Author: Sharell

Apple Crisp Recipe

I tried making this dessert the other day and it was too yummy not to share!

Ingredients

10 cups baking apples (like fuji or pink lady), peeled, cored and sliced
1 cup white sugar
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 cup water

1 cup quick-cooking oats
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup butter, melted

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degree C).

Place the sliced apples in a 9×13 inch pan. Mix the white sugar, 1 tablespoon flour and ground cinnamon together, and sprinkle over apples. Pour water evenly over all.

Combine the oats, 1 cup flour, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda and melted butter together. Crumble evenly over the apple mixture.

Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for about 45 minutes.

Yields 1 – 9×13 inch pan.

The Evolution of a Custom Painting

Over the holiday season I was contacted by a woman who came across one of my paintings in my Etsy shop that she absolutely loved. She asked if I would be willing to make her a custom painting of an image she had in her head. So after many emails, sketch designs, and revisions later, I have finally created the painting she had been dreaming up.

It was a whole new experience trying to paint something so exact while having to follow someone else’s directions, paint choices, and style. The process took WAY longer than anticipated, but in the end, it turned out just how she wanted and that makes me SO happy.

Here are just a few of the sketches I made in Photoshop during the process of trying to turn her changing descriptions into images:

And here is how the final painting turned out:

“Autumn in New York”

24 x 30 acrylic on canvas

A New York cityscape towers over trees in the park. The metallic silver background reflects beautifully in the light. Sun rays peak through the clouds after the rain has stopped. The circular lollipop-like trees glisten with gold and are accented with red berries. The wavy grass almost dances as it blows in the wind. A true contrast of industry and nature.

He Loves Me.

It’s raining love!

To my other half-

Thank you for posing in pictures all the time for me. Thank you for being patient with me when I am trying to figure out what to buy in a store. Thank you for telling me I look cute. Thank you for teaching me new things-or old things over again. Thank you for taking care of me when I am sick. Thank you for calming me down when I am stressed. Thank you for going on adventures with me. Thank you for cooking with me. Thank you for always listening to me. You are the best ever and I love you.

xoxo,
Me 
 Happy Valentine’s Day!

10 Random Facts About Me

1. Unread email messages give me anxiety.

2. At night, I like to sleep on top of the bed’s comforter with a blanket.

3. A lot of my daydreams consist of me thinking up ideas for new paintings.

4. I can do a pretty decent job at cutting boys, girls, and dogs’ hair.

5. I am saving up to get an Ipod Touch!

6. I hardly ever use conditioner on my hair.

7. I go on a walk almost everyday.

8. I am slightly allergic to cantaloupe, watermelon, and avocados-but I eat them anyway.

9. I have a freckle in my left eye.

10. I can’t kill spiders-I take them outside and let them go.

What are some random facts about you?!

Cranberry Pumpkin Bread

Kori and decided to make this recipe tonight and it was really good so I thought I would share! (Our friend and neighbor, Leslie, still makes the best pumpkin bread EVER! Maybe someday we will get her recipe!)

1 (15 ounce) can pumpkin
1 cup vegetable oil
2/3 cup water
4 large eggs
3 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
3 cups sugar
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon cloves
1 cup chopped fresh or frozen cranberries
1 cup raisins (optional)
1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray 2 (10-inch) loaf pans with nonstick baking spray with flour.

2. In a large bowl, add pumpkin, oil, 2/3 cup water, and eggs; beat at medium speed with a mixer until combined.

3. In a medium bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves. Gradually add to pumpkin mixture, beating until smooth. Stir in cranberries, raisins, and walnuts. Spoon batter into prepared pans, and bake for 50 t0 60 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Let cool in pans for 10 minutes. Remove from pans, and cool completely on wire racks.

Enjoy!