Welcome everyone to the very first Your Best Weekly!
I am so looking forward to seeing all the things you have created & I will feature some of my favorites here each week.
Looking for Easy Family Dinner Ideas? With the Pro Bowl behind us & my FAVORITE team- 49ers going to the Super Bowl this year- my mind is on football 24/7. I am a HUGE football fan & it’s not uncommon for the neighbors to hear me hollering at the TV on game day- I’m very passionate about my football. I have to tell you though- I am not just a bandwagon fan here. I have loved the ‘9ers since I was a little girl. They are the team I have always followed. THEN when we moved to Nevada 13 years ago we became Nevada Wolf Pack fans. (just because we now live in ID has not changed that) We watched Colin Kaepernick since the day he walked on the Mackey Stadium field. He gave me the best birthday I have ever had in 2010 by beating the mighty Boise Broncos (who happen to be our second fav college team) in a game that is still talked about to this day. When he was drafted by our favorite team- we were ECSTATIC Watching him excel & succeed here & taking our team to the Super Bowl this year- yea, we are on Cloud 9. It’s been amazing.
So in honor of the big game this weekend I want to share with you these- that we will definitely be making on Sunday.
Garlic BBQ Smokies ~ Game Day Snacks
Ingredients
- 2 packages Smokies
- 1 large bottle BBQ Sauce we use Sweet Baby Rays
- 1/4 cup mustard
- 1 can beer
- 1 tbsp minced onions
- 1 tbsp minced garlic
- 2 tbsp teriyaki sauce or Yoshi sauce
- 1/2 tsp hot sauce
- 1 stick butter
- Salt Pepper, Season Salt
Instructions
- Add all ingredients into slow-cooker
- Sprinkle with salt, pepper & season salt to your liking.
- Simmer on low for 2 hours- stirring occasionally.
- Turn off & let sit for 15 minutes before serving to thicken sauce.
- Great reheated & will keep for several days refrigerated in air-tight container.
Notes
Valentine Cinnamon Rolls
Valentine cinnamon rolls are a festive Valentine’s Day breakfast that’s always a big hit at our house. They’re a great way to start the day and make the house smell delicious.
This is one of my favorite cinnamon roll recipes for two reasons. They’re absolutely addictively delicious and they’re so much fun with their playful heart shape and pretty sprinkles.
View post
Black & White Champagne Overlay Conversions
On Tuesday I shared with you my images of Mini-Me so I could show you the new Champagne textures from Life n’ Reflection. I decided to play with the images a little more & converted them to black & white. As much as I love them in color- OMG, I am just loving these conversions. Her quiet beauty is something that takes my breath every time. She & I are so much alike in our personalities. We understand each other without saying a word. I just love this girl to pieces. She is becoming quite the young lady.
I don’t usually go back & re-process images.
But I am so glad I decided to do these black & white champagne overlay conversions.
I’m loving how they turned out.
ALSO: I am offering this elliptical scarf & matching hat in various colors in my Etsy store.
Available together or separate. Working on inventory now.
At the moment they are made to order.
Also- there is still time to sign up for my workshop beginning Jan 20th.
email me at chichomeschoolmama[at]att[dot]net to sign up.
Have a FABULOUS weekend!
Slow-Cooker Split Pea Soup
Looking for Easy Family Dinner Ideas? We have this thing. Every time we make a ham we always be sure to save the hock & use our food saver to freeze it. Then when we are ready we thaw it for a day & then make Split Pea soup in the slow cooker. It’s so easy & a great way to be sure we are not wasting any food. Since we already had the ham for another meal & most of the ingredients we keep on hand at all times, the only thing it really costs us is the bag of split peas which is less than $1. It’s great because we eat this for a couple days, then we bust out the food saver again & freeze the rest. It works out great because the frozen amount is just perfect for when we want to do soup & sandwiches for a quick & easy dinner. So really- we are able to stretch a $15 ham into at least 6 meals for our family of 5 when you count the initial meal, a dinner of leftovers & the random ham sandwich along with the soup for 2 days & then the leftovers. Not too bad. Like I mentioned before- this year I will be all about how I can stretch my dollar at the store & learning to get more creative with our meals. This is a great way to do that.
Slow-Cooker Split Pea Soup
Ingredients
- Ham Chunks or ham hock with remaining ham
- 1 bag dried split peas
- 1 stick butter
- Seasonings to taste salt, pepper, garlic powder
- 1/2 tbsp minced garlic
- 1 tbsp minced onion flakes
- 1 cup water
- 32 oz chicken stock
Instructions
- Put all ingredients in your slow-cooker on high heat & let sit for 5-6 hours.
- Stir occasionally.
- About an hour before it's ready- remove ham bone & make sure the ham pieces are bite size. Pulling apart any chunks that are too large.
- It's ready when peas are tender & soup is thick.
- Serve with oyster crackers if desired.
Re-Purpose Ornaments {DIY}
I have been wanting to add some new decor to the house. It was bugging me for a long while before we moved. We had been discussing a massive purge long before we knew we were relocating & so when we found out we took that as the perfect opportunity to offload some stuff. Things, furniture, decorations that we had picked up along the many years we obviously grew tired of. We had been dragging them along & continued to display them just out of a lack of having anything else to decorate with. We didn’t even like these things anymore. They didn’t reflect who we are now, our current tastes & they certainly were not in keeping with the current trends. It’s not like they were timeless- so really, why on earth were we displaying them in our home.
