Holiday Leftover

Don't hate me, but I have one more cookie to post. I never got to posting it during the holidays because, well, no excuse - you know how it is. I picked up a Rachael Ray magazine at the airport because of the glossy Christmas cookie section :) and ended up making these cookies for my holiday baskets this year.

But listen - they are really good! Peppermint Chocolate Cookies - definitely bookmark these for next year, or for now, if you like mint year-round. It is an excellent cookie: easy to make, you can top them with anything (doesn't have to be minty-flavored) and they lasted quite a few days so they are perfect for mailing or gift-giving.

For now, I'm only going to post a photograph and a link to the recipe , but when I get a second, I"ll re-write the recipe in case the link moves.

Try them for Valentine's Day with some cute pink M&M's on top!

Need a quick gift?

Try this Apple-Cranberry Bread!

Super delicious and easy - I don't totally care for quick breads, but I really like this Apple-Cranberry Bread. I have been making it as mini-loaves for a few years and they are perfect as favors, or as a gift for neighbors or in gift baskets. Click here for the recipe!

A few quick notes on the recipe from me:

• Make sure to butter/flour the pan very well. There is a lot of fruit in this recipe and the cranberries especially, have a tendency to get stuck to the walls of the pan.


• Even better - bake in pans that you can give as part of the gift! Try a few of those mini-holiday ceramic loaf pans you see in the dollar or craft stores. Then you can wrap each and not worry about them coming out of the pan perfectly!


• The batter seems lumpy and thick, but it will turn out great. Make sure to smooth out the top of each mini-loaf before baking.


• I got about 4-6 loaves with each batch depending on the size of my pans.


• A good wrapping trick - if you need to give a gift in a pinch, use a ziploc/plastic bag and trim off the zipper/closure to make a cute treat bag. Tie it with whatever string you have laying around (I keep a ball of all-purpose brown twine that works great) and tie on one of these free gift tags (check out these, and these and these too!) and you are all set! You can also wrap with parchment paper and tie with a cute ribbon if you don't have any bags.

Quick Thanksgiving Craft!

I know you have extra glitter hanging around. Don't lie. You went out (just like me) and bought that Martha Stewart glitter in orange, or brown or red. Or all three. You glitterized a bunch of pumpkins and gourds and now, you have a ton of glitter left over... So, use it!! This is the perfect craft to use up that glitter and it might even get you to head out and buy some green, silver or white glitter for Christmas :).

Here is what you need:

• Clear glass votive holders
• Mod podge or other glue that dries clear
• Glitter (I like this kind; use a Michael's coupon for 40% off)
• Tealight or votive candles

To make the votive holders, paint the outside with glue, apply glitter liberally (you can shake off excess and return to the container afterwards) and let dry. Don't make the glue too thick or else it may dry more white than clear and you will be able to see on the inside. You can make designs in the glue (sort of like mine, and although that wasn't on purpose, I like the end result) or just paint it on more evenly. Make sure you only do the sides - leave the bottom without glue/glitter so you have an area to hold on while applying the glue.

I thought a couple of these would even be a nice hostess gift with a set of candles. Happy Thanksgiving!

I'm also going to send these over to Sandi @ WhistleStop Cafe for the November Centerpiece-of-the-Month (COTM). While these could be a centerpiece all on their own - they would be great paired with some fresh flowers or fruits (pears or apples?) as part of a holiday table!

Cookie 2: Cranberry-Apple Butter Bars

These are so good! And they actually taste like cranberries, not some over-sweetened-fake-almost-tasting-like-strawberries or raspberries cookies. Don't you hate that?

I tend to like things on the tart side (these are not super tart, but not super-super sweet either), so if you are on the sweeter side, maybe make a half-batch and decide whether you prefer more sugar, but I tested these on my husband and colleagues and they went over with high marks. Give them a whirl - they would be perfect for Thanksgiving and Christmas!

