Four-Layer Pecan Pie

I hope everyone had a fabulous Thanksgiving!! I ate way too much and felt miserable... sounds about right! My mom cooked most of the meal, but I did contribute a pie.

I knew I wanted to contribute something that didn't involve a lot of work on Turkey Day. With only one oven and a million things that needed to be cooked, I was not going to get up at the crack of dawn (after driving forever the night before) and bake it. So, I crossed my fingers, made the pie last weekend, wrapped it in two layers of plastic wrap and two layers of foil, stuck it in the freezer, and hoped it would fair well.

Folks, I am happy to report that this pie is delicious and you should go make one ASAP. It has a delicious graham cracker crust, a creamy cheesecake layer, a sprinkling of pecans, and a delicious sweet sugary layer on top. It's quite heavenly. Just make it, ok?







































Four-Layer Pecan Pie

Recipe adapted from mrfood.com

Ingredients:

1 graham cracker pie crust

1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup sugar, divided

2 teaspoons vanilla extract, divided

4 eggs, divided

1 cup corn syrup

1 1/4 cups chopped pecans

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a medium bowl, combine the cream cheese, 1/4 cup of the sugar, 1 teaspoon of the vanilla extract, and 1 egg. Beat at low speed until smooth; set aside. In another medium bowl, beat 3 eggs. Add the remaining sugar, the corn syrup, and the remaining vanilla; mix well. Spread the cream cheese mixture into the pie crust. Sprinkle with the pecans and slowly pour corn syrup mixture over pecans. Bake 40 to 45 minutes, or until the center is set. Let cool, then refrigerate 4 hours or until ready to serve.

Hope you're having a wonderful day!!!

Still feeling over-stuffed? Get your fit on with my Turkey Day Workout!

Mother's Day Etsy Finds

It's officially May (where has the time gone?) and that means Mother's Day is right around the corner. It's a special day just for Mom, where we tell her how much we love and appreciate her. I tend to make my own gifts for Mother's Day, but with so many wonderful and thoughtful handmade gifts out there, this year might just be different. 

Some of the best gifts can be found on Etsy. Below, you will find a few of my favorite picks for Mother's Day. If I were a mother, I'd love to get any of these gifts! Click the links below to browse the individual Etsy shop.

p.s. I'm not affiliated with any of these products or shops; just sharing some of the things that have caught my eye!

poppy jewelry dish

a bag for her makeup and toiletries

ceramic garden markers

a fun succulent centerpiece

a personalized pillow

natural soap for her beautiful skin

an adorable cup and saucer for her morning fix

a lovely spring scarf

gorgeous mint earrings

and fun chevron tea towels

Mother's Day gifts: homemade or store-bought??

Jelly Bean Infused Vodka

Hello, hello. Easter is just around the corner! For the last month, I've been seeing tons of Easter recipes and crafts and I thought it was time for a grown-up Easter treat. 

Gather up the jelly beans because I'm going to tell you how to make Jelly Bean Infused Vodka! A fun take on your evening or weekend cocktail, this infused vodka takes on the flavor of jelly beans and tastes even more delicious than it looks.

Jelly Bean Infused Vodka

Ingredients:

1/4 cup jelly beans (single flavor works best, but feel free to experiment)

1/2 cup vodka

Directions:

Place the jelly beans and vodka into a glass container with a lid. Shake the jar and let it sit for at least 2-3 days. Shake the jar a few times each day. Strain the vodka (coffee filters work great) and discard the jelly beans. Chill and serve! You can drink the vodka as-is or mix it with your favorite champagne. 

What's your favorite jelly bean flavor?

I'm all about orange.

Etsy Easter Finds

I love turning to Esty for thoughtful handmade gifts, unique pieces for the home, and inspiration for crafts. Holiday browsing on Etsy is also fun and Easter is no exception. There are endless handmade dresses--perfect for that spring get-together, handmade Easter baskets and basket stuffers, and spring decor to spruce up your home. 

Below you will find a few of the items I've been swooning over. Click on the links for the individual Etsy shops.

shabby chic mason jars

beautiful wooden eggs

cookies that look too pretty to eat

vintage egg cups

perfectly simple banner

primitive easter wreath

birds nest with personalized eggs

Finger Paint Shamrock Card

Happy Sunday! I hope you all are having a wonderful weekend. We're finally having some beautiful weather after so much wind and rain. The dogs are especially thrilled that they can roll around and be lazy outside in the sun!

