Thank "EWE" card

This little card was cut out using the Eller font (another freebie on DaFont).  Stamped with Provo Craft stamps, and run through the cuttle bug.  Another fast one for saying a quick thanks!

Star Wars Invitation

If you're looking for something way simple to do for a Star Wars invitation, this is it!  It took me very little time (which, I'll admit, I opt for quite a bit).  The font I used was Star Wars Kit.  I also used a font called Forced Reentry for the inside of the card because they had great pictures of some Star Wars characters.  They are both free fonts that you can find on DaFont? I believe.  For the inside, I said this with the pictures.

Invited you are (YODA) to J.J. 5th birthday party.

Speed on over (biker scout on speeder bike) to (our address and time)

And come Luke at our fun! (LUKE)

Don't have a Fett (BOBAFETT)

You won't be Solo! (HAN SOLO)

Basketball Card

I wish I could remember who I got this basketball net design from so I could point you there.  If anyone knows, it's a design studio creation and I got it last year so I could make this card for my two year-old's birthday.

Animal Occasions Birthday

I got the idea for this from Regina Easter (see link on the side).  I bought the DB Animal Occasion font from Scrapnfonts (I LOVE that site...perfect for cricuteers).  This was very quick to make.

Grassy Centerpiece and Paper Art

Once again, my mom helped me with this centerpiece.  We found the grass at Tai Pan Trading and then just wired and taped these little stems everywhere inside the pot.  It was so easy and I loved the end result.  If you look at the framed art hanging above the plant, you'll see that it's just paper inside of cheap wood frames that I painted.  I love making stuff out of cheap and easy to find items!

Medicine Cabinet, Revisited

Have any old ugly furniture that you're replacing?  Or do you want something that you can't afford?  That was me.  I really wanted a cabinet that would hold all my spices so that I could have easy access to them while cooking, but I couldn't spend a lot to get what I wanted.  So, I took a couple trips to DI before I found this little number.  Of course, at the time, it was a horrid brown color with nasty decor all over it and disgusting old knobs.  But then, it only cost ten dollars!!!  I took off the excess decor, knobs, and sanded the entire thing down.  Then I painted it in dark green and let it dry.  I did a second coat in the spots I knew would show.  Then I painted the parts I wanted crackled in antique white and put on the crackle medium.  I did this one side at a time to make sure the sides weren't too dry for the crackle.  Then, I put on new knobs, and hung it up!  Hooray, new spice cabinet for me!

Orchid Centerpiece

I love this!  And don't think I'm bragging, even though I guess I technically am!  My mom picked out these orchids and had the idea for putting all together in one box.  I found the pot at Roberts, and then I called Rebecca at Artistic Blooms and begged her to help me! :)  Luckily she was kind enough to walk me through this process.  That girl is amazing.  I was so scared of putting it in the wrong place and cutting the stems down, but she knew what she was doing.  I get LOTS of comments on this as it's in my living room right smack in the middle.  Everyone loves it!  But not more than me!  Thanks to my mom and Rebecca!  A great centerpiece made pretty cheaply and in just my style.

Sweet and Sour Chicken

This is one of my husband's favorite recipes that I make.  I smushed two recipes together to get the taste and the texture that I wanted.  It's not deep fried, so it's way better for you than the Chinese take-out version...but it's also not crispy.  It does have a lot of good taste though!  Enjoy.

2 chicken breasts, cubed

corn starch

accent & garlic powder

beaten egg

Sauce:

1/2 c sugar

1 Tbsp soy

1/2 c vinegar

1/2 c water

1 tsp salt

1/4 c ketchup

Sprinkle chicken pieces with accent and garlic powder; then dip in corn starch.  Dip in beaten egg and fry until brown (I just use Pam to spray the pan...no oil needed).  Meanwhile, beat ingredients for sauce and pour over chicken pieces after browned.  Simmer for 1/2 hour.  During the last couple minutes, add pineapple.  Can also add green peppers, onion, and julienned carrots if desired about halfway through cooking time.  Serve over rice.

