Succulent frame

I saw this one on Pinterest also and followed the photo tutorial from duitang.com pictured below:

The only difference was I used a pretty small frame I substituted the wood and metal mesh body for cardboard and flower bed liner. I still like the final result:

I also made a succulent garden out of this candle holder that I found at a garage sale, I am pretty happy with this one too :)

Vegetable spiral pie

When I saw this on Pinterest I had to give it a try it was just too pretty. I followed the original tutorial from Apronsandsneakers.com exactly with the difference of using crescent roll dough as opposed to puff pastry for the crust. It does turn out quite pretty the hardest part is slicing vegetables I used a peeler to get them flat and thin.

The Wild Things Wall

Originally I saw this on pinterest with some Dr. Suess pages. Where the Wild Things Are is one of my favorite books so i started this wall outside of the room of my very own little wild thing. I was lucky enough to find an extra copy at half price books for 1.99. I trimmed these up and mod podged on to different sized canvases from walmart. I found some thrift shop frames for .25-.75 a piece I painted the frames and the edges of the 6x6 3D canvases with the same spray paint pictured below. I framed the flat canvases and a masterpiece my little wild thing had done and mounted them. Let the wild rumpus start!

Mini- photo tutorial

Finished!

Fresh Start for an Old Bottle

I'm always looking for a way to use bottles, but I had a problem. Every time I found a cool bottle there was a label painted on it, I hate that! So with some trial and error I found a way to get rid of the labels and get the bottle fresh and clean. This method is also helpful for removing stubborn glue left behind from regular labels. Its pretty simple:

***DO NOT ATTEMPT WITH OUT THICK RUBBER GLOVES, NOT LATEX, THICK RUBBER!!!!  BE VERY CAREFUL AND READ SAFETY PRECAUTIONS ON THE REMOVER YOU CHOOSE!

use paint stripper or epoxy remover cover area you would like clean
let it sit
remove with a putty knife or scrapper
wash bottle with soap and water for final cleaning, voila!

Almost Fried Pickles

YUM!

I LOVE fried pickles! But they are lousy with fat and Im not one of those people who just keeps a fry daddy out with fresh grease for daily use. Then I came across some recipes for milk dipped then baked "fried" onion rings and the wheels started turning, what if????

Almost Fried Pickles

1 jar of dill chips
1 packet of ranch dressing
2 cups of milk
2 cups of seasoned bread crumbs
1 cup of crushed special K

1. Pre-heat oven to 400
2. Mix milk and ranch together.
3. Mix together bread crumbs and special K.
4. Dip pickles in milk mixture then coat in bread crumb mixture.
5. Bake coated chips for 25-35 mins.

The making of....

    

Neiman Marcus Dip

Here is another quick and easy party food that I have adopted recently from justaspoonfulof.com. All the making of a delicious dip as an added bonus no baking! Make the leftovers into sandwiches on crescent rolls- YUM!

Neiman Marcus Dip
3 green onions 8 oz. cheddar cheese, shredded* ()1 cups mayonnaise*1 jar Hormel Real Bacon Bits*1 cup of chopped pecans
Chop the green onions.Shred the cheddar cheese.
Mix the onions, cheese, mayo, bacon bits, and slivered almonds together.Chill for a couple hours.Serve with buttery crackers.
*my personal preferences & other substitutes: I like Sargento 4 state cheddar best, I like to use my homemade mayo or even greek yogurt, can substitute turkey bacon

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Caramel turtle cheesecake ball

This is a quick new recipe I got from ohnuts.com . It's really easy to make and really delicious. I have made this now for 3 different parties so I feel enough authority to brand this recipe virtually fool proof:

Caramel Turtle Cheesecake ball

8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature

2 ounces (1/4 cup) unsalted butter, at room temperature

3/4 cup caramel sauce, divided use

1/3 cup powdered sugar

1/3 cup vanilla instant pudding mix (about half of a 5.1-oz package)

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 cup pecans

1/2 cup miniature chocolate chips

1. Combine the room temperature cream cheese and butter in a large mixing bowl. Mix them with the paddle attachment of a stand mixer, or with a hand mixer, until they’re light and fluffy.

2. Add 1/2 cup of the caramel sauce, and try not to eat too much of it as you spoon it in. (The remaining 1/4 cup will be used for decoration on top.) Beat everything together until it’s nice and smooth.

3. Next add the powdered sugar and pudding mix. These both give the dip body, and the pudding mix, especially, gives it a little stability while maintaining a smooth, creamy texture. Add vanilla extract to the bowl as well. Mix everything together on medium speed. Once it’s all incorporated, your dip will be beautifully fluffy and creamy, and a lovely pale caramel color.

4. Add the miniature chocolate chips, and all but a handful of the chopped pecans. Stir everything together by hand until it’s well-mixed.

5. Scoop the Pecan-Caramel Cheesecake Dip into a bowl, and smooth the top and sides.

6. Take the remaining 1/4 cup of caramel sauce, and drizzle it on top and down the sides of the dip. Top with pecans and chocolate chips.

Your Pecan-Caramel Cheesecake Dip is now finished! You can enjoy it immediately, or refrigerate it for a firmer texture. If you wrap it well, this dip will keep for up to a week in the refrigerator. Serve with cookies apples or just a spoon. You dont want people scooping it out with their hands (and they will!) to eat it plain.

Cookies? Spoon? What is the quickest way to eat it?