Stress Relief – Five Simple Tips (she: Maria)

Stress Relief – Five Simple Tips (she: Maria)

ByMaria

Hello Everyone! This is Maria from Shopgirl stopping by again! I hope you are all having a good week so far! I thought I would share something a little different with you today, since November 5th is Stress Awareness Day. I want to share five simple stress relief tips because around this time of year when the holiday season is just around the corner, life gets so terribly busy and incredibly stressful. I am someone who worries about every little thing, whether silly or serious, but I have learned a couple of simple tips & tricks that help me deal with stress, and I hope they help you too! I am by no means a medical professional or a psychologist, but these are a few little things I use to manage stress.

mason jar jack-o-laterns
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Easy Halloween Craft… Mason Jar Jack-O-Lanterns (she: Maria)

ByMaria

Hello Everyone! This is Maria from Shopgirl again, and I’m excited to share a super easy and fun fall craft idea with you today! It’s hard to believe that it’s October already, and that the holiday season is just around the corner! These mason jar jack-o-lanterns would be a fun craft to do with kids, and they would also make for great little Halloween party favor containers if you filled them with candy (and not with a lit candle, obviously!) You can make the design as simple or as intricate as you like, and you can use clear or colored mason jars. Just a couple of minutes and a few craft supplies and you have a fun little fall decoration to put on your window sill or to give away! Read on to see how to make these…

Candle Cozy- Upcycle Old Sweaters (she: Maria)
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Candle Cozy- Upcycle Old Sweaters (she: Maria)

ByMaria

Hello Everyone! Happy September! This is Maria stopping by from Shopgirl again, and I am so excited that fall is finally on its way! As fun as the summer was, I’m ready for some cooler weather already. And even though it’s not officially fall quite yet, it is September, and in my mind, that means it’s time to start all those fall crafts. I have a fun & simple one to share with you today. I love burning candles, especially in the fall, because I love how they instantly cozy up a space, and I wanted to share one of my candle projects with you today, using a recycled old sweater. See, this is why I never throw things away… you just never know when you might need them!!! For a craft project, of course! So here’s how you can make a candle cozy for candle jars this fall:

easy crepes
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Easy Crepes… whip them up in no time! (she: Maria)

ByMaria

Hello Everyone! This is Maria from Shopgirl coming over to share another recipe with you today! Crepes are one of my absolute favorite things to eat, both sweet and savory ones, so I’m super excited to share this recipe with you today! It takes a little bit of practice to learn how to make the perfect crepe (and the first one or two of every batch I make are never perfect!), but it’s a cooking skill well worth learning because they are so good, and so quick to whip up! All you need are a couple of ingredients whisked together, and a couple minutes to make the crepes! You can serve them sweet for a big breakfast or dessert, with some berries, ice-cream and whipped creme or with Nutella and bananas (one of my favorites!), or savory with a whole variety of fillings…. some of my favorites being spinach or mushroom

Blackberry Cobbler… The Perfect Summery Dessert (she: Maria)
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Blackberry Cobbler… The Perfect Summery Dessert (she: Maria)

ByMaria

Hello, dear friends! This is Maria from Shopgirl visiting again, and I have another recipe to share with you today! Since summer is officially here, it’s time for all those delicious summer desserts! Nothing says summer dessert to me like baking with fresh fruit. I look forward to ripe, juicy berries and wonderfully fragrant peaches all year! This blackberry cobbler is a great choice for a quick and easy, but utterly delicious summer dessert. You are definitely going to want to make this, because it is like summer in a bite (especially topped with a big scoop of ice-cream, of course).

whole wheat no knead bread
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Whole Wheat No-Knead Bread Recipe (she: Maria)

ByMaria

Hello, Everybody! This is Maria from Shopgirl stopping by again to share a recipe with you! I’m so excited to share this recipe with you today, because I’ve been trying out and tweaking so many different bread recipes over the past couple of months, and this one is one of my favorites! I have made a couple variations of this whole wheat no-knead bread, and this version has great texture and flavor, and would be perfect to go along with some soup or a big salad in the summertime! What I love most about this recipe is not only that you don’t need to knead it, but that you simply mix all the ingredients in a bowl, cover it and let the dough sit for about 12 – 20 hours and then just bake it off and you have a beautiful loaf of bread! I usually prepare the dough in the evening and let it sit all night and then bake it in the morning. Here’s how you make it…

pretzel dogs
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Delicious Homemade Pretzel Dogs (she: Maria)

ByMaria

Hello, dear friends! Happy Monday! This is Maria from Shopgirl stopping by again, and I’m excited to share one of my favorite homemade treats with you today! Every time I walk into a mall, it only takes a couple of minutes before I’m hit by that heavenly smell of freshly baked pretzels and I start craving one of those delicious treats. I love making soft pretzels at home, and these pretzel dogs are just as easy to make, and are so good! Here is how you can make them…

easter place setting
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Easter Place Setting Idea … using simple craft supplies (she: Maria)

ByMaria

Hi Everybody! This is Maria from Shopgirl, and I’m excited to be here again to share a fun Easterplace setting idea with you! Can you believe that Easter is just around the corner?! With as long as winter has lasted this year, it’s hard to believe that spring is finally here! I love this time of year; I love that after months of cold, dark and dreary weather (especially this year!) the world all of a sudden becomes beautifully colorful as trees turn green and flowers begin to bloom! You may already be planning your Easter menu and decor (and if not, you still have time!) and I have a fun place setting idea to share with you today! All you need are a couple of craft supplies and you have these cute little Easter egg place settings for your holiday table! Here’s what you’ll need and how you can make these…

crab stuffed lobster
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Crab Stuffed Lobster (she: Maria)

ByMaria

Hi Everyone! I hope you all had a wonderful weekend, and that this new month has started off well for you! I am so happy that March is here, since it means that the official beginning of spring is just a couple of days away now! And after this long, cold winter, that’s pretty good news! I’m excited to be back here and share another recipe with you today! If you don’t know me yet, I’m Maria from Shopgirl, and if you missed last month’s recipe (my Heart Shaped Puff Pastry Pockets) you can find it HERE! Today I’m sharing this Crab Stuffed Lobster with you, that makes for a perfect special dinner! My husband and I both love seafood, and love the fact that there is so much delicious seafood in Maryland, where we moved a little over a year ago. This recipe is basically a crab cake stuffed/topped lobster tail and if you’re a seafood lover, you will love this!

heart shaped puff pastry
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Heart Shaped Puff Pastry Pockets (she: Maria)

ByMaria

Since Valentine’s Day is coming up soon, I thought I would share this fun and easy (and so delicious!) sweet treat with you today! These little heart shaped puff pastry pockets would make for a great special breakfast or snack, and a box of these would make for a tasty gift on Valentine’s Day, or any other day!