Finding Nemo Ornaments

I have been so busy that I have had no time to craft and honestly it had me depressed.  When we cleaned out our Mom's house, she gave my sister and I a whole bunch of crafting supplies.  I finally got them all organized and was chomping at the bit to try this craft I saw on Pinterest.  I wasn't able to find the clear ornaments in town so I ordered a set of 12 on Amazon.  Unfortunately, when they came Friday, there was only 1 in the box and it was broken.  But, as always, Amazon came through and fixed the issue.  I got them today and came straight home and plugged in my glue gun.

These adorable ornaments are for a Christmas gift but these would be cute for any occasion.  You simple glue your toy and flotsam and jetsam inside and decorate the outside.  They were fun and easy.  I'm only showing a few on the blog since the little girl's Mom may read this blog.

Have you started your Christmas shopping?  You know, there are only 93 days left!

DIY Superhero Shoes

 

I'm BACK!!!  I may still be recovering from my surgery, but at least I can do more now.  Here in the Bryant house we have several birthdays in the fall.  We start with mine, which is TODAY, and then 20 days later my oldest turns 4, and then 12 days after that my baby will be 1 year old!  So we have been busy planning a superhero themed birthday party for the boys.  My next several post will probably all be superhero related...just a fair warning.

My first craft was a pair of batman shoes.  We bought a pair of plain canvas shoes from WalMart for $5.  To start the transformation I cut a logo on my silhouette cameo.  I just used a scrap piece of vinyl that I had lying around.

Then I stuffed the toe of the shoe with paper scraps so that it would stay firm and in place when I started painting.

Next I placed the vinyl on the shoe and just started to dab paint on until it was completely covered.  I used left over Behr house paint but you could also use acrylic paint.  Once the paint had dried I peeled back the stencil to reveal the logo.

The logo didn't turn out perfect...the paint leaked under my stencil just a bit.  I used a black sharpie to make the lines more crisp and defined.  I didn't use any kind of seal over the paint because well, my son is almost 4 and the shoes won't fit long before the paint will wear off...that or he will move onto loving another character and leave batman in the dust.

This was a simple, fast, and cheap way to make superhero shoes.  Logan loved them so much that he wore them to his first day of preschool!  :)

Hey Pink Elephant Sisters....Where Are You?

It's been a little over 2 weeks since we have had an entry here on our blog.  We have been extremely busy and haven't had much time for crafting or cooking.  As you know, Kari had back surgery in July and is well on her way to recovery, however, she can't bend or lift anything so that limits her amount of movement.  She is extremely happy to be able to drive again so she will be crafting shortly.

We have also been really busy helping our Mom move out of her house.  I work full time and have been spending all of my weekends at my Mom's, about an hour north.  I am happy to report she is all moved out and getting settled into her new place.  We had a massive garage sale last weekend.  I forgot how much work a garage sale is.  Between cleaning the garage, getting everything out there, pricing it all and setting it all up, it was 3 days of intense work.

Cleaning out a parent's house brings up a lot of memories and we have been looking at old photos a lot. It also means bringing a lot of stuff home that you just can't seem to part with.  I have a Suburban and I brought 2 loads home.  My husband wasn't really excited but he has been supportive.  I still have one small load to get which includes a bookshelf and a cookie jar.

 Bear with us as we get back into the swing of things.  We both have some great projects coming up for fall and winter.

Smoky Bacon Wrapped Chicken

When I post a recipe on here, I have made it at least twice.  The first time I make it just to try it out.  The second time is usually when I take photos to share on here.  This recipe took 3 tries because the second time was not actually as successful as the first.  It's a super simple recipe and I promise to pass on my knowledge so you enjoy it every time.

Smoky Bacon Wrapped Chicken

6-8 pieces of chicken (I used boneless skinless thighs the first time but used chicken tenders the last 2 times)

1 package of bacon

1/2 cup Runyon Rub (follow the link to the recipe)

2 tbsp brown sugar

Preheat oven to 400.  Add the brown sugar to the Runyon Rub and combine.  Lay out your chicken and sprinkle with the mixture on both sides.  Take each piece of chicken and wrap in 1 or 2 slices of bacon.  You want the chicken completely covered.  Place the chicken in a casserole dish and again sprinkle the rub mixture over the top.  This will help the bacon caramelize.  Cook for 30-40 minutes.  After the chicken is completely cooked, if you want your bacon crisper, place it under the broiler for a few minutes but make sure you keep an eye on it.

