Bird's Nest Treats {w/ recipes}

hello friends. Today I am so happy to have Sarah from To Be Mrs. Collier guest posting. She is sharing some delicious Easter treats.

It's easy to get caught up in the fun of Easter - egg hunts and candy, ham dinners - but the real reason for Easter is plain and simple. 

For God so loved

the world

that he gave

his one and only Son,

that whoever

believes in HIM

shall not perish

but have eternal life.

- John 3:16

***

Birds Nest Easter Treats

Thanksgiving Mason Jar Candleholder {w/ crafts}

Last night the smell of vanilla candles filled my small condo. It was cold outside, and my pup Chandler was buried beneath a throw blanket on the couch. Cupcakes were baking in the oven and I was mixing up some salted caramel butter cream frosting. I was in my element.  

I love my alone time when I am working on a project – baking, crafting, even blogging. It’s relaxing but because I am doing something, there’s a sense of accomplishment.

The candles burning last night were in my new mason jar candle holders that I made last weekend. I did this same project last year and liked it so much I knew I had to make another one. It is such an easy craft and I think it is adorable.

Mediterranean Garbanzo Bean Salad {w/ recipes}

hi friends. here's another "pinned it & did it" for you today.

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There were a few reasons I decided to start this series. One being that Pinterest is a great way to find new projects, ideas, and recipes, but it lacks a call to action. I'm relatively new to the site, but I've already pinned 367 items (and counting). Let’s be frank. I have not tried 367 new things. Not even close. While some of the items have served as inspiration only {see my For The Home board. As much as I wish it, my house will not turn into these dream homes any time soon.}, many are things that can be done now. But like many other bloggers and pinners out there, it is much easier to say I’ll do something than actually do it. I’m trying to change this. And so this series is a way to hold me accountable to that.

Another reason to start this series: to act as an objective reviewer.  I hate to be a critic, because I know (from experience) how much hard work goes into creating/modifying recipes. But let’s face it: there are millions of recipes and projects floating around this place we call the internet and not all of them are good. Of course, they do work for some people, or else why would anyone bother putting it out there for others to use? But each of us has different tastes and preferences. It’s why I prefer recipe sites with comments. Whenever I find a new recipe, I always look to see what others said. A lot of times it is a simple adjustment that puts the finishing touch on a recipe to make it complete.

“not as much sugar”

“add more salt”

This feedback is important.

***

I found this recipe on Pinterest a few months ago. It is a Mediteranean chickpea salad with Kalamata olives, sun dried tomatoes, and cucumbers with a lemon/olive oil/cumin dressing. Everything sounded delicious. It’s rare for me to think a recipe like this is perfect as is. Not that I am a picky eater, but I enjoy making my own modifications to recipes. It is a way for me to be creative and experiment with new flavor combinations.

However, this time I followed the recipe to the T. Luckily they were all ingredients I had readily on hand - a lemon from my tree, fresh parsley, 2 cans of garbanzo beans, cumin, olives, sun dried tomatoes, cucumbers, olive oil, and garlic. Looking at the ingredients, it seemed like a lot of BIG flavors. It also called for a tablespoon (not teaspoon) of cumin. That's a lot of cumin. Regardless, I followed the recipe. 

The result was full of flavor, but maybe a bit too much. The ingredients were competing with each other. I left out the feta cheese, as it was optional, but still, this little salad packed a lot of punch.

The recipe suggested making it a day in advance, presumably to let the dressing marinate the vegetables. This is when it unfortunately went down hill. When I tried it the next day the flavors were much too much. 

I will try this recipe again, but there are a few alterations I will make. 

1. Skip the garlic. I don't say this often {read: ever} but in this case, it was an unnecessary flavor. 

2. Prepare and enjoy on the same day. These flavors are enough on their own, you don't need 24 hours for them to get stronger. 

3. Keep a light hand with the cumin. A tablespoon is fine, but a teaspoon or 2 would work just as well.

4. Don't use all of the dressing. Add it to the mixture slowly so that there is just enough. I used all of it and it ended up soupy. 

