Month: August 2015

How I turned Peach Coffee Cake with Browned Butter Peach Glaze into the HEALTHIEST Fruit Dessert EVER!

/ Jodi / 47 Comments

peach coffee cake with brown butter glaze

First, I spent about an hour or so early in the morning blanching, dicing, mixing, melting, streuseling,  spreading, baking, glazing, and plating.

peach coffee cake with brown butter glaze 2

I then cut a slice,
took a photo of the whole cake,
plated a slice for a photo,
placed it on the edge of the deck railing with the cake where I was photographing for good lighting so I could share here,
considered how I should be careful balancing so much on the railing….

peach coffee cake disaster

Shrieked!
Cursed……
cleaned up the broken plate, ENTIRE cake AND plated slice out of the mulch 10 feet below the deck…

and cut up a ripe, juicy cantaloupe for dessert.

cantelope

I’ll have to try that one again another time…

or not….

The upside:

We saved hundreds of calories,
The cantaloupe was SUPER sweet,
and I allowed myself an extra glass of wine that evening.  🙂

Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi

PS  If you would like the recipe for the Peach Coffee Cake (which I cannot tell you how it tasted), here is a link to The SeaSideBaker where I found the recipe.  If you would like the recipe for my Cantaloupe dessert: cut up one fresh, ripe, juicy delicious cantaloupe into bite-sized pieces, and enjoy.  🙂

All Toads Welcomed

/ Jodi / 32 Comments

toad in the house

I love visitors.

We often refer to our home as a “bed and breakfast” because our doors are always open, and guests are always welcomed (and hubby makes a mean breakfast too!).

But last week when I opened the door to step outside, this little guy decided to come in.

I shrieked!

He scurried….
under a piece of furniture in the corner of our great room.

What to do?

I grabbed hubby’s back scratcher to get him to move…

Then – once in view – I had to grab the camera!   (He was so obliging to pose.)

After our little photo shoot, I rustled up a red solo cup to capture this little visitor…

I squirmed while he hopped inside the cup, and I tried to figure out how I was going to get him out.
A little index card and a scurry to the door to set him free…

Oh the things we find beneath our feet some days!

Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi

Happy New Home

/ Jodi / 25 Comments

PP257 Happy New Home Card

It’s a color challenge this week at The Paper Players, and I needed a Happy New Home card for some dear friends we were visiting this weekend in their new home.

The challenge is to use Bermuda Bay, Crumb Cake, and Old Olive colors in a card.

happy new home card pp257

So for my designer inspiration card for #PP257, I had fun using those three colors to make the new home stand out on the street.

I added the card to a basket with some wine, homemade cookies and some sea salt milk chocolate truffles, and off we went to visit our friends.

happy new home basket

To make this card, I used the following:

  • StampinUp Inks:  Bermuda Bay, Crumb Cake, Old Olive
  • StazOn Black Ink
  • Whisper White and Craft Card Stock
  • Stampinup Holiday Home Stamp Set
  • Blender Pen to color the house
  • Dimensionals to make the new home “stand out”

Hope my crafty stamping card-making friends will join us this week at The Paper Players Challenge.  We always enjoy the inspiration and creativity.

And… Happy New Home Jim and Mary!

Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi

Chicken Noodle Soup Casserole

/ Jodi / 34 Comments

chicken noodle soup casserole

I’m a soup lover.  My guys – not as much.

I ADORE homemade chicken noodle soup, so when I saw this recipe for a Chicken Noodle Soup Casserole, I knew it was right up my guys’ alleys!

chicken noodle soup casserole 2

I made it even a little more hearty than the original I found by adding more chicken, cheese, and veggies, and it turned out to be another Winner Winner Chicken Dinner!

chicken noodle soup casserole 3

I make chicken for dinner at least once, if not twice a week, so am always looking for new chicken recipes to try.  I am sure this one will be made again.  And what a great casserole to take to someone who is recovering from an illness, welcoming a new baby, just moving into a new home…  It is comfort food for the soul.

