Fun with Family Friday

It is Fun with Family Friday and Today's letter is H - so let's begin.

The H craft is Horsing-Around Clothes Pin Horses

Very easy craft to do!

To start with- click on the horse template to enlarge and then print off.
Allow kids to color their horses however they like.
Next cut out the horse.
Attach the tail using yarn, fabric, chenille sticks ,or whatever you think off.
Glue or tape the tail onto the back of the horse.
Take 2 clothes pin and attach to the body as legs and
now you are ready for your horse races!


Our H recipe is Happy St Patty's Day Ham and Cheese Roll-ups

For this you will need:

Large tortillas ( today we used Green for St Patty's Day recipe)
Goldy's Cheese Spread ( comes in a variety of flavors)
Thin Sliced Deli Ham
Thin Sliced Cheese ( we used baby Swiss)
Red or Green Leaf Lettuce
Sliced up Marinated Red Peppers (optional)

Take your tortillas and spread the Goldy's cheese Spread on evenly.
Than layer on your lettuce, cheese, ham ,and peppers.
Roll up tightly.
Cut roll up into appro 1 inch wide pieces.


Put on a plate and watch them disappear- so yummy!!

Foxy Roxy Recipe Voting

Here we go- time for judging the recipes to decide on the winner of the

Foxy Roxy recipe contest!!

Please try to make as many of the recipes as you can and cast your vote in the comment section.

The winner will be announced on Monday March 23rd.

Also- your name will be entered in a drawing for a prize for voting on a recipe.

Please only vote one time.

1st recipe-Pesto Sauce

One packet of pesto mix

One handful of fresh basil

Three handfuls of fresh spinach

1 tsp minced garlic

Make pesto mix according to directions.

While it is simmering, bled up basil and spinach (food processor, blender, whatever works for you). Add to pesto mix, along with the garlic.When it is finished simmering (again, according to the directions), put in container and put in freezer.This makes a concentrated pesto mix, that I like to add to my other foods. I will pull it out and add a scoop to tomato soup, to make it appear/taste more fancy (YUM). It is good when making a dressing for pasta salad (with some pasta and a host of fresh veggies, some almond slices and a bit of garlic) mixed with a bit of olive oil. It is also good on a chicken mushroom sandwich with a slice of provolone.

Anything you can think of adding a bit of pesto too, this is a yummy easy way to make and always have on hand.

2nd recipe- BBQ chicken pizza

1 14 oz roll of pillsbury thick pizza crust ( you can make your own doe from scratch if you want)
1/2 cup of your man's favorite BBQ sauce (more or less depending on preference)
1-2 pre-cooked chicken breasts
1/2 chopped green bell pepper, or 1/2 small can mushrooms
1/2 chopped or thinly sliced onion
grated cheese

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Preheat oven to 425*. Roll out doe over flour. Place in greased cookie sheet. Press to desired thickness, folding the edges in for extra thick crust. Place in the oven for 3-4 min. or until golden on top. Pull out of oven and spread BBQ sauce over top. Top with chicken and other veggies. Sprinkle on desired amt. of cheese. Bake until cheese is melted and crust is more brown.

Cut into 12 squares.

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3rd recipe- Bacon Crab Mushrooms

8 oz can of drained and flaked crabmeat

1/2 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese

1 1/2 Tbsp of parsley

1/2 cup Mayonaisse

1/3 cup bacon pieces

36 mushroom caps

Mix 1 st 5 ingredianants together and scoop into mushroom caps

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4th recipe- Sweet and Sour Tuna

2 Tlbs raisins

3 Tlbs red wine vinegar

1 medium finely sliced onion

2 Tlbs olive oil

1 Tlbs peanuts, taken out of shell

1 can tuna, drained

Mix raisins and vinegar, set aside so raisins will plump.In skillet over medium hear saute onion in oil for 3 minutes, until onion is wilted.Add nuts, saute another 3-5 minutes.Add raisins and all of the vinegar. Toss only for a few seconds.Add tuna and toss again.

Serve immediately or at room temperature with saltine crackers.

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5th recipe- Best Pasta Salad

1 package tri colored pasta

1 bottle of Bernsteins's cheese fantastico dressing (the dressing makes it!)

