Spinach & Artichoke Wonton Cups

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I love this recipe because it takes the messiness out of eating a dip since you have the spinach and artichoke filling in individual cups.  I haven’t found gluten free wontons yet, so if you want to make this gluten free, forget the wonton cups and just serve the filling with tortilla chips. If you do this I suggest making it a bit more creamier by adding additional greek yogurt. Plus, it’s a much lighter version of a traditional spinach & artichoke dip.
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Ingredients:

  • 1 Package of frozen chopped spinach, defrosted and drained
  • 1 Can of artichokes in water, drained and chopped
  • 1/4 cup Vegan Mayo
  • 1/3 cup Greek Yogurt
  • 1 Tablespoon Frank’s hot sauce
  • 1 clove of garlic, minced
  • 1 lemon, zest only
  • 1/2 Grated Parmesan Cheese
  • Salt & Pepper to taste
  • Wonton Wrappers (these are not gluten free)

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Using a muffin pan, place a wonton into each tin and press down to form the cup shape (they don’t have to be perfect). Bake for 12-15 minutes or until the wonton tips are a light brown. You can make these wonton cups a few days in advance, just store in a zip lock bag. 
  2. Make sure the chopped spinach and artichokes are drained well. Use a paper towel to press out any excess water.
  3. Mix all filling ingredients together in large bowl.
  4. Fill wonton cups with mixture. Don’t fill the cups more than 30 minutes in advance otherwise the wontons will get soggy.

Adapted from this original recipe.

Fresh Herb & Onion Dip

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It’s March Madness, perfect time for snacking on chips and dips. Honestly,  if I could live off of chips & dips I would, but I can’t…This dip is perfect for a party and works well served with potato chips. I made slight variations to the original recipe, adding in more fresh herbs and using Vegan mayo, but regular mayo will would perfectly.  Also, any recipes lately that ask for sour cream I’ve been substituting with greek yogurt as a healthier alternative. Sorry, I don’t have photos to post!

Ingredients: 

  • 2 Tablespoons of Olive Oil
  • 1 1/2 cups Yellow Onions, diced
  • 1/4 teaspoon Sea Salt
  • 1 1/2 cups Sour Cream (or Greek Yogurt)
  • 3/4 cup Vegan Mayo
  • 2 Tablespoons fresh Parsely, finely chopped
  • 2 Tablespoons fresh Chives, finely chopped
  • 2 Tablespoons fresh Dill, finely chopped
  • 1/4 teaspoon Garlic Powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon Black Pepper
  • 1/2 teaspoon Sea Salt

Directions:

  1. Add oil in a saute pan over medium heat, add onions and salt. Cook the onions until they are caramelized, about 20 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside to cool.
  2. In a bowl, mix the rest of the ingredients, and then add the cooled onions.
  3. Put dip in refrigerator to chill for an hour or make it the night before the party. Serve with potato chips. 

Recipe adapted from What’s Cooking Chicago?

Gluten Free Banana Bread

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This post is way overdo, things have been a little busy lately!

Whenever I have bananas that have ripened too much I throw them in the freezer to use in smoothies or in this banana bread recipe (just let them thaw before baking). This is my mom’s classic banana bread recipe which I converted to be gluten free. It will yield about 18 cupcakes or 1 loaf of bread. Enjoy!

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Ingredients:

  • 1 egg
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1/2 cup butter (room temperature)
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 2 cups gluten free flour
  • 1/2 tsp xanthan gum
  • pinch of salt
  • 3 mashed bananas

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  2. Using a mixer, beat egg and sugar together.
  3. Beat in butter to egg and sugar mixture.
  4. Add flour, baking soda, bananas and salt to mixture.
  5. Bake muffins for about 15 minutes.