It felt so good to let it all go when we started the moving process. When we arrived we immediately set up Christmas decorations. As you saw last week when the Christmas decor came down we had to address the mantle. It is much smaller than our last one & I really wanted to do something different with it anyhow. Like I said- we were ready for some changes in our home. This also carried through to the little accent touches on the coffee & end tables. I held on to the favorite photos, packed away a huge box of photos I was tired of displaying & made a list of the frame sizes so I can start planning on what I need to print to fill them.
I also needed something more than photos on the tables. I needed some visual interest. At this same time I was thinking about what I would do with all the Christmas ornaments that I wasn’t planning on using anymore. I had replaced pretty much everything that we had used for years- changed things up a bit this past year. So here I was with all these ornaments that didn’t fit in the totes & I really had no reason to keep them. Until I decided to re-purpose them.
This is what I started out with.
Linking with: Live Laugh {Linky} Thursday | The 36th Avenue | I’m Lovin’ It Party | One Creative Weekend | Inspiration Weekend
Sarah Halstead | Jenni from the Blog | Project Alicia | Live & Love Outloud | Parenting by Dummies
Champagne Overlay from Life n’ Reflection
I had the privilege of receiving these fabulous Champagne overlay textures along with the Love Spell overlay from Kristy at Life n’ Reflection. It really gave me an excuse to pick up the camera for something other than the landscapes that I have been so focused on since we arrived here. Other than the occasional snapshot of the kids I really have not done any “sessions” of any kind with them since before we started packing back in November. Yeah- I know- it was more than time. I had so much fun playing with these & it felt so good to sharpen my skills just a bit.
I LOVE these & I think they are my new favorite textures.
Mini-Me has been really under the weather for what seems like forever. (Although it’s really just about 2 weeks) She has been hit by whatever & it really took her down for the count. We have spent many nights up with her & I think we are all looking forward to everyone in the house being back to 100% soon. She was just to the point where the color was back in her cheeks again so I took the few moments to bundle her up & headed outside. We really only spent a total of 10 minutes at best out there, the show was coming down pretty hard & so I only took a handful of images. Here are a few of them- with the awesome Champagne texture.
Also- for you- my lovely readers & friends…
Kristy has been so kind to offer you all this Love Spell overlay for your use on your Valentine images.
Head on over & give her some love & download your file.
I decided to give it a try on this image.
Adorable!!!!
Also- there is still time to sign up for my workshop beginning Jan 20th.
email me at chichomeschoolmama[at]att[dot]net to sign up.
Linking with: 52 Weeks of Happiness, Tuesday Around the World & Sweet Shot Tuesday
Rustic Winter Mantle {DIY}
When we first moved here it was the first week of December so we immediately set up for Christmas. So once Christmas was over I was sitting here pondering how I wanted to decorate our little family room in this cabin once the Christmas decor was packed up for the year. One thing I knew for sure was that we wanted to keep the wreath of red berries- but it needed to be larger & anchor the fireplace better. When we got here I just sort of threw it up there on the existing hook to get it out of the way while we unpacked. It just sort of stayed there after that. Brainstorming was in overdrive.
So clean slate- wanting to keep the rustic decor of the cabin carried through.
I created another, much larger wreath (like 2 feet+ diameter) & decorated it with burlap.
I anchored the berry wreath inside it with a small bit of raffia to add a bit more texture.
It was that simple & is a much better size for the space .
I wanted to keep the burlap texture carried through onto the mantle itself along with pine cones.
It wouldn’t be OUR mantle if it didn’t have the pics I did of the kids last summer.
(I really need to update those)
A little ribbon added for more color splash & to mix it up a little. My vase of the pine cones wasn’t as tall as I would have liked so adding a small wood basket underneath was just was it needed.
A few candles for added visual interest & some flowers & we are good for now.
Already brainstorming on the next season’s decor.
Sarah Halstead | Jenni from the Blog | Project Alicia | Live & Love Outloud | Parenting by Dummies
{DIY} Lip Salve
I have this thing about my lips. Ever since I can remember I have had to always keep balm of some sort on my lips. I have a tube, pot or ball of it tucked away in every spot in the house so that I can always have one within arms reach. I buy them in bulk & I can’t get enough. One thing though is at night- I need something thicker but not quite as heavy as going with straight petroleum jelly because I don’t want breakouts. So I came up with a DIY solution that works quite well for me.
You know how annoying it is when you get down to the bottom of the lip balm & there is so much left but it’s stuck in the tube.
I decided to utilize that part when making my DIY lip salve.
Scrape it out of the tube with a chop stick or other thin device. In this case these EOS lip balms have a cross bar type plastic that makes it a real pain to get the rest out. So in this circumstance I snipped the plastic part out with wire cutters (you can use strong scissors too). Then I put all the unused balm into an empty little pot from some other balm I had purchased a while back that has since been used. I really like the little pot so I just keep using it when I make more. Sample sized pots from other things like face cream (washed or course) work well too.
-Then I pack the rest with petroleum jelly so it’s filled to the top.
-Microwave for 1-2 minutes & be careful when you remove as it will now be in a liquid state.
