I picked up a pack of wooden spoons, blinged them up a bit then tied them with a pretty bow to a muffin mix or brownie mix and ta-da this years 'Whoops' gifts. Yay me! ;)
December 19, 2012
This years 'Whoops' gifts
EVERY year someone quite random shows up at my door with a gift so I always make a few extra 'Whoops, I didn't forget YOU ' gifts just to be prepared.
I picked up a pack of wooden spoons, blinged them up a bit then tied them with a pretty bow to a muffin mix or brownie mix and ta-da this years 'Whoops' gifts. Yay me! ;)
I picked up a pack of wooden spoons, blinged them up a bit then tied them with a pretty bow to a muffin mix or brownie mix and ta-da this years 'Whoops' gifts. Yay me! ;)
December 15, 2012
Gingerbread House Prep
It's gingerbread house weekend and we have been prepping all week. We have made all sorts of little gumpaste figurines to place on and around our houses. I can't wait to put it all together!
December 5, 2012
Slow Cooker Chocolate Cake
Hello Yummm!
2 C sugar
1 3/4 C flour
3/4 C unsweetened cocoa
1 1/2 t baking soda
1 1/2 t baking powder
1 t salt
2 eggs
1 C milk
1/2 C vegetable oil
2 t vanilla
1 C boiling water
Spray inside of slow cooker with cooking spray.
In a large bowl mix together dry ingredients. Set aside.
In a small bowl whisk together eggs, milk, vanilla and oil. Slowly add boiling water while stirring constantly.
Add wet ingredients to dry and mix well. Pour batter into slow cooker and set on low. Cook for approximately 3 hours, turn off heat and let stand 30 minutes before serving.
This cake is TO DIE FOR MOIST! Serve warm alone or with topping of your choice. My family favorites are ice cream, hot fudge, warm caramel and of course whipping cream.
2 C sugar
1 3/4 C flour
3/4 C unsweetened cocoa
1 1/2 t baking soda
1 1/2 t baking powder
1 t salt
2 eggs
1 C milk
1/2 C vegetable oil
2 t vanilla
1 C boiling water
Spray inside of slow cooker with cooking spray.
In a large bowl mix together dry ingredients. Set aside.
In a small bowl whisk together eggs, milk, vanilla and oil. Slowly add boiling water while stirring constantly.
Add wet ingredients to dry and mix well. Pour batter into slow cooker and set on low. Cook for approximately 3 hours, turn off heat and let stand 30 minutes before serving.
This cake is TO DIE FOR MOIST! Serve warm alone or with topping of your choice. My family favorites are ice cream, hot fudge, warm caramel and of course whipping cream.
December 2, 2012
Christmas 2012 advent Calendar
Using the same idea as last year but just tweaking it a little....
I used a big frame that I picked up for just $1, used super cute chevron patterned wrapping paper, then hung numbered ornaments. Originally I didn't plan for the red bow but the patterned paper messed with my eyes a bit, haha. Adding the red bow fixed the problem. It was that easy and I LOVE the final result! Yup, definite 'Dough Style!'
I used a big frame that I picked up for just $1, used super cute chevron patterned wrapping paper, then hung numbered ornaments. Originally I didn't plan for the red bow but the patterned paper messed with my eyes a bit, haha. Adding the red bow fixed the problem. It was that easy and I LOVE the final result! Yup, definite 'Dough Style!'
November 7, 2012
More trees
So, it's no secret that I love trees and I love coffee filter crafting, here is the latest..... 'natural coffee filter trees'. They work quite well with my burlap, white and bling Christmas theme!
I bought the natural filters, made a cone using a few sheets of copy paper, warmed up the glue gun and of course whipped out the glitter.
I bought the natural filters, made a cone using a few sheets of copy paper, warmed up the glue gun and of course whipped out the glitter.
Christmas Wreath
Typically corn husk wreaths are for Fall... But not in this house where everything is paintable! Check out this years wreath and yes, it's already hanging up!
November 3, 2012
Coffee filter madness strikes again... Oh my!
