Foodie Friday: Skillet Seared Honey Mustard Pork Chops

This yummy sounding recipe is courtesy of Jennifer at colangelopr.com. Thanks Jennifer for sharing this recipe with us!

After a long day at the office, the last thing you want to do is slave over the stove! Instead of spending your entire night cooking, why not whip up a quick hearty meal?  Golden Blossom Honey (goldenblossomhoney.com), the iconic fourth generation 100% American honey, has a flavorful and easy recipe for any night! This Skillet Seared Honey Mustard Pork Chops recipe is sure to warm up any winter night.  These deliciously tangy pork chops are the perfect robust meal for the family. 

Skillet Seared Honey Mustard Pork Chops

3 tablespoons GOLDEN BLOSSOM HONEY
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon dry mustard
4 (1-inch thick) boneless pork chops
1 tablespoon olive oil

Directions

Preheat oven to 450°.

Combine honey, vinegar and mustard in a small bowl. Dip pork chops into marinade to coat. Place on a plate and let sit at room temperature for 15 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

Heat oil in an ovenproof skillet over a high heat. Once hot (not smoking), add chops and sear for 2 minutes or until chops are well browned on the bottom. Turn meat over and place skillet in oven for about 10 minutes, until chops are no longer pink inside.  Serves: 4.

Wild Card Wednesday: Cook with Your Kids by Guest Blogger Katie

Hey readers! We've got another special guest post for you! Katie is giving us some tips when it comes to cooking with the kiddos. Her bio information is at the end of the post. Thanks Katie from all of us Talented Terrace Girls for your contribution and for the great tips!

Cook with Your Kids

On busy evenings when you’re trying to get dinner on the table quickly, it’s often easiest to plop the kids in front of the TV while you whip up a quick meal.  Having kids underfoot in the kitchen might sound like a disaster waiting to happen, but getting kids into the kitchen can actually be a big help to busy moms—not to mention, it’s the perfect opportunity to spend time together!

Cooking with your kids is fun, productive and a great way to teach your kids basic skills. Use the following tips to get started:

·         Involve them in the entire process

Most kids prefer stirring and pouring to setting the table or doing the dishes, but when you cook with them it’s important to have them participate in all aspects of the meal from start to finish. Having them fold napkins and help with the dishes will help instill good cleaning habits at an early age.

·         Keep meals simple

Don’t expect kids to have the skills or patience to pull off a four course meal. When you’re first starting off, stick to basic dishes that have lots of easy steps that kids will be able to help out with. Making your own pizza is a great kid-friendly meal option, as are quesadillas, tacos and simple casseroles; they all have lots of basic components that can easily be thrown together.

·         Use kid-friendly tools

Now isn’t the time to bring out your fragile china or extremely heavy pans that could potentially crush little fingers. Aluminum pans are good options for when you’re cooking with kids because they are lighter and easier to carry than metal pans. Also, consider serving your meal on disposable plates to minimize the chances of anything breaking on the way to the dinner table.

·         Take advantage of learning opportunities

Not only does cooking with your child provide you the opportunity to teach them kitchen skills like chopping, stirring, pouring and measuring, but it can also assist kids with their reading and math skills. Practice fractions when you’re dealing with measuring cups, or if you’re doubling a recipe, have them do the multiplication themselves. For younger kids, have them read each step of the recipe out loud to improve their reading skills.

·         Clean as you go

Kids are notoriously messy creatures, so make sure you’re prepared to deal with a possible kitchen mess after you cook! To keep your kitchen looking somewhat clean, keep wet paper towels handy for possible spills and a supply of trash bags next to the counter to throw out scraps as they accumulate.

Cooking with your kids can be easy and fun – just keep it simple and be ready to deal with a few messes! The more you cook together, the better everyone will get, and the more you’ll enjoy this new family activity.

Author Bio: This is a guest post by Katie F. on behalf of Hefty®. For products to help you out in the kitchen, along with suggestions for other age-appropriate chores and activities for kids, visit www.hefty.com.

