Moms Crafty Blog

January 2012 Meal Plan with links

2012-01-03T14:59:00.000-08:00

I hope everyone had a wondeful Christmas and I would like to wish you all a Happy and Prosperous New Year.. come on 2012 I'm ready for a new beginning.... what a Year 2011 was!!!!!

January 2012 Meal Plan-
1st- Free Day
2nd- Subway Sandwiches (January Specials)
3rd- Sausage Wraps with Mac-n-Cheese
4th- Pulled Pork Sandwiches (Crockpot Meal)
5th- Chicken Taco Chili (Crcokpot Meal)
6th- Leftovers
7th- Mexican Chicken Lime Soup
8th- Pioneer Woman's Spicy Cajun Chicken Pasta
9th- Tatertot Casserole
10th- Angel Chicken (Crockpot Meal)
11th- Mexican Tinga Tostadas
12th- Mackenzie's 12th Birthday her choice
13th- Hot & Spicy Thai Chicken (Crockpot Meal)
14th- Breakfast for Dinner
15th- Mexican Stuffed Bell Peppers
16th- Chicken Enchilada Soup (Crockpot Meal)
17th- Taco Night
18th- Green Chile Burros (Crockpot Meal)
19th- Hot bacon Spinach Salad
20th- Penne Pasta w/ Sun-Dried Tomato Cream Sauce
21st- Crunchy Garlic Chicken w/ mashed potatoes and 7-up biscuits
22nd- Quesadillas with Homemade Tortillas
23rd- Jalapeno Chicken Breast (Crockpot Meal)
24th- Homemade Pizza Rolls
25th- Leftovers
26th- Santa Fe Chicken (Crockpot Meal)
27th- Baked Lump Crab Cakes w/Red Pepper Chipotle Lime Sauce
28th- Beef and Bean Burritos
29th- Leftovers
30th- Dr. Pepper Ribs (Crockpot Meal)
31st- Chicken Cassoulet- Style Soup (Crockpot Meal)

I hope you enjoy this months meal.

-Kristina

Crockpot Ravioli Casserole

2011-12-06T13:01:00.000-08:00

Here is yet another wonderful crockpot meal. Enjoy

Crockpot Ravioli Casserole

1 1/2 lbs. lean ground beef
1 onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 (15 oz.) can tomato sauce
1 can stewed tomatoes
1 tsp. oregano
1 tsp. Italian seasoning
salt/pepper
10 oz. frozen spinach, thawed (I used fresh spinach)
16 oz. bowtie pasta, cooked
1/2 cup parmesan cheese, shredded
1 1/2 cup mozzarella, shredded

*Brown ground beef with onion and garlic. Put in crock-pot and add sauce, tomatoes and seasonings. Cook for 6-7 hours on low. Add the last 4 ingredients during the last 30 minutes of cooking and turn crock-pot to high. I added the fresh spinach, pasta, parmesan and 1 cup of the mozzarella and I mixed it all up really well. Then I added the last 1/2 cup of mozzarella to melt on the top

-Kristina

December Meal

2011-12-02T13:10:00.000-08:00

Can you believe it's already December?? I sure can’t….. Wow how this year has flown by, but I must say I’m ready for it to be over so we can start with a new beginning. This year had been rough for me and my family. I feel that 2012 is going to be a good year for us, I see new and exciting things happening… Let’s just hope it happens. Here is this month's meals hope you and your family enjoy!

1-Free Night
2-Free Night
3-Free Night
4-Sausage and Pepperoni Pizza Puffs
5-Crockpot Meal Ravioli Casserole
6-Sub Sandwiches
7- Hot Bacon spinach Salad
8-Pioneer Woman's Beef Fajita Nachos
9-Creamy Chicken and Rice Casserole
10-Stuffed Hamburgers and FF
11-Free Night
12-Crockpot Meal Saucy Chipotle BBQ Pork stuffed baked Potatoes
13-Chicken Enchilada Puffs
14-Biscuits and Gravy
15- Chicken Salad Sandwiches
16-Pioneer Woman's Spicy Cajun Chicken Pasta
17- Spicy Chicken Tortilla Rolls
18-Crockpot Meal Classic Chicken Soup
19-Taco's
20-Stuffed Bell Peppers
21-Crockpot Meal Bow Tie Pasta
22-Oven Baked Chicken w/Sweet Potatoes and 7up bread
23-Free Night
24-Grilled Steak Roll up's
25-Christmas Breakfast
26-Baked Chili Dogs
27-Sweet Chicken Wraps
28- Taco soup
29-Ham and Cheese sliders
30-Little BBQ sausages with Baked Beans
31- Chicken Chimichangas

-Kristina

Peanut Butter Sheet Cake

2011-11-23T12:07:00.000-08:00

I found this OMG so dang good cake recipe over at http://www.the-girl-who-ate-everything.com/. This is now my husbands favorite cake, he is always asking me to make it. You have to try this recipe, you are going to love it.

Peanut Butter Sheet Cake

found at www.the-girl-who-ate-everything.com

Mix in pan and bring to a boil:

1/4 cup creamy peanut butter

1 cup water

1/2 cup butter

Sift the following and add to the above mixture:
1 cup sugar

1 cup brown sugar

2 cups flour
1 tsp salt

1 tsp soda

Mix and add to the above mixture:
2 eggs
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 tsp vanilla

Stir well and pour into greased or parchment lined cookie sheet pan (jellyroll pan). Bake for 15 minutes at 375 degrees.

Frosting
Mix in pan and bring to a boil:
3/4 cup butter
6 Tbsp buttermilk
1/2 cup peanut butter
Take off stove and add:
3 1/2 cups powdered sugar and 1 Tbsp vanilla. Pour over warm cake.

- Happy Thanksgiving
Kristina

I'm sharing this recipe over at
http://www.remodelaholic.com/

Taco Soup- Crockpot style

2011-11-18T07:20:00.000-08:00

Yummy! This is one of my family's favorite meals. Per my Memaw the secret to this recipe is the ranch dressing mix, without it it's just not the same. My grandmother also likes to use hominy instead of corn, however my family doesn't care to much for the hominy so I make mine with corn instead.

