A Day In My Life

Is this cooler weather putting you in the mood for warm soup? (okay. technically this photo is of potato chowder, because I made it for a party I hosted for 2 and 3 year olds... but I used this recipe, just omitting the clams and let me tell you, it is delicious either way.) Ingredients: 2 cans clams, minced 1 cup chopped onions 2 cups diced potatoes 1 teaspoon salt, divided in half 3/4 cup butter 3/4 cup flour 1 quart half and half dash of pepper 1/2 teaspoon sugar 1. Combine onions, potatoes and half the salt in a large pot. Drain juice from clams, and pour over vegetables. Fill the pot with water until everything is just barely covered. Simmer until tender, about 20 minutes. 2. Meanwhile, melt butter in a 3 quart saucepan. Add flour; blend and cook 1 minute. Add the half and half and stir until smooth and thick. 3. Pour white sauce over vegetables.  Add clams, the remaining salt, pepper, and sugar. heat thoroughly. It is especially good if you let i...

We love pizza around here, and ordering pizza was getting expensive. So I decided I wanted to find a great pizza recipe. We really love this crust... (I'm still on the search for the best sauce recipe, so SHARE if you've got one!) serves: 4     1        package active dry yeast     1        cup warm water (105 - 115 degrees F)     1/2    teaspoon salt     2        teaspoons olive oil     2.5 - 3.5 cups all-purpose flour     1        tablespoon cornmeal 1. Dissolve yeast in warm water in warmed mixer bowl. Add salt, olive oil, and 2 1/2 cups flour. Attach bowl and dough hook to mixer. Turn to Speed 2 and mix about 1 minute. 2. Continuing on Speed 2, add remaining flour, 1/2 cup at a time, and mix until dough clings to hook and cleans sides of bowl, ...

Now this is one of our favorite recipes. We are big fans of the Olive Garden in this family and one night I decided to make up a dish that could (sorta) remind us of the experience. Ingredients: 8 ounces of penne pasta 1 tablespoon olive oil 1 pound chicken, cubed 15 ounce jar of Bertolli alfredo sauce 1 can quartered artichoke hearts, drained and snipped 1. Cook pasta in 2-3 quarts of water with a pinch of salt. (Follow directions on the package for cooking time.) Drain and keep warm. 2. Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a large pan on medium-high heat. Add the chicken pieces and cook until no longer pink. Add the alfredo sauce to the chicken. 3. Open and drain the can of artichoke hearts, then just take your kitchen scissors and cut them right inside the can. It's super easy (and a nice trick I use for canned tomatoes as well!) When they are a size you like, add them to the alfredo mixture as well. 4. Serve over the penne when heated through.

**These templates are now available for purchase in my store ! Also, I have a tutorial on how to use them in Photoshop (HERE) , and another tutorial on how to use them in GIMP (HERE) , a totally free downloadable program similar to Photoshop.** When I was pregnant with Harvey, I found this fun and funny pregnancy journal: The Belly Book . I adored it.  This book includes pages for each doctor's visit, a monthly spot for cravings/aversions, ultrasound pictures, one page for each week with a spot for a picture and journaling, pages for why and how we chose his name, the labor and delivery story, and MUCH more. Plus it does it all with a humorous twist: Is the baby a girl? a boy? or a boxer? What is my current disposition? sunshine and happiness? partly sunny with a chance of showers? hormonal hurricane? I'm starting to feel like.... a fertility goddess? Humpty Dumpty?  I thoroughly enjoyed filling it out. And no - I didn't take a belly pic EVERY week. In fact, so...

Intentions. I've got a whole list full, and sadly, only one or two checked off. I even prepared these two adorable ideas early in order to post them for all of you - and yet, you still get them on St. Patrick's Day. Oh well. Save them for next year. First up: Rainbow Waffles I really love the idea of incorporating ideas and colors other than the traditional green. So when my friend posted these super cute Rainbow Pancakes on her blog, I fell in love. But I really don't like making pancakes. In fact, I only recently have been able to handle the flipping of those darn things. Inevitably, I always botch one or two. The second reason I'm not a fan of pancakes - is that I can't ever eat with the family. They must be made in batches, and the first batch is always gobbled up before I can even finish making the second. So I knew my version of a beautiful rainbow pancake photo wouldn't ever happen. I mean... there are NEVER 6 pancakes on the table at the same t...

Do you have your kids Valentine's all purchased and ready to go to school?? If not, here's one that will only take an afternoon to put together with your kids - and I'm sure it will be a big hit! I saw this cute idea featured on tatertots and jello recently, and I had to make my own version. It was super easy, and turned out simply adorable! I made my labels in Photoshop with some digital scrapbooking supplies , but the original just used Valentine-related wrapping paper. Both are cute. Print out instructions on an Avery label, and stick it to a Kool Aid Singles packet - preferably red! Then I punched a hole in the top corner of the packet, and tied it on with a matching ribbon. Simple, sweet, and yummy!

For my third annual Snowman Party, I decided to change things up a bit. Instead of just doing it with my nieces and their friends, I made up some invites and hosted the party here with Harvey's friends (and their moms - my friends). Anyway, funny story: I strapped Harvey in his car seat and headed out to deliver the invites. I drove up to the first house, left the car running, and ran up to the door. As I came back to the car and started backing up... Harvey started freaking out. He realized that we were at his little friend's house and wanted to stay and play. Imagine his horror when we had several other similar stops! For decorations, I wanted to keep everything clean and simple. I mean, snow is beautiful in its own right, so why shy away from that? Plus the cheezy snowmen I've collected throughout the years were already on display. I made up a cute (easy) little garland out of thread and cotton balls... I stuck with blue and orange as my colors, and I thin...