Create With Me: March Features and April’s Project

Well, Create With Me, my virtual crafting group, has gotten underway this past month.  We have about 70 members so far on our Create With Me Facebook Page.  I would LOVE, LOVE, LOVE for you to come join our group, if you haven’t already! And invite all your crafty friends to join as well! It is really fun to share our creations with each other and get some positive feedback on the things we are doing!

This month I only had a few people submit projects based off the inspiration piece.  And I had a few others submit projects they’ve been working on that have nothing to do with the inspiration project, which was so fun!  Today, I will show off the projects that related to the inspiration piece here, but please go visit our Facebook page to see all the projects that people have been doing!

This was the inspiration piece:

And these are the projects that were submitted:

Green Peas with Toasted Walnuts and Dill {Recipe}

Those who know me well know I am not a cooked vegetable lover.  I just don’t like them.  I love salad and fresh veggies, but cooked ones just don’t sit right on my tongue.  But a few years ago I was TRYING to be better about making vegetables for my family for dinner.  I was looking for creative ways to prepare them that would make them more palatable for me, yet still healthy.  In other words, smothering them in a cheese sauce wasn’t really an option.

Some how I came across a recipe for peas that had walnuts and dill.  I made it and I LOVED it.  My family liked it as well and this is how I usually make my peas now because I just love them so much.  It is an easy, healthy, and delicious side dish!  It would be a great accompaniment to your Easter dinner, too!

{recipe after the break}

Easter Hanging Specimen Art {Easy, Fast, and Cheap}

I picked up some little glittered styrofoam Easter Eggs at Dollar Tree a couple weeks ago.  I thought the colors were pretty and figured I could use them somehow.  They came in a pack of 12, I believe and each one had a little ribbon hanger, like an ornament.  {more after the break}

Question for my Readers about commenting

My sister brought to my attention that she can’t comment on my blog. She uses Firefox as her web browser and when I have the comment form embedded in the blog post so that you write your comments on the same page as the post, rather than in a pop-up box, she can’t comment.  She can write the comment and click post, but it never shows up.

I am wondering if other Firefox users have had this problem.  I love the embedded comment form because you can reply directly to another commenter in the thread.  You can’t do that with the pop-up comment form.  But I don’t want to keep people from commenting.

Please leave me a comment letting me know if you use Firefox and if you have been able to comment on my blog the past few months or not.  I currently have the comment form set to pop-up, rather than embedded, so everyone should be able to comment.

THANKS!

Pinteresting Tuesdays: DIY Cake Plates and Treat Stands

I am in love with footed plates and bowls, as well as tiered plates and cupcake stands.  I noticed I have quite a few homemade versions on my Pinterest Things to Make page.  So I thought it would be fun to round them up here today. I have yet to make one of these, but I really want to.  There are some really fun ones!  These types of plates are so fun for parties and buffet tables.  They just really make things feel special!

Cookie of the Week: EASY Carrot Cake Sandwich Cookies with Orange Sugar and Cream Cheese Frosting

The other day I had to make a treat for Cub Scout pack meeting.  I didn’t want to go to the store to get ingredients, so I went to the pantry to figure out what I could make from the ingredients I had on hand that would be easy and yummy.  I saw a carrot cake mix and thought, “Carrot Cake cookies would be festive!”  I grabbed the cake mix and after referring to a cook book on how to make cake mix cookies I whipped these up.  I happened to have some leftover orange sugar in the fridge from when I made the Orange Poppyseed Snickerdoodles. I thought that carrot cake cookies rolled in orange sugar sounded even yummier.  Then I remembered some green cream cheese frosting I had in the pantry from Christmas time that we got for FREE from the grocery store!  I decided to sandwich the frosting between two cookies to make them extra fun.  I really didn’t expect them to be all that great as I’m not a huge fan of cake mix cookies but actually they were delicious!  They seemed to be a big hit with the Cub Scouts as well.  So, I thought I would share them for the Cookie of the Week. {recipe after the break}

Quinoa Pesto Salad {A Pasta Salad Makeover}

A few years ago I developed a recipe that I call Six P Salad.  It is delicious and super easy.  It is a cold pasta salad made with pasta, pesto, parmesan, peas, pepper, and pine nuts…6 p’s!  I really like it.  It just tastes very fresh and light.

