DSC #43 - Picnic Recipes!

Happy Friday! Glad to see the weekends here again! So we have a new challenge at Digitally Sweet! It's time to show your picnic recipes. The DT had some fun takes on this one! I chose a drink recipe for summer days ...

My recipe card is completely digital in MMS4. Since we're being sponsored this week by Digi Darla Designs, I used Circle Cupcake and Chocolate Cake Coloured!

Come on over and join us!! Challenge ends Thursday at 6pm. One lucky person will win 5 images from Digi Darla!

A VERY Special Recipe Box

I wanted to share something with you. Last night we had our Christmas gift exchange with my family and my mom gave all 3 of us (my brother, sister and myself) a recipe box that she made and she even did her best to match it to each of our kitchen decors. Inside are all the secret recipes from herself, my grandma and nanny who are both no longer with us, another grandma, my dad and even some of my aunt's! There are a lot of 'secrets' in this little box and it really meant alot to the 3 of us. It's something that's now been passed to us and we in turn will one day pass to our children. I just wanted to share this with you, but hmmm...I can't share the secrets, not quite yet. For now, they're ours to discover and enjoy!

Happy Mother's Day with a Poem AND a Recipe!

Hello and Happy Mother's Day! First off, here's a poem I found and wanted to share...

Author: Katherine Nelson Davis

What Is A Mother?

A mother is someone to shelter and guide us,
To love us, whatever we do,
With a warm understanding and infinite patience,
And wonderful gentleness, too.

How often a mother means swift reassurance
In soothing our small, childish fears,
How tenderly mothers watch over their children
And treasure them all through the years.

The hearth of a mother is full of forgiveness
For any mistake, big or small,
And generous always in helping her family
Whose needs she has placed above all.

A mother can utter a word of compassion
And make all our cares fall away,
She can brighten a home with the sound of her laughter
And make life delightful and gay.

A mother possesses incredible wisdom
And wonderful insight and skill-
In each human heart is that one special corner
Which only a mother can fill!

I also wanted to share a recipe that I cooked up last night. Everyone raved about it, so I thought it would be fun to share.

BACON WRAPPED CHICKEN (I didn't say it was healthy...but it's OH SO GOOD!)

INGREDIENTS:

• 6 boneless/skinless chicken breast halves (4 oz's ea)
• 1 carton cream cheese (we've done both herb/garlic and chive/onion)
• 1 tbsp butter
• salt to taste
• bacon strips (calls for 6, I adjust accordingly)

PREPARE:

• preheat oven to 400*
• flatten chicken to 1/2" thickness
• spread cream cheese and add a little dot of butter and salt
• roll up and wrap with bacon
• place seam side down in greased 13x9" baking dish and bake uncovered for 35-40 min's or until juice runs clear
• broil 6" from heat for 5 min's until bacon is crisp

I added my own spin on it by pre-cooking mushrooms and bacon and adding a strip of bacon and mushrooms in the middle before rolling it up. I cooked it at 350* for about an hour, instead of 400* and it turned out really nice. Once it was done, I covered it with spaghetti sauce and shredded cheese and put back in oven till cheese was melted. Was very good!

Enjoy!

Grapefruit Scented Bath Salts W/Matching Cards!

Good morning! Here's another crafty idea I came up with for the upcoming craft show tmw! I got the bath salt idea from my friend Kelli. She made them for teacher's gifts at Xmas time. I couldn't get my hands on Mandarin oil, so I decided to go with Grapefruit Essential Oils and red food coloring to ting it pink. Oh my GOODNESS does this stuff smell good!!! I made up 10 bottles and had enough left over for 3 personal ones as well. I then made (10) 3x3 cards that are blank inside, but have a little saying on the inside left panel...

"Pamper Yourself With Handmade Grapefruit Bath Salts. Just Add 2-3 tbsp’s To Your Bath & Enjoy!"

This way, they can be used for any kind of gift! Not bad huh?? I did the recipe 4x's and as I said, it made 10 small jars, plus I had enough to fill 3 small, snack sized tupperware containers about half way. There's actually alot in these jars to! I have it pretty packed so ppl will get alot for their money.

Here's the recipe! (I got everything I needed at the local Bulk Barn and the jars at Dollarama!)

For most bath salts recipes you can use your choice of epsom salts or sea salt, with baking soda, if desired, or a combination of all three. A nice mixture is:

• one cup of epsom salts
• 1/4 cup of sea salt
• two or three tablespoons of baking soda (I used 2)
• essential oil (about 10 drops is a nice scent)
• liquid food coloring (again adjust to your desired color)

Epsom salts and sea salt are soothing for tired muscles, while both will gently soften the water for a luxurious bath experience. Add your choice of essential oil, but start with two or three drops and see if you like the fragrance. The same goes for the liquid food coloring; sometimes I use quite a few drops of food color to get the strong hue that I like, but so far it hasn't stained the bath tub or anyone's skin. Remember that the color and fragrance will be much diluted in the bath water. For best results I mix all the ingredients in my food processer. Then put them in a jar of your choice! Put 1 or 2 tablespoons in a nice warm bath, and relax!

Frosty Peanut Butter Pie Recipe!! MMMmmmm Good!