The chicken comes out moist and delicious.  When I made it the first time, I skinned and de-boned some chicken thighs and they were the best.  The second time I used chicken tenders and used way too much of the rub.  It came out so salty that we couldn't eat it.  The last time, I used the tenders and added the brown sugar to the rub.  It came out so much better.  It gave the bacon a crispy, smoky, sweet flavor.

Creamy Crockpot Chicken

I am in charge of dinner in our house because if I left it to my husband, we would have cereal every night.  Plus, I love to cook.  However, my least favorite part is trying to think of what to make.  Have you ever asked the people in your household what they want for dinner?  I always get, "I don't know" or "I don't care" or the ever dreadful "Food".  Pinterest has been a great help to inspires me to try new things, including this delicious looking recipe.

The original recipe can be found HERE.  I changed a few things because the first time I made this, it needed something else.  AND, I got my picky husband to agree to let me add in some peas.  He actually liked them.

Creamy Crockpot Chicken

1 packet Chicken Gravy Mix

1 can Cream of Chicken Soup

2 cups Reduced Sodium Chicken Broth

1 tbsp Garlic Powder

3-4 Chicken Breasts

1 cup frozen Peas

1/2 cup Sour Cream

Salt and Pepper to taste

Either in the Crock of your Slow Cooker or in a separate bowl, combine the gravy mix, soup, broth, garlic powder, salt and pepper.  Don't add too much salt because the broth and gravy mix are already salted.  I used frozen chicken breast and just placed them in the bottom of the crock and poured my mixture over the top.  If you mix in the crock, just make sure each piece at least has a thin layer of the sauce.  Cook on low for 6-8 hours.

When you get home, shred the chicken.  You can do it either in the crock or on a plate and toss that back in with the peas and sour cream.

The peas just need to warm up and the sour cream just adds a nice tangy, creamy consistency.  Serve over rice, noodles or potatoes.

We really enjoyed this dish and it made for excellent leftovers for lunch the next day.  I served with egg noodles this time but the first time, we served over rice.  Both were a good option.  Mashed potatoes will be my next side.

Eggless Edible Cookie Dough

"Don't eat that dough.  You'll get salmonella poisoning."  I am sure you have heard that from a concerned mother at least once in your life.  I have ate my share of cookie dough in my time but that mysterious salmonella steered clear.  Just to be safe, I thought I would make this Eggless Edible Cookie Dough.  It's not as satisfying as real cookie dough but it will do in a pinch.  Give it a try and let me know what you think.

Eggless Edible Cookie Dough

1/2 cup of butter, softened

1/2 cup of brown sugar

1/4 cup sugar

2 tbsp milk

1 tsp vanilla

1 cup flour

1/2 cup chocolate chips

Cream the butter and sugars together until smooth, then add in the milk and vanilla until combined.  Mix in the flour until smooth and finally fold in the chocolate chips.  You can add more chocolate chips if you want.  I think nuts would be a good addition as well.

Creamy Ranch Chicken

I am a chicken fiend.  I could eat it everyday.  (Except Sunday, that's my steak day.)  So, I am always looking for new ways to prepare it.   I am partial to thighs or whole chickens because I find the breast to become too easily overcooked.  I have been toying with this recipe for about 6 months now.  I started with this Amish Chicken recipe.  It takes a few spices and a mix of heavy cream and water to bake the chicken in.  It was a good recipe.  The chicken was super moist but I was looking for something with more flavor.  I think I finally have it down to a great recipe that you will love.

Creamy Ranch Chicken
6-8 chicken thighs
1 cup flour
1 packet ranch dressing mix
1 tbsp Johnny's seasoning salt
1/2 tbsp garlic powder
3 cups heavy cream (1-1/2 cups heavy cream and 1-1/2 cups water)
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.  Prepare a 9x13 baking dish by spraying with pan spray.  In a large paper bag or 1 gallon ziploc, mix your flour, ranch mix, johnny's and garlic powder.  Put your chicken pieces in the bag and shake, shake, shake until thoroughly coated.  Place the chicken in the pan, skin side up.  Then, pour the heavy cream over the top of the chicken.  it should cover the chicken about 3/4 of the way up.  You can adjust to your pan size or chicken amount.  Bake for 45 - 60 minutes or until the chicken is golden brown and done.

I usually fish the chicken out of the pan and use a whisk to get all the yummy bits mixed in with the pan juices.  It makes a fantastic gravy for mashed potatoes or pasta.