The original pin:
I have fallen in love with Pinterest. I had a girlfriend post on my facebook wall that the site was made for me. I think she is right! With close to 2,000 pins, I made a promise to myself to use 1 pin a week. I have decided to keep track of the pins I have used through this blog. When I mentioned this to my 2 cousins they wanted to be contributors too. This blog will show things from a mom of a 7 and 2 year old, a mom of a 6 year old and a newlywed.
Sunday, April 22, 2012
Sparkling Apple Cider
I saw this pin and knew my son's 2nd birthday would be a great time to try it. It was delicious and liked by both kids and adults. I knew the drink would be sitting out for a few hours. In order to keep it cold without diluting it with ice I froze apple juice boxes. When I needed an "ice cube" it was really easy to pop the "wings" on the juice box and cut the top off. The sides pealed off easy to put the ice cube in the container.
Balloon Wreath
This could not have been easier and turned out so cute!!!!! I can't wait to have it up at every birthday. My mom has already put in an "order" for one of her own.
This wreath has 150 balloons on it. It covers 3/4 of the wreath. I still may add more balloons to the back, I haven't decided yet. Before I went to the store to buy my supplies, I quickly read over the list of what I needed. The pin calls for a straw wreath. I bought a styrofoam one instead. It worked great (but I don't know any different).
Here is the original pin:
This wreath has 150 balloons on it. It covers 3/4 of the wreath. I still may add more balloons to the back, I haven't decided yet. Before I went to the store to buy my supplies, I quickly read over the list of what I needed. The pin calls for a straw wreath. I bought a styrofoam one instead. It worked great (but I don't know any different).
Here is the original pin:
Sunday, April 15, 2012
Baby gate fort
I saw this pin a couple weeks ago and knew it would be perfect for my kids. They love forts and are usually under the dining room table. We have baby gates laying around which made this rear easy. And why not add the element of glow sticks? I'm finding glow sticks make everything so much more fun!
I surprised my daughter and her friend with this. My daughters room is in the middle of this hallway. I finished putting the sheets over the fort and then knocked on the door. I wish I had my camera to see their faces when they opened the door. They immediately moved everything they were playing with into the tunnel and continued on. I told my son when he gets up from his nap I'd play cars in the tunnel with him.
The original pub:
I just tried to find my original pin for this and I can't find it. I'll keep looking. I like to give credit where credit is due. I never would have thought of this idea without the inspiration from this pin.
I surprised my daughter and her friend with this. My daughters room is in the middle of this hallway. I finished putting the sheets over the fort and then knocked on the door. I wish I had my camera to see their faces when they opened the door. They immediately moved everything they were playing with into the tunnel and continued on. I told my son when he gets up from his nap I'd play cars in the tunnel with him.
The original pub:
I just tried to find my original pin for this and I can't find it. I'll keep looking. I like to give credit where credit is due. I never would have thought of this idea without the inspiration from this pin.
Saturday, April 14, 2012
Italian Seasoning Shrimp
I made this tonight and it was just as easy as it looked and tasted amazing. I served it with a rice pilaf mix I bought at Trader Joe's.
1 lb jumbo shrimp
1/2 cup melted butter (I stick)
I packed Italian seasoning
1 sliced lemon
Put the melted butter in a 9"x13" pan. Top with lemon slices (truth be told, I forgot to buy a lemon but I did have lemon juice so I sprinkled 1-2 tablespoons instead). Add shrimp and then sprinkle with Italian seasonings. Bake at 350 for 15 min. Serve with rice or pasta. Yummy!
Here is the original pin:
1 lb jumbo shrimp
1/2 cup melted butter (I stick)
I packed Italian seasoning
1 sliced lemon
Put the melted butter in a 9"x13" pan. Top with lemon slices (truth be told, I forgot to buy a lemon but I did have lemon juice so I sprinkled 1-2 tablespoons instead). Add shrimp and then sprinkle with Italian seasonings. Bake at 350 for 15 min. Serve with rice or pasta. Yummy!
Here is the original pin:
Initials on canvas
I saw a variation of this (see pin below). I thought it was such a fun idea. My daughter has a friend come over who is crafty with her mom so I thought it would be a great time to try this. Plus, my daughter is redoing her bedroom right now and can use some new artwork.
