Crispy Ranch Chicken

Have you ever had one of those nights where it is 5:00pm and you should be having dinner ready to serve in an hour, but don't even know what it is you are going to make?  I have those types of nights many times during the week.  Then add t-ball practice and games, and prep practice and games, meetings, cranky kids, and just being plain old tired to the mix.  Well today was no different of a night.  I was actually getting the kids ready to go to a baseball game when I got the call that it was going to be cancelled due to weather.  Yeah, yes I was a bit excited, but then that also meant that I had less time to think of something to make.  I looked in the fridge and found some chicken breasts.  I rarely have thawed chicken in the refridgerator so I was very pleased with this. 

So what to make with chicken.  I get kind of tired of the same old so I started brainstorming.  I could make a casserole with some stuffing and cream of chicken and veggies.  No.  What about stir fry?  Nah.  Razy was helping me out and she pulled out some ranch from the fridge.  Okay, chicken and ranch.  Then it hit me. 

I squirted a bunch of ranch into a bowl and rolled the chicken breasts in it.  Getting it nice and smothered.  Razy hellped me by crushing up a bag of Stove top and putting it in a bowl with some parmesan cheese. Then we rolled the covered chicken into the stuffing mix and placed it on a wire rack over a cookie sheet.  Probalby would have been just fine like this, but we then melted some butter and drizzled it over the chicken.  Popped it in the oven for 40 mins at 400 degrees and VIOLA  we had yummy crispy ranch chicken.  I was quite pleased with myself and my new thought up recipe.  Yeah I know I didn't make it up.  Someone somewhere has come up with it, but I didn't have to search the internet for the recipe.  I thought of it myself. 

Give it a try.  All the kids gobbled it up and JBody really liked it and gave me many compliments. 

Is there a recipe that you have concocted yourself?  I would love to hear it!

Birthday Banner {tutorial}

I am starting early (well earlier than normal) getting ready for Doble's birthday.  I still have about 2 weeks left.  I just don't want to stress myself out the week of his birthday.  So today I made his birthday banner.  I love the way it turned out and I think it will go perfectly with the theme of his party.  I am trying to go cheap so I am doing as much as I can with things I already have.  I didn't want to go and buy more paper for the banner so I looked through my huge collection and found some pretty cute stuff.  

Pennants are super cute for banners.  I don't have a cut file for a pennant so I thought I would just make my own template.  I don't know if you can tell by my picture how I did this.  I measured the top of the pennant to be 5 1/2 inches. The length is 6 1/2 inches.  I then found the middle which is 2 3/4 inches an connected them diagonally from the top corner to the bottom center point.  Then I cut it out used it as a template.

The scallop circle measures 4 inches and the circle is 3 inches

I downloaded a new font called Romantiques.  Using SCAL I layed out my letters for HAPPY BIRTHDAY and put a cricut marker into the blade housing deck of my cricut.  The markers are so fun.  Instead of cutting your design they actually draw it on to the paper.After they print out you are ready for assembly.

all it takes is a little glue stick

I love my Crop-a-Dile.  For all of my banners I use it do reinforce the hole punch so they last longer.  String it with some ribbon and then VIOLA!! 

So cute huh?  I love it.  Can you guess what his theme is this year?  I can't wait to show you the other things we have come up with for decorations. 



Week Long Easter: The Last Supper

Today for lunch we dressed up in New Testament attire and shared a meal that may have been similar to that which Jesus might have eaten.  We talked to the kids about how Jesus washed the feet of his Apostle's.  We talked about the Last Supper and why it is called the Last Supper.  The kids looked so cute dressed up in their costumes, drinking grape juice from their goblets, and eating olives from their fingers.  They surprised me again with their knowledge about why Christ washed the feet of his Apostles and entertained us with their goofy personalities. 

The Menu:

lamb, veal, and beef kabobs

grapes

strawberries

boiled eggs

salad with balsamic vinegar dressing

unleavened bread

olives

grape juice

Unleavened Bread Recipe:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Combine in a bowl: 1 tsp. salt and 1/2 tsp. baking soda. Cut in 2 tablespoons of butter. Stir in 2/3 cup buttermilk. Mix in one egg and two cups flour. Using a rolling pin, roll dough into several pieces and roll out very thin on a floured board (if not rolled out thin, it will have the consistency of heavy bread). Lay sheet of dough on ungreased flat baking pans. Prick with a fork. Cut into 4-inch squares with a sharp knife or pizza cutter. Bake 10-12 minutes or until lightly browned.

What a fun and meaningful way to teach our children about the events leading up to Christ's Resurrection. 

What Easter Traditions do you share with your family?

Easter Egg Rice Krispy Treats

Rice Kripy Treats are a great treat.  You can transform them into anything for a fun holiday treat.  Today after our Family Home Evening Lesson using Easter Eggs we dyed eggs and created these cute little eggs.

To create you will need:

1/4 cup butter

1 bag of marshmellow mini's

5-6 cups Rice Kripies

Gel coloring

Plastic Easter Eggs

 

Step 1: Over medium heat, melt butter, marshmellows, and gel coloring. 

Step 2: When melted remove from heat and add Rice cereal

Step 3: GREASE YOUR HANDS!! you don't want to burn yourself.  Hot mallows are not to be messed with.  After they are greased you are ready for work.

Step 4: Take a handful of kripies and squish them into a plastic egg.  Close the egg up and then open and viola!

