Kids Apps

These kids' apps are on my phone and are a hit with the littles...and they're free.

Kids Doodle

Kids Puzzles

Panda Pop

The Eyes Have It

Urban Outfitters has some super cool sunglasses for the sunny days ahead...in modern colors and styles...and these particular styles are super affordable!

Green Loafers

One of my favorite stores is Urban Outfitters.  Today these shoes were on sale almost half off!  And they're green - a color I've been looking for!  They're not on sale on line, so you might want to find the store and go inside...

Ladybugs!

Have you seen these ladybug clothes, boots, and books at Target for spring?  Oh my, they're so cute!  Check them out!

Pasta Supper

This turned out to be a MOST delicious meal - super satisfying and tasty.

For the pasta dish:

angel hair pasta - half box
1/2 to 3/4 cup diced bacon
1 zucchini, thinly shaved and tossed with Italian seasonings, salt and pepper
2 garlic cloves peeled and sliced
1 can diced tomatoes, drained

Bring salted water to a boil and cook pasta until shy of all dente, and drain.

Meanwhile, fry the bacon until almost browned, adding in zucchini about halfway through, stir frying both.  Add in the garlic just the last 30 seconds.  Pour in the diced tomatoes, and heat, then add the drained pasta. Taste to see if more s&p is needed. The flavors are amazing!

For the spinach:

1 pack of fresh spinach
1/2 lemon
3 slices bacon

Slice lengthwise into strips about 3 slices of bacon and fry.  Add in thinly sliced fresh spinach until it wilts, salt and pepper to taste, and squeeze fresh lemon over top.

Game Pouches

Super Bowl night, Grammys, Oscars, those are all shows adults enjoy but the kids - not so much.  These cute game pouches are at Target for $3 each and come with the playing board (felt) and the pieces.

Why not set up a game station where kids move from game to game, with snacks, and enjoy their time alongside the adults watching their games on TV?

5 Ingredient Philly

This Philly Cheesesteak sandwich is just five ingredients - and it was simply easy to cook and put together!  This recipe makes four.

I bought this frozen shaved sirloin already packaged in the frozen section of the store - instead of finding a butcher to shave it for me.  I made it according to the directions and placed in the microwave on warm, while I prepared the rest...

In the same skillet you cooked the sirloin, add 1 T olive oil, along with 2 cups thinly sliced onions and 2 cups thinly sliced mushrooms, along with a pinch of salt.  Cook about 3-5 minutes until the onions start to caramelize.  In the pan, divide the mixture into four equal parts, then do the same with the sirloin, and place the four sirloin stacks on top of each of the onion stacks.  Lay a slice of provolone on top, and place a lid on the skillet, turning heat down, until the cheese melts.

Place each stack on a toasted hoagie bun and enjoy...

Intoxicating

I got this candle because the scent was totally intoxicating...tobacco flower and vanilla.
A very unique scent in the cutest quaint box! http://www.candledelirium.com/paddywax-mark-twain-candle/

Kitchen Hacks

I heard about this book on TV and bought it for myself!  It's a reference book of sorts on all sorts of hacks in the kitchen from how to clean the microwave, to making a perfect caramel sauce, to keeping your sink clean while preparing a meal...Kitchen Hacks.

So far, I've highlighted lots of little tricks I want to try!

What a fun book to gift yourself!

For the Kiddos

I know Valentine's Day is a few weeks away, but I couldn't pass up this cute stuff - in the Dollar Section of Target:

Mailbox in red, green, green, white or silver - $1
Troll - $1
Bouncy Ball - $1
Sixlets candy - bag for $1- divided it up
Zoo animals - box of about 20 in the crafts section for $5 - divided it up

For $5 each, you can give the little kids in your family a gift - and they can visit their mailbox each day for a treat the week of Valentine's!  The kiddos in my life like zebras and elephants - and there they have them!

Chicken Amandine

5 ingredients in 5 minutes...that's what Michael Symon says about his Chicken Amandine (S&P and butter don't count as ingredients ::)  - boy is it good!

You'll need:

4 boneless, skinless skin-on chicken breast halves, pounded to 1/4 inch thickness....
kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
3 T olive oil
2 T unsalted butter
1/2 cup sliced almonds
zest and juice of 1 orange
1/4 cup roughly chopped flat leaf parsley leaves

Place a large skillet over med-hi heat.  Season both sides of chicken with salt and pepper.  Add olive oil to preheated pan, and arrange chicken skin side down, cook til golden brown about 3 minutes, flip and cook another minute.

Reduce heat to medium and add butter and almonds til just brown, about 30 seconds. Add 1/2 cup water and orange zest and juice and cook about 30 seconds more, til slightly reduced.  taste and adjust seasoning.

remove from heat, stir in parsley and serve!

Trays and Bowls and Plates - Oh My!

Sometimes stores like Big Lots are treasure hunts, and today I was excited to find this treasure in the store - a beautiful tray in so many pretty colors for the kitchen - the tray was $12 - and there were dishes to match.

I know it's not spring yet, but these dishes will make you want to stock up for your first gathering outside around the picnic table, or why wait - have a picnic now inside!

