Crafters Heaven!

On our way home from our family trip up North, I forced my mom and sister to stop in St. Cloud, MN to check out this awesome store, Crafts Direct.  It was just as amazing as everyone told me it was.  With only a few dollars left in my pocket it was REALLY hard to pick what was going home with me.  I snuck a couple pics of projects I would LOVE to do if I ever make it back up there to shop again.

This cute display would be great for the wedding we have coming up in September.  It would be cute outside the reception hall or in inside too.  It was made with those cardboard/paper mache letters sold at just about any craft store.  What a cute idea to paint them and wrap them in twinkle lights!

Oh Shelby......wanna add another thing to our lists???

You know, I have always loved the whole, hang things on a iron rod thing, I just forgot all about it!  These cute rods are for sale at Crafts Direct along with all of the hanging attachments AND EVEN THE FRAMES!  One stop crafting.  There really isn't anything better :0}

How cute are these frames!?!  I LOVE the scrapbook paper used as matting behind the pictures.  Why do I never think of that?

OK, I have never seen these glass blocks used as piggy banks before!  Wouldn't that be cute as a Wedding Fund or Disneyland Fund, or Mission Fund jar?  Super cute.  Not only did they have these ideas on display, but they also had all sorts of vinyl you could buy to decorate your blocks.  Fabulous idea!

I only took a pic of this magnet because I have been dabbling in crafting with tin cans and this flower looks totally do-able.  More on that in the next while ;0}

Awe.  So sweet.  I love the cutesie flowers on top and the saying reminded me of my mom and her sisters {since I had just been with them all this past week}.  When I went back and looked at the pictures I was like, "Why did I take a picture of that?" thinking that my sisters wouldn't like that {tee-hee}.  Nope, I was still just amazed at how awesome a relationship my mom and aunts have.  I think it takes getting old and moldy, or perhaps living away from your family for years and years to really love and appreciate sibling love.  I think it is totally awesome and am SO GLAD I get to be back here with my nutty little brothers and sisters so we can experience life together again.  What a blessing! {even though they are all weird :0}

Princesses Peggies

I have been looking and looking for the pictures I took of my Princess Peggies just before Christmas, but just can't find them!  I don't know what file I deleted or disk I formatted to lose them, but all the pics of my present making are gone :0{  

Anyway, here are my Princess Peggies I made for some adorable little girls this year. 

I made 5 sets, seven princesses in each set.  I got the idea from THIS ETSY LISTING I came across on Pinterest forever ago.  I used the man pegs {found at Hobby Lobby $3.99 a bag of 8- Use a 50% off coupon and they are only $2!!!}, mainly because that was all that they had at my local store, but really, I like the man pegs better for the princesses due to the fluffiness of their dress shoulders   I thought it was a bit more of what the princesses would look like than the woman pegs.  Here are some pics so you know what I am talking about...

Woman peg

Man Peg

Anyway, I would have liked some closer pictures to look at, so here are some up close of mine.

I will totally admit I was very apprehensive whether I could actually paint these and have them look good, but when I finally hit the deadline and had to force myself to start painting, it was actually totally rewarding and exciting to see these little darlings come to life!

The Jasmine and Merida I had to just make up.  They were not part of the original set.  I was also informed that I forgot Rapunzel.  I guess I will have to keep that in mind for next time ;0)

So let's talk shop!

I had to sit back and think a while on how best to paint these.  I started by painting all of the peggies flesh color. Do note that they don't all have the same color of skin, so consider painting some pegs in different flesh tone shades.

Next, I painted the dresses, then all the dress trim, before painting the hair.  Just about all of the princesses have long hair, so you want to get the dresses painted first so you can have the hair cascading down their backs.  If you look close at Ariel below you can see I painted the hair before I realized I forgot the top of her mermaid tail.  I ended up just painting right over the end of her hair.  :0)  That makes it unique, right?!?

Here is the mug-shot series of shots so you can get an idea of the side and rear of the peggies.

I probably could have painted the bottoms of the hair better, but it is actually harder than you would think to get that looking beautiful.  Also, the original set had beads for buns and things, but my princesses were going to 1 year olds and such so I decided I didn't want anything on the dolls that could be taken off.

