Check out a few of my Easter basket finds, and please share yours too!
Sunday, March 24, 2013
What's in your Easter basket?
Every year I try and move further away from an Easter basket full of trinkets and candy and move closer to a basket full of thoughtful and fun spring surprises.
Check out a few of my Easter basket finds, and please share yours too!
Check out a few of my Easter basket finds, and please share yours too!
Saturday, March 23, 2013
Post about Peonies
Peonies are my all time favorite flower! Here are a few pics of the peonies from my garden last spring along with a peony arrangement trick and a new garden tradition...
Peony Arrangement Party Trick!
Want peonies for your next spring party? Cut your peonies when the buds are just opening and are showing a lot of color. Then refrigerate without water for up to one week. Recut peony stems when ready to arrange and enjoy!
New Garden Tradition
For special anniversaries or occasions plant a peony bush or your other favorite variety in honor of the event. My dad planted a hydrangea bush in my front yard to celebrate the birth of my twins. When I got home from the hospital it was there to surprise me and will be there for years to come!
Peony Arrangement Party Trick!
Want peonies for your next spring party? Cut your peonies when the buds are just opening and are showing a lot of color. Then refrigerate without water for up to one week. Recut peony stems when ready to arrange and enjoy!
New Garden Tradition
For special anniversaries or occasions plant a peony bush or your other favorite variety in honor of the event. My dad planted a hydrangea bush in my front yard to celebrate the birth of my twins. When I got home from the hospital it was there to surprise me and will be there for years to come!
Wednesday, February 13, 2013
Sunday, December 2, 2012
Frosted Ricotta Cheese Cookies and Christmas Treats
Around the holidays I like to give homemade treats and gifts that people can really use. My favorite cookies to share are my friend, Leigh's, family recipe for ricotta cheese cookies. She brought them to a Christmas party years ago, and I simply could not stop eating them. I know my cookies, and these are the best! The other items I've noted are some of my favorite goodies that would make great gifts. Tis the season for giving!
2 sticks butter
2 cups sugar
1 15 ounce container of ricotta cheese
2 eggs, beaten
2 teaspoons vanilla
4 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Blend butter, sugar and cheese. Add eggs and vanilla. Mix in salt and baking soda and flour (1 cup at a time). Drop on cookie sheet lined with parchment paper, 12-15 minutes or until golden.
Frosting
1 pound powdered sugar
1/2 cup softened butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 tablespoons milk
Directions:
Beat ingredients together. Add more milk if needed for spreading consistency. Frost cooled cookies.
Makes 6 dozen cookies.
They are amazing and come in several delicious flavors. They are the perfect "little something" for a friend this Christmas.
My husband and I went to the California wine country for our honeymoon about 8 years ago. On our trip we found this little meat shop and picked up some of Angelo's delicious beef jerky as we cruised around in our convertible hopping from vineyard to vineyard. My husband still talks about this jerky, and I think Santa will put some in his stocking this year!
My sweet sister-in-law, Laney, gave me this candle for my birthday this year. It has an amazing smell and comes in several yummy wine and seasonal cocktail scents. The best part is their candles are packaged in recycled wine bottles and are made of natural soy wax. They make a lovely gift!
Chewbeads make a great gift for chic moms with teething babies. The beads add a pop of color to any outfit and give little ones something to nibble on while you go about your day. Throw the beads in the dishwasher at the end of the night. Function + Fashion = A mom's Christmas wish!
Frosted Ricotta Cheese Cookies
 |
| Plenty to share with friends! |
2 cups sugar
1 15 ounce container of ricotta cheese
2 eggs, beaten
2 teaspoons vanilla
4 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Blend butter, sugar and cheese. Add eggs and vanilla. Mix in salt and baking soda and flour (1 cup at a time). Drop on cookie sheet lined with parchment paper, 12-15 minutes or until golden.
Frosting
1 pound powdered sugar
1/2 cup softened butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 tablespoons milk
Directions:
Beat ingredients together. Add more milk if needed for spreading consistency. Frost cooled cookies.
Makes 6 dozen cookies.
