Year: 2014

Sweet Irish Soda Bread

Hello World,

Welcome to my first post on my new layout! You probably notice that now I am on my own domain instead of a blogspot address. All past blog posts have been migrated over to this new site, and I am currently working on the “tutorials” page. Favorite part of this new design? The design is responsive! Responsive design is design that adapts to the device and browser width. So instead of chopping off the side of my site on a smartphone anymore, everything scales to size.

Now onto the title of this post, sweet irish soda bread! St. Patrick’s Day is tomorrow, and my heritage is mostly Irish and Italian. In celebration of my Irish roots, I wanted to share my family’s irish soda bread recipe:

irish_soda_bread2

Ingredients:

  • 4 cups flour
  • 1 cup white sugar
  • 1.5 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 2 tablespoons caraway seeds
  • 4 tablespoons of softened butter
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 teaspoon lemon juice
  • 1.5 cups buttermilk (or make your own by adding 1 teaspoon vinegar to milk)
  • 2 cups raisins
  • Powdered sugar to sprinkle on top once cooled.
  • Optional add-ins: dried cranberries, grated lemon or orange rind, poppy seeds

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a ceramic casserole dish, or glass loaf pans. Mix all ingredients together in a large bowl. Spoon into greased baking dish(es). Bake for 45 minutes, or until knife comes out clean.

irish_soda_bread1

This sweet Irish soda bread is delicious all by itself, or you can do what I do and spread butter on it.

moss_in_a_teacup

I went strolling around my yard the other day, and found moss growing all over the back of my barn. I picked some off and repotted it in this cute thrift store tea cup. I think it looks like a little slice of Ireland.

Happy St. Patrick’s Day!

DIY Gold & Lace Flower Pots

Hello World,

Spring is right around the corner, and I am so ready for it. Even though this winter wasn’t very harsh, I have always been a warmer weather girl. Today’s project is perfect if you want to bring some spring inside your home. Check out the tutorial below to make your own gold and lace flower pots:

1. Gather your supplies: flower pots (I bought a 3-pack at Dollar Tree), spray paint, lace trim, Mod Podge, a brush, clear gloss spray paint (not pictured), and scissors (not pictured).

2. At first, I just spray painted my flower pots gold. Well, the paint didn’t stick and dusted off when I touched them. I then sprayed them with clear spray paint and allowed that to dry.

3. I then spray painted them gold, and the paint did stick. Allow colored paint to dry.

4. Apply Mod Podge to your flower pot lip.

5. Place your lace trim where you applied the Mod Podge. Trim lace so it barely overlaps.

6. Apply Mod Podge on top of the lace. Allow to dry.

7. Fill with soil and add some happy little plants.

Happy Crafting!

Complementary Colors Smoothie

Hello World,

I am not a big breakfast person and usually cannot eat as soon as I wake up. I can’t skip breakfast though because I’ll be a snack monster until lunch time. This is one of the reasons I love smoothies. They are quick, can mask veggies, and when I use a straw, I can mindlessly drink one just while doing my morning reading of Mashable and Facebook.

I must admit that my smoothies usually don’t look pretty though, and it’s because of complementary colors. Complementary colors are colors directly across from each other on the color wheel.  Use them both in a design, and you’ll have a perfectly harmonious piece. Mix them together though, and they’ll create some rather murky results.

When I make a smoothie, I don’t measure anything. I just eyeball it. My mom bought me a single serve blender this last Christmas, and I love how easily it is to whip up just the perfect amount.

For simple smoothie “recipe” you will just need: strawberries, spinach, frozen banana, instant oatmeal, and almond milk. If you want your smoothie sweeter, add honey. Want it thicker? Add yogurt or ice. Whatever tickles your fancy.

(If you are wondering why the frozen banana in the photo above is brownish, it is because whenever my bananas start to over-ripen, I throw them in the freezer. The peel will turn dark brown, but they still taste fine in my opinion.)

If food can be pretty, I’d say my smoothies look pretty before I blend them. See how the red pops against the green in the photo above? That’s complementary colors for you.

And then the blender happens, and we are left with a reddish/greenish/brownish/murky smoothie. If I didn’t add spinach, my smoothie would be a nice pink color. If you want to avoid a gross-looking smoothie, just don’t mix complementary colors and you’ll be set!

Another one of my favorite smoothie combos is to use coconut yogurt, almond milk, frozen pineapple, and peanut butter.

What do you put in your smoothies?