Lemon Buddies

This month was full of get togethers and I was tired of the same old treats. I remembered my Lemon Buddies pin. I think these were literally my first pin on pinterest. I finally made them. They felt light and not heavy like Muddy Buddies. They are basically the same as them except they substitute white chocolate for chocolate and lemon for the peanut butter.

http://pinterest.com/pin/81275968244739325/

A few people requested this link, so here you go.

Homemade Butterfingers

This is the first thing I ever pinned that I made, Julianna and I made them a year ago. I made them again last night to take visiting teaching today. They are extremely easy and very yummy. They taste just like butterfingers only I think they have an even better texture. Just candy corn, peanut butter, and chocolate chips. One thing I did different from the recipe is that I didn't dip the candy corn and peanut butter in chocolate coat, I melted a bag of chocolate chips and spread it on the top. Chocolate chips taste better and it was easier so win win. 

http://pinterest.com/pin/106116134939464132/

baked potatoes

I learned on Pinterest that it is possible to bake potatoes in the crock pot. Monday morning I followed the instructions (wrap clean, dry potatoes in foil, place in crock pot on low for 10 hours). That afternoon Jared called to tell me he had some sad news, I hadn't plugged the crock pot in. Today we tried it again and after 10 hours the potatoes came out perfectly!

Quinoa

I made quinoa for dinner tonight as a substitute for rice or pasta.  We liked it a lot and I will be trying more quinoa recipes.  By the way, quinoa is a high protein grain from South America.

no sanding

Today I tried this no-sanding paint idea. I used this specific primer and I didn't sand at all. The primer went on so easily and was totally 100% dry in less than 2 hours. So then I put the actual paint on and it went on so smoothly and easily it was unbelievable. I am super happy with this!

before

after

Hash browns

There is a popular pin on pinterest right now. You put hash browns in a waffle iron and it cooks them and makes them crispy. We were in a bind the other day and decided to try it. It didn't work. Despite cooking spray (which wasn't called for) and ample time, they stuck to the iron and were not crispy or very done. Cross another one of the list for me. (I can't find the pin, or I would link to it.)

roasted cabbage, lemon bars

Yesterday I roasted a cabbage. It was good, I cooked it for ten or 15 minutes longer than the recipe says. I feel like it needed WAY more salt. I liked it though, I mean it was cooked cabbage, one of the best foods of all time!

Today I made these lemon bars. They are like lemon flan. I don't know if Mommy would like them, but Annie would LOVE them. They are still warm and I think they will taste even better when they are cold.

Mac & Cheese, S'mores Krispy Treats, FireCrackers, and so much more!

So here's a list of several things I've tried off of Pinterest lately.  Honestly, I use something from Pinterest nearly every day, so I really should be better about posting on here!

First of all, I will NEVER eat any other Mac&Cheese again.  This was simply, easy, and delicious!  Link here.

I cannot tell you how horribly, horribly addicting these S'mores crispy treats are.  Seriously, I've made them twice in the last week.  An absolutely HORRIBLE thing to have found on Pinterest!  Link here.

Made this for dinner the other night - Carl actually loved it!  I adjusted the recipe slightly according to our family's preferences, but was DELISH.  Pretty time consuming, though.  Link here.

"Fire"Crackers!  Soooo delicious, but too spicy for Noah.  Link here.

This worked!  Great for the birthday party!  Link here.

burner cleaning

I tried something that I have seen pinned many times on Pinterest. Put the burners in a plastic bag, add a splash of ammonia, and let sit for 24 hours. I still had to scrub a little but they got so clean! 

towel toothbrush holder

I sewed today! I made a towel toothbrush holder for traveling and it will be great! I don't like traveling with my toothbrush... it gets hair in it and other dirty things and I think the plastic traveling containers are yucky. Anyway, I am excited about it!

Boy bathroom smell

No one has posted in a long time. I use my pinterest boards all the time, but never think to post here. I thought I should post about this one, though.


I pinned this a while ago. My youngest son has a hard time aiming and I was tired of simply walking by the bathroom and being overwhelmed by the smell. I dug this one up and tried it right away after everything else seemed to fail. This didn't really do much, either. It lessened the smell a bit, but it was still lingering. I ended up using my scentsy to mask the smell when my guests came over. *Sigh* Any other suggestions?

asparagus tart

This is definitely one of the best foods ever. Visit "Shopgirl" for the recipe.

magnetic make-up board

Sara made this months ago and she helped me make one today! It is so cute and fun.

I made the peanut butter truffle brownies. I never make anything but Julianna has been so sick today so I actually made them. They are so delicious and not near as much work as I thought they would be. The peanut butter filling was especially yummy!

