The American Homemaker

Vintage Tupperware Planters & Wedding Craziness

2013-05-17T22:53:00.001-06:00

I feel like a genius! These beautiful vintage Tupperware strainers make the BEST planters! The color is amazing, they already have drainage holes and they're Tupperware so they won't be ruined by water or being outside. Plus, they don't get hot like metal and they retain the moisture in the dirt well! I think I may put together more to sell at my next vintage market booth at Fleattitude on June 8th in Pleasant Grove, but these babies are mine for my shabby chic patio!

This small lavender strainer makes a fun planter too! I bought the flowers from the high school greenhouse. Nina is in the plants & soil FFA science class this year (according to her, everyone else in the class are rednecks... haha) so I've had the chance to buy poinsettias, flowers and tomato plants from the school greenhouse. I have been crazy impressed with the quality of the plants. Even the carnation corsage she made in the class lasted three weeks in my fridge before I finally just threw it away. I think I'll keep buying from them in years to come.

Along with planting flowers and our garden, I've been neck-deep in wedding plans! May 25th!!! Yikes! It's coming up SO fast! I've been planning, shopping, decorating and gathering things for it like crazy! I've got one more week to pull the rest of it together! Please, let me know if you'd like an invitation! It's going to be an outdoor vintage picnic.

My friend, Lindsay, is letting me borrow her backyard for the wedding and picnic. Isn't it pretty? She just lives a couple of houses down from me, so it's convenient too! I'm really excited for the wedding, but even more than that, I'm excited for the marriage! I can't wait to share all my wedding pics with you! One week...

happy mother's day

2013-05-12T14:28:00.001-06:00

Cabbage Salad

2013-05-09T00:00:00.000-06:00

I love the warm weather! Salads and picnics come with warm weather! Salads are my fave! We have them a lot in the summertime! This salad is great for potlucks and gatherings. It makes a large amount, so you can cut it in half if you so desire.

Cabbage Salad

salad:
2 bags cabbage coleslaw mix
shredded chicken or pork
1 c. chopped nuts
2 pkg uncooked ramen noodles, crumbled (reserve seasoning)

dressing:
1 c. oil
1/3 c. rice vinegar
1/4 c. sugar
1 tsp pepper
2 pkg seasoning from the ramen noodles

Mix salad ingredients together in a large bowl. Mix dressing ingredients in a small saucepan and heat until sugar is dissolved. Add to salad and toss.

Open-faced grilled cheeses go great with a main dish salad, plus they use up extra hamburger buns after a bbq!

Simple Teacher Appreciation Gift

2013-05-07T00:00:00.000-06:00

This is a gift I put together for Eric's son's teacher. He has had a lot of issues with ruining pencils and/or erasers at school, so it is the perfect gift! The rubber ducky card is a gift card to the Dollar Tree. Easy Cheesy!

(Still haven't found my camera. Still using phone pics. *sigh*)

Fun New Projects with Chalk Paint and Chalkboard Paint

2013-05-05T20:46:00.000-06:00

Forgive the phone quality pictures! My camera is lost at the moment, which isn't surprising since my house looks like a yard sale in progress right now... My purse, yard and car aren't much better.

This weekend is my third vintage market booth in four weeks! It's been a little (a lot) crazy round these parts. I've also been selling online, I volunteered at the school three times this week, I've been painting a ton to sell, buying vintage to sell and taking care of kids, a house, two cats, Eric and a partridge in a pear tree. Ok, not the partridge, but I am trying to grow dumb seeds for my wannabe garden, which is KIND OF like a pear tree, but not really. But I do HAVE a pear tree which is blossoming nicely, but that's another story.

ANYWAYS... back to my cute little silverware project! I've been making homemade chalk paint (and chalkboard paint) and having lots of fun with it! These little cutting boards turned out adorable! My sister says they're cuter in real life, so *shrugs*. Cutting boards and silverware can be found for super cheap at yard sales this time of year, so this is an inexpensive but really fun project! These will be for sale at the flea.o.logy market this weekend. It will be held at: the Flea.o.logy House: 218 N. Main St. Payson, Utah from 8am-4pm on Saturday, May 11th. Stop by and say hello!

