Disneyland Treat Review!

For the Christmas Holiday I got to go to Disneyland!! Let me tell you what was good. The pretzels are amazing and star shaped sugar cookies with blue sprinkles. Here is also a picture of chocolate cover Mikey marshmallows. Yum! I had to resist these.

Winter Wonder Recycled Wreath

Hello Everyone,
Hope your having a good December so far. This time a year seems a little busier and I am trying to find time to relax and refresh.

Here is a recycled wreath I started the other week. I used wire to create the circle shape. I then cut out old paper bags and left over paper I had from cards to make leaf shapes to glue around the wreath.

Hopefully I will have time to work on it more next week. I'm thinking it would be a very pretty center piece with different height white candles in the center.

More picture to come once I'm done. Enjoy the season and holidays soon!

Snapdragons and Mason Jars

These purple snapdragon flowers are very beautiful in the blue mason jars.  I have been seeing a lot of people put flowers in mason jars and was inspired by this idea found on gallery and inspiration on style me pretty website.  I thought I would give it a try with some pink snapdragons and some simple glass recycled food containers I had.  Here is how it turned out below. 

I thought it was a cute look to go on a table for a lunch.  Another idea is to make about five of these arrangements and line them up down an long rectangular table or use different height vases and arrange the snapdragons in the middle of a circular table.  Hope you found some flora inspiration, have a good week!

Sunflower Love Captured in a Drawing and Painting

 Hello Everyone,

 Hope you are enjoying Fall and had a good Thanksgiving!  There are so many things to be thankful for such as: family, friends, nature, flowers, cooking, creativity.  My list could go on.  I just looked up what season sunflowers are in bloom at this site flowercalendar.  I was sad to see that sunflowers are coming to the end of their season.  Sunflowers are in season from early May to mid November.  

Sunflowers are one of my favorite flowers to brighten up a space.  Just as the name says they are like a sun, sunny and bright.  The add a instant amount of joy to a room and look lovely arranged by themselves in a vase.  On a Saturday I worked on a little drawing with pencil of a sunflower in a blue vase.  I like the two bright colors together, the yellow and blue.  

I like the drawing just in graphite, yet decided I wanted to capture the bright colors of the flower.  I gave it a go with the watercolors.  The picture turned out to be bright and bold.  It does not look exactly like the flower and vase, yet the process of painting was relaxing and fun.  

I hope this post inspires you to possibly try to draw some flowers you enjoy and maybe add some color as well.   Are there any flowers or food items you enjoy drawing? 

Pastries With Fresh Garlic Chives

{Fresh garlic chives from my window sill garden}

{Working on chopping}

{Salomi and Garlic Chives}

{Roll out the triangle shaped dough, spread a thin layer of cream cheese, sprinkle garlic chives on top and salomi}

{Roll up the dough into a and sprinkle with garlic chives and put in the oven for 10-12 minutes at 375 degrees}

{Allow to cool on the foil and enjoy!}

Hello friends!  Hope you have been having a good fall.  I haven't been posting as much due to grad school and work keeping my pretty busy of the late.  I hope you still enjoy following along from time to time and get inspired to try some new recipes.  This recipe was inspired by seeing different recipes like this on Pintrest, yet I gave it a go and just combined what looked good to me.  And guess what!?  It worked and tasted great. 

These little pastries with fresh garlic are easy to make for an appetizer or a party!  I enjoyed making them because they were quick and tasted delicious in the end.  I literally had to stop myself after the second one.
Are there any fall recipe favorites that you would like to share?  

Ingredients:
-1 crescent roll package
-plain cream cheese
-fresh garlic chives
-salomi

Directions:
1.)  Pre-heat the oven to 375 degrees.
2.)  Roll out the crescent shaped dough on a cutting board (they will look like mini triangles).
3.)  On one side of the triangle shaped dough spread a thin layer of cream cheese.
4.)  Chop the garlic chives in small pieces and sprinkle over the cream cheese.
5.)  Cut the salomi into thin pieces and place onto of the garlic chives.
6.)  Roll up the dough and place each piece on a try with aluminum foil.  Make sure they do not touch one another.
7.)  Cook for 10-12 min on 375 degrees. 
8.)  Allow the pastries to cool and enjoy!

Fresh Lil Herbs

Today I bought two lil fresh herb plants. Looking forward to using the garlic chives in dips and the greek oregano in some pasta sauces.

Look forward to seeing these herbs in use soon, and thanks for reading!
xx

P.S. Here's me with the purple toes studying on the patio in the beautiful 81 degree November weather.

Sunday Breakfast With Fresh Vegetables

{Egg scramble:  fresh kale, small red and yellow tomatoes, salami, cheese, four eggs + toast with butter and jam}

{Farm fresh eggs from the farmers market.  I love the speckles on them, so beautiful}

{Add all the vegetable chopped up and four eggs into a bowl, whisk, and then pour in to a pan to cook.  Remember to keep stirring so the eggs do not burn and become fluffy}

{Enjoy the delicious Sunday breakfast with some coffee or tea}

Flower Holder

I love this glass hanging flower holder I made earlier this summer! I thought this fresh gladiola bloom looked very pretty in the holder for fall.

Campus flowers

I love relaxing after class around the open fields of my graduate schools campus. Here is a little glimpse of these tiny white flowers and deer I spotted.

Hope you have a wonderful weekend!

