Wednesday, November 20, 2024

Kid Craft: Christmas tree paper roll art

Georgie made this at daycare for me - isn't it super cute? What a fun idea - dip the end of an empty paper roll in craft paint and then onto a piece of paper, continue making the paint circles in the shape of a Christmas tree. She needed a little help but did the dipping by herself, awwww. Then they laminated the finished piece and I'll be pulling this out of my Christmas decorations from now on! Love. 



11.20.23: turkey and brie grilled sandwich

11.20.22: ðŸ”¥ week 47

11.20.21: how to roast a turkey

11.20.18: make a pumpkin vase
11.20.17: yarn wrapped wheat
11.20.16: Jen's spinach salad
11.20.15: leaf lantern


Tuesday, November 19, 2024

Tip-sy Tuesday: Cupcake Wreath

Last week I showed you an inspiration picture for a cupcake Christmas tree, today it's a cupcake wreath that's equally cute and if you don't add the Christmas shapes on top (I didn't look at the original recipe but the shapes look like fondant to me?  If you like this idea but don't want to mess with fondant you could substitute with frosted sugar cookies!) then this is really simple to do. Just frost 24 cupcakes with swirled green frosting and set in a wreath shape - the outer ring is 15 cupcakes and then set 9 around the inside edge. Top with whatever decorations you want - candy holly leaves and little red circle sprinkles are cute, or snowflake sprinkles, really - whatever you have or like! The bow also appears to be out of fondant, you could pipe on a buttercream bow or add ribbon and remove it before eating. Use this idea for what it is, an idea - and adapt however you want! 

photo found at findyourcakeinspiration.com










11.19.21: cauliflower mac and cheese

11.19.20: loaded brownies

11.19.19: TT: roasting squash

11.19.18: wrapped pumpkin decor (hint - it's toilet paper!)

11.19.17: Al's smoked brisket

11.19.16: glass block 'Fall' 


Monday, November 18, 2024

Brussels Sprouts, Squash, Sweet Potato Salad

Mickey sent me a screenshot of this recipe,  looks like maybe she got from FB or TikTok but I don't know who to credit for the original. For the record I hate brussels sprouts but the rest of the recipe looked good to me so I doubled the ingredients and gave some to both Mickey and my sister, and picked out the remaining Brussels sprouts from my portion and gave to them hahahah. Blech. Anyway, they both loved this (and we loved it minus the Brussels!). 

For the roasted vegetables:

  • 1 small butternut squash, peeled and cubed
  • 1 lb. Brussels sprouts, trimmed and halved
  • 2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed
  • 3 T. olive oil
  • salt and pepper to taaste
  • 1 t. dried thyme
For the cranberry glaze:
  • 1/2 cup cranberry juice
  • 1/4 cup dried cranberries
  • 2 T. honey
  • 1 T. balsamic vinegar
For the finishing touch:
  • 4 oz. goat cheese, crumbled
  • 1/2 cup dried cranberries
  • 1 T. fresh parsley, chopped, optional
Step 1: roast the veggies
  • preheat oven to 400'
  • in a large bowl, toss the squash, Brussels sprouts, and sweet potatoes with olive oil, salt, pepper, and thyme until well coated.
  • spread the vegetables on a large baking sheet in a single layer.
  • roast for 25-30 minutes, stirring halfway through, until tender and caramelized.
Step 2: prepare the glaze
  • while the vegetables are roasting, prepare the cranberry glaze. In a small saucepan, combine the cranberry juice, dried cranberries, honey, and balsamic vinegar. 
  • bring to a simmer over medium heat and cook for about 8 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the mixture thickens into a glaze.
Step 3: assemble the salad
  • once the vegetables are roasted, transfer them to a large serving bowl.
  • drizzle the cranberry glaze over the roasted vegetables and gently toss to coat.
  • sprinkle the crumbled goat cheese and extra dried cranberries on top.
Step 4: serve
  • garnish with fresh parsley, if desired, and serve warm
Makes 4-6 servings



11.18.23: words


Sunday, November 17, 2024

🔥 Around the Campfire (week 46)

Dear Campers ~ 

Here's a quick recap in case you missed anything at camp last week:

Posts ~

11/10: 🔥 week 45

11/11: birthday coupon book

11/12: TT Christmas tree cupcake cake

11/13: kid craft: handprint 'flower' card

11/14: thru the years

11/15: crockpot bourbon chicken

11/16: words (choose joy)

That's it for this week! See you next week for more projects, crafts, recipes, whatever we can think of to make at camp - bye :)


Sincerely ~

Jill
camp counselor

   

Friday, November 15, 2024

Crockpot Bourbon Chicken

I made this for Mickey's birthday dinner (along with bourbon glazed salmon and crockpot macaroni and cheese) and it turned out ok but I think I'll tweak it a bit next time - I doubled the recipe and double the cornstarch slurry made it very gloppy. Hmmm maybe sticking to the actual recipe as written would have made the difference hahahaha. Also I did half thighs and half breasts, the resulting texture was more like shredded chicken than pieces of chicken - once again I should have just stuck to the original recipe and did what she said LOL. The flavor is good tho so I can still recommend this recipe - especially if you follow the recipe as written!