Taco Soup- Crockpot Style

Ingredients

1 pound ground beef
1 onion, chopped
1 (16 ounce) can chili beans, with liquid
1 (15 ounce) can kidney beans with liquid
1 (15 ounce) can whole kernel corn, with liquid
1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
2 cups water
2 (14.5 ounce) cans peeled and diced tomatoes
1 (4 ounce) can diced green chile peppers
1 (1.25 ounce) package taco seasoning mix
1 (1-ounce) package buttermilk ranch salad dressing mix

Directions

In a medium skillet, cook the ground beef until browned over medium heat. Drain, and set aside.
Place the ground beef, onion, chili beans, kidney beans, corn, tomato sauce, water, diced tomatoes, green chile peppers, taco seasoning mix and ranch salad dressing mix in a slow cooker. Mix to blend, and cook on Low setting for 8 hours.
Serve with shredded cheese and sour cream.

Hope you enjoy

-Kristina

This delicious recipe is being shared over at:

http://www.alittlenosh.net/

Sweet Chicken Bacon Wraps

2011-11-14T14:32:00.000-08:00

I love me some Paula Deen. She has the pretties’ eyes I’ve ever seen and she can cook. I really like her recipes because for the most part they are simple and they do not call for off the wall ingredients that you will most likely never use again. This recipe was a big hit at my home. Hope your family enjoys it too.

Sweet Chicken Bacon Wraps

(found at Paula Deen)

Makes 12-15 wraps

4 boneless, skinless, chicken breasts
1 (1-pound) package sliced bacon
2/3 cup firmly packed brown sugar
2 tablespoons chili powder

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

2. Cut chicken breasts into 1-inch cubes. Cut each bacon slice into thirds. Wrap each chicken cube with bacon and secure with a wooden pick. Stir together brown sugar and chili powder. Dredge wrapped chicken in mixture. Coat a rack and broiler pan with nonstick cooking spray. Place chicken wrap on rack in broiler pan. Bake 350 for 30 to 35 minutes or until bacon is crisp.

-Kristina

What are you Thankful for ????

2011-11-11T08:30:00.000-08:00

Thanksgiving is a time of reflection and giving thanks for those things we hold dear. How often do you pause to appreciate what you have in life? Sometimes it’s easy to feel bad because you’re going through a tough time in life. However, remember no matter how bad your situation may seem, there are things to be grateful for in life. Unfortunately, we often look at what we don’t have instead of what we have, and we end up complaining instead of being grateful. Sometimes when we're stressed, it helps to count your blessings. Focusing on the positives in our lives, thinking of what you love can bring a smile to your face and make stress less...stressful. Life’s journey can be difficult and trying at times, but it’s important to stop and remember the things that have gone “right” in your life.

With Thanksgiving just around the corner, I would like to take a moment to put into words what I’m truly grateful for. I would love to hear what you are grateful for as well.

As for me, I am most grateful for my grandparents especially my Memaw. My Memaw is an amazing woman; she is my best friend and has made me the woman that I am today. At the age of 50 years old, she had to start all over with being a mother again. After raising 6 kids of her own, and now enjoying retirement she was faced with having to raise 3 of her grandkids ages 8, 3 and 12 months old after losing her daughter (my mother) in a horrible car accident. Without giving it a second thought she took us in under her wing and loved us just as much as she loved her own kids. There is no way I could ever put into words just what she means to me only the good lord knows. I love you Memaw and thank you for loving me and caring for me, I will be forever grateful for you.

I also thank God for my 3 healthy beautiful kids. Mackenzie, you truly are a beautiful girl that has a lot of love to give, you have a heart of gold and a beautiful voice just as my mother did I know she’s looking down from heaven smiling every time you sing. Chase, you crack me up you are always making everyone laugh around you. You are a silly little boy that loves everyone and when dads not home you are the little man of the house always taking care of mom, sister and brother. Austin, my little love bug you have a beautiful smile that everyone loves. You have never met a stranger; you would talk to a fence post if it would talk back to you. People fall in love with you because you have a BIG loving heart.

Thank you God for my husband of almost 11 years, he is a wonderful husband, father and friend, even though we have had many challenges and obstacles in our marriage this year. You have never given up on our marriage and have done your best to hang in there and work things out. It’s easy to give up, it takes a true man to hang in there and keep his family together. May 2012 bring us a new beginning.

Dear lord Thank you a million for my Aunt Pam and Uncle Fred, for loving my kids as if they were their own grandkids. My kids look up to you two and will for the rest of their lives, you have 3 kids that love you both more than words can ever explain. I know Tina is looks down from Heaven and is so proud to see what kind of “grandparents” you two are to my kids.

I thank God for my family and sending me wonderful people who believe in me. I also thank God for food, clothing, warm shelter, a car and a good job.

I realized the world is so beautiful, and we’re lucky to live in such an amazing world.

May God bless you and your family this Holiday Season!

-Kristina

Were having WAFFLESSSS..

2011-11-04T09:47:00.000-07:00

At our house we LOVE the movie Shrek. Our favorite Character is the donkey he cracks us up. We love the scene where he says to Shrek " And in the morning I'm making Waffles". The way he says it, is so funny.

So tonight were making Wafflesss :) ... I love having breakfast for dinner every once in a while it's a nice change. I just recently bought a waffle maker and I've been making waffles like crazy.. Did you know you can make a bunch, put them in freezer bags and freeze them?? I just discovered that and it’s so much cheaper than buying the frozen ones at the store. So on mornings where we are running a little late my kids grab them out of the freezer pop them in the microwave for 45 seconds and there done and everyone’s Happy J

This is by far my favorite recipe for Homemade Buttermilk Waffles.

Homemade Buttermilk Waffles

(found at bakinglikebetty.blogspot.com)

2 C flour

1 T sugar

1 tsp salt

1 tsp baking soda

2 tsp baking powder

Whisk these dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl.

