Our Favorites: October Edition

STEPHANIE
1. Top o' the Morn Farms Chocolate Glass Bottled Milk- This is definitely a local favorite! Top o' the Morn Farms offers fresh bottled milk both for pick-up and delivery. We have it delivered regularly to our home and love waking up to fresh milk on our doorstep. The first time we tried the chocolate, we were hooked! It is like a milkshake--so good, so rich, and super chocolatey. It's supposed to be a great post-workout recovery drink as well, which is a great reason to drink, if you work out. (Or if you don't, like me, drink it anyway!)
2. The Wet Brush - I first discovered this brush at the salon where I get my hair cut, and being fresh off of a bathtime nightmare with wet tangled hair on my little one I decided to give it a try and it worked! It's fantastic. The bristles bend and move while brushing so that they don't pull and tug, making bathtime so much more peaceful!
3. Ebates - Christmas is only 56 days away! I am gearing up over here to start doing some major shopping and ebates is a great money saving tool. All you do is sign up for an account (free), click on the store you want to shop (it takes you right to their site), make your purchase, then ebates sends you a money back check! I have received over $200 back and I plan to use it for all of my online shopping this year.
4. Mom's Five-Second Memory Journal - I love this little memory journal. It has a variety of scenarios and questions and it really only takes a few second to fill in a page. It's a great way to jot down some things to remember, especially when our lives seem to fly by while our little ones are little.
5. The Lone Bellow - I discovered this band while watching Hart of Dixie. They have a great, soft, folky feel and I have been really enjoying listening to their music while driving. Check them out!

CANDACE
1. Travels With Charley: In Search of America by Jon Steinbeck - I don't always get to read as much as I'd like to, but books like this inspire me to make the time. This memoir describes Steinbeck's journey across America and back home again accompanied only with his dog Charley. It's a beautifully written memoir that makes me both appreciate my home and long to see more.
2. Pumpkins! Whether I'm cooking with them or decorating with them, they are definitely favorites this month.
3. Ghirardelli 60% Cacao Bittersweet Chocolate Bar - It's a baking bar, but who says I need to bake with this? I've been enjoying a square as a delectable treat in the evening. I think I'll get myself a piece right now.
4. Coconut Flour - I've been cutting out grains (I know...it's tough to miss out on all the delicious baked goods right now) and coconut flour has saved the day! I recently made a killer banana bread using coconut and almond flour! The best news? It's high in fiber and low in carbs. Which leaves more room for that chocolate.
5. G.H. Bass Arti Moto Boots in Dark Grey - Steph and I recently joined forces on an awesome deal (buy one pair of boots, get two free!) and I scored these cuties. I love the color and the cozy fur on the inside. Looking forward to wearing these all season long!

These are our favorites this month. What are yours?

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Quick Tip: How to Salvage Your Favorite Candle!

Both Steph and I are crazy about candles. We love that different scents can reflect the changing seasons or brighten any mood. And we also love that a sweet-scented candle can make our homes feel instantly fresh...even if they're not!

As much as I love a good candle, though, I don't love when there is wax that no longer has a wick to burn it. Especially when that wax belongs to a certain delicious Volcano candle.

There's a quick and easy solution! All you need is a candle wax or oil warmer (the one pictured below is from Bath & Body Works), and you'll enjoy your favorite scent for many more hours.

Step #1: Place the entire candle jar in the freezer overnight. When wax freezes, it contracts slightly making it super simple to pop out the next morning. Carefully pull out the frozen wax (it's okay if it breaks), clean it with a cloth, and break it into smaller pieces.

Step #2: Place a few broken pieces into the top of the warmer.

Step #3: Light a tea light! The wax will begin to melt almost immediately, and the scent will fill the room just as quickly.

Enjoy! And tell us: What is your absolute favorite candle or scent?

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Saturday Snapshot {October 26}

Happy Saturday, all! Here's the week's recap:

1. DIY Felt Fall Air Freshener: Make these adorable fall friends and fill them with cinnamon and cloves for a festive fragrance. (Like all that alliteration?) Download the template here.
2. Learn about the Visalia Opera Company and their fabulous upcoming performance of Le Nozze di Figaro (The Marriage of Figaro)! Enter to win two tickets to the opera!
3. We're still loving apple month, especially when we're enjoying this delicious rustic apple tart!

Enjoy your weekend, friends!

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Weekend Dessert: Rustic Apple Tart

I love that we now have an acceptable and affectionate term for those desserts that are a bit...um...messy. The word? Rustic.