-Stir with your chop stick or stir stick until the lip balm & petroleum jelly have combined.
-Carefully put the lid on & put in freezer for about 30-60 minutes for it to firm up.
-Remove & it’s ready to use.
Perfect consistency- just thick enough to last through a whole night’s sleep but not too thick to give your complexion woes.
Macadamia Nut Bark {Recipe}
For years I have wanted to make bark during the holidays. Remember when I told you that I have this list of holiday treats I want to make?? Yeah- this has been on it for a really long time. I really don’t know why I never got around to making it before. I guess I always thought it would be more time consuming than it really is. Or maybe I already had so many treats in the house that I really didn’t NEED to make anything else. I don’t know- but I can finally cross this one off my list & probably move it to the yearly staples list of things I just automatically do. It’s so quick, no-bake & SIMPLE. I can see me making many variations of this Macadamia Nut Bark {Recipe} for other occasions too throughout the year. This is a great thing to make as food gifts for friends for all sorts of occasions. There are so many gatherings we will have coming up where I can tweak this to work as a quick & easy treat to bring. Anything that looks like it took a ton of time but is simple gets an “A” in my book.
Macadamia Nut Bark {Recipe}
Ingredients
- 2 Cups Semi-Sweet Chocolate
- 1 1/4 Cup White Chocolate
- 1 Cup Melting Chocolate I used red
- 1 1/2 Cups Crushed Macadamia Nuts
Instructions
- Pour each chocolate in a glass, microwave safe bowl.
- Line baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Starting with the semi-sweet chocolate, put in microwave for 60-90 seconds stirring half way through until melted.
- Pour onto parchment & spread out to a thin layer.
- Next do the same with the white chocolate but instead drop in spoonfuls all over the top of the semi-sweet chocolate.
- Then do the same as the white chocolate with the colored melting chocolate.
- Take a skewer or stick of some sort to pull through to swirl the chocolates together. ( I used a chop stick)
- Sprinkle the nuts over the top & press in just a bit.
- Transfer to freezer for 30 minutes to set.
- Remove & stab with a sharp object in random places to break apart.
- Store in refrigerator for up to 1 week.
Enjoy!!!
Sea-Salted Fudge
Semi-Sweet chocolate fudge topped with sea salt makes this Sea-Salted Fudge. A classic fudge recipe is easy to make & so incredibly creamy & delicious. The absolute perfect blend of salty & sweet.
Sea Salt Fudge
Candy Cane Candle
I love having candles around the house, especially this time of year. They bring such a coziness to the room that is just so wonderful when it’s chilly & snowing. What I’m not too fond of is the labels on the jars. So I was sitting here one day looking at all these candles with these labels trying to figure out how I was going to remove them without making a huge mess, or a way to cover them up. Then I looked over & saw this huge box of mini candy canes my mom had bought while she was here for the gingerbread house making. We tucked them into a cabinet & then forgot to use them for the gingerbread house. I’m not all that fond of eating candy canes- but I just love looking at them. So I decided to see what I could do with them & these candles.
Candy Cane Candle
Ingredients
- 20-30 Mini Candy Canes
- 1- 7 oz Candle
- 1 Rubber Band
- 1 Ribbon of Choice
Instructions
- Wrap candle with rubber band.
- Stick the candy canes in the rubber band all the way around making sure they are tight.
- Wrap ribbon over the top of the rubber band to cover it.
- This is a great craft for the kids because it's quick & simple. Plus they are great helpers when it comes to unwrapping all those min candy canes. 🙂
The cool part is that when the candle has been burning for a little while & it starts getting warm the candy canes become more fragrant- so be sure to choose a candle scent that will work well with the peppermint. I was using vanilla sugar cookie so it worked out great. This is a super easy project to get the kids involved in. I had mine unwrapping all those tiny candy canes to speed up the process for me. The whole thing took me less than 20 minutes & that was only because I was waiting for them to get those wrappers off. 🙂
Be sure to come join me this Friday to share all your holiday goodies for the last
12 Days of Christmas- Holiday Bucket List Linky Party
How to Display Christmas Cards
Like most people, we receive a lot of cards through the month of December. We started off trying to just dedicate a counter space to them. Then it took over an entire sideboard table. Before long it was just too much to dedicate a flat space to. We decided we needed to think of something else to display them but have them out of the way. Several years ago we decided to start hanging them on the door. I took a big ribbon & made a bow- then tied it to the door like a gift. I keep a hole punch & a baggie of ribbons near where I open the mail & whenever we get a new card they get a punch & tied on to the door.
Now I know this looks sad- only 2 cards on there right now. That is because we just moved in to our cabin a week ago. By the end of the month the whole door will be filled & I will have run out of space. When I take them down I keep each year’s cards bundled with the ribbon so when I start setting up next year I can look back & see just how much everyone has changed & remember what everyone was doing.
Be sure to come back tomorrow to join me for my 12 Days of Christmas- Holiday Bucket List Linky Party
12 Days of Christmas Bucket List, Free Printable
With all the changes in our lives right now, I am starting to get excited about all the new things we will get to experience in our new home. The holidays have never quite been like I had always dreamed of. It’s hard to be festive when things don’t feel like the holidays. So- now that we will have some true seasons I can really embrace the activities that come with the changing of the calendar. There are so many fun things to do during the holidays but I really wanted to go with the 12 Days of Christmas theme & not make it too overwhelming. There are already so many things to do this time of year.
