5 Minute Fall Wreath

I am a big fan of craft projects that can be constantly reinvented.  This wreath is a perfect example of that.  I bought this plain grapevine wreath at Michael's a few years ago for Halloween.  I wrapped it with some Halloween ribbon and left it at that.  Since then I have changed it up in several ways and this is my favorite iteration by far.

The best part of all is that it literally took 5 minutes to put together!  I started out with a grapevine wreath and a few stems of fake fall flowers I got on clearance at Joann's last year at the end of the season.  (Make sure to get flowers that have wire in the stems.)

Using some wire cutters or strong scissors cut the individual flowers off of the stems leaving a few inches of stem on each one.  I split the flowers up into two groups, about 1/3 of them in one group and the rest in the other, trying to balance out the colors.

Then stick the flowers into the wreath.  Some I could just stick in at an angle, but others I had to wrap the end around the wreath so they weren't sticking out.

That's it.  No glue guns, no fancy tools.  Just a wreath, some fake flowers, and 5 minutes.  Happy fall!

I'm linking up with Retro Repin, Marvelous Mondays, Mix It Up Monday, Inspiration Monday, Craftastic Monday, Monday Funday,  Inspire Me Tuesdays,  Tasteful Tuesdays, Mad Skills Party, Whimsy Wednesdays, Moonlight & Mason Jars, Create It Thursday, Real Family Fun, Less Laundry More Linking, Pin It Thursday, Thrifty Thursday, TGIF Link Party,  Pin Junkie, Link Party Palooza,  Super Saturday, Show Stopper Saturday, and Sunday Linky.

Salted Caramel Brownies

As anyone who has children, works with children, or knows children, will tell you sometimes at the end of the day you need a little chocolate.  It is for this reason that I keep an emergency stash of chocolate in my desk drawer at work.  Recently I had one of those days and when I went to have some chocolate to erase the irritations of the day I discovered something horrible, my stash was empty.  After some desperate rooting around I found a lone milky way in the back of the drawer and a crisis was averted but needless to say that night I set about replenishing my stash.  Since I am off of peanut butter right now my choices were pretty limited.  Luckily, Josh found a half bag of Dove's sea salt caramel dark chocolate promises.  I brought some of them to school but I saved 16 of them at home because they had given me an idea.

I hesitated to even post this because it is barely a recipe, but I figured people might have some extra candy around after last night, and they were sooooo good that I had to share with you all.  Start out with a box of brownie mix.  I use the Ghiradelli triple chocolate brownie mix.

Yes I do buy the Costco box because this mix is that good.  I love homemade brownies as much as the next girl, but boxed brownies are one of those few pre-made things that can really hit the spot without making you feel like you're settling.  Not to mention the fact that they get brownies in your face a lot faster which is always a plus.

Preheat your oven to 325, then spray a square baking pan with baking spray and stick it in the freezer.  Prepare your mix according to the instructions on the package.  Mine called for some oil, water, and an egg.  Then pour half of it into your baking pan.

Unwrap 16 Dove sea salt caramel dark chocolate promises.  This is literally the most time consuming part of this recipe.  Once they are all unwrapped lay them on top of the brownie batter in the pan.

Next get some caramel sauce, I used Trader Joe's fleur de sel caramel sauce, and melt it so that it is pourable.  I just microwaved mine for about 20 seconds.  Drizzle that sweet and salty goodness all over the candies.

Cover the candies and caramel with the rest of the brownie batter, using a spatula to spread it around.  Finally, get some flaky sea salt and sprinkle it on top.

Have you tried this Maldon sea salt yet?  It is crazy how sprinkling a little of this stuff on top of a sweet treat can elevate the flavor from great to out-of-this-world.

That's it.  Pop it in the oven and bake according to the instructions on the box.  I baked mine for 40 minutes because I like them to be super gooey.  You may want to hang out outside while these are baking because your kitchen is going to smell divine and it is somewhat tortuous to have to wait for them to be ready.

Let them cool before you cut them or you will have a big mess.  It will still taste phenomenal, but they need to be completely cool to cut them into bars.

These brownies are thick, fudgy, and filled with gooey caramel goodness.  I highly recommend having an ice-cold glass of milk nearby and if you don't want to eat the whole pan yourself, take them to a party because otherwise, you may not be able to resist.

Salted Caramel Brownies

• 1 package Ghiradelli triple chocolate brownie mix 
• 1/3 cup oil
• 1/3 cup water
• 1 egg
• 16 Dove salted caramel dark chocolate promises
• 1/4 cup fleur de sel caramel sauce
• 1/4 tsp. Maldon sea salt flakes

1. Preheat oven to 325.  Spray a square baking pan with baking spray and put in freezer for 10 minutes.
2. Combine oil, egg, and water.  Add brownie mix and stir until combined.  Then pour half of the brownie batter into the prepared pan.
3. Lay the Dove promises on top of the brownie batter in four rows of four.
4. Put the caramel sauce in a microwave safe measuring cup and microwave for about 20 seconds until it is pourable.  Drizzle the caramel sauce all over the Dove promises.
5. Pour the rest of the brownie batter on top of the caramel sauce and spread it around with a rubber spatula.
6. Sprinkle the sea salt flakes all over the top of the brownie batter.
7. Bake at 325 for 40-50 minutes or until as baked as you desire.
8. Let cool completely before cutting into squares. 

