Project in the Works

The good stuff is always worth the work it takes.

New project! Within 1-3 years, I am hoping to open a new business on my town's Main Ave. The business would consist of a bakery (bread, pastries, coffee), kitchen supply store (think Williams-Sonoma with local foods) and a commercial kitchen (available for rent). It will be a ton of work to get it going, but I am in it for the long run and very committed. I'll update the neglected blog occasionally with developments. In the meantime, feel free to check out my personal Pinterest page, event food Pinterest page, or event design Pinterest page for some inspiration.

Also, enjoy this cute photo of Jax.

Succulent Terrarium

 

This succulent terrarium is easy to make and even easier to take care of. The hardest part was finding succulents in the middle of the winter (thank you Lowe's!). I also purchased sand from Lowe's. The small-medium river rocks, dirt, moss, and vase were reused from a previous project. Goodwill is a great source for cute little details, like my bicycle. It came in a container of other doll-house toys for only a dollar.

The terrarium is pretty easy to make and only takes about 15 minutes. Find a tall vase, jar, or glass container with a wide opening. First, place a layer of sand about 1 inch deep. This cushions the rocks and hides any "nasties" that seep through. Note that all layering amounts depend on how tall your vase is. Then, place a 2-3 inch layer of small to medium sized river rock followed by a 5 inch layer of good soil.

Succulents are next. The succulents should be spaced enough that there is room to grow. They don't need too much room though (see above). The succulents also don't have a very deep root system, so they are pretty easy to plant. Once planted, place moss and additional river rock around the base to hide the dirt and add more color. The bicycle is a cute accent and can be easily switched out- maybe a doll-house Christmas tree, sled, ghost, flag, gnome, etc based on the season.

I only water the terrarium once every few weeks, and you could go even longer if the terrarium has a lid. If you are lucky, try to find a container with an air tight lid, water it well when planting, and you may not need to water it more than once every few years. Enclosed terrariums make their own mini ecosystem and self regulate the water. I store ours on a side table that gets indirect sunlight everyday.

Cute, cheap, living, and easy to take care of. Almost like a Jax! Speaking of, check out how cute he is:

Butternut Squash Macaroni and Cheese

 Hello Autumn!! I have missed you soo much!

Fall is my favorite season. I love the sights, smells, and tastes, and this macaroni and cheese was a great way to combine the three.  This Martha Stewart recipe was used as the base, but modified to meet my needs. There are two main parts to the recipe, and it takes about 2 hours to make, so I started at 10 a.m. I took this picture when just starting, which perfectly describes our morning- French press coffee and squash.

Butternut Squash Macaroni and Cheese

Part 1:
1 lb butternut squash (half a medium sized squash)
2 Tablespoons olive oil
Sprinkles of salt, pepper, nutmeg, and cayenne (I think I did maybe about 1/4-1/2 teaspoon each)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Peel the butternut squash, scoop seeds, and cut squash into one inch cubes. This is a great tutorial. Place the squash in a metal sheet pan and drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle with seasonings. Bake for 20 minutes, stir, and bake for another 10 minutes. Then, reduce oven temp to 375 degrees.

Part 2:
1 lb elbow macaroni or shell pasta
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup chicken stock
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
Cooking spray
Cheddar and mozzarella cheese for sprinkling
3 tablespoons bread crumbs
Parmesan cheese for sprinkling

Cook pasta according to package. Meanwhile, put previously baked squash, heavy cream, chicken stock, and cheeses into a bowl and mix. The squash will get squishy and not stay cubed. Stir in cooked pasta. Pour all into a sprayed 9x9 baking dish. Sprinkle with remaining cheddar and mozzarella cheese and then breadcrumbs. Loosely cover the pan with tin foil. Bake for 20 minutes. Then, remove pan from oven, take off foil, and return to oven uncovered for another 40 minutes. Let cool slightly before serving with parmesan cheese sprinkled on top.

We ate this with Blue Moon Harvest Pumpkin Ale for a super yummy Fall meal. Enjoy!

**Edit on 12/9/13: We have made this meal three more times since the original posting. A roasted sugar pumpkin works in place of the butternut squash (two seed scooped skin-on halves at 325* for 1 hour, then scraped out instead of cubed). This recipe get 10x more delicious when goat cheese is added into the mix. SO GOOD!

**Edit on  9/1/14: Still SO GOOD! I mess around with the flavors each time and it has never not been good. We're growing squash in the garden now too, which my husband lovingly calls the "squash-a-roni plant". He is just as excited as I am. :)

Mini Chocolate Almond Cake

So I took a break from blogging- but now I am back! I can't promise it will be frequent, but I can promise it will be fun.

Over the break, I made a very decadent, very yummy mini chocolate cake with whipped cream and chocolate ganache filling. Oh boy was this thing good. The recipe was followed almost exactly from here. I had been looking for a way to use mini quiche pans and a cute bird mini cake stand, and this was perfect. The recipe ended up making 6 mini cake pieces, which worked out perfectly since the cake stand was only tall enough for a two-stack portion anyway. So, one four-stack cake and one two-stack cake were created. Who can complain about that?

Spring Fireplace Mantle

My fireplace mantle is not new to the blog. I have posted about it's decor possibilities for Thanksgiving and Christmas. Now that spring has figuratively sprung (despite all the snow on the ground), we needed a cheery display. A television is now mounted to the wall, which creates a new challenge for a pretty display. Here is what I came up with, sticking to a fresh white, blue, green, and gold color scheme.

The right side has the ever present birdcage to hide the DVD player, with a white porcelain bird, fresh green plant in a bright white pot, and 2 brass candlesticks.

A long twig-y candle holder sits under the TV with green and blue fake floral accents.

  

On the left side is a large blue vase with very real looking fake hydrangeas (thanks Hobby Lobby!), a large intricate brass candlestick, and a small brass candlestick and two white birds to match the right side.  To add height, I have some twisty branches and old windows behind the display. The blue vase got a huge jagged hole in the back when filling it with rocks. Super sad, but I put a piece of clear packing tape over it to keep everything in.

Yay Spring!

I have a few fun projects coming up: a homemade shower curtain, bedroom wall painting, art collage wall, and chalkboard cupboard. Pictures will be posted soon!