Ain't She Crafty

Versatile Blogger Award

What a wonderful surprise to get a note from my friend Sharon Callis that she nominated me for the Versatile Blogger Award last week!  Sharon is an incredibly talented woman who was selected as Cardmaking & Papercraft Magazine's Cardmaker of the Year. The dimensional cards she creates are out of this world!

Now - let me be upfront and say that I have never participated in anything like this before...but I am so tickled she thought of me and I am always up for celebrating the creativity of others - so let's do this thing!

15 bloggers I admire/stalk/am proud to call friend/am inspired by:

Jessica Barnett - Jessica is my long-time partner in crime on our Xyron video series - love that girl!

Stephanie Howell - Stephanie and I have never met, but she is some sort of weird spirit guide who seems to share my brain.  Not only is she super crafty, but we are both Ranger wives - and that is a very special (and sometimes scary) sisterhood to be in.

Tammy Caudell - is a member of the Xyron Design Team and quite possibly one of the nicest people on the planet.

Melissa Frances - I have said about 1000 times that I am obsessed with MF - this is 1001.

Karin Aguirre - Karin and I met on the set of the now infamous Xyron infommercial and became instant friends - until I discovered that she is on the Melissa Frances DT.  Now I just stalk her out of jealousy!  :)

Happy Home Fairy - I don't know who this chick is, but I want to move next door to her immediately and have her adopt me.  Her kids craft projects make me so happy!

Ann Corbiere-Scott - is also a member of the Xyron DT, and when the two of us get together you better just step back, because we are going to have a creativity explosion and you won't get a word in edgewise!

Julie Thigpen - The upside of moving every few years is that with each new address you get a blank canvas with which to create a home.  The downside is that you can't do anything too "permanent" because you know you won't be there forever (especially if you are renting)!  Julie's blog lets me dream of my forever home where I can do anything my heart desires.

Better After - One of my great obsessions is renovating furniture.  Don and I have a dream of owning a store when we retire - he will build/renovate furniture in the back and we will have an artist co-op in the front where all of my crafty friends can peddle their wares.  This blog keeps my dream alive with their incredible before and after photos and ideas!

Christina Klauer - another member of the Xyron DT who inspires me not only with her talent, but with her strength in the midst of difficulties.  Amazing.

Megan Klauer - Christina's sister.  I mean seriously.  Is it fair that one family has SO much talent?  ;)  I have gotten away from doing 12x12 scrapbook pages (I do Everyday Stories divided page protectors) but Megan keeps sucking me back in with her beautiful pages.

Maya Road - whenever I need inspiration my first stop is the MR blog.  Their products are amazing, their story is fantastic, and they have brought my creativity to a whole new level.  They actually have three blogs - the DT blog, the company blog and Caroline Lau's blog.  Caroline is one of the owners of MR and I am proud to call her friend.  What originally started as a "behind the scenes" blog has recently turned in to a love letter to her father and her family as they all gather around him in his last days.  I encourage everyone to read her posts, and hope every family can face something like this with the love and dignity and peace and togetherness that Caroline and her family have shown us all.

Wendy Morris - I have known Wendy for...holy crap...going on 10 years almost! We were friends before blogs even existed I think - so I am grateful to have this way of still being inspired by her creativity even though we haven't seen each other "IRL" since I left the South (FYI - I don't consider Fayetteville the South).

Cathe Holden - I am a relatively new follower of hers - and love everything she does.  She has great freebies, shares wonderful personal stories, and can re-purpose stuff like nobody's business!

Sweet Paul - the only dude (that I know of) in my line up.  I keep telling myself I am going to subscribe to his magazine, because I LOVE his blog.  He combines food and craftiness - and we all know how I feel about both of those things!

And now - to round out the VBA requirements - seven things about me!  Enjoy!

I am OBSESSED with The Melting Pot.  Every time I go home I make my parents take me, and Don and I once drove over an hour to one because that is where I wanted to go for my birthday.  There is one less than five minutes away from Xyron, but no one will ever go with me.  I think it is a conspiracy.

I do not drink coffee.  Never have.  I am a tea girl all the way.  UNLESS - I need it to...ummm...poop.  There - I said it.  Am I the last person in the world to know that coffee makes you poop?  Apparently so.

Don and I have moved 8 times in 11 years - Hawaii, Savannah, Virginia (for three months.  THREE!), Columbus GA, Alaska, back to Columbus, Fayetteville NC - and we are moving to Kansas this summer.

