A Better Tin Foil Dinner!!!

One of my favorite memories as a child was our annual summer "Davis Family Camp Out". It was so much fun!!!A week in the woods somewhere in Southeastern Idaho with my mom's family.There was always a treasure hunt, magazine paper dolls, making smores and tin foil dinners! So, the tin foil dinners weren't really my favorite part but I love the memory of putting them together- onions, hamburger, carrots and potatoes, a sprinkle of salt and pepper then wrap that baby up and toss it into the fire. Clearly we were NOT gourmet campers. As my daughter was doing her pre-certification for girl's camp this memory of mine resurfaced. She had to make two different "Camp Fire Meals" and well, she wasn't having any of my hamburger/veggie goodness. So, we did what everybody these days does and googled it! I just wanted to share a few of the links/recipes that we came across. I really had no idea the amount of things you can put into a ball of tinfoil and cook on the fire. Our family campouts will NEVER be the same! Razzle Dazzle Recipes BellaOnline pg 1BellaOnline pg 2  (She ended up making tacos and stroganoff and loved them both!)  

CSI Project Guest Post..."CHEWS" Wisely Summer Fun Board! (Re-Post)

Hey friends! Just re-posting my CSI project guest post. My kiddos are loving this!  We started using it Monday-so far so good. Love it when things work the way they are supposed to...have a good one! 

Hello out there! This is Wendy from Craft Goodies. I am beyond excited to be here today, CSI Project is by far one of my favorite inspiration sites, the ideas available here are amazing and I am thrilled to be able to share one of mine with you.  Summer vacation officially starts Friday for me and my crew so this week's challenge was perfect to get me ready for the {long} days ahead. At our house tackling the "summer blues" comes down to having an idea ahead of time. And well, as my calendar is already overflowing with other stuff, adding one more thing to it might cause it to self-destruct!. I needed a fun, interactive, and separate way to have all our ideas on hand and so came up with this: 

 The "CHEWS" Wisely Summer Fun Board!Here's how to make one... 

Start with a basic magnetic white board. I picked this one up at Walmart for just under $6.Tape off the white board and give the frame a shot of color with some spray paint- 

From there, I added the vinyl gumball machine image and wording. I cut the image with my Cricut using the "Sweethearts" cartridge.*Paper and a spray adhesive would be a great alternative to vinyl* 

Then I got to work on my gumballs. I used a small collection of paper paint samples and a 1" circle paper punch to make around 40 circles. 

 I then cut a small square of magnet strip and glued it to the back side top of each circle and set them aside to dry. 

While the glue dried, my girls and I came up with our list of activities. I wrote them out on the small round stickers you use for garage sales. 

We came up with a bunch of everyday, pretty inexpensive ideas, like a picnic at the lake, exploring a new park, or a backyard camp out to a few mini-vacation/day trip ideas like a trip to the beach or zoo, or visiting the children's museum. 

To keep the big stuff separate from the others, I punched out larger circles and made them into 25 cent tokens. That way, when we know we have time for a bigger trip we can pick one of the tokens and plan for it a few days ahead of time. 

 

 From there add the stickers onto the backs of the gumballs, stick them into place in the gumball machine, and stand back and smile! 

A handful of ready to go ideas whenever you hear those fantastic words, "Mom, I'm bored!"Just pick a gumball and go. Keep a small jar next to your board to store your "CHEW"-sen pieces in and then once you've picked them all, put the pieces back on the board and start over! Thanks CSI Gals for letting me be here to share some summer fun! Hope your summers are all absolutely wonderful...Happy Crafting!   

Pudding Pops x 2!!!

I was watching the weather reports for this upcoming week and it's supposed to beHOT!!!I found these two frozen pudding pop ideas over the weekend and think they will be on the menu more than once this week.They are cute, look super tasty, and the kidlets can make them (almost) on their own.That makes them PERFECT to me!enjoy...  Rainbow Pops fromRandom Thoughts of a SuperMom! andRoot beer Float Popsfrom Smile Monsters Don't they look just heavenly? I'm thinking there has to be a way to turn that root beer into orange cream-OH! it could be a fun filled pudding pop week here at the Gardiner house. And cause I know you're making them, I'm giving the chance to link them!Keep those summer meal ideas coming cause well, it's way to hot to cook!!! Happy Crafting All!

