Key West and the Beautiful Blue Morpho

Water truly defines the Florida Keys, and we always enjoy a visit to this watery wonderland. Each evening is a celebration to marvel at the sun's descent into the Gulf of Mexico.
I have to ask my fairy blog mother to remove the snow from my blog. LOL

We visited the Key West Butterfly and Nature Conservancy and saw some beautiful winged creatures. Here the Blue Morphos are dining on a fruit platter.

We saw an impressive collection of flowers, birds, cascading waterfalls and trees. 

This little guy was being so cooperative so I could photograph him.

Who doesn't enjoy watching a Flamingo.

It sure felt good to have wings and warmth. The lower the latitude, the better my attitude ;o) 

The tropical flowers at our hotel were bursting with blooms. 

Of course we had to bring some food items home with us. Joe bought some small-batch honey and sea salt and we are having a taste of the Keys at home this week. 

This is what all tourists do.

 I spotted this bike and have named it " The Keys"

 Back to reality. Thank you for stopping by!

Debbie

Key West and Bougainvillea

In February, we try to get away to a warmer climate while Joe is on school break. Our mode of transportation while in Key West is walking, and the Bougainvillea was showing up everywhere with great bursts of color.

The flower is small and white. The colorful leaves feel like paper if you rub one between your fingers.

The branches are long and woody, and they can grow up to 40 feet high. I've seen them at the nurseries here in New York, but they are small due to our short growing season.

I'm still going through the many photos that we took in Key West, so feel free to stop by later in the week for my next post. 

Thank you for stopping by!

xo

Debbie

Happy Valentine's Day

I don't even remember where I got this picture, but Happy Valentine's Day all!!

xo

Debbie

Death By Oreo Cupcakes

Martha Stewart

A warm welcome! This beautiful centerpiece is for all of us to enjoy. 

I'm joining Rattlebridge Farm for the return of the Mystery Ingredient Club. All the hearts and flowers and chocolates, Valentine's Day is fun to share with anyone special in your life. Not a year goes by when we don't have chocolate on Valentine's Day which is also our wedding anniversary. A friend of my mom's made cupcakes for a birthday party, and I fell in love with them. They will be enjoyed by all my special Valentines.  ❤ ❤

Ingredients:

1 package Oreo Cookies, regular size
1 package Mini Oreo Cookies, for decoration (optional)
1 package chocolate cake mix (mix according to directions on box)
8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
1/2 cup butter (1 stick), room temperature
3 3/4 cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
cupcake liners

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix packaged cake mix according to directions (do not bake). Line cupcake tins with liner, place a regular size Oreo cookie in the bottom of each liner. Take 1/2 of remaining cookies and chop coarsely and add to cake mix. Fill the cupcake tins. Bake for 15 minutes. While cupcakes are baking make the frosting.

Cream together butter and cream cheese. Add vanilla, then add powdered sugar slowly until blended well. Chop remaining regular-sized Oreos very fine (I put the cookies in the food processor instead of trying to chop them up super fine and it worked out really well). Add to frosting. After cupcakes have cooled frost and decorate with Mini Oreos. The recipe made 24 cupcakes.

❤ ❤
Debbie

Northwoods Cottage Valentine

❤ ❤Hugs and Kisses❤ ❤
 The Northwoods Cottage dinner plates were a gift to me for Christmas and mainly for use at our cottage. To break them in, I set a table for two in anticipation of our anniversary ❤ celebration on February 14. The little bowls are perfect for our morning granola.

The granola I made for Christmas gifts was well received so I made some for Valentine's gifts for my family. This is the best granola  I have ever had, and the recipe is from a chef at the inn we stay at. 

The chalkboard tags for the granola are from Elli.com. I used mason jars and embellished with ribbon, string and rubber stamped tags.

For Fine Granola - break apart while still warm.

For Larger Granola - break apart when cool.(This is my favorite way to eat it...I look for the big clumps with lots of nuts)

On Valentine's Day, I will add more chocolate, candles, lots of  ❤❤ for Amore mio! Usually we go out for our anniversary dinner, but we've chosen a menu to have at home this year. We will cook together ❤.

I am joining Bargain Hunting with Laurie for her 5th annual Valentine's Par-tay (❤ she throws the best Valentine's parties❤), Between Naps on the Porch for Tablescape Thursday and Rattlebridge Farm for Foodie Friday. 

Thank you for stopping by!
❤ ❤

Debbie