Toffee Banana Dippers
Ingredients
- 4 bananas- sliced
- 1 cup chocolate chips
- 1 tbsp shortening
- toffee bits for sprinkling
Instructions
- Combine chocolate & shortening in microwave safe bowl.
- Microwave on high for 30 second increments until melted- stir well.
- Dip bananas in melted chocolate & turn to coat.
- Transfer to wire rack or parchment lined baking sheet.
- Sprinkle with toffee & transfer to freezer.
- Store in freezer- enjoy as a cool treat.
To see where I am linking today- visit HERE
12 Tips for a Successful Blog
Let me first start by saying that I am still in a big growth period in my blog. While I have been blogging since 2007- it has been just over the last couple years & most recently the last 6-8 months that I have really been more serious about the direction my blog is going. Like many people say- it doesn’t happen over night & that is true. For me- it took a while to get to know about blogging then try different niches that interested me & to then start finding my own voice before I could really start focusing on growth. I don’t claim to know everything there is to know. But this post has been a long time in the making because there are a lot of things that have been on my mind as I grow & connect with so many other bloggers at various levels.
I, like many started with blogger. It was great for getting to know the whole realm of how it all works. But once I decided to really get serious about growing my blog this past September- I made the jump to wordpress. It has amazing SEO capabilities, the plug-in’s are fabulous & I have seen my blog grow approximately 500% in 7 months. It can be complicated to make the switch to a self-hosted wordpress blog. I am an affiliate member for someone that can help you with all that if you need help with design & making the switch. You can visit her HERE. If you are good with design & just need someone to help you with the actual transfer- I highly recommend my gal Sara. She was great at helping to offer me things I didn’t know existed & making sure that I was satisfied & happy before calling it good. You can find her HERE– I don’t get any sort of affiliate payment from her. I just love what she did for me. As far as choosing a host- I use BlueHost– they have been great. Always there when I need support- any time, day or night. While I am on this topic- I must also recommend using a Genesis Theme. I love them. Sara offers that in her package – so if you use her, you will be good to go.
I am a firm believer in knowing who I am interacting with when I visit a blog. I love it when I can get a visual of who the author/creative mind is behind the ideas that brought me on over to begin with. This is why I love seeing a bio/about page or widget some place on the blog. I personally don’t like to have mine in the sidebar because I view that as some of the most valuable real estate on my little place on the web. So I added the Fancier Author Box plug-in & I have it at the bottom of each post. This way people can see my face- read what I am all about & get to know me a little more before they leave a comment. I also have a full About Me page with an image of the whole family, a snippet about who we are as a family & a way to contact me there too. Which brings me to my next topic…
Make it easy for your readers to connect with you in other places beyond your blog. You can see that I have all my links to where you can find me at the top in my header. I specifically chose my Genesis Theme- Blissful because it offered the option to put those links in that area. Like I mentioned before- the sidebar space is valuable & so I wanted those important links in a visible place- just not taking up my sidebar. I just recently changed the colors of them a bit to make them stand out a bit more. After giving my blog a good analysis of what needed to be improved I figured that they could be blending in too much to the header design & I could be missing out on some valuable connections by not having them stand out. I also think that it is an easy way to update the feel of the blog as a whole for the season changes without completely re-vamping the whole design. One other thing on this topic- give your readers the option to subscribe via email. I love this option because I can get what I am after delivered to me each morning. I don’t have to worry about missing a post or remembering to head on over when things are busy & I get forgetful. It’s there & I can connect with those I love to spend my time with. I can’t tell you how bummed I get when I find a blog I love but I can’t get it delivered via email subscription. I don’t want my readers to miss a thing- I have the place to sign up both in my sidebar & at the end of every post.
This should be something you pay close attention to. Make sure your blog is organized & neat. make sure things re easy to find. If you talk about different subjects- like recipes & crafts, at the very least, give your posts tags or categories so that people who come over & like one post can easily find others like it. I recently devoted some time to adding those categories into my menu bar with a drop down feature further grouping those sub-categories together. This way people can easily find what they are after. It can be so frustrating to want more from a blog & there is no rhyme or reason to it & I end up leaving frustrated. This is also why I finally decided to just have a linky party page of the places where I like to link up each day. I became so frustrated by having a bunch of different buttons at the bottom of each post & soon my post were being over run by all these extra images. I’m all for giving props & credit to those you link up with but at the same time you want your content to be what is noticed- not all the mis-aligned buttons all over the bottom of your post. One or two is fine- but beyond that- I encourage you to have a place where you list them all in an orderly fashion. Or you can always give a text link at the end of your post to the places where you frequently visit.
This took me a while & all the different things I did have helped me with where I am now. When I first started blogging & wanted to blog about the things I was making both with crafting & in the kitchen. I slowly moved away from that & focused on homeschooling for a bit. But really- I’m not the typical homeschooler & I found I really didn’t have all that much to say about the topic. It’s just something we do & our way of life. Not something I like to discuss with a lot of people or that I am passionate about sharing. I am passionate about my kids & their education but when I leave the classroom- I want to leave all that there. I wasn’t sharing ME. But through that I found some bloggers that were great photographers too. Which then made me realize how much I had always wanted to know how to take great photos of my kids. So I started visiting more & more photography blogs & became more & more inspired. I slowly learned everything I wanted to know through tutorials & visiting blogs & making some amazing friends that have helped me along the way. Through this I have found that I may actually go into biz 100% some day. I have had the opportunity to work on some really fun product photography projects & grow & expand the skills I have developed to help make the images I share here better. But I still kept coming back to wanting to share recipes & other things I was doing with the kids & for the home. So I started incorporating those posts back into my blog & you know what- I’m happy again. I am posting what I am passionate about, what makes me happy & I’m posting what I WANT to. Not what some link party prompt is asking of me. While I still really enjoy things like Scavenger Hunt Sunday because I really love playing outside the box with photography- my blog embodies more of who I am now. I don’t just like to take pictures but I love to sew, crochet, paint, design, bake, garden & all sorts of other things too. Find what you are passionate about- and then jump in with both feet.
While we are on the topic of photography I want to mention your images. Make them large so people can see them well. Make them as wide as your post space will allow. It draws the reader in & really gets them to interact more with your space & what you are sharing with them.
You can find the recipe for these HERE.
This is pretty obvious. If you want people to come visit- give them fresh things to look at when they do. It’s like going to a channel on T.V. hoping to see a new show but when you get there all they play is the same re-runs of the same 5 episodes. You want to see new things & if you don’t- you stop going there. Your readers will think you have abandoned your blog if you don’t post on a consistent basis. I personally like to post 7 days per week. Some people do -4 & some just take the weekends off. The key here is to be consistent because your readers notice. One time I decided to try taking Saturdays off – it wasn’t long into my Saturday morning when I started getting messages from people asking if my site had a problem or if something was wrong. They had grown to expect a post every day & when it wasn’t there- it caused them to think something was up. So that lasted for one weekend. I resumed a 7 post per week schedule & you know- I have so many ideas swimming around in my head that it’s not hard to fill up the days. In fact- I wish I had more days in a week for posts.
The whole point of blogging is to interact with your readers & share. People like to share their thoughts on things & when they leave you a comment, it’s nice when you can reply back & form a conversation about it. I used to feel I had to visit back every single person that left me a comment. Well – when you get 30-40+ comments per day, sometimes that can be a large undertaking to visit & comment & keep up on it all. I have now given myself the freedom to respond back to the comments left within a couple days at the most & then visit my favorite blogs each day. I then pay a visit to new blogs once a week as I have time. This is a lot easier with my schedule & then I don’t have 300 emails stacked up in my inbox waiting for my attention.