Free Printable Checklist Templates
Because we are inching ever so close to moving day- I am not spending a lot of time in the office.
But I did create this 12 Days of Christmas Bucket List, Free Printable for you!!
Hope you will join me in checking at least a few of these off the list this season.
The Long Road to China, Fall & Photo Story Friday
Give Thanks ~ Free Thanksgiving Printable
First- before I say anything else- I have to give a MASSIVE
THANK YOU
to my dear blogging friends. Yesterday I started receiving these Target gift cards in my inbox & at first I wondered if they were legit. You know how you get those spamy emails. But one had a message that was very detailed & knew a lot of personal info about me & things we are doing. So when I asked the sender if she had sent it- she let me know that a bunch of you- my AWESOME FRIENDS- got together & decided to send me Target Housewarming gifts. That is the NICEST thing I think anyone has ever done for me. I mean, seriously- the fact that you all got together & collaborated to do that for me just has me near tears. I am so touched!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I just love you guys so much- I can’t even express how this makes me feel & how THANKFUL & BLESSED I am to have you all in my life.
Free Printable Checklist Templates
With all the moving & whatnot going on around here- I have not had a lot of time to take & process pictures.
I will sure be happy when we are settled. But I didn’t want to leave you hanging here.
I created this Give Thanks ~ Free Thanksgiving Printable for you all so you can have something for your Thanksgiving festivities!
Love you all- thanks for hanging with me as we make this life transition.
Linking with: 52 Weeks of Happiness, Tuesday Around the World & Sweet Shot Tuesday
Finale ~ 7 Days of Memory Making ~ Day 7
Welcome to Day 7 of my 7 Days of Memory Making ~ Holiday Recipe Series
This past week I took a much needed blogging break to prepare for our long distance move. Over the past 6 days I shared with you some recipes that have been part of my family traditions & so has Danelle. We hope that these recipes become memory makers for you & your family too.
Did you miss a post this week?? You can find all the links to all 14 of these fabulous recipes here today. We have it all covered, appetizers like Beer Bread, Cranberry Cream Cheese Dip & a Green Onion Cheeseball. Cookies for every craving- Sugar Cookies, Hot Cocoa Cookies & Four Spice Crackles. German Sweet Chocolate Pie, Easy Peanut Butter Fudge, Snickers Cake Mix Bars & Chocolate Nut Clusters. These are all quick & easy recipes that are sure to be the hit of your holiday gatherings this season.
Here they are…………
Red Velvet Sandwich Cookies
Chocolate Dipped Marshmallows
Hot Cocoa Cookies
Beer Bread
Cranberry Cream Cheese Dip
Hope you all have a FABULOUS Thanksgiving!
Thanks for joining me this week.
Sugar Cookies ~ 7 Days of Memory Making ~ Day 4
Welcome to Day 4 of my 7 Days of Memory Making ~ Holiday Recipe Series
While I am taking a MUCH NEEDED break from my usual blogging routine this week in preparation for prepare for our long distance move. I have teamed up with the FABULOUS Danelle from Let’s Dish Recipes to bring you some really great recipes this week.
The holidays are just not the holidays without Sugar Cookies. Yes I do make the regular kind that you roll out, cut into shapes & then frost. I swear- I do that…..sometimes. But when the hubs asks for Sugar Cookies & I just don’t feel like that kind of mess- I go this route. This recipe is easy, quick & you just roll them in a ball like you would Snickerdoodles. The frosting is quick & everyone is happy. You can make these as easy or as complicated as you have time for & that is what I love about them. PLUS they are chewy. They never last long. Hubs likes to have some with his morning coffee & then I find him grabbing a few more throughout the day.
Sugar Cookies
Ingredients
- Cookies:
- 3 1/2 cups Sifted All-Purpose Flour
- 2 tsp Baking Powder
- 1 1/2 cups Sugar
- 2 Eggs
- 2 sticks 1 cup Butter
- 2 tsp Vanilla Extract
- 1/4 cup Sugar to coat
- Icing:
- 1 cup Confectioners Sugar or more to get a thicker consistency
- 1 1/2 tbsp Water
- 3-4 drops Food Coloring
- Colored Sprinkles Sanding Sugar- optional
Instructions
- Cookies:
- In a bowl, stir together flour & baking powder. Set aside.
- In mixer bowl, beat together butter & sugar until fluffy.
- Beat in eggs & vanilla.
- Stir in flour mixture, a third at a time to make stiff dough.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees
- Scoop a ball of dough, roll into a ball & roll in sugar to coat.
- Bake on non-stick cookie sheet for 8 minutes
- Cool completely on pan before transferring to a wire rack
- Icing:
- In a small bowl, mix sugar & water to form a thick, smooth icing. Adding more sugar as needed.
- Stir in food coloring to desired shade.
- Transfer to piping bag & decorate as desired.
- Let dry completely before stacking
Hot Cocoa Cookies
AND
Check back tomorrow for Snickers Cake Mix Bars & more.