I can hardly believe that St. Patrick's Day is just around the corner! It seems like we were just celebrating Valentine's Day. If you're looking for a St. Patty's craft that it super easy and inexpensive, look no further! This Finger Paint Shamrock Card is so easy to make and would make a perfect project for kids.

All you need is a blank card, green paint, a pencil, a shamrock cookie cutter or stencil, and a permanent marker or glitter pen. I purchase my blank cards from Walmart, but I'm sure any craft store sells them.

Begin by lightly tracing the cookie cutter or stencil onto the front of the card. Next, dip your finger and begin to trace the outline of the shamrock, making small dots and ovals with your finger. Once the shamrock is "outlined" in paint, begin by filling it in. Once the paint dries, add a festive saying or phrase with permanent marker or a glitter pen.

How are you celebrating St. Patrick's Day?

"Luck of The Irish" {Free Printable}

Hello, hello. I hope everyone is enjoying the first day of March! Despite the chill in the air, it's a beautiful afternoon on the island and it certainly looks like spring might just be around the corner! 

St. Patrick's Day was never a hugely celebrated holiday while growing up, but I was always sure to wear something green to avoid the dreaded pinches! Now that I'm older, I take advantage of every holiday-- each one is the perfect excuse to craft, decorate the home, and get festive. Over the next few weeks, I plan to share a few fun crafts and ideas with you so that you can bring some St. Patty's cheer to your home as well. 

First up, an Irish blessing inspired St. Patty's Printable. Please feel free to print it and display it in your home, at work, or use it as a tag for treats. This printable would look so cute as a tag attached to a little bag of lucky charms! The possibilities are endless. Happy crafting :)

Hope you all have a wonderful weekend!

Polymer Clay Heart Charm with Fingerprint

It's officially February. I'm thrilled! I'm not only excited to share a few Valentine crafts and recipes with you, but I'm incredibly excited for my 23rd birthday, which happens to be Valentine's Day! Ahhhh... Valentine's Day!

And the best part about today (being February 1st) is that I can now share my first Valentine Craft with you all and not feel crazy about it! For my first DIY Valentine project, I'm sharing a Polymer Clay Heart Charm.

All you need is polymer clay, a heart-shaped cookie cutter, a rolling pin, and a piece of ribbon.

The options here are really limitless. The heart is a blank slate, just waiting for your imagination!

Begin by rolling out the polymer clay with a rolling pin or drinking glass. I actually used a smooth pint glass, just because my rolling pin is wooden and very porous. Use a heart-shaped cookie cutter to create a heart.

If you have kids, I bet Grandma and Grandpa would love to get a heart charm with the kiddo's fingerprints! Just have your child press firmly into the clay with their finger (or thumb) to create a heart shape. If you want to hang the charm, be sure to make a hole at the top! Toothpicks and push-pins work like a charm...

To harden the charms, just bake them at 275*F for about 30 minutes. You can use a toaster oven or a regular oven - just line a baking sheet with foil for easy clean-up. After the charms have hardened, attach a pretty ribbon and ta-da! A pretty Valentine to give :)

If you choose not to make these with a fingerprint, make your own conversation heart by painting a Valentine-themed phrase like, "love", "xoxo", etc.

Have you already started crafting for Valentine's Day?

What are you up to this weekend?

Saturday will be a day of relaxation and Sunday evening will be spent watching Super Bowl commercials. Fingers crossed for a great half-time show!

Happy New Year!

May you have a safe, happy, and healthy New Year! 

[Super Easy] Glass Snow Ornament

It's Christmas Eve! I can hardly believe it!

I know it's a bit late for Christmas crafts, but I wanted to share this Glass Snow Ornament with you-- when you're shopping the after Christmas sales and you see clear glass ornaments for 75% off, you can make some super cute ornaments for next year!

This ornament is so easy to make. There aren't really any directions involved-- just three short steps. 

1) Take the top off of the glass ornament.

2) Fill the ornament with "snow"- I got my glittery "snow" for just 10 cents a bag after Christmas last year!

3) Tie a ribbon onto the ornament and hang it on your tree!

