{sweet surprises: bowtie cupcakes}

{aren’t they precious?}

Right before Christmas I made these cupcakes for my neighbor’s dad’s birthday. It’s hard to come up with simple dad friendly cupcakes, but I think these did the trick. Funfetti cake, simple whipped vanilla frosting, and cute little shiny bowties to top it all off.

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{fancy appetizers: veggie dip cups}

{why didn’t i think of this before?}

As I was browsing on Pinterest one day, I came across this idea and repined it right away. I mean it’s so easy! How did I not think of this before? I brought it to Dad Ellis’ Christmas Eve dinner and it was a huge success; it disappeared really fast!

When you’re throwing a little get together and laying out your appetizer table, you might like to include some cold veggies, dip, and bread dippers. But then you have to include a dip for the veggies and a separate dip for your bread dippers, and on top of all that, you have to worry about those double dippers (you know who you are!). This idea solves all of those issues and saves your guests some space on their plates for some more of your yummy treats.

All you really need are skinny cuts of your favorite veggies, a couple baguettes, and your favorite dip. Slice the baguettes into two and a half inch diagonal rounds, hollow out the middle (leaving bread on the bottom), then stuff in some of your dip and place in a few veggies. Simple!

Now your guests have their own personal, edible, veggie cup, and can double dip to their heart’s content!

Until next time!

Mrs. E

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{christmas & the naughty elf}

{santa came!}

Hello! Hello!

Christmas came and went so quickly this year that I think it gave me whiplash! I did enjoy it very much and Santa was wonderful to my hubby and me. We began our celebration with a wonderful tradition that originated in my childhood neighborhood. The families in our cul-de-sac started this tradition about 10 years ago or so and have continued it every year on Christmas Eve-Eve. All the families that live in the area get together for caroling, cookies, and delicious cocoa. When it began there were only a few families in participation, but as the neighborhood grew, so did the attendance. Now many of us are older but there are several new young ones to help carry out the harmonies. It’s a sweet tradition and I love reenacting it every year---especially because I get to see all the kids I’ve babysat through the years (now ages 4 – 17), who are incredibly special to me. I also get to visit with neighbors and friends who have been more like family than anything else. Our voices may not have gotten sweeter, but the cookies definitely have!

On Christmas Eve, we enjoyed a wonderful Caribbean themed dinner with Jesse’s brother Derek, Dad Ellis, and Dad Ellis’ lady friend Sue. The mood was set perfectly with Caribbean Christmas music and Carib Ginger beer (which had a bit of an unusual but yummy taste). For dinner we had some Ackee Fruit & Salted Fish, Barley, & Broccoli; for dessert, Homemade Strawberry Pie & Baklava. Dad Ellis cooked the entire meal himself and did a wonderful job with it! The atmosphere was warm and toasty and full of Christmas cheer. Later after our bellies were filled we opened presents and introduced Dad Ellis & Sue to our new favorite game, Farkle!

Christmas Day we spent with Jesse’s brother Derek, Mom Ellis, and Mom Ellis’ beau, Jim. I couldn’t sleep a wink the whole night and even woke up bright and early at 8 am (which was quite unusual as I went to bed at 2 am); I guess I was super excited about Santa! Jesse did make me go back to bed and I had a harder time getting up later that morning. Derek was up early as well and ran through the upstairs shouting “It’s Christmas Day! Wake-up!” When we all finally rolled out of bed and made it downstairs Mom Ellis let us know that before presents we had to make and eat breakfast. Ahhh!!! We survived though; breakfast was very yummy after all. Like I mentioned before, Santa was good to everyone and I felt very blessed to receive so many wonderful things. Most importantly however, it was so special to be around people that really care about my hubster and me. Although I guess Mom Ellis would love her own son, no matter how much of a hard time he still gives her…hehe. The rest of Christmas day was quite relaxing. We wished my mum & dad a Merry Christmas over the phone (they enjoyed Christmas at Disney this year---I WAS SO JEALOUS!) and spent the rest of the day playing with our new gadgets and gizmos.

The Naughty Elf did strike this year, and Derek and I may or may not have aided him. He may or may not have influenced us with spirits. Have you ever played this? Usually the Naughty Elf brings everyone gag gifts (i.e. stuff lying around the house). It’s funny especially when people are not expecting it.

{gifts from the naughty elf}

Christmas dinner was also incredibly good—-delicious steaks cooked perfectly by Mom Ellis. Last year, Derek & Jesse were in charge of the steaks because Mom Ellis was not feeling too well, and somehow (no one will take responsibility), the hearty hunks of meat were burned perfectly black on the outside with a small bit of bright red & cold center. It was sad, very sad. Not this year though!

