Apple Chips

As I mentioned here, I needed to use up the apples from our Back To School event. And I did not use them all in the apple pie, so I had to make one more thing with the three apples I had left! Being someone who loves to snack, I decided to make apple chips, and now that I know how easy they are, I may be doing this with more fruits and veggies in the future!

Ingredients:
Apples, thinly sliced
Sugar
Lemon Juice
Water
Toppings ( I used cinnamon and maple sugar)

Set oven to 200 degrees, and grease a large baking sheet. Next, slice your apples thinly. Don't worry if parts of your apple have gone bad... some of my favorite chips were 1/2 slices. If you are making this recipe for kids, I would recommend slicing them into bite sized pieces.




















Next, put all your slices in a bowl, and gently toss with about 1 Tbsp of Lemon juice. I did not measure, just poured in enough to cover them. This helps them not turn brown while you are doing the next steps.























In a small saucepan, make a simple syrup with sugar and water. I think I used 1 cup white sugar and 2 cups of water. I would half that if doing it again. I had a lot leftover. Bring to a boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar as you go.

Next, dip each apple slice into the simple syrup and place on the baking sheet. The simple syrup gives the apples a bit of moisture without too much sugar. I think you could really opt out of this step if you are trying to limit your sugar intake. 

 

Here comes the fun part! Add whatever toppings you want to the apples. I chose Maple sugar from Savory Spice Shop and cinnamon (I usually use the cinnamon fro Savory too, but I ran out so I had to borrow this from a neighbor!). Other combinations could be ginger, brown sugar, nutmeg, coco powder, etc. Whatever your heart desires! Just sprinkle them on!

Bake at 200 degrees for 1 hour, and then open the oven slightly and bake for another hour to hour and a half. This allows the moisture to escape and the apples to dry out. Take a spatula and loosen them from the pan and eat! Delicious!

New Obsession - Less is More

About a month ago, I was at a garage sale and came across a vintage lamp for $0.50. If you ask my husband, I am like a moth to a flame when it comes to lamps. We currently have 6 lamps in 3 rooms, but I actually had 5 more in the house before the home and condo renovations. So I purchased this vintage arm lamp for two whole quarters, and brought it home to live in our sun room.

It is the perfect reading lamp, but I felt like it needed a shade. After several failed trips to local hardware and lighting stores to find a shade that looks vintage and fits, I had just about given up on making it look less tacky with just a bulb. Enter the 700+ page of Restoration Hardware's newest catalog. I sat down for a whole hour scouring the pages, when what comes along? This:

These bulbs are so beautiful, and I thought, why not buy a vintage style bulb for a vintage lamp, and leave it exposed?! I had to wait a whole two weeks with this idea until I could get to our local Restoration Hardware with my husband. I made the sales associate pull out all the bulbs she had from the back so that we could plug them all into a lamp and check them out. I think my husband was a little skeptical at first, but once we saw them in person, he was on board! They really are amazing and beautiful, and one of our favorites was the Radio bulb (fourth from left above). The color of the glass is almost amber, and the filament is so cool when it is on. However, it only comes in a 30 watt bulb, and it just wasn't enough light to make ours a reading lamp.

We ended up deciding on the 40 watt Edison 1910 squirrel cage bulb, and since they are having a lighting sale, we got it for $13. Of course, that seems like a lot for one light bulb, but I have to say that it definitely adds the bit of drama to the light without making it look fussy or too modern. And considering the pieces I had previously found to retrofit a shade on the lamp, it would have cost me twice that much. I still think that a lamp for a total of $13.50 is a great deal!

When it comes to vintage pieces, sometimes less is more.

PS- This weekend, once my camera battery is charged, I will take a photo of the lamp and the new light bulb, just to prove how they were meant to be together. Update, here are some photos:

13 More Days...

Until the Missoni for Target line is in stores. FINALLY, there is a collaboration that is swoon worthy, between the women's wear and the home decor, I am loving all Missoni brought to the table... literally! Check out some of my favorites:

 All images are courtesy of the Fashionista. For the entire lookbook, check out their website, or the Target preview here.

Thrifty Finds 8.17.2011

Since not all my great finds are vintage, I am adding to the Wednesday Vintage Finds and adding some Thifty Finds as well. This week, I made a killer score at the Salvation Army.... brand new marigold cords from Gap and in MY size!

