shoutout to sherri

I'm going to make these White Chocolate Cranberry Scones for breakfast tomorrow.  And I can't wait.  I'm so glad I found that half-bag of white chocolate chips in my freezer.


The recipe is on my friend Sherri's blog.  She has such a great blog and posts yummy recipes, tips, and fun adventures that she and her new husband have.  AND, extra bonus - she blogs like one should blog - you know, like every day.  


Check it out: Life of a Wife!

Oh My - Headbands!

Alright, I would like to apologise for the (ehem) short 6 month hiatus I took from this blog.  Unintentional. I'm embarrassed.  I'll use the excuse that I was pregnant, then I gave birth, then I recovered from the birth, then I had a newborn to learn about, then I fell in love with said newborn, then my husband had the computer every day at work, then I was too tired at night to blog.  

Lame-o excuses, right?  There are women out there who blog way more than I do, and have way more going on that I do.  I'm no rocket surgeon, people.  But I do what I can.

Alright.  I hope you're thinking, "Wow.  It's been 6 months.  She better have something great to show us since it's been so long."  And, well, here it is: headbands.  Using THIS tutorial.  That's right - six months of hiding out, and I produce a few baby headbands.  But whatevs.  

Baby steps.  I'll get back into this blogging thing.  Now, pictures of what I do ... I think you'll be waiting another 6 months for that.  

But again, I do what I can.  And right now, that means headbands.

The "It's About Time You Posted Something, rhymeswithsmile" Cream of Something Soup

Cream of Something Soup - makes about 3 cups (about 3 cans)


6 T. butter
1/2 c. diced onion, chopped celery, chopped cooked chicken, or chopped mushrooms
6 T. flour
2 t. salt
1/4 t. pepper
3 c. milk


Melt the butter in a saucepan.  Stir in the onion (or celery, or chicken, or mushrooms) and saute for 3-5 minutes or until soft (for the vegetables.  If you added chicken, just stir for a few minutes).  Stir in the flour, salt, and pepper.  Gradally stir in the milk and continue stirring until the white sauce is smooth and thick, and comes to a boil.  Remove from heat.  


Yes.  You can, indeed, make your own cream of mushroom soup.  It's so easy!  Just don't leave out the salt (like I accidentally did on purpose as a challenge to the mister's salt habit ... we ended up adding salt to our final dish, so it was a wash).  


Think of all the possibilities!  Casseroles, meats, and potato soup just got so much more homemade.  Yippee skippee.


And now that I've told you how easy it is to make Cream of Something Soup, you can tell me how easy it is to (ehem) blog more regularly.  I'm trying, I promise.  I've just got other things going on, like this:

I mean, if you had to deal with such preciousness all day, how could YOU find the time to blog with any kind of frequency?  

Roof With A View

I was going to post about how to make cream of something soup today, but instead, I found something more exciting to write about (if you're thinking, "What can be more exciting that cream of chicken soup?" then you are a dear friend).  


I have been featured as a guest blogger on Roof With A View, a blog focused on encouraging women in their God-given roles as mothers and wives!  Before you start to think highly of me, keep in mind that I blogged about the cookie-brownie recipe that makes me drool on sight.  

My first ever guest post ... and it has me drooling.
I can only hope to contain my spittle the next time something this exciting happens ...

Maple Pecan Shortbread Cookies

2 1/4 c. all purpose flour, plus more for work surface
1/2 c. cake flour (not self-rising)
1/2 tsp. salt
3/4 c. pecan halves, finely chopped
1 c. unsalted butter, room temperature
3/4 c. sugar
1/4 c. pure maple syrup
1 large egg yolk
1/4 tsp. pure maple extract
1 large egg, lightly beaten
sugar for sprinkling


Into a medium bowl, sift flours and salt.  Whisk in 1/2 c. chopped pecans and set aside.
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter and sugar on medium-high speed until smooth and light, about one minute.  Add the maple syrup, egg yolk, and extract; beat on medium speed until well combined.  On low speed, gradually add flour mixture, beating until just combined.  Dough should be smooth and pliable.  Flatten into a disk.  Wrap in plastic and chill until firm, 1 1/2 hours or overnight.  
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line baking sheet with parchment paper.
On a lightly floured work surface, roll out dough to 1/4 inch thick.  Cut out rounds using a two-inch round cookie cutter (or smaller); place one inch apart on prepared baking sheet.  Brush tops with beaten egg; sprinkle centers with remaining 1/4 cup pecans.  Sprinkle the entire surface with sugar.  
Bake cookies until golden around the edges, 10-12 minutes (if cookies get too brown rotate the pan halfway through).  Transfer to a wire rack to cool.  Store in airtight container.


I just got to host my first baby shower - a "Nesting Shower" - last weekend for my friend Chantry, and we had a blast!   We all had a lot of fun showering our sweet friend with food for the pantry, freezer meals, and diapers for the baby!  My mom came to help me (what you should actually read is this: my mom showed me how it's done!) and she made these shortbread cookies as favors.  She doubled the recipe and used a small (maybe 1.5") cookie cutter and ended up making 82 cookies :)  Definitely plenty of cookies for favors and a few left over to nibble on after the shower!

Nesting Cupcakes - I have to admit that the idea was not my own, but they turned out so cute!  Mom provided the cupcake trees, my new friend Sherri helped me make 3 doz. cupcakes, and Easter conveniently provided peeps and candy eggs!

um, yeah.

friends and family!  We love you, Chantry!