TEMPTATION TUESDAY

Good afternoon all and happy Temptation Tuesday to ya!  I told ya that I had some good recipes for you and believe me I do.  For today, I thought that I would give you 3 recipes.  Yay!  Two of them are for desserts and the other one is for a dip.  I don't honestly know which on of these I like the best.  That is how delicious they all are.  So, what do you say we dive right in? 

The first recipe that I am going to share is the one for the dip.  This is where I originally found it at:  http://www.justaspoonfulof.com/2012/05/neiman-marcus-dip.html 


NEIMAN MARCUS DIP

5-6 green onions, chopped
8 oz shredded cheddar cheese
1 1/2c mayonnaise
1 jar Hormel real bacon pieces
slivered almonds

Mix all ingredients together and then chill.  Serve with Ritz or corn chips.

I didn't use nuts in mine.  We have some folks that don't enjoy them.  It was delicious without them and I am sure it is just as delicious with them.  I was thinking though that craisins would be delicious in this as well as a little coconut.  I think that would take it to another whole level of tastiness.  Just sayin! 

We all loved the dip.  It was finished being eaten up on July 5th!
Here is a picture of the dip:

The picture doesn't do it any justice but, take my word for it.  This dip is awesome!

For the next recipe, this is for all of you out there with a sweet tooth like mine, maybe a little Butterfinger sweet tooth.  I originally got the recipe from here and if you would like there original version and not my shorthand, go here for it:  http://mykitchenadventures1.blogspot.com/2012/02/butterfinger-dessert.html     


BUTTERFINGER DESSERT

1 angel food cake, cut into 1" pieces
1 1oz pkg sugar free, fat free, butterscotch instant pudding mix
1 1/2c skim milk
2 8oz containers of cool whip free, thawed
10 fun sized Butterfinger candy bars, crushed

Spray a 9X13 pan with cooking spray.  Arrange half of the angel food cake cubes in bottom of pan.  In a large bowl combine the pudding mix with the skim milk.  Whisk until starting to thicken.  Fold in both containers of cool whip free.  Pour half of the pudding mix over the cubes of cake.  Top with half of the Butterfingers.  Repeat with the rest of the cake and then the pudding mix and finish off with the Butterfingers.  Cover and refrigerate for at least an hour before serving, or overnight. 

Holy cow, can I just tell you how good this thing was!  Wow!  And the best part is, it wasn't that bad for you.  I mean, it could be alot worse, like the next recipe.  LOL!  Here is a picture of mine:

 

 

After this had been refrigerated and all those yummy flavors combined, Wow!  Really yummy and very easy to throw together. 

For the last recipe, this one is another one for all of you with the sweet tooth like mine.  I got this recipe from here:  http://theimperfecthousewife.blogspot.com/2009/09/fried-ice-cream-dessert.html 


FRIED ICE CREAM DESSERT

1 stick of butter
1 c sugar
3 c crushed corn flakes
2qts vanilla ice cream  *let ice cream sit out for 1/2 hour to
                                            soften
1 container cool whip
1 teas cinnamon
honey for drizzling

Melt butter in frying pan.  Add cornflakes and sugar.  Fry for about 3 mins, stirring constantly so that the sugar doesn't burn.  Pat about 1/2 to 1/3 of the cornflake mixture in the bottom of a 9X13 pan. 
In a large bowl beat ice cream, cool whip and cinnamon.  pour ice cream mixture over cornflakes on bottom of pan.  Sprinkle remaining crumbs over ice cream.  Freeze.  When serving, lightly drizzle honey over each slice. 

WOWZERS!  Yeah, this was as delicious as it sounds.  And so easy to make.  That's what makes this recipe very...... dangerous!  LOL!

I did think that it was to sweet, though.  I think when I make it again I will try 1/2c sugar in the corn flakes instead.  It was way too sweet and then we added the drizzle of honey and it pushed it over the top.  I think that cutting back on the sugar will make it way more tasty.  That is just my opinion though.  Others may think that it is great just the way it is and that is fine.  Just giving ya all my opinion on it. 

Here is the picture of what mine looked like:

We had never had the real fried ice cream but, had heard about it.  This was a great way to experience it.  Truly yummy1


These recipes that I shared with you today were all quick, easy, and just a few ingredients.  They were fun and tasty too!  I hope that you all give them a try they are definitely worth it.  If you have a special occasion you are going to and need to bring a dish, any one of these would be a big hit.  Try them soon. 


Hope that you all have a great day.  I hope to be back soon but, I got to get going on them curtains, ya know?! 

Warm and primitive blessings to you all.

prim_bug

MONDAY AND A FEW PICS OF WHAT I GOT DONE THIS WEEK END!!!!!

Good Monday morning all.  I hope that you all had a great Fourth and an awesome week end as well!  Ours was great!  We had our usual get together and tons of food and lots of laughter, jokes, remember whens, and just great family togetherness making new memories!  Love it!  I hope that you all made some new great ones too.  I will be sharing a few of the new Pinterest recipes that I made on the Fourth with you all tomorrow.  YUMMY!  For today I wanted to share a few pics of what I did this week end.  Not alot but, I did get a couple of things finished and that is always an accomplishment for me.  LOL! 

