Stir-Fried Chile Beef & Broccoli!

     I love stir fry so when I saw this delicious recipe in parents magazine i knew it was for me! I just wish I had a wok!!!


INGREDIENTS
5 cups bite-size broccoli florets (12 ounces), stems cut into 1/4-inch pieces
12 ounces flank steak, trimmed
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 tablespoon minced ginger
2 teaspoons reduced-sodium soy sauce
2 teaspoons plus 1 tablespoon dry sherry, divided
1 1/2 teaspoon cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground pepper
2 tablespoons hoisin sauce
1 tablespoon Sriracha or hot chile sauce (more to taste if you desire)
2 tablespoons peanut oil or canola oil, divided
1 small red onion, thinly sliced


MAKE IT
1. Steam broccoli over an inch of boiling water in a large saucepan fitted with a steamer basket until bright green, about 1 minute. Transfer to a colander to drain
2. Cut steak with the grain lenghwise into 2 inch wide pieces. Cut each strip across the grain into 1/4 inch think slices. Combine the steak garlic, ginger, soy sauce, 2 teaspoons sherry, cornstarch, salt and pepper in a medium bowl. Stir to combine. Mix hoisin sauce, chile sauce, and the remaining 1 tablespoon of sherry in a small bowl.
3. Heat a 14 inch flat bottomed wok over high heat until a bead of water vaporizes within 1 to 2 seconds of contact. Swirl in 1 tablespoon oil. Carefully add the beef in one layer. Cook undisturbed for 1 minute, letting it begin to sear. Then, stir-fry until lightly browned but not quite cooked through, about 1 minute. Transfer to plate.
4. Swirl the remaining 1 tablespoon oil into the wok, add onion and cook until just translucent, about 30 seconds. Add the broccoli and stir until just combined, about 15 seconds. Return the beef and any juice to the wok. Stir the hoisin sauce mixture again and swirl it into the work. Stir-fry until the beef is just cooked through, about 1 minute. Season with more chile sauce, if desired.

Breakfast Burritos!

     My mom and dad made these breakfast burritos a lot when I was growing up.  They would make them ahead of time, roll them in foil, and then put them in the freezer for easy breakfasts in the mornings. They got the recipe from someone they knew when we lived in Arizona.  These are my absolute favorite breakfast burritos!


INGREDIENTS
2 large links of chorizo (mexican sausage)
1 bag frozen hash browns with onions and peppers (potatoes o'brien)
1/2 cup of butter
16 oz.  cheese
1 cup salsa
12 eggs
2 packages flour or wheat tortillas! (sometimes it can make more than 2 packages worth, it all just depends on how much filling you put in each tortilla)


MAKE IT
1. Cook the chorizo in a large pan. Don't drain the grease and add the frozen potatoes. Cook and stir until potatoes are soft.
2. Add butter, salsa, and cheese. Cook through until cheese is melted.
3. Scramble the eggs and add to the mixture, cook over low heat and stir often until eggs are done.

Quick and Easy Alfredo Sauce!

     I was looking for something quick to make one night for dinner and I came across this recipe and thought I would try it! Everyone in my family seemed to like it!  It came from allrecipes.com.

INGREDIENTS

1/2 cup butter

1 (8oz) package cream cheese

1 tsp minced garlic

1 1/3 cups milk

4 ounces grated parmesan cheese

1/4 tsp ground black pepper

MAKE IT

1. Melt butter in a medium, non-stick saucepan over medium heat. Add cream cheese and garlic, stirring with wire whisk until smooth.  Add milk, a little at a time, whisking to smooth out lumps. Stir in parmesan and pepper. Remove from heat when sauce reaches desired consistency. Sauce will thicken rapidly, thin with milk if cooked too long. Toss with hot pasta to serve.

Child's Belt!

     My son wants to be just like daddy and have his own boy belt as he would say...so while I was looking for some it seemed a lot harder than it should be.  I decided to even look online for them but for just a basic ribbon belt they were a little pricey and I knew it couldn't be that hard to make and would save some money!  I found this tutorial on it at make it and love it and it was super easy to make them! I used the 1 inch D rings and the 1 1/4 inch she used and I liked the smaller ones better...but that's just my opinion. Once again the picture was taken on my phone a few months ago and isn't the best quality...I'm sorry for that!

Razzle Dazzle Chicken!

     I first had this chicken a few years ago at a church event back home...we got the recipe from the Grover family and it is one of my favorites!