3 1/2 C buttermilk

1/4 C oil

2 egg yolks

Mix these wet ingredients in a separate large mixing bowl.

2 egg whites

Using an electric hand mixer, beat these till foamy like whip cream. Don't over do it or you will stiffen them and it won't work. Mix the dry and wet ingredients together, then fold in the egg whites. Use as pancake or waffle mix.

I am Blessed to have such a wondeful and loving family. I love you guys!!

-Kristina

This recipe is being shared over at:
http://thischickcooks.blogspot.com/2011/11/these-chicks-cooked-link-party_09.html
http://www.alittlenosh.net/search/label/Tastetastic%20Thursday

Lime Chicken Tacos- CROCKPOT MEAL

2011-11-04T09:28:00.000-07:00

This meal has turned out to be one of my families favs. They love the flavor of the chicken and they never get tired of it. I made a few modifications to the original recipe that I found over at chef-n-training, she had you add the frozen corn and salsa later but since I need supper to be ready when I got off work I added everything at once and it seemed to turn out fine :) This is a must try.

LIME CHICKEN TACOS

(CROCKPOT MEAL)
(found at chef-n-training.blogspot.com)

· 1-1/2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts

· 3 Tbsp lime juice

· 1 Tbsp chili powder

· 1 cup frozen corn

· 1 cup chunky salsa

· 12 flour tortillas (6 inches), I like to add a little butter to a pan and slightly toast them on each side.. Yummy

· sour cream, shredded cheddar cheese and shredded lettuce, optional

Place the chicken in a slow cooker. Combine all ingredients above except flour tortillas ( of course :) ); pour over chicken. Cover and cook on low for 5-6 hours or until chicken is done and tender.

No need to remove chicken, take two forks and shred the chicken right in the crockpot. Serve in tortillas with sour cream, cheese and lettuce if desired.

- Enjoy

-Kristina

Beef Stroganoff- CROCKPOT MEAL

2011-11-02T14:13:00.000-07:00

If you can't tell I am all about my Crockpot, I love it. I just recently purchased one that has 4 different settings (4 hrs/6hrs/8hrs/10hrs). I found mine at Target and it was only like 35.00. My husband and I are away from our house for about 13 hours a day and in my old crockpot I would burn everything. I'm glad to say I havn't runied a dinner yet in the new one!! I love coming home and supper is already cooked, it's GREAT o and the house smells wonderful toooo !!

So Here's what's cooking for Dinner tonight.

Beef Stroganoff-

(found at thecrockstar.blogspot.com)

2 pounds cubed stew meat
2 cans Condensed Golden Mushroom Soup
1 small onion diced
4 tabls of Worcestershire

1/2 cup of water
8 oz of cream cheese

couple of dashes of Garlic Salt

In the slow cooker stir in all the ingredients, except the Meat AND the Cream Cheese. Once combined add the meat and mix together.

Cook on Low for 8 hours. Cut up the cream cheese into cubes just before serving and turn crockpot on high. Stir the cream cheese in until all combined. You might have to put the lid back on and leave for 10 minutes.

Serve over egg noodles.

Hope you enjoy

-Kristina

November Meal Planner

2011-11-01T08:39:00.000-07:00

Here's what's cooking in November. I'm hoping to have all of the recipes linked to each recipe title....that way all you have to do is click on the recipe title and it will take you directly to the recipe……but no promises as I'm about ready to pull my hair out trying to figure this out. I know one day (hopefully soon) I will get this down J …

November Meal Planner-

Tuesday 1st - Beef Stroganoff (CROCKPOT MEAL)
Wednesday 2nd-Subway Sandwiches
Thursday 3rd- Lime Chicken Tacos (CROCKPOT MEAL)
Friday 4th- Homemade Buttermilk Waffles
Saturday 5th- Calzone Rings
Sunday 6th- Free Night
Monday 7th- Ham and Cheese Sliders
Tuesday 8th- Sausage Jambalaya
Wednesday 9th- Soutwestern Chicken and White Bean Soup (CROCKPOT MEAL)
Thursday 10th- Leftovers
Friday 11th- PF Chang's Mongolian Beef
Saturday 12th- Cheesy Basil Stuffed Chicken Breast
Sunday 13th- Barbecue Chicken (CROCKPOT MEAL)
Monday 14th- Sweet Chicken Wraps
Tuesday 15th- Taco Soup
Wednesday 16th- Leftovers
Thursday 17th- Chicken Bacon Pasta
Friday 18th- Roast Au Jus Sandwiches (CROCKPOT MEAL)
Saturday 19th- Restaurant style carna asada soft tacos with Guacamole and Corn
Sunday 20th- Creamy Chicken and Rice Casserole
Monday 21st- Easy Quiche
Tuesday 22nd- BBQ Baked Potatoes
Wednesday 23rd- Chili in the Crockpot (CROCKPOT MEAL)
Thursday 24th- Thanksgiving Dinner
Friday 25th- Thanksgiving Dinner
Saturday 26th- Thanksgiving Dinner
Sunday 27th- Spaghetti with/ salad and bread sticks
Monday 28th- Taco Night
Tuesday 29th- Memaw's Broccoli and Cheese soup
Wednesday 30th- So Simple Red Beans and Rice

From my home to your's. God bless you and your Famiily, God bless America, and Happy Thanksgiving.

-Kristina

Shredded Tex-Mex Chicken Crock-Pot with Avocado Corn Dip

2011-10-26T08:08:00.000-07:00

This is a family favorite around my house. I've been making this dish for a while now and my family always loves it O and did I mention is SO SIMPLE. The good thing about this recipe is you can use it several different ways. I have used the shredded chicken to make burritos, tacos and nachos just to name a few plus you can always freeze what you don't use for another day!!

Ingredients for the Shredded Tex-Mex Chicken

4 Boneless, skinless chicken breast
1 1/4 teaspoon cumin
Dash of Salt
Dash of pepper
1 cup of salsa (I like to use about 1/2 a cup of mild red salsa and 1/2 a cup of mild green salsa)
1 small can of Green chilies

Directions

1. Place frozen or thawed (I've used both and they both work just fine)chicken in the bottom of crockpot

2. Sprinkle Cumin, Salt and Pepper over the chicken breast.

3. In a separate bowl mix together the red salsa, the green salsa and chilies then pour over chicken.

4. Let chicken cook on low for 8-10 hrs

Once chicken is fully cooked take two forks and slowly shred the chicken.

