A Feast for the Eyes

Oh. My. Word. I think I have gotten more accomplished in the past week and a half than I have in my whole life. Not kidding! I won't bore you with too many details, but I feel rather accomplished!

A couple of things that I am particularly proud of is getting the living room, kitchen, and my bedroom clean. All that is left is my bathroom and I have plans to tackle that soon! I took my beloved record player out of my room and replaced it with a craft table. Yep, I can CRAFT now! :D And I'm going to too....I already have a bajillion projects buzzing around in my head (just look @ my DIY/Crafty Inspirations folder on Pinterest!) :) Aaaaaand I went through, organized and got rid of several boxes in storage....a project I hope to have all the way done by the time I graduate!

Also, I am helping my Mom give our living room a little makeover, so we covered the couch in a cream blanket (for now), took down all of the pictures on our "big" wall, and bought some blue-greenish crinkly sheers, 2 pillows (one a ruffly brown and the other a blue with a wavy cream & brown design), and a gorgeous mirror. Mom cleaned off the top of the entertainment center. Lastly, she put an awesome rustic wood bowl out with 3 REAL sea glass floats and 2 "natural" looking twig/raffia balls. It's hard to picture, maybe, but when we're done or as close to done as we're gonna get, I might post some pictures. It is sooo exciting for me! :) I went to school (the first time) for Interior Design, so I love to be surrounded by pretty things.

I plan on having more fun posts, like pictures of my crafts and things, but for now, I'll leave you with an amazing recipe I made tonight. Then I really, really, REALLY need to study and finish my homework! ;)

                                                                       Source

Beach Cookies
Adapted from Chef Chloe Coscarelli's Beach Cookies

Ingredients

• ½ cup vegan margarine, melted
• 2 cups gluten free graham cracker crumbs
• 1 ¼ cup canned coconut milk, mixed well before measuring
• ¼ cup pure cane sugar in the raw
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1/8 teaspoon sea salt
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch or arrowroot
• 1 ½ cups shredded coconut
• 2 cups semisweet chocolate chips (dairy-free)
• ½ cup chopped pecans (optional)
• Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Pour margarine into a 9- x13-inch baking pan. Coat the bottom of the pan by swirling the margarine. Sprinkle graham cracker crumbs evenly into the pan until the bottom of the pan is completely coated in crumbs. Pat down lightly.

In a small bowl, whisk together coconut milk, sugar, vanilla, salt, and cornstarch. Drizzle this mixture evenly over the graham cracker layer. Sprinkle the shredded coconut into the pan, then layer chocolate chips and walnuts. With the palm of your hand, gently pat the top of the cookie pan so that the chocolate chips cement into the rest of the cookie.

Bake for 20-30 minutes, or until center looks thick and slightly bubbly with lightly browned edges. Let cool, and then refrigerate for a few hours or overnight. Using a sharp knife, cut into bar cookies. The textures and flavors of this cookie really work best after refrigeration (but I definitely couldn't wait that long before trying one....neither could my mom! UH. MAZE. ING. Nom nom nom nom nom...) Enjoy! :D


Perfect for enjoying after ninja kicking your to-do list! :)


P.S. I've been inspired by these two ladies: Amy Tan and Kelly Purkey to get back into scrapbooking/ cardmaking again. (Yep, I have craft ADD!) ;) Anyways, now I have some of these beautiful stamps to play with and I can't wait!!!