I printed the letters we wanted to use on Avery full sheet labels.
I then cut out the letters
Removed the backing and stick them to the canvas. Then I told the girls (I made one too) to paint like the letter wasn't even there. Here is the one I did:
I was afraid the Avery label might not be sticky enough to stay on the canvas, but it worked! It even did pretty good on the 5 layers of paint my daughter used!
Here is the original pin:
I printed the letters we wanted to use on Avery full sheet labels.
I then cut out the letters
Removed the backing and stick them to the canvas. Then I told the girls (I made one too) to paint like the letter wasn't even there. Here is the one I did:
I was afraid the Avery label might not be sticky enough to stay on the canvas, but it worked! It even did pretty good on the 5 layers of paint my daughter used!
Here is the original pin:
Wednesday, April 11, 2012
Burrito Filling Casserole
I haven't made this in a couple years and can't figure out why! So easy and my whole family loved it.
Burrito Filling Casserole
1 can refried beans (I use the larger size can, my family likes beans)
1 box rice-a-Roni mexican rice. (instead of using tomatoes as directed on the box, I use a can of drained black beans)
1 lb ground beef
1 packet taco seasoning
Tortillas, taco shells or chips to eat filling with
Optional: shredded cheese, avocado, salsa, sour cream
Open refried beans and spread out in a 13"x9" pan.
Next make the rice as directed on the package. (I substitute drained black beans for tomatoes.) When the rice is completed, layer on top of the beans.
To speed things up, in another frying pan, start browning the hamburger. (If you are good on time, you can wait until the rice is finished and use the same pan) Once the hamburger is ground add the water and seasoning as directed on the packet of taco seasoning. Once the simmering is done, use a slotted spoon so there isn't too much excess moisture (you don't want soggy rice and beans) and layer on top of the rice.
If you are making this for dinner now, put the casserole in a 350 oven for 15-20 until everything is heated through. If you are making this in advance (this is what I usually do) cover with foil and put in refrigerator. When you are ready to heat it up, bake in a 350 oven for 30 minutes. I leave the foil on just to help speed up the heating up.
You can scoop this into tortilla shells and make a burrito. Spoon into a taco shell. Serve with tortilla chips or just by itself. Top with your favorite taco/burrito fixings.
Burrito Filling Casserole
1 can refried beans (I use the larger size can, my family likes beans)
1 box rice-a-Roni mexican rice. (instead of using tomatoes as directed on the box, I use a can of drained black beans)
1 lb ground beef
1 packet taco seasoning
Tortillas, taco shells or chips to eat filling with
Optional: shredded cheese, avocado, salsa, sour cream
Open refried beans and spread out in a 13"x9" pan.
Next make the rice as directed on the package. (I substitute drained black beans for tomatoes.) When the rice is completed, layer on top of the beans.
To speed things up, in another frying pan, start browning the hamburger. (If you are good on time, you can wait until the rice is finished and use the same pan) Once the hamburger is ground add the water and seasoning as directed on the packet of taco seasoning. Once the simmering is done, use a slotted spoon so there isn't too much excess moisture (you don't want soggy rice and beans) and layer on top of the rice.
If you are making this for dinner now, put the casserole in a 350 oven for 15-20 until everything is heated through. If you are making this in advance (this is what I usually do) cover with foil and put in refrigerator. When you are ready to heat it up, bake in a 350 oven for 30 minutes. I leave the foil on just to help speed up the heating up.
You can scoop this into tortilla shells and make a burrito. Spoon into a taco shell. Serve with tortilla chips or just by itself. Top with your favorite taco/burrito fixings.
Sunday, April 8, 2012
Easter dessert
This year I volunteered to bring dessert to Easter dinner. I searched my Easter board and decided to make brownies in egg shells and caramel sauce. I also made my favorite fudge sauce from Real Simple (I added the pin to pinterest) and "egg" ice cream (I need to add this pin!).
The brownie eggs:
I followed the directions I found in the pin. First - you blow out the eggs. (I found 1 brownie mix makes about 20 eggs). Then take some oil (olive or vegetable) and pour it into each egg and swirl it around to coat the inside of the shell. Pour out the excess oil. Then make the brownie mix (or what ever recipe from scratch you prefer).
