Thursday, May 21, 2009

Red Hot & Blue Potatoe Salad


While planning my menu for Memorial day I really was craving potatoe salad from Red Hot & Blue. I searched the web and found quite a few copycat recipes. This one just sounds right, so I'm gonna give it a try.

16-17 lbs red bliss, size B potatoes
13 eggs, cut into eights
2 1/2 cups green onions, chop 1/8-inch size
5 cups mayonnaise
2 1/2 level tbsp. celery seed
2 1/2 level tbsp. salt

steam spuds for 45-60 minutes

cut into small pcs and mix ingredients- do not refrigerate

Tuesday, May 19, 2009

Summer Holiday cooking


Weather its for Memorial Day, Fathers Day, or July 4th, it's time to start planing out your holiday menu. For those of you who have yet to select your dishes, these suggestions for an informal, low-key holiday meal below from Tastefully Entertaining will make you summer cooking extra yummy.


Click through the links for the recipes and instructions for each menu item. Enjoy and Happy July 4th!

Friday, May 15, 2009

Graduation Gift Card Holder

Its grad season yet again. Didn't school just start ?? Here's a simple an easy idea from

Plaid Online to spice up a gift card for your favorite grad.
To make a graduation gift card holder, you will need

My fav- Mod Podge
Altoid tin
4 pieces (or scraps) of scrapbook paper (one yellow with stars; one black and white stripes; one black; and one red)
Black ribbon with gold edges (14 inches)
Small star punch out or 4 red star stickers
4 red rhinestones
1 gold eyelet
Thin gold cording to attach tag
Distress ink
Hot glue
Sandpaper

1. Wash and dry tin.

2. Use the top of the tin as a template to cut out 4 pieces of yellow paper (Cut two slightly smaller to fit the insides of the tin. Distress edges and apply to the top, bottom and the insides of the tin with Mod Podge; allow to dry.

3. Cut a 1/4” strip of yellow paper, distress and apply around the edge of the lid with Mod Podge; allow to dry.

4. Cut a 1/2” strip of black and white striped paper and apply around the edge of the bottom of tin with Mod Podge; allow to dry.

5. Use sandpaper to sand away any paper that may be extending the edges of the tin.

6. Punch out stars or use star stickers and place three stars across top right of tin lid as shown.

7. Coat the entire outside of tin with Mod Podge; allow to dry.

8. Make a tag using the black paper and star paper as shown and add eyelet. Place stickers and star on tag then add a red rhinestone.

9. Add red rhinestones to each star on tin and use hot glue to secure ribbon around tin so that, while ribbon is in place, the tin will open; attach gold cord to tag and slip through ribbon, tie and rim ribbon as shown.



You could clearly change this project up and use it for any season/purpose.

Easy Apple-Cinnamon Bread Pudding

My husband love, love, loves bread pudding. I am always in search of a new recipe for it. I came across this one in the father's day recipe section @ Kaboose. Yumo, it sounds delich. Can't wait to make it for him. By the way, they had many more yummy looking recipes, check em out.

Ingredients for Apple Cinnamon Bread Pudding
Nonstick cooking spray
8 slices thick-cut cinnamon raisin bread, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1/2 cup shredded carrots
1/2 cup golden raisins
1 (21 ounce) can apple pie filling
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Pinch of salt
1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
2 eggs, beaten


Cooking Instructions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Generously coat a loaf pan with nonstick cooking spray and set aside. In a large bowl, combine bread, carrots, raisins, apple pie filling, cinnamon and salt.
Add sweetened condensed milk and beaten eggs to dry mixture and blend well to coat thoroughly. Pour mixture into loaf pan. Bake for 30-40 minutes, or until well-browned on top.
Remove from oven and serve. Serve with a scoop of vanilla bean ice cream if desired.


Substitution(s)
If your child is sensitive to milk, you can substitute the condensed milk with coconut or almond milk instead.

