cinnamon brownies

Close your eyes. But open them actually, so you can read this... just squint. Imagine a cold evening. Your oven is on, heating the kitchen (and your cold toes), 
and the smell of brownies is dancing through the air. You pull them out. they're hot! But you dig in anyway. You may burn your tongue, but it's all worth it. Nothing beats straight-from-the-oven brownies....am I right?? 
Brownies always

brrrrrr......

We are back!  How was your Thanksgiving? Did you stuff yourselves beyond consciousness? I am still not even a bit hungry.....but I think I'm  having mashed potato withdrawals. 
We traveled to Montana this year for Thanksgiving. Barely made it there alive. Although I do tend to be a bit dramatic. The night before we left, the temperature at my parents house was -27°F. MINUS!!By the time we arrived

White winter dessert table!

Här kommer några bilder (ok, väldigt många) på mitt senaste dessertbord. Jag blev inspirerad till att göra det när jag köpte en gammal stol som jag målade och klädde om. Egentligen har jag inte alls haft tid, men det är ju det roligaste som finns så det gick inte att låta bli! Jag tänkte även bjuda på en bild på mig själv för er som inte vet hur jag ser ut. Glöm inte att delta i adventstävlingen som avslutas idag. Hoppas att alla har en underbar första advent!

Jessica's Birthday

My best friend Jessica hit a milestone.
She turned 31.
So instead of a "baby" cake..I made her a beautiful, whimsical *cake" -- with an edge.
Because that's Jessica-Beautiful, Sweet, Many Layers--a woman with an awe inspiring edge.
Kinda like when you stand on the edge of the Grand Canyon.
You have no idea of all the intricately beautiful details God made until you see for yourself. :)

Cowboy "Woody" Cupcakes!

First of all..can I just say that finding anything "cake decorating" involving Woody from Toy Story is pretty much impossible? Unless of course you want the cupcakes to look like you could buy them from the grocery store..which is not what I (Amanda Cupcake) am all about.  (You know, buying the little already made sugar decorations or flags on toothpicks..)

How I got inspired for a little (but growing quickly) boy named Isaac's cowboy themed birthday:

1.  Isaac's mom~Leah was throwing Isaac a cowboy themed birthday party. She said that Isaac loved Woody from Toy Story, so of course I wanted to make Isaac's cupcake dreams come true..

2.  Watched Toy Story 3. Laughed, Cried, Loved it. Felt inspired.

3.  Looked online for Woody stuff..templates..molds..anything? I found a Buzz Lightyear cookie cutter for $99! I think not ;) Besides, Buzz wasn't the man I was looking for!

4. Studied Woody's clothing and whole look.

And this is what I ended up making with my own two (very clean) hands!

 Cow Prints & Bandanas to match Woody's clothes :)

 Plaid Prints to match Woody's shirts, chocolate cowboy boots,

 fondant cowboy hats, fondant sheriff badges!

 I made chocolate cowboy hats for some of the cupcakes :)

 Woody's face out of fondant..

Clouds to match the Toy Story Theme!

And this is the whole ensemble....

p.s. the cupcakes were chocolate with a secret m&m inside the middle to surprise & delight the little ones!

days twenty three and twenty four

warm and toasty.
I am thankful for everything we have to make us so comfortable.We all live such blessed lives, wouldn't you agree?Thankful for our homes and everything in them.Thankful for crisp, clean sheets. Thankful for toothbrushes because, well, you know.Thankful for our cars that take us places so we can spend time with our favorite people.Thankful for hot showers, washers and dryers, and

New Sponsor: Linnea Paulina Photography!

Please be sure to stop by Linnea's cute blog to say hello!She is a photographer based out of Houston....but frequents Portland--so all you Oregonians (is that a word?) can have a chance to meet her too! Photography is my passion.  It is something I practice every day, something that keeps me dreaming before I fall asleep at night.  I surround myself with happy, bright, and beautiful pictures –

Roasted Tomato Peasant Soup

A few months back Robby and I were up way too late glued to the Food Network. We were watching "The Best Thing I Ever Ate"....have you seen that show?? All your favorite chef's from the Food Network talking about their favorite foods. It's pure torture I tell you.
Ina Garten, aka the Barefoot Contessa, talked about her favorite grilled cheese sandwich from E.A.T. in New York. As good as the

New Sponsor: Little Penelope Lane!