One of the things I find the most amazing about blogging is the bonds I have formed with a tight group of bloggers. I have “met” people that have truly been there for me when my own family wasn’t. They have done amazing things for me like forming a virtual house warming party for me through gift cards when we moved. They have put my family on prayer lists when things got tough. They have bought ad space on my blog when times were rough for us. Bottom line- they have been there for me. They are my rock. We join together to make ad campaigns successful, we work on projects together both on our blogs & outside of them. I have some that I can have 4 hour long phone conversations with- but I have never met them in person. Let me tell you- it’s an amazing feeling to know these FRIENDS are out there for you. I feel so blessed to have them in my life. I encourage you to find like minded bloggers & form that relationship with them. It’s amazing!
This really should go without saying- but I have heard horror stories & had my own issues with people STEALING from posts. I had someone taking images of my kids & using them for a fake life on Facebook. Oh yeah- I was beyond livid. But beyond that- I had a blogger tell me once that she was at a conference & struck up a convo with a gal as they were going into a session on legal stuff when it comes to blogging. The gal told her that she likes to post recipes but doesn’t take her own photos. She just searches the web for images that look like what her food should look like & then posts someone else’s image with it. NOT COOL!!! We take a lot of time, energy & financial expense to put together a beautiful image. From the classes, equipment, props & TIME- to have it stolen by someone who is too lazy to do the same AND then take credit for it as if it were their own. APPALLING. Which is why I watermark all my images too. I know there is a lot of controversy about this- but after your images are swiped- you will feel compelled to do the same.
It’s so important to be YOU when you are blogging. Don’t try to do what others are doing & don’t play the comparison game. I read someone’s post once where she was talking about this one gal who literally took each of her posts- the content was almost word for word, the image ideas were almost identical & the topic & title exactly the same. It was really sad because she had asked this gal to stop- basically said “I’m on to you” and the woman would not quit. What is wrong with people??!! The whole point is to get your own voice heard- not reiterate what others are saying. Be yourself because that is the only way you will be passionate about what you are saying. The phony speak will show through & people will get turned off & stop visiting. Everyone is at different stages in blogging- everyone has their own things that they want to talk about- that is a good thing. It’s okay to try someone else’s craft or recipe- but give them credit for it when you do. Share the love & be true to what YOU LOVE. That is your recipe for success.
I am happy to explain further on any of this.
Don’t forget to come back & join me on Mondays for Project 52 & Wednesdays for Your Best Weekly
To see where I am linking today- visit HERE
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6 Mother’s Day Brunch Recipes
Oh my goodness- you all made me so inspired to get in the kitchen!!!
Look at all the fabulous recipes you all created & shared this week!!! LOVE YOU GUYS!!!
Double Chocolate Muffins from Yolanda @ Peanut Butter & Jelly
Raspberry Poppy Seed Quick Bread from A Handful of Everything
Double Chocolate Zucchini Bread from Kleinworth & Co.
Strawberry Salad with Strawberry Balsamic Vinaigrette from Kimberly @ A Fresh Perspective
Best Ever Brownie Bars from Tiffany @ June Makes Six
Blackberry Marmalade Pretzel Blondies from Kleinworth & Co.
I am so inspired!!!
Then Callie shared what she does with torn jeans. I love this idea. I usually patch them until they just completely fall apart & then I try cut offs. But this idea is adorable & way more pulled together than cut offs. Thanks Callie for the fabulous idea to extend the life of the clothes. I will be using this in the coming weeks if I can ever find the time to get things done outside of the office. 🙂 It’s been nuts around here this week.
Giving Jeans New Life from Callie’s Crafts
If you missed what else I was up to this past week-…
Recipe HERE
Be sure to come back on Monday-
I have some exciting things happening this coming week- all starting with a great Promo- and then a big giveaway!
Don’t forget to come back & join me on Mondays for Project 52 & Wednesdays for Your Best Weekly
To see where I am linking today- visit HERE
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Blackberry Marmalade Pretzel Blondies
Friday is National Pretzel Day. I thought I would give you all a quick & easy recipe you can make to help celebrate if you like. 🙂 These Blackberry Marmalade Pretzel Blondies were so good. The mix of the chewy part of the blondie that gives you that cookie/brownie flavor & then the salty crunch of the pretzels mixed with the sweet of the blackberry marmalade- YUM. These salty sweet treats are the perfect combination & yet not too rich.
These were gone almost as soon as I cut them- definitely a hit. I was really happy that the hubs loved them. He isn’t always quick to try a lot of the things I share here- he’s not a huge sweets fan. So I was happy when he grabbed one right up & loved them.
Blackberry Marmalade Pretzel Blondies
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup salted butter- melted
- 1 large egg
- 1 cup light brown sugar- packed
- 1 tbsp vanilla
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 cups pretzels- loosely crushed & packed
- 3 ounces marmalade
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Line 8x8 pan with foil & spray with cooking spray. Set aside.
- Microwave butter in 30 second increments to melt. Set aside for about 5 minutes to let cool to room temp.
- Once cooled a bit- add your egg, brown sugar & vanilla. Whisk to combine.
- Add flour & stir until just combined. Do not over mix.
- Fold in crushed pretzels.
- Transfer to prepared pan- press down into corners & smooth out.
- Drizzle your marmalade over the top in whatever design you like.
- Bake 28-33 minutes- until center is set. Until toothpick test is mostly clean.
- Don't ever bake- will firm as it cools.
- Cool in pan at least 30 minutes. Store in air tight container for up to 1 week if they are not gone before then.
You can get my Raspberry marmalade recipe HERE & just substitute the berries for whatever kind you like.
Celebrate National Pretzel Day & make these yummy blondies. You will LOVE them.
Don’t forget to come back & join me on Mondays for Project 52 & Wednesdays for Your Best Weekly
To see where I am linking today- visit HERE
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Easy Enchiladas {Recipe} ~ Your Best Weekly
Do you have plans for dinner tonight?? Looking for Easy Family Dinner Ideas?
Well if not- I have the easiest enchilada recipe that you can whip up & your family will rave over!!! You know I am all about making things easy in the kitchen. I do best when it comes to things that are not so complicated – at least when it comes to dinner. I have a short attention span for things that are not sweets- so dishes like this make me happy.
This recipe will make 20 enchiladas – which with the way my kids eat, is barely enough.
You could half the recipe if you don’t need that many.
This is something we serve for guests & when we have to bring something for pot luck night.
Easy Enchiladas {Recipe}
Ingredients
- 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 1 can of beer
- 1 stick butter
- 2 heaping tablespoons minced garlic
- 1 apple- cut in half
- 4 tbsp garlic powder
- salt & pepper to taste
20 corn tortillas
- 1 can refried beans
- 1 large bag shredded cheese
- 1 can diced olives opt
- 1 large can enchilada sauce
Instructions
- Add chicken, beer, butter, garlic, apple, garlic powder & salt & pepper to slow cooker.
- Cook on high for 5-6 hours until you are easily able to shred chicken.
- When done cooking- Use slotted spoon & transfer the chicken to separate bowl.
- Shred chicken with 2 forks. Ladle a couple cups of liquid from slow cooker over chicken to keep moist.
Preheat oven to 350.
- Spray 2- 9x13 glass baking pans.
- Heat your refried beans.
To assemble your enchiladas
- Stack 5 tortillas on a plate with a paper towel underneath, on top & in-between each one.
- Microwave for 60 seconds. This makes the tortillas soft & flexible.
- Working quickly add a scoop of chicken, then beans, then cheese & roll. Place in prepared pan.
- Repeat for all 20 tortillas.
- Pour enchilada sauce over the top of both pans of enchiladas.
- Top with remaining meat, cheese & olives.
- Bake for 30-35 minutes. Remove.
- Let sit 5 minutes before serving.
Enjoy!!!!
This recipe was featured on
Now it’s time for you to share!
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Don’t forget to come back & join me on Mondays for Project 52 & Wednesdays for Your Best Weekly
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7 Spring Farmer’s Market Recipes
WOW you guys!!!! You sure know how to prepare some amazing things to eat!!!!
I thought that it was quite telling of the season changing that you all shared recipes with things that could be found & bought at the farmers market. So I decided to showcase this week’s features into 7 Spring Farmer’s Market Recipes!! Looking at it all compiled into this collage & I think it’s safe to say that you all are very talented in the kitchen & truly know what tastes great! I will definitely be trying all of these in the coming weeks as my co-op baskets get more & more full.
