It's Hug A Chicken Day!

No kidding, it is Hug A Chicken Day!

If you have backyard chickens,

you know how lovable they are.

They are great pets and they provide us with eggs!

So I'm celebrating with this quick little illustration.
You can see more of my art {here}. 

Here's a look at our girls plus a breakfast recipe and free printable...

How to Make an Edible Winter Forest

Celebrate the winter season

as I show you

How to Make an Edible Winter Forest!

These frosted holiday trees

look beautiful on the

edible peppermint plate

that I show you how to make here:

Ready?

Here we go...

Gingham Picnic Cooler Tutorial for Tailgating

'Tis the perfect season for

picnics, camping and tailgating!

We had a beat-up cooler

that I decided to upcycle,

and what is more picnic-y than

GINGHAM?

Isn't she cute?!!

So today I'm sharing

How to make a Gingham Tailgate Picnic Cooler

otherwise known as the

Gingham Picnic Cooler Upcycle Tutorial.

Let's take this step by step:

How to Grow Lettuce, Kale and Spinach

Growing lettuce, spinach and kale 
is easy, rewarding and SO healthy for you! 
These are some of the easiest

and most prolific crops to grow in the Spring and Fall garden.

And that is fantastic because these dark, leafy greens are exactly what our bodies crave. They're great in salads, smoothies, and cooked up in recipes.

We've grown these crops from seed

planted directly in the ground in our  raised bed,

as well as from

from plants started at the local greenhouse.

Broccoli Parmesan Hash Brown Cups recipe

Don't you just love eggs and veggies?

I'm always coming up with

some kind of dish using them.

This one was a total hit!

Here's how to make

Broccoli Parmesan Hash Brown Cups:

How to Make a Scalloped Peppermint Plate

Since my original 

How to Make a Peppermint Platter

of the lovely, red, flat variety was such a hit,

I thought I'd share a new, edible twist with you

that is perfect for spring!

Here's 

How to Make a Scalloped Peppermint Plate

...

3 Ingredient Ritzy Thin Mints -- No Bake or Scrape!

I didn't believe it.

But now I do.

No baking. No scraping.

Thin Mints in 10 minutes!

Vegan! -- even gluten free!

made right in my kitchen with 3 ingredients!

With Ritz crackers.
Yes, that's what I said. It really works.

Now don't get me wrong: 
I will purchase the real Thin Mints from
Girl Scouts every year because I love the 
organization and I love the real thing.

But.... in the off season...
and for a super quick awesome treat...

Here's how to make the amazing 3-ingredient Ritzy Thin Mints yourself:

How to Make S'more Lovin' Munch Mix

Yummy Fun

is what we're having today!

You've already downloaded your

Gimme S'more Lovin' gift tags from here,

right?

We'll here's 

how to make the

S'more Lovin' Munch Mix

that will have your Valentine swooning:

How to Make a Peppermint Plate or Platter

...Talk about your childhood wishes

You could even eat the dishes*...

  

Ok, I know that's an old song and

these candy plates have been floating 

around the blogosphere for awhile, too!

But I've been wanting

to make a Starlight Mint platter

and see for myself that it works.

It does work!

So... here's my version of

How to Make A Peppermint Plate:

Crockpot Pear Butter for Two

We've been gifted by some friends sharing a

bumper crop of pears with us this season.

We love pears.

Plain

and 

cooked up fancy.

So I whipped up some Pear Butter

to slather on our

toast, waffles, ice cream…

Most recipes out there call for 

something like 7 pounds of pears!

Here's a simple, small-batch recipe

you can leave in your mini crockpot all day

and enjoy for the next few weeks.

Here is how to make

Crockpot Pear Butter for Two:

Perfect Organic Pear Tart

We've been graced with a bountiful harvest 

of organic pears from friends.

So bountiful that I began looking for ways 

to eat them all!

An elegant pear tart is 

actually quite easy to whip up.

Especially when you 

leave on the {organic} skins

for added color, texture and nutrition

and a super quick prep time.

Here's how to make a quick

Perfect Organic Pear Tart:

Watermelon Cucumber Refreshing Sipper

 You know how cleaning out your

refrigerator can lead to 
using up the items in a fresh new way?

Well, today I'm sharing one of those
times that resulted in a new creative concoction!

When you slice up a watermelon

there is a lot of pink near the rind

that sometimes can go to waste.

Once you try this refreshing little sipper

you'll never waste that part again!

I call it my

Watermelon Cucumber Refreshing Sipper

How to make Cold Brew Coffee Concentrate

Making iced coffee is an art

you can master at home

with a simple trick

to keep your perfect mix

from being bitter or becoming diluted.

The trick is cold brewing. 

It is a must for iced coffee.

I discovered this secret over at

The Pioneer Woman

a couple of years ago, and if you

want an iced coffee that will make you

fat and happy, check out her recipe.

But I use my coffee concentrate for many things,

including my totally decadent

Skinny Peanut Butter Chocolate Banana Sorbet

and my

Slim Iced Mocha Frappe.

So let's get down to basics

sans fancy recipes

and just focus on ~

How to make

Iced Coffee Concentrate

at home:

Easy Creamy Yummy Healthy Bean Dip Recipe

I'll give you a second to guess

what the secret ingredient is in my 

Easy Creamy Yummy Healthy Bean Dip

that saves calories

and yet makes it soooooo good.

It may be a little unconventional

but here it goes:

cottage cheese.

I wouldn't steer you wrong.

After all,

I told you the REAL scoop on those

great-looking {but are they?}

crunchy honey roasted garbanzo beans.

So here's my 

Easy Creamy Yummy Healthy Bean Dip Recipe

Leprechaun Munch Recipe

Leprechauns are known to have a 

sweet tooth.

Well, at least they do around here!

So we made up this fun and quick

little munchie to celebrate

St. Patrick's Day in style!

Here's the

Leprechaun Munch Recipe

Honey Roasted Garbanzo Beans: A Pinterest Project

I've had my eyes on this recipe for

Honey Roasted Garbanzo Beans

I ran across on Pinterest.

The Super Bowl seems like the right occasion

for giving it a try, and I am game!

{pun intended}

Like a Box of Chocolates

This was one of those weeks

when the heart overflows

with love and appreciation

and you feel it circle back to you.

Exquisite!

Free "Kiss The Cook" Printables

I'm cookin' up

a whole mess of digital fun

here at 

I Gotta Create!

I've created THREE free

"Kiss the Cook"

8x10 printables

just for you.

Peanut Butter Cookie Banana Ice Cream Sandwich

A taste combination

that you'll fall head over heels for,

coupled with a cute pair of

stamped cookies make this

Peanut Butter Cookie

Banana Ice Cream Sandwich

over-the moon spectacular!

Spotted Pony Milkshakes!

Stick a straw in them and call me done! 

These little fillies are a runaway hit 

for parties and family nights.

They couldn't be easier to wrestle up. 

Here's how to make Spotted Pony "Milkshakes"

or, depending on your theme,

Spotted Cow Milkshakes: