Edible Hostess Gifts

I usually make my own hostess gift when going to a party or visit someone. It's something personable and they can serve it at the same time. I love making these chocolate hazelnut biscotti from Martha Stewart. It's easy to make and most of all delicious! You will be a hit at the party!

Go to your local home store to buy a beautiful bowl. Once you have baked your cookies fill the bowl with the homemade cookies. Throw in some pretty foil wrapped chocolates to add color to the gift.

Wrap the bowl with cellophane wrap and decorate with color coordinated bowl. Voila! You have your gift!

Why not treat mom with this?

Enjoy!

Pamper Me Please!

When I was a little girl on summer break I never had the opportunity to go to summer camp. My summer camp was picking tomatoes, doing household chores or playing outside with my friends. My mom was a seamstress so she would pull me under her wing and teach me the basics about sewing. I really didn't like it. I just didn't have it in me. I loved to craft though! My mom would teach me to embroider pillow cases and do some beading. My aunt lived near by and was amazing in crocheting and knitting. I would spend afternoons over at her house learning to knit and crochet. I will never forget those precious times! But when I got older, my life got busy and had to put all of my hobbies behind me. I sort of kept up with knitting but I'm not that great at it. Thank God for YouTube! With all the tutorials on there I brushed up on my crocheting skills. It has been a long time and have forgotten the basics.

Well, I wanted to gift my girlfriends last Christmas but didn't want to spend much (it's the thought that counts right?) So I started to make these cute scrubbies in all different colors. It is made with nylon tulle and it makes an amazing exfoliating scrubby! I found the pattern from Maggie's Crochet. It's quick and very easy to make. Add it with a delicious scrub, body cream or soap and voila! A stylish unique gift that every woman would love! Why buy a candle, cup or picture frame for your child's teacher. Gift her with this - she will love it!

 

 



A scrub is a cinch to make!

Homemade Body Scrub

1 cup of dead sea salt or sea salt

15 drops of essential oil of your choice

3 tbsp. coconut oil

Combine all ingredients in a clean bowl. Place content in your favourite jar. I used a mason jar and decorated it with bling. Hand write a pretty label to personalize your gift.

Kit Kat Cheesecake Recipe

If you love Kit Kat chocolate bars you are going to love this recipe. Pure chocolately goodness!

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F
Crust

 1 1/2 cups                  chocolate cookie crumbs

 1/3 cup                       butter, melted

Filling

3 pkgs                        regular cream cheese at room temperature

3/4 cup                       granulated sugar

3                                 eggs

1 tsp                           vanilla

1 cup                          Sour Cream

2 tsp                           flour

9 packs                      Kit Kat chocolate bars*

*Reserve a few sticks of the bar and hand chop for the garnish.

Garnish

 left over chopped Kit Kat bars




For the crust, combine the chocolate crumbs and the butter. Press into a 9 inch spring form pan. Place the crust into the refrigerator while making the filling.

 Beat the cream cheese on low with an electric cake mixer until smooth. Beat in the sugar slowly until nice and fluffy. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in the vanilla, then the sour cream and flour.

 Pour 1/4 of the batter into the prepared pan. Place a stick at a time of the Kit Kat bar until evenly distributed around the pan. Place the remainder of the batter on top of the chocolate bars.

Place the spring form pan onto a cookie sheet filled with warm water to come up about 1/2 inch. Place the pan into the oven and bake for about 50 - 60 minutes or until set. Turn off the oven and let sit for about an hour.

Remove from the oven and let it cool completely. Place into the fridge for about 24 hours before you are ready to garnish.

Remove the sides of the spring form pan and place onto a serving plate. Sprinkle with chocolate. Voila!

Serves 10 to 12 Servings.

