Monday, June 30, 2008

Featured Guest Recipe #1

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Welcome to the Favorite Featured Recipes! I'd ask some of my friends to give me some of their favorite recipes so I could post one every day to share with y'all. So, that is what we are doing this week. Aren't you excited? LOL

Today's recipe is from my friend Patt. She said this is a recipe that her brother has used and is a family hit. So, thanks Patt for helping us kick off this week. With everyone pulling out their grills this week with the 4th of July, this is a great alternative to the traditional hotdogs and hamburgers at your next cookout.

DAVE'S SALMON MARINADE

1/2 cup soy sauce
3 tbsp. sesame oil
3 tbsp. minced green onions, including tops
1 tbsp. vinegar
1 tbsp. minced or grated fresh ginger
2 tsp. sugar or Splenda
2 cloves garlic, minced
Dash cayenne pepper

Marinate fish or meat for 1 hour, or up to 8 hours. Sear fish, skin side up on a hot grill, then turn over and cook on indirect heat until almost done (usually about 10 minutes per inch of thickness). (Continues to cook after removing it from the grill). When you turn it over, spoon some marinade over the fish, including chunks of green onion and ginger.

It's fabulous on salmon, but would be equally good on halibut or many other types of fish, shrimp, or on chicken or pork, too.

Friday, June 27, 2008

Fabulous Favorite Friday

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Happy Friday everyone! Well, summer is in full swing here including the hot, hot temperatures. A week from tomorrow will be our little Sawyer's birthday. It is so hard to believe he will be two. With him coming 3 months early and only weighing 1 pound 12 ounces, we didn't know if we would even make it to a week, let alone to a two year birthday. I count my blessings every day that I have been given such a sweet, special little boy.

We are having a family birthday for him. Even though we probably didn't have to do a theme, I wanted to still make it fun and kiddie so we are doing a Curious George theme. I'll have to fill y'all in on the different things I'm planning. I've found some great ideas on the Internet. I call him my little monkey, so this is quite appropriate.


And now for my Fabulous Favorite Friday pick..


Today's pick is the sugar scrub sold by Bath & Body works. With summer here and folks heading to the beach and the pool, it is hard to keep your skin moisturized. They sell this scrub in a number of different scents. I have purchased just the plain lavendar, and that is nice if you take a shower before bed. The great thing about this is that you only need to use a little bit. It goes a long way. A word of caution, if you use it in the shower be careful because the oil will make the shower floor slippery and I'd hate for you to fall in the shower.
I have to admit the first time I tried a sugar scrub was when my sister had an Arbonne party. I believe they charged $25 for a container. Then I discovered Bath & Body works sold it and it was considerably cheaper and to me the containers look like they are about the same size, so size isn't a factor. I also liked it that they sell a wider range of scents than Arbonne. Sorry, but I'm not an Arbonne fan and the B&B Works product works just as well and is a better price. When I checked the price on line this morning, B&B Works sells this for $16. With rising gas prices and everything else going up, I'm all for using stuff that gives me a lot of bang for my buck. And, this scrub fits the bill.

Next week...
I am so excited that next week is the 4th of July that I wanted to do something to celebrate. Since so many folks will be cooking and taking things to picinics, I decided to ask some friends to send me their favorite recipes. So all next week I'll be featuring a different guest recipe. So be sure to check back every day. Yes, we will make it a whole week where we will have posts here. The blog will be rockin! So be sure to stop on by. And, if you decide to make any of these recipes I'd love to hear back from you.
p.s. I don't know if any of you saw my Twitter post, but they are now selling Goldfish in red, white and blue. They look so cute in a bowl and what kid doesn't love Goldfish?
Have a great weekend. Chic Crafty Chic has left the building.

Post coming soon

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I've got to run out the door this a.m., but I will be doing a Fabulous Favorite Friday post. I'll probably have it up sometime after 12 noon EST.

So be sure to check back!

