FriendlyIam

An all-time favorite, and very kid-friendly recipe. A great weekend treat. Takes 10 minutes to prepare and 15 minutes in the oven. And you probably already have all these ingredients at home. Simple but Wonderful. You will thank me. Here's the Recipe: Giant Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookie 1/2 cup butter or margarine (unsalted) 1/2 cup sugar 1/2 cup brown sugar 1/4 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon vanilla 1 egg 1 1/2 cups flour 1/4 cup old fashioned rolled oats 1 cup chocolate chips (I mix regular and mini) 1/4 cup chopped pecans (optional) Preheat oven 375. Using an electric mixer, beat the butter, both sugars and salt until creamy. Beat in the egg and vanilla. Stir in the flour, oats, chocolate chips and nuts just until combined. Do not over-mix. Grease an 11-inch tart pan (with removable bottom). Use your fingers to spread the batter evenly into the tart pan. It might seem like there isn't enough batter to cover the bottom of the pan, but wet your hands with some cold water, and use yo...

I made this wreath last S P R I N G and just pulled it out to hang up again this year. It was originally made for a $5 dollar blog challenge so I decided to get all of my supplies at Dollar Tree. Since Dollar Tree is currently selling these little berry bundles again , I thought I'd show you the tutorial so you can make one for yourself! These tutorial pictures are fairly self-explanatory: Buy and gather your supplies . You will also need scissors and your trusty hot-glue gun . then Take caution , as the hot-glue can and will easily seep through the open berry spaces and will burn you .  I promise. Also, I do NOT recommend making this wreath anywhere around small children! The foam berry balls come off quite easily and roll right onto the ground. They look like delicious candies. I had to stop myself from eating them..... just kidding But, please... be super-duper careful! To finish it off, tie a ribbon around the top and hang it up! There are other ...

When I posted pictures of my newly painted kitchen , one of our lovely readers made a comment about hanging some framed prints on the beadboard that hangs behind the cabinets. I loved the idea (thanks Tanya !) and immediately started brainstorming about what kind of prints I would want there. Etsy to the rescue! I found these really great prints from a seller named Oodles Of Color . Check out her shop...she's got some cute stuff. I matted the prints in white and framed them in black (also suggested by Tanya). I really love the way they look in my "new" kitchen! --Tammy?

It's really something that I do. I try to cook certain foods that will trick myself into thinking that the seasons are changing, and Spring is actually here (even though it doesn't feel like it outside). Today, the sun was shining into my apartment and even though I knew it was freezing outside, I pretended it wasn't and I cooked one of my spring favorites: Chicken & Sweet Corn Croquettes with Roasted Pepper Dipping Sauce Chicken & Sweet Corn Croquettes with Roasted Pepper Dipping Sauce (recipe adapted from "Ottolenghi, The Cookbook" by Yotam Ottolenghi & Sami Tamimi)  Yield: about 20 croquettes For the croquettes: 2 pounds ground chicken/turkey 1 cup sweet corn kernels, fresh or frozen (not canned) 1 large onion, sliced thin and saut�ed OR 1/3 cup saut�ed onions 2 tablespoons chopped parsley 1 garlic clove, minced 2 � teaspoons ground cumin 1 � teaspoons Kosher salt � teaspoon black pepper 1 egg 1 teaspoon + � cup olive oil Heat a frying pan on the st...

All throughout our childhood, our mom had these little wooden houses set on a shelf as part of our home decor. They originally had stenciled-on letters that spelled out W E L C O M E and I have always loved them. They were painted in different shades of blues and pinks and mauve . Definitely 1980's style colors, but still super cute. When they showed up in of our garage sale boxes a few years ago, something told me to keep them. I just knew there was a way to transform them into awesomeness ! Little wooden house shapes?  Too cute! They had to stay in the family . I took 4 of the best shaped blocks and got to work. First, I found some block letter stickers and applied them to each block, spelling out H O M E: I then painted a thin layer of acrylic paint over the top. I used my favorite light turquoise paint color that I found at WalMart -- it's called CLOUDLESS : Once the paint was dry, I inked all of the edges with brown distress ink: Then I carefully pee...

Thank you to everyone who entered the GIVEAWAY! We had 39 total entries, and the random winner is: Comment #5:  DIXIE MOM Shut up! I have been looking all over the place including the internet for those ever since you posted them! Seriously...I even have a friend in Kansas City driving all over! Ha! I have been daydreaming about a project with them for weeks! So...pick me! And I'm a follower already...have been!! Awesome! Congratulations, Dixie Mom! Please email us at PeppermintPlum@hotmail.com with your name/address. * * * * * * * * And, since these little wooden figures are still so hard to come by, if I find another pair, I may just pick another random winner to send them to. Thanks for playing, everyone! -Annie

I love having friends over for brunch because it's one of those meals that you can part-buy, part-make (order the bagels and lox, prepare a few salads). Also, by the time everyone leaves you are not exhausted the way you would be after a late-night dinner party. I usually set up a simple buffet table and lay out bagels, lox, a few spreads, a couple of fresh salads, and 1 or 2 homemade  quiches . Nothing is easier to prepare than quiche...dress it any way you like, and always a crowd-pleaser. Prepared pie crusts are readily available to purchase which really makes this recipe a cinch. See recipe below. asparagus & goat's cheese quiche spinach, ricotta & feta quiche with heirloom tomatoes fattoush salad (I used toasted tortilla wraps for crunch) marinated grilled eggplant, sundried tomatoes and bocconcini with fresh basil Quiche 1- prepared frozen pie shell 5 eggs 2 tablespoons whole milk 1 cup vegetables of your choice (ie, chopped spinach, grilled peppers, sliced saute...

*This GIVEAWAY is now CLOSED* Don't you just love the sound of that word? G - I - V - E - A - W - A - Y Ooh, chills! Remember my {Bathroom Door Makeover} from last month? Well, I got lots and lots of lovely comments about it, and also noticed that these little wooden flat people were hard to come by! Michael's always seemed to be out of them. Have no fear.... I found a pair of them and they are ready to come live with you ! Hooray! But, that's not all: So all you need to do is open your mail, paint the wooden peeps, stick on the velcro stickies and hang 'em up. That is, if YOU are the LUCKY WINNER ! If you want a chance to win this stuff, all you have to do is leave a comment saying you would love to win! If you want more than one chance to win, simply spread the word or follow Peppermint Plum on Facebook and leave a separate comment below letting us know. We also ask that you become a follower of Peppermint Plum first ... that way, we will have a be...

Since it was my turn to host Book Club this month, I thought it would be fun to make a little gift for my book club friends . A Book-Page Brooch seemed appropriate. I found this great tutorial at Under the Table and Dreaming on how to make beautiful book-page rosettes . They were surprisingly easy and fun to make! I added a couple of leaves, hot-glued some white felt to the back, then glued on a pin, then another small piece of felt to finish it off...and now it's a cute little brooch! I "served them up" alongside Barefoot Contessa's to-die-for Lemon Bars (they're thick and really tangy). We had an enjoyable evening discussing The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton...I highly recommend it! Happy First Day of Spring! --Tammy *Click HERE to see the lovely linky parties we participate in!*

If you would like to participate in the For Japan With Love -- bloggers day of silence on Friday, March 18th or if you are able to donate any amount... large or small... to this cause, please do so!  Click the image above or below to participate and help in any way you can.