Creative Cooking | Bohemian Cottage

Outdoor Chair Makeover

Chair makeover. Before picture of our metal chairs before painting.

These metal outdoor chairs were in sore need of some TLC.

These outdoor metal chairs were rusting and a greyish color as you can see from the picture above. When we were getting ready to host a bachelorette party for my friend Autumn, we needed lots of seating quick. We were short on time and budget, so we decided to paint the chairs we already had. We used a Rustoleum spray paint that said it worked on metal in a gloss finish for 3 of the 4 colors and a satin finish in one. We wanted them to look colorful and bohemian to go with the bright southwestern tie dyed table cloth I had. We chose a lime green, turquoise blue, and coral in the gloss and a purple in the satin finish. To do this project, we just had to clean the chairs, sand down any rust spots and spray paint a light coat or 2 of the Rustoleum paint. We laid drop cloths right outside and worked on a day that had minimal wind. Check out the results! (read more)

Lemonies! Sweet Lemon Bar Alternative

Lemon Yellowies are more firm like a brownie or dense cake.

We went to a potluck in the Cherry Creek district of Denver this weekend. What a beautiful home! The hosts were so gracious and generous with tons of food and drinks. They even organized a canned food drive. They had an artist doing charcoal portraits, and we had one done of Makayla. I met some really interesting people too, some of them artists as well.

The hosts requested that we bring either a dessert or a side dish, so we opted for dessert. Makayla made these Lemonies on her own with no help from me at all. We named these delicious treats Lemonies since they are like a brownie, but obviously not brown! They are different than a traditional lemon bar in that they are firm and more dense, which I happen to love. They have a great lemon flavor, but are not too sweet either. They are not gluten free or vegan or low carb or anything else as far as being friendly to any particular diet. But! They are totally delish for those who may stray from time to time or don’t really have to restrict their diets. I have ambition and goals of including treats for other restricted diets here, as I have been having to go more low carb for health reasons lately and have other friends that have other issues and choices as well. (read more)

Stuffed Shells with Kale and Sage Sausage in a Butternut Squash Sauce

Stuffed Shells with Kale, Sausage in a Butternut Squash Sauce

The Shells pre-oven. They could easily be made vegetarian by leaving out the sausage.

Lately my goal has been to up the health and nutritional value of the food I make. Stuffed shells sounded like a good way to use some of the kale and chard in the garden, and to put a little bit more of an autumnal twist on the dish, I made a sauce with butternut squash instead of the usual tomato sauce.

We used Kale and Swiss Chard in the salad as well as cherry tomatoes all from the garden.

This was made for a Monday night dinner, though there are several steps to making it. If I was really taking my time, I would have made the sauce better by roasting some tomatoes with the butternut squash and added them along with some cream to the blender. Oh, and roasted garlic. Yummy, roasted garlic, tomato and butternut squash sauce with cream… that will be in a post for another dish. Soup anyone? (read more)

4 Fall Ideas to Bring the Season Indoors

The mini white ghost pumpkins I grew this year did quite well and look great gathered in a fall themed bowl.

With the transition of summer to fall, it’s the time of year I love to savor since it is so fleeting and so beautiful. I wanted to share some of the things I enjoy to bring fall into Fox Cottage. When I think of fall, it brings to mind certain scents, colors, textures and just an over all cozy feeling as the air starts to turn to that cooler, crisp weather. My go to fall fixes are:

Decorating with nature. Think pumpkins, gourds, flowers, twigs and leaves.
Candle light. Bringing in a nice warm glow.
Scent. Fall scents with candles, cooking and a fall simmer pot of natural fruits and spices that I will share with yo.u
Food. I love to switch the summer menu to fall with warming soups and stews, roasted veggies and other comfort food.
Sound. Music that helps reflect a fall state of mind are always playing in our house. Here is a link to our Spotify Autumn playlist.

Fall Floral Arrangement. Bohemian Cottage

Using nature and items found in the garden to decorate can make a big seasonal impact without spending anything.

Nature.

When planning our garden in the early spring, I always plan the garden around what I will be using the plants for. Some are of course edible and culinary while others are for pure enjoyment. I usually think ahead to fall at that time to plan for what crops we will be wanting like pumpkins and winter squashes, mums and marigolds to be used in fall displays. (read more)

Soba Noodle Salad with Sriracha Baked Tofu

This Soba Noodle Salad is a perfect summer side with grilled chicken or as a main dish on its own.

On a quest for healthy meals for the family, I came across a recipe for a soba noodle soup. Heavy on the ginger, with the addition of spicy sriracha baked tofu, it became the favorite dish I make for Coda. When summer came along, I wanted to be able to serve the same flavors but without the warm broth, and that is where this salad was born. It is very versatile, you can add whatever seasonal veggies are available. In this particular version I was able to add the snow peas and golden zucchini that I grew in the garden this summer. (read more)

Little Sprouts Community Garden

We enjoyed a lady bug release party at the Little Sprouts Community Garden

A couple of weeks ago the kids and I participated in a ladybug release party at the Little Sprouts Community Garden. We released hundreds of ladybugs, learned about bugs both beneficial and pests, did some crafts, had fun with a butterfly net and bug habitat and ate some tasty snacks!

We made Butterfly crafts

We made the cutest tie dyed butterfly craft while there. They are a simple craft for all ages. I will put up the instructions in a different post so you can make one too!

Makayla making her butterfly craft

We released hundreds of ladybugs to help the garden defend against pests. We even got a bug habitat to take some home to release in our own garden. (read more)

Page 2 of 8
←
1
2
3
...
8
→