Homage to Salted Caramel

So...have you hooked into the salted caramel trend??

I have.  Up to my ears and loving it.

I had my first taste of Salted Caramel in ice cream when we went to the Western and Southern Open Tennis Tournament down in Cinci this summer.  I cannot remember the brand, but it was divine.

Just the other week, my sister brought over 5 pints of Telneti gelato.  Two of them were salted caramel. I fell in love all over again.   She brought the extra pint of salted caramel for me to eat all by myself.  Which I unfortunately did, although I did stretch it out over 4 nights. So yummy.

I then found that Nonni's brand Biscotti had a new "Salted Caramel" flavor.  I picked up a box and kind of forget about them for a week or so.  I remembered them two nights ago and oh my goodness.  Fabulous and only 100 calories.  So it is a great little treat to help satisfy my evening sweet tooth.

Would love to hear your thoughts on salted caramel.  Have you tired it?  Love it or hate it?

Let me know.

Cards of the Week - Week 7

I got a couple more cards made last week.  I used the following sketch from CAS(E) this Sketch as my inspiration:

And here are my versions:

Again, my goal is to make two cards per week, using a variation on the same theme.  I'm also not buying any new supplies, so I have to use up all my existing stock.


Card 1:

Card 2:

I created the background for both cards by stamping directly onto the card front so that it appears to be paper.  I used crumb cake paper and ink from Stampin' Up.  I love monochromatic looks.

Thanks for checking in.  Have a great week.

And the Winner is...

For what it's worth, here's who I think should win tonight:

Best Picture:  Lincoln - This was the best film I saw this year.  Hands down.  And I don't care that Ben Affleck got snubbed, it doesn't make Argo the best picture of the year.

Best Actor:  Daniel Day Lewis - He was brilliant.

Best Actress:  Jennifer Lawrence - She was wonderful and real.  (Although I wouldn't be upset if Naomi Watts won.  I didn't see The Impossible, but from what I've read...she went through a lot for this performance.)

Best Supporting Actor:  Robert De Niro - He was great. (I also think Christoph Waltz could win.  Heck he still freaks me out since his performance in Inglourious Basterds)

Best Supporting Actress:  Ann Hathaway - She was amazing and brave in Les Mis.

Best Director:  Steven Spielberg

Best Cinematography:  Claudio Miranda (Life of Pi) - This film was so beautifully shot that it deserves a mention here.  I'm always a fan of great cinematography.

Sliver Linings Playbook Movie Review

Movie:  Silver Linings Playbook

Grade:  A+

With the Academy Awards coming up this week-end, I thought I better post my movie review of Silver Linings Playbook.  I always try to see as many of the nominated films as I can.  This doesn't always work out as there are certain films I just know I'm better off not seeing.  For example, I didn't see Zero Dark Thirty.  As much as I may want to see it, I know I'll never make it through the torture scenes.  It will disturb my sleep for weeks.

Also didn't see Django Unchained.  I did see Inglourious Basterds and that was enough for me.  I don't need to see the slavery version.  Just too much brutality.  I guess I will never make a real movie reviewer.

Back to the subject at hand, I loved Silver Linings Playbook.  It stood up to all the positive feedback I've been hearing.  Bradley Cooper is the best I've ever seen him.  Normally, I don't like his characters because he frequently plays the cheating or snarky "pretty boy".  Not here.  His character is damaged and struggling with some real mental health issues and he becomes this guy.  

Jennifer Lawrence is brilliant.  You kind of fall in love with her the moment she appears on screen.  She has a frenetic energy that just walks the line between crazy and completely wacko.

I thought the movie did a great job showing an intimate portrayal of a family.  As the story progresses, you really begin to understand Pat's (Cooper) evolution.  What starts out as off the wall crazy, becomes...almost logical.

I don't think I'm giving anything away to say that I just loved the final dance scene.  Both charming and hysterical.  I think I might have actually applauded.

And I shouldn't end this without mentioning De Niro.  He plays Pat's dad and he does an excellent jobs.  Probably not much of a surprise.

Thank you for this wonderful little movie.  I can never get enough of a good happy ending.

Card of the Week - Week 6

Again last week, I had to delay posting my card of the week due to needing to give it to my mom first.  I didn't want her to see her card before I gave it to her.

I used an inspiration from Muse.  This is a newer carding blog that I found through CAS(E) this Sketch.  It is now way past that design inspiration that I can't even link up anymore, but the idea worked out well.

Here was their card to use as inspiration:

Here was my version:

I had one random square envelope, so I made a card to fit it.  That fulfills my "use up existing inventory", but it also made it hard to made a 2nd version.  So there was only one card last week.  Will have to try harder this week.

Card of the Week - Week 5

I had these cards made last week, but couldn't post yet until I used the one for my Sweety's birthday.  He kindly reads my blog and I didn't want him to see it before I gave it to him.

Here was the inspiration sketch from CAS(E) this Sketch:

Here are my two interpretations:

Have a great week everyone.

Roasted Cauliflower...Yum

I know I've been a bit "missing" from the blog world lately.  Had a very busy week last week and a bit overwhelmed with learning my new job.

I did get a chance to make this roasted cauliflower last week and it was spectacular.  And this is from someone who hates cauliflower.  So trust me and try this.  It will surprise you.

Need to give credit here to the February Edition of Bon Appetit (for the recipe...not the photo)

Roasted Cauliflower

Preheat oven to 425. (I put mine in at 375 as I was also baking a meatloaf and it worked just fine)

Cut up 1 head of cauliflower into florets.  Toss on a rimmed baking sheet with 1 sliced medium onion, 4 sprigs of thyme, 4 unpeeled garlic cloves and 3 Tbsp. olive oil.  Season with salt and pepper.  Roast, tossing occasional, until tender 35-40 minutes.  (I like my florets on the smaller size, so it only took about 30 minutes to get to tender.)  Sprinkle with 1/2 cup grated Parmesan and roast another 10 minutes.  Remove the thyme sprigs and garlic.  Serve.

Makes 4 servings.

Sorry for the crappy picture, but lighting in my house in the evening is terrible for photography.  One of these days I need to take a "how to photograph food class".