What a wonderful end to a crazy and eventful year. I can’t wait to see what’s in store for 2012!

Love,

The Mrs.

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{recipes: rustic italian bread}

{isn’t he lovely?}

Hello friends!

One of our wedding presents was this lovely mixer from Mom Ellis. I have wanted one for sooooooooo long and finally it’s mine! It is beautiful and I can’t wait to make so many things with it! I did bring it out for a few projects recently; chocolate chip cookies (I found a tutorial on how to make the perfect batch---I’ll share later) and rustic Italian bread, which I will share today. I am by no means a skilled baker but I’m learning new tips and tricks all the time and maybe one day I can earn that title. Bread is one particular baked good I have wanted to attempt, especially since I married a boy with a deep love for bread. I scoured the internet for beginner bread recipes and finally found this one, on Food.com. It had lots of great reviews and modifications for Kitchenaid users (versus a bread machine). I just found a recipe for Honey Wheat Bread ala Outback style; I’ll have to let you know how that one goes.

Enjoy!

{in action…it has ninja skills}

{bun in the oven…hehe}

Rustic Italian Bread

Servings: 8

Prep Time: 3 hrs

Cook Time: 35 mins

Ingredients:

·         1 cup warm water

·         2 tablespoons olive oil

·         3 cups bread flour or 3 cups all-purpose flour

·         2 teaspoons granulated sugar

·         3/4 teaspoon salt

·         2 teaspoons active dry yeast

·         cornmeal, to sprinkle on the baking sheet

·         1 egg white, slightly beaten

How To (with modifications):

Step 1: Add the sugar and yeast to the warm water, let it foam for 10 minutes, then add it to the flour, salt, and oil.

Step 2: Attach the dough hook to your Kitchenaid, cover it with a little oil (so the dough won’t stick), then use it to knead the dough for a few minutes. Make sure you use the stir setting.

Step 3: Cover the dough in your mixer for about 30 minutes so that it can rise. You can just lay a kitchen towel over the top of the bowl.

Step 4: Preheat your oven to 375 degrees and sprinkle cornmeal onto a baking sheet.

Step 5: Take the dough out of the mixer and punch it down. Form a loaf on the baking sheet, and then cover it again for another 25 minutes.

Step 6: Your loaf should have risen to a larger size by now. If not, keep it covered and let it rise a little longer.

Step 7: Uncover your loaf and slash the top with a sharp knife.

Step 8: Brush the beaten egg white all over the loaf. This will give it that nice golden color.

Step 9: Bake 25 minutes to 35 minutes, until hollow sounding when you tap the bottom of the loaf.

Step 10: Let cool, then enjoy!
 

{voila!}

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{nifty housewife: diy kitchen makeover}

{aren’t they cute? they were a wedding present from my wonderful cousin Sheren}

In the spirit of the New Year I decided to makeover our little kitchen. This project has been weighing on my mind for a long time, (I would even go to bed every night thinking about it, wishing I had started it already), so I finally decided to put on my paint clothes and jump right in.

When we moved in, the kitchen was my least favorite part of the house which didn’t work for me because that’s where I like to spend most of my time. It had this old granny wallpaper (sorry grandma) and creamy yellow cabinets. It is tiny with minimal storage—which we have been able to work with--and because of the décor scheme, it felt so much smaller of a space than it really was. The house was built in the early 90’s and the kitchen most likely had not been updated since then; it was in desperate need of a facelift.

For the new color scheme I decided to go with light gray walls and white cabinets and trim; I figured this would really brighten up and open the room. I also decided to paint over the wallpaper, which can be tricky and is not always advisable in every situation. If it is at all possible to remove your paper do that, but in some cases it’s impossible without damaging your walls. I had to do some research to make sure that I did this correctly and I suggest you do the same. Painting the cabinets was also a task but again, after researching tips I felt more confident about my ability to do this successfully. The whole project, walls and cabinets took me four days total to complete. Below are some tips for painting over your wallpaper, a tutorial for painting your cabinets, and of course, before and after pictures of our kitchen!

Tips for painting over wallpaper:

- Research! There are lots of great sites out there with tips and tutorials

- Check the quality of your wallpaper to see if you’re able to paint over it

— If it is really dirty wipe it down with warm soapy water before you begin

- If it’s peeling in spots, re-glue it down

- Fill in the seams so they don’t show when you paint over it

- Prime the walls with an oil-based primer---you don’t have to use oil-based paint for your main color

Painting your kitchen cabinets:

Step 1: Remove the drawers, cabinet doors, and all hardware from the doors. You might be tempted to tape over the hardware, however some of it can be very expensive to replace if damaged. If you want to speed up the process, use an electric screwdriver (they are awesome!).

