Recipes

8 Incredible Edible Treats for St Patricks Day

Submitted by RyTurner / The Design Confidential

Perhaps it's the abundance of green, or maybe my Irish roots, but there is something about this fun-filled holiday that I absolutely adore... I feel like it brings out my inner kiddo, with pot of gold wishes and rainbow dreams...

These incredible edible treats don't disapoint as they perfectly stimulate my senses and also happen to be a perfect example of how fabulous and amazing a combination of greens can be (just to throw a little designer thought into the mix).

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I would love for you to check out my other site: Handmade-Holiday! For all of your DIY Holiday Decor, Gifts, Parties, and More!

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28 Sweet Valentines Day Treats

Submitted by RyTurner / The Design Confidential

If sweet treats are a big part of your Valentine's Day plan, then I have a fabulous round up of fun for you! From candy coated sweets to breakfast treats, there is a little something here for everyone.

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If you enjoyed this post PLEASE STUMBLE IT! Definitely comment below, Share it or Like it, and subscribe to my feed to stay up to date! You can now also: Follow my blog with blog lovin! I would love for you to check out my other site: Handmade-Holiday! For all of your DIY Holiday Decor, Gifts, Parties, and More!

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Valentines Day Love Potion: The Flirtini Recipe

Submitted by RyTurner / The Design Confidential

A fun and simple way to seduce your sweetheart through his or her tastebuds... The flirtini will surely set the mood for a romantic and flirty Valentine's Night Celebration...

The Recipe:

Equal Parts Champagne or Sparkling Wine and Pink Lemonade
A Splash of Chambord (to taste)

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Radical Sweet Mint Rock Candy Recipe

Submitted by RyTurner / The Design Confidential

As seen on Sacramento & Company's Holiday Decorating and Entertaining segment, as part of my Holiday Candy Buffet (article coming soon...)!

This was such a fun project for all of us to do, and my first foray into the world of candy making!

This would make a yummy treat for the family or a fun guest gift for your next holiday party. It's really simple to make and very inexpensive to produce in bulk.

Pick a color to match your party decor and a flavor that suits you, and that right there is half the battle! I am providing the recipe for my sweet mint variety, please note you can use any flavoring you prefer.

Recipe:(Makes One Tray)

Ingredients:

2 cups water
1 cup white corn syrup
3 1/2 cups sugar
1/4 tsp cream of tartar
1/4 tsp of vanilla extract
1/4 tsp of peppermint extract
4-5 drops of green food coloring

Add all contents to a sauce pan and boil the mixture. Continue stirring while it heats, until until it reaches 300 Degrees F; use a candy thermometer to measure the temperature (if you don't have a candy thermometer, it's possible to use a meat thermometer with a long stem - this is actually what I used).

Once it reaches 300 Degrees, pour it into a cool tray or cookie sheet (with a lip) and allow it to cool and harden.
This will take about an hour or so.

Once it's completely cooled and hardened you can smash it to pieces and break it apart. This is certainly the fun part!

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Gifted: Mason Jar with Hot Chocolate

Submitted by RyTurner / The Design Confidential

I don't know about you...but I like my chocolate... chocolaty...VERY chocolaty. Semi-Sweet has it's place, but it's not in my mug of hot chocolate!

This fun project is one the whole family can get in on. Setting up an assembly line to crank these out is just pure fun for the little ones especially. The lucky people you give this to will adore the presentation of this simple gift that has been made just for them!

Recipe for this Chocolaty Goodness:

I have mixed and mingled several recipes over the years, to come up with my own variation of mouth watering chocolaty chocolate! The ingredients below seem to yield just the right flavor, and just the right amount for gifting to approximately4- 6 people (Using 4 or 6 Large Mason Jars).

Makes 8 cups of MIX and 24 cups of Hot Chocolate (mmmm)...reduce by half to create 3 Hot Chocolaty Chocolate Jars!

This is the total amount of each item you will need for making this quantity of mix, so do not blend ingredients unless you are going to drink and store for your own use. Below that you will find the breakdown per mason jar for 2 different sizes of jar.

