A Sweet Treat for Valentine's Day

Sometimes you might want a treat to go with

your coffee or in my case, tea.  

Sometimes you might not want a rich & decadent treat.

Sometimes you might just want something simple.

Enter these Pastry Bites, done in Valentine's Day style.

I had this recipe for quite a few years,

ripped from a magazine and tucked away

to make "some day."

(I'm not even going to go into how many of

recipes I have tucked away for "some day.")  

Let's just say that "some day" is today for this recipe.

These are really a cinch to make and they taste so good.

Here's the recipe:

Pastry Bites

6 tablespoons raw sugar 

1 ½ teaspoons plus 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

1 ½ teaspoons ground allspice

1 sheet frozen puff pastry (thawed)

1 egg, beaten

In a bowl, mix sugar, spices & a pinch of salt.

On a parchment lined baking sheet, brush pastry with egg; sprinkle with half the sugar mixture.

Cover with another sheet of parchment, then flip over.

Peel off top parchment.  Brush pastry with egg,then sprinkle with remaining sugar.

Cut pastry into 10 strips & twist them.

You can leave them in long twisted strips or you can mold them into hearts as I did here.

Bake at 375 degrees until crispy, about 16-20 minutes.

And just like that, you have simple, crispy little treats that

took no time at all to make.

Enjoy!

Valentines Day Hutch & Wreath Tutorial

Hello friends!

True confession time.

This Valentine's Day inspired decor that I'm

sharing with you today is from last year!

I had all the photos loaded & ready to go.

I just never posted it!

I was so surprised when I saw the draft listed.

I don't have a lot of Valentine's Day decor.

Just a few things.

This year, (well last year) I decided to make a wreath.

I really love how it turned out.

And it was so easy to make too.

Here's my tutorial on the wreath.

It's almost silly how easy it is to make.

I traced some heart shapes onto a piece of lightweight cardboard.

I cut them out.

I then took yarn, taped the end in place and began wrapping 

it around the shape.

I wrapped all willy nilly,

nothing uniform about it.

My intention was to wrap the yarn completely around

the cardboard so there would be no cardboard showing.

However, once I got going, I decided I loved

the cardboard peeking out behind the yarn,

so I left it like that.

I glued the shapes onto a grapevine wreath

and there you have it!

Don't you love an easy craft that

turns out better than you expected?

New Years & Winter Hello

Hello dear friends!

Happy New Year!

I can't believe I'm actually here, on the old blog, posting something.  

I have to admit, I'm a little rusty at all of this.

Winter is upon us here at Random Thoughts Home.

If you need proof, I will oblige....

this was taken this morning.

A good day to stay in with a warm blanket & a good book.

I have a few photos to share today.

The winter mantel is ready for the season.

It's always so hard to decide what to do after taking 

away all the Christmas decor.

Blue & white color palette...texture added with

fuzzy pillows, trees & pinecones.  

The dining room hutch & sitting room got a touch of winter, too.

I had a little fun with my Winter bird collection.

Wishing you many blessings in the New Year!