#footballsunday 17.0 : Seahawks Game Day Party Prep

#TGIBF (Thank God Its BLUE Friday) and today is a special one! Not only is it the last blue Friday for the 2014-2015 NFL Season but it is also Super Blue Friday! Just in cause you have been living in a cave, the Seahawks are in the Superbowl!! 

And of course I am prepping up for our Superbowl Party on Sunday, but before that I thought that I would do a round up on all the Football/Seahawks treats that I shared over the season here on the blog. Thanks for following and reading along all season and I'll be back next season with more treats and crafts. BUT there will still be lots of other posts till then :)

Back to the Superbowl, whether you are hosting or not, as long you are watching the game here are some treats, crafts and manicures to get ready of the big day!! 

Why not start with getting yourself ready! 

Next add a little green and blue to your place, what's a party with out decorations!

And then you can bake up some cookies? They are perfect to pack along in case you are not hosting!


Not enough time for cookies? Then make one of these quick and easy bakes.


We can't just live off sugar, here are some appetizers to add to the menu.


And those are just a few of the things that I tried this season, here are some the pins that I am yet to make (or maybe just adore them cause I am not that good :P)



And that is a wrap for this season! Please follow along for updates on other posts. Till then,

Go Hawks!
Farhana  

Don't forget, caring is sharing!

Throwback Thursday 3.0 : The Superbowl Treats

Keeping with the Seahawks/Superbowl theme, I'm throwing it way back to my the first time I went to a Superbowl party (2011) and the first time I hosted (2012). My treat from 2013 is shared here and last year's (2014) can be here.

Yes I hoard pictures from really long ago, you'll be amazed at how many bad pictures I am holding on to. I think they remind me of where I started and I as I might have mentioned earlier, I share them to show that everyone starts some where. Hopefully this encourages one of you out there to try something new :)

Time to walk down memory lane...

2011

2012

2013

2014

Time to start working on this year's treats! What are your plans for the big day?

Enjoy!
Farhana

X and Os {and a Book Review}

Not that kind of X and Os. Yeah, I know that the bloggersphere is all about Valentines with there red sprinkles and heart cookie cutters. But I'm all about the Seahawks getting themselves to the Superbowl. Now that is what deserves a celebration! So have you all started planning your Superbowl party? I sure have! Starting with this edible table center piece.


A while back (yes I suck at blogging on time) I was sent a copy of Smart Cookie: Transform Store-Bought Cookies Into Amazing Treats by Christi Johnstone the blogger behind Love from the Oven. She wrote this great book filled with ideas to customize and decorate store bought cookies with store bought supplies to match your party theme and add that personal touch. This book is perfect for busy people who don't have the time and also great for lazy people who hate to bake (he he, I just said that).


While flipping the book, I came across the classroom theme, and while looking at the blackboard, I thought why not recreate it in a football theme! And it just happened that I was reading this article and decided to go with it!


And I really liked the outcome; plain, simple and easy. And so what, not into football? Change it up! Use it to send someone a message, use it for a table setting for a different party theme. I think that possibilities are endless :)


In case you are planning a party and need to add to your menu the book has these cute football theme cookies that you can make and decorated in minutes and everything is store bought! Easy Peasy.


Instructions and a how to video can be found here. But this is not all that the book has to offer, I really liked this mini cookie cake idea. Perfect for a princess tea party!


And in my world, no one can go wrong with sprinkles.


As this is more of a decorating idea then a recipe, the instructions are super short.

Here's what you'll need:


- candy bar
- powdered sugar
- toothpick
- small brush
- design to recreate.

What to do:
1. Brush the candy bar to remove access crumbs.
2. Etch the design using a toothpick and continuously brush the crumbs off.
3. Cover the bar with powdered sugar and rub in with your fingers.
4. Brush off access sugar. Wipe with a moist paper towel if too much is left behind.

Enjoy!
Farhana  

Travel Tuesday Vol 2 : Arizona State Capitol

In honor of the Seahawks going to the Superbowl, being held in Phoenix, AZ, I thought that I would share my short trip down there last year. But, there is not much to see in Phoenix, all the places that I wanted to go to were at least an hour away. And I wasn't up for that long a drive, as we had to be back in time to get ready and go to my husband's holiday party (the reason that we were there!).