I must have been an old man in my past life - because other than wine, the only other alcoholic beverages I drink are vodka gimlets and bloody marys.  I even have this bloody mary mix shipped to our house by the case. Is that wrong?

I am the only one of my HSN friends who watches herself (or himself) obsessively - at least the only one who admits it.  I record it on my DVR at home, and the first thing I do when I get back from Tampa is plop down in front of the TV and watch each airing at least twice, sometimes three times.  Then when Don gets home I make him watch it, and THEN I will delete it. There is one thing I do that drives me CRAZY (and no - I'm not telling you what it is, because then you will notice it even more than I already think you do) and I will obsess about it for DAYS after watching the videos, and then by the next time I get to HSN I have forgotten all about it.  I have been repeating this process (and continuing to do the annoying thing) for almost three years.  Therapy anyone?

We have two of the biggest dogs in America.  Beckett - our bloodhound/mastiff/lab mix:

and Bizzy - our six month old mastidane who is already as tall as Beckett - Heaven help us!

I watch Miami Vice reruns every morning (they are on Centric at 8am Eastern).  If I am not home I record them and have been known to sit in front of the tv with my computer for hours on end, "working" and watching Miami Vice at the same time.  In fact - that is what I'm doing right now!

 

Make a Change Monday - Cilantro

I have dealt with some big issues in my MAC Monday posts - and today I'm going to talk about something near and dear to my heart.  FOOD!  :)

When I first decided to start MAC Monday I created a list of things I wanted to change this year...and one of them was that I wanted to learn to eat cilantro.  Don LOVES it (and loves to cook) - and for years he has omitted cilantro from recipes because he knows I don't like it, so I wanted to do it for him.  I know it isn't a life changer, but love is made up of the little things, isn't it?

So without further ado - I give you Crock Pot Mexican Chicken from See Jane in the Kitchen! RIDICULOUSLY easy, INCREDIBLY tasty, and a happy first foray in to my new world of cilantro loving.  Well...liking.  Let's not get carried away.

If you are an "I love food but want it to be easy" gal like me...come join my on my Pinterest page.  I am always on the look out for fabulous new recipes and love to share them!  I'd love to hear about your favorites as well!

Enjoy!

Crock Pot Mexican Chicken
3lbs boneless/skinless chicken (I used all breast meat)
1 1/2 cups italian dressing
1 Tablespoon minced garlic
1 Tablespoon chili powder
juice of 1 lime
1/4 cup cilantro 

Place chicken in a 4-6 quart crock pot. Pour dressing over top and sprinkle with chili powder and garlic. Cover and cook for 7-8 hours on low or 3-4 hours on high. Remove chicken from crock pot, shred with a couple of forks, then put back in crock pot. Cover and cook an additional 30 minutes. Add lime juice and cilantro.

This is perfect for taco salads, quesadillas, nachos - or frankly, just eaten straight out of the crock pot with a fork!

Make a Change Monday - Healthy Eating that Tastes Good too!

Those of you who checked out yesterday's blog post about bacon jam may be hard pressed to believe that I am trying to eat healthier this year.  My love affair with bacon just reaffirms my belief that for ME to be able to make some real lifestyle changes I have to find a balance between food I love that isn't super healthy, and healthy food that I can learn to love.  So it is after years worth of procrastinating and several recipe testings I present to you...

HUNGRY GIRL!

One of the things I love about HG is that she LOVES food. To quote her website: "Lisa is a typical woman battling the same food issues most females struggle with every day. She considers herself a 'foodologist,' not because she has some kind of fancy degree, but because she is obsessed with food –– how wonderful it is, and how much of it she can eat and still fit into her pants."  I have been following her for years - for a while I subscribed to her daily email but only read them about once a week, then I bought one of her cookbooks and never opened it, then I started watching her when she was on tv but never tried any of the recipes, you get the idea.  I even got two of her newest cookbooks for Christmas - but had already put them on the shelf with the other bajillion cookbooks I own without even taking a peek. 

Then I came up with this crazy "Make a Change Monday" idea.  

SURELY, I thought, SURELY if I put "find healthy food I enjoy eating" as one of the things on my list I will eventually get around to it.  I had already started making some concessions...egg beaters instead of eggs. 2% milk shredded cheese instead of regular.  Reduced fat mayonnaise.  Still - I wasn't inspired. 

Then a few weeks ago, as luck would have it, Don was out of town and I was too lazy to go to the grocery store and the cookbooks were laying around the kitchen so I broke one open and discovered...