Lavender Love

Lavender always holds a special place in my heart.  Growing up I had a friend across the street who had a beautiful garden.  I remember often playing in the lavender and one day we also made homemade lavender cookies.  Till this day I love the relaxing qualities of lavender. 

Here is a beautiful yet simple floral arrangement with lavender and wheat.  There is a rustic quality to the arrangement and romanticism. 

{Beautiful wheat and lavender arrangement seen here}

Farmer's Market Fun

Today was so fun going to the farmer's market. I brought along $15 to see what I could get with that. I have found that at the tail end of the market there are great deals and bargains, due to the stands closing.

I ended up with beautiful sunflowers with stems that were my height, fresh lettuce, Oregon herb bread (which later made a fantastic PB&J!), grapes, and a course a chocolate cupcake.

It was such a treat to spend a nice Sunday morning buying fresh local produce.

Modern Patio Area

This patio area is beautiful due to the simplicity in the elements chosen.  The minimalist aspect of this modern patio area help the small space to appear larger.  I really like how they repeated using two chairs and two plants with the small little circular table.  The circular table helps to often the more rectangular shapes of the chairs, pillows, and wood flooring.  

If you have a patio area that you would like to spruce up a bit a perfect idea to start with are some connecting water proof wood flooring panels.  These add a finished feeling to the area and help create a unique space that does not look like other apartments or condo patios.  The next thing to add is a cozy sitting area, and some plants to make it feel more natural.  

 

Hope these ideas help you to make you dream patio, or inspired you!  Have a great week and thank you so much for reading.

Image source: apartment therapy 

Homemade Bread

This week on Monday I did it! I made homemade bread. It turned out delicious. It took an entire 24 hours for the dough to rise. Right there that shows that I am a pretty patient person. The wait for it to rise was completely worth it. This bread is good anytime! With jam, butter, alone, with honey butter. I could go on...

The gift of a large cast iron dish with a lid to cook the bread was perfect. I don't think this recipe would have worked without it.

I'll see if I can share the recipe because it is a secret one thus far. For now just know I did it! Finally made bread : ).

Fish Tacos with Slaw

Summer is coming to an end slowly and Fall is right around the corner, one of my favorite seasons.  Really I love all the seasons though because they bring such different things, and foods.  To finish off summer I have been trying to use the grill more and make some dishes that especially feel right for this season.

The Spicy Fish Tacos with Slaw recipe turned out to be easy to make, and tasted delicious.  I liked how the slaw was not too over powering, yet packed the right amount of taste punch with the cumin, chili powder, and garlic combine. This recipe is also pretty healthy, which is a plus. 

I found the Spicy Fish Tacos recipe from a Women's Health magazine that I had from a few years.  The recipe can also be found on  this website.  I really hope you enjoy making this Spicy Fish Taco dish, and enjoy it with friends and family for a end of the summer gathering.

{Spicy Fish Tacos with Slaw}

{Some of the ingredients: shredded green cabbage, limes, plain yogurt}

{Ready to eat}

{The layers taste delicious}

 Ingredients:

• 1 lb halibut or mahi mahi
• juice of 2 limes
• 1/3 C nonfat plain yogurt
• 3 C shredded red cabbage
• 8 6" soft corn tortillas
• 2 tbsp ground cumin
• 2 tsp chili powder
• 1 tsp garlic powder

Directions:

1.

Cut fish into bite-size chunks.

2.

In a medium bowl, whisk together lime juice, cumin, chili powder, and garlic powder. Add fish and marinate for at least 10 minutes.

3.

Meanwhile, in another medium bowl, mix together yogurt and salt to taste. Toss with cabbage.

4.

Coat a large skillet with cooking spray and heat on medium high. Add fish and cook for 3 to 4 minutes, turning frequently.

5.

As fish cooks, wrap tortillas in damp paper towels and microwave for 30 seconds.

6.

Divide fish evenly among tortillas. Top with cabbage mixture. Serve with lime wedges if desired.

Let me know how the dish turned out for you?  Hope you have a great summer, and I will soon have a homemade bread to share.

Fall Flowers

Fall is just around the corner, and it is one of my favorite seasons! I love the bright autumn colors of the reds, oranges, and yellows.

There is nothing better than a cozy sweater and the new chilly weather the season brings. I don't love the cold, yet I love the changing of seasons colors.

Here is a beautiful flower arrangement that I found on Pintrest. I like the twist on the color pallet. Light pink was incorporate, which is usually thought to be a spring color. The light pink looks beautiful against the deeper richer shades.

The white miniature pumpkins and large and small candles add a special touch as well.

I can't wait to try a miniature flower arrangement of this later this fall.

Have you're having a great week!

Filoli Gardens

Going to the Filoli Gardens was one of the most memorable gardens I have seen yet. There are over 64 acres of gardens that you can walk around, and also get a 2 hour guided tour.

Over 1,000 volunteers upkeep the grounds. The tour is totally worth is and takes you through the old family estate as well. The land is preserved as a historic site in California.

I loved seeing all the English sunken gardens and large water features. There is also a herb garden that has a spectacular organic layout to it.

If you want to become inspired or relax for an afternoon definitely visit Filoli in the bay area.

Farmers Market Vanilla Cupcake

This cupcake was delicious from our local farmers market. The cupcake gave me a good surprise once I bite into it revealing a raspberry filling. The cupcake was light and had the perfect amount of sweetness. Now, I just need to go back next week and share the name of this fabulous bakery!