I needed a cute little white wreath and I didn't want to go to the store so I headed down to my basement to rummage through all my craft stuff for inspiration. First thing I see..... Coffee filters. Perfect!
Happy birthday little Olivia!
Sweet Olivia just turned one year old! Yay! Since her birthday is just one day before Halloween I decided to go with Halloween, yet girly cake. I am pretty darn happy with the final result. I think my favorite is the cute little mummy in the middle.
Burlap Trees
This years Christmas theme is going to be 'burlap, white, and bling' Yee Haw! Here is my first burlap project of the season, it works great with my white coffee filter trees from last year.
October 21, 2012
Pink Leopard Princess Party!
It was Perfect Peyton's Pink Leopard Princess Party! Ya, there might have been a mustache or two around as well..... What's a party without a mustache?
October 18, 2012
October 14, 2012
October 12, 2012
Christmas Gifts
What a darling little gift for teachers and neighbors right?! Pepper Jelly is easy to make, kind to your budget and unique. Perfect.
October 10, 2012
Pepper Jelly Recipe and Procedure
Chopped jalapeños
Chopped bell or anaheim pepper
1 1/2 C cider vinegar
6 C sugar
4 oz liquid pectin
Food color (optional)
Remove ribs and seeds from peppers and finely chop.
In a deep pan add vinegar, sugar and peppers. Place on medium heat gently stirring often until it's at a full boil.
Remove from heat and slowly add liquid pectin while stirring. Add food color if desired.
Pour jelly into warm and sterilized jars leaving 1/4 inch head space. Carefully wipe the tops of the filled jars with a damp paper towel. (if there's anything on the top rim of the jar it may not seal properly)
Place sterilized lids and rings onto jars (rings do not have to be really tight)
Place jars in a warm water bath and bring to a full boil. I leave my jelly in for about 30 minutes because I live at a high altitude and I'm a little paranoid.
Helpful hints.....
Wear gloves while working with peppers because they WILL burn your hands (yup, speaking from experience).
I like to bring the whole mix to a boil slowly, this seems to create a beautiful, consistent and smooth flavor.
In my first round of jelly making I placed most of my peppers in the processor to make a purée, I chopped the remaining peppers by hand until I had them finely minced (I wanted to have little red and green 'specks' throughout the jelly). Using the pepper puree resulted in a cloudy jelly and that's not the vision I had in my head. I pictured a beautiful green jelly that you could kind of see through. I was a little bummed with the appearance but WOW the taste was AMAZING!
Round two I tried for a clear jelly so I chopped the peppers then placed them in a strainer to remove some of the liquid. I then added the peppers and a little bit of the strained fluid to the vinegar mix. The result was beautiful but the pepper flavor just wasn't there (it was still yummy but it didn't have that fantastic flavor. I'm not talking about the heat, just the flavor of the pepper itself).
Round three..... This time I did the same as my second batch but I added all of the pepper juice that I had strained out. Ya it was good but it STILL didn't have the FLAVOR! Ahhh!
At last I made a decision..... Flavor over appearance - hands down.
Ok so at this point I thought I was done with experimenting, ya I was wrong.... For some reason I thought 'hmmmmm, what about red peppers? How would they do if I pureed them? Would they be different from the green? Guess what?? Red is different (in my eyes anyway). I pureed red peppers, chopped a few by hand for 'specks' & ta-da it was beautiful!!! LOVE, LOVE, LOVE! It has it all.... It's beautiful and tastes amazing! Yay me!
I chose to do both colors of peppers since I plan to give them out at Christmas (get it? Red and green! Christmas colors!). Since the red worked the best I did all the jellies red with only a few specks of green peppers. I love the final result!
I plan to make cute little tags explaining how to serve the jelly (over cream cheese and served with crackers). Then I will put them in a cute little cellophane bag and tie it up with something fabulously Christmasy. I think that for teachers and close friends I'll create a gift basket that will include crackers, cream cheese and a cute little spreading knife. Oh! I could pick up some cute little serving plates, place the jelly, cream cheese and crackers on the plate and wrap it all up with cellophane. Wow, the possibilities are endless. (I love it when that happens!)
