Indian Butter Chicken

 I am writing this post on a boat. No, really, I am.

Dad finally broke out the pontoon boat which has been stored in our barn for two years, and I'm now working on my blog in the middle of a beautiful lake, surrounded by flocking geese and lily pads, the sun just beginning to touch the tree-line.
 My younger siblings are perched precariously on the edge of the boat, dipping the tips of their toes in the warm-ish water.
 And I've got a beer in my hand. Could this night get any better??
 Oh yes, It could. With...

How to make professional flower crowns

So this is my sister, and as you might be able to tell from this picture, she really did not feel like modeling for me. I only got one shot of her before she stormed off. It was probably my fault. I can be pretty demanding when it comes to my photo shoots. 

So what's the big secret to making flower crowns look professional?
Attaching flowers to a headband seems pretty straightforward, right? WRONG. It can turn out looking really... well.. Stupid. I know, I've experim

Triple Chocolate Zucchini Cake

  I was desperate. The Chocolate Cravings came upon me in the dead of the night. 10:45 pm. Every decent person should be in bed. It was no use. I needed something gooey and chocolate-y or I would never be able to sleep.
 The problem was, I knew I didn't deserve a chocolate treat. I didn't even eat my veggies that day. If one of my siblings came downstairs for a drink of water, how would I justify making Triple Chocolate Cake??
 Then it hit me. That huge zucchini I had gotten at the Farmer's Market... that should do just fine....

  Now I could gorge on chocolate cake while still getting a full serving of vegetables. It was the perfect plan. No one could look down on me with shame. No! I would be looked at in awe, and jealousy! And I would have an entire cake to myself!

 ...Alas... There was one fatal hole in my plan....



 The children were awake, and scavenging the house for food like so many vultures. And before I could even frost my fluffy, gooey, chocolate zucchini heaven, my little vulture took for himself the greatest piece in all the land.
  "No matter, no matter," I thought to myself, "I will simply fill in the hole with frosting."
  It was not to be, however, for a moment looking away to swat a fly off my toe cost me another 5 or 10 pieces of cake.
  "GUYS," I sobbed, "I HAVEN'T EVEN FROSTED IT."
 Well they did not care. They munched and gorged until half the cake was gone.
 No matter. I frosted half the cake with double the frosting, and enjoyed it all the more.

Triple Chocolate Zucchini Cake

Cake:
1/2 Cup Butter, melted
1 Cup Veggie Oil
3 Cups Zucchini (Shredded)
6 Eggs
1 Tablespoon Vanilla
3 Cups Sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons Salt
1 Tablespoon Baking Powder
1 1/2 teaspoons Cinnamon
1 Cup Dutch Processed Coco Powder
2 Cups Flour (I used a gluten free all-purpose so my dad could eat it. I actually think it tastes better gluten free, and usually I hate gluten free! So I suggest gluten-free flour for best results)
1 Cup Dark Chocolate Chips

For the frosting:

1/2 Cup Shortening
1/2 Cup Butter 

2/3 Cup Dutch Processed Coco Powder
4 Cups Powdered Sugar



What you will do:


Preheat the oven to 350 degrees
Shred Zucchini until you reach seeds
Mix together zucchini, sugar, eggs, oil, and vanilla.
In separate bowl whisk together dry ingredients and gradually stir into wet ingredients. Fold in chocolate chips.
Grease a 9 by 13 dish and line with parchment paper.
Bake for 1 hour, or until toothpick comes out clean or with a few crumbs

While cake is baking beat together butter and shortening, then add powdered sugar and coco powder 1/2 a cup at a time until desired thickness.Let cake cool and then frost.
Devour.

DIY Vintage Lace Walets

Guys! I am SO excited. No, not just about these adorable, easy-to-make, vintage lace wallets. although I'm also very excited about those....