If you prefer fresh apples to canned, opt for a variety with plenty of juicy goodness like Granny Smith or Jonagold.

Thursday, May 14, 2009

Groovy ribbon frame

One of my latest favorite crafts is anything with Mod Podge.

I love the idea of taking any old or new thing and making it into something spectacular. This ribbon frame I found @ Plaid Online is no exception. What a great idea. I have old frames, tons of ribbon, craft paint & of course Mod Podge.


Funky Ribbon Frame

What you need & probably already have:

FolkArt ® Acrylic Colors - Soft Apple, 2 oz.
Mod Podge ® Matte, 16 oz.
Small Wood Frame
Variety of ribbons
Foam brushes
Scissors
Ruler
Base coat entire frame Soft Apple; let dry.

Measure height of frame; cut multiple lengths of assorted ribbon to height size (we used a monochromatic selection of ribbons in a variety of patterns and textures).
Apply Mod Podge to back of one ribbon strip; position on front of frame then smooth; repeat with additional strips of ribbon placing them side by side until front of frame is covered; let dry.
Apply two topcoats of Mod Podge to finish and seal; let dry completely between coats.

Wednesday, May 13, 2009

Driveway signs

What you see is not all you get with these adorable driveway markers from Family Fun. By day, the plaques add color and a decorative touch to your yard. At night, the signs shine as beams of approaching headlights bounce off the reflective-tape moon and stars.

CRAFT MATERIALS:
Pencil
Wood (we used scrap lumber, but you can also use wooden plaques from a craft store)
Paintbrush
Acrylic paints
Scissors
Reflective tape (we used Duck brand)
Drill
Wooden stakes
Screws
Twigs
Hammer and nails
Time needed: Afternoon or Evening

1. Download our templates for the signs shown here, or create your own design. Lightly trace the pattern on the wood, then paint. 2. When the paint is dry, cut moon and star shapes from the reflective tape and apply them to the plaque. 3. Use the drill to make pilot holes in the stake (a parent's job), then screw the stake to the back of the plaque.
4. To prevent the twigs from splitting, create pilot holes with the drill and a small bit (a parent's job). Nail the twigs in place. If desired, a parent can instead drill holes in the plaque and insert the twigs, as we did with the owl design.

Monday, May 11, 2009

I'm not sure how it got it's name, oh, I remember, I didn't know what else to call it, but I always ate it with Frito's so decided Frito dip was the best fit.


Frito Dip

16 oz pkg sour cream (1 cup)
1 pkg Fiesta Ranch dip mix
4 oz can chopped green chills
4.25 oz can chopped black olives
2 cups Mexican blend finely shredded cheese

Mix dip mix with sour cream until well blended

Then add black olives and green chillies.



Fold in cheese.
Chill in fridge at least 6 hours or overnight. Serve with Frito's, other chips or veggies.

Thursday, May 7, 2009

Fingerprint Poem for Mom

Kaboose is one of my favorite sites for crafty ideas. Whenever I have a need to make something, I hop on over there and always find a simple you-can-do project.

This fingerprint poem for mom is one example. Such a sweet and heartfelt mom's day idea. I guess it would work for dad's day to ??


This sweet poem combined with a child’s fingerprint art makes for a fabulous gift and keepsake. Simple enough for even young children to make, Mom will love the gesture and save it forever.

What you'll need:
2 sheets of card stock, purple and light blue
White printer paper
Acrylic paint: purple, light blue, pink, red, white
Scissors
Glue stick
Printer
Pencil
Damp face cloth


How to make it:
Print poem (below) onto white paper. We used the Comic Sans font.
Cut poem out, curving edges around the poem making it look like a cloud.
On a separate blank sheet of white paper, use pencil to lightly draw a heart and the word “MOM” above it.
Cut the heart and MOM out, leaving about an inch border.
Glue the heart drawing and the poem onto the purple card stock.
Cut around the poem and the heart drawing, leaving a small purple card stock border on each.
Glue both onto light blue card stock, poem at the bottom. Have child write their name and the year on the back of the blue card stock. Put small puddles of paint onto a paper plate, one puddle of each color except white. Make a second puddle of pink and add some white to it to make an even lighter pink. You should have 5 puddles of paint (purple, light blue, red, pink, light pink) Have child dip fingertips into puddles to decorate the heart and write MOM. Do the Ms in purple and the O in light blue. Use red, pink and light pink to decorate the heart. Use damp face cloth to clean off fingertips in between each paint color.

