Easter Style

 I had fun reading Vogue today and adding some Easter flair. 

Here are my creations: 

 

Easter Decorations

Here's what we've been making around here to fill up our seasonal shelves for Easter: 

 We've been drawing on plastic eggs with black Sharpies and white paint pens. We got this great idea from Alyssa Burke's blog. 

We've made Easter cards: some we sent away to friends and family and some we framed for our shelves. 

Finally we made paper strip eggs with tape and strips of paper. Just cut strips of colored paper or use patterned tape, adhere to a white piece of paper. Take a second piece of paper and cut an egg shape. Lay the second piece of paper on top of your striped design as the frame.

Making Valentines. Yipee!

It's that time of year again where everything gets to be pink and red and glittery with no excuses. Here are some of the things we have been creating around here this month in 

honor of Valentine's Day.  

First off, we used melty beads to make heart necklaces. We got the wooden beads at the dollar store. 

For the kids' classmates we made sticky felt valentines. I found the pieces at Hobby Lobby and Michaels. We attached them to chevron bags that I found online here and added a couple of pieces of candy inside each bag. 

Finally, we have had a blast just making regular old Valentines. I've left out a bunch of supplies in the studio and the kids have worked in there almost every day for the last week, creating until their hearts are content. Just the way it should be!

I'm signing off with two of my favorite phone shots of the week. The first one is a window display I spotted in Decatur. I love the paint brush heart. The second is my little valentine clown all dressed up for clown day at school today. 

Happy Crafting! And Happy Valentine's Day!!!

Recipe Recap

Well, this blog used to be a lot more about food than it has been lately. I've been slacking on the cooking front for a while but this week I tried out a few really great recipes. Here they are: 

This was my favorite recipe. Probably one of the best things I've ever made at home. Here is the recipe for the turkey burgers. It is a recipe I found in Rachel Ray Everyday with a few of my own changes here and there. 

Ingredients

• 2 slices white bread (I used Chiabatta)
• Whole milk, for soaking
• 1 pkg.  (1 1/4 to 1 1/2 lbs.) ground turkey breast
• Salt and pepper
• 1/4 cup mango chutney, (I used trader joes Ginger Mango Chutney) more for topping
• 1/4 cup plain greek yogurt, plus more for topping
• 1 egg, beaten
• 3 - 4 thin scallions, finely chopped
• 1 piece  (1 inch) ginger, grated
• 2 large cloves  garlic, grated
• 3 tablespoons finely chopped pistachios
• 1 tablespoon curry powder
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• A small handful cilantro, finely chopped
• Melted butter or vegetable oil, for frying
• 4 pieces grilled pita or naan bread (I used trader joes frozen naan)
• Toppings cucumber slices, arugula, chopped red onion

Directions

  

On a rimmed plate or in a pie dish, soak the bread in the milk to soften.

In a large bowl, crumble the ground turkey and season with salt and pepper. Squeeze the milk from the bread over the meat, then add the bread. Add 1/4 cup chutney, 1/4 cup yogurt, the egg, chile, scallions, ginger, garlic, nuts, curry powder, cumin and cilantro. Mix and form into 4 patties.  

Heat a griddle or large skillet over medium-high heat. Brush with melted butter (or oil). Add the patties and fry, turning once, until opaque, about 12 minutes. 

Warm the naan bread and spread one side with plain greek yogurt topped with chopped red onion. Spread the other half with mango chutney and top with arugula and cucumber. Add the turkey patty and serve.     

 

 We ate our burgers with avocado hummus and pita chips. This recipe is from Giada's At Home.

Hummus:

• One 15-ounce can cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 large or 2 small avocadoes, seeded, peeled and coarsely chopped
• 1/2 packed cup arugula
• 1/3 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1 clove garlic, smashed
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus extra for seasoning
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus extra for seasoning
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

For the hummus: Combine the beans, avocado, arugula, parsley, lemon juice, garlic, salt and pepper in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse until the mixture is coarsely chopped. Gradually add the olive oil until the mixture is creamy. Season with salt and pepper. 

I also made this delicious soup this week. It is a roasted squash, sweet potato, and carrot soup with cranberries, sage, and pine nuts. Here is the recipe. Again, it is from Rachel Ray everyday.

• 1 butternut squash (about 2 lbs)-peeled, seeded and cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1 pound carrots, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch rounds
• 1 pound sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces
• 2 onions, peeled and cut into 8 wedges each
• 3 tablespoons EVOO
• Salt and pepper
• 1/4 cup pepitas (pumpkin seeds)
• 3 tablespoons chopped dried cranberries
• 3 tablespoons chopped fresh sage

Directions

• Preheat the oven to 450 degrees . Divide the squash, carrots, sweet potatoes and onions between 2 rimmed baking sheets. Drizzle 1 tbsp. EVOO over each baking sheet; toss the vegetables to coat. Roast until lightly browned, rotating the pans halfway through cooking, about 25 minutes.
• In a large saucepan, combine the roasted vegetables and 8 cups water; bring to a boil over high heat. Lower the heat, cover and simmer until the vegetables are very tender, about 15 minutes. Using a blender and working in batches, puree the soup, transferring pureed portions to a clean pot; season with salt and pepper. (The soup can be covered and refrigerated for up to 4 days.)
• In a heavy, medium skillet, heat the remaining 1 tbsp. EVOO over medium-high heat. Add the pepitas and stir until toasted, about 2 minutes. Add the cranberries and sage and stir until fragrant, about 1 minute. Remove from the heat; season with salt and pepper.