 But I'm also very excited because my little town has a craft show every Thursday at a little park with a little fountain at the center. It's real nifty. You can sell anything from hot dogs, to homemade earrings. And guess who's going to be setting up there very own booth there from now on? Yup. Yours truly.
 I'm definitely going to include some of these lace wallets in my merchandise. They're so easy to make, and they look expensive. I know I feel like a ritzy rich girl when I flip mine out onto the counter. Although the feeling is neutralized when I'm buying bologna at Walmart... But I try to live in the fantasy of the fancy wallet girl as long as I can...

 Now without further ado, let me give you some simple instructions.... 

 Start out with a wallet. I find really beautiful ones at thrift stores. That's where I found all of these. And they cost like 25 cents.
Pin lace trim to the edge.
 

 Hand sew, use machine, or even glue.



There you have it. Easy as pumpkin pie.

I use it for my checkbook :) It somehow makes spending money less sad...

Especially if you use a sewing machine like I did, this baby is super durable.

 For my change purse I used an old lace dress. I cut it to the size of the purse...

Then smother it with super glue. Carefully press the lace on and wait for it to dry!

Elegant, dainty.

 I know it's a change purse, but I keep bills in it too. I hope you have fun making one! I know I did. It's also a really easy gift! Okay, bye.

Home Made Pickles

 Salty dill, bursts of flavor in every single bite, laid on a juicy burger, mixed into potato salad, eaten strait from the jar with a fork. There's nothing better than a pickle.
 I thought the store bought pickles we always got were the best thing ever invented, a crunchy bite of heaven. Now I won't touch them. They taste like sticks marinated in vinegar to me now. These homemade pickles instilled in me a snobbery I never dreamed I'd have. I am now a pickle snob. 

So now I've warned you. There's no going back, so don't try. They're easy and much less expensive. So why would you ever go back?

What you will you will need:
1 large mason jar with lid (Cleaned well)
About 7 Pickling Cucumbers
2 Cloves of Garlic
Several Sprigs of fresh Dill
1/2 White Onion

2 Tablespoons Sugar
1 Tablespoon + 1 teaspoon Garlic Salt
1 Cup Vinegar
2 Cups Water

What you will you will need:
1 large mason jar with lid (Cleaned well)
About 7 Pickling Cucumbers
2 Cloves of Garlic
Several Sprigs of fresh Dill
1/2 White Onion

2 Tablespoons Sugar
1 Tablespoon + 1 teaspoon Garlic Salt
1 Cup Vinegar
2 Cups Water

What you will do:
Put vinegar, salt, and sugar in mason jar and shake around like you're dancing at swing club

Add water, dill, sliced onion and garlic, shake again.
Add the cucumbers and screw lid on tightly.
Refrigerate (Wait at least a day before eating them if you can. I know it's hard...)

Now these guys will last 1 or 2 months in the fridge. But they'll never last that long, you'll eat them long before that. I don't even know why I told you how long they last. It's totally useless information.

Enjoy......

Easy! Hanging Mason Jar

  I've been so busy lately, so dreadfully, dreadfully busy, that on the day of my dear, sweet grandmother's birthday, all I had time to do was make her a card. No present. After all the things she's done for me, the things she's given me, the times she gave me M&M's in my crib to make me take a nap, I couldn't give her a birthday present.
  Feeling tremendously guilty, after all the things she's done for me, the next day (Okay, maybe it was two days later), I set out to create a birthday present that would hopefully make up for my lack of preparedness. 

Goal achieved, I think.

Mini-sideways Plant

 My mom, grandmother, and I went to a local garden show this Saturday. And this teeny, tiny flower caught my eye. I asked the lady selling them what kind of plant it was, and she told me. But being the absent minded pe

German Basil Lemon Sauce Chicken Parm Pasta

 My ten-year-old brother, Luke. Tens years old. Yes, it was his idea.
 Well, the German Basil and the Lemon Sauce was me, but seriously. Chicken parmesan pasta? How many ten-year-olds even know what that is?
  My little ten-year-old brother chopped and fried the chicken, followed my directions for the sauce, I mean, come on. That's pretty cool. And if a ten-year-old can cook, my friends, so can you.

