Little Turkey Pot Pies

I made an impromptu trip to World Market with a friend yesterday. They had a coupon too good to go unused. I've wanted a second cake dish (and non-white this time) for awhile and I brought this cutie home without thinking twice. Cake stands (or cake pedestals) just make me a very, very happy girl. It used to be shoes-- now it's colanders and kitchen schtuff.

Stuffing and Applesauce Latkes

I've got some awesome Chanukkah cupcakes, sufganiyot (jelly donuts), and challah in the works but first things first. I did some super yummy stuffing and applesauce latkes as part of tonight's Chanukkah dinner. I'm not even a huge fan of cranberry sauce but absolutely loved it on this latke. It was a perfect blend of sweet, savory and tang when you get a bite of each component. It reminds me of those yummy turkey sandwiches that have stuffing and cranberry sauce on them-- but better! The cranberry sauce garnish (seen cooking below) is leftover from Thanksgiving (obviously) and made with real cranberries, granny smith apples, and one of my most favorite things ever, cherry craisins.

Sweet and Savory Latkes

Thanksgiving was sooooo good. Perfect, actually. I was cooking and baking for days and it felt great to wake up this afternoon with almost nothing to do.

Thanksgivukkah

The holidays are all up on! Are you panicked? Are you ready? I'm a little of both.

I can't even describe the level or state of chaos that is my kitchen. It's a haphazard mess in a quick countdown to Chanukkah and Thanksgiving. I unpacked our menorah and thanked myself for not cleaning off the wax last year. You can guess what I'll be doing in a little while.

Thankful Leaves Project

My husband and I did a cute project the other day using some of my leftover fall leaves and one of my favorite picture frames. You can check out my full tutorial here. We've had fun with it. Some days we write we're thankful for silly things like nachos or Star Wars-- today I'm thankful for this nonstop 24+ hr rainstorm. I'd love to see how this project would look with authentic fall leaves. Maybe someday when we're not living in the middle of the desert. Until then, I'll always think the desert is super beautiful and some of my cactus are even blooming.

Easy Applesauce Muffins for Thanksgiving

Applesauce Muffins, a photo by Digital Heather on Flickr.

I made some of these babies yesterday in between crafts and the batch is just about gone. I dare you to try and eat just one. The indulging starts when you're measuring out the delicious cinnamon applesauce. You have to eat at least a few spoonfuls just because. Then when they're baking, your kitchen and entire house smell out of this world. Then you have to eat a warm one as soon as it comes out of the oven. Then you need to eat one with yummy real butter. THEN you've had a taste for blood and you simply can't stop yourself. I'm probably going to end up making these two more times before Thanksgiving and then a double batch for Thanksgiving guests. Have you ever baked with applesauce? Click here for my full recipe and instructions.

Accidental Thanksgiving Decor

This is one of my favorite pumpkins and I display it until all of the Thanksgiving items are packed away for the year. I made it last Halloween because I wondered if putting buttons on a pumpkin would look adorable. I didn't plan for it to be gold and I was really just experimenting with buttons left over from this button vase project. I love this pumpkin because it's a little homely but whimsical not unlike the story of Cinderella. You can check out my tutorial here.

Sweet Potato Soup with Colby Jack Cheese Crisp

It's no secret that I'm not a fan of sweet potatoes. With a name so cutesy, believe me, I want to love them. In the past ten years I've gone from hating them to "I can eat a mouthful if I have to and not make a dumb face like a teenager." These progressive strides are thanks to my husband, who adores sweet potatoes. Since I adore him, I lovingly make sweet potato casserole every holiday as well as other sweet potato side dishes in between the holidays. Having said all of that, I have found a sweet potato recipe that I don't hate and actually enjoy. Yes. I made this, swallowed a spoonful after the necessary food-photo-sesh, and actually smiled. Then I finished my entire bowl of soup. If you know me in real life, you probably think that Heather has been replaced with a podpeople Heather, and that just isn't true. But if it were, that's exactly what Pod Heather would say so... who knows, right? I made this soup the other day and my husband and I both loved it. I had cracked a molar that day, so soup was right up my alley. It was easy to make and ready in no time. What do I mean by easy? Well this recipe is from scratch but you don't have to peel, cut, or boil the potatoes. I'm so in love and just had to share it with you. Click here for my full recipe and instructions.

DIY Fall Wreath for Under $7.00

I fell in love with this wreath last month. Since then I've been scoping out wreaths, trying to gauge how much a DIY version would cost. I really love the simplicity and charm of Donna's wreath. A bare-bones wreath exactly like that runs about $22 at Michael's before coupons or discounts. A grapevine wreath with the same diameter is priced for less than $5 (also at Michael's). Ultimately, I decided to go the cheapest route possible. All I really needed to buy was a wreath since I went overboard last fall and bought a bunch of faux leaves for crafting. I bought the cheapy grapevine wreath in case I didn't actually get around to making it this year. Living in Arizona, it's constantly hot and bright. The sun destroys everything, especially pretty things that I spend time and money on. I wanted this to be an outdoor wreath but also didn't want to cry if it didn't turn out great or got faded from the sun. All in all, this wreath ended up costing about $6.