total slacker....i know!

Wow, long time, no post. I really don't have any fantastic excuse, just lack of motivation I guess. I have cooked some great meals and have recipes to share-just haven't taken the time to post them yet. I've done a few crafts but need to take pictures of them. I thought I'd show a couple sets of coasters my sister and I made over the holidays. I thought they turned out cute. For those interested in making them it's super easy. Just pick up some 4" tiles from Home Depot/Lowe's, throw on your favorite stamps using Stayz-On ink and apply cork to the backs to avoid scratching surfaces. I hope to get my spunk back and start posting a little more regular again! Stay tuned.....

The Comfy Nest

www.comfynest.blogspot.com

So I decided to start and additional blog to keep my home decorating experience separate from my cooking and crafting. I attached a link to it on the top of my sidebar- check it out- and if decorating is your thing, become a follower!

Triple Berry Cobbler

Wow, I've never had cobbler like this before. I've always made dutch-oven cobbler using the cake-mix crumb topping. This however is made from scratch and has an insane amount of sugar in it....but it's so good. The original recipe just calls for blackberries, but I used raspberries, blueberries, and blackberries- highly recommended. It is super good out of the oven, but it was my favorite the next day, cold out of the refrigerator. It was so chewy and addicting! Thanks again to the PW for this one. She is one amazing cook!

Ingredients:

1 stick butter, melted

1 1/4 cups, plus 2 Tbsp. sugar

1 cup self-rising flour

1 cup milk

2 cups fresh or frozen berries

Directions:

1. Grease a 3 qt. baking dish with butter.

2. In a medium bowl whisk 1 cup of sugar with the flour and milk.

3. Whisk in melted butter.

4. Pour the batter into the baking dish and sprinkle berries evenly over the batter.

5. Sprinkle 1/4 cup sugar over the top of the berries- this will seem like a ton, just do it!

6. Bake for 1 hour at 350 degrees. When ten minutes of baking time remain, sprinkle remaining 2 Tbsp. sugar over top.

Serve alone, with ice cream, or whipped cream, or the next day straight out the fridge- even better!

Flat Apple Pie

One word...yum! (and yes that is a bite missing before I could take the picture!) This is a recipe out of the Pioneer Woman's cookbook and it is so quick, easy, and delicious! It makes the perfect amount for my little family with no left overs, which is a good thing so we aren't eating apple pie everyday for 5 days. The recipe makes 2 of these, but I halved the recipe since my family is small.

Ingredients:

5 peeled and sliced Granny Smith apples

2 Tbsp. flour

1 Tbsp. lemon juice

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar

1/4 tsp. salt

2- 9" round pie crusts, or 1 recipe for homemade

1/2 stick of butter

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

2. Stir together apples, flour, lemon juice, sugars, and salt. Set aside.

3. Roll out pie crusts into large circles and place on a baking sheets.

4. Place half apple mixture on one crust and the remaining on the other.

5. Fold over the edges of the crust so that it covers 2-3 inches of the apple mixture. (No need to be artistic here!)

6. Dot the tops of the pies with chunks of butter. Bake for 30-40 minutes until golden and bubble. Slice with pizza cutter and serve in wedges.

*Top with jarred caramel for extra sweetness, if desired.

Buffalo Chicken Dip

My sister made this for our Christmas Eve party and it was a huge hit! It wasn't the easiest to photograph, so don't judge it by my poor camera skills. I think everyone at the party asked for the recipe. It's super easy to make and a definite crowd pleaser! Give it a try, you won't be disappointed. I'm thinking...Super Bowl Party!

Serving Size: 15-20 people

Ingredients:

5-6 Cooked Shredded Chicken Breasts

12 oz Frank's Red Hot Wing's Sauce (buffalo flavor)

16 oz Cream Cheese

16 oz Ranch Dressing

1 Cup Shredded Cheddar Cheese

Directions:

Cook chicken and shred. (I put mine in a large corning ware dish with some olive oil and cook covered for 1 hour at 350 degrees). Put chicken, hot wing sauce, cream cheese, and ranch dressing in crock pot. Turn heat on low and stir occasionally until everything has melted. When you are ready to serve, top with shredded cheese. Serve with your favorite kind of tortilla chips, celery and carrots.

Thanks Megan!

PBK Inspired: Collector/Book Shelves

Happy New Year! I hope everyone had a safe and exciting New Year's Eve! I am excited for 2010 and hope it's even better than 2009. I have set some new goals, one of which is to get this new house decorated, so be on the look out for photos!

Below is a Pottery Barn Kids inspired project. They sell these "Collector's Shelves" for $49 each. Of course I wasn't willing to pay that but I sure did like the look. That's when I talked to my Grandpa, showed him a picture, and ta-da! There you have it- a PBK wanna-be! I love them! Not only were they inexpensive to make, but now my kids have sentimental shelves created by their Great- Grandpa! Thanks so much Grandpa!


Here is a sneak peak of my daughter's room, the flash made the colors a little off- gave it an orange-y hue

Here is a sneak peek of my son's room as well, and just for the record, that is beadboard wallpaper- love it!