I will post pics when I start putting the baskets together.
Chopped bell or anaheim pepper
1 1/2 C cider vinegar
6 C sugar
4 oz liquid pectin
Food color (optional)
Remove ribs and seeds from peppers and finely chop.
In a deep pan add vinegar, sugar and peppers. Place on medium heat gently stirring often until it's at a full boil.
Remove from heat and slowly add liquid pectin while stirring. Add food color if desired.
Pour jelly into warm and sterilized jars leaving 1/4 inch head space. Carefully wipe the tops of the filled jars with a damp paper towel. (if there's anything on the top rim of the jar it may not seal properly)
Place sterilized lids and rings onto jars (rings do not have to be really tight)
Place jars in a warm water bath and bring to a full boil. I leave my jelly in for about 30 minutes because I live at a high altitude and I'm a little paranoid.
Helpful hints.....
Wear gloves while working with peppers because they WILL burn your hands (yup, speaking from experience).
I like to bring the whole mix to a boil slowly, this seems to create a beautiful, consistent and smooth flavor.
In my first round of jelly making I placed most of my peppers in the processor to make a purée, I chopped the remaining peppers by hand until I had them finely minced (I wanted to have little red and green 'specks' throughout the jelly). Using the pepper puree resulted in a cloudy jelly and that's not the vision I had in my head. I pictured a beautiful green jelly that you could kind of see through. I was a little bummed with the appearance but WOW the taste was AMAZING!
Round two I tried for a clear jelly so I chopped the peppers then placed them in a strainer to remove some of the liquid. I then added the peppers and a little bit of the strained fluid to the vinegar mix. The result was beautiful but the pepper flavor just wasn't there (it was still yummy but it didn't have that fantastic flavor. I'm not talking about the heat, just the flavor of the pepper itself).
Round three..... This time I did the same as my second batch but I added all of the pepper juice that I had strained out. Ya it was good but it STILL didn't have the FLAVOR! Ahhh!
At last I made a decision..... Flavor over appearance - hands down.
Ok so at this point I thought I was done with experimenting, ya I was wrong.... For some reason I thought 'hmmmmm, what about red peppers? How would they do if I pureed them? Would they be different from the green? Guess what?? Red is different (in my eyes anyway). I pureed red peppers, chopped a few by hand for 'specks' & ta-da it was beautiful!!! LOVE, LOVE, LOVE! It has it all.... It's beautiful and tastes amazing! Yay me!
I chose to do both colors of peppers since I plan to give them out at Christmas (get it? Red and green! Christmas colors!). Since the red worked the best I did all the jellies red with only a few specks of green peppers. I love the final result!
I plan to make cute little tags explaining how to serve the jelly (over cream cheese and served with crackers). Then I will put them in a cute little cellophane bag and tie it up with something fabulously Christmasy. I think that for teachers and close friends I'll create a gift basket that will include crackers, cream cheese and a cute little spreading knife. Oh! I could pick up some cute little serving plates, place the jelly, cream cheese and crackers on the plate and wrap it all up with cellophane. Wow, the possibilities are endless. (I love it when that happens!)
I will post pics when I start putting the baskets together.
October 9, 2012
Pepper-mania.... Oh my!
It's October 8th and yep, I'm done with my Christmas gifts for neighbors and teachers. Yay me!
My spicy theme was a bit of an accident. I picked loads and loads of peppers from the garden, made salsa, tomato paste, tomato soup, green chili sauce, pickled peppers and pepper jelly (yes, I am peppered out!). When I started canning pickled peppers I thought "Hmmm, this looks like Christmas! Perfect!" Then I moved on to peppered jelly (which I have never ever made) it turned out amazing and once again.... Christmas colors.
Ta-da Christmas gifts, dough style of course.
