DIY: Chalkboard Cheeseboard

This project was inspird by this slate and bamboo cheese board. And although it's sort of reasonably priced, it's only available in the UK. In quantities greater than 25.

But I don't live in the UK. And I don't really need 25 cheese boards. I mean, cheese is delicious and all, but I have to draw a line somewhere.

So I made this:

More hot cheese board action after the jump!

Bonjour! Mug

I know I keep harping on Fall and how it's almost here and I'm so GLAD the heat is nearly over and how excited I am that we're looking at the backside of Summer, but this is my blog and I can repeat myself if I wanna!

One of the best things about cooler weather is that I get to drink hot chocolate like it's going out of style. I drink it almost every evening, from October to March and before you ask, the answer is no, I do not get sick of it.

Part of the fun of hot chocolate is drinking it from a fun mug. Like this, the Bonjour! Mug.

Burt Reynolds a souhaité sa moustache
était si masculin comme cela.

This is a fun, easy and CHEAP project that you can do in no time flat.

Follow me after the jump!

Thursday Miscellany: Homemade Jelly

From my Grama Hammons. She's the coolest.

Thursday Miscellany: The Little Things

Summer is finally slowing down for my family (and it's a good thing, because I am about to collapse) and I'm starting to look forward to all the great things about Autumn. Like cooler weather, watching the leaves change, spending more time in the kitchen, football, holiday dinners, new sweaters... I'm beginning to drool here.

And so, in the spirit of retrospection, this edition of Miscellany is dedicated to some of the little things that have made me immeasurably happy this Summer. Things like my hanging bud vases, which were a STEAL from CB2, by the way.

We grew these from seeds.
Super cool.

This bag of peaches from my lovely neighbor Bob.

Voted Most Likely to Become Cobbler.

 A lazy dog day, which for Dexter is very, very rare.

He didn't even try to lick the camera.
He must be sick.

This new glasses chain that I bought at Dollar Tree. My optometrist has been gently suggesting that I should consider bifocals, because I'm constantly putting on and taking off my reading glasses. Like, CONSTANTLY.

But I'm only 32, dangit!! I've got plenty of miles left on my eyes before they require bifocals! But a glasses chain? With pretty beads? That is a compromise I can make.

I bought several, in assorted colors.
Fashion!

And finally my brother-in-law, who loves to annoy me in small ways that amuse him. For example, at a BBQ we hosted recently, he drew mustaches on all the faces in my Harry Potter 2011 Calendar.

I hate to admit it, but it's actually an improvement.

And how about you? What little things are bringing you happiness today?

I Hope You Kept Your Fat Pants

We all have two sets of clothes: the clothes that fit now, and the clothes that are a size too small that we intend to fit into again someday. Well, I hope you've also got some of your old "fat pants" laying around somewhere, because you're about to need them.

I usually leave the cooking to the professionals over at Where the Hell is My Spatula? but this recipe is too good to keep to myself. And here's the best part: it's embarrassingly easy. Like, your guests will be super-impressed and they'll be begging you for this recipe, TRUST, but you won't want to give it to them because it's so simple it's almost profane.

Desserts this delicious and beautiful should be harder to make! This recipe is so easy and idiot-proof it almost feels like cheating.

Get in on the secret after the jump!

5-minute cream cheese danish

I don't post too many recipes. I personally recommend Allrecipes, actually, and I rarely feel I have anything to add to the world of cuisine. But this recipe is too easy and too delicious to keep to myself.

If you have a can of crescent rolls and a package of cream cheese, you're in business.

Recipe after the jump!

christmas candy shoppe

So I have about a million of these mini apothecary jars. I use a few in the bathroom: The vintage pharmacy labels are from The Graphics Fairy. Just printed them out and podged them on. Easy peasy. And there's a tutorial for the apothecary jars from Dollar Store Crafts. If you've got a tube of E-6000 glue, you've got everything you need. Yeah, two bucks apiece. Awesome. They're too easy and too cute.

And I'm sure to keep a few on hand to fill with treats and give away for those last-minute hostess gifts or birthday presents that always seem to slip my mind. Tie them with a bow and you've got a sweet little gifty.

But my favorite use for these guys is my tiny little candy shop. I put several on a shelf and fill them with seasonal candy:

I know a shelf full of candy is risky with kids around, but believe it or not, they almost don't even see it anymore. Guests love it, it's adorable, and it changes easily through the seasons. I filled them with candy corn and mini Hershey's during October, and those little candy pumpkins during Thanksgiving. Summer will find them bursting with Skittles and Red Vines.

What's that? Oh, yes, I suppose I do need to dust. Rude of you to mention it, though.

sicky monday

Had a wonderful weekend. Grama O and Aunt Cin came down from San Diego and spent a couple days. It's always so great to see them.

This Monday finds me sick as a dog. This morning I went to the store for some Sudafed, but had to spend thirty minutes wandering around until the pharmacy opened. These meth labs have made buying cold medicine terribly inconvenient.

I'm not feeling up to eating much, but I've nevertheless choked down a Special K bar. I have found that eating from paper doilies rather then plain old napkins is fun. My toast is so fancy nowadays!

I've also opened a small bag of dried fruit to leave on the counter, hoping it prompts me to snack. With luck, by the end of the day nothing will be left in the dish but the nuts, which I wouldn't even eat if I was feeling fantastic.

While I was waiting to buy my Sudafed, I found a little bikini that I think will fit Darby next summer. It was only $1, so I HAD to.

Speaking of great deals, the kids found a set of these hillbilly novelty teeth at the Dollar Tree, and I'm convinced they're the most fun that can be had for a dollar plus tax.

jalapeno jelly

It's Veteran's Day, which means there's no school for the Sisters today. It's strange, I don't remember having a day off in the MIDDLE OF THE WEEK when I was in school... It's a bit inconvenient, particularly when Thursday is my grocery day. The kids have little patience for grocery shopping.


But I got them to behave with promises of a walk to the park:


I suppose, though, that having my shopping schedule interrupted is markedly less inconvenient than having been a war veteran. So I'll keep my complaints limited to this little corner which no one reads but me.

In (un)related news, Grama Hammons gave mom a jar of homemade jalapeno jelly, which I subsequently liberated from her posession. I have been been munching Ritz crackers, spread lightly with cream cheese and then spread more liberally with this delicious jelly. Fortunately for me, no one else in the house likes it.

I plan to gain three jalapeno jelly pounds.

choco chip cookies

These are the most bestest chocolate chip cookies known to man.

The recipe is as follows:

Chocolate Chip Cookies

3/4 c. turbinado sugar

3/4 c. brown sugar

1 c. (two sticks) butter, softened

1 egg, room temperature

2 1/4 c. unbleached flour

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. sea salt

12 oz. organic, semisweet chocolate chips

Heat oven to 375 degrees. Cream sugars and butter together, add egg. Add flour, soda and salt and mix until well blended. Stir in chocolate chips. Use a cookie scoop and place cookies 1 inch apart on ungreased baking sheets. Bake for 8-10 minutes.

This probably seems like a very basic recipe, but the turbinado sugar and the organic chips make all the difference. I also prefer to mix them by hand rather than with an electric mixer; the texture is much better. Also, invest in a good cookie scoop (not much of an investment at less than $15) and your cookies will be cooked perfectly.

Enjoy!!

yummo

Papaya spears from Lassen's, a whole foods store that I LOVE. Their jelly beans are also delish, and they sell Virgil's root beer. Soooo, all in all, a great place to buy junk food that you can feel good about.