From White to Pink
Crafty Gardener 18 May 2012, 12:20 am CEST
A little entertaining secret....
Notes from A Cottage Industry 17 May 2012, 7:52 pm CEST
It's no secret to anyone that knows me that I love to entertain. I
love planning the menu, coming up with a theme, (whether it is a
color, or a type of food, or an event like the Superbowl...)and I
especially love to design and set up the
table scape and the buffet area.
Now, all of that might sound intimidating to some of you, and so today I wanted to share a little caterer's secret that I use. You don't always have to bake, or cook everything you are serving yourself when entertaining.You can make store bought pastries and fruit look like a million bucks.
You just have to make the right choices. WalMart, for example, has the most incredible itty-bitty-baby cinammon rolls.
To. Die. For.
And cute as all get out.
When I'm feeling really creative, I take a bit of powdered sugar, milk and a drop of vanilla or orange flavoring and make a runny frosting to drizzle over them...yummy (and totally like you-slaved-in-the-kitchen looking!) Stack them on a cake pedestal with some other pastries (or a giant pile by themselves) and the finished look is perfection.
So, there you go. If you want to wow your family, this is one easy way to do it.
A little entertaining secret....
Notes from A Cottage Industry 17 May 2012, 7:52 pm CEST
It's no secret to anyone that knows me that I love to entertain. I
love planning the menu, coming up with a theme, (whether it is a
color, or a type of food, or an event like the Superbowl...)and I
especially love to design and set up the
table scape and the buffet area.
Now, all of that might sound intimidating to some of you, and so today I wanted to share a little caterer's secret that I use. You don't always have to bake, or cook everything you are serving yourself when entertaining.You can make store bought pastries and fruit look like a million bucks.
You just have to make the right choices. WalMart, for example, has the most incredible itty-bitty-baby cinammon rolls.
To. Die. For.
And cute as all get out.
When I'm feeling really creative, I take a bit of powdered sugar, milk and a drop of vanilla or orange flavoring and make a runny frosting to drizzle over them...yummy (and totally like you-slaved-in-the-kitchen looking!) Stack them on a cake pedestal with some other pastries (or a giant pile by themselves) and the finished look is perfection.
So, there you go. If you want to wow your family, this is one easy way to do it.
Sundae Cookie Bars
Buns In My Oven 17 May 2012, 3:52 pm CEST
I know I’m about to lose 90% of you when I say this next bit, but please try to stick with me. It’s worth it. Ready?
I had a dream the other night. And I’m going to tell you about it.
It’ll be painless, I promise.
I dreamt that some other lady (and I use that word very loosely) baked my husband cookies.
And, here’s the really horrible part, he ate them, y’all.
When I woke up I was practically shaking with anger. I was furious. I was livid. I was all of those other words in the thesaurus that say “I mean business.”
So, I ran to the kitchen and decided to bake some cookies that would knock his stupid, cheaty teeth out.
Wait, that’s not right.
Knock his socks off. I wanted to knock his socks off. In a nice way. Because it was just a dream.
These cookies? They did the trick. He is currently walking around barefoot. With a black eye, because I’m sorry, but you don’t eat another woman’s cookies. It’s just not proper.
I’m calling these Sundae Cookie Bars, not because I topped them
with ice cream. No. It’s because sandwiched between two layers of
chocolate chip cookies is a gooey, delicious layer hot fudge and
caramel ice cream topping. You’re gonna want a glass of milk.
Ingredients
- 1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 eggs 2-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 cups (12-oz. pkg.) semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 1/4 - 1/2 cup Hot Fudge ice cream topping, softened
- 1/4 - 1/2 cup Caramel ice cream topping, softened
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a 9x13 baking dish with parchment paper or spray with cooking spray.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat together the butter and sugars until light and creamy.
- Beat in the vanilla and eggs, one at a time, until thoroughly combined.
- In a small bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, and salt.
- Gradually add the flour mixture to the butter mixture, beating well.
- Stir in the chocolate chips.
- Use your hands to press half of the dough into the bottom of the baking dish. (It will be a pretty thin layer and you'll really need to press it in.)
- Spread the hot fudge sauce in a thin, even layer over the cookie dough. Use just enough to completely cover the dough.
- Spread the caramel sauce over the hot fudge in a thin layer, using just enough to completely cover.
