Wednesday, October 28, 2015

What's Cookin'? {Pinterest Inspired}

It's been a long time since I posted any Pinterest-inspired recipes. I've actually made quite a few since the last time I posted about it.

Recently, a city near to me ("near" means 30 minutes away where I live Ü) became a site for Bountiful Baskets. I have rec'd my "baskets" every time so far and it's been fun to try new fruits and veggies that I normally wouldn't purchase from the store.

This past Friday was our turn (you get baskets every other week) and in my "baskets" were pomegranate, grapefruit, apples, lemons, canteloupe,  Mexican squash, yellow squash, radishes, lettuce, and red potatoes. We normally get 6 fruits and 6 veggies and then a bonus item if all 96 baskets (the limit each site can have) are contributed for. There was a little mix up and some of the goodies didn't come, but we still ended up with lots of yummy food.

Out of the above, I've never had fresh pomegranate or Mexican squash. We received some oranges in the last basket and I still had a couple left, so made Pomegranate Orange Scones. YUM! So good and it makes the house smell amazing as well while they are baking! I changed up the recipe just a bit and those notes are in the original recipe I used below in red.

Usually scones are only really good right out of the oven (to me anyway), but these were even better the next 2 days.

The next recipe I used using pomegranates was Pomegranate Fudge from Buns in My Oven. Oh. MY!!! This stuff is dangerous! And oh, so good. I used special dark chocolate. The richness and little bitter of the dark chocolate, the crunch and a fun little burst of sweet juice of the pomegranate work so well together. I added just a little salt and I think that complimented all the flavors.


My Scones Recipe with Scrumptious Pomegranates or Cranberries and Orange Zest

courtesy of finecraftguild

Double the recipe if you love scones. They will last a few days, and they make a fabulous breakfast and/or afternoon tea snack.
  • two cups flour
  • 1/3 cup sugar
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt (i omit this often, but it cooks better if you include it)
  • 1/2 cup ice-cold, unsalted butter, grated or cut into tiny cubes
  • 1/2 cup of pomegranate seeds or cranberries  **I used pomegranate seeds
  • 1/2 cup of milk (but half & half, sour cream, heavy whipping cream, evaporated) milk is yummier) **I used some heavy cream just because I had it and it needed used up
  • 1 egg
  • teaspoon of grated orange zest 
  • **my dough was still too dry, so I added the juice from 1/2 of the orange I zested
Note 1: if you use dried rather than fresh cranberries, you may wish to add a tiny bit of liquid.
step 1: preheat oven to 400 F | 205 C
Step 2: combine flour, 1/3 c sugar, baking powder, baking soda + salt.
Step 3: mix in the butter, till it resembles coarse meal.
Step 4: add pomegranates or cranberries and orange zest.
Step 5: Add the milk and the egg.
**and juice from 1/2 orange if it is too dry
Step 6: Combine well with your hands.
Tip: dust your hands with some flour before you begin.
Step 7: roll 6 balls, flatten them before you put them onto your prepared* cookie sheet or porcelain baking tray. **I just pat out 2 circles and then make cut marks (to serve 6) into each flattened thick circle...probably about 1/2" thick
Step 8: Bake for 15, or till golden brown.
Cool for a few minutes before serving.


POMEGRANATE FUDGE

YIELD: 25 PIECES

PREP TIME: 10 MINUTES

COOK TIME: 5 MINUTES

TOTAL TIME: 15 MINUTES

INGREDIENTS:

1 can (14 ounces) sweetened condensed milk
3 cups chocolate chips (any variety, depending on how sweet you want your fudge)
arils of 1 pomegranate, about 1 cup
**I added a good pinch of salt as well

DIRECTIONS:

Line a 9x9 pan with plastic wrap.
In a small sauce pan, heat the sweetened condensed milk and chocolate chips together, stirring constantly, until the chocolate has melted and mixture is smooth. Remove from the heat and gently fold in all but 1/4 cup of the arils.
Pour mixture into the prepared pan and smooth the top. Gently press the remaining arils into the top of the fudge.
Refrigerate for at least 2 hours before cutting and serving.
Store in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.