Thursday, June 26, 2008

In response to Big Mama's Plea

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For those of you who haven't discovered it yet, the Big Mama blog is an awesome blog written by Melanie, a SAHM who lives in Texas. I read her blog every day because she is great about always writing every day and she and I have the same sense of humor. I get such a chuckle on how she phrases things. http://thebigmamablog.com/



Today she asked folks to post summery recipes on their blog and to link back to her blog so that she'd have something new to try and so her husband wouldn't divorce her. So, I feel it is my civic duty to step in and post a recipe to save a marriage. There is no higher calling right now.



This is from the current Pampered Chef Season's Best recipe cookbook. If you ever go to a Pampered Chef party be sure to add one of these to your purchase. It is the cheapest and best little cook book you'll ever purchase. They change them with the seasons (thus the title) and they always have about a good 10 recipes in it. All for a $1. Beat that McDonald's with your $1 value menu. The books have a good mix of appetizer, main entree, and dessert recipes. Yep, all for $1.



I have not yet had a chance to make this recipe, but I'm going to because I have a ton of mint in my backyard. Also, with being pregnant I plan on omitting the rum. I think without it, it will still be a great tasty drink. But, I must admit there are some days when our almost 2 year old little guy makes momma want some rum real bad. LOL



Triple-Citrus Mojitos (pronounced Mo he toe)



1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup water

1 pkg (.75 oz) fresh mint) leaves, about 1 1/4 cup leaves divided

1 orange

2 lemons, divided

2 limes, divided

1/2 cup white rum (optional)

5 cups chilled lemon-lime soda



1) Combine sugar and water in bowl. Tear 6 mint leaves in half and place in Quik Stir Pitcher, set aside. Finely chop remaining leaves with Chef's Knife and place into bowl. Zest orange and one of the lemons and one of the limes and add zest to mint mixture. Microwave on High 2-3 minutes or until sugar is dissolved.



2)Slice orange, both of the lemons and both of the limes in half crosswise. Reserve half of one lemon and half of one lime for garnish. Juice remaining lemon and limes using a citrus press; add juices to the pitcher. Juice orange with juicer add to pitcher.



3)Pour mint mixture thorough strainer into pitcher; discard chopped mint. Add rum, if desired. Carefully add soda to avoid overflow. Slice reserved lemon and lime halves with Ultimate Mandolineand place gently into pitcher. Mix the ingredients in the pitcher. Serve over ice.



Yields 8 servings.



So Big Mama, this drink is for you! Enjoy!

Monday, June 23, 2008

What a Monday

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Monday Happenings...
This has started out to be a very busy Monday. It started with me taking my little monkey to the pediatrician. He has had a terrible runny nose for a few days. I had a feeling he might have an ear infection because this happened to us back in the winter. Sure enough, he has a double ear infection. One ear was slight and the other had more. So, I'm so glad we are on a antibiotic to get him well. He has been kind of grouchy on and off.

We were able to get a few errands in and pick up a few groceries and then come home and collapse for a bit.

So, that in a brief synopsis has been our day so far.

Follow me on Twitter...
Over the weekend, I discovered Twitter and have added that to my blog. So, if you want to follow me on Twitter, check out the link at the top right of my blog.

A recipe to share...
I recently tried a Pampered Chef recipe that I thought I'd share here. It is so easy to make. I thought with the 4th of July coming up, it would be a great one to share with y'all. Even though it calls for strawberries, I think if you added some blueberries to it, that would be really cute with the red, white, and blue. By the way, when I saw this recipe called for cheesecake jello, I scratched my head because I've never paid attention to that in the store. But, I was able to easily find it at Wal Mart. If any of you decide to make this or make any changes, I'd love to have you recipe review.

