Snacky French

quilting 101

16 weeks

nursery ideas i'm loving

snow day

14 weeks

my birthday present.

the curiosities of a kitty cat

12 weeks and counting

what we ate for dinner

my best friend's wedding!

we are pleased to announce...

traveling themed birthday cake

a little christmas recap

festivities

birthday girl + ping pong cake

one last fall post

Wedding Cake

hello november

squirreling away for winter

loving list

a good reminder that distractions need to be dealt with...

a few more from september

foods i like

another corner of our home

autumn salad

apple butter frolic

CD release party

Aquarium via my phone

Birthday Boy!

Lobsters and Labor Days

Cake in a jar!

Wedding Weekend!

in our yard this summer...

Cake of the weekend

a little more love from our trip

summer's best

On the road: Interesting things we saw along the way!

a few last images from our trip

desert!

highlights from new mexico and arizona

friends in oklahoma... and texas

Springfield

Memphis

lets talk about food...

road trip preparations

gearing up

Summerfest!

a little late:: show and tell

rhubarb spritzer!

mother's day brunch

curtain making

easter brunch

easter

more baby sets

blossoms and buds ( oh and sleeping kitty)

pantry progress

Peanut Butter Cookies

Birthday Party!

Sunny Days

Cake of the week...

knitting roundup

jungle themed baby shower cake!

girls weekend!

merging of the seasons!

baked treats for chillfest

rough draft

winter cozies

a snowy walk about

gratitudes

pretty petit fours

make list 2011

a little holiday recap

hope you have a...

"faux" hostess cupcake!

christmas light show spectacular

For your listening pleasure

another year

a recipe, a 200th post!

craft bazaar

we love light

let the holiday making, baking, decorating being...

post thanksgiving dish

cakes, muffins oh monday

some things...

birthday girls and family photoshoots

knitting season has begun

pumpkin cupcakes with maple cream cheese frosting

autumn oats

a cake

sweet potato biscuits

sunday picnic

fall love

squash soup.

back when and coming soon...

making deodorant

first friday fun

happy birthday today

some days you just need candy.

weekending

2012-02-14T08:07:00.000-05:00

it has been a long time desire of mine to learn to quilt. my grammy was such an avid quilter and i cherish the quilts from her. for her, those fabric scraps told stories of her life with a family. scraps from a dress here, a shirt there, no longer able to be worn but with lots of life left in them.

so i've been very blessed to have a friend who is taking me under her wing, to teach me how to quilt. with a baby on the brain, it seemed logical to start with a baby quilt. my friend has such a great collection of fun vintage looking fabric, it was hard to choose from them all. but in the end we did and here's a little sampling of whats to come!

here's the pattern we're using.

2012-02-03T15:21:00.000-05:00

a little life update:

there is indeed a belly now!
enjoyed a date night with jason, making chocolate chip cookies and playing "bonkers" (a favorite childhood game my mom recently gifted me)
enjoyed some time with my friend who recently gave birth
we have decided to wait until we give birth to find out the sex of our wee one.
enjoyed a few walks outside in only a t-shirt! fully enjoying this little tease of spring
we now have a ceiling fan in our kitchen! continuing to work and make plans for the kitchen and laundry room.
cruised babys r us and ikea recently... trying to make sense of all the baby gear. too many options! our hope is to keep it simple

a few more shots

2012-01-28T10:47:00.000-05:00

source

2012-01-25T15:17:00.000-05:00

on a recent snow day we had, we enjoyed some time outdoors for a snowy walk by the perkiomen creek. it was followed by some indoor time, playing games and drinking homemade cocoa. snow sometimes brings an unexpected diversion to our days. we both feel that need to slow down and soak up these special times of the year. every one needs a snow day now and again!

2012-01-24T20:38:00.000-05:00

hello second trimester! it hard to believe you're here.

a few things:

im starting to puff out a bit.
have a few maternity items on hand now
cravings: swedish milk chocolate ( thanks ikea), greek goddess yogurt with honey ( thanks whole foods) and a pummelo ( yeah whole foods). a pummelo is a bit out of the blue since i've only eaten them in california a few times. but thats what i felt i needed.
i'm beginning to eat sweets again... in very small amounts
felt like i did a million sit ups the other day. ( trust me, i did not even one). i think i'm just stretching out a bit.
we are still trying to decide if we want to find out the sex. jason votes no. i vote yes. what do you think?

2012-01-24T10:29:00.000-05:00

do you remember this swing. i talked about it here. well, jason remembered. he actually made it for me. i had no idea he was such a wood worker. this is a bit late of a show and tell, seeing as my birthday was last month, but this was the first opportunity i had to get some pictures. it was a GREAT surprise. i love it. you see, there has been a tree swing here for decades. people tell us of the memories they have of coming to the general store and swinging out back on the tree swing. we don't know what that swing looked like, but we now have a proper swing that can make some new memories in this beloved spot!

2012-01-23T14:46:00.000-05:00

lets talk about chips shall we. after all, he is our dearly beloved friend, who will probably get a little overlooked in all the talk of coming baby. this rug in our bedroom is his new most favorite place to sleep. this changes every so often. he's a seasons sort of cat. we are delighted that he's taken to the corner of the rug for sleeping, seeing as he might have to share that rug someday.

chips is an outdoor cat at heart. he started out his life that way, until three months later he came to live, indoors with us. we still like to let him and his outdoor spirit get some fresh air from time to time. he is always perplexed by snow. we enjoy that fact a little to much!

then there is this truly curious obsession with our air conditioner piece. i was cleaning out the closet one day and he instantly goes and nuzzles up with this fine looking piece of metal. he was infatuated, rubbing up all around it and sleeping on top of it. he even made a little fit when we took it away. we soon brought it out and the love affair continued. he's a strange one, but the best one for us!