If you've never made chalk paint, don't be scared! Chalk paint is all the rage with refinishing furniture right now. The look is very vintage and very fabulous! I don't measure mine at all and it comes out great every time! I simply put a couple of spoonfuls of plaster powder which is really cheap for a big tub at Hobby Lobby ($2.99 regular price, but don't forget to use your 40% off!) into a container and add roughly the equal amount of water and stir well. Next I add paint.

I use straight craft paint for small projects or white satin latex (regular house paint) mixed with craft paint for color for bigger projects. It's super inexpensive and I love the finish.

If you can't tell, I'm really into the vintage light blues/teals at the moment... Of course those colors don't really match my house, but that's the beauty of selling things! I get to paint the pretty colors and don't have to find a place for the items.

For chalk BOARD paint, as in, you can write on the project with chalk, you stir about 2TBSP unsanded grout powder into like a half cup of whatever paint your heart so desires. I bought my grout at Home Depot for about $5 for a small tub. It totally works! I like to do several coats to make sure it really sticks. I even painted an old metal pizza pan with chalkboard paint for Alyssa's room and it turned out fabulously!

I like to use the cheapo craft paint so I can get fun colors! This chalkboard was originally a "welcome" sign with an apple painted on it. It was totally outdated and the chalkboard paint turned it into a totally cool piece!

Wish me luck in the rest of my painting extravaganzas this week! I think I will take a month off from doing markets to get caught up around my house! And probably get married and stuff... more to come on that later... hehehe

A Mom's Birthday

2013-04-29T08:25:00.002-06:00

Me- Since I have to grocery shop, cook and clean ON my birthday I'm gonna take Tuesday off and do nothing.
Eric- I won't even make you cook for me.
Me- Will YOU cook for ME?
Eric- Don't push it...

an hour later

Caleb- Mom, I don't want you to do any cleaning on your birthday.
Me- We have company coming over for dinner. If I don't clean I'll need you guys to get it all done for me.
Caleb- Yeaaahhh... that's not gonna happen...

I'm sure some of you moms can relate! *grin*

A couple of signs I'm getting old: I see college students and refer to them as teenagers. I see kindergarteners and refer to them as babies. I've started listening to the classic rock station more and more in my car. I'd rather stay home than go out. We're playing BINGO at my birthday party.

Happy Birthday to me!

Little Feminine Touches

2013-04-26T00:00:00.000-06:00

I love my Roku... like a lot. But I already hate how my tv and dvd player look in my room. I wasn't a fan of one more electronic device modernizing up my peaceful old fashioned-ness. The post cards totally cover up my Roku and the remote still works with it! Win-win! I found the 100 year old postcards for .50 each and grabbed them up! The forget-me-not flowers on the cards reminded me of the talk by Elder Uchtdorf. He's one of my favorite speakers and his talk was great. If you haven't watched/heard it, you totally should! It's a beautiful message to women!

I love pretty feminine touches in my bedroom. I love to surround myself with beautiful girly things!

Rubber Ducky, You're the One!

2013-04-24T00:00:00.000-06:00

This cake was super easy to make! It would be so fun at a baby shower or birthday party. Alyssa is on a rubber ducky kick and this was her idea! We made it for a mother-daughter cake decorating night at church. Blue frosting, marshmallows and rubber duckies are all it takes! A cracker covered with frosting becomes a bar of soap! Adorable!

Fun Find: Chenille Bedspread

2013-04-23T23:46:00.000-06:00

This was an estate sale treasure! If I didn't have obnoxious black cats I'd keep it and put it on my bed! I'm loving the estate sale scene. I've found some really cool items lately!

It'll be up for sale at the boutique I'm doing a booth at on the 26th and 27th! You can check out the info for the boutique on facebook!

Just Love Them

2013-04-21T00:00:00.000-06:00

The greatest parenting example we have is our Heavenly Father. When our kids are younger we can shelter them and keep them in a bubble, but as they get older we have to give them freedoms and the ability to make their own decisions and their own mistakes even though it's hard for us. We know what is best for them and we know what the outcome will be when they make choices that aren't the best, but we have to let them make those choices and deal with those consequences.