Well, for St. Patrick’s Day I made my Cilantro Pesto Chicken because it is green, it is healthy, and we all love it.  I wanted to make something green to go along with it and I thought of my Six P Salad.  BUT, I was trying to cut back on bad carbs so the idea of eating pasta wasn’t really sitting well.  I had picked up a bag of quinoa at Costco and hadn’t gotten around to trying it.  So, I had the idea to make my salad with quinoa instead of pasta.  I put the quinoa in the rice cooker, added the water, and pressed cook, excited about my idea. {more after the break}

Create With Me Deadline is coming up!

Just a reminder that our Create With Me March deadline of March 25th is fast approaching.  You still have time to complete a project based off our inspiration piece:

I know St. Patrick’s Day is over, but you can use this concept to create something for Easter or spring or summer or whatever you’d like!  You can view my project HERE.

I will be featuring the best projects next Friday!  (And at this point it looks like there will be so few projects that I will feature them all!  This is a great way to get some traffic to your blog!)

So, get out your supplies and put on your creative thinking caps and get crafting!!

To submit your project, go to THIS FACEBOOK PAGE, join the group, then add your photo to the March album.  To do this, click on the photo tag at the top of the page, then select the March album and click on Upload photos.  After you add your photos, put your name in the description box.  If you have posted your project on your own blog, put the link to the post in the description as well.

If you are not a Facebook user, you can post a link to your project in the comments of this page. Or email me a picture at remarkablehome@gmail.com.

Leave a comment if you are thinking of submitting a project.  Thank you!!

Christ Centered Easter Baskets

My amazing sister who blogs about Family Home Evening ideas over at Family Home Evening Lessons just posted this awesome Christ Centered Easter Basket today and I wanted to share it with my readers, especially due to the great response I had to me Christ Centered Easter Idea Roundup last week.  She has great ideas and FREE printables to go along with them!  Head on over to her blog for all the details.  I am going to get started on my baskets first thing next week.  Well, I’ve got some things already but need to get all the treats and eggs ready still!  So much to do, so little time!!

Click the picture to be taken to the post. Enjoy!

Crap Buckets {for all the crap your kids leave out}

We have had a stair basket for as long as I can remember.  It is kinda thrashed, but it has been well used.  It sits on our stairs and gets filled with things that need to go up and get put away.  The problem with it is that no one ever wants to clean it out, including me!  So, it gets overflowing and stuff gets piled all over the stairs, and still no one wants to put it all away!

Well, I came across this fabulous idea for everyone to have a basket of their own!  Beth over at The Neat Get Neater shared her idea for Crap Baskets.  I decided this was a great idea for us!  Our upstairs only has the kids’ bedrooms, so the only things that need to go up there belong to them.  I couldn’t find baskets but I found these adorable buckets at IKEA for only $7.99 each!  I first tried some plastic buckets from the Dollar Tree which were more in my price range :) but they were too large. 

{more after the break}

Belgian SUGAR Waffles with Biscoff Cookie Spread {Recipe}

 

Waffles are kindof the new thing here in Utah.  There are waffle restaurants and food trucks popping up all over the place.  My husband and I recently tried out a truck called Waffle Love.  They serve up hot Liege waffles, topped with spreads, fruit, and cream.  A Liege waffle is different than your typical waffle made from batter.  They are actually made from a yeasty ball of dough containing Belgian pearl sugar, which is like sugar beads.  {recipe after the break}

Pinteresting Tuesdays- How to use up all those Easter PEEPS!

Peeps are pretty much a must at Easter time. I mean, how can you NOT buy them? They are so cute with their little faces and sparkly sugar in pretty bright colors.  I always get them for my kids’ baskets.  And I think most of my kids like them and eat them…my kids pretty much eat anything made out of sugar!  But I know a lot of people don’t like Peeps.  So, I thought it would be fun to do a roundup of some things you can do with Peeps, either to make them yummier or to just make them into something you won’t be eating.  There are some really fun ideas out there.  So, go grab a few boxes and get busy transforming them.  Or, steal them from your kids on Easter!

How fun would it be to get a box of these?  Chicks with their bottoms dipped in chocolate and sprinkles.  So pretty!

