Popsicle Pallet Art

Oh. My. Goodness.

When I came across this tutorial on Pinterest, I instantly knew that I wanted to make some.

And so I did.

I just happened to have a left over piece of canvas {8x10}, and a bunch of popsicle sticks.

So I set to work, hot gluing down the sticks, and using some really good snips to trim the popsicle sticks to size.

I liked the au-natural look of the sticks, so I opted not to paint them.  I did however paint the sides of the canvas.

I then went into Microsoft Publisher {I use it for everything}, and in my created document, I typed out my phrase I wanted on this particular canvas.  I then mirrored it & saved it as a jpeg file.  I then cut out a piece of freezer paper & taped it to a piece of computer paper {to make it easier to go through the printer}.  I then printed out my saying onto the shiny side of the freezer paper.

I then flipped the freezer paper over onto the wood, and rubbed the ink into it.  I then took a black marker & carefully traced each letter in just a little bit.

And wa-la!  I have a fun art piece to display in my family room.

This was so easy to do, I think it took me hour at the most.  I have plans to make more!

Thanks for stopping by!

 

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Cranberry Upside-Down Muffins

With my renewed zest for Baking & Cooking again, I decided that I wanted to start making breakfast at least 2-3 a week.  So I went on the search for fast & delicious sounding breakfast items.  While on Pinterest, I came across this lovely-sounding muffin recipe:

I love me some Cranberries, and I've really liked the Craisen-filled muffins I've made in the past, so this wasn't a far stretch.

I only tweaked the recipe somewhat...instead of adding vanilla extract, I substituted some Orange Emulsion, because Cranberries & Orange are the perfect match.

As you can tell, the cranberries kind of stayed put, they didn't melt down over the bottoms of the muffins when I flip them over.  But that's ok, it made less of a mess.  The muffin base was great as well.  Not to sugary, soft, and with just the slightest hint of orange.

Cranberry Upside-Down Muffins

~from Sugarbeams~

{Printable Recipe}

Ingredient:

·         1 Can Whole Cranberry Sauce {12 Tbl worth}

·         2 Cups of Flour

·         2 tsp Baking Powder

·         ½ tsp Salt

·         1/3 Cup Sugar

·         4 tsp Melted Butter

·         2 Eggs

·         1 Cup of Skim Milk

·         1 tsp Orange Emulsion

Directions:

1.       Preheat oven to 350˚.  Spray muffin pan.  Place a tablespoon of Cranberry Sauce into each muffin tin spot.

2.       In a mixing bowl, combine the following ingredients: flours, baking powder, salt & sugar.

3.       Make a well, and add in the following ingredients: Melted Butter, Eggs {beaten up}, Milk, and Orange Emulsion.

4.       Using a spatula, mix together the batter, being careful to not over mix.

5.       Divide the batter between the 12 muffin spots.

6.       Bake in the oven for 20 minutes.  Let rest for 5 minutes.  Invert on to a wire rack.

7.       Enjoy!

Thanks for stopping by!

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Weekly Winners : March 18-24th, 2011

-All shots taken with my Canon Rebel xsi-

Springs coming!

I'm going to hide behind this bib...

Thanks for stopping by!

Pierogies Au Gratin

~Hi! to anyone visiting from Talented Terrace Girls...Welcome!~

So I've recently, in the last couple of months, fallen in love with the potatoe-filled-pasta goodness know as pierogies.  I've had them a couple of different ways, and they are just yummy.  So when I came across this recipe on Pinterest, I pinned it for future reference.  Well, the time came the other day for me to try this recipe.

mmmm...boy.....was it good.

and boy was it cheesey....and oh so delcious and comforting.

Pierogies Au Gratin

~from Semi-Homemade Mom~

{Printable Recipe}

Ingredients:

·         2 boxes of Potato & Cheese Pierogies {this made enough for my family of 5}

·         2 T Butter

·         2 T Flour

·         2 Cups of Milk

·         ½ tsp of Paprika

·         ½ tsp of Salt

·         ¼ tsp of Pepper

·         2 Cups of Shredded Cheese {I used a blend of mozzarella, provolone & cheddar cheese}

·         5 T of Bread Crumbs

·         5 T of Grated Parmesan Cheese

Directions:

1.       Preheat oven to 400⁰; take a baking sheet & place the frozen Pierogies on top.  Spray both side with a cooking spray.  Let them bake for 20 minutes, turning over half-way through.

2.       Meanwhile, in a sauce pan, melt the butter.  Mix in the flour and let it cook out for a little bit.  Using a whisk, slowly, little by little, pour in the Milk.

3.       When the Milk sauce is somewhat thick, add in the seasonings: Paprika, Salt & Pepper.

4.       Take off the heat.  With a spoon, slowly, at a half a cup at a time, stir in the cheese.

5.       Spray 5 ramekins {or one big pan}; place 5 to 6 pierogies into each ramekin.  Split the sauce between the five ramekins.

6.       Sprinkle a tablespoon of breadcrumbs & a tablespoon of parmesan cheese over the tops of each ramekin.

7.       Bake for 15 minutes at 375⁰.  Let cool for at least 5 minutes.

8.       Enjoy!

Thanks for stopping by!

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