Dressing for Disneyland

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We did it! We finally went to Disneyland with the kiddos this week! My husband and I are not natural Disney goers, but we both never went as wee ones and knew we wanted our girls to experience it when they were young to capture the magic. Because, let’s just say, when you go for your first time as an adult, you see past all of the smoke and mirrors 🙁 We surprised the girls at 5:30am and told them to grab their stuffies, we are going to Disneyland. My oldest didn’t believe us and quickly proceeded to go back to bed, but with a little pinky swearing we convinced her we weren’t pulling her leg!

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Jeans: Gap; Shorts, Sneakers and black top: Banana Republic; Birkenstocks: Nordstrom; Cream Top: Ann Taylor; Hat: Target

Soooo, my take on Disneyland? I won’t go in to too much detail since this isn’t what this post is about. But I will say, I am glad my girls got to experience it. It was crazy insane at times with tired legs and a massive headache, but to see the look on their little faces, was enough to make it worth while for me. We made the most of our time there and went like gangbusters. Let’s just say, I’m happy to have this Sunday to relax and recoup before our normal crazy week commences. That said, I am surprised at how well I packed. I was comfortable, but also didn’t feel like I could meet up with friends with my head held high 😉 Here is a photo of the main basics I packed. Notice the mostly dark colors to hide any unsightly stain you might pick up? And two pairs of comfy shoes in case one gives you problems. I rotated my shoes so my feet never got too bad with one. A light jacket, jeans, and a hat in case you needed to make a quick coffee run in the morning before getting ready…oh yes, and for the sun! I also through in a pair of shorts that were airy in case it was super hot. I did use them by the pool, but our weather was never super hot. Below are a few extra details and pictures of the beginning part of our trip and Disneyland (might I add that it’s super hard to get cute pictures with everyone and their mother in it as well!!). My personal fave!

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Miss Piggy!

We spent the first day and a half in Burbank for my husbands work. We got to tour the Disney studio lots and I have to say this was my favorite part of the trip. The history behind Disney, how perfectly manicured every nook and cranny was and the attention to detail on the lot was inspirational. You could see the legacy Walt had left behind.

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Every walkway on the lot is interesting to tour

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All the buildings are perfectly old school and perfectly maintained

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The seven dwarfs holding up the building

We took a quick road trip to Santa Monica for the girls to get some silly’s out. And despite the cold and grey skies, the girls didn’t want to leave. Then before heading to Disney, we took a quick side trip to Blue Bottle Coffee. I’m telling you…awesome coffee! I wanted to hang out there and be the inner hipster I feel I truly am. Alas, my two kiddos and the spilt coffee all over my sweater made us leave and come back to reality. Disneyland is where we were headed and no matter how much I didn’t want to go, the stars (er, spilt coffee) were pushing us there.

We have this at home and it was fun to see the coffee shop - SUCH. GOOD. COFFEE.

We have this at home and it was fun to see the coffee shop – SUCH. GOOD. COFFEE.

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Someone is having fun in the sand!

Disneyland

…hard to get good pictures without crowds here so I apologize for the lack of and poor quality

 

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Easy Zucchini Corn Pancake Recipe

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So I’m in serious need of some good ol’ comfort food and I’m sorry, but I just can’t wait until the fall for it to be “acceptable” again to indulge myself in mashed potatoes, mac n cheese, mashed potatoes…I mentioned that one already didn’t I? That said, this is a comfort food disguised in a spring package! They are easy, flavorful, seasonal and down-right comforting. In fact I am eating some right now 🙂 Perfect for a quick throw together dinner or even make mini ones for an appetizer for a ladies night in.

