Amanda's Chicken Taquitos with Black Beans and Rice

Not the healthiest recipe, but it makes up for it in yumminess!

DIRECTIONS FOR THE CHICKEN TAQUITOS:

Bake Chicken in oven and cut into pieces when done (or pull apart an already made rotisserie chicken from the grocery store). Preheat oil in a pan on medium low-medium, enough to cover the bottom plus a little bit more). I use olive oil because I don't care for the other kinds, but you may use whatever oil you usually cook with. Place about 5 tortillas in a closed Ziploc bag and microwave for 40-45 seconds (this makes it easier to roll without breaking). Place chicken on a tortilla and roll it up. Place seam-side down in the pan. Repeat directions with however many you plan to make. Be sure to flip when the bottom side turns a golden tan.

DIRECTIONS FOR THE BLACK BEANS:

I saute onion in olive oil and add canned black beans. I have tried making the bag kind before without any success :(

Pair with any of the following: rice, salsa, guacamole, and Cojita cheese.

Lynn's Soft Pumpkin Cookies

INGREDIENTS:
1 (15 ounces) can pumpkin, about 1 2/3 cups
4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1 cup light brown sugar, packed
1 cup (8 ounces) butter, softened
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon maple extract
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
4 eggs
1 cup pecan halves

DIRECTIONS:
Into a large mixing bowl, measure all ingredients except pecans. With hand held mixer at low speed, beat ingredients until blended, scraping bowl occasionally. Increase mixer speed to medium and beat for 1 minute longer.Preheat oven to 350°. Using 2 tablespoons of batter for each cookie, spoon batter into mounds on ungreased baking sheets, keeping mounds about 2 inches apart. Press a pecan half into the center of each cookie dough mound. Bake cookies for 18 to 20 minutes, until golden brown. Loosen cookies with spatula and move to wire rack to cool. Store in tightly covered container for up to 4 days. Freeze in portions, if desired.Makes 6 to 7 dozen cookies. (I have kept them a little longer than 4 days - just put a slice of bread in the container with them to keep them soft.)

Bryony's Apricot Jam

18 cups of apricots - pits removed
8 cups of sugar
4 teaspoons of "Fresh Fruit" this can be found near the canning section, it stops the jam from oxidizing, you can also use Ascorbic Acid or crushed Vitamin C.

*Place in stainless steel pan, bring to boil, reduce to simmer and cook until desired consistency

Lynn's Olive Garden Zuppa Toscana

INGREDIENTS:
• 1 lb ground Italian sausage
• 1½ tsp crushed red peppers
• 1 large diced white onion
• 4 Tbsp bacon pieces
• 2 tsp garlic puree
• 10 cups water
• 5 cubes of chicken bouillon
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1 lb sliced Russet potatoes, or about 3 large potatoes
• ¼ of a bunch of kale

DIRECTIONS:
1. Sauté Italian sausage and crushed red pepper in a large pot. Drain excess fat, refrigerate while you prepare other ingredients.
2. In the same pan, sauté bacon, onions and garlic for approximately 15 mins. or until the onions are soft.
3. Mix together the chicken bouillon and water, then add it to the onions, bacon and garlic. Cook until boiling.
4. Add potatoes and cook until soft, about half an hour.
5. Add heavy cream and cook until thoroughly heated.
6. Stir in the sausage.
7. Add kale just before serving.

*Makes: 6-8 servings

Lynn's Seafood Medley

INGREDIENTS:
1 lb. shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 lb crabmeat (I have used real and imitation)
1 lb bay scallops
2 10 3/4 oz cans cream of celery soup (I prefer campbell's)
2 soup cans of milk
2 tbsp butter, melted
1 tsp Old Bay seasoning
1/4 -1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper

DIRECTIONS:

• Layer shrimp, crab, and scallops in crock pot/slow cooker
• Combine soup and milk.
• Pour over seafood.
• Mix together butter and spices and pour over top.
• Cover.
• Cook on low 3-4 hours.
• Serve over rice or noodles.

*This makes a lot - about 10-12 servings

Lynn's Tortilla Rolls

INGREDIENTS:
1 8oz block of cream cheese
12 oz sour cream1 pkg
Hidden Valley Ranch
½ bottle bacon bits
2 boxes frozen spinach (thawed and drained)
Green onion
10 tortillas

DIRECTIONS:
Combine all ingredients. Spread on tortillas, roll, and refrigerate 5 hours or overnight. Cut into slices before serving.

Lynn's Egg Bake

INGREDIENTS:
24 oz bag shredded potatoes
½ cup butter
7 eggs
1 cup milk
2 ½ cups shredded cheddar cheese
Diced ham (optional)
Onion (to taste)

DIRECTIONS:
Combine potatoes and butter (melted) in pan.
Bake at 400o for 25 minutes
Combine the remaining ingredients.
Pour over potatoes.
Cook for 30 minutes at 350o

*I have also just mixed it all together and baked at 375 for about an hour and that worked also.

