With Enough Coffee .....

I thought of this saying last week and it made me laugh at the thought of it.  What a perfect saying for a new design, available in 3 colors, green, yellow and orange.

I am currently illustrating a children's book and have a few weeks left before it is due.  Trust me when I say, the coffee is being downed in epic volumes right now.   

UUPP

Fly Away ......

Spring is almost here and I am truly excited when I start hearing the birds again. Hearing them yesterday, inspired a new print I designed....

UUPP

Bring on the Smores....

I absolutely love to bake. Trying new recipes is ultra exciting for me. I decided to try Smores cookies. They look incredible and...yes, they also taste incredible.  I whipped these up last week with the help of my little 3 year old chef. He was mesmerized at the thought of putting marshmallows and Hershey bars in a cookie, as was I.

S'mores Cookies 

Ingredients:

11 Tablespoons unsalted softened butter 

1 cup brown sugar, packed

½ cup granulated sugar

2 large eggs, room temp

1 tsp vanilla

1 tsp baking soda

½ tsp sea salt

1 tsp cinnamon

2 ½ cups flour

1/3 cup chocolate chips

1 cup mini marshmallows

2 – 3 regular sized hershey’s bars, broken into pieces*

1 package graham crackers, broken into squares

Directions:

* In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon to combine. Set aside.

* In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream butter with both sugars until light and fluffy.  Add egg and vanilla.

* Add flour mixture to the butter mixer and combine on low speed.

* Fold in chips and marshmallows.  Chill dough in refrigerator for 1 hour to overnight.

Preheat oven to 375 F.  Line baking pans with parchment paper** Lay out graham crackers side by side on the pans as close as possible (they should be touching).  Place tablespoons of chilled dough on graham crackers about 1 – 1 ½ inches apart.  Press down slightly with fingertips.  Bake for 5 minutes then remove from oven to press Hershey’s bar pieces  on to the top.  Bake for 5 – 7 more minutes or until dough is beginning to turn golden brown at the edges.  Remove to a wire rack to cool.

**If you want thicker cookies, use less graham cracker-lined pans and put your cookie dough closer together.  For thinner cookies, spread out graham crackers and cookie dough across more baking pans.

REGRETS:

Is it possible to have regrets after making such a lovely dessert?  Yes, I am afraid so. The regrets could be that:
     A) I ate the whole pan     
     B) I should have made a double batch so I could eat twice as many  or 
     C) something not quite as sinister as options A or B.

Answer is C. We will call them minor regrets.  Two things:

     1)   Next time when I make the fabulous Smores Cookies, I vow to put in WAY more Hershey bars in the final baking round. As you see I used restraint in the photos above in only placing 1 Hershey bar square on each graham cracker square.  I hope to prevent any of you from making such a mistake as I have.   More Hershey Bars, you won't regret it.   :)
     2)   Less cinnamon.  This is just my taste preference, but next time I will only put in 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon. I thought it was a bit too strong with a full teaspoon, but that is just my taste preference.  The food critics I live with also agree, a bit less cinnamon.


There you have it..........

Free Printable Valentines Day cards .....

Enjoy these 'oh so sweet' Valentine's Day printable cards I designed just for you.....
Just click on the image to go to the link where you can download the high resolution file to print. 

Here is to 15....

This week I celebrate a very special occasion.....
15 years ago two young kids in college met. She was 20, he was 19.  They worked alongside each other at a part time job for a few years while they were both in college. They both lit up when they would see the other and considered the other a good friend. At one point, he lived in the apartment building next to hers.  On those cold -20 degree mornings in Minnesota, she would sometimes go knock on his door at 7am to ask if he could jumpstart her car, so she could get to class.  He would smile, grab a stocking cap and would always help the cute girl next door when she needed it. Two years later, they decide they like each other.  Finding someone like this makes her realize she can't let anyone else marry her guy. She asks him out on the first date. 6 months later he proposes.   She is 22, he just turns 21 in time to have champagne on their wedding day. They have kids right away, have the honor of having their  2 young daughters witness both of their parents each graduating from college, he becomes an architect, she becomes an illustrator.  Several moves to different houses/states, several pets later, the additional of the sweetest little boy on the planet....lots of smiles, lot of tears, still together and happy as ever....Thank you, thank you my dear.

I have experienced all with you....

I truly mean this ....

Art Print inspired by a handwritten note from my hubby