Cranberry-Apple Butter Bars (adapted from Pillsbury Fall Baking Booklet, recipe found here)
Ingredients
Filling:
1 bag (12 oz) fresh cranberries
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon orange peel, grated
1/4 cup orange juice
1/2 cup apple butter or cranberry-apple butter
2 tablespoons butter

Base/Topping:
3/4 cup butter, softened
1 cup brown sugar (packed)
1 1/2 cups AP flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/4 cups quick-cooking oats

Steps
1. Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees. Spray 13 x 9-inch pan with cooking spray.

2. In a saucepan, mix cranberries, white sugar, orange zest and juice. Boil and cook for approximately 6 to 8 minutes, stirring frequently, until cranberries pop and mixture thickens. Stir in apple butter and 2 tablespoons butter; remove from heat.

3. Beat 3/4 cup butter and the brown sugar in a separate bowl, scraping bowl occasionally, until fluffy. Stir in flour, salt, baking soda and oats. Press approximately 3 cups oat mixture in pan. I ended up using a bit less than that for the base in order to have enough for the topping. While you are pressing the base, keep an eye on how much you have left for the topping, if you are running out, use a bit less for the base.

4. Spread cranberry filling over base. Crumble remaining 2 cups oat mixture over filling and press lightly.

5. Bake 25 to 30 minutes or until golden brown. Cool completely before cutting.

Last year, I made homemade apple butter as part of my gift baskets. If you are doing that, these bar cookies would make a great gift basket paired with the apple butter and cute recipe card!

Strawberry Jam

I'm sorry if you opened this post thinking there was going to be a recipe...because I don't have one!

But there are some photos of an awesome gift a friend sent me :) I'll call her J. Maybe if we gang up on her, she'll pass around a recipe for one of these:

You're looking at what I found on my doorstep a few days ago - 2 jars of homemade jam: Strawberry Jam and Organic Apricot, Key Lime & Ginger Preserves. She's pretty awesome right? Don't you love her packaging too? Totally simple, but beautiful - I love it and I'm totally stealing her idea (Sorry J!).

I used some of the strawberry jam to make a variation of the ever-popular ___ [insert fruit here] __ crumb bars. I, too, (like Katie) saw them on Smitten Kitchen and was well, smitten :). I changed up the recipe a bit, used strawberry jam instead of fresh blueberries and they were delicious. Seems like you can do pretty much do whatever you like with the recipe and it would hold up well. I burnt the bottom of mine because I was watching the Yankee game and forget about them and they still tasted awesome.

Here is a photo of the J the jam-maker (2nd from right), 2 of our other friends (Hi S & P!) and me (right) at J's wedding a few years ago :)

Thanks J - I love finding packages at my door!

A Better Scone?

Probably not. A different scone? That's more like it :) I am a lover of scones - all kinds, especially those laced with apricots, blueberries, and dried cherries. What I don't love about them is...the calories. Usually laden with tons of butter and cream, scones may not be the best way to start your day if you are trying to walk the healthy road. Not to say that I don't eat them, because I definitely do, but sometimes, I try to find/create a recipe that might be a little lighter. These scones don't try to be what I consider to be a "regular" scone, but they are something different - with moist, cakey texture, not too sweet and similar to a muffin top.

The scone recipe was adapted from a Tyler Florence recipe that got great reviews . Again, I am using wild blueberries left over from my trip to Maine last week - I also made the muffins that I made last year when I came home with piles of wild blueberries. If you ever have a chance to get some, do it! They are wonderfully sweet and the color is amazing.

Wild Blueberry Scones (adapted from Tyler Florence)

Ingredients

2 cups AP flour, plus more for rolling berries

1 tablespoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1/3 cup sugar

1/4 cup unsalted butter, chilled and cut in chunks

3/4 cup buttermilk*

1 egg

1 pint fresh wild blueberries**

Steps

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

2. Sift together flour, baking powder, salt and sugar and mix until uniform.

3. Cut in butter using 2 forks or a pastry blender. A few reviewers noted that they used a food processor to make the dough - I may try that next time. The butter pieces should be coated with flour and resemble crumbs.

