Every Christmas, my daughter, Kristine, makes gifts for all her friends.  This year, her lucky pals get peppermint bark or as she calls it - Norton bark - after our kooky golden retriever, Norton. The recipe is really simple, but making 4 battches is a bit time consuming.  The squares are wrapped in cellophane (I always have a huge roll of this on hand), tied with white and red ribbon with a tiny white or silver ornament attached.  Merry Christmas!

Norton Bark (adapted from multiple recipes around the web)

2 16 ounces packages of white chocolate chips

1 16 ounce package of semisweet chocolate chips

40 round peppermint candies

3/4 teaspoon of peppermint extract

Line a 13 by 9 cookie sheet with parchment paper.  Melt the package of semisweet chocolate that has been placed in a microwave safe bowl in the microwave at 1/2 of power.  (Ours took 3 and 1/2 minutes, but you are looking for low and slow here!) Once melted stir and make sure all the chips have melted then with a spatula, spread an even coat on the bottom of the lined cookie sheet. Place in the refrigerator to cool and harden.

In the meantime, crush the peppermint candies in a freezer bag .  We used a hammer! Try to get it medium fine, then sift the contents in a colander to separate the dust from the tiny bits.

When the semisweet foundation has hardened, melt the white chocolate chips as directed above.  We found this took about five minutes in our micro.  Once melted, stir in peppermint extract and peppermint “dust”. Then spread this mixture evenly on top of the semisweet chocolate.  Then sprinkle with the larger bits of peppermint candy.  Cool in the fridge over night and cut to desired size.

I just love paper crafting.  The cost of materials is low, and if you mess up your heart doesn’t break.  Over the years I’ve come across some tools I just love.  Check out this hole punch that cuts out perfect little rectangles threading ribbon through your paper projects.  Mine are made by Fiskars.

I noticed these cute little tea towels at a local shop and immediately thought of my daughter.  She had just moved into her first apartment after a year long stint in the dormitories at SDSU.  She and her roommates decided to decorate in green and pink, so I bought the towels and tossed them into the guest/Kelly/my home office room.  On second glance, the towels looked fabulous in the room, so I ended up making cute little decorative pillows for the room instead.  Sorry Kelly!

To make them I just stitched up the short ends on my sewing machine right-side in.  Then flipped it right-side-out and stuffed it with some filling I cannabalised from an old bed pillow (free!).  I then slip stitched the long seam on the bottom.  They are so pretty!

My oldest daughter, Kelly, attends a university  in another part of the state, so I thought I’d send her a pick-me-up because finals are in one week. So I headed off to our local chain store pharmacy and purchased some index cards, a large candy bar, some candy, rubber bands and a shipping box. I scouted my house and came up with some old scrapbook paper and some microwave popcorn.

I found several papers that worked together.  The paper was from a bulk Costco purchase a long time ago. I highly recommend a purchasing a big stack of various papers once in a while, if you are an avid paper craft-a-holic.

I lined box with pretty paper. With the help of Microsoft Publisher the Hershey’s chocolate bar got a “Open in Case of Emergency” wrapper.  The popcorn was labeled “Pop Quiz” and the index cards were wrapped in a study mantra of sorts.  The whole thing turned out as cute as a button!

I have been making chicken paprikash for at least 18 years.  My husband traveled for business in Eastern Europe in the 1980’s and developed a fondness for Hungarian food.  He even had a cookbook called the Cuisine of Hungary in his bachelor pad kitchen.  I was inspired to try a new version by a link posted on not martha which led to Joy the Baker’s original post. I cannot however leave well enough alone.  My pantry, general cheapness, and my husband’s insistence on white meat and peppers in the dish changed up the recipe, but the results still rocked.

First I needed to get white meat, but three half breasts cost over $10 dollars, while a whole chicken was a mere $7.28. So I cut up the chicken and continued on my merry way.  What no peppers in chicken paprikash? I knew this wouldn’t fly with hubby so out of the freezer came chopped red peppers I had frozen from yet another bulk purchase from Costco. I tossed in about a cup with the onions to saute. Then whole canned tomatoes?  All I had was diced canned tomatoes. No problemo. The dinner was a huge success.

My husband served a loveley 2005 petite verdot from Wente   Vineyards with dinner. Here’s a nice review of the wine. You know a dish is good when you start rationalizing more food with the noodle to sauce ratio arguments!

OK. So, it’s not a real condition or Public Television problems. It’s Pottery Barn Syndrome.  It afflicts people with the inability to come up with one’s own style.  So my home is a mishmash of whatever “look” was in the Pottery Barn showroom when the room was redecorated or remodeled. (Keep in mind that I didn’t actually purchase a lot from Potter Barn, I just strove in my thrifty way to replicate it.) I’m sure there must be a fashion equivalent  like J Crew-itis, but I am not not currently infected with that virus…yet.

Since I was diagnosed with PBS, I have been thinking of ways to combat my condition, and one possible cure is the book Entertaining Simple by Matthew Mead.  I love the concept - use plain dishes and dress them up to fit the occasion with fabric or decorative paper. Mead also has his own website filled with ideas, templates, recipes, and of course a blog.

While Mead’s book, focuses on entertaining, I think the concept applies to decor as well. Choosing simple furniture, in basic colors, and succumbing to your Pottery Barn Syndrome by purchasing the orange pillows you just saw at Pottery Barn!.

My name is Kathy Hofmann, and I’ve been a big fan of crafting, decorating, entertaining, gardening and cooking blogs for a long time. Each blog has it’s own charms, but I’ve never read one that captures my interests in the home arts, which I think may appeal to a lot of people. I’d like to think I am channeling Martha Stewart, but I’m cheap and I swear I have an undiagnosed but mild case of ADD (Attention Deficit Disorder).

Ahmed Hassan with guest Kathy Hofmann

That pretty much sums up this blog.  I’m obsessed with HGTV and the Food Network. I have even appeared in a segment on the DIY Network. Like the herb chair on the segment, I enjoy taking everyday objects and re-purposing them.

I also like cooking for friends, especially wine tasting picnics in the Livermore Valley of California.

DIY Herb Chair

I am a certified Master Gardener and garden in USDA Zone 9 or Sunset Zone 14. Hanging around a bunch of Master Gardeners makes me more aware of living a sustainable life.

So if you like fast, inexpensive and green you’ve come to the right place.

Kathy H.