Mummy Wreath

My mom was one of those people who decorated for holidays. I often hated helping to decorate, but I loved once it was out. Living in an apartment, I never really decorated for any holiday. Maybe a small thing here or there, but I am getting better at it. Right now I have THREE pumpkins, and a few other Halloween items around the apartment to get us in the festive mood for the upcoming holiday.One of these things is my new wreath that Keith loves. It's a mummy wreath!

It was so easy to make and really fun! It's made out of a foam wreath base. I wrapped bandages around it, gluing in several pieces to hold tight. After I made it all the way around, then wrapped it across both sides to create the "face" space. I then attached big goggly eyes and let it dry.

It is a silly and adorable wreath that is bring some Halloween spirit (although goofy) into our living room. More fall (and Halloween!) items coming soon! I promise.

Craft Night: Nutella Toast Recipe

So last night I hosted my first ever craft night. I just put it out there on social media and several ladies said they were interested, so the wheels were in motion. I found a silly craft for those who did not bring a craft of their own (more on that craft in a later post) I then spent Sunday doing one of my new favorite things: playing hostess! We finally have a big enough apartment to have people over without being cramped or too hot, etc. So, I started on the menu. One thing I made was Nutella Toast. I'm gonna let that one sink in, NUTELLA TOAST. And it was pretty stellar.

Basically, you get a baguette and slice it up. Then in a pan melt some butter and pan fry these bad boys until they start to brown and crisp up. Then put a liberal amount of nutella on the bread. Top with berries and mint and if you are feeling daring- some sea salt. It was very tasty.

That's not all I made though. However, I am going to space those recipes out throughout the next few blog posts. I really enjoyed this low key craft night. Happy crafting folks!

Recipe: Corn Chowder

The weather is changing here in Illinois and I am kinda diggin' the fall air. I love fall, the leaves changing, the chill in the air, wearing sweatshirts and its finally okay to drink the super hot tea I drink every morning, even during 100 degree days in the summer. So, along with the pumpkin white russian, I decided to indulge in another fall favorite. I used to make this recipe over a fire, in a cast iron pot because I am pretty awesome. It's one of my favorites, so I hope you enjoy it as much as I do. (be warned: I never said it was healthy, but man, it's tasty!)

What you need:

• 4 slices of bacon (chopped up) I think I added more like 5 or 6...we like bacon
• 1/2 medium onion, we don't like onion that much, so you can always add more
• 4 medium potatoes
• 4 cups of corn, we used frozen 
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1/4 cup of butter
• 2 and 1/2 salt
• 1/4 tsp of pepper
• 2 cups of milk 

 What to do:
Saute the bacon. Once cooked all the way through, cut up into bite sized pieces.Drain most of the fat. Add onions, potatoes and 1 cup water to pot (or a bit more to cover the potatoes). Bring to a boil, then simmer ten minutes. In a second pan, combine corn, cream, sugar and butter. Simmer for ten minutes. Combine the two pots and mix together with other ingredients. Keep coking until the potatoes are tender. I added more salt and pepper for taste on mine. It yields a lot, like 6-8 servings.

Stay warm out there kids.

Fall drink

Hello blogging world. I have disappeared for a bit but I am hoping to reappear now for awhile. I feel like my blog needed a break, I needed to step back and see what was working and what wasn't working. I noticed I wasn't writing for fun, but because I felt I needed to. So, I wanted to make sure this was for me- not just because. So, I am starting fresh- a clean slate- to try again. I am hoping this refresh will get my butt in gear and start creating again, which it already has. I have a recipe at the bottom of this post. However, I felt it was time to reintroduce myself.

I am Jenn. Sometimes it's Jenny. Othertimes it's Bean. Or even J. It depends on who asks. I live in Chicago, but am from Michigan. I miss Michigan and the woods, the prairie doesn't suit me. I like a cup of flavorful tea (Caprihana is my favorite right now), cute boys (mainly my dashing & adorable husband, Keith), puppies (my dog is a peach, her name is Loki), history (I am pretty much an amateur scholar of US presidents) and anything sparkly. I have three nieces, a sister, amazing parents,  a handful of in-laws, a loving husband and a bunch of friends (including MEG who co-owns this blog, but is a very busy lady!). I am often daydreaming of Scotland, Mackinac Island, what I am buying/making people for Christmas, new recipes and how I wish I lived in a cool Victorian house. I love music, laughing and reading. But most of all I love creating.

Okay, so that's me. Boring stuff done. NOW, let's get on to a fall drink that I stumbled on and decided to try out. A pumpkin white russian.

So, what I did was get a tumbler, place some ice in the tumbler. Pour in an ounce of pumpkin flavored vodka, followed by an ounce of Kahlua. I then finished it up with milk and gave it a stir. To really set off the pumpkin flavor I added some pumpkin pie spice on top. Deeelicous.  Of course, with any milk based drink, I can only really stomach one- however that one was really tasty. Remember: drink responsibly.

Recipe: Butterscotch Cookie Butter Fudge

Oh my gosh, I re-found cookie butter (from Trader Joes). I found a jar in my cabinet, next to a bag of butterscotch chips, that I haven't used in forever and was fast approaching the expiration date. Today was a rough day and Keith went back to school so I was trying to pass time until he could come home so I decide to make one of the best things ever---fudge.

What you need:

• 1 14 oz can of sweetened condense milk
• 12 oz of butterscotch chips
• 1/2 cup of cookie butter
• 1 tsp of vanilla extract

Get out a 8 x 8 pan and spray it with cooking spray. Mix sweetened condense milk, butterscotch chips and cookie butter in a pan and heat over medium to low heat. Stir regularly until all (okay, or most) of the chips have melted. Turn heat to low and add vanilla. Stir just 5 more second and remove from heat. Pour mixture into pan and put in the fridge for a few hours.

This recipe yields a lot. BUT, it yields a lot of deliciousness!!! Enjoy!

Recipe: Vanilla Lemonade

Today was a gloomy day. You know those days when it DOWNPOURS all day and then turns into 80 plus temps with humidity. Plus it just wasn't a great day. So, I decided to make myself perk up in a delicious way.

I found some delicious, huge lemons. So, of course I need to make myself lemonade, no question.

Here's what you need:
-Juice of 4 lemons
-1/2 cup of sugar
-6 cups of cold water
-1/2 tbsp of vanilla
-Ice

I juiced 4 lemons and then strained it to get out the pulp (yuck!). I added the sugar and vanilla. Then I poured in the water and stirred until dissolved. Add ice to your cup and pour. It's delicious!!! This lemonade is a bit tart, because I wanted to cut back on sugar. The vanilla adds something really extra.

Enjoy guys! 

Recipe: Jazzin' up Freezer Rolls

This week has just felt off. Keith is sick and I have been feeling a bit restless. I miss crafting, but am waiting until my craft room is full set up to start making creative messes again. The last few nights have been spent with a quick walk, watching old shows on netflix, lounging on the couch and making food we have had in our freezer for too long. 

So tonight was no different, however I wanted to liven up some frozen rolls I had to go with our ravioli and meatballs.

So I present to you: easy jazzed up rolls

These are boring old freezer rolls. Remove the plastic cover. Preheat the oven to the directions that come with the rolls- ours was 325 degrees. While it preheats, spray on olive oil (we have this handy thing), sprinkle with sea salt, black pepper and seasoning (I used a mix of Italian Seasoning from a local spice shop).

Lookin' Good

Bake the bread to the packaging instructions.

Once baked, eat it up! It's a really good and easy way to make freezer rolls even better! Enjoy!