A Birthday Treat...

Remember when you were a kid how excited you were to take a birthday treat into your class? Well, as an adult, I'm still just as excited. It's a chance to do something fun and creative! I was going to make cupcakes, but a boy in the class had a birthday this week too, and he brought cupcakes. Since you can't yell at a kindergartener for stealing your idea :) I decided to take a look on pinterest and see what I could see. I found the cutest idea -- Candy Crayons! I added a crayon box to mine (which I cut out using my Silhouette -- thanks Rachel for helping me find a box!). Each kid got six crayons and the labels all started with the letter of their first name. Here is the blog that I found the crayon wrappers on to download.

I used almond bark to make mine instead of the candy melts. When you add any moisture to almond bark, it seizes up. To loosen it up and make it smooth, just add a bit of vegetable oil. I think this makes them melt (after they harden) more then if you just use candy melts, so keep that it mind. I just didn't want to buy 6 different colors of candy melts to use just a little of each. Here's a few pictures of the finished product. They turned out so cute and the kids and teachers all loved them. However, after seeing all the labels and boxes in the trash can, next year I think I'll just make cupcakes! ;)

(Click image to view larger size)
Pin It Now!

Friday is Pinterest Day

I, like many others, have fallen victim to the time vacuum that is Pinterest. I heard one person say that they "drank the Pinterest kool-aid." HAH! So to celebrate my love (addiction, obsession, fixation, compulsion -- whichever word you'd like) I've decided to call Friday "Pinterest Day" here on my blog...just to share with you a few of the many things that I have pinned throughout the week. And, in case you are wondering if I actually get any use out of my pins, the answer is a big resounding YES! I've even created a board where I post the pins I've actually made. So, without further a-do, here are some of my top pins for the week!

 

Love this apron!

 

I need one of these!

 

Texas Roadhouse Copy Cat Rolls. YUM!

I made this cookie this week. I had to substitute some of the ingredients. It was still yummy!
Pin It Now!

A Little Cupcake Love

I know, cupcakes are all the rage right now. And I just can't help but jump on the cupcake bandwagon. They are so cute and look so good. I have always loved the cupcake, but now that they have become a trend, I think I love them more. I'm not generally a trend follower (mustaches?? yuck!) But in this case, pull the bandwagon over, I'm jumping on! And of course, we can thank Pinterest for this growing obsession of mine. Here are some of my favorites!

Cherry Coke Cupcake -Annie's Eats

Orange Creamsicle Cupcake -- Home Is Where the Holmans Are

Oreo Cupcakes -- Annie's Eats

33 Delicious Looking Choices!
I hope you enjoyed the cupcake inspiration today. I actually DO have some crafty things to share and should be back soon. HOORAY!
Pin It Now!

Old MacDonald Had a Farm...

E-I-E-I-O. Remember awhile back I showed you some invitations for a baby shower? Well today, I am going to show you the matching cupcakes that I made. I just recently joined Pinterest and just like everybody said, it is a wee bit addicting. But on the plus side, there are lots of great ideas. That's where I found the recipes for the cupcakes. You can see the recipes here. I had a hard time picking just 2 of the 33 different recipes she had. I made the Vanilla Cupcakes with Strawberry Filling and Milk Chocolate Glaze (however, instead of baking the preserves into the cake, I cored out the cupcake after and put it in then. That way it wouldn't sink to the bottom). And I also made (Jon picked this one out) the Peanut Butter Cupcakes with Peanut Butter Frosting and Chocolate Ganache. It tasted like a peanut butter cookie. YUM.

I was concerned that the malt ball on top didn't look quite...right. That's why I made sure it was placed in front of the animal and not behind it's backside...no animal droppings on my cupcakes, please! ;)
Pin It Now!

How About Some More Recipes?

Since the recipe book is the only thing I've been working on lately, that's what I'm going to share. I have kind of taken a hiatus from cardmaking, so this is it for now. I have two recipes to share today. Apple stuffed pork chops and empanadas. I made a dinner of all mexican food one night and I served the empanadas for dessert. So yummy! I don't care for mexican food much, so I mostly only ate the dessert. :)

Supplies Used:Making Memories (apple patterned paper), Jillibean Soup (twine), Stampin' Up (Alphabet Appeal), Basic Grey (Lime Rickey patterned paper and alphabet stickers)
Pin It Now!