Looking down at the city with a view of Camel Back Mountain
Once I limited my Google search to Phoenix, I realized that it is the state capitol of Arizona. So, of course we had to go and check it out!

The front view of the old State Capitol Building
The original state capitol building is no longer used for official purposes, it is now a museum dedicated to the history of Arizona, along with a special display dedicated to the USS Arizona.


They kept the governor's office in its original state from when it was last used. The wax dummy was a tad bit creepy.


I love lego's and anything to do with lego's! This lego flag was so Awesome!


They also have multiple painting of sights of Arizona.



Got to see a cactus! (There aren't any at all in Northern AZ, as I discovered on our trip there earlier in the year.)


This caught my eye while walking around the park on front of the Capitol Building. I love the way they incorporated AZ history using the flag as a background.


Lastly I'll leave you with a few pictures of the statues outside the building.




happy travels!
Farhana

BloggerView: Erica from Erica's Sweet Tooth

I am the baker/chef that I am because of all my family and friends that have been nice enough to share their recipes and teach me their tips. Along with them, I have learnt a lot from all the bloggers out there :)

One of the bloggers that I have followed for a really long time is Erica from Erica's Sweet Tooth. She is an awesome and creative baker, and her husband seems to love peanut butter and chocolate almost as much as mine, as a result I get a lot of inspiration from her!

She was gracious enough to reply my email, so that you and I can learn a bit more about the baker behind the blog.

1. How long have you been blogging?
- I started my blog in October of 2009 - so it's been 5 years now!

2. What made you start blogging?
- When I was in college I started reading a lot of baking blogs, and I became addicted. When dental school started I found myself baking a lot as an escape from all the studying, and since I received a nice DSLR camera for graduation I figured maybe I could do the whole blogging thing myself.

3. Do you remember your first blog post, if so what was it?
- Yes of course! It was a recipe for oatmeal white chocolate cranberry cookies. My pictures were terrible, taken without natural light and I cringe sometimes looking at them, but I also appreciate them as a reminder of how far I've come. I remember I took my photos with my biology notes in the background because that was my life at the time- studying constantly!

4. Do you blog full time or is it a hobby?
- It's just a hobby of mine. I'm a pediatric dental resident full time so I just bake and blog in my free time.

5. Who is your favorite blogger?
- Some of my favorites include Annie's Eats, Sally's Baking Addiction, and How Sweet Eats.

6. What is your favorite social media?
- Instagram! I'm a sucker for photos.

7. What is your favorite crafting tool?
- I love doodling and doing calligraphy, so probably nice pens and markers. I love having gold paint pens around to decorate cards and add fancy writing wherever I can.

8. What is your favorite season or holiday to blog about?
- Halloween! There are so many themes and colors to play around with - you can be spooky, scary, silly, it's just a lot of fun. And I love candy too so I'm always excited to stock up on Halloween candy for baking purposes.

9. Something that you can't live with out?
- For baking? Probably my Kitchenaid mixer but that's obvious. It's my workhorse and it's yellow so I love it :)

10. Any words for new and aspiring bloggers?
- Do what makes you happy, blog about what you love, and write from the heart. Blogging is a constant learning process and there's always ways to grow, but take it at your own pace and make sure blogging doesn't become a stressor in your life. It should be a release and an opportunity for creative expression.

Erica is not only creative with ingredients, but just as creative with decorating! I chose out some my favorites from her blog. Be sure to check this and more out at Erica's Sweet Tooth.



Enjoy!
Farhana 

January Book Review

Everything I have been doing these days is either related to school or the Seahawks (hehe!). So, for today's post I thought that I would change it up! This year started off on fast forward with my graduate project, class load and job hunting, so I told myself that would try and read at least a book a month. IF I manage to finish a book, as I did this month, I will share my two cents here on the blog.


I came across this book when it was recommended to me Amazon, probably based on my other reads and reviews. And for once Amazon was right. I say that because I bought a book based on Amazon's recommendation and it turned out to be thicker than a dictionary. Thanks but no thanks, I like to keep my books short and sweet.

