Foody Friday #4

Hello, All!  With the holidays drawing near, I wanted to take a moment to share a couple of holiday-themed recipes with you.

This first recipe comes from Better Homes & Gardens via Pinterest.  

Peppermint-Eggnog Punch

 

Ingredients 

1 quart peppermint ice cream

1 quart dairy eggnog or canned eggnog

1 cup rum (optional)

1-2 10 ounce bottles (1-1/4 to 2-1/2 cups)ginger ale, chilled

Additional peppermint ice cream (optional)

Peppermint sticks (optional)

Directions

Place ice cream in a large chilled bowl.  Stir until softened.  Gradually stir in eggnog.  If desired, stir in rum.  Transfer to a punch bowl.  Add desired amount of ginger ale to reach desired consistency.  If desired, top each serving with additional peppermint ice cream and peppermint sticks.  Makes 18 (4-ounce) servings.

 

Nutrition Facts

Servings Per Recipe: 18

Calories: 148

Protein: 3 grams

Carbohydrate: 17 grams

Fat total: 7 grams

Cholesterol: 47 grams

Saturated fat: 5 grams

Monosaturated fat: 1 gram

Sodium: 63 mg

This next recipe comes from babycenter.com's blog via Pinterest.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Candy Cane Cake Truffles

 

Ingredients

1 box devil’s food cake mix (cook as directed on box for 9x13 cake)

1 can chocolate frosting (16 oz.)
1 teaspoon peppermint extract
1 package almond bark
8 candy canes, crushed
Waxed paper

 

Directions

Bake cake according to directions on the box.  After the cake is cool, crumble into large bowl.  Mix the frosting with 1 teaspoon of peppermint extract.  Mix the cake thoroughly with about 3/4 of the frosting.  (Get your hands in there and get dirty.)  Add more frosting if you think the mixture is too dry.  When you can form it into a ball in your hands easily, you’re good.  Use a tablespoon-sized scoop and roll mixture into balls.  Place on a cookie sheet.  Chill or freeze cake balls for several hours.  They can also be placed in freezer bags and kept for later use.  Melt almond bark according to the directions on package.  Dip each ball about 3/4 way into the almond bark.  Tap off excess place on wax paper, cake side down, until firm.  Quickly sprinkle a little bit of crushed candy cane bits onto the top of the cake ball before the almond bark hardens.  Cover the truffles tightly and store where it is cool.

 

Be sure to stop by next week for some more yummy holiday ideas!

 

*hugs*

Michelle

a Midnight Rooster reveal & 2 chances to win a kit!

I can't *wait* to share some exciting news with you!  First is Midnight Rooster's November reveal.  This month's kit is called "A Random Story," and I absolutely *adore* it!

 

Below are pictures of the projects that I created with it.  I decided to dig though some old photos for these layouts.

And, how could you not make a "home sweet home" card with these little wooden houses?

I'm totally in-love with this mod flower design.  Remember it from one of last month's layouts?

Last, but not least, I upcycled an old coffee sleeve to create this gift card holder.

 

My second announcement?  Starting today, Midnight Rooster and Crate Paper are hosting a blog share!  Stop by both blogs using the links above and leave a comment for a chance to win one of two "A Random Story" kits!  How awesome is that?!  Please have your comments written and submitted by 8:00 p.m. Central Standard Time on November 28, 2011 to ensure your participation in the special giveaway.  Good luck!!  :)

Wishing you happy turkey dreams!

*hugs*

Michelle

Crafty Monday #1

Welcome to my first installment of "Crafty Monday!"  Since today is Halloween, I thought that it would only be fitting to feature some Halloween crafts.  Below are a few of my favorite Halloween-themed crafty finds from Pinterest.  Enjoy!

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Have a fun & safe Halloween!!

*hugs*

Michelle

Foody Friday #3

Welcome to the 3rd edition of Foody Friday!  It has been an incredibly busy week here - which has lead to some really bad food choices. :(  Unfortunately, quick & easy doesn't often equal healthy.  Sad, but true.  The problem is that I often don't get home from work until 6:30 or 7:30 at night; and, by the time I walk through my front door, I'm usually ready to chew my fingers off.  (Not literally, of course! ;)  Taking the time to fix a healthy, balanced meal is usually the last thing on my mind at that point.  I wracked my brain, trying to come up with a possible solution.  So, of course, I went to my favorite website for suggestions - Pinterest!  I found a pin with a very helpful tip attached: to prepackage slow cooker recipes in gallon-sized bags and store them in the freezer until needed.  How smart is that?  All you have to do is throw the contents of the "freezer meal" bag into the slow cooker before you leave for work, and it's ready for you when you come home that night.  AWESOME!!     

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Happy cooking!

*hugs*

Michelle

 

Foody Friday #2

Hello, Everyone!  Welcome to another "Foody Friday!"  I hope that you've all had a fantastic week!  (Wow, that was a lot of exclamation points! ;)

As I mentioned in one of my previous posts, I ab-so-lutely {heart} fall!  Well...usually.  I have to admit that this week has turned into the exception.  It has been so incredibly rainy this week, and I would give just about anything for just a glimpse of a blue sky!  On the flip-side, the yucky weather has gotten me thinking about warm, yummy soups and chowders.  There's just nothing like a bowl (or mug) of warm soup on a wet, gloomy day!  With that in mind, I decided to share a Weight Watcher-friendly chowder recipe that I found on Pinterest.