4. In another bowl, mix buttermilk (or milk + vinegar*) and egg together, and then add to the flour mixture. Mix just to incorporate, don't overmix.

5. Roll blueberries in flour to coat to prevent berry sinkage. Fold the blueberries into batter, being careful not to bruise too many (it was impossible not to get a few of them juicy). Drop large tablespoons of batter on an ungreased cookie sheet.

6. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes until lightly brown on top.

Notes

* No buttermilk in my house this week...so I made my own using skim milk and vinegar (instructions found here). It works out just fine!

** Regular cultivated blueberries would also be fine; some reviews that I have read for different blueberry scones recipes (I hope you don't think I get lucky with recipes :), I considered about 10 different scone recipes before giving this one a go - my husband gets to come home from work and see me surrounded by cookbooks - I should have taken a picture of that!) indicate that the blueberries hold up better when used frozen. Maybe they don't burst or get as juicy as the fresh ones - I particularly like when they "blow-up" so I would go fresh, but I'm sure either way is just fine.

***I tried another recipe awhile back that was fairly nutritious for cranberry scones - it also used a reduced amount of butter and skim milk instead of whole milke & cream. The texture is similar and they were delicious as well.

Photo of the Day - Wednesday

Today's photo is random - my current cookbook collection. I have a ton more packed up in boxes, but here is what is on my shelf right now in our apartment. So let's hear the comments :) I know you see that Rachael Ray cookbook there (I actually have not used that one much, but I have made several recipes from her original cookbook)!

My favorites of the bunch are probably the Ina Garten book and Martha's Baking Handbook. Dorie Greenspan's Paris Sweets book and Nigella Lawson's Domestic Goddess book are more recent additions that I have not had a chance to get into yet.

Quick & Healthy Snack

I'm running all around today and don't have too much time for in-depth post, but I wanted to make sure to get this awesome snack up here. A pseudo-rice krispie bar, but a bit more grown-up - I like to make these when I really want a quick dessert or snack, but don't want all the calories that come with a cookie or brownie.

They are called Peanut Butter-Crispy Rice Bars and are from Cooking Light. Since I have not changed the recipe all that much, I'll just go ahead and post the link to the recipe here. In fact, the only change I make is in the ingredient list - no rice krispies here! Not that there is anything wrong with them really (besides the fact that they get soggy so fast!), but I prefer to swap out the 6 cups of name-brand cereal for a mixture of generic puffed rice and puffed wheat cereals (3 cups each).

Give these a try sometime and let me know how you change them up - I'm always looking for a new spin on things I make all the time. And, if you love rice krispies, please go ahead and use them. I'm not the biggest fan, but I'm sure they work great too.

By the way, I also made the best banana bread this weekend for my mom. Are these mini-loaves not the cutest things?! Maybe I'm the last one to know this, but I hardly ever make banana bread because I never have bananas that are ripe enough to use when I want to make the bread. Well, a few weeks ago, I had bananas that were seriously on their way out - so I put them in the freezer. I defrosted them before making the bread and they worked great! Who knew? They seem a bit gross when you defrost them, because they are bit slimier then usual, but the flavor and texture were just fine.

Well, I hate to blog and run, but everyone has those kind of days, right?

Happy Easter...have a craft!

Happy Easter a few hours early :)

I colored eggs tonight, just like I do every year (confession #1: I love coloring eggs....still) - and since my mom didn't get a chance to color them with me this year (confession #2: my mom still colors eggs with me...still :), I thought I would bring her a few tomorrow. I saw a quick Easter project on Martha Stewart's show the other day and decided to make a quick adaptation to fit the materials that I had on hand.