Strawberry Cream Trifle-----------------------Ingredients:1/2 cup sliced almonds, toasted1 pkg (10.75 oz) frozen pound cake, thawed1 qt. fresh strawberries1 container (16 oz) frozen sliced strawberries in syrup, thawed1 lemon3 containers (8 oz each) blended strawberry yogurt1 pkg (3.4 oz) cheesecake instant pudding and pie filling1 container (8 oz) frozen whipped topping, thawed, dividedPowdered sugar

Directions:1. Coarsely chop almonds using Food Chopper. Cut pound cake into 1-in. cubes using Color Coated Bread Knife; set aside. Set aside one strawberry for garnish. Hull remaining strawberries and cut into quarters. In Classic Batter Bowl, combine fresh and frozen strawberries; mix well.2. Juice lemon using Juicer to measure 2 tbsp juice. In Stainless (4-qt.) Mixing Bowl, whisk lemon juice, yogurt and pudding mix until smooth using Stainless Whisk; immediately fold in 1 cup of the whipped topping.3. To assemble trifle, place one-third of the pound cake cubes into bottom of Trifle Bowl. Top pound cake with one-third of the strawberry mixture. Top with half of the yogurt mixture, spreading evenly. Sprinkle with one-third of the almonds. Repeat layers one time. Top with remaining pound cake cubes and remaining strawberry mixture.4. To garnish, spread remaining whipped topping over top of trifle, forming a flat surface using Small Spreader. Sprinkle remaining almonds over whipped topping. Sprinkle with powdered sugar using Flour/Sugar Shaker. Create strawberry fan with reserved strawberry; place into center of trifle.Yield: 12 servings

Nutrients per serving: Calories 290, Total Fat 10 g, Saturated Fat 6 g, Cholesterol 40 mg, Carbohydrate 44 g, Protein 5 g, Sodium 240 mg, Fiber 2 g

Cook's Tip: To toast almonds, place almonds into Small Micro-Cooker(R); microwave on HIGH 1-2 minutes or until golden brown, stirring after each 30-second interval. Cool completely. Vanilla or white chocolate pudding and pie filling can be substituted for the cheesecake pudding, if desired. If using vanilla pudding, add 6-8 drops of red food coloring for a pinker color, if desired. To make a strawberry fan, open the Egg Slicer Plus(R) and place the strawberry stem end down; slice most of the way through it with wires. Remove the strawberry from the wires and gently fan out the slices.Shopping List:1/2 cup sliced almonds1 pkg (10.75 oz) frozen pound cake, thawed1 qt. fresh strawberries 1 container (16 oz) frozen sliced strawberries in syrup1 lemon3 containers (8 oz each) blended strawberry yogurt1 pkg (3.4 oz) cheesecake instant pudding and pie filling1 container (8 oz) frozen whipped topping, thawedPowdered sugar

Cook's Tip: Vanilla or white chocolate pudding and pie filling can be substituted for the cheesecake pudding, if desired. If using vanilla pudding, add 6-8 drops of red food coloring for a pinker color, if desired.

Friday, June 20, 2008

Fabulous Favorite Friday

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Happy Friday everyone! It is hard to believe we are at June 20th already. Summer is officially here, but it seems like the days are flying by.

Wednesday I went to my specialist and the last few times I've been, the baby has been measuring a week ahead. So, I guess I should change my ticker at the top of the blog to show I'm 20 weeks. Things looked good at my ultrasound, so we are keeping our fingers crossed. It is nice that excepting for feeling tired some days, I feel good.


My Fabulous Favorite Friday pick is OPI nail polish. With summer here and flip flop season here, I always look at the new colors. I love this brand of polish. If you've never used it, I highly recommend it. I've bought it at stores like Ulta and Trade Secrets and usually you can find it at salons. One of the things I love about this polish is the cute names they come up with for the colors.

I was in the store the other day and saw some of the latest polishes. Usually they come up with a "theme" for the colors. The colors I liked are from the India collection. As you can see from the pictures below, you can also get some of your nail colors to match the polish. In the past, I have bought one of the packs that had the nail polish and I was pleased with the lip stick too.