I didn't serve over rice and wish I would have! Also next time
I think I'll add some veggies to the chicken - mushrooms, zucchini,
broccoli, etc. would be good. 

  • 1 ½ pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs, trimmed of excess fat
  • ½ cup low sodium soy sauce 
  • 3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
  • ¼ cup bourbon 
  • 3 tablespoons brown sugar
  • 2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
  • 5 cloves crushed garlic
  • 1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
  • ¼ teaspoon black pepper 
  • 2 tablespoons cornstarch
  • ¼ cup chopped green onions, for serving
  • 2 cups prepared brown rice, for serving 

  • In a small bowl, stir together the soy sauce, apple cider vinegar, bourbon, brown sugar, maple syrup, garlic, ginger, and black pepper. 
  • Arrange the chicken in a shallow baking dish, then pour the mixture over the chicken. Cover the dish tightly, transfer to the refrigerator and marinate for as long as time allows (a few hours or overnight). 
  • Lightly coat a 4-to-6-quart crockpot with cooking spray and arrange the marinated chicken thighs in the bottom of the slow cooker. Pour the marinade over the top, then cover the crockpot. 
  • Cook on LOW for 6-7 hours or on HIGH for 2 1/2 – 3 hours, until tender and cooked through.
  • Remove the chicken from the crock pot to a serving plate and cover to keep warm. Strain the cooking liquid into a small saucepan and place it on the stove.
  • In a small bowl, whisk together the cornstarch with 2 tablespoons of water to create a slurry. Heat the saucepan on medium-high, then whisk the slurry into the cooking liquid until evenly combined. Cook, stirring constantly, until the sauce bubbles. Continue cooking and stirring until glossy and thickened, 1-2 minutes. Remove from heat. 
  • Pour the sauce over the chicken, then sprinkle with green onions. Serve warm with rice.

11.15.23: non-alcoholic cocktails

11.15.22: seeing eye person 

11.15.21: pinecone wreath

11.15.20: ðŸ”¥ week 46

11.15.19: green bean salad

11.15.18: pinecone birds








11.15.17: Brooke's nutella mug cake

11.15.16: deviled egg short-cut 

11.15.15: Thanksmas

Thursday, November 14, 2024

11/14 ~ Thru the Years

Yep, I did it again and ran out of time to post anything new today - here's a look back at what happened on this day in years past!

11.14.23: turkey vegetable tray

11.14.22: bird of paradise painting

11.14.21: ðŸ”¥ week 46


11.14.19: MSIH: pumpkin snickerdoodles


















Wednesday, November 13, 2024

Kid Craft: handprint 'flower' card

Georgie's daycare person is amazing - she does lots of fun, interactive things with the kids and if I ran a daycare I would want to do it just like her! She sent home this card that Georgie made (with lots of help but still....!) that is too too cute and I asked if I could share. The 'flowers' are made from stamping G's little hands and cutting around them, then decorated with lots of glitter. Glued onto stems and leaves cut out of construction paper and glued to the front of a folded piece of paper forming the card. Oh my gosh I love this so much! 


11.13.23: wine cork reversible pumpkin and snowman (I forgot I made this and need to go look for it right now!!) 









11.13.22: ðŸ”¥ week 46

11.13.21: personal pumpkin pie shortcut

11.13.20: coin jar by B

11.13.19: candy corn cone








11.13.18: pinecone turkeys













11.13.17: crocheted beanie













11.13.16:  spanish rice








Tuesday, November 12, 2024

Tip-sy Tuesday: Christmas Tree Cupcake Cake

This isn't really a tip, more like an inspirational idea for a very easy Christmas dessert idea that you can tuck away until you need it. Frost 21 cupcakes green, and 2 cupcakes dark brown and arrange in a tree shape on a large platter or serving tray (or straight on the counter if you are hosting and don't have a dish large enough). In this picture the cupcakes are then frosting using multiple different tips and then sprinkled with red and white sprinkles - you can certainly get all fancy if you like to play with cake decorating, but don't let that intimidate you if that isn't your jam. Plain ol' frosted with the sprinkles is still going to be cute! Another cute idea would be to either frost the one at the top with gold or silver (or white with white icing sugar on top), put a star shaped something on top of the top green cupcake, or put a red bow at the top. 


 found here at beyondfrosting.com 

Monday, November 11, 2024

Birthday Coupon Book

Mickey didn't give me any ideas for her birthday gift so I went old-school and made her a coupon book. At first I just cut up square pieces of paper and hand wrote the coupons and was going to staple them all into a card, but then for just a few minutes longer I printed each one out on a sheet of blank business cards. I didn't take a picture of the finished product - I used washi tape to tape a couple gift cards and a scratch-off ticket to the 'coupon', others I just typed out things like babysitting, a cake, a 'my niece is hungry' meal with delivery, etc. and then I folded them into a strip of cardstock just a little wider than the business cards. Turned out cute! 







11.11.23: words

11.11.22: unfinished projects

11.11.21: creamy chicken and rice soup

11.11.20: chessman banana pudding


11.11.17: DIY paper bows













11.11.15: fleece scarf