2012-01-20T21:11:00.003-05:00

we thought it would be fun to take some photos to share this time and to remember it in the coming years. this was taken a few weeks ago. 12 weeks and not to much showing. a good thing, seeing as it will be nice to wear my own clothes for a while. this pregnancy has been a wonderful thing. other than random nauseousness and extreme tiredness in the first couple of months i've been feeling quite well.

fun facts of the first trimester:

we found out on 11.11.11 we were having a baby
we told our families by showing them our christmas card we had made
ate a LOT of soup
lost my sweet tooth
brushing my teeth almost always makes me get sick
my first doctor's appointment got delayed two weeks because of a closed turnpike
we heard the heartbeat for the first time on december 28

2012-01-13T10:14:00.000-05:00

lately i've been diving into the cookbook apples for jam. simple, hearty recipes that really appeal to me these winter months. like this tomato risotto and pasta with tuna, tomatoes and olives. hopefully i'll be sharing more of what we ate for dinner here. this meal consisted of tomato risotto. with the addition of basil it felt a bit like summer in the kitchen. even if it was hydroponic basil. it did wonders for my spirit! rounded out dinner with chicken cutlets and a salad. so good!

2012-01-12T09:51:00.001-05:00

my good friend of 22 years got married last saturday. it was on the 5 year anniversary of her first date with her now husband. it was a small affair, taking place in her grandparents home, but one with so much meaning and beautiful little details. congratulations to you both. so happy to be apart of this joyous day!

2012-01-11T10:07:00.000-05:00

that we are having a baby! coming this july! we are beyond excited about this wee one growing inside me! jason has taken to calling our baby a bear cub and it seems to have stuck.

we are now entering our second trimester!

2012-01-10T13:04:00.000-05:00

here's a cake i did not too long ago!

2012-01-09T08:29:00.000-05:00

i've been absent from this space for a long, long while. i didn't mean for it to be that long. busyness, laziness, the holidays, there are many excuses... but i'm excited for this new year. i have lots to share, coming your way shortly! we had a nice relaxing christmas this year. two days spent up north with jason's family followed with a day a festivities with my family. my brother-in-laws family also came in from sweden, so we had a bit bigger of a gathering which is always fun! the christmas decorations are still up, and i think might be fore a little while longer. i'm not feeling in a hurry to take them away this year.

well, hope you all have a lovely monday. check back this week... i promise there will be some more posts coming your way.

2011-12-13T08:49:00.000-05:00

we decided to spruce up our store windows for the holidays... since you know, we have store windows in the first place. it would be kinda a shame to waste all that potential space. it makes us smile whenever we leave or come back home, to see the cozy glow!

2011-11-29T17:13:00.001-05:00

another birthday, another fun request for a birthday cake! my how my niece has grown up, even in a years time. love you, little lady!

2011-11-28T12:51:00.000-05:00

happy belated thanksgiving! we had a lovely thanksgiving with both of our families. extending into the weekend, were we saw about 10 wild turkeys strolling about.

right before the holiday we got our wood burner fired up! we are now heating our house and water with just wood! we are beyond happy about this. the temperature inside these days is cozy- very warm ( just because we can)

lots of other exciting things happening. more to be shared in the next little while!

another update, being, we took down our falling down ceilings in the living room and dining room. we also demoed our attic, put up more insulation, got a new back door, leveled the floor in the laundry room and hung up some more gutters outside. it has been a very productive season for us. jason being responsible for pretty much all of it!

2011-11-08T11:57:00.000-05:00

here's a wedding cake i did this past weekend! pound cake with cream cheese frosting! everyone loves the cream cheese lately! it is so very tasty!

i am off to do a cake decorating class for creative gifts, which is a part of peaceful living. my good friend works with them and thought her clients would really love cake decorating. i'm really excited for the opportunity!

2011-11-07T14:59:00.000-05:00

the leaves continue to be brilliant these days. the chill in the air has increased. and cooking in these parts has been a more frequent thing! not working four nights a week has revived my passion for making a little more labor intensive meals. i wouldn't have it any other way. my newest little dinner adventure was yam pasta sauce! perfectly fall. i had some left over from another meal, so i pureed the rest of the yams, heated it up, added cream, sage, nutmeg, salt and pepper and topped with parmesan cheese. so good!

our fall table

2011-10-23T18:57:00.000-04:00

we have been busy in these parts, preparing for winter. this year we hope to have a little warmer winter indoors. having an old house means lots of drafts and loss of heat. we our doing our best to remedy that by installing an outdoor wood boiler, insulating wherever we can and hoping for a better outcome. other little things have included planting a whole bunch of bulbs for a beautiful spring display. bringing some plants indoors. the oxalis pictured above and bringing the amaryllis out of hibernation so it can bring some blooming cheer to the winter months. its also made me want to plant more bulbs in pots to have indoors. i love the blooms all year round!

jason working on our wood shed behind the garage!

2011-10-13T19:27:00.000-04:00

a short list of things i'm LOVING:

fall porches
stirring up the compost pile in hopes of a rich soil for spring
this free plumes printable
finding loads of inspiration in ripped out magazine pages ( cleaning out is very good )
pinterest
equal parts red wine and glogg ( a swedish spiced drink you can get at ikea ) it makes the most delicious mulled wine
light ( candles, string lights) in these darkening days
feist's new album metals
a handknit, from a sister most dear.
this lovely blog 3191 miles apart
kinfolk
knitting baby things for friends and "one day"

2011-10-12T17:30:00.000-04:00

sometimes technology sucks the time right out from under us. we let it. i definitely let it. this caught my attention. i hope it catches yours as well.

2011-10-10T08:43:00.000-04:00

elmo & zoe

another wedding cake for another beautiful wedding. jeff and nicole chose pound cake with pumpkin filling and cream cheese frosting and chocolate cake with cherry filling and cream cheese frosting. great flavors for an autumn wedding!

2011-10-09T22:41:00.002-04:00

the other evening i had some peppers that i wanted to eat before they got too old, so i thought of stuffed peppers. digging around in the cupboards and fridge i started thinking of reinventing the stuffed pepper, so i made a greek version. turkey sausage, olives, hummus, feta, rice and roasted tomatoes... they turned out terrific.

just a pretty still of our fall table the other night. breaking out even more candles for these days that are getting shorter.

lastly, a new recipe tried! caramel stuffed apple cider cookies. and that is exactly what they taste like. best right out of the oven or heated again. whats not to love about a gooey caramel stuffed in a cookie? not to much. the recipe can be found at the cooking photographer! a little more work to stuff a cookie but oh so worth it!

2011-10-07T15:51:00.000-04:00

i often feel reluctant to share spaces of our home here. i love/ hate our home. its in a constant state of repair and disrepair. even though this space ( my creative space) is still going to get renovated one day... it has felt more "finished" and cozy lately. so here is another part of our home. i feel blessed to have this extra space to call my own.