Thursday, October 22, 2015

PCS Thanksgiving Eats

I am loving this fall weather we are having! With fall in the air, I have created a fun little pumpkin purse for you using Thanksgiving Eats by Pretty Cute Stamps. I just love the little pumpkin in this set.

I used this tutorial on making the purse, but cut my cardstock base 9" x 9" and then scored at 3" and 6" and followed the rest of the instructions.
The topper is a Nestibilities die. I cut two of them and glued them together to give the flap more support. I adhered the back to the center back of the "purse" and added 1/2 of a Fastener Tab from Tombow. I love that these are so thin and have very little bulk.

The velvet ribbon handle is adhered to the topper with mini brads. To me velvet just says "fall" and I love the extra texture to the project.
To create the pumpkin "button" closure, I stamped the pumpkin first onto the cream designer paper and colored the stem and leaf with Dual Brush Pens by Tombow, then stamped it again on 2 different designer papers.

I paper pieced those and then punched with a circle punch and punched 2 more on plain cardstock and adhered them all together. I knew I would need the sturdiness the bulk gave it as this is what will be open and closing the flap and I didn't want it to tear.


Here is a peek (although a bit blurry, sorry about that) of what it looks like opened. Now off to find some goodies to fit inside it.





I am also linking this up to The Creative Exchange
The Happy Scraps

Tuesday, October 20, 2015

Fire and Ice Review

I recently signed up to do reviews for Bethany House Publishers. The first e-book I rec'd was Fire and Ice by Mary Connealy. 

I am a fan of Mary Connealy's books and have read many of them. However, this one was harder for me to get in to. It just seemed to go a lot slower than her other books.

Fire and Ice is a western story about Bailey Wilde and Gage Coulter. Bailey disguises herself as a man until Gage discovers the truth. The two battle head to head over land disputes. After a long hard winter, Bailey finds that she is glad to see Gage, but shocked when he proposes marriage to her.

The book picked up a bit after that and things get lively esp when Gage's mother shows up. Both Bailey and Gage have past hurts they have to deal with. Even in the pain of their lives, the humor for which Mary Connealy is known for is definitely present.

Even with the slow start, I would still recommend this book. There is fun love, romance, mystery, and humor throughout.

**Thank you Bethany House for providing me with a free e-copy for the purpose of this review. All opinions are strictly my own.

Monday, October 19, 2015

Shake It Up

The Cutting Cafe is "shaking it up" this week with some fun fall shaker files Regina has created. We had 2 different sets to choose from:
or


I love anything with corn candy, so I chose the corn candy shaker image from 3 Halloween Shaker Cards. (by the way...do you say "corn candy" or "candy corn"? We say "corn candy" here, but many say it the other way).


Anyone notice I colored the corn candy wrong?! Yellow should be on the bottom. I'm going to blame it on my sinus infection. Let's just say I'm not thinking too clearly.

Be sure to visit the Cutting Cafe Blog on the 7th and 21st of every month to see the design team's projects in which you can leave a comment to be entered into a drawing to win 3 FREE sets of your choice from the online store.

I am also linking this up to The Creative Exchange
The Happy Scraps

Saturday, October 17, 2015

PCS Monthly Challenge ~ Thank You


Wow! Can you believe it's already the middle of October?! This year is just flying by. 

It is time for Pretty Cute Stamps' monthly challenge and this month it is a "thank you" project. Every month Pretty Cute Stamps has a card/project challenge where you can play along for a chance to win some prizes.

I created a card using 2 stamps sets: Many Thanks (sentiment) and Thanksgiving Eats (pumpkin). This card was inspired by THIS fun sketch by Sweet Sunday Sketch #272.

Now we would love to have you play along! Check out the wonderful projects the rest of the Design Team created. You have until November 7th to enter your own project that says "thank you" and Pretty Cute Stamps image for the challenge for a chance to win.

Thursday, October 8, 2015

PCS October 2015 Release Blog Hop Day 1


If you came from Amber's blog, you're in the right place. If you stumbled upon this post and would like to start from the beginning, please visit the Pretty Cute Stamps' blog, so you don't miss all the wonderful inspiration.