Step 2: Wipe down the cabinet frames and doors with warm soapy water. Then tape-off the cabinet edges so you don’t get paint on your walls.

Step 3: Lightly sand your surfaces to help the paint stick better.

Step 4: Depending on your current cabinet color, you may or may not need to prime your cabinets. I didn’t, but it took me three coats of the white paint to cover the old color.

Step 5: Paint your cabinet frames. Paint one coat, let dry for about an hour, and then paint the next coat. After each coat check your work in good light to see if it needs another coat.

Step 6: After you’ve painted the last coat on your cabinet frames let it dry overnight, then carefully re-insert the drawers (make sure you’ve removed the knobs). Clean and sand the fronts, then paint them using the same method you used to paint the frames. Keep the drawers pulled out while you paint and as they dry.

Step 7: Lay your cabinet doors (front side down) in an area where they can stay laid out for a few days while they dry. Make sure all the hardware is taken off and that you keep it all together in one spot (so you don’t lose any of it). Also make sure you notice how it is put together (take a picture even) so you know how to put it all back later.

Step 8: Paint the first coat on your doors, wait an hour, then paint the next coat, repeat if necessary. I suggest painting the backsides first. If you flip them too early and they get a little smudged, they won’t really be seen until you open your cabinets.

Step 9: Let the backsides dry overnight, then check them the next day to see how dry they are. If they are still a little sticky to the touch, let them dry longer, if they are nice and dry carefully flip them and paint the fronts of your cabinet doors using the same method in Step 8.

Step 10: Let your doors, drawers, and cabinet frames dry for a few days. This is important because if you attach all the doors back to the frames while they are still tacky, your hardware will get stuck to the paint (making them hard to remove the next time you want to paint) and you will end up scratching off the new paint in several places requiring you to do quite a bit of touch-up.

Step 11: After about 3 – 5 days of drying time, re-attach all of the hardware and doors back to their frames.

Easy peasy…kind of.

Now, for the part you’ve all been waiting for…

{kitchen before}

{during the process}

Now for the finished product, drumroll please...

{kitchen after}

Yay! I love it and am so proud of my handiwork! It’s just new paint, but man doesn’t it completely change the overall look and feel?

Now all that’s left is to install dark rustic wood floors and change out a few appliances.

Thanks for stopping by! I hope I’ve inspired you to tackle your own kitchen makeover.

- Mrs. E.

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{aren’t we fancy?}

Like our new look? We’ve been working really hard on it. Check out the new links on the side (makes navigation on here a cinch!). A new banner is also in the works and will be unveiled in the new year! Woo!

love, love, love

{recipe: sautéed mushrooms}

{looks good eh?}

Recently (within the past few months) I’ve started eating mushrooms. Prior to this newfound food revelation I detested them. Why? To this day I don’t know---I had never even tried them. Anyway, I decided to throw caution to the wind one day and face my fungal fear. It’s actually a funny story—-my friend Alie made some one day and told me I had to try some (she didn’t know I wasn’t a fan) and because I’m nice and hate hurting anyone’s feelings, I went for it. To my surprise, they were very yummy and from that day forward I joined the fan club.

I decided to look at a few recipes to make them at home myself and after combining a few, I came up with the version below. I hope you enjoy!

Sautéed Mushrooms:

Servings: 2 or 3 (depends on how much you want to share…hehe)

Ingredients:

• 1 tbsp of butter
• 1 cup fresh sliced mushrooms
• 1/3 cup red wine
• 1/3 cup of beef broth
• 1 tsp garlic salt
• 2 tsp italian herbs
• 3 cloves minced garlic
• 2 cranks of peppercorns
• ½ cup of chopped up steak bits

How To:

Step 1: Sauté mushrooms and butter in pan until a light golden brown.

Step 2: Heat wine, beef broth, and steak bits in a separate pan to medium heat (it should smell a little bit like fresh bread…weird but yum!).

Step 2: Add garlic salt, herbs, minced garlic, pepper, and mushrooms to wine/broth mixture.

Step 3: Cook until mushrooms absorb broth mix and look tender.

Step 4: Serve with your favorite protein and pour some of the sauce over for some added flavor.

Simple and delicious. Enjoy!

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{recipe: fusilli pasta w/chicken sausage & spinach in a garlic cream sauce}

{and that’s how you do it}

Here’s my original recipe…I hope you enjoy it. Let me know what you think.