Linking with: Live Laugh {Linky} Thursday | The 36th Avenue | I’m Lovin’ It Party | One Creative Weekend
Chocolate Truffles ~ 7 Days of Memory Making ~ Day 3
Welcome to Day 3 of my 7 Days of Memory Making ~ Holiday Recipe Series
I am taking a MUCH NEEDED break from my usual blogging routine this week in preparation for prepare for our long distance move. But don’t worry, this blog will not be abandoned.I have teamed up with the FABULOUS Danelle from Let’s Dish Recipes to bring you some really great recipes this week.
Chocolate Truffles
What other truffle recipes do you suggest?
- Oreo Balls/ Oreo Truffles
- Rainbow Truffles Recipe
- Chocolate Chip Cookie Truffles
- Pumpkin Spice Truffles
- Sugar Cookie Truffles
- Dark Chocolate Pistachio Truffles
- 4th of July Truffles
- Easy Chocolate Truffles
- Valentine Oreo Truffles
- Rainbow Mint Oreo Truffles
- Halloween Oreo Balls
- Holiday Nutella Bites
- Buckeyes
- Peppermint Oreo Balls
- Grinch Truffles
- Christmas Truffles
Chocolate Truffles
Ingredients
- 20 ounces Bakers Semi-Sweet Chocolate 20 total squares (1 ounce each)- divided
- 8 oz cream cheese
- Decorations like sprinkles nuts or crushed up candy canes
Instructions
- Melt 8 of the chocolate squares in a double boiler. Let cool to almost room temperature but still in a liquid state.
- In a mixer bowl, beat the cream cheese until creamy.
- Blend in the melted chocolate. and then refrigerate until firm.
- Shape into balls, scooping with a melon baller works well. Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
- Chill for 1 hour.
- Melt the remaining chocolate in a double boiler.
- Dip truffles in the melted chocolate to coat.
- Return to the baking sheet & sprinkle with decorations or immediately dip & roll into your decorations.
- Refrigerate on the lined baking sheet for at least 1 hour to firm up.
- Store in a tightly covered container in the refrigerator.
Be sure to check out my Chocolate Dipped Marshmallows too.
Be sure to come back tomorrow for a Day of Cookies
German Sweet Chocolate Pie ~ 7 Days of Memory Making ~ Day 2
Welcome to Day 2 of my 7 Days of Memory Making ~ Holiday Recipe Series
As I mentioned yesterday, I am taking a MUCH NEEDED break from my usual blogging routine this week in preparation for prepare for our long distance move. But don’t worry, this blog will not be abandoned. I have teamed up with the FABULOUS Danelle from Let’s Dish Recipes to bring you some really great recipes this week.
Welcome Danelle!!!! So honored to have you posting here today in my space.
I was so excited when Gina asked me to share some favorite holiday recipes this week at Kleinworth and Co. She’s always sharing delicious food, and beautiful food photography, and I can’t wait to see what tasty treats she has in store for us this week!
Today I’m sharing a German Sweet Chocolate Pie recipe that my mom first started making for the holidays back when I was a teenager. She found it on the bottom of the Cool Whip lid and it’s been a family tradition ever since. I’ve been making it for my family for the past 18 years.
Sometimes we have it for Thanksgiving, sometimes for Christmas, and sometimes for both! Which is really easy to do, because this pie goes in the freezer, which means I can make two pies at once for both holidays! And it’s so nice to have a make ahead dessert when you’re going to be busy in the kitchen with other things.
German Sweet Chocolate Pie
German Sweet Chocolate Pie
Ingredients
- 4 ounces Baker’s German Sweet Chocolate
- 1/3 cup milk
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 1 8 ounce package cream cheese, softened
- 1 8 ounce Cool Whip topping, thawed
- 1 graham cracker pie crust
Instructions
- Heat chocolate and 2 tablespoons of the milk in saucepan over low heat, stirring frequently until chocolate is melted.
- Beat sugar into cream cheese
- Add remaining milk and chocolate mixture and beat until smooth.
- Fold in whipped topping and blend until smooth.
- Spoon into crust.
- Freeze until firm, about 4 hours.
- Garnish with additional whipped topping and chocolate curls, if desired.
- Let stand at room temperature about 1 hour before serving.
- Store any leftover pie in the refrigerator.
This recipe also works well with a traditional baked crust, and you can certainly make your own chocolate crumb crust, although I usually use a pre-made one. I definitely recommend using the German Sweet Chocolate though. It give the pie a very distinctive chocolate flavor. I’ve always been able to find it in the baking aisle near the other Baker’s brand chocolate.
In contrast to so many holiday desserts, this is not too sweet or rich, which means I can easily eat more than one piece! Although that may not be a good thing. I always get compliments and requests for the recipe when I serve this pie to company. I hope you and your family will love it too!
Check out another MUST MAKE Holiday recipe courtesy of Danelle
Be sure to come back tomorrow for Chocolate Truffles.
Looking for more great pie recipes?
Easy Pie Crust – Perfect Every Time
To see where I am linking today- visit HERE
Red Velvet Brownie Bites ~ 7 Days of Memory Making- Day 1
Welcome to Day 1 of my 7 Days of Memory Making ~ Holiday Recipe Series
I am taking a MUCH NEEDED break from my usual blogging routine this week in preparation for prepare for our long distance move. But don’t worry, this blog will not be abandoned. I have teamed up with the FABULOUS Danelle from Let’s Dish Recipes to bring you some really great recipes this week.