- Take small chunks of the remaining cookie dough and flatten them into small pieces in your hand and place each piece in a single layer over the top of the caramel. You'll need to press the pieces pretty thin in order to have enough to mostly cover the top. It's okay if there are a small gaps, the cookies will spread as they bake.
- Bake for 25 - 35 minutes, checking for the doneness you prefer. (I like them a bit gooey.)
{white chocolate chip lemon bread}
brown paper packages 17 May 2012, 3:00 pm CEST
Old-Fashioned Banana Cream Pie
Mel's Kitchen Cafe 17 May 2012, 1:00 pm CEST
Before waxing poetic about the deliciousness of
this pie, I’m going to give you a few “outs” in case you are
looking at this recipe saying “there’s no way I would make a pie
crust from scratch” or “this is way too complicated and I’d rather
stick with boxed banana pudding in a crust” or [...]
Signs by Andrea Giveaway!
Southern Hospitality 17 May 2012, 11:00 am CEST
Do you love personalized vintage and weathered signs?
Me too! I’ve got one and if you’ll click over to my giveaway page, there’s some fun for YOU too! And there’s more than one item up for grabs!
Last’s week’s giveaway winner for Southern Style Home Decor is here!
Please visit my fine sponsors for those special finds for your home: *Hadley Pottery: Handmade blue & white pottery *Willow House: Distinctive gifts & home decor accessories *Miss Lucy's Monograms: Personalized gift ideas *Ruby Lane:Unique items for the home *Southern Hospitality shop:Buy my favorite beadboard wallpaper directly from my shop! *Fabricadabra:Beautiful organic pillows and linens *Cutting Edge Stencils:Beautiful stencils to create feature walls and more in your home. *Fish Foam Window Cleaner:Foaming Window Cleaner *Stylish Patina:Annie Sloan Chalk Paint Stockist *Payless DecorCustom Blinds for less *Bedding StyleGreat selection of stylish bedding *Initials Inc.Nice selection of custom monogram items *Appo:Become a photo organizer *Biltmore Consultant:Beautiful home decor products inspired by Biltmore *Kitchen Resource Direct:Affordable and Beautiful kitchen cabinets for your home Saturated Color:Vintage prints for your home
Creating garden art with JUNK
Funky Junk Interiors 17 May 2012, 10:16 am CEST
Clean it up
The first thing I haul out at the beginning of each season is the
pressure washer. I do this first before planting otherwise your
flowers will end up flying to the moon.
Today my shed got hit and it's all ready for the real fun to begin.
Let's play!
Colour
Flowers indeed offer you colour, but so can other elements without
the need for even more weeding and watering. Here, antique tools
pick up the slack in areas with no blooms.
Right: A galvanized bucket took the place of a typical hanging
basket.
Contrast
The shed is on the darker side, so red geraniums aways seem to be
the right thing to add inside the white crate. The fronts will
eventually be spilling over with fragrant alyssum. As soon as I get
some.
Cute pets
They make your garden look even better.
Teddy is staring at the water droplets. She's a leaf licker
type.
Junky fillers
Caprese Bruschetta
For the Love of Cooking 17 May 2012, 5:21 am CEST
I had a bit of fresh mozzarella and a small amount of leftover baguette that needed to get used up so I decided to make caprese bruschetta. I tossed the tomatoes, fresh basil, and mozzarella cheese together with some garlic, salt & pepper, olive oil, and white balsamic vinegar. I placed spoonfuls of the tomato mixture on top of toasted baguette slices. This was not only a quick and easy lunch it was healthy and delicious too. This may just be my new favorite appetizer.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Coat both sides of sliced baquette with olive oil cooking spray. Place on a rack and cook for 5 minutes or until crisp and warm. Set aside to cool slightly. Place the diced tomatoes, chopped basil, and diced mozzarella together in a bowl; add the minced garlic, sea salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste, white balsamic vinegar, and olive oil. Mix until evenly combined. Place spoonfuls of the caprese salad on each slice of baguette. Serve immediately. Enjoy.
Caprese Bruschetta
Yield: 1
Prep Time: 5 min.
Cook Time: 5 min.
Total Time: 10 minutes
Ingredients:
Cooking spray 4 slices of whole wheat baguette Handful of grape tomatoes, diced 2-3 tbsp of mozzarella cheese, diced 2 tbsp fresh basil, chopped 1 clove of garlic Sea salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste 1 1/2 tsp white balsamic vinegar 1 tsp olive oil
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Coat both sides of sliced baquette with olive oil cooking spray. Place on a rack and cook for 5 minutes or until crisp and warm. Set aside to cool slightly.
