Food

Friday Flair Link Party // Feature Edition no. 9

0 · Sep 13, 2013 · 20 Comments

Friday Flair Link Party // Well… we've made it to another Friday! This week has been a thrill. I finally feel like I can get back to working full-time and I'm getting my Photography mojo back. Anyone who works as a photographer, especially food or home photography knows that you have only one or two sweets spots in your house where you can take really good photos. It becomes your happy place and you know exactly when and how to get the best shots in that special spot. When you move, it can be a challenge finding your sweet spot in a new place.

In Vegas, my favorite spot was in my kitchen right next to some sliding glass doors that faced east. It was a terrible spot in the morning, but in the afternoon it could create magic. Our first house here in Lincoln was a challenge. It had a covered patio so the sliding glass doors in that kitchen wouldn't work. The light just wasn't right. I took a lot of photos outside there, which was fine, but not my favorite type of photography. Our new house has a great spot right in the kitchen again and I feel like I've come home. Again it's right by large sliding glass doors but they face south this time, so it's still a little different. I spent the week cooking up a storm and getting to know my new sweet spot… It was so much fun!!

Next, I have some excited things coming down the pipe here in the next couple of months that I'm super excited about. First, I am a new lifestyle contributor to REstyle Source and I'm so excited to start working over there! Also, I've been invited to… eeeek…. The Pillsbury Bake-Off Finals in Las Vegas in November!! Yea, that is going to be so much fun, kind of a dream really. I will be sharing the whole experience with you guys and giving you all the behind the scenes goods from the bake-off. Last, but not least… In a few weeks, I will be traveling to Israel with a handful of bloggers to take a culinary tour of that amazing country. We will be tasting our way through Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, Haifa & the Galilee area. We will be visiting markets, restaurants, farms & vineyards all while learning about the food of that region of the world. Super excited about that! Wow, I'm tired just chatting about all that. It's going to be a busy couple of months.

Speaking of busy… you guys have been crazy busy as well! Going through last week's Friday Flair made my head spin with all the great fall recipes and fun projects that you shared. Here are a handful that caught my eye.

dill carrot pickles from keeping with the times // yellow hello door vinyl from practically functional // caramel apple bites from echoes of laughter

diamond baby quilt from persia lou // pencil cake from endlessly inspired // gold & coral table from tidy mom

welcome gift from I pinned it // lemon pound cake from life made simple // spicy cilantro shrimp with honey lime sauce from love grows wild

an "apple" pie from heather's french press // sunburst mirror from delineate your dwelling // painted wood floors from cleverly inspired

I'm hungry and ready to get to work after all that inspiration!!!

Now let's get this Friday Flair Link Party Started

NOTE // I have made a bit of a change to the party. I have set it up so that it will close when it hits 200 links. As much as I would love to have the party go on forever. It takes a good deal of time to go through each link (which I do) and I have finally decided that 200 is the magic number. Thank you to all who link up every week and if you miss your chance this week, not to worry… you can try again for next Friday. //

12 Fall Inspired Free Printables

5 · Sep 12, 2013 · 19 Comments

The Printable Club // I'm so excited for fall to arrive! There is just something magical about this time of year. The crisp air, the harvest of all kinds of goodies, a return to the warm soul filling menus, sweaters, turning leaves, pumpkins… I could go on an on. This month's printable club theme is Fall and we have 12 fabulous free Fall inspired printables for you.

My contribution to this month is a fun printable sign that would add a little autumn love to your decor. I just adore farmers markets and barn sales and they are just so iconic in the fall. I have also loved the creative signage that comes with these fun homegrown markets. That is what inspired this simple piece that would look lovely in a fall display.

I actually came up with four different color ideas for you…

Just click on the download icon in the box below to download the printable sign…

11 of my favorite talented friends have also come up with some fun fall themed printable projects for you to use. Here is a list of all the fun!

1 // The Dating Divas – Make your man feel loved this fall by decorating the bedroom with all the reasons why you 'fall' for him!
2 // Somewhat Simple – This 8×10 paint-by-number-style deer art print is perfect for adding just a simple touch of autumn to your decor.
3 // Whipperberry – A stylish apple printable for your fall decor!
4 // Crafting Chicks – Fall Fun Charts–keep track of all your favorite fun activities you want to do this fall (like a summer fun chart) and check them off when you're done!
5 // Tatertots & Jello – Adorable Fall Scrolly Cake or Pie Topper Printables. Plus the recipe for Pumpkin Pie with Macadamia Nut Streusel topping.
6 // L'il Luna – A super cute and easy Fall Cookies in a Jar gift with free tag/recipe!
7 // My Sister's Suitcase – Printable Tags/Wraps for giving yummy fall treats and breads as gifts!
8 // I Heart Nap Time – An adorable gift tag perfect for any gift giving this fall season!
9 // The 36th Avenue – Pumpkin Cookie Recipe and Free Printables. A super cute little gift!
10 // Paging Supermom – This series of mod Apple Prints is perfect for your fall mantle or frame and give to a teacher or neighbor.
11 // The TomKat Studio – A free printable fall art print perfect for framing!
12 // The Idea Room – Caramel Apple Gift Kits are a fun and festive gift for friends, family and/or teachers this fall.