Drummrolllllllllll......It's The Little Red House's First official Sponsor!
Say hello to Little Penelope Lane !
 Head over to the blog check out the super cute hair wraps (and say hi to sarah....she is the sweetest)

Comfortable cotton fabric adorned with two frayed rosettes is the new look at Penelope Lane!
These easy to wear wraps are perfect for all ages!
One size fits all, as they simply tie

day twenty two

I am thankful for spur of the moment date nights!!I am thankful for AWESOME FRIENDS who take our kids into the wee hours of the morning so we can go watch Harry Potter late Friday  night.I am thankful for mint m&ms.......best movie snack ever!And I will say it, I am thankful for Harry Potter. It's true, I loved it!
Best HP movie yet--so entertaining and very well done.
I am so thankful we only

Adventstävling!

Nu är det dags för en liten tävling igen! Till första advent lottar jag ut ett set med cups (amerikanska mått) och underbara muffinsformar som passar perfekt till kommande julbak. Allt du behöver göra är att kommentera på detta inlägget och säga att du vill vara med, samt gå med i min facebook-grupp (om du inte redan är med vill säga, länken finns i menyn till höger) om du har facebook. Glöm inte lämna namn och något sätt jag kan kontakta dig på (email eller länk till blogg/hemsida) om du har turen att vinna! Tävlingen avslutas första advent, alltså på söndag 28:e November kl 23:59. Kort därefter drar jag en vinnare.
Lycka till!

Tävlingen är avslutad!

days twenty and twenty one, and some little letters from over the weekend

I am thankful for Saturdays.I am thankful for Sundays.
Dear Weekend,
     I love you.

Dear Sleeping In,
     I have missed you so much. I'm glad we could reunite....if only for a moment.

Dear Robby and Children,
     I love when none of you have school!! I love eating dinner together, and watching movies snuggled on the couch. Who needs school.....you should just stay home with me.

Dear Wind,

Pepper Jelly

"Thanksgiving Day comes, by statute, once a year; to the honest man it comes as frequently as the heart of gratitude will allow." -Edward Standford Martin

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This post is 3rd in a series, Handmade Holiday Gifts.

I'm up to it again, making jams and jellies! I don't usually make savory jellies, so this is unusual for me, but wonderful. I had some peppers left over from something, so I put them to work in this tangy, spicy, sweet jelly. The great thing about this is if you make it in the little 4 oz. wide mouth jars, it makes it the perfect size for opening up and using immediately with some cream cheese and crackers as an appetizer. So it really does make a great gift, hostess, or otherwise. Something else makes this a great gift, it's beauty. It's very colorful and pretty. I used yellow and orange bell peppers along with red jalapenos to stick with colors that worked well together. You can also go with green, using green bell peppers and green jalapenos.

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I'm not even a fan of peppers so much. But I am a fan of this jelly, because I love the combination of flavors. A little heat, and the tang from the vinegar is irresistible. You can adjust the heat as you like it, it is quite flexible.

I also like the versatility of this jelly. Sure you can use it as I did, spread on top of some soft cheese on a cracker, very delicious. Or even mix the cheese with the jelly as a spread. On a sandwich would be equally amazing.

Colorful Pepper Jelly
adapted from "Autumn in the Country" a Gooseberry Patch book

1 cup bell peppers, your choice of colors, minced small
1/2 cup chopped jalapeno peppers, minced small (I left a few seeds in a few, for a little heat. If you don't like things spicy, don't use any seeds.) Oh, and use some gloves when handling them.
red pepper flakes (optional, if needed)
1 1/2 cups cider vinegar
5 cups sugar
6 oz package liquid pectin
canning jars (this recipe makes 5 0r 6, 8 oz jars)

Combine peppers, sugar and vinegar in a large stockpot over medium, high heat. Bring to a rolling boil. Boil for 3-4 minutes. Remove from heat. Add pectin, stirring constantly. Let mixture stand for 2 minutes.

Take a spoonful in a small bowl and put it in the fridge for a few minutes to cool. When it's cool enough, taste it. If it's not spicy enough, you can add some red pepper flakes.

Pour into hot, sterilized jars, leaving 1/4 inch head space. Wipe rims; secure lids and rings. Process in a boiling water bath for 15 minutes. Remove from heat and leave them in the water for 15 minutes. Remove jars from pot, set jars on towel to cool. Check for seals.

