Tiny House in a Landscape This weeks Tiny House in a Landscape feature was submitted by Renee who sent me about 30 cool pictures and I chose three for this weeks feature. These tiny houses are in the rustic setting with rough wood and timber frame structures built into the landscape. My favorite is the first photo with the rustic old wood and the beautiful fall colors and a nice view from the hill on which it is built. I really like the natural roof in the second one and the way it blends into the background. It looks like it has been there forever. The third one is small timber frame garden shed, but I could imagine it as a tiny house or cabin getaway as well.
Tequila Bramble Recipe One of my favorite Summer cocktails is the bramble, a mix of gin, lemon, fresh blackberries, and blackberry liqueur. It's also a recipe that's easy to play around with, which makes for a fun day of improvising. For anyone craving a fruity cocktail minus the calories, this variation of a classic bramble makes a great choice. Instead of gin, I chose tequila as the base spirit; to me, tequila is the perfect complement to warm weather and fresh fruit. The recipe doesn't contain any store-bought mixers or fruit juice but relies on fresh, seasonal blackberries and a hint of agave syrup for its sweetness. In the end, it's a cocktail with fewer than 200 calories. See the recipe after the break! Ingredients 5 blackberries 3/4 ounce fresh lime juice Crushed ice (see POPSUGAR Food's tip for an easy way to crush ice at home) 1/2 ounce agave nectar 1/2 ounce crème de mure (blackberry-flavored liqueur) 1 1/2 ounces blanco tequila Directions Makes one cocktail Information Category Cocktails, Drinks
Make-Ahead Oatmeal Smoothies Awhile back, I wrote a post about Overnight Refrigerator Oatmeal that has been very popular with Yummy readers. (Thanks for all of the enthusiastic feedback!) Since then I've been experimenting with a smoothie version of that recipe. In today's post, I'm sharing my 6 favorite flavor varieties along with a formula you can follow for inventing your own smoothie flavor combos. Breakfast before school or work, or on the way. If you have kids and have a hard time getting a healthy breakfast in them before school, let them choose or create a favorite flavor and help you make them ahead of time. Great boost before or after exercise. Make ahead convenience. A complete meal in a glass. I honestly can't drink a whole 2-cup serving at one time. Chia seeds are power food (and a perfect smoothie thickener). How to make 6 flavor varieties of Oatmeal Smoothies(or invent your own flavor combo) I used the same procedure for making all 6 smoothies. Step 1. Oats. Fruit. Step 2. Step 3. Step 4. Step 5.
Brown Sugar Rosemary Walnuts Recipe My journey to White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia started with crickets chirping from my cellphone alarm at 4:50 a.m. Getting up that early hurts, but it gave me enough time to catch flights to Roanoke, Virginia via Detroit, and then catch a 90-minute shuttle to The Greenbrier. We arrived just in time for dinner. Have any of you been? This was my second visit (for this), and the place is fascinating - Dorothy Draper interiors, a massive cold war bunker, 4:15 afternoon tea. Activities like: falconry lessons, geocaching, and (no surprise) golf. I think my favorite room (below) at The Greenbrier is just off the main lobby. I spent most of my time at The Greenbrier at the symposium - meaning, in a conference room. So, I'm back home. Preheat oven with racks in the center to 300F / 150C. Now, in a large bowl whisk the egg whites a bit, just to loosen them up. Split the nuts between the two prepared baking sheets in a single layer, separating them the best you can. Print Recipe
Honey Mulled Wine Recipe Now this was a happy accident. I don’t know how I ended up with some red wine in a cup with honey in it, but it happened, and I’m so glad it did. Once I discovered how lovely my red wine tasted with honey, I thought to make a mulled wine with it. Mulled wines are typically very spicy affairs, with cloves, allspice, nutmeg, cinnamon, orange peel, etc. If you are unsure about whether or not you’ll like this recipe, just try it with a half glass of wine first, not the whole bottle. Make sure you use a wine that you like to drink! Ingredients 1 750ml bottle of zinfandel, or other full-bodied robust red wine that you enjoy drinking3/4 cup of water3/4 cup of honey15 black peppercorns3 inches of cinnamon stick for the wine, more sticks (optional) for servingThin peels of lemon zest for serving Method Into a 2-qt saucepan, put the wine, water, cinnamon stick, peppercorns, and honey (if you are unsure about the sweetness level, start with less honey and add more to taste). Strain into glass mugs.
Very Cherry Shirley Temple with Lime Very Cherry Shirley Temple with Lime As a kid whenever I was in a restaurant, the one and only drink I ordered was a Shirley Temple. I savored that one maraschino cherry on top of the drink and saved it for the very end. It was sort of like the prize in the Cracker Jack box….the cherry was the best part of the Shirley Temple. Now that I’m a grown-up (but a kid at heart of course) I make my own Shirley Temples and load them up with maraschino cherries. To jazz it up I like to add thinly cut lime wedges in with the cherries. The sweet of the cherry and the bitterness of the lime seem to complement one another in this drink too..….kind of like the Yin and the Yang. It’s fun serving this drink in a mason jar too. So there you have it, a small twist to an old classic. Let’s check out the ingredients. Lemon lime soda, grenadine syrup, maraschino cherries, ice, and…. …..whole limes. Here’s how to make it: Cut the limes into thin wedges. Then, Next, add the grenadine syrup….. …..and stir. Add more ice….
