Almond and Anise Biscotti
Five or six years ago I spent the weekend with my aunt at her cabin in Eastern Oregon. While there, she offered me a slice of homemade biscotti. A vision of every coffee shop’s hard, stale, flavorless stick of biscotti wrapped in plastic flashed before my eyes. Thankfully, my manners kicked in before my gag reflex and I said in my most upbeat voice, “sure, I’d love a piece.” I cautiously took my first bite, wondering how I was going to get through an entire piece of biscotti. That, my dear friends, is when the angels started singing and every bad experience I’d had with biscotti vanished in a mouth-watering instant.…
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Potting Shed, Part 2
Someone is ready for spring planting! Spoiler alert: It’s not me! Before the end of 2014, I posted about my stepmom’s new potting shed. By new, I mean they just built it, but most of the materials are salvaged or repurposed for the space. So, totally new, right? Ha! Isn’t it charming? Let’s go inside! The beam work you see on the outside of the building is carried through to the inside. I’m not the only one drooling over those beams, right? That sliding door sections off an area that will be used for storage. Fun fact! This wood door used to be the front door to our house before the home…
Way Back Wednesday – Oregon House
It’s time for another trip down good ol’ memory lane! It’s been a little over 10 months since we moved from Oregon to Georgia. While we do love the South, sometimes I miss that quaint, old farmhouse in Oregon! The photos in this post were taken by the real estate photographer, not yours truly. I wish the lights would have been off and a different camera lens used, but it really doesn’t matter. You’ll get the idea! The Oregon house had two stories plus a basement and for a home built in 1936, was pretty large at 2,100 square feet total. One of the funky things about the layout was…
Creamy Tomato Parmesan Soup in the Slow Cooker
If I was going to pick between winter and summer, I’d pick summer. My flip flops are calling to me, people. They miss me and oh, how I miss them. Winter does have one primary perk. Okay, maybe more than one, but I’m feeling stingy today. Ha! The perk of winter is soup. Warm, delicious, filling, tastes-better-the-next-day soup. So, that’s what I bring to you today. Creamy Tomato Parmesan Soup made in your slow cooker. In all actuality, tomato soup is kind of a misnomer for this soup. It’s actually more of a creamy and slightly chunky vegetable soup with carrots, celery and tomatoes on the ingredient list. I have…
Travel: Marathon, Florida
The day after Christmas, we got up at 4 a.m. and headed south to the Florida Keys. Road trip! Poor us, right? We started planning this vacation with friends from Oregon almost 6 months prior and while we like to plan, we’ve never planned a vacation that far in advance. It was totally worth it! While it was freezing cold and dreary at home, we were soaking up the 80 degree temperatures and sunshine. Should I say “poor us” again? This was the view from our deck. Absolute heaven. A friend had told us that the Florida Keys doesn’t really have the white sandy beaches that other parts of Florida has.…
Printing Photos on Canvas
I have a friend who is amazing, in part, because she prints out photos of her child all.the.time and I’m assuming, shoves them into an album. Actually, she probably scrapbooks them into cute shapes with witty captions. Agh! The most recent printed photos I have of my children are ones she printed and gave to me. Sigh. Yes, she’s a gem and I will keep her as my dear friend even though she mocks me about this situation quite regularly. That’s what friends are for! 🙂 So recently, I was feeling pretty “how do you like me now” when I had my children’s pictures printed on CANVAS, baby. Oh yeah!…
Cookies for Santa
Yes, I know December was sooo last year. However, I wanted to get to these pictures before oh, say, July rolled around. My kids at 7 and 4 years old still believe (or want to believe) in Santa Claus. Shoot, I want to believe in Santa Claus. What’s not to love about that jolly old fella? I think my daughter knows Santa isn’t real, but she’s holding on tight to the magic. Frankly, I hope she holds onto the wonderment and fantasy for as long as possible. You’re only a little kid once. No need to rush things and grow up too fast! This little guy definitely believes in Santa Claus.…
Dusting a Piano with a Glossy Finish
I put a lot of effort into this post. That’s right. I waited and waited for dust to build up on my piano. It was hard, but I resisted the urge to dust it many times. What can I say? I’m a giver. Like many pianos, mine has a glossy finish. As much as I love it and plan on having it until my dying day, every little bit of dust and fingerprints shows up on it. (Do you know how many places a 4-year-old touches?) Product residue can make the piano’s finish look filmy. Even water marks can show up from dusting it with a damp rag. For a long time…
Update to Blueberry Freezer Jam Recipe using Sure Jell
Hi Folks! I’m here on a random Thursday with a quick Jam PSA. I’ll bet that’s the first time you’ve ever heard a Jam Public Service Announcement. Am I right? 🙂 I made a new batch of blueberry freezer jam a couple of weeks ago and noticed the Sure Jell company change the recipe slightly. As a reminder, I use the pink box of Sure Jell. There used to be an extra cup of water in the recipe for the blueberry freezer jam. See… Now, that extra water has been omitted. The scandal! Kidding! It’s a good thing. You can see the change on the newest recipe page included…
Apple Raisin Bread
One of my most favorite childhood culinary memories is of my mom making apple cinnamon bread from scratch. She would let us have a slice of hot bread, right out of the oven, with butter slathered over the top. I can still imagine that taste – pure heaven. Here’s the kicker: I haven’t the slightest clue how she made that bread. If there was a recipe, it was never written down. Since she’s no longer here with us for me to ask, I will just chalk her secret ingredient up to love. I have since found an Apple Bread recipe that is every bit delicious and if you are afraid of…