Serve chicken on Tacos, Nachos or whatever you please.

Ingredients for Avocado Corn Dip

2 Avocados
1/2 of a lime
Lemon pepper
Fresh Cilantro
Yellow Onion
1/2 cup of corn

Directions

1. Peel avocados (KEEP THE SEEDS) cut into 1 inch cubes

2. Squeeze 1/2 of a lime over the avocados

3. Sprinkle avocados with Lemon pepper

4. Cut up about 1/4 of a cup of cilantro and 1/4 of a cup of onions

5. Add the Corn the Cilantro and Onions to the avocados and lightly stir do not over stir it.

I recently learned this trick from a little ole Hispanic lady that cooks for some of the guys at my husband's work. If you leave the seeds in the bowl with the avocado, your avocados will not turn brown. Pretty cool huh!!

Hope you and your family enjoys this recipe!

-Kristina

I'm sharing this delicious recipe over at :

http://thischickcooks.blogspot.com/

Ham and Cheese Sliders

2011-10-17T07:03:00.000-07:00

I found this awesome recipe at thegirlwhoeateverything.com. I love her blog she always has wonderful recipes and awesome pictures. Check her blog out, I'm sure you will find somthing you like as well.

My family LOVED these little sandwiches. They are SO good and SO easy. This is a must try recipe.. Hope you enjoy

Ham and Cheese Sliders

found at thegirlwhoeateverything.com

Ingredients:

For the sandwiches:

24 slider rolls

24 slices honey ham

24 small slices Swiss cheese
Mayonnaise

For the sauce:
1½ tbsp. yellow mustard
8 tbsp. butter, melted
1 tbsp. finely minced onion (or 2 tsp. dried minced onion)
½ tsp. Worcestershire sauce
Poppy seeds, for sprinkling

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350˚ F. Split the slider rolls and spread the insides lightly with mayonnaise. Fold a slice of ham to fit on each slider bun, and top with a slice of Swiss cheese. Replace the top bun to assemble the sandwiches. Place the sandwiches on a baking sheet.

To make the sauce, combine all ingredients except the poppy seeds in a small bowl and whisk to combine. Drizzle the sauce over the tops of the slider buns. Sprinkle with poppy seeds. Cover with foil and bake 10 minutes, until the cheese is melted. Remove the foil and bake 2 minutes longer. Serve warm.

Enjoy

-Kristina

Grilled Cubed Steak Rollups

2011-10-13T14:55:00.000-07:00

This recipe is OMG SO DANG good. My family LOVED this and it was so stinkin easy. I heart Easy......

The only modification that I made to this recipe was I left out the fresh parsley.

Grilled Cubed Steak Rollups
(adapted from Recipezaar)

4-5 pieces cube steaks
marinade (recipe below)
2 oz cream cheese, softened
4-5 pieces bacon (raw)
1 sprig fresh parsley, minced, (stem too)

Marinade

1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
6 tablespoons soy sauce
1/4 cup minced garlic
1/2 medium onion, chopped
1 tablespoon pepper
1 tablespoon crushed dried rosemary
3 tablespoons steak dust or your favorite steak seasoning
3 tablespoons A1 steak sauce

For the Marinade

Put all ingredients into a blender and puree. Pour over meat in a glass dish or gallon zipper bag and place in the refrigerator 2-24 hours. Can be marinated up to three days for tough cuts of meat. This made enough marinade for 8 cube steaks, so I put four in the freezer in marinade.

For the Roll Ups

Marinate steaks in the refrigerator for a minimum of 2 hours, up to 24. Mine marinated for 24.

Preheat your grill on high with the lid closed. Remove the steaks from the refrigerator and take them out of the marinade. Place them on paper towels to drain.

Warm the softened cream cheese in the microwave for a few seconds. You want the cream cheese to be very soft, similar to a runny cake frosting. Spread thin layer of cream cheese over one side of steak.

Beginning with short end roll up the steak.

Spirally wrap a piece of bacon around steak and secure with one or two toothpicks. I didn't have enough toothpicks so I used two long skewers. I definitely recommend the toothpicks so you can turn the steaks individually.

Turn the burners on your grill down to medium and grill roll ups on one side for several minutes to sear the meat. Turn and sear the other side. Turn the heat down to low and continue to grill with the lid closed and turn every five minutes until done. Mine took about 25 minutes total.

-Kristina

Crockpot Smokey Honey Barbecued Chicken

2011-10-11T07:30:00.000-07:00

This recipe is so simple to make and my family LOVED it. We had Sandwiches one night and then on baked potatoes the next.

Crockpot Smokey Honey Barbecued Chicken for Sandwiches
(found at sixsistersstuff.blogspot.com)

Ingredients-
2 cups of bottled barbecue sauce
3 tablespoons of honey
3 large boneless, skinless chicken breast
1/2 teaspoon of cumin

In a 2 - 3 quart crock pot place 1/2 cup of the bottled barbecue sauce. Pour in 1 tablespoon of honey on top of that. Now add the chicken breasts. Pour the remaining barbecue sauce and then the honey on top of the chicken breast. Cover and cook on low for 3 - 3 1/2 hours. Remove lid and using two forks shred the chicken breasts. Add the cumin (that's where the smokey flavor comes from). Stir to incorporate. Turn to high (leaving the lid off) and cook for additional 30 - 45 minutes. This will help it thicken. Serve on buns or baked potatoes.

-Kristina

First Fall project for 2011

2011-10-05T13:00:00.000-07:00

Fall is in the air and I have a list a mile long of fall projects I want to make, so I have been crafting my booty off..... and that makes me SMILE !!!!

