F o o d i e : B r u s s e l s & S i r a c h a M a y o

There was a time in my life when I was absolutely disgusted by brussel sprouts. I have since outgrown that phase and now they are one of my favorite veggies. 

This is one of my favorite ways to prepare them:

Microwave your sprouts (frozen ones work well) until they are almost fully cooked.

Cut in half and toss in a frying pan with some butter and olive oil. Sauté until nicely browned and season with salt.

For a dipping sauce, I combined some mayo with Siracha. This adds an extra little creamy kick to the wonderful flavor of the sautéed brussel sprouts.  

Enjoy!

T u e s d a y T u n e s : A n i m a l K i n g d o m

"Strange Attractor"  - By Animal Kingdom

Enjoy!

C r a f t B r e a k : P a p e r D i a m o n d s

These paper diamonds were so much fun to make, but definitely take some precision and patience!

Here is a link to the original tutorial and downloadable pattern.

L i t t l e B i t s O f L i fe L a t e l y

       

F o o d i e : C u p c a k e s

Have I mentioned I love cupcakes?

I made these little vanilla beauties with this recipe.

I really like this recipe because it requires only basic ingredients, and only makes 2 or 3 cupcakes! 

What a great way to satisfy that baking/cupcake urge without making a huge mess or ending up with an overwhelming number of cupcakes. 

For the icing I followed this recipe and halved it. Makes plenty of icing for all three cupcakes with some leftover.

I'll definitely be making these cupcakes again and trying out some different buttercream flavors!

Yumm.

T u e s d a y T u n e s : T h e L u m i n e e r s

Recently started listening to this band and already a big fan!

The Lumineers - "Ho Hey"

Enjoy!

C r a f t B r e a k : C a r d s

Handmade cards I recently put together for Mother's Day, my parent's 25th Anniversary, and my Oma's Birthday.

(Here is a link to the Owl pattern)

I ' m G r a d u a t i n g !

Graduating this weekend! 

Cross Bachelor's Degree off my Life list!

Yay!

F o o d i e : E g g & G u a c T o a s t s

This is officially my new favorite lunch. 

To make; toast an english muffin, spread on some guacamole, top with an over-easy or sunny-side-up egg and add some seasoning of your choice. I used a little herbed salt and Tajin seasoning.

I was originally hesitant to try the egg and avocado combo, but I am oh-so-glad I went for it! 

Delish. 

C r a f t B r e a k : O i l P a i n t i n g 2

Finished up my painting course last week and this was my final project.  I was inspired by a photograph of a family friend's house in Germany (Super excited to be there in a few weeks!) 

Definitely learned a lot from this class and picked up a few handy painting skills.  Great first experience with fine art oil painting. 

T u e s d a y T u n e s : P a s s i o n P i t

New Song by Passion Pit! 

Enjoy.

L i t t l e B i t s O f L i f e L a t e l y

C r a f t B r e a k : M e t a l N e c k l a c e

My Dad played a major role in this project.  I drew out some designs I wanted for necklace pendants and he cut these out of aluminum and brass scraps with the scroll saw. I did a little bit of filing on the edges and then he spent a lot of time making them shine! After he drilled some tiny holes I added a chain and called them done. I really love their simplicity and they look great with so many outfits.

 I really enjoy working on projects like these when I'm home. Not only do I get a cool product at the end, I also get to spend quality time with my crazy awesome dad :)

F o o d i e : H a w a i i a n T o a s t

For dinner tonight, I made one of my mom's go-to easy recipes.  I wasn't really a huge fan of Hawaiian Toast when I was younger but I've been craving it lately and for once I happened to have all of the ingredients.  I made mine with a lightly buttered english muffin (although sliced bread works too) a layer of honey roasted turkey (more traditionally made with ham) a pineapple ring and some cheese. Pop it in a 350 degree oven until melty and toasty and enjoy!