Place the diced tomatoes, chopped basil, and diced mozzarella together in a bowl; add the minced garlic, sea salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste, white balsamic vinegar, and olive oil. Mix until evenly combined.
Place spoonfuls of the caprese salad on each slice of baguette. Serve immediately. Enjoy.
Recipe and photos by For the Love of Cooking.net
Print
Strawberry and Balsamic Grilled Chicken Salad
Closet Cooking 17 May 2012, 2:29 am CEST
Two weeks ago I had the opportunity to attend a fun filled couple
of days in Monterey California for a summit put on by Dole where we learned
more about where our salads come from and how they make to our
tables. While we were there we got to eat some tasty food including
a lot of salads which got me thinking about salads. As luck would
have it May is also the National Salad Month so it was about time
that I got down to making some salads!
If you are interested in seeing the photos that I took while in
beautiful Monterey California you can check out the gallery here:
Monterey California Photo Gallery
Roast Strawberry Balsamic Vinaigrette
Closet Cooking 17 May 2012, 1:44 am CEST
I always enjoy making my own salad dressings! Not only is it easy
to do but you have complete control over what goes into them and
how much to make. If you feel like having a different dressing
every night of the week you can make a small batch and if you want
the same one all week you can make a large batch. One of my
favourite dressings to make at home is the balsamic
vinaigrette which is so easy to make and always better than
store bought. The other day I was thinking about a strawberry salad
with a balsamic vinaigrette and an idea hit; I could get even more
strawberries into the salad by adding them right to the dressing
and to get every last drop of flavour from the strawberries, I
could roast them first! Although this dressing takes a bit longer
to make with roasting the strawberries, it is still really simple
and it is so worth it! Strawberries and balsamic vinegar are great
together and even better when combined in this roast strawberry
balsamic vinaigrette! Next up is the salad that I used it on.
Living in the Mountains
The Comforts of Home 16 May 2012, 9:31 pm CEST
chocolate buckwheat cake
smitten kitchen 16 May 2012, 9:26 pm CEST
But before that, I really tried to tell you about soup, soup with whole grains and seasonal onions and floating croutons of pungent cheese. I really tried. But I found that the same conditions that led to the need for a hearty soup on a Monday night in May — a gray day in which my brain a little fried from a week at the beach and maladjustment back to real life — also made it impossible to discuss soup in any kind of articulate manner on Tuesday. And so, I made chocolate cake instead. If this site had a subtitle, that would be it.
... Read the rest of chocolate buckwheat cake on smittenkitchen.com
© smitten kitchen 2006-2012. | permalink to chocolate buckwheat cake | 8 comments to date | see more: Cake, Chocolate, Gluten-Free, Photo
Recipe for Baby Kale, Mozzarella, and Egg Bake (and Ten More Ideas for Starting Your Day with Kale!)
Kalyn's Kitchen 16 May 2012, 9:15 pm CEST
 |
| I loved this combination so much I made it several times in a row for a heat-and-eat breakfast! |
NOVICA Winner!
<My Repurposed Life> 16 May 2012, 9:00 pm CEST
Thank you NOVICA for hosting this wonderful giveaway! Just because you may not have won, doesn’t mean you can’t still shop. NOVICA’s prices are so reasonable, and you probably already have something picked out.
On with our winner . . .
Congrats Karen! I’ll be in touch to put you in contact with NOVICA.
I appreciate you reading my blog in your reader and/or via email.
You can reach me at gail@MyRepurposedLife.net
What Teens Need to Know About Credit Cards
Small Notebook 16 May 2012, 5:32 pm CEST
There was a time when I wanted more free stuff. In college when they ran a coupon in the school newspaper for a free bottle of soda, my roommate and I picked up ten copies. When they offered a free t-shirt in exchange for filling out a credit card application, I got the shirt.
Now I’m more likely to pass on the free stuff; I don’t need it. But the idea that I signed up for a credit card I didn’t want just to get a shirt I never wore makes me want to share advice with teenagers about finances and especially credit cards.
At Alpha Mom: What teens should know about credit cards before they go off to college. (1. It’s not extra money.)