Veggie Fritters

Vegetable fritters - super tasty and crunchy - sort of like hash browns -

You'll need:

1 potato peeled
1 sweet potato peeled
1 zucchini
1 leek, white part only
1  T of flour
1 egg lightly beaten
Oil for frying
S&P for seasoning

Finely grate the potato, sweet potato, zucchini and squeeze out the excess water, place in a medium bowl.  Finely shred/slice the leek and add to the bowl.  Toss in the flour and combine.  Add in the beaten egg and combine.

Meanwhile, heat oil in a frying pan, about 1/4 inch deep.

Place about 3 T of veggie mixture into hot oil, only 3-4 fritters at a time.  Fry 3 minutes, then flip and fry 3 minutes on other side til golden brown.  Drain on paper towels, salt and pepper.

Serve with tomato sauce:

In olive oil, cook 1 small diced onion and 1 clove crushed garlic about 3 minutes, then add in 3 chopped tomatoes and cook about 10 minutes on low, then toss in 1/4 cup shredded basil. Serve warm with the fritters.

Lemon poppy seed donut

I LOVE going to after-Christmas, after New Year's sales, ones you're not thinking of or looking for, but there they are...

It happened today at Sur La Table - their winter food mixes were on sale and I got several!

Tonite we made the lemon poppy seed donuts using a new donut pan I got for Christmas...

They are great for breakfast and oh my, they ARE good...

Shirts for Sale

I only really knew Charming Charlie as a place for accessories, but there's a huge store near my house with lots of cute tops.  And they're mostly all on sale this week - so here are my three finds:

Check out your local one or visit online, and yes - the black shirt has one short sleeve and one long sleeve - I love it!  The second top will look cute with jeans, and third is soft and flowy - and dressy.

Got Kids? Label it.

My daughter just reworked her coat/game closet to organize it for her kids and family.  She has three little kids and needed some order and organization - and look what she did!

Chalkboard labels on bins reveal what's in the bins.  Each kid has their own craft bin and other bins house smaller items like learning activities, crayons and glue, paints, play dough and small games.

Ribbon was woven through crates with holes and file folders were inserted to organize the kids's activities and papers.

All games with missing pieces or ones that were never played were thrown out, and only the good ones were left and stacked nicely.

The tiny black box was found in the dollar section of Target, where they have lots of small organizers that are super cute.

Finally a hook stores the aprons for the kids to wear when painting!

Lapel Button Pins

At a festival over the holidays, this one booth sold these cute lapel pins - button style - and I got a pair to wear on a denim shirt or even on a sweater. They're only $10 for a card of three, and they can take a plain top into a piece of art!

Check them out at The Land of Thread

Road Trip, Anyone?

I just love World Market, there are new treasures every time I shop there...

Check out this cute makeup travel bag!

Or this weekend bag...

or this awesome travel journal...

I'm ready for a road trip!

Handbag Charms

These purse charms are sooooo darn cute!  They are from Fossil and are so "charming!"

The Panda Bag Charm...

The Monkey bag charm...

Pretty Entry

I found this cute set of three candles that have a timer to burn five hours and then go off for 19 hours.  I set them in a tiny window above our front door, and they look so pretty from the outside and the inside!

I found mine at Ross for $9.99 but they're also available on Amazon.

lights on...

lights off...

Beautiful & Fragrant

I got this candle from my sister "just because" and I love it - it's from Anthropologie - and it looks so beautiful and smells wonderful....a great accent for your home!

Sundaes on Sunday

Tonite, we had the fire going because it was cold outside, and we thought, why not ice cream sundaes?

In Michael Symon's 5 in 5 Cookbook, he has two delicious sauce recipes for ice cream sauces...

Caramelized Banana Sundae...

Salted Caramel Sundae....

Let it Snow

I know Christmas is over, but I like to keep the winter theme going in my home for another month or so...in the hopes of snow for my area!

Pier One's Christmas decor is now 75% off and this fits the bill for what I want, and maybe you too!

This wire SNOW piece fits on top of the mantel - it's large and filled with tiny pine cones, hard to see here.  It was $40 and now it's only $10!

Andes Mint Cookies!

Did you know that there's a cookie recipe on the back of the Andes mint chips bag?  I had never tried them but found these chips on sale, after Christmas, and made the cookies tonight!

Delicious!

Here's the recipe - just click here.

here's what the bag looks like...

and here are the cookies!

Green Chicken-Enchilada Pie

These are so cute and making them in individual little bowls is so fun for eating!  Oh, and they taste good too...

4 boneless skinless chicken thighs
coarse salt and black pepper
1 T safflower oil (or vegetable oil)
1 jar (15 oz) mild green tomatillo salsa (1 3/4 cups)
9 corn tortillas quartered
2 1/4 cups grated monterey jack
cilantro sprigs, thinly sliced radish, lime wedges for serving

preheat oven to 425.  season both sides of thighs and heat oil in large skillet over medium high.  cook, flipping once, until browned, about 10 min.  let cool and shred with two forks.

divide 1/4 salsa among four 6-inc, 1 1/2 cup shallow baking dishes.  layer in 12 tortilla quarters, another 1/2 cup salsa, half of the chicken, 3/4 cup cheese evenly among dishes.  repeat layering.

place dishes on rimmed baking sheet, bake about 20 minutes til tops are golden brown.  let cook a bit before serving with accompaniments.