Wild Card Wednesday: Guest Post by Bridget Sandorford

Hey all our readers! We have got a special treat for you today! Today we have a guest post by Bridget Sandorford who's bio information is at the very end of this post. Some of these ideas are pure genius and I'm sure any kid would love to have any of these toys/beds! Thanks Bridget for contributing!  

Best Ikea Hacks for a Kids’ Space

Ikea furniture is a great choice for a kid’s room. Not only is it inexpensive, but it is also infinitely customizable. With a little bit of paint, some fabric, and some creativity, you can create pieces that are beautiful, interesting, and uniquely yours.

Ikea hacks – as customized Ikea furniture is known – are also great for creating kids’ play items, such as play kitchens, train tables, and puppet stages. A look through Pinterest or a search on Google will turn up hundreds of innovative ideas that will fit any budget. Here are some of our favorite picks for the best Ikea hacks for a kids’ space:

Kitchen from a Sideboard (http://krighanna.blogg.se/2013/january/mera-vimplar.html)

A little paint and a few modifications turned this sideboard into a fun and modern play kitchen.

Nightstand Play Kitchen (http://www.smallfriendly.com/small-friendly/2012/01/diy-modern-play-kitchen.html)

Two Ikea nightstands were converted into this play kitchen with a sink, stove, and backsplash. This conversion required a little more muscle work, with a hole cut for the sink, a new door made for the stove, and a lot of painted details.

Bookcase into a Train Table (http://www.ikeahackers.net/2010/11/dreaded-kids-train-table-with-new-twist.html)

This bookcase was turned on its side and put on casters to become the perfect train table with under table storage.

Tractor Bed (http://www.ikeahackers.net/2013/04/tractor-bed.html)

This bunk bed was converted into a cool tractor bed with a few modifications to the height, the addition of the wheels and other elements, and a coat of new paint.

Firetruck Bed (http://www.ikeahackers.net/2013/03/kura-firetruck-bed.html)

This makeover turns a boring toddler bed into a fire truck. With a little extra elbow grease, the bed has even been transformed to include working headlights!

Your Feedback

What are some of the best Ikea hacks you’ve seen? Do you have any that you’ve tried yourself? Share links to your favorites or tell us about your own projects in the comments!

Author Bio:

Bridget Sandorford is a freelance blog and culinary writer, where recently she's been researching top chef schools. In her spare time, she enjoys biking, painting and working on her first cookbook.

Guest Post: Apricot Chicken

Hey all our readers! Today we've got a special guest post for you from Meredith who is part of  ReadySetEat. We are excited to have her contribute to our blog and hope you are all excited as well!

Easy Spring Recipe: Apricot Chicken

Now that spring is officially here, you can finally put away those soup, stew and casserole recipes and start cooking for the warmer weather! The beginning of spring is when many people steer away from thick and hearty stick-to-your-ribs dinners and start playing with fresher, lighter flavors instead.

One of the best ways to give your home-cooked meals a fresh spring update is to choose recipes that make fruits and vegetables the stars of your meal. This is not to say that you should be cooking salads for every meal; nobody can survive on lettuce alone! Plus, when you’re cooking for kids, salads don’t always make the most appealing dinner options.

Lucky for families everywhere, there are plenty of springtime dinner ideas out there that are a little more interesting than salads but just as healthy! Instead of serving your family just fruits and veggies for every meal, try working fruit and vegetables into staple dinner ingredients like pasta, chicken breasts or ground beef. Pasta with pesto and veggies makes for a much lighter, more spring-appropriate meal than does pasta with cream or cheese sauce; likewise, tacos with fresh salsa and lettuce go much better with warm weather than a shepherd’s pie! Working fruit and vegetable flavors into protein-filled, satisfying meals is the perfect way to lighten up your cooking while still eating deliciously.

This yummy apricot chicken is one of those easy chicken recipes that you’ll want to make over and over again. Not only is it incredibly easy (it’s ready in just 30 minutes!), but the sweet apricot flavor is perfect for spring. And because the sauce is made with light ingredients like chicken broth, preserves and just a little bit of cornstarch, this dish feels much less heavy than the cream-based casseroles or other chicken dishes that are so popular in cooler weather. Try it out for dinner tonight and enjoy!

