Monday, December 24, 2012
Christmas Eve.
Monday, November 19, 2012
I am grateful for packages!
Thursday, November 1, 2012
Hello November.
I love the month of November. It is a month to remember our blessings and all that we are grateful for. Today I am thankful for Soulard Farmer's Market! My friend just introduced me to this place and it is awesome! Going grocery shopping at a farmer's market with your girl friends is totally more exciting than going grocery shopping at Wal Mart at 7 in the morning by yourself (yes, I do that).
Here's all the fruit and veggies I purchased and I got it all for a screaming good deal. I'm definitely shopping here from now on.
(Picture on the left): We went to a spice store that had every type of spice you could possibly think of...and more! They had their own blends of seasonings that we got to sample and it was amazing! I bought some of their Chipotle Orange seasoning that I'm excited to use on some salmon later this week! It has a smokey, tangy kick to it that I think will be delicious.
Monday, October 15, 2012
Autumn.
Friday, October 12, 2012
Homemade Oreo Cookies.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Ingredients for cookie:
1 box devil's food cake mix
2 eggs
1/3 cup vegetable oil
Mix ingredients well. Roll into one inch balls and place onto greased cookie sheet. Bake for 5-6 minutes. Let cool.
Ingredients for frosting:
1/2 package cream cheese
1 cup powdered sugar
1/8 cup butter
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
Cream together in a kitchen aid or with a hand mixer. Spread the frosting onto a cookie and place another cookie on top. This should make about 12-15 cookies. You can always double... or even triple the recipe!
Monday, October 8, 2012
Matt & Steph.
Wednesday, September 26, 2012
Anniversary Celebration.
Tuesday, September 25, 2012
Friday, September 21, 2012
Before & After: Dining Room Chairs.
I found these amazing high back chairs at a local thrift store. I already had in mind what type of dining chairs I wanted. I wanted sturdy chairs made out of wood, and I really wanted them to have a high back. Lucky for me, look what I found! The exact chairs I wanted. The only problem was the upholstery was super nasty and outdated. So I bought new fabric and reupholstered them. It was easy as pie. All you need is some fabric, scissors, a staple gun and lots of staples! You can watch THIS TUTORIAL if you want to learn how to upholster your own chairs.
Tuesday, September 18, 2012
We're settling right in.
Friday, September 14, 2012
We moved!
Thursday, August 16, 2012
Monday, August 13, 2012
I've been too busy having fun to be blogging.
Wednesday, August 1, 2012
Montana Sunset.
Friday, July 27, 2012
DIY Notebook.
These notebooks are the perfect size to keep in your purse or on your desk. They'd also make a great gift. Isn't your sister's birthday coming up?
Items you'll need:
-12x12 scrapbook paper
-Ruler
-Thread
-Sewing Machine
-Paper cutter
To make one notebook you will need to cut one 3x12 strip of paper for the cover of the notebook and four strips of white paper (also 3x12) for the inside pages of the notebook.
Fold all of the strips of paper in half. It's best if you fold them each individually instead of all at the same time. Sew the stack of paper together along the middle crease with a sewing machine. I set my sewing machine to a medium straight stitch. Be sure to do some back stitching on the ends so that the thread doesn't come undone.
Wednesday, July 25, 2012
Lemon Layer Cake and a Triangle Banner Topper.
(Recipe adapted from PAULA DEEN and LIFE IS GREAT).
INGREDIENTS
Cake:
- 1 cup (2 sticks) butter, at room temperature
- 2 cups sugar
- 4 eggs
- 3 cups sifted self-rising flour
- 1 cup milk
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 2 lemons zest
1 1/2 cups sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar or 1 tablespoon white corn syrup
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 1/3 cup water
- 2 egg whites
- 1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
Filling:
- 8 egg yolks
- 1 1/2 cups sugar
- 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter
- 3 lemons, zest grated and juiced
DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour 3 (9-inch) cake pans.
To make the cake: Using an electric mixer, cream butter until fluffy. Add sugar and continue to cream well for 6 to 8 minutes. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Add flour and milk alternately to creamed mixture, beginning and ending with flour. Add vanilla and continue to beat until just mixed. Zest 2 lemons and mix it into the batter. Divide batter equally among prepared pans. Level batter in each pan by holding pan 3 or 4-inches above counter, then dropping flat onto counter. Do this several times to release air bubbles and assure you of a more level cake. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until golden brown. Cool in pans 5 to 10 minutes. Invert cakes onto cooling racks. Cool completely.
To make the frosting: Place sugar, cream of tartar or corn syrup, salt, water, and egg whites in the top of a double boiler. Beat with a handheld electric mixer for 1 minute. Place pan over boiling water, being sure that boiling water does not touch the bottom of the top pan. Beat constantly on high speed with electric mixer for 7 minutes. Beat in vanilla.
To make the filling: Place the ingredients in the double boiler over boiling water. Don't let top pan touch the water. Cook and stir until mixture begins to gel or thicken. Remove from heat and allow to cool.
To assemble, add 1 tablespoon of filling to the cake pedestal. Run hands along the side of the cake to remove excess crumbs. Place the cake layers on the pedestal, spreading filling between the layers and on top. Spread the sides and top of the cake with the remaining filling. Frost top and sides of cake with frosting. (I took a blow torch to the frosting to harden it and keep it from sliding off the cake. I also liked the look it created. It reminded me of roasted marshmallows with a light brown crisp).
To make your triangle banner you will need these items:
-Scrapbook paper
-Pencil
-String
-Glue
-Scissors
-2 Skewers
Draw triangles onto the paper with a pencil. Cut the triangles out. Glue two triangles together with the string in between the triangles (I made six triangle flags, but it may vary depending on the size of your triangles and the size of your cake), then tie each end of the string onto the skewers.
Once your banner is complete top it onto your cake. This is a fun way to spruce up a birthday cake or to impress your guests with what you made for dessert.
Happy Baking!
-String
-Glue
-Scissors
-2 Skewers
Happy Baking!
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