Here they are finished. I tried scraping off as much of the excess as I could, but couldn't get them as clean as the photo in the pin. But it was still really fun to see my family crack open their dessert and enjoy their brownies! More of how I tied everything together at the end of this post.
The caramel sauce:
This actually worked! Submerge a can of sweetened condense milk in water in a crock pot and cook on low for 8 hours. Remove from the can, open, and store the caramel in a glass container in the fridge until you are ready to use. I reccomend when it is time to use the caramel to put the glass jar in a pot of simering water for about 15 mintues to heat up the sauce. Be sure to remove the lid so you don't get any extra condensation. This caramel sauce was delicious!!! I still can't beleive how easy it was to make!
Real Simple Fudge Sauce:
I started making this years ago after seeing it in Real Simple magazine. It truly is such an easy fudge sauce and so easy to make. I especially love it with ice cream and cheese cake.
1 cup heavy cream
2 Tbls corn syrup
1 - 12oz bag chocolate chips
1 Tbls vanilla extract
Bring the cream and corn syrup to a boil over medium heat. Remove from heat and stir in the chocolate chips. Once completely melted, add the vanilla. Store in a glass container in the refrigerator. Will keep for up to a month.
Ice Cream "eggs":
I decided to make dessert into a brownie sundae. And since it is Easter I couldn't resist the thought of having ice cream shaped like eggs. I cleaned large plastic eggs with soap and water. While doing this I let the ice cream soften at room temperature for about 10 minutes. I then filled each half of an egg and put the halves together. I then froze the eggs until we were ready to serve.
A couple tips:
Freeze for at least 24 hours
Make sure the egg halves are not connected. For some reason, the ice cream came out easier and in a better egg shape with the separated eggs.
1.5 pint container of ice cream filled 11 large eggs.
Here is a picture of everything together:
Here are the original pins:
Egg brownies:
Caramel Sauce:
Real Simple Fudge Sauce:
The brownie eggs:
I followed the directions I found in the pin. First - you blow out the eggs. (I found 1 brownie mix makes about 20 eggs). Then take some oil (olive or vegetable) and pour it into each egg and swirl it around to coat the inside of the shell. Pour out the excess oil. Then make the brownie mix (or what ever recipe from scratch you prefer).
I found the best way to fill the brownies is to use a Wilton squeeze bottle. I needed to cut the top down on mine because the brownie mix I used had mini chocolate chips in it.
I filled the eggs 1/2 way. I found out the hard way if you over fill the eggs, the brownie will ooze out of the shell. No fun. It took the brownies between 20-25 minutes to cook. I found placing them in a muffin tin was an easy way to bake them and if anything did ooze out, the excess was caught in the muffin tin, not the bottom of my oven!
Here they are finished. I tried scraping off as much of the excess as I could, but couldn't get them as clean as the photo in the pin. But it was still really fun to see my family crack open their dessert and enjoy their brownies! More of how I tied everything together at the end of this post.
The caramel sauce:
This actually worked! Submerge a can of sweetened condense milk in water in a crock pot and cook on low for 8 hours. Remove from the can, open, and store the caramel in a glass container in the fridge until you are ready to use. I reccomend when it is time to use the caramel to put the glass jar in a pot of simering water for about 15 mintues to heat up the sauce. Be sure to remove the lid so you don't get any extra condensation. This caramel sauce was delicious!!! I still can't beleive how easy it was to make!
Real Simple Fudge Sauce:
I started making this years ago after seeing it in Real Simple magazine. It truly is such an easy fudge sauce and so easy to make. I especially love it with ice cream and cheese cake.
1 cup heavy cream
2 Tbls corn syrup
1 - 12oz bag chocolate chips
1 Tbls vanilla extract
Bring the cream and corn syrup to a boil over medium heat. Remove from heat and stir in the chocolate chips. Once completely melted, add the vanilla. Store in a glass container in the refrigerator. Will keep for up to a month.
Ice Cream "eggs":
I decided to make dessert into a brownie sundae. And since it is Easter I couldn't resist the thought of having ice cream shaped like eggs. I cleaned large plastic eggs with soap and water. While doing this I let the ice cream soften at room temperature for about 10 minutes. I then filled each half of an egg and put the halves together. I then froze the eggs until we were ready to serve.
