Living Well: 10 Secrets For Extending The Life of Cut Flowers

Nothing brightens a room quite like a vase of fresh flowers. Also, nothing smells quite as nice (with the exception of a few flowers maybe — I’m looking at you, Easter Lilies!).

I love walking by a vase of freesia. It reminds me of being someplace warm and sunny, preferably tropical, with the breeze blowing through my hair. Roses remind me of my great-grandmother’s rose garden and her gorgeous Peace Roses the size of small dinner plates. Hydrangeas bring back fond memories of my time living on the East Coast. Then there are peonies. My maternal grandmother had so many growing in her garden. They are cheerful and happy and make me think of summer and bare feet in the grass.

Read more>> http://www.designmom.com/2013/03/living-well-10-secrets-for-extending-the-life-of-cut-flowers/

Travel Secret List: How to Travel Off-Season

Monday: Power Dressing

GET MORE INSIGHTS TO POWER DRESSING>>http://www.memorandum.com/2016/06/classic-ivory-dress.html

Sunday Cooking:Roasted Garlic & Tomato Lentil Salad

Ingredients

• 1 head garlic
• 1 tablespoon olive or avocado oil, divided
• 1½ cups grape tomatoes, halved
• 1 cup sliced red onion
• 2¾ cups vegetable broth
• 1 cup green lentils
• ½ cup diced celery
• ½ cup diced red pepper
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper
• Salt and Pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Cut top of garlic head and place in foil. Drizzle with 1 teaspoon of oil and close foil around garlic.
3. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Arrange tomatoes and onion in a single layer and drizzle with avocado oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
4. Place garlic and tomato mixture in a preheated oven and cook for 25 to 30 minutes, until lightly shriveled.
5. Carefully open garlic and allow to cool. Gently press cloves from garlic head and place in a small bowl, breaking garlic into smaller pieces with the back of a fork.
6. Meanwhile, bring broth to a boil. Add lentils and reduce heat. Simmer, covered, for 25 to 30 minutes, or until tender. Drain and transfer to a bowl.
7. Add garlic, tomatoes, red onion, celery, red pepper to the bowl.
8. Make dressing by combining olive oil, lemon juice, and crushed pepper in a small bowl. Whisk in salt and paper to taste. Toss with lentil mixture and serve.

Notes

Servings 4, Serving Size 175 grams, Calories 289, Fat 11g, Carbohydrates 37g, Protein 13g, Cholesterol 0mg, Sodium 613mg, Potassium 473mg, Fiber 7g, Sugars 5g

See more recipes>>http://wendypolisi.com/

Tuesday: DIY- SILHOUETTE ART

Tools and Materials

• Camera
• Exacto knife
• Cardboard
• Spray paint in gloss (color of your choice)
• Newspaper
• Fabric or decorative paper
• Scissors
• Iron (if using fabric)
• Spray adhesive
• Picture frame and mat (I used old frames and just spray painted them as well, but you could buy new, of course)

Steps

1. Take several profiles pictures of your subject (I used our kids but you could do pets, too) at close range (so they almost fill the frame on the screen of your camera. Lighting doesn’t matter.
2. Choose a picture frame size. This will dictate how large to print your photo. Choose the best profile from your photo shoot, then take the memory card from your camera to a photo-printing kiosk (like at Target or Wal-Mart) and print out a copy of the picture in the size you’ve chosen.  I chose an 11 x 13 frame with a mat for 8 x 10 pictures, so I printed the girls’ profiles out as 8 x 10s.
3. Place the photo on a piece of cardboard (or a self-healing mat if you have one). Cut out the image with an Exacto knife, taking care to cut around details like wisps of hair.
4. Lay the cut-out image on newspaper and spray paint it with high-gloss paint in the color of your choice.  Let dry.
5. If you’re using an old frame, take this opportunity to spray paint that as well.
6. If you’ve chosen to use fabric for the background of your silhouette, iron it.
7. Cut the fabric or decorative paper to a size slightly larger than the opening of the picture mat.
8. Coat the back of the painted image with a thin coat of spray adhesive and mount it to the fabric or decorative paper.
9. Place all in the frame.

See  more>> http://homemademodernblog.com/

Thursday:Life Advice from Cartoon Characters!

Wednesday:Kitchen Treats>Lets Bake-CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIE MARBLED SKILLET BROWNIE

INGREDIENTS

Brownie Batter:

• ⅓ cup butter, melted
• ½ cup brown sugar
• ⅓ cup white sugar (or natural granulated sweetener to cut down on calories)
• ½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ¼ cup all-purpose flour (or plain flour)
• 2 tablespoons warm water

Cookie Dough:

• ¼ cup butter, softened
• ¼ cup light brown sugar
• ¼ cup granulated sugar (or natural granulated sweetener)
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• ⅔ cup all-purpose flour (or plain four)
• ⅛ teaspoon baking soda
• Pinch salt
• ⅓ cup dark/semi-sweet chocolate chips, divided

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Heat the oven to 175°C | 350°F. Lightly grease an 9-inch cast iron skillet or round baking pan with non-stick spray; line the base with parchment (or baking) paper; set aside

For The Brownie Batter:

1. In a medium-sized bowl, whisk the butter and sugars together well until the sugar has dissolved. Add the cocoa powder, whisking until dissolved and smooth.
2. Beat in the egg and vanilla until well incorporated (about a minute). Fold the flour and salt through until the better is smooth and thick. Pour in the water and lightly mix it through until the batter is smooth (it will still be quite thick). Set aside.

For The Cookie Dough:

1. In a separate medium-sized bowl, beat the butter and sugars together until light and fluffy. Add the egg and vanilla, beating until smooth. Add in the flour, baking soda and salt, folding the dry ingredients through until a cookie dough forms. Fold in half of the chocolate chips; set aside.

Assemble:

1. Pour the brownie batter into the skillet (or pan) and spread out evenly with a spatula (or the back of a metal spoon). Scoop the cookie dough into the brownie batter; sprinkle with the remaining chocolate chips; and bake for 30-35 minutes, or until the cookie is golden and the edges are set and pulling away from the sides of the pan. Do not over bake or it will be dry instead of moist and fudge-like.
2. Allow to cool in the pan for about 10 minutes and serve hot.

NOTES

If you don't own a cast iron skillet, you can bake this is a normal 9-inch baking pan!

Read entire article>>http://cafedelites.com/2016/05/13/chocolate-chip-cookie-marbled-skillet-brownie/