2011-10-06T20:16:00.000-04:00

2011-10-03T10:41:00.000-04:00

we had a busy weekend. a wedding to attend, 2 cakes to make, friends to visit with, a fall party to attend, a frolic and a birthday party. this post is just of the apple butter frolic we attended. its a yearly event focused on the traditions and everyday life of the mennonites. since it is held in the fall time, the big event is apples. apple fritters, apple butter, apple dumplings. there was also yummy chicken potpie, pulled pork, scrapple, ham and potatoes, etc. demonstrations on farming, keeping house and crafts. here are a few highlights from the day.

2011-09-19T08:56:00.000-04:00

last evening i had the pleasure of attending and providing the cakes for a cd release party for some dear friends. they put out a beautiful worship cd, recently. you can check them out at shores music if your interested. shores music label is a sister to shores of grace ministries. shores of grace ministries are doing a great work in brazil, ministering to prostitutes in hopes of setting them free, through restoration. showing the love of God our Father to the broken. it was a great night of worship and celebration with this couple pictured below and other bands on the shores music label.

2011-09-13T08:21:00.000-04:00

i recently went with a friend to the baltimore aquarium. here are a few shots of the many fish we got to see. it was fun to go again, since i can't remember the last time i was there. her kids loved it, since they've never been to an aquarium, their excitement was contagious, so i thought i'd snap a few pictures to share. the manta rays, sharks, dolphins and sea turtles were to hard to capture, but were a very big part of pools there. a perfect way to spend a rainy day!

2011-09-12T23:55:00.003-04:00

we love birthdays here! we love having people over, eating yummy food, and celebrating life in general! this past weekend, jason had a birthday! i really wanted to have a little gathering outside this year, so we cleared some space, spruced up our lacking yard a bit and built a fire pit for the occasion. the day turned out lovely, a great way to send the summer off with one last party outdoors. we ate snickerdoodle cake and homemade vanilla bean ice cream, made our first bonfire and played with sparklers and fireworks! a very good day!

2011-09-04T00:09:00.002-04:00

Here is the project of the week! It was a fun one!

Happy holiday weekend!

Jason and I... well we will both be working so we can take off a day next week for his birthday!In the spirit of working hard, here are some things that have gotten done around here of late.

cleaning out the garage
cleaning up the storage part of our house ( mostly)
cleaned and organized my craft space
made some knit socks
seasoned my cast iron pans
made my own scrubbies for doing dishes out of bags that oranges and lemons come in. fold. sew. done. they work excellent as a non abrasive scrubby
hung some new artwork
made panzanella ( summer bread salad)

2011-08-22T00:24:00.000-04:00

2011-08-17T10:58:00.003-04:00

here is the most recent cake i've done! it was for this lovely couple pictured below! they are dear friends of ours and we were so happy to be apart of their special day! jason being best man and my cake contribution.

and it was so great spending a whole weekend with these folks. their company with us was truly the highlight of our summer! oh and possibly a road trip... but we sure do love these two couples a whole lot!

2011-08-16T10:39:00.001-04:00

PEACHES! while these are not the prettiest peaches i've ever laid my eyes on, they are, however the most magnificent! you see, they are the first edible peaches we've been able to pick from our peach tree out back. this is only our second summer at this home and we have not been taking preventative measures to ensure some rot free fruit. so imagine my delight at finding a few golden fruits that were ripe and ready.

my small herb patch, right outside the back door

our compost bin! jason built it from pallet wood! we are so excited to get it going.

this beautiful and simple swing from terrain, is my inspiration for a swing out back. good thing i have a carpenter in the family!

2011-08-07T22:23:00.001-04:00

Round two on the murder mystery cake circuit! It was a lot of fun making this mystery manor cake. Good thing I had some extra "blood" from the last one!

2011-08-01T11:18:00.001-04:00

most of the national parks we visited were selling these retro looking cards. we instantly loved the look of them and started a collection to remember our trip. they were reprinted orginal artwork for posters done for the parks in the 1930's. you can read about the full story here. pretty fun stuff.

2011-07-27T10:38:00.001-04:00

a couple of years ago, in Holland, we made it to the tulip festival. it was one of my fondest memories, being a lover of tulips. these cute little bud vases were hanging up around all the shops at the festival and i just loved the idea. so this the first time i've brought them outside here at our new house. i think i would have like to hang them horizontally but this is what i had to work with on short notice. plus it brings me cheer each time i come in the front door!

2011-07-25T13:09:00.002-04:00

here is a list we started making when we were driving and encountering things we had never seen or experienced before.

on the road: from a pennsylvanian perspective!

windmill blades
circus rides ( on the highway)
a tractor driving on the highway
world's largest mcdonalds (former)
sign that says "don't drive into the smoke"
being in the exact middle of america in oklahoma
a couch in the middle of the highway
a stage coach in new mexico
tumbleweeds (interesting at first)
long horn
Jesus "blessed" texan watermelons
yellow bellied marmots
rain coming down on only one side of the car
a guy in a tutu, running a race in death valley
swimming cows
next to a prison, a sign saying: " do not pick up hitchhikers"

2011-07-25T11:04:00.002-04:00

utah

bryce canyon national park : utah

southern california

mariposa grove: yosemite national park, california

california

death valley national park: california

yosemite valley

yellowstone national park: wyoming

grand prismatic springs: yellowstone

badlands national park: south dakota

2011-07-06T09:21:00.001-04:00

most of these shots were at monument valley! we really enjoyed it there. there are so many other great scenery shots that we have as well. the west is astounding in beauty!

we also stopped at the four corners monument.

the corners of utah, colorado, new mexico and arizona!

2011-07-05T21:07:00.001-04:00

meteor crater in winslow, arizona

best breakfast of the trip so far. burrios, huevos rancheros, fresh squeezed oj, sweet roll.

at a place called frontier in albuquerque!

near acoma pueblo in new mexico

old town, albuquerque

amazing sunset in new mexico

tumbleweed and windmill. two most common sites here.

so much so that a man had a giant yard collection of them.

petroglyphs. ancient indian carvings and drawings

badlands in the petrified forest

rocks. somewhere :)

petrified wood!