Recipe adapted from King Arthur

 

Ingredients:

5 large eggs, beaten
1/4 cup olive oil
2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground pepper
1 tsp dried oregano
3 cups grated zucchini (about one large zucchini)
1 cup fresh sweet corn off the cob or frozen corn
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese (or your favorite cheese)
1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour

Directions:

In a large bowl, combine eggs, oil, salt, pepper and dried herbs. Whisk to combine.
Add the zucchini, corn and cheddar cheese and stir thoroughly with a spatula.
Add the flour and stir until thoroughly combined and there are no pockets of dry flour hiding in the batter.
Heat a large cast-iron skillet or griddle to medium-high heat, adding a very small amount of oil to the skillet/griddle. I used cooking spray to make it easy. Using an ice cream scoop, scoop 1/4-cupfuls of batter onto the skillet and flatten with the back of the scoop into a circle about 4 inches in diameter. Cook on each side about 3-4 minutes, or until a deep golden brown. Remove from skillet and transfer to a plate. Repeat with remaining batter. Serve warm with your favorite toppings.

Mother’s Day Card Free Printable

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IMG_4611Mother’s Day seems early this year and it’s the same week as teacher appreciation week so I’m a little behind the eight ball (what’s new?). But in the knick of time, I whipped this card up for my Mom to pop in the mail today.

As a Mom for seven years now, I always feel like there are those moments when you are dealing with one issue or another with your kids and lightbulbs go off in your head. You realize you did the exact same thing as a kid and how frustrated your mom must have been with you! So to all those Mother’s out there that have put in their time, I say sorry for holding my breath until I was blue. Sorry for arguing with my brother about who has more room in the backseat of the car. Sorry for not going to the bathroom before we left the house. Sorry for waking you up at night just because I thought I heard something. Sorry for throwing up in the grocery store checkout. Sorry for complaining about what’s for dinner. Sorry for my messy room and leaving a trail of stuff where ever I went. Sorry wearing hideous outfits…shall I go on? I could, but it would take all day. To tell your mom sorry, just click here to download your free PDF. Happy Mother’s Day to all you amazing Mom’s out there and thank you!

Spring Cocktail with Rhubarb Simple Syrup

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IMG_4577Last year, I made plum simple syrup from our plum tree and it was absolutely delicious paired with vodka and soda. It’s still too early for plum season, but our rhubarb is coming up like gangbusters. And there are only so many things you can make with rhubarb that my family will eat. I personally would eat it any ol’ way, but my husband and kiddos are more particular and have their quota of baked goods and jam.

For an adult only treat, I was curious what a rhubarb simple syrup would turn out like. I followed my basic recipe and added a few cups of chopped rhubarb during heating. I then strained the juice through a mesh strainer and kept the remaining cooked fruit. After my experiment two things were a happy surprise. 1. the simple syrup makes for a yummy, refreshing and beautiful vodka soda cocktail. 2. The remaining cooked and strained rhubarb is perfectly sweetened and makes for delicious rhubarb sauce! Served it warm over vanilla ice cream for dessert.

Here is the recipe for you all – super easy and quick!

Rhubarb Simple Syrup

Ingredients

1 cup white sugar

1 cup water

2 cups 1/2″ diced rhubarb stocks

Directions

  1. In a medium saucepan combine sugar, water and rhubarb. Bring to a boil, stirring, until sugar has dissolved. Strain juice through a mesh strainer in to large mason jars or any sealable container. Keep the fruit for a delicious sauce! Allow to cool.

For the Cocktail

In 8 – 12 oz glass filled halfway with ice, add 1.5 oz vodka of choice, club soda until 2/3 full, then finish it off with the simple syrup to taste.

Free Printable Teacher Thank You Card – Phew!

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IMG_4599Did teacher appreciation week sneak up on anyone else like it did me?! If it did, rest easy, I have a free printable teacher thank you card for you! Our teachers do a wonderful service in teaching and guiding our children to be prepared for adulthood. And nothing is more valuable then a teacher who cares about and works hard for our children. So regardless of our hectic lives and stuff we have going on, I at least want to give them a card – after all, our kiddos spend more time with their teachers than they do their parents during the school year (sniff, sniff). Just click here and print on white card stock and you are good-to-go to say “thank you” to that special teacher in your children’s lives.

