Remember Toy

We visited a restaurant last weekend where after you placed your order, they invited the kids to take a toy helicopter, fighter jet, or soldier to their table, with the instructions to pray for a real soldier each time they played with the toy.

I thought what a great idea for kids at church, in school, or even at home - for a family remembrance to pray for those serving our country :)

Onion Dip in the Slow Cooker

We made this onion dip on a recent trip, for our family, and it was made in the slow cooker!

1 16oz sour cream
1/2 8oz pkg cream cheese reduced fat, cubed
2/3 cup light mayo
1/2 cup parmesan cheese shredded
1/2 cup thinly sliced green onion
2 T all purpose flour
1 2.8oz can french fried onions

dippers

in a 2 qt slow cooker, combine first six ingredients through the flour. reserve 2 T onionsn and stir in the rest.

cover and cook on high 1 1/2 yours.  before serving, whisk and add milk if needed.

serve or keep warm up to 2 hours, top with reserved french onions and additional green onions.

Potato Skin Rounds

These can be prepared ahead of time, which makes them easy to finish right before your dinner or party (just bake, heat up,  and then finish the last step of the toppings if you make ahead of time)

Slice baking potatoes in 1/2 inch rounds, and butter and salt both sides and edges. Place on foil lined baking sheet and bake at 400 degrees for 30 minutes, turning after 15.

When done, top with grated cheese, chopped green onion, and crumbled cooked onion - bake another 3-5 minutes.

If you like sour cream, serve alongside.

Yummy.

A Sweet/Salty Mix!

This is a great mix to put together for a trip, for snacking and munching. We brought it on a weekend trip, and the kiddos and adults both enjoyed the tastes!

Chocolate Candy Bark!

An easy bark to make for your next family gathering -

It's so yummy!

Pour It

I thought of all my coffee lover friends when I saw this sign - it was in the HEB flower department!  But if you google the saying, there are lots of options on line.

Pretty cute, and sort of Magnolia-ish....don't you think?

For Your Patio

Found these crinkle tie curtains at World Market and hung them on the outdoor patio, and they are so cute, they dry easily if rained upon, and I added tablecloth weights to keep them down in the wind!  There are several prints available in the store and on line!

Cute Suits!

I recently ordered a swimsuit on line, took a risk, and it fit - and it was so affordable! (under $25).

The company is Modlily, it did take about 3-4 weeks to arrive, but look at these cute suits!  They run pretty true to size.

In the Men's Dept

Twice now, I've bought summer shorts at Rue 21 in the Men's Dept for three reasons - they're long and they're super comfy and they're cute.  I just love these two pair - they are knit, fitted near the knee, have a drawstring, and pockets!  Great for weekend gardening, keeping kids, traveling or whatever!

Don't let the pics of the shorts on guys deter you, I'm serious - these are fantastic. And the shirt was four bucks - super comfy as well! (womens dept!)

Link to the gray

Link to the black

For Him

It's fun to surprise him with snacks or interesting food arrangements in his lunch box, and this was the one for today...

I used peanut butter like "glue" in a round tin to affix M&M eyes, a chocolate cookies, and a pretzel nose.

That's it!  (And he liked it)

All in the Pan

This was a great lunch!

Slice corn tortillas into thin strips and fry them in a pan until crisp, then pour in a couple of beaten eggs.

The rest of the mixture is roasted corn, crumbled and cooked bacon, green onions and tomatoes, all leftover from our guacamole bar from the  night before (these were toppings).

Try it!

Reversible Umbrella

I was given this umbrella as a gift.  It opens opposite from the norm, which is a genius invention, because this way you can close it when getting in a car, and you won't get wet!  It's by Aweoods, and you can get it on Amazon.

Party Shopping

My niece put together a "shopping event" for a kids birthday party recently, using the Shopkins theme, and she got all of the items at the Dollar Store!

Each girl got to "shop" with her basket and take home six items from the table.  How fun!

Terrific Tacos!

Oh my gosh, we loved this meal!

1 1/2 lb boneless pork shoulder
1 navel orange
2 garlic cloves minced
1 T cider vinegar

1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp ground cumin
salt and pepper

1 small red onion
3 T lime juice
8 corn tortillas warmed

cliantro
avocado

finely grate the zest of the orange into slow cooker, then squeeze in the juice (1/2 cup), stir in garlic and vinegar.

season the pork with all of the seasonings. add to slow cooker and toss to coat.  cover and cook 7-8 hours on low, or 4-5 on high.

20 min before serving make the pickled onions.  thinly slice onion and toss with lime juice and 1/4 tsp each S&P.  let sit, tossing occasionally, until ready to eat.

using two forks, shred the meat and toss with the juices.

if you like (this made it better!), heat a large cast iron skillet with 1 T oil and add the shredded pork and cook til edges start to brown.

serve in the tortillas with the avocado and cilantro!

Fishing, Anyone?

Fishing poles for kids - they're expensive at Target, they're hard to find other places, but they're super affordable and available for kids of all ages at Academy!

