Orange Sorbet

So lately I have been experimenting with my ice cream maker machine (a lot) and testing a load of different recipes trying to find a few consistent recipes for the summer time ...and so far the Orange Sorbet recipe I adapted from Simply Recipes is my favorite :)

I love this one because it is so easy to make, it's refreshing, and the texture is just wonderful!

Orange Sorbet Recipe:

Ingredients

* 3 cups fresh orange juice
* 3 Tbsp lemon juice
* 3/4 cup sugar
* 1 Tbsp corn syrup (optional)

Method

1 Pour Oragne juice through a fine mesh sieve into a large bowl. Use a rubber spatula to press as much juice as you can through the sieve, discard remaining pulp.

2 Add lemon juice, sugar, and (optional) corn syrup to the bowl. Stir with a spoon until the sugar has completely dissolved.

(yum, yum, yum)

3 Process in an ice cream maker according to manufacturer's instructions.

Serve immediately, or chill for a few hours. Best eaten the day it's made.

Makes a little less than one quart.


I am so happy with my baby Cuisinart and I would definitely highly recommend it to anyone looking for a reliable ice cream maker :)

Well till next time...it's back to the kitchen for me, my next mission -- blueberry ice cream...

What's your favorite ice cream flavor?

xoxo
Olivia

Treasury Tuesday The Elite Eight

Welcome to our 50'th session of Treasury Tuesday The Elite Eight!
Before Sarah and I begin showcasing our latest treasury picks I would like to say that we: SARAH AND OLIVIA DID NOT CURATE ANY OF THESE TREASURIES.
We are just featuring them on our blog because they are extremely pretty and elite! ^_^


The first treasury of the day is SilverPearDesigns's bright, bouncy, beautiful collection 'Upcycled and Repurposed'. If the colorfulness and happiness of the treasury does not immediately capture and captivate your attention than the creativity and talent displayed with each item certainly will...

Up next is the delicious 'Purple Paradise' curated by ExpressionsByCheree, a home for many delightful hues of purple. Butterfly violet, soft floral lavender, sparkling orchard paired with cute hug worthy items make quite the perfect paradise indeed.



It's never to early to say 'Happy Birthday America!' as proved by curator JenSanCandles in her beautiful and fun patriotic design. Adventurous easy country sides, checkered across a picnic of red, white and blue; feeling of incandescent Pride and comforting home.


'Serendipity' curated by lmckerigan. beautiful rustic Victorian, twinkling amber, and faded ruby laced with little flower, dance elegantly across this serene, rosy green landscape.


Isn't it wonderful to wake up to the smell of warm brewing coffee? Isn't it wonderful the way the color mint on leather looks? Isn't it wonderful to have warm knitted things? Wouldn't it be wonderful if all these things were combined--by curator gabrijoy in a gorgeous trendy treasury? 'hmm...wonderful'


'A Garden Path' paved by curator pemberleydreams with the most delightful, blushing jewelry and beautiful floral hats are traced through this old English Garden picturesque of Miss Austen's Pride and Prejudice.

Vanilla rose and glossy pinks tint the once bright light of fading memories in curator PreferablyPink's dreamy 'Foggy Memories'. A graceful design of beautiful items all featuring the remembrance of sweet childhood pasts, make up this nostalgic collage.

Last but not least, good ol' 'red. white. blue.' curated by jetsetvintage. A fast and jazzy vintage blast of fun and freeing colors in an all-American summer fest, the sweet smell of fourth of July fresh in the air.

Well that's all...
I hope you've enjoyed this weeks Elite Eight. Have a fantastic week but before you go be sure to tell the lovely curators just how much you enjoy their original, bright and fresh work with a cheery comment. If you wish to see more fantastical work, check out their shops--they're truly something :D

Xoxo
Sarah

Home is where you take it

I fell in love with this quirky little illustration by Laura of Lauraamiss titled 'Home is Where You Take it'.
If the idea of the painting weren't cute enough -- just look at those doily puffs of smoke floating up from the chimney...adorable!
One day I will have this beautiful art piece and I'll hang it in my house :)

More work by this talented lady...