1 package pepperoni

1 pound package of cheddar cheese

1 yellow pepper

1 red onion

Cook the pasta. Cut pepperoni's in half, place in large bowl.Cube cheddar cheese, place about 4/5 in the bowl --because the other fifth gets eaten by husbands and babies while your chopping. :)Cut up pepper and place in bowl (I don't chop it, but make it into slices, then cut those in thirds so you have skinny pieces that are about an inch to an inch and a half long.Use 1/4 to 1/3 of the red onion cut in similar size to the pepper -- depending on how much your family likes onion, I usually use about 1/2 of the onion, but I could eat a whole onion raw, I love them! Most people will probably use 1/3.Drain pasta and place in the large bowl.

Top with the bottle of dressing (the whole thing!) mix, and enjoy.

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Yummy recipes- this is going to be hard to decide on a winner!!

Foxy Roxy, Thank you to Lana and Irish for a Day!

All recipes are now in for the

and I have received wonderful recipes from the following people :

Mama Krit

Mrs D.Lightful

BrendaLea

Jackie Sarager

Gretchen

If you sent a recipe- and your name is not listed here - please drop me a line asap.

Thanks to random.org-

The winner of the darling matching tea towel is BrendaLea !!

Congrats PurpleLady!

I also received a wonderful recipe from Lana at Sassy Apron -

our wonderful Foxy Roxy apron donator.

Here it is :

Tuiles de Chocolat

Ingredients for approximately 12 pieces:

1 egg white, 2 tbs sugar, 2 tbs flour, 3 tbs butter, 1 tbs cocoa, ½ tsp cinnamon

Directions:

Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Line the cookie sheet with wax paper. Whisk the egg white with sugar until it turns foamy. Slowly sift in the flour then the butter melted, while still mixing. Set aside 3 spoons of the mix for later. Mix the cinnamon and cocoa together and sift in the main batter. With a spoon, take small quantities of this mix and pour it on the paper, pressing it carefully to flatten it in big dotty shapes without touching the bottom of the trey. Add in the white mix you set aside earlier, in small quantities, and mix it with a toothpick to give it a marble effect. Bake for 4-6 minutes. Take them out of the oven, peel them off the paper carefully and let them cool for an hour.

Enjoy!

To thank everyone for submitting their entries-

and especially Lana for donating the apron

I am sending free pendants to all 6 of you saying

" Live Laugh Love"

Please email me your address and I will get that sent out.

If you already received a prize- I had not sent it yet because

I was waiting to tell everyone about the surprise -

so all packages will go out this week.

Now tomorrow I will start listing the recipes- and you all will vote on a winner.

Remember - when you vote- you are also eligible for a prize.

It is a big secret- so make sure to vote!!!

Finally I want to tell you all about a fantastic St Patrick's Day book

put together by the clever gals at http://www.favecrafts.com/ .

It is completely free and has 56 pages of wonderfil ideas.

Go check it out!

Make It Monday- envelope holders

For Today's Make it Monday project-

we are making small adorable envelope holders

that can be used for many occasions and are a breeze to make up!

They can be made in a variety of papers so you can make for a child, teacher, friend ,etc.

They are great for holding gift cards, tea bags, and other small trinkets.

You can also dress them up with ribbon, stickers, and more.

All you need is:

the template provided,

Pretty paper such as construction , scrapbooking, card stock, etc
scissors,

pencil

and a small piece of velcro.

Steps:

Click on the template provided to enlarge and print off.

Trace the pattern onto the back of the paper you are using with a pencil.

Cut out along lines.

At the pointed top- you can also cut out with pinking shears for an extra touch!

Fold sides about 3/4 inch on both side.

Fold up bottom so that you have an even rectangle with a pointed top.

Take the 2 pieces of velcro that match up and stick together.

Stick one piece to the top of the pointed top about 1/2 inch down.

Fold top over and attach other piece of velcro where top piece lines up.

Embellish however you want and fill with goodies.


You are now done!!

Last call for all recipes-

there is a special surprise for all entries

so make sure to send in your recipe before midnight tonight!

Thank you to Kris at JesseKate for introducing me to http://www.onetruemedia.com/ !

Final recipe call and Back home!!!

Finally call for the Foxy Roxy Recipe Contest!!

All recipes must be received by midnight tomorrow night

- so please get those recipes sent in.

Wednesday morning the 3 finalist will be announced

and then it is time for you all -

the readers to decide on a winner.

Remember- all voters are also eligible for a prize!!

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I am so glad to be home and will be spending tomorrow getting caught up on

everyone's blogs and see what you all have been up to.

I can't wait to see what everyone has been doing!