Check out these three levels - one for the beginner with a plastic fish on the line - one for the girl who just wants a pink stick and a cute tackle box - and one for the older more serious little boy with full fishing gear.

So fun!

Sign in, Please

We went to a wedding today and instead of a regular sign-in book, it was a different sort of "record" book - look below!  Old albums!

What a great idea!

Totes for Tots

On line, they're not on sale, but at the stores - at Target - these cute totes for kids were $14.98 and now they're $4.98.

There are two patterns, and both include a spray bottle and two garden tools, in a bright tote, for the kids.

Run and get them before they're gone!

New Nachos!

I saw this recipe made on The Chew and it looked so different and so tasty!

There a lot of spices involved, but don't let that deter you.  The cheese is so creamy, and the flavors of the cheese mixed with the peas and salsa are really, really great!

Carla Hall made it, and it's a winner - click here for recipe!

Homemade Granita

It takes hours to complete, because it has to be chilled, frozen, and stirred over and over.  But if you're home one morning or evening for a few hours, this is well worth all of the steps:

http://www.bhg.com/recipe/berry-mint-granita/

I saw it in a BH&G special edition and the fruity/tart taste, the color, and the texture of this frozen dessert satisfies completely

For the Moms

Tonight we had a meeting with friends, and the hostess laid out a small token/gift for each mom to take home with her.  It was a scented tea light, a tiny plastic bag with our name and a heart sticker, and a card with a nice verse on it.  Each mom got to pick her tea light, put it in the little bag, and take a card to be encouraged.

What a nice gesture, and a great idea for this weekend, if your table is full of moms...

PBG instead of PBJ

Since jelly is made from grapes, I thought it might taste good to use the grapes instead of jelly on a PBJ cracker - so here it is - and it tasted good (added a pretzel in the layers too!).

A great lunch idea...

A Simple Diversion

I'm reading a book a month, and this was a very light read, short chapters, and just an easy-reading simple story about a blended family with issues - a lost dog - and an unexpected arrival.

I know it's not Christmas in July, it's not December, and it's not anywhere near Christmas at all, but sometimes a simple diversion in our busy lives, a peek into another family's fictional life, is just the thing we all need on a weekend or weeknight, with a little time to ourselves.

Honey-Quinoa Salad

Pretty colors on a plate taste darn good!

for the dressing:

1/4 cup honey
2 T fresh grated ginger
2 T white wine ginger
2 T lime juice
1 small clove garlic minced
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper

Mix and then add 1/4 cup olive oil.

in a saucepan cook 2/3 cup quinoa in 1 cup water and 1/4 tsp salt - and bring to boiling, cover and simmer 10 min til liquid is absorbed.  remove from heat and let stand, 10 minutes, fluff with fork.

Place the following in a shallow bowl:

1 cup red seedless grapes halved
1/2 cup coarsely chopped cashews
1/2 cup dried apricots sliced thinly
1/4 cup thinly sliced red onion
4 cups butter or bibb lettuce
cooked quinoa

Mix and serve with the dressing.

so yummy!

Fennel Side Tacos

This was a recipe for a side dish, which I made, but then I tossed it with leftover chicken into corn tortillas and it was super yummy.

2 med Fennel bulbs, trimmed and cut through root ends into 12 wedges
2 T olive oil
1/4 cup finely grated Parm
1/4 cup chopped roasted almonds
1 1/2 tsp chopped fresh thyme

on a baking sheet toss the fennel with the olive oil, season, and cook at 400 degrees, turning once, about 20 minutes.
top with the Parm, almonds, and thyeme...drizzle with more olive oil.

This was seriously one of the best side dishes I've ever eaten!

Nuggets & Mustard

Chicken nuggets aren't just for kids!

1 lb chicken breasts cut into 1 1/2 inch cubes
panko bread crumbs
1/4 cup yogurt
1 T lemon juice
cayenne, season salt, garlic powder and coriander

mix the last three line of ingredients together and coat the chicken well.  in a shallow dish roll each nugget in the crumbs and place on baking sheet.

bake at 400 about 20-30 minutes until browned and crispy (turn them once).

for the honey mustard dip mix:

1 T yellow mustard
1 T dijon mustard
1 T mayo
1 T honey

That's it!

Enjoy....

Orphan Train

I'm reading this book and I'm almost through...and it's really worth sharing.  It's called Orphan Train, and it's a novel written about two women - one really old - and one young teenager - whose paths cross in the most unique way.  As a major part of the story, we peer into the life of an orphan who came on a train from New York back when this event really took place in history...and she's the older women of the two, now relaying those years to the younger girl who's an orphan of a different kind.

It's written well, the story is moving and heartbreaking and amazing, and I'm not even finished yet!  I got it at Barnes and Noble.

Fried Rice for Lunch!

Cooked brown rice.
Scrambled eggs.
Stir fried veggies (I had zucchini and yellow squash, onions and carrots)
Soy sauce
Season salt

And you've got yourself some fried rice for lunch! (Add cashews for extra crunch!)