Lynn's Breakfast Casserole

INGREDIENTS:
1 lb breakfast sausage (not links)
10 cups fresh bread cubes
1 pkg frozen broccoli – thaw and drain14 oz can sliced mushrooms – drain
2 c. shredded sharp cheddar cheese
6 eggs beaten
3 cups milk
1 cup Miracle Whip
2 tbsp flour
1 tbsp dry mustard
2 tsp dried basil
1 tsp salt

DIRECTIONS:
Brown sausage and drain.
Add bread cubes, broccoli, mushrooms and cheese
Mix lightly
Spoon into 13x9 baking dish or 2 qt casserole
Combine eggs, milk, miracle whip, flour, and seasonings
Pour over bread mixture.
Cover and refrigerate 1 hour or overnight.
Bake at 375o uncovered for 1 hour.

Lynn's French Toast Casserole

So Yummy!!!!

INGREDIENTS:
10 slices white bread *
1/4 lb. soft butter (or margarine)
1/2 c. raisins (optional)
2 tsp. cinnamon3 c. milk
2/3 c. sugar
4 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla

DIRECTIONS:

• Trim crusts and spread slices generously with butter.
• Cut each slice into fourths and arrange half on bottom of baking dish.
• Sprinkle with raisins and 1 teaspoon cinnamon.
• Cover with rest of bread and sprinkle with other teaspoon of cinnamon.
• Scald milk; remove from heat and stir in sugar until dissolved.
• Beat eggs thoroughly in a separate bowl.
• Gradually dribble milk into eggs, beating constantly.
• Stir in vanilla and pour over bread.
• Set baking dish in a pan of hot water and bake 40 to 50 minutes at 350 degrees or until knife inserted in center comes out dry.

*I use any type of bread or roll – I usually make this when we have leftover hot dog or hamburger buns – and I leave crusts on.

Gabi's Homemade Pizza Rolls

INGREDIENTS FOR DOUGH:

1 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast
1 1/3 cups warm
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

DIRECTIONS FOR DOUGH:

In a mixing bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Add oil, sugar, salt and 2 cups flour; beat until smooth. Stir in enough remaining flour to form a soft dough. Turn onto a floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, about 6-8 minutes. Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease top. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour. Punch dough down. Turn onto a floured surface; divide in half. Roll each portion into a 12-in. x 8-in. rectangle.

EASY VERSION: I’ve read that you can also use Betty Crocker Pizza Crust (just add water and let rise) to make these rolls! Definitely worth a try!

SAUCE:
I used RAGU Pizza Sauce (‘old world style’ J ). Use any brand you like.
Spoon over crust to within 1/2-in. of edges.

TOPPINGS:
4 cups shredded mozzarella cheese (1 ½ cups for each portion of dough, the rest is to sprinkle on top when the rolls are cut and on the baking sheet)
sliced pepperoni (I used turkey pepperoni)
anything else you like!

DIRECTIONS FOR THE ROLLS:
Makes 24 Rolls

1. Roll up jelly-roll style, starting with a long side; pinch seam to seal.
2. Cut each roll into 12 slices.
3. Place cut side down on a greased baking sheet.
4. Sprinkle with remaining cheese.
5. Bake at 400 degrees F for 15 minutes or until crust is golden and cheese is melted.
6. Serve warm.
   　

Super Easy Crate Organizer

Gabi made a really cute, fun organizer for Jonas's toys and books. The best part ~ it was cheap & easy to do!

Here is her description of how to make this yourself:

I bought the storage crates at Wal-Mart. They come in blue, orange, green and purple and are only 2.50 each. You can find them in their 'college-section' (in the middle of the 'for-the-home-section').

I simply stacked them an d then tied them together with cable ties that I had also bought at Wal-Mart for about 3.50 (100 pcs). I pulled the cable ties nice and tight and the unit is really very sturdy! I was done in about 10 minutes, it's really very simple! It holds a lot of toys, books and stuffed animals, was really inexpensive and looks really cute because of the bright colors!

4th of July T-shirt craft

This was such a cute craft Danyelle hosted at her house ~ I was so sad to miss it! I did get the chance to see some of their finished products and they turned out great. I plan to make this next year for sure!

CRAFT MATERIALS:
Plain T-shirt
Newspaper
Glittery fabric paint
Paper plate
Pipe cleaners
Time needed: Under 1 Hour

1. Start by placing a few sheets of newspaper inside a plain T-shirt.

2. Pour one or more colors of glittery fabric paint onto a paper plate.

3. Create a stamp (for each color paint) to print fireworks: arrange four pipe cleaners in a bunch, pinch the center, then bend all eight ends over your thumb and twist them together a few times, forming a loop. Spread apart the ends and bend up the tips, as shown.

4. To use the stamp, dip it into the paint so that it's evenly coated and press it firmly onto the fabric.

5. Once you've finished your design, allow the paint to dry thoroughly, and refer to the paint manufacturer's directions before laundering the shirt.