Source: yourhomebasedmom.com via Emily on Pinterest

{more after the break}

Cookie of the Week: Vintage Cherry Winks {Recipe}

I tried a new recipe this week called Cherry Winks.  It is a recipe that my best friend’s grandmother used to make.  We were discussing ideas for new cookies I could try and she remembered her grandmother used to make these tasty little cookies called Cherry Winks.  I thought they sounded fun and yummy and decided to give the recipe a try. 

These are definitely a vintage cookie recipe.  Apparently, they were a prize winner at some point years ago.  {more after the break}

Lemon Wreath….coming soon!

Just wanted to show a sneak peak of my lemon wreath.  It’s almost finished.  I’ll be posting a tutorial next week!  Stay tuned….

 

Lucky in Love 3D Shamrock Art {Tutorial} [Create with Me March Project]

I am excited to show you my Create with Me project for March!  Here it is!  I will show you how I made it. But first I have to tell you a little about it.  I am not a lucky person!  I don’t win things, I don’t find money, I just don’t have great luck! But, there is one thing I am extremely lucky in….Love!  I am so stinking lucky to have found myself the world’s BEST husband!  Seriously.  He really is the most wonderful husband imaginable.  He treats me like a queen! He is so kind and loving to me.  He never says mean things to me, even when we are arguing.  He always supports me in the things I want to do.  He tells me I am beautiful all the time…like every day…and he means it.  He helps me around the house tons!  He would do anything to make me happy.  He is absolutely wonderful to me and I am the luckiest girl in the world to be married to him!  So, to commemorate my unbelievable luck when it comes to love, I made this:

Here’s how to make it:

Organize your Home with Photo Boxes {Organization}

I wish my house was completely organized from top to bottom.  But it’s not.  I do however have a few places that are well organized and functioning well.  One place is my craft room.  Not my whole craft room, just a couple of shelves:) 

Easy Ravioli Strata Lasagna topped with Crispy Pepperoni {Recipe}

I’ve made baked ravioli many times in the past.  It’s fast and easy.  But I was chatting with my girlfriend on the phone the other day and she told me her sister-in-law had made a lasagna using frozen ravioli.  I hadn’t planned dinner yet and happened to have some frozen ravioli on hand, as well as marinara and shredded mozzarella! I decided to whip up this quick dish for my family that night and it was a big hit! I did end up having to run to the store for another bag of ravioli.  For my family I should have just used an 8x8 pan, in which case I think I could have used just one bag.  But in the 9x13 that I started in I needed two bags to make the three layers I wanted.

It was so quick and easy to put together and I’ll definitely be making it again!…..{Recipe below the break}

Pinteresting Tuesdays: Christ Centered Easter Ideas

Which one is your favorite??
I love Jesus.  He is my Savior and my friend.  Easter is about His resurrection, and his atoning sacrifice for me and for all of us.  I try to find ways to keep Christ in Easter in my home.  I remind my kids what Easter is really about.  I remind them that eggs and chicks and bunnies are symbolic of new life, re-birth, resurrection.  I remind them that lambs symbolize the Lamb of God.  I try.  But with the ever increasing commercialism of religious holidays it can be hard to keep the focus on the true subject of celebration.  So, I have been looking for more obvious ways to keep Christ our focus at Easter-time.  This round up contains the ideas I have found.  I hope those of you who worship Jesus will enjoy this post!

This is a fabulous dinner where all the food is symbolic. Definitely check it out! Such great ideas and more fun than ham and funeral potatoes.

Source: fhelessons.wordpress.com via Emily on Pinterest

I love this one! Create a resurrection garden! Isn’t this awesome??

Source: wearethatfamily.com via Emily on Pinterest

A wonderful Easter color subway art with some of Christ’s names.

Source: thegirlcreative.com via Emily on Pinterest

Love this simple banner with a great message!

Source: 52mantels.com via Emily on Pinterest

We have done this as a family for years.  Resurrection eggs.  There are many different versions out there….

Cookie of the Week: Orange Poppyseed Snickerdoodles

I had a different recipe in mind to make this week but knew it wasn’t one my oldest son would enjoy.  My husband and two youngest are heading to visit him this week and I wanted to send him some of my home baked love, so I opted for this creation instead.  I have the perfect snickerdoodle recipe, but I wanted to see if I could altar the flavors of a snickerdoodle.  I am a big fan of citrus flavored baked goods so I thought up these Orange Poppyseed Snickerdoodles and I have to tell you they are AMAZING!  I hope my son likes them!

