Friday Favorites

Cookie Dough Fudge - someone in this house is obsessed with cookie dough so I thought of him when I saw this recipe. I suppose I should try to make it :)
Basil Banana Pepper Jelly & Banana, Walnut, Carrot Muffins - both of these recipes look so good. But I can't stop thinking about this jelly. I think it would make a great gift too.
Homemade Lotion Bars - I think these not only would be just great to have around the house but great gifts
100 Days of Homemade Christmas Gifts - there are some handmade gifts for kids on this link as well as adults
Kraft Food and Family Holiday Magazine - this is the digital version of the paid paper subscription
12 Days of Christmas Printables - Free Christmas Printables
20 Easy Christmas Decorating Ideas - Babble gather links to some DIY decorating ideas

Apps to Help your Domestic Service

We are geeks in this household so we utilize our smartphone and iPad to help with day to day life . 

All the apps are either linked to their website which has a link to the app or the iTunes store.  But please google the name if you want to see it has an app for other devices such as Blackberry or Android.  We use a AppAdvice to get most of our apps for free (this is geared to iPhone and iPad but again google for name of app for use on other devices.) Things that normally charge will do free for limited time so please bookmark this site as a resources to find apps.  They also have an AppAdvice app - which is how we actually use/read it and I find it is worth price. But view the website not just the above link but the whole website for a while and see what you think.   

Productivity
For a to-do list/task list organizer - Toodledo - it is a great tool. It has customizable alarms, you can set priority levels on them and break the projects down into tasks, you can share with others, it has folders, tags, contexts, subtasks and more to organize, search and sort through your tasks. It also syncs with Google calendar and gmail. 

Reference
Skygrid - basically really powerful newsfeed. If you are needing to find something out on the web and having problems, put that topic in and it will take some time - usually a day and start pulling in everything it finds on the topic. It is really good to if you don't have time right now but let it pull stuff in and then when you are sitting in a doctors office or have 10 mins you can browse through the things it found on the topic you were needing.

Dropbox - sharing files anywhere. It has been an amazing tool for us for business but we use it when we sit just with a wall between Master and my office because it is so easy to use it for sharing files. You just drop and drag to a folder that is on your computer and it will upload it to be shared with those you specify.  There is a little pop-up notification on the toolbox when someone has shared something with me. You then will also be able to access it anywhere because it is saved up in the cloud. So I can save a list of household needs and measurements and when out and about, I can access it.

Evernote - Take a note of anything. I like it because I can save websites, news articles and things I know might not be there at some point but evernote will save it for me forever as long as I want it. I can then access it anywhere. So if I read a great article online about wine, I save to evernote and when shopping for wine pull it up up on evernote.

HowCast - videos on How-To.  How to do almost anything.


Free Wi-Fi Finder - just what says

Remember that many magazines will give you issues via their app for free if you have a (paper) subscription to them. I have Martha Stewart's Living and Everyday Food and love the issues on the apps as they have extras like videos or more photos.  It is nice to read the recipe right on the iPad instead of trying to keep my magazine open on the counter or ripping it out.

Saving Money
Gasbuddy.com has an app that we use all the time to find the cheapest gas. The other night Master saved 14 cents a gallon not traveling very far down the road to get it either.

The Coupon App- pretty much says it in the title what it is huh? :)

Barcode Scanner - it is for the Andriod but Gizmodo has a list of barcode scanners for other devices too. You can scan barcodes or data matrixs and then the app will find you the lowest price. 


Menu Planning/Shopping Lists
PepperPlate.com - Not only a great website but has an app too so you can access everything you have on PepperPlate.com.  Pepper Plate has a place to store recipes easily from their recommended sites as well as other sites. You can create shopping lists, menus and it also has a planner.  From the home page - it looks like the app allows you to set timers and has a feature so your iPad won't dim when you are using to read a recipe while cooking.   I have been only using it for a couple weeks but love everything I have used it for so far - and just love the interface.

GroceryIQ & NutritionIQ  - Grocery IQ is a great app for creating shopping lists. You can have multiple stores, add details such as size, price and quantity, organize by aisle, has barcode scanning and predictive searches, print or email coupons and it can share with multiple devices and syncs the lists to them so if maybe you went shopping that day and then later one after work another member of your household stops by grocery store and they will be able to see an updated list.  Nutrition IQ isn't as powerful as Grocery IQ but gives you categories of food - nutritious foods and you can click on a category such as fiber and it will list all nutritious foods with fiber. You can then add them to a shopping list and it has the ability to check them off as you shop just as Grocery IQ does. 