Favorite Spinach Dip from Tiffany @ June Makes Six
Strawberry & Banana Muffins from Kimberly @ A Fresh Perspective
Chopped Greek Salad from Jaymi @ Live Love Travel
Banana ChocoNut Bread from Tamar @ Random-osity
Apple Oven Pancake from Yolanda @ Peanut Butter & Jelly
Southwest Chili Con Queso Pasta from Danelle @ Let’s Dish
Garlic Cabbage Slaw I shared earlier this week.
And if you missed some of my other posts this week….
Help those going through chemotherapy by making this simple head wrap for them.
Free downloads of these Photoshop templates for all your photo sharing.
Thanks everyone!! Hope you have an amazing weekend!
Don’t forget to come back & join me on Mondays for Project 52 & Wednesdays for Your Best Weekly
To see where I am linking today- visit HERE
Garlic Cabbage Slaw {Recipe}
Tomorrow is National Garlic Day!!! That’s a big deal for us because we LOVE garlic in this house.
Looking for Easy Family Dinner Ideas? Today I am going to share with you my latest garlic creation.
Funny thing- as you know I rarely do the grocery shopping. It’s something I leave to the hubs because I am quite dangerous wandering the store. But this time I decided to do it. While I was there I wandered past this big display of what I thought was lettuce. Well as you also know- I’m not a big “veggie” eater- so what I thought was lettuce was actually cabbage. Hehehehe- it was just the most beautiful color of pale green- I didn’t even look at the sign. Laugh all you like- it is what it is. Soooooo- I had to find a way to use it- couldn’t let it go to waste. So I decided to tap into the German side of the family & make some slaw. But I obviously had to add our favorite ingredient – garlic.
Came out fabulous- it was so easy. I will definitely be making this for all those summer BBQ gathering that will be here before I know it.
Garlic Cabbage Slaw {Recipe}
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 4 cloves fresh garlic- minced
- 1-1/2 tbsp white vinegar
- 1/2 small green cabbage - shredded
- salt & pepper & garlic powder to taste
Instructions
- Put your shredded cabbage in a large bowl.
- In a separate small bowl whisk your sour cream, vinegar & garlic until combined.
- Pour over cabbage & toss to coat.
- Sprinkle liberally with salt, pepper & garlic powder.
Serve as a side dish at your next BBQ.
- Store in an airtight container in refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Notes
We then used the remaining cabbage & the hubs fried it up in the skillet with mushrooms, purple onions, about 10 cloves of minced garlic & some butter & seasonings. He then piled it on top of his breakfast potatoes. He was in heaven.
Want more garlic….. try these Garlic Mashed Potatoes
Have a fabulous Thursday! Be sure to add one of these garlic recipes to your dinner tomorrow & celebrate!
Don’t forget to come back & join me on Mondays for Project 52 & Wednesdays for Your Best Weekly
To see where I am linking today- visit HERE
Making Rock Candy ~ Your Best Weekly
Happy Your Best Weekly Everyone!!!
I have been waiting ever so patiently to share this with you all. I figured back around Easter time that I would make rock candy with the kids. Only thing is- you have to be very patient because it takes a while. Then I wanted to make more than one batch- so yet again, the waiting. So anyhow- they are finally done growing (for now- I will probably make more again soon) so I can show you these & you can hopefully make some with your kids or for a party or gathering you have coming up.
Making Rock Candy ~ Your Best Weekly
Ingredients
- 1 cup water
- 2-3 cups granulated sugar
- 15-20 drops food color
- 4-8 wooden skewers
Instructions
- Bring water to a boil
- Start adding sugar- 1/4 cup at a time.
- Stir in sugar until it no longer dissolves. The more you add the longer it will take to dissolve. Be patient & try to get as much as you can in there.
- Take your skewer & dip it in the sugar liquid & then roll in granulated sugar to coat. Stick in plastic cup & attach a clothespin to it to keep it suspended in the middle of the cup.
- Remove your liquid from heat & allow to cool completely. This is very important.
- Fill your cups with the liquid- with this recipe you should get about 2 plastic cups worth.
- Add your food color- & stir. Put in more than you think you might need- if you want the colors vibrant. I also used the Neon shades of food color for mine instead of the standard colors.
- Set somewhere where they can be left alone for a week. Wait patiently. It will take about 3 days for small crystals to form & about 7 days to get them large enough to enjoy.
- You will notice that the liquid will crystallize on the top& bottom of cup too. You should be able to watch the process as they grow.
- When you are ready to remove- gently break the top layer. Remove skewer & leave hanging into another cup until dry.
- Once dry they are ready to eat.
Notes
Chemotherapy Head Wrap {Tutorial}
First- let me say that my thoughts & my heart are with all that have been touched by what happened at the Boston Marathon yesterday.
Sending prayers!
Free Printable Checklist Templates
As many of you know my mom is fighting cancer- skin cancer. About 2 years ago she had a questionable mole removed from her shoulder. After the biopsy they found that it was Squamous cell skin cancer. They THOUGHT things would be okay because they THOUGHT they removed it in time & we were grateful for that. Flash forward to about 3 months ago when she noticed a lump under her arm. She went & had it checked- it was the size of a thumbnail. They biopsied it – turned out it was once again the Squamous cells. Apparently after poking it for the biopsy it became agitated & started growing rapidly. Within 6 week from that time it was poked to the time it was surgically removed- it had grown to the size of a baseball. This was not an actual tumor- this was her lymph nodes- those lovely little filters & “catch-all’s” that were doing their job & holding on to all these cancerous cells that were trying to take over her body. There were a couple cells that found their way outside of the lymph nodes. They removed all 20 something lymph nodes & found cancer in 16 of them. They have never seen Squamous cell skin cancer behave in the way that it is presenting to them & so they are now doing an aggressive bout of chemotherapy & targeted radiation. We don’t know how well this will work for her. The thought once was that Melanoma & Basal Cell were the only real threats to your life when it came to skin cancer. They always thought that if you removed Squamous skin cancer in a timely manner- you were good & really had nothing to worry about going forward. That doesn’t seem to be the case here.
So while my mom has just had her first bout of chemotherapy we all know what is about to happen. So I made her a bunch of these head wraps. I wanted to be sure she had enough colors & she had something to keep her head warm & covered, even though she is in southern California. She certainly can’t be getting her scalp sunburned. (sorry I had to use my daughter as the model since my mom is 1500 miles away)
These are really simple to make. So if you have a sewing machine & know someone going through chemotherapy- this is a great gift for them.
You only need super soft & stretchy cotton fabric like a nice Pima cotton t-shirt material. Cut to 20″ x 20″.
Sew together on one side to form a tube. I don’t have a serger so I just stitched the ends together & then stitched that seam down flat. The key here is to make that seam as so ft as possible because the slightest thing can be irritating or painful on the sensitive skin while going through chemo.
I left the ends un-hemmed so that it was softer & more stretchy. Again- the less things to irritate the sensitive skin the better.
Then if you are giving these as a gift- you can print out this gift tag & add it to your package.
Download HERE
If you can do this to help those fighting this horrible disease- please do. It will be so very much appreciated.
Also- please get yourself checked for skin cancer. I know that my insurance company does not cover things like a annual check so you might want to keep an ear out for events & screenings in your area when they come up. You can also see your primary doctor & have them do a look over but really a dermatologist is best. Many will do a screening for about $100 office visit. It’s worth it!!! It could save our life. For more info on the types of skin cancer & what to look for- go HERE. Please take it seriously- it CAN kill you if left unchecked.
This head wrap has been featured on Craft Stew – visit & pick up more Free Hat Patterns.
Don’t forget to come back & join me on Mondays for Project 52 & Wednesdays for Your Best Weekly
To see where I am linking today- visit HERE
4 Fabulous Homemade Recipes ~ Your Best Weekly Features
Happy Saturday to you all!!
