Coconut Macaroons

Do you have guest coming over or were you told at the last minute to bring a dessert? Skip the packaged stuff and make these coconut macaroons instead. They are super fast, very little work and you need only 5 ingredients.

These coconut macaroons are toasted and crunchy on the outside, but soft and chewy on the inside. If you're in mood, you can drizzle a little melted chocolate over these sweet little coconut macaroons. Chocolate makes every better!

I brought them to the office and they were a hit. I made them smaller which meant that they can be easily shared by more people and those on a diet feel less guilty. But you can feel free to make them bigger if you aren't in a sharing mood, all you need to do is bake them a little longer.

Have a bag of shredded coconut sitting in your pantry just crying out to be used?!? Then keep reading

DIY Cabochon Earrings

I don't know about you, but I have the tendency to lose a lot of my earrings. I managed to lose one earring somewhere between buying them at the mall and taking them out of my bag at home. Gone! Vanished and never found again. The worst part was that I never got to wear those cute little flower stud earrings. After that experience, I gave up. I decided that I wasn't going to wear earrings anymore....until now. If I would have known how easy it was to make my own cabochon earrings, I would have never bought them from the mall. The best part about these earrings is not how easy they are to make, but how inexpensive it is. This means that I can lose as many as I want and not feel so bad. 

You can either make your own cabochons with polymer clay and a mold or you can do what I did and buy them off of Amazon. I found a 100 piece flat back resin cabochons  for a pretty decent price on Amazon and they came with a variety of roses, chrysanthemums, daisies and peonies. 

Some of the flowers were too big and I turned them in to rings. There are a couple very big flowers that I want to turn into pendants, but I just haven't done it yet. Check out the rings though. Aren't they cute? You can find adjustable ring blank findings at Michaels, JoAnn, Hobby Lobby or you can order them off Amazon.

To find out how easy it is to make your own cabochon earrings, keep reading.

Kale Chips

Looking for a healthy option to snack on after all of the Super Bowl treats? These kale chips are just the healthy crunch that you are looking for. The best part about these kale chips is that you don't need a dehydrator. Your oven will work just fine for this. With just 4 ingredients, you are on your way to making crispy, crunchy and healthy chips.

I went to the Farmers Market and saw a handful of varieties of kale that isn't normally sold in the grocery store by me. Being super excited about all the different types of kale there was, I went a little overboard and bought way more than I really should have. I use kale every morning in my smoothies, sometimes toss them in my salad or soup, and my dog loves to eat kale as a treat, but other than that I really wasn't sure what to do with all the kale I had. Kale chips were perfect and easy enough that I thought I would share with you.

Homemade Pizza Rolls

Since it's Super Bowl weekend, I thought I'd share with you another Super Bowl snack. Whether you are rooting for the Seahawks or the Broncos, or if you are just there to watch Bruno Mar and the Red Hot Chili Peppers, these pizza rolls are great for snacking while you sit in front of the TV.

These homemade pizza rolls are simple, yet crunchy, delicious and addicting. The use of wonton wrappers may not be exactly the same as Totino's, but it is close enough to where the entire plate of them will disappear fast. The key to these homemade pizza rolls is not to bake them. I prefer to avoid frying food, but I did one batch baked and one batch fried and they are best when fried. When they are baked, the edges have a texture of raw pasta. I do not like my pasta raw, so I did not like them baked. When these pizza rolls are fried, yes they are unhealthy, but the wonton wrapper puffs up and becomes crunchy. Way better!

To learn how you can make your own homemade pizza rolls and ditch the frozen ones where you aren't quite sure what exactly is in it, than keep reading....

Pumpkin Pie Crumb Bars

I know I'm pretty much a couple seasons behind and it's not longer Fall, but who says that it has to be Fall in order to be able to enjoy a little pie of Pumpkin Pie? Why should we restrict ourselves to Pumpkin Pie once or twice a year. To me, it's always a good time to have a little pumpkin in my life. The mix of soft, light pumpkin with a hint of cinnamon and nutmeg is perfect whether it is Fall, Winter, Spring or Summer. 

With it being Super Bowl this weekend, you should surprise your guests and continue to spread the pumpkin love. What's the best part about these bars? It's pretty much a portable piece of Pumpkin Pie! None of the messing around with having guest cut their own slice of pumpkin pie, they can just simply pick up a bar and in a few bites it's gone.  I also love these Pumpkin Pie Bars because I'm not a huge fan of pie crust. I always feel that it's missing something. With the addition of the oatmeal cookie crumb, it takes this slice of pie to another level.

DIY Soothing Lavender Oat Bath

With the crazy weather in California, one day it's in the 80's and the next day it's in the 60's and the Santa Ana winds, my skin is not handling the constant change from hot to cold combined with the dryness. If you have sensitive skin like me, or if you just enjoy an oat bath like Sean, than you will love this diy.

Sean first got me into oatmeal baths when I have a really bad skin reaction to the weather and suggested that I used the Aveeno Soothing Oatmeal Bath Treatment. I loved it, but what I didn't love was paying $8 for 8 packets. I know it's $1 each and that is a lot for me.

If you didn't know the Aveeno bath is made from 100% colloidal oatmeal. Colloidal oatmeal is great for dry, itching skin, so it's a good choice to relieve any discomfort caused by eczema, poison ivy, chicken pox, and insect bites. It is also great if you just love an oatmeal bath and want soft skin. After doing some research and finding out that all it is is simply very finely ground oatmeal, I was shocked and even more against buying it from the store. I've had a huge canister of Quaker Oats sitting in my pantry and figured if I can make it for free, why not? Right? I added lavender to mine to make it more my taste, except if your like Sean and you don't like little dots in your bath water, than you might want to stick with just the oatmeal.

Important Allergy Note: If you are allergic to gluten, I suggest you use certified gluten free oats to avoid any allergic reactions.

Now, ready to make your own? Continue reading to find out this super easy diy.

Hot Chocolate On A Stick

 I hope that you enjoyed your holiday and things are slowing down as the New Year arrives. I know that it is for me. The past couple months have been busy with birthdays, work and holiday events. Even though I have been keeping up with baking, cooking and crafting, I unfortunately haven't been updating my blog.

Even though it has been in the high 70's here. I thought that because it's winter and the holidays, Hot Chocolate on a Stick would be the perfect little treat to give out. (I swear it's not because I thought it'd be a good idea to buy 500 wooden skewers!!) I made simple tags saying "Hot Chocolate on a Stick" and on the back of each tag it had instructions. Simply swirl and melt  in 4 to 8 Ounces of warm milk. Snuggle up and Enjoy. Or you can do what a few people I know did with these Hot Chocolate on a Stick and just eat them right off the stick. :)

These are the Wooden Skewers that I bought, but you can use swizzle sticks or anything else.

These Hot Chocolate on a Stick are soft like a truffle, but it still holds its shape. Marshmallows are always best when they are homemade, so skip the store bought bag and make your own. They're softer, lighter, fluffier and of course tastier! I made the chocolate first and than the marshmallow after, but you can make whichever one you want first. 

I love these Hot Chocolate on a Stick because it can be easily customized. You can add crushed peppermint, ground espresso, cayenne or nuts on the top of the chocolate before it sets or you can add drops of flavoring to the chocolate itself.. Or keep the chocolate simple and switch up the marshmallows by making lavender, peppermint or gingerbread marshmallows.