Berry Fruit Salad with Honey Lime Dressing.
Want to really make a statement and add a kick to your next fruit salad?
Mix strawberries, blueberries, blackberries and red raspberries in a bowl.
Add the zest and juice of one ripe lime and drizzle with 2-3 Tbsp of honey.
Stir berry gently, and enjoy!
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
Hanging Basket – Mars, PA
Bloom… Blossom… Grow.
Bloom boldy…
Blossom confidently…
Grow unceasingly.
Be the You
You were meant
to be.
Beautiful, blooming,
blossoming
You.
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
PS If you are local to the Pittsburgh area, be sure to check out JJ McKinney Family Farm, where I purchased this gorgeous hanging basket.
Sour Cream Pecan Coffee Cake.
I’ve been meaning to share this recipe for quite some time. It is my most favorite coffee cake recipe to date.
I can pass on a brownie or a chocolate chip cookie, but put a piece of coffee cake in front of me………. and forget it! I can’t resist.
This recipe was shared with me from a super sweet guy I used to work with. His aunt makes it for him every year for his birthday – at his request – and he was always kind enough to bring it to the office to share.
The recipe card Steve copied to share with me is dated March, 1969. Almost as old as me!
It’s a classic, and it’s definitely a keeper!
The crunchy ribbon of cinnamony pecans that runs through the middle of this buttery, tender cake seals the deal!
Here is the recipe Steve shared with me that I slightly adjusted:
Ingredients:
Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Grease and flour 9″ tube pan.
Cream butter and 2 cups sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs one at a time. Fold in vanilla and sour cream. Fold in baking powder, salt, and flour.
Combine remaining 4 Tbsp sugar, with chopped pecans and cinnamon.
Place half of batter in tube pan. Sprinkle with nut mixture. Top with remaining batter.
Bake 50-60 minutes.
Enjoy!
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
My art room lately
Pouring Creativity.
In case you’ve wondered what I’ve been doing in my spare time……..
I’ve been mixing…
and pouring…
and twisting…
and turning…
and splashing color…
and creating….
and exploring imagination…
and learning new ways…
to create and express…
and stretching to larger sizes….
and bigger messes that are worth the paint in my finger nails and on my clothes!
and these special pieces for a sweet granddaughter’s room….
and another coming soon.
Yep – I’ve been painting and having so much fun exploring this abstract medium.
And I can’t wait to make more!
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
PS If you are interested in purchasing any of these except for the last two, they are for sale in our McKinneyX2Designs ETSY shop.
Baked Brie with Candied Bacon.
Need I say more?
Gooey, buttery, melted baked brie smothered with smokey bacon candied with brown sugar and maple syrup and balanced out with tangy rice vinegar, coarse black pepper and a few shakes of hot sauce.
This heavenly appetizer recipe really puts the crack in cracker.
If you are looking for the next must-have appetizer to make or take to a picnic or party, look no further. I can pretty much guarantee this will be a winner! It sure was with my family this past weekend.
Here is how I made it, adapted from a recipe found here.
Ingredients:
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Cook diced bacon in a hot skillet until just crispy.
While bacon is cooking, stir together brown sugar, maple syrup, rice vinegar, black pepper and hot sauce in a small bowl.
Drain grease from bacon, and add sauce. Simmer for 3-4 minutes until thick and bubbly.
Place brie in small stoneware casserole or baking pan. Top with candied bacon. Bake 10 minutes or until brie is warm and gooey inside.
Allow to rest for 10 minutes or so. Serve with water crackers or your favorite cracker.
Enjoy!
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
Blue, Bluff, Black, Gold Abstract Acrylic Pour – 24×36
Let it Go – Let it Flow.
I am having so much fun experimenting with a new art medium – Abstract Acrylic Pour.
I am so intrigued by the beauty and challenge of abstract, and I am letting go and letting it flow!
This is my largest painting to date – it is a full 3 feet wide by 2 feet tall.
This technique involves mixing acrylic paint with Flood Floetrol – a paint additive that allows the paint to be more pourable as well as Silicone to create “cells.”
This painting is going to my youngest son and daughter-in-law’s home, and I have a few more to share later this week that I’ve been experimenting with including two I created for my granddaughters’ rooms.
I hope everyone in the U.S. is enjoying this extended Memorial Day holiday weekend, while also taking the time to remember and honor those that lost their lives in service to our country’s freedom.
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
Young Fern in Spring, Mars, PA – May 2018
Unfurl.
Spread out your arms
and show your true beauty.
Open up your heart
and show your true love.
Unwind your mind
and show your creativity.
Unpack your burdens
and feel the lightness of hope.
Uncover your inhibitations
and welcome the unknown.
Reach beyond the tightness
and ease into peace.
Unfurl.
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
Roasted Turkey, Bacon, & Avocado Sammie.
Warmer weather means lighter meals and sometimes even sandwiches for dinner.
Here is a yummy fave I made this past Sunday.
Often times on Sundays, we have a bigger, late breakfast, skip lunch, and have an early dinner.
After enjoying hearty breakfast omelets hubby made with our leftover prime rib from dinner out the night before, we made a light sandwich supper.
On a sweet onion bun thickly slathered with mayonnaise, we sliced some roasted turkey, topped it with crispy, smokey bacon, creamy avocado slices, juicy ripe tomatoes and peppery arugula and spinach. It was yum on a bun.
Do you enjoy sandwiches for warm weather suppers? What is your fave?
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
Rainbow over Mars – May, 2018
A New Beginning.
After the rain
comes a rainbow.
After the storm
comes the calm.
After the dark clouds
comes the bright sunshine.
After the ending
comes a new beginning.
**********
It is never, ever, ever too late
for a new beginning.
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
The Old Dogwood Blooms Again -Spring in Mars, PA
I Can Only Strive…
Welcome back
from your dormant rest.
Blossom and bloom
and boast your beauty.
I can only strive
to follow your example.
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
the creative life in between 