holiday DIY of the day #17: double dose!

Today's post comes from this Wednesday's DIY posts on Design*Sponge, which I've referenced only about a million times before.  I'm sure you've seen it, actually, but I couldn't help spotlighting it because it's got two terrific how-to projects by Marnie of Elk Accesorries.



The crescents sound heavenly.  I love mixed nuts in baked goods, but I wonder if you could sub in peanuts for someone with a nut allergy (like my mom).  If life doesn't take over, I'd like to make these for the round robin dinner my parents are planning after Christmas.

Meanwhile, as the little treats bake, you can make an adorable gift bag that, like the other gift wrap ideas featured so far, are reusable.  Wrap the food in wax paper and voila, you have a perfectly lovely gift!

So, head on over and see the how-to.  It's an easy-looking recipe, and the story of its origin is so sweet.  Enjoy!

holiday DIY of the day #15: two bite pumpkin pies

The WordPress homepage featured this tasty looking recipe by Laurel of Bake Me More and I thought it'd be fun to switch from crafts to kitchen do-it-yourself projects, especially since it's about to be holiday party time.

Doesn't it look delicious?

tasty slow cooker potato soup

it's soup-er (sorry! couldn't resist)!

-about five medium potatoes

-a third of a cup neufchatel (or other low-fat) cream cheese

-two cups of milk

-half cup each of at least two shredded cheeses (I used pepper jack, cheddar, and mozzarella)

-a tablespoon of butter

-seasoning to taste

Boil the potatoes until they are soft.  Put everything in the slow cooker and let it sit on low for four hours or high for a bit less.

word of advice: do not slice finger with vegetable peeler when removing potato skins.  It hurts a lot.

It's sooo tasty!

mother-daughter time: the tasty rewards

delicious.

I think she can visit anytime!

good morning sunday

tower of goodness

Originally uploaded by iampoohie

Sundays are the days that we take a break.  We're together, in the same town, in our own home.

Cory's mom makes enormously delicious chocolate chip pancakes on a weekly basis.  They're perfectly round and thin.  After months of staying with my now-in-laws almost every weekend, I came to love the dessert-like breakfast almost as Cory.

So I attempt to recreate said pancakes on a weekly basis.  Sometimes they turn out perfect and pretty, but most of the time, they look like one great big chocolate and pancake mess.

Does this affect the taste?

Not in the slightest.  We still eat every last bite.

sounds so yummy!

The Health Conscious Vegetarian: Mediterranean Style Pasta with Greens - Planet Green.

This is on my list of things to cook.  It looks simple, inexpensive, and delicious.  I'll try it next weekend.

Also, Kat: I saw Craftster on your facebook.  What have you done to me????

festive cobbler?

As a wedding gift, my best friend's mom found me this cookbook:

[caption id="attachment_67" align="alignnone" width="218" caption="1978 Edition"][/caption]

Now, this is the cookbook that my mom has always use, and Oma as well, to make special dishes for holidays or from gardens or just for fun.  So my mom asked Kat's mom to find a copy of it, and she did!  I have the single hardback volume, while my mom has a giant binder with a bunch of other recipes stuck in, but both editions have a TON of reference information.  I highly recommend them.  I have been told that the older editions are the best, but I haven't seen newer ones in order to compare.  I just happen to find the 1978 edition much more fun than a brand-new volume, maybe because it's the same one my mom has used for my entire life.

My new in-laws have a cherry tree in their yard that produces rather sour cherries.  They look good but taste tart.  So I looked up cherries in the index of the BCC and found a recipe for cherry cobbler that calls for tart cherries.  How perfect is that?

It's in the oven right now, looking all patriotic with the bright red cherries in a blue and white Bybee Pottery casserole pan borrowed from my mother-in-law.  It makes me smile, because she and my mom both love the same pattern from Bybee.

I hope it tastes good!

*edit: it does, if I do say so myself!*