Apricot Chicken

Total Time: 30 min

Serves: 4

·         2 tablespoons Pure Wesson® Canola Oil

·         4 boneless skinless chicken breasts (4 breasts = 1 lb)

·         1 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning

·         1-1/3 cups reduced sodium chicken broth

·         1/2 cup apricot preserves

·         1 tablespoon cornstarch

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Sprinkle chicken with Italian seasoning. Add to skillet and cook 12-15 minutes or until no longer pink in the centers (a meat thermometer should read 165°F), turning once.

Stir together all remaining ingredients in a small bowl until well blended. Gradually add to chicken in skillet. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes or until the sauce is thickened, stirring constantly.

Tip: Make your own dried Italian seasoning with ½ teaspoon dried oregano, ¼ teaspoon dried basil and ¼ teaspoon dried thyme.

Author Bio: This is a guest post by Meredith K. on behalf of ReadySetEat. For more easy recipes for dinner that are perfect for spring, visit www.readyseteat.com.

You can find this awesome post linked up to the following Fantastic Parties:

Wild Card Wednesday: Guest Blogger: Every Creative Endeavor

Hey Ya'll!  This is Trinity.  I am super excited about our Guest blogger this month!  I met her when we were both down at Snow College (Go Badgers!).  We were SBO's so we got to spend a lot time together.......and much of that time was late at night, in the student body offices, when we were supposed to be doing homework but more often than not involved snood, credit cards, and kazaa =)  Even back in college she was super crafty and creative.  She is one of the cutest girls I know.  No matter what life heals her, she always keeps positive and keeps a smile on her face.  I am super happy that she said she would do a post for us. (if you want to see a fantastic house remodel, check it out on her blog and you will be amazed!)



Hey Everyone! My name is Amanda and I the creator and author of
Every Creative Endeavor - A Blog for DIY Inspiration for Home and All Things Creative!
When I am not busy being a mom and a wife - I blog!
I started my blog a couple years ago to share some of the ideas that I had made and as a creative outlet for myself. I love being creative and making items for my home, family and friends. My husband and I work together as a team as we update and remodel our home and I share tutorials about that as well. I love to plan parties and get everything ready for them -and I love to share fun little tips that make being a wife and mom and sister and friend and neighbor a little easier! 
Valentine's Day is just around the corner so I wanted to share a fun little
 Valentine's Day project with you -

I have seen etching all over the place - but have never done it.

To be honest - for some reason - it sorta scared me a little bit -

How do you etch glass??

Weird, right? Because etching this was SO EASY!!

Like - really super duper easy - 

First - you need to grab your supplies -

You will need:

champagne flutes

Etching cream
vinyl
and a paint brush

I bought my champagne flutes at Ikea - they were $5 for 6! That works great for me because we hardly ever use them and when we do my 2 year old likes to be in on the action too!

I used my silhouette and cut out the vinyl - if you don't have a vinyl cutter you can use an exacto knife or a die cut machine to cut out your shape. 

Peel the vinyl carefully off it's backing and stick it onto your flute.

Now we start the etching process - 

Simply brush on a think layer of the etching cream - lightly brushing it on.

Wait for about 5 minutes...

... then wash it off. Peel off your vinyl and your done!

See! I told you it was easy!! 

This project only took me about 10 minutes tops - 

Quick and easy - but so cute!!

Mine say Husband and Wife - perfect for Valentine's Day -

but you can make your's say whatever you want.

His & Hers

Your names
Nicknames

What will your Glass Valentine Day Flutes say? 

Thanks so much for having me today!

I would love if you stopped by and said hello -
Some of my other projects include:

Valentine Subway Art * Sweetheart Banner * Feather Boa Wreath

I hope you guys have a great week!!

Wild Card Wednesday : Excited to have our Guest Blogger

I (Whitney) am so excited that I got to get our guest blogger.

This is my CUTE CUTE friend Whitney, yes it is a very cool name!

Whitney and I meet in high school through my cousin/her friend. Thanks Bre for sharing and now I can't wait for all of you to meet her. She is amazing!

Thanks Whit for sharing your amazing secrets with us.

