4.26.2011

100th post give-a-way!



Thank you all (mom, and like 3 of my friend...haha) for reading my blog. I try to make it a resource and not a word-vomit of my life...so thanks for inspiring me and getting inspired!

Now for the GIVE-A-WAY!


This is an adorable little etsy shop for all my fellow bakers out there!

Check out their SHOP and understand how hard my choice was in picking what to give-a-way!

But you will be getting...

Woodland Cookie Cutter Set (5)
woodland creature cookie cutters...hello!

Assorted Springtime Cupcake Liners (45)
Vintage inspired springtime cupcakes liners? Yes please!

Tiny Rainbow Circle Sprinkles Non Pereils   (4 ounces)
And of course my all time FAVORITE sprinkles!

So how do you win these fabulous baking accessories?!

Just leave me a comment about your worst baking disaster

OPEN UNTIL MAY 1ST!

4.24.2011

He is Risen!

He is risen indeed. : )

I am back from vacation and feeling great! Posts galore next week! Love you all!

4.18.2011

Weekend madness!

Greg's brother was in town this past week and weekend so I have been a bit MIA. I had no time for crafties (not your fault Matt, I had tons of fun hanging out with you!) I know my future brother-in-law reads my blog...so had to stick that disclaimer in there. : )

 We took him to Parkside Cafe, which if you live in Santa Rosa you need to check it out!
It is a hole in the wall, but their food is out of this world!


I ordered their Country Benedict. Which is a toasted sourdough baguette slice with spinach, roasted tomatoes, over easy eggs and hollandaise sauce. Yum!

Check out this cutie, hammin' it up.


On Saturday we took a bike ride, and it could not have been a more perfect day! The weather was gorgeous and the mustard flowers are just starting to bloom!
Unfortunately our bike ride ended at St. Joseph Urgent Care Center, when one of us...I won't mention who...but it was not a female...haha...broke their elbow doing a bike stunt.

That night we hit up SOL FOOD for a little Puerto Rican cuisine, but that deserves it's own post...

Girls night was Sunday night. Barf. We are so disgusting when our men aren't around. Sorry Honey...I love me some Honey Buns.

Like I said I am 2 posts away from my 100th post...be looking for a give-a-way!

I am off to Southern California on Tuesday for my friend's Bridal Shower, so I probably won't be around much to blog until the weekend! Have a wonderful week!

4.15.2011

Some engagement pics..

So we took these like a month a an half ago, but I never posted them until now...sorry!

Our good friend Paul Robinson of  R Three Photography took them, and might I saw he did a wonderful job.

Seriously, check out his work, hire him, you won't regret it.






Personally I hate this one of me, but I am not going to let a little self-conciousness stop me from posting...right?

This one might be my fav.

4.14.2011

My man is in a band.

My man is in a band. More specifically a metal band. His band is called In Virtue and they have like 3 albums out, they play local shows here in Sonoma County and they are pretty awesome.




Almost as awesome as my amateur videographer skillz...but seriously much more awesome.

Anyway this will be my 97th post on this here blog...so I am brainstorming a give-a-way for my 100th post

Be sure to check it out!

4.11.2011

Homemade Mallows + Grahams

On Saturday I hosted a girls day at my home, with two other wonerful ladies, Kat and Kryta.

We had a picnic outside, made some crafties, whipped up some DELICIOUS homemade S'MORES, grabbed some vietnamese food for dinner and then roasted our hard work in the back yard over a bonfire.

Crafties.

Bonfire.

The youngest member of girl's day...couldn't hack it and fell asleep. : )

Ok the moment you have been waiting for...

Homemade Grahams + Mallows


I got the graham recipe from Smitten Kitchen...love that blog.

