Blog Frog Friday 7-30-10

I am happy to have you all here for Blog Frog Friday: a weekly stop at my Blog Frog community:-)

Today, hop on over to my pad for a conversation about day camp:-)

Impatiens

My impatiens are looking great this year!! It's amazing what a frequent application of fertilizer will do!!

I Did It!

Happy Wordless Wednesday at 5 Minutes for Mom and Wordful Wednesday on SevEn cLoWn CirCus!


Check out my skater girl! She has mastered her skates and proud of it:-)

Tackling Extreme Cupcakes

It's time for Tackle It Tuesday with 5 Minutes for Mom and Cupcake Tuesday with Hoosier Homemade:-) Last week, I competed in the Iron Cupcake: Milwaukee Extreme Cupcake Challenge. Here was my entry:

They were:

If you can read the signs from my stellar photography, they read:

Rock You Like a Hurricane Cupcakes
Lime Cupcakes with
Passion-fruit Curd Filling
Topped with Rum Brown Sugar Meringue Frosting

Just like the hurricane cocktails they serve in New Orleans. I especially liked the frosting. The brown sugar really brought out the rum flavor; more than regular sugar:-)

The display included a boarded up window with a spinning turn-table (which was the eye of the storm), a fan under some fabric to look like waves and those battery votive candles under cotton to look like lighting. I didn't win but I sure loved creating this extreme weather and flavored cupcakes:-)

Next month...tailgating cupcakes...hmmmm....what to do....what to do?

Orange Chicken

I am doing more menu planning with I'm an Organizing Junkie and finding more deals at Pick N Save for $5 Dinners and putting them together with great recipes:-)

Oh my gosh!! Daisy Day Camp kicked my butt!! I have to tell you that it was hard work but worth every minute! I can't wait to do it again next year!

I have a MUCH easier week. The only thing I have going on is my older daughter's 20th birthday! Yikes!! Pick N Save is helping me out with my menu planning. They have chicken breast on sale for $1.99/lb. (normally $4.99/lb.) !! I bought a bunch so I could make Orange Chicken in my crock pot. Check out the recipe below.

Here is everything that I am serving this week:

Monday: Spaghetti (Cleaning Day)

Tuesday: Orange Chicken (See the recipe below)

Wednesday: Leftovers

Thursday: Older Daughter's Birthday Party

Friday: Eat Out

Orange Chicken
Ingredients:
4 Chicken breasts -- boned and skinned
1/2 tsp Ginger
1 tsp Salt
Pepper
8 oz Frozen concentrate orange juice
2 Green onions, chopped

Directions:
1. Put chicken, ginger, salt, pepper and frozen orange juice in crock pot and cook on low 6 hours. Serve chicken on hot cooked rice on platter.

2. Serve chicken liquid in gravy boat, if desired.

Servings: 8

Cooking Times
Preparation Time: 5 minutes
Cooking Time: 6 hours
Total Time: 6 hours and 5 minutes

Nutrition Facts
Serving size: 1/8 of a recipe (5.6 ounces).
Percent daily values based on the Reference Daily Intake (RDI) for a 2000 calorie diet.
Nutrition information calculated from recipe ingredients.

Amount Per Serving
Calories 187.92
Calories From Fat (7%) 13.97
% Daily Value
Total Fat 1.55g 2%
Saturated Fat 0.4g 2%
Cholesterol 68.44mg 23%
Sodium 369.12mg 15%
Potassium 552.68mg 16%
Total Carbohydrates 13.92g 5%
Fiber 0.4g 2%
Sugar 13.36g
Protein 28.18g 56%

Recipe Type
Main Dish, Poultry

Source
Source: Culinary Café
Web Page: www.culinarycafe.com

Recipe Cost: $12.29 ($6.21 on sale)
Serving Cost: $1.54 ($0.78 on sale)

Taking Time Off

Well, it finally happened. My life is too busy for me to keep up. Uncle! I surrender! I give up! I am taking a bloggie break until next week. By then, day camp will be over and my sanity will be back:-)

Fancy Mailboxes

Part of the outdoor landscape includes hardscaping like stones and patios and things like that. But, it also includes your Mailbox. Now, here in Wisconsin, our mail boxes take a licking. Every winter, the snowplows come out and leave a battlefield of Mailbox carnage in their wake. Many homeowners take this opportunity to upgrade their formerly erect pillars of correspondence receptacles. And there are many options!

