Oobleck! :)

     The kids and I decided to have some messy fun today.  This stuff is great and we played with it for quite a while, which was nice considering the rain we are having today.  All that you need to make Oobleck is corn starch and water.  We decided to add in food coloring but it's not needed, especially if you don't like stained hands.  I think it just makes it that much more fun!  So, in a bowl combine about 2 cups of corn starch and 1-2 cups of water.  Mix and watch what happens!  When you pick up the mixture it forms a solid but when you leave it alone it turns back into a liquid. Very cool!  We had fun forming balls, making hand prints, experimenting with cutting it, and using cookie cutters.  We even tried to bounce it on the floor which didn't work that well.  Lol!  I read that you can even put it on some speakers and it will dance for you on a cookie sheet.  We couldn't get it to do that but gave it a try.  Maybe if you have really good speakers.  Here are some pics of all of our fun.  Hope you enjoy!   Blessings, Jen


Rider in heaven with messiness!




what you will need



forming a solid

turning back into a liquid

girls getting their hands dirty :)

Trying to make hand prints

Our attempts at bouncing it

Old-Fashioned Whole Wheat Pancakes

One of my favorite dinners is breakfast. I rarely get time to eat pancakes, eggs, etc.. Most of the time it is oatmeal or cheerios with flax seed. So, the other night I made this recipe and it was delicious. While my husband got butter and syrup I sauteed a banana in honey, Yummy!



This is my results..

 

Recipe From Momma Hens Kitchen

1 1/2 Cups of whole wheat flour

3 1/2 tsps baking powder

1 tsp. salt (I use sea salt in all my recipes)

1 Tbs. sugar (I used stevia)

1 1/4 cups milk

1 egg

3 Tbs. melted butter

In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, salt and sugar. Make a well in the center and pour in the milk, egg and melted butter; mix until smooth.

Heat a lightly oiled griddle or frying pan over medium heat. Pour or scoop the batter onto the griddle, using approximately 1/4 cup for each pancake. Brown on both sides and serve hot.



Tissue Paper Pompoms

    

     These very easy tissue paper pompoms are a great and inexpensive way to add color and fun to any party.  You can make them in a variety of colors for birthdays, baby showers, summer get together, fourth of July, football parties, and the list goes on!  They are super fast to make and look great!  Here is a quick how-to to make your party look it's best.

     Lay your tissue paper out with about 8 pieces stacked on top of each other.  You can use any size of paper that you want.  The bigger the paper is, the bigger your pompom will be.  It's always fun to do several different sizes and even mix up the colors.  For multi-colored, just alternate colors on top of each other.

     Next, begin folding your paper like an accordion.  Meaning, fold up on one side and then flip it over and fold the other way until it's all folded up like pictured above.  I did a quick cut on the ends the give it a more rounded look. 

     Take some embroidery thread or pipe cleaners and secure the center of the paper and fan it out a bit.  Finally, begin to separate each layer of tissue paper so that it begins to form a ball.  These look great hanging from some pretty ribbon or even just left over embroidery thread. 

Blessings, Jen

My Estate Sale Find

I love it when the weather warms up and yard sales and estate sales begin to happen. This morning my husband and I decided to go look at some estate sales. One of the things I have been wanting for my kitchen is a vintage colored scale. I have been looking but, they run around $15 to $26 and I am a thrifty girl. Today, I found one for TWO dollars I am so excited, my husband thought I was a little crazy. When you have some free time on the weekends check out thrift stores, yard sales and estate sales (my favorite) around your area. You never know what you will find!

Blonde Raspberry Cupcakes

The other day I came across an amazing blog called Call Me Cupcake and it has the most amazing recipes and beautiful photography to match. They posted a Blonde Cupcake with a Raspberry Buttercream. Here is the recipe, Enjoy!





Sewing Spring Dresses

     The girls and I decided to just go for it and learn how to sew some cute spring dresses.  I would love to say that I came up with this whole look but, I would be totally lying lol.  This fabric is absolutely wonderful for us new to sewing!  We found this at the fabric store but Walmart even has it.  The fabric comes with the tube top part already attached so all that you have to do it sew it (which should be easy right? WRONG! haha)  Then just hem the bottom and add some fun straps. :)  I am not even going to try and tell you all that went wrong while we were trying to sew this.  Let's just say we are definitely learning!  Here are the final products and each dress cost about $7.00 which is a great deal for a cute spring dress. We even had enough fabric left over to make each one matching hair bows.  We did not need a full yard for each dress and found the fabric on sale at our local fabric store.  Make sure you check around at prices and use those coupons for this project because it will definitely pay off! 

