Why Thank You...

{Gray & Yellow Thank You Notes}

It does not get better than this. Sunday afternoon.  Birds singing.  Sun peaking in through the trees.  Brownies baking.  Dog peacefully snoring (just like her daddy). Ahhh...time for a craft.

Don't tell my mom this, but I am pretty terrible at thank you notes.  I love the idea of hand-written notes, but often between figuring out the address, finding a stamp, and remembering to put it in the mailbox, something goes wrong.  A quick text or email ends up winning, which is still nice, but there's just something about opening a card in the mail that means so much.  Well, after today I'm at least stocked with cute thank you notes (we'll see if they actually make it to the mailbox!).

I'm on a gray and yellow kick, so I found some scrap paper and other supplies and decided to go for it.  The cards all a little different, and each was fun to make.  To top it off, the whole project used about $2 worth of supplies!

To start, I stamped thank you onto yellow and white cardstock using a small black ink pad and mini letter stamps (ink & stamps can be found in the dollar bin at Michael's).  My stamping skills are far from perfect, but I think the little imperfections add a nice homemade touch.  Next, I used different shaped punches (also from Michael's) to cut out the thank you in different shapes.  From there, I glued on paper, lace, and twine to create simple, sweet card.  Here are some of the supplies that came in handy:

Whatever the occasion, whatever the colors, I hope these cards bring a smile not only to the recipient, but also to you!

Homemade Cinnamon Rolls ...just like Cinnabon!

As a kid, on special occasions our family would visit the mall after church to visit the pet store & eat humongous cinnamon rolls.  It was a rare occasion, but I remember thinking this is the life!  The other day I had a major craving for those larger-than-life, melt-in-your-mouth cinnamon rolls.  After perusing through a bunch of recipes, I finally settled on this one from Beauty and Bedlam, which yielded goey, rich, cream-cheese frosted cinnamon rolls, just like at Cinnabon!  I brought them to work for a sweet co-worker's last day, and they were a delicious hit!  It was a labor of love, taking around 3 hours from start to finish, but totally worth it.

Ingredients

Dough:

- 1.5 cups granulated sugar

- 3 tablespoons cinnamon

- 2 packs of .25 oz yeast

- 1 teaspoon granulated sugar (to activate yeast)

- 2/3 cup granulated sugar

- 2/3 cup butter

- 1 cup hot water (approximately 110 degrees)

- 1 cup warm milk

- 1 teaspoon salt

- 2 eggs slightly, beaten

- Approximately 8 cups flour

Coating:

- 1/2 cup melted butter

- 1.5 cups chopped walnuts or pecans (optional, but highly recommended!)

- 1/2 cup granulated or brown sugar

Icing:

- 8 oz cream cheese

- 8 oz margarine (2 sticks)

- 1 teaspoon vanilla

- 1/2 teaspoon lemon juice

- 16 oz powdered sugar (2 cups)

Instructions

1. Mix together 1.5 cups sugar and cinnamon.  Set aside for later.

2. In small bowl, dissolve yeast and sugar in hot water.  Set aside.

3. In large bowl, mix together milk, 2/3 cup sugar, 2/3 cup butter, milk, salt, and eggs.  Add yeast mixture and 4 cups of flour.  Beat until smooth.  Add flour if necessary until dough is stiff.

4. Place dough on well-floured surface and knead for 8 minutes.  Great for anger processing!  Dough should be stretchy/elastic-y when finished.

5. Place dough in greased bowl and store in a warm place until it has doubled in size (approximately 1 hour).

6. Punch down dough and let rest for 5 minutes.

7. Roll dough out on floured surface into a 15"x20" rectangle.  Brush 1/2 cup butter on dough, and top with cinnamon & sugar mixture and nuts.

8. Tightly roll the dough.  Cut into 12-15 thick slices using dental floss.

9. Coat the bottom of a 13"x9" baking pan with 1/2 cup butter and remaining sugar.  

10. Place cinnamon roll slices close together in the pan; cover and allow to rise in a warm place until nearly doubled in size (about 45 minutes).

11. Bake rolls at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes, or until light golden in color.

12. Finally, mix together cream cheese frosting and top warm cinnamon rolls.  Devour immediately... enjoy!

Pulled Pork Tacos & Homemade Guacamole

It's never to early to get your Cinco de Mayo on!   Whatever you do to celebrate, be sure to include a large margarita and these delicious dishes...

{Slow Cooker Pulled Pork Tacos}
Not only are these tacos easy to make, they include CHOCOLATE - oh happy day!

Ingredients:
16 oz can of your favorite salsa
2 tablespoons chili powder
2 tablespoons dried oregano
2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
Salt
2 lbs pork sirloin roast
Tortillas (La Tortilla Factory Handmade Style Corn Tortillas hit the spot!)
Butter
Cilantro sprigs
Sour cream
Guacamole (see below!)

1. Combine the first 5 ingredients in a slow cooker.  Add in the pork roast and turn to coat.
2. Cook on low heat for 7-8 hours.  After cooking, use two forks to shred the pork and stir with the remaining juices
3. Heat tortillas in a frying pan that is lightly coated with butter.  Top with the remaining fixings.
4. Indulge that Cinco de Mayo craving!

Recipe adapted from Real Simple

{Zesty & Creamy Homemade Guacamole}

Ingredients:
4 avocados
1 fresh lime
1 diced roma tomato
1/4 cup diced red onion
1/4 cup diced cilantro
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon chili powder
Pinch of pepper
Tortilla chips

1. Slice the avocados in half, score the halves, and pour into a bowl.  Combine with the juice of the lime and beat for about 30 seconds.
2. Stir in remaining ingredients.  Grab a chip. Dip. Devour.