The first thing that I have been wanting to share is the pics I took of the flowers that the hubs brought home for me on our anniversary. They are so beautiful still, and he brought them home for me on June 21.  I love that they are still sitting on my dining room table almost as beautiful today as they were when he brought them home for me.  He got them early for me because he knew that on our anniversary (the 25th) he would not have time.  That is just so sweet, I know!  He's the greatest!  Here are the pics;

Aren't they beautiful?  I love, love, love, daisies.  They last so long and they are so beautiful.  And, who doesn't love baby's breath?!  To top it all off, the hubs takes me out to dinner on Saturday for our anniversary and as we head out the door, there is a limousine waiting to take us there, WHAT?!  I know!  I have never gone in a limo before.  This was so sweet and he never does anything like that.  What a great guy.  If he continues to keep surprising me like this...... I'm gonna continue to love it!  LOL!  He is the greatest, I tell ya!  Thanks hon!

Now, for the other projects that I finished up.  Do you all remember the rooster needle punch that I did?  Well, it has just been laying around waiting to be finished off.  I had no idea how to finish it.  So, I looked it up and found a tut and they told me to cut all but a quarter inch around it and then basically glue the back down.  I did.  Not sure I like doing that though.  I think next time I will just stitch it down on the back.  Always think of this stuff after.  Oh well!  After I glued it down, I decided to attach it to a basket that I had just laying around.  I just sewed it's four corners to the basket and that was it.  I had the perfect spot for it right on the hutch in my dining room.  Here's the pic;

I knew that it would look great on this hutch because of the green color of it.  The green in the rooster looks great up against it.  Yay!  Now I can enjoy seeing this in my dining room every time I go by instead of seeing it waiting to be finished laying in my craft room.  Woot!  Woot!

So, this next project is one that I did with my youngest nephews for the Fourth.  I got the original idea on Pinterest here:  http://www.backintymeprimitives.com/store/WsDefault.asp?Cat=Americana&isThumbs=No&curpage=1&Thumbs=  There were alot of similar ideas for this type of thing and I kind of followed this one and added in a couple of pieces from the others I saw.  I unfortunately didn't have any of the others pinned or I would have shared their addresses as well.  Sorry.  It is pretty basic but, it looks awesome.  My nephews were going camping over the Fourth and these were going to be awesome to take for little night lights as well as festive for the Holiday.  Hope that you all like the looks of them as well.  Here it is;

Isn't that pretty neat?!  I wish that you could see the glow of the tea light inside.  It is too bright in the house.  I used a peanut butter jar.  I bought a package of four flags at Wal mart for just a couple of bucks.  We took the flags off the poles.  Then, I wrapped twine around the flag to hold it in place and knotted it in the back.  For the lid I put a used and dried out coffee filter over it, (it still showed the green of the lid so I placed a small piece of muslin under the filter and problem solved.  I wrapped that with twine too.  Inside the jar we used some white rice just to lift the light up a little, and then we added a battery operated tea light. Voila!  The only thing that I need to do with this is stain it so that it looks aged.  I wanted to get the picture taken so that I could show what I had worked on.  When I made the ones up with my nephews, we purchased blue mason jars at Wal mart for them.  They liked the blue jars and they were reasonable at 1.97 each.  It is a fun project to do for the holidays and if you have an area in your home with the Americana theme.  And very inexpensive. 

For my next project I needed to re-cover my Bible.  It was just not matching my decor on the stand where I keep it.  I didn't want it moved so, I had to do something.

So, here it is before.  Kind of loud and doesn't really look old and prim. 

The first step was picking the fabric that I wanted to cover it in.  I liked the stripes and the blue stripe fit in with the room.  So, I basically tried to fit it like a book cover similar to back when I was in school.  I am not a big one on measuring and fitting to perfection, my bad!  I can't help it.  It just seems like I should be able to just lay it out and make it fit just right.  Haha.  Never works that way but, ya can't blame me for trying, right?! 

Before I could sew the actual cover, I wanted to put a patch on it that read:  Holy Bible.  I got a piece of muslin and just hand wrote on it.  That would be easy enough to stitch on.  I thought that dark brown embroidery thread would work great and I used 3 strands to sew on the words.

I am very pleased with the little stitched patch. 

To finish it I took more of the brown embroidery floss, just one strand, and did like a running stitch all the way around the Bible cover.  Then I took it and did the same thing to patch it on.  Love the way that it came out.  Now I can have it on my stand and I think that it looks great!  Very happy girl.

I think that it looks so much better now.  And if you look in the back ground I think that you can see Kayzer's eyes glowing too.  He is such a little cutie.  If I can sneak them in a picture, you know I am going to.  Love my fur babies. 

I didn't do any big projects but, for me completing a few smaller ones is sometimes even more difficult.  I feel very accomplished after all this.  Now do you all know what I need to get working on?  Yep, more curtains..... yay!  Can't wait until they are all done. 

Hope that you all have a wonderful day.  I will be back tomorrow to share some of my new recipes.  Can't wait for that.  See you then.

Warm (not hot, lol) primitive blessings to you all!

prim_bug

TEMPTATION TUESDAY

Happy Temptation Tuesday all!  Yeah, that's right.  I am here on the correct day.  YIPPEE!!!!  Now, the recipe that I want to share with you all is one that I made on Sunday afternoon.  And while it was baking the only word that I could think of to describe the smell is..... heavenly!  OMG!  The smell of strawberries and cinnamon in a bread baking for an hour.  WOW!  It was almost too much to bear.  The best part was that my mom came over to visit while it was baking, and Sam and Cole came over to play board/card games with my sis.  They do this pretty much every week end.  Are they great or what?  Think about it for a minute.  How many teen age kids do you know that would give up a few hours on their week end to spend with their aunt/uncle/family member to do activities with?  There are not many that I know.  Makes it even more special.  They will always have these awesome memories with her.  <3  Love them lots.  Anyway, I got to take a quick picture of them all having a slice of it while they were in the midst of their game.  Of course, they had to give me a bit of a hard time though.  You be the judge;

So, my sister was the only one sweet enough to give me a thumbs up!  I was so focused on Cole, acting like he was choking on the bread that I didn't even see Samantha being a wise guy too, with the thumbs down!  What the heck?  