Fun for You & Summer Freebies for your Kids!!!

Got a busy day ahead! I'm hosting preschool graduation tomorrow, working on the finishing touches.But wanted to share two things with you quick... First, are you pinning yet? I'm talking about Pinterest here! This is my new absolute favorite thing in the world! If you're not familiar with it, let me quickly explain.Pinterest is an online idea bulletin board. You create the theme of your board and then any time you see something online that you want to store in your "that's a great idea, I should try that binder" you just hit the pinterest button, place it on the board you want, and then there it is! Nicely stored and organized on your computer. No more loose pieces of paper lying around, or notes and drawings scribbled on the back of receipts to lose. Plus you can glean off of other people's great finds as well, sharing is caring after all.IT IS AWESOME!If you want to give it a go, leave me a comment with your email and I'll send you over an invite!If you have an account already you can find me at (cgcrafter). Second, my good friend sent me over an email last night with a link to a great summer freebie.2 free games of bowling everyday all summer for your kidlets! Head on over to http://www.kidsbowlfree.com/ to see if a bowling alley in your area is participating. I signed up all 5 of my munchkins. We won't go everyday, but it will be a fun thing to have available to us!

You can also pick up a family pass
(good for up to 4 adults) for a great price as well if you want to bowl too, it's also good all summer! Okay, one more summer freebie quick. Check out your local Lowe's and Home Depot's Kid's Clinics.They are held on Saturday mornings most often, but are totally free (you register ahead of time for Lowe's, not sure for HD). Your kids get to build some really fun things, and learn some basic tool handling at the same time.We are heading to Lowe's this weekend to make a wood bi-plane!

The really cool part, not only is the kit free but they get and apron and eye safety goggles as well.They can't wait! Have a great Tuesday! 

(Cheap) Easter Family Fun!

I love my family! Not just my hubster and kiddlets, but my first family-parents, sisters and brother.Getting together ALWAYS results in a good time.Easter is no exception.  I wanted to share a few of our traditions with you just in case you need a little somethin'-somethin' to count down the minutes until the bunny arrives Sunday morning!  Have an Easter Egg Hunt... (duh!) 

Ours happens very much like our Christmas Candy Cane Hunt.We use (and re-use) the plastic colored eggs. Everyone is assigned a "color" to hunt, and we're all given the same amount of eggs.The older you are, the harder your eggs are to find.We usually have 2 of the adults hide the eggs while the rest of us are busy dying a few hard boiled ones. That way, it's still fun for the "big kids" to hunt, and the two hiders to laugh at us. 

The best part...hunting for the "Silver Egg"!
(I'm not sure why it's not gold?) It contains cash, good old-spending cash. And it's fair game to all.  

SO MUCH FUN!!!Once the eggs are all collected and our bellies are on a sugar high we move on to... The Egg Decorating Contest!This is my favorite, I seriously look forward to this ALL year.Here's the basics: Gather a collection of odds and ends from around the house. The plain to the odd, anything goes.(Buttons, feathers, pipe cleaners, glitter, markers, crayons, yarn, thread, fun foam, felt, stickers, tp tubes, tissue paper, candy, toothpicks, q-tips, clay, fabric scraps, etc)   Add to that a few basic crafting standards like glue (hot and cold), scissors, markers, paper and pencils, and the like. Everyone gets one hard boiled egg. One. That's it.You brake it or crack it, no matter, that's it, you get one!