Hope you find my experience helpful. Here is the recipe with the changes. 

Mediterranean Garbanzo Bean Salad {serves 4}

adapted from With Style & Grace

Dressing

1/4 c olive oil

1/4 c fresh lemon juice

1 t cumin (more to taste)

Salad

2 cans garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained

1 English cucumber, chopped

1/2 c fresh parsley, chopped

1/3 c drained oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, thinly sliced

1/4 c Kalamata olives

1/4 t dried crushed red pepper

1. Whisk together dressing ingredients. 

2. Combine all salad ingredients and slowly add the dressing to taste. 

3. Enjoy the same day.

How Does Your Garden Grow?

hello world. How are you on this fine Spring day? I am doing splendid, so happy that I get to share some of the progress on one of my favorite pastimes: gardening.

A few weeks ago the hubby built me a raised garden bed in the backyard. It's the perfect size for our little outside space, and large enough to have quite the harvest come summer.

I'm still trying to get the hang of this gardening thing. I've become quite an expert at growing kitchen herbs (basil, rosemary, thyme, etc) and last summer I had some potted tomatoes and jalapenos that did very well. But now I'm transitioning to an actual garden. An in the ground, from seed packets, garden. It's kind of scary.

I sowed the seeds a few weeks ago (zuchinni, mesclun lettuce, and carrots). I was so nervous they wouldn't pop up that I planted more than I should have, with the intention of pinching any extras. I also purchased an heirloom tomato seedling and planted it at one end.

Well, it's only been a few weeks, but so far so good!

The mesclun lettuce popped up right away! Mesclun refers to the spring greens mix that are harvested young (also called baby greens). This type of lettuce is "cut and come again" meaning it will continue growing once you harvest it. I decided on mesclun lettuce after reading a post on it here. I've been told it is easy to grow, and given that I am definitely a beginner, thought it to be better safe than sorry.

The zucchini took a bit longer, but they sprouted soon after. I was so happy! I decided to make my own garden markers with left over wine corks and copper wire from this idea on Pinterest.

They've started to take off. I've heard that zucchini's will get HUGE {several feet wide} so I need to reassess my organization of them, considering that all of my seeds sprouted.

The carrots are taking a bit longer, but I've been told this is to be expected. There are a few green sprouts in the area I planted the seeds, but they rather look like weeds. I'll just have to be patient and wait to see which are carrots and which are not.

Anyone have any experience they'd like to share? I'd love to hear your tips or tricks on how to have a green thumb. Please tell me, how does your garden grow?

Overnight Oatmeal

good morning friends.

Are you a morning or a night person? I'm not quite either. I wish I was a morning person, but truth be told it is a struggle to get out of bed at 6am for work each day. You'd also be hard pressed to find me up after eleven on a week night. I guess I just need my full 8 hours.

Despite not being the classic "morning person", I do enjoy the early hours of the day. And although I'd prefer them all to be like Saturday morning - where I can sleep until I naturally wake up and lounge around until I feel ready to actually get up and start my day - I try to make the most of my weekday early mornings. Which includes eating a good breakfast.

I found this recipe idea on Pinterest a few weeks ago. The website has several different flavor combinations all based off a simple combination: oats, milk, chia seeds, and Greek yogurt.



I had fresh blueberries, but no real maple syrup (as suggested in the recipe), so I substituted with brown sugar. I also added flax seed for some added healthy goodness.

The result was wonderful! A super easy, make it the night before, breakfast. It is perfect for rushed mornings and lazy ones alike. Plus, I'll admit that I am totally on the mason jar bandwagon. How cute are they? Not only is this recipe healthy and delicious, it is adorable!

