d.i.y. macarons

Call it a New Years Resolution or a key item on my bucket list. Call it whatever you want, but just know that somehow, over the last three or four years of my life, I've had a dire need to learn how to make AND perfect french macarons.

I have attempted the process {with friends} but making them on your own is a whole different beast.

Yet what I've discovered over the last few months is how much fun creating things in the kitchen can be. Sure, it's a challenging and tedious process, but I'm no stranger challenges or tedious endeavors.

I never really thought about it before, but the kitchen is much like a canvas. Slight tweaks, trying again, starting over, messing up, getting it right - these are all things that we would all benefit from getting used to. Not only as artists or pastry chefs, but as people living and learning each day of our lives.

Call me crazy how deep this post got, but I've had a lot of time to think this last week! And yes, I have perfected the french macaron. And yes, be on the lookout for an exciting new business venture I'm working on ;).

easter eggs

This Easter is going to be pretty low-key and I'm totally OK with that. This year will be staying at home and not visiting family like we usually do (which is a total bummer), but I'm not letting my favorite tradition be passed over just because we won't be entertaining company.

Dying Easter eggs instantly produce some of my favorite (and funniest) childhood memories. My dad and sisters would have big plans for gorgeous eggs every year. Very quickly, someone would think it would be HILARIOUS to take my precious egg(s) and dunk them in all the colors - leaving them a marbled brown hue. I would cry. But then I would laugh, because it's just an egg after all.

However, if that happened today I would most definitely cry. Once again, I have big plans. I'm planning on loading up on sharpies this year, and have cut out some of my favorite patterns to try to recreate on pastel-dyed eggs.

Stay tuned for some "Before & After" egg dying pics on my {Instagram account} sometime in the next week!

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new hobby

{1. Pear Pizza with Chevre and Pistachios}

{2. Spinach & Baked Egg Galette}

{3. Banana Coconut "Ice Cream"}

{4. White Chocolate Rocky Road}

I've recently started doing something I've never done in my entire life - cook. And bake. Cook AND bake. I've attempted simple recipes in the past, but brutally failed. Those few failures turned me off to the entire thing, until now.

I made a Lenten promise to eat "cleaner" and "smarter".  I want to know what goes into my food. I want to consume the best ingredients possible, adding minimal preservatives. Ideally (and eventually), if it comes from a box or a bag - I don't want to eat it. 

The only way I can try to keep this promise is by cooking and making my meals in my own kitchen. I've attempted a couple difficult recipes this weekend and surprisingly, DID NOT fail. Above are the next recipes I want to try. Sure, White Chocolate Rocky Roads aren't the healthiest thing in the world, but it feels better than eating a store-bought Kit Kat bar.

hedgehog cookies

I was looking at {this} while waiting in line to get coffee one morning, and thought to myself - this would look really cute as a cookie.

(1.) I made peanut butter cookies in the shape of a teardrop (2.) and spread chocolate and chocolate chips for the back. (3.) I used a toothpick in order to get the tiny nose and eyes.

It was a pretty messy project, but I think they came out well! (Which is not something I can usually say!)

D.I.Y. | ombre vase

I've been all about vases recently. I've started a small collection that resides on top of my bookshelf, and I've been antsy to add to it. I found this project in the book I always talk about {Design*Sponge} by the author of one of my favorite blogs.

The project was super simple, yet I was really pleased with how it turned out.

friday favorite | homemade christmas bows

My first attempt at being crafty.

There is a difference between being "artsy" and being "crafty". "Artsy" allows you to make mistakes and be messy. "Crafty" is the complete opposite. Do-It-Yourself (D.I.Y.) projects usually require precision, neatness and a follow-the-directions-carefully type approach.

I'll admit, I'm more artsy. One of my new years resolutions is to work on my craft. When I saw {this}, I thought to myself... it can't be THAT hard.

And actually, it wasn't! If you study the pictures carefully and read the directions thoroughly, you will end up creating colorful, handmade Christmas bows. Give it a try!

Have a happy weekend :).