INGREDIENTS

4-6 chicken breasts

1 can of whole berry cranberry sauce

1 packet of onion soup mix

1/2 a bottle of french dressing ( catalina or western work as well)

MAKE IT

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Place chicken breasts in a casserole dish or pan. Mix the cranberry sauce, onion soup mix, and dressing together and pour over the chicken.

2. Bake for 45 minutes.

Fabric Covered Wipes Box!

     I really wanted a super cute wipes box for the babies room but wasn't find a cute box I liked.  I had seen some fabric covered ones at cute little baby boutiques and decided I could figure out how they were made!  In the picture I also have the travel wipes case and I will do a post on how to make those as well! This tutorial is for a huggies brand wipes box but I didn't have one of those on hand so I just altered the pattern to what I needed.  It turned out very cute and I love it!  Click Merriment Design to go to the tutorial!

Fabric Covered Travel Wipes Case!

     Are you seeing everyone with those adorable travel wipes case and wanting one too? Well I know I was and once again I wasn't wanting to spend a whole lot on something that just holds baby wipes.  I decided to leave out the batting that was used in the tutorial and it still came out perfectly!  The tutorial is from the diy mommy!  I hope you go check it out and make your own too!

Mini Pigs in a Blanket!

     Pigs in a blanket are always a hit in my house and are very popular for parties!  These are made with lit'l smokies instead of hot dogs!  The recipe is from pillsbury and is called mini crescent dogs.

INGREDIENTS

2 cans (8 oz each) Pillsbury® refrigerated crescent dinner rolls

48 cocktail-size smoked link sausages or hot dogs (from two 14-oz packages)

MAKE IT

1. Heat oven to 375°F. Unroll both cans of the dough; separate into 16 triangles. Cut each triangle lengthwise into 3 narrow triangles.

2. Place sausage on shortest side of each triangle. Roll up each, starting at shortest side of triangle and rolling to opposite point; place point side down on 2 ungreased cookie sheets.

3. Bake 12 to 15 minutes or until golden brown, switching position of cookie sheets halfway through baking. Immediately remove from cookie sheet. Serve warm.

Easiest Pillow Case Dress Ever!

 
     I wanted a super cute valentine's day dress for my baby girl so instead of buying one I thought I would make one myself! Pillow case dresses are very popular lately and now that I know how to make them my daughter for sure will be getting alot more of these!  I found the tutorial to make it at Sew Like My Mom!

Mod Podge Picture Frame!

     Mod podge is something that is used alot in my house....haha we use it on almost anything and everything!  I found this tutorial on how to cover a frame to make a cork board on makeit-loveit,  why didn't I think to do this before! I had an old sun faded picture frame that was just lying around the house and needed a cute little picture frame to put a picture of my son's fish Jett in (who we had to leave in hawaii when we moved).  He loves the frame and is so very happy to finally have his picture of Jett in his room!

Jello Poke Cake!

     I made this cake for my dad's birthday this year...it is his favorite kind of cake! It is so light and fluffy...it's hard to just have one piece! (sorry the cake in the picture is a little burnt on the bottom, i have like the oldest oven ever and some days it cooks things just fine, other days it doesn't cook things at all, or burns them )


INGREDIENTS
1 package [2 layer size] white cake mix
1 package [4 serving size] and Jell-O vanilla instant pudding and pie filling
4 eggs
1 cup water
1/4 cup oil
1 package [3 oz] Jell-O raspberry gelatin


MAKE IT
1. Combine first five ingredients in large mixing bowl. Blend, then beat at medium speed for 2 minutes. Pour into greased and floured 13x9 inch pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 40-45 minutes. DO NOT UNDERBAKE.  Cool in pan for 15 minutes.
2. Dissolve gelatin as directed on package. Poke holes in cake with fork. Pour warm gelatin over cake. Chill for 4 hours. Spread prepared whip cream topping over cake.

Spanish Chicken Skillet!

    
     This recipe is from one of those McCormick Recipe Inspirations that comes with all the spices you need to make your meal.  You don't need to go out and buy the packet to make this, you can just use your own spices!  I discovered this recipe when we lived in Hawaii just after the movers took away all our our household goods  to move to South Carolina and that included all my spices and what not.  I wanted something yummy but that wasn't a frozen meal or take out.