If you call something rustic, you have given its rough edges an endearing, earthy quality. Who needs fuss?, we say. Life isn't perfect...why should our desserts be?

That being said, this rustic apple tart from America's Test Kitchen (Light & Healthy) is not only beautifully imperfect, but incredibly delicious. The added wheat flour and sour cream make the dough extra sturdy to hold even the gooiest of cinnamon apples. It is amazing warm out of the oven after dinner, or cold out of the fridge in the morning. (Yes, I believe apple tart is an acceptable breakfast. Don't you?)

The tart is free-form, meaning you don't press it into a tart pan. Instead, you use your good ole fingers to form a lovely home for sweet, sliced apples.

The ingredients for the dough are simple:

• 2 T light sour cream (I've also used yogurt)
• 2-4 T ice water
• 1 cup AP flour
• 1/2 cup whole wheat flour (I used KAF Unbleached White Whole Wheat)
• 1 T sugar
• 1/2 t salt
• 8 T unsalted butter, cut into 1/4 inch pieces and chilled

Stir sour cream and 2 T water together and refrigerate until needed. Process (or whisk) flours, sugar, and salt together. Scatter butter pieces over top and pulse (or use a pastry cutter) until mixture resembles coarse meal. Continue, adding sour cream mixture until dough comes together. You can add more ice water here. Turn dough onto a sheet of plastic wrap and press into a nice 6-inch round. Wrap tightly in wrap and refrigerate for at least an hour.  (I made mine a day ahead.)

When ready, roll dough out between two pieces of floured parchment paper into a 12-inch circle.  (You can see from my picture that mine was a very very rough circle. Rustic, right?)  Place on cookie sheet and refrigerate until firm.  Take out and remove the top parchment paper.

The filling ingredients also are quite simple:

• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 T lemon juice
• 1/8 t cinnamon (I did a bit more)
• 1 lb. Granny Smith apples (about 2 large)
• 1 lb. McIntosh apples (I had to use Fugi for one tart, and Jazz for the other)
• 3 T apple or other jelly

Core and peel apples.  I have one of those corer/slicer things, so I did that first, then peeled them with a paring knife, and cut each slice into three.  They're supposed to be 1/4 inch thick, so don't do it too thin!  Mix cinnamon, sugar, and lemon together, then toss in the apples slices.  Mix well.

Make a "wall" of apples in a circle in the middle of the dough.  You want to leave room outside the apple wall so the juices have somewhere to go.  Build up the middle with apples.  Pull your tart dough up around the apples and fold it over the fruit, pleating every 2 or 3 inches as needed.  I brushed the dough with some of the leftover apple/sugar juice, then sprinkled on a good amount of raw sugar over the whole thing.

Bake until golden, crisp, and tender, which was about 45-50 minutes. Brush jelly over the exposed apples to soften them.  Let sit for a few minutes, then use spatula to loosen from parchment and place on rack to cool.  Serve as is or a la mode!  

Be honest...don't you wish you could have a slice right now? Make it this weekend and impress your friends, if you're able to share. (You may want to make two, just in case!)

Apple tart is my favorite way to enjoy the season's simplest fruit. What's yours?

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Local Highlight: Rosalinda Verde & the Visalia Opera Company (+Giveaway!)

Meet Rosalinda.

JM Haynes Photography

Rosalinda is a talented twenty-eight year old Visalian who has had music in her bones since she was a young girl. After growing up singing Selena and Gloria Estefan songs at fairs and weddings, she studied music at Point Loma Nazarene University. (Fun fact: She auditioned for the program singing a Bonnie Raitt song while wearing glittery cowboy boots. We know––you love her just for that!) Currently, she sings in two cover bands and is the founder of the Visalia Opera Company.

That's right: this salsa-dancing, glitter-boot-wearing girl sings opera! In fact, she is crazy about it. Although she may be passionate about opera today, however, it wasn't until she had the opportunity to sing in the San Diego opera chorus that she fell in love with it. There, she saw opera performed by masters and learned it is an exquisite, beautiful, and challenging art form.

You may be hesitant about opera, but maybe we can take a lesson from Rosalinda: Whether it's Selena, Bonnie Raitt, or Mozart, good music is good music.

Read on to hear from Rosalinda and learn about the Visalia Opera Company and their upcoming performance of Mozart's The Marriage of Figaro. We hope to see you support this fantastic organization. Be sure and enter the giveaway to win two tickets to the opera!

What is the Visalia Opera Company (VOC)?
VOC is compiled of many fantastic, professional singers from the Central Valley. Our goal is to expose our community to the art of opera, especially our youth. I know a lot of people think they don’t like opera, and yet many people haven’t seen one. I dare anyone to listen and not be, at the very least, impressed by the talent.