My husaband and I love going to a flea market not far from our home, you can find all kinds of good stuff for really CHEAP prices. I bought everything to make this wreath at the flea market. The wreath cost me 3.00 the flowers cost me 4.00 and the sign in the middle of the wreath cost me 2.00 for a whopping total of 9.00 WHAT A DEAL .....

Before I got a hold of it !!!!!!

and the after..... so what do you think?? I love the way it turned out. My porch will be fully decorated soon and I will share those pictures with you all soon. Hope you enjoyed

-Happy Fall Ya'll- Kristina -

I'm sharing this project over at these awesome blogs, check them out..

Loaded Baked Potato Soup

2011-10-04T11:48:00.000-07:00

Loaded Baked Potato Soup
(Found at picky-plate.com)

12 oz Applewood smoked bacon
4 stalks celery finely diced
2 large carrots, peeled, finely diced
1 large onion, finely chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup thinly sliced ham or Canadian bacon
32 oz chicken broth
6 oz half and half
10 med/lg. potatoes, baked, peeled and mashed
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon pepper
½ Cup milk
4 oz sour cream
1 ½ Cups shredded cheddar cheese
Garnish
½ Cup sour cream
1 Cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 Cup thinly sliced green onion (green part)

1. Heat large dutch oven over medium heat. Cut bacon into pieces and cook until browned and crisp. Transfer bacon to a paper towel lined plate. Discard bacon grease, reserving 2 Tablespoons to sauté veggis. Saute celery, carrots, and onion in bacon grease for 10 minutes, stirring often until softened. Stir in garlic and ham; cook for 3 more minutes. Stir in chicken broth and half and half.

2. Place mashed potatoes in a stand or electric mixer. Mix on medium speed adding salt, pepper and milk. Stir mashed potatoes into soup until combined. Heat for 10 minutes.

3. Stir in sour cream and cheese until smooth. Season with additional salt and pepper to taste. Simmer on low until ready to serve. Top with sour cream, bacon, cheese and green onion.

P.F. Chan's Mongolian Beef

2011-09-30T14:19:00.000-07:00

My family LOVES P.F. Chang's so I can't wait to see if they like this recipe or not.

P.F. Chang’s Mongolian Beef
serves 4, prep 45 min, cook 10 min, adapted from KSN TV

2 lbs flank or skirt steak

1/4 cup corn starch

2 tsp vegetable or peanut oil

1 tsp fresh ginger, minced

1 tbsp garlic, minced

1/2 cup low sodium soy sauce

1/2 cup water
1/2-3/4 cup dark brown sugar
1 cup vegetable or peanut oil
8 oz button mushrooms, quartered if large
1 bunch green onions, green part only, cut in half

Trim all fat and silver skin from meat. Lay steaks out horizontally on the cutting board. The grain in running vertically. Make several vertical cuts to slice the slab into manageable sized pieces. Then cut the meat opposite the grain (horizontal) into two bite-sized pieces. Cut with your blade at a 45° angles to get wide diagonal slices.

Dust steak pieces lightly in cornstarch and set aside while preparing the sauce.
In a small sauce pan heat oil over medium high heat. Add ginger and garlic.Add soy sauce and water to the ginger and garlic before it browns. Add brown sugar and whisk until dissolved. Bring sauce to a boil and simmer about 10 minutes or until slightly reduced and thickened. Remove from the heat and reserve.

In a large skillet or wok heat 1 cup oil over medium high heat.Working in batches, add the steak a few at a time to the hot oil. Cook about 1 minute without touching the
meat then flip each piece and cook 1 minute more. Remove meat while still rare inside, and continue with next batch. Once all meat is browned, pour off oil and wipe out skillet.

Heat skillet over high heat and add mushrooms.Cook without stirring a couple of minutes or until mushrooms are slightly softened and browned. Reserve.

Add steak to the hot pan and cook about 1 minute. Add sauce to the pan and simmer and toss meat and sauce about 1 minute. Add mushrooms and green onions. Toss with steak and sauce and heat 1 minute.
Use tongs to remove meat and veggies to a serving dish, leaving excess sauce in the pan. Serve over rice.

Be sure to use a very light dusting of cornstarch when you bread the steak pieces. If there is too much cornstarch you will get a Swiss steak texture instead of a good sear.

This looks like a lot of steps, and it is, but it is really not hard and not even that lengthy of a process. You basically cut and bread the meat, make the sauce, fry the meat, cook the mushrooms, then toss it all in the sauce and serve.

I'm sharing this yummy recipe over at a few of my favorite blogs!!

October 2011 Meal Planner

2011-09-30T10:58:00.000-07:00

Sooooo I've worked all morning putting together this cute calendar for this months meal plan and wouldn't you know I can't get it to post right. O well maybe next month. Hope you enjoy this months meals!!
October 2011
1st-P.F. Chang’s Mongolian Beef
2nd-Loaded Baked Potato Soup

3rd-Taco Salad
4th-Crockpot Smokey Honey Barbecued Chicken sandwiches

5th -Creamy Chicken Enchiladas

6th-Leftovers

7th-Calzone Rings

8th-Chicken Salad sandwiches

9th-Rolled Up Chicken Dinner

10th-Cowboy Stew

11th-Stuffed Bell Peppers
12th-Double Dave’s (Eating out)

13th-Ham and Cheese Sliders

14th-Leftovers

15th-Grilled Hamburgers with Baked beans

16th-Homemade Chicken and Dumplings

17th-Crockpot Shredded beef tacos
18th-Navajo Tacos

19th-Crockpot Meal Green Chili Burros

20th-Breakfast for Dinner

21st-Crockpot Black bean soup

22nd-Fajita’s

23rd- Restaurant Style Carne Asada Soft Tacos with Guacamole and Corn

24th-Grilled chicken and bacon spinach salad

25th-Crockpot Orange Chicken

26th-Leftovers

27th-Sub sandwiches

28th-Grilled Cubed steak rollups

29th-Chili Beans with Corn bread and Mac-n-cheese

30th-Grilled Pizza

31st-Crock-pot Ravioli Casserole

I will be adding all of the recipes soon

-Kristina-

FALL IS HERE

2011-09-23T09:04:00.000-07:00

Today is officially the first day of FALL....... I LOVE this time of year, however my family is usually summer people. We love the long days, barbequing outside with Friends and Family, camping, fishing and hanging out at the lake. But I must say, I have NEVER been so ready to see some cooler weather. With tempeatures here in Texas reaching heighs of 112 F, the drought and the wildfires close to my home.

