Tuesday, January 31, 2012

Sweet Tooth Tuesday: English Trifle

Hi friends we are getting nothing fun and sassy from Teresa tonight/today. I may have forgotten i was scheduled for today and now it is after 1 am and i am typing this up. Yes i am the one in the group is waits till the last minute to do everything, but this is late for even me. Also i just played a soccer game and i was up late last night too. soooooo sorry for the typos and crazy talk!


Here is the main reason we made it. We had a birthday on sunday and mine is this week so we kind of did 2 amazing treats in one day!

Today i am sharing an ENGLISH TRIFLE I have always love the look of them and wanted to try one. So when you are trying a new batch of cupcakes and you forget the baking powder they kind of dont rise making them a dense pound cake type cupcake. So not what i wanted so hence what to do what to do..... English Trifle and i must say it was GOOOOOOOD!!!!!!!



1 Cake mix pre-made, pound cake or angel food cake or too dense cupcakes :) cut into cubes
1 Package Danish dessert, pick your flavor (you can use jello, but if you look next to the jello you will see the box of danish dessert) I sent my husband to the store and he found it :) 
1 package of custard mix or pudding (we used white chocolate and it was heaven!)
1-2 C. of frozen berries of your choice
2 bananas, sliced
cool whip or whipping cream for the top

This is a recipe done in steps so first get your cake made and cooled. while it is cooling you can proceed to make the Junket Danish dessert, then the pudding. Once everything is cooled start assembling In a Trifle Dish or glass bowl start layering. Cake cubes, danish dessert, custard, and fruit. Trifle dishes will allow 2 layers other glass dishes normally only allow 1 layer. Now refrigerate for about 3-4 hours. Pull out cover with sliced bananas and whipped topping then serve! Don't layer to far in advance like the night before or you will have soggy cake. (i ate some the next day and was still happy but maybe not serve worthy)

If you are using the Jello not the Danish Dessert then allow time for the jello to set up in the fridge before serving.


Not so pretty on the plate but still oh so tasty! 


Good night! 

Monday, January 30, 2012

Munchkin Monday : Valentine Bingo w/a Twist

One of the fun things that I get to do this year, is plan parties for my son's first grade class {well..the entire first grade}.  Coming up is the Valentine Party, so I've been perusing the internet to get some fun ideas.  Then I came across this pic on Pinterest, and I decided to run with the idea.

What's the idea???  Valentine Bingo with a Twist.

Valentine Bingo
Can you guess how it works???

Instead of just regular bingo with letters & numbers, I went to my son's planner and looked at all his weekly spelling lists.  The idea is, when I pull out a word, like "Whale", the kids will have to listen to the word & place the marker in the appropriate spot {which would be the WH spot}.  So on the Bingo card, I put down beginning & ending sounds....THese or wELL.
Make sense??  And all the words that I used {and are in the link below}, are words that the kids should know.
Valentine Bingo Words

So if you're looking for a fun, educational game for kids to play, I hope you try this out!

Thanks for stopping by!


 

Sunday, January 29, 2012

Valentine Hanging Blocks Redo

Remember my Seasonal Hanging Blocks?  Well, there were a few sets of them that I wasn't quite happy with.  They were ok, but I wasn't thrilled (most of these were the first few sets I did, before I knew what I was doing).  So I have gone back and redone a few of them.  I redid my Valentine's Day and "LUV" them. =) (yes, I know, I am a dork. I tried therapy for years but I was a lost cause so I have learned to embrace it)


These are so much better than my first set!  The other set seemed off balance to me:
I think it was there was only a heart on one end.  Now don't get me wrong....I think they're cute and I am going to find a way to use them still (I'm thinking I will like them hanging vertically down a wall).

Now the way to do these are super simple.  I didn't take pictures of the process, sorry =(.  Go to your local Home Depot or Lowe's and get the Poplar wood.  It's nice and thin and lightweight.  Have them cut it for you so that they are 6x6 (actually, once it's cut i think it ends up 5 1/2x6 due to something to do with the extra 1/2 inch is for construction when the add the  drywall or something like that)  
Drill holes in it, I did mine 1 in. down and 1 in. over.  Sand all the edges smooth.  Then pick out your paints/papers/ribbons/extras and do each square.  
I like to add a 3d effect so I usually find some kind of wood cutout at Michael's, Joann's, or Hobby Lobby, and paint it to match the season/holiday.  
These are super easy and fun.  I love doing them so that I at least have 1 holiday decoration in my house. =)

Saturday, January 28, 2012

Circle Earrings

Hey Everyone it's Tiffany! I won this month's challenge and so here is my tutorial on how to make these Circle earrings. They are super cute and easy to make! If you want to make these you will need:

Circle Earrings
20 gauge jewelry wire
glass beads
embroidery floss
earring attachments
wire cutters


Step 1:
You will first need to cut your wire. I probably cut mine close to 8 inches. I just kind of judged how much I wanted by looking at it. You have to cut two the same length.
Step 2:
Start to string on your glass beads. You don't want to put too many beads on since you have to string the embroidery floss between the beads. Once the beads are on, bend the wire to the kind of shape you want. Mine have a slight teardrop shape to them, but you can make them more of a circle or strictly teardrop shop. Tie off the wire and form the loop that the earring attachment will go on.