Thank you all for joining me for Your Best Weekly last Wednesday! I truly appreciate it.
I LOVE all the things you all shared & had so much fun reading your posts. I am always so inspired.
Here are some of the things that you shared…..
Chewy Granola Bars from Kimberly @ A Fresh Perspective
Raspberry Devil Cupcakes from A Handful of Everything
Cinnamon & Sugar Muffins from Peanut Butter & Jelly
I also had to share this adorable project that my girls are dying to add to their room.
Hanging Butterfly Ball from Callie’s Crafts
Then there was this from my dear friend Tiffany who ALWAYS inspires me to make things just a little more beautiful in my life. You know I love things to be organized & I really appreciate a cohesive space. So being that I buy in bulk I just fell in love with what she did to her pantry. BRAVO Tiffany!!! I love it!!!! Now I really miss having a pantry. Maybe when we move from this temporary space.
Pantry Makeover from Tiffany @ June Makes Six
And in case you missed the things I was up to this past week- here’s a recap…..
Make your own party straws – super simple! Check it out HERE
Blackberry Red Velvet Crash Cake
Don’t miss my GIVEAWAY for a $50 Gift Card to Erin Condren!!! Enter HERE
Have an amazing weekend everyone!!
Red Velvet BlackBerry Crash Cake
Do you have times when you wish making a dessert wasn’t such a chore?? Wish you could just throw something together that was simple & quick but that looked amazing & your family would gush over?? Yeah- me too!! All the time. Insert the crash cake!! It’s so crazy easy & my family LOVED it. Especially the hubs because he’s not a huge fan of frosting. So for him- being able to have cake without the frosting was great.
This all came about because I went to Wal-Mart. Yeah- I usually don’t do the shopping because it’s dangerous for me to do so. But the circumstances were such that I had to head into town & take care of it. So as luck would have it- right as I walked in the door they had this huge display of glassware on sale. All sorts of things that would have made a lovely addition to my prop cabinet. I tried to use restraint but the one thing I couldn’t pass up with this trifle dish. I have always wanted one & it was just calling me. For the price I couldn’t pass it up. I would have kicked myself for not buying it- so I did.
Then I sat & looked at it for about another week before I actually did something with it. I just couldn’t decide what I would make first. I finally decided on a crash cake- mainly for it’s ease & secondly because I was craving all those flavors & what better way to nix that craving than to put them together.
Red Velvet BlackBerry Crash Cake
Ingredients
- 1 Red Velvet Cake Mix eggs, oil & water- baked to package instructions in 9x13 pan.
- 1 large tub cool whip
- 2 boxes instant chocolate pudding
- 4 cups milk
- 2 cups Blackberries
Instructions
- Bake your cake & set aside to cool.
- While cake is baking prepare your instant pudding to pkg instructions with your mix & milk.
- Once cake is cooled & pudding is set pull all ingredients out & prepare to assemble.
- Start by cutting your cake into squares so it's easier to handle.
- Pull out & break cake up into large pieces to cover the bottom of dish.
- Layer in by the spoonful your cool whip.
- Then a layer of berries.
- Add another layer of cake pieces.
- Now add your pudding, followed by more cake, then cool whip & then the last of the cake.
- Top with remaining cool whip & more berries.
- Keep in freezer until about 12-15 minutes before serving.
I told you it was easy!
Have a great Thursday everyone!
Don’t miss my current giveaway posted on Tuesday from Erin Condren through Daily Mom!!
Head back & enter- she has some really awesome things in her store.
Don’t forget to come back & join me on Mondays for Project 52 & Wednesdays for Your Best Weekly
To see where I am linking today- visit HERE
DIY Party Straws ~ Project 52 ~ Week 14
Hi Everyone!!! Welcome!!
Hope you had a FABULOUS weekend! I got a little crafty & creative with my food photo props this weekend. I was going to wait to share them with you until tomorrow- however I have a VERY EXCITING GIVEAWAY that you won’t want to miss. It goes live tomorrow morning! Be sure to come back & enter. I have teamed up with my dear friend- the FABULOUS Elena on her new venture Daily Mom. I will be hosting this giveaway tomorrow & will also be a regular contributor for her over there. Check it out. She has done an amazing job at putting together a great resource for moms.
So anyhow, the photo props. I purchased some of those adorable paper party straws. But you know- they can be a bit pricey when I am just using them for props. So I decided to take a bunch of straws I had on hand & do a little quick work with the Washi tape. I have collected a few rolls & have been meaning to do something with them. A million different things pop in my head of things to do – I never end op doing any of them. So this time I did. Maybe because it was for photo props- made it more of a priority I guess. 🙂
Some I taped straight down to keep the pattern as it is on the tape. Some I decided to wrap instead- came out just as cute.
As you can see- I have a thing about photographing them.
Could be my love of photographing products. I don’t know- but I couldn’t stop snapping these
So what kept you busy over the weekend??? Can’t wait to see!
Don’t forget to come back & join me on Mondays for Project 52 & Wednesdays for Your Best Weekly
To see where I am linking today- visit HERE
3 Great Projects for Tweens ~ Your Best Weekly Features
WOW- you guys inspire me every week! In looking at all these post this week I realized that there were some really great ideas that I could not only do WITH my kids but that they were also ones that they could do on their own if I just let loose & not be so uptight about controlling everything 🙂 So this week your posts inspired…
Featured are…
Throw Pillow Covers from Kimberly @ A Fresh Perspective
Succulent Terrariums from Kim @ Little by Little
Custom Bookmark Printables from Elena @ Cropped Stories
Thank you all for participating with me each week & giving me constant smiles & more reasons to step out of the office & have some fun.
I’m looking forward to seeing what you will come up with for next week!
If you missed some posts through the week- here are some of the things I was sharing…
Chocolate Cake Donuts with Peanut Butter Glaze
Before I forget- have you all started thinking about Mother’s Day yet?? It will be here before you know it.
Here are some great ideas to get you started…
I’m personally loving this one right now.
Thinking I really need this one.
and Travel mugs too.
All these items are from CafePress. Head on over & check them out. They have just about anything you could ever want when it comes to things that are printed or things that can be printed on. Shirts, cups, bags & all sorts of goodies to help you find exactly what you are looking for. I will be posting a review coming up soon- so I will have an update for you on how much I love their products.
Have a FABULOUS weekend everyone! See you next week!
Don’t forget to come back & join me on Mondays for Project 52 & Wednesdays for Your Best Weekly
To see where I am linking today- visit HERE
Glitter Jars {DIY Tutorial}
I spent some time working on a little craft. I have this thing about saving used jars. I wash them, get the labels off & then I always have plans on upcycling or repurposing them into something else. Then they usually collect & collect in my craft closet until I finally realize I have way too many & I let some go. This time I actually pulled some out & did a little something with a few. I have been meaning to do this glitter jar decorating for months. Like- we are talking Christmas time people. I lay awake at night with craft projects & recipes running through my head. There are not enough hours in a day to do them all. There are certainly not enough blog posts in a year to share every single one of them with you. I have to narrow it down to just sharing my favorites of the week because I honestly can’t blog about it all. But I guess that is a good thing right??
These were so easy- quite messy & turned out so pretty. The hubs IS always finding glitter in rooms where the jars have never ventured- but I don’t care. It’s not the end of my world. I think they add just enough sparkle (no pun intended) to the room to make me smile. With all this rustic cabin decor- I needed something a little fussy & girly to jazz up the space. Like I said last week- I’m going to embrace each day a bit more & worry a bit less about the things that don’t matter. Yes I will still keep my house super clean – but I’m not going to let it get me in a tizzy if something is out of place for a short while. Life is too short.
Clean the labels off your jars- I like to soak them in soapy water & then take a spackle tool to then scrape them off.
Then tape off your jars in the desired pattern.
Pray with spray adhesive & sprinkle with glitter.
That easy!