How did the VOC begin?
I started the VOC in my head before I moved back to Visalia from San Diego. I knew we had talent here and knew that the community would be open to it. Visalia is home to an amazing symphony, the SoundNVision Foundation, and great musicians who are making a difference. I was lucky enough to connect with the Arts Consortium; they are our umbrella company and have made it possible for VOC to hold non-profit status.

What has the VOC performed?
We’ve performed at several parties, functions, and restaurants such as The Depot and Little Italy. VOC has done two “Taste of Opera” events during the Arts Consortium's “Taste the Arts” festival, which motivated our first fully staged opera last year: Humperdinck’s Hansel and Gretel. We performed with an orchestra, a ballet company, and a gingerbread chorus, culminating with a final sold-out performance. VOC took pieces of Hansel and Gretel this past summer and performed for children at all of the King’s County libraries. Most recently, our singers performed at the Pops in the Park Concert with the Tulare County Symphony.

What does your week look like as a member of the VOC?
All of our singers are extremely busy. For almost every one of them, being a musician is their full-time position. We all love what we do and when we are running around in between rehearsals and our jobs, we count ourselves blessed that we get to be close to music everyday.

Where does the VOC receive support, and how can we as a community support?

We have received support from grants, Visalia’s City Council, and other private sponsors that are listed on our website. The community can support by being open-minded and attending one of our concerts or operas. You will find that VOC has a way of making opera accessible to everyone.

VOC also needs fiscal sponsors; at a time when many opera companies are folding it is a great feat that the opera company in Visalia has remained in the black. Organizations like the Tulare County Symphony and the Visalia Opera Company raise the standard of living for our community and enrich our culture. These companies need to be cherished and preserved.

What's the big upcoming performance? And who's this opera hunk we've heard about?
VOC will present Mozart’s most hilarious opera, Le Nozze di Figaro (The Marriage of Figaro). It is a pinnacle of both operatic and human achievement. The story contains a Count with a roving eye, a love triangle, suspected adultery…it is just like a normal day for the average Visalian. ;) (And PS - Mr. Zachary Gordin of operahunks.com will perform the role of the Count in the production.)

What is your inspiration for creativity?
I work at the Creative Center, an arts school for adults with disabilities. They are a supremely talented population; the students inspire me every day. When I hear my friends sing I am inspired to work on my craft and to work to ensure the community hears their talent.

What’s playing on your iPod?
Linda Rondstadt. She sang pop, county, mariachi music, and opera. She can do it all. I want to be her when I grow up.

Something I couldn’t live without is… My family. “Dad, can you build an opera set?” “Mom, can you go buy glitter for our dew fairy?” “Brother, can you drive our trailer full of Hansel and Gretel props all over Kings County?” “Nana, can you do Zombie Mozart’s makeup and make the burnt up gingerbread witch out of cardboard?” I also cannot live without my cell phone. It is my brain.

My top five faves this month are... You pick. That’s why I read your blog. ☺ (Rosalinda, we say your faves are salted caramel, crocheted scarves, pumpkins, lattes, and Mozart.)

We hope you are as excited as we are about our Visalia Opera Company and their upcoming performance! Please support them by attending the opera and fundraising opportunities. And stay connected with them on Facebook, Twitter, as well as the VOC and Arts Consortium websites.

Mozart's Le Nozze di Figaro

November 8-10

Main Street Theatre

Purchase Tickets

A Notable Night

(To benefit the Arts Consortium and Visalia Opera Company)

Wine & Appetizers

Art, Music, Silent Auction, & Raffle

Sunday, October 27th, 5-7pm

The Lakes Clubhouse in Visalia

Purchase tickets at the door: $25

You can win a set of two tickets to the opera! Enter the giveaway below!
a Rafflecopter giveaway

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DIY Felt Fall Air Fresheners {Free templates!}

The arrival of Fall means two of our favorite things have come: cozy sweaters and spiced treats! This festive DIY felt air freshener is inspired by both of these faves.

This simple project requires just a few materials. We are sharing the whole tutorial today at The Domestic Superhero––head over and check it out! Be sure to download the free templates to get started!

