A TEA TIME Giveaway!

*This giveaway is now closed!*

*Please note in order for a chance to WIN, you must answer me both questions below.*

Rise and shine! How's this to brighten your Friday morning?
I love handmade items, they mean so much more than any store bought item could. They are personal and made with love and from one's precious time. One day I hope to sit down at my sewing machine and see what I remember of it and what items I can craft up. One day, I said.

This week I have something for all the tea drinkers of the world, who read my blog! You can win this Tea Tote! How cute is that! Check it out!

This lovely Tea Tote was handmade by Allison from In A Nutshell. She is very creative and has a busy Etsy shop going, called The Cookie Jar. There you will also find many more tea totes, aprons, clothing, custom orders and more!

Allison says:

Tea totes are a tea lovers best friend. They keep 8 of your favorite individually wrapped tea bags at your fingertips, and hold them snug so they don't get lost in the never ending
abyss that is your purse, or if you're like me, smashed and broken in your back
pocket.
All tea totes are sturdy and close quickly and easily with an elastic
band. Each is unique and features a vintage button - no two are ever exactly the
same. Love that!
Teas in photo are not included, sorry.
Measurements: 3" x 4.25" closed
Care: hand wash warm, lay flat to dry, warm iron if needed

Ready to WIN? For your 1st entry to win this Tea Tote, all I ask is
A.please visit her Etsy shop The Cookie Jar and tell me what 1 item you like most there AND
B.from her profile, tell me what store you can see her aprons in person!
Comment below with both answers (or I delete!) and don't forget to leave your email!

But wait! and earn a 2nd bonus entry by twittering this giveaway!
Leave an additional comment with that tweet's url.
To get the link to your Twitter post, click under your message where it says "less than _____ ago" and that will take you to a page where you can copy the url of your message. (thanks to Elle for showing us that)



Oh and that's not all! For a second chance at winning a Tea Tote, please visit Allison's Blog In A Nutshell, where she has a Giveaway going on too, for another Tea Tote! How fun!


My Giveaway ends: 7 pm pst, Friday, March 6th, 2009.
1 lucky Winner will be emailed and announced later that night.

The fine print:
-Open to readers everywhere all over the world!! =)
-I will choose 1 random winner using Random.org
-Please leave your email so I can contact you for a mailing address
-Winner will emailed, blogged and also be posted on my Twitter & Flickr -Do you follow me there?
-Please respond to my email within 3 days, or I'll choose another winner

Good luck,


**Also can I remind everyone, to please check and make sure you are a follower of my blog, check my side bar. I noticed visiting some of my favorite blogs, I've had to re-follow them with the Google friend connect thing. You don't want to be left out do you? Thanks! =o)

Blogger's Follower Count Down??

I noticed a drop in followers the other day, and felt a little bummed. After seeing it was happening to others, I googled to find the reason why or how to fix it. I found these 2 posts.

HERE and HERE. So go make yourself PUBLIC and you'll appear on other's blogs! If everyone does this it'll be fixed. We can hope. =)

*Also a tweet from Blogger: HERE.

Be sure to spread the word!

Tuesdays with Dorie: Caramel Crunch Bars

I have waited all month to make these guys! Whitney from What's left on the table picked these for this weeks TWD. They're basically a candy coated shortbread. Toffee bits, chocolate and cookie, YUMMY!

For mine, I used dark chocolate in the crust, crushed up some instant coffee (rolling pin and baggie) to make a powder, then semi sweet and milk chocolate for the topping and then drizzled them with more melted chocolate after the sprinkling of chopped Heath bars. Even with the 1/4 tsp of cinnamon in the crust, I sure could taste that over all the chocolate, not over powering, but it was there. I lined my pan with parchment and baked for the time suggested, but I think it could've gone longer. The dough didn't seem quite brown and crisp.
These are pretty rich too, so I cut them into small pieces. As Dorie suggested freezing them (and making ice cream sandwiches), I tried a few frozen and found them hard as a rock to bite. I'll keep them at room temp thanks and yes they're even better the next few days, all nice and soft! =)
I posted a photo preview-sneak-peek on my Facebook, and Dorie being the sweetie she is, commented me back on my photo! Thanks Dorie!