Toilet Paper Art « This Handmade Circus This is absolutely the most popular piece of artwork in our home, so I decided that this would be the perfect tutorial to start with! This is made from all recycled paper towel and toilet paper rolls, but everyone thinks it is made of iron. It is super light weight and you can change it to look anyway you would like and costs less than 1$! I found a picture of this on pinterest and LOVED it! First gather as many paper towel/toilet paper rolls that you need (mine took a LOT) and then begin cutting them into 1 inch strips. Then form your center flower with as many petals as you would like with the tips touching and pushing them as close together as you can. Next, like a puzzle, start laying new pieces in the in-between crevices however you like them! Then you just keep adding….and keep adding…and keep adding…Until it is the size and shape that you want. Then, were you’re all done adding (or at least you get the hang of it) start glueing. Once it dries, you’re ready to hang! Happy creating!
Recipe for oven-roasted carrots True confession: I don't love cooked carrots. I like them raw, crunchy, dipped into something like hummus or ranch dressing. Cooked carrots don't float my boat. Post-Thanksgiving I discovered an unopened two-pound bag wedged in the back of my refrigerator. Oven-roasted carrots From the pantry, you'll need: extra virgin olive oil, sea salt, fresh black pepper, nutmeg, balsamic vinegar. Serves 4. Ingredients 2 lbs carrots, trimmed and peeled1/2 tsp ground nutmegBalsamic vinegarCoarse sea salt and fresh black pepperExtra virgin olive oilRoughly chopped parsley, for garnish (optional) Directions Preheat oven to 425°F. Cut the carrots into bite-size chunks. Place the carrots on a rimmed baking sheet. Roast in the oven at 425F for 25 minutes. Serve hot. [Printer-friendly recipe.] More recipes in The Perfect Pantry:Moroccan carrot saladCarrot cake cupcakes with lemon frostingThyme roasted new potatoesRoasted fennel with potatoes and onionsRoasted potatoes with lemon thyme vinaigrette
heatherross - blog - Now In Season... We just returned from a dreamy week spent on a lovely little lake in Monroe, NY. Most of the time it was just TC, Lobo, Benito and I (yes, we took the cat) but last Sunday we had some friends up for a day of swimming and grilling. The houses owner had told us that our best bet for fresh produce was a place called Blooming Hill, where a farming family has transformed its barn into a green market, cafe and weekend restaurant, with tables and umbrellas set up on a mostly flat stretch of mowed grass along the edges of the small stream. The farms jolly owner and his extremely friendly staff and family stock tables with their produce as well as mason jars full of icy lemonade with fresh mint and even a local selection of local cheeses in the barn. I love carrots, and was thrilled to discover a new (to me, at least) way to cook them. Corn, too, was always a mid-late summer crop in Vermont. TC was in charge of cocktail hour, which was usually spent lakeside.
Terrarium How-To My sister, Laura lives in Boston and has the green thumb in the family. She makes beautiful terrariums but since I've always lived far away, I miss out on ever receiving one of these lovely, low maintenance creations. So I get my fix at Garden, an impeccably designed and curated garden shop on the west side of Atlanta. Chad Wellbrock, the Manager at Garden, offered me a few tips for creating your own terrarium. First, look for any plants that are slow growing that do not like a lot of moisture. Succulents often work best, but just remember that they will need a lot of sunlight to thrive. When you're ready, place your soil in your glass container, (CB2 sells the pendant globes very cheap) then arrange your plants on a work surface until you find the combination that works best. The biggest no-no is overwatering. First Photo, courtesy Sarah Dorio.
Roasted Rainbow Carrots and String Beans with Citrus-Sage Glaze When I made these roasted carrots and string beans the other night, I immediately thought of my mom who adores them both. Like me, she often uses fresh mint on string beans, but since I had a bunch of velvety soft sage just waiting to be plucked, that's what I used. I was not disappointed. After I made the dish I called Mom to tell her. She and Dad had finished dinner, so, of course, I asked, "What did you eat?" "I made a nice roast pork tenderloin marinated in balsamic vinegar and maple syrup, and I served it with carrots and string beans on the side," she said. "Carrots and string beans, together?" "Yeah, together, with some soy sauce, mint, and toasted sesame seeds. "I called to tell you that I just made carrots and string beans with citrus and sage," I said. "See that? If you haven't paired carrots and string beans yet, you're in for a vegetarian treat. "Mini" carrots, unlike orange “baby”carrots, are about 5-6 inches long and come in an array of fanciful colors.
Dole Pineapple Whips from the Magic Kingdom Disneyworld was so right this time, for so many reasons. First of all, the kids are finally old enough to go on the teacups alone. That saved the Quiet Man and I at least 72.3 arguments. No one had to make the supreme dizzy sacrifice of taking two wild and crazy kids on such spinning madness. They're also old enough to go on some roller coasters. Oh please oh please oh please it will be so much fun and you'll never regret it. And even that makes me a little dizzy, but don't tell. and eating. Just in case you think I post only good pictures of myself on my blog. Dole Pineapple Whips Estimated Cost: $6.00 for four servings. Notes: Plan on making this on a day when you will be around for a few hours. PS Sorry about the funny spacing. 2 20 ounce cans Dole crushed pineapple with juice 2 tablespoons lemon juice Drain pineapple; reserve 2 tablespoons juice. Next Up: The Wild Animal Kingdom
before & after: liz’s table + solanah’s shelf i really enjoy when people incorporate sayings, poetry, and quotations from literature and film into their homes. i’ve had a special poetry project i’ve wanted to work on framing for a while (this poem, handwritten by someone i love), so when i saw this makeover involving poetry i was instantly intrigued. liz from sticks and bricks made over a pine coffee table by hammering (!) in the letters of mary oliver’s poem, “a summer day“. liz says it took forever to hammer in, but was well worth it in the end. i can only imagine how nice that is to look down every day and see words that you love. great work, liz! [have a before & after you'd like to share? CLICK HERE for solanah’s shelf makeover after the jump!