The colors I've picked below (from left to right are) Elephantastic Pink, I'm India Mood For Love, Royal Rajah Ruby, Lunch at the Dehli, and finally the one at the bottom is called Charmed by a Snake. I did see in one store where for around $10 you can buy a sample pack that usually comes with 4 colors plus a bottle of their clear coat. So if you like a couple of colors, that might be an option to consider. I've purchased the sample pack before and even with using 2 coats of color, I still had polish left in the bottle. I felt like a little bit goes a long way.

Well, that is all for this Friday. I hope y'all have a great weekend. Check back next week!

















Monday, June 16, 2008

Happy Madras Monday

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Hi everyone. I hope you are having a good Monday. I decided to make a trek to Target this morning and found out that they have their Cynthia Rowley seasonal goodies on sale for 75% off. I just love this line of stuff because it is so bright and cheery.

As you see to the left, I got a madras table cloth reduced to only $2.50. They also had some cute plastic silverware that I got in pink that matches the table cloth. My sister has this silverware and we used it at a cookout on Saturday and I love it. It is so fun and summery. I also got some cute napkins that go with the tablecloth and they had a fun flower sprinkler that my little guy can run through. That ended up being $3 and we also got a little thing of sidewalk chalk that was about 25 cents. I got a bunch of things and spent only $10. I love catching a good sale like that.
Things were going very fast at the store near my house, so you may want to catch it soon if you are interested. I had also seen some really cute picture frames, but they were out at my store so you may catch those at yours too. They also had some super cute plastic martini glasses and another kind of glass too. I would love to have gotten those, but I knew I didn't have room to store them so I passed on those.
If you pick up any of these goodies, I'd love to hear what you've picked up.
Have a Happy Monday!


Friday, June 13, 2008

Fabulous Favorite Friday

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Happy Friday everyone. Today's post is going to be short and sweet. My little guy is down for a nap and this tired momma needs to rest. We've already been out for a haircut for him this morning and we had to run errands. The heat wave is back and so it has worn me out. I need to get some rest while my little guy is down. Some days naps are short and some are long.

A quick plug - starting tomorrow on the 2 Peas in a Bucket website in the Stamping forum, they are having World Stamping Week. Be sure to check out all the fun challenges. Even if you don't know anything about stamping, you can join in and folks are really nice about giving you tips. You could even think about starting Christmas cards now or making up some birthday cards. Michael's has had stamps for $1, so you can cheaply start this type of paper crafting. Check out the banner at the top of their home page. http://www.twopeasinabucket.com



Today's Fabulous Favorite Friday pick is Jello. There is nothing more American than good old jello. And, I love making it up when it is hot outside. There are some really cool flavors out for this summer. I made pina cola. I haven't tried this kind before, but I love that flavor so I'm sure it will be good. They also have strawberry daiquiri which I bought, but haven't made yet.
When I was little my grandmother (who I called gang gang) used to make jello and add fruit to it. I never seem to remember to add fruit to my jello, but I do like it that way. It is a great treat, especially when it is so hot. They have a great looking recipe on their website for a red white and blue dessert using jello. With the 4th of July coming up, it would be a cute dessert for your family gatherings.
Well, I'm off to get some rest. Have a great weekend and I'll check back next week.

Wednesday, June 11, 2008

Flavor of the week

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I am an ice cream junky. Ice cream is probably one of my top favorite desserts. This week I decided to get some peach ice cream. As hot as it has been, ice cream has been a refreshing treat.

If you've never had the chance to visit a Bruster's ice cream and you are near one, be sure to stop by. They have the best selection of flavors. We went a week ago and I had my heart set on some coconut ice cream, but they didn't have it that day. (They switch flavors every day). But, I did have a cone of their key lime pie ice cream. Yum! It has pieces of graham cracker crust in it. Another favorite that I like that is usually a fall selection is the apple pie ice cream. It has chunks of real apple pie in it. How can you not like that?

