Author:Lori
Create, Holidays

Dressed up Treats for your Sweeties…

February 3
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It’s time to start thinking about sweet tokens to hand out to those you love, like, and admire!  It never has to be big…just a simple reminder of how much you care!  Today I’ll share some fun ways to dress up your holiday packages…sometimes those little extras really show the recipient you made it look special just for them!  You can get as creative as you wish…but it often doesn’t take much to make a gift shine!  Kind of like sprinkles on a cake…the simple, crowning touches!  These are a few of the little packages to hold special treats for my Valentines this year…hope you can find some inspiration for yours!

holiday treats play dress-up!

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Create, Holidays

Hearts for Breakfast!

February 1
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Every now and again, I like to make a special breakfast for my boys…especially as holidays draw near!  It’s now February and Valentine’s day is especially fun for making treats…hearts can be found almost everywhere you look and that wonderful tool, the cookie cutter, can turn tons of different foods into that traditional holiday shape!  And even though the big day falls over a weekend, I can still serve up easy breakfasts to help start some school-day mornings off with smiles!  This year I wanted to come up with some fun ideas that would be healthier but still provide some festivity…something that we don’t often have before heading off to class!  So in preparation of the upcoming treats, I HAD to test some out to make sure they were acceptable!  I’d like to share a couple easy and tasty winners!   This is what I’ll be dishing out this Valentine holiday…some morning fun…healthy bites…and holiday joy!

serve up some happy hearts…

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Holidays, Savor

Baby Cakes

January 29
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Every year, close to Valentine’s Day, I serve up one of my family’s favorite treats…lavender pound cake!  The recipe makes the most wonderfully moist yet dense cake and the lavender gives it a slight flavor that’s hard for most to determine what it actually is!  And a couple things I love best about this cake…it can be baked in any form you desire (bundt pan, loaf pan, even cupcakes) and frozen until you need a sugary treat!  My favorite way to bake it is in a mini bundt pan.   My mom and I have collected several old, English Pudding pans and they work perfectly for making a baby-sized cake!  I love the miniature size…not just because it’s cute but it’s just right to indulge on without having sugar overload!  And since I’m infatuated with all the Xs and Os this Valentines, I figured I’d carry on with that theme…

xoxo pound cake!

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Favorite Things, Savor

Smokin’!

January 25
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My husband received a Christmas gift this year that turned out to be a family favorite…an electric meat smoker!  I have to admit I wasn’t sure about this smoker…not that I wouldn’t like having it but it might be so favored by my husband that he would spend ALL of his weekend hours tinkering with this thing and not tend to the growing “to do” list of an old home!  But, as luck would have it, this new “toy” is bringing such deliciousness to our dinner table AND it programs itself…leaving plenty of time for house maintenance!  After our wonderful Beef Bourguignon evening we vowed that we’d set aside as many Sunday nights as possible and dedicate them to creating a family meal together!  Welcome the smoker!  Still a work in progress, we’ve only attempted a few meals so far…the first–smoked pork chops.  This dinner was about as smoked as you can get…no fault of the machine.  When the recipe called for two hours of smoking, the boys thought 4 would be MUCH better.  Let me tell you that by merely cracking open the tupperware container filled with left-overs would make the entire kitchen smell like a campfire!  Fortunately the next attempts were much more successful…due to following the recipe suggestions!  Two of those meals consisted of smoked salmon…and I’ve gotta say they tasted every bit as good as the expensive stuff sold in specialty stores!   And since this kind of cooking involves a really cool machine…the boys have taken an active interest making the family meal truly a family experience!  Have a peek…

smokin’ salmon!

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Savor, Uncategorized

Do You Wanna Build a Snowman?

January 22
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Sorry, but while thinking of a title for this post I just couldn’t resist that phrase in the popular song from Disney’s Frozen!  (I hope you don’t have it in your head all day!)  Wintertime is the season that inspires us to create those whimsical characters standing guard in the snow laden yard.  And even though their bodies are made from the frozen stuff, they can somehow melt the hearts of those who gaze upon them!  Unfortunately, we haven’t had enough snow (around here anyway) to get bundled up and make a seasonal friend or two…maybe there’s still a chance, it’s only January after all!  And while we wait for the snowflakes to fall I’ll share another way to make a snowman…the edible kind!  Leave it to my mom’s creative & talented friend to inspire me once again when she shared a photo of a snowman who festively adorned her holiday table.  The great thing about snowmen…they don’t just represent Christmas but the ENTIRE chilly-weather season!  Even though Santa has retired until December comes again, the snowman is still in style!  So if you’re having guests over this winter and want to create a wonderfully whimsical addition to your appetizer table, take a peek at this version of a snowman…it might just be your new favorite way to create the happy fellow!

easy, edible snowman!