Don’t forget to come back & join me on Mondays for Project 52 & Wednesdays for Your Best Weekly
To see where I am linking today- visit HERE
Spring Door Decor ~ Your Best Weekly
Happy Wednesday! Welcome to another Your Best Weekly!
Check out some of the fabulous things you all shared last week.
Barbecue Beef Recipe from Kimberly @ A Fresh Perspective
Amish Egg Bake from Oma @ Grandparents Plus
Lemon Crinkle Cookies from Yolanda @ Peanut Butter & Jelly
With those 3 you now have breakfast, dinner & dessert covered.
Then Elena @ Cropped Stories shared her Big Girl Room make-over & just look how adorable it turned out!!
A little change in how I am going to do things. I am going to start doing my weekly features in their own post on Saturday’s!!
So things you link up today will be featured this coming Saturday instead of waiting until next time we meet for Your Best Weekly.
I spent some time making something new to hang on the front door now that Easter has passed. I try to do a new wreath or some sort of decoration on the front door each month. I did have one for March where I utilized some blown out eggs & some paint- I never did get around to posting it. But now that Easter is behind us- I needed something that would work for April. I had picked up some chicken wire for another project that I have yet to share & I also bought the adorable little garden shovel at Target in the $1 bin. I originally planned on using it as a photo prop – but when I was pulling this whole thing together I just kept coming back to it in my head & I realized that it really did need to be a part of this project.
The white is just some fabric that I pulled through each hole of the wire. I also wrapped it around the bottom to have something to glue the moss to. Then I printed off some little flags to make the banners, wired the shovel on there & added the flowers & ribbon to hang. It didn’t take too terribly long & sums up how I plan on spending my April….. gardening.
Now it’s time for you to share!
Everyone is Welcome as long as you link back to Kleinworth & Co. or Button Up. (Buttons HERE)
Please also connect with me on Pinterest and/or Twitter
To see where I am linking today- visit HERE
Chocolate Cake Donuts & Peanut Butter Glaze
Happy National Peanut Butter & Jelly Day!!
But the good part is that- even though these are not super healthy, they are not packed full of preservatives or chemicals. My kids are now eating home made goods for breakfast more often than they are pulling out the cereal or Pop Tarts. I know these have sugar- but my guess is that since they are minis- it’s probably less than the standard kid breakfast. I’m probably just justifying it to myself. But at the same time- I really am trying to be far more conscious about the chemicals we are ingesting on a daily basis. Plus- I just like that I can make something myself that they like. 🙂
Peanut Butter Glaze
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp milk
- 1-1/2 cup confectioners sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 heaping tbsp peanut butter
Instructions
- Whisk all ingredients with a fork until smooth fluid.
- Add additional small splashes of milk as needed to achieve the desired consistency.
- Will store in refrigerator for up to 1 week.
Peanut Butter Glaze
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp milk
- 1-1/2 cup confectioners sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 heaping tbsp peanut butter
Instructions
- Whisk all ingredients with a fork until smooth fluid.
- Add additional small splashes of milk as needed to achieve the desired consistency.
- Will store in refrigerator for up to 1 week.
Enjoy with your morning coffee!!
Don’t forget to come back & join me on Mondays for Project 52 & Wednesdays for Your Best WeeklyTo see where I am linking today- visit HERE
Butternut Squash Bread {Recipe}
As most of you know we have been getting weekly produce baskets from our local co-op. It’s really cool because we have received things we wouldn’t normally seek out & purchase at the store. This has had me brainstorming & stepping way out of my comfort zone when it comes to cooking & baking. I think it’s fairly obvious that I have a sweet tooth & I don’t venture out when it comes to my veggies. I definitely have an aversion to most vegetables. I’m trying to work on it. That is part of why I love the co-op so much.
So one of the things we had in our basket was butternut squash. I thought about it, searched for recipes & wasn’t really coming up with anything that made my mouth water. So I pulled out my old recipe box that I have stuffed full of old tried & true things that my late mother-in-law passed on to me when I first came into the family. I found her zucchini bread recipe & figured I could try it out with the squash & see how it turned out. I was very happily surprised & it’s a great way for us all to get more of these veggies that we wouldn’t normally eat.
It really did come out wonderful. I am so happy I had the chance to try it out.
Butternut Squash Bread {Recipe}
Ingredients
- 3 eggs
- 1 cup canola oil
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 2 cups grated butternut squash
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp salt
- 3-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 3 tsp cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
- Spray 2 loaf pans with cooking spray- set aside.
- Combine all ingredients in given order to mixer & beat until combined well.
- Transfer to prepared pans.
- Bake for 65-75 minutes.
- *makes 2 loaves- freezes well.
To see where I am linking today- visit HERE
Chocolate Covered Bunny Marshmallows
I have said it before & I will say it again….I LOVE MARSHMALLOWS!!!
Yep! I sure do!! Every year the hubs is really good about buying me some Peeps- which is great. Especially since he thinks they are disgusting. But he is also the one that does the Easter basket shopping & that means he chooses what goes into them. I love that he does this for me but you know what…..he NEVER buys enough chocolate covered marshmallow bunnies!!! He usually picks up a pack of 6- which means each kid gets 2. So if I steal one- they notice. So I can’t really do that you know??!!
A little while ago I was surprised when he came home from a trip to the store with not only a bag of the GIANT regular shaped marshmallows for me but also in the bag was a huge bag of these pastel colored bunny shaped marshmallows too. I was JUMPING THROUGH THE ROOF excited!!!!! Oh yes I was!! I knew at that very moment I would be covering them in chocolate & swooning in delight. I am not wanting for more chocolate covered marshmallows now. I have all I could want & then some. I am a happy girl.
So simple that I can’t even really justify putting in a recipe plug-in here.
Just take a 12 ounce bag of chocolate chips & 1 1/2 tbsp shortening & melt in a glass bowl in the microwave in 30 second increments.
Stir in between each 30 seconds.
Do this until the chocolate is hot & very fluid. I did mine for nearly 2 minutes.
Then dunk each marshmallow in the chocolate- turn to coat both sides if desired.
Set on wire rack to harden. I stuck mine in the freezer- because I’m impatient & wanted to try them as soon as possible.
I also piped some royal frosting on them just so you could better make out the shape of the bunny- obviously optional.
They were so good- they didn’t last long after they were photographed.
To see where I am linking today- visit HERE
Blackberry Whole Wheat Mini-Donuts {Recipe}
Did you all remember to enter my giveaway for some goodies from the new Disney DreamWorks movie The Croods?? (Saturday’s post)
Okay- so you have probably seen them all over Pinterest. Seems like EVERYONE has been making donuts lately. I have been DYING over them I tell you!!! I kept wanting to purchase a donut pan but something was holding me back. Then we were out at Target- when we really had no business going in there because we are really dangerous when we shop together. So there we were milling about when I saw the little Sunbeam mini-donut maker. Really- it was on sale for only $14!!!! I couldn’t pass it up. SOOOOOO now I can make donuts in a flash, they are mini- so less guilt & I don’t even have to turn on the oven to do it. YAY!!!
I decided to jazz up these by making them whole wheat – again, less guilt.
I also decided that I would add in some blackberry marmalade that I had made for a little something extra.
You can catch that recipe in the raspberry version HERE.
Oh my word- they were SO GOOD!!!!!! Definitely making these again.
Blackberry Whole Wheat Mini-Donuts {Recipe}
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 9 tbsp butter - melted
- 3/4 cup milk
- 1 egg- slightly beaten
- 1 tbsp blackberry marmalade
Instructions
- Preheat donut machine
- Combine dry ingredients in large bowl.
- Make a well in the center & whisk in butter, then milk & egg until smooth.
- Fold in marmalade so it's swirled throughout.
- Transfer half the batter to piping bag with large open tip.
- Spray donut maker with cooking spray before adding batter.
- Pipe in batter, close lid & cook for 6 minutes.
- Carefully remove & allow to cool on wire rack before adding glaze.
- Pipe in the next batch until all batter is used.