Hello again! I wanted to share a couple recipes I've recently tried out. My hubby bought me a cookbook for Valentine's Day as I was saying I'm sick of the same ol' food. I am LOVING this cookbook! It's called "The Busy Family Cookbook" and has 370 fast recipes for weeknight dinners. It's from Reader's Digest. Everything is pretty much under 30 min's, which also includes your prep time! Perfect when I want to get in here for a night of crafting!! I can pre-make and go! We're also trying to eat healthier, even Keith is going on this journey with me! So, last night I made sweet & sour porkchops and frosty peanut butter pie (for the kids). Both went over VERY well, so I thought I would share!

Frosty Peanut Butter Pie (prep 10 min + freezing)

• 4 ounces cream cheese, softened
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup peanut butter
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 pkg (8 oz) frozen whipped topping, thawed
• 1 chocolate crumb crust (8")
• 2 tsp chocolate syrup

In a large mixing bowl, beat cream cheese, peanut butter, sugar and vanilla until smooth. Fold in whipped topping and spoon into crust. Drizzle with chocolate syrup, cover and freeze for 4 hours or over night. Remove from freezer 30 min's before serving. (I ended up doubling the recipe as it didn't seem to fill the crust we had) I did end up trying a sliver and was OH SO GOOD! Sometimes eaty healthy is tough! LOL!

Sweet and Sour Pork Chops (prep time 10 min's)

• 3 tbsp chili sauce
• 3 tbsp honey
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 8 boneless pork loins (we used reg chops)

In a small bowl, combine all 3 ingredients. Mix well and brush over both sides of pork chops. Broil 4-6 inches from heat for 3-4 min's per side, depending on thickness of chops. (mine were about 12 min's per side, but I flipped at 6 min intervals to avoid burning). These aren't overly spicy, they do have a bit of a kick, but they're really good!

Have a recipe you'd like to share? Leave a comment so we can try it out! Enjoy!

Recipe Alert! Toblerone Fudge!

Hello!! Well, I tried making fudge for the first time and it worked!! YAY! Ashleigh's favourite chocolate bar is Toblerone, so I went searching for a good fudge recipe and found one here. It's very easy to do. It says to bring to a boil on medium heat, I had it on 3, so quite low, and it took awhile, but it worked. If you boil it to fast, it won't set. I also cut mine in small squares as it's quite rich, but it's so creamy and yummy!! If you get a chance to try it yourself, it's worth it!

Meistro Mouse! A Teacher's Gift

This year I wanted to try something different for the kid's teachers. Awhile ago, I found a body scrub idea on a fellow blogger site and I loved the idea. So, I went researching body scrub recipes and I found one called "Mocha Sugar Body Scrub". Since Andrew's teacher loves music and is a music teacher (an amazing one at that), I went with my little Meistro Mouse. He's colored in with watercolor blending pencils and then on the top of the little jar, I did the same image using CTMH 'white daisy' ink. Want to try it yourself? Here's what you need:

• half cup (white) sugar
• 3 tbsps coffee grinds
• 2 tbsps cocoa
• pinch of cinnamon
• pinch of nutmeg
• 2-3 tbsps almond oil
• pinch of vanilla extract (optional) ashleigh and I added a little to ours

In a glass bowl, mix all your dry ingredients together and then add your almond oil to you reach your desired texture. Don't be surprised if you use a bit more. I ended up using a bit more cinnamon and added vanilla. I followed the recipe and then added things till it smelled just right to me. I also added a bit more oil as well. I tried it in the shower yesterday and mmm mmmm mmm! Bathroom smelled like a nice blend of coffee and chocolate!! I have to be honest, when you first open it, the first thing you think is "WHAT is that??" But it leaves your skin feeling soft and smelling yummy!

Enjoy!

Popcorn's A Poppin'!

I was checking out my favourite blogs today and came across Jeanette Lynton's and she has a really great recipe on there to make popcorn balls that your kids will love! What a great summer treat idea!

Run over and check out her popcorn ball recipe here!

Check This Out!

I was blog hopping yesterday (what else is new..LOL!) and came across Joanne's blog "just a little something" and she has a great recipe and idea on there for home made Body Scrubs!! Check it out here!! I can't wait to try this out...

Thanks Joanne!

ALLAN'S 5 MINUTE CHOCOLATE MUG CAKE:

I had an email sent to me just now and thought I would post it! I have seen this before, but never tried it...seems easy enough? If you decide to try it, leave a comment and let us know how it turned out and what kind you tried! Here's what you need to get started:

• 4 tablespoons flour
• 4 tablespoons sugar
• 2 tablespoons cocoa
• 1 egg
• 3 tablespoons milk
• 3 tablespoons oil
• 3 tablespoons chocolate chips (optional)
• A small splash of vanilla extract
• 1 large coffee mug (MicroSafe)

HERE'S WHAT YOU DO:

• Add dry ingredients to mug, and mix well
• Add the egg and mix thoroughly
• Pour in the milk and oil and mix well
• Add the chocolate chips (if using) and vanilla extract, and mix again
• Put your mug in the microwave and cook for 3 minutes at 1000 watts.

The cake will rise over the top of the mug, but don't be alarmed! Allow to cool a little, and tip out onto a plate if desired. EAT ! (this can serve 2 if you want to feel slightly more virtuous).

What mother wouldn't love it?