DIY Rosette Necklace – Emerald Color of Year Inspiration

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Emerald is the Pantone color of the year (color swatch 17-5641 to be exact). The color is dripping into all fields: home décor, accessories, clothes, weddings, etc. If Emerald isn’t your thing, other shades of green are also in this season like Mint (big trend in bridal), Pistachio and Army Green. It’s about being on trend, so try something new on the green color wheel but it’s also about sticking to what you are comfortable with. The best thing about Emerald is that is looks great on blondes, red heads and brunettes. You can ease the color into your style by just painting your nails or go all out with a bright dress. My style is traditional with some drama/edge mixed in, so I’m more likely to work the color in with my accessories. In this tutorial I’ll show you how to make a rosette necklace using Emerald colored fabric for a standout accessory. Directions and materials needed are located at the bottom of the post.

Here are my top picks for incorporating Emerald into your everyday style:

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How to make DIY Rosette Chain Necklace:

Materials:

  • ½ yard of fabric
  • 1 sheet of felt
  • Good Chain
  • 2 Large Gold Hoops

Tools:

  • Pilers
  • Scissors
  • Hot Glue Gun
  • Sharpie
  • 1 piece of 8.5 x 11 paper

Steps:

  1. Cut a strip of fabric about 1.5″ wide and 20″ long.  This makes a rosette about a 1.5” in diameter. The longer the fabric the bigger the rosette.
  2. Tie a knot at one end (if there is excess, trim off close to the knot).
  3. Tuck the knot back on itself and begin to roll the fabric around it, folding and twisting the fabric strip in, towards the center of the rosette. Keep folding and twisting in circles. Use a little dab of glue every now and then to secure the fabric twists.
  4. When you have a rosette of desired size, leave about 1” of fabric at the end and twist to underneath the rosette and secure with glue. For the rosette that is going to attach to the large gold hoop, loop the end through the hoop  and secure fabric strip with glue to the back of the rosette.
  5. Once you have made the amount of rosettes you want arrange them on a piece of paper and create a pattern by drawing  an outline of your rosettes. Cut out the pattern.
  6. Trace pattern onto felt and cut out along the inside of the edges.
  7. Dab glue underneath of your flowers and press heavily onto the felt.
  8. Attach the chain.

Tips:

  • Dont worry about the rough edges of the fabric, I think it adds a good texture to the rosette.
  • I bought the felt before I decided to use green fabric; I would suggest choosing a piece of felt close to the color of fabric you are using so that it is less noticeable.

DIY Custom Name Hangers

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I’ve seen so many brides purchase these personalized hangers lately, so I decided to take a stab at creating my own. The craft is easier then you think, check out the tutorial and let me know how yours turns out. Thank you to my bride-to-be friends for letting me use their names for the hangers! Oh, don’t forget to subscribe to the YouTube Channel, the goal is to get to 1,000 subscribers!

Materials:

Tools:

  • Wood Glue (Gorilla)
  • Power Drill w/ 3/16 drill bit
  • Ruler
  • Pliers
  • Wire Cutters
  • (1) 8 x 11 piece of paper
  • Sharpie

Total cost: $5 for each custom hanger

Time: 1 hour

Steps:

  1. Create a template. Measure out the length of the hanger and then leave 2.0 inches of space on each end. This will act as your guide as you create the name when wrapping the wire.
  2. Take you wire and measure out 2.5 inches on the start end.
  3. Start to shape the letters. This wire is really flexible so you can just use your hands. If additional help is needed, then use the pliers. I suggest using lowercase script for beginners. 
  4. Drill hold bout 1 inch from each end of the hanger.
  5. Trim access wire, add glue to hole in hanger and secure wire into place.

Tips:

  • Your first time trying this craft will take you about 1 hour. Once you get the hang of shaping the wire, you will cut down on your time tremendously. It’s okay if they craft has a more rustic/handmade feel, it doesn’t have to be perfect!
  • Paint the hanger (before you start the craft) to match the wedding colors.

Other Uses:

  • There was wire left over so I used it to make “place cards” for the bride and groom.  Leave a comment and let me know if you have any other ideas for how to use the wire to personalize your big day.

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Gluten Free Vanilla Cake w/ Strawberry Cream Cheese Frosting

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Smash cakes seem to be the new thing for a youngster’s birthday, a small round cake that the kid can dive into and get messy with.  I had a request this past weekend to bake a smash cake and cupcakes for my favorite 1 year old’s birthday. I went with a classic vanilla cake with fresh strawberry icing, recipe below.