Scrambled Egg Brunch Bread

This did take longer than I hoped it would the first time around, cuz I had to learn what to do, but the result was worth it.  This was a very tasty and beautiful looking dish.  Perfect for a brunch shower or just having company over for breakfast!

Scrambled Egg Brunch Bread

 2 tubes (8 oz each) refrigerated crescent rolls

4 oz thinly sliced deli ham, julienned

4 oz cream cheese, softened

½ cup milk

8 eggs

¼ tsp salt

Dash of pepper

¼ c chopped sweet red pepper

2 Tbsp chopped green onion

1 tsp butter

½ c shredded cheddar cheese

 Unroll each tube of crescent dough (do not separate rectangles).  Place side by side on a greased baking sheet with long sides touching; seal seams and perforations.  Arrange ham lengthwise down center third of rectangle.

In a mixing bowl, beat cream cheese and milk.  Separate one egg; set egg white aside.  Add the egg yolk, remaining eggs, salt, and pepper to cream cheese mixture; mix well.  Add red pepper and onion.

In a large skillet, melt butter; add egg mixture.  Cook and stir over medium heat just until set.  Remove from the heat.  Spoon scrambled eggs over ham.  Sprinkle with cheese.

On each long side of dough, cut 1 inch wide strips to center to within ½ inch of filling.  Starting at one end, fold alternating strips at an angle across filling.  Pinch ends to seal and tuck under.  Beat reserved egg white; brush over dough.  Bake at 375 degrees for 25 – 28 minutes or until golden brown.  Makes 6 servings.

Soft and Delicious Breadsticks

Breads and pastries are probably my favorite recipes to make because they are so well loved by everyone who eats them.  This is a particular favorite of mine because they are so soft.

Quick, Soft Breadsticks 

1 cup warm water

3 Tbsp brown sugar

1 tsp salt

¼ cup oil

3 cups bread flour*

2 ½ tsp yeast

 Make dough using your favorite method – bread machine, mixer, or by hand.  Roll out into a 10 x 12 inch rectangle.  Cut into strips about ¾ inch wide.  Give each strip a twist and place on a greased cookie sheet.  Let rise for at least 20 minutes or more if you have time.  Best if you can let it rise one hour.  Bake at 375 degrees for 10 – 15 minutes.  Brush with butter and sprinkle with garlic salt and parmesan cheese.

 *If you do not have bread flour, you can add 1 Tbsp gluten; however, if you do not have gluten either, the breadsticks still taste great with regular flour.  They just do not have the same type of texture.

Spinach Artichoke Dip

Mmmm.  This is a really good recipe and is so sophisticated looking to serve.  It's make a really good appetizer for any type of shower or party really.

2 cups Parmesan cheese

10 oz box frozen spinach, thawed

14 oz can artichoke hearts, drained and chopped

2/3 cup sour cream

1 cup cream cheese, softened in microwave

1/3 cup mayonnaise

2 tsp garlic, minced

1 tsp lemon juice

 

Preheat oven to 375

Mix together Parmesan cheese, spinach, and artichoke hearts.

Combine remaining ingredients and mix with spinach mixture.

Bake for 20-30 minutes.

Serve with tortilla chips, crackers or sliced baguette bread.

Amazing French Toast

Holy cow!  I think that says it all.  I've been on a crusade lately to find the best french toast.  Not because I like french toast so much; on the contrary, I'm not a big fan.  But my dh LOVES this for breakfast, so I thought it would be nice to find a recipe that I didn't mind eating either.  Well, this is definitely the winner.  I have never had such good french toast...ever.