More I’ve recently written at Alpha Mom:
Why I don’t spend precious babysitting hours on cleaning the house.
Crafts: what you can make with sculpey clay (it’s gluten-free!)
I don’t think I will buy more overly-posed school portraits. How you can take photos that really capture your kids.
See the comments for this post: What Teens Need to Know About Credit Cards © SmallNotebook.org (all rights reserved)
DIY Kids Table
<My Repurposed Life> 16 May 2012, 2:05 pm CEST
Earlier in the week I showed you how I made the
cute red banquette (bench)
. Once I made the bench, I thought it needed a table. I
didn’t have a table, so I built one from scratch. Today, I’m
going to show you how I put this table together.
I measured the
empty space on the bench to determine the size my table should
be. I cut some 1x6’s to length, then drilled some pocket
holes with my Kreg Jig. I then attached all the pieces
together with pocket hole screws. I set that
aside.
I had
originally thought I would do a table with 4 4x4 posts for legs.
However, thinking things through, I realized that the kiddos would
“knock their knees” on the legs as they scooted into the
bench. Therefore I went with a pedestal type table. I
used a 1x6 and a 1x4 for the base of the legs.
I just guessed
at how big they should be, cut them to length and then used my
router on the edges.
After I did
that I sort of laid them on the back side of the table to get an
idea of where I wanted to place them.
I used Gorilla
Wood Glue to attach the top board to the bottom board of the
base.
I marked the
placement of the 4x4 post on the bottom of the base, then drilled
pilot holes.
I used 2 1/2
inch drywall screws and Gorilla Wood glue to attach the 4x4’s to
the base that I routed.
To attach the
4x4 post to the top of the table, I drilled pocket hole screws with
my Kreg Jig Jr.
The pocket
holes didn’t make the table top sturdy enough, so I added some
1x4’s to the bottom of the table. I mitered the corners to get a
nice look/fit.
I drilled
pilot holes and attached the 1x4’s with Gorilla Wood glue and
drywall screws.
The 1x4 pine
is soft, so it was easy to countersink the screw heads. Doing
this “frame” around the table really added stability to the
table.
Testing it
out!
Primed
it with some gray oops paint and primer in one.
I of course used my
CommandMax to apply primer . . .
.
. . and paint. I chose to paint the top of this table
with a brush to get a really nice thick, protective top
coat.
Cassie
@ Primitive & Proper was my
coach on this color. I sent her an “after” picture to ask her
opinion of the color choice. She suggested red. (thanks
Cassie!)
I have
to say I LOVE it! 
No one will “knock their knees” on this. The only bad thing
about this bench is it’s size. It’s nearly impossible for me to
move alone. I must use a furniture dolly, and lay the bench down on
its back.
As I said in the bench post, this would be great for a dining
room, think homework and snacks. It would also be fabulous in
a large bedroom or playroom. I hope it finds a new home
soon!
gail
I appreciate you reading my blog in your reader and/or via email.
You can reach me at gail@MyRepurposedLife.net
The {African} Elephant in the Room
Nesting Place 16 May 2012, 1:20 pm CEST
Now that I’ve come and gone I know what you all want to know. You want to know the exact same thing that I want to know. You want to know what one brave lady dared to put into words:
I love that it’s from Cindy, a fellow home blogger. She gets that there could be a disconnect. And I did respond to her in the comments but my first reaction in my head was::
I KNOW! Why in the world do you think I didn’t want to go? Because before I went all I could think of was “this is totally gonna ruin my blog and then I will have no business whatsoever”. Thanks a lot Shaun Groves.
and then I also thought…
If it wasn’t for Nesting Place I wouldn’t be able to sponsor 3 boys, I probably wouldn’ t even know much about Compassion, I certainly wouldn’t have gotten to meet Topiwo. Maybe Nesting Place isn’t such a bad gig?
and then I also thought…
How can ANY OF US continue to do what we do and go about our normal business? We all saw those children in need, not just me–hey, don’t put this all on me, we are in this boat together!
and I also thought,
maybe change isn’t a bad thing, maybe one can be changed without changing every single thing, maybe it just changes things about those things for the better–are you following my thinking?
And then I got back to the US on Sunday and GUESS WHAT?!