Are those just not so cute?!  And they taste so yummy.  If I had more time I would have made 2 more colors. 

Do you have any fun Easter Treat Ideas?  I would love to try them out. 



Week Long Easter: Easter Egg Lesson

This year we are going to focus on Easter like we have done with Christmas. When Lil' E was a baby my mom gave me an Easter Egg lesson that I have since lost pieces to and now can't seem to find any of it.  As I was searching the internet I was grateful to find that others were willing to share it and now I can share it with the kids.

You'll need 12 large Easter eggs labeled on the outside from 1-12 and put the following items inside:

#1 Sacrament cup (or a small cup)
#2 three dimes
#3 small rope or twine
#4 soap chip
#5 red cloth, thorns
#6 cross (use a toothpick) and one small nail
#7 dice
#8 sponge, stick
#9 rocks
#10 white linen cloth, round stone
#11 spices (bay leaf and clove)
#12 leave empty

Read each of the following scriptures as you open each egg:
#1 Matthew 26:39
#2 Matthew 26:14-15, thus fulfilling the prophecy in Zechariah 11:12-14
#3 Matthew 27:1-2
#4 Matthew 27:24-26
#5 Matthew 27:28-30
#6 Matthew 27:31-32, and he was crucified and nailed to a cross.
#7 Matthew 27:35-36
#8 Matthew 27:46, 48
#9 Matthew 27:50-51, 54
#10 Matthew 27:57-60
#11 Matthew 28:1 (bringing sweet spices to anoint Him) 2, and verse 5
#12 Matthew 28:6 "He is not here: for He is risen as He said."

I was so impressed with the kids as we gave this little lesson.  More than that I was impressed with their primary teachers.  The kids knew many of the answers to the questions we would ask them.  I know it was because they have great primary teachers. 

After the lesson we dyed Easter eggs together and made Easter treats to pass out.

I love how our eggs color.  The brown eggs always make the best rustic, earthy looking eggs.

Preview to our fun Easter Treats

Christmas Ornaments.com Review - Where Christmas Trees Come to Life

What?  Christmas already?  No I do know that it is still another 5 months away.  I do love Christmas and I will tell you the truth I am always on the look out for screaming deals to tuck away for the holiday time.  I was super excited when I was approached to do a review for christmasornaments.com.  Why was I so excited?  I am one of those people who loves to find an ornament for each of her kids each Christmas.  I try really hard to make it one that will remind the kids what they were into that year.  Last year I searched and searched and searched for a Shark ornament with no luck for Lil' E.  I didn't even think to look online.  Silly me.  I was even going to buy a shark toy and somehow turn it into an ornament.  He settled for a sport ornament instead.  This year I need to look no further. 

Christmas Ornaments.com had a shark ornament.  In fact they have an ornament for really anything you are looking for. 

They have Baby Ornaments

Look how sweet this little ornament is.  You can customize it too.  If you have a son with brown hair you can switch it to brown haired.  Or maybe you are having a baby girl. You can make the baby he is holding a baby girl.  Or what about a big sister and baby sibling.  So cute.  You can find glass ball ornaments with Baby's First Christmas written on them as well as picture frame ornaments a many others. 

Are you recently engaged, newly wed, or celebrating an anniversary or other big event as a couple?

Anniversary, Wedding & Engagement Christmas Ornaments may be what you are looking for. For example maybe you are just bought your first house together or are celebrating your first Christmas together.  Look at this sweet gingerbread christmas cottage.

When you are on vacation do you look for that perfect ornament to remember your trip?  Ever had a hard time finding one?  Christmas Ornaments.com carries Vacation Ornaments.

I loved this summery fun ball ornament.  What a great little reminder of a warm summer day hanging on your Christmas tree as the snow falls and you sip hot cocoa.  I am thinking I need to buy this ornament as a gift for a friend who loves sunshine and looks forward for winter to pass.  The selection of vacation ornaments is huge.  They have Countries, Beach, City, State, Tropical, and Western themed ornaments.

And of course they carry all your traditional type ornaments as well.

What do I think of the product:
The real critic would be Lil' E.  He loves his new ornament.  I definately am going to have to put it away before he chooses a place in his room to keep it until Christmas.  Even though it is HIS ornament, here are my thoughts on it.

Not only was this product beautifuly painted, the quality of the glass was way better than I expected.  It seems like everything now days is being cheaply made.  I was thinking I would have to place this little shark high on the tree so that little hands couldn't get to him and easily break him.  Yes he is still fragile...he is glass, but it is a very strong glass.  He is beautifully painted and then topped with a very nice amount of glitter.  It isn't so covered that glitter is left all over everything.  Just enough to give it the look and glisten of shark skin.  I can't wait to him him on the tree with the light catching on him. 

Along with the ornament came a little info blurp that was fun for the kids to read.  It wasn't much, but you can tell that thought is put into these ornaments.  Just that little extra something puts them over the edge against competitors.

My ordered arrived very quickly.  I placed the order and within 5 days recieved it, that is including the weekend.  Without the weekend I think it would have arrived sooner.

So yes it is only April and Summer hasn't even begun...but don't you feel better about the whole holiday season when it is stress free because you have already done your shopping?  I know I do.   

Need some help and hints to a Christmas shopping ease?  Christmas Ornaments.com has put together a couple ideas to help with holiday shopping. 

Summertime is ideal Christmas shopping time.