Hi, Talented Terrace Girls Readers, My name is Whitney Ulrich and

I am the momma behind the blog
A Mommy's life...with a touch of YELLOW
I feel so honored and am so excited to be guest posting today
I love this blog
You girls have everything from recipes, tutorials and crafty ideas
so thank you for letting me participate

Lets get to know each other a little better shall we...

I am a mommy to this crazy little 18 month old adorable little man

and a wife to the love of my life

I live in Salt Lake City, Utah
I change my hair probably more than anyone you know
and get asked if I do hair all the time
(I guess just cuz it is always different...maybe I should)
I have my bachelors in Physical Education and Health Education
and will one day be out there teaching your teenagers
For now I love to keep myself busy with PROJECTS of all sorts
while the hubby is at law school and the babe in napping
everything I do is on a tight budget and when it is cheap but amazing, it is even more exciting

Over at my blog you will find DIY projects, knock offs, Holiday, redoing, chic n' fresh tips,
a little about health, fitness, pinterest loves, recipes, a little about my family,
learning new things and this is all rolled up in my mommy adventures

Now on with the fun tutorial

I love my earwarmers and I wanted more

Mine is knit so I decided to make some

out of Fleece after seeing these adorable ones over

at Delia Creates she is totally my inspiration

for these

I decided to make my own

and share not only the tutorial with you but

the patterns that you can print off

from your computer

cut out and use for yourself

For FREE

I haven't seen any other patterns floating around yet

so I am excited to share these with you.

Once you have the measurements and

patterns everything else is easy peasy

so save them, print them cut them and get to work

What you will need:

-patterns provided by A mommy's life...with a touch of YELLOW

-1/8 yard of Fleece (1/4 does about 3)

so if you want to make them as gifts get more fleece
-pins

-1 button

-fabric scissors

-Needle

-Thread to match fleece color

-sewing machine

-glue gun and glue

There are four patterns above
The first two are for adults and teens
and the last two are for children

You are going to want to save and print the size you want

cut them out and tape the two ends together

use this as your main part of the earwarmer

trace it onto your fleece or pin it and

cut it out

You get to skip this step
Cuz I did it for you but I just wanted to show you how I got the pattern

I took a standard adult size earwarmer

and traced it

I really like the shape of this one

It fits my head perfectly and is flattering

Here is what I did:

1. Print all the patterns

2. Cut the patterns

3. Next you are going to pick out your fleece color

pin your pattern to it

and cut it out with your fabric scissors

And it will look like this

4. Then you are going to want to pin your fabric on each side

you will want about a 1/4 inch seam allowance

5. Then sew with color coordinated thread
Don't forget to back stitch :)
You don't have to sew it
fleece does not fray but if you want more of a clean finished look
sewing is the way to go
It looks a little more professional and less handmade

BTW while we are talking about sewing

I am not a pro or anything

in fact I am just starting out

My only training is 7th grade TLC sewing class

so I am currently practicing and teaching myself with

the help of my mom and mother in law

(they answer all my questions as I go)

I also learn a lot from trial and error

but its fun

and I hope I get really good

Anyway for my birthday back in October

My adorable, sweet awesome hunky hubby

got me this machine for my birthday

and I am in love

I love it

and totally recommend it to anyone

Back to the earwarmers
This is what your fleece will look like after the cutting, pinning and sewing

6. Next is cutting the button hole

because it is fleece

you don't have to actually sew a fancy button hole

cuz it won't fray or rip

I just took my exacto knife and cut a slit about 3/4 an inch from the edge

and you want the slit to be about a 1/2 inch long

But to make sure it is in the right spot for your sized head

wrap it around your head to how tight or loose you want it to fit

and make a dot with a marker where the button and hole need to go

on each end

7. on the other end you will want to sew the button on

about a 1/4 inch in from the edge

again make sure to measure it to fit your head

Now you have your basic earwarmer complete

Easy Peasy right

8. Lastly you are going to want to embellish it

with whatever your cute little heart desires

I am going to give you a couple patterns

for some of the ideas I like

Circle Flower, double flower, big bow,
and star flowers

CIRCLE FLOWER

I decided it would be fun to do every other circle

burlap and red fleece

so I did all the odd burlap

and the even red fleece

1. cut out the pattern, trace it onto your fabric and cut them

Next to give it a worn look

I used a lighter and burned the edges

on the burlap it gave it the dark edges

and on the fleece it curled it up

2. then you are going to layer them big circle to small circle

put a cute button in the middle

and hand stitch it all together

3. Then to find the right place to put it
I wrapped the earwarmer on my head
and found where I wanted the flower to lay
held it there
made a mark where I wanted it to go
and then hand stitched it onto the fleece
through the button holes
and viola