Red Hot Chick'n Salad
6 oz cooked skinless lean chicken breast, cubed (I used some canned chicken breast I had in the cupboard)
3 T fat-free mayo (I used reduced fat because it is what I had in the fridge - and I would actually only use 2T next time - I don't like my salads super creamy)
3 T chopped celery (I hate celery - so I doubled the amount of carrots)
3 T chopped carrots
2 t reduced fat parmesan style grated topping (I used 1 tsp of regular)
1 1/2 t Frank's RedHot Original Cayenne Pepper Sauce
1/2 t dry ranch dip/dressing mix

In a medium bowl, combine mayo, Frank's, and ranch mix, and stir well. Add chicken, celery, and carrots to the sauce and stir. Sprinkle with parm style topping and stir again. Enjoy!

The recipe makes two 3/4 cup servings.  If you make the original recipe it is only 142 calories and 2.25g fat, and 3 weight watchers points per serving.  Was mine a little higher?  Sure.  But it was a lot better for me than the frozen pizza I would have plopped in the oven, and this chicken salad was GOOOOOOOD. Like "I could eat this every day for lunch" good.  I am not really a sandwich eater - but I got out some Special K multi grain crackers and made a meal out of it, and felt pretty darn proud of myself.

So then I was inspired to try more recipes - and with FEW exceptions, I have been thrilled with the results. Some of my favorites?

The Spinach, Tomato, Feta 'n Egg Wrap Attack (links to recipe) - SUPER filling in the morning and it gives me a break from the monotony of yogurt or oatmeal.

Jalapeno Swappers (links to recipe) - the Kingstons LOVE bar food so I was pretty skeptical that something made with Fiber One cereal would make the cut.  Imagine my surprise!  They are delicious - and I don't feel guilty afterwards.

Now lest you think I have become some unpaid spokesperson for HG (did I mention she has great desserts too?) - not all of the recipes were a hit.  HG uses these tofu noodles in many of her main dish recipes as a substitute for pasta. She gives you specific instructions on how to wash/dry and prepare them and swears they'll taste like the real thing.  I have nothing against tofu - I've eaten it in asian recipes for years and actually enjoy it.  But I do not love these noodles.  I the opposite of love these noodles.  So pasta and I still have a little work to do.

 So once again - thanks to you guys inspiring me to make some changes, I'm crossing another item off my list. If you are like me and LOVE food but want to make some healthier choices, I really do recommend Hungry Girl.  You can find a TON of her recipes online, there is no club to join, you can sign up for her every day emails or just peruse her website when the mood strikes you, it lets you be you with no hidden gimmicks or fees or pressure.  Eat and enjoy - and tell me how you are making some healthier choices in 2012!

Two Words for You...Bacon Jam

That's right...Jam.  Made with Bacon.  Take in the awesomeness.

Before I share this recipe for what could be the greatest invention in the history of America, let me just say that I KNOW this is a horrendous photo.  I KNOW I need an iphone that has a decent camera, and I KNOW that a real blogger would have spent 20 minutes getting the lighting just right and taking 700 photos just to get the perfect image and then editing the photo to make it look mouthwatering and fantastical.  Me? I just wanted to get the dang thing in my mouth.

I came across the original recipe in our local paper - and it is attributed to Chef Aaron Cozadd, Union Workshop.  Chef Aaron...wherever you are...the Kingstons love you.  Both Kingstons.  We might want to marry you.  I tweaked the recipe a little bit to accomodate what we had at the house, so I share those revisions here with you.  Enjoy - then take a nap - because you will be too full to do anything else.

3AM DOG WITH BACON JAM
*I altered the recipe to make enough for four hot dogs.  You are not going to eat just one - trust me.  I don't even really LIKE hot dogs all that much and I ate two - and would have eaten three if we hadn't run out of eggs.*

4 hot dogs
4 hot dog buns
whole grain mustard
1 c. hash browns - fried crispy
bacon jam
2 fried eggs

BACON JAM
1 lb (a pkg) bacon - diced small
1 onion peeled and diced
2 tbsp miced garlic
1/2c cider vinegar (or slightly less than 1/2 c red wine vinegar, add water to make 1/2c)
1/2c packed brown sugar
1/4c syrup (we used Mrs. Butterworth)
3/4c dark coffee
1/4tsp black pepper

In a medium skillet, cook the bacon over medium high heat, stirring frequently until bacon starts to become crispy. Transfer to a paper-towel lined plate. Drain all but 2 tbsp of the bacon fat. 