Is that not a cool photo?!  I love it.  I needed to do a little spread on Cole because I am always talking about Samantha.  Pretty much what you see with Cole is what you get.  He is a handsome, 15 year old, with his driver's permit.  He already has his first vehicle, a red pick up truck.  He is responsible, funny, sweet, smart and all of the wonderful things that you would want your son to be.  I have to say that my brother and sister in law are very fortunate to have two kids as great as these two are.  Okay Cole, I hope that I didn't embarrass you too much.  Love you both to the moon and back!  

Now, on with the recipe.  Have I gotten you drooling yet with the talk of the strawberries?  Maybe this next photo will help;

 This is my moms slice of bread.  I forgot to take a picture of the loaf before we cut into it.  And she hadn't dove into hers yet.  You can kind of see the bread underneath.  The top is the strawberry butter that I made to put on it.  YUMMY!

So, if you would like to copy the recipe from the original spot that I got it from, go here:  http://www.jamhands.net/2012/03/strawberry-bread-with-strawberry-butter.html 

If you want my shorthand version, here you go:

STRAWBERRY BREAD WITH STRAWBERRY BUTTER

1/2c butter, softened
3/4c sugar
3 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
2c flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2c sour cream
2c fresh or frozen strawberries
1/2c nuts

Cream butter and sugar.  Beat in eggs, one at a time and add vanilla.  Mix dry ingredients in a separate bowl.  Add 1/3 of the dry ingredients into the wet.  Mix in 1/2 of the sour cream.  Mix in another 1/3 of the dry ingredients.  Mix in the remaining sour cream.  Mix in the last of the dry ingredients.  Mix in the strawberries.  Pour into a greased loaf pan.  Bake in a 350* oven for about 60 minutes.  (I had to cook mine for an extra 10 minutes). 

STRAWBERRY BUTTER

1/2c butter, softened
2 Tbsp powdered sugar
2 Tbsp (+/-) strawberry preserves or fresh berries (I used the strawberry sauce below instead)

Mix together until creamy.  Cover and refrigerate until serving.


I used a strawberry sauce in the butter that my mom showed me how to make.  It is very easy and tastes great on ice cream, pound cake, inside filling of oatmeal crumb bars, toast, pretty much anything.  You also can use any kind of fruit to make this.  It is probably something that you all know how to make but, I didn't and I thought that maybe someone else out there might not either.  So, here's the other recipe for ya.

STRAWBERRY SAUCE

1 quart of strawberries
3/4c sugar
3 Tbsp Tapioca

Mix the sugar and the Tapioca together. (This prevents the Tapioca
 from clumping).  Hull, and half or quarter your berries.  Put them into a medium sized saucepan and turn on low heat.  Add your sugar/Tapioca mix to the berries.  You will want to watch this and stir it often so it doesn't stick on.  Turn your heat up to medium after it has started heating up a little and wait for it to come to a boil.  Make sure you keep stirring.  When it comes to a boil you will need to let it boil for 1 minute.  Keep stirring still.  when the minute is up, it is done.  So delicious.  A good mixture is strawberries and rhubarb.  That is too yummy.

TIP**** Change your sugar amounts depending on berry tartness. 

        Add more Tapioca if your berries are real juicy.

This is very easy to make and yummy to have as a treat.  It is also quick to make up and almost as quick to disappear.  With the Fourth in a couple of days this is just something handy to make up and serve over ice cream for a quick dessert. 

Well, I hope that you have enjoyed the blog today.  If you make up the bread, prepare your house for a delicious smell to fill it. 

Warm and primitive blessings to you all!

prim_bug

MONDAY BEFORE THE FOURTH!!!!!!!!

Well, Happy Monday all!  I trust that you all had a nice week end.  Ours around here was good.  It was kind of productive.  Not in the ways that I had hoped for but still got things done around here and that was good.  I had hoped that I would have alot to share with you today but not as much as I had wanted.  I will show you the pictures I took of the camper with my kitchen towel curtains.  At least, the ones that I had done.  I had to go get more towels this week end so that I could finish up the curtains for the bathroom and the bedroom windows.  But, here's what is done;

 



 

When you first open the door and walk into the camper this is what you see.  Kitchen to the left and the living room to the right.  Further down to the right is the bathroom and then the bedroom.  Pretty standard but, it is our first camper.  Woot, Woot!! 

This is obviously to the far left in the kitchen.  So, what do you think of my curtains?  I think that they came out pretty good.  It just makes you proud when you put into it so much of yourself.  Hopefully I am not boring you all.  I just thought that if I showed you what you can do with $25 in kitchen towels, and if I can do it, anybody can.  I don't sew a straight line, I don't measure things to the exact, most of the time I don't pin the fabric down, so if I can do this, just imagine what you can do.  That is what I am trying to get across here. 

This is obviously off to the right in the kitchen.  My curtain rod is not hung on very good.  The wall brackets needed to be replaced and I didn't realize until I went to hang them.  Next trip to the store.