Graham Ingredients

Makes 10 4 x 4.5-inch graham crackers
2 1/2 cups plus 2 tablespoons unbleached all-purpose flour (a swap of 1/2 cup with whole wheat flour or 1 cup whole wheat pastry flour works well here, too)
1 cup dark brown sugar, lightly packed
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon kosher or coarse sea salt
7 tablespoons  unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch cubes and frozen
1/3 cup  mild-flavored honey, such as clover
5 tablespoons milk, full-fat is best
2 tablespoons pure vanilla extract

Topping (optional)
3 tablespoonsgranulated sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Combine the flour, brown sugar, baking soda, and salt in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade or in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Pulse or mix on low to incorporate. Add the butter and pulse on and off on and off, or mix on low, until the mixture is the consistency of a coarse meal.

In a small bowl, whisk together the honey, milk, and vanilla extract. Add to the flour mixture and pulse on and off a few times or mix on low until the dough barely comes together. It will be very soft and sticky. Lay out a large piece of plastic wrap and dust it lightly with flour, then turn the dough out onto it and pat it into a rectangle about 1-inch thick. Wrap it, then chill it until firm, about 2 hours or overnight. Meanwhile, prepare the topping, if using, by combining the sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl and setting aside.

Divide the dough in half and return one half to the refrigerator. Sift an even layer of flour onto the work surface and roll the dough into a long rectangle about 1/8 inch thick. The dough will be sticky, so flour as necessary. Trim the edges of the rectangle to 4 inches wide. Working with the shorter side of the rectangle parallel to the work surface, cut the strip every 4 1/2 inches to make 4 crackers. *I used a ciclular cookie cutter with scalloped edges*

Place the crackers on one or two parchment-lined baking sheets and sprinkle with the topping. Chill until firm, about 30 to 45 minutes in the fridge or 15 to 20 minutes in the freezer. Repeat with the second batch of dough. Finally, gather any scraps together into a ball, chill until firm, and re-roll.
Adjust the oven rack to the upper and lower positions and preheat the oven to 350°F.

 Mark a vertical line down the middle of each cracker, being careful not to cut through the dough (again, this is for the traditional cracker shape). Using a toothpick or skewer (I like to use the blunt end of a wooden skewer for more dramatic dots), prick the dough to form two dotted rows about 1/2 inch for each side of the dividing line.
Bake for 15 to 25 minutes, until browned and slightly firm to the touch, rotating the sheets halfway through to ensure even baking.

Mallow Ingredients
1 cup confectioner’s sugar (a.k.a. powdered sugar)
3 1/2 envelopes (2 tablespoons plus 2 1/2 teaspoons) unflavored gelatin
1/2 cup cold water
2 cups granulated sugar
1/2 cup light corn syrup
1/2 cup hot water (You want it to be around 115°F, which takes about 15 seconds in the microwave. )
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 large egg whites (or meringue powder reconstituted according to the manufacturer’s directions)
2 teaspoons to 1 tablespoon vanilla extract


1. Lightly spray a 13- by 9- by 2-inch rectangular metal baking pan with nonstick spray, and dust it (bottom and sides) with a little confectioner’s sugar. (If you don’t have a pan that size, it’s fine to use a 10-inch square pan.)
2. Grab the bowl of your standing electric mixer (or just a large bowl, if you’re using a hand mixer), and pour in the cold water. Sprinkle the gelatin over the water, and set it aside to soften.
3. Set a large saucepan on the stove, and add the granulated sugar, corn syrup, hot water and salt. Cook the mixture over low heat, stirring it with a wooden spoon, until the sugar is dissolved.


4. Turn up the heat to medium, and bring the mixture to a boil (without stirring it!) until your candy thermometer reads 240°F. This will take about 12 minutes.


5. Take the pan off the stove, and pour the sugar mixture over the gelatin mixture from Step 2. Stir it until the gelatin is dissolved.
6. Using an electric mixer (standing or hand-held), beat the mixture on high speed until it’s bright white, thick and nearly tripled in volume. (This will take about 6 minutes if you’re using a standing mixer or 10 minutes with a hand-held.)
7. Grab a separate bowl and a set of clean beaters or a whisk, and beat your egg whites until they just hold stiff peaks.
8. Add the egg whites and vanilla to the sugar mixture, and beat them until they’re just combined.