The hair was painted, then all the crowns or headbands, Cinderella's necklace, eyes and the rest.

I finished them off with a coat of polyurethane to keep everything looking fresh.

Since I had all the paint needed, this gift cost me a pretty $2 to make.  

Love it!

But what I probably loved more...

Emmalee's Princesses!  How cute and amazing is that!  My 4yr old painted that Ariel after looking at mine!  The belly button might be a little out of place, but who can say that Ariel's belly button wasn't a little 

ske-wampus after all the magical transformations!?! 

Love it!  And Love my crafty girlie!!!

Let me know if you have any questions.

Happy Crafting!

Cell Phone Basket

Working with the teenage girls at church has been a total blast.  These girls, ages 12-18, are just so adorable and incredibly well taught by their parents.  It sure makes spending time with them so easy.  We have noticed a couple of girls on their phones during church lessons and activities and wanted a nice way to give the hint that maybe they should put them away.  I searched the web the other day and found this poem.  I modified it a tiny bit and made a printable in case any one else would like a copy.  I have it on a 4x6 sheet, making it the perfect size for a photo, or you can print it on cardstock as a 5x7 or larger.  This file and the modified versions below are available HERE for free from Dropbox.

Have a great day! :0)

Sneak Peak

I have been working feverishly...between fevers and coughing that is...at some Christmas presents this weekend.  I pretty much gave myself just yesterday and today to get these puppies done. 

Looks like I will be working on them tomorrow too ;0)

I am not going to explain what any of these things are....

But if you follow me on Pinterest, 

chances are You have seen them!

So, that is all of the teaser you are going to get.  Come back later to see the final products!!!

CopyCat Rice-A-Roni

I came across this recipe this summer on pinterest and gave it a try.  It was so yummy I decided it was a real keeper.  Last night I made it again, home made Rice-A-Roni CopyCat.  

The original post was by Kate over at Cooking During Stolen Moments.  

As usual, I did a couple things differently, but you can always cruise on over and see the original instructions posted by Kate.

CopyCat Rice-A-Roni

1/4 lb box pasta-thin spaghetti, angel hair, or vermicelli pasta work great

1 c. rice

3 cubes chicken bouillon or equivalent

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

1/4 tsp Italian seasoning

4 Tbs butter

2 1/2 c. water

***note-you can replace the bouillon and water by using 2 1/2 c. chicken broth***

First step, break the noodles into bit-sized pieces.  I am gonna be honest, this step can be hard...or at least messy and hard to keep clean.  I used the plate method shown by Kate and had a huge mess on my hands.  My next idea was to put the spaghetti noodles into a ziplock bag and bang on it with a rolling pin.  That was still messy because the bag got holes in it and noodle bits went flying.

Last night, I pulled out my food processor, grabbed about half of the thin spaghetti and broke it in half and threw it into the food processor.  I let the machine run for a minute or so, then checked on the progress.  Half of the noodles broke down like I was hoping, while the other half were still really long.  With the second half of pasta I broke it into thirds or fourths before placing it into the food processor.  The bits did get smaller, though I still had 2" pieces.  I guess, if you have a food processor or blender, I would recommend that route over using a plate to break the noodles into bite sized pieces, but you will still need to break some pieces by hand once you process.

So, the first time I made this recipe, I had just cooked a bag of frozen chicken in the crockpot and used the resulting broth as the water in the recipe.  It tasted OUTSTANDING!  I would say that using fresh broth would be the preferred method, but making by the recipe was still a great close second. 

First, get your liquid measured and ready to pour in.  Go ahead and mix the seasoning {chicken bouillon, salt, pepper, and Italian seasoning) in a small bowl so it is ready to throw in as well.  Just like rice-a-roni, you will melt the 4 Tbs. butter in a skillet and add the rice and pasta to the pan.  Stir on med. high heat until some of the noodles start to brown.  Pour in the liquid and seasonings, stir until mixed, then bring the whole thing up to a boil.   