Here is a picture from my boys school, you can see the massive wildfires just miles from our home. Pretty darn scary!!

The next day on our way home from a friends house we saw this huge plane flying really low. My husband and I thought it was fixing to crash but come to find out it was helping to put out another wildfire that had started in the back of a neighboorhood right down the road from us.

This was the scariest thing I've ever seen we had wildfires buring on both sides of us just a few miles away. We are SO SO blessed that they were able put the fires out before making its way to our home. Thanks to all of the Firefighters that put their lives on the line to help save others. My heart goes out to the families that lost their homes due to the wildfires in the Texas Hill Country and Magnolia area. Here are a few pictures I found on the internet of those wildfires.

God Bless

-Kristina

Wow where did the time go

2011-09-14T07:32:00.000-07:00

I'm such a bad blogger it's been forever since I've posted a blog. My life is crazy with an 11 almost 12 year old, 8 almost 9 year old twins, a husband, a new puppy and a full time job (but wouldn't have it any other way).... I have made myself a promise that I will post at least one blog a week, since I really love blogging (I know it's hard to tell) but I Do!!!... I find so much joy in sitting down and showing others what I've created and hope to inspire others to create as well. I love it when we have family and friends over and they ask where did you get that and I can say "I made that", such a great feeling.

I recently have found joy in blog hopping and finding recipes of all sorts easy ones, hard ones, crockpot ones and healthy ones. I will be sharing all of the wonderful recipes that I find, and even some of my Grandmothers with you. I've also started working on organizing my life a little. I have found that if I sit down at the end of each month and put together a calendar of meals for the month coming up that my life is a little less hectic, not to mention we are saving money by not eating out (eating out is so convenient, especially when you have no idea what you are going to cook). What I have started doing is going grocery shopping every Sunday for the week coming up. I have noticed that by doing so I spend a lot less at the grocery store and only buy what I need for that week. This one little change has made a huge difference, I'm not as stressed out, I don't spend as much at the grocery store and I'm always prepared plus my kids love to look at it to see what's for dinner. It's been a blessing around our home. I will post the calendar and recipes at the beginning of each month. Hope you enjoy!!

That's all for now.

-Kristina

Homecoming in ~ Texas

2010-11-11T07:21:00.000-08:00

Well, it’s that time of year again, Football season In TEXAS and Homecomings. Football in Texas is a BIG deal and especially in a small town and then you have Homecoming Mums. The Homecoming Mum is an integral part of Texas Homecoming traditions. And so you non-Texans may be asking, "What's a Homecoming Mum?"

My own explanation was lacking, so I found this article:

Homecoming Mums: The Tradition

Chrysanthemums have long been the quintessential Fall flower, so it's not surprising that they quickly became associated with the quintessential Fall sport - football. In the earliest pictures of college football games, you can pick out the mum corsages worn by the young women in the stands.

Since everything grows big in Texas, it's also not surprising that the Lone Star State is credited with developing the more elaborate corsages known as homecoming mums.

So now that you Non-Texans know a little bit about a Homecoming mum, I thought that I would share pictures of my daughter’s homecoming mum that I made her. My daughter is now in intermediate school and they all wear homecoming mums to support the high school Football team. So of course I had to make her one. Since she is only in intermediate school I made it smaller then I would of if she was in high school.

I love the memories that I now have from my Homecoming experiences and hope that she will too!

XOXO,

The Traviling Junkies

Here's what I've been up to Lately

2010-10-21T09:52:00.000-07:00

So what have you been up to ~ here’s what I’ve been up to:

I have been really busy lately making Hair bows from orders I’ve received off of my website (Thank YOU GOD :) ) I thought I would share some pictures of some I just finished for a little girls soccer team in California. I love the way that they turned out.

So what do you think!!

I will have a tutorial up soon of a new fall project I just completed.

XOXO,
The Traveling Junkies

I’m In LOVE … I just LOVE LOVE Burlap..

2010-09-16T13:24:00.000-07:00

It’s the hottest thing right now since toilet paper.. .. I have seen so many wonderful projects floating all over the internet using Burlap but when I saw this tutorial over at http://tatertotsandjello.blogspot.com/ I KNEW I had to make one. I love her blog she has some of the coolest projects!!! Check her out....

Fall is my favorite time of year, the cool weather (it is greatly appreciated after a long hot summer here in Texas) the leaves changing colors and all of the fall decorations. It’s that time to start decorating for fall :) My friends laugh at me because I’ve already got all of my fall decorations hung up and it’s only September (whatever). I decided to make my table runner using fall colors. Wal-mart carries some really neat fabric that is precut into strips with several different patterns in each set. I’m not a sewer at all I wish I was but the simple fact is I’M NOT so if I can do this anyone can. It’s very easy (ooo how I Love easy).

Hopefully I will have more fall projects to share with ya’ll soon. In between my twins playing football my daughter cheerleading my website and o yeah my full time job…..

For this project you will need:
Burlap (of course)
Sewing machine
Several different fabrics of your choice
Scissors
Trim

First-

Measure your burlap to the length you want it and then cut it leaving about 1" to allow for a seam. I find it easier to iron my seam down before I sew it. Once you have ironed your seam you are now ready to sew it down.

Now take your fabric and cut them into about 4" strips . Depending on the length you chose depends on how many strips you will need. I made mine big enough to go the whole length of my table, some people just like it to go in the middle of the table it's totally up to you. So for mine I did 8 rows of ruffles. Once you have cut all of your strips you will need to sew a seam down each side.