Around the House
Handyman App - it is from the magazine The Family Handyman.  It has some old issues to flip through on it but if you want current issues you have to pay for them. The old issues they have available are full of great information though. You can read the forums and blog on the app too.  The forums are full of problems and solutions.

Good Housekeeping @ Home - has stain buster, do-it-all cleaning tips, home decor gallery and news & tips.

ColorSmart by Behr - it has a feature if you use with iPad2 or phones with cameras - where you can take a photo of your room and then upload it  so that change the paint  so you can see how it would look. ColorSnap is the Sherwin-Williams app that is like Behr. SnapShop is a similar app but for furniture. 

Houzz - is basically for inspiration when I want to redecorate or when I start thinking of our dream home and want more ideas. But it is just a gallery of photos that you can save and make notes on each photo for future reference or also upload photos you find inspiring. I think this app is only for iPhone or iPad.


Flashlight - I admit it - I have used the iPad for a flashlight before trying to find my way around in the dark. It casts off more light then the little maglite I have in the junk drawer. 

Recipes
I use the Epicurious app quite a bit when needing a recipe or have an ingredient I want to use - I can a search there.

Soup Master - I got this app for free but it has so many recipes that I do feel it is probably worth the $1.99. It will list like 5 chicken noodle recipes but all are a little bit different.  But the variety of recipes is beyond what I could ever think of for soup.

Whole Food Recipes -  It has categories such as bugget, quick and easy, cooking with kids, you can target special diet needs such as gluten-free, diary-free, lowfat, vegetarian/vegan and so on,  and you can also search by ingredient, build a shopping list from the recipes. 

All Recipes - they have a free version and a paid/pro version that doesn't have ads and has just a few more features. I use the free version and have liked it just fine.   But I can see the paid version might have some benefits if you use All Recipes quite a bit.  Because it will access your recipe box, allow you to create shopping lists from the recipes and just a few more features that you can't get with the free version. But the free version allows you access to all the recipes, doing search by 1 ingredient or up to 8, by nutrition or name. It also allows you to bookmark favorites on the app. 

Big Oven - can search 170,000+ recipes, add recipes to grocery lists, and automatically synchronize those grocery lists, search by ingredient

Pocket Cocktails and Cocktails HD - It is an app for iPhone/iPad. It has recipes for cocktails. They now have their Christmas cocktail section up right now and during Halloween they had some really good cocktails that were great way to celebrate the holiday.  They have a full screen photo for every drink, search by drink name or an ingredient.  Also includes a Pocket Sommelier.  There is a list of tips and tricks such as how to coat a rim of a glass, how to make layer drinks, zest fruit and so on. Even though I have an iPad I use Pocket Cocktails as Cocktails HD hadn't come out when I first got Pocket Cocktails. They are both 99 cents so not bad for all recipes and information it gives you.

Green
Good Guide -  find health, environmental and social performance ratings for 120,000 food, personal care and household products,  has barcode scanning built in to retrieve product ratings while you shop, you can personalize by selecting issues you care the most about such as is a product tested on animals if that is a top priority for you - you can select that to make sure it tells you how that product rates in that area. It also allows you to create shopping lists. 

Locavore - find local, in-season food, seasonal recipes, nearby farmers' markets & farms that sell the products you enjoy. 


iRecycle - tells you how, where and when to recycle just about anything by inputting your location and also shares new with tips and ways to make green changes to your life.  Another app that I think is similar is My Recycle List.

Part 2 of this will be apps that I haven't used but heard good things about and a few other resource lists for finding applications. 

Friday Favorites

I've been making drastic changes to my cooking habits in an effort to be healthier. These are some of the websites I've turned to.

Cooking Light: An invaluable source for light and healthy cooking tips.

Eating Well: A magazine that you can subscribe to, though the website is great and the newsletters are quite informative.

Healthy Baking: A small listing of healthy baking recipes.

Mother Earth News: This is another website that also has a printed magazine and I do have a subscription to this one. There are all sorts of tips, not just for healthy eating, but gardening, green living, DIY money savers. I love this one.

