week after week and the deeper we get into winter joe and i have become hermits. there has been weekends where we haven’t left the house from friday after work to monday and i’m not even mad about it. we get stuff done around the house, we relax and enjoy the quietness that winter brings….
In The Kitchen
snowflake pull apart bread
in the spirit of coming up with new traditions for the holidays i really wanted a small breakfast for the three of us (or just the two of us because one of us is still on milk). i wanted something that could be prepped the night before and just tossed into the oven while we…
thanksgiving desserts
i don’t have a favorite holiday. they’re all my favorite. i love special things about each holiday. but the thing i love most about thanksgiving other than being together with family of course and giving thanks of course.. is that the secondary focus is all about the food. it’s like the superbowl for foodies. my…
weekend recap preparing for baby
i was thinking this morning that i can’t remember the last time i woke up on a monday and did not have a sore back and shoulders. i’m not complaining, i love productive weekends around the house and cottage. this weekend we stuck close to home working on the house, nursery, garden and the bottomless…
simple easy canning recipes
i took a canning class with my friend aimee about 7 years ago shortly after i got married and was in full on new wife duties. i had newly discovered my love of cooking, baking and all things food. don’t get me wrong i’ve always loved eaten it but even in growing up in a…
farmers market mornings
on wednesday mornings i’ve had this ritual for a while where i try not to schedule my gym appointments or early morning meetings and i get to the farmers market first thing before work. if i time it right i have about 15-20 minutes of quiet, concentrated shopping time wandering the market. i try to…
Simple Strawberry Fruit Leather
there is something about michigan when the sun is out and the farmers markets kick into full gear. i do this every year where i have this fear that come september i’m going to be freaking out that i didn’t can enough, didn’t freeze enough, didn’t process enough of the spring and summer produce. then…
tulip time food strategy
So once a year my younger sister, joe and I have tulip time fried food fest. Rather than have a bit here and there we commit an entire night to hitting up the best food stands at the tulip time festival in Holland, Michigan. This year my sister brought her boyfriend because she felt he…
birthday fudge
first off, thank you so much everyone for your kind words about yesterdays post. it sounds like we all just need to allow ourselves a bit of grace. I needed the encouragement and i really really appreciate it more than you know. on a totally different note let’s talk about dessert. i was tasked with…
white sandwich bread
i don’t know what has gotten into me the past few days. oh i know! my house is a mess. when you are embarrassed to let the mice exterminator into your house because of all the clutter you know you have a problem. even though i’m probably the main culprit here in this household it…
apple oat streusel cake
i told you that i have been on a baking kick lately. last night a good coffee cake sounded delightful to me so i decided to whip one up with some left over ingredients from last weekends shenanigans. my mom used to make these banana muffins that were kept moist from baking with applesauce and…
Cupcake Toppers and Magnolia Cakes
owning a shop is just downright dangerous. we have the CUTEST line of paper party supplies at the shop. kiddo birthday hats, theme birthday kits (wilderness, mermaids and pirates currently) cake toppers, candles and more. one of my favorite pieces of the collection though are these cupcake decorating kits. they make even the simplest cupcake…