Wednesday 27 July 2011

QUICK AND DELICIOUS GRANOLA

I have made so much Granola in my life and I always try to make it low fat and healthy - booooooo. Well this recipe has many healthy ingredients but uses more butter then I usually try to use.  I think next time I make it I will reduce the butter by 2 TBSP.

SUPER- DUPER GRANOLA

1/2 cup butter
2/3 cup plus 3 TBSP  honey
1/4 tsp salt
3 cups old fashioned oats
1/2 cup quinoa flakes
1/2 cup coconut
1/2 cup  oat bran
3 TBSP roasted flax seed (bought mine at Costco) or regular
1 1/2 cups  chopped nuts (don't chop to small)
1/4 cup dark brown sugar
1/2 cup raisons
1/2 cup mix dry berries
1/4 cup chopped dried mango

Melt butter and honey together. Mix in salt to dissolve. Mix all the other ingredients together in a LARGE bowl, use your hands to mix well. Pour 1/3 of the honey mix at a time, stirring well after each pour. Mix well to coat all the dry mix, again use your hands, making sure the honey mixture isn't still hot. Spread it out on a jelly roll pan or sided cookie sheet. I don't spread mine too thin, I find the berries burn. There is nothing worse then burnt berries. If you are concerned about burning them, leave the berries out and 1/2 through cooking, add them. I baked mine at 350 F for about 14 minutes. Stir mixture about every 4 minutes. Let it cool and off you go!

Saturday 16 July 2011

COUPON FOR 10% OFF MY ETSY SITE

Following Leaf'n Lily on Facebook and you will receive 10% off your next purchase.

Ajustable 22 inch Sterling Silver chain

Lampwork bead made by an Australian Artist

Metallic lampwork bead made by a local Artist

Swarovski star shimmers by sterling silver coral

There's a Rock Star in all of us - isn't there!

Thursday 14 July 2011

SPECIAL OFFER

Leaf'n Lily Jewellery is currently offering a 15% discount to you, when you refer a friend. Offer is good until July 30. Have your friends place your name in the comments section of the checkout and you will receive a 15% discount on your next purchase until July 30.

I have now added Vintage items mixed with new materials. See a couple of sneak peaks below. Happy shopping.











Tuesday 12 July 2011

Mini Chocolate Cakes

These couldn't be cuter. Don't mind my photo, I simply made these for the purpose of eating and really didn't expect them to be as yummy as they were. I would love to make these for a kids birthday party. You could throw a few sprinkles on top or use jam and white chocolate - voila.



As far as the recipe, I didn't change much. I baked it in a glass cake pan that was 13.5 x 10 and I used chocolate wafers for the dipping chocolate. Here is the link!

http://tastykitchen.com/recipes/desserts/peanut-butter-kandy-kakes/

Wednesday 22 June 2011

REUPHOLSTERED BOAT

Today finally felt like a summer day with the hot sun and blue sky and of course the old boat sitting on my drive way helped to.  The boat and I aren't really very good friends, it's a love - hate relationship. My husband grew up with this beast, it was his parents first vehicle (islanders), so it's no spring chicken. Anyway,  for sure this was my first BIG reupholstering job. My husband figures out the pattern and how to put it together and all I do is sew and maybe curse, once or twice (or more). Have a look.

Before (duh)



After




Monday 20 June 2011

RAINY DAY FUN - LEGO COOKIES

With all the rainy weather, the kids and I busted out the mixer and made some cookies. My daughter caught a glimpse of these over my shoulder and was ready to bake. I let the kids do all the decorating so I made the icing a spreadable consistence and we used regular M & Ms as the mini's were no where to be found. Here is the link for you to make some rainy day fun.



http://tastykitchen.com/recipes/desserts/lego-cookies/

Sunday 19 June 2011

FRESH FLOWER FOR RAINY SKIES

It has been raining and raining and raining even indoors I feel soggy. Everything looks lush and beautiful from my window but I could use some time outdoors! I came across more of my flower pictures and I thought, I'd share. If you too are feeling soggy, I hope these help you make it through the next few rainy days!