Food

My life has been crazy lately with the move and church responsibilities. The only pinterest things I have done are food related. Our favorite ones have been the panzerotti and S'more bar. The former is a fried calzone. It sounds greasy, but wasn't at all. I only made it because my husband heard about it and wanted to try it. The S'more bar is the same that we had at Dane's baby blessing. Anneke made it for FHE treat. It was simple enough that I just "insisted" (as Luke would say) when she needed. She was very proud.

sock for baby's door

I've seen this idea pinned over and over. I didn't really think much of it and I never re-pinned it. But the other day Thomas kept shutting himself in the bedroom so I tied a sock around both handles and that kept the door from shutting. Then nap-time came. The sock had fallen off one side but I pulled on it to close the door and it actually was great... silent, the door still closed, and it doesn't make noise when I go in and check on him, either! So random, I know.

dishwasher troubles.

I had a bad problem... My son played in the dishwasher one day and I didn't notice the plastic plate he had put in the bottom until I could smell it. It had melted all over the heating element and it smelled terrible every time I did the dishes. But I found this easy treatment. And I also did a load with cups of vinegar on the top rack and baking soda in the detergent dispenser. Now my dishwasher is happy again! Thank you Pinterest!

Oven baked New Potatoes

I made these super yummy potatoes for my family last night, and everyone LOVED them. I didn't have any new potatoes but I did have tiny gold potatoes. Seriously, I can't wait to make these again - they were delicious!

How to Make Potato Chips in the Microwave

I was really surprised at how delicious this recipe for healthy microwave potato chips was.   

The men in our family loved it, too.

It was also surprisingly easy to make.

It is important to slice the potatoes thin, so it is best to use a mandolin.  Also it only makes a small batch at a time.

How To Make Microwave Potato Chips  from http://www.thekitchn.com

What You Need

Ingredients
1 or more potatoes or other root vegetable, scrubbed clean
Salt and other seasonings, optional
Olive oil, optional

Equipment
Mandoline
Bowl of cold water
Microwave-safe plate
Paper towels

Instructions

1. Thinly Slice the Potato - Cut the potato in half. Slice one half on a mandoline, aiming for slices 1/8 to 1/16-inch thick. Immediately put the slices in cold water. Repeat with the other half of the potato and any other potatoes you are preparing.

2. Soak and Rinse the Slices - Rinse the slices in cold water until the water stays clear. If you have time, let them soak for a few extra minutes before rinsing.

3. Dry the Slices - Dry the slices between two clean dish cloths or spin them in a salad spinner.

4. Season the Slices - Arrange as many slices as will fit in a single layer on a dinner plate lines with a few paper towels. Make sure the slices do not touch or else they stick together. If desired, sprinkle with salt or other spices. For richer-tasting chips, brush the slices with olive oil first.

5. Microwave the Slices - Microwave the slices at 100% power for 3 minutes. Flip them over and microwave at 50% power for another 3 minutes. Remove any chips that are starting to crisp and brown. Continue cooking the remaining chips at 50% power in 1 minute intervals until they are all crispy and golden.

6. Repeat with Remaining Batches - Transfer cooked chips to a bowl and repeat microwaving with the remaining slices of potato.

Storing - Chips will stay crispy for a few days if kept in an airtight container or zip-lock bag. You can also prepare the raw slices ahead of time, store them in cold water in the refrigerator, and bake them off as you want them.

Tame your wild plastic grocery bags

This may be one of my favorite things from pinterest.

Football fold grocery bags for compact storage.  It is easy, fun and dramatically reduces the space they take.

You can go to this link for instructions with pictures, but basically you fold the bag in fourths lengthwise, fold from the bottom up in triangles and tuck the end in.  Just like when you made footballs out of paper in school.

Drop several into the bottom of your small trashcans so when you change bags there is a new one ready right there.

broccoli cabbage salad and no-bake nutella cheesecake

Annie pinned a recipe for a broccoli cabbage salad. I made it today for lunch along with the guacamole bruschetta. It was so yummy. So so so yummy! It was also really easy. I mixed red cabbage, broccoli, craisins, and chopped almonds. I put poppyseed dressing on it and mixed it really well. So good.

I also made no-bake nutella cheesecake. This was to die for! It was easy and looked pretty.

Chore Cards

My children and chores have not been very compatible lately. Heather pinned these Chore Cards on Pinterest, and I LOVED the idea - so I made some! The kids get to begin using them tomorrow. They can get their cards punched for walking the dog, doing their homework, practicing their instruments, sorting the laundry, taking out the trash, cleaning their room, etc. I made each of them there own chore chart to go with the cards. This way they know what is expected daily, weekly and as needed (emptying the trash, for instance), without being reminded. I'm really excited about this - let's hope it works!

Here's a pic of the ones that I made: (at the bottom it says "Do your chores, get a punch. Punch them all, get a prize!" Noah told me he didn't want to get punched, that might hurt!)