I used mini Heath and dark Hershey bars, thanks to the sales


bubbly crust

*Dorie is such a sweetheart to comment back! =)

Hey food blogger/Flickr fans! Come check out what other food bloggers are making! I invite you to join my group!


enjoy,

Recap: Peanut Butter Cup Bars

Something I've noticed, is I'm always making a recipe I made the same time the year before, but I won't make it again for a year, weird, huh. Like these peanut butter cup bars. I remember because I took them to Las Vegas with us when we celebrated my little brother's Surprise party! It was great, he had NO idea me or my other sister in UT and other family would be there! What a great surprise he had!

Anyways, these traveled well. They can be kept room temp or in the fridge. I got the recipe from a church friend many years ago. For these, I decided to add some toasted chopped peanuts before the chocolate layer. I also double the chocolate layer (as posted).

3 Cups graham cracker crumbs
1 Cup creamy peanut butter
1 pound box powdered sugar
1 Cup melted butter
1 Cup granulated sugar
4 Tbl butter
1/2 Cup milk
2 Cups chocolate chips

Combine graham cracker crumbs, melted butter and powdered sugar. Mix in the peanut butter to form a dough. Press firmly and evenly into 9x13 pan. In a saucepan, cook the sugar, butter and milk to a rolling boil. Stir in the chocolate chips and spread over the dough. Let cool, then cut. Store in the fridge.

~family friend Bill Hughes

*my side note:
I made mine in my stand mixer, and it whipped the dough together nicely. We like to eat these at room temperature, so they are nice and soft. They remind us of a peanut butter fudge. Do not cut these when very cold, or they will crumble.

Linking up to share this at



enjoy,

Alton Brown's Basic Waffles

It's the weekend and I've posted very early for you to enjoy this! Do you go all out for breakfast on the weekend? I try to, because that's when we're not rushed to get out the door and daddy is usually home to spend it with us.

It had been a while since I've made waffles, so I wanted to get a recipe that was easier than my favorite one here, which has you whip the egg whites then incorporate them. I wanted something I could just throw in the bowl and stir up. No fuss, not today. I figured that since Alton has a pancake recipe we like, surely he's got one for waffles! I liked that these use wheat flour, something I am trying to use more of when I can. We enjoyed these with some strawberry syrup. So go have you some good breakfast this weekend!

4 3/4 ounces all-purpose flour, approximately 1 cup
4 3/4 ounces whole-wheat flour, approximately 1 cup
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons sugar
3 whole eggs, beaten
2 ounces unsalted butter, melted
16 ounces buttermilk, room temperature
Vegetable spray, for waffle iron

Preheat waffle iron according to manufacturer's directions.
In a medium bowl whisk together the flours, soda, baking powder, salt, and sugar. In another bowl beat together eggs and melted butter, and then add the buttermilk. Add the wet ingredients to the dry and stir until combined. Allow to rest for 5 minutes.
Ladle the recommended amount of waffle batter onto the iron according to the manufacturer's recommendations. Close iron top and cook until the waffle is golden on both sides and is easily removed from iron. Serve immediately or keep warm in a 200 degree F oven until ready to serve.



enjoy,

The Best Slow Cooker Pot Roast

Do you have a crockpot? If so, don't you just love it? If you don't have one, you might want to think about it. It's basically a fix and forget it dinner lifesaver! You cook your meat all day long and it become super tender falling apart melt in your mouth! I've done a few recipes here, check them out, in the side bar.
I remember my first crockpot, it was tiny, and could just fit 1 whole chicken it it standing up. As our family grew, I insisted on a much bigger one, enough to fit the meat and vegetables.

