Miles of Macaroons

Once again, we have woken up to another foot of snow.  And for me, a snow day calls for a late breakfast, baking, and bubbi.

Macaroons are lightly, fluffy, baked goodness, with a crisp outside and an all over sweet eat.  After making these, I could have ate one after another until there were none left.

Ingredients:

• 2 large egg whites
• pinch of salt
• 1 can sweetened condensed milk (14oz)
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 bags shredded coconut (14oz each)
• parchment paper

Preheat oven to 300 degrees and put on your apron.

Whisk egg whites and salt until you have a nice frothy consistency (about 2 minutes).  Stir in milk and vanilla.  Using a rubber spatula, fold in the coconut, one bag at a time.  Mixing in the coconut is heavy work, so be prepared to put some muscle into it.  Using a teaspoon and your fingers place small mounds about 1 inch in diameter on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.  The macaroons should not spread much but just to be safe, space your little mounds about an inch apart.  Bake for 10 minutes or until tops are golden brown.  Cool on baking sheets.  Eat and give to friends, otherwise I will eat them all.

Inspiration: snow bomb.

Cheers...to Keanu Reeves's acting in the blockbuster hit "Speed".

Framed Fun

Also, a Tree of the Month update...

As mentioned earlier, packing away Christmas decorations is depressing and leaves the house looking bare.  I attempted to spruce things up with my tree branch, which turned out looking like a dead tree branch.  So, I wandered to the thrift store and bought a few random frames for an eclectic look.

Materials:

• Frames
• Ribbon
• Hot Glue
• Pictures of your favorite things

Simple...fill frames, hot glue ribbon to the back of the frame, hang on the wall, sit back and smile at your crafty wall like I did.

                                                      Before                                    After

                                               Dead Tree Branch                     Tree of Life

Cheers...to a weekend with no plans.

Eggplant Ciabatta

Ciabatta is the Italian word for "slipper".

Ciabatta has a lightly crispy outside, but not too crispy where it cuts you,

and has an inner dough of airy deliciousness.

Ingredients:

• A few slices of eggplant, depending on how meaty you would like your sandwich
• A mixture of Italian seasonings,olive oil, and balsamic vinegar (I had this pre-made as a salad dressing)
• 1/2 of a tomato, chopped
• 1 garlic clove, chopped
• 1 tablespoon chopped onion (this is a strange measurement but you really don't need a lot of onion)
• Basil
• Salt and pepper
• Ciabatta bread

For the eggplant:
Generously drizzle the olive oil mixture over eggplant slices, sprinkle with basil and let marinate for a half hour.  Grill lightly over medium heat, just enough to see tan lines on the eggplant.  Set aside.

Tomato Topping:
Toss tomatoes with garlic, onions and 1/2 a teaspoon of basil.  Set aside.

Cut a nice chunk of bread for your sandwich.  Slice in half and lightly brush with oil.  Place face down on grill over medium heat for a few minutes, just enough to warm up.  Make sandwich by place eggplant on open bread and top with tomatoes.  Sprinkle with a touch of basil.  Eat.

Inspiration...I wanted a sandwich.

Cheers...to muddin'.

Tree of the Month Club

Around this time, the ornaments are safely nestled in tissue paper boxes, the mistletoe is put away, and my little home looks so naked.  I wish I could have a Christmas tree all year round.  I wanted to make a little number like this but mine looks too bare and it needs some sprucing up.  For now, I made these cute little hearts out of pastel card stock paper and strung them from the branches.

Materials:
Card stock
stamps or markers
ribbon
tree branch
Optional: love.


Cheers...to wasabi peas.

Birthday Box

I finally gave my friend her birthday present so now I can post it!  I made this cute trinket box from a plain wooden jewelry box I bought at the craft store.  Add some decoupage, a pair of earrings, and ta-da!

Materials:

• Wooden jewelry box
• Paint
• Photos or cut out designs (I cut out some paisley prints from scrapbook paper)
• Mod Podge
• Water based satin varnish
• Optional: Gus Gus

Paint the box.  Let dry.  Attach your images with the Mod Podge.  Let dry.  Spray all over with an even layer of varnish.  Let dry.  Spray again.  Let dry.  Fill with trinkets and goodies.  Let dry.  Just kidding, its dry.

Inspiration: giving presents.

Cheers...to skiing!

Felt Flowers Forever

I am a little obsessed with felt flowers.  Today I made a bouquet.  This was a time consuming craft, good thing I had a snow day!

Materials:

• Felt
• Embroidery Thread (also used for friendship bracelets, which I think I will make next)
• Hot glue
• Embellishments (beads, jewels, glitter)
• Wire
• Optional: a comfy bean bag to sit in

Cut out a bunch of different flowers varying in 3 sizes (big, medium, and little).  Glue 3 together one on top of the other in any color or shape you like.  Go crazy!  Make some fun stitches, or glue little decorations all over!  For the stem, I used 2 pieces of 28 gauge wire twisted together.  Bend 1 inch of the end of the twisted wire and glue to the back of your flower.  Make a bunch of flowers and you have your bouquet!
Give to a friend who is down or keep to brighten up your day!

Inspiration: the girls over at HiP

Cheers...to 5 inches of snow!

Everyone needs a vision board. Everyone.

Tonight, I sat at my desk with every intention of doing work.

Instead, I burned out my eyes "surfing the net".

2 hours later...

 I figured I should at least do something that will motivate me in the future to actually do something.

So, I made my vision board, something I have been wanting to do for a while.  It is a constant reminder of who I want to be and things I want to accomplish.  Here is a sample of what I want in my life (a trip to someplace tropical, the Broad Street Run, more yoga, a yard, graduating, and ultimately my own classroom and a new car to put my sticker on).

Now go find your own visions.

Materials:

• Anything that describes who you are/want to be/want to do: magazines, pictures, words, quotes, decorations, etc.
• Scissors
• Glue
• Poster board
• Motivation to be motivated
• Optional: irrational desires, ex: my own cooking show.

Cut out what you want on your vision board.  Arrange them on your poster board and then glue accordingly.  Hang your thoughts somewhere you see everyday, over your desk, on the fridge, before you walk out the door, or your bedroom so it is the first thing you see when you wake up.

Inspiration: a need for inspiration.

Cheers...to running in 33 degree weather.  Thanks a lot El Nino.