Fusilli Pasta w/Chicken Sausage & Spinach in a Garlic Cream Sauce:

Servings: 4

Ingredients:

• 2 cups dry fusilli pasta (I bought a bag from Trader Joe’s for $1 and some change)
• 4 links Chicken sausage, sliced into 1/2 inch rounds (Also from Trader Joe’s—-I grabbed the Spinach and Fontina sausage but they have tons of other kinds that would also be just as yummy)
• 3/4 cup Heavy cream
• 2 tablespoons Butter
• 1 1/2 teaspoon Italian herbs
• 2 cloves Garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon Garlic salt
• 3/4 cup Fresh spinach leaves

How To:

Step 1: As always, pour yourself a glass of wine. Cooking is always much more fun with a little vino!

Step 2: Boil water, then add pasta.

Step 3: Cook pasta until al dente.

Step 4: Toss sausage rounds with a little olive oil in a pan and sear until slightly browned.

Step 5: While pasta is cooking, combine cream, butter, herbs, garlic, sausage, and garlic salt in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir frequently and watch to make sure it does not boil over.

Step 6: When pasta has finished cooking, add to sauce along with the spinach leaves.

Step 7: Cook for about five minutes then serve with your favorite rustic bread.

See, super simple! Feel free to let me know if you have any questions!

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{25 before 25: 2 & 20 check!}

Wooo!!! Welcome back to 25 before 25! So I’ve been a little busy, although not according to this list as I still have a lot left to accomplish. Life has just been crazy; which is an understatement as this is the holly jolly holiday season! However, amidst all of the chaos, I have had time to cross a couple things off my list.

Goodbye #2 & #20!

1.  Create an original recipe: I have been a busy little chef lately and this week I was inspired to tackle #2 on my list. Drum-roll please….Fusilli Pasta w/Chicken Sausage & Spinach in a Garlic Cream Sauce! (Recipe to follow in an upcoming post)

While it is not a very complicated recipe, it is still original. I came up with the measurements myself and looked to no recipe for guidance—-total and complete blind cooking. I was so happy with my results I submitted my recipe, (with a few tweaks), to Allrecipes.com my favorite go to site for new recipes. It is still awaiting review so we’ll see if I make the cut. I’m sure I will improve upon it over the years, but for now, I’m very pleased!

2.  Pick a non-profit to support: This one was important to me as one of my strong core values in life is giving back. Of course we shouldn’t limit our support to just one cause, but realistically we don’t have the resources to support every cause under the sun. By choosing one to focus on, the opportunity to transition from supporting member to active member becomes very feasible; you can donate more time and money without feeling like you’re cheating on your other causes.

So which one did we choose? The Atlanta Humane Society! You may think we were coerced by those heartbreaking Sarah McLachlan commercials (and you would be partially correct), but actually Jesse and I love animals and couldn’t think of another cause we could be more passionate about. We have two rescues (our wonderful yet crazy lab mixes Sasha & Oliver) that Jesse talks baby talk to and pretends are lap dogs despite their size. It’s sad to think that they were abused as little babies yet we have made a commitment to give them the best lives possible with love, patience (tons of it—especially during their chewing phase), and lots of peanut butter filled Kongs!

So we’re going to start our support by signing up for the volunteer class the shelter requires you to take and hopefully soon we’ll get to work with some animals that need tons of lovin.

Until next time!

The Mrs.

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{christmas fun: a trip to stone mountain christmas}

{postcard material? i think so!}

For awhile Jesse and I had been hearing about this fun Christmas park at Stone Mountain and this Saturday we finally had an opportunity to go! We went with our wonderful neighbors and had so much fun. The whole park was decorated beautifully and covered in lights. They also had s’more stations, hot cocoa everywhere, and a train ride all around the mountain. I imagine the North Pole would be a very similar experience.

{arriving at stone mountain…so excited!}

{jesse trying to figure out where we are or hiding from a picture?}

{i decided to open up my very own restaurant…hehe…so cool!}

{gingerbread stories}

{waiting impatiently in line for the train}

{here comes the train yay!}

{on the train…next time we’ll sit on the left side; that’s where all the action is}

I think the highlight of our visit (other than the train ride) was the 4-D polar express movie! What makes it 4-D you ask? How about falling snow, hot cocoa smells, and splashes of water when the train hits the ice! Soooo much fun!

{like our look? we know we’re cool!}

Bye for now!

{christmas fun: decorating!}

Hello again!