Recipes...

Do your recipes look as bad as mine? All piled up in a heap? Crusty and gross from sitting on the counter? They were driving me a little crazy (some may say that I'm OCD. It's not true. I'm just particular. There's a difference. I think.) So I decided to do something about it. I have been working on a recipe book. I am making the pages 8x8 and printing out the recipe. Then in true scrapbooker style -- adding a little patterned paper and embellishment. Now these should be a little more organized and kept a little cleaner. Only problem is that I haven't been able to find an 8x8 scrapbook with rings. So here's one of my favorite recipes. Chicken Parmigiana for 2.

Supplies Used: Comso Cricket (Garden Variety), May Arts ribbon
Recipe from www.tasteofhome.com
Pin It Now!

'Tis the Season for...

Sporadic blogging (whoops!), cookouts, fireworks, and my favorite -- strawberries! I made this Strawberry Crumb pie last night. I'm not a pie maker. Honestly, I have never made a pie crust before in my life. This was a little ambitious of me and it took a long time. The pie is very tart. It must be served with ice cream and/or whipped cream. I wouldn't be able to eat a whole slice without it (but who would want to anyway, right?!). I got the recipe from the June/July issue of the Food Network Magazine. You can find the recipe on their website. Add a little more sugar or a little less lemon juice to the filling. Trust me, you'll thank me for it. I made mine in a 9" spring form pan. It worked just fine. Although I would suggest putting a cookie sheet under it. I have to clean my oven this afternoon. :)

I hope everybody is enjoying their summer. I will be back soon with more blog posts. :)
Pin It Now!

I Fondue, Do You?

I have a fondue pot that is similar to this one.

I got it for Christmas one year during one of those parties where you exchange gifts. I was SO excited. It looked SO cool. I took it home, looked at the box, then put it away. When we moved, I decided to bring it with me (since it was SO cool). Then we moved again. And again. And again. (4 times to be exact). It moved with me every time. I had never opened the box. However I just felt like this fondue pot was much too cool to give away. Move #5 came and I put my foot down...kinda. I moved it with us. And I decided if I didn't use it before we move again (which hopefully isn't for a long time), I would give it away. Well, we moved to Wisconsin about 10 months ago, and guess what finally happened?? I opened the fondue box, I invited some friends over, and we USED it! And I was right. It was SO cool! So here is what I learned about fondue:
1) A "true" fondue meal consists of three courses -- cheese, meat, dessert.
2) I am much too lazy to clean the pot after each course, so I improvised and we really only used the pot for the meat course. It worked well for us. The cheese course I made in a bread bowl (DELICIOUS!) The second course was meat, which I used the pot for. And the third course, dessert, I used my crock pot.
3) The meat course is so yummy. I used this recipe, Fondue Bourguignonne (nope, can't pronounce it). The main point of the meat course is the dipping sauces. This was the hardest part for me -- finding good sauces. Some worked, some didn't. But it's fun to try new sauces!
4) The dessert fondue seized up in my crock pot. Next time, I'll probably leave it on low using a double boiler on the stove top. It was still delicious, it just wasn't that dippable (which is kind of the point of a fondue).
So...if you have a fondue pot that you have never used. Or if you have thought about fonduing...GO! Fondue it up! You won't regret it.
*Fondue pot shown is My Perfect Kitchen™ Stainless Steel Lazy Susan Fondue Set.
Pin It Now!

Why I Hate Cooking for Two...

