DIY Cooking at Home

Hey, hey! How are you today? Here's a little something about me I feel like sharing today. I'm sooooo not good at dressing myself. I mean, I am physically able to put my clothes on, but please, for the love of God, won't someone just pick out my outfit? If it were up to me, I would wear comfy jeans and t-shirts every single day. Oh, who am I kidding? Jeans ceased to be comfortable now that I'm less than a year away from 40. If it were up to me, I'd wear pajama bottoms and t-shirts every single day. Now, this isn't to say I don't enjoy looking nice. I really feel good when I've managed to put on something that doesn't look about a decade behind the times. But it takes a lot of effort for me, and I always feel like I'm guessing at what looks good on me. And don't get me started on shoes. I might be the only woman on the planet who doesn't like to go shoe shopping. But it's only because I. Have. NO. Idea. What goes with what. ...

I'm always looking for quick things to throw in our girls' lunches because I HATE, I repeat HATE, making sandwiches. I don't know where this weird, irrational feeling about making sandwiches comes from because I really enjoy eating them. But I will avoid making them if at all possible. That's one reason why making lunches is not my favorite. But I've found that if I spend a day baking and throw things in the freezer, all I have to do is pull out a muffin of some sort, a yogurt tube, and a drink, add a fruit and/or veg, and I'm done. Anyhoo...here's a recipe I tried from Pinch of Yum that fits the bill: healthy, delicious, and can be made-ahead. Cinnamon Sugar Apple Muffins (from Pinch of Yum ) 1½ c. finely chopped apples (I used Honey Crisp with the peel) ⅓ c. coconut oil 1 c. milk 2 tsp. white vinegar ⅓ c. brown sugar 1 egg 1 tsp. vanilla 1 c. all purpose flour 1½ c. whole wheat flour 1 tsp. baking soda 1 tsp. baking powder ½ tsp. salt 1 tsp. allspi...

Boob lights be gone! I'm so excited to show you this project, guys, because I really took my time (unusual for me) and executed it carefully (also, kinda unusual for me) and it turned out great! What da-ya know? I'm on a mission to get rid of the '70s factor in our house. Every single knob, cabinet, outlet cover and light fixture in our house dates back to 1978, but I'm slowly changing all of them. The boob light at the top of our stairs is my most recent victim. When I painted our landing black, the light really stood out like a sore thumb. I knew I wanted a drum shade fixture, so I bought a shade and got to work. The shade I bought, FYI, has a 15" diameter and it's 9" tall. Just in case you wanna change your own light, 'cause most of them are about the same. I kept the plastic on the shade the whole time until the very end, just in case something didn't work out and I needed to return it. Next, I removed the finial and took the glass boo...

Helloooo! Can you believe it's October? I love this time of year, and I enjoy Halloween although it's not normally a holiday I pull out all the stops for. But I think it's fun for our kiddos when I decorate the house a little, so I put together this spooky Halloween centerpiece using items I found at the dollar store and on sale at Jo-Anns. They love it! And I have to admit, it's kinda fun. First, I had the tray and the dollar store vases already, as well as the pumpkin actually. It's always good to use what you have, right? I bought some spiderweb tights and cut them to length, then just slid them over the vases. Then I put a "disguise" on the pumpkin (just a masquerade mask that I found at Jo-Anns, but you could totally make one out of construction paper or craft foam), and propped Mr. Crow on one of the vases. That's pretty much it. Here's the cost breakdown: Of course, you could just go with one of these elements and it would make a g...

Do you have any eyesores in your house? An ugly electrical box? An oddly-placed thermostat? How about electrical cords and chargers all over the house? Well, this is the post for you! I love a clever cover-up, and I don't think it should cost a lot. Here are some cost-effective, smart ways to hide your home's eyesores. Organizing Made Fun Love of Family and Home Jenny Froh Thrifty Decor Chick PBJ Stories Jones Design Company Real Life Housewife Debbie Doo's And if you liked these ideas, you'll love this post! Hidden Storage Using Books

If you are a loyal reader of Home Made Modern, you may recall that I've been in a bit of a slump these days. I just haven't found my rhythm since the girls have gone back to school. I thought I was gonna have all this time to write, do projects, cook delicious meals, and have a clean house, and...well, I'm not getting much of any of that done. And I can't figure out why! So, as I was going through our Sunday night routine tonight--and feeling guilty for not having completed a single project around the house again this weekend--I realized that one thing that is working for us is our Sunday night routine. So I thought I'd share. Here are 5 things you can do on a Sunday night to start your family's week off on the right foot. Stock the Fridge and Plan Meals --After church Sunday morning, I usually make a run to the grocery store to stock up on lunch items, school snacks, and of course, things for dinner. But before I go, I make my list based on what I want t...

This was an experiment that yielded very happy results. I have been wanting to try baking something using culinary lavender for a long time so one afternoon last week when the girls and I felt like scones, I started looking up recipes. I found one scone recipe that called for lavender but it also required lemon zest and we were fresh out of citrus. So I just decided to modify my recipe for Cranberry Orange Scones and the results were delicious! Lavender Vanilla Cream Biscuits Preheat oven to 450 and line a sheet with parchment. Stir together: 2 c. flour 2 T. sugar 1 tsp. baking powder 1 healthy tsp. of culinary lavender buds ½ tsp. kosher salt. Cut in ½ c. cold unsalted butter. Add 1 tsp. vanilla and 1 c. heavy cream. Stir just until dough forms. On floured surface, knead until uniform and pat out until 1 ½ inches thick. Cut with biscuit cutter and place upside down on sheet. Brush with cream. Bake 12 to 14 minutes. These are sweet and slightly floral tasting, and very rich becau...