brew, ferment, bottle, enjoy

This weekend Zach & I FINALLY used the brew kit from {Craft a Brew}that I got him in SEPTEMBER, I have no idea why it took us so long to use it!!!!!!
The kit is reasonably priced, filled with everything you need & has super simple step by step directions to follow!!!
It was so fun!!!
I was mistaken when I thought it was going to be ready to drink the day we made it... but I had obviously forgotten the important step of fermenting!!!
But in a couple of weeks it will be ready to bottle & enjoy!!!
{the anticipation is killing me}

treasures of {Phoenix}

Please excuse the iphone photos!
One of my most favorite places in Phoenix to go is 7th Ave where you can find all of the best antique shops as well as the BEST coffee shop {Copper Star Coffee} you have to try their blended carmel, mmmm my mouth is watering now!!!
One of the antique shops, {Rust and Roses} has an AMAZING, vintage, miniature silver bullet trailer which they have decorated like a magical, gypsy hideaway!
It is the definition of perfection!

comfort foods {hamburger rollup & pan gravy}

Yum, yum, yum! I consider my favorite food to be a catagory rather than a specific food (that's how I get around the "what's your favorite ____ ?" How can you ever pick just one thing, so... I categorize my picks) COMFORT FOOD! that's my favorite type of foods... or doughnuts. ANYWAYS...

Hamburger rollups are so simple, so easy... & SO DELICIOUS! (it's basically biscuits & gravy) My mom learned of this masterpiece in her home economics class in high school!

What you'll need...

Hamburger Rollup:
bisquick (follow the bisquits recipe x2)
milk
roughly 1 pound ground hamburger (or turkey... for all you turkeys)
1 pound sausage (I use the jimmy dean premium pork sausage regular)
flour
seasonings of your choice

Gravy:
grease from cooked sausage & hamburger
flour
milk
seasonings of your choice

How To:

• Preheat oven to 350
• Brown sausage & hamburger together - season if you'd like! I just do plan ol salt & pepper!
• Follow bisquick recpipe on box for bisquits (double it), roll dough out onto a cutting board or just your counter in whatever form you find easiest to roll (I do as close to a rectangle as I can)
• Once your meat is cooked & dough is rolled out, top the meat onto the dough, roll! 
• Pop in the oven for about 30 minutes! (if the top starts to get too brown throw some tin foil over your rollup)

• Homemade gravy time!
• To make a roux for pan gravy all you do is heat the leftover grease until you seem bubble (medium heat - high) sprinkle flour, mix... repeat! 
• Add milk (while stirring - your wrists will get a workout) 
• Repeat this process until you have as much gravy as you'd like!!!
• Add all your yummy seasonings again I just use salt & pepper... maybe some onion & garlic powder!

Pull your hamburger rollup outta the oven, cut that thing open and see all the yummy meat & dough in a pretty marble pattern, drench it in gravy & enjoy! 

no bake cookies

Yum, yum, yum, yum!
I was always so happy to see my momma in the kitchen, she's an amazing cook & a pretty dang good baker!
I give her, my grandmother OH & not to mention Mrs. P & Hattie all the credit for my abilities in the kitchen!
These are so simple & fast, the only thing that can happen is the chocolate not setting and you end up with gooey cookies, which I am fine with if that happens!

Recipe:

Ingredients:
2 cups sugar
4 tablespoons coco
1 stick butter
1/2 cup milk
1 tablespoon vanilla
3 cups of oatmeal (quick oats)

Extras:
wax paper

Bring sugar, coco, butter & milk to a boil (in a saucepan) for 2 minute!
Add vanilla & oatmeal until mixed together (while still boiling)
Have a piece of wax paper ready for you to drop that delicious mixture onto in spoonfuls... be careful during this step, DO NOT test the mixture, or you'll eat it all!
Enjoy!

Spring cleaning? spring ORGANIZING!!!

There once lived a little girl who grew up with a HOUSE full of hoarders!
Now I love them dearly, but my entire family has an extremely difficult time "getting rid" of things, which I think is great... with a hint of awful!
Because I now have the hoarding gene, which leads me to keeping EVERYTHING as in... ticket stubs, souvenirs, old clothes, just everything & anything, I just have a better way of hiding & organizing these hoarded items!
I am good at the occasional throw away spree when I get the courage to just literally throw it all away, but that does not happen often!
I finally have time this week & next to do an ENTIRE apartment organization take over... focused solely on all of my holiday & crafting "junk" time for it all to find a cute little home!
Today, I started on my pantry... say hello to these super cute jars, only around 10 bucks for all 3! You can find them at Wal Mart & Target! Or Goodwill I am sure, but today I did not have the patience to take a trip there!