Friday Favorites - Week 32

Hi everyone! Time for another edition of Friday Favorites!  I have a quick question for you this week.  I was wondering if you guys would like for me to host this as thumbnail linky. It seems like everyone is using these now, although I can name at least a few that still use the old-school version like I've been using.

I've used the basic version, largely because the links load a lot faster.  I don't know about you, but even with a highspeed connection, it sometimes take a while for all the thumbnails to load (or maybe I'm just impatient).  And as someone who links up at a lot of blogs myself, I do like that with the basic linky, there are one or two less steps in the linking process.  But I've decided that I would poll you guys and see which you prefer.  So if you'll just let me know in the comments, I'd really appreciate it. Thanks!

This week's Friday Favorites is sponsored by Painted Lady Designs. See the lovely item below?  Check out my giveaway post and you could win it!  

Now for this week's featured posts:

Bewitching Bars from Singing with Birds

Crockpot Scalloped Potatoes and Ham from Creatively Domestic

Twine Pears from The Cupcake Cuppy

Caramel Apple Cake from Louanne's Kitchen

Linky time! Please link up any post that you consider a favorite, and please use your post urls instead of your blog so that we can easily find the post you want to share! Also, I'd appreciate it if you would place a link to my blog in your post and/or place my button in your sidebar. Thanks!

Sweet Thursday: Cookie & Bar Edition

I'm pleased to present the Cookie Edition of Sweet Thursday! Feast your eyes upon this month's yummy selections.  Then link up your own recipes below!

Next Month's Event: For October, I'll be featuring Fall and Halloween Sweets. You can have your dessert featured here, just by emailing your link to simplysweethome@hotmail.com. Entries must be received by Oct 26.  The linky event will then be posted, Wedesday night, Oct 27.

Chocolate Dipped Cookies from Nina's Recipes

Apple Cookies from A Crafty Escape

Amaretto Coffee Brownies from My Sweet and Savory

Malted Milk Ball Cookies from  from glitter to gumdrops

Candy Corn Cookies from Nina's Recipes

Lemon Glazed Shortbread Cookies from Millie's Place

Chocolate Filled Brownies from Chaya's Comfy Cook Blog

Oreo Strawberry Biscotti from Nina's Recipes

Shortbread Cookies from Simply Sweet Home

Homemade Samoas from Simply Sweet Home

I'm excited to see your yummy treat! Link up below!

Jewelry Giveaway from Painted Lady Designs

Today I'm excited to present a fabulous jewelry giveaway from Painted Lady Designs.   Painted Lady Designs offers gorgeous, one of a kind pendants, necklaces, leather chokers, earrings, and more! Jeanette Cotton is the designer of these lovely pieces. (You may remember Jeanette from the post I wrote about her other shop Rock of Ages)

Jeanette is very excited about her new line of chokers.  Each choker features a leather cord, adorned with a beautiful stone, that is carefully hand-selected and combined with pearls, lamp beads, corals, and other unique elements, to create a piece of jewelry that is literally a work of art.  Jeanette's also making chokers with ribbon, and in the future she will offer them with a silver chain.

At Painted Lady Designs and Rock of Ages, Jeanette's goal is to create one of a kind pieces that state who you are, so if you don't find something that screams, "You!" Jeanette will be happy to turn any stone from either of her shops into a custom pendant or choker.

Win it! Painted Lady Designs is offering the Fall Falling Down Choker (pictured below) to one Simply Sweet Home Reader! This is a $48 value!

Prize Description: Gorgeous Picasso Jasper in delicious shades gold, russet, blue/gray, cream, and caramel  The Focal is various Pearls, picasso jasper, and a Bronze Czech glass bead. The closure is sterling Bali silver and all that prettiness is on a 2mm Russet Red Leather choker that measures 16-1/2".

Mandatory Entry: To win, please visit Painted Lady Designs, then leave me a comment telling me which of her beautiful items is your favorite. Giveaway Ends: Oct 12.

Extra Entries: Leave separate comments for each entry!

-1 for visiting Jeanette's supply shop, Rock of Ages, and telling me something you like from there.

-1 for liking Painted Lady Designs on Facebook

-1 for liking Rock of Ages on Facebook.
-1 for Hearting Painted Lady Designs on Etsy.

-1 for Hearting Rock of Etsy on Etsy.