Color Me Calmly

Well, from my experience, divorce has been one of the worst experiences I have ever encountered in my life. The stress, emotional roller coaster ride and anxiety that I experienced, I must say, was brutal. I thank God everyday for my strong close knit family and friends that have stood by me. They ran  to me and my children at a moments notice to help us out. Words cannot express my gratitude and love for these people. Especially my brother's wife. She has been there for me to comfort me and provide me encouragement and guidance. My girlfriends that were there for the venting sessions. To take me out for drinks and smooze.  And my mother! The pain that woman suffered to see her little girl go through this ordeal with her children. The daily phone calls to check up on me to make sure everyone was ok. The calls are not that frequent anymore. She now knows that I can manage.

As you can see above, I have discovered adult coloring! This is another past time that has helped with my stress and anxiety. To me, it quiets my mind and relaxes me. My daughter and I will sit in our family room with a box full of markers, crayons and pencils crayons and color away. It's so much fun and relaxing. We bond and catch up! lol!

I would urge you to give it a try. Go to your local bookstore and see what coloring book resonates with you. I even found some at my local dollar store.

Mother's Day is coming up. What a wonderful gifting idea!

Angel Reading For Today

Todays reading is from the Messages From Your Angels deck from Doreen Virtue. As I was shuffling, this card fell out of my hands.

 

Always be aware of the messages that are being sent to you. Always ask, they are here to help. Be open, do not doubt what you see, hear or feel. This card deck is one of my first decks that I purchased. I absolutely love it and connect with it very well. Sometimes my daughter sneaks in and uses it. The messages are truly beautiful. I hope this card resonates with you today.

Savoury Cheese and Pancetta Puffs

These delicious savoury puffs are a hit around my house. The minute a batch comes out of the oven, the kids are all over them! Delicious as a snack or served as an appetizer, you will see these puffs disappear in seconds!

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F

Makes 3 dozen

1/2 cup  unsalted butter

1 cup water

1 1/4 cup all purpose flour

4 large eggs

1/2 cup chopped pancetta, genoa salami or prosciutto

1/4 cup parmesan cheese

1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese

In a medium saucepan, combine the butter and water. Bring to a boil over medium heat, once the butter has melted add the flour and stir quickly with a wooden spoon. Once the mixture has pulled away from the sides and is well combined remove from heat.

Transfer the mixture to a bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Mix on low speed until slightly cooled. Add the egg one at a time beating until well incorporated before adding the next egg. After the eggs are well incorporated add the pancetta, parmesan and cheddar.

Line three large baking sheets with parchment paper. Scoop and drop the dough with a small spoon or small ice cream scoop. Smooth the peaks. I even wet my hands to roll and slightly flatten with my hands. Place in oven and bake for 25-30 minutes (rotating pan halfway through) or until golden.

Delish!

** Notice how I didn't call for salt. I did not add salt to this recipe because the meat and parmesan adds salt to the dough.

As a delicious snack. My son will have black brine olives, some grapes, a biscuit and some tuma cheese.

Spring Cleaning

Have you heard of the saying "Out With The Old and In With The New"? Well now is your chance. Spring is here and it's now time to purge your closets of clothes that are not needed or out grown. Do you have boxes of junk piling up in your basement? Get rid of it! Last winter I spent days purging my closet and basement. Crap that accumulated for years that was just taking up precious space.  Last Fall I purchased a table at our local community garage sale and sold my goodies. The table was cheap and the traffic generated was amazing! It was indoors so I didn't have to spend time posting signs etc etc. It was really fun!

It was indoors at the local community center so I did not have to worry about rain (and it did rain that day) so it brought in more visitors! Check with your local municipality to see if such an event is offered. Another option that I found quite good is Varage Sale. Varagesale is a cyber garage sale which you create on their site. You usually create an account through Facebook. You join your local community site. Please check the terms and conditions as each community differ in rules. The Admin is quite helpful and is quite professional and quick in responding to  your emails. Just be careful like other sites and use caution when you arrange to meet. I found from my experience that the participants are usually women and are extremely friendly and helpful. Take a peek and explore to see if this suits you.

A great way to get rid of your junk and make some extra pocket money.

Until next time! xo