The texture of these is delectable.  Do you like that word?  Delectable I tell you!  They are light and crispy on the outside with the crunch of the orange sugar, and soft and chewy inside.  In my opinion, that is the perfect texture for a drop cookie!…. {recipe after the break}

Washing You a Very Lucky St. Patrick’s Day FREE Printable Tags.

I’m making a little St. Patrick’s Day package to send to my son at college.  I picked up some Irish Spring soap (what’s more Irish than that??) to throw in to the box.  I decided to make a cute little tag to go on it and offer it to my readers as a free download.  Enjoy!

You can download this tag for FREE by clicking the button below.  In exchange you just have to share it on Facebook or Twitter for me! Thanks!!

Simple LUCKY Banners: St. Patrick’s Day Craft

So, somehow I got this plan to make each of my boys a decoration for each holiday.  I guess I didn’t realize that recreating a craft 5 times over is A LOT of work!  But it is also fun for them to have something festive in their room for each holiday.

I love my St. Patrick’s Day banner so much that I wanted to make my kids one.  But, I knew if I was going to make five of them it would need to be a lot simpler and faster to put together.

So this is what I came up with.  There are three that are the same and then two that are a little different.

I think they turned out pretty cute….{more after the break}

Create With Me {Virtual Crafting Club}

Have you heard about my new virtual crafting club, Create With Me??  If not, visit THIS POST to read about it!  Basically, it’s a club for those who love crafting with friends. 

Each month we will have an inspiration project that we can either copy exactly or use as the jumping off point for our own project.  Here is this month’s inspiration piece, found over at Sweet and Lovely Crafts.

At the end of the month (well, on the 25th) you will post a picture of your completed project on our group Facebook page.  You can find and join that page right HERE.  Post your completed project for this month in the March album.  At the end of the month I will feature a few of my favorite projects, so be sure to include your blog name with your picture if you have one.  You don’t have to have a blog to get your project featured but if you do I want to link to it!

I thought today I’d just show you my supplies!…….

3-D Shamrock Specimen Art {FREE Printable}

I made this yesterday and wanted to share it with you!…{free printable link below the break}

Brighten a Friend’s Day!…St. Patrick’s Day Rainbow Candy Bags

I made up these adorable little treat bags to take around to a few friends.  I bought my candy in bulk at WinCo. I was amazed at the amount of foods they sell from bulk bins! Definitely worth checking out!

These were so fun to put together and deliver.  I hope they brought a smile to my girlfriends’ faces today!

To make them, just put in four Rolo, and then layer in your candies in rainbow colors.  It only takes a few pieces of each color to fill the bags.  The only purple candy I could find was Grapevines (grape Redvines).  I just used some kitchen shears to cut them into small pieces.  Add a cute tag and ribbon and you’re ready to brighten someone’s day!

I was originally planning to make some rainbow candy kabobs…..

Pinteresting Tuesday: 10 Easter Subway Art Printables!

I thought it would be fun to round up some Easter Subway Art for you.  There are a lot of cute ones out there.  I thought about making my own, but with so many great ones out there to choose from, why would I?  I think I will print a couple of these off, one that is about bunnies and eggs, and one that is about the Savior of the World, whose Resurrection we are celebrating!

Take a look and let me know which is your favorite!

Chalkboard art is all the rage.  This was the only Easter one I found.  She has a vertical version as well.  I love it!

Source: moderationinallmama.blogspot.com via Emily on Pinterest

This one has words going all directions, which is fun!

Source: ishouldbemoppingthefloor.com via Emily on Pinterest

I like the simplicity of this one and the colors are a little muted.

Source: everycreativeendeavor.com via Emily on Pinterest

{Seven more below the break…..}

Cookie of the Week: Bananas Foster Whoopie Pies with Rich Caramel Filling

I. Adore. Cookies.  I love them.  ALL of them.  I cannot ever remember eating a cookie I didn’t like.  Well, I guess I’ve had cookies that weren’t baked correctly or just weren’t a great recipe (like a chocolate chip cookie recipe), but as far as different types and flavors of cookies I love them all.  I have oodles of cookie recipes in my recipe book cupboard.  Entire cookbooks devoted to cookies, recipes from magazines, recipes I’ve printed off the internet, recipes from friends.  I have tons of them.  And I want to try them all!  But, the problem I have is that when I make cookies, I EAT cookies.  And I can’t stop eating them.  Until they’re all gone.  It’s a problem that I really need to learn to overcome. 