Whole Living: Just another site that contains all sorts of information for a healthier lifestyle.

Friday Favorites

Nine Green Home Projects You Can Do Today - Don't know where to start in making your home green? I think these are a good start.

Sweet Paul Digital Magazine - the first issue and free right now and I hope it will be for a while as I really enjoyed reading it. Several recipes I want to try and then had some good crafts and entertaining ideas too.

Making Foaming Handsoap - the title of the entry is kind of desiving as says to make "homemade" foaming soap but really they are just creating a cheaper version by using a repurpose/cheat. Either way I know that my sisters love the foaming soap so I am going to share this cheat with them so they can save money!

102 Light Salad Dressing Recipes - by Cheap and Healthy. With it getting into a big salad season now using fresh veggies from the Farmer's Market, I thought trying out new dressings to keep from getting burnt out on salads by the end of the summer.

Mexican Potato Omelet by Martha Stewart - maybe a good weekend recipe for brunch

Friday Favorites

Hot Coupon World - This was a link given to me by Sanna, a reader of Domestic. You have to register but it is free. And then it not only gives you coupons but has forums, chat, blogs and other resources on saving money on your grocery bills.

All You - it is a paper magazine but I found the link to the website in Real Simple. The website is full of tips on "enjoying life for less." A few articles I read and enjoyed....5 Coupon Blogs We Love, 6 Ways to Make Couponing Easy, A Month's Worth of Money Saving Ideas and 8 Surprising Foods You Can Freeze

Makes Great Leftovers from Woman's Day - We like leftovers so this link caught my eye. It had some recipes that were different to me. I am going to try to create a calendar of new recipes I want I try and hopefully add at least one of these.

Pretty Plastic Bag Organizer from Martha Stewart - I have one of these that was made by someone else and given to us. And it made from an ugly towel. But it is hung in the pantry where no one but me sees it and it works well. It is getting very old though and I think there is a little hole in the towel the cords are being worn away from how I have it hung so making a new one with a towel I like might be in order eventually.

Tie a Tie - It has how-to's for several knots, length calculator, tips and tricks, tells you about various necktie accessories and so on.

This and That

I have had a few people write and ask what almond bark is so I took a picture of the kind I use...



I know each store carries it's a different brand. But look for Vanilla Flavored Coating or Vanilla Flavored Candy Coating. Ask clerks in the store too - this time of year they usually know exactly where it is or if they have any left. Our Safeway usually has a special baking display right as you walk in and they almost always have some of it there. But usually I find it in Wal-Mart by chocolate chips and Baker's Baking Chocolate.


Next....

I got a notice in my inbox Amazon is doing $5.00 Magazine Subscriptions again - only of course on select ones but it would be a great last minute gift or stocking stuffer.


Finally a few links for creating your holiday table....

BHG - Set a Stylish Tables

Martha Stewart Christmas Table

Martha Stewart Centerpieces and More (had some cute place setting card ideas)

Real Simple 35 Easy Elegant Recipes for Christmas Dinner

Holiday Tipping Check List

Tips from Woman's Day for the Holidays - Part 2

Part 2 of the Woman's Day November 17, 2009 issue holiday tips. It had quite a few tips on how to save money around the holidays...I thought I would share some of my favorites but with my spin on them.

I couldn't find a link to the whole article but I did find a link to one little section of tips on 4 ways to host a cheap party. I really love doing a party that just has appetizers and desserts. The other tip about sticking to one drink is a good idea. A friend had a Halloween party this year and she served 2 mixed drinks and that was it...everyone loved it.

I also suggest having a hot-cocoa party. If you want to do a little gift for your guests to take away, make some handmade ornaments, some homemade hot-cocoa mix or give them tins with cookies. Maybe do a Holiday movie night with different flavored popcorns and the hot-cocoa bar. Many possibilities in making a party less expensively.

For gift giving...
They had tip called the "rule of 20" - which was sit down and make a list of everyone you have to give a gift to and then whittle that down to 20 gifts.

Family Gifts - Such as if you have a your whole brother's family why not just do a family gift instead of 6 gifts for every person in the family. I think good family gifts are board games, a classic movie on dvd and a box of microwave popcorn, a popcorn popper with some popcorn and popcorn seasoning (that is good to make at home too), tickets to a play or movies, family memberships to the zoo or a museum, a box of fruit, a basket of different hot cocoas and teas or a basket of hot cocoa (make it homemade) with different add-ins homemade marshmallows, caramel syrup, red-hots or peppermint sticks, candied ginger (look here for more add-in suggestions).