Everyone here still has the audacity to have houses! And they have the nerve to still live in them! They still procrastinate and don’t enjoy them and use them to their fullest potential because of fear. And I still feel called to be a voice that speaks into those fears and after learning from Topiwo I feel even more equipped.
And I think about what they would do. Because I know if our roles were switched these maternal ladies would sponsor my child in a heartbeat and they would do whatever it was that God gifted them to do in whatever crazy field that was in order to make that happen and make no apologies. And I think they would tell me to do the same.
And I remember she told me it took her two weeks to hand bead her necklace. Just that one small one–she’s wearing two in this photo the bigger one seems twice as big. We all seek beauty, don’t we? It’s a universal trait we inherited from our Creator. And most of us, even if we live in a mud hut, will make the time to create beauty. Meaningful beauty with purpose and balance.
And I think about that book I started writing in January. And how I’ve struggled with it and not even told you about it and wondered what it’s purpose was and suddenly after walking into a mud hut and seeing a declaration of faith I feel like I’m ready to tackle those words again with a fresh perspective.
And I think about how I am blessed and how they are blessed too and how we are different and the same.
And I think about this conversation between two women of great faith that I love and consider mentors, Darlene and Angela as they talk about creating beauty in the image of God.
So yesterday I went to super Target and I did not cry. I even *gasp* bought a Starbucks coffee and didn’t have guilt (ok maybe a little but not much). I wrote sponsor letter and gave a family gift to the three boys we sponsor and was thrilled I could. I cried in the car on the way to carpool. And today I’m getting ready for the magazine people to come to my home next week and I even bought some pillows for our bed (even though I self righteously told Shuan Groves I would not under any circumstances be buying anything for my house because of this shoot).
And I have a new passion to continue to think about my home and share it with you for as long as you will listen. Changed, but not changing everything. Although still, EVERYTHING HAS CHANGED.
Are we clear?
amen.
Mel’s Kitchen Tip: Muffin Cups!
Mel's Kitchen Cafe 16 May 2012, 1:00 pm CEST
It may seem like a small thing but those darn
muffin cups can sure make a mess of your cupboards. Until I spotted
this tip on Pinterest, my muffin cups were a nightmare. Opened
packages were scattered all over my pantry and cupboards and I was
in serious need of a way to organize them [...]
Cashew Cookies with Brown Butter Frosting
My Baking Addiction 16 May 2012, 12:00 pm CEST
I have a bit of a hoarding issue when it comes to recipes. I have more cookbooks and recipe binders than I have space. And don’t even get me started on the number of recipes I have bookmarked online. One day I’ll get to the whole organizing/purging thing, but for now there are more important things to do like watching Revenge on Hulu and baking Cashew Cookies with Brown Butter Frosting. Seriously though – have you watched Revenge? I’m kind of obsessed – with the show and these cookies.
Cashew Cookies with Brown Butter Frosting were picked up on my radar a few weeks back and of course, they were immediately bookmarked. I’ve always been a big fan of cashews and coupling the salty, crunchy texture of the nuts with soft sour cream cookies and brown butter frosting sounded all kinds of amazing. And indeed they are.
(...) Read the rest of Cashew Cookies with Brown Butter Frosting
© My Baking Addiction for My Baking Addiction, 2012. | Permalink | No comment | Add to del.icio.us Post tags: Brown Butter, Butter, Cashews, Cookies, Desserts, Nuts
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<My Repurposed Life>
A Soft Place to Land
A Whisk and A Prayer
Always Nesting
Ambitious Deliciousness - Dont...
Big Flavors From A Tiny Kitche...
Bo's Bowl
Bobbypin's Boardwalk
Brown Eyed Baker
brown paper packages
Buns In My Oven
Closet Cooking
Crafty Gardener
Cream Puffs In Venice
Cupids Charm - Notes From A Ch...
Cynthia's Cottage Design
Delish
Eating Out Loud
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EMBELLISH
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For the Love of Cooking
frankie's foods
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It's a Blog PartyIt's A Very Cherry World!
Kalyn's Kitchen
Mehan's Kitchen
Mel's Kitchen Cafe
My Baking Addiction
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Nesting Place
Notes from A Cottage Industry
Obsessed With Baking
Our Best Bites
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Restoring Simplicity
Seven Palms
Small Notebook
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That's Not What The Recip...
The Adventures of Elizabeth
The Comforts of Home
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The Way the Cookie Crumbles
Thrifty Decor Chick
use real butter
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