Step 3:
Tie a knot at the very top of your earring


Step 4:

Take your embroidery floss and go down to the bottom of the earring just a little bit to the right of center and then loop back up and go between the next bead. On the big earrings I counted every two beads and the smaller earrings I went between each bead. You do this all the way until you reach the top of the other side of the earring.


Step 5:

Tie a knot at the top once you have gone full circle. Cut your floss and then put on the earring attachment.

Friday, January 27, 2012

Foodie Friday: Sweet and Sour Chicken



I just tried out this new recipe for Sweet and Sour Chicken and it was REALLY GOOD! Try it out and see what you think :)

Sweet and Sour Chicken:
2 chicken breasts
1/2 tsp garlic salt
cornstarch
1 egg beaten with 1 TBS water
1 cup sugar
1/3 cup vinegar
1/3 cup ketchup
1/4 cup chicken broth
1 tsp salt
2 TBS soy sauce

Cut chicken into pieces and sprinkle with garlic salt. Let sit one hour. Dip in cornstarch, then in beaten egg. Fry in hot oil until brown. Place in casserole dish. Combine sugar, vinegar, ketchup, chicken broth, salt, and soy sauce. Microwave for 5 minutes, stirring mixture halfway through. Pour over chicken and bake uncovered at 350 for 30-45 minutes, until the sauce is thickened. Makes 6-8 servings


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Thursday, January 26, 2012

DIY Thursday: Sweethearts

Today we have not 1 but 2 fun Valentine crafts for you! 

First up, Trinity! 

So back about a month ago, I was cruising along in the world of Pinterest and I saw this cute idea.  It looked easy and simple and I had to do it.  Especially since my Valentine decor is comprised of one thing.   So here's what I did:

Go to the nearest Michael's and check out their wood block section.  Grabbed 5 hearts, 3 small and 2 big (but you can do whatever sizes you would like).  Pick out the colors of paints you want.  I wanted mine to resemble the candies so I picked out some pastel colors.

Grabbed the cutest helpers ever =) And start painting!

(Look at him concentrating so hard)
(Of course she stops to pose a bit)

When you are finished with the hearts, draw your favorite sayings on them (or you could always use vinyl).  I like the handwritten look (just wish my handwriting was better) and instead of using a brush to brush it on, I used the round end of the paintbrush and dotted it on to make it stand out a little bit.  When the blocks are all dry (and you want it completely dry) brush a layer of modge podge over it to seal the paint and give it a nice finish.  If it's not dry, the letters could smear.....and that wouldn't be too pretty.  I had some glitter spray paint so I spray painted mine with a little bit of sparkle =) 
 (you can see it in a picture below)
(The green and purple are a lot lighter than this picture, the colors in the kids' pictures are the actual colors.  The pink is also lighter and you can actually read the words)

Next, I grabbed some festive ribbon and some tulling and glued the ribbon onto the tulling.  I wanted it to be a bit fuller than just a ribbon, but didn't want it to be the thick ribbon either.
Next, glue your hearts on.  Figure out how close you want them to be and have at it =)
When I put it all together, it seemed like it was missing something so made a little bow out of the ribbon and then stuck a crystal heart in the middle.
This was a fun, easy project.  I whipped it out in a couple hours, with most of that time spent waiting for the paint to dry.  The kids loved being able to help with some decorations and my little boy keeps telling me, "The green one and the yellow one are mine. The purple one and pink one are sissy's.  The white one is yours."  (Those are the colors each of us painted)


Hey Friends, it's Teresa and I decided to crash Trinity's post and share another fun project with you!


I'm going to show you how I made this Super Fun Door Hanger!
 {Okay that is where I hung mine because I like to mix it up from all the wreaths; but you can hang yours wherever you want. I won't come into your house and move it, I promise.}
I found my inspiration from pinterest at this blog