- This made about 16 mini-donuts. (donut maker does 5 at a time)
Blackberry Whole Wheat Mini-Donuts {Recipe}
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 9 tbsp butter - melted
- 3/4 cup milk
- 1 egg- slightly beaten
- 1 tbsp blackberry marmalade
Instructions
- Preheat donut machine
- Combine dry ingredients in large bowl.
- Make a well in the center & whisk in butter, then milk & egg until smooth.
- Fold in marmalade so it's swirled throughout.
- Transfer half the batter to piping bag with large open tip.
- Spray donut maker with cooking spray before adding batter.
- Pipe in batter, close lid & cook for 6 minutes.
- Carefully remove & allow to cool on wire rack before adding glaze.
- Pipe in the next batch until all batter is used.
- This made about 16 mini-donuts. (donut maker does 5 at a time)
Now it’s time for you to share!
Everyone is Welcome as long as you link back to Kleinworth & Co. or Button Up. (Buttons HERE)
Please also connect with me on Pinterest and/or Twitter
To see where I am linking today- visit HERE
Salt-Dough “Robin Eggs”
Happy Tuesday Everyone!
As you have seen lately, I have been updating things around the house for spring. I’m seeing more & more signs of it all around me so I have been itching to change things around the house. You saw my coffee filter wreath I shared & I needed to add some more to the mantle & the rest of the house to make it feel less like winter in here.
I have been meaning to do a salt-dough craft with the kids since before Christmas. So I finally decided to give this little idea a try. I wanted to have a cute little “nest of robin eggs” in the house- maybe on the mantle or on the end table. I didn’t want to purchase them so I decided that we would give it a go with the salt dough & see how they turned out. I thought I would paint them when they dried but once I added the food color to the dough, they dried naturally speckled so no need for paint.
If I had really been prepared I would have had the kids use a mold of some sort to make them smooth- but you know, I sort of like them imperfect.
I love that they were carefully shaped ever so lovingly by my children. I will cherish them forever.
These were super easy to make.
Salt-Dough “Robin Eggs”
Ingredients
- 2 cups flour
- 1 cup salt
- 1 cup water
- 2 drops gel food color- blue
Instructions
- Mix dry ingredients in large bowl.
- Pour in water & combine- kneading with your hands.
- Add food color & knead until the color is evenly spread throughout the dough.
- Grab small portions & roll into ball & then shape into a somewhat egg form. (or use egg mold)
- Leave on tray for several days to dry (or bake at 200 degrees for 6 hours)
Have fun!!!
To see where I am linking today- visit HERE
Carrot Cake {Recipe} ~ Just in Time for Easter
Two things inspired this post today. First is that we joined the co-op & now I have an abundance of fresh produce here in the house & second is that while we were doing our monthly stock up at Costco we came across this Nordic Ware Cast Aluminum Fleur de Lis Bundt Pan with Cake Keeper set (Costco website wasn’t showing it so this link is to Amazon). I was dying to pick up a bundt pan & so I was so happy to have found this one. It also gave me the perfect excuse to make the carrot cake that I have been meaning to do for YEARS!!
The day after we picked up our basket I spent about 5 hours in the kitchen prepping the food, slicing, dicing & packaging it up so that most of it would go into the freezer for future use & the rest was ready to grab & use on a moments notice depending on what we chose to make. It was well worth my time & I made sure to keep out just enough carrots to make this recipe.
Carrot Cake {Recipe} ~ Just in Time for Easter
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cups granulated sugar
- 1 cup canola oil
- 4 eggs
- 5 tbsp hot water
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp nutmeg
- 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
- 1 1/2 cups grated carrots
- 1 cup chopped pecans
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
- Grease & flour pan.
- Combine sugar, oil, eggs & water in mixer bowl- beat until well incorporated.
- Add all remaining ingredients- mixing in carrots & pecans last- after beating all other ingredients together.
- Pour into prepared pan
- Bake 65-75 minutes- or until your toothpick comes out clean.
- Cool in pan on wire rack 10-15 minutes.
- Gently run knife along sides to release & invert on plate, removing from pan.
- Drizzle frosting over before cake cools completely.
- Store in airtight container.
Frosting recipe below
Carrot Cake {Recipe} ~ Just in Time for Easter
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cups granulated sugar
- 1 cup canola oil
- 4 eggs
- 5 tbsp hot water
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp nutmeg
- 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
- 1 1/2 cups grated carrots
- 1 cup chopped pecans
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
- Grease & flour pan.
- Combine sugar, oil, eggs & water in mixer bowl- beat until well incorporated.
- Add all remaining ingredients- mixing in carrots & pecans last- after beating all other ingredients together.
- Pour into prepared pan
- Bake 65-75 minutes- or until your toothpick comes out clean.
- Cool in pan on wire rack 10-15 minutes.
- Gently run knife along sides to release & invert on plate, removing from pan.
- Drizzle frosting over before cake cools completely.
- Store in airtight container.
This would make an excellent addition to your Easter menu. This was enough to give our family of 5 dessert for 2 nights- or 10 slices. If you were to slice a bit thinner, I’m sure you could get closer to 16 servings. We like to have a good size wedge – which is a good thing we don’t have it around all that often.
I wasn’t as successful in getting the fleur de lis shape to show like they product image does.
This will take some practice so be ready- more things to come using my new pan.
Enjoy!
To see where I am linking today- visit HERE
Apple- Pear Butter ~ Your Best Weekly
First- today is my mom’s surgery. I will be away from the office as much as I can be.
I wish I could have made the trip to be with her today.
You guys knocked it out of the park once again last week. Some of the things that I was inspired by were…
This DIY Tablet Cover from Kimberly @ A Fresh Perspective
These delicious hamentashen from Tamar @ Random-osity
Thank you all for sharing your creativity with me each week!!
I think that most of you who know me well would agree that I am a complete sucker for packaging. I will buy just about anything (need it or not) if it’s packaged in an appealing way. I know- it’s bad. Really bad! But I can’t help myself. Obviously the hubs knows this & you know, he’s an enabler. He really is. One day he had to run to the new little hardware store here in town. We both have a thing for cute little local hardware stores. I think it’s because when we lived in Placerville (his home town) there was Placerville Hardware. OMG- I could wander in there all day & spend way too much. So anyhow- there he was wandering this store. He must have found the canning section because he came home with these adorable squaty, large mouth mason jars. Have I mentioned how much I love him for these random “gifts”??? I was THRILLED & started thinking of things I would make.
So I had been planning & preparing to use the pears on my counter that needed to have something done with them. Literally- for the 2 days prior I was planning on making a tart or cake or something with them. But when the beautiful little jars arrived in my kitchen I had a change of plans. Unfortunately I didn’t have enough pears to my liking for this recipe- so I added a couple apples in there too. I just started cutting & tossing things in the slow cooker until I felt it had enough of what I was looking for. I had never made this before- so it was all sort of trial & error. I was so happy when it came out the way it did.
The kids are loving it on their waffles & in their sandwiches in place of honey. Hubs grew up in an orchard & had this sort of thing available to him all the time. So he was sure happy to have a taste from his childhood memories to savor once again.
Apple- Pear Butter from Kleinworth & Co.
Ingredients
- 6 large pears
- 6 large apples
- 3 tbsp cinnamon
- 1-1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
- 1/4 tsp ground ginger
- 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
- 2 tsp molasses
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- pinch salt
Instructions
- Core, peel & chop your apples & pears & put in slow cooker on high.
- Add all other ingredients.
- Cook on high 1 hour.
- Ladle into blender & puree (no chunks- still thick)
- Pour back into slow cooker
- Stir & reduce to low & continue cooking for 5 hours.
- Ladle into sterile jars.
- I put one in the fridge for immediate use the next morning & 4 in the freezer for later.
This filled these 3 – small jars plus 2 larger jars
Enjoy!!!
To see where I am linking today- visit HERE
Now it’s time for you to share!