You can go from this:

To this:

Or show some personality with this:
Or go all ostentatious like this (my personal favorite):

No matter which way you chose to go, make sure that the design you choose fails under the guidelines of your particular area. Some subdivisions have very specific restrictions on creativity when it comes to the curbside appeal of your home.

And, if that darned snow plow threatens your mail box again, you can always do this:

Making Muffins

Happy Wordless Wednesday at 5 Minutes for Mom and Wordful Wednesday on SevEn cLoWn CirCus!

She found the recipe on line, made the shopping list, went shopping for items on said list, mixed the ingredients and filled the cupcake liners. This is the result.

She is six years old.

Whose kid is she?

Tackling a Bunch of Stuff

It's time for Tackle It Tuesday with 5 Minutes for Mom . This week, I am tackling a bunch of stuff. Here is a list:

• My first round of PTO minutes.
• Display for my entry for the next ICM challenge.
• Shopping and planning for day camp next week.
• Planning for some get togethers for me and my girlfriends.

Wish me some luck on this list:-)

Pulled Pork Sandwiches

I am doing more menu planning with I'm an Organizing Junkie and finding more deals at Pick N Save for $5 Dinners and putting them together with great recipes:-)

This week is a little bit busier for me. I have a summer PTO meeting, a doctor appointment for hubby and a haircut for grandma. I am also gearing up for my next ICM Challenge on Sunday and day camp all next week. So, dinner has to be quick and easy for the next couple so, I think that I will be using my crockpot a bit more.

Pick N Save is helping me out with my menu planning. They have pork roasts on sale for $2.49/lb. (normally $3.99/lb.) !! I bought a bunch so...

Here is everything that I am serving this week:

Monday: Pot Roast (Cleaning Day/PTO Meeting/Hubby's Doctor Appt.)

Tuesday: Chicken and Pasta

Wednesday: Pulled Pork Sandwiches (Grandma's Hair Cut) (See recipe below)

Thursday: Leftovers (Playdate)

Friday: Eat Out

Pulled Pork Sandwiches
Ingredients:
2 lb boneless pork shoulder or roast
1/2 onion, sliced in rings
1 cup ketchup
1/4 cup warm water
1/8 cup apple cider vinegar
1/8 cup brown sugar
1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1/2 tsp Tabasco (I left out)
1/4 tsp kosher salt
6 buns (6-inches each)

Directions:
1. Trim meat, place in crockpot. Add sliced onion. Squeeze in the ketchup, then pour the warm water in the ketchup bottle and shake. Pour the ketchup-y water into the crockpot. Add vinegar, brown sugar, Worcestershire, Tabasco, and salt.

2. Cover and cook on low for 8-10 hours, or until meat shreds easily with a fork.

Servings: 6

Cooking Times
Preparation Time: 10 minutes
Cooking Time: 8 hours
Total Time: 8 hours and 10 minutes

Nutrition Facts
Serving size: 1/6 of a recipe (9.3 ounces).
Percent daily values based on the Reference Daily Intake (RDI) for a 2000 calorie diet.
Nutrition information calculated from recipe ingredients. One of the recipe's ingredients was not linked. This ingredient is not included in the recipe nutrition data.

Amount Per Serving
Calories 512.18
Calories From Fat (46%) 233.53
% Daily Value
Total Fat 25.99g 40%
Saturated Fat 8.79g 44%
Cholesterol 107.35mg 36%
Sodium 829.98mg 35%
Potassium 703.34mg 20%
Total Carbohydrates 37.44g 12%
Fiber 1.41g 6%
Sugar 16.39g
Protein 31.58g 63%

Recipe Type
Main Course, Pork

Source
Author: Dinner at Christina's
Web Page: http://www.dinneratchristinas.com/2009/05/pulled-pork-sandwiches.html

Recipe Cost: $10.71 ($7.71 on sale)
Serving Cost: $1.79 ($1.29 on sale)

Blog Frog Friday 7-9-10

I am happy to have you all here for Blog Frog Friday: a weekly stop at my Blog Frog community:-)

Today, hop on over to my pad for a conversation about the lazy days of summer:-)

Hostas!