Before I give the quick step-by-step, I just wanted to put this cool link out there just in case you happen to be coloring eggs tomorrow. The linked site is a list of natural egg dyes - lots of them are things you might have around that house already (onion skins, different juices, canned vegetables). I really wanted to do a comparison of the artificial versus natural egg dying results before Easter (yes, the colors of the dye really matter to me, I know = confession #3), but I just didn't get the chance. I promise next year :)

And now, on to the project!

Super-quick Easter Egg Basket

Supplies
Cardboard egg carton
Wired ribbon
Scissors
Paper/plastic grass

Instructions

1. Cut egg carton in half so you have two "baskets", each with 6 egg holes.

2. Use scissors to puncture small holes in either side of the "basket". You will want the holes to be on each of the long sides of the carton, so that the ribbon or handle will run the shortest distance from side to side (see the photo below, I'm sure it will explain it much better!).

3. Cut an appropriate length of ribbon (make the handle as long as you like) and thread the ends through the holes. Pull the ribbon through the holes, leaving enough extra so you can press it into the bottom of one of the egg holes (once you put the eggs in, they will hold the ribbon in place).

4. Add the grass, eggs, and a cute tag and you are done! You could also jazz it up a bit with some additional ribbon along the edges (using a glue gun) if you wanted.

Oatmeal Cookie Update

I love oatmeal cookies! Do you like them with raisins or without? I'm definitely in the without raisins camp - pretty much the only dried fruit that I don't like. I'm also super particular about my oatmeal cookies in general and I will only use one recipe - the original Vanishing Oatmeal Cookie from Quaker Oats. I often update the recipe by adding different ingredients - toffee, chocolate chips, walnuts, peanut butter chips, etc. instead of the raisins (you can really add whatever you like).

I decided to make a quick batch with a little Valentine's appeal for my grandparents - the outcome was Pecan, Cranberry and White Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies. They were so delicious and super easy to whip up in no time at all.

Pecan, Cranberry, & White Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies

Ingredients
2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Scant 1/2 teaspoon salt
3 cups uncooked oats
1/2 - 3/4 cup dried cranberries (apricots or cherries would be great too)
1/2 cup chopped pecans (if your pecans are not roasted already, you might consider roasting them quickly in the pan before mixing them in - it will bring out the flavor)
1/2 - 3/4 cup white chocolate chips

Note: The amounts for the mix-ins are very general, add as much or as little as you like - the more you add in, the more lumpy your cookies will be. You will also stretch the dough and make more cookies. Coconut would also be wonderful here.

Steps
1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. In large bowl, beat butter and sugars until creamy. Combine flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt in a 2nd bowl.

2. Add eggs and vanilla; beat well. Add combined dry ingredients and mix well. Add oats, cranberries, white chocolate chips and pecans and mix until fully combined (Note: if you are using a mixer, make sure you add the last step [oats, cranberries, chips, etc.] by hand or else you risk chopping them up).

3. Drop dough by rounded tablespoonfuls onto parchment-lined baking sheets.

4. Bake 8-10 minutes or until light golden brown. I like mine with just a hint of brown (a little chewy inside) - if you like them crisper, bake a minute or two longer. This recipe makes about 4 dozen - I always bake a test sheet first to figure out exactly how long I need to cook them as they come out a little different each time.

5. Cool 1 minute on cookie sheets, then move to a wire cooling rack. Cool completely. Store tightly covered.

I just mailed these cookies to my grandparents - I used an air-tight, plastic, sort-of cheesy heart-decorated container to hold the cookies and lined it with glassine paper. I know I have mentioned this stuff before - but it is so great. The glassine paper is basically food-safe wax paper - it doesn't get greasy at all and comes in so many great colors.

My Christmas Gifts...

So I blogged about the gifts that I gave this year, but have not mentioned any of the awesome gifts that I was given this year! I am such a lucky girl - my husband is definitely someone you want to have around at Christmas time. This year, he definitely took my hints regarding my love for Etsy (maybe he read this post or this post?) and I guess he realized that I like to cook a bit :) My mom always gets such great and thoughtful gifts for me - we love to shop for each other. I thought a few of these gifts were such great finds that maybe some of you would enjoy them too - check them out!