6 slices day old Texas toast or French bread sliced on the diagonal

4 eggs

2/3 c milk

1/3 c flour

1/3 c sugar

½ tsp vanilla extract

¼ tsp salt

1/8 tsp cinnamon

3 Tbsp butter

Confectioner’s sugar (optional)

 Mix together the eggs, milk, flour, sugar, vanilla, salt, and cinnamon.  Try whisking flour and milk together first to avoid clumps of flour.  Heat a large skillet or griddle.  When the skillet is hot, add 1 Tbsp butter.  If the butter smokes, your pan is too hot; turn down the heat.  Dip each slice of bread into the batter for 30 seconds on each side.  Let some of the batter drip off, then put in skillet.  Cook each slice 1 ½ - 2 minutes on each side until each side is golden brown.  Add more butter, if necessary, to cook all of the slices.  To serve, put on plate, dust with powdered sugar.  Serve with butter and hot syrup.

Red Robin anyone?

Mmmmmmmmm. This isn't really Red Robin, but you could probably guess that. This is a recipe I love to make for dinners. Red Robin's Teriyaki Chicken Burger is better than the homemade version, but it's close enough that we really enjoy this. For those of you who don't know, Jaren and I met while both working at Red Robin in Provo! 

This is a very simple recipe.  Toast the hamburger buns on a stove grill (or pan). Then, grill chicken breasts marinated in teriyaki sauce (To save time, I use Tyson fully cooked chicken breasts and just microwave them until fully defrosted. Then I just grill them on the stove and put the sauce directly on them during grilling.) Melt the cheese onto the chicken. Red Robin calls for swiss cheese, but we use cheddar because that's what we've got. Next, grill two pineapple rings marinated in teriyaki sauce for each burger needed. Toppings are just mayo, lettuce, and tomato. So easy!

Delicious Crescent Rolls

I got the most fabulous recipe from my friend Rebecca. The recipe is here. I made this the other week (4 dozen) and froze what we didn't eat (2 dozen). Of course, we did have Jordan and Kelly's help in eating them and I gave 6 away to another family who had helped me out in Primary. But really, 18 rolls for about 5 people (my kids all together count as one)? That's ridiculous. So if you don't want to pig out on rolls, don't make these. I also ate them at random times by microwaving a frozen roll for about 25 seconds. And then did another...and another. I eat too much. Anyway, I hope you enjoy! (Oh, and if you don't want an almost dessert kind of roll, put butter on while it's hot instead of the milk and sugar glaze.)

Chicken Pot Pie

This isn't the best picture of the inside of the pie, but I thought I'd show what it looked like and how thick the sauce is inside.

Here is the recipe:

Chicken Pot Pie

1 c potato, diced

1 c chopped onion

1 c diced celery

1 c chopped carrot

1/3 c melted butter

1/2 c flour

2 c chicken broth

1 c milk

1 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

2 c chopped chicken

2 pie crusts (homemade)

Saute onion, celery, carrots, and potatoes in butter for 10 min. Add flour, stirring well. Cook one min stirring constantly. Combine broth and milk. Gradually stir into mix. Cook over medium heat stirring constantly until thickened and bubbly. Stir in salt and pepper; add chicken and stir well. Pour in pie pan and top with crust. I just make two pie crusts and roll out one thick layer, then put on pie as though it were one crust. Cut slits for steam. Bake 40-50 min at 400 until pastry is golden brown and filling is bubbly and cooked through.

Cafe Rio Pulled Pork Salad

This was very delicious! You probably can't tell from the picture...I'm afraid I'm not so good at taking good food pics. :( I actually started eating this before I realized I needed a picture to put on here. I got this recipe from Rebecca's blog. Kind of a lot of work, but if you need to feed a lot of people, it's worth it. I made about twice the meat, twice the dressing, and one batch of rice. The amount of meat (3 1/2 lbs) was perfect for 10 people. I had WAY too much dressing, and I had leftover rice (that I froze and ate with enchiladas). Another time when I have the craving and extra time, I will definitely make this again! The dressing really tasted a whole lot like Cafe Rio.

Decadent Chocolate Cheesecake

I made this for a girls' night out. The night it was made it kind of tasted like chocolate mousse. The next day like a cheesecake - I preferred it the next day...but others might disagree. Either way it was goodness!

