Happy Valentine's Day!

We started the day off this morning with Valentine's Day cards for the kids.  No gifts, just cards, but they were surprised anyway and it was fun to share the love.  :-)  I hope you're having a nice day, too.  

Last week was a busy week.  I spent the vast majority of it with a paint roller in my hand.  I am relieved to have 99% of the painting done now (just a little left in the kitchen to go), and even more relieved that I REALLY love this color.  It has made a huge difference in here.  Some of you may remember the red I painted initially.  I liked that color a lot, but it was just too dark and overpowering for such a large room.  Also, because of the location of our windows, we don't get a lot of sunlight in this room for a good portion of the day.  The dark color made the room really dark, and ultimately it depressed me.  I struggled with how to decorate also, because everything I was drawn to was red.  It was just too much red.  We needed a change.  Here it is!

I'm sure you can see the change in the lightness of the room now.  It's just so......Happy!  

A couple weekends ago Ray and I had the opportunity to visit Ikea, sans children.  I have to admit that I love that store.  It's an experience.  If you have a little time (like all day) and you want to get some great decorating ideas, go visit that store (and take your camera!).  While we were there I picked up these curtains.  I got another matching pair for the front windows but those aren't up yet.  Love them!

Wow, I am barely posting this quick tutorial before Valentine's Day is over.  I guess if you like it, you could store the idea away for a next year's wreath project.  

Start with a styrofoam wreath, some floral pins,....

and several (I think I used 6 or 8 red and 6 pink) sheets of craft felt in the color of your choice.  You can also pick up any extra little items you'd like to add to the front when it's finished (like fake berries or feathers which is what I used).

Start by cutting your felt in scallops on one side like the photo shows.  I think my strips were about 2 1/2" - 3" wide.  I didn't measure them.  They don't have to be exact because they will overlap.

Once you have all your scalloped strips made, wrap them around the styrofoam wreath and pin in place.  Continue wrapping strips around and pinning until the entire wreath is covered.

Embellish however you like.  I made flowers from my leftover scraps of felt and then added the artificial berries and feathers.  Hot glue everything in place, then tie a ribbon in a loop and bow at the top to hang the wreath.  Pretty quick and easy.  It has been outside on my front door for almost a month now and has held up perfectly with no visible wear.  I will easily be able to use it next year.

These delicious things are called Pizza Bites.  I honestly cannot remember if I originally saw the recipe on pinterest, foodgawker, or Our Best Bites.  Either way, the pizza crust and sauce recipes I used do come from Our Best Bites.  The filling is open to your wildest dreams.  :-)

There are several things I like about these.  First of all, they are delicious and will make your house smell like a pizzeria.  Secondly, they can easily be customized to fit a variety of picky eaters.  Thirdly, they freeze well, and therefore you can make them up in advance and have a ziplock bag of ready to (thaw and) bake dinner.  What's not to love about that!?  So without further ado, here's the recipe I used.

PIZZA BITES

*side note:  I doubled the crust recipe to make enough for two 9"x13" pans of pizza bites 

For Crust:                                                           

1 1/2 c. warm water                        1 Tbsp. sugar

1 Tbsp. yeast                                   1/2 tsp. salt

3-4 1/2 c. flour

In a large bowl, combine water, sugar and yeast.  Let stand for 10 minutes or until yeast is bubbly.

Add salt and stir. Gradually add flour mixing in between additions until dough starts to pull away from the sides of the bowl and it barely sticks to your finger.

Spray a bowl with non-stick spray and place dough in bowl.  Flip to grease top and then cover and let rise until doubled (about 45 min.).

Now it's ready to use.

For Sauce:

1 6-oz. can of tomato paste             6 oz. water (use tom. paste can)

3 Tbsp. garlic bread seasoning (see below for recipe)

1 Tbsp. sugar                                   3/4 tsp. onion powder

1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes (optional)

Combine all ingredients, stirring well to combine.  Refrigerate if not using within an hour.  Freezes well. 

Garlic Bread Seasoning:

Combine the following:

1/2 c. finely grated parmesan cheese       2 tsp. Kosher salt

2 Tbsp. garlic powder                              2 tsp. oregano

2 tsp. basil                                                2 tsp. marjoram

2 tsp. parsely

For Pizza Bites:

Compile your toppings first (no sauce - you will dip these in the sauce after they are baked).  You can either do this in separate bowls (if you're going to make individualized bites) or combine all your ingredients together in one bowl.  Don't forget the cheese!  

Pinch off the dough in golf ball size.  Flatten it with your palm and then fill with about 1 Tbsp of your toppings.  Wrap the dough around the filling to completely cover it.  Place each one in a greased 9"x13" pan.  Once the pan is full, lightly brush each pizza bite with olive oil and then sprinkle with a little bit of the garlic bread seasoning.  You can now either bake them at 400* for 20 minutes or cover with saran wrap and foil and then freeze until ready to use (thaw before baking).  Serve with warm pizza sauce.

Enjoy!

Have a fun day!