*edited to add* I forgot to mention, the pepper pieces will rise to the top, to get the peppers throughout the jelly, shake up the jars periodically while they are cooling.

*Note* Liquid pectin and powdered pectin are not interchangeable. The recipe would need to be altered to use powdered.

Instructions for using the boiling water canning method

31 Ways to Eat Pepper Jelly

Thirteen going on 30!

My friend Jennifer and I used to dance to New Kids On The Block in my living room when we were thirteen. This is when I thought I was going to marry Joey.  Jennifer and several other of my friends would fight over Jordan.  And Donnie was the bad boy. 
It doesn't even seem that long ago.

I realized how long ago it was when Jennifer contacted me to create cupcakes for *her daughter* (Ana) that was turning thirteen! Gasp!

Feeling nostalgic, I whipped up the sparkly pretty dreamy cupcakes I would only dream of seeing before my eyes on my thirteenth birthday..for Ana.

The best part...the newly thirteen year old Ana called me in the midst of her party to tell me how much she loved the cupcakes!  I guess my inner 13 year old is still very much alive!

YOU in the little red house

I love ads. Especially old ads. Ads that convince you right here, right now, you NEED that product.
like this one, promoting sugar over an apple. awesome.
"just slosh it on in the shower....." what? is there no better word than slosh?But I have never seen a mustache shine quite like that.
How can you not love something called Rinso!! The name itself has me sold. Although the angry mob of

day nineteen

spoon + pb + chocolate chips


I am thankful for simple luxuries. When 4 o'clock rolls around....this is my luxury.Saturday mornings with no alarm.An extra five minutes in the (extra hot) shower.Listening to my kids talk in their sleep.Reading a magazine while I eat my lunch.
simple things.....are sometimes my favorite things.

What are your simple luxuries?

Cardamom coffee macarons!

Något jag verkligen tycker om är kardemummakaffe. Därför tänkte jag att det också borde fungera bra i en macaron. Och det gjorde det. Det här är ett recept jag verkligen kan rekommendera, särskilt nu när det börjar närma sig jul! De här macaronsen är nog bland de godaste jag gjort, och jag vet att de kommer vara ännu godare imorgon när de har legat i kylen en stund! Vill man ha starkare smak av kardemumma kan man tillsätta 1/2-1 tsk malen kardemumma i smörkrämen.

Cardamom coffee macarons!
ca 25-30 st

•100 gram skållade och malda mandlar
•110 gram äggvita (ca 3 äggvitor) som har stått framme i rumstemperatur ett dygn, täckt med plastfolie
•4-5 matskedar socker
•200 gram florsocker
•1 tsk kardemumma
•2 msk malet snabbkaffepulver

1. Finmal den skållade mandeln i en mixer. Sila mandeln så att de stora bitarna försvinner. Blanda med florsockret och snabbkaffepulvret och kör gärna alltihop en extra gång i mixern.

2. Vispa äggvitan med elvisp i en annan skål. När äggvitan börjar skumma, tillsätt sockret försiktigt, en matsked i taget. Fortsätt vispa tills marängen är tjock, fast och glansig.

3. Häll försiktigt i mandelblandningen i marängen och rör med en slickepott. Smeten ska inte vara för hård och inte för lös. Vill du prova om smeten har bra konsistens, klicka ut lite på ett bakplåtspapper. Klicken ska sjunka ut och få en slät yta, är den toppig så rör lite till i smeten.

4. Fyll en spritspåse med rund tyll och spritsa ut små klickar på ett bakplåtspapper. Låt dem vila minst en timme på plåten, så att de bildar ett "skinn" på ytan. Känn försiktigt på ytan för att se att de inte är kladdiga.

5. Värm ugnen till 150°C. Grädda ca 10-12 minuter. Låt svalna och ta försiktigt bort dem från bakplåtspappret.

6. Spritsa eller klicka ut fyllningen på kakorna och sätt ihop dem två och två. Förvara dem i en lufttät burk i kylskåp

Coffee Swiss Meringue Buttercream
Det här receptet passar även utmärkt till cupcakes, men gör då en dubbel sats.