2011-07-05T20:46:00.001-04:00

friend #1 : prairie dog

we went to prairie dog town in oklahoma in the nature preserve. they were quite the sight to see. even saw some prairie dog kisses.

friend #2 : buffalo

they were pretty scarce with how hot it happened to be in oklahoma. hoping to see more in yellowstone

friend #3 : longhorns

these guys were all over.

p.s. we had longhorn burger for lunch.

staying with family in oklahoma was awesome! the picture is from mt. scott.

texas was more of a passing through state. we did however stop at slugbug ranch to tag a few beatles. and cadillac ranch to marvel at how many other people had tagged. ate some big steaks at the big texan and drove through parts of rt. 66 before heading to new mexico!

2011-06-25T18:12:00.003-04:00

we travel onto springfield, missouri via arkansas. here i am at mammoth springs a little park we stopped at on our way. it was nice to stretch our legs and take in a bit of the beauty around us

downtown springfield. we spent the day walking around the cute little shops and antique stores there. a most wonderful, relaxing anniversary day we had! 4 years with my man! time has truly flown by! we celebrated by going to red velvet and getting a sweet cupcake! salted caramel chocolate! amazing. it was fun going to a shop from a fellow blogger.

one thing i was looking forward to was visiting the home of laura ingalls wilder. the home where she lived with almanzo as a married couple! it was a treat to hear all about my favorite childhood character.

2011-06-24T18:23:00.001-04:00

we had a great time in Memphis!

riverboats on the mississippi river

outside graceland.

beale st. a dream come true for jason! he loves his blues! we had the pleasure of hearing some great local music at a bar one night, called the juke joint.

we visited the rock n soul museum! a great history on the beginning of blues and rock and roll. it was interesting to see how music brought people together, when the racial divide was very strong.

overall it was a great little stay we had in memphis, minus a silly little parking ticket.

2011-06-23T12:15:00.001-04:00

i'm not going to lie. one of the most exciting things, to me, on this road trip is experiencing the local food! memphis was full of southern delights! we dined at two very no frills bbq joints. central bbq and a&r's. look them up if you should ever stop there! ribs were super and slaw with everything. "coleslaw" for my friends up north.

a friend of mine suggested we eat at lamberts in springfield, missouri. they are famous for throwing hot dinner rolls at you! keeping your head up was important! they had yummy home style dishes with something called "pass arounds" 3-4 extra side dishes they walk around and serve you as you dine. pretty awesome idea if you ask me. we tried fried okra for the first time.

oh and the rolls were amazing!

we stopped at a local bakery in memphis called muddy's bake shop! homemade cupcakes and baked yummy's. the store was an adorable with a vintage flair! we had a strawberry cupcake with lemon frosting and banana nut cupcake. so inspiring to me!

best fried chicken!

bourbon fudge! we got some of this on our way out of kentucky at a local monastery. the monks make fudge! who knew?!? anyway it was quite bourbonrific!

more fun foods to follow!

2011-06-20T16:34:00.001-04:00

we begin our journey on a misty morning.

visiting one of my former roomates! its been great to catch up with friends. she took us around blacksburg. hiking in jefferson national forrest. saw the site of dirty dancing at mountain lake in the beautiful blue ridge moutains!

we may have stopped at the "world's largest apple" ( winchester, va )

had a marvelous time catching up with these folks and meeting royal for the first time. he is the cutest!

we are trekking on to tennessee. quick stop in nashville and onto memphis.

2011-06-07T00:14:00.002-04:00

photo found here

starting to make a packing list.

pretty sure our car is going to look a little like this...

and that is making me very happy.

the amount of days left to work is not.

2011-06-03T12:17:00.002-04:00

so i've been a bit absent from this space, i know.

we have been planning and preparing for our cross country roadtrip. we are finally making this dream of ours come true! a little delayed since i last posted here.

a lot of life has happened since then! buying a house, quiting one of my jobs, starting up my baking business.

we begin our journey soon and have the greatest intentions of posting some our adventures here. so check back here shortly, if you'd like to follow us around the usa this summer. we hope you will.

xoxo kristi & jason

2011-05-24T20:40:00.001-04:00

this past weekend i had fun running a little table at a craft show called Summerfest. its was my first real event representing my business, snacky french! so that was very exciting and nerve racking. it was held at a local christian camp. beautiful setting and day to match!

the tasty treats included pound cake cupcakes with vanilla bean, specked frosting, red velvet with cream cheese frosting, "fauxhostess" cupcakes, sea salted caramel shortbread bars, cake batter bark, and a blondie/ brownie combo pack! oh and some chocolate chip oatmeal cookies!

and these adorable crochet cupcakes made by my wonderful mother in law! below is my display cake, combining my love of craft and cake with the knitting needles, buttons and spools!

here we are at the end of the day! happy and tired. two days of non stop baking will do that to you!

2011-05-11T08:21:00.001-04:00

i take a lot of pictures. i really love to! sometimes, though, i don't have time or energy, or i simply forget to share something here i meant to. so here i am catching you and myself up a bit on projects and pictures i've had stored away for quite some time! here is a tie i made for my brother-in-law for his birthday. i didn't actually make the tie, rather embellished it with some more fabric!

here is a cake i did for the company of one of my friends. its based off of their logo, which is a simple child's drawling. this one took me back a few years *smiles*

we recently hung a mirror up in our bedroom. one day the light was coming in so beautifully and when i looked into the mirror at the image behind me i just knew it was a shot i wanted to capture. maybe its not fully appreciated unless you know the room itself...

cream cheese chocolate chip cupcakes! one of my absolute favorites! i made these for chillfest a couple of months ago!

jason loves carving pumpkins! its his must do fall activity! so this past year i decided to make him a little case to hold his beloved pumpkin carving kit!

a patchwork curtain i made for the door of our old apartment. its waiting to be hund up at our new house. hopefully soon, when the kitchen is done being renovated.

just a shot of the nature that surrounds us. beautiful, gnarly, unruly!

2011-05-10T07:12:00.001-04:00

I LOVE RHUBARB!

when i stumbled upon a recipe for rhubarb soda, i just couldn't wait to give it a try!

if you like rhubarb, or if you don't... i'm pretty sure you'll like this!

Rhubarb Spritzer

Place rhubarb, sugar, and 1½ cups of water in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, then turn down to a simmer. Cook for about 15 minutes, until the syrup is bright pink.

Turn off the heat and allow to cool. Strain syrup into a large jar.

To make each soda, measure ¼ cup rhubarb syrup into a glass. Add enough sparkling water to fill the glass ⅔ full. Stir to mix, then add ice.

