New Apartment

I've been enjoying decorating my new apartment.

Complete with horseshoes...


...and lots of Audrey Hepburn/Paris pictures. (Aren't those standard in any girl's apartment?)

I love these pictures! They were perfect for the apartment especially where we're wanting to do a red, black, and white theme and we have brown carpet and couches. There's just enough red in the skirts and on the lips to really tie everything together.

And where would my apartment be without the pictures Bri made for me? I love them, I still can't get over how good of a job she did making them.

Interior Landscaping

I'm taking an interior landscaping class and I love how often we get to re-pot plants to bring home. This is what I did yesterday, it has three cultivars of dracaenas; Dracaena marginata is the tall one in the back, Dracaena deremensis 'Warneckii' and Dracaena deremensis 'Lemon-lime.'

Lesson of the Day

I tried making an angel food cake today for my mom...found out that you don't grease angel food cake pans!

Orange Cranberry Bread

This is right up there with the Raspberry Lemon Muffins I made earlier

Cranberry Orange Loaf
Ingredients

* 2 cups all-purpose flour
* 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
* 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 1 tablespoon grated orange zest
* 1 1/2 cups fresh cranberries
* 1/2 cup pecans, coarsely chopped
* 1/4 cup margarine, softened
* 1 cup white sugar
* 1 egg
* 3/4 cup orange juice


Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour a 9x5 inch loaf pan. Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Stir in orange zest, cranberries, and pecans. Set aside.
2. In a large bowl, cream together margarine, sugar, and egg until smooth. Stir in orange juice. Beat in flour mixture until just moistened. Pour into prepared pan.
3. Bake for 1 hour in the preheated oven, or until the bread springs back when lightly touched. Let stand 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack to cool. Wrap in plastic when completely cool.

Raspberry Lemon Muffins

I made these this weekend and they were AMAZING. I have a new favorite recipe to make.

Raspberry Lemon Muffins
Ingredients

* 1/2 cup plain yogurt
* 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
* 1 tablespoon lemon juice
* 2 egg whites
* 1/2 teaspoon lemon extract (optional)
* 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
* 3/4 cup white sugar
* 2 teaspoons baking powder
* 1/4 teaspoon salt
* 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
* 1 cup frozen raspberries
* 2 tablespoons white sugar for decoration (optional)


Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Grease a 12 cup muffin tin, or line with paper liners.
2. In a large bowl, mix together the yogurt, oil, lemon juice, egg whites, and, if using, lemon extract. In a separate bowl, stir together the flour, 3/4 cup sugar, baking powder, salt, and lemon zest. Add the wet ingredients to the dry, and mix until just blended. Gently stir in the frozen raspberries. Spoon batter evenly into the prepared muffin cups. Sprinkle remaining sugar over the tops for decoration, if desired.
3. Bake for 15 to 17 minutes in the preheated oven, or until the top springs back when lightly touched. Cool muffins in the tin on a wire rack.

A Little Wrapping

Bri and I decided to be a little creative when it came to wrapping presents...

Happy Thanksgiving...a Little Late

I always have fun setting the table nice and fancy. Thanksgiving is only once a year! A few years ago Suzannah and I made the place cards together, I did the quilling and she did the calligraphy.



Mom took the time to teach me how to make a pecan pie, yum!