(while this is happening you can cook your hashbrowns - we used frozen hashbrowns and 1 Tbsp of oil - heat oil in the pan then add hashbrowns - flattening in to a single layer.  Cover and cook approx 10 minutes, flipping once halfway through.  Set aside.)

Place the skillet back on the stove (with the bacon fat in it) and add onion and garlic.  Cook over medium until the onion is translucent.  Add the remaining ingredients. Bring mixture to a boil, stirring frequently, then boil hard for two minutes.  Stir in the bacon and simmer uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the onions are soft and the liquid is syrupy (add water if it seems to be drying out). Let stand for 5 minutes.

(while this is happening you can cook your hotdogs - either on the grill or in a pan on the stove.  We split ours down the middle so it would be easier to "load" them with toppings. You can also warm up your buns - wrap each bun in a damp paper towel and microwave them together for 30 seconds.)

Transfer mixture to a food processor (we used a blender) and pulse until bacon jam is a spreadable consistency.

To assemble the awesomeness:

Place the hot dog bun on the plate.  Smear one side of the bun with mustard and the other side with bacon jam. Add hot dog. Top with 1/4 of the hashbrowns and 1/2 of a fried egg.

Stuff your face and enjoy! Then spend the rest of the day making a list of what else you can put bacon jam on - because you will have LOTS left over.

Beth bakes...lemon nutmeg meltaway cookies

When Don and I got married his folks put together a cookbook with recipes and stories from our friends and family.  It was a WONDERFUL gift - but between our work and travel schedules, almost 10 years later it had nary a stain or spill to show for it.  Now that our lives have slowed down a little I have become almost obsessed with trying every recipe in the book - sometimes two or three recipes per meal.  So in honor of my new waist-expanding hobby (I won't even get in to the bacon double cheeseburger casserole I made on Tuesday) I give you...

 

Lemon Nutmeg Meltaway Cookies

1c sifted cake flour

1/2c cornstarch

1/4t salt

1/2t ground nutmeg

10T unsalted butter, softened

1/2c sugar

2t grated lemon rind

extra bit of sugar

Sift together flour, cornstarch, salt and nutmeg in a bowl.  In a separate bowl beat sugar, butter and lemon rind with electric mixer until light and fluffy.  Add dry ingredients and beat on low speed, scraping bowl until smooth (note - my dough was a little crumbly but held together well once it was spooned out).  Drop dough by rounded teaspoonsful on to greased cookie sheet, flatten slightly with bottom of a glass dipped in sugar.  Bake in preheated 325 degree oven for 15 minutes or until cookies have turned a very pale golden brown around the edges.  Cool 2 minutes on cookie sheet, then transfer to a wire cooling rack.  Pack in airtight container and store up to one week.

 

yummy summery raspberry muffins!

Even though the temperature is 100 degrees throughout most of the South, I couldn't resist turning on my oven for these tasty little bites of heaven!  The best part? Make a double batch and stick the leftover muffins in the freezer - then you can enjoy them any time!

This recipe is pretty much copied (I've dumbed it down a little for myself) from Publix Greenwise Magazine - happy baking my little love muffins!

Yummy Summery Raspberry Muffins

1 1/2 cup flour

1 cup yellow cornmeal

1T baking powder

1t cinnamon

1/2t baking soda

2 eggs, lightly beaten

1/2 cup honey

1/2 cup sugar

1 cup buttermilk  - don't have buttermilk on hand?  Put 1T lemon juice in a glass measuring cup.  Fill to the 1 cup line with milk.  Let sit at least 5 minutes.  Voila!

6T butter

fresh raspberries (I put in about 6 oz but if you have more on hand - throw them on in there!)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Butter muffin pan (or line with paper baking cups) and set aside. 

In large bowl combine flour, cornmeal, baking powder, cinnamon and baking soda.

In a medium bowl combine eggs, honey, sugar, buttermilk and butter.  Stir.  Add this mixture to the flour mixture and stir until moistened.  Gently fold in the raspberries.

Spoon batter in to muffin cups, filling each cup about 3/4 full.  Bake for 18-22 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Cool in muffin cups on wire rack for 10 minutes.  Remove from muffin cups and serve warm.

Makes 18 muffins.

 

Smoked Salmon and Horseradish Dip - healthy and heavenly!

In preparation for Passover and Good Friday, my local grocery store was kind enough to offer a BOGO deal on one of my MOST favorite food products...Salmon!  I am actually sitting here singing a little song to my dogs that goes something like "Saaamonnn, Saaamonnnn, pink and tasty saaaamonnnn", but I digress.