-3 for subscribing to Simply Sweet Home via email.

-2 for following  Simply Sweet Home on Twitter.

-1 for "liking" Simply Sweet Home on facebook.

-1 for subscribing to my RSS feeds through Feedburner.

-2 for following me through Google Friend Find.

-1 if you have my button on your blog.

-1 for sharing this giveaway on Twitter or Facebook.  (Sample Tweet: I want to win this beautiful necklace from Painted Lady Designs! http://bit.ly/bySnyr @SimplySweetHome  #giveaway) (Limit one entry per day.)

Rules/Restrictions: This Giveaway is open World Wide. Please be sure to leave an email address with your entry if you do not have one visible on your blog or profile!

Disclosure: Rock of Ages is a paid sponsor on my site. However, I did not receive compensation for hosting this giveaway. The opinions are my own.  If you'd like to advertise or host a giveaway on Simply Sweet Home, please see my PR Page.

Homemade Samoa Cookies

I see so many recipes each week that I want to try.  Right now I've got a huge Word document full of recipes that I've found on various blogs and websites. And hopefully I'll get around to trying them all one day! This week I'm sharing a yummy recipe that I found a few months ago over at Santa's Gift Shoppe.  When I saw this recipe, I immediately knew that I had to try it, because my husband just loves Samoas!  And let me tell you, these cookies did not dissapoint.  I'm not even fan of Samoas. (I'm a Thin Mint girl!) But I just loved these!

Reminder: Don't forget the Sweet Thursday Cookie Round-up is this week.  Come by and link up your cookie recipes.  Linky will be posted some time on Wednesday night!

Recipe for Homemade Samoa Cookies
Ingredients:
Shortbread Cookies:
1 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar
2 cups flour
]1/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
Up to 2 tbsp milk (Only use if too dry!)

Coconut-Caramel Topping
3 cups shredded coconut
12 oz. caramel cubes
1/4 tsp salt
3 tbsp milk

Chocolate Drizzle & Chocolate Bottom

8 oz. semisweet chocolate chips

Cookie Directions:  Cream together butter and sugar.  Mix in flour, baking powder and salt. Then add vanilla.  Only add milk if the dough is too dry and won't stick together. (Add additional flour if dough is too sticky.)  Roll out dough and cut with round cookie cutters or roll dough into balls and flatten between hands.  Bake cookies at 350 degrees for 11-13 minutes.

Topping Directions: After all your cookies are baked, spread coconut evenly onto a parchment-lined baking sheet (preferably one with sides) and toast for 20 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes, until coconut is golden brown.  Set aside and let cool on baking sheet.

Unwrap caramels and place in a large microwave-safe bowl with milk and salt.  Cook on high for 3-4 minutes, stopping to stir a few times to help caramel melt.  When smoth and creamy, fold in toasted coconut with spatula.  Use an offset spatula to spread topping onto cookies. (I just used a spoon.)  If the caramel gets too firm, just place it in the microwave for a few seconds to remelt.

Chocolate Directions:  While topping sets up, melt chocolate in a small bowl, for 1-2 minutes stirring every 15 seconds to prevent scorching. To get the chocolate on the bootom of the cookies, you can either dip the cookies in the chocolate, or take each cookie and spoon the chocolate onto the bottom of the cookies.  (I found it easier to spoon the chocolate on.) Place cookies on wax paper and place in the freezer for a few minutes to set.

Use remaining chocolate (or melt more chocolate if neccessary) and place in a piping bag or a Ziploc bag with the corner snipped off and drizzle on cookies in a back and forth motion for desired effect. Allow chocolate to set, and get ready to serve!

Check out my sidebar or my Parties Page to see the fabulous sites I link up to each week!

Friday Favorites - Week 31

Hey everyone! Welcome to the party! I have to admit, even though I love Halloween and fall, I've had a hard time getting in to the season this year. It just doesn't feel like fall around here, but seeing all the great fall projects around the blogosphere definitely helps to get me in the spirit! And last week's Friday Favorites event definitely gave me a lot of fall inspiration.

There were so many great things linked up last week, both fall and non-fall themed, but to help myself and everyone else get ready for the new season, I decided to feature all these lovely fall creations.  Enjoy!