Also, check out the free recipe cards I posted last week. I had my girls tell me their favorite recipe and then I typed them on the cards, printed them and am pairing them with these mini measuring spoons for a simple, yet sweet personalized gift for their teachers.

Mother’s Day Editable Recipe Card Freebie!

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IMG_4535Happy Monday! I tried getting this recipe card ready for you last week, but was sidetracked with other duties throughout the week. Boo! BUT, I plowed through and got the last bits of it together this morning. Yahoo! Sharing recipes have long been a way of bringing families and communities together. An expression of love through food. No matter how we communicate recipes, whether it be online or cookbooks, sharing food we love will always be relevant to the human spirit.

The recipe cards on my Etsy shop are one of my biggest sellers. They are easy to work with, you don’t have to hand write a recipe (I loath writing a recipe!), and you can use them over and over just by saving a new copy. Who can argue with that?!

Recipe cards make a great personalized gift for your mom, sister or friends and are great for showers. And It’s close to wedding season folks! I’ve paired some of my favorite recipes on cute cards with some tea towels and kitchen gadgets from the brides registry for a sweet and personalized gift. So until Mother’s Day you can download this 4×6 editable and printable recipe card right here…for free! Hope you enjoy!

Mail Organizer Secret!

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For years I have had to stare at our pathetic mail organizer on the counter across the kitchen island where a spend a good portion of my day. I have never liked it no matter if it was clean and organized or messy…which was 99.9% usually the case. I’ve always wanted to get rid of the thing, but I have never been able to find suitable homes for those random bits of mail/coupons/business cards/Netflix mover to return or the odd leftover school picture. So after about nine years of internal mental deliberation, I finally came to peace with my nemesis. It won’t go away. Ever. Even if I put it all in the junk drawer below, those random bits of things will start creeping back on the corner in plane view and mock me in my defeat. Soooo, if you can’t get rid of it, why not make it prettier?

IMG_4489This is a picture of it cleaned up in the new organizer – still way better than it was, but I wasn’t happy.

Once I finally got around to finding a prettier version of what I had and one that contained the chaos better, I felt a lot better about my enemy. BUT, it still looked messy!! Aaagh! Then a light bulb went off in my head. If you can’t clean it, hide it. That’s what under the bed is for and those weirdly shaped under stair closets, right?! So out came my ruler to measure and I got to designing a typographic cheeky phrase that was both fun, clean and measured perfectly to hide my eternal chaos. I have to say, I am far more zen every time I look up from my kitchen sink and see my “neatly organized” mail  😉 It’s still all there, just hidden! What do you think?

Sweet Potato Chai Muffins with Coconut Oil

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I’m a little surprised at how often I make muffins these days since I wasn’t a huge muffin baker in the past. But now that my kids are going to school in the mornings and need a quick breakfast that’s also wholesome, I find myself trying more and more muffin recipes. Who doesn’t get tired of cereal and frozen waffles every morning! We gotta mix it up and we leave the pancakes (unless I make extra and freeze them) and smoothies for the weekends.

I had sweet potato in the freezer the other day that needed to be used (here’s a HUGE tip…buy the frozen mashed sweet potato from Trader Joes! Just defrost and you are good to go!!) and so decided to make this recipe that originally used pumpkin and then I swapped out the butter for the coconut oil. Easy peasy! I personally like coconut oil in my muffins and my girls like it too, but it can make the texture a little denser. That said, I love the added flavor the chai tea brings to these muffins.

Sweet Potato Chai Doughnut Muffins Author: Adapted from Martha Stewart Ingredients

For the muffins: Makes 12

  • ⅓ cup milk
  • 1 bag chai tea
  • 10 tablespoons coconut oil
  • 2 cups all­purpose flour, plus more for pan
  • 1 cup whole wheat flour
  • 2½ teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • ½ teaspoon nutmeg
  • ¼ teaspoon allspice
  • ¼ teaspoon cardamom
  • ¼ teaspoon baking soda
  • 1¼ cups cooked and mashed sweet potato (pumpkin can easily be substituted)
  • ¾ cup lightly packed brown sugar
  • 2 eggs
For the sugar coating:
  • ¾ cup granulated sugar
  • 2½ teaspoons cinnamon

Directions

1. Pour milk into a mug or small microwaveable bowl. Heat in microwave 40 seconds until hot (but not scalding). Steep tea in milk 10 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, heat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter and flour 12 standard muffin cups. In a medium bowl, whisk flour, baking powder, salt, nutmeg, allspice, cardamom and baking soda until well combined.