Thank you so much for joining me as I share with you some of our family’s favorite recipes during the holiday season. I wanted to kick it off with these Red Velvet Brownie Bites. I really love red velvet ANYTHING & the hubs really loves cream cheese frosting on just about anything. So these have become a HUGE family favorite in this house. They are SO GOOD! I know that when I look back on my childhood memories of the holidays most of them are tied to food in some way. I remember making gingerbread houses or popcorn balls with my mom. She also makes the very best fudge in the world. My goal during the holidays is to create those same sort of memories with my kids in hopes that they want to do the same when they are grown. These Red Velvet Brownie Bites are definitely something I know they will make with their families.
Red Velvet Brownie Bites
Ingredients
- Brownie ingredients
- 1/2 cup 1 stick unsalted butter- diced
- 3 oz. bittersweet chocolate chips I actually used the squares
- 1 1/2 cup sugar
- 3 large eggs
- 1 tsp. vanilla
- 1/4 tsp. salt
- 2 tbsp. liquid red food coloring
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp. baking powder
- Icing
- 8 oz. cream cheese - room temperature
- 4 tbsp butter - room temperature
- 1 tsp. vanilla
- 1 1/2 cup sifted confectioners sugar
- White sparkling sugar opt.
Instructions
- Preheat Oven to 325. Use either non-stick foil or just use regular foil & then spray with non-stick spray & line a metal 9"x9" baking pan. (please do this- as it helps remove the brownies from the pan later on. This is a step I contemplated skipping & doing it how I would normally do it- but I decided to follow the instructions & I was happy I did)
- Stir butter & chocolate in a heavy large saucepan over low heat until all is melted. Remove from heat. Whisk in sugar & then eggs- one at a time. Stir in vanilla, salt & food coloring. Sift flour & baking powder (I usually just run a whisk through it for a few stirs & it works perfectly) & stir in & blend well. Transfer batter to prepared pan.
- Bake until puffed & dry looking- or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with some moist batter attached. (about 30-35 minutes). Cool completely in pan on a rack. (I was impatient & stuck mine directly into the freezer to cool it faster)
- Beat cream cheese & butter until lightly fluffy. Add vanilla & lightly mix. Add confectioners sugar & beat to combine. (if it's too thick- add a splash of milk)
- Using the foil as an aid- lift brownies from pan & place on cutting board. Remove foil from sides. Spread cream cheese over brownies & add sparkles. Cut brownies into bite size pieces. To get a cleaner cut- wipe the knife after each slice. In the future - I will probably cut the brownies first & make a little more frosting so I can pipe it on each bite. I think it will be more aesthetically pleasing & keep the fingers cleaner when grabbing for one.
Check out Danelle’s
Red Velvet Sandwich Cookies
Be sure to come back tomorrow for Danelle’s German Sweet Chocolate Pie
Keyboard Shortcuts for PC & MAC
As most of you know, my work for the product photography side of the biz has been keeping me busy. When I have 300+ processed images to produce for a client I am always looking for ways to speed that process up by finding shortcuts. There are many keyboard shortcuts that I use quite a bit. I love them because it keeps me from having to go up to the menu bar for every process that I am doing. I get asked quite often by my readers how I process images & these shortcuts are a huge part of it. I would be lost without them because my time in processing would increase & really, who wants to spend all that time in the office? I know I don’t. I do try to nail just about everything in-camera, but there are always minor tweaks I like to make. Normally that isn’t an issue- unless you are looking at doing it 300+ times. I’m sure you wedding photogs know what I am talking about here. Massive amounts of images to sift through. So anyhow- I thought I would create for you all this nifty cheat sheet for all the keyboard shortcuts – the ones in dark brown are the ones I use most frequently. The ones in light brown are ones that I have only used a couple times if at all- but I wanted to make the list complete. The cool part is that a good portion of these work in other programs too. Things like open, copy, paste, cut, select all, print, save- these I use when processing documents, surfing the web & all sorts of other things. If I am on the computer there is a good chance I am using them as much as I use my mouse or tablet stylus.
So here they are- for PC & for MAC. Free to download/print for your use.
Free Printable Checklist Templates
Here are just a couple things I have been working on.
Have a Happy Tuesday everyone!
Linking with: 52 Weeks of Happiness, Tuesday Around the World & Sweet Shot Tuesday
How to Reduce Image Noise
Linking with: 52 Weeks of Happiness, Tuesday Around the World & Sweet Shot Tuesday
Food Photography – Behind the Scenes
So here I am in our media room. I like the light in there because these windows face north & I get the most beautifully consistent bright light all day long. So most of the time I start in there. I set up my stand with my black side of my reflector in the back. It’s propped against my tripod. (sometimes I will use white but lately I have been loving the more dramatic styling) You can see all the things I had taken off the food during prep sitting up on the pub table above me. Now I really wanted to use my 85mm for these. I love what it does to my food images. It does such a SWEET job – I just love it. Unfortunately I’m working with a cropped sensor camera & so 85mm is more like 100+. So I didn’t have a lot of room to move around while keeping the light where I wanted it on the food. So I got a bit creative & climbed under the table for a few. I also stood on top of the pub chairs to get some above angle shots. Sometimes I will set up everything on the floor so I can get those above shots. This time I knew I really wanted more from the side shots & I didn’t want to lay on the floor to get them. Although I have done that plenty of times too.