Set the timer for 30 minutes and then GO! Use the supplies you gathered to quickly create the most amazing EGG you've ever seen. Again, anything goes so long as you incorporate the egg into the design. This has a tendency to get a little crazy and a lot competitive at our house. I'm talking first come, first serve at the supply table, trash talking, egg breaking craziness! Oh, but it's fun. My dad offers a running commentary on each others designs as well as the time, and also serves as the official judge. Once we're out of time, the real craziness begins. We each get to present our creations, kind of a little egg show-and-tell which always includes more trash talk, explain a little if necessary, and {kiss up to the judge}! Then we're kicked out of the room to leave the judge to his decision making.  Award Ceremony is next...we are divided into age groups. The 18+ group, the tweeners 12-17, and the little peeps 2-11. My dad comes up with some seriously lame titled award for each of us. Kinda like if you made a dinosaur (which I did one year) you might end up with the "Dino-mite Diddy of an Egg!" award (which I did, thanks dad !).We all moan and groan with each award cause they only get worse the longer it goes on... they are printed out onto certificates so we have a little souvenir of the event and are "officially" signed by the Easter Bunny!You can find some cute FREE ones HEREBut then come the big ones...An Over-all Grand Champion! (one for the kiddies and one for the "BIG" kiddies)This just gives you bragging rights, but it is SO worth it. The funny thing is my sisters and brother are so talented, that this is seriously a HARD competition.One year my brother made a fish using a Dr. Scholl's gel foot pad! He even put it in a bowl. We've  made fairies, Mr. Potato Head, Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum, baskets with flowers, Dora, a horse with a rider, frogs, birds, and you should see what the little ones come up with. Oh how I wish I had access to pictures of them. They are amazing!  Give it a try. It's a super fun way to spend an evening with your family!Happy Crafting...  

Irish Stew and Shamrock Milkshake Cupcakes...

Monday Munchies...

 My girls are all out of school this week for Spring Break so needless to say, we need a few things to keep us entertained.  With St Patrick's Day on the calendar it will be a week of some fun green crafting and good eating! We aren't real big on corned beef, so it will be beef stew instead with colcannon (smashed potatoes with cabbage) and for dessert, Shamrock Milkshake Cupcakes. YUMMY! Braised Irish Stew and Colcannon 

Recipe from allrecipes.com

Ingredients

• Irish Stew:
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1 (3 pound) beef chuck roast, trimmed of fat and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 cup coarsely chopped onion
• 1 cup coarsely chopped carrot
• 1 (12 fluid ounce) can or bottle dark beer
• (We don't drink alcohol at my house so I substitute beef broth)
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce 

Calcannon:

3 slices bacon

2 pounds russet potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks

2 cups thinly sliced cabbage

1/4 cup milk, warmed

2 tablespoons butter

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).
2. Heat the vegetable oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat until very hot, and brown the meat in 2 batches, stirring to brown the cubes on all sides. Return all the meat to the Dutch oven, sprinkle with flour, and stir lightly to coat the meat with flour. Stir in onion, carrots, dark beer, bay leaves, thyme, 1 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, garlic, and Worcestershire sauce. Bring the mixture to a boil, and cover.
3. Place the Dutch oven into the preheated oven, and cook for 45 minutes; uncover, stir the stew, and cook until the beef is very tender and the liquid is reduced by half, about 45 more minutes.
4. Place the bacon in a large, deep skillet, and cook over medium-high heat, turning occasionally, until evenly browned, about 10 minutes. Drain the bacon slices on a paper towel-lined plate. Crumble the bacon and set aside.
5. About 30 minutes before the stew is ready, make the colcannon. Place the potatoes into a large pot and cover with salted water. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until tender, about 20 minutes. Drain and allow to steam dry for a minute or two.
6. Place the cabbage into a microwave-safe bowl, and add 1 or 2 tablespoons of water. Cover and microwave on High for about 2 1/2 minutes; uncover (watch out for steam) and stir the cabbage. Cover and microwave for about 2 1/2 more minutes, until the cabbage is slightly tender but not mushy. Drain excess liquid, and set the cabbage aside, covered.
7. Place the potatoes into a large bowl, and add milk, butter, 1/2 teaspoon of salt, and 1/4 teaspoon of pepper. Beat the potatoes with an electric mixer until smooth and creamy. Stir in the cabbage, crumbled bacon, and parsley until well combined.
8. To serve, place a scoop of colcannon onto a plate, make a hollow, and fill with braised beef stew.