Co-workers - Do you have to give to all your co-workers? Why not just bring in food. Such as holiday cookies and candies or bring in breakfast - make an egg casserole or muffins and fruit salad.

Friends - Get all your friends together for brunch or lunch. And say that being together is your gift to each other. One year all of us got together to go to the local museum and then to lunch and that was our gift to each other quality time together during the holidays. It was much needed during the stress of the season so was a great gifts to have fun and laugh with my favorite girlfriends.

Gift Exchange - pick names, rotate names with your family one yer have Aunt Sue and then the next your brother-in-law or do a secret santa. All these things help spend less money on gits. If you are only buying for cousin Joe instead of 13 family members that is going to cut your holiday shopping list down.

What to give...
The friend with expensive tastes - they suggest if the friend likes designer things - do a key chain or wallet. One year I did exactly that I gave a friend a key chain by her favorite designer. During the holidays they usually put those things on sale too.

The friend who is struggling - I really like what they suggested in the magazine...if it is a family that is struggling maybe pay for soccer or dance so their kids so that don't lose those activities. Or ofter to babysit. When I lived in Ohio, I had a friend really struggling and I told her I was coming to pamper her. I told her I would be making dinner while she soaked her feet and read a novel. That way I brought over bags of groceries. Much more then was needed for dinner. And stocked her fridge and pantry. The dinner I made - made plenty of left overs that I froze so she could take to lunch or have for dinner on busy nights. She also got to just sit in a chair and relax for a bit. And indulge in some pampering which when you are struggling that is something that doesn't happen often. I also have done gift certificates for this at places that I know they can get staples such as I have given gas gift cards or gift cards for Target or Walmart knowing they could get groceries if needed with it. Because if they are struggling those things are needed although I would love to give them something more personal sometimes what is needed is more meaningful.

The friend who has everything - They suggest looking at their daily life - do they go to coffee everyday? do they use put out fresh flowers weekly? do they listen to music on their way home from work? Use those things to brainstorm....maybe a travel mug with a gift certificate to their favorite coffee place, a new vase with flowers or a cd you think they would like. In The Art of Giving book they suggest homemade things - cookies, flavored vinegars and oils for cooking, infused liquors, shoe bags, coasters, sachets, candles, soaps and bath salts. And that is usually what I go for when the person has everything or the person is hard to buy for also.

The person who never likes anything - WD suggests giving the person what they already like...a bottle of wine they like, a perfume they like, music from an artist they like and so on.

Mom and Dad - WD suggests hobby gifts. Ask a person who already does that hobby what they really liked as a gift. The hard thing for me on this one is my parents really don't have hobbies. Their free time is spent with their church and family. So I usually look to that category above people who have everything or are hard to buy for. I do think it is a good idea though to go to hobbies for that person that has everything too. Maybe give that knitter a really extravagant yarn (ask another knitter what to get) or a walker might really like certain water bottle.

How do you save money at the holidays? What are you favorite gift giving ideas?

Tips from Woman's Day for the Holidays - Part 1

Woman's Day November 17, 2009 issue had quite a few tips on how to save money around the holidays...I thought I would share some of my favorites but with my spin on them...(I can't find the article online or I would link to it.)

Shop for less...

in your house - I often have things I bought throughout the year to give as gifts and then forget about. So make sure you look around your house before you do any shopping to see who you already can mark off your list.

online - they said that if you can't touch it you are less likely to buy the $130 dollar scarf verses the $30 one you found online. So shopping online will save you money. Also find places that have free shipping or direct shipping of gifts to your recipients so that you save money on mailing.

craft fairs - handmade items that are beautiful, thoughtful and usually cost less. Also you can combine this one and the one above by shopping online at Etsy.com

thrift stores - It has to be the right item to me but I agree with this one. One year I found a really pretty necklace that I knew was the perfect style for a friend so got it for her.

Something not to spend money on...wrapping paper.

* We have tourist information not to far from us and we stop in often so I can pick up a free Colorado map to use in art. But this year I am going to wrap gifts in a map. I am going to circle where we are on it. Maybe do some decoration around it. And then I will put a tag on it that says something about from M & d in Colorado to....the names of the people getting it. I might print off a little section of map from where they live and make a tag out of that saying from Colorado to...whatever state they are in.