This is of the living room section.  Over the lovely PINK couch.  Yes, that is still something that I have to figure out as well.  But, the curtains look good.  What do you think of the little lanterns above?  I got them at Tractor Supply too!  When I went back for more of the towels, I spotted these in their clearance section.  What a steal for $6.99 each.  They are LED lights and they have a dimmer switch to turn them up or down.  They take a couple of batteries but, what fun!  Love them. 

This is across from the couch in the living room.  There is a small table/counter under this window.  The valance on this window needs one more towel but, that was all that I had done at the time and I was dying to see how they looked.  I think they all look great.  In the end, that is all that matters, right? 

And this picture here is showing you down the entryway to the bathroom and bedroom.  These two rooms still need to be washed down and finished cleaning, as well as yep, you guessed it.  The curtains.  I have already vacuumed and cleaned the bedroom for the most part.  Even got us some bedding at Wal mart.  Now is a great time to find some Patriotic bedding.  So, I am almost done with it.  I would like to say by the end of the week I should have it all done but, with the Fourth on Thursday and appointments, and with watching my nephews on Mondays and Tuesdays..... doesn't look promising.  But, I am gonna try. 

I wasn't very successful with tutorials and finishing projects this week end but, I am working on things to show you soon.  I will try to put them on here little by little.  Just be patient with me.  I know, if you are still checking in here, you are a very patient people.  Thanks for that. 

I am hoping to make a cover for my Bible that matches the prim look in my front room.  That is where I read it and the blue and green coloring just doesn't fit in so well.  I can fix that easy enough.  (I hope) LOL!  I also am planning on making some Pioneer dresses out of pillow cases that i picked up at Goodwill.  The free pattern is at Our Pioneer Homestead.  I will link you all there after I post it.  I also have a few other goodies that I want to get cracking on. 

There is one more thing that I want to share with you all today though.  I found this on Pinterest, duh?! It is a 52 week money challenge.  This sounded so cool when I pinned it.  Then I forgot about it until Nancy was looking at my pins and asked me about it.  Well, that brought it to my attention again and I printed it off and I am going to try it.  It sounds really neat.  If you are interested in it too, you can find it here:  http://stuckathomemom.com/52-week-money-challenge/the-52-week-money-challenge-you-game/  

This starts off with you just putting in one dollar the first week and two dollars the second week and on the 52nd week you are putting in fifty two dollars.  At the end you will have saved $1,378.00  I think that is sweet.  I am starting mine this week and I will try to keep posting with you all to see how you are doing too.  Nancy had a great idea to start it on the week of her Anniversary and that way when it comes around next year they will have money to go somewhere they might like or do something special.  I think it is a great idea.  Thanks for reminding me of it again, Nancy.

See you all tomorrow.

Warm and primitive blessings to you all.

prim_bug



 

It's Friday and I have a TEMPTATION TUESDAY for ya!!!!!!!

Happy Friday all!  I am gearing up for the week end and hoping to get alot accomplished today.  Laundry for starters....LOL!  Well, I promised that I would have a Temptation Tuesday for ya and I do.  Maybe even a couple of yummies coming your way. 

For starters, Root beer BBQ Chicken.  Sounds delicious, huh?  It was.  I will tell you though that I didn't get much/any root beer flavoring.  None of us could taste the root beer.  I will say this much though, the hubs has fallen in love with the BBQ sauce part of the recipe.  You know what that means for me now?  Right, I have to make it up from here on in.  That's okay.  I liked it alot too!  This is what it looked like when I baked it the other night;

I had originally planned on cooking it on the grill but, due to the lovely rain, I opted for broiling it in the oven.  Let me tell you, I have not cooked it like that before and I loved it.  It only took 10 minutes and the chicken was done and juicy.  I will be making it again very soon.  If you are interested in where I found the original recipe from, it came from here:  http://www.mynameissnickerdoodle.com/2010/08/fabulous-food-friday-60.html   If you would rather use my shorthand version and go by that, here goes;

ROOT BEER BBQ CHICKEN

2 cans Root beer or 3 cups, divided
1/2c smoky barbecue sauce
1/2c Dijon mustard, plus 1/4c more for marinade
brown sugar if needed to sweeten the sauce
1# boneless, skinless chicken breast
salt and pepper
1 Tbsp paprika
1 Tbsp garlic powder
2 Tbsp olive oil

In a small saucepan, boil 1 can or 1 1/2c root beer until thick and syrupy, about 30 mins.  (I boiled mine for over 30 mins and it never got thick and syrupy.  I used it anyway.) Stir in 1/2c smoky BBQ sauce and 1/2c Dijon.  Taste and see if it is sweet enough.  If not, add some brown sugar. 

Meanwhile, in a large Ziploc bag add in remaining Dijon, salt, pepper, paprika, garlic powder, and olive oil.  Stir together.  At this point the directions said to reserve about 1c. for dipping and basting.  I did not, that is what I assumed the first part of the recipe was for.  Add in chicken and toss to coat.  Pour in remaining root beer and place bag in a bowl, to prevent accidents, and then refrigerate and let marinate for 1 hour to 24 hours.  Flip chicken a few times while marinating to keep flavor evenly distributed.  Set aside some sauce for basting and use the rest for dipping.  I used the cooked sauce for this. 

Remove chicken from bag and discard bag and all the marinade.  Grill or broil chicken for about 5 minutes on each side, or until it is no longer pink.  I bought the Purdue individually wrapped breasts in a bag.  There were 5 in a pkg and they were the right thickness for the time recommended for cooking.  It worked out perfectly.  I put sauce on the top of the chicken when I put it in for the first five minutes and when I took it out to flip it over, I put another layer of sauce on the back side.