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Favorite Things

Favorite Things…

January 20
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It’s mid January and, for some of us, about that time of year for feeling the winter blues.  But I’ve got just the fix for those dreary days…some favorite finds that will be sure to bring on the happiness!  Great goodies for pampering yourself, entertaining friends, or offering to those that might need some cheer!  AND Valentine’s Day is less than a month away now so it’s time to start thinking of heartfelt trinkets to dish out to all those sweethearts on your list!  Have a peek at some favorites I picked up for all of the above…simple gifts for my family, my home, and my friends with the goal of creating opportunities to celebrate not just the holiday but winter itself!  I will, of course, share where I found all at the end of the post…so get ready to grab some

wonderful winter pick-me-ups!

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Create, Holidays

Wild for Wool!

January 18
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I love wool…whether it’s a cheerful, plaid throw or fuzzy sweater, I’m pretty partial to those snuggly fibers!  When I found these lovely little hearts a few years ago at Target, I just had to have them!  At the time I purchased them they were part of a Valentine garland.  It was completely adorable…but after I’ve used my decorations for a while, I try to recycle them into something different!  What I love most about re-purposing my favorite things is that I can hang on to them a little longer AND create something new and fresh!  This garland had been used in my Valentine displays for several years and it was time to give new life to these sweet, wooly hearts!   So I decided to cut them apart.  How cute would they be as fuzzy tags on a gift or maybe adorning my candy jars?  I really wanted to find a new place for these colorful little guys…so they had a slight reformation for the holiday!

happy, wool hearts…

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Create, Holidays

Calling All Cupids!

January 15
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You all know by now how much I like paper!  I really think paper can be one of the most simple & economical supplies to create just about anything your mind can imagine!  It comes in many sizes, weights, patterns, and shapes!  You can create your own designs or find wonderful paper craft kits that help you along the way!  Most crafting stores have isles and isles of paper possibilities…from tissues and actual sheets of parchment to cardboard boxes and die-cut shapes galore!  You can find banners and garlands and flags and confetti…all perfect for more than their original purpose!  If I’ve learned anything over my years of creating & crafting it’s to always look past what the packaging SAYS it is and think of all the other things it COULD be!  So Valentine’s Day is on its way and I suggest anyone can find inspiration wandering around favorite craft and party stores…always full of infinite possibilities!  Today I’ll share with you the simple creation I made for a holiday centerpiece using not much more than, you guessed it, paper!

a festive Valentine display…

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Savor

Beef Bourguignon…Yum!

January 13
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It has finally begun to look like winter around here!  Some white, fluffy stuff decided to show its face and stick around a while accompanied by some frigid temps…but it’s about time if you ask me!  There’s something about the long, cold nights that are just perfect for spending quality time in the kitchen.  Time for  preparing warm and hearty meals that not only taste delicious but make your home smell heavenly in the process!  We did just that the other evening…while the winter winds were blowing we were having some culinary fun in the kitchen preparing a meal I’ve always wanted to try!  The inspiration for this dish came directly from watching one of my most favorite flicks that I’ve mentioned before–Julie & Julia.  My husband was very selfless in actually agreeing with my suggestion for our movie night choice…even though I’ve seen it countless times and was quite certain he would think I was joking!  But watch it we did and realized that neither of us had ever attempted to make the famous beef bourguignon that is described with a single word…yum!  It’s kind of funny that we never attempted this meal before now since we both enjoy cooking!  my husband is definitely the better chef of the two of us but on occasion I can be a decent contender!  And since he was born in Paris, living there twice during his younger years abroad, he grew up fully appreciating the diverse cuisine and discovering his love for creating in the kitchen…which TOTALLY benefits the entire family! (we all love to eat!)  So even though it was new to us both, Sunday night’s dinner consisted of this traditional dish which we were hopeful wouldn’t disappoint…and it didn’t!  Even though it may not be a good choice for a quick meal, we will definitely be making this one again, and again, and again.  Whether you decide on beef bourguignon or some other wonderful recipe, whether you’re an experienced cook or have mastered the art of serving up prepared meals, whether you create something solo, with the whole family, or invite friends to join in on the fun…spend an evening in the kitchen!

guaranteed to feed the soul!

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