Now on to making ruffles! There are several ways to make ruffles if you are lucky you have a ruffle maker that attaches to your sewing machine but if you are like me you have to make them yourself. Here is how I make them. I sew a very loose stitch right down the middle of each strip of fabric, DO NOT BACK STITCH.... make sure to leave plenty of thread on the end once you have sewed down the middle. Take the top thread and pull it, you will see it start to make a ruffle (yea). I did not get a picture of me making a ruffle but I did find this picture on google (I hope they don't mind I borrowed it)

(this will kind of give you an idea at what your strips of fabric should look like)

Once you have all of your ruffles made you now need to pin them onto your burlap and then sew them down.

Now take your trim and sew it around the border of your table runner and you are all done!!!!

I told you it was easy!!!!!!!! Here is my finished table runner......

We hope you enjoyed this tutorial!

Have a blessed day!

XOXO

The Traveling Junkies

I will be sharing this tutorial at these awesome Blogs.

Just a Little something I made

2010-07-21T17:51:00.000-07:00

I LOVE a good deal , so when Hobby Lobby had their flip flops and bandannas 1/2 off I decided to pick up a few of each . I made these adorable flip flops for less then 5.00.... you can't beat that!!The flowers are made out of a zebra bandanna and a hot pink with white polka dotted bandanna. My daughter can't wait to wear them on her first day of school.

XOXO,

The Traveling Junkies

Please Take A moment to stop by these awesome blogs where I'll be sharing this Project!

I'm in Love with Turquoise

2010-07-05T04:33:00.000-07:00

I'm in Love with Turquoise!!! It's definitely my favorite color (for now). I've decided to start adding hints of Turquoise throughout my living room. I would like to share with you my first Turquoise Project.

An Old Bar Stool.... Turned New.............

I found this bar stool at a garage sale ( I heart garage sales) for 3.00... What a DEAL!!! It's amazing what you can find at garage sales for CHEAP!!

I went to my local Home Depot and found this awesome spray paint, it has 2x the coverage so no need to prime it before painting it the color you want !

Here is what it looked like after I finished painting it!! My husband was a little mad at me :) because I spray painted the grass.. so you may want to use some newspaper before spray painting your project!

I'm not done yet!! I wanted to add a little more demension to the stool, so I found some black paint that I had. I mixed a little bit of black paint with a lot of water and then took a rag and simply rubbed it over the stool.

Here is my finished Project!!!!!

Hope you enjoyed this Turquoise Tutorial......there will be more to come......

Love,

The Traveling Junkies

Take A moment to stop by these awesome blogs where I'll be sharing this project!

Decoupage a Barn Star--It's so easy my 10 year old did it

2010-04-03T06:14:00.000-07:00

Hello Everyone,

I wanted to share this easy and CHEAP project with you. I bought these stars a while back for 70% off at Micheals. I paid only 3.00 (what a bargain) woohooo !!!!

Okay what you will need for this project is:

A barn star
Decoupage such as Mod Podge. This can be purchased at any craft store.
Scrapbook paper
Scissors
Pencil
Cardstock (to make a templet )

First step-

Trace one (if you are using a star that has equal sides) of the arms of the star onto your cardstock, then cut it out... Now you have your pattern.

Second Step-
Trace your pattern onto your scrapbook paper 5 times and then cut each one out.

Third Step-
Now the fun part Mod Podge your scrapbook paper onto your star.

Here is what your star will look like once you have Mod Podged your scrapbook paper onto all arms of it. My Daughter LOVES the Mod Podge that has the glitter in it..sorry I didn't get a good picture of it, but it turned out so cute. Hope you enjoyed this tutorial and we would love to see what you have been making.

Love,
The Traveling Junkies

We have linked this project up with

Cutting Fabric With Your Circut.

2010-03-25T14:22:00.000-07:00

Well, I finally learned how to cut fabric with my cricut (Dang I love that Cricut)! I was so excited that I ended up making my son (Grant) a shirt and I thought I would share the steps I took to make it. It was so simple and quick. Anyone can do this.

Materials:

Shirt

Fabric

Heat N Bond

Cricut

Sewing Machine

First, I uploaded a pic of a Horse Shoe into my Make the Cut Program (if you have a cricut you really need this program, it's the BOMB!!!).

I then took my Fabric of choice and Ironed it to remove all of the wrinkles.
After I removed all of the wrinkles from my fabric, I ironed the Heat N Bond to the wrong side of my fabric. Heat N Bond is so easy to use. Just follow the directions on the back of the package.

After I ironed the Heat N Bond on to my fabric I then placed the fabric on one of my cricut cutting mats (preferably a new mat, the stickier it is the better). I loaded my mat and transferred my image to my cricut and hit cut. Make the Cut is such a cool software to use.

When my cricut was finished cutting, I peeled off the paper backing and placed the horse shoes in the exact place I wanted it on the shirt. When I was satisfied I ironed the image on the shirt.

Here is what the shirt looked like once I had finished ironing the image on.

Now you must sew around the image. The type of stitch you would like is totally up to you, personally I like the way the zig zag stitch looks.

After you are finished sewing your project is complete!

A Little 2 Sassy offers custom embroidering.... So, my son asked my to embroider a cowboy sign image on his shirt.

I absolutely love having an embroidery machine! There is so much that you can do with one. My son absolutely loved his shirt! Infact, he wore it to school today. Here is what his shirt looked like when I was finished.

There you go... All finished. I hope you enjoyed this tutorial as much as I did shareing it with you. Have a great day!

Much Love,

Chelle & Kristina

The Travling Junkies

Adventures with the sewing machine

2010-02-01T20:17:00.000-08:00

Turning a pair of old jeans into cute Capri's

My Daughter Mackenzie doesn't seem to be growing much in the waist these days but she is defiantly getting taller, so all of her pants fit but are a little short.With money being tight due to this economy, I've decided to start turning her old jeans into some really cute Capri's and I would like to share how I do it with you. I hope you enjoy this post and feel free to email us with any questions or comments you may have.

Items that You will need:

-old jeans (that still fit around the waist/hips)
-scissors that will cut denim
-sewing machine with denim/heavy needle
-thread
-material for ruffles
-heat n bond
-iron

Step One:
Pick out the pair of pants that you would like to use to make capri's out of:

Step Two:
Measure how short you would like the capri's to be. Once you have measured and marked both pant leg you will then cut them off.