I'm linking up with Inspire Me Tuesdays, Tasty Tuesdays,  Less Laundry More Linking,  Pin it Thursday, Tasty Thursdays, Link Party Palooza, Best of the Weekend, Pin Junkie, Show Stopper Saturday, Strut Your Stuff Saturday, Inspiration Monday, Mad Skills Party, and Marvelous Mondays.

What I Will Wear Wednesday

 In case there are some pregnant ladies out there who need a last minute costume idea, I thought I would post what I'm going to wear tomorrow for Halloween.   I've seen these cute baby skeleton t-shirts and knew that was what I wanted to wear since I would be teaching all day in my costume.

Luckily I found this super easy tutorial, complete with silhouette cut file, on Keeping My Cents.   I decided to add a face to the baby skeleton but otherwise I followed her directions.  After some quick DIY, I had this adorable little number.  I will say that I was rushing so it didn't come out quite as neatly as I would have liked, but it did the trick for a maternity Halloween costume.

I took these photos after a very long day so I wasn't looking my best and the quality isn't the greatest, but I wanted to share this cute idea with you so I pushed my vanity aside and posted them. 


I'm linking up with Style Sessions, I Feel Pretty, and What I Wore Wednesday.

Pumpkin Waffles

Oh fall, I love you.  The clothes, the weather, the food.  It is all so wonderful!  I'm missing my favorite fall clothes since I seem to be outgrowing something new every week all of a sudden.  I've decided to fill my craving for fall, with fall recipes instead (maybe that's the problem with the clothes fitting).

Jake has "special breakfast" on the weekends and he usually picks some sort of waffle, pancake, or bagel.  This weekend we decided on pumpkin waffles.  I found this great recipe on all recipes and made a few tweaks.  These are not light as air waffles.  They are filled with delicious pumpkin so they are dense, but in the best possible way.  I just have a classic waffle maker and this made us 8 waffles.  Since we each ate 1, that meant that I could freeze the rest and then Jake we can have pumpkin time, anytime. Yay!

Start out by mixing up some whole wheat pastry flour, baking powder, a generous amount of pumpkin pie spice, some salt, and some brown sugar.  If I weren't making these for Jake I would use a bit more brown sugar but since he doesn't like things that are too sugary (if I hadn't given birth to him, I wouldn't be sure he was mine) 1/3 of a cup was enough.

Then in a separate bowl mix together canned pumpkin, 4 egg yolks (we'll use the whites in a minute), and some low-fat buttermilk (If you don't have any buttermilk you can make your own by adding about a teaspoon of white vinegar per cup of milk and letting it sit for about 15 minutes.)

Add the flour mixture and 1/2 a stick of melted butter to the pumpkin mixture and stir until just combined.

Remember those egg whites?  Put them in a clean dry bowl and beat with a hand mixer until soft peaks form.  This took me about 4-5 minutes.  Then fold in a little of the egg whites until they are fully combined.  Then gently fold in the rest of the egg whites.

The batter will be very thick, that's okay.  Remember there is a lot of pumpkin in these beauties.

Then cook them in a waffle iron sprayed with cooking spray and enjoy.

I had mine with butter (actually it was fake butter) and lite syrup.  These would be even better with real maple syrup but I used what I had. 

Pumpkin Waffles
Adapted from AllRecipes 

• 2 1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
• 4 tsp. baking powder
• 1 1/2 tbls. pumpkin pie spice
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/3 - 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 cup canned pumpkin puree
• 2 cups low-fat buttermilk
• 4 eggs, separated
• 1/4 cup butter, melted

1. Combine the dry ingredients (flour through brown sugar) in a medium bowl.
2. In a large bowl, mix together pumpkin puree, buttermilk, and egg yolks.
3. Stir the flour mixture and melted butter into the pumpkin mixture until just combined.
4. In a clean, dry bowl, beat the egg whites until soft peaks form (4-5 minutes with a hand mixer).
5. Fold 1/3 of the egg whites into the batter until fully incorporated.
6. Gently fold the remainder of the egg whites into the batter.
7. Cook on a preheated waffle iron sprayed with cooking spray.

I'm linking up with Tasty Thursdays,  Flashback Friday,  Link Party Palooza, Best of the Weekend, Show Stopper Saturday, Retro Repin, and Strut Your Stuff Saturday.