Our Heavenly Father feels the same way about us. He has more knowledge than we do. He knows what will happen when we make decisions, but He allows us the agency to make our own choices, both wrong and right. Sometimes we pray and ask and even beg for things that He doesn't provide. We feel like He isn't listening, but really He IS listening. He just knows better than we do. How often do our kids beg and plead and cry for something that we have to say no on because it isn't in their best interest? It may be staying up too late, wearing immodest clothing, going to an inappropriate movie or dating too young. Even when our kids are young we are telling them no and making them sad. Don't touch that, don't climb on that, don't eat that are things little kids don't want to hear, but we know better than them, just like our Heavenly Father knows better than us.

WE are His children. And just like our children make mistakes, we make mistakes too. As our kids get older those mistakes can become wedges in your relationship with them. Teenagers often pull away from their parents, especially when the teenagers are doing things they know their parents don't approve of. I believe a lot of that pulling away is because our kids think that we won't love them anymore if they don't fit into the mold of what we think they should be. How often do we pull away from our Father in Heaven because we feel like we aren't being the person He wants us to?

The number one thing I know about my Heavenly Father is that He loves me no matter what. He loves me even though I'm not perfect. He loves me even though I make mistakes. He loves me even though sometimes I cry and whine at Him and beg Him for things that He just isn't going to give me. Because that unconditional love is offered by Heavenly Father, I KNOW that I must offer unconditional love to my kids as well. It sounds easy and yet I see so many parents with young teenagers who are kicking them out of their house, treating them badly or shutting them out of the family just because the kids aren't fitting in the mold of what they think their child should be.

When you have teenagers then you realize that they are their own people. Yes, they still need you, but once they leave the walls of your home to go to school or out with friends then you have no control over what their actions are. You can be a good example, you can teach them, you can lecture them, you can discipline them, but essentially they are who they are and they will make the decisions that they want to make. All you can do is just love them. No matter what they do, just love them. They need that more than anything. They need to know that whatever they do, whatever mistakes they make, whatever friends they have, whatever causes they believe in, whatever person they are you will love them. Don't ignore bad behavior. You are still their parent, but make sure that they know that you may hate their actions, but you don't hate them.

Being Godly parents is something we should all strive for, however young or old our children are. And we know that our Heavenly Father will always take us back, even if we feel we don't deserve it. We need to be the types of parents that our kids know they count on to be loving always. My best piece of advice to other parents of teenagers? Just love them.

Crockpot Chocolate Cake

2013-04-20T00:00:00.000-06:00

Crockpot. Cake. Yum. I'm all for using my crockpot as much as I can! Crockpot desserts especially are fabulous in the summer when you don't want to turn on your oven. This is a really easy cake to make, plus you don't have to dirty many dishes!

Crockpot Chocolate Cake

devils food cake mix
1 1/2 c. buttermilk
2 eggs
1 c. chocolate chips

Butter your crockpot well. Pour the buttermilk into the buttered crockpot. Add the eggs and mix well. Stir in the cake mix and chocolate chips until well mixed. Cover and cook on high, checking after two hours. Be careful to not over cook. When a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean, remove the crockpot from the base so it doesn't continue to bake. Sprinkle with more chocolate chips if desired. Once they are warmed, spread them on the cake for frosting. Cut and serve warm with ice cream, if desired.

Have a Nice Day!

2013-04-19T00:00:00.000-06:00

I totally saw Bon Jovi again on Wednesday night! The concert was a completely different show than I saw two years ago. They added all sorts of lights and backgrounds and visual effects... But they also added in music from their new album. Visually this concert was better than last time, but musically I think it was a better show two years ago because I knew every single song back then. One thing is for sure! Bon Jovi still rocks it after all these years!

Sugar Sack Dresser

2013-04-18T00:00:00.000-06:00

I have a total obsession with sugar sacks. I own several and I've done a few small projects with them. I was given an old dresser and decided to make it over with some of my sugar sack stash. It was my first "big" sugar sack project and it turned out fabulously! I don't know why I haven't blogged this before!

The old wood dresser was pretty but not really my style. It was crying out for a makeover!

The sugar sacks were easy to apply with full strength liquid starch. I've been using the dresser for a year now and it still looks as good as the day I made it over. The liquid starch works like magic. The whole project cost like $5, including the dresser since it was free! The possibilities of fabric and liquid starch are endless! You could do a whole wall if you wanted! If you ever want to take the fabric off, soaking it in warm water should do it! How cool is that?