Shamrock Milkshake Cupcakes



Recipe from Better Homes & Gardens

 Prep: 50 minutesBake: 15 minutesCool: 45 minutesStand: 30 minutes 

Ingredients:

4    egg whites

2  cups  all-purpose flour

1  teaspoon  baking powder

1/2  teaspoon  baking soda

1/2  teaspoon  salt

1  cup  buttermilk or sour milk*

1/4  cup  green creme de menthe**

1/2  cup  shortening

1-3/4  cups  sugar

1  teaspoon  vanilla

1  recipe  White Chocolate Frosting

 Green food coloring

Directions

1. Allow egg whites to stand at room temperature for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, line twenty to twenty-two 2-1/2-inch muffin cups with paper bake cups. In a medium bowl stir together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In a 2-cup glass measuring cup combine the buttermilk and the creme de menthe. Set aside.

2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a large mixing bowl beat shortening with an electric mixer on medium to high speed for 30 seconds. Gradually add sugar, about 1/4 cup at a time, beating on medium speed until light and fluffy. Beat in vanilla. Add egg whites, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Alternately add flour mixture and buttermilk mixture to shortening mixture, beating on low speed after each addition just until mixture is combined.

3. Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups, filling each about two-thirds full. Use the back of a spoon to smooth out batter in cups.

4. Bake for 15 to 18 minutes or until tops spring back when lightly touched. Cool cupcakes in muffin cups on wire racks for 5 minutes. Remove cupcakes from muffin cups. Cool completely on wire racks.

5. Divide White Chocolate Frosting between two bowls. Tint one portion with green food coloring. Spoon each frosting into a pastry bag fitted with a large star tip. Pipe white and green frosting onto tops of cupcakes to resemble four-leaf clovers. Makes 20 to 22 (2-1/2 inch) cupcakes.

White Chocolate Frosting: Allow 1 cup butter, cut up, to stand at room temperature for 30 minutes. In a large mixing bowl place 6 ounces white baking chocolate with cocoa butter, chopped; set aside. In a small saucepan heat 1/3 cup whipping cream just until simmering. Pour over white baking chocolate; let stand, without stirring, for 5 minutes. Stir until smooth; let stand for 15 minutes. Gradually beat butter into melted white chocolate mixture with an electric mixer on medium to high speed, beating until combined. Gradually beat in 1-1/2 to 2 cups powdered sugar until frosting reaches piping or spreading consistency. Makes 3-1/2 cups.

*Test Kitchen Tip: For each 1 cup sour milk, place 1 tablespoon lemon juice or vinegar in a glass measuring cup. Add enough milk to make 1 cup total liquid; stir. Let stand for 5 minutes before using.

**Test Kitchen Tip: If you prefer not to use creme de menthe, substitute a mixture of 1/4 cup milk, 1 teaspoon mint extract, and several drops green food coloring. 

Love Note Pancakes &

Monday Munchies...

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!

 HERE'S A BIG HUG FOR EACH OF YOU...

 

The hubster is out of town for Valentine's Days...{insert sad face here}so it's up to the girls and I to celebrate. While they would be content with a box of chocolates for dinner, my mommy guilt might kick in on that one! I think I've mentioned before that we are totally breakfast-for-dinner eaters, so our not so romantic Valentine dinner is gonna be these...  Aren't these just FUN!! You can get all the how-to's over atRandom Thoughts of a Supermom! And for dessert....that afore mentioned box of chocolates and homemade marshmallows! This recipe was published at Christmas and used candy canes to give the mallows a super yummy, minty flavor! SO GOOD!!! We loved them. Thought they'd be fun in a sweeter flavor for V-day.I tested out strawberry and cherry-strawberry was the winner at our house. I just swapped out the crushed candy canes for crushed hard candies.You'll find this delicious little treat atLittle Birdie Secrets. To those of you that were super awesome and linked up to Friday's T.G.I.F. Party-THANK YOU!!!We did it! 25+ links, I'm a happy girl. {The button not working was my fault-didn't copy all of the code! OOPS!}Stay tuned till tomorrow to find out your prize... 