So, in order to practice my self control I’ve decided I am going to make one new cookie recipe each week and post it here on my blog each Monday!  I will have no more than two of each cookie!  Girl Scout’s Honor!  If the recipe makes a large batch, then my friends will be having a lot of treats left on their doorsteps!  This is my plan and I am sticking to it.

And now for my first cookie recipe!

Bananas Foster Whoopie Pies with Rich Caramel Filling

Ok, So I guess they’re not technically cookies, but I had a bunch of overripe bananas and I had bought a Whoopie pie pan so I just really wanted to make something with those.  I had also picked up a bag of caramel bits (the ones you can use to make caramel apples without unwrapping caramel candies) and wanted to see how they would work stirred into a batter.  So, I came up with these:

(recipe below the break)

Create With Me Update- Group Page Created for Sharing!

A couple days ago I posted about my new idea to have a crafting group! I’ve had a great response and am super excited to start making fun things each month with all of my amazing readers!

You can find that original post explaining it all HERE. 

The short of it is each month I will post an Inspiration Project at the beginning of the month.  You will have 25 days to make your own version of the project.  At the end of the month I will feature a few of my favorite ones.  It will be super fun and we will all end up with a COMPLETED project each month! Woo Hoo!!

I wanted to give you all the link to the Facebook Page I’ve created for all those who want to participate.  You can find and join the group HERE (http://www.facebook.com/groups/493211650724616/)

So please go and join the group.  Use the page to post questions, comments, photos of your project, etc.  Have fun interacting with a group of people who enjoy crafting!  If you’re not on Facebook, maybe now is the time to take the plunge.  If you really don’t want to, you can always email me a picture of your project at the end of the month and I will post it on the group page for others to see.

Please let me know if you have any problems joining. 

And I would LOVE for you to spread the word and invite your friends and family to join us!

The more, the merrier!

And most importantly, HAVE FUN CREATING!

Mouthwatering ABC Burgers [Avocado, Bacon, and Cheddar]

We adore homemade burgers.  It’s one meal that everyone in my family will eat.  We go out for burgers, too, but we all like homemade ones better. I love that I can make my patty the size and shape that I like and I can put on the toppings that I love, like red onion, avocado, bacon, and extra sharp cheddar cheese!  

I buy super lean 93/7 ground beef from Zaycon Foods! I LOVE it!  It is high quality fresh beef with no pink slime.  Every few months they come to my area.  I meet them at a predetermined location where they load 40 pounds of ground beef into my car.  Then I come home, divide it (easily) into 2 pound portions, package it with my Food Saver, and freeze it in my garage freezer.  If you have a big family or like to buy in bulk, I highly recommend it!  If you sign up and buy from the link above, I think I get $1 of credit towards their meats, so I’d be super grateful if you use that link to purchase.  Put in my name, Emily Nelson, as your referrer.

They have several other products but I’ve only tried the beef.  If you don’t have tons of freezer space, maybe get a box and split it with a friend or two.  It actually comes in 4 separate packages so it would be easy to share with a friend or family member.  It’s about $3.00 per pound, which is a fantastic price for beef this lean!

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

Ok, now for my ABC Burger Recipe!   How delicious does this thing look? (I got a new camera lens and used it for these pictures and I am super excited about it!!!)

Here are the things I put into my meat:  BBQ sauce (use your favorite), liquid smoke (gives it that cooked outdoors taste, garlic powder, fresh cracked pepper (lots of it!), Lawry’s seasoned salt, and Worcestershire sauce.  Wow! I spelled it right the first time!!

Lightening Fast Banner Project {ReMarkableHome.net}

The other day while making my big St. Patrick’s Day banner and waiting for my cute neighbor to get home from the craft store with glitter for me to finish it, I used some paper scraps to make this super cute little bunting banner!  It took about 10-15 minutes!  Isn’t it darling?

To make it simply.....