Let the paint dry completely.

Fingerprint Poem
My dirty little fingerprints I’ve left on every wall

And on the drawers and tabletops, I’ve really marked them all
But here are some that won’t rub off, I’m giving them to you
Because I’m thankful to have a mom that’s just like you!

Tips:
Construction paper can be used instead of card stock but will not be as sturdy. To add more strength, cover with clear Con-tact paper.
Use the print preview option on your printer before actually printing. This will allow you to see what the printout will look like without wasting countless sheets of paper.
Change the purple and light blue colors we chose to your mom’s favorite colors. Simply match up two colors and use them for the card stock and the two paint colors for the word “MOM”.

Tuesday, May 5, 2009

Strawberry Margarita Pie


Strawberry Margarita Pie featured on The Hostess with the Mostess daily blog

Ingredients:
2 cups hulled fresh strawberries
2/3 cups sugar
1 ½ cup graham cracker crumbs
1 stick butter, softened
¾ cup sweetened condensed milk
6 Tbsp tequila (cause every things better w/ Tequila)
4 Tbsp triple sec
1 Tbsp fresh lime juice2 cups heavy cream

Instructions:Toss strawberries with 4 Tbsp sugar and set aside. Blend graham cracker crumbs, rest of sugar and butter in food processor. Press into bottom and up sides of buttered 9 inch springform pan.
Next, puree strawberries and sugar with condensed milk, tequila, triple sec and lime juice in processor or blender. Transfer to large bowl.
Whip cream until stiff peaks form. Fold 1/3 of cream into puree. Gently fold in remaining cream. Pour filling into pie crust, cover and freeze until firm, preferably overnight.
To serve, run hot, sharp knife around the sides of pan, remove dies and cut into wedges. Garnish with mint leaves and fresh strawberries.

Friday, May 1, 2009

More yummy food

This is a combo of both of my g-ma's tetrazzini recipe. It does take just a little bit of time, but its well worth the trouble. I always double or triple this recipe. FYI it freezes very well and is great left over.


Chicken or Turkey Tetrazzini

4 oz jar pimentos (chopped)
½ stick butter
2 rounded tbs flour
2 cup milk
3/8 tsp garlic salt or powder
1 green pepper chopped
4 oz jar mushrooms (chopped)
1 can mushroom or celery soup
½ lb Velveeta cheese or what I prefer is a jar of Old English cheese, found in dairy case with other cheeses. I really makes it taste extra yummy !!
1 cut up / 2 cups cooked chicken or turkey
4 oz spaghetti
Black pepper to taste

Make cream sauce out of butter, flour, & milk. When it begins to thicken add cheese, green pepper, pimentos, mushroom, soup & black pepper to taste. Have spaghetti ready (better if cooked in chicken broth).Mix all together & pour into buttered Pyrex & bake 45 min-1 hour or until bubbly @350.

Another tip: I like to make mine the day before I want to serve it and let it sit in fridge overnight before cooking and serving, I just taste better that way.

Recipes to share

One of my new favorite blogs is NannyGoat. She has/had this great idea to do recipe swap today. Check it out, quite a few people have added there favs to her list. Ummm, its making me hungry. Here's a little peak of some of them.