Step by step, Earring Display Dreamcatcher

Welcome to the world of Thread and Butter. My world. A world where whenever you need something, you don't buy it, you make it. I wanted a dream catcher that I could hang my earrings on so they don't get lost (Because th

Momma James Quick Rise Garlic Dinner Rolls

  These are the PERFECT dinner rolls. I've searched and searched, but I needed not look any farther than my dearest, one of my oldest friends known as Momma James. She is the master of dinner rolls (among her numerous claims to fame), and I couldn't think of a better way to make rolls than how she does. Okay, I may have tweaked it a little, but the genius of these wonders all lies in the brain of my dear friend.

 So fluffy, so salty with a hint of comforting sweetness. The egg wash on the top just gives it the most delightful crunch during the first second of the bite, then you sink your teeth into the savory sensations of bliss within.
  I positively dip them into butter and I really don't think anything can beat these wonderful, beautiful rolls.
  This particular batch I made for my lovely Grandmother's birthday! They're her favorite treat that I make, and I can't disagree... She actually was put off when she heard I was going to post them. She would rather the secret recipe be kept in my hands so that she was the only one in the world to benefit from its magnificence. But I have to share it with the w

What you will need:
1 1/2 Cup milk, warmed on high for 1 minute in the microwave
2 Scant Tablespoons of Active Dry Yeast
1/4 Cup Olive Oil 

3 Tablespoons Sugar
1 Teaspoon Garlic Salt
1/2 teaspoon of Rosemary
1/2 teaspoon Thyme
1 teaspoon Minced, Dried Onions
1/4 teaspoon Dill
4 Cups Flour 

What you will do:
Preheat oven to 370 degrees
Warm milk in microwave. If you dip your finger in and find it uncomfortably hot, let cool until your finger can rest in it comfortably
Whisk in yeast with a fork, let sit for three minutes
Stir in oil, sugar, and seasonings
In a stand mixer with a dough hook, add flour 1/2 Cup at a time
Mix on high for 3 minutes
Let rise in bowl with wet cloth over dough for 15 minutes
Form dough into knots and place on greased cookie sheet
Bake 10-15 minutes or until bottoms are golden brown
Serve with mountains of butter. Forget cholesterol. 

 ENJOY! 

DIY Whimsical Nightlight

  As I was taking pictures of this little fairy nightlight, my mom shouts out the command that I must make one for her. A few minutes later my sister orders one as well. So I guess I'll have to go back to the craft store...

 Oh, I didn't make this for me! I'm not afraid of the dark............................... Most of the time...

 Whimsical Nightlight

What you will need:
Clear Ornament (Glass or plastic)
String of Rice Lights (Otherwise known as: Fairy Lights, small bulb string of lights), battery powered
3 Double A Batteries
Ornament Stand
Small box (Thin, wide as ornament stand)

What you will do:
Using the tiny screw that the rice lights should come with, insert the batteries.

Slowly push the string of lights into the bulb leaving about 6 inches so you can place battery  hidden from view.

 Push bulb top over string coming out of the top, hang on ornament stand. Hide battery pack under a thin, wide box and place the nightlight on top. Happy sleeping!

DIY Air Fresheners

If your car smells anything like ours do, these might be a good idea...



I got the idea for them when I saw these beautiful jewelry bags at a craft store.

Stamp on the name of the herb or spice

Fill the bag with something sweet 

Hang in your cars, stuff in your shoes, or slip it into your sock drawer and enjoy the fragrance and cuteness

Independence Day Cake Balls!

Hope you are all having a wonderful Independence Day Weekend! As I said I'm serving my Cookie Dough Cake Balls today for a BBQ with friends. Luckily I hadn't finished coating all of them with chocolate and white pearls before I realized I was missing out on a very festive opportunity... 

If you really want to amaze your friends, use the instructions to make a cake pop stand

So click HERE and get directions for cake pops and stand, and get your Independence on!