For this hop, we are sharing projects featuring the new stamps from PCS' October release that are now available in the Pretty Cute Stamps Store

My stamp set to share with you today is Warm Winter Wishes. I created 2 cards stamping the polar bear on both and using one of the sentiments from the same set. 
Here is a peek at the stamp set and all the fun images and sentiments that come in it.


The blog candy for this hop is a $15 Gift Certificate to the PCS Store. For a chance to win, you must leave a comment on each blog. For EXTRA chances, just "like" Pretty Cute Stamps on Facebook and/or sign up for the Pretty Cute Stamps Mailing List.

A random winner will be chosen for the prize on Monday, October 12, 2015. All new releases will be on sale through October 13, 2015 and you can save even MORE by purchasing the October 2015 Stamp Release Bundle. 

Now it's time to hop over to see what Melissa created. And if you hop over to the PCS' blog, you can pick up this cutting file for free TODAY only!
Here is today's line up in case you need it:
Debbie **you are here**

Wednesday, October 7, 2015

PCS Winter Sneak Peek

Hard to believe that Christmas is just around the corner! Pretty Cute Stamps is releasing some super fun images for you to create those holiday cards and projects.

Today I am giving you a sneak peek at a sentiment in the Little Carolers stamp set. When mailing Christmas card and even making several, it's best to keep it simple and the card without many embellishments to keep the cost of mailing the cards down.

I created this card that would be perfect for using up designer paper scraps and easy enough to mass produce. I used one of the sentiments in the set as well as 5 little notes that come individually, but I put them all on a block and stamped them all at once to create a background.

Here is today's freebie. Head over to the PCS blog for info on how to get this. Remember this is only available for free today. If you miss out, you can always purchase it in the store tomorrow.

Tuesday, October 6, 2015

Fall Blocks

With the beautiful fall weather we are having, it seems only right that the Cutting Cafe showcase fall projects this week!

We had several fall inspired files to work with this week and I chose Regina's Fall Word Shaped Card file to make my wood blocks. I cut the blocks, sanded, painted, then sanded again and then added designer paper to the fronts. 


Then I cut 3 of each letter spelling out fall and adhered them together, embellished the letters, and then glued them to the front of the blocks. My blocks are 3" x 3 3/8". I resized the letters so that they were 3.088" x 5.532 on my Silhouette so that they would fit my blocks. That is the beauty of cut files like this. You can adjust them for any project you want to create!


Be sure to visit the Cutting Cafe Blog on the 7th and 21st of every month to see the design team's projects in which you can leave a comment to be entered into a drawing to win 3 FREE sets of your choice from the online store.

I am also linking this up to The Creative Exchange
The Happy Scraps

PCS Winter Sneak Peek Day 2

Today is the 2nd day of the Pretty Cute Stamps Winter Sneak Peek. Be sure to check out the blog and see how you can snag this cutting file for FREE! Today only though, so hurry over to the PCS blog.

Come back again tomorrow as I have a sneak to share myself and there will be another freebie to grab.

Monday, October 5, 2015

Pretty Cute Stamps Sneak and Freebie

Hurry over to the Pretty Cute Stamps blog for day one of the October sneak peeks and today ONLY you can pick up this free cutting file, perfect for your Christmas projects. 

Bethlehem Silhouette Cutting Files


Thursday, October 1, 2015

Pumpkin Treat Box

It's my turn over on the Pretty Cute Stamps blog to post a project. Fall is definitely in the air here! I am loving the cooler weather this week esp since I have been canning all week. Fall is my favorite time of the year, so I wanted to create a fun fall project.

I had seen these fun self closing boxes on Pinterest and knew I wanted to make one. I found a tutorial on YouTube. They are so easy to create and the little pumpkin and sentiment from PCS' Thanksgiving Eats was the perfect size to accent the box.

I stamped the pumpkin on watercolor paper and watercolored it with Tombow's Dual Brush Pens. Inside the box is a yummy dark chocolate orange candy. Yum! And what a perfect sentiment to go with a food treat project.


I am also linking this up to The Creative Exchange
The Happy Scraps