Here is how I adapted it from the recipe I found at The Weary Chef:

Chicken Noodle Soup Casserole

Ingredients:chicken noodle soup casserole 2
1 lb of your favorite pasta
4 Tbsp butter
1 large sweet onion, chopped
1 cup chopped carrots
1 cup chopped celery
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 cup sliced green onions
2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts, diced
2 Tbsp chopped fresh rosemary
1 tsp chopped thyme
1 tsp sage
1/2 tsp nutmeg
salt and black pepper to taste
3 Tbsp flour
2 1/4 cups chicken broth
1/2 cup shredded fresh Parmesan cheese
8 oz. sliced Havarti cheese (or our favorite – this is what I had on hand)

Directions:

Boil pasta according to package directions to al dente.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F, and spray a 9×13 baking stone or pan with cooking spray.

Melt butter in a large skillet over medium to high heat. Add onions, carrots, celery, garlic and green onions, and saute for 2-3 minutes. Add in chicken and seasonings, and stir fry until chicken is cooked through – about 10 minutes.

Stir in flour and 1 cup of the chicken broth until smooth. Add remaining broth and bring to a low boil, then simmer for a few minutes as the broth thickens.

Place pasta in greased baking dish, and pour the chicken mixture on top. Gently stir until all pasta is coated in the yummy sauce. Layer the cheese on top and sprinkle additional green onions if desired.

Bake for 20-30 minutes until cheese is melted.

Enjoy!

Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi

Thank You Berry (Salsa) Much

/ Jodi / 9 Comments

thank you berry much

Thank you cards might be my favorite cards to make and send.  There is something so heartwarming about putting to art and words your feelings of gratitude and sharing it with the person you are thankful to.

So when one of my co-workers did something especially nice and helpful (which is a regular occurrence from her – lucky me – eh?!), I had this little card I had made a while back when I was practicing water color painting where I had laid out some fruit and mint leaves and tried to create it.  I was goofing around with making it a (not sure of the term?) combination of words and “art.”  (Anybody know the technical name for this or is there even such a thing?)  Need to work on my handwriting, but thought it was fun… or maybe I ruined it??

Nonetheless, I used this, along with a little batch of my Fresh Raspberry Chocolate Chip Cookies as a way to thank my friend and co-worker.  (Thank you Judy!!)

And while we are talking about the wonderful fruits of summer and berries, it brought to mind a favorite recipe I used to make and demonstrate from Pampered Chef years ago when I was a “Pampered Chef Lady” that I thought I’d share with you here today.  Only, I kicked it up a notch by adding fresh red raspberries too!  I’ve got to make this again soon!

Berry Salsa with Cinnamon Chips

Photo courtesy of myreciperoundup.blogspot.com

Ingredients:
2 Medium Granny Smith Apples, chopped
1 Cup Strawberries, hulled and chopped
1 Kiwi, peeled and chopped
1 Cup Red Raspberries
1 Medium Orange, juiced and zested
2 Tbsp Brown Sugar
2 Tbsp Apple Jelly
4 Large Tortillas
2 Tbsp Sugar
1 tsp Cinnamon

Directions:

Gently mix together first seven ingredients in a bowl.

Preheat oven to 475 degrees F.  Brush tortillas with water using a pastry brush.  Combine cinnamon and sugar and sprinkle over tortillas.  Cut each tortilla into eight wedges, and place on a baking stone (or cookie sheet).  Bake 5-7 minutes until golden brown and crisp.  Remove to cooling rack, then place in a bowl or basket alongside the salsa, and ENJOY!

Recipe from The Pampered Chef (modified)

Cheers & Hugs & Thank You BERRY Much for Visiting LifeinBetween.me,
Jodi

Snail Mail

/ Jodi / 21 Comments

snail mail watercolor card

Who remembers the nursery rhyme about what little boys are made of?