INGREDIENTS
2 tsp paprika
1 tsp minced garlic
1 tsp thyme leaves
1/4 tsp coarse ground black pepper
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper (optional, if you don't like spicy food I would leave this out)
1 tsp salt
1/4 cup flour
1 1/2 lbs. boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 6 serving-size pieces
2 tbsp olive oil
1 large green or red bell pepper, cut into thin strips ( I like to add 2 peppers)
1 large onion, cut into 1/2-inch think wedges
1 can (14 1/2 oz.) diced tomatoes, undrained
1/2 cup chicken broth or dry sherry (I have not tried it using the sherry...i just always use chicken broth)


MAKE IT
1. Mix flour, salt and all of the spices except red pepper in small bowl. Sprinkle chicken with 2 tablespoons of the seasoned flour.
2. Cook chicken in hot oil in large skillet on medium-high heat 3 minutes per side or until browned. Removed from skillet. Add bell pepper and onion; cook and stir 5 minutes or until tender.
3. Stir in tomatoes, broth and remaining seasoned flour. Bring to a boil, stirring frequently. Stir in red pepper to taste, if desired. Return chicken to skillet. Reduce heat to low; cover and simmer 10 minutes or until chicken is cooked through.

Growth Chart!

     I saw this adorable growth chart on pinterest one day and totally had to have it! I was surprised when my husband said he would make it for me! The tutorial on how to make it is from Always Chasing Life.  My husband decided to use a wood burner instead of permanent marker like they had done and it turned out wonderful!

Ziplock Omelets!

     My mom sent me this recipe for ziplock omelets a few years ago (I'm not sure where it originally came from) and I never got around to trying them until now......I so wish I would have tried it sooner!  Its so easy, fun, and even child friendly! I really hope you all try this one!


INGREDIENTS
eggs
cheese
baggies (the recipe calls for quart size but when I made them I just used what I had on hand which was sandwich size)
variety of ingredients: ham, onion, green peppers, mushrooms, tomatoes, hash browns, salsa, etc.

MAKE IT
1. Crack 2 eggs into your baggies (not more than 2 eggs for each bag) and shake to combine.
2. Add the ingredients into your bag (let your kids decide what they want to put in theirs and have them add it into the baggie themselves). Then shake it up to mix well, make sure you get all the air out once you close your baggie.
3. Place the bags into a rolling boiling pot for water for exactly 13 minutes. You can usually cook 6-8 omelets in a large pot.
4. Cut the bats and the omelet will roll out easily.

Southwest con Queso!

     I recently made this queso dip for my babies birthday party and I love it! My grandma Linda gave me this recipe that she got from Hyvee!

INGREDIENTS

1 lb ground beef

2 cups yellow onion

2 cups bell pepper

10 tsp southwest seasoning  (recipe for this is in the post i put up yesterday!)

2 lbs velveeta cheese

1 lb sour cream

8 oz cream cheese

10 oz can diced tomatoes with green chilies

MAKE IT

1. Cook ground beef in skillet and add onion, peppers, and southwest seasoning. Add to crock pot when it is all cooked. Put the rest of the ingredients into the crock pot and cook on high until it is all melted!

Southwest Seasoning Recipe!

    

      My grandma gave me a recipe that called for southwest seasoning but of course none of the grocery stores I went to carried it, so I got online and googled for some recipes.  This one is Emeril's from the foodnetwork.com.  I really like this and it would be great on meats and in soups!

INGREDIENTS

2 teaspoons ground cumin

2 tablespoons paprika

1 teaspoon black pepper

1 tablespoon ground coriander

1 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 tablespoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon crushed red pepper

1 tablespoon salt

1 tablespoon dried oregano

MAKE IT

1. Mix all ingredients together and store in an air tight container.

Honey Mustard Vinaigrette!

     Have you ever eaten at the Outback Steakhouse? Well if you have, then you might have tried this dressing before! This is a copycat recipe of their honey mustard vinaigrette (the also refer to it as a creamy italian).  This dressing is so yummy!  I got the recipe from teeniecakes and added and swiched a few things as were suggested on the Good Seasons Italian packet.


INGREDIENTS
1/4 cup vinegar ( i used red wine vinegar)
3 tbsp water
1/2 cup oil (i used olive oil)
1 packet of good seasons italian salad dressing and recipe mix
1/4 cup honey
2 tbsp dijon mustard

MAKE IT
1. Mix water and vinegar together. Then add italian packet, honey, and dijon; mix well. Then add oil and mix well.
2. Chill and serve over salad or use as a marinade.

Easy Window Valance!

     I wanted to save a little money so instead of going to the store and buying curtains I decided to make my own!  My son really enjoyed going with me and picking out the fabric he wanted for his new curtains!  I found a very fast and easy picture tutorial to make these at hookedonneedles.com, if you click this link it will take you straight to it!  I really love these curtains and they make my sons room look so much cuter! 

