Carrot Cake

 I made carrot cake today and it's good.  Real good.  I was craving it since last week when my MIL made some and I was on a detox diet so I never tasted it.  It's been haunting me for days.  Are you like me??  Well, I'm still detoxing but I had a bite and let's just day it wasn't small.  I had to do it or else I might not have been able to think about anything else.  Again, does yummy food do that to you?  Maybe it's because I'm not eating yummy food.  humph.

I frosted it before it was completely cooled.  So, it's not looking so pretty but boy does it taste divine!  I think next time I make these I'm doing them in cupcake form or in a 9x13.  My cakes sunk in the middle a bit and that's never fun when you're baking because stuff should always turn out beautiful.  Cupcakes aren't as sensitive and always look pretty to me.  And they're great for portion control!  

Carrot Cake from The World Wide Ward Cookbook

2 C. Sugar

1 1/2 C. Oil

4 Eggs

1 C. Flour

1 C. Whole Wheat Flour

2 tsp. Baking Soda

1 tsp. Salt

1 tbsp. Cinnamon

2 tsp. Vanilla

3 C. Carrots - grated

3/4 C. Pecans - chopped

1 C. Raisins - I left them out

1/2 C. Pineapple - crushed or use applesauce

3/4 C. Coconut flakes

Mix sugar and oil. Add eggs and beat well. Sift flours and other dry ingredients and add to wet mix and beat well.  Add vanilla and carrots.  Fold in nuts, raisins, pineapple and coconut.  Grease cake pans. Bake at 325 for 45 minutes.  Let cool, frost and serve.

Cream Cheese Frosting

1/2 C. Butter

8 oz. Cream Cheese

1 lb. Powdered Sugar

1-2 tsp Vanilla

Beat together. Lick the spoon.

On a side note....this is how we roll!  We just had playdates today so I didn't try to persuade her to change.  I love age three.  It's.so.stinkin'.cute!

                                                                               xo
                                                                          Melanie

Crockpot Lime Beef Roast

We like to use our crockpot on Sundays.  Nothing is better than coming home from church, taking a nap and when you wake-up dinner is ready!  My friend and neighbor brought this dinner to us when I had my last baby and we.were.hooked.  And I think you will be too!  It doesn't look pretty until it's shredded but we ate it (with our friends) before I could snap a picture.

Crockpot Lime Beef Roast

One Beef Roast - any will do, chuck, shoulder, round eye, on sale etc.
5-6 Limes
Beef Base - found in the soup aisle
Montreal Steak Seasoning

Coat the roast on all sides with the beef base (be generous but not cakey).  Sprinkle with Montreal seasoning.  Put in crockpot.  Squeeze limes over roast and cook on low for 8 hours.  If you cook it 5-6 it usually isn't easy to shred, that comes around 7-8 hours!

Serve with:

Tortilla - we use the kind from Costco that you cook
Lime-Cilantro Rice (see below)
Cheese
Sour Cream
Guacamole
Salsa



Lime Cilantro Rice


2-3 cups rice (we use Calrose but you could use long grain, brown)
1/2 bunch cilantro chopped
Juice from two limes
salt to taste

Nothing fancy but it's quick and easy.  Make rice according to directions.  When it's done add cilantro, lime juice and salt.

                                         
What are some of your favorite Sunday meals?

Melanie

Inspiring message to all who create....that is YOU!

St. Patrick's Day and A Winner!

My kids have been talking about the "Leprechaun" since the day after Valentine's Day.  Seriously?  Who told them about it?  I guess we're celebrating St. Patrick's Day at my house now.  It's not that I don't like celebrating any old occasion but I've NEVER celebrated March 17 and would rather just skip from my Valentine's decor to Easter because I have no St. Patrick's Day decor anyway.  I almost made a banner this year but I really didn't want to take down my Easter stuff.  So instead, we'll just do some leprechaun pranks and have some fun treats! I have some fun cupcakes and cookies in my mind that I want to make, if they turn out I will post them next week.   I did age appropriate and taste preference treats for my family.  For my husband I did Peanut Butter M&M's because he's a PB freak, Skittles for my girls and Trix for my baby (I wanted fruity Cheerios but Harmon's doesn't sell them!)  You can't see in this picture but I stacked a few gold coins at the top of the rainbow.  

Now on to the winner.......Thank you everybody who entered the giveaway, it's nice to see so many supportive readers as we start this new adventure here at Aristocrafty!