We enjoyed the chicken alot and I would definitely try it again.  As I said before, we didn't taste the root beer in it but, we have found a new BBQ sauce to love.  LOL!

For the next recipe, I have chosen COWBOY LASAGNA, and if you would like the recipe from where I originally found it, go here;    http://peppermintmochamama.blogspot.com/2012/10/cowboy-lasagna.html

We really enjoyed this recipe as well.  It was very tasty and filling.  I would definitely say it was a hubby pleaser.  Here is what mine looked like when I made it;

Yum, yum, yum!


COWBOY LASAGNA

1# ground beef
minced onion- I used a whole one
Worcestershire sauce, a generous sprinkling --I love this so I was
                                        very generous
3Tbsp parsley, divided
1 10 3/4oz can of tomato soup
1 15.25 oz can of corn
3Tbsp dried ground mustard
1 32oz pkg. tater tots
salt and pepper
4c mozzarella

Brown ground beef with the spices- then drain.  Add can of soup and can of corn and let simmer for 10 minutes. 

In a greased 9X13 pan, arrange tater tots in a single layer.  Cover with 2 cups of cheese.  Pour ground beef over the top.  Cover with remaining 2c of cheese and 1Tbsp of parsley. 

Bake at 350* for 30 minutes.  Let stand for 5 minutes before serving.

If you want a quick and easy supper------ this is the recipe for ya.  And with all the rain we have gotten recently, this will be just right for a night like tonight. 

Well, I hope that you all have enjoyed these recipes today.  Sorry again that I made you wait for them but, hopefully they are worth the wait. 

As you can see, I tried both of them and they were both enjoyed by us immensely.  I hope that you all get a chance to try them out so that your family can enjoy them too!   

Have a great week end.  I am hoping to get some crafting going on this afternoon.  Yay!  If I do, you will get to see the proof next week.  Cross your fingers.  LOL!

Warm and primitive blessings to you all!

prim_bug

HAPPY THURSDAY EVERYONE!!!!!!

Hello all.  I know it has been a while.  The story of my life, huh?!  I know that it is hectic this time of the year for everyone.  Us too.  Well, the Fourth is right around the corner.  I am trying to get planning on what we will be enjoying on that day.  As like everything else I do, it will most likely be a last minute decision and it will be fine.  I am thankful that we all just have a great time no matter what.  That is the best.  Looking forward to lots of great food and fun! 

I have been busy also with a new project.... we bought a used camper and I am trying to decorate and clean it when ever I have the free time.  Being on a budget and not having alot to spend I am making new curtains for it.  Guess what I am making them out of?  Kitchen towels!  Cool idea and very affordable.  My mom was telling me that when she and my dad were first married they had a small trailer and she desperately wanted curtains (she is/was an amazing decorator, with a love of curtains).  Well she took some towels and made her some curtains and they were perfect she said.  That got my wheels spinning for a while.  And, then like all good things in my head, it was gone.  I had decided that I wanted to do an Americana type of theme in the camper.  It is a 1989 and everything is the same in it as it was in 89.  The beautiful (ick) pink couch and the curtains are all ruffly and the same style.  Don't get me wrong, they were pretty if you like that style (my mom loved it).  I just prefer the more prim looking stuff.  Anyway, on Saturday I had to run in to a Tractor Supply store for some dog food and of course the hubs heads down to all of the tool stuff.  So, I go looking for him and in the center aisle I see a great display of Fourth of July stuff.  I looked at it and saw these bundles of kitchen towels and.... Aaaahhhh, the light bulb went on.  Thank God.  They were in packages of 3 for $5.99.  I got four packages and have over 3/4 of my curtains made.  I need a couple more of them to finish the curtains in the bedroom and bath and I would like to make some throw pillows out of them as well to put on the couch.  I will also need to buy a cover for the couch too.  Unless I can figure out a way to make one myself for a lot less.  Here are a few quick pics that I remembered to take as I was taking down the old ones;

See the beautiful pink couch?  And the blue silky type of curtain on top.  Not my thing.  It would work if it had to.  Thankfully it doesn't have to. 

This pic is of the kitchen.  It is the window on the left side. You can see the red checkered towels on the sideboard.  Those are the ones that I will be making for that window.

This is one of the bedroom windows.

This is the living room window across from the couch.  This one is going to just have a valance across the top because it has a nice blind underneath so, that is all I need for this one.  The valance will be the blue checkered print.

Yep, you guessed it the bathroom. 

I haven't had a chance to clean it out yet.  It isn't bad but, definitely can use a good once over.  I haven't hung the curtains I made yet because I want to clean everything first.  But, I did take a couple of quick shots of them on the rod just so I can give you an idea of what they look like. 

Alright, so don't you just love these?  I, so do!!!!  They came packaged in sets of red or blue.  I thought that they would look great all mixed up so this is what I came up with.

 This set of curtains will be over the couch.  It has the blue and white with stars on both sides and the red and tan stripes in the middle.  Both sides will be tied back and the middle section will also be tied and pulled in the center.

This set will be in the kitchen on the long window at the end.  I didn't get a before picture of that one.  This will have the red and white with stars on either end and the blue and tan stripes in the middle.  And they will be tied back the same as the living room. 

Kind of yucky pics cause they are not hung but, I hope to have some good pics of it all done by next week. 

