{yummy} pumpkin spice crossants

happy halloween!

boo. ruff.

as previously mentioned, i heart anything pumpkin flavored. maybe it's that i am a fall baby or the memories that freshly baked pumpkin pie brings back. either way, i am always searching out any recipe that has pumpkin as the main ingredient.

so when my dear friends alecia and colin invited me over for dinner and a playdate for brody with their dog chewie, i just knew what to bring on over. pumpkin spice croissants.

super simple, pretty inexpensive, and a quick dessert that's bite-size and a crowd-pleaser?! i know, i know. i am not exaggerating. i came across the recipe on pinterest care of keri at shaken together and just knew it would come in handy. so here's the lowdown...

pumpkin spice croissants

2 containers of crescent rolls (i used the reduced fat version)

filling

1 cup of pumpkin puree

4 oz. of cream cheese (again, i used reduced fat)

4 tbs. sugar

2 tbs. pumpkin spice

sugar-spice coating

4 tbs. sugar

1 tbs. pumpkin spice

roll out the crescent rolls and use a knife to half each piece of dough, giving you a total of 16 rolls per can.

mix all of the filling ingredients until the mixture is fluffy and whipped.

spread about 1 tsp. of the mixture on each piece of dough and then roll up to form a mini croissant shape.

take each of the mini croissants and roll them in the sugar-spice coating.

bake for a total of 15-18 min at 375 degrees.

  

so while you're handing out candy tonight to the kiddos, make these for the adults. pop in your mouth and enjoy!

xoxo Lauren

{diy} kitchenaid mixer

it's no secret that i like to bake. i find it therapeutic and rewarding. and i don't limit myself- recipes for cookies, cakes, bars, breads - none are off limits from me and my tummy. yum.



pumpkin banana bread muffins - recipe to come!

so before i start sharing some of my fave recipes and new ones that i find (more than likely thanks to my not-so-small addiction to pinterest), i figured i'd show you my number one tool for perfect baking: my kitchenaid mixer. now, before you start huffing and puffing about the cost of kitchenaids or how you can just use a hand-mixer or even a spoon, let me set the stage for you.

for yearssss i settled for the spoon method of mixing and the occasional usage of a hand-mixer, but i coveted the kitchenaid. it all started at an early age with my yaya, or 'grandmother' in greek. she knew that since my mom wasn't big into baking, it was up to her to instill the the love on baking in her only granddaughter. we started small with cake mixes and thanksgiving pies, eventually moving onto the traditional greek desserts of baklava and kourabiedes (don't worry- i'll share recipes later on). i am so grateful for the memories that i will always hold dearly, especially since yaya passed away in 1997.

recently, my great-aunt aurania (yaya's twin sister) moved to florida and bestowed her beloved kitchenaid to me. so exciting!!! and, yes, i saved a ton of money by getting a hand-me down. however, it was a lovely rusted almond color. yay. and went perfectly with my white / williams-sonoma decorated kitchen. ha.

determination + pinterest + a good 'ol rustoleum product = a new-found lease on life for this kitchenaid!

kitchenaid pre-makeover- all components removed and sanded.

kitchenaid post-makeover. so happy with the end result!

i would do a play-by-play of how i did this, but i'm going to give credit where credit is due. maria at you craft me up -- well done, fellow blogger! thanks for the tips/tricks to help me save a ton of money and preserve a family heirloom. :)


xoxo Lauren



take a chance and make a change.

Fall is my favorite time of year. All the holidays, birthdays (including mine!), pumpkin-flavored anything, leaves changing, football, and cozy sweaters are just a few of the pleasures that autumn brings me. Everything changes but for the better.

my main man romping in the fall leaves.

So that includes me. I decided to take a chance and make a change- back to real estate! Just call me Realtor Riner. With the change in job, comes a re-vamp of the 'ol blog. I'm going to be combining my love of all things home, DIY, cooking, Pinterest projects, exercise, and just living well into one place to share with all of you. I've been busy over the past 1.5 years, so I'll be covering all of the fun items I've done and some new ones that I'll be trying.

Here goes nothing...wish me luck!

xoxo Lauren