Chicken Parmesan from momma Staker click here for more

Ingredients
4 Chicken Breasts
2 Egg Whites (or whole eggs if you prefer)
1 Garlic Clove
1 Cup Seasoned Bread Crumbs
1/4 Cup Grated Fresh Parmesan Cheese
1 Teaspoon Italian Seasoning
1/8 Teaspoon Black Pepper
2 Tablespoons Flour4 oz.
Angel Hair Pasta
1 Jar of your Favorite Spaghetti Sauce
1/4 Cup Mozzarella Cheese (shredded)


Preheat oven to 425. Trim Chicken. Beat egg whites until frothy, press in garlic. Mix together bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese, and seasonings. Coat breasts with flour, dip in egg mixture, and then in crumbs. Place Chicken on baking sheet and bake 20-25 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink and juices run clear. Cook pasta and heat up sauce. To serve, place pasta on plate, top with baked chicken top with sauce and cheese and enjoy!

Thursday, April 30, 2009

Flower Headband-You can make

I stumbled upon this flower head band over @ 30 days. Looks super easy and like something anyone could do. Think I'm gonna give it a shot !!


Ok so a few of you were interested in a tutorial for the flower headbands.I've seen a lot out there.There are many good tutes for flower headbands.

This is just my easy, inexpensive version.First, gather these supplies:

Long ago, I got the headbands and flowers at my local dollar store. And I also had the sequins that I purchased at a craft store.Glue gun. Needle and embroidery floss.And you'll need 5 minutes.


1. Grab your headband.
2. Next your flowers.
3. Take your flowers apart. Take the flowers off the stem.Then take the middle part out of the flower (just yank it out).
4. They should now look like this.
5. I used 2 blooms from my bunch. Stack them like so.
6. Now it should look like this.
7. Take your needle and thread. Thread your needle.Tie a knot at the bottom. Start under. Poke through all the layers.
8. Then go back down.
9. Do it a few times. It should look like this.
10. Then grab the headband,position the flower how you want it-I like mine on the side but you can do it however you want-and take the needle and thread and wrap the thread around the headband.
11. Then stitch it a few more times-up and down like before but around the headband now.
12. Once you've done it a few time and it feels secure,on the backside, wrap it around the headband a few more times and tie it off.
13. It should now look like this. If you really want to get fancy, you can add a piece of felt to finish it off. Just cut a circle and cover where you stitched.
14. Get your glue gun. Glue a drop in the middle covering the stitching.
15. Add your sequin.
16. Put it on your daughter's head. Or yours. Or save it as a gift. You get the idea.

Thanks for sharing, 30days.

Wednesday, April 29, 2009

Glitzy Makeup Box


I have seen these makeup boxes glamed up all over at craft fairs and such. I just love em, and thought, "I can do that". I had my late g-ma's Samsonite make up box and thought I would use that to try. You can also use an old suitcase.

What you need:


Old suitcase, makeup box, anything really

Scrap paper-coordinating styles

Mod Podge ( I used plain & some with glitter for the outer coat)

Foam Brush

Small paint brush

Chenille yarn

Rhinestones/Acrylic Gems

Artificial flower(s)

Tacky glue

To start, wipe suitcase/box clean. Cut scrap paper into various shapes and sizes. I cut mine into different sized squares and rectangles. You can do any shape or just tare your paper. Apply thin, even layer of Mod Podge to back of a piece of paper. Starting on one of the outside edges apply the paper to the box. Continue all over. Its ok if your squares overlap, I prefer this look. Some areas may start to bubble a little, do your best to smooth out with your fingers, but don't worry, after it dries 90% usually go away. Once entire box is covered allow to dry for about 30 minutes or so. Go over entire box with another layer of Mod Podge (this is where I use Glitter Mod Podge) Allow to dry again (30 minutes) I like to repeat this step twice to insure everything is well coated.


Next I work on the handles and covering the rubber edge's of the box. I use my paintbrush to apply a thick coat of Tacky Glue to rubber edge. Start at one end and apply your chenille yarn to the edge. When you get to the end of a row, no need to cut just back track and continue until covered. Do this to all rubber edging.