A couple tips:
Freeze for at least 24 hours
Make sure the egg halves are not connected. For some reason, the ice cream came out easier and in a better egg shape with the separated eggs.
1.5 pint container of ice cream filled 11 large eggs.
Here is a picture of everything together:
Here are the original pins:
Egg brownies:
Caramel Sauce:
Real Simple Fudge Sauce:
Bunny spinach dip
I also brought an appetizer to Easter. When I saw this bunny I couldn't resist!
I used my old spinach dip recipe.
1 box frozen spinach
1 cup mayonaise
1 cup sour cream
1 package knorr leek soup mix (you can also use vegetable - I just prefer leek)
1 can sliced water chestnuts - chopped
Pock a few holes in the spinach and put on a microwave safe plate with a paper towel between plate and spinach. Microwave for 5 minutes. While spinach is thawing, mix the remaining ingredients in a bowl. When the spinach is done, pour it into a wire strainer and using a spoon, push out as much liquid as you can. Add it to the mayo mixture and chill in the fridge.
Here is how my bunny turned out.
Here is the original pin:
I used my old spinach dip recipe.
1 box frozen spinach
1 cup mayonaise
1 cup sour cream
1 package knorr leek soup mix (you can also use vegetable - I just prefer leek)
1 can sliced water chestnuts - chopped
Pock a few holes in the spinach and put on a microwave safe plate with a paper towel between plate and spinach. Microwave for 5 minutes. While spinach is thawing, mix the remaining ingredients in a bowl. When the spinach is done, pour it into a wire strainer and using a spoon, push out as much liquid as you can. Add it to the mayo mixture and chill in the fridge.
Here is how my bunny turned out.
Here is the original pin:
Saturday, April 7, 2012
Coloring eggs with a whisk
This is brilliant! I will never color eggs without a whisk again. Wish I would have thought of this years ago. Even my (almost) two year old thought it was so much fun. And my daughter, who hates getting her fingers dirty, loved coloring eggs this year!
Here is the original pin:
Here is the original pin:
Friday, April 6, 2012
Spaghetti hot dogs
This is one of those pins I've been wanting to try. So my daughter had a friend over so why not try it?
All you need is hot dogs, raw spaghetti and a boiling pot of water.
I cut the hot dogs into thirds. You could do fourths if you want to. The trickiest part of this was getting to noodles straight through the hot dogs. Mine went through the sides more than I'd like to admit!
Once your happy with how much spaghetti aka "hair" as my daughter and her friend called it, put it in the boiling water.
Boil as long as directed on the spaghetti box. When done, pull out the hotdogs with tongs and serve immediately.
Make sure to eat the "hair" first - its the best part!
All you need is hot dogs, raw spaghetti and a boiling pot of water.
I cut the hot dogs into thirds. You could do fourths if you want to. The trickiest part of this was getting to noodles straight through the hot dogs. Mine went through the sides more than I'd like to admit!
Once your happy with how much spaghetti aka "hair" as my daughter and her friend called it, put it in the boiling water.
Boil as long as directed on the spaghetti box. When done, pull out the hotdogs with tongs and serve immediately.
Make sure to eat the "hair" first - its the best part!
Here is the original pin:
Monday, April 2, 2012
Brownies in an egg/mini egg brownies
I had a brownie mix and a few extra minutes so I decided to try two pins using brownies and Easter.
My brother of all people sent me a link to a web site a few months back with a recipe to bake brownies inside an egg shell. I'm always up for a fun challenge like that. I filed the website away (this was before Pinterest) and forgot about it. Last week, I saw a pin with the recipe. I had to try it. I'm bringing dessert to Easter on Sunday but didn't want to try this Saturday and have it flop.
I blew out an egg and rinsed it out. I then added a little olive oil and shook it around to coat the inside of the egg. Then I poured out the excess oil. I then filled the egg with the pre made brownie mix (I like either the giradelli mix or the one with the pouch of real Hershey syrup). I filled the egg 3/4 of the way full. Turned out it was too much. Next time I will only fill it 1/2 way. I didn't realize how much brownies expand while baking. I baked the egg, on its side in a glass bowl, for 20 minutes. I ended up baking it for a total of 25 minutes. My daughter was so excited to try it. She was nice enough to volunteer to crack it open and eat the brownie for her dessert!