Fleattitude & Reclaim-ologists and Other Crafty Chicks

2013-04-17T00:00:00.000-06:00

Look for The American Homemaker vintage booth at both Fleattitude & Reclaim-ologists and Other Crafty Chicks this month! I'll have all sorts of vintage treasures for sale!

Fleattitude
April 20th 9am Pleasant Grove Rec Center 547 S Locust Ave, Pleasant Grove

Reclaim-ologists and Other Crafty Chicks
April 26th 11am-8pm & April 27th 9am-7pm: 784 E. Chappel Dr Spanish Fork (the old Food 4 Less Building)

Coeur d'Alene, Idaho

2013-04-16T00:00:00.000-06:00

I found a great deal on a bed and breakfast in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho a few months ago... I had never even heard of Coeur d'Alene! I mapped it out and saw it was within driving distance, so I bought the deal! We booked the trip for spring break since I would be child-less. It was so much fun! The drive was LONG, but it was a great trip!

We stopped in St. Regis, Montana to eat dinner... My decision to stop was based on the signs we were passing for huckleberry pie! Holy huckleberries! Everything in this town was huckleberry themed! We ate dinner at Huck's Grill.

The food was average, but we did find this giant french fry, which was awesome! Dessert on the other hand, was delicious!

We shared a slice of warm huckleberry pie topped with ice cream. I don't know if I had ever had a huckleberry before that pie, but it was yummy! The gift shop there in St. Regis is huge and I found souvenirs for everyone there. One thing that surprised me about Coeur d'Alene is there were no gift shops! I'm glad we stopped in Montana on the way since I always like to pick up a little something for the kiddos when I go out of town without them.

The Easter Bunny found us even away from home! What a crazy guy that Easter Bunny is! We stayed at a random hotel our first night... I wasn't sure if we were going to drive the whole way the first day or not, so we didn't book anything ahead of time. Our hotel had a ping-pong table and Eric was surprised I know how to play ping-pong... Apparently I don't seem to be the ping-pong type? *shrugs* We ping-ponged it up for like an hour. It was so much fun!

The next morning we headed right down to the beautiful lake! It was so peaceful and gorgeous! We crossed the "world's longest floating boardwalk" and enjoyed the serenity of the water before it got crowed with people.

We found a nice spot by the lake where we played card games for hours... It was so nice to relax outside!

It was fun to wander around and check out everything! The town itself was a lot bigger than I thought it would be.

We stayed at the beautiful, historic Roosevelt Inn. I found a Groupon deal for only $49/night! I'm sure I don't have to tell you that $49 a night for a beautiful bed & breakfast is a killer deal!

The rooms were nice, breakfast was delicious, the huge hot tub was quiet & relaxing and the owners & staff were extremely friendly! It was great to stay somewhere with no technology! I quite enjoyed not having any tv/movies for a few days! I would totally recommend staying here! Gordon Ramsey featured the Roosevelt Inn on one of his shows and although I've never watched any of his shows (my sister is obsessed though), I would love to watch the one filmed here!

Whenever I travel I like to eat at local restaurants. I avoid eating anywhere I could eat at home! We were driving around trying to find a place to eat dinner late on Easter with no luck. I had my Yelp app open reading prices and reviews of anyplace we saw that was actually open, because I don't want to eat lame food while vacationing, when we passed this place...

Eric sarcastically piped up with, "We could eat at the stripper bar." as I was already checking out the place on Yelp... I was like "WAIT! It's not a stripper bar... They're affordable and totally have great reviews!", so we stopped!

I had the chicken caesar wrap and chipotle pasta salad... It was so delightful! I totally recommend Moon Time! The service was friendly & fast and the food was delish! The atmosphere was noisy and bar-like, but I would totally eat there again.