Video Instructions:

http://familyfun.go.com/utilities/global/feature/fftv-archive-video-player/fftv-archive-video-player.html?video=fireworks_shirt

How to make those adorable Korker Bows

Korker ribbon is actually very simple to make. It just takes a little patience and practice to get it perfect.

The first thing you need to make korker ribbons, of course, is the ribbon. You can make korker ribbon from almost any type of ribbon (satin, jacquard, etc.) with the exception of wired edge or outdoor ribbon.

For starters, I would recommend using 1/4 inch or 3/8 inch grosgrain ribbon. Next, you will need wooden dowels. You can purchase these at home improvement stores, hardware stores, or craft supply stores. I recommend using a 1/4 inch or 3/16 inch dowel. (As you get more practiced with making korker ribbon, you can use different sizes to get get the curl you want.)

In addition, you’ll need wooden clothespins. While many people use the tiny craft size clothespins, I recommend using the regular sized clothespins found in the laundry section of your local department store.

Chances are the dowels purchased are one yard in length. If so, you will need to cut these in half to fit into your oven.

Now that you have all the items needed to get started, let’s begin!

First, you will need to cut your ribbon.
For beginners, I recommend cutting your ribbon into one yard lengths (36 inches). Cut as many pieces as you would like to practice with.

Preheat your oven (making sure that it is clean to avoid getting any “leakage” on your ribbon) to 200 degrees. (If the heating of your oven is off, you can adjust this up or down as needed.)

During preheating, begin twirling your ribbon around the dowel. Begin by take one end of your ribbon and clothes-pinning it to the dowel. Then proceed downward in a spiral pattern around the dowel until you’ve reached the end of your ribbon; then clothespin this end to the dowel.

Once you’ve completed the “twirling” step with all of your ribbon, you’re ready to bake!
This is where I will differ in opinion from other korker ribbon makers because I recommend thoroughly soaking your ribbon with water.

I recommend placing your korked ribbon on a large cookie sheet. If you don’t have a cookie sheet available, then line your oven shelves with aluminum foil. Place the ribbon in the oven. Allow to bake for 20 minutes.

After 20 minutes, carefully remove one dowel from the oven (it will be hot!) and allow to cool for about one minute. Then, using your hands to feel the length of the dowel, check for any remaining wetness. If there is none, remove the clothespins and, in a downward motion, slide the ribbon off the dowel. (Newer dowels will not allow ribbon to slide easily and make take a little more effort to remove, but this will change the more times the dowels are used in the oven.).

Cut the coiled ribbon in lengths of 3" and layout the pattern you desire. Taking a needle and thread (knot with 3"s of thread at the end) pierce the ribbon in the middle. Stack the ribbon on the needle till there is no more room or your satisfied with the amount, then slide the ribbon down the thread to the knot.

Go back thru the stack of ribbons with the needle, careful not to go thru the same hole (yes, I've done it so I have to say it!). Remove the needle and tie the thread in a double knot.

You know have a korker bow! You can now attach it to pony tail holders or barretts. From start to finish this project to me 30 minutes - so I know you can do it, just try it out!!!

How to make the No Sew Tutu!

Supplies:
Ruler

Scissors

3 yards of 1 1/2" wide satin ribbon

4 yards of tulle (this amount varies as to how full you want your tutu to be but this is a good start point!)

The tulle should be folded in half already, now fold in half again, and again until it looks like a long tube - make sure to not get any wrinkle in there! Cut off one end to make sure you have a straight edge. Cut in 3-4" strips. It doesn't have to be exact but its good to keep it consistant. then just keep going down the long piece until there is no more tulle left to cut.

If you are using ribbon you will need to make two knots (I was able to measure Gianna and Brooke and where the ribbon met, that is where I tied it off. If you do not have a live model you will need their waist measurements. It seems that 20" is pretty basic. Find the mid point, say their waist is 20 inches, the mid point would be 10 so you would tie the ribbon off at five inches from each side of the mid point.) You do this so the tulle stays in place. Have an additional 20"s of ribbon on each side of your measured waist knots for tieing your tutu later.

• Starting at one knot we will now tie the pieces on to the ribbon. You are going to do a basic loop knot so you should have one side of the tulle open


• Place your hand through the loop part of the tulle and grab the remaining tulle and pull through


• Pull to tighten into a knot, but don't pull too hard or you will tear the tulle


• Scrunch the tulle pieces together as tight as you would like, the tighter you scrunch them the fuller the skirt.
  

Just keep tying the tulle on until you reach the other knot. At that point if it is scrunched enough for you then you are done, if not scrunch the pieces together more and keep tying. I like to scrunch them just a little bit, that way as the girls grow the mom can undo on of the ribbon knots and unscrunch the tulle so it can grow with her.

You can add to this whatever you want.
If using elastic you will need to make it a few inches smaller than the actual waste size and just sew the ends together then start applying the tulle.

Video Instructions:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B7aSPMEn7S0