They are doing so well this year:-)

Laptop Girls

Happy Wordless Wednesday at 5 Minutes for Mom and Wordful Wednesday on SevEn cLoWn CirCus!

We are definitely a computer family by evidence of this picture of my girls:-)

Tackling Some Z's

It's time for Tackle It Tuesday with 5 Minutes for Mom . Did I mention that I LOVE summer. This is what I am tackling this week:

Pineapple Pepper Burgers

I am doing more menu planning with I'm an Organizing Junkie and finding more deals at Pick N Save for $5 Dinners and putting them together with great recipes:-)

I LOVE summer!!! Do you know, all I have going on this week is one play date? I have died and gone to heaven! My hubby even has off on Monday!! Yahoo:-)

Pick N Save is still helping me out with my menu planning. They have ground beef on sale for $1.99/lb. (normally $2.99/lb.) !! I bought a bunch so...

I could try a new recipe I found last year on one of my favorite blogs called Keeper of the Skies Wife: Pineapple Pepper Burgers:-) I bookmarked this recipe in Springpad and it reminded me I had it through their new alerts. Springpad not only reintroduced me to a recipe I wanted to try but also gave me a link for a coupon for pineapple. How cool is that?

Here is everything that I am serving this week:

Monday: Pineapple Pepper Burgers

Tuesday: Chicken and Pasta (Cleaning Day)

Wednesday: Pork Chops

Thursday: Leftovers (Playdate)

Friday: Eat Out

Pineapple Pepper Burgers
Ingredients
3/4 cup fresh bread crumbs
3/4 cup chopped red pepper
1/3 cup ketchup
1/4 cup finely chopped onion
2 Tbs chopped fresh cilantro
1 large egg
1 1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 1/2 lbs ground beef
6 pineapple slices
2 Tbs soy sauce
1 Tbs liquid honey
6 Leaf lettuce leaves

1. Combine first 9 ingredients in a large bowl.

2. Add beef. Mix well. Divide and shape into 6 patties. Preheat grill. Cook patties on a greased grill for about 6 minutes per side until no longer pink inside.

3. Combine soy sauce and honey in a small dish. Brush sauce on both sides of pineapple slice. Cook pineapple slice on grill for 2-3 minutes per side until grill marks appear.

4. Toast buns on grill till light brown.

5. Build your burger and enjoy!!!

Servings: 6

Cooking Times
Preparation Time: 10 minutes
Cooking Time: 12 minutes
Inactive Time: 8 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes

Nutrition Facts
Serving size: 1/6 of a recipe (29.3 ounces).
Percent daily values based on the Reference Daily Intake (RDI) for a 2000 calorie diet.
Nutrition information calculated from recipe ingredients.

Amount Per Serving
Calories 804.03
Calories From Fat (32%) 260.79
% Daily Value
Total Fat 28.59g 44%
Saturated Fat 10.46g 52%
Cholesterol 120.3mg 40%
Sodium 1136.37mg 47%
Potassium 1641.19mg 47%
Total Carbohydrates 114.02g 38%
Fiber 7.16g 29%
Sugar 94.07g
Protein 27.92g 56%

Recipe Type
Beef, Main Course

Source
Author: Betty from Keeper of the Skies Wife
Source: Keeper of the Skies Wife
Web Page: http://emptynesters3.blogspot.com/2009/06/pineapple-pepper-burgers.html

Recipe Cost: $13.84 ($12.43 on sale)
Serving Cost: $2.31 ($2.07 on sale)

Blog Frog Friday 7-2-10

I am happy to have you all here for Blog Frog Friday: a weekly stop at my Blog Frog community:-)

Last week, I teamed up with CSN Stores to bring you a wonderful giveaway. Many of you went to my community or commented here in the hopes to win this:

Rachael Ray “Bubble & Brown” 2-Piece Stoneware Baker Set in Yellow

And the winner is:

mangiabella said:
i absolutely adore this cookware!

Congratulations! And thank you again CSN for this opportunity to giveaway this GREAT cookware !

And for today, hop on over to my pad for a conversation about the 4th of July:-)

Future Spaghetti Sauce

The basil is ready but...


...the tomatoes are just starting.

Soon there will be sauce:-)