I am a mini egg junkie. Thank goodness they are only available a couple months a year! When I saw a pin using mini eggs, I had to try it.
Mini egg brownies
1 box brownie mix, made as directed (or a from scratch recipe)
1 bag mini eggs
Pour brownie mix into pan as directed on box or recipe. Pour mini eggs over batter. Bake as directed.
The mini eggs end up baking into the batter and get sort of absorbed into the brownies. They tasted really good, but to be honest, I don't know if I will make this again. I couldn't taste the distinctness of the mini eggs that I love so much. But this gives me some ideas. I'm thinking of trying this with the caramel bits they sell in the chocolate chip isle and with the new mini peanut butter cups. I'll keep the blog posted when I try that and add my own original pin!
Original egg brownie pin:
Original mini egg brownie pin:
My brother of all people sent me a link to a web site a few months back with a recipe to bake brownies inside an egg shell. I'm always up for a fun challenge like that. I filed the website away (this was before Pinterest) and forgot about it. Last week, I saw a pin with the recipe. I had to try it. I'm bringing dessert to Easter on Sunday but didn't want to try this Saturday and have it flop.
I blew out an egg and rinsed it out. I then added a little olive oil and shook it around to coat the inside of the egg. Then I poured out the excess oil. I then filled the egg with the pre made brownie mix (I like either the giradelli mix or the one with the pouch of real Hershey syrup). I filled the egg 3/4 of the way full. Turned out it was too much. Next time I will only fill it 1/2 way. I didn't realize how much brownies expand while baking. I baked the egg, on its side in a glass bowl, for 20 minutes. I ended up baking it for a total of 25 minutes. My daughter was so excited to try it. She was nice enough to volunteer to crack it open and eat the brownie for her dessert!
I am a mini egg junkie. Thank goodness they are only available a couple months a year! When I saw a pin using mini eggs, I had to try it.
Mini egg brownies
1 box brownie mix, made as directed (or a from scratch recipe)
1 bag mini eggs
Pour brownie mix into pan as directed on box or recipe. Pour mini eggs over batter. Bake as directed.
The mini eggs end up baking into the batter and get sort of absorbed into the brownies. They tasted really good, but to be honest, I don't know if I will make this again. I couldn't taste the distinctness of the mini eggs that I love so much. But this gives me some ideas. I'm thinking of trying this with the caramel bits they sell in the chocolate chip isle and with the new mini peanut butter cups. I'll keep the blog posted when I try that and add my own original pin!
Original egg brownie pin:
Source: curbly.com via Kristen on Pinterest
Original mini egg brownie pin:
Source: bakeitinacake.com via Kristen on Pinterest
Sour cream chicken
Today was one of those busy nights. I needed something that could be in the table in less than 30 minutes. I found it with this recipe. And it got thumbs up from the whole family. I served it with peas and chicken rice-a-roni.
Sour cream chicken
1 package chicken breast (4)
1/2 cup sour cream (recipe says you can also use mayo or plain Greek yogurt)
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
4 Tablespoons Italian bread crumbs
Preheat oven to 425. Line a baking dish with parchment paper (I used a glass 13x9 pan - the parchment makes clean up very easy). In a small bowl, mix together the sour cream and cheese. Place the chicken in the bottom of the pan. Spread the sour cream/cheese mixture evenly over the top of the chicken. Sprinkle the bread crumbs over the top. Bake for 20 min (or until juices run clear).
If you time it right, once you throw in the chicken, immediately start the rice and they will be done within minutes of each other!
Here is the original pin:
Sour cream chicken
1 package chicken breast (4)
1/2 cup sour cream (recipe says you can also use mayo or plain Greek yogurt)
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
4 Tablespoons Italian bread crumbs
Preheat oven to 425. Line a baking dish with parchment paper (I used a glass 13x9 pan - the parchment makes clean up very easy). In a small bowl, mix together the sour cream and cheese. Place the chicken in the bottom of the pan. Spread the sour cream/cheese mixture evenly over the top of the chicken. Sprinkle the bread crumbs over the top. Bake for 20 min (or until juices run clear).
If you time it right, once you throw in the chicken, immediately start the rice and they will be done within minutes of each other!
Here is the original pin:
Source: theenchantedcook.blogspot.com via Kristen on Pinterest
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)