Why my first craft failed

This past Christmas I tried to save money and make some gifts. I found a great idea for these coasters at blueprintcrafts.com using tile and scrapbook paper. It looked easy enough and it was. Being my first craft and all, I was very sure to obey the modge podge golden rule and smooth out all 16 coasters with great care. No bubbles. After I applied the acrylic spray the smell was so strong and I didn't want any spray residue to get anywhere in the house so I set them outside to dry. Alas, this is where my confidence in my noobie crafter skills were to my own demise. I live in Florida. Florida is ALWAYS humid. Moisture plus craft equals paper that comes off to the touch and smears everywhere. Ruined. Kaput. I was crushed. I took the smelly, slimy coasters home in a bag and let them sit in my living room for a week...a constant reminder of how much time I had just wasted. But then I threw them away and felt much better.

Sweet of the Week: Cinnamon Oatmeal Craisin Cookies

My friend made these for this past Easter and now I'm obsessed! Normally I cringe at what appears to be a semi-healthy cookie but I couldn't keep myself from going back for more! Its all about the cinnamon folks...butter isn't the only thing that makes the world go around. Which reminds me about my new favorite way to make cinnamon toast at thepioneerwoman.com. I like any recipe where I can smush things. Just take softened butter and mix in sugar and cinnamon and a bit of vanilla (oh yes and vanilla makes the world go round too) and spread it on toasted bread then bake at 350 for 10 minutes or till the tops get dark and voila you have a sweet treat with a very satisfying crispity crunch. But anyhoo back to why we are really here...the best version of this recipe I found at creative-culinary.com. A lot of recipes call for white chocolate chips but they are sweet enough with the craisins and the spices and there is plenty of sugar. While they are delicious as drop cookies I prefer them as bars because they are thick and chewy and they stay that way for days. Plus its a lot easier and makes less mess to just put it all in a 9x13 then to do all the dropping and rotating and scraping off the pan and waiting for it to cool then dropping the next batch and yada yada yada it takes too long. Also I like to have my oven opening at a minimum cas it freaks me out with the baby on the loose and if I put the gate up he just stands there and screams and nobody wants to bake with a screaming baby now do they. Thats how I forgot the vanilla last time...that was a sad realization. Tip for the eggs...always crack them into a separate bowl before adding to a mixture to make sure you don't get a bad egg or any shell. This has saved me many a headache trying to get that bit of shell from the clutches of the egg whites like that speck in your drink that always seems to escape your finger at the last second...but I digress. 



Preheat oven to 350 degrees. You will need: 

3 cups old-fashioned oats
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
2 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 (packed) cup light brown sugar
3/4 cup sugar
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups dried cranberries or raisins
  Whisk together the oats, flour, cinnamon, baking soda, salt and nutmeg and set aside.
Beat the butter, brown sugar and granulated sugar on medium speed until smooth and creamy.
Add the eggs one at a time and beat for 1 minute after each addition and then beat in the vanilla. Reduce the mixer speed to low and add the dry ingredients slowly, beating only until blended.
Add the dried cranberries and mix to incorporate them evenly into the dough. (At this point, the dough can be wrapped well and chilled for up to 2 days.) 
Spread evenly into a 9x13 pan (I use dark nonstick and it works perfectly) and bake for about 20-25 minutes. It will still be gooey on the inside but you don't want the center to jiggle. Let stand for about 15 minutes and the center will continue cooking. 

I love this cookie with a cup of coffee in the morning...gotta love a cookie you can eat in the am! Added bonus the baby loves it too!

By the way his walker behind him is the chomp and clack by Melissa and Doug. One less toy that doesn't sing cas mama can only take so much. And bonus its heavy so he doesn't fall over trying to use it. Just my first of many recommendations here folks!

Welcome to my blog!

Hello blog world! I'm Allie and I'm so excited to get started on this blog! My husband and I have an adorable-and-he-knows-it one year old son who apparently (hes my first so I have no point of reference) is a very easy baby and you know what that means...the next one is gonna be a doozy so we are enjoying it while we can. This blog is a place for me to share my crafting adventures and my favorite recipes, especially desserts because everyone knows that's the best part. I'm that girl at the party first to the dessert table so when I get a second plate some people might think its my first. No shame in my game. I only do crafts that can be completed in a short amount of time because with a baby you don't have much time to yourself and nap time is never quite long enough. I love to craft even when it comes out looking a hot mess and I hope others can learn from my blunders.