I have so much to share but, always short on time.  I wanted to at least touch base with you all and let you know I haven't disappeared again.  I hope to be back tomorrow with a Temptation Tuesday for you.  I know, it's Friday but, I owe it to ya!  LOL!  So, I hope that you all have a good afternoon and evening and I will be back tomorrow.

Warm and Primitive blessings to you all.

prim_bug

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY!!!!!!!

Hello everyone.  I just wanted to put on a quick little note to say "Happy Father's Day" to all of the Dad's out there.  For those who have passed like my dad and the hub's dad as well. For the dad's that give their heart and soul, for the dad's that are over seas fighting for our Freedom, for all the dad's that are fill in dad's, for all the moms that are the dad's, and for the grampa's that are dad's, and anyone else that I may have not listed.  You know who you are, if you are stepping up to the plate to do the job and you are filling those shoes:






           HAPPY FATHER'S DAY!!!!!




I hope that you all have a great day and celebrate your Dad the way that he should be celebrated.







Warm and primitive blessings to you all!

prim_bug

WELL, HELLO AGAIN!

Good afternoon everyone.  It has been such a long time.  I have truly missed chatting on here about everything that goes on and sharing the recipes with you all.  I realize that it is not an excuse but, I think that you all understand that sometimes life just gets really busy and you just need to let some things go.  Unfortunately, in the last month and a half, I have had to let go of a few things that I really didn't want to but, had no control over them.  I could go on and on and bore you all to death with my problems but, the reality of it all is that we all have problems every day and they get to all of us.  And, at the end of the day you just want to relax and enjoy the blessings that surround us all.  So, I am going to blog today about some of the blessings that have happened in my life that I haven't shared over the last month and a half. 

First off, I hope that all the Veterans, all of the Moms, and all of the Graduates each of you, I hope that your day was special and blessed. 

For Mother's Day my sister gave me a beautiful Morning glory plant, one that someone in her horticulture group had planted in the early spring.  She bought it and brought it home and surprised me.  What a sweetheart she is.  I need to plant it outside still.  But, when I first got it we were getting rain and I was waiting for good weather.  When the good weather came I went to plant it outside and when I grabbed the plant it had started climbing and winding itself around everything over my kitchen sink and in the window.  It was so pretty that I couldn't take it down.  Since then, we have had almost nothing but rain.  Anyway, I did not know what this was going to look like when it blossomed but I didn't have to wait long to find out.  Here it is:

Isn't that just gorgeous?  I have had non stop blossoms ever since.  I just love it and it makes me happy every time I see it. 

Ok, so on to the next exciting thing that I missed blogging about;  Samantha went to prom!  And, she and I decorated her mask for it.  It was awesome and it was quite a transformation.  Unfortunately, I only got one picture of it while it was in progress. Oops!  I know, how unlike me!  LOL! Here is the picture of it that I did remember to take, while we were working on it. 

Alright, so we had a basic purple mask.  Samantha and her mom had picked up some white lace, and the accessories to go on it.  But, there was nothing white about her gown and all of her accessories were silver.  Her shoes, jewelry, nail polish, everything.  We had to make the lace silver.  So, Samantha says "let's just spray paint it".  I am thinking, I have never painted lace before but, ok.  It is amazing how things work out.  I had bought a can of a silver metallic spray paint in February.  I was going to make some heart necklaces and use that paint.  The dough sealed over the holes for the cord to go through so I never finished with them.  I did not know then that my paint would have a greater purpose.  Voila!  It worked.  And not just enough to get by with, It came out great!  So we attached the lace over the entire mask with some spray adhesive.  That was a messy job.  Thank goodness we thought ahead enough to cover the ribbons on the side with aluminum foil.  (No, they were not antenna)!  The hubs couldn't figure out what the aluminum foil was about!  LOL!  After the adhesive dried we folded the edges all around and glued to the back of the mask.  Cut the eye holes out and did the same for them.  This was not so easy to do with lace, but so worth it.  Then, it seemed like it needed a trim around the outside edges.  I found some kitchen twine and back to the old can of paint.  Yep, painted it up and then glued it around the edges and it looked great.  At this point, Samantha took it home and finished attaching all of her glittery accessories.  I think it came out fabulous and it was a great chance for us to bond.  Loved it!  Will miss her so much when she goes to college and starts moving on with her adult life.  Anyway, thought I would share some photos of her in her gown and all ready for prom.

No, this is not her ready for the prom.  This is her the afternoon she and her mom got back from shopping and found her dress.  She was so excited and I couldn't wait to see it.  Isn't she a cutie?! 

I think that this is the best close up picture that I have of her in her mask.  You can't see it the greatest but, it came out very nice.  The best thing about it was that no one else had one like it. 

Isn't her dress beautiful?  I love it. 

This is Samantha with my sister, and her Aunt Lori.  This is one of my favorite pictures.  Love them so much.

And, this one is of Samantha, the hubs, and myself.  I don't normally take pictures but, for her, well anything.  Love it though.

Ok, so some of you might be thinking enough already.  But, if it were not for Samantha I would probably not be blogging right now or even at all.  She bugs me and stays on my case until I finally blog.  And I love her for it.  She is also the one that changes the scenes on my blog and does any and all of the technical crap for me.  So, if I go on and on about her..... it is with good reason.  Love ya girl. 