Everyone is Welcome as long as you link back to Kleinworth & Co. or Button Up. (Buttons HERE)
Please also connect with me on Pinterest and/or Twitter
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Coffee Filter Wreath {Tutorial}
I did it!! I FINALLY did it. I have had making a coffee filter wreath on my to-do list for nearly a year. Seriously!! Like I had the kids drawing on them long before we moved. I took their creations & tucked them away in my craft tote for the move & finally decided to do it. Push came to shove when I realized that March was here & I needed to update our mantle for spring. Hello- the red berries of winter needed to go right?! So I carved out a couple hours one afternoon & got to work. I am so happy I did. We spent the weekend getting the mantle changed out & I love how it turned out.
These images are of the wreath on the front door because it’s still pretty dark in the house with the overcast skies. I really don’t recommend putting this coffee filter wreath outside unless your door is very sheltered from the weather. I would imagine it wouldn’t be as pretty if it got all wet & soggy. 🙂
This thing is HUGE. I took one full pool noodle & another half of one & taped them together.
Made the wreath about 30″ across when complete & completely dwarfed my 10 foot tall front door.
I just love the pops of color between the white filters & the color details on the ones the kids colored.
Here it is above the mantle.
Have a FABULOUS Tuesday!!
To see where I am linking today- visit HERE
Raspberry Marmalade {Recipe} ~ Your Best Weekly
Last week you guys sure impressed & inspired me!
Highlights from last week are………
Tea Ring from Yolanda @ Peanut Butter & Jelly
Free Downloadable Photoshop Template from Tish @ le mie photo
YUMMY Chicken & Gnocchi Soup from Kimberly @ A Fresh Perspective
Chocolate Peanut Butter & Banana Smoothie from Tamar @ Randomosity
Pork & Poblano Pozole from Sarah @ Faith, Family & F-Stops
Thank you all for sharing last week!!! You KNOCKED IT OUT OF THE PARK!!!
These were awesome!!
I decided to try making the marmalade that Jaymi posted a couple weeks ago. We have a citrus allergy here in this house so I had to choose something that wasn’t going to give us all a reaction. So I chose the raspberries that I picked up at Costco. I have a huge obsession with loading my cart with as much produce as I can when I am there. Just wait until I can shop at the farmers market here instead. I am going to go gangbusters with the fresh, locally grown produce.
Raspberry Marmalade {Recipe}
Ingredients
- 2 cups fresh fruit
- 3 1/2 cups water
- 2 cups sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
- Wash, hull fruit.
- Put in a large saucepan with water. Cover & let sit over night.
- In the morning place 2 metal spoons in the freezer.
- Place pan on stove, start heating on high.
- Add sugar, mix & bring to boil.
- Add vanilla.
- Boil about 45 minutes to 1 hour on high.
- After 45 minutes, place a little bit on the frozen spoon & put back in freezer for 3 minutes.
- Check your spoon, it should be neither hot or cold.
- Tip spoon- if it runs, boil another 5 minutes. Check again on the other spoon.
- It's cooked enough when it doesn't slide off.
- Turn off heat- let sit 5 minutes.
- Pour into sterilized jars- refrigerate overnight.
- Makes about 12-15 ounces.
The kids loved putting this on their waffles in the morning. Both jars were gone in record time.
It would also be great over vanilla ice cream or on a cheesecake.
St. Patty’s Day Cupcake Jars & Free Printable
Happy Thursday Everyone!
I have been running around here like a headless chicken this week- but I wanted to share with you all the FREE printable that I created for you. You may have already grabbed it in my sidebar- that’s so awesome. But I wanted to share these cute little St. Patrick’s Day cupcake jars that I use the printable on over the weekend. This makes the best little gift for your neighbor- or if you are like me- treats that are going to the firehouse. So go ahead & grab it & get creative!
Free Printable Checklist Templates
Just take your cupcakes, stick them in the jar- pipe a little frosting on each one before adding the next.
Then just add the printable cupcake decoration topper & then tie another on around the jar with bakers twine for added flare.
Easy, simple & oh so adorable.
You could also string them all up as a garland for a simple St. Patrick’s Day decoration too.
They are just so happy! Who wouldn’t love to receive a jar stuffed with cupcakes??!! 🙂
Linking with: Live Laugh {Linky} Thursday | The 36th Avenue | I’m Lovin’ It Party | One Creative Weekend |Little Things Thursday | Inspiration Gallery|Show & Share
Grasshopper Ice Cream Cake ~ Your Best Weekly
I am having so much fun seeing what you all have created. You all amaze me!
Here are some of the FABULOUS things that were shared last week!!
Triple Chocolate from Yolanda @ Peanut Butter & Jelly
Adorable Valentines from Kimberly @ A Fresh Perspective
Dipped Oreos from Tiffany @ June Makes Six
& this AWESOME photoshop tutorial from Melissa @ Serendipity is Sweet
Thank you all for not only sharing your creativity with me each week (it truly warms my heart) but for being oh so fabulous ALL THE TIME!!!
You guys ROCK!!!!!!!
For mine this week- I thought I would share with you the Grasshopper Ice Cream Cake I made for the boy’s birthday. It was so easy that I may be doing these more often than a traditional frosted cake. It was so good too. Plus- it would be great to make for St. Patty’s Day!!!
Grasshopper Ice Cream Cake Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 box cake mix
- eggs oil, water according to pkg instructions
- 1- 1.5 qt ice cream- mint or other flavor
- 1/2 bag chocolate chips
- 1/2 tbsp shortening
Instructions
- Prepare box cake mix according to instructions.
- Bake in spring form pan.
- When done let cool completely.
- Remove cake from pan- leaving on the bottom round piece.
- Using a long thin knife or cake leveler & remove the top portion of cake to make it flat.
- Put the sides of the pan pack on, cover & freeze until cake it firm. About 1 hour.
- Remove ice cream from freezer & allow to thaw & get just soft enough so it's spreadable- about 20-30 min depending on how warm your house is at the time.
- Once cake is frozen & ice cream is soft start adding the ice cream to the top of the cake, smoothing out along the way. Do this until it reaches the top of your pan. Return to freezer to set.
- Once ice cream is firm again- use a knife & run along the sides to remove it from the pan. Then remove the spring form from the cake again.
- Combine your chocolate chips & shortening in a small bowl & microwave for 30 second intervals until melted & smooth.
- Drizzle melted chocolate on with a spoon in whatever pattern you desire. It should firm up (like magic shell) almost as soon as it hits the frozen cake.
- Return to freezer until ready to eat.
- Let sit out about 15 minutes before serving so that the cake is soft but the ice cream is still somewhat firm.
Enjoy!!!
Link: Live Laugh {Linky} Thursday | The 36th Avenue | I’m Lovin’ It Party | One Creative Weekend | Inspiration Gallery | Show & Share
Sarah Halstead | Jenni from the Blog | Project Alicia | Live & Love Outloud | Parenting by Dummies |
Now it’s time for you to share!
Everyone is Welcome as long as you link back to Kleinworth & Co. or Button Up. (Buttons HERE)
Please also connect with me on Pinterest and/or Twitter
Whimsical Marbled Valentine Cookies
Oh boy. Can I tell you something???
Michael’s is DANGEROUS!!
I was in there the other day to pick up one thing- hot glue sticks. I ended up walking out of there with $50 worth of stuff in my cart. One of those things were these ADORABLE heart shaped cookie cutters. I wasn’t going to do any more Valentine’s Day treats. I really wasn’t. I have plenty of candy in the house. I didn’t need these. But once I bought the cookie cutters- well…. I obviously had to make the cookies.
I decided to not make these as carefully as I normally would have tried to do.
Yep- I purposely decorated these quick & IMPERFECT to give them a more whimsical feel. I felt it added to the marbled dough.
They were fun & didn’t last too long either.
You can print the recipe HERE.
Only thing to change is to add a couple dabs of gel food color & hand kneed in so it doesn’t color the whole batch throughout.
Then roll out instead of ball up & cut & bake according to recipe. Allow to cool before icing.
Want more Valentine cookies- you can make these
Peanut Butter Cookie Recipe HERE!