DIY Elephant Nursery Art

When we found out we were having a boy Josh was relieved because the guest room we would be converting into the nursery was already painted a very pale blue.  With that in mind I set about deciding on a theme for his room.  I spent a lot of time on pinterest and google looking at nursery pictures.  I wanted something that would be baby appropriate, but wouldn't be so babyish that he would outgrow it before we were ready to change his bed into a big boy bed (that is when we changed Jake's room's theme).  I finally decided on an elephant theme in light blue and chocolate brown.

Now that I knew the theme I had to figure out what I wanted on the walls.  As I mentioned here, I'm going to be making a brothers picture frame to hang up, and I plan to make the letters of his name, assuming we can come up with one, but that wasn't enough.  I was at Michael's and they were having a big sale on canvases so I bought a bunch in different sizes as well as a bunch of different scrapbook papers in light blue and chocolate brown hoping they would provide me with inspiration.

After lots of consultation with my dear friend Amy (if you haven't checked out her blog, you totally should) I came up with 2 pairs of canvases I wanted to make.

The first, and larger, pair of canvases represents our family.  The canvas on the left has the biggest elephant, Josh, and the bigger of the kid elephants, Jake.  The canvas on the right is for the baby and me.

I started out by using my silhouette to make elephant stencils. (If you want this stencil, email me and I will send you the file, I haven't figured out how to put Silhouette files on here).  Evidently an elephant with an upraised trunk is good luck so I was sure to include that detail.  I changed the size of the design to make different sized elephants.

I then traced the different sized elephants onto my scrapbook paper and cut them out.  I did this before I had successfully used my silhouette to cut scrapbook paper without it tearing when I removed it from the cutting sheet.  Otherwise I would have just used the silhouette to cut out the elephants from the scrapbook paper instead of making a stencil and cutting them out by hand.  I cut the ears out of the opposite scrapbook paper for contrast.  I also used my silhouette to cut the circles out of my two colors of cardstock.  If you have a larger, circular craft punch, that would work perfectly here too.

I then used the Golden gel gloss I used when I made my comic book letters to attach the elephants and dots to the canvases.  After smoothing it all out I noticed that I had a few ripples so I took a toothpick dipped in the gel gloss to stick those little spots down.

For the second, smaller, pair of canvases I painted them brown and then used the Mom sized stencil from the other canvases to cut out these elephants (one facing either way) and attached them the same way.

It's hard to tell in these pictures, but the elephants on the brown canvases are a white scrapbook paper with tiny pale blue polka dots all over.

I was really happy with how they turned out and they ended up being super inexpensive which made them even better considering how expensive new babies are.  Once we have his room finished I will post some nursery pictures but this was such a great project I wanted to give you the details now.


I'm linking up with Link Party Palooza and Pin Junkie, Strut Your Stuff Saturday, Best of the Weekend, Show Stopper Saturday. Marvelous Monday, Mix It Up Monday, and Inspiration Monday.

What I Wore Wednesday - Black & Grey

 
During the Nordstrom anniversary sale, my friend and I went shopping.  I was already pregnant (and showing) at that point so it wasn't that exciting for me, but I always love shopping and in true form, I found one thing, this top, NOT on sale.  Gah!  On the up side, this top is great because I've been able to wear it throughout my pregnancy and will still be able to wear it afterward.

A couple of years ago my mom got me some amazing Paige ponte pull-on pants for my birthday.  They are basically a legging but they are thick enough to be worn as a pant.  I really love them and was able to wear them for about 6 months, but my ever expanding hips and booty can no longer fit into them.  I got these pants at Target to fill the void for the last few months of my pregnancy.  They definitely aren't as nice as my Paige pants, but for the price, and the amount of time I will wear them, they fit the bill perfectly.

The first time I wore this outfit, I went out to dinner and I wore the fabulous snakeskin, pointy-toe, kitten heels in the first two pictures.  I'd like to tell you that I wore them all day at work, but then I would be a big liar.  I want to look stylish, but I'm 7 1/2 months pregnant and I'm on my feet all day.  I just don't have it in me, so I wore these comfy little flats instead.   I decided to include pictures of the outfit with both pairs to show you how this outfit can be dressed up, or down by simply changing the shoes.

Pleione Top - Nordstrom

Ponte Maternity Pants - Target - $29.99

Heels - Nine West Outlet - old

Dexflex Flats - Payless

I'm linking up with What I Wore Wednesday, Style Elixer, I Feel Pretty, and Three-fer Thursday.

Braised Lamb Shoulder Chops with Cheesy Polenta

I love lamb.  I know it's not for everyone but I really love it.  It has such a unique and wonderful flavor.  That being said, I don't eat it very often because it isn't really in my budget.  Enter the savior of our dinner, the lamb shoulder chop.  This cut is significantly less expensive than the more common rib chop (even more so when it was on sale at Sprouts).  As soon as I saw them in the ad I knew they needed to find their way onto my dinner table.