My spicy theme was a bit of an accident. I picked loads and loads of peppers from the garden, made salsa, tomato paste, tomato soup, green chili sauce, pickled peppers and pepper jelly (yes, I am peppered out!). When I started canning pickled peppers I thought "Hmmm, this looks like Christmas! Perfect!" Then I moved on to peppered jelly (which I have never ever made) it turned out amazing and once again.... Christmas colors.
Ta-da Christmas gifts, dough style of course.
August 15, 2012
New sculpting medium?
So I've had a little trouble sleeping lately and last night this is what my brain did. Ya, I made a rose using plastic spoons. So weird.
August 14, 2012
Lemonade Bling
We are on a HUGE lemonade kick this summer, so today I wanted to bling it up a bit and all it took was a little colored sugar. Ta-da! Dough-style lemonade!
August 6, 2012
'Fake' Book Find
Oh my goodness walking around TJ Maxx today and I came across these darling little fake books that are actually little keepsake boxes. I love using them to prop things up on, in this pic I have used them to boost the height of a lamp on my Bombay chest. Here's the best part.... they were only $5 and $6 bucks!
August 2, 2012
Summer Skewers
So I open my email from BHG today and what do I see????
Summer on a Stick
Uhm, hello ~ tell me more!
Go check out there amazing recipes for:
Tomato Mozzarella Skewers
Salsa Chicken on a Stick
Greek Meatball Kabobs
July 25, 2012
Candied Lemon Peel
This is the first time that I've tried this so it's a work in progress, let's hope they taste as good as they look! Stay tuned.
July 24, 2012
Vanilla Lemonade
There's nothing like homemade lemonade; add a little vanilla and well there really are no words.
Juice from fresh lemons
Sugar
Vanilla
Water
Ice
Lemon slices
Lime slices
Sprig of mint
Juice from fresh lemons
Sugar
Vanilla
Water
Ice
Lemon slices
Lime slices
Sprig of mint
July 22, 2012
Yep, Mango Salsa
Mango
Red onion
Tomatoes
Cilantro
Jalapeño pepper
Anaheim
Garlic
Fresh lime
-optional items
Cucumber
Red bell pepper
Green bell pepper
Yellow bell pepper
It's that easy!
(I picked up a 'salsa mixer' from the local dollar store and I LOVE it! It doesn't skin the veggies and turn them to water. Woot-woot!)
Red onion
Tomatoes
Cilantro
Jalapeño pepper
Anaheim
Garlic
Fresh lime
-optional items
Cucumber
Red bell pepper
Green bell pepper
Yellow bell pepper
It's that easy!
(I picked up a 'salsa mixer' from the local dollar store and I LOVE it! It doesn't skin the veggies and turn them to water. Woot-woot!)
July 19, 2012
Mason Jar Madness!
~Salad in a Jar~
I LOVE THIS!
http://www.eatingbirdfood.com/2012/07quick-and-easy-lunch-idea-salad-in-a-jar/
What a darling idea, and the possibilities are endless!
The secret here is to place the dressing at the bottom and start layering with ingredients that wont 'wilt' from the dressing such as carrots, celery, cucumber etc.
July 15, 2012
Yummy Picnic Ideas from BHG
Ham and Mango Sandwiches
So perfect for summer picnics!
Steak and Blue Cheese Wraps
July 13, 2012
Cake Cuppies
Mom's Pink Princess Birthday Party
I wanted to do something different for Mom's birthday
so I made weee-little cupcakes and to my surprise they were a huge hit.
I have to admit, they are kinda cute, yet sooooo easy to make!
June 23, 2012
Salsa Chicken on a stick - Oh ya
Summer Grillin' is in full swing and hello to Salsa Chicken on a stick!
This recipe takes is even a further, its low fat and diabetic friendly.
Now you cant beat that with a stick ;)
(Click title post for a link to recipe)
June 18, 2012
June 10, 2012
Oh my DUCK!
Woke up this morning to one of the most beautiful places on the planet and what a surprise...... Its a new baby duckling!
Cutest thing I have ever seen!
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