3. Remove tea bag from milk, squeezing out any extra liquid and flavor from bag. Pour milk into a small bowl and stir in canned pumpkin until mixture is well combined.

4. In a large bowl or bowl of a stand mixer, beat oil and brown sugar on high speed 1 to 2 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.

5. Using a spatula, wooden spoon or stand mixer on low speed, alternate stirring in flour (in 3 additions) and sweet potato mixtures (in 2 additions), beginning and ending with flour mixture, just until batter is combined.

6. Spoon batter evenly into prepared muffin cups. Bake 23-25 minutes until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool muffins 10 minutes in pan on a cooling rack.

7. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, whisk together sugar and cinnamon. One at a time, remove muffins from pan then roll in sugar­cinnamon mixture. Transfer to cooling rack to cool completely.

Quick and Easy Hot Cross Buns

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IMG_4357I was determined to make hot cross buns for Good Friday today and although they came out differently than I had anticipated, they came out delicious and far quicker than I had planned!! I thought I had yeast to make the traditional version, but because just assumed I had some, when it came to the yeast step and went to grab it…sigh…I was out. So with a little improv and internet checking, I came up with a baking powder version for what I had already started and they came out yummy and easy!!! A little different in texture of course, but the flavors are there 🙂 The recipe is below as well as some instagram easter basket and egg decorating idea pics I posted for Easter.

Ingredients:

  • 3 cups flour
  • 4.5 tsp baking posder
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/4 tsp cardamom
  • 1/4 tsp nutmeg
  • zest of one navel orange
  • 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 3 Tbsp butter room temp
  • 1/4 cup sugar sugar
  • 1/4 cup dried cranberries
  • 1/4 cup chopped dried apricots
  • 1/4 cup raisins
  • 1 egg
  • 1 cup buttermilk

Directions: Makes 12

Preheat oven to 350 F

  1. Whisk dry ingredients, sugar, orange zest and fruit into a large bowl.
  2. Rub in butter with fingers until mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs.
  3. Whisk buttermilk and egg together and add to dry ingredients. Mix just until a soft dough forms.
  4. Turn onto a floured board, knead lightly.
  5. Pat out to approximately 1 inch thickness and, using a 3-4″ round cutter, cut into buns.
  6. Place onto lightly greased oven tray.
  7. Bake at 350 for 12-15 minutes.
  8. Glaze: Mix 1/4 cup powdered sugar with buttermilk one tablespoon at a time until a paste is formed.
  9. Remove from oven and brush buns with glaze.  
  10. Cool buns on a wire rack. Cut slivers of dried apricots to make crosses and place on top of buns.

 

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Easter basket inspiration. Most of these items are from the Target Dollar Spot…ummm…super cute bunny tote, right?!

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I decorated some eggs and went the super simple, yet chic route: brown eggs and a white Sharpie – how easy can it get??!!

 

Easter Art Print: Freebie!!

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IMG_4313Here is a little free a Easter art print! Easter has not been much on my mind like everyone else because we celebrate Greaster (Greek Easter) and it’s not until May 1st this year…way far away!! But I didn’t grow up in a greek family so there is a part of me that still wants to celebrate this week with you all and so I got my Easter pants on and made a freebie printable art print to celebrate the occasion 🙂 And I will for sure be making some hot cross buns for Good Friday! One of my favorite Easter traditions my mom always did.

Click here for the PDF print.  …can you tell I’ve been in to watercolor lately?!