**For a less chocolaty experience you can use 1/2 the amount of pudding mix (1 package).

3 cups chocolate chips
3 cups of mini marshmallows
6 1/2 cups powdered milk
2 packages non-instant chocolate pudding mix (package typically 5 oz.)
1 cup powdered chocolate milk drink mix (Nesquik,or something of the sort)
1/2 cup powdered non-dairy creamer
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 cup chocolate chips
1/2 cup of mini marshmallows
This can be stored for the season if you are making for your own use. Just be sure to seal in an airtight container.

If your Mason Jar will hold enough MIX for 4 cups of hot chocolate:

1/2 cup of chocolate chips
1/2 cup of mini marshmallows
1 cup and 1 tablespoon powdered milk
1 1/2 oz. of non-instant chocolate pudding mix
2 tablespoons and 2 teaspoons powdered chocolate drink mix
1 tablespoon and 1 teaspoon powdered non-dairy creamer
1 tablespoon and 1 teaspoon powdered sugar
1 tablespoon and 1 teaspoon unsweetened cocoa powder
If your Mason Jars are sized for the amount of MIX needed for 8 cups of hot chocolate:

1 cup of chocolate chips
1 cup mini marshmallows
2 cups and 3 tablespoons powdered milk
3 oz. of non-instant chocolate pudding mix
1/3 cup powdered chocolate drink mix
2 tablespoons and 2 teaspoons powdered non-dairy creamer
2 tablespoons and 2 teaspoons powdered sugar
2 tablespoons and 2 teaspoons unsweetened cocoa powder
Optional: add cinnamon and nutmeg for more of a Mexican Hot Chocolate flavor. Add a touch of Almond Extract while boiling...fantastic... Throw a Vanilla Bean into the mix and watch your taste buds electrify. There are so many variations on hot chocolate, but each and every recipe should have one thing in common...sweet, chocolatly, rich flavor!

Add layers of each ingredient to your jar in any order you prefer:

Creating your layered mason jar container is most easily maintainable if you put the solid ingredients on the bottom (chocolate chips, marshmallows, etc). In my experience, if they are placed at the top, they will shimmy and shake their way down your container, mixing your beautifully defined layers for you as you go! Not preferable for the striping effect.

Keep your ingredients separated and add to the jar individually, layering for color variation as you go. If you want the marshmallows to be given as a topper, consider placing only those at the top of the jar or placing them in a separate cello bag along with your instructions!

Create a personalized gift tag with instructions for use:

{Pour contents into mixing bowl and wisk ingredients together. Be sure to blend well so each cup has an equal flavoring of chocolaty goodness. To drink: Add 1/4 - 1/3 cup of blended mix to 8 oz. of boiling water. Stir until disolved and serve.

If you prefer, you can also add 1/4-1/3 cup of blended mix to 8 oz water and bring to a boil, stirring frequently (chocolate can burn fairly easily if you aren't careful). Reduce heat and serve.

To make multiple servings of hot chocolaty chocolate at the same time, boil the appropriate amount of water necessary for the total number of servings you will be making (8 oz of water per serving). Stir in 1/4-1/3 cup of blended mix until dissolved, reduce heat and serve.

Enjoy....}

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8 Holiday Projects and a Vision in Red

Submitted by RyTurner / The Design Confidential

A vision in red, these 8 holiday projects are stunning and sure to please even the pickiest of guests this season...

From Red Ornamented Trees and Monogrammed Berry Wreaths to Cranberry Sippers and Hot Chocolate Dippers, these projects have something special for everyone!

Sources

Projects and Inspiration:
1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 / 7 / 8

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The Accidental Harvest Fair and Butternut Squash Soup

Submitted by RyTurner / The Design Confidential

A couple of weeks ago we headed out to our local farmer's market to pick up produce for the week, and a few pumpkins to scatter around the house for the holidays.

Turns out our local farmers were having a Harvest Festival...

We weren't planning on that exactly, but of course once a 3 year old sees rides and cotton candy it's pretty much over...

Of course we made the best of it, and walked away with some fabulous ingredients for making the Roasted Butternut Squash Soup with Curried Condiments you see above. That alone made all of the impromptu sugar consumption well worth it!

For the Complete Recipe and Prep Instructions, click here!

I have never seen some of the Fair Attractions they had here... This bubble adventure seemed like it might be a tad scary for the wee ones, especially when it's time to get off the ride, but for an adult... wouldn't it be spectacular? What fun...