•2 stora äggvitor
•90 gram socker
•110 gram rumstempererat smör
•1 tsk vaniljextrakt
•2 msk snabbkaffepulver + 1 msk vatten

1. Koka upp lite vatten och blanda 1 msk av det varma vattnet med 2 msk snabbkaffepulver. Låt svalna, gärna i kylskåp.
2. Häll äggvitor och socker i en värmetålig skål, ställ i vattenbad på spisen. Vattnet i kastrullen ska sjuda.
3. Vispa hela tiden med en handvisp, tills blandningen blir cirka 65 grader. Ta genast bort från värmen.
4. Vispa blandningen med elvisp eller med hjälp av en köksassistent tills blandningen är fluffig och vit, som en marängsmet. Vispa tills blandningen är sval, vilket kan ta upp till 10 minuter.
5. Tillsätt sedan smöret, en liten bit i taget. Efter allt smör är tillsatt, vispa cirka 3 minuter.
6. Tillsätt vaniljextrakt och kaffe och vispa ett par minuter tills frostingen är slät.

day eighteen

I am thankful, SO THANKFUL, that I get to be home with my kids all day.I love it. I love watching every little bit of their day (the good and the bad:)I am so thankful for the fun we have playing, cooking, and creating together. 
I love how the sun comes through the window at the end of the day, and turns the insides of our old house pink and gold. The kids fight over who gets to sit in the

day seventeen

I am thankful for good food. I am thankful for others who share their talents and love for food. I am thankful for good books.
This summer I read Barbara Kingsolver's Animal Vegetable Miracle
One of the best books I have ever read. Ever. 
The author (Barbara Kingsolver, or Babs as I might call her if we were neighbors), and her family move from Arizona to a small farm in Virginia. For one year

day sixteen

on the wall outside my dr.s office. "I beat lyme & so can you!"
I am feeling very thankful today.



I am thankful for amazingly smart (borderline genius?) doctors who listen. Really listen. And get it. And have a good sense of humor. Because that is very important, you know.I am thankful that after almost 2 full years of wandering, we found him.
I am so excited (and he is so excited), we feel

Thanksgiving

"Thanksgiving is the holiday of peace, the celebration of work and the simple life...a true folk-festival that speaks the poetry of the turn of the seasons, the beauty of seedtime and harvest, the ripe product of the year-and the deep, deep connection of all these things with God.

-Ray Stannard Baker (David Grayson)

I've been making Thanksgiving and fall wreaths, here are a few, the above picture isn't the best, and you can't see the wreath so great, but heck, I love it and had to post it anyway. I tried and tried to get a good picture but with the light behind it, oh well, you get the idea.

The wreath in the kitchen

I wanted to share some links to my favorite Thanksgiving recipes. Only the tried and true.


Let's talk yams, I think they're my favorite part. I like a riff of the old marshmallow kind, sweet.

I like them so much I make 2 kinds. Last year I made 2 types to try a differernt recipe while being able to enjoy a kind I know I really like. I didn't want to be dissapointed if the new recipe didn't deliver. I'm so glad I did! The "new" recipe is one that's pureed with coconut milk. I think my guests liked that one better actually. I really liked it myself, but I can't choose a favorite, so 2 yam dishes it is again this year!

Sweet Potato Coconut Puree-I'm going to add a coconut/pecan topping to this.

Whipped Sweet Potatoes with Brown Sugar-Pecan Topping, (there are also cornflakes in the topping which really makes this yummy) This is my favorite recipe I've made the last few years.

Stuffing, also a favorite. O.K. it's all my favorite, not really. Not the turkey. Don't love it but when covered in gravy and cranberry sauce, it's good enough.

I like my stuffing old fashioned and full of fresh sage. This one delivers. Although I do double the amount of fresh sage to this recipe.

Sage Stuffing-like I mention, I double the sage.

The front door with my pumpkins, which I still have a good bunch left. Yay for me!

Cranberry sauce, also something I love. I like the tangy tartness along with the mashed potatoes, stuffing and turkey. It's so easy to make your own, and so worth it. This one features port wine and tangerines, I made this last year and loved it.

Cranberry Sauce with Port Wine and Tangerines

And for the grand finale? This cinnamon ice cream goes with whatever I make each year.

Last year it was Pumpkin Pecan Pie with Whiskey Butter Sauce. This was really delicious. The whiskey butter sauce is amazing. That's why this year I will make Pumpkin Bread Pudding with that whiskey butter sauce. And an apple pie with a caramel sauce, served with the cinnamon ice cream of course!

Happy Thanksgiving!