Great Goodies and Gifts to Share
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| These are addictive! Buy them here: www.bequetconfections.com |
They are amazing and come in several delicious flavors. They are the perfect "little something" for a friend this Christmas.
 |
| Angelo's Beef Jerky Buy it here: www.angelossmokehouse.com |
My husband and I went to the California wine country for our honeymoon about 8 years ago. On our trip we found this little meat shop and picked up some of Angelo's delicious beef jerky as we cruised around in our convertible hopping from vineyard to vineyard. My husband still talks about this jerky, and I think Santa will put some in his stocking this year!
 |
| Comes in your favorite wine or cocktail scent! Buy it here: www.rewinedcandles.com |
My sweet sister-in-law, Laney, gave me this candle for my birthday this year. It has an amazing smell and comes in several yummy wine and seasonal cocktail scents. The best part is their candles are packaged in recycled wine bottles and are made of natural soy wax. They make a lovely gift!
 |
| Chewbeads! Buy it here: www.chewbeads.com |
Chewbeads make a great gift for chic moms with teething babies. The beads add a pop of color to any outfit and give little ones something to nibble on while you go about your day. Throw the beads in the dishwasher at the end of the night. Function + Fashion = A mom's Christmas wish!
Tuesday, November 20, 2012
Thanksgiving Sweet and Simple
Thanksgiving is around the corner, and I wanted to share a few last minute ideas to inspire a fun and relaxing holiday. Here you go...
Bring your host a homemade loaf of chocolate chip pumpkin bread. They'll be grateful to have a yummy treat with their morning coffee after a busy night of entertaining. The recipe makes 2 large loaves (just in case you have multiple stops on Thanksgiving) and an additional mini loaf for you!
Ingredients:
4 eggs
3 cups sugar
1 cup oil
1 cup cold water
1 (15 oz can pumpkin)
2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
3 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
Half bag semi-sweet chocolate chips
Beat eggs and stir in next 4 ingredients. Sift dry ingredients together and add to pumpkin mixture. Mix well. Divide into 2 large and 1 mini sized loaf pans. Bake at 350 degrees, large loafs 60-75 minutes, mini loaf 30-45 minutes until done.
When you're a kid, waiting for your Thanksgiving meal can feel like an eternity. Keep the kids busy with place mat chalkboards by Annabelle Noel Home and Garden.
First Stop, What to Wear?
Last night at dinner one of my girlfriends wore an adorable hot pink top. It was fun, elegant and versatile. Pair it with skinny jeans and heels or whatever you like. Such a great look for this holiday season!
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| Chiffon Top Buy it here: www.jcrew.com
|
Bring a Side
Everyone loves green beans at Thanksgiving. If you are looking for something light and refreshing amongst all the heavy foods on your table, try this dish.
Lemon Thyme Green Beans
Ingredients:
1 Pound Green beans
3 Shallots
1 Lemon juiced
1/2 Tablespoon Fresh thyme chopped
1 Tablespoon Chopped Italian parsley
1/4 Stick butter
Salt and Pepper
Stem green beans. Blanche in a pot of boiling water about 5 minutes. Transfer to a bowl of ice water to stop cooking. Green beans should still be bright green and only slightly softened.
Thinly slice the shallots. Saute in butter with salt and pepper until beginning to brown over medium heat for about 3 minutes. Add green beans and saute for 5 minutes. Add lemon juice, thyme and cook for 3 minutes. Salt and pepper to taste. Garnish with fresh parsley.
For the Host...
Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread
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| Yum!
|
4 eggs
3 cups sugar
1 cup oil
1 cup cold water
1 (15 oz can pumpkin)
2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
3 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
Half bag semi-sweet chocolate chips
Beat eggs and stir in next 4 ingredients. Sift dry ingredients together and add to pumpkin mixture. Mix well. Divide into 2 large and 1 mini sized loaf pans. Bake at 350 degrees, large loafs 60-75 minutes, mini loaf 30-45 minutes until done.
For the Kids...
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| Decorate your own Place mat |
Monday, November 12, 2012
Mom's Apple Pie
I absolutely love pie, especially my mom's apple pie. Her pie has a tart Granny Smith apple filling and a yummy cookie crust. My sister, Molly, is known for requesting one of these pies entirely for herself. It is that good! Lucky for us, it is super simple to make. Perfect for your Thanksgiving dessert!
Thanksgiving tradition idea...
In our family we run a 5k for charity the morning of Thanksgiving. It's a nice way to give back and to get ready to chow down the rest of the day!
Mom's Apple Pie
Ingredients:
Apple Core Peeler
6 Granny Smith Apples
One stick melted butter
One large egg
One cup flour
One cup sugar
One tablespoon cinnamon
Directions:
Cut and peel apples and sprinkle with sugar and cinnamon.
Mix the rest of the ingredients together. They will be like a thick paste. Spread over apples and bake for 1 hour at 350 degrees. Enjoy!