* i also added a splash of lemonade, which helps take away some of the tart flavor of the rhubarb. i love that tartness, but some do not. it blends well with the rhubarb as well as limeade would i'm sure.

2011-05-09T09:23:00.003-04:00

this year for mother's day jason and i hosted brunch at our house! we were blessed with a beautiful day in which we could eat outside on the porch and later going biking on the trail! for brunch i made mini fritattas and challah bread, baked in terra cotta flower pots. there was also fruit and cake brought by the lovely mothers of the day!

here is the fritatta recipe. it couldn't be easier!

Basic Fritatta

6 eggs

1c. milk

2T. butter, melted

1 c. cheese

salt, pepper

* next you can add any kind of fixings you'd like*

yesterday we enjoyed:

tomato, cheddar, turkey sausage and chive

potato, white cheddar, yellow pepper and chive

makes 12 muffins size fritattas

grease baking pan

bake at 350

for 25-30 minutes

2011-04-25T22:38:00.002-04:00

on friday i spent a better portion of my day making curtains!

they were for the guest bedroom and since we were having a guest this past weekend i felt the need to finally tackle this long awaited project.

simple panel curtains made out of "linen look" attached with curtain clips.i love the airy, light affect it now give this space.

this room, along with every other room, will eventually undergo extensive renovations, but for now ( as i have to keep reminding myself of)

i can do little things to keep making it feel like a home.

...and on the plus side we already put new windows in this room last fall! one less on the to do list.

2011-04-25T07:59:00.000-04:00

we had the pleasure of hosting jason's sister for the weekend. she lives a couple of hours away, so it was great to spend some more time with her. on sunday we made a pancake feast and had brunch out on the porch. we got a little crazy and decided to make cake batter pancakes with sprinkles. i had seen the idea somewhere and thought it would be fun to try. and maybe i just happened to have some extra cream cheese icing ,ahem, to spread on top.

oh it was a yummy feast.

followed by a much needed bike ride.

2011-04-24T08:52:00.002-04:00

i hope this easter morning finds you well. its a sunny day here after many days of storms... we are taking a laid back approach to easter this year. usually we get together as a family, but we are putting that off till mothers day weekend.

the flowers are from my garden out front. they bring me much cheer after this long winter.

the cake is a carrot cake with cream cheese frosting.

2011-04-15T09:48:00.003-04:00

i have been asked to knit for baby once again! i fell in love with this darling set from pickles! they have some of the most wonderful patterns i've seen! i always enjoy making baby things. they knit up so quick, that you can feel satisfied that you completed something in close to one sitting. i used a bamboo yarn for this project. soft and delicate and quite appropriate for baby, i think.

2011-04-14T16:12:00.000-04:00

2011-03-31T11:33:00.000-04:00

we are renovating our kitchen. by renovating i mean ripping out a lot of stuff, while trying to keep what we like and make it look nice in the process. the pantry is one of those projects of keeping it and trying to make it look nice. jason has been hard at work on it. painting, sanding through layers of paint and lining it with paneling to make it look nice. there is a bottom part too. we just need to finish cutting shelves for it. glass doors are in the works for the pantry as well. this is just a little progress, in what seems like an ever ongoing project.

2011-03-27T18:37:00.001-04:00

Peanut Butter Cookies

via Franconia Culinary

1/2 c. butter

1/2 c. peanut butter

1/2 c. granulated sugar

1/2 c. brown sugar

1/4 t. salt

1 egg

1/2 t. vanilla

1 1/4 c. flour

3/4 t. baking

Cream butter, peanut butter, sugars, egg and vanilla. Sift together the dry ingredients. Blend into the creamed mixture. Shape into balls ( i used a 2T. cookie scoop for the cookies above ). Roll in sugar, or sprinkle with sanding sugar. Crisscross with fork tines.

Bake at 375

for 10-12 minutes

yields: 4 dozen or ( 15 big cookies )

2011-03-21T11:18:00.001-04:00

last evening we had a birthday gathering for my sister! it was filled with lots of delicious swedish food, family and friends. the cake you see is a princess cake! a traditional swedish birthday cake and a favorite of my sisters. that was my contribution to the party. a first time cake for me. it turned out great, although i will admit the marzipan i used to cover the top was giving me a lot of trouble and i was on the verge of a cake meltdown. thanks to jason and some persistence we made it work! a princess cake is layers of sponge cake, raspberry filling with whip cream, a layer of vanilla cream filling, more whip cream and then enrobed in marzipan.

the party was held in the art gallery my sister works at. it was a beautiful night with a homemade theme. it was topped off with a great surprise gift from us all... a camera that she had been wishing for, for quite a while. surprises are so fun !

2011-03-18T14:35:00.001-04:00

Here is one of the cakes i'm working on this weekend! Chocolate cake with bourbon apricot filling and chocolate cream cheese icing! I wish i had come up with that combination. Aren't customers great!

Oh this weather! We have opened up every window in our home! Chips is glued to the sunniest windowsill we have. Lunch was eaten on the porch. My first skirt without leggings was put on... I could go on. If you live in PA you know. Its really warm, the flowers are beginning to bloom, and those birds are chirping their hearts out!

2011-03-04T14:44:00.001-05:00

Cheetah and Zebra print cake!

2011-03-01T08:49:00.002-05:00

i've been knitting quite a lot these past few months. many fingerless gloves were made, for the kind people who were interested in them and wanted me to make them a pair! not to mention whippinp up a bunch for a craft show. it hasn't allowed me much time for projects i was interested in... till now. february has been a flurry of activity on knitting needles! so here are a few projects of mine. enjoy!

this hat was made up from a hat i saw on someone. it turned out pretty well, for this being my first time inventing a pattern from something i just saw.

this is a slouchy, comfy hat i made for my brother (in law). he pretty much never takes it off his head. felicity hat pattern can be found on ravelry.

this cute little headband was whipped up in about a day. the flower is crochet. pattern for headband can be found here. (don't mind the picture of me. it was late and there was no one to take a picture, so i resorted to the bathroom mirror)


	this is simply an i cord, that i just continuously knit and bound together when i ran out of yarn.i wish i could have looped it around a few more times, but i like it all the same! those softies below are the work of my mother ( in law). she's a mighty fine crocheter. she crochet the gnome and i pieced him together. and the cupcake... well i just added the sprinkles! i love when crafty meets cake!