Candy Corn Melts and Printable Tags from My Computer is My Canvas

Apple Crisp from The Tablescaper

Halloween Banner from Crafty Project Girl

Halloween Parfaits from Pittypat Paperie

Caramel Apples with Homemade Caramel from From Apples to Zucchini

Let the party begin! Link up your posts below. Please link back to Simply Sweet Home or post my button so that others can come and join the party.

Mod Podge Bathroom Coordinates

Have you ever done a bathroom makeover? I don't mean a makeover with a new vanity, cabinets, and floors.  I'm talking just a simple makeover: new shower curtain, rugs, towels, and coordinates.  These days even the simplest of makeovers can get a expensive.  But thanks to Mod Podge, you can now do a bathroom makeover on even the smallest of budgets!

Previously I shared my Flower Arrangement Revamp and my Easy Initial Art, and today I'm sharing some of the bathroom coordinates that I made over with just a little scrapbook paper and Mod Podge! And what's even better about these makeovers is that I was able to use some really cheap (and I do mean cheap!) stuff that I already had on hand for the project

See what I meant by cheap?  I've had the jar on the left forever! This thing was in my bathroom at my dad's house, and there's no telling how long we've had it!  I used it as a cotton ball holder.  Because I can't let go of anything it came with me when I moved out.  (It had a lid too, but that seems to have disappeared!)  And the basket on the right was something I bought at the Dollar Tree!

And next we have cocoa. Cocoa? Yes, Cocoa! I recently finished off this container of cocoa, and as I was throwing it away, something inside me screamed, "Don't do it!" It just so happens that cocoa containers are the perfect size for storing so many things: Markers, Pens, Cosmetic Brushes, etc.

Here's the trio together!  Quite an improvement, huh?  I should have gotten a better picture, but you'll be able to see them a lot better when they're actually on display in the bathroom.

As you can see, I didn't mod podge the inside of the basket.  I thought about doing it, but it seemed kind of pointless because the basket was going to be filled with a makeup bag and supplies, so you won't really see the inside anyway, and plus hubby and I are the only ones who will be in this bathroom.

And then I also put paper on this little set of drawers!  I actually didn't Mod Podge this, but used tape instead.  I was very happy with the way it turned out!

In an upcoming post, I'll show you the rest of the items, which includes a soap dish & toothbrush holder that I was actually thinking of putting in a yard sale box until I decided to do this instead! And you'll get to see the bathroom with all the elements put together!

For a list of parties I'm linking up to, please check out the buttons in my sidebar or my Party Page. 

Country Bob's Burgers with Sauce Review & Giveaway

I just love homemade burgers!  We don't really grill food that often, so whenever we do hamburgers I usually cook them on my George Foreman Grill.  It cooks them up in about 8 minutes, and they're always delicious!

This past weekend I was out of the usual marinade that I use for burgers, so I decided to try something new.  I received a couple of sample bottles of Country Bob's Sauce a couple of week's ago, and with the sauce came a brochure which included recipes from The Original Country Bob's Cookbook, so I decided to try out their recipe.  The burgers came out very tasty. In fact, after trying them, I've decided that this recipe could double as a great meatloaf recipe as well.

For those who haven't tried Country Bob's All Purpose sauce, it has a very interesting flavor.  It reminded me of a cross between honey barbeque and a traditional dark steak sauce.  It has a very strong taste with a spicy kick.  And I'd say it would go well with any meat you had in mind to grill. It would even make a great dip for veggies and grilled appetizers!

Since it's still 90 degrees here, I say we may as well extend the summer grilling season, and this sauce will definitely add something bold and new to your grilling experience, so go pick up some  for next week's football party and fire up the grill!

Recipe for Country Bob's Burgers (Adapted from The Original Country Bob's Cookbook)

Ingredients:
2 lb ground beef
1/2 cup Country Bob's Sauce
1/2 pouch of Onion Soup Mix

Directions: Place meat in a bowl. Break up using a fork or hands.  Add sauce and soup mix.  Work in together using hands, and roll into patties. (I made 4 Half-Pound patties.) Fire up the grill. Cook and enjoy!

Giveaway Closed.  Congrats to our winner Jessica of My World and My Five Little Blessings

For a list of linky parties I'm linking up to, check out my sidebar or this page.

Disclosure: This Product Was a Free Giveaway Sponsored by Tomoson.com