Ultimate Blog Party pt 2: Party hopping!

Hello my darlings!

How are you doing today? I’ve spent the last three days at the beck and call of a sick little 4 year old. It would have been a miserable time, trying to keep a normally VERY energetic kid in bed and entertained, but luckily we’ve had 5 Minutes for Mom’s Ultimate Blog Party to keep us entertained… at last count, there were over a THOUSAND parties to hop to. I can’t pretend to have gotten to even a third of them, but it’s been fun working my way through the list and showing the boy all the fun pictures.

Since this week’s schedule is already off (sorry for anyone who was disappointed by the lack of craigslist Monday! It’ll be back next week, don’t worry…), I thought I’d take a moment to share with you some of the blogs that have entertained us this week. Most are from the blog party, but a couple are ones that I strayed to from a party. All of them are entertaining in one way or another:

• Eleisa of In the Kitchen had me at Pina Colada Cupcakes. The picture looked so delicious, I immediately made plans to make the recipe this weekend. She features all kinds of yummy recipes there, so if you’re a foodie like me, you have to go visit!
• Gina’s blog name intrigued me- Portrait of a Writer… Interrupted. Sooooo glad I dropped in for a visit! In addition to her blog, Gina also offers a zine and a community for mom writers, discussing writing around your family. Definitely a resource for other freelance mommas!
• Lest you think I’ve forgotten all about my decorating focus, I’d better mention my newfound design inspiration… Orgjunkie.com. I haven’t had a chance to tell ya’ll about my mini-project for this month (yeah, outside of finally finishing Ian and Catie’s room!), but this site is one that I’ll be turning to A LOT in the next four weeks. And that’s all I’m saying about that until Friday. LOL!
• This final link is just a place to go for interesting/funny/thought provoking posts… Citizenofthemonth.com. I got lost on my way to another blog party because someone mentioned his very RIGHT UP MY NOSY ALLEY project, The Great Interview Experiment. What, ya’ll didn’t know I was nosy? Why did you think I started the “In the Trenches” interviews? Yeah, I AM design obsessed… but I also LOVE people and their stories. Which is why I’m planning to spend my free time this weekend reading the interviews from the great experiment. ‘Cause I’m nosy like that… LOL!

Like I said, there are over a thousand parties going on all this week. So make some time to check out links. If you comment on at least 20 different blogs, you can also be eligible to win one of over 100 prizes… and you don’t have to have a blog to be eligible either. So go waste some time… you know you want to!

The rest of the week will be back to our regular schedule… including a new “In the Trenches” interview tomorrow! You don’t want to miss tips from this real life budget decorator or photos of her creative space.  See ya then.

Welcome blog party goers!

Hello! Welcome to A Beautiful Abode… I’m Shauntelle, and in case you’re a new visitor, this is my little home on the web, dedicated to providing inspiration, tips, resources, and projects to help you create a beautiful home on a tight budget.

In addition to being totally obsessed with budget decorating, I’m a (soon-to-be) 34 year old at-home mom of three and freelance writer. I’m married to the sweetest man ever… he has to be as often as he agrees to drive to out of the way places for me to pick up the great deals I find on craigslist!

In honor of the party, I’ve been doing a little cooking. Originally I was going to host a tea party, but the day ran long so here we are having coffee and dessert instead. There’s an unending stream of Starbucks available… and there’s also chai and green tea if you’re not a coffee fan. The best thing I can offer though, is a yummy selection of scrumptious desserts. I’ve included the recipes as well, in case you’d like to try a few at home… after all, the great smell of baked goods makes every day a little better!

Blueberry Coconut Pound Cake Muffins

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup sugar
2 teaspoons freshly grated lime zest
2 large eggs
5 tablespoons heavy cream
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup plus 3 tablespoons sweetened flaked coconut
1/2 cup blueberries

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and butter and flour 7 (1/2-cup) muffin cups (just butter if nonstick).Beat together butter, sugar, and zest until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs, one at a time. Beat in cream, then flour and salt, on low speed until just combined. Stir in 1/2 cup coconut and gently stir in blueberries.

Spoon batter into cups, filling the cups, and smooth tops. Sprinkle tops with remaining 3 tablespoons of coconut.

Bake in middle of oven until a tester comes out clean and edges are golden brown, about 25 minutes. Invert onto a rack and cool.

Racheal Ray’s Individual No-Bake Strawberry Cheesecakes

12 strawberries
12 ounces softened cream cheese, 1 1/2 (8-ounce) bricks
2/3 cup sour cream
1 cup confectioners’ sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
6 individual gram cracker crusts, available on baking aisle

Coarsely chop 6 berries and place in food processor. Add cream cheese, sour cream, confectioners’ sugar, vanilla extract and process until smooth. Using a rubber spatula, fill pie tins. Garnish cheesecakes with slices of remaining berries.

Paula Dean’s Three Chocolate Cookies

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
1/2 cup vegetable shortening
3/4 cup sugar
1 3/4 cups firmly packed brown sugar
3 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 (12-ounce) package semisweet chocolate morsels
1 cup milk chocolate morsels
3 (1-ounce) squares bittersweet chocolate, chopped
1 cup almond brickle chips

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Lightly grease baking sheets.With an electric mixer, beat butter and shortening at medium speed until creamy; gradually add sugars, beating until fluffy. Add eggs and vanilla, beating well.

In a small bowl, combine flour, baking soda and salt; gradually add to butter mixture, beating until blended. Stir in chocolate morsels and almond brickle chips. Drop cookies by 1/4 cupfuls about 3-inches apart onto prepared baking sheets. Bake for 11 to 12 minutes, or until lightly browned. Let cool for 2 minutes on baking sheets. Remove to wire racks to cool.

Fresh Fruit and Cheese

Grapes, brie, and pears… can’t get easier than that!

(photos and recipes courtesy Foodnetwork.com)

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I hope you enjoy the desserts. Feel free to wander around while you nibble… and remember to drop in often because I’m always adding new projects, interviews, and inspiration to help you create a beautiful home on a tight budget!

xxoo,

Shauntelle