9. Pour the mixture into your prepared pan.
10. Sift 1/4 cup of confectioner’s sugar over the top of the marshmallow.
11. Pop the pan into the refrigerator, and let the mixture chill, uncovered, until it’s firm. This will take at least at least 3 hours, but you can leave it in the fridge for up to 24.


12. Take a thin knife, and run it around all four edges of the pan. Turn the pan upside-down onto a large cutting board. Then lift up a corner of the pan, and use your fingers or a knife to loosen up the marshmallow block so that it falls onto the board.

13. Cut 1 inch cubes, or get creative and use cookie cutters, biscuit cutters, or cut them in crazy shapes with the knife!

14. With the remainder of the powered sugar, coat the cubes so they are not sticky around the edges.

White, fluffy, deliscious cubes of mallow!

S'MORES GALORE!


4.09.2011

Makes my heart full!

  
What is it about the man you love holding a baby that makes you want to melt?!

Love, Sav

How does your garden grow?

I apologize if you are not into gardening. I really do. I get on these kicks and I get SO excited with them...bear with me!

Tomorrow I will write about something that is like the opposite of gardening for all you black-thumbed people out there. What is the opposite of gardening? Maybe a post about something modern, concrete and urban.
We'll see.

Happy little plants!

I have my apple crate above ground garden going, but because of my horrible reputation of killing plants and forgetting about them, Greg suggested I start small. With a beginners (read: CHILD'S) greenhouse set.

So basically you have these little dried dirt pods...

you pick out your little seeds...

Fill your little pods with water, and place your seeds in the middle...

and place the little plastic lid on top, pop it in the sun and PRESTO a perfect little greenhouse!

I of course am WAY to impatient to wait for my seeds to sprout so I rushed out to ACE hardware to buy some already sprouted vegetables.

These I planted outside in my apple crate.

i used little chalkboard sticks to label the plants (I decided on a metallic permanent marker instead of chalk)

And Voila! Lettuce, squash, serrano chili peppers and string beans!

So what's your take? Hate gardening, love it? Any gardening goals? I love goals.

4.05.2011

Gardening and Smores

So this weekend was too busy to sit an blog, couple that with being sick today (Monday) I can only offer future features!



This weekend I bought some very essential items for my above ground garden, including seed packets and $1 garden shovel...woot, woot...

Also next weekend I will be hosting a one-day girls retreat for my church at my home. We will be lounging in the sun, picnicing, eating delicious Vietnamese food and making...

Homemade S'mores

it can and will be done.


Ummm, swoon. Those look delish!


Definitely looking forward to making both of these things, and using my new hand-built Firepit.

Needless to say this week is just begining and I am already looking forward to this weekend.

4.04.2011

My favorite thrift store.

There is a thrift store in town (on Yolanda Ave in Santa Rosa) that is a Goodwill OUTLET. You heard me right, an outlet thrift store. 


Most people call it "The Bins" because literally you are digging through bins of stuff.



There are two sides to this place, with a huge white line running down the middle. The employees yell "EVERYONE TO THE CLOTHING SECTION" and everyone goes to the side of the building with the bins full of clothes...and they swap out the bins full of stuff...

Then they yell "EVERYONE ON THE GOOD SECTION" and people have to stand behind the white line on the goods section while they swap out the clothing bins.

This. Place. Is. Hard. Core. 


Check out those last 2 rules. They aren't joking. People run, and shove, and push, and fight to dig through through these bins to find stuff.

Don't go alone, wear gloves, and don't be afraid to stand your ground.

But you know what? They have the absolute BEST deals in town, they don't pre sort anything so I find amazing vintage treasure every time I am there...and their clothing is $1 A POUND. What the what?!

My latest finds? A vintage mini-carpet bag and vintage mint green suitcase (needs a good cleaning)
for $3.50 total.