Now- given that this shot was taken with my son’s point & shoot & I’M SURE he had it on auto- this image was extremely noisy. So bad that I almost thought I wouldn’t be able to use it. So while it’s still noisy by my standards- next week I will share with you how I was able to save it so I was able to use it here today. Be sure to check back for that.
Linking with: 52 Weeks of Happiness, Tuesday Around the World & Sweet Shot Tuesday
Fall Table Centerpiece
To see where I am linking today- visit HERE
Corn Husk Wreath {DIY}
1. Start with a pool noodle & tape the ends together to form your circle.
2. Separate & soak the husks to make them soft.
3. Put several strips of hot glue along the wide end & wrap around the noodle half way. Do this all the way around. It will be the back of your wreath.
4. Turn over, putting already adhered husks on the bottom & start adding more husks on this side in the same way.
5. Continue adding husks, overlapping them so it looks nice & full & you can’t see the noodle anymore.
6. Cover several husks with hot glue on one side & adhere to the inside ring of the wreath to cover the seams of the husks where they came together.
7. Add your ribbon to hang. I added a dab of glue to keep mine from shifting because it’s usually windy here. But it’s not necessary.
**Optional: I knew I wanted different colors in my husks. Unfortunately my original idea of soaking them in water & food coloring didn’t do what I really wanted. I restored to paint for this one but in the future I recommend RIT fabric dye.
Corn Husk Luminaries {DIY}
Corn Husk Luminaries will bring warmth and charm to your event. You can make these handcrafted, eco-friendly luminaries made from corn husks in a variety of colors.
Corn husk luminaries are a fun, easy way to add some fall decor to your home. You can make them with just a few supplies, and they look great on a porch or table.
Plus, they make the perfect addition to any Halloween party! Here’s how to make them.
PIN THIS TO SAVE FOR LATER
Being a photographer I like to surround myself with texture. Texture has a way of adding so much visual interest in to everything- photos included.
Fall is a perfect time for adding even more texture & richness to the things around you.
It has been a long time since I have used corn husks in my projects & I was really looking for some ways to play & add this fabulous texture & color into my home.
As I have mentioned before- we don’t get much of a traditional fall here in the Southwest- so I have to bring in as much as I can to give me that fall feeling I am so craving right now.
Here are some commonly asked questions
How to Prepare the Corn Husks for Crafting
- Soak the natural husks from the bags in a fresh bowl of clean water.
- Place another bowl or jar on top of them to hold them down in the water as they will want to float. Leave them in the water for several hours to really soften them up. The water will soften the husks and make them pliable and easier to work with.
- Once soft, remove from the water and pat any excess moisture off with paper towels.
Cleaning Corn Husk Luminaries
Over time things tend to get dusty – especially if you intend to use these on your patio or porch. To clean the luminaries you can take some canned air or even just an air compressor or leaf blower and gently blow the dust and dirt off of the jars.
Do not wash the luminaries with the hose or bring them inside and rinse them off with water. Re-wetting the husks will make the luminaries fall apart.
Supply List
NOTE: TIE THE HUSKS AS TIGHT AS YOU CAN AND OVERLAP THEM – THEY WILL SHRINK AS THEY DRY. They will eventually slip out of the twine or create gaps if they are not tight enough.
How to remove the lable from a jar
After years of spending a ton of time scraping the jar with a razor blade – I learned a trick that is so simple. I didn’t have to soak the lable in oil first, no harsh chemicals.
Just place the jar in a large bowl or pot filled with HOT soapy water. Let it soak overnight and (in most cases) the label will just fall right off by the next morning. No scrubbing or scraping. So easy!
How to Make Corn Husk Luminaries
These were super easy. Took less than 30 minutes- always a plus in my book.
- Separate & soak the husks in a bowl of water so that they become pliable.
- Take up-cycled jars (or new ones if you prefer) in various sizes for some added visual interest. I used 2 different-sized spaghetti jars, and a pickle jar I think.
- Wrap the husks around the jar & secure them with a rubber band to hold them in place.
- Wrap around the jar with the twine several times at the top and the middle or bottom portion. I started with the bottom & once I had the twine tied, I removed the rubber band & moved it to the top. I left the rubber band on & just covered it with my twine because I had folded down the husks on 2 of them to add a little extra something to each one. On the largest one, I trimmed the husks to the top of the jar.
- Drop the tea candle inside and light it & you are all set.
Do I have to remove the label off the jar before adding the corn husk?
Technically no. The label will be covered by the husks. That being said – when the jar glows with the candle burning inside of it – the husks become translucent and then you will be able to see the labels. I recommend removing them from the jar before proceeding if you are up-cycling for this project.
Where can I find corn husks?
Corn husks can be found in the international food section of the grocery store. I haven’t bought any in a while, but I used to be able to get a decently large bag for around $2-5. Now they run about $8 a bag – but you might be able to find them at the dollar store for so much less. You will need at least 2-3 bags to make this wreath, depending on how full you want the end result to be.