Saturday, November 10, 2012
Andy's Charcoal Roasted Turkey
Want a twist on your Thanksgiving turkey? Try charcoal roasting it! My husband, Andy, is in love with his charcoal grill. It came as no surprise that the first time we hosted Thanksgiving dinner, he insisted on taking our turkey to the grill. It was a huge hit and has since become a staple at our Thanksgiving table. Cooking your turkey on the grill will also free up your oven, a huge bonus. We hope you'll try it!
Andy's Charcoal Roasted Turkey
Turkey
Salt
Pepper
Butter
3 carrots, rough chopped
4 celery stalks, rough chopped
1 large onion, rough chopped
Handful Italian parsley
Handful fresh sage
Handful fresh thyme
Wood chips (hickory preferred)
A full bag of charcoal
Large aluminum foil pan
Tin foil
Oven thermometer (optional)
Instant read thermometer
This is similar to roasting a turkey in your oven, but you are imparting smokey charcoal flavor. Pick a bird that fits on your grill with the lid on. Last thing you want is to go to put the lid on the grill and it doesn't close.
Prep the turkey by removing the neck and gizzard. Stuff the cavity with carrots, celery, onions and parsley, sage, and thyme. Generously, salt and pepper the bird all over and under the skin and in the cavities. Place the bird in the foil pan.
Prepare a charcoal grill for indirect grilling. Two piles of red hot brickets on either side of the grill (around 30 or so brickets per side). Situate the grate so the handles where there is a gap is above the coals. This will allow you to add charcoal easily. The foil pan should be able sit in the middle without getting direct heat from the charcoal. Soak a large bowl of hickory wood chips in water for at least 30 minutes.
Place the pan on the middle of the grill. Add several large handfuls of the moist wood chips to the charcoal. Place the lid on the grill with vents open on the lid and underneath the grill.
Every 20-30 minutes add a couple handfuls of charcoal and moist wood chips. Your goal is to maintain a temperature of about 350 degrees. Use an oven thermometer to check. The less you take the lid off the better.
After 1.5 - 2 hours stop adding wood chips when it has a nice golden smokey brown color and occasionally start adding a few pats of butter to the top of the bird. After a stick of butter, continue to baste the bird with the juices. Also lightly tent the breast with tin foil at this point.
Cook to an internal temperature of 165 degrees in the thickest part of the thigh and breast. Depending on the size of the bird this might be 3-4 hours total cooking time. Remove from heat and let stand for 30 minutes before carving. Make gravy with the drippings.
Link to Weber grill
http://www.target.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/p/weber-one-touch-silver-kettle-grill-black-22-5/-/A-13034658
 |
| Roast turkey here... |
Andy's Charcoal Roasted Turkey
Turkey
Salt
Pepper
Butter
3 carrots, rough chopped
4 celery stalks, rough chopped
1 large onion, rough chopped
Handful Italian parsley
Handful fresh sage
Handful fresh thyme
Wood chips (hickory preferred)
A full bag of charcoal
Large aluminum foil pan
Tin foil
Oven thermometer (optional)
Instant read thermometer
This is similar to roasting a turkey in your oven, but you are imparting smokey charcoal flavor. Pick a bird that fits on your grill with the lid on. Last thing you want is to go to put the lid on the grill and it doesn't close.
Prep the turkey by removing the neck and gizzard. Stuff the cavity with carrots, celery, onions and parsley, sage, and thyme. Generously, salt and pepper the bird all over and under the skin and in the cavities. Place the bird in the foil pan.
Prepare a charcoal grill for indirect grilling. Two piles of red hot brickets on either side of the grill (around 30 or so brickets per side). Situate the grate so the handles where there is a gap is above the coals. This will allow you to add charcoal easily. The foil pan should be able sit in the middle without getting direct heat from the charcoal. Soak a large bowl of hickory wood chips in water for at least 30 minutes.
Place the pan on the middle of the grill. Add several large handfuls of the moist wood chips to the charcoal. Place the lid on the grill with vents open on the lid and underneath the grill.
Every 20-30 minutes add a couple handfuls of charcoal and moist wood chips. Your goal is to maintain a temperature of about 350 degrees. Use an oven thermometer to check. The less you take the lid off the better.
After 1.5 - 2 hours stop adding wood chips when it has a nice golden smokey brown color and occasionally start adding a few pats of butter to the top of the bird. After a stick of butter, continue to baste the bird with the juices. Also lightly tent the breast with tin foil at this point.
Cook to an internal temperature of 165 degrees in the thickest part of the thigh and breast. Depending on the size of the bird this might be 3-4 hours total cooking time. Remove from heat and let stand for 30 minutes before carving. Make gravy with the drippings.
Link to Weber grill
http://www.target.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/p/weber-one-touch-silver-kettle-grill-black-22-5/-/A-13034658
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