* I also had a couple beautiful calendars last year and the year before that I saved I think I will use them as wrapping paper and also to make bows like I described in the book review of Simply Green Giving.

* If you have kids, give them some blank pages of newsprint or other paper to draw on and use that to wrap gifts.

* Fabric - I have some cream colored muslin that I could use fabric paint on or I could hand stitch some holiday shapes such as stars, candy canes or stockings on it. Or just tie it up with a pretty holiday ribbon.

* Newspaper isn't my favorite wrapping - but if you do it so that the lines are crisp and decorate it with a pretty tag and bow then it can look stunning.

* Brown paper sacks with rubber stamping on them or cut out silver foil stars or last years greeting cards and glue on to it.


Reinvent your decor....by spending less then $10.
* lights - One year we went to a friends house that had a couple trees in their home but one tree was just lights and use an item she already had as a tree skirt...an antique silk shawl that I had seen her wear often but now looked so pretty as the tree skirt. When I was growing up my Mom put around the front door a string of lights and green garland (whatever she found cheapest - evergreen, pine...so on). And that simple decoration always gave a holiday glow that said home to me.

* music - playing music at home sets the mood for the whole house.

* family photos - Dig out the old holiday photos and replace the ones you have out right now with those. Buy some dollar store plain frames and apply red or green buttons on it. Or decoupage some gift wrap on to it. The holidays are about family so having those memories scattered throughout the house creates a great holiday decoration.

* fabric - hit the fat quarters and least inexpensive fabrics to make a table topper or cover over an existing pillow. I saw a really cute picture in Better Homes and Garden of a pillow covered with red fabric. They wrapped it up just like a package and then tied it with a pretty green ribbon. And had pretty pillow packages on the couch.

They had a lot of tips so I think I will split this into a 2 part post.

Newsletters

I am signed up for quite a few email newsletters so I thought I would share them all with you. I like opening them up scanning to see if anything jumps out at me. And then I save them in a folder in my mailbox if I like something or if it really inspires me for the moment - I print it right away.

Allrecipes.com
* Daily Dish - This one is just what it says daily dish - I don't get it anymore but did for years (others below are what I get now). It has one meat recipe and an added one too sometimes vegetarian recipe, sometimes just another recipe that would be good with it it or a quicker version. And then it has a few links to sides that would go them. This actually has saved me a few times when I was completely clueless on what I was going to make for dinner. This one of course is delivered daily.

* Healthy Bites - Again what the name implies healthy recipes. It is delivered weekly.

* Slow Cooker - Seasonal recipes, tips, and ideas for using your Slow Cooker year-round that is delivered weekly. I just started this one not too long ago and haven't seen many recipes so far that have really got my attention. But I love using my slow cooker so don't doubt I will find some inspiration from it.


They also have several others that I don't get. But at the holidays I do sign up for the cookie countdown.

MarthaStewart.com has are probably my favorite daily/weekly emails I get. If you go to MarthStewart.com and go to the top menu tabs: subscribe. Click that and scroll down to newsletters. Click on any of them and it will give you options to sign up for many more then just that one. For some reason I am not finding a link to just all the different options.

From MarthaStewart.com I get:
* Martha Stewart Living - A weekly newsletter of the best recipes, crafts, and decorating ideas.

* Everyday Food - A weekly newsletter for easy and quick meals. Plus dessert recipes, cooking tips and techniques.

* Whole Living - A weekly newsletter with ideas, recipes and tips for living a balanced and healthy lifestyle.

* Craft of the Day - Which is just as it sounds I get an email with a link to the craft of the day. That has instructions and sometimes video with it.

* Organizing Tip of the Day - And this one is by far my favorite an email that arrives daily with an organizing tip.

* Dinner Tonight - a daily email with a dinner recipe. This one has saved me a few times. Through either making it or at least sparking an idea I had in the house to make.

I also am signed up for many of her holiday newsletters. Umm I like Martha Stewart's newsletters can you tell?

Cooking Light's Dinner Tonight - again daily that gives ideas for dinner - except these are healthy.

And I am also signed up My Recipes Chicken Tonight as we have chicken a lot. That you can get to at the link above.