I have so much more to tell but, it is nearing supper time and I need to be going.  I did want to let you all know that I got a Bliss cutter so that I can cut my own wool strips for rug hooking.  Oh my gosh, I am some kind of excited.  I can't wait to get started on a new rug.  I will be taking pictures to share soon.  As well as getting back to Temptation Tuesdays.  I may have been gone for a bit but that doesn't mean that I haven't been on Pinterest and trying some yummy recipes.  In fact tonight we are having a Reuben Casserole.  YUM!  And I can't wait. 

Thanks to all of you who pop in and have been stopping by to check and see if I have been back.  My apologies for not being here.  I hope to be getting back to normal with everything and back on here to stay in touch with you all.  Lots of love going out to each and every one of you.

Warm and primitive blessings to you all.

prim_bug

TEMPTATION TUESDAY

Hello again everyone.  So sorry that I have been missing in (out of) action.  I was quite busy the last few weeks with appointments for myself, mom and sister, and then I ended up getting a nasty cold.  I had all I could do to just get up and get through the day, let alone, do anything more.  I am feeling much better now and I have been busy outdoors today.  Oh my gosh it feels so nice to have the sun out and shining down.  Loving it!!!!!!  I did not work on crafts though.  You would have thought, what a great time to but, I really felt yucky and had no desire to even move.  Sorry!  I was hoping to get things rolling too.  They are on there way, at least I would like to think so!  LOL!

I do have a recipe for today that I definitely want to share with you all.  I got the recipe off Pinterest from here:  http://www.justgetoffyourbuttandbake.com/?p=984    

My husband flipped over this.  It combines his favorites;  broccoli and chicken.  I just couldn't go wrong.  You need to give this recipe a try.  A quick week night supper and you can even make it ahead of time and pop it in the oven when you are ready for supper.  Love that!

CHICKEN BROCCOLI SUPREME

1 lb fresh broccoli, break into pieces and cook ( I cook my broccoli until it is soft.  That is the way we like ours.  Cook it the way you enjoy it).
3 c cooked chicken breasts broke up into pieces---I bought a rotisserie chicken and used that.  I also poured some of the juices that were in the container of the chicken, over the chicken in the 9X13 pan.I feel like this added a lot more of the chicken flavor to the dish. 
3 c grated cheddar cheese, divided
2 tubes of Ritz crackers
1 stick melted butter
1 Tbsp poppy seeds
SAUCE
1/3 c butter, melted
1/4 c cornstarch, dissolved in 1/2 c COLD water
1/3 c chicken stock
salt and pepper
2 c milk
1 1/2 c of above cheddar cheese

In a greased 9X13 pan, layer the broccoli and chicken (this is where I poured the chicken juices right over the top), then set pan aside.
In a saucepan over medium heat, combine the melted butter, cornstarch dissolved in water, chicken stock, salt and pepper, and milk.  Stir well, and continue stirring until the sauce has thickened. Turn heat down to low, and add 1 1/2 c cheese.  Stir until melted.  Pour over the chicken and broccoli.  Top with the remaining 1 1/2 c cheese.  Melt the butter, and then add the poppy seeds and stir well.  Crush the Ritz crackers but, not too fine.  Add the crackers to the butter and poppy seed mix, and mix well.  Sprinkle the crumbs all over the top of casserole. 
Bake uncovered at 350* for about 30 minutes or until hot and bubbly.

As I said above this was quick and easy and we all loved it.   Here is a picture of how mine came out:

Just looking at it again, makes me want to make one up tonight!  YUMMMMMM!

See how cloudy that picture is?  That's because I took the picture as soon as it came out of the oven and that was the first scoop out while it was steaming.  Super delicious. 


So, the next thing is, I thought that maybe I would send you on a mission to kind of a surprise for the second recipe?  I don't know if that sounds like fun to you or if you all want me to continue posting the two recipes.  If you could take some time and send me some feed back that would be great.  Just leave a comment if you like this idea or if you would like me to go back to doing it the same old way that I have been.  For today I am going to send you to a post for something for your dessert.  You can find it here:       http://lifessimplemeasures.blogspot.com/2011/08/white-out-cake-and-birthday-re-do.html     Alright so, I know that it kind of tells you what the recipe is but, you still need to go there to see how scrumptious it looks.  I am thinking that I need one of these soon!  YUMMY!  Don't forget to let me know how you all like the Surprise thing or not.  Thanks, it is much appreciated.  Plus, I don't feel like I am just talking to myself here...... that could get a little scary.  LOL! 

Thought that I would share two more picture of Samantha and her brother who I don't think I have ever posted a picture of, Cole.  He is a very handsome and smart young man and I am very proud to be his aunt.  These two come over to our house almost every week end to play games (board/card) with my sister, their aunt Lori.  She doesn't get out much due to her disability.  So for them to come over, as teenagers, and spend time with their aunt........ Wow, do I have to say anything else?????  That is some pretty good kids.  And yes, I am partial but I think they are really special and they are going to have some really special memories to keep with them forever!!!!!  Love you both with all my heart.   Here is the picture of Cole, Samantha and Jackson (can't forget him);

   ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~                             SMILE                                      ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~




Well, I hope that you all have a wonderful evening and if you didn't get a chance to get out and enjoy the weather today, I hope that you get a chance to tomorrow. 


Warm and primitive blessings to you all!

prim_bug

TEMPTATION TUESDAY-- ON THURSDAY....... AGAIN!

Hello all!  I hope that you have all been well.  So sorry that I am a bad blogger.  Those of you that know me have grown to expect the delay.  And for anyone new looking on ........beware.  I have really been busy as I am sure you all have been too.  No excuses, I know.  So, I have a few things to share with ya and then I will get right to the recipes. 