**Being married to a fire chief means fire safety is always at the top of my priority list when it comes to crafts. I want to stress that it’s so important to make sure that your husks and/or twine do not extend past the top of the jar. Please be cautious & place these out of reach of children & in an area where they can not be bumped over easily. Remember last week was fire prevention week & October is fire safety month.
If you love these easy-to-make luminaries, you’re going to love these other crafts too. Check out the other fun ideas below!
CONNECT WITH YUMMI HAUS!
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Deeper into the Processing {FloraBella Colorplay set}
Since I have shown you my process for getting to the clean edit a few times I figured I would just start there this week.
I ran the Clean Base action & the image on the left shows what it looks like before I started adjusting the layers. It’s clean & bright & brings out the highlights in his hair. The image on the right shows what I ended with after adjusting the layers to my liking (basically reducing nearly all of them) I left the black & white layer off at this point.
For the purposes of this post I turned on the black & white layer so you can see what that will do after I adjusted the other layers. I didn’t want to go the black & white route this time so I then turned it off & merged my layers. I then ran the Ocean Air action & reduced all the layers considerably to get to this image on the right. Nice, fresh- but it wasn’t popping for me yet.
I then merged those layers & then ran the Summer Peach action – again reducing all the layers to my liking. Still not quite popping for me.
So I ran the Color Depth action & reduced the layers slightly. Now we are getting somewhere.
(Keep in mind that there are many different ways I could have gone about getting to this point. The whole purpose of this was to play with this action set & see what I could do with it & most importantly- get familiar enough with it that I know what each one does & the result I will get from it.)
So since I was in a playing mood I decided to add a sun flare layer on soft light to see what that would do. Brought out the highlights in his hair a bit more- good. Then I was itching to play with the awesome textures that Kristy from Life n’ Reflection sent me from the driftwood collection – so I added a touch of that.
Sharpened & called it a day. You can see the difference between the clean edit & the final here.
Here it is- the final edit alone. I love his sweet nature. Always willing to give a hand- no matter what it is.
I’m a lucky mom.
Fall Cupcakes & Life n’ Reflection Fall Transfers
Anyhow- before all this happened I had baked these cupcakes. I had started with trying the Nutella swirl cupcakes I had found only I just did a quickie by mixing it with a butter pecan box cake.
They totally didn’t come out like they should have but I really did it for the sole purpose of showing you all these adorable transfers from Life n’ Reflection.
I originally was going to use them as printed recipe cards but then decided I wanted to scale them down & print a bunch for cupcake decorations. I love how cute they are.
I will probably do the recipe cards another time when my head is more in the game. But for now I have these.
If you want to print these cute cupcake toppers for fall – you can find them over at Life n’ Reflection. Be sure to head over there (link below) and check out all the amazing ideas Kristy shares.
Head on over & give Kristy some love!
Fall Wreath DIY ~ Early Fall Colors
As I mentioned yesterday in my FALL FASHION post- since I don’t have many early fall colors happening naturally around me, I like to infuse fall colors into not only my wardrobe but in my home as well. I believe this all starts from the front porch. I think people should get a sense of who we are & what they can expect when they walk in from the moment they knock on the door. This is why I always have a wreath or some other decorative piece on the door. It’s a great way to express myself without saying anything. For this time of the year I created this faded sunflower wreath. I think it’s perfect for this time of the season (late September-early October) where the flowers are fading & withering off & the colors are taking on a more burnt hue.
Only parts of the dried grapevine show – but just enough to keep the textures noticeable. I also added this vine of beads to add a bit of sparkle.
The pop of bright burnt orange ribbon makes me happy. It has just enough golden sheen in it to really perk up the porch.
This was super easy with my glue gun & a little bit of time to just get in my zone. The finished product just makes me smile.
Plus it stands up well to the dry, dusty, windy conditions & even spruces up well with a quick rinse of the hose. (a must for desert living)
I love it when a project comes together & just makes me smile every time I look at it.
Don’t forget to come back & join me on Mondays for Project 52
To see where I am linking today- visit HERE
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10 Reasons I Love My Kit Lens
Blue Moon…..
Without a dream in my heart, without a love of my own
I know that the Blue Moon doesn’t really look any different than a regular full moon- because by definition on Wikipedia…
But I had to take the opportunity last week to capture is anyhow since it doesn’t happen all that often.
Which then looked like this when I got up the next morning.
Chocolate Frozen Yogurt
Chocolate Frozen Yogurt
Ingredients
- 1 cup chocolate chips
- 1 can 14 oz sweetened condensed milk
- 16 oz vanilla yogurt
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
- Melt chocolate chips & stir in sweetened condensed milk until completely blended. Cool slightly.
- Pour into upright mixer slowly stirring in yogurt & vanilla. Mix well.
- Pour into electric ice cream maker & churn for 15 minutes.
- Transfer to air tight container & freeze an additional 4 hours+
Enjoy!!
Looking for more of our favorite frozen dessert recipes?
White Chocolate Custard Frozen Pops
Don’t miss these great ideas from these bloggers….
Frozen Oreo Pudding Cake from Lil’Luna
Frozen Hot Chocolate Cheesecake from Chelsea’s Messy Apron
To see where I am linking today- visit HERE
The Ombre Cake that Busted my Diet
Can you believe my mom made this out of gum paste??!!
I was so thrilled that we did Ombre on the inside too.