Isn't it cute!
I love it
and I picked these colors for Christmas
but you can do any colors
and Since it is a more unique green
it doesn't have to be just for Christmas
but can be worn all winter season

BIG BOW

Next I wanted to share with you the easy big bow pattern

1. again print, cut, pin to your fabric and cut again

I did the bow in a cotton patterned fabric and the middle in fleece

I also made a couple other bows with just fleece it works

the same no matter the fabric you choose

to embellish with

2. You are going to take your first strip
take one end and fold it to the middle

secure it in place with a dot of hot glue

3. then fold the other edge over gluing it together

making the seam in the back

4. do the same thing with the smaller strip

5. Then layer them on top of each other with the smallest one on top

6. then you are going to fold them like so

This is what is going to give it the bow look

7. lastly take your fleece smallest strip and place it in the middle

and glue it so it is snug around the fabric

making it look like a bow

And here is what it will look like when you are done

cute right?!

You will do the same exact steps with the all fleece bows

again super easy

I am all about easy

just remember to slow down a little when it comes to the gluing

Why is it I always have to burn myself with every project haha

Red with striped cotton bow

Yellow and fleece bow

Grey and fleece bow

Isn't the bow so stinkin cute on

I think it is my fav

especially the grey because it goes with everything

I was a little nervous of how my earwarmers would look with my

super short hair but I think I like it

and I feel like with short hair you really do need the extra warmth

from the fleece earwarmers cuz there is no hair to cover them anymore

here is a side view with the short hair

so all you short haired sisters out there

you can pull these off too

and your ears will love you

2 LAYERED FLOWERS &
STAR FLOWERS

The three flowers on top are for the 2 layered flowered earwarmer
and the star flower on the bottom is for the star all over earwarmer

For the 2 layered flowers

1. Print, cut, trace and cut again

2. For the large flower you are going to cut out 2 big flowers

and 2 medium flowers

then layer them and hand stitch them together

3. for the small flower you are going to cut 2 more medium flowers

and 2 small flowers

layer them and hand stitch them together

4. Then remember to put the earwarmer around your head to

see where you want to place the flowers

hold them there, mark it, then stitch them to the main fleece piece

For the star flowers

1. cut, trace and cut again

(I cut 15)

2. Place them where you want them

(you can use my picture as a guide)

3. pin them in place

4. hand stitch each star on

(I used a fun yellow thread to make it pop)

Here is what the back looked like with all the stitching

and knotting

And here is what the looks like all done
This is one of my favorites on

I also did another super easy idea
1. take a strap piece of fleece in any color you would like
(You want it to be long and skinny)
2. tie a knot at the end
3. and use the twist, fold and glue technique I used here
to complete your flower
4. then take it in place with some thread underneath the folds so you don't see it
Cute and simple

Here are all of the ones I have made so far
These are really addicting
One you make your first one
You will be able to whip these babies out like crazy
and super fast too
Plus you have the patterns so
it will take you no time
They are fun, easy and fast to make
Plus you will be so excited to wear them and show them off

Remember you can totally make these
and the holidays are coming up
so these would make awesome and unique gifts
seriously your mom, sisters, friends, or daughters would love these
Plus they are super de duperty cheap to make

If you have any questions never hesitate to email or comment

I hope I have given you the tools and confidence

to be able to make these fun earwarmers

Mix up the color, the embellishments and just have fun with it

It really is so much fun and you will love them when you are done

Make sure to check out my blog for more of what I do

You can also follow me on facebook, Twitter and Pinterest

Lets be friends :)

Thank you so much girls for this opportunity!