Make A Sandpaper Iron On T-shirt Transfer!

     This is a super fun craft to do with your kids and they will be so proud that they made their own shirt!

The tutorial today is from dollarstoremom.com.  In this link she explains how to make these very easy and cute shirts! You can get the sandpaper from dollar tree and they are just the right size for this project! I hope you have as much fun making these as we did!

Lion Cupcakes!



     I needed a cute cupcake idea to do for my Twins' first birthday party and when I came across a picture of these super cute lion cupcakes I just couldn't resist! 

  

MAKE IT

1.  Spread a light orange frosting on top of the cupcake.  Then mix a darker color of orange and using a piping bag and a Wilton size 22 decorator tip make the mane of the lion around the outside of the cupcake.  With black icing and a small baggie pipe on the eyes and mouth, then using some pink make a nose.  Take 2 cheerios and put them on for the ears and yay they are all done!

Wilton Buttercream Frosting!

    This recipe is for Wilton's Buttercream Icing, my friend Jenny gave it to me! I have used it on my twins 1st birthday cakes and cupcakes and it was very good!

INGREDIENTS

1 cup solid white vegetable shortening
1 tsp (vanilla, almond or butter)
7-8 tsp milk or water
1 lb pure cane confectioners sugar
1 tbs meringue powder (in case of egg allergies may be eliminated)
pinch of salt optional

MAKE IT

1. Cream shortening, flavor and water. Add dry ingredients and mix on medium speed until all ingredients have been thoroughly mixed together. Blend an additional minute or so, until creamy. Add more water or milk to thin out.

Homemade Hand Scrub!

     I don't know about you, but my hands are always suffering from dry skin.  I have 1 year old twins and a 4 year old so we are constantly washing our hands or using hand sanitizer in my house. I recently just went to Savannah, GA and we ate at Uncle Bubba's restaurant, which happens to be Paula Deen's brothers restaurant.  They were selling Paula's hand scrub and they had it free to try in the restrooms their as well, I loved it and I love Paula Deen but I did not want to pay that much for hand scrub.  So after coming home I decided I would look up different kinds hand scrub recipes and try it!  I came across this recipe for lemon sugar hand scrub from the author of good life eats. The olive oil in the recipe is great for moisturizing and the lemon scent is a great stress reducer.  Salt will dry out your skin so that is why there is only a little bit of it compared to the sugar.  Use the kosher salt because it is more coarse, but if you would rather you could just do all sugar instead.  I like having the coarse salt in the recipe because it helps to exfoliate your skin and feels great!


INGREDIENTS
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/3 cup kosher salt
zest of a large lemon (you can do more lemon if you would like)
1 cup olive oil
1/4 tsp lemon extract (this is optional, add it if you would like to have more lemon scent)


MAKE IT
1. Place the sugar, salt, and olive oil in a bowl and mix together until the olive oil is mixed in well.
2. Zest the lemon and add to the sugar/salt/oil mixture and mix in well. Add lemon extract if desired.
3. Spoon the hand scrub into cleaned jars or whatever type of container you are planning on storing it in and decorate however you would like!

Homemade Hand Print Plaques!

     My friend Tyra gave me this great recipe to make hand print  plaques! They were so fun to make, I made one for each of my kids and I am now thinking about doing a footprint one!  The ones you can buy at the store are fun too but making it yourself makes it mean more!

INGREDIENTS

1 cup flour
1 cup salt
1/2 cup water with food coloring

MAKE IT

1. Mix it well, and keep kneading it, it will form together very well after a couple minutes.

2. Bake at 200 degrees for 2+ hours. Some took longer than others (I used foil to roll it out on and a bowl to cut the shape of it).

Makes 4 plaques.

Chipotle - & - Orange Grilled Chicken!

 

     There isn't much to say about this recipe other than it totally rocks!  I got it from eathealthyyourway.net!

INGREDIENTS

2 tablespoons orange-juice concentrate, thawed

1 tablespoon finely chopped chipotle peppers in adobo sauce

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

2 teaspoons unsulfured molasses ( i always use brown sugar in place of the molasses)

1 teaspoon dijon mustard

1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts, trimmed

salt to taste

MAKE IT

1. Preheat grill or broiler.

2. Whisk together orange-juice concentrate, chipotle pepper, vinegar, molasses and mustard in a small bowl.

3. Lightly oil the grill or broiler rack. Season chick with salt and grill or broil for 2 minutes. Turn, brush with the glaze and cook for 4 minutes, brushing occasionally with glaze. Turn again, brush with the glaze, and cook until the center is no longer pink, 1 to 2 minutes longer.