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Stay tuned this week for an exciting announcement also!

Going green cleaning products

Everyone is talking about "Going Green" and is trying to do are part

- but there are some things you should know about

Going Green And The Truth About Green Cleaning Products.

"Did you know just because a cleaning product says it Green and Planet Safe doesn't necessarily mean it's People Safe or Human Safe! Many popular earth friendly or eco-friendly cleaning products may contain ingredients that are possibly HARMFUL to people. Maybe that's why some of them don't post their MSDS sheets on their websites. Their green cleaning products are safe for the planet but may be DANGEROUS to you and your family! We think if a cleaner claims it's green or earth friendly shouldn't that include human friendly? Aren't PEOPLE part of our planet? " http://www.aworldofgreen.com/

Here is a list of green cleaning products goods for your family and the planet.

ECOVER BATHROOM CLEANERThis fresh-smelling cleaner kills soap scum without hurting the ecosystem. $5.50.

MRS. MEYER'S CLEAN DAY SURFACE SCRUB
This versatile scrub cleans stainless steel without a scratch and comes in four natural scents. $5, mrsmeyers.com.

BON AMI POLISHING CLEANSER
This one has been around for over a century, and has always been green. $4

METHOD SMARTY DISH DISHWASHING DETERGENT
These powerful dish-washing tablets get rid of baked-on food without phosphates or bleach. $6.50, methodhome.com.

SKOYCLOTH REUSABLE TOWELS
These absorbent, reusable cleaning towels can greatly reduce your dependence on paper towels. $6, skoycloth.com.

Stay sassy everyone and have a nice day!!

Fun With Family Friday- G

Today is Fun With Family and today we are working on the letter "G".

First we will work on the G recipe - Good for You Grilled Shish-ka-bob!

To make this-

you will need fresh fruits and vegetables,

shish-ka-bob skewers,

and a Teriyaki marinade .

We used Lawry's Teriyaki 30 minute marinade with pineapple juice



We used - apples, grapes, cantaloupe, honeydew melon,

and pineapple for our fruit selection.

Arrange the fruits on a plate so that everyone can reach them.
Give everyone a skewer and allow the kids to start placing fruit on them.




Make sure to keep an eye on little ones with the skewer- they may need some assistance.

After everyone is done- place the finished skewers on a plate and drizzle the Teriyaki sauce over the fruit. Roll fruit around to cover all sides with sauce.




Now go to grilling!
If the weather is not appropriate for grilling -
roast in the oven on broil for a short period.
Grill/broil and turn until the fruits all look done.
Pull the fruit off the skewers for younger kids and dig in-

Tasty treat that they will enjoy!

The g craft is growing a garden!

It is important to start teaching kids at a young age to help give back to Mother Earth.

Right now we are working on germinating the seeds.

Take an empty egg carton and fill with a good potting soil.

Place a few seeds into each hole .

Cover with dirt again .

Lightly water and stick egg garden in a nice sunny spot.

Take the seed package and lightly tape to the inside of the cover.

That way- we will remember what you planted and we can refer to the instructions on back when we go to plant the sprouts.

We will come back to this in a few weeks once we start to have sprouts!

Taking a trip- prepare with a packing checklist

I am getting ready to take a trip today to Seattle until Sunday

and I decided to look up a travel checklist.

This site is great because it is a interactive checklist-

so not all the items on the list are needed for my small trip- but it is a great reference.

Just check what items you need and then print off the list.

Check off the items as you pack and then put the list in your baggage.

When it is time to pack to come back home-

get out your list and make sure you are packing everything you took with you.

Now- no more remembering when you get there that your forgot to pack a toothbrush

or getting home and realizing you left your favorite bracelet.

Also a travel tip-

make sure to check the weather of where you are going.

I am leaving warm weather in Texas and going to snow in Seattle!!

BRRR- Wearing a sundress sounds a little silly now!

New Prizes for Foxy Roxy contest, slow cooker recipes, & Priceless Photo of the Day

Some exciting news for the Foxy Roxy contest-

everyone who enters a recipe will be eligible

for this darling tea towel designed by Lana at Sassy Apron .

It matches perfectly with the Foxy Roxy apron- so perhaps you can win both!!

Plus there will be other giveways after all the entries are received.

Also- you can enter more than 1 recipe to be eligible.

Remember - just has to be 6 or less ingredients.

The final day for entries in Monday - so let's see what you got cooking!