Letterpress desk calendar from ilee via her etsy shop - it is even more gorgeous in person! I bought this as a gift and loved it so much that my husband got it for me as a gift! It is sold out at the moment, but she usually puts them back up as she makes them.

Notebook from Nantaka Joy. She sells beautiful things - including gorgeous notecards, like these and these. I love having a small notebook in my purse/bag all the time - this is the perfect size.

My mom hooked me up with this awesome ribbon box! It is from Martha Stewart Crafts, but can also be found at Michaels.

These salts with the spoons were also under the tree for me - so cute! I have been wanting to try different types of salt, so I'm pumped about this. These seem to be very reasonably priced to other salts I have seen available on the web for tasting and testing. Check out the website - http://www.clay-company.com/ for other great kitchen gift products.

I also was lucky enough to receive a bunch of great cookbooks, but I'm saving those for future posts...

Holiday Cookies 3 & 4

One oldie (but goodie) and another new cookie for you.

I have made the first cookie several times, but this is actually the first time I have added them to the holiday rotation. These apricot-orange shortbread bars are the best. They are from Bon Appetit and I have made them several times; they always get compliments. I think they are so popular because the flavor is a bit more complex than the average cookie due to the combination of almond, orange, and apricot flavors. Swap out the apricot jam for raspberry for an awesome twist.

The second cookie is a brownie biscotti from the online Allrecipes-Starbucks Cookbook. This is my 2nd biscotti attempt and this batch turned out much better than my first try where I put way, way too many nuts into the batter! I tried to cut them (the original biscotti) and they broke apart everywhere. These were perfect - tasted just like brownies and a great match for coffee or cocoa. Biscotti also make great gifts because they store very well.

Enjoy!

Gift Baskets - 2007 Edition

I wanted to post about the various things that I put in my holiday gift baskets this year - hopefully, if you were lucky enough to get one (ha!), you won't be reading this post because then you will realize just how easy the items are to make. I love making food and homey gifts for the holidays - it is so difficult to know what to get everyone and I like to give something that has just a little bit of thought put into it. I love giftcards as much as the next guy, but to me, the holidays are about making it a bit more special. Mind you, this is coming from someone who won a $15 giftcard to Target in our Christmas Eve White Elephant gift exhange and is totally pumped about it, but you get what I mean.

Here are some of things that my gift baskets included:

• Bittersweet chocolate-covered peppermint sandwich cookies
• Bittersweet chocolate-covered pirouline cookies
• A mixture of vanilla brownies, fudge brownies and blondies
• Homemade Vanilla extract
• Punition cookies
• Brownie biscotti
• Chocolate-peanut butter fudge (in cookie cutters!)
• Apple butter
• Pomegranate jelly
• Gourmet hot cocoa and holiday marshmallows

I did not take as many pictures as I would have liked of the finished baskets before I gave them away....but I used supplies that I have been collecting for awhile. I try to package my cookies in airtight jars, tins or these wax-lined kraft paper bags. Here are a few great websites for bottles, boxes and packaging (also check around at your local discounts stores for good deals throughout the year):

• Specialty bottle
• Papermart
• Nashville wraps
• Container store (I like their food-safe wax tissue paper; you can also get it from Martha [glassine paper])

Is it really the last minute?

Already? Nah, not in my book. Its only 12/21 - I still have at least 3 more days to get everything ready for the holidays - and 2 of those days are on the weekend baby!! Everyone keeps asking me - did you do this, did you go shopping, did you prepare your menu, what are you bringing. To be honest, I'm a little behind, but I have it all in my mind :) I have made a few things and I am planning on a few holiday posts (hopefully they will be of some help to all you last minute folks out there like me!), but here is my pseudo-to-do list for the next few days....