2011-02-28T09:40:00.002-05:00

just a little update in the cake department! i had a lot of fun making this cake. a few struggles too... like don't rush the drying time of fondant. against better judgment i tried to rush the palm trees along, only to have them crumble. so, i learned a lot this time around. i'm getting more use to fondant and learning a few new tricks of the trade. thats all i can ask for in a project. that i keep learning new things and having fun in the process.

2011-02-18T08:22:00.001-05:00

so very excited to be spend the whole weekend with these lovely ladies!

there is going to be whole lot of

knitting

pride and prejudice

yummy food and drink

thrifting

laughing

girlie girling going on.

i <3 weekends off!

2011-02-17T15:27:00.001-05:00

today is one of those rare days in february where the sun is shining its intense spring warmth, yet it is indeed february. the dead of winter, with much snow still covering the ground. so, much thanks to my husband for getting me outdoors to be with him. me, knitting in the glorious sunshine and him in the garage, tinkering around with his car. a lovely little afternoon, i dare say!

2011-02-15T10:03:00.003-05:00

these lovely goodies were treats i baked for a show, or rather a series of shows called chillfest. check them out sometime. young, local bands and artist come together once a month to play music and show their art. its a lot of fun. i've been selling baked goods and letting people know about snacky french!

2011-02-07T14:33:00.000-05:00

here is a sneak peak at the beginning of a business card for snacky french! i just did this up quick for a event i'm baking for... final copy to come... soon!

2011-02-04T14:14:00.002-05:00

we live in an old, poorly insulated home. staying cozy and warm has been a bit of a challenge this winter... we hope to have some help from a wood stove by next winter. we've persevered though. there are little things that have warmed our spirits, hands and hearts. fluffy duvet covers, thick wool socks and sweaters, kerosene heat, soups + stews, coffee + tea and blanket tents. today i made roasted tomatoes with olive oil, sea salt, pepper and rosemary, spread that on thick toast with ricotta cheese and drizzled with olive oil. warm, delicious food. on the stove for tomorrow is a thick, creamy potato leek soup. oh the wonders a little comfort food can achieve.

2011-01-27T12:47:00.001-05:00

2011-01-27T07:42:00.001-05:00

yesterday was a snow day! the wonderful sort of day where you wake up with mounds of snow and more coming down to watch out your window. today is the same sort of day. on these cold snowy days we have experienced some extra kindness. neighbors stopping by to help plow our very large driveway. our fuel oil delivery guy just stopping by, because he was in the area, to see if we needed more fuel... and we did.

also thankful for this old beautiful kerosene heater. keeping our pipes from freezing in the laundry room and cozying up our living room.

and here is progress. a primed pantry, awaiting more paint and some wainscoting. small things are happening in these winter months.

2011-01-14T15:15:00.001-05:00

today i worked on these engagement petit fours for friends of ours. jeff and nicole. petit fours are her favorite... i had lots of fun doing these and it got me in the mood to dabble in more valentines day treats.

if you would like to give them ago. i used a simple pound cake recipe i've been using for years. baked it in a 9x13 pan and cut them into squares. place the cut cakes squares onto a cooling rack with a sheet pan underneath ( to catch the dripping glaze). make sure you cut off the brown parts of the cake or they will show through.

petit four icing:

from martha stewart

9 cups sifted confectioners' sugar
1/2 cup light corn syrup
1 teaspoon clear vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
Gel food coloring, in desired colors

In a heatproof bowl set over (but not touching) simmering water, mix sugar, corn syrup, 1/2 cup water, vanilla and almond extracts together until they are warm, well combined, and smooth. Stir in enough food coloring until desired color is reached. Do not overheat. Let cool about 8 minutes before pouring.

2010-12-30T12:00:00.000-05:00

there are many projects nestled deep within my head. i forget a lot of them, remember them, write a few down from time to time and accomplish quite a few of them ( eventually ) when i allow the time for it. so here goes... to trying to remember all of the wandering thoughts of projects and things i want to make this year.

Make List 2011

knit socks for jason ( i've been promising this for over a year now)
sun tea
french macaroons
this wild vest
lip balm
vanilla extract
curtains for the remaining windows in our house
bread lots of bread
compost pile
chicken coop
herb garden
make my own stock
cheese
peaches and cream pie ( with our own peaches )
business cards

2010-12-26T23:00:00.002-05:00

we enjoyed our christmas celebration immensely this year. we held a christmas eve party at our house with some family and friends. we are still enjoying the feast as you can see. we are glad for the party leftovers as we seem to be snowed in. that is just fine with me, i don't think i could have thought of a better way to spend the end of this holiday weekend. our first snow in our new home. we took a very quiet snowy walk this evening and i remember commenting to jason just how peaceful it truly is here.
so i made sticky toffee pudding in hopes of recreating the good food we had in london around christmas time 4 years ago. my friend and i went back packing around europe during the month of december. not the most obvious choice for an adventure, but we did get to experience the christmas culture in a few different ways. so basically it is a date cake, covered in caramel sauce and topped with cream. it turned out great.
so we decided to take our baby, chips to jason's parents house this year for christmas. we learned that chips is a great travel cat, and also a very mild mannered cat in comparison to his parents cat. there is talk of a second cat. we are still undecided.
in other news, i made my first ice cream cake. people ask me to do crazy things. i love it ! turned out great and i was told it was a hit.
... and the lunar eclipse. pretty great, right? i had jason wake me on his way out the door to work, so i could catch a glimpse of it.
well i hope you have had a merry christmas. we sure did.

2010-12-24T07:49:00.001-05:00

2010-12-21T22:47:00.000-05:00

all i can say is yum! moist chocolate cupcake, homemade cream filling, dipped in chocolate ganache. best cupcake ever!

2010-12-20T23:32:00.000-05:00

there is a house that has now become a christmas tradition for us to drive by and gawk at. well actually we park in front of it with our four ways on, because it is a sight to see. just wanted to share some of our christmasy good time with you all.

2010-12-13T11:54:00.002-05:00

some fresh "new" CHRISTMAS MUSIC!

if you are anything like me, you are a bit tired of listening to your christmas music collection already.

i hope you enjoy these merry tunes.