Materials:
  • Piece of Wood {any size & any kind}.  I actually used an old wood clock.
  • Red & White Paint
  • Crackle Paint
  • Knit Fabric {knit doesn't fray, so it works perfectly} or Ribbon
  • Glue Gun
  • Thick Ribbon to use as your Hanger
First, I painted my board Red, and let it completely dry.  I then painted the board white, and then added a layer of the Crackle Paint.
*If you know any amazing crackle tips, please share because mine barely crackled.  It did however add an awesome SHINE on the whole wood*
Next, I made my fabric rosettes. All I did was cut 1 inch wide strips into 3 or 4 varying lengths.
How do you make the Rosettes? Take your 1 inch strip and tie a knot in the end of the strip and start wrapping and hot gluing around the knot. Hot glue the whole way around until it is fully wrapped.
Now the tricky-yet fun part-draw a heart in pencil lightly on your white board.  Arrange your rosettes all around the inside of your heart and over the pencil line by an inch to hide it under the rosettes. Tuck under, over, and all around so no one can tell where you started and ended. The hardest part of this is probably gluing the rosettes down.  Figure out how to get to your bottom most heart and glue it down without messing up the rest of the hearts; and then proceed to glue the rest of the rosettes down. I found that if I glued the center really well, I could still tuck other rosettes under the edge of the one already glued.
Pretty pretty!!
Now the hanger....I took this ribbon off an old Valentine wreath I didn't want anymore; braided 3 pieces together, and then hot glued the ends to the back of the board.
Now the lettering.... You can use vinyl, but like Trinity, I wanted a hand painted look.
I printed out the saying in a font that I liked, and on the backside of the paper, I used a pencil to shade in the letters.  I then flipped it right side up, laid the paper on my board, and started tracing the letters with a pen {making sure to push really hard, giving an indent for trapping paint later}.
Then, I got to painting my letters {all while chatting w/ Emily & Whitney as they worked on their projects late into a Tuesday Night}.
Then I took some sand paper and scuffed up the sides. 

"There is no instinct like that of the heart!! "
*Yep, I missed the 2nd N in instinct... I knew it looked weird.. well I will either fix it or just read it the right way every time i look at it! *
Enjoy your new door hanger!

Wednesday, January 25, 2012

Wild Card Wednesday: Snowflake Art

This was so much fun to make and I LOVE IT!!!!!
I made mine in December and I am leaving it up for January.
I found this canvas at the DI for $2 Cute....

I have a red wall in my family room and we had some left over paint so that is what I used.
I did about 3 layers just enough so that the picture did not show through.
Let it dry all the way

I found these foam snowflakes at the dollar store I got 4 packs and had leftovers so it will depend on the size of your canvas.
Lay them out in the pattern that you want before you start to glue them down.
I used my hot glue gun and went to town.

When you have them all glued on, you will have some that are hanging off. You will want to take your scissors and cut the extra off.
Make sure all the tips of the snowflakes are glued down and you now have an AMAZING master piece.

I put mine on my fire place mantel, you could also put it on a shelf or you could hang it on the wall.

You could also do this with any design and any color for a different holiday or to have up all the time. The sky is the limit. HAVE FUN CRAFTING!


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Tuesday, January 24, 2012

Sweet Tooth Tuesday: Peanut Butter Stuffed Cupcakes

A while ago, while blog stalking, I came across this recipe and have been wanting to try it.  The dessert genius at How Sweet It Is is the one responsible for it, I just made a few changes.   The main reason I wanted to make this is because the past few treats I've made have been ones that I like, but my hubby doesn't necessarily share the same enthusiasm for.  So I decided to make a treat for him.  Can you go wrong with a guy when you put chocolate and peanut butter butter together?  Nope! (at least not with my guy =)  ) Just fair warning...this cupcake will make any attempt at dieting null and void.

1 1/4 c. flour
1/4 c. cocoa
1 1/4 tsp baking soda
3/4 c. brown sugar
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 c. milk
1/2 c. heavy cream
2 tbsp. sour cream
1/2 c. butter, melted

Frosting
1/4 c. butter
1/3 c. peanut butter
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 -2 c. powder sugar
1-2 tbsp. milk

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  In a bowl, combine sugar, milk and cream until creamy.  Add in butter and vanilla.  Add egg.  in a separate bowl, combine flour, cocoa, and baking soda.  Add to wet mixture.  Mix until no lumps left.  Line cupcake pan with liners and fill each one 2/3 full.  Bake for 15-18 minutes, or until toothpick comes out clean.

Let cupcakes cool before frosting and filling. 

To make frosting, combine butter and peanut butter until creamy.  Add vanilla.  Mix in powder sugar until it reaches the desired thickness.  Let it mix for a few minutes until creamy.  If it's too thick, add some milk, a tsp at a time, if it's too runny, add some more powder sugar.

In the top of the cupcake, cut a small hole, about the size of a dime out, remove top.  Either using a decorating bag and a tip or spoon it, fill with peanut butter frosting.  Replace top of the hole you cut and cover the cupcake with frosting.  I don't like gobs of frosting and this frosted and filled 12 cupcakes, but if you are a frosting-aholic, double the recipe.

Combine 1/2 c. chocolate chips and 1 tbsp shorting and melt.  Drizzle over the cupcakes and enjoy!  Make sure you have a tall glass of cold milk handy, you'll need it



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Mrs Happy Homemaker

One Artsy Mama