Party Meatballs!

     This is a very easy recipe for meatballs I got from a friend in Hawaii!  All you need is a crock pot, 3 ingredients, and 3 hours to cook it! These are one of my son's favorite!


INGREDIENTS
large bag of meatballs
2 - 12oz jars of chili sauce
32 oz jar of grape jelly


MAKE IT
1.  Place meatballs, grape jelly, and chili sauce in the crock pot and stir.
2.  Cook in the crock pot for 3 hours on high.

Hash Brown Casserole!

     This recipe is simple but delicious...it doesn't take much time but the kids always love it!


INGREDIENTS
1 can cream of celery
1 can cream of chicken
1 bag shredded hash browns
1 can green chilies
1 tbsp dried onion
1 container sour cream
1 stick butter


MAKE IT
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Mix all the ingredients together and top with shredded cheese.  Bake for 45 minutes.

Dessert Nachos!

     This recipe is also from Melissa d'Arabian, she served these with the burrito bowls! 


INGREDIENTS
4 small flour tortillas
2 tablespoons melted butter ( i just spread softened butter onto the tortillas it makes it less messy)
1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon cinnamon sugar
1/2 cup chocolate chips
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons heavy cream


MAKE IT
1. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.
2. Brush both sides of the tortillas with butter and sprinkle with 1/4 cup cinnamon sugar. Cut each tortilla into 8 wedges. Place the tortilla chips on foil-covered baking sheets. Bake in oven until golden, turning halfway through, 4 to 5 minutes per side.
3. Meanwhile, heat the chocolate chips with 2 tablespoons heavy cream in microwave until smooth and melted, stirring every 15 seconds. It should take about 45 seconds total.
4. In a small bowl, beat the remaining 1/4 cup heavy cream to soft peaks.
5. Once the chips are done, place them on a platter. Drizzle with chocolate sauce and top with small spoonfuls of the whipped cream. Sprinkle with the remaining tablespoon of cinnamon sugar and serve immediately.

Burrito Bowls

     I got this great recipe off the food network one day when I was bored and just watching the TV.  The recipe is by Melissa d'Arabian  and it is so delicious.  This recipe is really like 3 recipes in one....I will have all the recipes for it in this post!

BURRITO BOWL INGREDIENTS
3 cups cooked white rice
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
1 tablespoon orange zest
2 cups black beans
1 1/2 to 2 cups Simple Fresh Pico de Gallo (recipe follows)
2 cups Pork Carnitas (recipe follows)
1 cup shredded cheddar
1/2 cup sour cream
2 green onions, chopped

MAKE IT
1.  In a medium bowl, toss the rice with the cilantro and the orange zest. Divide the rice evenly among 4 individual serving bowls. Top with the black beans and half of the pico de galls. Add warm carnitas and top with the rest of the pico de gallo. Sprinkle with cheese, and spoon a dollop of the sour cream on top.  Finish with the chopped green onions.

EASY PICO DE GALLO RECIPE
salt
pinch of sugar
2 medium tomatoes, seeds removed, and chopped
1/2 medium sweet onion, finely chopped
1 jalapeno , ribs and seeds removed, finely chopped
1 avocado halved, pitted, peeled and cut into small cubes
1 lime juiced
3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

MAKE IT
1. In a small bowl, mix 1 teaspoon salt with the pinch of sugar.  In a medium bowl, toss the tomatoes gently with the salt mixture.  Add onion and jalapeno and combine.  Place the avocado on top of the tomato mixture and squeeze with lime juice to coat the avocado.  Sprinkle on the cilantro, and stir to combine. Serve.

PORK CARNITAS RECIPE
2 pounds boneless pork shoulder (or 2 1/2 pounds bone-in)
salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 teaspoons ground cumin
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 onion, coarsely chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 jalapeno, seeded and ribs removed, chopped
1 orange, cut in half
3 tablespoons vegetable oil

MAKE IT
1. Rinse and dry the pork shoulder.  Salt and pepper liberally.  Mix the oregano and the cumin with olive oil and rub all over pork.  Place the pork in a slow cooker and top with the onion, garlic, and jalapeno.  Squeeze over the juice of the orange and add the two halves.  Cover and cook on low for 8 to 10 hours or on high for 4 hours.  Once the meat is tender, remove from the slow cooker and let cool slightly before pulling apart with a fork.  In a large saute pan, heat the vegetable oil over high heat.  Press the carnitas into the oil and fry until crusty on one side. Serve.