2010-12-13T11:39:00.002-05:00

i had a wonderful birthday with jason and friends. brunch at a green house cafe called styers. delicious local food. brioche served in a terra cotta pots. omlets and the yummiest butternut squash soup.
took a tour around terrain. the most beautiful garden/ home store i've ever been to. traveled into the city for some french macaroons ( a birthday wish) and a few more shops. had dinner with a most lovely crew of friends at our favorite trattoria. and cake... that cake was hand made by my man. the first birthday cake he's every made me! let me tell you about it. he drew a curtain around the kitchen and forbid me to be downstairs. late into the night he wakes me up on my birthday with cake in hand and a most accomplished smile on his face. it was a priceless moment. hummingbird cake... similar to carrot, but instead it has banana, pineapple and toasted nuts. cream cheese frosting enrobe it. so yummy.

2010-12-07T21:10:00.002-05:00

a slightly different take on beef stew. one where i take some traditional and non traditional stew ingredients, throw them together in a pot and out comes my favorite stew, to date.

1 lb beef cubes or chuck

2 medium onions coarsly chopped

4 medium red potatoes chopped

1pkg. dried wild mushrooms ( or fresh )

3 carrots chopped

1/2 c. sundried tomatoes chopped

2 garlic gloves

salt, peper, cayenne pepper, orgeano, thyme and parsley to taste

1T. grey poupon

1T. worchestershire

1T. teriyaki

1T. tomato paste

1 can beer

2 cans beef stock

1/2 c. mushroom liquid ( leftover from re hydrating )

flour to coat beef

2T. olive oil

coat beef cubes in flour. set aside. heat up water to rehydrate mushrooms. pour boiling water over mushrooms and let sit for at least 10 minutes. reserve mushroom liquid for later use. heat oil in stock pot. brown beef and one chopped onion. add garlic a little later to prevent burning it. after the meat is nicely browned add beer and beef stock. next add other onion, carrots and potatoes. add spices, grey poupon, worcestershire, teriyaki, tomato paste, mushrooms and sun dried tomatoes. add flour to mushroom liquid to make a roux. add to the stew to thicken. add all other liquids and simmer for one hour.

2010-12-07T18:28:00.001-05:00

getting everything together = crazy mess

fingerless mitts and other fun treats i made for my table

cookie samples of my christmas cookie sampler

my wonderfully supportive mom stopped by to say hi and buy my goodies.

its was a fun day of sharing my goodies with some new folks. meeting some fun new people and knitting and eating in the free moments of the day

2010-12-05T20:47:00.001-05:00

so much so that we decided to put up some extra garland around our bed this year. it is pure magic. i don't think i'm taking it down until the spring.

another light activity. we went to our little town's christmas tree lighting this evening. i felt like such a townie... oh this season we are in... may there be light in your life. may it illuminate the dark places. may you know the hope and peace that is our loving savior, the LIGHT of the world!

2010-12-01T23:37:00.000-05:00

Happy December 1st!

2010-11-29T22:56:00.004-05:00

we had a great time over this past thanksgiving weekend. two turkey dinners. two rounds of pie. fun with loved ones. eating too much pie. lots of knitting and enjoying the flurries of snow. games, glasses of wine and antiquing.
we are home again and our kitty is glad. today was a day of tidying up the yard. tossing the pumpkins overboard out back, making stew ( i'll have to share that recipe soon ) and making pumpkin custards with some of the leftover pumpkin sitting in the refrigerator. here's the recipe to try.

Pumpkin Custard

1 cup fresh or canned cooked pumpkin puree, drained
1 egg, beaten slightly
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. ginger
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1 tbsp. warm Myer's rum
1 cup evaporated milk

Preheat oven to 325°F.Heat rum in microwave for 30 seconds until warm.

Combine pumpkin with egg, sugar, salt and spices blended to a paste with rum. Stir in milk, then pour mixture into custard cups.

Set cups in a shallow pan of hot water and bake in a preheated 325°F oven for 40 minutes or until a thin knife inserted in center of custard comes out clean.

from cooks.com

2010-11-22T19:23:00.001-05:00

its been a busy baking time for me lately. i'm loving every minute of it. cakes for friends. muffins for our church cafe. i just wanted to share a link to snacky french fb page. its were all my cake and baked treats are pictured. enjoy.

Snacky French Facebook

2010-11-17T09:36:00.000-05:00

surprise you.

it rained and rained and rained last night. our laundry room is soaked.

the good news is... it striped down to the insulation.

the bad news is the insulation is wet.

the good news is that we are replacing our roof this weekend.

a bad situation that has a lot of good in it. we are thankful for these good things in the midst of the bad. timing is everything. we knew the roof was bad, we are just so glad to have decided to replace it before the holidays.

that's what's on the mind today.

the joys and sorrows of owning a house.

2010-11-16T20:56:00.001-05:00

this beautiful girl turned 10 last weekend. my oh my how my nieces are growing into little ladies, so quickly. her birthday cake request for this year was a a turkey running around. i tried for the running turkey but turkeys, i told my niece are just so bottom heavy that they want to sit on cakes instead of running around. she was thrilled anyway.

i snapped a few family photos for my sister's family. these are a few of my favorites from the day. oh the beauty of fall. how it is waning away.

2010-11-08T23:41:00.003-05:00

so i know there are many avid knitters all year long...not me. i am a seasonal one. its not until fall before i start thinking about the projects i want to try for the winter season. i am currently working on fingerless mitts. many pairs and many colors are being made in a frenzy for an upcoming craft bazaar.
i'm contemplating opening an etsy shop if i don't sell them all at the bazaar. this is new for me. another small step into self-employed territory. its exciting to have more time and energy for crafting. i am still learning to balance my free time with chores, a little me time and projects. its something to be mindful of. time can just run away from you if your are not protective of it. i don't mean that in a selfish way. i am just beginning to see that i really need to prioritize, in order to work on the dreams that are near and dear to me.
i hope this season finds you well. bundle up friends. its the season of warm knits, rosy cheeks and frosty breath.

2010-11-03T10:29:00.001-04:00

pumpkin cupcakes! best recipe i've tried so far. it can be found here. you should make these!

maple cream cheese frosting. whats not to love. thanks honey & jam for the idea.

Frosting 
Two (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, softened 
1 stick unsalted butter, room temperature 
2 cups confectioners’ sugar 
1/4 cup pure maple syrup

ragady folk we were this year for our friends costume party.