In addition, I made a number “1” topper for the cake. Cut out the number 1 on card stock paper, paint with Mod Podge Glue and sprinkle with gold glitter. Once that dries make sure you do a coat of Mod Podge over the glitter, this seals the glitter so that it doesn’t fall onto the cake. Then hot glue the number to a toothpick.

If you live in the Phoenix area and like to bake I highly suggest you check out ABC Cake Baking Supply Store. They have everything you need from baking pans, decorations, cookie cutters, boxes, etc. Last week was my first time to the store and I was memorized by all the stuff they had.

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Addie enjoying her smash cake

Gluten Free Classic Vanilla Cake (original recipe from Martha Stewart)

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature, plus more for pans
  • 2 1/2 cups all-purpose gluten free baking flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon of Xanthan Gum
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 1/2 cups sugar
  • 2 large eggs
  • 3 large egg yolks
  • 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
  • 1 cup low-fat buttermilk

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour a 5-by-3-inch cake pan, tapping out excess flour. In a medium bowl, whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
  2. In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy. With mixer on low, beat in eggs and yolks, one at a time. Beat in vanilla. Alternately beat in flour mixture and buttermilk, beginning and ending with flour mixture; mix just until combined.
  3. Fill pan 3/4 full with batter; smooth top. Bake until cakes pull away from sides of pans, 50 to 60 minutes. Let cool in pans 10 minutes. Run a knife around edges of pans and invert cakes onto a wire rack. Let cool completely.

Baker’s Note: This recipe makes enough for the smash cake and about a dozen cupcakes. Also, when it came to the cake I did the toothpick rule when testing to see if it is ready.

Strawberry Cream Cheese Icing (original recipe from Food.com)

Ingredients:

  • 1/2 cup butter, room temp (1 stick)
  • 1/2 cup pureed fresh strawberries
  • 8 ounces cream cheese, room temp
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 2 cups confectioners’ sugar (powder sugar)

Directions:

  1. Using a mixer, cream the cream cheese and butter until nice and smooth.
  2. Add the vanilla extract and pureed strawberries.
  3. Gradually add the powder sugar until it has the consistency and sweetness you desire. You can alter this to your liking. If you make it a bit too sweet, add just a little bit of lemon juice. This will help balance out the sweetness.

Baker’s Note: I realized after making this that it is a icing rather than a frosting, the consistency isn’t as thick as traditional frosting.

Wedding DIY: Turn Your Guestbook Into Art

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Instead of having a traditional guestbook that is going to sit on a bookshelf and collect dust, my theory is to turn it into something that can be on display and viewed daily. Hopefully these ideas will inspire you to do something unique for your big day.

Option 1: Lip & Mustache Silhouettes 

Check out the photo booth tutorial on how to make the lip and mustache silhouettes, you can do any shape that matches the wedding theme: bow ties, hearts, birds, leaves, flowers, etc. Arrange the shapes in an interesting pattern to create a piece of custom artwork for the bride and groom’s home.

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 Option 2: Wine Corks

If the bride and groom are wine lovers or the wedding is taking place at a vineyard, have the guests sign wine corks. I wrapped a canvas in kraft paper and then hot glued wine corks into the first letter of the bride & groom’s last name or make free standing letters. Either way it’s a great decorative accent to the home.

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image via Style Me Pretty

 Option 3: Vintage Postcards

If the theme of the wedding is more rustic, consider having your guests sign vintage postcards. After the wedding have your maid-of-honor drop them off at the post office so that when the bride & groom return from the honeymoon their mailbox is filled with well wishes from the guests. Plus, who doesn’t love snail mail? If you are looking for vintage postcards then check out this awesome Etsy shop.

