As Promised

As promised, here I am posting pictures and links about yesterday's post. My family and I made a quick flight back home over the weekend, so I was away from all of my pictures and info and such.

Back to Sweet Somethings -- So good! I think I might just grab some on my way out to California this week getting ready for my book release party.

Ok -- whoa whoa whoa - stop everything. Apparently I was on a sugar high, but this delicious bakery is called Something Sweet - not Sweet Somethings - hah! Sorry, I must be loosing it.


Something Sweet is located in Ahwatukee in the Safeway/Trader Joes parking lot off of Chandler blvd.



Here are also a few articles that were printed about her bakery:

http://www.ahwatukee.com/news/business/article_4f36c690-4c4a-11e0-8e70-001cc4c002e0.html

http://www.ahwatukee.com/news/business/article_9d1ea958-e638-11e0-bf63-001cc4c03286.html

Hope you'll stop by sometime.

Weekend Wrap: For my fellow Arizonians

Todays weekend wrap goes out to my fellow Arizonians to highlight a local bakery in our hometown of Ahwatukee. Sweet Somethings recently opened up just down the street from my home and I am in love. I had the wonderful priviledge of meeting the owner Tina and heard her stories of always having the dream of owning a bakery.

I am currently away from my computer with all my photos so Lord willing I promise to post photos and links about this great bakery tomorrow. Until then I hope you all have a beautiful Sunday afternoon.

Thankful Thursday: My hubby and...

This Thursday I am once again thankful for my wonderful husband. His ability to bite his tongue, roll his eyes and love me through my craziness is something I will never understand.

I now have the house torn a part once again planning for my upcoming release party in California for my cookbook, and in the midst of taking over my son's nursery as a staging area and tearing through boxes in the garage I decided to do yet another Halloween inspired craft! Yes another.

I picked up some really cute tin plates from the Dollar Store. I'm planning to pick up a few more. I also purchased some stencils (which you could make your own if you'd like), some black glossy spray paint and spray adhesive.





Using the spray adhesive, I stuck the stencils to the tin plates, spelling "Boo" and "Eek"





Then the fun with paint began. One huge recommendation I have for you is to wear gloves. Between the glue and the spray paint, my hands where a disaster all afternoon. (If you do not have gloves, a little canola or vegetable oil rubbed on your hands will do the trick to get the glue off).

Let the paint dry and then remove the stencils. You will have some really cute spooky looking plates to display around your house. I think they would make a really cute entry display out front too!

Woo-Hoo Wednesday: Three Little BABY Pumpkins

I am so excited to be sharing with you my little craft from this week, I even got up early before the kids just to blog about it.  "Woo-Hoo" for Wednesday. (I just had to shout it out!)

My son is now reaching the age where he is beginning to eat fruits and vegetables from a jar. So of course, I've got baby food jars all around the house. I've informed my husband that we MUST keep all of the jars because they make such great crafting starters. He interprets it as: "More Stuff in our already small home".  But my rebuttal is, "You never know when the creative part of my brain needs to be satisfied, thus the reason we need to have them all around."(good argument right?)


Here we go. I'm sure people have created these many times in the past, but I am just in love with them and they were so easy to make. I now have my three little baby jar pumpkins in the front entry way for me to see each day as we enter. I think even if you don't have a kid around to eat the baby food, it's still a really cheap craft to make; baby food is about 60 cents per jar.







Supplies: Three baby food jars, cleaned from paper and glue. One sponge brush. Orange and Green Paint. (You will also need a black sharpie marker).



Color in the tops of the lids with a black Sharpie so you don't have to battle with seeing the words showing through the paint.



Paint the jars orange and lids green using the sponge brush.



Cap jars off with their lids. If you have any green wire around it is the perfect addition to your pumpkins. I used a writing pen and wrapped the wire around giving it an adorable little curly q.



Seriously, aren't these adorable? And so simple to make!


What have you made using baby food jars? 

How- To Tuesday: Caramelize Onions

The Today Show is hosting a contest called Meatball Madness, and since my ultimate goal is to someday be on The Today Show, of course I had to enter! I wont be revealing the recipe that I submitted, but I do want to dedicate today's post to caramelizing onions. (so delicious)



How To Caramelize Onions.

I really am not a raw onion type of girl, and I'm thinking quite a few people would agree with me. Now, cooked onions, that's a completely different story. Throwing an onion the barbeque, delish! Baking it with garlic and butter? Come on now, my taste buds are salivating here. And don't even get me started with grilled onions on my grilled cheese from In-N-Out. (I think I should text the hubby to bring some home tonight for dinner, yum) 

But caramelizing onions at home isn't something I started doing until a few months ago. It's quite simple really and the flavors are endless of what you can create.

First off, you'll want to get a frying pan and warm it with medium high heat. Next, add your sliced raw onions and a little bit of olive oil to keep the onions from sticking and burning. The onions will begin to sizzle as they get hot. You will need to push them around with a spatula or tongs making sure each onion is coated in olive oil and has enough time on the pan. Your onions will soon become soft and limp in about 10 or so minutes.

Caramelized!

Now's where the fun begins. Start to season your onions with your all time favorites: Garlic, Cayenne, Jelly, Balsamic Vinegar, Soy Sauce, Orange Juice. (of course not all at once.)

Enjoy over your favorite meats or chicken. Or even add them to a grilled cheese on sour dough.

In-n-out, In-n-out, that's what a haaaammmbuurger's all about.... calling my husband right now.

Weekend Wrap: Apple Cider Pancakes

I've been on somewhat of a pancake kick lately! Especially for dinner! This week the craving struck again and of course I answered! Usually when I'm making pancakes for dinner, I just whip up a batch from the side of a Bisquick box and I love making the Supreme Melt In Your Mouth ones. I had decided to experiment a little so I added two packets of apple cider mix to the batter and it was delicious. Just a hint of that fall time favorite was the perfect addition to my late night breakfast classic.



What's your favorite thing to mix into pancakes?

Thankful Thursday: Rubber Spatula's

I am always so very thankful for my RUBBER SPATULA'S. These amazing little kitchen utensils I feel are often overlooked at just how important and handy they really are.

Do you realize how much extra batter gets scraped out of a bowl when using a rubber spatula? Or how about the ease of direction it gives as you guide your mixture from one bowl into ... lets say...a cupcake pan? Rubber Spatula!



I am thinking that soon I would like to be a collector of spatula's. There are SO many adorable ones on the market these days....


Adorable Lady Bug spatula from Williams Sonoma


Princess Spatula? Um...Hello...CA--UUUTTEE! Williams Sonoma


Turquoise ones from Bed Bath & Beyond

Plus don't even get me started on all the cute holiday themed spatula's.....

Yes, in my head I am falling more and more in love with the rubber spatula. I think once the kids wake up I might need to pick myself up one from the grocery store! (don't tell the hubs!)