Note their original price of $54.50. Their previous owner must have bought them on super clearance for $15.99, and then didn't wear them, and donated them to Salvation Army. Notice the $6.99 price tag? I didn't pay that either... it was half-off clothing Wednesdays, so I snagged these for $3.50!

A little thrown off by the color? It's one of the hottest new colors for fall. Check out photo three... I spy marigold cords: 

Photo from SimplyStudded

Have you found any hot fall trends  for a steal lately?

Vintage Finds 8.3.2011 - SALE

Today is the BIG SALE! I have cleaned out my closet of some of my favorite vintage pieces, and they are all for sale here! I will also be adding new pieces through the weekend, so check back for some more great clothes and jewelry!

All items are $5, $10, $15, or $20, and have $5 shipping to anywhere in the United States. I also combine shipping on multiple items. Hope you find a piece you can't live without!

Vintage Finds 7.27.2011

Just another reminder about the VINTAGE SALE next Wednesday, August 3, as part of the Vintage Finds series. You won't want to miss all the goodies I have in store!

Dessert, Drinks, and Details

For my 30th, as you may remember from the invite on this post, I kept things simple by serving dessert and drinks only. So I made a list of some of my favorite desserts, and here's what I came up with:

Mini Red Velvet Cupcakes (recipe here)

Bauman Brownies:

For those of you who don't know what these are, my maiden name is Bauman and this family "secret" recipe is really a box brownie that we doctor up with different and added ingredients. Legal ingredients.

Classic Cookies, both sugar with thick icing and chocolate chip, both from Publix. They really make some of the best cookies:

I know since the first picture that you were wondering... those are, in fact, Krispy Kreme doughnuts:

And yes, they were delicious! I has one of each dessert on the table. It was, after all, MY birthday.

And for the setup, I used a table provided by the St. Pete Shuffleboard Club and my green table cloth that I purchased years ago at TJMaxx for about $10. The food flags I found at Joann Fabrics by Martha Stewart for $3.99 (plus 40% off coupon!), and I covered the stands with colored scrapbooking paper, also from Joann's. The (former) accessory/shoe stands were freebies from an Ann Taylor that was closing next door to where my husband works. He snagged them before they made it to the dumpster. Other than being extremely heavy, they have so many uses!! I can't wait to use them at upcoming events!

As for drinks, we had a keg of beer, since nothing seems to be more refreshing on a HOT night than a cold cup of beer. I found the most PERFECT cups at one of my favorite shops Swoozies (no longer brick and mortar stores, but a great online shop here). While I'm pretty sure that they were supposed to be for tennis, they work for the shuffle courts too! For other beverages, we did have some wine, sodas, and bottled water. I also picked up some Archer Farms Italian Soda, in both the Peach Mango and Blood Orange flavors, from Target. I just love their large glass bottles and tangy flavors. I will definitely be using these again for other events, maybe spiked with a little champagne!

I picked up some cute napkins and plates from One Kings Lane. If you do not get their daily e-mails, you are missing out! Click here to subscribe. I ordered 48 paper plates (many to be used at a future event) and 2 sets of napkins for $12.00. They would have been double this from the party store, and the quality and cuteness of these was so much better than anything I found in town.

So that's the run down for the food and drinks and details. Sometimes, it is best to keep things simple, especially when you are hosting your own birthday party. Check back tomorrow for more party details!

Love Actually Is All Around

As Valentine's Day approaches, I am reminded of a few items that I love, that happen to be perfect for gift giving this Valentine's Day:

Love Actually- One of the best LOVE stories that reminds us that LOVE is something we can find with many people in many different ways. It is everywhere around the world.

If you haven't seen this movie, you need to go out and BUY it. Don't rent it, you will never want to return it. I may just have to watch my copy this weekend.... again.... for the millionth-and-one time.

I also love mini cookies with royal icing from Cookie Mamas (on Etsy). I ordered their cute mini-heart cookies for the office this Valentine's Day, and they are soooo good. I love how they are bite sized, and even on your New Year's diet, you can't feel guilty about eating one or two!