1 1/2 cups chocolate wafer crumbs (can use oreos with frosting scraped out)
1/2 cup plus 3 tablespoons sugar
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1 1/4 pounds cream cheese, softened at room temperature
3/4 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 1/2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 1/2 eggs
1/2 cup sour cream
4 ounces melted semisweet chocolate, cooled slightly
Fresh strawberries, for garnish
Whipped cream, for garnish
Fresh mint sprigs, for garnish
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (if using a silver springform pan, or 325 degrees F if using a dark nonstick springform pan).

Lightly grease the bottom and sides of a 9-inch spring-form pan. In a mixing bowl, combine the chocolate wafer crumbs, 3 tablespoons of the sugar, and the butter and mix well. Press onto the bottom of springform pan and set aside.

In a large mixing bowl with an electric mixer, combine cream cheese, remaining sugar, and vanilla extract and beat until light and creamy. Add the flour to the cream cheese mixture and beat until smooth. Add the melted chocolate and sour cream and mix well. Add the eggs, 1 at a time, mixing on low speed after each addition until just blended. Pour the batter into prepared pan and bake for 1 hour, until the center is almost set. Allow cake to cool in cooling oven for one hour to prevent cracking. Refrigerate at least 4 hours or overnight before serving. Preferably overnight!  Cheesecake may be made up to 2 days in advance before serving and will keep for up to 1 week in the refrigerator.

Serve the cheesecake garnished with fresh strawberries, whipped cream and mint sprigs. (Great the next day with nothing!)

Chicken Noodle Soup

This is a great recipe from a woman in my ward (Caryolyn Johnson for those of you who know her). When I got sick a few weeks ago, I made this for dinner, and then I ate it for breakfast and lunch for days in a row. It was the only thing that sounded good to me!

Chicken Noodle Soup

1 onion

1 cube butter

1 1/2 qts water

14 oz can chicken broth

1 chopped carrot

1 stalk celery chopped

1 potato chopped

1/2 chicken breast, cooked and cubed

1 can cream of chx

1 can evap milk

basil, salt, pepper, garlic salt, Mrs. Dash

2 c uncooked egg noodles

Sautee onion in butter. Add broth, water, vegetables, and seasoning. Cook about 20-30 min. Add noodles and chicken. Cook until noodles are done. Add milk and cream of chx. Stir and cook until mixed in.

Canned Apple Pie Filling

I've been wanting to do more food storage...so my next adventure is in canning! I went to a friends house last week and we did a bjillion (yes, that's totallly a word/number) cans of apple pie filling. I was so excited to do this! So I've done peaches and applie pie filling now. I'm going to be asking for a canner and the utensils for Christmas, so, Mom Ford, if you have those cans still...I know someone who might want them! (ME!) I just wish I had more time for these things. It's so fun, especially when you do it with friends.

Here's the recipe for the applie pie filling. It makes about 7 quarts.

4 1/2 c sugar

1/2 tsp nutmeg

2 tsp cinnamon

1 c cornstarch

1 tsp salt

1 Tbsp lemon juice

10 c water

A LOT of peeled, cored, and sliced apples

Mix corn starch and sugar, then combine the rest of the ingredients and boil until filling gets dark, a little more translucent, and thickens. Keep very hot! As soon as the filling is done, put apple slices in hot quart cans to fill halfway. Then pour filling up to where apples end. Fill the rest of the jar with apples, stuffing to bottom of the part where the jar becomes the lid. Put more filling to same place. Burp the can by knife or by moving it side to side. Wipe the top of the can VERY well with a damp cloth. Put a boiled lid on and then twist into place. Put into canner with boiling water. Water should cover the tops of the lids. Cover canner with it's lid once all cans are inside and boil for 30 min. Do not start timer until the water is boiling. When done, put hot cans on a counter or table away from any drafts and place towel over them. Let cool for 24 hours. Test to make sure they sealed. This makes really good pies! And you can also put at the bottom of a 9x13 dish and pour yellow cake mix over the top for a really easy and yummy dessert or use in a cobbler!

