I scream, you scream

you know the rest.

We impulsively decided to buy an ice cream maker for Memorial Day.

they were kinda picked over, but we really wanted one.

I looked up several recipes online, but decided to go with one of the manufacturer's recipes.

old fashioned vanilla.

very thick.

very delicious.

we painted our piano!

The mister got this piano from a local church while we were still dating.

It was pretty ratty so we decided to paint it... green.

now it's much more fun to play!

edamame hummus

"Allison, you eat too much.  And you're starting to neglect crafting."

I know.  I KNOW!  I'll craft and post.  I promise.

my friend posted this fantastic edamame hummus recipe on her blog.  I've made it twice already.

It's super awesome.

crafts are a-comin'

eggplant gratin

we started receiving veggie bags every two weeks from a little co-op we joined.

Eggplant was included and looky what I did!!!

(looks greasier than it actually was)

tasty tasty.

the mister ate his with leftover noodles.

recipe here.

oscar loves being dry.

no, Oscar.  Dryers are not edible.

come on.  come on out.

okay well, I guess these clothes will get folded later.

strawberry margarita cupcakes

the mister doesn't drink.  he never has.  even if I make something with alcohol in it, he won't touch it.

so I made these little darlings for a cinco de mayo get together a couple of weeks ago.

and I hoarded a few for myself in the fridge.

these were made with vanilla cake mix.

I mixed margarita mix (with tequila already in it) into the cake mix instead of water.

I also put the marg mix in the frosting along with a few fresh strawberries.

There's salt on that lime... it really balances out the flavor.

nutella pops

uh oh.  someone bought a popsicle mold.  it was me.  and it cost $1.

one dollar.

one.

"but I could use Dixie cups and popsicle sticks."

you could.  but why not just spend a dollar and have this gem.

or two dollars and you just doubled your batch and you're less ghetto.

milk + nutella = nutella pops

the bottom was a little extra nutella-y.

We'll be making more soon.  very soon.

meatless tuesday??: spaghetti and beet balls

oh, beets.  I don't really like you own your own, but I love you when you have other friends mixed with you.  maybe you're socially awkward... or maybe I am.

We have this local food truck that makes beet balls every now and then and I happened to get coerced into trying them and falling madly in love with them.

these balls will make your hands very red like a bloody massacre.

look at all those flavors!

ready to bake.

(store bought marinara... don't judge)

recipe here.

oscar loves closets

maybe you think these photos are sketchy.  maybe they are.  maybe you think this is not Oscar, but maybe another cat who is posing as Oscar because of the poor quality of these photos.  Maybe you think Oscar has been framed?

listen to me.  this is Oscar.

Oscar in my closet.

Oscar coming out of the closet.

(he can be a little flamboyant sometimes!)

DIY number one cake topper

photo props are easy to make and can make your photo shoot more exciting.

here is a tutorial on how to make an easy cake topper.

(you could do this with any number letter or simple shape)

use card stock to trace or draw a number one.

cut them both out.

place a skewer, popsicle stick, lollipop stick, or whatever you have on hand that may emulate one of this items.  I twisted some craft wire and used that.  boom!

mod podge + glitter = FUN!

voila!  reusable and super cute for a first anniversary photo shoot!