Ooh Parie, Parie where we'd all like to be ^_^

Now don't those beautiful trench-coat-dresses and floral purses make you a tiny bit jealous? Go on now, admit it...

xoxo
Olivia

p.s. Do you have a favorite Etsy and/or un-Etsy related artist?

Crepes

I made these the other day when I was craving something sweet and they were just delish!
This is one of my favorite recipes for breakfast...the warm syrupy apples with chilled whipped cream and crispy crepes always put me in a good mood for the day :)

Plus crepes are super easy to make and very versatile, I like to eat them with caramelized apples but you can also use sweet strawberries, blueberries, or bananas and chocolate to fill the inside...

Here's the recipe:

Ingredients
• 1 cup flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 4 Tablespoons sugar
• 4 eggs
• 1/2 cup milk

Combine flour, sugar, and salt in a Cuisinart (or bowl) and buzz (or whisk) until combined. In a separate bowl mix together the wet ingredients; eggs and milk before combining with the dry ingredients and buzzing/whisking till your crepe batter is smooth.

Warm up a pan on medium heat and butter before pouring in a small circle of the egg mixture into the pan. Spread the crepe batter around in a thin layer and let cook for 40-60 seconds or until crispy and lightly browned, flip with your fingers (or plastic spatula so as not to tear the crepe). Serve hot.


And enjoy!

xoxo
Olivia

Teddy Bear Giveaway -- CLOSED

Sarah and I reached over 680 blog followers this week (we're almost at 700 THANKS guys!) and to celebrate this fact and show our appreciation to all of those lovely people who follow S & O we are going to have a Giveaway!

1. Chocolate Teddy Bear with Ivory heart
2. Purple Teddy Bear with Pink heart
3. Ivory Teddy Bear with chocolate heart
4. Pink Teddy Bear with Purple heart
5. Ivory Teddy Bear with Red heart

You will be winning the teddy bear of your choice from my Etsy shop OliviaOlivia.

Rules are simple, you must be a follower of S and O productions to enter this giveaway.

Entries:

1. Blogging about, Tweeting, or Facebook-ing the link of this giveaway will give you one entry.

2. For a second and third entry to the Teddy bear giveaway you can take a giveaway widget (from our right hand side bar) and spread the news on your blog, this counts as two entries :)

3. And for the final entry go to my shop and let me know which is your favorite item and the one you would like to win.

That's four different ways to enter (four individual comments), be sure to come back and comment on this post once you've completed each of the entries...now go spread the word and have fun!

As an extra bonus there will be two lucky winners to this giveaway because one is just never enough ^_^

The giveaway closes 7/5/10 so you have ten days to spread the word, get more entries, and hope you are the lucky winner, good luck everyone!

Have a great Friday and enjoy!

xoxo
Olivia

Random stuff: Here Kitty, Kitty...

Welcome to S & O's latest series, featuring random stuff we find on the internet; photos, music, quotes etc. For short we'll call it Random stuff.

Image source
I randomly found a lot of pictures of super adorable kitties on deviantart, somethings are just to cute not to share.


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This is the little kitty I want to get :P

Xoxo
Sarah

P.S
Olivia and I just want to thank everyone who wished us luck for our volleyball tryouts, they were intense yet fun--we did great and then some :D
Thanks again we totally felt all your love and bloggy support ^_^

Treasury Tuesday The Elite Eight,

Welcome to yet another Treasury Tuesday The Elite Eight!
Before I begin showcasing this weeks treasury picks I would like to say that: SARAH AND OLIVIA DID NOT CURATE ANY OF THESE TREASURIES.
We are simply featuring them on our blog because they are all very Elite!

When Rustic grays, faded coffee brown, sandy Carmel and frosted cream come together they create an elegant color all of their very own--with 'Nothing neutral about it' curated by newnanc .


Saying happy 4th of July early is curator revivalfiber in her dusty 'Old glory' Treasury. Beautiful paintings and vintage pottery give this a free flowing feeling of home.


Nothing says summer like a good ol' fashion 'Citrus twist' curated by MissChevious .
Yummy orange, mouthwatering lime with a sprites of tangy lemon are sure to awaken a festive summer.