I had never made lamb shoulder chops so to google I went.  After perusing a few different recipes, I settled on one from Williams-Sonoma.  It had the flavor profiles I was looking for, so I just made a few tweaks and we were on our way to a delicious dinner.

Start out by salting and peppering your chops.  Meanwhile heat some olive oil in a large saute pan (one with a lid).  When the oil is hot, sear your chops for about 2 1/2 to 3 minutes per side.  Then take out the chops and turn down the heat on your pan.

Add in some chopped shallots and cook for about 5 minutes or until they are soft, then add in some garlic and fresh, chopped rosemary.  Saute for a minute and enjoy the tantalizing smell wafting up toward you.  Stir in some red wine, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom.  Simmer for a couple of minutes, until it is reduced by half.

Then add in some canned San Marzano tomatoes (crushed would be best but I only had whole so I cut them up with my kitchen shears first), stir everything together, and put the lamb chops back in the pan.  Cover and simmer for about an hour and a half, flipping the lamb chops half way through.

Now to me, that braising liquid is like liquid heaven so I decided to serve this with some cheesy polenta underneath.  It is the perfect canvas for absorbing all of the yummy sauce.

About 30 minutes before you are ready to eat, start your polenta.  I know that the package says to stir it continuously, but that just isn't necessary.  Polenta is super easy and versatile.  If you have never made it before, try it, you'll be glad you did.

Now that I've convinced you, here's how to do it.  Boil 3 cups of water and add in some salt.  Then stir in a cup of polenta (not quick cook) turning the heat down to low.   It tends to splatter a bit at first so be careful.  Continue to cook for about 20 minutes stirring occasionally. 

When you are ready to eat, remove the lamb chops, turn up the heat, and simmer the sauce for a few minutes until it is slightly thickened.

While the sauce is doing it's final thickening, stir in some butter and fat free greek yogurt to your polenta.  Once it is combined and the butter is melted stir in some cheese, I used Trader Joe's quattro formaggio.

Put a good sized pile of polenta on your plate.  Top it with a lamb chop and then spoon on some a ton of the reduced braising liquid.  Enjoy!  I know this isn't the most beautiful plate of food, but the taste more than makes up for it's humble looks.

It was really too hot outside for such a warm-you-up-from-the-inside-out meal but once I got it in my head, I had to have it.  Despite the heat, there were no complaints and 3 cleaned plates at my table so I guess the yum factor made up for the fact that it wasn't weather appropriate.  For those of you lucky enough to live somewhere that it actually feels like fall, make this tonight.  Even if you are somewhere that is still hot like me, you should still make it.  You will be glad you did.

Red Wine and Tomato Braised Lamb Shoulder Chops 
with Cheesy Polenta
Adapted from Williams-Sonoma Braised Lamb Shoulder Chops

For lamb:

• 2 tbls. olive oil
• 3 to 4 lamb shoulder chops
• 3 cloves garlic 
• 2 tbls. chopped shallots
• 1 1/2 tbls. chopped fresh rosemary
• 1/2 cup red wine
• 28 oz. can crushed San Marzano tomatoes 

For polenta:

• 3 cups water
• salt
• 1 cup polenta
• 1/4 cup fat free Greek yogurt
• 2 tbls. butter
• 1/2 cup Quattro Formaggio

1. Salt and pepper both sides of the lamb chops.  
2. Heat the olive oil over medium-high heat.  Then sear lamb chops for about 2 1/2 to 3 minutes per side.
3. Remove lamb chops and set aside.  Turn heat down to low and saute shallots until soft, about 5 minutes.  Then add in garlic and rosemary sauteing for another minute.
4. Add in red wine, scraping up any browned bits, and simmer until reduced by half.
5. Stir in the tomatoes and then put the lamb chops back in the pan.
6. Cover and simmer for about 1 1/2 hours, flipping the lamb chops half way through.
7. 30 minutes before you are ready to serve, bring 3 cups of salted water to a boil in a medium saucepan.
8. Stir in the polenta and turn heat down to low.  Simmer for about 20 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes or so.
9. When ready to serve remove the chops, turn heat to high, and reduce braising liquid until thickened to desired consistency. 
10. Stir butter and Greek yogurt into polenta.  When butter is melted, stir in cheese.
11. Serve lamb chops over polenta with a generous amount of braising liquid on top.    

I'm linking up with Mix It Up Monday, Inspiration Monday,  Marvelous Monday, Tasty Tuesday, Two Cup Tuesday, Whimsy Wednesday, Wonderful Food Wednesdays, Moonlight & Mason Jars, Less Laundry More Linking, Real Family Fun, Create it Thursday, Pin it Thursday, Link Party Palooza, and Show Stopper Saturday.