Cover your pot with a lid and turn the heat down to medium-low heat, but make sure it is still simmering.  The original instructions recommend simmering for 15 minutes.  I did not find this enough time.  I think you need a good 20 minutes to keep the rice from being crunchy...Maybe even 25.  This second time of making the recipe I used more water and added 5 minutes over what I did the first time.  It was much more like the texture Rice-A-Roni should be.  I went ahead and added those changes into the recipe and instructions above.

So, if you are looking to eat a few less preservatives, need a yummy side-dish, or just have a few ingredients in your cupboard and have a family to feed, this recipe fits the bill!  Give it a try.  It might just become a favorite :0)

Yummiest CopyCat EVER!

With my craft room still a total disaster and my garage full of boxes, not usable tools, I have turned my creative needs towards dinner time.  Originally I never wanted to put recipes on my blog because I think food is pretty gross to look at up close...

I am hoping you will forgive me.  My recent finds on Pinterest have left me with nothing else on my mind but these yummy meals and an excitement to cook dinner!

{I know...I am as shocked as my husband ;0}

Today's CopyCat dinner comes to you from Jamie over at Jamie Cooks It Up

Crispy Cheddar Chicken

I started out following the recipe...

1 c. milk 

3 cups cheddar 

2 rows of crushed Ritz Crackers {I don't bother having to wash my food processor to crush.  I hold one end of a row or Ritz Crackers in one hand, the other end in my other hand, then push my hands together will all my strength {while the crackers are still in the sealed bag}.  Then, when the crackers are as smooshed as I can get them, I crush the sides in, open the row's packaging, and poor it into the bowl...or bread pan.}

You are supposed to dip your chicken {3-4 large boneless chicken breasts cut into pieces} into the milk.  I cut my chicken, putting the cut pieces into my baking dish while I finished cutting the rest of the chicken pieces.  Again, I am too lazy to wash extra dishes.  That was when I decided to put ALL my chicken in the milk, and pull it out one piece at a time.  Do what works best for you.  

SoOooo, take one piece of chicken out of the milk at a time, roll it in cheddar, then set the chicken in Ritz cracker crumbs.  

 Pat more crumbs on top. 

I hope you have realized that, while somewhat adventurous, I am rather lazy at times.  I patiently dipped four pieces of chicken in the mix as directed above, then lost all focus and changed the game plan.

New plan!

Mix the cheese and crackers together!!!

Do you see where this is going???

I dumped half of the mixture into the pan and spread it around.

Put the rest of the milk-dipped chicken on top, then piled the other half of the cheese/Ritz mixture on top.

After patting the top layer of crust out smooth-like, the pan was covered with aluminum foil and thrown into an oven pre-heated to 400 degrees F.  It was baked for 35 minutes covered, then the foil was removed and it was baked for 10 more minutes.

Here is the result...This left side is where I dipped the chicken individually...

While the right side of the pan shows the chicken baked covered and smothered style.

My kids LOVED IT!!!  We scooped out chicken, 

covered it with the sauce and loaded the elevator straight to heaven ;0)

So, side-by-side comparison of the right way vs. the easy way...not too much difference.

The one-at-a-time method gave a slightly more cheesy chicken, but the crackers were awesome on the layered side.  One thing is that the bottom layer of crackers was a smidge soggy.  If you are anti-soggy, then don't do it this way.  If you just love a blue ribbon dinner with minimal effort, just layer the thing!

Also, I recommend using half the cheese and crackers.  I think that will cut down on soggyness and give you a whole 'nother batch of cheesy chicken next week with the cheese and crackers we saved.

  If you want to read over the original recipe, you can check that out over at Jamie's site.

If you wanna have a go at this easy chicken dish my way, the recipe is below.

Enjoy!!!

 Layered Cheesy Chicken 

{note the different amounts of cheese and Ritz}

Preheat oven to 400.

3-4 boneless chicken breasts, cut into portion-sized pieces

1/2 - 1 c. milk

1 1/2 c. shredded cheddar

1 row of crushed Ritz crackers {even Saltines will work great}

Pour the milk into a bowl or bread pan.  Place the chicken in the milk.  In a separate bowl, mix the shredded cheddar and row of crushed crackers.