When you pull them out- just push in the chocolate heart before the cookie cools.
Linking with: Live Laugh {Linky} Thursday | The 36th Avenue | I’m Lovin’ It Party | One Creative Weekend | This or That Thursday | Little Things Thursday | Inspiration Gallery|Show & Share
Dish Soap Bottle
Dish Soap Bottle
Do you re-purpose things in your house? Do you search out for things that would work well as other items? Well, something I have been doing a lot of over the last several years is re-purposing things. We started doing it mainly because we didn’t have a lot of disposable funds & I still wanted to be crafty & make things. I had to make due with the things I had on hand, so I started looking at things with a fresh set of eyes. Before anything goes in the trash I take a look at it & try to think of another way it can find a new life first.
Do you remember when the olive oil style (tall skinny bottles) soap dispensers became really popular It was so many years ago & they wanted what seemed like a ridiculous amount of money for them. So at the time I decided to take an old liquor bottle & liquor dispenser spout & create my own. It worked well for a while but I started noticing that for one- the tall bottle wasn’t very sturdy & would get knocked over quite a bit. On granite counters, that can be all bad. I also started noticing that the soap would start taking the finish off of my chrome spout. It didn’t look good & it was always goupy anyhow.
That is when I decided that I didn’t need to have the things that were super trendy at the time- I needed something that was more functional for me. I started taking notice of all the bottles we were bringing in the house & when I found that the olive oil bottles not only were less likely to knock over but also had their own pour restrictor built in-well YAY! It was a no brainer for me to re-purpose olive oil bottles & turn them into dish soap dispensers. The flow is perfect every time, they are easily cleanable & I don’t’ have to feel bad about tossing a glass bottle.
Dish soap bottle made out of an old olive oil container makes me happy!
To see where I am linking today- visit HERE
Almond Joy Cream Delight Bars
I am a coffee NUT I tell you. Last week we ran out of our usual SUPER STRONG coffee from Costco & couldn’t get back there to pick up some right away. We had to go several days with some regular (what they called strong) coffee that was beyond weak. I was going through withdrawals So you can imagine how seriously I take my creamers too. I love them in my coffee & I love to use them (& the flavors I love so much) in the other things I make.
I have completely fallen in love with the current flavors available from International Delight & had to pick up a few. This also meant that I was already dreaming up recipes while I was standing in line at the checkout counter. So while I was standing there waiting, I found the Almond Joy bars that just happened to match the flavor of one of the creamers that I was buying. That really got the gears turning. So I decided to add them to the cart & get creative when I got home.
Almond Joy Cream Delight Bars from Kleinworth & Co.
Ingredients
- 2/3 cup butter
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2 eggs
- 3 tsp International Delight Gourmet Coffee Creamer - Almond Joy flavor
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 1/2 tsp salt
- 4 Almond Joy fun size chopped
- 1 12oz bag chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Spray 9x13 glass pan with cooking spray.
- In mixer combine butter, sugars, eggs & Almond Joy International Delight Gourmet Coffee Creamer mixing on low for 1 minute.
- In separate bowl, combine flour, baking powder, salt & half the chocolate chips.
- Stir in slowly to wet mixture on low speed.
- Scrape bowl to ensure all ingredients are blended.
- Transfer to baking dish, pressing down & flattening out to cover bottom of pan.
- Sprinkle remaining chocolate chips & Almond Joy pieces on top.
- Bake for 30-40 minutes.
- Let cool & then cut bars into 3 inch squares.
These are so good. You can’t go wrong with chocolate chip bars. Rich, chewy & oh so delicious!
The kids would barely let me take the time to photograph them before they were beating down the door of the studio to get some.
If you make this recipe- please leave a link or tag me on Instagram @KleinworthCo
Looking for more yummy bar recipes?
Peanut Butter Seven Layer Bars
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Chef in Training – Caramel Pretzel Magic Bars
Sugar Apron – Delicious Strawberry Shortcake Kabobs
Natashas Kitchen – Strawberry Pretzel Salad
Simple Valentine Wreath
Thank you to all of you that joined me last week!! I really truly appreciate it!
Before I get on to sharing my Valentine’s Day Wreath, Here are a couple things from last week that caught my eye…
Homemade Hot Chocolate Mix- Lite from Sarah @ Faith, Family & F-Stops
This is great for when I need cocoa but don’t want the guilt.
Healthy Egg White & Avocado Salad from Jaymi @ Live Love Travel
I soooo need to make this. It looks fabulous.
Heart Banner from Kim @ Little by Little
So clever Kim! We have a thing for doilies here so I will definitely have to make this.
You all amaze me with your talents! I am so grateful for your friendship & support. Loved seeing all you shared last week!
Since it’s now February- I needed to update my front door. The January wreath just wasn’t as Valentine-ish as I wanted. I was needing something that said “Love” & shows that we are just one month closer to spring. The white & silver wreath of January is out. So I took a plain grapevine wreath & wrapped it with some funky vintage red & white ribbon & added a lace bow. I had this little heart decoration which was just far too small for this super tall front door. So I added it to the middle. Super simple Valentine wreath. I only had a few minutes & had to work with the supplies I had on hand at the time. So there you have it.
What did you create this week???
Everyone is Welcome as long as you link back to Kleinworth & Co. or Button Up. (Buttons HERE)
Please also connect with me on Pinterest and/or Twitter
Now it’s time for you to share!
Link: Live Laugh {Linky} Thursday | The 36th Avenue | I’m Lovin’ It Party | One Creative Weekend | Inspiration Gallery | Show & Share
Finding the Light- Selfie Experiement
I shared a few of these with you yesterday but I also have this one that I submitted to this week’s Paint the Moon’s P52 photo challenge for the This is Our Life series. This week the prompt is Finding the Light. After living in the desert for nearly 13 years- moving to the Northwest was quite a change. Seems like I really took all the available light I had for granted & all I do now is search for the light. I am so happy where we are now- getting to experience seasons, but the change has me learning photography all over again. I decided to do a little practice with the light on a cold snowy morning- working on a few selfies. Loving low key photography lately. I’m calling this set Finding the Light- Selfie Experiment. I think finding the light is a challenge for any photographer but after living where we almost always had more than enough- it’s been a different experience for me. I am certainly pushing myself to new areas. I was happy to learn from Annie that she too struggles with finding the light. Knowing that such a talented photographer like her struggles with the same thing gives me a little glimmer of hope that I am not alone in this new journey. You can view her comment on this image here. (processed with PTM- Eclipse)
Huckleberry Honey Lip Scrub {DIY}
There was something that we learned very early on when we arrived up here. Huckleberry ANYTHING is HUGE here. They make it in all sorts of things & so we have been periodically picking up new things to try out. I am just chomping at the bit to get to these farmers markets I have heard so much about. I also hear that there are a bunch of farms here where I can just go picking – really looking forward to that.
One of the things we were quick to pick up was some Huckleberry Honey. A long while back we switched the kids off peanut butter & jam sandwiches to peanut butter & honey sandwiches to help cut out the sugar that might be in the jam. Yes I know that honey has sugar- but it’s natural sugar. Plus down in the desert we all had such horrid allergies that we wanted to add local honey to our diet in hopes it would help with the allergies. It did help to some extent & the kids became very fond of having more honey in their diets. So when we saw the huckleberry honey here we had to try it.
I have been wanting to make some lip scrub for a while now. The kids are not as good about keeping their lips hydrated as I am. It drives me batty, especially when I am processing pics of them & I am viewing the images full size on my screen & see that their lips are dry. So I decided to stop putting it off & make some lip scrub for them. Only I decided to use the huckleberry honey in place of regular honey.
It’s super easy- smells divine & works like a charm!
How to:
1 tsp honey
1 tsp coconut oil
1 tsp sugar
Mix together in small bowl until combined. Transfer to airtight container.
I re-purposed an empty jar from a sample of face cream that I had used up.
That’s it! I told you it was simple.
To see where I am linking today- visit HERE