I suppose it pays to stay local every now and then!

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A Game Changing Recipe and The Raw Brownie

Submitted by RyTurner / The Design Confidential

I have always liked healthy foods. In fact I can eat like a rabbit and enjoy the heck out of it. I love me some raw vegetables...

But what's the deal with this raw diet. I get the general gist of it, with the idea that cooking foods draws out at least some portion of the nutrition, but eating everything in a cold state seems a tad hard to swallow for a lot of people, I imagine. Perhaps the pun was intended there? This doesn't really apply to me of course, since I MUCH prefer raw crunchy vegetables to cooked anyhow. But we are talking about the majority of people here I think.. or at least how something like a raw, vegan-ish diet might go over in a house like mine (or yours perhaps). I mean this is not something everyone can just pick up and embrace especially with a toddler, a husband, and currently a grandma (who prefers to eat at breakfast diners for all 3 meals of the day), all under one roof.

And what about meat? Are you a meat lover? I'm not quite certain I can say I'm a meat lover, though I feel like we eat quite a bit of it in my house.

Oh, but those poor poor animals... I have to put it out of my mind and live in ignorant bliss on this front. There are just no two ways about it if I ever plan to eat meat again. Fish... now fish are easier to eat without concern about animal rights and such. Not sure why exactly, but it's the truth. Too bad fish is generally expensive. That's not going to be a solution in this house anytime soon I guess.

Anyhow, I digress... and now I can't remember what my point was. Figures.

Well let's suffice to say that I feel the need for an increased focus on health and I sense that a change in diet is on the horizon. With 3 out of the 4 generations in my family all attempting to avoid starvation on a daily basis, we end up eating a lot of compromised meals.

Until about a week ago. And I gathered the courage to make this:

Are you ready? I'm about to change your life, just like holistic nutritionist and vegetarian chef, Sarah Britton changed mine.... Here we go...

The Raw Brownie

Folks, this is not a joke. Nor is it a test, or a trick question slash statement sort of thing. No, this is for real, and even my most picky grandma on the face of this planet ate her entire piece. The Entire Piece. She hasn't eaten all of something in the whole 2 months she's been with us. Not once. I have been starving her with 'normal' food, I suppose, for far too long. OR, it's that good. I think the latter is the correct answer.

My toddler.... at his entire piece. My husband, devoured it...and me, well I continue to eat an entire piece each morning with my coffee, cuz that's when anything chocolate tastes the best!

Can I get a yahoo?

Listen, I have NEVER even eaten a date, at least that I know of. But this fine slice of heaven with dates as the main ingredient instead of a bag of mix, tastes like a brownie. Seriously!

I'm never going back. Why would I? The true test was passed when the oldest and the youngest couldn't get enough of it (grandma and toddler).

Now I'm about to change your life again... ready?

It's good for you! Yes this brownie is healthy and will make you smarter. Yep, you will wake up the next morning and you will know your brain grew... made a few extra connections while you slept and dreamed of Medjool Dates and Walnuts dancing in your head.

Mmmmm.

Please, if you do one thing for yourself or your family today, or this week, go visit this page and try it for yourself. You will be so glad you did. When else will you be able to eat brownies and feel happy you did something amazing for your body and mind?

Hint: The answer to that last question is NEVER unless you try this recipe! Just sayin...

For Other Recipes, visit the Recipes Page under Celebrate.

Sources

Images and Recipe via: The Raw Brownie

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Peachy Keen Pizza in Under 30 Minutes

Submitted by RyTurner / The Design Confidential

I have made this pizza a few times now and thought I would share how fabulous it is with you guys! This recipe is modified a tad from one that Poppytalk shared a while back and is every bit as incredible as suggested on that post! I use the crust recipe from Everybody Likes Sandwiches, recommended by Poppytalk and yes, it's the easiest crust ever... it's just so fast! I add a few twists that make it a bit more healthy yet still super tasty and very quick to complete.

Happy 4th of July Weekend

Submitted by RyTurner / The Design Confidential

With this truly colorful and exciting holiday upon us, I thought it was only fitting to share some of the beautiful and delicious 4th of July ideas I have come across. If you need some last minute decorating ideas, or party planning inspiration...feast your eyes on this amazing spread of Red, White, & Blue!