2010-10-29T08:55:00.000-04:00

i've been eating a lot of oatmeal lately. i prefer hot cereal over cold any day.

so i've been playing around with different combinations of oatmeal and the fixings... here is my favorite for this autumn season.

1/4 c. oatmeal

1/2 macintosh apple cut into small chunks

1/4 t. pumpkin pie spice

cook accordingly. i just add water and pop it in the microwave. i know many prefer to make theirs on the stove.

after its heated add:

2 T. pumpkin butter

handful of chopped walnuts

sprinkle of brown sugar

splash of milk

enjoy!

2010-10-25T08:33:00.001-04:00

this cake was for a boy in love with "ncis". i heard he enjoyed it very much.

have a lovely day. i plan to re cooperate from my weekend.

2010-10-21T19:55:00.001-04:00

today was a make day. the kind of day i have now and again, where i just go crazy in the kitchen. cakes, cupcakes , biscuits, turkey chili. the cakes will have to wait for another day. i'm still working on those. sweet potato biscuits. yummy. my first time making them. here's the recipe if you'd like to give it ago. i would add more sweet potato next time. they were delicious, however with our turkey chili.

in addition to making i did some fall sprucing around here. i am really starting to feel at home here. mostly due to the fact i have more time to spend here now that i quit my bakery job. did i mention that. silly me forgetting details of my life.

yes i quit. i quit for many reasons, but the big one is now i will have time for side baking projects, cakes, and treats. Snacky French isn't just a blog to me. right now its my creative outlet. it will one day be my cafe/ bakery. i am taking a lot of small steps in that direction lately. progress that makes me smile a whole lot more these days.

2010-10-18T10:07:00.002-04:00

yesterday was gorgeous. we thought it proper picnic weather. so we packed up and moved out quickly to catch some of the warmth of the day.

we found this on the bridge. j + k. put there like it was for us to see. oh the little things. how they delight.

2010-10-15T15:18:00.004-04:00

these are a few of my favorite things...
what delights you about this season we are in?

2010-10-06T08:43:00.007-04:00

the cold, rainy weather of late has been tempting me to make soups and stews again. here is a quick and easy soup for fall.

curried coconut squash soup

1 butternut squash
1/2 onion
1 can coconut milk
2-3 c. vegetable stock
2 sweet potatoes
1 carrot
1 T. curry
1 t. ginger

prepare squash first. bake @ 350 for 45min. - 1 hr.
boil water. add chopped sweet potato, onion and carrot. boil until soft.
in a food processor, blend peeled squash, dump in a big bowl. blend sweet potato, carrot and onion. if too thick in processor, add some vegetable broth. mix sweet potato puree with squash. add coconut milk, ginger, curry and remainder of vegetable stock. depending on thickness add more or less stock. heat up on the stove. enjoy.

*thanks noel, for a great recipe i still love to make.

2010-09-30T13:59:00.002-04:00

i was taking a look through my photos from autumns past and came across this picture. it was taken two years ago. we had went for an evening walk. stopped there in the picture ,because we found these gigantic leaves and couldn't resist snapping a picture. now come to realize not only is that two steps next to where we live now, but the leaf came from one of our trees. ironic maybe. it makes me so happy to have a home so close to a spot where we have enjoyed coming for years.

speaking of our home. we have painted! there is still some trim work to do, but these are the colors. a little more muted than the lemon yellow that use to be there. we are far from done the kitchen renovations but progress is being made every week.

2010-09-23T09:20:00.005-04:00

deodorant...i know its not typically one of those things you would want to try and make. i am not a fan of regular deodorant. i have only found one kind that i have ever liked... its discontinued. poof, vanished one day off the shelves. so i have been looking for something that doesn't smell too much, doesn't have aluminum in it, and actually keeps me from stinking to the high heavens. so i happened upon this blog passionate homemaking and this recipe for deodorant. its gotten rave reviews so i thought i'd give it a go. i have been using it for a couple of weeks now and i think i've found the deodorant that works for me! the only downside is applying with your fingers. a small price to pay for something that truly works for me!

2010-09-23T08:32:00.004-04:00

a few weeks ago, jason and i got the opportunity to go to first friday in lancaster city. my sister lives in that area and works in a gallery downtown. she's been telling me for a long time, that we should come out for this, so we took her up on it finally. we had a great time hopping galleries, thrift stores and an antique warehouse. (she was there, i promise) i just don't have any pictures of her or jason. whenever i'm back in a city, it makes my heart beat a little faster. i do miss the city life... i love our countryish life right now. i would not trade it. i am just reminded that i need to take more trips into the city more often.

2010-09-12T21:13:00.004-04:00

my two cuties have september birthdays!
bow ties were stitched for the both of them.
had a lovely weekend relaxing.
enjoyed the company of some very dear people.
peanut butter crunch cake! ( enough said)
bones marathon.
doing a whole lot of nothing.
we love birthdays around here!

2010-09-07T20:36:00.006-04:00

what does one do with a package of leftover cream cheese... make these yummy, easy, fast, melt in your mouth candies. here is the recipe! enjoy! thanks to my elementary school teacher, for having us make these one time. one time and its been in my memory ever since.

No Bake Cream Cheese Mints ::

4 oz. cream cheese
3 c. powdered/icing sugar
1/4 tsp. mint extract
1/8 tsp. (green) food coloring

You will also need::

medium sized bowl
rubber spatula
cookie sheet

Mix together sugar and cream cheese well. Add in mint, then coloring. Roll into small balls. Dip balls into powdered sugar. Refrigerate 1-2 hours.

Follow my blog with bloglovin

cups rhubarb, roughly chopped

cups water

Sparkling water + *

2010-09-04T22:09:00.008-04:00

a couple of weeks ago, i had the pleasure of attending my first produce auction. a small town not to far away from where we live geographically, but very far out of the normal suburban neighborhood. while we didn't end up buying any produce, it was a fun experience. bidding on the seasons freshest produce at a very discounted bulk rate. its definitely something i'd like to do more of in the future.

the rest of the day was spent wandering around rennigers flea market. getting peaches from a local mennonite family, eating tomato sandwiches and peach pie with my friend's grandparents, perusing a fabric store and local natural food store, echo hill. they have an amazing supply of organic flour and grains. i will be making a trip back there at some point. it was a most enjoyable day, discovering some local treasures that were previously unknown to me.