Once that's complete, use your yarn again to cover the handle. Cut a long strip of your yarn. There is no way to know how much you need, just cut a pretty good piece, you can always tie another piece to it if need be. Start at one end and tie the yarn around the handle. Continue to tightly wrap yarn around handle until entire handle is covered. Tie off the end.

To apply the flower you can use you Tacky Glue or I like to use the wired stem of the flower to wrap around the handle. Then I use more yarn to cover the stem.

Now the glam part. Lay box on its back so fasteners are facing up. Paint a not to thin, but not to thick layer of Tacky Glue to the metal suitcase/box fasteners. Use needle nose pliers or tweezers to carefully apply the rhinestones. If you glue is too thick, be careful because the rhinestones may want to shift a little.

Once completely dry, Wholla, you have a beautiful glamed up Make box or suitcase. Now, what the heck am I gonna do with it ??

Tuesday, April 28, 2009

Happy Mother's Day Granny- A Crafty Gift Idea

As you know Mother's day (5-9-9) is going to be here very soon. I have to do my gift planning early because my mom lives in Iowa so I have to ship her gift. My Aunt is into making scrapbook canvases as gifts. Matter of fact, she made one for Kellan for his birthday. I am always a fan of personalized gifts, I think they come from a different place in the heart. So I decided to try and make one for my mom for Mothers day.

What you need:
blank canvas, any size
Acrylic paint & brush
Scrapbook paper, lace, colored paper, anything really
Picture(s)
Do-Dads/embellishments; I used letter stickers, card stock embellishments & flowers
Heavy glue, I like Tacky Glue
Ribbon
Picture hanger to attach to back for hanging

As with any craft of this sort, its best to collect lots of different coordinating items and play around with them till you find what looks best for your master piece. Always start with an idea of inspiration. For me, I choose a blue theme. My mom collects blue and white Willow Ware type stuff and uses them to decorate all over her house, so I wanted to make something that would match her decor.

Start by covering your work surface with newspaper. Paint 1-2 coats of paint on canvas, don't forget sides !! Once its good and dry, start to place things on canvas with glueIt took me about 3 coats of paint since I was using such a dark color.


This is a super simple project. My son and I went to Hobby Lobby this morning to get all the goodies I didn't already have. I put paint coats on while he played, and while he napped, I finished. Max 2 hours, but don't tell mom!!


One last note, when making a gift like this, I think is super important to write and date the back so its always noted with love where its from.


This is the one that was made for my son to give another example.

Monday, April 27, 2009

Paci clip

If only I had found this when mine was a baby, life would have been a lot easier !! Thank goodness Create Studio figured it out for the next time.

Supplies:
grosgrain ribbon (preferably double-sided and sturdy)
1 1/2 snap sets (you can get these at Walmart)
1 name tag clip (you can find these on the back of those plastic name badges from any office supply store)
matches
scissors

First, cut the ribbon 9 1/4 inches long and burn the ends slightly to prevent fraying. Put one end through the name tag clip. Pull 1 inch of ribbon through and secure with 1/2 of a snap set (this end does not need to actually snap.)

Next, fold the other end of the ribbon over 1 1/4 inch and attach a full snap set on this side. Be sure to leave a little extra ribbon to hold on to while you're unsnapping the paci since this is the side that will unsnap to hold that beautiful thing!

Sunday, April 26, 2009

Tortilla Soup

Whole chicken
2 garlic cloves-chopped
1 medium onion-chopped
2 cans Rotel
¼ cup cilantro-chopped
1 bell pepper (any color) chopped
1 tbsp cumin
1 tbsp chili powder
1 pkg corn tortilla’s-cut into strips
Salt & Pepper to taste

Garnish with, all or some of the following:
Shredded cheese
Avocado slices
Sour cream
Cilantro
Chopped tomatoes

Cover chicken with water in large pot. Bring to a boil. Boil about 45 minutes or until juice from chicken runs clear. Remove chicken, cool and debone. Reserve broth in another bowl. In large pot sauté garlic and onion in a little olive oil. Add cumin & chili powder.
Add Rotel, chicken, cilantro & broth. Bring to a boil for 20 then simmer at least 30 minutes. Add more water if necessary.
Arrange corn tortilla strips on cookie sheeted that has been sprayed with cooking spray. Bake @ 350 degrees until brown.
Fill bowl with soup, top with tortilla strips and any optional ingredients. Enjoy !!