We discovered at Bruster's since our little guy is so small, they give him a dish of free ice cream. And, they also give free ice cream to you pup. Miss Zoe, our boston terrier, loves having a dish of the vanilla ice cream. We are usually very strict with her diet, but occassionally she gets ice cream as a special treat. It can be difficult at home if you open the freezer door. That pup will come running. LOL

I checked out the Bruster's website because I wanted to post a link in case you want to search and see if there is one close to you. http://www.brustersicecream.com/ When I did, I did a quick search under Bruster's apparel. Lo and behold they sell a candle that smells like waffle cone. I wonder if I would like that? Is it too much of a good thing? With my luck, I'd just want to eat more ice cream with that smell. LOL

I hope you all are having a great week and staying cool. We are trying. Yesterday marked week 18 in this pregnancy. We are still trying to decide on a name for this little guy. We've got some narrowed down. Hopefully we will have something soon.

Have a great week. I hope to check in if not tomorrow, then definitley Friday for my Fabulous Favorite Friday post.

Monday, June 9, 2008

Happy Anniversary to me!

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It is hard to believe that 7 years ago today I got married. Where does the time go? Who would have guessed that we'd have one sweet little boy and another one on the way. I'd never guess that I'd be happier today than I was on our wedding day. I love my husband and our sweet little family so much. I feel very blessed.

My husband took the day off to spend with me and my mom has been visiting to take care of our little guy. We don't go out that often, so it was nice to spend time together. We finally made it to the movies to see Prince Caspian, the second of the Chronicles of Narnia movie. We loved it. It was way better than Indiana Jones. And, this is a movie that I'd recommend seeing on the big screen. It was great. Since the temps were close to 100 today, going to the movies was a great thing.

We went to a restaurant we'd never been to before and were very disappointed. The service was great, but the food wasn't good. But, that was ok because the rest of the time was very nice.

So, that is what has been going on in my world today. I hope you've had a great day. Stay cool and remember that your pets need some extra water and a cool spot too.

Friday, June 6, 2008

Fabulous Favorite Friday

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Happy Friday everyone! Another week has flown by. It has been so hot here that all you can do is stay inside and try to stay cool. I like warm weather, but it seems as if we've had not transition from spring to summer.

It is hard to believe that we are now in June already. It is time to break out the lemonade and jump in the pool.
If you are looking for something fun to do in you area, don't forget about picking strawberries. I took my little guy a few weeks ago before the hot weather kicked in and it was fun. We got some great strawberries. It just isn't summer for me without some fresh strawberries.

My Fabulous Favorite Friday pick is something that I usually don't think about until Christmas, but I saw Martha Stewart doing a segment about cherries and this popped in my mind. At Christmas, we have a local craft show that this company, Cherry Repulican comes to. They have fabulous cherry products. Every year for probably the past 7 years, I have purchased the Cherry Republic soar candies for my husband. It has become a tradition. Basically, they are just like soar patch kids, but they are cherry flavored. I get a bag of these and stick them in his stocking.
But, Father's Day is next weekend and I thought I'd mention it on my blog this week in case you are still searching for something unique to get your father. Not only do they have these great candies, but chocolate covered cherries, fabulous salsas and other great cherry flavored products. I highly recommend these. They have given out samples of their products at the craft show and I haven't met a cherry product of theirs that I didn't like. So, I highly recommend. Here is a link to their website. http://www.cherryrepublic.com/
A few weeks ago I posted a book review for this book. I wanted to let y'all know that I saw that is in Target stores if any of you are interested in picking up a copy. You've gotta love the Tarjay.
Well, that's all for this week. I hope to get more posting in next week. This week was filled with doctors appointments and so far so good with the little boy bun in the oven. My specialist is very pleased and the next few weeks will show whether or not my cervix is shortening. Hopefully not. Now my challenge is to get our spare bedroom cleaned out and to figure out a name for this little guy.
Have a great weekend!

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