Poppy Chow

 

Todd and I both love Muddy Buddies... aka Puppy Chow. So when I found this Poppy Chow recipe that uses popcorn instead of Chex cereal, I was super excited! I always have popcorn on hand so this was a great last minute snack tonight!

Ingredients:

• 9 c popped popcorn 
• 1 c semisweet chocolate chips
• 1/2 c smooth peanut butter
• 1/2 stick butter
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 1/2 c powdered sugar

Directions:

1. Melt the chocolate chips, butter and peanut butter in the microwave. Stir until nice and smooth.
2. Stir in the vanilla.
3. Pour over the popcorn in a large bowl. I use a punch bowl so that none spills over the sides when I stir! Carefully mix by folding with a soft spoon or spatula. 
4. Sprinkle the powdered sugar over the chocolate popcorn. Carefully mix by folding again. 
5. Store in an airtight container or ziplock bag. It won't last long!

* You are supposed to take the unpopped kernels out before mixing the chocolate in but I didn't want to bother with that tedious task. If you don't take the kernels out, remember to inform your guests so they don't crack a tooth! 

Corn Casserole

This Corn Casserole was delicious! I got the recipe off Pennies on a Platter and I didn't change a thing. It's simple enough to make as a side for a weeknight dinner and it's fancy enough to make as a side for a holiday dinner! This paired perfectly with the Roast Turkey Breast we had the other night.

Ingredients:

• 1 box Jiffy cornbread mix
• 1 c sour cream
• 1 c shredded cheddar
• 1 can cream corn
• 1 can whole kernel corn, drained
• 1/2 c butter, melted

Directions:

1. Mix everything together and put into a greased casserole.
2. Bake at 350* for 55 minutes.

Roast Turkey Breast

Cooking a turkey was always so daunting to me. When I finally decided to look up some instructions, I was pleasantly surprised to see that it is basically like roasting a chicken. I love a good roasted chicken and make them all the time! This recipe is super easy because you just chop everything up and pop it into the oven. There is no basting or anything!

Ingredients:

• Individual turkey breasts or one large turkey breast, defrosted (I used a large turkey breast that had all other dark meat sections already removed)
• Olive oil
• Veggies, chopped into 2-3 inch pieces (I used carrots, celery and onion. Potatoes also are tasty in this but you can use whatever is in your pantry!)
• S&P
• Minced garlic, about 2-3 tbs
• Lemon, quartered

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 325*.
2. Pat the turkey dry with a paper towel and cover in S&P. Rub the S&P all over the turkey and then place into a greased casserole dish or roasting pan.
3. Surround the turkey with the veggies and lemon.
4. Drizzle olive oil, garlic and S&P over the veggies. 
5. Roast for 20 minutes per pound. My turkey was about 6 lbs, so 2 hours was perfect. A meat thermometer should read 165* when it is done. 
6. Let it rest for about 20 minutes before carving. You can cover in foil if you wish. You can drain the liquid in the dish to make gravy as well. If you like a lot of gravy, I recommend putting some broth/stock with the veggies before cooking so there is extra liquid.

Cauliflower Salad

I had this salad (made by the same co-worker who gave me the White Chicken Chili recipe) about two years ago. It was so good that I have been making it quite often since then. It's perfect for potlucks or summer events. (I know it's not summer but it's 60 out today!) This is super easy as well. The only negative thing is that it doesn't keep well in the fridge for long... That just means you need to gobble it up quick!

Ingredients:

• 1 head cauliflower, chopped into 1 inch pieces
• 1 head lettuce, chopped into 1 inch pieces
• 1 pkg precooked bacon, crumbled
• 2 c mayo
• 1/3 c grated parmesan
• 1/4 c sugar

Directions:

1. Place the cauliflower and lettuce in the bottom of a very large bowl.
2. Mix the mayo, parmesan and sugar in a small bowl.
3. Mix all ingredients together before serving.

Necklace

I finally got into my studio yesterday to make something real. This is what I ended up with a few hours later.

http://www.lindseyrdomer.com

I haven't come up with a name for it yet. Thoughts or suggestions? I usually end up titling my work "Untitled". Original, right? 

So here are the materials that I used: ribbon (two widths), handmade market papers, glass beads, freshwater pearls, metal findings and metal chain. It is displayed on a linen jewelry mannequin. I was going for something in a monochromatic color family but I wanted splashes of metallic in there. This is a purely decorative, sculptural piece and is not meant to be worn. (Todd was pretty baffled by that point.) I was going to add some paper leaves but I think that would clutter it up too much. I think maybe my next necklace may be all leaves. I also wanted it to be way bigger but since this was my first attempt, I thought I would start smaller.