4th of July Blocks

My sister and I made these together two years ago...has it really been that long Mindy? Just another fun little decoration for the holidays.

Martha's Cookie Towers

 

 
Martha Stewart now has paper boxes for treats to give away as gifts...but they cost 12.99 for a set of six. Yikes! Move over Martha; I made my own!

Below is just what it looks like after it has been cut. 

This is what it looks like after you have scored ALL the lines.

 

This is where you should be scoring it for the top. I first scored the excess at the top, then I scored right at where the top ends when it is folded.

The two above are pics of the only places that need glue.

The ones above this are basically just showing you how to fold the top.

 

 

Here's the cut file if you want it! It's just the right size for 12 cookies made with the small cookie scoop. I'm also going to be making more that are different sizes and shapes for other goodies. Stay tuned!

Tall Cookie Tower scut

Tall Cookie Tower svg - for all you SCAL2 users

Halloween Signs

I've had these vinyl sayings lying around for about 8 months and just didn't have time to get wood and paint it and get it all finished up. I've been dying to do some fun crafts now that school is out, so regardless of the time of year I decided it was time to finish these up! Course I'm not finished yet. I need to add three sets of eyes at the bottom left of the witch sign and then I need to figure out how I want to hang them up.  Thanks Mindy for the cut file on this!

Wicked Witch

Caution

Under the Sea Cake and Cupcakes

This is Chase's first birthday cake that he got to mutilate. This was super fun to make, although I was up at 2:00 am trying to finish it Saturday night. I had to make way too many colors for this cake! This was a lot of work, but for those who have the right tips and know how to use them, this is definitely do-able!

For the cake, I used a 6" cake pan with two layers. Butter cream frosting, of course went on top. I covered it with blue loosely and tried to make it look like it had swirly waves on it, which is actually easier than trying to get it smooth anyway! Then I used graham cracker crumbs for the island. I also used just a little bit of white frosting on a knife and ran it lightly over some of the peaks of blue frosting to give it more of a wave look.

I used round and leaf tips for the sides of the cake for various things. For the seaweed, the leaf tip was used. For the coral, I used the round tip and piped circles, one on top of the other until it got as tall as I wanted it. I also used the round tips (various sizes) for all of the animals on the cake. Be careful as you try to pipe the turtles on the sand. They basically want to just come right up with the graham cracker crumbs.

And of course, I had to make cupcakes to go along with the cake for others to eat. I mostly just used the round tips for all of these as well. Only the shark used one other kind of tip (the rose petal) for the fin. Good luck!

Valentine's Day Love in Cute Packages

Here's my Valentine goodies I sent to my mom, dad, and sister in the Philippines. Just an altered chocolate bar and some Hershey Kiss Roses. I had fun doing it!

All I did for the altered candy bars was put a band of cute paper around it, some ribbone, a cut out heart from my wonderful cricut, and a stamped tag with a flower and little rhinestone. I also just used my white pen to make little dots for accents.

For the Hershey Kiss roses, I used double sided tape to stick two kisses together. Then I took two squares of pink or red or white tissue paper (I doubled it up so that you couldn't see through and also so that the kisses wouldn't poke through the top) and wrapped it around the kisses. I wrapped a (man, what do you call those!) wire, furry stick around the kisses and then used floral tape to cover it and get them to stick together.

Fun Magnets for the Fridge

Over at Wonderfully Wordy, Jill found these really cute sayings for magnets that she had done. This is my rendition of the magnets.

Guitar Gift Holder Card

I made this card for Tyler's birthday too. I saw a really cute design on Paper Scissors Ink of a cupcake gift card holder and thought this would be fun to do. So I found free clipart and made it into a .svg, then manipulated it on scal to make it into a card. Then I got brave and freehanded some designs on the guitar to make it look more real. Here's the files for it if you want it!

Guitar outline - svg

Guitar inside details - svg

Guitar reverse - svg

Guitar card - scut