Ruffled Valentine courtesy of My Creative Departure
Looking for a fun Valentine craft? Look no further—I found the most adorable felted heart to make. And, it’s not gonna break the bank either! I found this over at My Creative Departure. I thought you all might like to learn how to make this ruffled Valentine! For the full tutorial on how to create this fab Valentine you must click here!
Enjoy and I’d love to know how yours turned out.
I had brunch with a friend a while back at the California Cafe in Los Gatos. Had the best crab melt ever! I’ve re-created them for my family. And everyone—well, almost everyone loves them. I only changed the bread California Cafe’s version uses brioche. I use sweet french bread. I’ve even used this recipe as an appetizer and used a french baguette to try and keep it to a 2 bite size. This past week has been crazy and I’m looking for something quick and delicious. I want clean-up to be a breeze, so I can try to re-group before the start of the next crazy work week.
Crab Melts
1 loaf sweet french bread
1/2 cup pesto (roughly–I’ve never measured it)
4 Roma tomatoes thinly sliced
1 lb. lump crab meat
15 slices of Havarti
Pre-heat broiler. Slice french bread into approximately 15 slices. Spread a thin layer of pesto and top with a slice of tomato. Next, mound a small amount of crab and top with cheese. Place under broiler for approximately 4 minutes or until cheese is melted, bubbly and turning brown.
Here’s an offer you can’t refuse—The Godfather house is on the market. For $2.9 million you can own a piece of Hollywood history. Along with the sale you get one of Marlon Brando’s cue cards and a piece of the stone wall the studio created out of canvas. This home needs some updating, but c’mon to say you live where the Corleones’ once did? I say pretty darn cool.
Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy
# 1
We have a special Valentine Give-away! Instead of spending $75.00 on a couple dozen of roses that will die in a few days, these prints will last as long as your love. Sorry, I got a little corny there. These are photos taken by myself, at the San Jose Municipal Rose Garden.
# 2
The finished product is an 8″ x 10″ print on a wrapped canvas, (a $40.00 value). This means you can hang these directly on the wall–no frame needed. The winner may choose one rose print—there are three different roses to choose from.
# 3
All you need to do is leave a comment saying which rose you would choose. Personally, my favorite is the purple rose—I just love the soft edges. Contest ends on February 5th at 5:00 pm PST to allow time for shipping.
This condo is adorable. Built in the ’80′s, this complex has wonderful mature trees and great green open spaces. A lot of the newer condo complex have so much concrete and feel so cold. Anyway, on to the condo—This cute place has over 1,000 square feet and a balcony surrounded by the earlier mentioned trees.
The living and dining room are open to each other and the kitchen has a large window open to the dining. There is also a lot of closet space—which I always can appreciate since, I personally need more! Here are the details.
Bedrooms: 2
Baths: 2
Asking: $440,000
Rinconada Hills has a new listing—and it’s fabulous! Sitting on 1 1/2 acres this home has some of the most wonderful views and let’s not forget the country club living. Living in Rinconada Hills you have access to tennis courts, swimming pool and coming soon—bocce ball.
But, on to the home— The living and dining space is huge and sporting those wonderful views. The master bedroom has a huge deck to take in California sunsets. The backyard has a great fire pit and a hot tub. The grounds in Ricconada Hills has many ponds and little waterfalls. I can imagine after a stressful day, a walk around the grounds or a glass of wine on the deck would wash away any weight you felt on your shoulders. Check out the listing here.
Bedrooms: 4
Baths: 3
Asking: $1,599,000
Favorite Whitter Cheddar
This week we are having Mac and Cheese. This recipe is actually a blend of two—Martha Stewart’s and Ina Garten’s. I love Martha’s for the bread crumb topping, but not the elbow macaroni or the gruyere. I love Ina’s for the penne and all the different cheeses, but not the tomatoes. I’m not a tomato hater—in fact I love them—just not in my mac and cheese. So, I made it my own. I will serve this with a big salad and all will be happy.
Delicious Gooeyness
My Mac And Cheese
Serves 12
6 slices brioche pulsed in food processor
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, plus more for dish
5 1/2 cups milk
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
4 1/2 cups (about 18 ounces) grated sharp white cheddar
2 cups grated Havarti
1 1/4 cups Parmesan
2 pound Penne
1. Heat the oven to 375 degrees. Butter a 3-quart casserole dish; set aside. Place bread pieces in a medium bowl. In a small saucepan over medium heat, melt 2 tablespoons butter. Pour butter into the bowl with breadcrumbs, and toss. Set the breadcrumbs aside. In a medium saucepan set over medium heat, heat milk. Melt remaining 6 tablespoons butter in a high-sided skillet over medium heat. When butter bubbles, add flour. Cook, stirring, 1 minute.