It's true. I admit it. I don't like cooking for just the two of us. It's so hard to find recipes that work for just two people and while on some food sites you can use a calculator to cut down the servings, sometimes it's just impossible to use 1/2 of an egg. I hear you saying, "Just eat the leftovers!" It doesn't happen. I know the biggest suggestion out there is to cook a lot ahead of time and freeze it. Let me be completely honest -- my freezer is full of frozen pizzas and ice cream. Isn't that what a freezer is for anyway?! There's also the chance that what I make I may never ever want to eat again. And the worst part of cooking for two? It usually takes me longer to make it then for the two of us to eat it!So I'm trying an experiment this week. A few weeks ago we had company over and I oven-roasted a chicken. It was delicious. So this week my husband asks me if we can have the same thing for Sunday dinner. For just the two of us, really?? Well, we did. It wasn't as delicious as the first (more on that later), but still pretty good. But now I have a lot of chicken leftover. So here's what I'm going to do:Sunday was the oven roasted chicken. Then after lunch, I threw the chicken carcass into some water with some vegetables I had lying around and made chicken broth. Super easy. Tonight we will have chicken noodle soup. Whatever leftover broth I don't use, I don't have to feel guilty about throwing away...essentially it's just water flavored with a used up chicken carcass (sounds yummy when you put it that way, huh?). Tuesday night, I will use some of the chicken and cover it in barbecue sauce, add a slice of cheese, and slap it on a bun. Chicken sandwiches! And throughout the week for lunches, or maybe even for dinner on Wednesday -- chicken quesadillas and chicken soft tacos. I know that we will be a little tired of chicken by the end of the week...but honestly we usually have chicken a few times of week, so it won't be that bad. And my $7 chicken will last me 3 meals! How's that for a deal?
So you may be wondering -- how do you oven roast a chicken?? Or maybe, how do you make chicken broth?? I am no expert. And you could probably google and find something better then my method. But I'll give it to you in a nutshell.
Buy a whole chicken. I buy mine at Walmart (oh how I miss you, Hy-vee!). They are usually in the coffins (the long freezer boxes) in the middle of the aisles. It takes awhile to thaw, so be sure to buy it in advance. When it's thawed, open it up, and clean out the gunk inside of it. (A tip: if your chicken is still a little too frozen to get it cleaned out, fill up your sink with hot water and put it in there. It makes it a lot easier to spread the legs of the chicken apart if they are still a little frozen. Just make sure to clean the sink before and after!). Then stuff your chicken with onions, lemons, garlic, etc... I used an apple this time. It was definitely not as moist and juicy as when I used the lemon. So think citrus and you'll have a juicy juicy chicken. Then pat the whole chicken dry with a paper towel. Take some herbs (basil, thyme, parsley, oregano, rosemary -- any 2 or 3 of those will do. I've used both fresh herbs and dry, they both work). Mix them with a little bit of olive oil (about a tablespoon'ish), push your sleeves up, and then rub the chicken down. Stick it in a roasting pan and let it cook for about 3 hours (it depends on your weight of the chicken). I like mine slow roasted, so I cook it at 300 degrees for 3'ish hours. I have a meat thermometer to tell me when it's done (about 180 degrees). So now, go forth, and roast a chicken. Even if it's just for the two of you, the leftovers can be turned into something different each night.

*Image is logo from chickfila.com Pin It Now!

Crafting with J-E-L-L-O!

Saturday night we had company at our house for dinner. I saw this idea in a Taste of Home magazine and just had to try it. It turned out perfect (if I do say so myself!)

Do you want the recipe? Well of course you do. This may be a little different from the one in the magazine. I used one that I got from my mom.
Ingredients:
4 different colors of jello
Sour Cream Ice
Boiling Water
Directions:
Mix the first color with 1 cup of boiling water. Divide in half. Add enough ice to make one cup (Side note: I make my jello right in the glass measuring cup so that I can see when it gets up to one cup, I think it's easier that way). Stir until the ice melts. Put in a 8x10 pan (or in this case divide between 6 goblets). Put it in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes or until it gets hard (A good test is to touch it with your finger, if it doesn't stick it is ready). After it hardens, take the other half of the jello and add 1/2 cup of sour cream (whipped cream can also be substituted but it doesn't set up very well). Pour over the first layer. Let it harden (about 30 minutes) and then repeat.
Easy, huh? It takes a "few" hours so make sure you're going to be home all day!

For the meal, I also made this roasted chicken from The Pioneer Woman. And this cheesecake for dessert. If you are wondering how to spell delicious, this is how. And easy. And now that I've made you all hungry, I think I'll go have leftovers! hehe

Pin It Now!

Sometimes a Card Just Won't Do

Can you believe that I said that?? Well, you know sometimes you feel like you should do more then just send a little card...so I sent a little card and some delicious (if I do say so myself) homemade cinnamon rolls! Sorry the picture is so bad. My battery died so I used Jon's BlackBerry. It doesn't take very good pictures.