Threads & Thrills Thursday...kids art and a borrowed tutorial!

So power outages and blogging don't really go together so well! Can mother nature just not understand that I have a schedule to keep, and go a bit stir crazy without access to my computer? I mean really! In all actuality, I'm elated to have not only power, but HEAT again. It was a long, cold, scratch that- FREEZING day yesterday!{ 9 degrees- in SOUTH TEXAS?} Okay, I'm done and moving on to much warmer things, like talk of irons! I mentioned on Wednesday that I had challenged myself to bring color into my house. This is an extension of that challenge. My girls rooms are also very white-walled and in need of decor. I want to add a photo frame collage onto the main wall of my 7 yr old's room, but wasn't sure how to fill the frames until she brought me a few of her drawings.She has plans to be an astronaut and own her own spaceship when she's older. This is what it's going to look like...

 

 This is very important to her and so I wanted a way to make sure the picture lasted for as long as possible.I had her color the picture with regular crayons and then I ironed the image onto a piece of cotton muslin. 

 The image transfers easily onto the fabric and leaves a reverse print of the original picture.I then backed the fabric with a thin piece of felt and using black embroidery floss, back stitched around the entire image, being sure to follow her lines and details.

 

 The result is a permanent work of her art that we framed and will add to her room. She loves it, and it so proud that her picture is on the wall. I love that I don't have to hang on to every piece of paper that she colors on. And here's the sappy mommy moment:when my little girl is one day off, soaring through the stars to Jupiter, I'll be able to look at her picture and still have a piece of her close by... No budding artist in your home, or are they dead set on having Dora on the wall and you don't draw?Problem solved!I ran across a fantastic tutorial earlier.Nora from over at Handmade and Heavenly shares how she got some of her son's favorite cartoon characters onto their pillows.A similar process to what I did, but a lot more details and pictures!Check out her tutorial here... Don't forget tomorrow's T.G.I.F. linky party! I feel the need for your inspiration...{and I like to visit your blogs!} The link opens at midnight just in case you don't like sleeping.  Happy Crafting!

"Poppin' by for a Holiday HI!"

Today we're making these...

{Photo and recipe via Counrty Door Recipes}

Don't they look just YUMMY!
This is an easy recipe and a super fun family activity. Just in case you want to try it:

Grandma Wieland's Never Fail Popcorn Balls

1 cup of white or dark Karo ^® syrup (I use white)
1 cup of white sugar
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. butter
1 tsp. vanilla

5 quarts of popped popcorn
Food coloring (optional)

Put syrup on to boil, as it begins to boil stir in sugar, remove from heat, add baking powder, stirring until foamy, then add butter and vanilla, mixing well. Pour over 5 quarts of popped popcorn, mix well. Lightly butter your hands and form mixture into balls. Makes approximately 24 popcorn balls.

If you wish to make colored popcorn balls, add food coloring to syrup mixture before pouring on popcorn

 Happy Eating!  

Christmas PJ's...

 Christmas Pj's are a favorite tradition at our house. We each get a new pair every Christmas Eve. Because the girls know they are coming,we try to spice it up a bit with a treasure hunt to find them and a PJ Fashion Show afterwards.  As my girls are pretty close in age, I'm a sucker for all things matching. My oldest however, is not. This year she won and I bought them all fun jammy pants and crazy holiday socks.  Still feeling the need for some holiday unity my heart skipped a beat or two when I saw this... The same but different-the answer I needed! Sarah over at Harrigan Howdy put together a great tutorial on how she and her mom whipped up these super cute pj's. She even shared a link to a free jammy pant pattern if you're feeling like sewing! Here's my little snowman all ready for wrapping and a fun and festive Christmas weekend...{I was able to use the same piece of freezer paper for all 5 shirts! Big surprise, bigger relief!} 

 Thanks Sarah for the inspiration and Happy Crafting to you all!