Zuppa Toscana // Easy Weeknight Dinners

6 · Sep 11, 2013 · 16 Comments

Easy Weeknight Dinners Recipe // My family LOVES potato soup of any kind. Routinely, when I ask what they would like for dinner, the very first thing out of the girl's mouth is… "potato soup!" Baked potato, potato cheddar corn chowder they will devour any of them, one of their favorites is Zuppa Toscana from the Olive Garden. We have been known to schlep it on over to Olive Garden just to have our fill of Zuppa Toscana on many occasions. That was until I found some copy cat recipes and started developing a knockoff of my very own. There is just something about the creamy broth salted with the spicy sausage and the pleasant surprise of the kale that just gets our engines a revving. We've even served it for Christmas Eve dinner a few times. Yep, we love it that much.

Every year when the air starts to crisp up with the promise of fall, the kiddos start asking for my version of Zuppa Toscana, so I thought I would share it with you today. I developed my recipe after a bit of research on copy cat recipes and it's quite a bit different than most copy cats, but it's one that we have fallen in love with. It's simple with easy to find, affordable ingredients so it's a perfect addition to your weeknight dinner line-up.

WhipperBerry's Zuppa Toscana

1 T extra virgin olive oil

1 T butter

1 lb bacon

1 lb sausage

1 large white diced onion

2 T garlic paste

1 1/2 t red pepper flakes

2 t salt

1 t pepper

4 large potatoes

4 – 6 cups water ( just to cover the potatoes)

24 oz. (2 cans) evaporated milk

3 cups kale

salt & pepper to taste

Parmesan cheese for garnish

Instructions

Add oil & butter to large soup pot and place over medium high heat. Add bacon that has been cut into small strips. Lower the heat to medium and cook until bacon is cooked through. This may take 10-15 minutes. Remove bacon and fat from pot and set aside the bacon. Add the sausage to the pot and season with red pepper flakes, salt & pepper. Once the sausage has browned add the diced onions and cook for 4-5 minutes until the onions are nice and soft.

While the bacon and sausage are cooking, peel and cut the potatoes into bite sized pieces. Once the onions are soft, add the garlic paste and cook for another minute then add the potatoes to the pot and cover with water. Place the stove on high and bring to a boil. Once the pot is boiling lower the heat a bit and let simmer for 15-20 until the potatoes are soft. Turn off heat and add the two cans of evaporated milk and return to a medium heat. Watch your temperature carefully, you don't want to boil it at this point.

Wash, dry and roughly chop the kale and add to the soup. Continue to cook at a low simmer for another 5 minute until the kale has softened a bit. Check your seasoning, add more salt and pepper if needed. Remove from heat and serve. We like to add some shaved Parmesan cheese on top along with the bacon pieces from earlier. Serve with some crusty garlic bread and enjoy. To me, this dish is the ultimate Italian comfort food.

Fall is the celebrated start to the soup, chowder, stew and chili season… what's your family's favorite recipe?

Needle Felted Spiders for Halloween

3 · Sep 10, 2013 · 4 Comments

// Needle Felted Spiders for Halloween //

Hi there! Shannon from eat.sleep.make. here. One of my absolute favorite crafting mediums for fall and winter projects is needle felting. I made these cute little spiders for Halloween this year (and fortunately, only suffered a few puncture wounds in the process.)

What you will need:
Wool Rooving
Needle Felting Tool
E600 Glue
Colored Paper Clips

Pull a piece of your wool roving apart from the rest and wrap it in a tight little ball. Start stabbing away! Be careful not to poke yourself because these needles are sharp! Keep stabbing until the ball feels more dense and the lines from wrapping it have disappeared. Add some color by putting spots on it!

Next use your colored paperclips for legs! Cut them or just bend them into the size and shape you want. Use some glue to make sure they stay attached.

I'm not much of a Halloween fan, but I definitely appreciate adorable decorations. When else can you display a cute needle felted spider and it be acceptable?

Thanks for hanging out with me today here at Whipperberry! I'll see you all next month!

xoxo – Shannon

Stop over at eat.sleep.make. and see some of our Halloween projects from last year.

Monster Teeth Treat Bag Skeleton Bones Treat Bag iPhone Costume

New Project Life Just Add Color Kit Perfect for Instagram

6 · Sep 9, 2013 · 7 Comments

// This post brought to you by American Crafts & Project Life //

I adore Becky Higgins and her Project Life brilliance! Raise your hand if you have also fallen in love with the Project Life system. It takes chore out of documenting life and turns it into something fun and enjoyable. Here is a post that I wrote a while back talking about Project Life, how to use it and why I love it. I've even used left over cards to create some fun projects for my little guy, like these Flash Cards. Needless to say, I'm a fan!

This month the Project Life crew is introducing a new kit with a whole new twist on HSN (the Home Shopping Network.) It's the Just Add Color kit on HSN. You are going to love this kit and especially love the price!

Soooo… other than the fun new colors and graphics, do you notice something different? If you've been working with Project Life before, you'll notice the new square format perfect for Instagram photos. Here's a quick run down of what's new in this new release…

I decided to take my very first Instagram photos and work on a few pages…

Gager's was so small back then, just a baby! I LOVE how the fun 2×2 squares and the stickers add so much to the page. Check out some of the stickers, they are great…

Not in the mood for color? Don't worry! This kit has a stunning collection of black and white cards as well…

These black and white cards were perfect for when Gage broke his leg… I'm still not feeling to colorful about that. 😉

Isn't this kit so fun? Don't forget… A Limited amount of Just Add Color kits will be available at an amazing price at HSN on September 17th. Shop early because they will sell out for sure!!

Disclaimer // This is an American Crafts sponsored post. I received product and payment for this post however, all thoughts, idea and opinions are my very own. I will only post about stuff that I adore!

Food

Now let's get this Friday Flair Link Party Started

WhipperBerry's Zuppa Toscana

Instructions

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