Supplies Used: October Afternoon Patterned Paper, Our Daily Bread Designs rubber stamps, Labels 4 Nestabilities, American Crafts lace, button, Fiskars Threading Water border punch
And if you want to make some delicious looking cinnamon rolls (with a bread machine, they are so easy!), you can find the recipe here.

Pin It Now!

Christmas Treats

If you have followed my blog for the last year, you will know that at Christmas time one of the things that I do is make treat bags for everybody at church. This is our first year at a new church and I decided to continue the tradition...however, somehow time got away from me, and I had one day to make them. I decided to make a sugar cinnamon Chex mix type thing (it would be great if I knew the official name, but I don't). After I made my 6 batches, I tied ribbon around the bag and attached a tag. At first I was using a circle Nestabilitie and a stamp...but then I decided to do what any self-respecting Silhouette owner would do, and do a print and cut of some tags. So I found this cute one by Samantha Walker and after some technical difficulties (of course), it went a whole lot faster. 11 hours and I was done! I'm glad I started small this year and didn't set the bar too high for next year! :D

The Enjoy tag was made using a set from Stampin' Up! called Holiday Collection

And these are the Samantha Walker tags:

And here's about 100 treat bags (yum! guess who is eating the leftovers?)

And when I was done with this, I finished up my 20+ Christmas cards. It was a long (but productive!) Saturday.

Pin It Now!

Thank You Gifts!

Well I haven't had much time to make any cards lately, but I do have something to share. I needed 12 thank you gifts for Christmas and they needed to be affordable (that's politically correct talk for "cheap"!). So I decided to put together some coffee mugs. They each have a packet of hot chocolate and a packet of flavored coffee in them. Then I added peppermint sticks and 4 chocolate dipped spoons for them to stir into their drink. I know the chocolate spoons are so 2002, but I liked the idea so I went with it anyway. I then used a new stamp set that I got from MFT with a matching die to make the tags. I was going to wrap each mug in cellophane and tie the ribbon and tag at the top, but I forgot to buy it. So I wrapped the ribbon and tag around the handle -- and now they can see the coffee flavors inside the mug.

This was one of my favorite coffee mugs that I picked up. The Santa Claus is just too cute. Shopping for cute and different coffee mugs was actually my favorite part of putting these together.

Oh, don't forget about my blog candy in the post below this.

Pin It Now!

Pretzels, Pretzels, and Pretzels, OH MY!

Every year at Christmas, I make treat bags for everybody at our church. Last year I made Oreo balls, buckeyes, and cheesecake brownies. This year, I was on a tighter budget and the idea of being in the kitchen that long wasn't appealing to me. So, after a lot of debating about what I was going to do, I found these adorable Christmas shaped pretzels and decided to dip them in chocolate. Easy, right? Ha. Well, ok, yes they were easy. But time-consuming for sure. I also didn't realize dipping your own pretzels was all the rage this year, until I received gift after gift of dipped pretzel sticks. So look at me, I'm TRENDY! Haha. Well in case you are thinking of doing this, let me give you some advice:

~If your husband wants to help, let him. He will get in the way. But it's probably worth it in the end.
~There are a LOT more pretzels in those bulk containers then one first thinks.~White chocolate chips are a lot harder to use then chocolate. The white chocolate are prettier, but the chocolate hides more mistakes
~When your husband tells you that you need more chocolate and you assure him you have enough...you better have enough! I tried a 5 loaves/2 fish miracle...It didn't work. I heard about it.
~Expect that not everybody is going to appreciate your hard work. So eat a few pretzels yourself and enjoy it!

Not counting pretzels we ate or that broke, we made a total of 510! We made 85 gift bags (which included 4 chocolate pretzels, 2 white chocolate pretzels, 4 plain pretzels, and a handful of M&M's). And we also made 10 gift bags with just plain pretzels and M&M's in case any crazies that don't like pretzels in chocolate were in attendance on Sunday.

Thanks for listening to my rambling on about my project! It took me (with help from my husband!) about 6 hours to dip all the pretzels! Oh and be sure to use a fork!

The tags are from Cute and Curly (SU!) cut out with the coordinating punch and So Many Scallops (SU!) also punched with the coordinating punch.
Pin It Now!