Download the template here
Full Tutorial @ The Domestic Superhero

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Saturday Snapshot {October 19}

Lots to love this week at Citrus and Cream! Here's the snapshot for you:

1. We featured Colette's Lemon Tree Designs: This shop is darling and has sweet handmade cards and jewelry. We recently saw her new items at Embellish & Restore and love the holiday designs! Check her out and be sure and enter the giveaway for a $20 credit to her shop!
2. We admitted our obsession to candy corn and shared this fun and easy candy corn cupcake idea. Use any ole vanilla cupcake batter, divide in two, dye orange and yellow, and you're set! A bright white frosting and candy corn hat completes the look.
3. Looking for a simple way to celebrate apple month with your little one? A tissue paper activity is the way to go! Find the instructions at the post.

Hope you have a fantastic weekend enjoying this incredible weather! Be sure and check out the Fall Bucket List for ideas to make this weekend even better!

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Easy Apple Tree Craft for your little ones!

With October being Apple month, I decided to take one of our favorite crafts (tissue paper shapes) and create an apple tree! These crafts have been so fun to do with my little one. I simply give her a handful of cut-up tissue paper and let her fill in a shape and glue the pieces down.  Since this time around we were creating an apple tree, I took a look around the house to see what else we could use for the trunk and apples and found a fun variety of items. She had a blast and is still adding pieces here and there to make it just right. So here is what you need:

White paper (I used 11 x 17)

Green Paper

Green Tissue Paper

Items for the apples- buttons, balled yarn, poms, rolled tissue paper

Glue stick

Cardboard from toilet paper or paper towel roll

First I cut the green paper into the tree shape and cut up all of the tissue paper. Then I let her spend some time applying the tissue to the tree.

For the apples, we used buttons and balled yarn. I took 5 strands of red yarn, tied it in knots, then cut the yarn as close to the knots as possible for the ball shape.

While she was placing her leaves and apples I drew an outline of the word APPLE. We then talked about what colors apples come in, how they taste, and we went over each letter (A-P-P-L-E) and made that sound.

When she was done placing everything, I glued the top of the tree to our larger piece of paper and used a glue-gun to glue the cardboard roll to the bottom. Of course, she spent some more time coloring and placed a few falling leaves!

This is really an easy, fun project for you and your little ones to create and talk about apples. If you make one with your little one- post a picture to our Facebook wall- I would love to see it!

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October Treat: Candy Corn Cupcakes

I'll admit it: I go through bags of candy corn throughout the fall months. The second they hit the shelves at the grocery store, you can find them on my shelves in the pantry!

Not only do I love the candy themselves, but I love all the fun recipes and crafts they inspire! Take this oh-so-easy cupcake idea we're sharing today. Your favorite vanilla cupcake batter gets split in two, dyed orange and yellow, and layered in baking cups. Once cool, you dollop on a a bright white frosting and top each with a candy corn hat! Perfect for sharing at a party or for a fun baking activity with kids!

 Tips for Creating Perfect Candy Corn Cupcakes:

• Stick with two layers of color, yellow and orange. I added a third white layer, but next time I'll skip that one.
• Use the gel dyes if possible since they make a brighter color. (I had the original dyes.)
• Spoon the layers in using a cookie scoop.
• Gently tap the pan to flatten out the first layer, then add the second layer.
• Make a stiff frosting to help create height on the cupcake.

You can dress these up even more by adding sparkly sugar or sprinkles on top. And make them grown-up by doing a lightly-sweetened whipped cream topping with a bit of fresh fruit on the side!

Candy corn inspire me...what inspires you?

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Local Highlight: Colette's Lemon Tree Designs {Hand-Drawn Cards, Hand-crafted Jewelry}

Remember when the cards we gave to those we loved were hand-made? Paste and construction paper and over-sized markers helped us wish the sweetest happy birthday or congratulations.

We may not have time to make those cards by hand anymore, but we're so happy others do. Today, we're sharing Colette's Lemon Tree Designs, a collection of hand-drawn cards and hand-crafted jewelry. Of course, Colette has come a long way from stickers and crayons. Her cards are both sweet and witty, lovely and fun. And her jewelry, like her cards, makes us smile.

Tell us about yourself and your family!
I am a wife and mother of two. I am in a band called The Gospel Whiskey Runners, and I make jewelery and hand-drawn greeting cards.

Can you share with us the inspiration behind the name of your shop?
I named my shop Colette's Lemon Tree because I heard my whole life, "When life gives you lemons, you make lemonade." As I grew up, I realized you have to have a tree, the knowledge to grow it, and the belief in yourself and your product to sell it! So, this is what I am doing with my lemon tree: making jewelry and hand-drawn cards. The best part is I love doing it!

