Dining Under Autumn Leaves

Wouldn't it be nice to live this life?

The simple dinner party out of doors. A table, some linens, some place settings, some fruit.

A hat, a velvet blazer and a skirt, some boots.

A pretty setting, nothing fancy, out of doors.

Created by Chelsea over at frolic. And here is even more in this story and some instructions of a few details.
The funny thing is... I could do this. I have the Autumn yard, surrounded by fall colored leaves, I have a round table I could take out, a table cloth and place settings, a bowl for the fruit. I have blazers and hats and scarves and boots and skirts.

The only element I don't already possess are those cool wine colored chairs.

What I don't possess is the energy to pull it all together.

Well. Hm.

Is creating something like this worth the energy output? Are the memories good enough to make the work worthwhile?

Am I just too lazy? It might be a nice reward for a job (all that work) well done. It might make for some nice pictures too.

Make Me Some Granola Bars, Please

I love alisa burke's blog, and I'm subscribed to her, enjoying her inspiration on a daily basis.

However, I really want to make these granola bars (without nuts so I can send them in my son's lunch despite the no nut classroom). I don't want to forget them, so I'm putting them here.

Plus, I realize I need to post here more often. I have a million things starred in my googlereader. Things that I love and covet and am inspired by. And I'm not posting any of them here, which is what I am supposed to be doing. Maybe I have too much inspiration and get overwhelmed with it all. But I think I am starting again, because it is a good thing to do to see all these wonderful things and share them with the world.

I Want to Try THESE Cookies

What could be better than the classic Toll House Cookie Recipe? It's always been my favorite... except for those chewy, crispy thin cookies they sold at the cafe when I was in college. Those were even better.

So when I saw the America's Test Kitchen recipe, (found on Oh Happy Day) pointing out the difference between Toll House cookies and their own recipe... aimed at making a chewier, crispier cookie, I said, STOP THE PRESSES!

That is a cookie recipe I want to try.

I like to cook. I like to experiment with flavors and combinations... but I am not a baker. Baking always seems like a science to me, while cooking is more like an art. I'm always afraid of mixing the flour too much or over baking or putting in baking soda instead of baking powder.

So I really liked the comparison recipe... showing that melting butter makes less cakey brownies than creaming it, and browning the butter adds to that yummy caramel like flavor. My mouth is already starting to water. And the eggs... fewer eggs mean chewier cookies! So that's how you do it...

I'm going to go get my oven ready.

Cupcakes!

Red Velvet with Pink Cream Cheese Frosting and mini M&Ms. Balloon candles.

Happy 2nd Birthday Baby Girl.

Frantic Mama's shortcut? Duncan Hines cake mix. Had to get an interview written! Couldn't bake cupcakes from scratch. But I did make the frosting. 2 packages 8oz cream cheese and half a cup of butter (both room temp), 2 1/2 cups powdered sugar, 1 tsp vanilla extract, 6 drops red food coloring. whip whip whip whip the fluff into it. The girl loves M&Ms so I used those to decorate.

She loved most of all everyone singing happy birthday to her. And her rockstar toy guitar.