A couple notes from my experience:

• the recipe said to put the lid on and shake the jar to combine the main ingredients, but I didn't. In fact I think it would be messier and much more difficult that way. Instead I just used a spoon to mix the ingredients.
• I added a bit more oatmeal and yogurt to fill up the jar
• recipes are great guidelines, but as with my philosophy for nearly all recipes, they are just that: guidelines. By all means add and subtract ingredients and do what you want to make it your own. 
• I also tried the raspberry and vanilla combination but ate it before I could snap any pictures. The recipe called for raspberries, raspberry jam, and vanilla. I went jamless but it was still great. I mashed the raspberries throughout the mixture so the flavor was in every bite - no sweetener needed!  

Blueberry and Brown Sugar Overnight Oatmeal {serves 1}
adapted from The Yummy Life

1/3 c uncooked old fashioned oats
1/3 c milk
1/4 c Greek yogurt
1-2 t chia seeds
1 t flax seeds
2 t brown sugar (to taste)
1/4 c fresh blueberries

1. Combine oats, milk, yogurt, seeds, and brown sugar in a half pint mason jar. Carefully stir to incorporate all ingredients.

2. Add fresh blueberries and gently mix so that jar is full.

3. Refrigerate overnight or up to 2 days.

Enjoy!

Garden Storage Crates

As we keep getting further and further into April, I have this inescable desire to work in the garden. And although the weather in SoCal has been telling a different story, Spring is here!

I picked up a small coiled hose at the hardware store that is the perfect size to reach my new garden bed and to wash off any messes on the deck. We use a drip system to water most everything, but I'm planning to bring in a few potted plants to add some different color and texture. Plus it's just so handy to have an actual hose, even in a small backyard.

The problem is that the hose just sits on the deck. The water spicket is right next to the table, and while its not too much of an eye sore, it doesn't really visually add anything to the space. I decided I wanted a small  crate to store the hose and a few plastic gardening tools. I started asking around and trying to figure out where I could find one. My husband, being the extreme DIYer that he is, decided to make one for me. We set off to the hardware store and picked up a few poplar boards in the hobby section. I kept trying to talk him out of it, saying I'm sure I could buy one that was cheaper (or free), but Steven was persistent. Truth is, he likes to build things. When we got home he went straight to the garage and his worktable to saw, hammer, and nail for about 30 minutes. The result is my perfectly unperfect crate.

My original plan was to let it sit outside for a few months and I'd eventually get the rustic, reclaimed wood style I was going for. Lucky for me, one of the blogs I follow, Lil Blue Boo, had a tutorial on how to get the rustic look in far less time. I followed the instructions using vinegar, steel wool, and tea and here is the result:

I am so happy with the result that I'm planning to get another larger crate and do the same process. I think I'll turn it upside down and use it as a small table for a potted plant. Mayble I'll stencil some words to make it look like an actual vegetable or flower crate. Who knows, the possibilities are endless.

Saturday Morning Breakfast

hello friends. Sorry I haven't posted in awhile. When I started this blog I made it a personal goal / requirement to post at least once a week. I figured that would be realistic, given my other commitments. But look at me, one month into blogging and I'm already falling behind. Whatever my excuses (busy weekends,  work, poor weather) they don't really matter. So here I am back to the blog.

So often I find myself cooking the same meals, week in and week out. And while I have no complaints from the husband (he would be happy to eat California burritos 5 times a week), I love to try new things and get out of my comfort zone. So I've resolved to try new recipes, and new crafts for that matter. I will be calling it "Pinned it & Did it". 

So here is my first for this series. I saw the recipe this morning while laying in bed, "pinning" on the iPad. It was simple and I already had the ingredients, so I did it. 

via Pinterest

These Baked Eggs and Prosciutto Cups are so delicious and very easy. I imagine they'd be perfect when you have a lot of mouths to feed, but also worked wonderfully for the husband and me. I used spinach instead of leeks and cheddar, and was very happy with the result. For husband's I scrambled the eggs (since he's not much of a soft yoke person) and added a Mexican blend cheese. He added Cholulu hot sauce to spice them up a bit. 

Here was my Saturday morning breakfast: baked eggs in prosciutto cups with fresh organic spinach, rye toast with plenty of butter, plain Greek yogurt with blueberries and a bit of agave syrup, and English Breakfast tea.