FOUR new weekly menus. Three are anytime menus and the fourth is a fab summer menu. Yippee for no-stress menu planning!

One Year Ago: Old-Fashioned Banana Cream Pie Two Years Ago: Whole Wheat Bread {Step-by-Step} Three Years Ago: Tender Grilled Pork Chops

(...) Read the rest of Banana Coconut Cream Parfaits (277 words)

© Emily for My Baking Addiction, 2013. | Permalink | 9 comments | Add to del.icio.us Post tags: Baking In Jars, Bananas, Coconut, cream cheese, Desserts, Easy Recipes, Ricotta Cheese, Summer Recipes

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Back with an update on my gas log project! I really am not an expert on gas logs and had no idea how to choose, but the folks at The Fireplace Store in Marietta were great about explaining the options to me.  Since my fireplace is fully functioning and can burn real wood and it [...]

The post Choosing Gas Logs appeared first on Southern Hospitality.

I recently decided to clean out my storage shed. It’s one of the places where I store my inventory. You can see a few empty spaces where I’ve pulled some stuff out.

I didn’t quite “gut” it, but I did remove most of it to organize it better. See that arrow pointing to the cabinet doors?  They’ve been there for awhile.   I gathered them.  All the cabinet doors were in pairs, with the exception of the tallest armoire door.   It is the mate to my chalkboard in the kitchen.

You can see it laying on the top, with all the smaller ones underneath.   I gathered all the supplies I normally use when paint spraying: my beloved Command Max, now called Finish Max  Fine Finish Sprayer, a ladle, and bowl (with water), a mesh strainer,  a paint brush (just in case I get a run) and a respirator mask.

I ready my booth.  I hung plastic with a staple gun. I use scrap 2×2’s to hold the plastic down. Note the pallet is on top of the plastic.   You can’t see them, but I use the scrap boards on all 4 sides of the plastic. There  is a lot of air moving around when you use a paint sprayer.

I sanded the boards lightly after I filled the (knob) holes.

While I was at it, I sprayed two huge artwork pieces I picked up a few months ago. Look at that fine finish!  Homeright hit the nail on the head with the name of this sprayer.

This is the armoire door after I used some oops paint  to frame it out.

I lightly distressed the edges.

Look how big that top chalkboard is-over 4 ft!!  I used DIY chalk paint on the frames of each of these, then applied two light coats of wipe on poly.

I used the vaseline distressing technique on the one on the left, and left the one on the right all chalkboard.

I believe these are the heaviest of all of the doors.  They are really solid.

Whenever I paint long doors, I attach the d-rings on the back so that the one on the bottom right will swing around and allow the chalkboard to hang either horizontally or vertically.

I wish I could decorate a chalkboard as well as Ipiccy.

I don’t have my hands on the new Finish Max Fine Finish HVLP Sprayer yet, but I look forward to taking it for a spin. 

gail

This is not a paid post. Homeright has been generous to furnish me with a new sprayer, but you know all opinions are my own. I LOVE this sprayer, and I feel that if you do a lot of painting, it can save you time and energy, especially when painting spindles and/or louvered doors!  yikes!  I’ve painted enough of those by hand.

Seriously fun things. 

Cute (and trendy, even!) paper goods for parties?

Yes.

Fabulous stocking stuffers for the kiddos?

Yup.

Cold medicine, toothpaste, aluminum foil, or dishtowels?

They've got 'em.

Million dollar candy bars for our "Million Dollar Providers" attending a Bootcamp at work?

Of course.

Really?!

Really.

(And, for all of these items for a dollar, no less.)

Every time I start a creative project for any type of event, whether it's for work, for home, or for a friend, I pop on over to the dollar store and just cruise on through each aisle.

Last week I got square paper plates. Totally designer looking, and, at 10 in the package for a buck, the price was right. I can't wait to use them.

In the case of the candy bars, I was wandering through on my lunch break and spotted them. Since one of the point we teach our members is how to become a "Million Dollar Provider" they were just too perfect to pass up. I took a picture of one with my phone and headed back to work. I then shared the photo with a coworker and we came up with a use for these perfect candies.

I ran back over a few days later and bought up the amount we needed, and then I created little little printed strips to cover the brand name marketing already on the candy wrapper. I printed them, cut them out, and added them to our candy bars for a custom look.

This idea would work for any kind of event; a birthday party, a congrats present, a just-because-you're-so-special gift.

Do you shop your local dollar store? I'd love to read about your finds!