We're under the spell of Candy Corn this Halloween

The kids rolled their caramel apples onto crushed M&Ms and candy corn pieces

We made "breakfast cupcakes" (pumpkins muffins with creme cheese frosting)



And a Star Wars cake

Candy and costumes...it must be Halloween.

BOO!

New Moss Design, 18 "

I'm so excited.

For those that prefer it in a larger size,

I now have Moss Monogrammed and Plain Jane Wreaths in 18".

My first order was local so I hand-delivered it.

Check out this insane porch! Wow!

No one was home.

So I put the 18" "S" on the white-painted wrought iron chair...

and as I was getting in my car guess who pulled up.

And in minutes it was up on her side gate.

She loved it so much she plans to order another one for her other side gate!

I'll have the 18" moss monogrammed wreath up on etsy soon, in the meantime,

send me a message via FB if you'd like to place an order.

Happy Sunday!

Boo!

Union Jack cookies

 

Graham crackers, red vines, white icing, blue icing.

My boys were at a friend's house for a playdate and they made American Flag cookies.  

Her leftovers were my party favors (I guess she knows me pretty well), and we couldn't wait to get sticky.

We ran out of stars - so with a little inspiration from Nigel Gearsley...

...to a surprise for English grandpa's visit tomorrow.

Homemade sugary goodness wrapped in kid art.

I'm not sure they're going to make it until morning.

It's been a long day.

My heart's full and my sweet tooth's feeling it!

So cute...

Yum.

Thanks friend.

That made my day.

Pop of Turquoise, Photo Shoot

A little photo shoot with my latest design before it leaves The Workshop.

This sassy customer loves a pop of turquoise!

What's your favorite accent color?

Come shop at http://www.etsy.com/shop/young4

Labor Day Mini Dessert Pies

Need a fun dessert to bring to your end-of-summer shindig?

These individual strawberry pies were super easy. A combo of pre-made dough and homemade strawberry jam. Any combination of pre-made and homemade works...and any fruit works.

But getting the most flavorful fruit you can is the easiest way to make these delicious. I also added crushed and chunky strawberries to my jam to make the pie filling.

Here's the fun part! When it's time for dessert, each pie can be yummified!

Take the star lid off, add whip cream and fresh blueberries.

No extra plates, no extra utensils. And small enough for kids hands too.

What's going on in your kitchen this morning?

Have a safe and happy Labor Day!

Saturday Morning at Farmer's Market

Meeting and supporting local farmers...

Listening to the mornin' Blues sung so soulfully....

Snackin' on Santa Cruz yumminess...

And soaking up the sun with the flowers...

Have a great weekend!

Project Peach, Canning Yumminess

We're clinging to spontaneous summer fun before our fall routine is in full swing with schedules.

After a week of enjoying Trader Joe's peaches, we decided to check out our local farm for our Project Peach, affectionately nicknamed "PP" by the boys...with ongoing outbursts of giggles - apparently potty humor never gets old!

Project Peach. From start to finish. Our version of the Sciene Channel's 'How It's Made'.

We started at the farm. It was so much fun watching them pick the peaches and running through the orchards.

We decided to make peach preserves. This is more than enough peaches for the recipe. I was told O'Henry are the best for canning.

This was my first time canning. So I'm not an expert. I'd like to think of myself as an enthusiast. So we enthusiastically worked through the recipe together...what a HUGE mess!

...but they were happy...and it was surprisingly manageable for a kid project.

Honestly, we were thinking of it more as an experiment!

No one was more surprised than I was that it was edible. And not just edible, but delicious. Spread on toast for this morning's breakfast. And again on toast for an afternoon snack.

The rest are on a shelf and ready for Holiday gifts. If they make it that long!

I'm pretty sure the consistency isn't close to what it should be...but I don't think it matters. The flavor is a-mazing.

If you're a new canner, looking for a fun activity for the kiddos, or needing to get through your peaches before they spoil, here's an easy recipe. It's from allrecipes.com and submitted by a guy named Kevin. Nice name, right? I was certain he knew a thing or two about peach preserves. Plus he received 4 1/2 stars!

Peach Preserves
Prep Time: 20 mins
Cook Time: 1 hr
Ready In: 2 hrs
Servings: 64 (translates to 10 small mason jars)

Ingredients:
12 fresh peaches, pitted and chopped (I used O'Henry)
4 1/2 cups white sugar (ugh!...but sure was tasty!)
1 (2 ounce) package dry pectin

Directions:
1. Crush 1 cup chopped peaches in the bottom of a large saucepan. Add remaining peaches, and set pan over medium-low heat. Bring to a low boil, and cook for about 20 minutes or until peaches become mostly liquid with bits of peaches.
2, Pour peaches into a bowl, and then measure 6 cups back into the pan. Add sugar and bring to a boil over medium heat. Gradually stir in dry pectin and boil for 1 minute.
3. Remove from heat after 1 minute and transfer to sterilized jars. process in hot water bath canner for 10 minutes, Let cool and place on a shelf.

Have any recipes you want to share? I'd love to hear them.