According to Amazon...

"Bernadette Fox is notorious. To her Microsoft-guru husband, she's a fearlessly opinionated partner; to fellow private-school mothers in Seattle, she's a disgrace; to design mavens, she's a revolutionary architect, and to 15-year-old Bee, she is a best friend and, simply, Mom.

Then Bernadette disappears. It began when Bee aced her report card and claimed her promised reward: a family trip to Antarctica. But Bernadette's intensifying allergy to Seattle--and people in general--has made her so agoraphobic that a virtual assistant in India now runs her most basic errands. A trip to the end of the earth is problematic."

Once I saw the words "Microsoft" and "Seattle", I knew I had to give it a try! And it did not disappoint. This was a very quick and short read, took me a week, that's while I was reading my textbook and other novel.

The format of the book is a little bit different with letters and emails, along with a narration from Bernadette's daughter. If you live in Seattle like I do, then you won't need an imagination, you'll be able to visualize everything as you have seen it and laugh at the jokes as you will probably agree with most of them, as I did.

Before I give too much away, go grab yourself a copy, get a warm drink and blanket and enjoy a night in!

My rating : 5/5 stars

Happy Reading!
Farhana 

#footballsunday 16.0 : Seahawks "m n m" Cookies

Less than 24 hours away from Game Day! Who else is super excited tomorrow?? I've been so excited that I haven't really focused on anything this week. It was such a challenge getting my proposal and HW submitted on time!


What are your plans tomorrow? We got invited to a friends place to watch the game (and no I'm not taking these treats with, unfortunately with school in full swing my time in the kitchen is limited). But if you have the time you should totally make these cookies! They are AWESOME and made from very basic ingredients that are usually in your pantry.


You don't have to take out the blue and green m n m's, just use the whole pack. But if you really want to stick to the theme, you can always hit up a party store, they usually stock m n m's in individual colors.


Seahawks M n M Cookies

Recipe adapted from Joy of Baking

Ingredients
2 cups flour
1 1/4 tsp baking soda
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) butter, at room temperature
2/3 cup granulated white sugar
2/3 cup light brown sugar
1 egg
1 egg yolk
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup (blue and green) m n m's

Method
1. Beat the butter and both sugars together.
2. Add in the egg and egg yolk and continue beating.
3. After the egg in completely incorporated add in the the flour and baking. Beat until just mixed.
4. Lastly fold in the m n m's.
5. Place the dough in fridge for at least an hour, or overnight.
Once ready to bake;
6. Preheat the oven to 350*F and line two cookie sheets with parchment paper.
7. Roll 1 Tbsp cookie dough and place on cookie sheet about 1 1/2 inchs apart.
8. Bake for 8 mins. (The center will be soft when you take it out, but leave on the pan for a 5 mins before moving to a cooling rack).


Go Hawks!
Farhana 

#footballsunday 15.0 : Seahawks "Pinspired" Snack List

Wait what! We are already in the middle of January! Where is 2015 going to in such a rush!! As I might have mentioned this past December was my last winter break (fingers crossed), which means that I enjoyed every single meeting by binge watching Netflix, lots of family time, and of course a ton of baking and cooking.

I don't know about you, but this year couldn't have gotten of to a better start, especially with the Seahawk's win! Who else is excited about next week?? I sure am! And to get back into blogging I thought that I would share some of the recipes that I have pinned, fingers crossed that we get to the Superbowl and my school work load lets me plan a super bowl party!

Is your team still in the running for the super bowl? Are you planning a party? What are you planning on making?



Here's my list!

1. Colored Deviled Eggs (love how you can choose what ever colors you want!)
2. Brussels Sprout Cheesy Dip (remove the 'b' and its Russel and perfect for Seahawk theme!)
3. Macho Nachos (football = macho)
4. Cheesy Spinach Crescent Rolls (maybe adding a bit of blue cheese and you have a blue and green theme!)
5. Watermelon Football Helmet (something healthy to balance out all the cheese!)
6. Quarter Pup (How cute are these!!)

Follow me on Pinterest for more ideas! 

Go Hawks!
Farhana  

Don't forget, caring is sharing!