***Optional: add 1/2t. salt, 1/4 t. pepper, and 2t. dried parsley to the cracker/cheese mixture.

Spray a 9x13 baking dish with cooking spray for easier clean-up.  Pour 1/2 of the cheese/cracker mixture into the baking dish and spread out evenly.  Take the chicken out of the milk and place it evenly across the cheese/cracker mixture.  Now pour the rest of the cheese/cracker mixture on top and spread that around evenly.  Cover the whole dish with aluminum foil, then bake at 400 for 35 min.  Take aluminum foil off baking dish and bake the layered cheesy chicken for 10 more minutes.  

While the chicken cooks for that last 10 minutes mix the following sauce

1 can cream of chicken soup {or follow the recipe for CopyCat cream of soup}

2T. sour cream

2T. Butter

Heat on med-high until hot, stirring until mixed.  

Serve chicken hot, topped with the sauce. 

The chicken was a total hit served with leftover mashed potatoes, like ours was, or would be great with a side dish of pasta and some freshly steamed veggies.

CopyCat Cream of Soup

I have seen a couple recipes for "Cream of" soups floating around out there.  Years ago I came across the recipe put out by Mayo Clinic.  While I can't seem to find it on Mayo's website anymore, I do have it here in my own recipe collection.

Cream of Anything Soup

2c. powdered milk

3/4 c. corn starch

1/4 c. low-sodium chicken bouillon 

2 Tbs. dried onion flakes or 1 tsp. onion powder

1 tsp. dried basil

1 tsp. dried thyme

1/2 tsp. pepper

Blend ingredients.  Store in airtight container at room temperature.  When ready to use, combine 1/3c. mix with 1 c. water to equal one can of soup.

If I am making soup that calls for canned cr. of something soup, I just throw the mix into the water.  For more complex recipes, I will heat up 1 c. water and whisk in the 1/3 c. mix.  Bring to a boil and boil for about 2 minutes, until it thickens.  Then you are ready to go.

Pros-  All recipes that you make with the substitute are healthier and cheaper to make

Cons- more effort and one more pot to wash if you have to constitute the soup first.

I still like the soup mix over the convenience of the canned stuff.  If I need cr. of mushroom I will just throw in a tsp. of beef bouillon.  Add celery powder for cream of celery soup, some frozen broccoli for cream of broccoli soup, a chopped up baked potato for cream of potato soup, etc.

I made this recipe a couple times and realized I ran out way too quickly.  

I set out to multiply the recipe so that it was mixable, plus fit into my handy dandy no.10 cans.  

The original recipe makes the equivalent of 6 cans of soup.  My batch of soup mix makes more like 24.  That means it is equal to 24 cans of soup mix and cost almost nothing.  When I say almost nothing, I am talking about all my relatives spontaneously offering cans of powdered milk to me.  With the milk free, the rest of the ingredients cost a few pennies.  

Here is my recipe:

Bulk Cream of Soup Mix

8c. powdered milk

1 box corn starch

1 c. bouillon

1/2c. dried onions

4 tsp. basil

4 tsp. thyme

2 tsp. pepper

Wanna know some recipes I use this in???

Here you go, the mother load :0)  I just happened to have saved this emailed list of recipes I typed up for my husband one time.

The following recipes are using half a quart, or large jar, of meat or
one whole pint, or small jar, of canned meat.  Just use 1 lb. of cooked chicken or beef in place of the canned meat if you don't can :0)

 You can freeze any of these meals.  Just try and remember to take out of the freezer the night before otherwise it takes at least an hour to cook.  If frozen simply cook at 375 for the first 30 min, then at 350 for the next 30 min.  Check to see if the middle is hot.  Cook longer if needed.

Chicken Enchilada Casserole
Mix in bowl- 1 lb. cooked chicken, cubed

2 cans worth of cr. soup mix, prepared

one large can of Green Enchilada sauce

one large can green chilies 

one pint sour cream

Layer like lasagna, starting with just a little sauce to get the bottom wet.  Sauce, corn tortillas(I use about 6 per layer-one in each corner of the pan and the other two in the middle), cheese.  Stop when you get about one inch from the top-end with cheese.  If there is extra sauce just freeze it for next time.  Bake 350 for 30 min.