We had such a great weekend here at the Ellis house; full of baking, cooking, decorating, and a fun visit to Stone Mountain Christmas!

The weekend started early as we picked out our Christmas tree on Thursday night and brought it home. We opted for a real tree again this year and hopefully we will keep up the tradition as it makes the house smell wonderful (as long as I keep it watered which is not quite my forte…haha). Growing up my family always had a fake tree and Jesse’s had a real one. While the fake one is more economical, it’s fun to pick out a real one and it doesn’t take much set-up. Plus, if you pick out a good one, it has no gaps and looks nice and full! I made my family buy a real tree one year, but my mom still put up the fake one as well…old habits die hard I guess.

{Jesse testing out the durability of the tree}

{the winner!}

That night we took out all of our décor, put on the She & Him Christmas album and put everything up. It was fun to fill our home with Christmas spirit and get pumped for the rest of the season. Christmas was always a big deal in my house growing up, especially because of my mother. She was raised in the Dominican Republic which is pretty warm all year round, yet even though it was always too hot to make it feel like the Christmas season, she still filled her family home with decorations she made with her siblings. She even wrapped their tree (or “palito”) with cotton to mimic snow. She carried her joy for the season into our family and now I am bringing it to my own.

I still have a couple more décor projects I have to finish (i.e. stockings and a fun banner) which I will hopefully be able to work on this week. Below are some pictures of what we’ve put up. The little wire tree with Christmas balls on it is the first Christmas décor item Jesse and I were given for our home. The first year Jesse and I lived together, I remember complaining to Mom Ellis that I didn’t feel very spirited because we didn’t have any Christmas décor up nor could we afford any as we were watching every dime and cent. That Christmas, one of my gifts was that little tree and it fit just perfectly in our home. It’s funny how things can hold so much meaning. One day I hope to pass it along to one of my kids for their first home.

{♪♫it’s beginning to look a lot like christmas♫♪}

I did complete a fun project the previous Sunday with my neighbor Nicole. I got to make my first real Christmas wreath! Nicole went to the dumpsters by the Christmas tree lots to grab leftover tree shavings and apparently she was not the only one with the same idea. She said it was like “Black Friday” at the tree dumpster with ladies everywhere grabbing as much as they could as quickly as they could. So…if you are thinking about attempting this project, make sure you camp out the night before!

It was a fun project, although it took quite a bit of time to finish. We went to the craft store to buy a frame as well as additional elements to decorate our wreaths. After that, all we needed was some wire/twine (to tie the tree shavings to the frame) and a trusty glue gun!

{the finished product}

{& a close-up of the little kissing birds, some rosettes I made with ribbon, & an “e” for ellis}

I hope all of your homes are filled with just as much joy!

Love,

Mrs. E

{getting into the christmas spirit}

{♪♫deck the halls…♫♪}

Oh helloooo…

After a long, exhaustive day of running around working on my name change (which by the way…I’m almost completely done with!!!), it was nice to settle down at home with my Sugar Cookie Tea, little puppies, and the She & Him Christmas album (the first Christmas album I have ever purchased). I may be a little biased because I love Zooey Deschanel and everything she does (especially the “New Girl”) but this is the loveliest Christmas album I have heard in a long time. I’m not usually a fan of celebrity Christmas covers, but Zooey & Matt’s take on these classics are so sweet; the perfect way to get into the Christmas spirit.

The house is quiet because my hubby is away at drill, although not super lonely as I had a wonderful visit with some special family friends, my “second dad” Alan and “little sister” Kelly. They happened to be in the area for Kelly’s soccer showcase and were very close by to our home. It was just great to share our new home with them and chat for awhile about marriage, relationships, life changes, etc. As I was listening to Kelly reflect on some recent life experiences and worries, I couldn’t help but think of how grown-up she is. It’s weird for me because I’ve known Kelly since she was a bitty, bitty baby; I babysat her and put her down for naps. Now she is a sophomore in high school and her sister, whom I also love dearly and have known since childhood is in her first year of college! It is very cliché but time really is fleeting…I remember wanting to grow-up so badly when I was Kelly’s age and then BAM…here it is. I think if anything, I’ve learned that now I should just sit back, enjoy, and not rush. Things will happen in their due time. It was also very nice to hear some of Alan’s stories from his first year of marriage as I can now relate with some of my own new experiences. That was another a-ha moment as Alan has been a prominent adult figure in my life since before I was even allowed to be interested in boys; now I’m talking to him about life as a married woman!

The perfect start to the weekend!

Love, Love, Love

P.S. It looks like some elves snuck in decorated a little…hehe…