Tapenade Canapés

 {Gluten-Free Holidays}

Tapenade Canapés
From the gluten-free kitchen of Rachel Le Grand

Here is a recipe for a gluten-free appetizer I came up with ~ it is delicious !  Enjoy !

What you need:
1 1/3 cups Betty Crocker Gluten-Free Bisquick mix
1/4 tsp oregano
1/4 tsp thyme
1/2 cup water
1/3 cup oil
2 eggs, beaten
Tapenade (or black olive paste)
Prosciutto
Goat cheese
Sun-dried tomatoes
Fresh basil

 What you do:
Heat oven to 450 degrees F. Stir mix, seasonings, water, oil & eggs 'til combined, spread in pan.
Bake 15 minutes.

 Crust will appear cracked.

Cut crust into 2 inch by 2 inch squares.
Top each square with 1/4 to 1/2 tsp tapenade.

 Cut prosciutto into 2 inch by 2 inch squares.

 Add one prosciutto on top of each square.

 Add a few crumbs of goat cheese on top of each square.
Return to oven for 8 minutes.

 Sprinkle sun-dried tomatoes on top.

 Sprinkle cup up fresh basil on top.

 Return to oven for 3 minutes.

 The red of the sun-dried tomatoes & the green from the fresh basil make a festive holiday appetizer & those colors really pop against the white goat cheese.

Bon appétit !

Happy Gluten-Free Holidays !!!

Blessing Bags

Have you seen these yet? They are called Blessing Bags, you can learn more about them here.

Basically you fill up a gallon Ziploc bag with non-perishable food items & travel size personal hygiene items, keep it in your car & hand it out to a homeless person standing on a corner, a small thing that could mean the world to a homeless person. I put this one together for just over $10. Putting some of these together would make a great family, community, or church project.

Happy Thanksgiving !

Holiday 11 Ideas House

 {this is not my house}

Are you ready for another tour of the Bachman's Ideas House?  If you'd like, you can visit some from the past: spring 10, summer 10, holiday 10, spring 11, & summer 11.

This house was built in the early 1920's & for the Holidays 11 it was decorated with an Elegance of Winter theme, with creamy whites, cool blues, celadon, soft greens and shimmering metallic accents mixed in with botanical elements and natural textures ~ it's definitely not your traditional red and green Christmas !  Many of the one-of-a-kind items are for sale (it is highly recommended that you visit the first day if you'd like to purchase any of the one-of-a-kind items, as once they're sold, they're sold)... enjoy the tour...

 Front porch

 In the sunroom, birdcages filled with a miniature garden & clip-on bird ornaments

 Ball ornaments & wreath made into a larger wreath

 Living room

 Vintage child-size metal bed frame, bedspring, glass, & doilies used as a coffee table

 Dining room

 Oversized silver wreath made from vintage silver trays & chargers

 In the kitchen, wallpaper made from placemats, vintage metal lawyer's cabinet turned into storage shelves

 Top shelve decorated with vintage milk glass vases & ornaments

 Towel & soap holder made from a vintage basket

 Step risers spell out "Twas the night before Christmas..." using stencils, laminated paper & ribbon

 Bohemian Woodland theme in the girls bedroom

 Bed canopy made from a garden trellis with wood shelves added

 Christmas tree in a vintage child's sleigh

 Jump rope & clothes pins used to hang magazine clippings

 Decorative wall tree made from wood scraps, wood picnic table repurposed as a desk

 Ceiling light fixture created from a vintage garden basket & tassel key chains

 Craft room

 Salvaged ladders turned into shelves, wall covered in fabric & buttons

 Wire baskets become ribbon holders

 Locker doors turned into storage & magnet boards

 Bandanas used as curtain valence

 Christmas tree made from paper towels & fabric using chicken wire as a frame

 Planes, Trains & Automobiles theme in the boys bedroom

 In the master bedroom, curtain rods decorated with Christmas ornaments

Vintage dress form used to display jewelry, Christmas tree decorated with salvaged spindles, scarves, necklaces, picture frames & photos

 In the bathroom, wall-mounted vintage basket with ribbon used as towel storage

Vintage & salvaged letters in picture frames used to spell out Joy, Noel & Peace

I hope you get a chance to visit this Holiday Ideas House, it's open until Dec 18th, 2011

PS Spring 12 Ideas House will be Thursday, March 22 - Sunday, April 15, 2012