Pinterest Inspiration For A Tuesday...

A collection of links from Pinterest that have recently inspired me. Enjoy.

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--jackie

How I'm Using Pinterest This Weekend...

Hello Friday!  It's been a long week and I'm so glad you're here.  We have a busy weekend planned starting with going to see a local high school production of Grease tonight.  This is the high school where my boys will go someday and their musicals are always fabulous so we're all looking forward to it.  I told my boys that I know Every Word to Every Song in Grease.  They weren't impressed!  The only comment I got was, "Mom, PLEASE don't sing"!!  Oh, Alright I won't.  Geesh!

So, after a night out with the boys, what am I going to do for the rest of the weekend?  Pinterest projects, of course!  The Pinterest projects this weekend will mostly be cooking and assembling a gift for a new Mom who has had some complications after her C-section.  Baby is doing great...Mom is struggling.  Our office is putting together meals for her for next week after her Mom-In-Law goes back home.  Below is what I'll be working on and if you click on the photos you'll go to the Pinterest links for more information.

Box of Sunshine

Since new Mom has been having a hard time this week, I'm assembling a Box of Sunshine for her.  I've been collecting some yellow items and I'll box it up and deliver it with the food next week.  This is such a cute idea and I hope it brightens her day a little.  I also featured this on Project Encourage.  I'll be telling you more about Project Encourage next week.  You can click on the link for more information or see the photo in the sidebar to go the site.   

Several of us are preparing food items to deliver to new Mom so I've decided comfort food is what my contribution will be...

Buttery Rolls

These rolls are so good and easy because I make the dough in my bread machine and then roll out the dough, shape the rolls and place in a pan.  Super easy and delicious. We'll be eating these rolls this weekend too since the recipe makes 24 rolls.

Baked Ziti

This is one of our favorite recipes and this time I'll be doubling the recipe so I can give one to new Mom and place one in our freezer.

Cherry Bar Cookies

This is a new recipe for me so hopefully they turn out. 

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend!

Until Next Time,

Jackie

Sugar Sugar...

Before I tell you about the sinful sugar cookie bars up there...I just have to say that it's a darn good thing that I have Pinterest since I can't find my dang camera anywhere.  If it weren't for all the crazy pinning I do, I would have lots of photo-less posts which aren't near as fun for me to do.  Those pins sure are an inspiration to me and I come up with posts in the middle of the night sometimes from one little photo I pinned earlier in the day.  I just don't have enough time in my day to write up the posts and then I forget them.  Note to self:  place notebook and pen on my bedside table tonight for middle of the night scribbles.

So, what do you think about those bars up there?  Let me tell you they are Delicious with a capital D!  Several people were pinning them yesterday and I did the same.  I tried the recipe and it was a huge success.  I mean...who doesn't like sugar cookies and if you can just press them into a pan and make bar cookies it's even better.  Now, to be totally honest, mine didn't exactly look like the photo above.  Mine weren't as white...more of a buttery yellow color and I didn't have the cute sprinkles.  No worries... they tasted great and the men in the house didn't complain one bit about the color...not that they would ever complain about cookies!  Oh, and a shout-out to Ice Cream Before Dinner for the recipe.

Enjoy...

Sugar Cookie Bars
Ingredients:
1 stick of butter, softened
1 cups sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
2 1/2 cup flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking soda

Preheat to 375. Sift together the flour, salt & baking soda to combine, and set aside. Spray a 9 x 13 cookie sheet (with raised sides) with non-stick spray. Put the butter in the bowl of an electric mixer and turn on to cream the butter. Slowly add the sugar and mix until creamy, about two minutes. Add the eggs and mix to combine. Add vanilla. In three parts, add the flour mixture to the butter mixture and stir just to combine, scraping the bowl in between additions. Spread the dough in the 9 x 13 pan. Bake for 14 - 19 minutes, or until it is slightly golden around the edges. Leave in pan to cool, on a wire rack. When completely cool, spread with about 1 cup of frosting (recipe below), or to taste. Wait until frosting has set a bit before cutting, at least a half hour.

Butter-cream Frosting
this recipe makes a lot more than you'll need for this, but it stores really well in the frig. I just make it in big batches and save it for future use.
Ingredients:
1 1/2 C solid white vegetable shortening
2 teaspoons clear vanilla extract
1/3 C + 2 tablespoons warm water
a 2 LB bag of confectioner's sugar

Add shortening to the electric mixer bowl and turn on to cream it. Add 1/2 the sugar and mix on low to combine (you'll certainly want your bowl's dust lid/shield thing on at this point!). Add the warm water and mix to a paste. Once it is creamed, add the rest of the sugar. Mix. Add the extract. Mix to combine completely, scraping the sides of the bowl occasionally. Then, turn mixer to high and beat to about 8 minutes. Store in the frig for up to 8 - 12 weeks

Until Next Time,

Jackie

Oh, For "Pinterest's" Sake...

I mean...REALLY!   Who knew that one little website could take up so much of my time and become so valuable to me because of the amount of information I store there?   I hope Pinterest never goes away.  It's become my personal creativity site.  It's the best use of technology that I've seen in years.  I use it every week for meal planning, recipes, gift ideas, quotes and craft inspiration.  I imagine in the next month or so I will also start looking at the gardening ideas again too.  I'm not quite ready for that though...I'm enjoying all my inside projects right now.

Every time I've looked at Pinterest the last few days it has been full of Valentine ideas.  I've pinned some cute printables, crafts and food.  Yes! Cute food!  Below are some of the ideas I'm thinking about working on in the next few weeks.  I can't do all of them and that's my dilemma.  Not enough time for all the fun projects I want to tackle!  Someday.  You can see these and even more Valentine pins on my board, Oh Valentine! 

 

 

XOXO!

Jackie

2 Ingredient Pumpkin Muffins...

Once again, I have snagged a GREAT recipe from Pinterest.  This recipe was super easy and I even had the ingredients in my kitchen.  While they aren't the most beautiful muffins I've ever seen...I couldn't resist a shot in front of my Pumpkin Patch sign.  Also, my boys loved them!!  These are perfect for a cool, fall morning.

Ingredients:

1 Box Cake Mix (I used Yellow Cake Mix from Aldi)

1 15 oz Can of Pumpkin (also from Aldi)

Mix both ingredients until most of the lumps are gone and bake at 350 degrees.

That's It!!   

For the record...I added in a couple of shakes of Nutmeg and Cinnamon.  I guess, technically, that would make these 4 ingredient muffins...but who's counting.  I'm making these again today with a Spice Cake mix.

Enjoy!

Jackie

Have You Checked Out Pinterest Yet?

I got my invite for Pinterest yesterday and I have had so much fun pinning photos today.  You see, regular readers probably already know this, but I'm the girl who tears things out of magazines and glues them into my journal, pins them on my bulletin board, and sometimes just hang them on the refrigerator.  It's one of the ways I'm inspired creatively in decorating my home, gardening, fashion, etc. However, this little tearing and gluing habit of mine has gotten less attention in the last couple of years since I've been spending more and more time online. I have bookmarked and Delicioused so many websites just because of one photo and then I have a hard time finding it again once it's bookmarked.  Pinterest solves that for me because everything is grouped together so nicely and that makes the photos (+ their website) easy for me to find later.  It's a lot of fun to get inspiration from other boards as well.  

Go...Check It Out...Request Your Invite...You won't be disappointed!

Jackie