Car Playmat

Our boys at church were having a fundraiser dinner and auction.  I made this playmat for them to auction off.  It was super easy and I got the idea from a car mat my sister-in-law made for our son.

Materials: About a half a yard of sturdy fabric

Lots of colored felt

Tacky glue

Optional: Thread and sewing machine, other embellishments.

Directions: First I cut out the sturdy fabric to the size I wanted.  This one is about 2 1/2 by 3 ft.  Next, I hemmed all the way around the outside to finish off the edge. 

Second, decide how you want your road to be laid out and cut it out of black felt.  Using the tacky glue, attach the road to the fabric.  I also sewed along the edges of all the road pieces for extra reinforcement.

Third, get creative.  Figure out what you want on your car mat.  For this car mat, I made a church building, a fire station, a pond, houses, school, playground, gas station, and hospital.  Then I added more little details to the buildings and all over.  Some of the embellishments I used were (and you can't see to well from this picture) a small pom-pom for a basketball, glittery string for the swing and gas station pump cord, and puff paint for little details.

I was happy with the way it turned out, and our 2 and a half year old approved it:)  Good luck making your own!

Lemon Garlic Chicken

Definitely a new favorite in our house! This is AMAZING! I got the recipe from http://sixsistersstuff.blogspot.com/

1 tsp. dried oregano
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
2 pounds skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
2 T. butter
1/4 c. water
3 T. fresh lemon juice
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp. chicken bouillon granules
1 tsp. chopped fresh parsley (I didn't have fresh parsley, so I just used dried and it worked perfectly)
1 package cream cheese (you can use 1/3 less fat or fat free)
1. In a bowl, mix the oregano, salt, and pepper. Rub the mixture into chicken. Melt the butter in a skillet over medium heat. Brown chicken in butter for 3 to 5 minutes on each side. Place chicken in a slow cooker.
2. In the same skillet, mix the water, lemon juice, garlic, and bouillon. Bring the mixture to boil. Pour over the chicken in the slow cooker.
3. Cover, and cook on High for 3 hours, or Low for 6 hours. Add the parsley to the slow cooker 15 to 30 minutes before the end of the cook time.
4. About 15 minutes before you're ready to serve, remove the chicken and place on a serving platter. Add the cream to cheese to the juice in the crockpot, and whisk until smooth.

Ladle the sauce over rice or pasta, then place your chicken on top!

Italian Sausage Soup

Sorry I haven't posted in....years. I have been on a "try new recipes kick" lately thanks to pinterest and recipe club here in Ohio. So I decided I will post a few of my recent favorites for y'all to try and enjoy!

Ingredients:
1 pkg. hot or sweet Italian Sausage (could do turkey sausage for a more healthy approach)
2 c. diced carrots
1 c. chopped onion
8 c. chicken broth
2 (14.5 oz) cans diced italian tomatoes
1 c. small shell pasta
4 c. bagged baby spinach leaves, finely chopped
4 tb grated fresh parmesan or romano cheese
4tb chopped fresh basil (I used dried)

Cook sausage (stir to crumble), carrots and onions in a large pot over medium-high heat until sausage is browned. Add broth, tomatoes, and pasta. Bring to a boil over high heat. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer about 10 minutes or until pasta is done. Remove from heat. Stir in spinach until wilted. Sprinkle each serving with cheese and basil. Serves 8-10.

Cilantro rice & creamy taco mac!

You should come to dinner sometime........

(ok, not the best picture, but seriously delicious!!!!!)

CILANTRO RICE

• 3 cups rice
• 6 cups of water
• 4tsp chicken bouillon
• 4tsp minced garlic
• 1/2 bunch of cilantro (substitute dried cilantro)
• 1 can green chilies
• 3/4 tsp salt
• 1Tbs butter
• 1/4 cup dehydrated onion

1. Pour all into rice cooker and cook or cook on stove
   
2. bring to boil and simmer for 30 min
   
3. Mix and squeeze fresh lime juice is desired

CREAMY TACO MAC

• 1/25 lbs ground beef
• 1/2 onion, chopped
• 8oz dry pasta + 1 cup reserved pasta water
• 1 16oz jar of salsa
• 4Tbsp mild taco seasoning
• 3oz cream cheese
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• salt & pepper
• 1 cup shredded Mexican cheese, plus more for garnish

1. Bring a large pot of water to boil & cook pasta per directions. Reserve once cup of pasta water.
2. Over medium heat, brown ground beef until no longer pink. Add onion and cook 5 minutes
3. Add taco seasoning and salsa. Allow to simmer over low heat for 5 minutes.
4. Add pasta, reserved water, cream cheese, sour cream, and shredded cheese. Give it a good stir until cheeses are melty and incorporated.
5. Simmer over low heat for 2-3 minutes. Season with salt & pepper if desired
6. Top off with cheddar cheese for extra cheesy goodness.

Another CSN Stores Giveaway... $45!!!

UPDATE.... COLLEEN IS THE WINNER OF THE GIVEAWAY!

I am in love with CSN stores….and they are offering yet another giveaway for $45.

CSN Stores has over 200 online stores where you can find anything you need whether it be a chic handbag, modern dining furniture or even cute cookware! I love browsing all their sites.I love browsing all their sites.

I have ordered several things from CSN and must say they have so many great options.
If I was the one that won I think I would order some Kettle Bells… LOVE those things

…So… the important part… TO ENTER….

Just leave a comment telling me what you would use or put the $45 for…
and leave your email address!

Giveaway ends January 7th!

{please note this will not cover international fees}

BAKED CARAMEL APPLES

Apples are not my thing. Never have been.
Caramel, now thats my thing.

You will need:
Apples
Chopped Nuts (any kind)
Bits of caramel

Butter/Margarine

Step 1.) Cut the top off the apple hollow it out and remove the core & seeds.
Step 2.) Fill the apple with nuts & caramel. I used chopped walnuts on these, which are fine, but peanuts would work better. Especially if you aren't the biggest fan of walnuts (me). I
also used regular caramels that i had, and just cut them into 1/4ths. Caramel chips
would be fine.
Step 3.) Put a dollop/slice/dab of butter on top of the walnut/caramel mixture. Butter makes all
things delicious.

Step 4.) Bake at 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes

Voila!
(sorry for the poor picture quality & the child bathing in the background)

At this point I decided to take the deliciousness to a whole other level and sliced the apple open and added a little brown sugar & cinnamon. It was a decision I did not regret.

So good, so simple, plus you get your apple a day in!!

And the WINNER is....

There were 24 entries....

and the winner is....

Congratulations Melanie!!!!
I am sending your information off to the CSN Store rep and they should contact you soon!!!

Thanks to all who entered!