Weekly Wrap-Up

Now that the blog is over a year old, sometimes I like to take a look back at what I was doing around this time last year. I had almost forgotten about the no-knead bread I baked! It's definitely time to make that again... along with the Moroccan pepper chermoula that tastes so good on top. Now, as usual, it's time for my list of favorites from the past week...

I've been meaning to try my hand at making pickles and this recipe (found via Cupcakes and Cashmere) looks just simple enough to try.

Another recipe I'd like to try is this one for sweet tomato jam found via Food Loves Writing.

This picnic blanket DIY via Designlovefest definitely caught my eye. The best part? The DIY includes a video tutorial!

I really enjoyed this vinyl record project round-up on Curbly. The wall clocks are my favorite!

Last but not least, I discovered an awesome food blog yesterday called Confessions of a Spoon thanks to the Oh So Lovely ladies. Meli's recipes look delicious and her photos are beautiful! 

That just about wraps it up. Have a great weekend, everyone! 

Spinach Artichoke Dip

I recently made some spinach artichoke dip and I was pleasantly surprised at how simple it was. If you're looking for an easy appetizer for your 4th of July party, this is just perfect!

Ingredients:

• 1 10oz. package of frozen spinach, thawed (fresh would be delicious too, of course)
• 2 14oz. cans of artichoke hearts, drained
• 1 8oz. package of cream cheese
• 1 cup sour cream
• 2 cups mozzarella
• 1-2 cloves garlic, chopped

Mix all of your ingredients in a casserole dish.

Bake at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes, or until lightly browned and bubbly.

Serve with your favorite tortilla chips!

Sponsor Spotlight: Lover Baker Homemaker

It's time for a new Sponsor Spotlight! Today I'd like to introduce you to the lovely Sophie of Lover Baker Homemaker. Sophie's adorable blog is filled with mouthwatering photos of her home-baked creations (including these awesome Jubilee cupcakes). Yum! Now, let's learn a little more about Sophie, shall we?

Hi! I'm Sophie- a twenty-one year old craft addict, baking enthusiast and blogger from jolly old England. I work as a production assistant on a card making magazine called Papercraft Inspirations and I'm one of those really annoying people who can say that they truly love their job! I'm engaged to a pretty cool guy called Rob, who I blog about sometimes (although he doesn't know it...) and I have a cat that I treat like a baby.

I started my blog, Lover Baker Homemaker, about a year ago to share my bakes, makes and everyday adventures. I've recently thrown some regular features in to the mix to liven things up a bit too! I can't wait to watch LBH grow and I'm also super excited to launch my Etsy shop this summer, so watch this space!

Learn more about Sophie...

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Let's Talk: Classic TV Shows

I couldn't help myself... I made another top 5 list! I thought I'd share my favorite classic TV shows with you today. It was difficult to figure out what order to put these in. Well, except for number 1 of course.

Father Knows Best

Leave it to Beaver

The Andy Griffith Show

The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show

I Love Lucy

Photo sources... 5. 4. 3. 2. 1

So, what are some of your favorites?

DIY: Potato Stamp Cards

Over the weekend I decided to finally make a potato stamp with the old potatoes that have been sitting in my kitchen for weeks now. I didn't have a design in mind when I started but I like how it came out so I made a few cards. Here's how to make your own...

What you'll need:

• a potato
• x-acto knife
• paint 
• paint brush (optional)
• cardstock

Cut your potato in half and then carefully cut out your design using an x-acto knife.

Either use a paint brush to add the paint to your stamp or dip the stamp directly into the paint. I chose to use a paint brush because that way I could be extra careful.

I washed the stamp with a damp paper towel when I wanted to change colors. The possibilities are endless!

Sponsor Please Note in July!

It's that time again! I'm currently accepting July sponsors.

If you're interested, head on over to the sponsor info page and take a look. 

I'd love to spend July with you!

Weekly Wrap-Up

Happy Friday! I decided to post this old picture of my spicy pickled eggs in the hopes that it would inspire me to make some this weekend. I've really been craving them. Now, since it's Friday, I'll leave you with a few of my favorites from the past week...

I'm not sure how many of you are Arrested Development fans but this Tobias Funke plush is one of the coolest little dolls I've seen in a while.

This gold tube bracelet DIY is definitely on my to do list.

A recipe that I'm really eager to try is this one for avocado fries.

Another recipe I'm drooling over is this one for cheddar cornmeal waffle BLTs... also with avocado. I don't know about you, but I could probably live off of avocados.

Now... it's time to announce the winner of the Shabby Apple giveaway!

Congratulations, Hailey! I'll be emailing you shortly. Have a great weekend everyone!

Let's Talk: Podcasts

I'm starting a brand new 'Top 5' feature on the blog! I don't know about you, but I really like making lists... 'to do' lists, shopping lists, wish lists, and of course... top 5 lists. So, today I've put together a list of my top 5 favorite podcasts. Here goes...

The Adam Carolla Show

I really like Adam Carolla. His rants are hilarious and I can usually always appreciate where he's coming from. So why is his podcast coming in at number 5? Well, it's because of the other people on the show. If the show was just Adam, I would definitely be ranking him much closer to 1. 