Step Three:
Now that you have the capri's the lenght that you want them. Pick out the material that you would like to use for the ruffles. If you don't have a ruffler for your sewing machine, you can take a needle and thread and lightly weave it in and out of the material. Once you get to the end of the fabric lightly pull on the thread which will make the material gather to form a ruffle.
(I forgot to take a picture of my ruffles before I sewed them on sorry about that)

Step Four:
Now that you have your ruffles made you will need to sew them on. Take one pant leg and fold the bottom under about 1/2 inch and then you will take one of your ruffles and pin it all the way around. Repeat this step on the other pant leg and then sew them on.

Once I sewed my ruffles on I decided that I wanted to jazz them up a little more.I decided to cut some hearts (free handed) out of the fabric that I had left over. Once I cut my hearts out I then ironed them on to some Heat N Bond (love that stuff) and then simply ironed them on to the pants. Now that you have the hearts where you want them simply sew them on to the pants.

Here is the final product

I even added a heart to the butt of the pants. There is so much you can do with them so have fun doing it.

I hope you enjoyed this tutorial. Have a safe and Happy weekend !!!!

Love ,
The Traveling Junkies

We have linked this tutorial to :

http://

Light Block Tutorial

2010-01-12T11:48:00.000-08:00

I decided to make Light Blocks for a few special people this year for their Christmas gift... They absolutely loved. My Mother-In-Law decided to take hers to work and display it in her office. I thought I would share a quick recap on how I made these light blocks.

Material's Needed:

1 Glass block (I purchased mine at Hobby Lobby. They already have the holes drilled in them).

Scrapbook paper to fit the block

Mod Podge

50 strand of clear Lights (you can use any color. Totally up to you).

Ribbon that coordinates with your scrapbook paper.

Marbles

Procedure:

I cut my scrapbook paper to fit the block. I then put a coat of mod podge on one side of the block. I then took my cut piece of scrapbook paper and placed it on the block (when I laid my paper on the block I did it to wear you could see the print from the other side. That way you would get a 3-D image. I then used my cricut and cut out vinyl letters, EX: Mom, sister. I placed the word on the other side of the block. I then filled my block with lights and marbles. This part is completely your own preference.

At this point, your block should resemble the picture below:

Now all I have to do is make a bow with my coordinating ribbon and hot glue it on to the top of the light block.

Plug it in and you now have a beautiful decoration for your home or office !

(Here is another light block that my business partner made for her cousins wedding,

they make wonderful wedding gift)

I loved how these lights turned out. I can't wait to make more. I will soon make one for my boys room to match their camo theme. I will post a picture after I make it. I hope you enjoyed this short tutorial. I will make sure I take pictures step by step next time. We will also be adding this block to A little 2 Sassy for purchase. Thank you again!

XOXO

The Traveling Junkies

Scentsy Wickless Candles

2009-11-03T18:39:00.000-08:00

Move over Candles..... Hello Scentsy!!

"The Hottest new thing in Candles"

Your going to fall in Love with Scentsy !!!!! Scentsy is Way better then any other candle out there, they are really fragrant, super long-lasting, and safer than candles with flames. You have to try these!! What separates Scentsy from other candles is that they are "wickless and flameless". Scentsy candles work by using an electric warmer heated by a 25 watt light bulb. The bulb gets hot enough to melt the wax, but not hot enough to burn you, your child or your pets. Scentsy warmers are specifically designed to perfectly melt the scented wax, as the wax is melting your whole house will be filled with a wonderful smell. With dozens of colors and styles to choose from, there is a Scentsy Warmer to fit every decor. Chelly chose the Rustic Star Scentsy Warmer which matched her house perfectly, she has it in her kitchen and she LOVES IT! When you walk through her front door you are greeted with the tasty smell of sugar cookie...yummy.... My personal favorite is Cucumber Lime.. Go to Scentsy website today and check out their new
Hugs and Kisses warmer , your going to fall in LOVE!!

Scentsy also offers Car Candles, Travel Tins, Room Sprays and Plug-In Warmers. You will never want to turn it off. We Love this Product and I'm sure you will too!

A good Friend of mine Karen Ali is a Scentsy Rep so if you are intered in a Scentsy product, please visit her website https://party.scentsy.us/Home ,and she will take good care of you......

XOXO

The Traveling Junkies

Getting To Know The Traveling Junkies

2009-10-13T08:51:00.000-07:00

Hi! I’m Kristina, wife to Cody and mom to Mackenzie my boo bear who is 10, Chase my Bagheera and Austin my bean head, my 7 year old twins. I love being a wife and mother….. My grandmother was always doing crafts of some sort and of course I was right by her side making them with her. Now that I’m grown and have kids of my own, I have found myself making crafts for them. I have always dreamed of using my creative talents to start my own business.

Hi! I'm Chelle, wife to Geoff, who I happen to think is the most wonderful man in the world. I am a blessed mother of two fabulous boys, Grant (9) and Jakob (6). I have always loved making crafts and putting my own unique spin on them. I finally have the faith to take a chance and start a business. Not only am I doing what I love but, I love what I'm doing. That's a true blessing!

Kristina and I met when we were know it all teenagers! We both have decided to take a leap of faith and turn our passion into our career's. Kristina created A Little 2 Sassy and has asked me to join in partnership with her. I was thrilled and honored to have the opportunity to share this journey with her. So here we are today with A Little 2 Sassy. Kristina's daughter Mackenzie, is our inspiration behind the hair bows. A Little 2 Sassy specializes in all types of Hair Bows, Accessories, Jewelry, flip flops, and Home Decor. Even mom's deserve to be A Little 2 Sassy! We have teamed up together to open a shop in Montgomery, Texas and to start traveling all over to various craft shows. We are known as the Traveling Junkies bringing you A Little 2 Sassy.

XOXO
The Traveling Junkies

2009-05-29T13:05:00.001-07:00

Welcome to my Blog