The weekend and a (Christmas) recipe...

THIS POST IS FROM ROOM REMIX - THE BLOG .

Hey! So how was your weekend?

Sunset Photo Thomas J. Story

Mine was good. Thanks for asking! :-)

Some of the highlights: 

1.  I finally got my Christmas cards done and in the mail! 

BHG.com

2.  We went to a Christmas party on Saturday night and had a great time. 

myhomeideas.com Photo Howard L. Puckett Stylist Rebecca Hawkins

3. Yesterday I spent some time making (and eating) Christmas goodies.

I know.  Crazy exciting...

I'm not a traditional frosted Christmas sugar cookie girl, and if we all made them we'd have way too many of those and not enough other things, so I leave that part up to my sisters. When it comes to Christmas goodies, they know that whatever I bring will involve chocolate... They love it (almost) as much as I do, so they're good with that.
One of the recipes I made this weekend is so simple. It's made up of only 3 ingredients and also freezes really well. I thought maybe some of you would like to make it, too, so here's the recipe.

Chocolate Almond Bark Treats

- 1 box Ritz crackers

- Peanut butter

- 1 package chocolate almond bark

Spread peanut butter on one side of a cracker and place another cracker on top - making a cracker sandwich. Melt chocolate almond bark. Dip the cracker sandwiches in the almond bark, making sure all sides are coated well. Place on waxed paper and let harden. Eat and enjoy...

Happy Monday.  Hope it's a great one!

Some Links You'll Like

THIS POST IS FROM ROOM REMIX - THE BLOG .

See these pretty red curtains?  Would you have guessed that they're painted burlap?   Amazing!  They were painted by Paige at Tracery Interiors for the front of their shop.  You can read more about it here...

The blog post on Nesting Newbies describing this color crayon wreath made by interior designer Gil Mendez is called "Coloring Outside the Lines" and I would say that about sums it up!  Very fun...

Clever personalized hot chocolate gift idea from Shelley at How Does She via Beneath My Heart. TUTORIAL HERE.

A very thorough Functional Roman Shade tutorial by Shades of Green on Remodalaholic.  Tutorial HERE.

Simple and inexpensive pinprick art from It's Great To be Home...

Brownie Covered Oreos. Need I say more? Recipe at Picky Palate...

Don't forget to enter the $220 CSN Stores Giveaway...

Happy Friday!  Have a fabulous weekend...

Christmas Mint Brownies

THIS POST IS FROM ROOM REMIX - THE BLOG .

Hey everybody! I'm participating in Kelly's from JAX Does Design's Bake-N-Blog Holiday Edition party today, and I must say I'm glad I decided to or I wouldn't have found this awesome recipe!

Kelly gave us some links from which to choose recipes and I chose the Christmas Mint Brownies from Cooking Is Medicine. If you know me, you know that I'm a little bit of a chocolate freak so these seemed like a good choice. 

The recipe was easy to follow, and the brownies were everything I hoped they would be -  dense, moist, chocolate-minty perfection. The only negative thing I would have to say is that it was hard for me to wait between the three steps because I just wanted to get them done. Obviously can't fault the recipe for that.

Here's the recipe, and I'm pretty sure you're going to want to try it! I started to document the process with photos but, even though there are three layers, the process is pretty simple so I decided not to. (might be my impatience coming through again :-))   I know some of you like to see the process no matter what, so I'll try to get better at that when I do recipes in the future.

Layer 1 - Brownie:

1 cup flour
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup softened margarine/butter
4 eggs
1 1/2 cups (16 oz.) Hershey's syrup

Mix ingredients until smooth. Pour into a greased 13x9 pan and bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes. COOL COMPLETELY.

Layer 2 - Mint:
2 cups confectioners sugar
1/2 cup softened margarine (use regular not light margarine)
1 TBSP water
1/2 to 1 tsp peppermint extract (I used 3/4 tsp and it was perfect for me)
3 drops green food coloring

Mix until smooth. Spread over cooled brownies and CHILL.

Layer 3 - Chocolate Frosting:
6 TBSP butter/margarine
1 cup chocolate chips

Melt over low heat and let cool. Pour/spread over mint layer, cover and chill for at least 1 hour.

Enjoy!

One ingredient I completely forgot was the green food coloring.  I had already started to make them when I realized that I didn't have any, even though I thought I had picked it up with the rest of the ingredients.  Obviously it impacted the color of that layer since it should be green instead of white, but the flavor is still just as delish!

I'm also not necessarily recommending that you eat three in one sitting (but you could!).  :-)  Three just seemed to look better when I was taking this picture. 

Be sure to check out Kelly's party, and the great parties below for more recipes and other Christmas inspiration.

Happy Friday! Keeping my focus...

THIS POST IS FROM ROOM REMIX - THE BLOG .