Snips and snails and puppy dog tails. (What is a snip anyway???)

Well – not sure about a snip, but I thought a snail would be fun to paint in watercolor, and I had a little boy I needed to send a birthday “snail mail” card to.

It was fun to make a colorful snail for a very colorful little boy.

Don’t underestimate the power of snail mail….

Doesn’t it make your day when you receive a card or note in the mailbox?  It is so rare anymore, but oh the joy – oh the appreciation we feel when we receive a handwritten – or better yet a handmade note or card.  Right?

Want to do something EXTRAordinary?  Send someone a handwritten “snail mail” note or card today?  I guarantee you will make their day!  🙂

Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi

Nothing is Ordinary

/ Jodi / 14 Comments

black eyed susans on white nothing is ordinary

Nothing is ordinary…
so don’t try to be.

Be your own kind of EXTRAordinary…
it’s the best recipe.

Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi

Inspiration

Mellow Yellow & Puppy Love

/ Jodi / 37 Comments

yellow flower watercolor card

Here’s a little yellow flower watercolor I recently did with no particular flower in mind – just goofing around really.  Feeling kind of “mellow” when I did it (which I’ve come to think is a good way to feel when water color painting). I think I like how it turned out.

I am using it as a thank you card for a very sweet lady (Hubby’s boss’s wife), who sent home the loveliest gift basket yesterday to welcome our new little guy, Charlie, who you may recall briefly “meeting” in yesterday’s post.

As those of you that know me or have been following for a while know, we lost our dear sweet Mikey almost three months ago…  Not a day has gone by that I haven’t missed him or thought about him.  Mikey was such a special little guy, and our hearts and our house has had a big empty hole in it since he left us.

Hubby has been following posts from petfinder, and animal friends, and all the local shelters for the past month or so in pursuit of a new furry friend to rescue and fill the void in our home.

This past weekend, he showed me a picture of a little guy, who we have come to name Charlie (or Chuck for short), who we drove close to two hours to meet, and who we feel in love with almost instantly.

Charlie got his name from the fact that his nervous tummy had him “up-chucking” three times on the ride home from the animal shelter to Mars.   He is a bit of a nervous Norman – quite likely he was not treated well by his previous owner.

Word is he was dropped off at the shelter with his buddy – another dog – about three weeks ago.  His best bud was adopted a couple days before him, and Charlie (Kota as he was named by the shelter) was deeply depressed.   When we signed the papers and got ready to head home, one of the volunteers told us we rescued him just in time as he was getting so sad.

We have no idea what his history is or what “breed” he is.  The best guess from the “experts” at the shelter is that he is approximately a year old (they determine this by looking at his teeth), and that he is part beagle and part Australian Sheep Dog…  We are guessing he has some retriever or lab in him – probably that and about 52 other varieties!

Charlie is growing more and more content and settled, and he is stealing our hearts quickly.

His first night, he slept in between hubby and me in bed.  Second night, he found his place on the couch in our room and slept peacefully all night.

He loves to chew on some old bones we had in a bucket from Mikey and is an avid fetch and retriever of a knotted rope Mikey didn’t want anything to do with.

I have been spending my hours scratching ears, rubbing tummy, walking the perimeter of our yard (and quickly accumulating steps on my FitBit!), and enjoying lots of doggie kisses in between everything else.

Our first BIG success came when Charlie “rang the bell” that we have hanging on the front door to let us know he “needed” to go outside on his third day at home.  What a fast learner!  I’m such a proud Momma!  🙂

How fortunate I am to be able to work from home and allow our little guy to acclimate to his new surroundings with the comfort of knowing I am here for him and he is safe and at home.

Here is Charlie “posing” in his Camo Bandana that came in his awesome gift basket.  He is 45 pounds of exuberance, nervousness, intelligence, and love.