                                                                                Blessings, Jen



Tilapia with Mango Chutney

I have been trying to experiment with different ingredients. One of the ingredients I have been wanting to cook with is mango and I came across this recipe at Food for Thought. This recipe was delicious and if you are looking for a new recipe, this recipe is a must and is so beautifully colored. Here is the photos from the dish I made.



Tilapia with Mango Chutney

Yield 4 servings

Ingredients

4 tilapia fillets
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 1/2 tablespoons grated orange zest
1/4 cup fresh orange juice
salt and pepper to taste
crushed red pepper flakes to taste

Chutney:
1 mango - peeled, seeded and diced
1 small red onion, finely chopped
1 avocado - peeled, pitted and diced
3 roma tomatoes - peeled, seeded and chopped
1 lime, zested and juiced
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and finely chopped
1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger root
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 teaspoon kosher salt


Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C.)

2. In a shallow baking dish, combine the olive oil, orange zest, orange juice, salt, pepper and chili flakes. Rinse the fish fillets and pat them dry. Place them into the baking dish and turn to coat with the seasonings.

3. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes in the preheated oven, until fish can be flaked with a fork.

4. While the fish cooks, combine the mango, onion, avocado, tomatoes, lime zest and juice, jalapeno, ginger, cilantro and 1 teaspoon kosher salt in a glass bowl. Stir to blend and set aside at room temperature until fish has finished cooking. 

5. Place fillets on a platter and spoon the chutney over them to serve.

Coconut Cupcakes

This Easter my sister and I decided we wanted to try some healthier options for desserts. I came across this recipe at Skinny Taste and these are probably the best cupcakes I have ever had. They where moist and had just the right amount of sweetness to them. Give them a try!! Here is the recipe and pictures of the cupcakes we made.



Skinny Coconut Cupcakes with Chocolate EggsSkinnytaste.com
Servings: 24 • Serving Size: 1 cupcake • Old Points: 4 pt • Points+: 5 pt
Calories: 196.1 • Fat: 6.4 g • Protein: 2.5 g • Carb: 31.2 g • Fiber: 0.8 g • Sugar: 11.5 g
Sodium: 150 mg

Skinny Coconut Cupcakes (without Chocolate Eggs)
Servings: 24 • Serving Size: 1 cupcake • Old Points: 3 pt • Points+: 4 pt
Calories: 148.6 • Fat: 4.4 g • Protein: 2 g • Carb: 24.2 g • Fiber: 0.8 g • Sugar: 4.7 g
Sodium: 142.6 mg

Ingredients:

For the Frosting:

• 8 oz 1/3 less fat Philadelphia Cream Cheese (not fat free)
• 3/4 cup powdered sugar
• 2 tsp natural coconut extract

For the Cupcakes:

• 2 egg whites
• 1 cup canned light coconut milk (Thai Kitchen)
• 1/3 cup unsweetened apple sauce
• 2 tsp natural coconut extract
• 18.25 oz white box cake mix (Duncan Hines)
• 1/2 cup sweetened coconut flakes
• 72 Cadbury mini chocolate eggs (optional)

Directions:

In a medium bowl combine the cream cheese with the powdered sugar and coconut extract with a mixer. Keep refrigerated until ready to use.

Preheat oven to 350°. Line 24 cupcake tins with liners.

In a large bowl combine egg whites, coconut milk, apple sauce and remaining coconut extract. Mix well, then add cake mix and mix until combined.

Pour batter into lined cupcake tins about halfway and bake 22-24 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Let cupcakes cool to room temperature.

Top each cupcake with 1/2 tablespoon of cream cheese, then top each with 1 tsp coconut flakes. For an Easter theme top each cupcake with 3 mini chocolate eggs.

HEAD OVER TO SKINNY TASTE WHERE YOU WILL FIND ALOT MORE GREAT RECIPES!

ENJOY!

Easter 2012

So, I am a little behind on my posts lately. Here are some pictures from Easter, I hope you all had a great day and found time to thank our Lord and Savior for dying in the Cross.

Happy Easter



A Beautiful Day For a Hike!

Our family is very lucky to live in and around the Rogue Valley. Today my sisters family and I decided to hike Table Rock, here are the pictures from the hike today.

Joe and Steve gathering the kids together.

 

Happy Saturday