Yummy Recipes

Tonight for dinner I made the Low Country Shrimp Boil that I found on Pinterest under One Pot Wonders. It was SO yummy - everyone in the family found something that they liked and ate. I threw in some rolls and it was a wonderful dinner. I also made the Oven Baked Ham & Cheese Sliders and my whole family loved them. It's the first time I've made recipes that everyone liked. Yay for Pinterest!

Tuna and Avocado Wraps

Tried this recipe for tuna and avocado wraps.  Perfectly delicious.  I will never use mayonnaise in tuna again-avocado was much better.


Ingredients (serves 1)

1 (5 oz) can of wild albacore tuna in water
1 scallion, thinly sliced
1/2 jalapeno, diced small
1/2 medium avocado
1/2 lime
Kosher salt
Freshly-ground black pepper
2 butter lettuce leaves

I left out the jalapeno, added celery and used a whole avocado.

dinner and dessert

We had a "pinterest" dinner and dessert. For dinner we had "guacamole bruschetta" and for dessert we had "salted caramel chocolate chip cookie bars". Everything was delicious!!! I added balsamic lime chicken on top of the guacamole and it was wonderful.

Guacamole Bruschetta

Salted Caramel Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars

Ratatoille

I found this recipe for Ratatouille on Pinterest.  I loved the idea of it but it seems like lots of work.  So I made up my own simpler version.  It is really delicious and so easy to make.  Find my new recipe below the original version.

Ratatouille – as seen in the movie!

November 23, 2007 by mylifeofcrime

Ratatouille’s Ratatouille
As envisioned by Smitten Kitchen

½ onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, very thinly sliced
1 cup tomato puree (such as Pomi)
2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 small eggplant (my store sells these “Italian Eggplant” that are less than half the size of regular ones; it worked perfectly)
1 smallish zucchini
1 smallish yellow squash
1 longish red bell pepper
Few sprigs fresh thyme
Salt and pepper
Few tablespoons soft goat cheese, for serving

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Pour tomato puree into bottom of an oval baking dish, approximately 10 inches across the long way. Drop the sliced garlic cloves and chopped onion into the sauce, stir in one tablespoon of the olive oil and season the sauce generously with salt and pepper.

Trim the ends off the eggplant, zucchini and yellow squash. As carefully as you can, trim the ends off the red pepper and remove the core, leaving the edges intact, like a tube.

On a mandoline, adjustable-blade slicer or with a very sharp knife, cut the eggplant, zucchini, yellow squash and red pepper into very thin slices, approximately 1/16-inch thick.

Atop the tomato sauce, arrange slices of prepared vegetables concentrically from the outer edge to the inside of the baking dish, overlapping so just a smidgen of each flat surface is visible, alternating vegetables. You may have a handful leftover that do not fit.

Drizzle the remaining tablespoon olive oil over the vegetables and season them generously with salt and pepper. Remove the leaves from the thyme sprigs with your fingertips, running them down the stem. Sprinkle the fresh thyme over the dish.

Cover dish with a piece of parchment paper cut to fit inside. (Tricky, I know, but the hardest thing about this.)

Bake for approximately 45 to 55 minutes, until vegetables have released their liquid and are clearly cooked, but with some structure left so they are not totally limp. They should not be brown at the edges, and you should see that the tomato sauce is bubbling up around them.

Serve with a dab of soft goat cheese on top, alone, or with some crusty French bread, atop polenta, couscous, or your choice of grain.

Simple Quick Ratatouille

½ onion, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 bell pepper
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 small eggplant
1 smallish zucchini
1 smallish yellow squash
1 tomato
1/2 cup water
1 tbsp tomato boullion (or chicken)

Cut vegetables into about 1 inch chunks.  Saute onions, garlic and peppers in olive oil until slightly browned.  Add remaining vegetables, water and boullion.  Cover and simmer for 5-10 minutes.  It tastes great even if you don't have all of the vegetables.  

Italian buttercream

I have been wanting to switch up what kind of frosting I use. "American buttercream", what I normally do, is super sweet and most people scrape it off. Pinterest is great for finding new recipes, and this Italian buttercream recipe is a real keeper! It is quite a bit of work and I could never have done it without my KitchenAid, but it is heavenly, both the texture and the taste. The picture is of the cake I made today, frosted in Italian buttercream and covered in dark chocolate ganache. The buttercream recipe can be found here.

Growing Scallions

I loved the idea of growing scallions in the window sill.  I had green onions in the refrigerator, so I put them in water and watched them grow.  They grew like crazy, but the water smelled awful.  I don't like bad smells in my kitchen, so I trimmed off the tops and planted the green onions in potting soil.  I planted them just a few days ago and they are already growing beautifully and NO smell.  Now when I want scallions I can just snip some off of my plant.  ( I would post a picture of the plant, but my SD card isn't working.)