So the winner of our very first giveaway is:      Anne Marie McDonald  YAY!

                                         Have a great weekend and enjoy your St. Patrick's Day!
                                                                       Melanie

Coconut Lemonade

I heart coconut!  Really truly, I can't get enough of it.  A dear friend introduced this to me a few years ago and it's one of my favorites to sip on in the summer on my porch.  There are some modifications you could make, for instance use already made lemonade or Country Time lemonade or Crystal Light instead of fresh squeezed.  We do that a lot because it's quick and we always have it on hand unlike lemons.  You can get Torani syrup at a restaurant supply store.  

                                                               
 My kids love it too!  They told me yesterday that I was the best mom.....maybe it could work for you?  hahaha!  I love how easily bought my kids are but then again they are 5, 3 and 1.  Their standards are still pretty low.  Lucky me!

Speaking of lucky.....we will announce the winner of our Easter garland giveaway tomorrow so be sure to enter and check back to see if you are the winner!  Also, I've joined a link party at Uncommon,  check it out for some other great ideas.


Coconut Lemonade


3 cups warm water
2/3 cup fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup sugar
2 tbsp Coconut Syrup - like Torani or cream of coconut
1/2 cup frozen blueberries
1/2 cup frozen raspberries

In large bowl combine water, lemon juice, sugar and coconut syrup.  Stir until sugar is dissolved.  Cover and refrigerate 4-24 hours (I do about 30 mins if I do fresh squeezed, otherwise there is no need.)  To serve, add berries and serve over ice cubes.

                                                                            xo
                                                                          Mel

DIY Decorative Magnet Board

I found this beautiful frame in my parents mechanical room behind a water heater covered in dust when they sold our family home of 30 years six years ago.  Whew, that's a mouth full!   I knew what I wanted to do with it.   I gave it a coat of paint and a light sanding and turned it into a decorative magnet board.  I get a ton of comments/compliments on it from people who visit my home.  

See how "cute" my clutter looks?  And don't think I didn't take down 8 coloring pages from my kids before I took this picture.

Here's how you make one yourself: 

1. Start with a frame (no glass), the size I like is 2'x3'.  You can find them at Hobby Lobby, Michael's etc (use a coupon or wait for a sale of course!).  This particular frame is for my husband's grandparents.

2. Get some sheet metal.  I buy mine at Lowe's, $10 for a 2'x3' then you don't have to cut it which can turn into a mess and leave it with jagged edges that don't lay flat.

3. Get some glue.  Not any glue, I've used Goop, Gorilla Glue etc. and most of them make a huge mess or don't dry effectively.  I use this particular brand and love it because the nozzle makes it easy to control the glue and it dries great.  I know they sell it at Hobby Lobby.

4. Squeeze it on the flat edge but not too close to the edge so it won't squeeze over onto the front side of the frame.  And don't squeeze too much glue, it'll be a disaster.  

On a side note.....Don't do your project on your painted dining room table or at least put some newspaper down or else your table could end up like this.  (I was multi-tasking while I was making dinner and I do have a 15 month old mama's boy so you can imagine I was trying to hurry and while doing so, well, I ruined my table.)  Ugh and doh!

 5. Put the sheet metal in.  You may need to fix any bent corners before you slip it in and weigh down and edges that aren't laying flat.  I use my 2 lb. weights and they work perfectly.
Let dry overnight. 

6. Hang your pictures and other stuff or in this case, wrap it up!

I made some for my mother-in-law a few years ago and three of them hang down a hall to house all her grandkids pictures and art work.  She often mentions to me how much she loves them!  For Christmas this last year I gave one to my dad (a black carved frame) and I think it's the perfect gift to give someone who has everything or doesn't want anything at all...that was my dad and he loved his gift!  


                                                                Don't forget your coupon!
                                                                                   xo
                                                                                 Mel

Butterfly Shadow Box

These little butterflies make me happy.  I switch out my shadow boxes a couple times a year but these are my favorite because they are so colorful and represent Spring!   Speaking of Spring, it's right around the corner and lately it seems like it's here and that makes me even more happy!  

I cut them out on my Cricut using the Storybook cartridge.  I know you could probably use a butterfly shaped punch too.  Super easy and cheap because I used scraps!  The shadow boxes are from Pottery Barn and I've seen them at Target as well.  

Remember that our giveaway is still going on, so there is still time to enter!

                                                                 Melanie