{ linking up with }

Creative Me @ The Southern Institute

Making the World Cuter Monday @ Making the World Cuter

Made by You Mondays @ Skip to my Lou

Just Something I Whipped Up @ The Girl Creative

Market Yourself Monday @ Sumo's Sweet Stuff

Show Off Your Cottage Monday @ The House in the Roses

I'm Marvelously Messy @ Marvelously Messy

Making Monday Marvelous @ C.R.A.F.T. Creating Really Awesome Free Things
Make it Monday @ Brassy Apple
Manic Monday @ Serendipity & Spice
Destination: Cutesy Monday @ Destination Craft

What do you think?

Gallery Walls

Happy Presidents Day! ... and Happy No School! What did I do with my day off? I fixed up our gallery wall above the sofa and created a new one on the stairway wall.

This is the new gallery wall by the stairs. The wall was so empty before! Nothing is in the frames except for the shadowbox. I need to get some wedding and honeymoon pictures printed to display! I also plan to decorate the large letter D with moss. Oh, how I love moss! The good thing about this gallery wall was that it only cost me $8! The small wooden frames were leftover from the wedding (originally from the dollar store). The other frames were gifts. The only frame I bought was the shadowbox, which was 40% at Michaels. I also bought the large letter D at Hobby Lobby. That large oval mirror on the right is an old family mirror. It used to be gilt gold but I sprayed it an oiled bronze. Much better, right?

Here are the shelves above the sofa. I should have taken before pictures but for some reason, I didn't think of it. The shelves are from Ikea and are specifically for holding frames. The bottom left is a piece done by a friend; it was a wedding gift. The top middle photo is a darkroom photo by my friend Carolyn. The other photos were done by me in college in a darkroom photography class. Over time I hope to accumulate some smaller pieces to add in for variety.

The mask on the left is from our honeymoon in the Bahamas, as is the starfish. (I was so upset when I realized we supported the killing of starfish!) The sea fan is also from our honeymoon. Todd went treasure seeking for me in the water! The dried plants are from our wedding, as is the nest on the top right. The bottle on the bottom shelf is an old baking soda (or powder?) bottle that Todd found when he was a boy. How neat is that?

As always, thoughts and suggestions are more than welcome!

{ linking up with }

Creative Me @ The Southern Institute

Making the World Cuter Monday @ Making the World Cuter

Made by You Mondays @ Skip to my Lou

Just Something I Whipped Up @ The Girl Creative

Market Yourself Monday @ Sumo's Sweet Stuff

Show Off Your Cottage Monday @ The House in the Roses

I'm Marvelously Messy @ Marvelously Messy

Making Monday Marvelous @ C.R.A.F.T. Creating Really Awesome Free Things
Make it Monday @ Brassy Apple
Manic Monday @ Serendipity & Spice
Destination: Cutesy Monday @ Destination Craft

Asian Lettuce Wraps

Every time Todd and I go to Pei Way, we get the lettuce wraps. They are so yummy! I found this recipe online and had to give it a try (with a few adaptations, of course!) I whipped these Asian Lettuce Wraps up in about thirty minutes... and I had all the ingredients in my kitchen!

Todd Rating: 9

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 lbs ground turkey
• 1/4 tsp ground ginger
• 1 tbs minced garlic 
• 4 medium carrots, cut into 1 inch wedges
• 10 scallions (white and green), cut into 2 inch sections
• 1 can bean sprouts, drained
• Pinch ground red pepper
• 1/2 c soy sauce
• 1 tbs sesame oil
• Bibb lettuce, 3-4 leaves per person (I used romaine) 
• Brown rice, cooked

Directions:

1. While the ground turkey is browning in a large saucepan or pot, mince the carrots, ginger and garlic in a food processor. You can do this by hand but it would be pretty tedious work.
2. Remove the carrot mixture and separately process the bean sprouts with the scallions. The only reason for doing it separately is because the mixture won't mince well if it's crowded.
3. Once the meat has browned, add the carrots and bean sprout mixture to the meat. Stir until combined and heated through, over medium-low heat.
4. Whisk the soy sauce and sesame oil in a small bowl. 
5. Stir the soy sauce mixture into the ground meat.
6. While the ground meat is heating through, prepare the rice.
7. Serve with the lettuce on the bottom, rice in the middle and the meat on top!

{ linking up with }

Weekend Wrapup Party @ Tatertots & Jello

Strut Your Stuff Saturday @ Six Sisters' Stuff

Saturday Spotlight @ Craft Envy

Weekend Craft Soiree @ Homemaker in Heels

It's Party Time @ So Very Cheri