This is a recipe for pot roast I found some years ago from my favorite site and have used it since. It even makes it's own gravy! I usually use a 3-5 lb roast and these veggies listed. You can use whatever kind of vegetables you like and size roast to suit your family.

2 (10.75 ounce) cans condensed cream of mushroom soup -or make your own here
1 (1 ounce) package dry onion soup mix
3 C cups beef broth -enough to cover roast
3-5 pounds pot roast (I use Chuck roast)
potatoes, quartered
carrots, thickly sliced or quarter the whole carrot
onion -roughly chopped

In a slow cooker, mix cream of mushroom soup, dry onion soup mix and broth. Place pot roast in slow cooker, coat with soup mixture, add vegetables.
Cook on High setting for 3 to 4 hours, or on Low setting for 7 to 9 hours.

~adapted from allrecipes

enjoy,

Winners For The Wanchai Ferry Dinner Kits Are...

I've chosen the 3 winners for the Wanchai Ferry dinner kits, here they are! You will each receive 2 kits in the flavors you chose, from the supplier.
Also don't forget to visit their website to get your $1 off coupon!

Congratulations! Please check your emails, now! Enjoy,

Chicken, Artichoke and Tortellini

Do you ever get stuck in a recipe rut and want new recipes to try out? Well that's how I feel lately. A few posts ago I mentioned these Healthy Meals in Minutes recipe cards. A kind soul lead me the way to a website full of these cards! I was so excited!

Here is a recipe I found there (a card I never got in my collection), and it seems to be a hit here with us. Ok, maybe the kids didn't care much for the artichokes but they sure love tortellini, and Mr. took 3 servings of it! I thought it was great, a nice change. I think this will go into my regular menu. I changed the amounts a little to suit our family of 5 with some leftovers (because those are perfect for lunch the next day).

enjoy,

My Pizza Hut Lasagna Winners Are:

Winners!!



Thanks to everyone for dinner suggestions! You have given me some delicious ideas!
I have chosen my 4 lucky winners for the Pizza Hut lasagna dinners, and they are...

Congratulations! Check your emails!

Strawberry Valentine Cupcakes

I baked these up for my little Valentines. A simple white cake recipe with a little strawberry puree added, then frosted with a fresh strawberry cream cheese frosting.

2 3/4 cups sifted cake flour
4 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
4 egg whites
1 1/2 cups white sugar
3/4 cup butter
1 1/2 cup milk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/4 Cup strawberry puree (mashed & drained strawberries -save juice for another use)

Measure sifted flour, baking powder, and salt; sift together three times.
In a mixing bowl, beat egg whites until foamy. Add 1/2 cup sugar gradually, and continue beating only until meringue will hold up in soft peaks.
Cream butter or margarine. Gradually add remaining 1 cup sugar, and cream together until light and fluffy. Add sifted ingredients alternately with milk a small amount at a time, beating after each addition until smooth. Mix in vanilla and strawberry puree. Add meringue, and fold thoroughly into batter. Scoop batter into lined cupcake pans with a regular size ice cream scooper.

Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 15 minutes. Cool cupcakes in pan 10 minutes, then remove from pan and transfer to a wire rack to finish cooling.
~adapted from Allrecipes


Strawberry Cream Cheese Frosting
8 oz package of cream cheese, room temperature
2 oz butter, softened
4 cups sifted powdered sugar
1/4 cup pureed strawberries (see above)

Sift powdered sugar into a bowl.
Beat butter and cream cheese at medium speed until creamy.
Add half of the sugar, beat until combined.
Add strawberries until you achieve the right color and flavor, making sure not to add too much or the frosting will be too soft.
Gradually add remaining sugar (more if you have to) until you get to the consistency and sweetness you like.
~ adapted from Couture Cupcakes











May you have a *Lovely* day! Enjoy,