 I do not own a pair of these (which may be astonishing to all of you who know about my shoe habit), but someday I will break down and buy them.... I really love Vivienne Westwood's Lady Dragon Slingback Pumps. The heart on these shoes "had me at hello", and I love just how many color combinations they come in as well. Perfect with the little black dress out on the town Valentine's Day, or any day for that matter.

Skip the chocolates and flowers! Here is a treat I really love.... Terra Valentine Cabernet Sauvignon. A great wine from Napa Valley, perfect for the Valentine's Day dinner, even at home. I love this cabernet and despite the name, will drink it year 'round!

And how could one resist anything RED from Kate Spade? And its name is just perfection: The Natalie Small Dot Cosmetic Case. If you know anything about me, you know I carry anything and everything I could possibly need in my purse. Screwdriver? Check! Medicine cabinet? Check! This cosmetic case may just have to come home with me as my carryall for traveling.


What are you coveting this Valentine's day?

The Hostess Eats Out!

Have you ever had a friend come into town and want catch up over dinner? You think quickly about how messy your house is from leaving in a hurry this morning, and how the only things in your fridge are leftovers, because you were planning on going to the grocery store tonight after work. Most of the time you are the Hostess with the mostest - but not today. Eek!

Well to save time and face, you have to GO OUT TO EAT. Where you ask? There are great websites designed to help you narrow down your choices in a flash. The first is a website called Open Table. Open Table brings up some of the best restaurants in you area that take reservations. From your desk at work, you can make reservations for a number of people at a specific time, and it will send you a confirmation via e-mail. It also rates the restaurants based on user reviews, including Best Service, Special Occasion, Best Ambiance, or most Notable Wine List (my fave), if you are having trouble deciding. You can still look like the Hostess with the mostess when you meet your friend at the packed restaurant, and they not only have your reservation, but your table is waiting.

Another fabulous website is Restaurant.com. They offer gift certificates to local restaurants for a discounted fee. So for example, you are going to the new Italian hot spot, go to Restaurant.com for a gift certificate worth $25 for only $10. Before you purchase, they tell you the minimums that must be spent when using the certificate... for example, most $25 certificates are valid on a check of $35 or more (excluding alcohol). They e-mail you the certificate within minutes of purchasing it online, so you can print it and use it the same day (or hour!).

What is great is that they often offer specials of 80% off the price of their certificates, and TODAY if you use the promo code BITE, you can get a $25 certificate for $2. That's a savings of $23!!! So if you do the math right, on a $35 check, you will only pay $2 (for $25 certificate) and $10 for the difference.... a meal for two people worth $35, all for $12!!!

You can still be the savvy Hostess, even when eating out. It just takes 5 minutes on your computer, and you will have reservations and savings at your fingertips. And your friend never has to know your secret!

Frogs Leap Winery - On Sale

Frogs Leap Winery is a small, wonderful Napa winery that produces excellent and expensive wines. My favorite is their Chardonnay, but their reds are also delicious!

Today, there is a sale on Frogs Leap wines at RueLaLa. Join for updates, and shop this great opportunity to try wonderful wines at bargain prices! Click here to join and take advantage of this sale, beginning at 11:00 AM today through 11:00AM Thursday, August 27th. Sale features multiple bottles, but this is an investment you don't want to miss. Perfect for a birthday, anniversary, or Christmas gift too!

Also, check out Wino Wednesday for a review soon!

Little Shop of Heaven

In a world far from here (Florida) there is a shop where I could spend all eternity. Located in Denver, Colorado is the Savory Spice Shop, a mecca of fresh spices, savory blends, flavored sugars, and cooking ingredients from around the globe.

What I love most about them, besides all the wonderful things they sell, are the small details they give to their shop and products. If ordering from the website, you can often find the origin of the spice, and dishes that it is commonly used in. There are also fun facts about each ingredient, and wonderful recipes.

Savory Spice Shop is also package and shipping friendly. They sell most spices in plastic baggies, so that you can recycle those plastic spice containers and simply refill them. Also, the baggies make it possible to save on shipping costs to anywhere in the country. And since they pride themselves with having the freshest ground spices, they ship quick so that the product is just as fresh for you as it was when it left their store.

I have ordered their blends for dips and rubs, and love to send their gift baskets to friends who love to cook and bake. For cooking, it doesn't get much more savory than this!