Country Living  Photo Erika McConnell

Can you believe next Thursday is Thanksgiving already?

I have to admit, I was getting a little overwhelmed realizing how close it was and thinking about what I wanted to get done prior... you know. Probably what everyone feels at least one or two times before you get company for the holidays.

But then I found this cute card that was hand made and given to me by my nieces and nephew, on my husband's side of the family, a few years ago. We played games more that year than we had in previous years and we had so much fun. We laughed. a LOT...

Looking at this note still brings both a smile and a tear (I'm emotional, what can I say?).

It reminded me that decorating, cooking/baking, shopping and all of that can be fun (and, at times, stressful), and I won't quit posting about it because that's what we do on this blog.  But many times I can't even remember from one year to the next what my decorations were or what food I made.  What I do remember is the time spent and memories created with family and friends (no, this photo isn't my family :-)). 

Country Living

Speaking of games, I couldn't resist sharing these Chocolate Domino Cookies from Country Living. How cute are they? I wonder if you could make scrabble cookies? :-)

How about you? What special things have you done in the past or will you do this year to create special memories?

Country Living Photo Jeremy Samuelson

Hope you all have an awesome, stress-free weekend...

Don't forget to enter the giveaway!

Welcome Fall...

THIS POST IS FROM ROOM REMIX - THE BLOG .

Style At Home

Hi there! Yes. It's really me. :-) Can you believe how fast this past month has gone? I did my best to soak up the last of summer as much as I could, and I hope you all did as well and that it was an enjoyable month for you. A big welcome to all of you who starting following/subscribing while I was MIA! :-)

House Beautiful

It's feeling slightly fallish here in Minnesota and I'm kind of liking it!

Some of the leaves are already changing color...

House Beautiful

We visited the apple orchard this past weekend and, in addition to getting some wonderful apples, I enjoyed a big fat juicy caramel apple. Love those! If you've been to the orchard too and are looking for some apple recipes, you might want to check out Southern Living's Favorite Apple Recipes ...

I'm probably going to bring my crazy daisykin out to the front porch pretty soon...

I'm not repainting my front door a different color this fall, but this one would definitely be in the running for a fall door color wouldn't it?

myhomeideas.com Photo Tria Giovan

So looking forward to having a fire in the fireplace again...

myhomeideas.com Photo Erica Georges Dines

Shaun Jackson Design via DecorPad

Fall is, of course, a great time to add warm color and texture to your decor...

myhomeideas.com Photo Joe Schmelzer

Throws and plenty of pillows are also a must, don't you think? These pillows happen to be Martha Stewart's and, if you're interested in making them, the "how-to" can be found here.
I'll be using more candles to add that warm, welcoming glow...

Pottery Barn

If you're looking for some creative candle ideas, Martha has quite a few here...

Area rugs add so much warmth to a room so, if you don't have one, consider adding one this fall. If you do already have one, why not layer two area rugs for an added layer of texture for the season?

Southern Living

Adding fabric where there previously wasn't any is a great way to cozy things up too. Chairs, window treatments, tablecloths/skirts, door drapes, bed drapes...

Southern Living Photo: Laurey W. Glenn

Swapping out accessories is another way to bring a touch of fall into our homes...

Traditional Home

What do you like most about fall, and in what ways do you change your decor for the season?

4th of July Picnic Ideas

THIS POST IS FROM ROOM REMIX - THE BLOG .

marthastewart.com

If a picnic is on your agenda for July 4th weekend, here are some ideas for you!

Make this Outdoor Canvas Tablecloth from marthastewart.com...

Or make sure the tablecloth you already have stays put with these Weighted tablecloth tassels from martha stewart

Some ideas for your table...

colincowie.com
marthastewart.com

Pottery Barn
Country Living
Pottery Barn

Simple centerpieces...

BHG.com

BHG.com

Woman's Day

I think this idea from colincowie.com is fun (and simple!)

BHG.com suggests this idea for your silverware. Use frosting to attach red and white candied stars to a plate...
Stars and Stripes Chip Cones from marthastewart.com
And of course you can't have a picnic without food! Some great recipe sources for you...

Country Living's Great Grilling Recipes...

Country Living's 20+ Side Dish Recipes like this Sweet and Tangy Melon Slaw

This Berry Cheesecake Pie Recipe is just one of the red, white and blue recipes you can find at Taste of Home...


Strawberry-Blueberry Shortcake Ice Cream Sandwiches from Southern Living...

Photography Van Chaplin / Food Styling Rebecca Kracke Gordon

Patriotic Flag Cake Recipe at examiner.com

Other than announcing the $125 CSN Shopping Spree (don't forget to enter!) winner this coming Thursday, this will be my last post until after the 4th. Hope you all have a great one!

Linking to the Stars and Stripes party at Centsational Girl. Be sure to check it out for more creative ideas!