Merry Christmas to all of you! May your Christmas be filled with peace, love, and happiness and may you be surrounded by the ones you love!





Sequin "Christmas Present" Ornament

I hope you all are having a great weekend and are soaking up plenty of holiday cheer! I have a super easy, yet cute craft for you today. When I was in elementary school, my mom and I would make these Christmas Present Ornaments to give to my teachers at Christmastime. These ornaments are really so simple that anyone can make them. And while they might be a bit tedious to make, they're totally worth it- they look absolutely gorgeous hanging on the Christmas tree.

 

These Christmas Present Ornaments start with a cube of foam. White craft foam or green floral foam will both work- just cut the foam into cubes (2 to 2.5 inch squares are what I use). Next, gather the rest of the supplies: sequins (at least two different colors), sequin pins, ribbon, and a floral pin (corsage pin). All of these supplies can be found at your local craft store and online.

Starting at the corner of one side of the cube, begin by pinning the sequins across in even rows, making sure to leave room for the different color sequin (which will look like ribbon). Repeat the process on the other sides of the cube, making sure that your "ribbon" sequins line up correctly.

Once all of the sequins are in place, make a bow with the ribbon and secure it in place with a floral pin.

To hang the ornament, attach clear fish line, hemp, string, or another piece of ribbon to the top of the ornament. I have found that it works best to secure whatever I'm using (fish line, string, etc.) underneath the floral pin.



Any plans for the weekend?

I'm off to do some food prep for the week and get ready for the Christmas Parade this afternoon- everyone from work is participating, so it should be fun! I'm looking forward to some hot chocolate afterwards :)

The Broccoli Tree

My friend, Mary Beth, has a very unique Christmas tradition. Instead of a regular ol' Christmas tree, she decorates a Broccoli Tree. This year, she shared her tradition by sending me home with a Romanesque cauliflower and some decorations, and now I want to share the tradition with all of you. This would be a fun project for kiddos while they're on holiday break and it would make a cute center piece for your next gathering!

 

 

While I was tempted to eat this new-to-me vegetable, I decorated it as instructed. If you've never seen a Romanesque cauliflower, here she is...

 

 

Source

 

Mary Beth gave me a box full of decorations for my "tree"

 

 

 

And here's the finished "tree"- so cute!

 

 

 

Do you have any non-traditional holiday traditions?

 

 

Oh, great news: our bridge has re-opened and I couldn't be happier! It's the best Christmas gift ever!

 

 

Easy Dinner Idea + Candy Cane Christmas Ornament

Hey guys! I hope you all had a wonderful weekend.

After so many festivities lately, I wanted to make a super simple dinner the other night. I began by boiling some whole wheat pasta and cooking some Italian turkey sausage. While they were cooking, I prepped some tomatoes and spinach.

Once the pasta and turkey sausage were cooked, I combined everything in a skillet and added some light Alfredo sauce. I cooked the mixture on medium-low until the spinach began to wilt and the sauce was heated through. This dinner came together in no time at all! Though it definitely satisfied me, I'm not sure how I felt about the tomatoes- maybe next time I'd add mushrooms instead.

And now that Thanksgiving has come and gone, I feel that it is totally appropriate to share a super easy holiday craft with you- Candy Cane Christmas Ornaments! These ornaments are so easy to make and they're super inexpensive.

These would make a cute holiday gift for teachers, co-workers, friends, and family. And of course, they would look great on your own tree. These Candy Cane Ornaments would be great to hand out to your neighbors with a plate of holiday cookies and would make a great addition to your holiday gift-wrapping! The possibilities are endless!

You only need a few supplies: red beads, white/clear beads, a pipe cleaner, and a pair of scissors.

Start by cutting the pipe cleaner in half and folding over one end of the pipe cleaner.

Next, start threading beads onto the pipe cleaner. My pattern was two red and two clear.

Once you are finished beading the pipe cleaner, fold over the other end of the pipe cleaner. Bend one end of the pipe cleaner to make a cane. You now have a candy cane ornament- easy peasy! 

When do you usually begin to decorate for Christmas?

We usually put up our tree on Thanksgiving, right after we've had our big meal  and cleaned up all of the mess. I'm a slacker this year, so the tree is still not up and decorated, but... it will get done this week for sure!