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Beauty Essentials {Tools}

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I use to be a Freelance Makeup Artist in college working for Paula Dorf and Chanel but haven’t really worked on other people since then. I recently got asked to revive my skills for my college roommate’s wedding. I tackled 8 of the beautiful bridesmaids pictured below (photo via the insanely talented Melissa Young Photography). I have another wedding lined up in 2 weeks and wanted to share the tools I can’t live without in order to complete a flawless finish.
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Face:

  1. Chanel Foundation Brush
  2. BeautyBlender
  3. ELF Stipple Brush
  4. Paula Dorf Blush Brush
  5. MAC 184
  6. MAC 224

Eyes:

  1. Paula Dorf Sheer Crease
  2. MAC 217
  3. ELF Contour Brush (new favorite and only $3!)
  4. Bobbi Brown Ultra Fine Eye Liner

BridesmaidsPhoto via Melissa Young Photography

Black Bean & Feta Quinoa Patties

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The recipe originally called for spinach, but let’s be honest I forgot to buy spinach and ended up substituting with black beans. Perfect recipe for those Meatless Mondays. Enjoy!

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Ingredients:

Gluten Free Quinoa Patties:

  • 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1/2 cup of finely chopped red onion
  • 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
  • 1/2 cup of black beans
  • 2 eggs, beaten
  • 1 1/4 cups of cooked quinoa (I made 1 cup of uncooked and had leftovers)
  • 2 ounces crumbled feta cheese
  • 1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill
  • 1/4 teaspoon grated lemon zest
  • 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 1/2 cup gluten free bread crumbs

Lemon Dill Yogurt Sauce:

  • 1/2 cup plain Non-Fat Geek Yogurt
  • 2 tablespoons finely chopped scallions
  • 2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice (I used half of a lemon)
  • 2 teaspoons chopped fresh dill
  • Sea salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
  • Next time I make this I might consider adding cucumbers to the sauce to make it more like a tzatziki 

Directions:

Lemon-Dill Yogurt Sauce:

  1. Whisk together the yogurt, scallions, lemon juice, and dill in a small bowl. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Cover and refrigerate the sauce for at least 1 hour to allow the flavors to meld.

Quinoa Patties:

  1. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook, stirring often, until softened, about 4 minutes. Transfer the mixture to a medium-size bowl.
  2. Add the eggs, quinoa, black beans, feta, dill, lemon zest, and black pepper and mix well. Mix in the bread crumbs and let the mixture sit for a few minutes to allow the bread crumbs to absorb some of the moisture.
  3. Add a little olive to a grill pan and heat to medium-high tempature.
  4. Form quinoa patties about 2 1/2 inches in diameter and 1/2 inch thick. Grill the patties until they’re cooked through and browned on the outside, 4 to 5 minutes. Serve warm with lemon-dill yogurt sauce.

Recipe adapted from this version: http://paninihappy.com/spinach-feta-quinoa-cakes-plus-5-quick-dinners-on-the-panini-press/

DIY Tulle Tutus

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I think this may be the cutest craft ever. I seriously can’t get enough of these tutus. Watch the tutorial and you’ll see what I mean. Don’t forget to SUBSCRIBE to the YouTube Channel!!

Materials:

Tools:

  • Scissors (find a similar leopard pair of scissors here)
  • Tape Measure

Total cost: $12

Time: 30 minutes

Steps:

  1. Cut elastic 2 inches shorter than flower girls waist measurements.
  2. Use fabric glue to hold the elastic together.
  3. Cut tulle into 2 foot long pieces.
  4. Wrap the elastic around your leg to hold it into place.
  5. Take one piece of tulle and hold it in half. Thread the tulle under the elastic, leading with the folded end.
  6. Take the two ends of the tulle on top, pull them through the folded end (loop). Continue pulling down and use the index finger from your other hand to place the knot and tighten as you pull. Repeat this step until tutu is complete. Trim ends if needed.

Tips:

  • I also suggest doing a few cross stitches on the elastic for extra hold.
  • Adjust the length of the skirt but cutting longer stripes of tulle.
  • Perfect for flower girls, birthdays, baby showers, etc.
  • Tulle is available in a wide variety of colors so it is easy to match the wedding color palette. I used the glitter tulle for one of the tutus I made and I need to warn you, that the glitter gets EVERYWHERE. If you do want to use it, I suggest doing the craft outside, or avoiding using the glitter tulle altogether so that you aren’t constantly cleaning it up.

Also, if you like working with tulle check out my other tutorial on how to make a tulle headpiece.