Vegan curried butternut squash soup

I do Bountiful Baskets so frequently I get to make up or modify recipes based on what produce I have on hand. I have made butternut squash soup before, but with how I tweaked it this time, it turned out SO good. The problem is, sometimes I forget what I did to make it different, so this time I'm posting and pinning it so I can find it again. This is my own recipe, and while it may not have started out 100% original, I feel I've tweaked it enough to still call it 'mine.' Enjoy! Ingredients: *1 Yellow Onion *1 Butternut Squash *2 Apples (I use granny smith) *4 Carrots *1 can Coconut Milk *1 tbsp of Curry Powder *1 tbsp of Cinnamon *1 tbsp of Ground Cloves *1 tbsp of Red Pepper flakes *Raw Ginger, to taste *1 to 2 tbsp Olive Oil *Apple juice, as needed Directions: (You will need a masher or an immersion/hand blender) Cut the butternut squash in half and scoop out seeds. Place in 350 degree oven for about 15 minutes. Once the squash has softened, cut into two inch chunks. You can remove the skin if you choose to, however it is edible. (I leave it on.) Place into crock pot. Peel the carrots and ginger and quarter the apples. Place into crock pot with enough juice to just cover vegetables. Add spices, raw ginger, and coconut milk to crock pot. Dice the onion and saute it with the curry powder in olive oil until translucent. Deglaze pan with a few tbsps of water/stock/juice. Add it all to the crock pot. Just before serving, use a hand masher or immersion blender to puree the vegetables. I like to serve it topped with vegan sour cream and chopped cilantro. You can adjust the spices/ginger to make it more/less spicy, based on your preference. Follow me on Pinterest!

Baptism gift

My friend's son was baptized recently and since this is the time of year to get sparklers, I made this cute little gift. The tag says "Thanks for being such a 'sparkling' example of 'chewsing' the right!" I thought it was pretty cute! Follow me on Pinterest!

Flip flop wreath

I have seen several flip flop wreaths on Pinterest lately. This is my take on it!

**Tip** Instead of using a wreath form that can cost $4.99 or more, I used a piece of foam pipe insulation from Home Depot. It cost $0.97, and it is 6 feet long so you can cut it in half and make 2 wreaths! I secure the ends with duct tape, and voila! Follow me on Pinterest!

Where have I been?

I am wondering why I have not posted in so long. I have been making projects, just been too busy to show ya =) Here is the one I made today.

It looks complicated, but I promise it isn't. I {of course} forgot to take pictures as I went, but here are the super simple directions. 1. Buy 1 large (9-12 inch) terra cotta pot and 6-7 smaller (6 inch) terra cotta pots, soil, flowers, and 1 4-6 ft piece of rebar. 2. Paint them your desired color(s). (Though leaving them plain would be fine too!) 3. If you used acrylic paint, I recommend sealing them with clear spray paint, diamond coat, or brushing with mod podge. 4. When the paint is COMPLETELY dry, ( I recommend overnight) start by pushing the rebar into the ground. I recommend buying the 6 foot piece and sinking it about two feet, but if you can only find 4 foot, that works too. I had 4 foot so it's only in the ground about 6 inches. 5. Slide the largest pot onto the rebar through the drain hole. This will be your base. Fill it with soil and plants. 6. Slide the next pot (a smaller one) onto the rebar through the drain hole. This one you will rest at an angle in the soil of the bottom pot and against the lip. Fill with soil and plants. 7. Slide the next pot on, the angles are achieved by using the rebar to "hold" through the hole and using the pot below to balance. Add soil and flowers as you go, it's much easier than trying to add them at the end. 8. The top pot should just fit onto the rebar, with the top being about 2 inches below the lip of the pot. It's easy peasy! See this and all my other projects and follow me on Pinterest! I found the original pin here. http://pinterest.com/pin/285204588872656160/

Crave Photography's World Wide Giveaway

Have you seen the AMAZING world wide giveaway at Crave Photography??? Check it out here Here's what you could win....

A.frickin.mazing. Go enter... and Good luck... but not too much because I want to win!

Joy School Story

Today was my turn to teach Joy School. We learned about creativity and imagination. Each child drew a picture, without consulting the others, and then we put the pictures together and the kids (ages 3,4,5) told me the story. I thought it turned out super cute. So, I present to you "The man, the monster, the treasure, and the beach" By Our Joy School Class

"Once upon a time, there was a sad man. Then, he found a treasure chest and was very happy. When he came home, he found out his house was on fire! So he left his house, and followed the path back to the treasure chest. But, instead of treasure, he saw a monster! Then man told the monster "be nice, I love you!" Then, he moved ot the beach and lived happily ever after in the sunshine! " THE END

Today I made...

I'll probably end up making more princesses later, but for now, for this trip, I am done! Finished up the dresses today. Hopefully you can tell, but they are Cinderella, Snow White, Tinkerbell, Ariel, and Rapunzel. My lil' princess will be stylin' at Disneyland!!