New Inspiration for Homemade Artwork

I get tons of inspiration all over the web, but especially from blogs. I read a diverse variety of blogs about decorating, cooking & baking, mommyhood, adoption, infertility, photography and some written by friends. These are just a few of my favorites - take a look at my sidebar for some more great reads.

My most recent inspiration, was a post by Tara at Just Devine Style about some scripture printables that she made and used to decorate her mantel. I have been wanting to get some new artwork for my kitchen, and I love the written word as art, so after reading her idea, I decided to make my own!

I played around with some of my favorite scripture in Photoshop, found some great black frames that Rick made (too bad I only have 2), and voila! Beautiful new artwork for my kitchen!

It's simple and sweet just the way I envisioned it. I made an extra and gave it to a friend for her birthday, an idea I'm going to be tucking away and using again. For just the cost of a simple frame, you have a lovely and inexpensive gift.

Thanks, Tara, for the inspiration!
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Totally Awesom Grilled Chicken

Awesome Grilled Chicken
2 1/2 Tbsp Low-Sodium Soy Sauces
2 1/2 Tbsp Worcestershire Sauce
1/4 cup Olive Oil
1 tsp Liquid Smoke
2 Tbsp Chopped Garlic
1/4 cup Brown Sugar
Garlic Salt
Garlic Powder
Pepper
8-10 Boneless, Skinless Chicken Thighs

Mix all ingredients together (except the chicken). Pour over chicken and marinate in the fridge for 2-3 hours. Grill on medium high heat for four minutes each side.

The chicken was super tender and juicy, and EVERYONE loved it!

Enjoy!
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Cheesecake Fail, Cheesecake Success!

Did you know that there are about 100 completely different cheesecake recipes with completely different ingredients? Sheesh.

I've never made a cheesecake before. Love to eat them, never made one. I googled "strawberry cheesecake" and picked a recipe that I thought I could do.

I failed.

BUT (yup, there's a but) I figured out what I did wrong, searched for another recipe, and tried it out.

Oh yeah. Please do not lick the computer screen.

New York Style Cheesecake with Strawberry Sauce

1 cup granulated sugar
3 pkgs. (8 oz. each) cream cheese, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 eggs
1 8-ounce carton of sour cream
1 ten inch graham cracker crust

*All ingredients should be at room temperature.
Cream the softened cream cheese with the sugar and vanilla extract. Add the eggs one at a time, beating thoroughly after each addition. Add the sour cream. Pour into graham cracker crust, and bake for half an hour at 350 degrees F. Turn off the oven, leaving the cheesecake inside for another half hour. Cool and refrigerate for at least 4-8 hours.

Strawberry Sauce
4 cups strawberries (fresh or frozen & thawed), sliced
1/3 c white sugar
1tsp cornstarch (optional)

Heat strawberries and sugar over medium heat until the mixture starts to boil. Turn the heat down to a low simmer and continue to cook until the sauce begins to thicken. This can take up to 20 minutes. Mash the berries a bit as they cook. Use cornstarch to speed the thickening process if you like, but make sure to dissolve the cornstarch in a little water before placing into the sauce and don't go overboard with it. Be patient with the thickening time or you will end up with a gloppy mess from too much cornstarch. I didn't need the cornstarch.

Puree the topping in a blender until it reaches your desired consistency. If you would like a chunkier topping, take 1 cup of the strawberries out before you begin to puree. I pureed all of it, I like the smoother sauce.

Oh, and here's a one of my favorite recipe searching hints: put "easy" in front of the recipe you're searching for. It totally works.
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Oh So Yummy Cinnamon Muffins

Since I love to bake, I try to do something in the kitchen every weekend. This morning I woke up and decided I was going to make some muffins...but didn't really have much on hand. No fruit, no nuts. What's a girl to do?

I searched online and found a few recipes for Cinnamon Muffins. Perfect! I combined a few recipes and this is what I came up with. They were very tasty, and everyone loved them!

Cinnamon Muffins:
1/2 cup flour
1/4 cup white sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 tsp cinnamon
1 beaten egg
1/2 vegetable oil
1/2 cup milk

Topping:
2 Tbsp brown sugar
2 Tbsp flour
1 Tbsp cinnamon
1 Tbls melted butter

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Grease muffin pan.
Sift all of the dry ingredients together.
In a separate bowl, mix the wet ingredients.
Fold wet ingredients into the dry and mix just until blended, careful not to overmix.
Pour batter into muffin cups.
Mix ingredients for topping. Sprinkle over muffins.
Bake for 15-20 minutes.
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