Thrifty Frame Project

This old picture frame was one of my latest thrift store finds.  It had been gold with a damaged picture in it.  I didn't know what I was going to do with it at the time but I liked the look of it and the mirror between the frames. When I got it home I decided to paint over the gold with an antique white paint . I left it a little distressed and didn't quite cover all the gold, then I removed the picture and put the glass back in it. I am using it as a tray in my living room, but it could also be used to hold perfume, soap or lotion bottles. 

~Simply Angie

Nutty Granola Bars

I just looked at recipes and reviews for at least 20 different homemade granola bars and decided that I would make my own using my favorite ingredients! I figured if they didn't turn out, no one would ever know but if they did turn out, I could post them. Yep - they were delicious! I used my hands to mix them because I wanted to make sure everything was mixed together really well.
Ingredients:
4 c rolled oats (I used old-fashioned oats but I'm sure quick-cook oats would work)
1/3 c raw sunflower seeds
1/3 c sliced almonds
1 1/4 c peanut butter, I made homemade peanut butter from our archived recipes, Simply Homemade Peanut Butter
1/2 c honey
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 T coconut oil, melted
I mixed all of the ingredients in a large bowl with my hands, they should be almost a little sticky because you want them to stay together. Line a 9x13 pan with parchment paper and evenly pat the granola mixture into the pan, this will help them hold their shape after baking so they won't be so crumbly (you should expect a few crumbles though). I placed them in a preheated 300F oven for 15 minutes. Then I removed them from the oven and very carefully grabbed 2 ends of the parchment paper, then placed it on a cooling rack and cut the granola mixture into bars and squares before they cooled. I cut my bars down the middle (the length of the pan), then cut them the other way. I cut half of the granola into traditional granola shaped bars and the other half I cut into smaller squares. For me, they are better in small squares but the bars would be ok if you were eating them for a meal. I turned them over with a spatula and returned them to the oven for another 10 minutes. Then you can remove them from oven, let cool, and store in an airtight container. Enjoy your sort of crunchy, sort of chewy, healthy, nutty granola bars!

Love and peace,
~ Simply Tammi

Lemon Scones

Lemons and summer - don't you just love it? I made lemon scones using fresh lemons this morning and can I just say that they were awesome!
Scone Ingredients:
1 2/3 c unbleached, all-purpose flour
1/4 c brown sugar
1/8 tsp sea salt
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
3/4 c heavy whipping cream
1/4 c lemon juice (I used a whole lemon)
1 tsp lemon flavoring (optional but I wanted more lemon flavor)
1 tsp lemon zest
I mixed all of the ingredients together in a large bowl with a wooden spoon. When I couldn't mix any more (because my arm got tired) I used my hands. I lightly floured my counter and placed the dough on the counter. Knead about 10 times, and pat the dough into an 8 inch circle. I used a pizza cutter and cut the dough into 8 wedges. I placed them on a parchment lined 11x15 baking sheet. Bake in a 350F preheated oven for about 14-17 minutes. Let the scones cool slightly on a baking cooling rack, then drizzle or frost them using the lemon glaze below.
Lemon Glaze Ingredients:
1/2 c powdered sugar
1 T softened butter
2 tsp lemon juice
1 T heavy whipping cream ( you might need a little more if you want a thin, glaze consistency)
Mix together then drizzle or use a knife to spread over your warm scones. Enjoy!
Love and peace,
~ Simply Tammi

Ranch Dressing

My family loves ranch dressing but I usually end up throwing it away before we use it all. My personal favorite is salsa and yogurt mixed together but I have been outvoted! When we're all together the "must have" is ranch dressing, the kids eat it on almost everything! So I have been trying to find a dry mix, low fat recipe that I could make as I need it. According to my number one taste taster, I finally got it right! I love this because you make the dry mix and keep in until you need to make your liquid ranch dressing.
Ingredients:
1/2 cup dry buttermilk (I found mine at the grocery store by the non-fat dry milk)
2 tsp dill weed
1 1/2 tsp onion powder
2 T dried parsley
1 tsp sea salt (you can use more or less depending on how much you like salt)
1/2 tsp season salt (I use Redmond Real Salt - organic natural season salt)
1/4 tsp thyme
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp black pepper
I mixed all of these ingredients together in a small jar. I keep this in the refrigerator because the dry buttermilk container says to refrigerate it after you open it, and I'm just weird like that. When you are ready to mix your liquid ranch dressing, I would recommend making the liquid version at least a day before you plan on using it so the flavors are more enhanced.
Directions for the liquid dressing:
Whisk 1 cup plain yogurt (I use homemade yogurt from an earlier post with the consistency of thick, Greek yogurt), 1/2-3/4 cup 1% organic milk, and 1-1 1/2 Tablespoons of the dry mix (depends on your taste). Pour into a container (I use a pint jar) and store in the refrigerator. It's yummy and does not taste like preservatives!
As always, depending on your own taste, maybe you would prefer mayonnaise rather than yogurt, feel free to substitute mayonnaise for the yogurt. You can also adjust the milk depending on how thick you like your dressing. I use 3/4 cup but you might prefer a thicker dressing, so just use less milk. Remember to shake or stir your dressing before each use. Enjoy!