Friday, April 24, 2009

What to do with an old pair of jeans? Make an apron, duh !

Check out Suzanne's Crazy & brilliant idea and she'll walk you thru it, step by step.



Prickly Pear Margarita


I found this post on Mix Mingle Glow. She did a whole post with a fiesta theme. There's tons of great ideas. Kinda makes me want to have a Cinco de Mayo Party !! Check it out to see all of her finds. I had to share my fav part of the post, the drink recipe. Is your mouth watering?? Mine is. Is it 5 yet ??

A Prickly Pear Margarita! Dee. Lish. Wanna make one?

Here’s the recipe:
4 oz. tequila
juice of 2 limes
2 oz. Triple Sec
1 cup ice
1 cut lime
salt
4 oz.
Prickly Pear Cactus Syrup, divided

Mix first four ingredients in a blender until ice is crushed to a smooth consistency. Rub lime around the rim of a glasses and dip the glasses into a plate of salt, coating the entire rim. Pour 1 oz of Prickly Pear syrup into each glass. Pour frozen margarita mixture over the top of the syrup and enjoy! Serves 4.

Thursday, April 23, 2009

Great Idea !!


What a great gift idea !! This could be changed up many different ways to make it work for any occasion. All it is is a giant frog sand box filled with tons-o-stuff. This was a friend of a friend of a friend on Facebook who's 3 month old daughter received this as an Easter basket from her g-parents. I love it

Thank you Muchkin People

All of you know as a mother to be and a new mom, you get lots of advice. Some of which we all choose to ignore and some is actually good advice. One example of good advice I received was if you find something your baby loves like a blanket, toy, bottle or bear, go buy a million of them. So, for me that advice had really never gone into play until now. Kellan just turned one, and like I am supposed to, because "they" say so, my goal was to promptly switch him from the bottle to a sippy. Well, since I never let him self feed himself the bottle, he wasn't quite savvy with sippy cup even though we started practicing @ 6 months. His g-ma had been letting him drink out of her cup with a straw for months, so I decided since he was so good at that, I would find him straw cup to drink his milk from. 1st attempt was a straw cup from Platex, no worky !!! It leaked when thrown on the ground. 2nd attemt was a straw cup by Munchkin I got at Wal-Mart. It worked pretty damn good. I would leak a little, but it was tolerable since I was able to break my boy of the bottle. Since that one was working and he was drinking all of his liquids from it, I figured I better run out to Wally World (not my favorite place at all) and buy them out !! So I went, they had 2. Went to another, none, Another, none again. What am I gonna do ??
Relief came today as I had nothing better to do and made the journey out of my comfort zone of Rockwall to Mesquite to Babies R us (another non-fav place). At 1st I didn't see what I was looking for, then I saw what kinda looked like it, but different. So I think to myself, "have they change it all together"? Not sure, but gonna try it. So I bought 6. I double checked with the girls (children) up front that if it didn't meet my satisfaction I could bring them back, they said yes. I was on my way. Got home, it was lunch time, hand washed one of my new straw cups, filled it with milk, and handed it to my kid, and...................It worked. I actually think he prefers the "new" construction. Does it leak ?? Not so far. Anyways, this was a very long story, but a very important one in my book. Now that that dilemma is solved, I am sure Kellan will decide he loves the sippy and wants nothing more to do with the straw cup !!


This was the original favorite

This is what I got today


See the little flippy thing that conceals to straw. Very helpful for transport.



FYI, I just went on to the Munchkin web site and they do advertise both and say Wal-Mart carries them ?? I guess some stores just don't carry both??