This is a simple project. One I’d been planning to do for some time, but just didn’t get around to it. Do you have those projects? I’m sure you do. You know, the ones that take no time to actually complete? The ones that you keep putting off? The ones that are so rewarding once you finally just go for it? This was one of those projects!

I picked up these plain white teacups at a local thrift store for under $1 a piece. I knew I wanted to embellish them with some doodles. Originally I’d purchased them to use as vessels for making candles. Since, I am not making candles anytime soon, I decided to use them for a couple small succulents who needed some cozy containers to live in. Perfect!

MATERIALS

Old teacups, bowls, mugs or any vessel in need of a facelift
Paint pens in various colors*
Small succulents
Potting soil
Small rocks or pebbles

*I used Craft Smart paint pens. These are acrylic, non-toxic and water resistant. Ideal for wood, plastic, metal and glass. Purchased at Michael’s.

INSTRUCTIONS

- Wash and dry your vessels.

- Follow directions for paint pen. I had to shake, shake, shake it. Test on a scrap of paper.

- Start doodling! I drew on the teacups without a plan. You can sketch out ideas if you’d like or use a stencil if you aren’t feeling up to freehand. I made mistakes, but that’s ok. Don’t be afraid! Mistakes are beautiful. A lesson I’m learning…

- Let the designs dry. I waited an hour before planting. This was really difficult!

- Place some rocks or pebbles in the bottom of your vessel, and top rocks with a bit of soil in before centering your succulent.

- Hold the succulent in place while packing in soil all around it. Water well, add more soil if needed.

- Now, place you lovely custom planter in a sunny spot and enjoy!

I’m kind of addicted to this project. It’s so simple. What a lovely housewarming gift, no? Can’t wait to make lots more of these! I also plan to doodle on other dishes. It’s so much fun.

Have you tried this? I’d love to see your creations. Send me a link!

I made my first pumpkin pie this Thanksgiving, and I decided to go all out by making it completely from scratch, including the pie crust. I turned to Martha Stewart’s Baking Handbook, of course! I cannot endorse that book enough. It’s full of wonderful recipes, tips and techniques. It hasn’t let me down yet.

The pies turned out perfect… exactly what pumpkin pie should be. However, I thought it could use an unexpected kick. Maybe a little spiked whipped cream… or a lot if you like that sort of thing. Which, of course, I do! It was the perfect addition to the not too sweet pumpkin pie.

Homemade Spiked Whipped Cream

This is not an exact recipe. Just a guide. You will have to taste and determine how sweet and how spiked you like it.

You will need:

Heavy whipping cream
Liquor (I used orange Triple-Sec, but also love Coconut Rum or Amaretto in this.)
Sugar

Pour some heavy whipping cream into the bowl of your trusty KitchenAid Stand Mixer with the wire whisk attached. Start whisking on medium-high until soft peaks form. Turn the speed down. Now begin to add some sugar and your liquor a little at a time. You can turn the speed back up for a few seconds after each addition until you find that perfect flavor.

I tend to let mine get thicker than most because I like it like that, and it softens a bit as it sits. However, I doubt it will “sit” for very long! Use it to top your pies, ice creams and coffee. Or, just eat it by the spoonful. It’s that good!

We’ve also used it in Frozen Chocolate Chip Amaretto Whipped Cream Sandwiches in place of ice cream. Simply put some whipped cream between baked and cooled chocolate chip cookies and freeze on a baking sheet. Wrap each individually once frozen. So delicious!

How would you use spiked whipped cream?

More information on making homemade whipped cream can be found here.

Just wanted to share a quick and easy addition to your upcoming winter soups.

I always save leftover, unused puff pastry bits. Why not utilize those extra bits to make croutons?

These couldn’t be simpler, and they add a lovely, buttery addition to tomato soup. I imagine this would be quite nice on many other soups, too. Also, it’s a bit unexpected if serving to guests. It’s a little pillow of buttery, flaky goodness. Mmmm…

Cut your frozen pastry bits into whatever shapes you’d like. I chose small rectangles. Place on a baking sheet. Season with your favorite seasonings. I used an Italian seasoning grinder. Bake until puffed and golden in a preheated 400 degree oven. About 10 minutes. Just use your judgement since these are small. You don’t want to overcook them!

This past Saturday, I made it out to the Little Italy Mercato here in San Diego. I scored big time with cipollini onions, heirloom tomatoes, swiss chard, fresh french baguette, goat’s milk feta… and the list goes on!

I’ve never tried cipollini onions before, but I’ve been dying to since I read how tasty they were after roasting them. But what recipe should I try?? Hm. This was tough, but when I came across Smitten Kitchen’s Roasted Tomatoes and Cipollinis I was hooked!

Wow! Really. WOW! I would like to eat this every night. I didn’t add white beans to mine, nor did I used the chopped basil. (It was in fact chopped and sitting on my cutting board, oops.) It was still so tasty!

Can’t wait to make this again… with the basil.

To accompany my roasted delights, I made my first batch of swiss chard. I used the Lemony Swiss Chard recipe from Martha. This was also quite good, and a lovely addition of color to the plate. It was different than I’d expected, but in a good way.