Charlie in Camo

I guess that’s why they call it “puppy love!”

Cheers & Hugs & Puppy Kisses from Mars,
Jodi

Old-Fashioned Fresh Peach Pie

/ Jodi / 37 Comments

old fashioned fresh peach pie 2

It is fresh peach time in our little corner of the world, and some of the best come from Chambersburg, Pennsylvania, an area known for micro-climate, soil and slopes conducive to growing sweet, juicy, high-quality peaches.  Though Chambersburg is about three hours from Mars, we have a local feed store (that I frequent for bird food) whose owner has a connection and receives fresh peaches and several varieties of plums for just a few weeks every August from a farm in Chambersburg.

old fashioned fresh peach pie slice

Fresh warm peach pie a la mode is one of hubby’s all-time favorite desserts.  He is a fruit pie lover, and peach is at the top of his list.

Old Fashioned Fresh Peach Pie

I was happy to have an opportunity to bake a pie in my less-than-usual spare time this weekend.

blanched peaches

You see, we got a new family member Saturday morning…

Meet Charlie.  We rescued him from a shelter about an hour and a half away.  They believe him to be about a year old.  Day one, he was very shy, but warmed up quickly enough to actually help himself to jumping up and snuggling right in between hubby and me at bed time.  (not sure how long that is going to fly!)

Day two found him to be 45 pounds of galloping, fetching and retrieving exuberance.  His confidence is growing, and his puppy-ness kept me busy.

charlie 080215

He was right by my side in the kitchen while we made this yummy pie for “dad.”  We were both in our happy place!

Enjoy the old-fashioned taste of this classic recipe from our family to yours.

Old-Fashioned Fresh Peach Pie

Ingredients:old fashioned fresh peach pie 2

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.

Blanch, peel and slice peaches.  (To blanch, place peaches in boiling water for 3-4 minutes, then remove with slotted spoon and place immediately in large bowl of ice water.  The skin will slip right off. )

Mix peaches, sugars, juice of lemon, flour and cinnamon in bowl and let set aside while you prepare pie crust

Line pie pan with one crust.  Add filling.  Cut remaining crust into strips to form lattice top.  Brush with milk, sprinkle with a little white sugar.

Cover edges of pie with aluminum foil to prevent pie crust from burning or overbaking.

Bake at 450 degrees F for 10 minutes.  Reduce heat to 350 degrees F and back for another 30-35 minutes.  Remove aluminum foil during last 10 minutes.

Peach pie is good served warm or cold, and especially yummy with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi

Anchors, Knots, and Easy Faux Enamel Dots

/ Jodi / 32 Comments

PP256 Square Nautical Hope Anchors the Soul

This week’s Paper Player’s Challenge is to make a square card.

pp256

So I created this card for my design team inspiration card that I sent to a special guy who has just completed a very important milestone with lots of hope for continued health and happiness.  He is a guy full of hope to anchor his soul and one who embraces life more than anyone I know.

faux enamel dots

It was fun layering on designer series paper and gold netting, embossing, and knotting, and creating fun faux enamel dots.

faux enamel dot close up

They are so easy to make, and you can create so many fun shapes and colors and designs.  I simply cut some paper with my Stampinup Owl punch that has a variety of circle sizes and a heart, laid them on a piece of wax paper, and put a “dollop” squeeze of Stampinup’s Crystal Effects on to dry for several hours.  After they are dry, any excess can be snipped off with scissors, and you are left with beautiful little dots and button-type accents.   I’ve featured them here before also.

The sentiment is from Neat & Tangled.  I love this simple, inexpensive stamp that I have featured before (in fact about a year ago here).

Hope my cardmaking, creative, artistic friends will join us at The Paper Players Challenge #PP256 this week!  All “Hip to be Square” cards are warmly welcomed!

(And “Oh Rob” – hope you feel all the love I put into this card just for you! <3)

Cheers & Hugs,

Jodi