Saturday 18 June 2011

CHILLY PAWS

If you love your pet, you will flip for this! I know many of you think I'm crazy talking about Christmas but here is another one for the list. My dog loves to burrow, he digs his way under the covers and blankets on the couch, this is going to be an awesome Christmas for him. If you are looking for a stellar gift for someone that's hard to buy for - well spoil their pet instead.

http://www.etsy.com/shop/rendachs?ref=ss_profile





This is my little burrowing pooch.







PEANUT BUTTER SHEET CAKE

If you have no self control don't even read this. This is the kind of cake that no one would know existed if left alone for a few hours. If you are weak, avert your eyes and pretend you never read the title. If you think you can handle it - here it is.

Peanut Butter Sheet Cake

2 cups all purpose flour
2 cups sugar
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 cups water
3/4 cup butter or margarine
1/2 cup chunky peanut butter
1/4 cup vegetable oil
2 eggs
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 tsp vanilla extract

GLAZE:

2/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup evaporated milk
1 tbsp butter
1/3 cup peanut butter
1/3 cup miniature marshmallows
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking soda and salt; set aside. In a saucepan, bring water and butter to a boil; stir in peanut butter and oil until blended. Add to dry ingredients; mix well. Combine eggs, buttermilk and vanilla; add to peanut butter mixture. Mix well.

Pour into a greased 15 X 10 in baking pan. Bake at 350 degrees F for 16-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the centre comes out clean.

Meanwhile, combine sugar, milk and butter in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly; cook and stir for 2 minutes. Remove from the heat; stir in the peanut butter, marshmallows and vanilla until marshmallows are melted. Spoon over warm cake and carefully spread over the top. Cool completely.

CHANGES

Here are the changes I made. I used 1/4 cup peanut butter instead of vegetable oil. I used smooth peanut butter not chunky. I used 3 large marshmallows for the 1/3 cup miniature and I doubled the sauce. I let the cake cool before adding the sauce. The sauce will thicken somewhat,  I let it cool a bit but poured the sauce over when still warm.

To print the original recipe

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/peanut-butter-sheet-cake-2/detail.aspx

JELLYBEAN CAKE

We had many things to celebrate this past weekend while my parents were visiting; my daughter's and father's birthdays, my parents anniversary and an early Father's Day. I have eaten and baked more than enough!

For my daughters Birthday cake we were inspired by jellybeans and the bright colours they come in. Here are pictures of her cake.



Sunday 5 June 2011

COOL GIFT

It's true, I'm one of those people that shop early for Christmas and I just found the most awesome, one of a kind, gift! It comes in different sizes and colours so their is one for everyone on your list. My favourite is the mini's because they are perfect for carrying your Leaf'n Lily Jewellery! Take a look if your interested.

http://www.etsy.com/listing/39415116/mini-candy-pink-zippie-with-black-felt

LEAF'N LILY NEWS


Leaf'n Lily is going to be adding jewellery that incorporates new and vintage/upcycled beads to the Etsy shop this summer so keep your eyes peeled.

http://www.etsy.com/shop/LeafnLily

Saturday 4 June 2011

EYE POPPING BEAUTIES

Here is a sneak peek at the new lampwork beads I have for creating, excuse me while I wipe the drool.  Is there a bead you can't live without, let me know so I can create something fabulous for you.



leafnlily@yahoo.com

LOVE YOUR PLANET

A little late but here are two of my favourite planet happy items, not to mention Canadian Companies.

The first is a floor cleaner. It comes in all different types of cleaners (bathroom, all-purpose...) for what ever reason the floor cleaner seems to be the hard one to get. I purchased my at Planet Organic in Edmonton some time ago but recently spotted it at London Drugs and Superstore! Here is what it looks like.




You purchase the bottle full of cleaner and then the little container is the refill. You attach it to the lid and add tap water, yes, tap water. Here is their website if you are interested in checking it out.

http://www.iqclean.com/

Here is an interesting article.

http://www.wetaskiwintimes.com/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=2850021


This next product is for taking snacks to work, school or play. They also have bigger ones for bulk food or larger items. They are tougher than they looks and super easy to clean.