• 5-6 types of cookies
• Cheesecake (& maybe another cake for Christmas at my mom's)
• A main dish/side dish for Christmas at my mom's
• A bit more shopping & a whole lot of wrapping
• Design, shop, and make a light cocktail menu for my Christmas Eve Open House
• Finish gift baskets (more to come on that later)

I think thats it - totally doable, no?

Until I get all the pictures and posts that I have been collecting this week up here, I thought I would post a few websites that have great last minute recipes, gifts and other holiday ideas.

• Great-looking (and easy) recipe from Smitten Kitchen (starred on my google reader this morning) for icebox cookies (with unlimited variations!)
• I love these as ornaments or just as small vases hanging in a kitchen window - from CB2 [they have a store now in SoHo in NYC - I can't wait to check it out!]. The green hourglass photo above is from CB2 as well - they come in two sizes (either 15 minutes or 1 hour)
• A really cute online cookbook (that you can print and give away with some cookies as a gift!) from Allrecipes
• Last minute gifts from Red Envelope! Use the code: MCRUSH and your mastercard ($50 minimum required) and get free overnight shipping (offer deadline: 12/22 @ 2pm)
• Some additional holiday baking ideas from Martha Stewart & Everyday Food
• Tree looking a little bare? Need something to do with the kids on Christmas Eve? Check out this homemade ornament roundup by How about orange
• Decor inspiration? Run over to Hostess with the Mostess and check out the many holiday decor themes like Peppermint Twist

Ready for the Holidays?

I love to entertain and have people over during the holidays (or anytime) - now that we live closer to our families, we're hoping to have a holiday get-together (although fitting a number of people into our small apartment could pose a serious challenge - hopefully everyone likes to stand...close together :). Anyway, I've found that my favorite (and most versatile) items to use for parties (small or large) are non-decorative platters, stands and other serveware. More simple and sleek - white ceramic, clear glass, and aluminum (silver) are my usual go-tos. I've found that they can be used for any time of year, any holiday; they don't break or chip easily and they look great. Plus, they can play double-duty as a centerpiece with some fruit/flowers/organic materials and spruced up very easily.

So, I've collected some of my recent favorites - check them out - just in time for the holidays! The prices are actually quite reasonable and they should last for a really long time (note that I'm not vouching for the quality of any of these particular items; just providing suggestions!).

(clockwise) (1) C&B: Square serving platter ($28.95) & Delish Cake Platter ($28.95), (2) Target: White rectangular serving platter ($19.99 - [I own this one]), (3) Pottery Barn: Great white soup tureen ($40), (4) Macy's: Martha Stewart Collection Whiteware Cake Stands (circle/square available, $14.99-$29.99), (5) Target: Aluminum beaded cake stand ($24.99), (6) Kmart: Martha Stewart Everyday footed dessert dish ($3.99), (7) Target: Tiered pedestal serving plates (set of 3, $24.99), (8) [center photo] Pottery Barn: Great white square dinnerware ($28-$36 for varied pieces/sets)

Note: You can also find really good deals on similar items at discount stores like TJMaxx and Marshall's, if you have those stores near you.

Canning!

I finally had my first canning experience :) I have been wanting to try making jam, jelly or salsa for awhile, but could never get all the supplies/time/energy together. But...the other night, I went for it and it was EASY! Seriously, even in my small apartment with limited counter space. I started simple so I could get the canning process down - I made pomegranate jelly.

Ball's website is great - they provide step-by-step tutorials for canning all types of foods. Here is a snapshot of a portion of their tutorial for high-acid canning (find the tutorial here).

Pomegranate Jelly (adapted from Freshpreserving.com)

Ingredients

3-1/2 cups prepared or bottled pomegranate juice

1 (1.75 oz) pkg Ball® Original Fruit Pectin

1/2 tsp butter or margarine, optional

5 cups sugar

6 (8 oz) half pint glass preserving jars with lids and bands [I used smaller sized jars and had leftovers]

Steps
1. Prepare boiling water canner by adding water and bringing up to a simmer [I did not do this early enough so I ended up having my jelly ready to be canned, but my canner not ready for me; find more directions here]. Heat jars and lids in simmering water until ready for use. Do not boil. Set bands aside.