The title says it all 'Brown-green-teal' curated by emmakate . But that wont stop me from pointing out the warm, woodsy spun yarn. Or the way the earthy colors coordinate nicely with each other; picturesque of a lake side picnic.

We could all use a helpful dose of 'Lovely lavender' curated by lynnirene . This is indeed a lovely color and an extraordinarily lovely treasury. With artistic designs and breathtaking photographs that are just all around...lovely.



Next we have this mysteriously intriguing treasury curated by LaBellaJoya .
Slick and stylish, flushed with an adventurous air and the slightest hint of romance to intrigue us all. I think it's safe to say this treasury is 'Internationally intriguing'.

Pink and pretty are the 'Etsy Blossoms' curated by PreferablyPink . Serene cherry blossoms, quiet pink are easily stroked across this treasury with an elegant hand, reminiscent of a dreamy romance.

Last by not least is 'Champagne with a twist' curated by SimpleSundries . Sweet butterscotch and sweeter roasted Carmel throw a new twist down champagnes way in this cream coated treasury topped with cuteness and care.


Well that's all...
I hope you've enjoyed this weeks Elite Eight. Have a fantastic week but before you go be sure to tell the lovely curators just how much you enjoy their original and fresh work with a cheery comment. If you wish to see more fantastical work, check out their shops--they're truly something :D


Enjoy
Sarah :D

Wish us luck...

Sarah and I have decided to do something brave...

We are trying out for the Volleyball team at our college later today.
We haven't played Volleyball since the middle of high school so naturally we are what you might call a little out of practice compared to what we expect the college level players call fit...
Wish us luck! :)

xoxo
Olivia

My new baby

I am just about the happiest girl in the world right now ;)
For years and years I have been absolutely dying for an ice cream making machine -- for as long as I can remember I've wanted to be able to make my own ice cream. Ever since I was a little kid and today I can now say that at last I am the proud owner of a real ice cream making machine (yay)!!!

My baby is a Cuisinart 1-1/2-Quart Automatic Ice Cream Maker and isn't she just beautiful?

Can you say ping, ping, zing?

I am soooooooo excited about this and I simply can't wait to get started making ice cream, there are loads of delicious recipes I have been just itching to try :)


Like the Butter pecan ice cream....yum

- Chai ice cream...


- Caramel ice cream (my favorite)

And then there are the sorbets and frozen yogurt recipes I also want to start making....


Today is just the best day ever (thanks to my mom and sis who saw my baby while they were shopping and snatched her right up for me)

Now all I need is a waffle cone maker and I'll be set -- hehehe ^_^

images via google

Ice cream anyone?

xoxo
Olivia

Harry Potter, Harry Potter, yeah!

Florida is cool but...it just got cooler!!



Because, the Universal Orlando Resort (in Florida) just opened up the very first Wizarding World of Harry Potter theme park; which is totally awesome!!


After hearing J.K's magical series (I got the audio books; yay for Jim Dale!!) I'd always wanted to go off and live in the magical Wizarding world she described so well. To race up and down Hogwart's halls and be as mischievous as Fred and George--well apparently now I can...after I get to Orlando.

(Here is a video of one of the rides in the park. "The Dragon Challenge")



Despite the geographical dilemma, I still think that this is a terrific idea, whether you like Harry Potter or not walking around a theme park castle is always fun.



If you'd ever dreamed of being a Wizard, shouting spells down the hall and not even getting a weird glance from a random passers-by, you can totally get away with it now :P


(The pictures actually talk, sooo cool :)

Looks like it's time to stop wondering what it would be like to live in one of your favorite stories and actually do it--for a day :D


There is a mysterious and dark hog's head hanging, as would be expected, in the Hogshead pub. I really hope they serve Butter beer there.

Then there is also Oliveanders wand shop--which sells wands to muggles, for some odd reason.



My favorite part, The candy shop (A little help here, I forgot the name). Just look at all those colors *oh sigh*


The great hall, that some how has floating candles.

More images here.
So, do you like Harry Potter? Who is your favorite HP character? which is your favorite book? Would you like to go Hogwarts? Have you been to the HP theme park? If so did you like it? which is your favorite location in Hogsmeade/Hogwarts? And what is with all the 'Hogs', do you think???

Xoxo
Sarah