One place we had to visit in Coeur d'Alene was the Best Sandwich Shack. How could I not when they had some of the best food reviews in all of Coeur d'Alene? They didn't disappoint. Eric had the Philly Cheesesteak and I had the Grown-Up Grilled Cheese with bacon. The surprise treasure though? Their brownies!!! They give you a free brownie with every sandwich! The brownies were so dang good that we went and chatted with the super friendly owners about them. Apparently the recipe is a family one. The owners were great. When we told them how far away we were visiting from they gave us each another brownie for the road. Their sandwiches are really good, but even if they weren't, the brownie would be worth the visit!

I have some weird thing with needing my picture taken with pretend animals... This one was outside a vintage/antique store. We spent the bulk of our trip at thrift stores and antique stores... It was SO much fun! I'm doing booths at a few vintage markets this spring/summer, so it was fun to stock up on treasures! There are SO many thrift stores in the Coeur d'Alene & Post Falls area!!! SO many! My favorite find was the St. Vincent Thrift Store in Post Falls... We went on a Tuesday and guess what... Tuesdays are 75% off their "dish room"... Dish room! Are you getting this??? It was actually several rooms full of not only dishes, but all the types of stuff I sell and collect! I bought 4 shopping baskets plus 3 boxes full! It was awesome!

Another place I found a Groupon for was the New York Bagel & Deli. I got a $16 gift card for $8. The sandwiches and the bagels were very yummy!

With the exception of the Brazilian steakhouse we tried (it was TERRIBLE!!!) all the food on our trip was so good!

We spent time every day by the lake. It was such a beautiful place!

Me and my peeps on the ride home... hehe. We decided to stop at the Old Montana Prison Museum in Deer Lodge, Montana. It was creepy but super cool!

It was totally worth the stop. I love museums! I'm kind of a nerd that way!

The Montana Auto Museum is hooked onto the Prison Museum and the price of admission gets you into both. Eric and I are both car people, so of course we checked it out as well! It was a really cool museum! Not only were there awesome cars from all decades to see, but there were a lot of old pictures of people with their cars too, which I loved! Deer Lodge had other museums too and I was totally wishing we had more time there!

This was how much I brought home from my thrifting extravaganza! Fun stuff! This trip was great! I would definitely go back again! Have you ever been to Coeur d'Alene? If you get the chance you totally should!

Dude, Where's My Blog?

2013-04-14T21:34:00.001-06:00

Oh my goodness gracious! I haven't blogged for quite a while! But I'm back! A lot has happened over the last month! I had a fabulous experience at the Vintage White's Market, Eric and I decided to try and work things out (with some big changes... We're still trying to figure everything out, but things are hopeful.),

She found the golden egg AGAIN

Easter came and went, I went on a thrifting trip to beautiful Coeur d'Alene, Idaho (I'll share about that fun time soon!).

I've also been dealing with some issues with my kids AND I've been being my normal homemaker-ish self... cooking, working in my Etsy shop, baking, church stuff, family time, cleaning, crafting, sewing, painting, etc! It seems like this last month has been several months in one! It's been crazy!

I've been making a lot of homemade breads since I got a Bosch mixer last fall... It's an old mixer, but it was free! Wahoo! My bread-making skills have improved a million times since I practice a heck of a lot since I no longer have to knead and mix the dough by hand. A few months ago I decided to make a conscious effort to stop buying "convenience foods". I try to avoid the frozen aisles all together and have tried to make even more things from scratch than I did before. It's been great! We're eating better and I'm saving money! One thing I used to always have on hand was refrigerated crescent roll dough. I used it in all sorts of yummy foods... everything from appetizers to main dishes to desserts. I haven't bought them for a while which means I haven't made any of my crescent roll dough recipes.

I decided to attempt homemade crescent roll dough and it turned out pretty dang fabulous! It makes a big batch, so I not only got 16 rolls from the dough, I was able to make a crescent roll ring. Have you ever made one of those? The concept originated from Pampered Chef and I've been making them here and there since I tried it at a Pampered Chef party like a billion years ago. You can put just about anything inside of them. I should have taken pictures of each step, but I'll try to explain it the best I can...

Crescent Rolls

2 c. warm water
2/3 c. powdered milk
2 TBSP yeast
1/4 c. sugar
2 tsp salt
1/2 c. butter, melted
egg
2 c. flour

3-5 c. flour

In your Bosch or KitchenAid mixer (with a dough hook) mix everything except the 3-5 c. flour for 2 minutes on medium speed. Add 2 more cups of flour and mix 2 minutes. Turn your speed to low and continue to add flour while mixing on low, half a cup at a time until the dough starts to pull away from the sides into a ball and a very soft (almost sticky, but not quite) dough is formed. Once you hit that point, mix on medium for 2 more minutes.