Why and how did you get started selling?
I LOVE giving gifts, but right out of college, I had no extra money to buy presents for friends. So I bought a pack of blank white cards and started drawing on them. The next thing I knew I had a nice little pack of cards to bundle up and give to a girlfriend on her birthday. I felt silly handing her these cards but it was better than not giving anything at all! I also have a hard time writing notes inside cards to say how much I love someone, so this is a way for me to say "I love you" without having to have the words to say it.

It wasn't until I moved home, got married, and had two kids back-to-back that I found myself with time and the need to be creative. (Naps and late nights count as "time," right?) Ironically that same friend who received that pack of cards six years before walked with me into Embellish & Restore where I timidly asked the owner if she would like to sell my cards at her shop. To my surprise, she did! From there I became braver and braver to put my heart and work out there. I have now been selling my cards for about a year.

What does your week look like as a shop owner?
I love to be on the go, so when I am sitting, that means I am crafting!

Do you create custom orders?

I love custom orders! It always pushes me to try new things!

What is your inspiration for creativity? My friends, my odd sense of humor, and shopping at Hobby Lobby.

What’s playing on your iPod?
The Gospel Whiskey Runners (*shameless plug for the band I'm in! Look us up on Pandora!)

Something I couldn’t live without is…my Mom.

My top five faves this month are...Fall colors, planning my son's 3rd birthday party, knitted beanies, drinking a glass of wine, wearing comfy pants.

In addition to Etsy, you can find Colette's Lemon Tree Designs at Embellish & Restore and Studio 317 in downtown Visalia.

Contact Colette through Etsy or Facebook, and stay up-to-date with her recent creations by favoriting her Etsy shop and liking her Facebook page. By keeping up with Colette, you can enter a drawing for $20.00 to her shop! (Note that to be eligible, you must favorite her shop, like her page, or both! We want to give Colette lots of love!) Enter the giveaway below!
a Rafflecopter giveaway And just for fun, here's Colette (second from the left) rocking it with the Gospel Whiskey Runners who played at our recent Festival of Hope.

Thanks a bunch, Colette!

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Saturday Snapshot {October 11}

Happy Saturday! Here's this week's snapshot for you, so you don't have to miss a thing at Citrus and Cream.

1. From local festivities to at-home activities, we have everything you need to do to make this season extra special with our Fall Bucket List - a fun free printable! Pick out a pumpkin, make leaf rubbings, decorate sugar cookies...and more! (There's a local and non-local version!)
2. Love S'mores? We're sharing seven ways to love them even more!
3. Visalia's Taste of Downtown was extra special this year! Read our post, and mark your calendar for next year!

Enjoy the weekend, friends! And as always, we'd love to hear what you did to make it special.

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7 More Ways to LOVE a S'more!

As the weather cools down we can finally start to head back outside, and on those cooler evenings, my family loves to have a fire and roast s'mores! We (of course) love the traditional s'more, but after trying a few of these below, we fell in love with the variety and fun we could have mixing things up!

Have you ever tried anything extra with your s'more?

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2013 Taste of Downtown..."Like Being Italian!"

On October first, Visalia's Main Street was abuzz with our 20th Annual Taste of Downtown.

Visalia's Taste of Downtown is truly special: dozens and dozens of restaurants offer a serving of their finest creations. Sometimes they share a classic favorite from their menu; other times they debut something new and fresh. From appetizers and entrees to desserts and wine, you definitely get your fill of Visalia's best.

So many restaurants outdid themselves this year! Vintage Press served Salmon Wrapped in Phyllo with Spinach (top); Tazzaria offered Bordeaux and Blackberry Braised Short Ribs (bottom left); Tommy's scooped the best Mac & Cheese I've ever had (bottom right). And the desserts! Bread Pudding, Italian Double Chocolate Cake, Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes, Chocolate and Lemon Krinkle Cookies...on and on it went! The biggest problem one faced throughout the evening was getting too full too quickly!

This year, not only did I join in with the tastings, but I also served as a volunteer for two hours of the night. I parked myself in front of Little Italy, marked off tickets, and welcomed people to taste the best fried ravioli ever. While there, I got to talk to Joe, the owner of Little Italy, downtown Visalia's beloved Italian restaurant of twenty years.

Even though Taste of Downtown requires many hours, people, and resources, the response is always overwhelmingly positive. Joe pointed out how everyone was taking their time, savoring the food, enjoying the company. "It's like being Italian," he said.

That's what makes our Taste of Downtown worth it every year. For one evening, we enjoy the very best Visalia has to offer, and that includes the food and the people.

If you missed out this year, mark your calendar now for next year's event on October 7. We know we'll be there.

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