family favorite: almond macaroons

February 20, 2015 // No Comments

These cookies are near and dear to my family as they have been a favorite for quite some time.
They’re chewy, sweet and just delicious!

Every year, my aunt would make some and my cousins and I would be fighting over them (and still do, to this day!) They are so simple, so you should definitely try them out if you aren’t on a sugar diet! This is a favorite go-to recipe if I need something quick.

Ingredients:
1 cup of almond paste (if you get a big tub you can portion out a cup into ziplock baggies and put in freezer and then just defrost later).
1 cup of sugar
2 egg whites

In mixing bowl, break up paste. Mix with 1/2 cup sugar. Add rest of sugar and egg whites and beat until smooth. Drop cookies from teaspoon onto well greased cookie sheet. Bake in 350 degree oven for 15 – 18 mins (or shorter or longer based on your oven). Remove from sheet and place on cooling rack.

Enjoy! I guarantee they won’t be around for long.

homemade playdoh

February 17, 2015 // 1 Comment

In need of a new activity for your toddler? Try making playdoh at home!

1 c. flour
1/2 c. salt
2 tsp. cream of tartar
1 tbsp. cooking oil
1 c. water
Food coloring (a few drops of your favorite color)

Put all ingredients in a saucepan, and stir it until it’s smooth. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture is a doughy lump. Put playdoh on wax paper and let it cool a little bit. Then make it into a ball and keep it in a sealed container. Then, have your little one play with it as they wish.

Recipe from cooks.com.

I love that I could make this with ingredients I already had at home, and that it lasts so long!

I heart cake stands

February 12, 2015 // No Comments

Everything is just sweeter in the shape of a heart. I love me some Martha Stewart classic white cakestands, but pink hearts make Valentine’s Day and other special occasions so much fun. I came across these sweet mini cake stands at Joann’s (my second home) and almost died. I snatched up the last two I could find!

Who wouldn’t want a hearty pancake served up on this?

If you know of anyone that loves cakestands and baking and is getting married, wouldn’t this be the sweetest personalized gift with their names & wedding date engraved on it? I’d keep something like this forever.

This one is from etsy.