tutorial - pom poms!

my wonderful and crafty friend Kollen of Design by Night posted this awesome tutorial on her blog- and it took me back to college, when my room mate Kait and I were big knitters...so naturally, we used our yarn to make fun pillows- essentially these pom-poms in a MUCH larger size...but I wanted to share with all of you, because Kolleen is the queen of tutorials, and these are just too much fun, not to make!!

happy crafting :)

for the step-by-step instructions with awesome pictures, click here!

movie review...UP!

one of the cutest movies I've seen...it's got flying houses, it has talking dogs, it is funny, smart and well just all around cute :) it makes me want to get into computer animation and create movies for Pixar...you will definitely find yourself routing for these characters...and if you don't get a little teary in the end...well that is just your problem ;)




it also makes me wonder just how many balloons it might take to pick our townhouse up from our *lovely* street, and land it somewhere nice, peaceful, and clean :)

warm soup for cold nights

I love to cook, and I love to cook soups when it is cold and snowy outside...which this winter has been a LOT!

One of my new favorites- that is also really really easy to make (bonus!) is Italian Wedding Soup...I had it for the first time a few Christmas's ago, when Brett and I were at his mom's house in Florida...and I've been hooked ever since! You can make this yummy soup in just about 30 minutes!














the recipe I use is based on Giada De Laurentiis' (yay food network) recipe
photo from http://recipetips.com

Ingredients:

Meatballs:
1 pound of ground meat (I usually use beef, but chicken, turkey or pork would work- whatever you use for your own meatballs)
1 egg
1 small onion, grated
*I use garlic salt to season, but her recipe calls for both garlic and salt
1/2 cup of shredded Parmesan cheese
breadcrumbs- I never actually measure, but I think I use about a cup...

Soup:
12 cups of chicken stock
1/2 box, thawed frozen spinach **the recipe calls for endive, which I never have on hand...I love frozen spinach, and always have that!
2 eggs
shredded Parmesan cheese

Directions:
Combine the meatball ingredients in a bowl, mix and form meatballs. I make mine as small as possible, but you can make yours any size you desire :)

Bring the broth to a boil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the meatballs and spinach and simmer- about 8-10 minutes. Whisk the eggs and cheese in a bowl. Stir the soup in a circular motion. Gradually drizzle the egg mixture into the moving broth, stirring gently with a fork to form thin stands of egg, about 1 minute. Season the soup to taste with salt and pepper.

I love to serve the soup with some crusty bread, and of course a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese on top :)

Tuesday's Recipe of the Week!

I haven't tried this one yet...but it came to my email today...and it's on my list of meals for next week!

Sautéed Chicken With Corn and Edamame

Photo courtesy of Real Simple.com
find the recipe here!

Ingredients

• 4 ounces sliced bacon
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 4 6-ounce boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 large red onion, thinly sliced
• 2 cups frozen shelled edamame, thawed
• 1 1/2 cups corn kernels, fresh (from 2 ears) or frozen

Directions

• Heat oven to 400° F.
• In a large skillet, over medium heat, fry the bacon until crisp, about 6 minutes. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate. Discard the drippings.
• Wipe out the skillet and heat the oil over medium-high heat. Season the chicken with 1/2 teaspoon of the salt and 1/4 teaspoon of the pepper. Cook until golden brown, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer to a baking dish and roast until cooked through, about 8 minutes.
• Meanwhile, add the onion to the skillet and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft, about 8 minutes. Add the edamame and corn and cook, stirring occasionally, until heated through, 2 to 3 minutes.
• Break the bacon into pieces and add them to the killet. Stir in the remaining salt and pepper. Spoon onto individual plates and serve with the chicken.

Tuesday's Recipe of the Week!

Easy Chicken Bake

This is one of our new favorites...I made this last week when it was still pretty chilly out, and it was the perfect warm meal for a cold evening!

The recipe was one I tore out from Rachael Ray Magazine, and it was just an ad for Stovetop Stuffing mix...but it is soooooooo good!

Recipe

• 1 pkg (6 oz) Stove Top Stuffing Mix for Chicken
• 1-1/2 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1 can (10-3/4 oz) condensed cream of chicken soup
• 1/3 cup Breakstone’s or Knudsen Sour Cream
• 1 bag (16 oz) frozen mixed vegetables, thawed, drained

1. Preheat oven to 400°F. Prepare stuffing mix as directed on package; set aside.
2. Mix chicken, soup, sour cream and vegetables in 13x9-inch baking dish; top with the stuffing.
3. Bake 30 min or until chicken is cooked through.

Tuesday's Recipe of the Week!

I have been in the baking mood lately, and just last weekend I made Banana Bread for the first time!!

Prep Time: 15 Minutes Servings: 12

Cook Time: 1 Hour 5 Minutes Ready In: 1 Hour 20 Minutes

Ingredients:

2 cups all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon baking soda 1/4 teaspoon salt 1/2 cup butter

3/4 cup brown sugar 2 eggs, beaten 2 1/3 cups mashed overripe bananas

Directions:

1.	Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease a 9x5 inch loaf pan.
2.	In a large bowl, combine flour, baking soda and salt. In a separate bowl, cream together butter and brown sugar. Stir in eggs and mashed bananas until well blended. Stir banana mixture into flour mixture; stir just to moisten. Pour batter into prepared loaf pan.
3.	Bake in preheated oven for 60 to 65 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into center of the loaf comes out clean. Let bread cool in pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack.

**recipe & Image found at AllRecipes.com