2. Place pomegranate juice in a 6- or 8-quart saucepan. Gradually stir in pectin. Add up to 1/2 tsp butter or margarine to reduce foaming, if desired. [Note: I added the butter and it did not reduce foaming too much for me, so I will leave it out next time around]

3. Bring mixture to a full rolling boil that can not be stirred down, over high heat, stirring constantly.

4. Add entire measure of sugar, stirring to dissolve. Return mixture to a full rolling boil. Boil hard 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Skim foam if necessary.

5. Ladle hot jam into hot jars leaving 1/4 inch headspace - use funnel, it makes things much easier! Wipe rim. Center lid on jar. Apply band until fit is fingertip tight.

6. Process in a boiling water canner for 10 minutes, adjusting for altitude. Remove jars and cool. Check lids for seal after 24 hours. Lid should not flex up and down when center is pressed.

I'm going to try to make apple butter later this week, so stay tuned - I promise to post a picture of my seemingly giant canner on top of my small stove...

Tips: Definitely read through all the instructions on canning prior to doing it - this way you know what equipment you need.

Love these - New Gifts from Around the Web!

Just shopping around the web - here are a few of my favorite new finds...

[from left to right] (1st row) Dinnerware (price varies): Crate & Barrel; Dessert Plates ($12 each; different designs): Anthropologie; Necklace ($35): Etsy seller: vintaj; (2nd row) Recycled glasses ($40 for a set of 4): Green glass; Lotus bowls ($79): Zanisa; Kitchen towels ($18 for a set of 4): Etsy seller: MichelleBrusegaard

Reusable grocery bags

My husband and I are a huge fan of reusable grocery bags - we have been using them since 2004. We traveled to New Zealand and saw them in grocery stores there for about $1 each (unlike the US where only the canvas bags were starting to gain popularity for about $5-$8 each, if you could even get them in the grocery stores). We brought 6 home with us and have used them ever since. These are the bags that we bought in NZ (photo: wikipedia):

When we were planning our wedding, we incorporated some "green" elements into the wedding and we also wanted to find a favor that was related but also one that people would actually use. We chose the reusable bags - and they....were a HUGE hit! All of our relatives (old, young, and in-between) loved the bags, asked for more, and are still telling us how much they like and use them. The company that we used was the same company that made the bags we bought in New Zealand - The Green Bag Company - they have since expanded into several countries, including the US (office is in SF, but they ship anywhere). Here are a few pics of the bags from our wedding!

Besides green bags, there are a lot of other, really cool (even fashionable) options in reusable bags (some even made from recycled materials)! I just saw this awesome bag posted at design*sponge -- by artist Hayley Waring.

A lot of supermarkets in our area (NYC metro area) are now carrying all kinds of bags for about $1 - can't beat it! Great for groceries or whatever (I used them to carry my work to lunch, my laptop, recycling, beach towels, etc.) - you even get money back at some grocery stores (not that that 2 cents per is doing a lot for my grocery bill, but its the point that matters :)

Spell with Flickr

Ok, so maybe I'm late on this one...but its new to me! I think this is such a cool program - I can't remember where I first heard about it, but here is the link to Spell with Flickr, created by Erik Kastner (check out his blog here). You type in a word and the program searchs Flickr to find images of the letters in your word - you can change any of the specific letters until you find a combo that you like. You could use this for so many things! Merge with your own photos to make a great framed photo for your house or have the words by themselves in your kitchen or in a travel album or for cards....just make sure you get the correct permissions and read the community use rules here.

Here are a few examples of words that I made...






(all photos from Flickr; photo combinations created here)

This could also be done with signs from your neighborhood (although its much easier to get them from Flickr). Just snap some photos, edit to the same shape and merge in a program like Photoshop or even MS Powerpoint.