Cover and let rise in a greased bowl until doubled. Punch down and divide dough in half. Roll dough into a circle. Use a knife or pizza cutter to cut the dough into 16 wedges.

To make crescent rolls: Roll each triangle up and place on greased cookie sheet or baking stone with the small pointy end down. Cover and let rise until double (or so). Bake at 375 for 15-18 minutes or until beautifully golden. Brush with melted butter after 10 minutes of baking and again as soon as you pull them out of the oven. These rolls are incredibly amazing!

To make a crescent roll ring: Place the triangles on a round baking stone or pizza pan with the pointy ends out and the bulk of the triangles hanging off the pan like a sun. Smash the dough together at the wide ends (the part on the pan) making a nice place to put your filling. Place your filling of choice on the smashed dough and fold the pointy ends over the dough, tucking the ends under. Bake at 350 until golden and dough is cooked, about 30 minutes. Brush with butter. Slice to serve.

The beautiful pink filling you see is a package of cream cheese mixed with a small container of "cranberry salad" I found close-dated at Smiths for .39 and cooked, diced turkey. It was pretty much amazing! It was like dessert and dinner in one! Other filling ideas are:
-taco meat & shredded cheese, serve with salsa and sour cream
-cooked chicken & broccoli in cream of chicken soup
-leftover turkey in mayo with dried cranberries and slivered almonds

Enjoy!

today

2013-03-09T09:55:00.001-07:00

State Fair Park from 10-5

On my own again...

2013-03-07T11:28:00.000-07:00

Eric and I broke up. It sucks. The end.

Vintage Whites Market SLC

2013-03-04T11:32:00.000-07:00

I'm very excited to be participating in the Vintage Whites Market in Salt Lake City this Saturday! I'd love for everyone to come visit me! It's going to be a fabulous vintage market! Check out the details on facebook and be sure to pop into The American Homemaker booth and say hi!

Valentine's Day, You Suck Printable

2013-02-12T15:53:00.002-07:00

I discovered a bunch of lollipops in my cupboard that were leftover from Alyssa's Rainbow Brite birthday party. I asked Nina if she wanted to use them for her friends for Valentine's Day... of course she kind of rolled her eyes and said no. When I told her I would design "you suck" and "suck it" tags to attach she jumped right on the idea! They're perfect for sassy teenagers or anyone who hates V-Day!

I'm including the printable image to share the love:

This year for Valentine's Day I'm cooking homemade heart-shaped pasta, salad with heart-shaped croutons, heart-shaped rolls (Are you sensing a theme?) and chocolate-dipped cheesecake. After dinner we're taking the family to see Warm Bodies. What plans do you have?

Pretty Pink Popcorn

2013-02-11T10:24:00.003-07:00

I love pink... shocker, I know! But you might not be aware of the fact I don't love popcorn; I don't really even like it a little... UNLESS it's covered with delightfulness.

This "gourmet" popcorn is super easy to create!

Simply melt white chocolate chips or any color of vanilla disks in the microwave and drizzle over popcorn! Stir in colored m&ms for fun!

I like to grab a few bags of Wiltons Candy Melts when they go on sale for $1.50. You can also buy them using your 40% off coupons at craft stores if they aren't on sale. Easy and delicious!

Valentine's Day Chalkboard Free Printable

2013-01-19T00:00:00.000-07:00

I love chalkboards... like a lot! I typically write in pink chalk on my real chalkboards so how could I not use pink "chalk" on this one too? Feel free to enlarge, print, whatever. This chalkboard printable would be cute framed or made into a card... My staying up late playing with fonts can be your Valentine's Day gain :)

hint: Right click and open it in a new tab. Then you can right click and save the full size photo! Be sure to give credit to The American Homemaker if you're using the graphic online! Thanks, friends!

Homemade Nacho Sauce, Salsa, Refried Black Beans (in the crockpot!) & Guacomole!

