I love shopping at the Target One Spot area (the $1 section at the front of the store). I check it regularly for things that I can creatively alter. This tutorial shows you how to take a child's puzzle and make it into a sweet "I Love You" gift idea for someone with a few digital scrapbooking projects.
My complete tutorial is available at Happy To Create: Hybrid Craft: I Love You Puzzle
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Gift Idea: Cookie Dough Log
Cookies are always a great gift idea, but here's a fun twist on the usual home-baked cookies give a cookie dough log. It's really easy to do -- you just mix up your favorite cookie dough, shape it into a log, wrap it, and add a label which can be handmade or digitally made.
The example above can be found here at Home Cooking Memories on this page: Creative & Easy Food Gift Ideas
I have another tutorial on making your own cookie dough log at Happy To Create: Homemade Gift Idea:
Our 21st Wedding Anniversary
It was 21 years ago today that David and I were married here in Las Vegas. We drove into Las Vegas from California knowing we were getting married, but not sure where. We stopped at one of those "Welcome Centers" where we got information on various wedding packages. We decided on the Candlelight Wedding Chapel, which was located right on the Strip, right next to the Riviera. It's said that celebrities such as Bette Midler, Michael Caine, Whoopi Goldberg and Barry White married there too. Sadly,
Ice Cream Sundae Party (with Tequila Caramel Sauce & Chocolate Bowls)
This summer has been very low-key for us. We will be taking a family trip to Comic-Con in a couple weeks so we've been saving our dollars and hanging out at home...A LOT. Our family fun has this summer has been having a BBQ and watching the latest movie that we pick up at the Redbox. Not real exciting stuff, but it suits us fine.
That was until we did the unexpected: we hosted an ice cream sundae party.
Baking with Olive Oil
Sometime in 2009, I bought my first bottle of olive oil for cooking with. I had cooked recipes that called for olive oil, but I always substituted vegetable or canola oil. Every single time. The main reason was cost - I always tried my best to keep our grocery budget as low as possible and I didn't feel that olive oil was necessary expense.
Sports Bar Grilled Steak Tacos
I'm so excited to share this with you all! Recently I was one of several lucky bloggers selected by Smart & Final to participate in their Grill Up Your Summer promotion. The challenge? Create one of my own grilling recipes using their line of Cattleman's Finest beef. That's a challenge I gladly accepted!
Our Ultimate Vegas Date Night
Last Friday (May 27, 2011), David got a phone call telling him that he has won a contest he has entered on the Wigibuy Facebook page. The prize? A pair of tickets to see comedian Chelsea Handler live at Ceasars Palace (Las Vegas, of course) the very next day. And as if that wasn't cool enough, it included a stay at Ceasars Palace. I freaked out! Just the day before I was thinking about how badly the two of us needed a date night: no work, no computers, no kids. But this? Never imagined we'd win
Root Beer “Baked” Beans
I cook with beans A LOT. My family loves them and they are cheap, plus so good for you. In the summertime, it's very common for us to have them as a side dish - either as baked beans or as barbecue beans. I don't make them homemade every time, sometimes we just buy a can and heat them up, but I would say that the majority of the time, I try various recipes and make them from scratch (sometimes even cooking dry beans).
Another favorite in our home is root beer. Beans + root beer? When I first
Chocolate Marquise on Torched Meringue
It's been a long while since I've talked about The Daring Kitchen. The last time was when I shared about canning apple butter for the first time. It's kinda sad because it truly is one of my most favorite things to participate in. I learn so much when I complete the challenges, including that I really am capable of making some pretty great stuff!
Egg & Soyrizo Breakfast Burritos
In our home, breakfast burritos are a common meal in the morning. One of my husband's favorite ingredients for them is Mexican chorizo (it's a spicy sausage). The last time we had chorizo and egg breakfast burritos was Summer 2010 when we stayed with my brother and his wife. My brother loves chorizo and eggs too, so we had it a couple times while we stayed there. I remember eating my burrito and grease started running down my hands and wrists. Yes, there is that much grease in it that it would