Myrecipes.com has quite a few newsletters but those are the only 2 I get at this time. But have thought about getting the home tips one though.


Kraft Food and Family - I got this because I had their magazine - which used to be free but now they charge for it. Even if I don't always use their products it sometimes gives me a starting off point for meals...that are easy.

And then I get Daily Diabetic Recipes - because often they are healthy recipes with lots of flavor to them. I have probably made more recipes from them then any of the other newsletters I get. And we are not diabetic either. They are just are healthy recipes.

And then also I get the Ideal Bite one that I mentioned here recently.

And then I get Better Homes and Garden's 100 Days of Holidays - which is an email I think it starts the first day of fall(?) and then goes all the way to New Years. And it has decorating, entertaining, recipes, crafts, kid projects, party ideas and so on for Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years.

There are a TON of newsletters to sign up for there. But I really I never noticed until now - because I signed up for the 100 Days through my magazine subscription. There was a link listed in it for the 100 Days that looked fun. And really I have enjoyed it a lot. I made a few craft projects for Thanksgiving last year. And a couple Halloween recipes. This year I hope to do more or their ideas.

I also get 2 daily emails that aren't domestic but they do help keep me centered and positve outlook on life. One is from Daily Om and the other is Notes from the Universe.

That is it. I know it is quite a few but it really just takes me moments to open them up and scan them. And frankly I hit delete on quite a few. But then there is something in several that spark my interest enough to look further.

Do you have any newsletters you would like to share? I obviously need some more. :)

Real Simple Magazine

I am sure this will be a temporary deal for Amazon but they have Real Simple listed at $5.00 for a year subscription. That is so inexpensive. I don't have a subscription but I pick them up every so often just because I really do enjoy the magazine. I will admit they seem to at time be more about promoting products then actually making life simpler. But I have ripped out, used and saved many articles and tips found in the magazine. So for me the things found outweigh the promoting products aspects.

Friday Favorites

A summer time menu from Whole Living

Instructions for Candle and Soap Making

From Zen Habits - It's Time for a New Relationship with Food

Salvage old drawers to make into shelving unit


dwell - a magazine that I have been enjoying online

Peach Crush

I am going through magazines (I have a thing for magazines) to cut out articles, recipes, crafts and such to save. I am going to try to pull a recipe a month from the file to try.

But anyway here is one I want to try this summer as we live in peach country. We even have a Peach Festival.


2 cups diced peaces, fresh or frozen, please added slices for garnish
2 cups crushed ice
2 to 3 teaspoons of sugar (depending on the sweetness of peaches)
1/4 cup loosely packed basil leaves, plus some for garnish
1 bottle sparkling white wine or sparkling apple cider, chilled

Place peaches, ice, sugar (use less or none if using cider), and basil leaves in the blender; puree until smooth. Pour pureed peaches into chilled glasses until half full. Add sparkling wine/cider. Serve garnished with basil sprig and a slice of peach.

The recipe is from the magazine Organicstyle.com (they don't have a paper version of the magazine anymore - it was a really good magazine - I just signed up for their free online magazine so will see how if that is just as good.)

**Great peach photo taken by Master here locally at a Peach Grove

2 Offers

Kraft has a free* magazine Food & Family that I really enjoy. It just has easy recipes that taste good. And some things give me ideas to spin-off from. Well now they have a pretty slick-version online too. (*sidenote: Food & Family magazine used to be free and now it isn't. I was really surprised to see that. Truthfully I am not sure it is worth $11.98 for 4 issues. I mean it is really full of good recipes. Their holiday issue is my favorite and looks like it too after the holidays full of earmarks and spatters from chocolate and such. If you know someone who has it, ask them to see it first before you order to see if it will be a good fit for you.)


BettyCrocker.com is now starting a club called The Mixer. It is going to have webcast classes, tips and techniques and ask an expert. And best yet it is FREE!

Muffins and Scone Recipes from Woman's Day

I received a 1 year subscription for Woman's Day for filling out a survey or something like that - it was a while back so I can't remember. Anyway, I got my first issue last week and found a few little good things that I figured I would share every so often this month.

Starting with this link to some recipes for Scones and Muffins. Cranberry Pistachio Muffins recipe is what caught my eye right away though. I think they look really delicious but also they would make a good homemade gift.


ps: I love the star shaped muffins.