2013-01-17T21:37:00.000-07:00

I love, love, love nachos! They are so much better when the toppings are homemade! Of course these toppings can be used for all sorts of everything, not just nachos!

The Best Crockpot Refried Beans

All my kids will sit and eat these with tortilla chips or tortillas like crazy! These beans are super addicting and they freeze well so I do up a big batch and freeze into 2 cup portions.

1-2 lbs dried pinto or black beans
sweet onion
garlic
chicken bouillon

1/4-1/2 c. butter
shredded cheese

Rinse beans. Place in crockpot and fill the crockpot almost to the top with water. You can substitute chicken broth for the water and bouillon if you like. Add 1/2-1 sweet onion; no need to chop. Add a couple cloves of garlic and bouillon. Cook on high for a few hours stirring every once in a while. If you're cooking 2 lbs of beans you may need to add more water towards the end. Once the beans are nice and soft, remove the onion and drain most of the water. Keep the crockpot hot. Add butter.

Use an immersion blender to smash the beans up nice and smooth. If you don't have an immersion blender scoop the beans out a couple of cups at a time and blend in a regular blender. A Guatemalan friend gave me the tip that you have to keep the beans hot the whole time you're blending them to have a nice texture. When I made refried beans from dried in the past they were gritty... Blending them without letting the temperature drop keeps them delightfully smooth! Once smooth, stir in cheese to taste!

The Best Homemade Salsa

This recipe is my sister's... We love it!

2 cans diced tomatoes
3 fresh tomatoes
1/2 sweet onion
2 cloves garlic
juice of 3 limes
jalapeno or other pepper
1/2 bunch cilantro
salt & pepper

Blend together in a blender or food processor! Enjoy!

Nacho Sauce

This isn't really a recipe, but a technique... It turns out really smooth and tasty! Plus it's healthier than the processed stuff! This is good on steamed veggies as well. A lot of people try to start with a lot of liquid and attempt to use the cheese to thicken it up. The trick is to use a lot of cheese and use a tiny bit of liquid to thin it down.

cheddar or other shredded cheese
liquid from bottled jalapenos
milk (optional)

Place jalapeno liquid in a saucepan to just cover the bottom. Add shredded cheese (a couple of cups) and cook on medium whisking often until melted and smooth. If sauce is too thick add just a tad more liquid or you can add a bit of milk. Serve while still hot.

Guacamole

My favorite guacamole is simple and delicious!

avacodo
heaping tablespoon mayo
squirt of lime juice

Mash ingredients together with a fork.

***

On an unrelated to food note, we took the kids to see Red Dawn in the theater tonight... Every one of us loved it! I like it a lot more than the original, although there will never be another Patrick Swayze! (I totally had a poster of him hanging in my room in high school!) It's nice having older kids these days so I can take the family to movies I don't sleep through. I used to train myself to fall asleep in kid movies when we'd go to the theater. One time I was on a date and the guy took me to a "kid" movie... I think it was Rango. I was head bobbing the whole time! Good times :)

Dresser Top... a work in progress

2013-01-07T21:24:00.000-07:00

First off I have to tell you all that I got my very first smart phone this past week and I'm blogging from it! I feel so technologically savvy! Haha... I totally don't but it is handy. It's pink too of course.

On to my dresser. I bought this bed tray at a yard sale over the summer for $2 and haven't used it. It's just been in the way... and my dresser has become too crowded. Something clicked today and I figured out a way to fix both problems and find a place for my pitcher of flowers. I still need to paint the tray white but I think it works nicely.

2013

2013-01-03T11:39:00.002-07:00

I hope you had a great New Year's Eve! We had a few people over for the evening and ate lots of delicious food! Nina went to a party at a friend's house and it was so weird... We've always had her friends at our house. My little girl is growing up *sigh* The kids are back to school today and I'm working on getting back on schedule around the house... we'll not talk about the fact that it's almost noon and I'm still in jammies... Shhhh...

I look forward to all that 2013 brings! I thought I would jot down a couple of goals I have for 2013... no resolutions, just things I hope to see happen:

1- Get married!

2- Take the kids to Disneyland

3- Launch some sort of business idea

If these three things happen in 2013 I'll be a happy camper! What about you? Do you set resolutions or goals for the new year?