Crock Pot Pulled Pork

I'm pretty sure that pulled pork is one of the most delicious foods I can think of. And making it in the crock pot is wicked easy. Let me tell you all about it. (Check out the original recipe here.)

Ingredients: boneless pork shoulder roast, about 2 1/2 to 3 pounds, 1 cup chopped onion, 1 bottle (12 ounces) barbecue sauce, your favorite, 3 to 4 tablespoons honey, or to taste, pickles, sandwich rolls

Directions: Place pork roast in a lightly greased 3 1/2 to 5-quart slow cooker. Combine onion, barbecue sauce, and honey; pour over roast. Cover and cook on LOW setting for 7 to 9 hours. Serve on buns, topped with pickles. Mmmmm....

Gel Nail Stickers

I was at the mall recently and ran into one of the accessory stores. I saw these gel nail stickers and decided to try them out.

I can't say that I totally loved them. They didn't stay on my nails very long and not all the stickers had flowers on there. If they'd stayed on better and if I'd had a coat of color underneath them, they would have been better. But while they lasted, they were kind of cute!

Guess who's being featured?

Have you seen Tatertots and Jello? It's probably one of the best crafty sites I've ever seen. And Jen over at Tatertots and Jello recently featured the key lime cheesecake I posted for you all. Go check it out along with all the other really amazing stuff Jen has up over there!

Key Lime Cheesecake

Are you ready to start drooling?

This is probably the best thing you will ever put in your mouth. And I'm gonna tell you how to make it. Huzzah! (Check out the original recipe here)
Ingredients: 1 3/4 cups graham cracker crumbs, 5 tablespoons melted butter, 3 (8 ounce) packages softened cream cheese, 1 cup sugar, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, 6 tablespoons key lime juice, 3 eggs, 2 tablespoons sour cream
Directions: Leave the cream cheese and eggs on the counter overnight to come to room temperature. Trust me, this is a key step. Room temp is essential.

Stick the graham crackers in a food processor and grind until all are in crumbs. Add butter and mix. Put in the bottom of an 8 inch spring form pan and press down. Bake at 350 for 5 minutes; set aside.

In large mixing bowl, combine cream cheese and sugar, beating until smooth. Add vanilla and key lime juice and mix thoroughly. Add eggs, one at a time, beating until just combined after each egg. Gently mix in sour cream. Pour mix into a greased spring form pan.

Bake at 350 for 40-45 minutes (cheesecake should still jiggle a little in the center). When baking, put a pan of water on the bottom rack of the oven to create a steam bath for the oven. After the 40-45 minutes, turn the oven off and crack the oven door open about 4 inches and leave the cake in there for 30 minutes. Remove cheesecake from oven and cool to room temperature on wire rack. Refrigerate several hours before serving.

When removing from the spring form pan, you may find it easier to transfer the bottom of the pan to your hand and slide the side down along your arm rather than up over the top of the cake. I recommend decorating with several dollops of whipped cream and slices of key lime.Isn't it pretty? And I promise it tastes just as good as it looks.

Look what you did!

You are all up to such cute stuff - where do I begin?

#1 Make a maxi dress at @ Second Street

I can't wait to try this out! So cute!


#2 Make easy Parmesan knots at Chef in Training


Are you drooling yet? I know I am!


#3 Make a DIY "read" sign at Onesie Twosie

Seriously, I think I'm making this today. Love it!


#4 Make personalized wedding gifts at Clean & Scentsible

These are just so cute and I am just loving this idea. I might just make one for me!

#5 Make beautiful canvas art at Apothecary Home

I just can't get over how beautiful this is. I mean, just look at it!



Folks, again, I am in awe at how talented you all are. Thanks for making everything so beautiful! I just love it!

Look what you did - family trees

I was particularly inspired this week by the neat family trees that I've seen people working on. I'm not talking the ordinary kind, but the super crafty kind. I think they are lovely had I had to show you.

#1 Legacy Family Trees at Jill Means DesignsDo yourself a favor and enlarge that image. Seriously, it's beautiful and I am in awe of it.


#2 Family Tree Quilt at Team Quiltsy
I bet this took forever to do, but my word, it's beautiful.


#3 Quilled Family Tree at Sun Scholars
How fun is that? I especially like that there are roots for the tree.


#4 Picture Tree at the Brocton CG Blog

This is a great way to display family photos, especially if you have really old ones of ancestors. I love it!


#5 Framed Family Tree at A Punctuated Life
This would be fun in a kid's room, especially if Grandma and Grandpa live far away.


Aren't these all just so beautiful and inspiring? They are just all so fun. Good job, all - keep up the good work!

Homemade Pizza

My husband loves pizza. Like, will eat it for every meal for 6 days in a row without getting sick of it. I know this because he's done it. So I decided to make pizza for dinner. Last time I made pizza, I used a store mix for the crust. Yikes. That was a bad idea. So this time, I decided to brave the wild and make my own. Not that adventurous, I know, but it has to be tried, right? On with the recipe!
Good Housekeeping's pizza crust recipe

2/12 to 3 flour
2 1/4 t yeast
1/2 t yeast
1 c warm water
2 t oil

In a large bowl, combine 1 1/4 c flour, yeast, and salt; add water and oil. Beat on low speed for 30 seconds. Then beat on high speed for 3 minutes. Add the rest of the flour and mix. Turn out and knead until you have a moderately stiff dough that is smooth and elastic. Divide the dough in half. Cover and let rest for 10 minutes. Roll dough out to fit your pan or tray or stone or whatever you're using to bake the dough on. Put the dough on your baking apparatus, cover, and let rise for 35-40 minutes, or until doubled in size. Preheat oven to 400. Prick the crust with a
fork so it doesn't bubble up and explode. Bake for 10-15 minutes, or until golden brown. Take out of the oven, spread the sauce on the crust, add cheese and your favorite pizza toppings, and then pop it back in the oven for 10 or so minutes, or until all bubbly and gooey and delicious. And then eat it.