First thing, my sisters birthday was on Tuesday and I just wanted to send one last Happy Birthday to Lori this year! I tried to get a picture of my nephews at the little party we had for Lori but, one little fella just wouldn't cooperate.  Here's the pics anyway;

The lovely young lady sitting at the left is my mom.  The small get together was nice but we were missing some of the family that we wish could have been there with us too.  :(


Next, you all have come to know and love my niece Samantha with me.  She has made me so proud.  Over the last year she has lost over 50 pounds and looks fantastic!  Samantha--- I am so proud of you girl.  Losing weight is one of the hardest things to do and you are nailing it!  Keep up the good work.  Ok, so she also has prom coming up and just went out to get her prom dress  I got a couple pictures of her before the dress gets a few changes made to it by her great grandmother (which is special all by itself).  She has given me permission to post these pics now so here goes:

Isn't she beautiful?!  And if you think that, that face and smile are amazing, you should meet her and see what her personality is like.  Oh yeah, we were supposed to be showing the dress right?  Sorry, just a proud aunt.  I just can't help myself.  Here's the other picture of the whole gown;

Love it!  I can't wait to see her all decked out on her prom night.   So, so, so proud of ya! 



Alright so it's time to move on from my bragging to my recipes.  I do hope that you all enjoyed the pics though.  I like to share some every now and then.  For the recipes, I have one that is a Pinterest recipe that I have tried and have a picture of and the other is for something that I threw together for a quick supper the other night.  It is clearly nothing spectacular but, it is simple and it was delicious.  In fact, the hubs and Lori have both requested it again soon.  Lucky me.  It is that easy!  So, I will start off with the easy one;

TUNA ROLLS

2 cans of tuna fish, drained
1 pkg crescent rolls
4 slices cheese
4 slices bacon, cooked and halved
Worcestershire sauce
mustard
mayo
garlic powder
onion, chopped fine
dill

I take the drained tuna and dump into a bowl.  Shred the tuna a little.  I don't like the big chunks of tuna (leave it chunky if that is the way you prefer it).  I then add a couple of good splashes of the Worcestershire sauce on top of tuna.  Okay, so I like Worcestershire sauce alot so, I add alot.  Again, personal preference.  I then add a squirt of mustard on top.  I would guess about 2 teaspoons.  I started adding these extras to the tuna to help cut back on the mayo.  I thought that it was smart but, really it ended up being more tasty than the plain old tuna that I used to make.  Then I add the mayo.  I did not specify an amount on this because people vary when it comes to mayo.  Use what you would like.  Mix that all up.  Then sprinkle with garlic powder and dill.  I use the kind that you get in the squirt tube, that you find in with the fresh veggies.  I love it because it stays fresh in your refrigerator and lasts alot longer than if I bought fresh dill.  I used about a Tbsp., again I love dill.  Add according to your likes and dislikes.  Then I mix in the onion. 

Once the tuna is all blended together, I roll out the crescent dough.  I cut the cheese slices in half diagonally so that they would sit on the crescent triangle shape.  Add the piece of bacon and then top with a scoop of tuna.  Roll up the roll as you would for the crescent and bake according to the roll directions on the package.

Serve these up with a nice green salad and you have a quick and yummy supper.  Sorry I didn't remember a picture of these.  But, they were simple and delicious so you can imagine what they looked like and if you can't imagine what they look like you can make a batch up for yourself.


This next recipe is the one that I found on Pinterest here: http://www.plainchicken.com/2013/01/cheesy-honey-mustard-chicken.html.  This one is for;

CHEESY HONEY MUSTARD CHICKEN

4 boneless chicken breasts
3/4 c honey
1/2 c Dijon mustard
1 tsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp paprika
lemon pepper to taste
4 Tbsp bacon, cooked and chopped   I used already cooked bacon slices and broke it into pieces
1 c shredded mozzarella cheese    I didn't have any so I used slices of Cabot sharp cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 375*

Season chicken breasts with lemon pepper.  Place in a 9X13 pan coated with non stick spray.
Combine honey, mustard, lemon juice and paprika.  Pour over chicken.   Bake for 20-25 mins. 
Top each chicken breast with bacon and cheese.  Continue to bake until cheese is starting to melt-- about 10 minutes. 

This was so tasty.  The honey and mustard combination along with the bacon and cheese on top all melty good....... yum!   Here is a picture of mine:

Oh my word, they are making me crave them again just looking at them.  The hubs said he loved these.  He is a big chicken eater.  So this was over the top for him.  The chicken not only had a great flavor but, it was so juicy too.  Yum!  Definitely on my menu again soon. 

I also have started roasting my sweet potatoes.  I had never done it before with sweet potatoes, only with the white ones.  I chopped them up and baked them in the oven with olive oil and salt and pepper.  Do the same thing with your sweet potatoes and they are super delicious.  I cook mine on  425*  for about 20 mins or so and then turn down to about 350* and finish them off.  I like mine a little on the darker side.  The browner they get, the sweeter they taste.  Anyway, I took a picture of those as well and they were delicious with they chicken and some sweet peas.  It was a yummy supper all the way around. 

Well that is all for today.  I hope you all enjoyed the pics and recipes.  Make sure that you give them a try.  They are both very good and easy.  I also premade the chicken recipe earlier in the day and let it sit in the fridge until I was ready to cook it off.  That was another bonus. 

Warm primitive blessings to you all.

prim_bug