Chicken Enchiladas

Mix in bowl- 1 lb. cooked chicken, cubed

2 cans worth of cr. soup mix, prepared

1/3 c. sour cream

 can of green chillies

cheddar

Use about half of mixture to fill flour tortillas.  Cover filled tortillas with rest of mix and cheese.  Bake 350 for 30 min.

Chicken and Stuffing
Mix up instant potatoes, {or use fresh or leftover mashed potatoes} and spread in bottom of a 9X13 pan.  In one bowl mix stuffing and 1  1/2 C. water and set aside for 5 min.

  In another bowl mix -1 lb. cooked chicken, cubed
2 cans worth of cr. soup mix, prepared

1 C. sour Cream.  

Spread chicken mixture on top of potatoes and top with stuffing.  Bake 350, 30 min.

Poppyseed Chicken
Cook rice-a-roni or 1 cup rice(2 cups prepared).  When cooked add 1 can cream of chicken soup, 1 cup sour cream and chicken.  Pour in 9 X 13 pan.  Use a glass bowl to melt 1 c. margarine or butter.  Crunch two rows of Ritz type crackers and pour in (I don't open the  package, hold one end of the row in one hand and one end in the other  hand then push my two hands together compressing all of the crackers.  It crushes them and keeps it all in the bag.  I crush both, then open  both and pour them in at the same time so they soak up the butter equally, probably doesn't matter, but I am strange that way).  Stir in 1 Tablespoon of poppy seeds and spread crackers over rice mixture.  Bake 350, 30 min.

Chicken Curry

1 lb. cooked chicken, cubed

2 cans worth of cr. soup mix, prepared

 1 1/2 c. - 2 c. shredded cheese

1 tablespoon curry

1 tablespoon lemon juice

Mix in a baking dish that has the higher sides.  Cover with lid and bake 350, 30 min.  Serve over rice.

Crock Pot Chicken
2 cans worth of cr. soup mix, prepared

one package or 8 oz cream cheese

3 tablespoons ranch dip/dressing mix

Mix together.  You can heat this up on the stove, stir in canned chicken and eat over noodles without using the crock pot, or add 2-3 chicken breasts not cooked and bake on high four hours.

Tatertot Casserole
Line bottom of 9x13 pan with tatertots.  Mix 2 cans worth of cr. soup mix, prepared and pint or pound of cooked hamburger.  Spread on top of tots.  Cover with cheese or leave off to reduce calories.  350, 30 min.

Stroganoff
2 cans worth of cr. soup mix, prepared

1 c. sour cream

one packet
onion soup mix

1 pint or pound of cooked hamburger

Heat and serve over noodles.  You can make this casserole style, pour cooked noodles in pan, cover with sauce and freeze.

Maken' Flakes

3D Snowflakes!!!

How gorgeous are these!  Now this is a CopyCat to the mega-th degree.  Not only did I not invent them, I did not even make them. 

My darling friend Deb made them and had them hanging in her beautifully decorated home Christmas Eve.  We were invited over for the best Christmas Eve dinner I have ever had (sorry Grandma :0)

Deb's hubby is a professional chef and made ham, prime rib, and my personal favorite-LAMB (luckily I took a bit before I asked what it was-once I tasted it there was no stopping :0)

Once we finished with dinner *ug-STUFFED*

Deb's daughter showed Madison how to make them while I chased Emmalee away from the bunny's food outside :0) 

Apparently you can just google "3D snowflakes" and get a whole host of tutorials.  This was the first I found at WikiHow.  It had so many photos I didn't bother looking further.   

While I didn't make these, I think if a couple of kids can do such a LOVELY job, you and I should give it a try :0) 

Wouldn't they be perfect in a classroom all across the ceiling, or maybe at your New Years Eve party?  I am going to make them for my archway from the living room and leave them up all of January.  It will be the most snow Phoenix has seen in years :0)