If there is one thing I love more than Salmon, it is dip.  So why not combine the two for a low-fat, low-calorie, high-fabulousness dish that is quick and easy to make!  With only 15 calories and .6g of fat per creamy, incredible tablespoon full, I give you...

Smoked Salmon and Horseradish Dip

3 oz smoked salmon

1/2 c low fat sour cream

1/2 c fat free sour cream

1 tsp dill (I used dried, but if you can find fresh - even better!)

1 tsp lemon juice

1/2 tsp prepared horseradish

Put salmon in to a blender/food processor and finely chop.  Add remaining ingredients and mix until just combined.

Can be made ahead - cover and refrigerate overnight or up to three days.

Wishing everyone a wonderful holiday weekend - and for those of you who are coming to casa Kingston for Easter dinner on Sunday, I'll try to save you a spoonful!

new year...new blogs and websites to love!

One of my many New Year's resolutions was to keep up with my favorite blogs - which will hopefully motivate (or shame) me in to keeping up with my own!  So when I was working my way through my "faves" (see the list on the left) I was super sad but not totally surprised when I realized that many of them had either stopped posting altogether or changed their theme (from, for example, mostly crafting to mostly a personal/family blog).  So I have cleaned up my list, added some new loves, and added another set of "info" sites for your viewing pleasure as well!  So I am tickled to introduce: (drumroll please....)

Beth Quinn Designs - I've known Beth for years, she was one of the "old" (and I mean that in the greatest way possible) IRW consultants when I started working there many moons ago.  She left to start her own jewelry company - and she has become a total star!  Her creations are AMAZING and looking at them just makes me happy.

     

Design*Sponge - If you are awed by those "do-it-yourselfers" who can turn a $2 chair they found at a yard sale in to a work of art, RUN TO THIS WEBSITE for some love and inspiration!  This site is so good it even motivated my HUSBAND to help me create a fantastical furniture find for our mud room (I'll post pics when it is done).  YAY used furniture and junk! 

 

Emma's Paperie - with monthly color challenges and sketches and a seemingly endless supply of projects (with instructions!!!) - this site is a little slice of heaven for paper crafters!

 

Last, but CERTAINLY not least...I introduce to you...

Cheesecupid.com - It is a well known fact that I heart wine and that I would marry cheese if it were at all possible.  So when I found this website my heart did little flips and angels started singing and my cholesterol shot up about 10 points.  WINE AND CHEESE!  Simply click on either wine or cheese on the home page, select the "type", and it will help you mix and match the perfect combinations for your palate's pleasure.  This is THE PERFECT SITE if you are a novice wine-and-cheeser and want to host a cocktail party or girls night out.  With the witty text and the clever voice overs this site tickles my fancy and my tummy!
 

   

I'll continue to add sites as they catch my eye...I look forward to sharing my finds with you throughout the year!
 

Happy Healthy(ish) Mac n Cheese!

I've been threatening to write about food for a long time, but in my constant struggle with "eating healthy" I've been a little ashamed to talk about my over-indulging.  But no more!  I just tweaked an AMAZING recipe for one of my all time favorites - macaroni and cheese!!  This even passed my husband's taste test - and this is the man who would cook everything in bacon fat if he was allowed.  Comfort food lovers REJOICE!!

Happy Healthy Mac n Cheese

4 oz chicken and sun-dried tomato sausage (I used the brats from Sam's Club and just cut the skins off - but I've also tried it with Jimmy Dean Reduced Fat breakfast sausage and it was DARN yummy!)

1 1/4 cups fat-free milk

2 tablespoons flour

1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese (use the 2% milk variety from Kraft)

1/4 cup fat free shredded cheddar cheese

1/3 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese (again - the 2% milk variety from Kraft)

1/4 cup reduced fat cream cheese

1/4 teaspoon garlic salt

8oz uncooked whole wheat pasta (I like rotini but use whatever makes you happy!)

1. Cook pasta according to directions.

2. While water is boiling/pasta is cooking, in a large non-stick pan cook sausage 4 minutes or until brown and crumbly.

3. Whisk milk and flour together in a small bowl and add to pan.

4. Bring sausage/milk/flour mixture to a boil, stirring constantly.  Reduce heat to medium and add cheeses and garlic salt.

5. Cook until cheeses melt, stirring constantly.

6.  Stir in hot pasta - and enjoy!