The are called Moukisac. Brilliant. I purchased my at Earth General Store in Edmonton. I'm sure you can find them at your local Organic store too, if not, here is the link to their web page.

http://www.moukisac.com/index.php?id=32

Monday 30 May 2011

TO DO

On our list of things left to recover, we only have two  BUT one is huge.

This chair is exactly the same as the chair we recovered in pink. We bought them at separate times, differently places and they came in completely different fabrics but they are exactly the same. What we love best about these chairs is that they rock and swivel.




Here is the first chair that is already recovered.


Ok now you might need to shield your eyes or get your sunglasses. For those that haven't had the good fortune of seeing this couch in person, it's not quite as crazy as it looks. Ok it is but we love it. We bought it from a guy whose Aunt had this couch custom made. She didn't sit on it and neither did he. Well, we do and it's old and isn't going to make it, if we don't recover it. It is called "Auntie's couch" our children refer to it as that and they tell their friends, "your not allowed to jump on Auntie's couch". People probably think, we are borrowing it. Well here she is....







Sometime, you come across a piece that's so perfectly perfect, you just let it be. This chair is from my Grandma and she took very good care of it. The fabric is in perfect condition and it goes in my crazy home and it makes me happy.





I am going to listing a few of my favourite eco friendly products next. Stay tuned!

Friday 27 May 2011

QUICK AND EASY DINNER

I am always trying to find healthy, quick and easy dinners. I made this recipe tonight and it's great, my kids actually ate meat and liked it! My daughter thought it reminded her of Chicken Soup as I served it with plan pasta on the side (no sauce). I made some changes to accommodate what I had at home and those changes are listed at the bottom.

Cheesy Chicken Meatballs


1 lb ground chicken
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1/4 cup roasted garlic light cream cheese
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 TBSP red pepper flakes
1 TSP Italian seasoning
1 TBSP garlic powder
1 1/2 TBSP vegetable oil
1 TSP salt
1 TSP ground black pepper


Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil, stray with cooking spray.


Combine all the ingredients in a large mixing bowl; mix well. Form mixture into 20 meatballs; place on prepared pan.


Bake in centre of preheated oven until juices run clear, 17-18 minutes. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the centre should read at least 165 degrees F.


Here is the link to print your own recipe. 


http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Cheesy-Chicken-Meatballs/Detail.aspx


Here are the changes, I made. I doubled the recipe and kept the 4 eggs however 3 would have been fine. I just added more bread crumbs but still kept it quite wet. I  used regular cream cheese and warmed it slightly in the microwave so it was easy to combine and subbed in greek seasoning for Italian, leaving the pepper flakes out. I added maybe 3 TBSP more cheese and left out the oil. DO spray your foil, they stick. Ground chicken is always moist and I didn't roll these into perfect little balls. I shaped them slightly and plopped them on the pan.



Wednesday 25 May 2011

OUR INSPIRATION

As I was posting the pictures of the chairs, I was trying to figure out how we decided recovering furniture was something we should try. Over the past few days as I was cleaning the house and it came to me. The first is a trunk that I have had since, I was my daughters age. It had patterned paper on it so we put fabric on it and ta-da, updated toy trunk.



Not really that impressive but that's how it started. Here is what followed. My Grandma gave me two wooden boxes. Great heavy solid wood toy box or trunk style boxes. We decided to recover one for my daughters room and one for my son.


Tuesday 24 May 2011

JETSON STYLE CHAIR

Well this chair is the sun in my pocket. I have to admit, I put up a fight to recover this. It might have been the work that I knew was involved but I think it was the pink. Pink can be a sickness. It wasn't has hard as it looks other than the cushion, it was responsible for a few lost hairs. Well here she is.....




Monday 23 May 2011

SUNROOM ROCKER

This chair has been incomplete for a while. Our biggest decision is whether we should put the arms back on. I like it without the arms but my husband wants the arms. I like that you can sit down on it from the front or the sides. At first we were going to sell it but I couldn't bring myself to do it. While the fabric isn't my style, I love it. I think if I ever had a sunroom this would be the perfect chair - it's cheery. We do have a lot of chairs but for now, it sits and waits for our decision - arms or no arms, sell or keep? Want to weight in?