CraftyPod

Although most of my favorite podcasts are comedy podcasts, I love listening to something a little different from time to time. Craftypod has an educational aspect to it and it's also extremely inspiring.

Sklarbro Country

Sklarbro Country is where I get my daily dose of sports. The best part about this podcast is that you definitely don't have to be a sports fan to appreciate the Sklar brother style of comedy.

Comedy Bang Bang

I've found myself holding in fits of laughter at work while listening to Comedy Bang Bang on multiple occasions. If you're not a podcast fan, you might recognize the name from the new IFC show.

Kevin & Bean

If you live in the LA area, I'm sure you're already familiar with Kevin & Bean. These two keep me entertained during my morning drive to work everyday and I use the podcast to catch what I missed. They're goofy but entertaining to say the least.

So, there you have it... my top 5 favorite podcasts. What are some of your favorites?

Photo sources... 5. 4. 3. 2. 1

Chocolate Cupcakes

I found this recipe via Sophisticated Gourmet and I'm so happy I did. These chocolate cupcakes are hands down the best homemade cupcakes I have ever made. I highly recommend them!

Ingredients (for the cake):

• 1 cup granulated sugar
• ¾ cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• ¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted
• ¾ teaspoon baking powder
• ¾ teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 egg, room temperature
• ½ cup sour cream, room temperature
• ¼ cup vegetable oil
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• ½ cup boiling water

Ingredients (for the frosting):

• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
• ½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• ¼ cup milk
• 2 ¼ cups powdered sugar
• ¾ teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon golden syrup / light corn syrup

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line your cupcake tin with paper liners. Combine the granulated sugar, flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

Crack in the egg, spoon in the sour cream, and pour in the oil and the vanilla. Mix until smooth. Pour in the boiling water and mix slowly. The batter will be liquidy.

Divide the batter evenly in the cupcake tin, filling each cup about halfway. Bake for 15-20 minutes, rotating the pans halfway through, until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool on wire racks completely before frosting.

Now, it's time to make the frosting! In a large bowl, combine the melted butter and cocoa powder until smooth. Mix in the milk and powdered sugar, beating until smooth. Add another tablespoon or so of milk, if necessary. Mix in vanilla and corn syrup.

Frost those babies and enjoy with a nice big cup of ice cold milk!

June Sponsor Spotlight

It's time for the group sponsor spotlight! I'd like to introduce you to some of the very lovely June sponsors!

BLOG | SHOP | FACEBOOK | PINTEREST

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Use code PLEASENOTE to receive 15% off everything in Jenny's shop!

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BLOGLOVIN' | MEGON'S PINTEREST | JULIE'S PINTEREST | JULIE'S INSTAGRAM

Interested in becoming a sponsor next month? Check out the sponsor info page!

Weekend

1. One of our turtles enjoying Sunday evening in the backyard.
2. Chocolate chocolate cupcakes, made from scratch.
3. Patio sunlight.
4. An afternoon cup of coffee.
5. A personalized Volkswagen t-shirt... one of dad's Father's Day gifts.
6. Homemade spinach artichoke dip.

Sidenote: I've been having some trouble with my font recently. If the blog looks a little weird, that's why. Hopefully Blogger will fix the issue soon. It's driving me crazy!

Weekly Wrap-Up

It's Friday! One thing I know I'll definitely be doing this weekend is baking something chocolatey for Father's Day. My homemade brownies are a possibility (batter pictured above)... but I'll probably try something new. Now, since it's Friday, I'll leave you with a few of my favorites from the past week...

Speaking of chocolate recipes, this Guinness chocolate cake recipe via Show & Tell sounds absolutely delicious. I've been meaning to try a recipe using Guinness for a while now!

Another recipe I'm eager to try is this broccoli parmesan fritter recipe from Smitten Kitchen.

These polka dot etched mason jars via A Beautiful Mess are on the top of my to-make list.

Another project I can't wait to try is this sun-printed fabric from How About Orange.

I really enjoyed this post about hand-carved stamps from Design Sponge. My favorites are probably the sloth and the weiner dog.

That pretty much wraps it up. Have a great weekend everyone!

Sponsor Spotlight: Anon-y-mouse

It's time for a new Sponsor Spotlight post! Today I'm pleased to introduce you to Jonathan of Anon-Y-Mouse. I just love beautiful paper products and Jonathan's Etsy shop is full of them, including wedding invitations, cards, save the dates, and more... but I'll let him tell you more about that...

I'm born and raised in Los Angeles. It's my favorite city. I love all things paper and thus love to create printed goods. I'm very inspired by 50's design and like to apply a modern twist to that type of design.

Thinking outside the box is important when it comes to paper and I spend a lot of time looking for unique papers from all over the world to incorporate in our designs. I am detail oriented and I feel it's those small details that make a product special. Our studio makes everything by hand; we make all our own envelopes and enclosures. We also hand bind all our wedding programs. We are very environmentally conscious and we try to use as much recycled paper as possible. All of our handmade paper is organic. It is made out of plants and colored with vegetable dyes.

Learn more about Anon-Y-Mouse...

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