Monday, November 28, 2011

New Silhouette Cameo!

I am sooooo excited! My new Silhouette Cameo came Saturday! Whoo hoo! How nice does it look sitting on my desk??
So what did I make this weekend? I have been dying to try the vinyl and now that I have a big enough cutting area I cut out this 12x18 "families are forever" phrase for my picture wall. Doesn't it look great??
Ahhhh...the possibilities are endless! :-) I also made a chalkboard paint coffee mug for my husband. I started with a dollar store mug, brown chalk paint, and a sponge brush.

I painted 3 coats of paint onto the mug, leaving the top white so his mouth wouldn't touch the chalk part of the cup. It wasn't the straightest paint line though so I needed something else. Back to my Cameo...I opened the  "retro car" design, resized it, duplicated it, traced only the outline, and cut it out using black vinyl. I then adhered the vinyl to the mug and this is the final result...
One problem...he didn't use it this morning! When I asked why he said it looked so nice he didn't want to mess it up! I have to give him a tutorial later tonight on how you can erase it. It IS OK to get it wet, although I don't plan on putting it in the dishwasher!

Friday, November 25, 2011

Thanksgiving!

Thanksgiving was a success and the little table decorations I made with my 7-year-old daughter were a hit! My 9-year-old daughter spent Wednesday night at Grandma's house so I had to find something my little one and I could work on together so she would forget she wasn't spending the night until Saturday night! She loved making the little Thanksgiving placecards...so much so that I think I created another Silhouette monster! Uh oh...
We used the pilgrim boy and pilgrim girl placecards from the online Silhouette store. We also made a couple of 3-D turkeys (Snapdragon Snipets in the online store) to place on the table as well.
She wrote everyone's names in her very careful super special handwriting! Out of 10 names she let me write 2 of them...my own name and her sister's name!

So onto the food...I made the bird because I did such a great job last year! :-) Only problem was that I forgot what I did last year! But I guess it turned out OK because everyone said it was delicious and juicy. I think the key is to season it the night before. I rubbed the bird down inside and outside the skin with fresh minced garlic, poultry seasoning, and Adobo seasoning and then covered it with foil and put it in the fridge overnight.
Stuffing...I used Jimmy Dean reduced fat sausage, a whole large sweet onion, and about 7 stalks of celery. I sauteed it all up and then added 3 cups of chicken broth.

I stuffed the bird and put the rest in a baking dish to cook along side the bird. I love my Pampered Chef thermometer because I can just walk on by the oven whenever I want and see how my bird is doing temperature-wise...very convenient!
Let's see...what's next...remember the cute little Silhouette free shape from a previous post? I made the dessert - the Pumpkin Lust Cake (with a few modifications...1/3 less fat cream cheese and light whipped topping) and stuck it in the dessert...so cute!
And by the way, the dessert was so yummy!!!! :-) I hope everyone had as enjoyable a Thanksgiving as I did!

Tuesday, November 22, 2011

Mexican Chicken Lime Soup

You can call me the "The Modifier!" I rarely make a recipe that I don't tweak in some way. Being a registered dietitian I make it my mission to make foods healthier. I rarely use full fat products and if I do, I cut back. I'm kind of the Ellie Krieger of the real world! Today I made Rachel Ray's Mexican Chicken Lime Soup...Suzanne style. Here is a link to the original recipe - http://www.rachaelraymag.com/recipes/rachael-ray-magazine-recipe-search/mucho-gusto-latin-recipes/mexican-chicken-lime-soup

I started with my onions and garlic sauteed in a little olive oil. Instead of using raw chicken, I used cooked rotisserie chicken that I had previously shredded and added that into the pot.
Then I added my chipotle peppers in adobo sauce and 6 cups of chicken broth.
I brought it to a boil and because I add pasta to all my soups, this one was no different! I like to make it a bit heartier.
I let the pasta cook and then added the juice of 2 limes and about 1/4-1/2 cup chopped cilantro.
I let it cook a bit longer and then served. It was delicious but a bit spicy. We liked it but if you want to dial it down a bit I would only use 1 pepper.
So here is the recipe...

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1/2 large sweet onion, finely chopped
  • 1 clove fresh garlic, minced
  • 2-3 cups of shredded cooked rotisserie chicken
  • 2 canned chipotle chiles in adobo sauce, finely chopped, plus 1 tablespoon adobo sauce
  • 6 cups chicken broth
  • 1/4 - 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
  • Juice of 2 limes
  • 1 cup uncooked small pasta

Directions

  1. In a large saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Stir in the onion and garlic, and cook until the onion begins to brown, about 5 minutes. Add the cooked chicken and stir. Stir in the chipotles and adobo sauce, then stir in the chicken broth. Bring to a boil and add pasta. Cook until al dente. Stir in the cilantro and lime juice. Let all ingredients simmer about 5 minutes

Monday, November 21, 2011

Andes Creme De Menth Cookies

What can I say but YUM! I really really love these cookies and you can only find the baking chips this time of year (at least in my grocery store). So I stock up! Today I made a batch and they turned out delicious as usual. But be warned...they are super addictive!

Here's the recipe from their website:  http://www.tootsie.com/rec_cdmcookies.php. Enjoy yourselves and make sure you add a little extra cardio to your day afterward!!

Sunday, November 20, 2011

Silhouette Free Shape Project


How adorable is this week's free shape from the Silhouette online store?? I didn't use the part that says "Eat Pie" because I'm not making a pie! So I used the label and then wrote in what the dessert is. I will pop this right into my Pumpkin Lust Cake (http://www.sweettreatsmore.com/2011/11/pumpkin-lust-cake.html) and serve it up :-) I used some really cute papers from Scenic Route and of course my Bazzill cardstock. I inked the edges using Stampin Up's Chocolate Chip ink and I think it all turned out super cute!

"Be Grateful" Rhinestone T-Shirt


I made this with my Silhouette. I used the be_grateful_C00430_24282 design from the Silhouette online store and then converted it to a rhinestone design by just single clicking rhinestones over the design. I just couldn't get the look I wanted with the linear or radial fills. You need the upgraded software to do this. I then cut fall leaves (harvest_set_C20091105234759_20387) out of freezer paper (using the settings for vellum) and used fabric paint to paint them on the shirt. I REALLY love how it turned out and can't wait to wear it to work on Tuesday (my last day before my mini-vacation!). My friend wants me to make her one too so I cut everything out and am taking it to work tomorrow...should be interesting...

I finally did it!

Yep...I created my own blog! I enjoy looking for inspiration on other folk's blogs so I thought maybe I could inspire others with my own blog. So I'll be learning about how all this works as I go so be patient with me. Until then I will see if I can post a couple of my Saturday crafting projects from yesterday...let's see how this goes!!