Corn Chowder

Points Plus+ 5 per serving

 Ingredients:

 

1 1/2 tsp. canola oil
2 large onions, chopped
1 stalk celery, chopped
1 red bell pepper, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp. ground cumin
3 1/2 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
1 Tbs. chopped fresh thyme (or 1 tsp. dried)
1 bay leaf
2 cups frozen corn kernels
1 potato, peeled and diced
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 12-ounce can nonfat evaporated milk
salt & freshly ground pepper, to taste
pinch of cayenne pepper

 Directions:
 

Heat oil in a large, heavy saucepan over low heat. Add onions and cook, stirring, for 5 minutes. Add celery, bell pepper, garlic, and cumin and cook, stirring, for 2 to 3 more minutes. Add broth, thyme, and bay leaf and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer, uncovered, for 10 minutes.

Add corn and potatoes, return to a simmer, and cook until all the vegetables are tender, for 5 to 10 minutes. Place cornstarch in a small bowl and slowly add the evaporated milk, stirring until smooth. Stir the cornstarch mixture into the soup and return to a simmer. Cook, stirring, until thickened, about 2 minutes. Discard the bay leaf. Season with salt, pepper, and cayenne.

Makes 6 Servings (1 cup per serving)

Nutritional info per serving:  200 calories; 2 g fat; 5 mg cholesterol; 38 g carbs; 10 g protein;
4 g fiber; 208 mg sodium

 

Happy cooking!

*hugs*

Michelle

Welcome to my first Foody Friday!

TGIF and welcome to my first Foody Friday!  I absolutely {heart} everything about fall - especially all things pumpkin!  So, to celebrate this wonderful season, I wanted share one of the pumpkin recipes that I found on Pinterest.

Pumpkin Pie White Hot Chocolate

(makes 4 servings)

Ingredients:
3 cups whole milk
1 cup canned pumpkin puree
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ginger
1/8 teaspoon cloves
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon vanilla
4 ounces white chocolate (roughly chopped)
pinch of salt

Directions:
1. Heat the milk, pumpkin puree, and spices in a sauce pan until the mixture starts to simmer, then remove it from the heat.
2. Add the chocolate, then stir until it has melted.
3. Pour the hot chocolate mixture into mugs.  Top with whipped cream and garnish with cinnamon.


Have a great weekend!

*hugs*
Michelle

Midnight Rooster October reveal

Hello again!  It's time for the newest Midnight Rooster monthly reveal.  I absolutely {heart} this kit!  Here is a picture of October's kit, Cuckoo's Nest.

  And, here are the projects that I created using it.

Be sure to stay tuned for a "foody" post on Friday - compliments of Pinterest!

*hugs*

Michelle

Midnight Rooster sneak peek

Happy Monday, All!  It's almost time for another Midnight Rooster reveal.  So, in anticipation of that, I wanted to share a couple of sneak peeks at my October projects.  (I'll be making another post tomorrow night with a full project reveal.)

There are all kinds of goodies in this kit!  I can't wait to show it to you tomorrow!!  :)

Have a great night!

*hugs*

Michelle

weekend merriment, a great kit, and some new projects

Happy Monday, All!  I hope that each of you had a fun and relaxing weekend and had the opportunity to spend some of it with the special people in your life.  I was lucky enough to be able to spend mine scrapbooking with some of my favorite people.  I honestly can't remember the last time that I laughed so hard!  ("Snickerdoodle!")  Here we are posing for a quick picture before leaving the Essenhaus Inn on Sunday.

"Thank you!" Allison, Heidi, Tobi, Marcia, and Jennifer for a rip-roaringly awesome weekend!!

 

Without further ado, here is Midnight Rooster's September kit, Friday Night Lights.

And, here are some of the projects that I created using this incredible kit!

Hope you have a creative week!

*hugs*

Michelle

Midnight Rooster August project reveal - part 2

Happy Monday, All!  I hope that each of you had a great weekend with your families.  I traveled back to my hometown for our annual Meehan family reunion.  It was so good to see everyone, but it never seems like it's quite long enough!

I wanted to share two more of my August projects for Midnight Rooster.  For this first project, I purchased the wooden letter from the dollar section at Target and sanded the edges to give it a distressed look.  Then I took a strip of the fabric and wrapped it around the letter.  I covered one of the Maya Road butterflies with the Echo Park paper and inked the edges, pushed the pin through the middle, then adhered two of the flowers to make the butterfly's body.  To add a little more dimension, I lightly inked the flowers, too.    

For this card, I covered one of the Maya Road butterflies with the Studio Calico paper and inked the edges.  Then I took the Studio Calico Fabrips, tore a strip, inked the edges, and then twisted it, making a rosette.  I cut strips of the My Mind's Eye and Crate papers and inked the edges.  I cut strips of the kraft cardstock, used a border punch to scallop the edges and then inked them. 

 

Hope you have a great week!

*hugs*

Michelle

Midnight Rooster August project reveal - part 1

As promised, here are pictures of the mini album that I created using this month's kit, Summer Shandy. 

The handmade flowers, butterflies, and pins are amazing!  And, I love the wooden alphabet by Studio Calico.  The letters are so versatile.  I chose to ink and sand mine, but they are just as lovely "as is." Click here to see how fellow designer, Emily Spahn, altered hers.  How will you use yours?

Happy scrapping!

*hugs*

Michelle