2. Slowly pour hot milk into flour-butter mixture while whisking. Continue cooking, whisking constantly, until the mixture bubbles and becomes thick.
3. Remove the pan from the heat. Stir in salt, nutmeg, black pepper, cayenne pepper, 3 cups cheddar, and 1 1/2 cups Havarti and 1 cup of the Parmesan. Set cheese sauce aside.
4. Fill a large saucepan with water. Bring to a boil. Add penne; cook 2 to 3 fewer minutes than manufacturer’s directions, until outside of pasta is cooked and inside is underdone. Drain penne and rinse under cold running water, and drain well. Stir penne into the reserved cheese sauce.
5. Pour the mixture into the prepared casserole dish. Sprinkle remaining 1 1/2 cups cheddar and 1/2 cup Havarti and 1/4 cup Parmesan; scatter breadcrumbs over the top. Bake until browned on top, about 30 minutes. Transfer dish to a wire rack to cool for 5 minutes; serve.
I started out trying to be very productive. I really meant to clear out lots of clutter—streamline my bookshelves. Somehow though I ended up looking at books and then thinking what books have moved me in some way—made me think outside my safe little box. So, had I been efficient, this chore should have taken an hour—instead of half a day.
I got to thinking which books have meant the most to me. Which stories made me stop and think? Made me laugh or cry? I created a list of my top books. Most of these are still on my bookshelf and some have moved on to other shelves. I wanted to limit the list to five but my brain said no—how can you choose?
I didn’t start out loving to read—in fact I hated it. It was a giant pain in my backside. I read only what was required. It wasn’t until my seventh grade English teacher assigned Durango Street by Frank Bonham, that the world of reading was different for me. I read ahead of the class—I re-read chapters. I can say, I may have even skipped other homework in lieu of reading. It wasn’t just the book, but that seventh grade teacher who held amazing discussions about the previous nights required reading. This was learning? Miss Bell, I thank you.
I digress—back to cleaning my bookshelf. Here are my top choices for books that made me stop. And, yes I know I’m kinda all over the place with these choices. My only defense—that’s just me. I’d love to hear what books have stuck with you year after year.
1. Like Water For Chocolate by Laura Esquivel
2. Angela’s Ashes by Frank McCourt
3. Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden
4. Tara Road by Maeve Binchy
5. Talk Before Sleep by Elizabeth Berg
6. Shutterbabe by Deborah Copaken Kogan
7. Dry by Augusten Burroughs
8. The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath
9. Holidays On Ice by David Sedaris
Logitech and the entire Harmony line has finally come to along to solve the problem of managing multiple remote controls and devices. Count ‘em up – flat screen TV, surround sound speakers, DVD player, apple TV, cable TV and video game consoles fill my living room with remote controls! The clutter is Killing Me and is an eye sore. Sure, there are plenty of universal remotes that can manage your DVD player and TV, but the Logitech Harmony One replaces up to 15 remotes and does it with grace (talk about multi-tasking!)
Enter to win a Harmony 650!
I’ve been using the Harmony One (retail $249.) for the past month and can’t sing its praises enough. What makes it nicer than other universal remotes? It is well designed – fits in the palm of my hand and is not awkwardly shaped. It feels balanced, like it can handle my channel changing obsessed family. The Harmony One has a touch screen, so I can see my devices – my son’s Xbox, the wii and surround sound. Best of all, I hit one-two buttons and it turns on my tv, switches inputs and finds the device. It is also rechargeable, so no more looking for batteries. Where has this been my whole life?
Don’t just take my word for it, you must read Desiree’s thoughts on the Harmony One.
We love it and know you will too, there are 5 types in the Harmony line from the Harmony 300i which manages 4 devices to the Harmony which is touch screen. We are giving away a Harmony 650 to one lucky reader, this remote controls 5 devices, has a color LCD screen and a one-click activity buttons. (retail $99.99 ) Simply leave a comment here telling us which remote you’d most like to get rid of. We’ll pick one winner at random.
Be sure you leave your email address so we can find you. You can have an additional entry by tweeting our contest. Be sure you leave proof of tweet in our comments. Contest ends on Monday, January 31, 2011 by midnight. You have 24 hours to claim your prize after we notify you via email. Good luck!
Disclosure: Logitech provided the prize for us and items to review, but the opinions are all our own.
Logitech's Harmony One
Recent Posts