The last few days have been busy so I thought -

what a perfect time for some slow cooker recipes.

Here is my recipe for

Spaghetti Chicken in the Crock Pot

- so easy but so yummy!

Place as many thawed chicken breasts that you will need in the crock pot .
Cover the chicken breasts with spaghetti sauce ( I normally use 2 jars of a flavored sauce)
Cover and Cook on slow all day.

About 45 minutes before eating- throw in a bag of corkscrew noodles.
Cover again.

Time to eat! The chicken will be so tender and yummy now.
Dish up chicken , the sauce, and noodles.
Sprinkle the top with grated Parmesan cheese and enjoy!

Spiced Butternut Squash and Lentil Soup Recipe

By: Better Homes and Gardens

A very simple but satisfying soup--actually more like a stew.

Put it in your crockpot in the morning, and come home to a wonderful meal!

1 cup dried lentils 2 1/2 cups butternut squash cubes -- (3/4-inch) 1/2 cup chopped onion 1/2 cup chopped carrot 1/2 cup chopped celery 2 garlic cloves -- minced 1 teaspoon garam masala 4 cups low sodium vegetable broth

1. Rinse and drain lentils. In a 3 1/2 to 4-quart slow cooker place lentils, squash, onion, carrot and celery. Sprinkle garlic and garam masala over vegetables. Pour broth over all.2. Cover and cook on low heat setting for 8 to 9 hours or on high heat setting for 4 to 4 1/2 hours.

[Adjust seasoning.] Ladle into bowls.

Slow Cooker Beef Stew

1 pkg McCormick Slow Cooker Beef Stew seasoning mix
6 carrots
8 red potatoes
½ white onion
1 can Campbell’s Cream of Mushroom soup
1 can Campbell’s Cream of Onion soup
1 pound pkg stew meat
1 can cut green beans (drained)

Peel and slice carrots and add to slow cooker. Cut potatoes into small chunks and add to slow cooker (leave on skin if desired!). Cut white onion into large chunks and add to cooker. Add stew meat to cooker. Prepare seasoning mix in a separate bowl with water as stated in package directions. Add to slow cooker. Mix well. Add both cans of soup and green beans and mix well.
Set slow cooker on Hi for 4-5 hours or on low for 8-10 hours.

Last to leave you with this priceless photo if the day:

My son asleep on the kitchen floor -what a good mom I am !

Make it Monday & a tip for the Day!

Today is the first of " Make It Monday "

I am going to show you how to make an easy throw pillow .

I am making this for our friend Olivia who is still in the hospital and I decided to use some Sassy Pink animal print super soft fleece that I had. With 3 boys-

I am not going to get the opportunity to use it very often!!

For the size pillow that I am making-

you will need 2 pieces of fabric that are 18" by 22".

Coordinating Thread

Poly-fill Filling

You can use cotton, fleece. minkee, or whatever you desire.

You can also adjust the size to what you want.

I decided for the top of my pillow-

I was going to personalize it with her name.

So that was done in the center of one of my pieces of fabric.

Obviously- this step is optional.

Afterwards- I took my 2 pieces of fabric

and place them right sides together.

Pin in place.

Go to your trusty sewing machine and stitch around all 4 sides together with a basic sewing stitch leaving about 1/2" seam allowance on the side.

However leave an opening about 2 inches on one side.
Make sure to backstitch at the beginning and end of your sewing.

Now thru the hole that you left-

pull the fabric of the pillow thru so that the right side is facing out.

Then go back around on the outside and do a basic stitch-

but again do not sew close the opening.

If you are sewing with a fabric that can be ironed- press the pillow case.

Now take some poly fill filling and stuff your pillow thru the open hole. Fill the pillow up to your desire. Go back to your sewing machine and stitch close the small opening you left.

Now you are done- how easy was that!

I picked up the fleece blanket at Target for $2.50 in the bins in the front and just personalized with her name also. I then cut a strip of the pillow fabric

I has left with pinking shears to make a tie for the blanket.

This was such an inexpensive gift but is personalized and made from the heart!

Great gift ideas for birthdays, baby showers, wedding showers, holidays ,and more.

A tip I have for parents with small children :

Have trouble getting the little ones to eat their Spinach?

Try buying fresh spinach and cutting it up fine.

Mix in with you spaghetti sauce, meatloaf, hamburger patties, etc!

They will never know the difference and it will help add to the flavor of your recipe!