Shortbread, chocolate crinkles, gingerbread, and snickerdoodles. Cookie swap parties are being planned across the country.
Here are 3 aprons to inspire your next cookie swap:
The Lucille apron, made in a durable beige twill will hide and protect your clothing while you carefully measure out the flour for your snowball cookies.
2. Or how about a rich chocolatey Audrey apron, with fun pink and white stripes that makes one dream of piped icing. Perfect for baking the decadent chocolate crinkles.
3. Don’t forget about the kids! They love to help measure out and stir the ingredients, and of course like the bowls! This apron is perfect for boys or girls. It washes like a dream, so they can really get their hands in the batter.
Enjoy your baking adventures this season. Don’t forget to make extra for Santa!
Zebra stripes, butterflies, roses, and geometrics make up our Gardening Apron Collection. Blooming with style, Crumb Designs’ aprons are your gardens best friend.
Gardening is more than just planting seeds and pulling weeds—it’s a love letter to nature, a creative outlet, and, let’s be honest, a gloriously messy adventure. Whether you’re pruning roses, harvesting herbs, or wrestling with a stubborn patch of soil, one thing’s for sure: you need gear that keeps up with your green thumb. Crumb Designs gardening aprons are the perfect blend of function, durability, and style to make every moment in your garden feel like a masterpiece.
As the designer and a gardener, I thoughtfully crafted these aprons specifically for gardeners, balancing rugged utility with style. Here are some of the features:
1. Pockets for Days
No more juggling your pruners, gloves, and seed packets. Crumb Designs aprons come with deep, sturdy pockets designed to hold everything you need—without the chaos. There’s even a special spot for your phone or keys, so you can stay connected (or snap a quick pic of your blooming dahlias) without digging through dirt.
2. Made to Last
Gardening isn’t gentle, and your apron should not be flimsy. Crumb Designs uses durable, materials like canvas and twill that shrug off dirt and mud easily. Toss it in the wash or hose it down—it’s ready for your next planting journey.
3. Style That Blooms
Who wouldn’t want to look good while elbow-deep in compost? Crumb Designs offers a range of colours and patterns so you can match your apron to your garden’s vibe—or your mood. It’s like wearing a little piece of your garden wherever you go.
4. Comfort Meets Function
Wide waistband and waist ties provide support, and a tailored fit means you can move freely, whether you’re bending to weed or reaching for a high branch.
Whether you’re a seasoned gardener or just starting to flirt with your first flower bed, Crumb Designs has your back (and your front). Grab a Crumb Designs apron and let your garden—and your style—bloom.
The days are getting a little bit longer, and if you have snow, the snow is melting, temperatures are slowly rising. Spring is almost here!
That means garden chores will be here before you know it.
Check out the Crumb Designs apron. These aprons are made from durable fabric, and have reinforced stitching for the pockets. It’s a tough wearing apron that is perfect for holding those tools that help you efficiently conquer those garden chores.
This is my personal apron, one of the first ones I made almost 15 years ago. It’s still going strong and holding up to the wear and tear.
New for this season is a modern geo print, and a floral print of roses. Both available for sale on my website. Designed, sewn, and made with love and care by me.
Not sure if this is a thing, but it is a thing in my world – Freestyle Pasta.
I was inspired by Lidia Bastianich. She is an incredible Italian chef. I enjoy watching her make every dish look so effortless and delicious. And so it should be.
Creating nourishing meals does not need to be complicated. Some of the simplest dishes, are the most delicious. As long as the ingredients are fresh and compliment each other.
For this recipe, it is important to start with a base, which is very easy. This part I learned from watching Lidia. I’m sure my technique is not as culinary as hers, but it works for me. As I mentioned previously, it must not be fussy, and must come from the heart. My meals are always cooked from my heart!
The base consists of: EVOO, sliced garlic, hot pepper flakes, lemon juice, and cooking water from the cooked pasta, and of course pasta. Spaghetti or spaghettini are my 2 favourite pastas for this dish.
After the base is made, anything goes!
I recently tried adding white kidney beans and sardines, and I finished the dish off with freshly sliced basil, drizzle of EVOO, and a grating of parmesan cheese.
I originally served the sardines on the side, seasoned with a sprinkle of smoked Maldon salt. This way, my husband and I had the option of adding the sardines to our salad, or to our pasta dish. It was delicious with the pasta!
Nutritional Notes: With the addition of EVOO, beans, and sardines, this dish is an excellent source of Essential Fatty Acids (EFAs), as well as an excellent source of calcium and fibre. Sardines are a super food for calcium and Omega-3 fatty acids. EFAs are important for our entire body in many ways. These fats take care of our brain, eyes, skin, heart, joints, and hormones. That’s just the tip of the ice berg. Soon I will make a post all about EFAs.
Freestyle Pasta
Serves 4 people
Cook pasta in salted boiling water until al dente. Stop the cooking time 1 minute before the directions. The pasta must still have a bite. Don’t worry, the pasta finishes cooking in the sauce.
Have all your ingredients ready. When there is 5 minutes left to cook the pasta, turn on your frying pan.
Ingredients for Sauce
2 cloves of garlic, thinly sliced Pinch or two of hot pepper flakes (this amount is optional) 2 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil 2 Tbsp chopped fresh herbs
Sauté the garlic and hot pepper flakes with the EVOO for a few of minutes, until the garlic smells bright. Do not let the garlic brown or it will have a bitter taste.
Add the juice of 1/2 a lemon and a ladle of the pasta cooking water. This is the base of your sauce.
Taste your sauce and see if you like it. You can add more lemon juice if you prefer. I do not add additional salt because the pasta water is already seasoned with sea salt.
At this point, I add halved cherry tomatoes and the beans to get them combined with the sauce. The beans make the sauce creamy. This is a great alternative from cream if you are avoiding dairy.
Drain your pasta, reserving about 1 cup of the cooking water. You will not need the whole cup.
Using tongs, toss the pasta with the sauce in the frying pan. Continue tossing around for a minute or two. adding a small ladle full of the pasta water.
Divide up into 4 pasta bowls, top with fresh herbs such as basil or parsley, and a grating of parmesan cheese.
Enjoy!
Please feel free to comment. I would love to know your input.
Just thought I’d share with you some of my favourite cookbooks. I have really enjoyed cooking from all of these books. Recipes turn out delicious!
I love collecting cookbooks. I actually read them like a book, appreciating the wit and wisdom of these experts.
It’s so easy to get caught up in cooking the usual meals day after day. I try my best to cook something new each week. My husband and I spend our Saturday evenings cooking a new meal together. I love this time spent with him.
One of my favourite things to do is look over the new grocery flyers, see what’s on sale and find a recipe in one of my well loved books. Being a frugal shopper does not mean you have to eat boring meals. I’m proudly a frugal shopper, and I love turning a deal into a scrumptiously delicious meals. All thanks to my cookbooks and my passion for cooking. And of course a gorgeous apron!
What are your favourite cookbooks? I would love to know. I’m always open to expanding my library.
Spring is finally here! Soon, very soon, Mother Nature will be unveiling her beauty.
This is a wonderful time of year to really get inspired. Life all of a sudden feels lighter. Do you feel like you have more spring in your step? I do, especially with these longer days. It feels so amazing to see the sun shining so brightly all day long.
Get ready for a season of inspiration. Enjoy every moment. When every new leaf uncurls, every new flower bud grows, and every new sweet chirping of a bird.