I could have photographed this swiss chard all day. It’s so lovely. So vibrant. So fresh. Straight from the farm.

If you haven’t found a local Farmers’ Market in your area yet, then get out and find one! It’s totally worth it.

First off, let me apologize for disappearing for two weeks! Between visiting family and a quick trip to NYC last week, life got crazy. Ok, now back to the cauliflower!

This is a great, filling and healthy way to prepare cauliflower. My husband’s favorite!

Simply rinse and chop one head of cauliflower into bite size florets. Toss in a bit of olive oil. Season with salt, pepper and your favorite herbs/sprices. I use McCormick’s Italian Herb Seasoning Grinder. Season liberally. Roast in 400 degree oven for 20-25 minutes or until tender. You can shake the pan halfway through, but it’s not necessary.

One tasty variation is to add a jar of peeled whole garlic cloves. Drain and rinse thoroughly. Toss onto pan with prepared cauliflower. So yummy! I use 1 7.75 ounce jar of Bellino Garlic Cloves from my local grocery store.

Who else is THRILLED that Spring is finally here?!?!?

I love  a good sopapilla! Who doesn’t? I whipped up this tasty dessert with some leftover pieces of puff pastry.

Simply cut the puff pastry into triangles. Place on a baking sheet. Brush with egg wash. Bake at 400 degrees for 15-20 minutes or until lightly browned, rotating baking sheet once. While baking, place cinnamon and sugar into a gallon size plastic bag. I just eyeballed the amounts, but use more sugar than cinnamon. I used about a 3:1 ratio.

When pastry is done, place into plastic bag and shake until coated with cinnamon and sugar. Remove and plate. I drizzled mine with agave nectar, but you could also use honey. Done!

This was a lovely little after dinner treat. And really super easy.

*Frozen puff pastry will take longer to cook than thawed sheets, if thawed decrease cooking time.

I came across a bag of smooth stones I’d picked up pretty cheap at Ikea a long time ago. They seem to be moved from one box or closet to another. It was time they had a makeover! Here I’ve made them into pretty little paperweights.

WHAT I USED

- any rocks, smooth stones
- scrap lace or trims
- Fabric-Tac

WHAT I DID

Decide which side of your rock you’d like to be the top. Now flip it over, and place your lace edge down to see where you want it to be glued. I pushed mine towards the center a bit so you can’t see the edge when it is sitting on your surface.

Start by drawing a thin line of glue around the bottom of the rock. Take one end of your lace and place it in the line of glue. Press gently to keep fingers clean! Do not flip right side up until glue has dried.

You may also want to place a bead of glue where the ends meet to keep a uniform look throughout the lace. Otherwise you will see two unfinished edges.

Now you’re done! Use as a paperweight or simply a pretty little addition to your home.

Are you like me? Do you bookmark any craft / project / recipe you would love to make although know that you may never get to it? Last week, I came across this Ric Rac project I had filed away who knows when and thought it’d be a perfect was to use this random pack of white glow-in-the-dark Ric Rac I have had for a while. The project is here at Knick Knacks & Ric Rac.

What do you think? Perfect little addition to purses, headbands, tshirts, jackets… anything! I’ll definitely be making more of these. So cute!

And yes! You’d be able to find me anywhere with this snazzy accessory!

My uniform of choice…  jeans & T-shirt. Lately, I’ve become one of those girls that finds a great T-shirt, then I buy it in every color (and sometimes doubles!). My favorites are these Boyfriend V necks from Target with a cute little pocket. I buy them when on sale for about $5 each. I cannot resist. As comfy as they are, sometimes it gets a little dull. Thus, this little revamp was born. Using some pre-made fabric flowers I’ve had lying around (that I purchased very much on clearance), I brought a little springtime into this otherwise drab T. I stitched them on by hand, which is surprisingly therapeutic! Easy project. Can’t wait to sport this little number during such a cold, snowy winter.

My husband LOVES spicy food. It seems with him, the hotter it is, the better! We came across a recipe in a recent issue of Bon Appetit magazine, and thought we’d try it. These would make a nice addition to sandwiches or anything you want to add a little bit of zing to. Below is our recipe adapted from Bon Appetit.

Pickled Hot Peppers
Makes 1/2 quart.

WHAT I USED

1/2 pound peppers, sliced (jalapenos, 1 cubanello, 1 small red bell pepper)
1 medium shallot, thinly sliced
1 cup white wine vinegar
1/4 cup sugar
1.5 tablespoons water
2 shakes dried thyme
1 garlic clove, thinly sliced
1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes
Pinch of kosher salt

1 glass container, I used a thrifted glass jar with lid. (thoroughly washed!)

WHAT I DID

1. Chop peppers and shallots, place in a heat safe bowl.

2. In a medium saucepan, combine remaining ingredients and bring to a boil over medium heat. Stir to dissolve sugar. Remove from heat and pour over peppers and shallots. Cover, let stand 5 minutes.

3. Uncover and let cool. Once cooled, transfer entire contents to glass container. Press peppers into brine and store in refrigerator. Peppers should chill at least 4 hours. Will keep up to 10 days.

*If you prefer milder flavor, use sweet or mild peppers and be sure to remove all seeds. I left the seeds for extra spice.