Cinnamon Sugar Bread

This is one of those recipes where the photos don't turn out so well, but it tastes amazing. Bread doesn't look too exciting when you take a photo of it, but this was SO sugary sweet and yummy! It's more like a dessert than a bread, but who cares?!?

Note: I made this in the bread maker, but it can also be made in a loaf pan in the oven.

Ingredients:
• 1 cup milk
• 1 egg
• 1/4 cup applesauce
• 3 cups bread flour
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 t salt
• 1.5 t cinnamon
• 2 teaspoons yeast

Place ingredients in bread maker pan.

Set machine for quick bread or sweet bread.

When the machine is done mixing and starts to bake, open the top and sprinkle sugar on top of the bread.

Let bake for remaining time.

Dance around impatiently in the kitchen as you smell the bread and wait for it to cool.

See all those cinnamon and sugar pieces? YUM!
The bread was great with a quick spread of butter or a dip in some vanilla frosting.

Pretty Felt Heart Wreath

If you're into craft blogs, I'm sure you've seen this heart wreath all over this year. It's all the rage in the blog world for Valentine's Day 2011! My friend Christina at Finally Mom asked me to make her one and then a couple more friends requested one as well. How can I say no to my girls? Plus, they're super cute!

I used the tutorial from The Idea Room with a couple adjustments. It took 4 stores, but I bought out all the heart wreaths at the craft stores nearby.

Since the felt pieces will only cover the front of the heart, I spray painted the back side red. It looks a lot better than the white foam sticking out on the sides.
A yard of fabric was enough for me to make 3 full wreaths, so you only need about 1/3 of a yard for one wreath. I used a mug to trace circles on the felt. The diameter of the circles was about 2.5 inches.

How many circles do you need? Lucky you! I counted! I used between 100-115 per wreath. You can always add more, but I think 100 fills it pretty well.

I'd suggest sitting down to watch some tv while you do this because it can be a little monotonous. It works well to switch off between tracing circles and cutting so your hand doesn't get too sore from all the cutting!Once all the circles are cut, I took each circle and folded it in half. Then I folded it in half again so it becomes a little wedge.
Using a small pin, I inserted it into the corner of the wedge and then into the wreath. I didn't see any other blogs mention this, but I would suggest buying some dressmaker pins that are a little shorter than the standard size. The longer ones might poke out on the back and scratch your door.
Just keep folding and pinning as you go around the wreath. There's so special tip or pattern to doing this. You just adjust and place them as you want.
Once the wreath was completely covered in felt, I turned it over to add a hanging string. I took some red ribbon and tied a knot at one end. Using a few pins, I attached the ribbon to the back.
I love it! It's so pretty on the white door and it's perfect for Valentine's Day!

Some of my other ideas for future wreaths that I may try:
• glitter felt
• using multiple colors for one wreath (red, pink, white)
• adding little accessories like pearls, candy hearts, etc

Happy Valentine's Day!

Delicious Caprese Scallops

This is a great, healthy recipe that we tried last week. The flavor was great and we loved it!

Adapted from Savoring Time in the Kitchen
Ingredients:
• 1 tomato
• 6 basil leaves
• 1 red onion, sliced
• salt & pepper
• 3 T olive oil
• 1/2 lb scallops
• 1/2 of a lemon

Slice tomatoes and basil leaves. Pour into a large bowl.

Heat 1 T olive oil in a large pan. Season red onion with salt and pepper and pour into pan. Cook for 7 to 10 minutes.

Let cool and pour into bowl with tomato and basil.

Drizzle 1 T olive oil into the bowl.

Season scallops with salt, pepper and 1 T olive oil. Place in pan and cook for 5-7 minutes.

Arrange in large bowl over vegetables.

Squeeze the juice from half a lemon over the scallops and vegetables.

Aren't the colors gorgeous?

Yummy : )

Glittery XO Letters

I was walking around the craft store one day and this project popped into my head. A cute & easy way to decorate for Valentine's Day! I love Valentine's Day decorations because they're always adorable and they're not religious so everyone can appreciate them.

I bought two 3-D papier mache letters that were about 10 inches tall.
I found some really fun glittery red paper in the scrapbooking section and bought two sheets. I traced the letters onto the glitter paper and cut them out. I wanted paper to cover the front and the back of each letter so I made two X's and 2 O's.

Using some red acrylic paint, I painted the sides red to match the paper.

I used spray glue to attach the glitter paper to the letters and let the glue dry.
Glittery, sparkly, and fun!

Here's the letters on our bookshelf in the family room and I thought they worked well next to the frame I gave Hubby on our first Valentine's Day after only 2 weeks of dating. Gosh, we look young and innocent in that photo!