Teriyaki Cheddar Turkey Burgers

It’s Tasteful Tuesday!

When I was first introduced to ground turkey I had a knee jerk reaction of DISGUSTING!  "Why would anyone like ground up turkey?!"  Well, let me tell you.... not only is it a healthy alternative to ground beef it's really good especially if you cook it right!

I came up with the recipe for these burgers several years ago and it is a major hit around my house!  I even fooled my father into thinking these were made with ground beef.  See, my dad is very old school... he won't even try most healthy alternatives like ground turkey, sushi, tofu (well, I can't really blame him on tofu, I'm not a big fan either), etc.  But, when I was taking care of him after his bypass (hence why he needs to eat healthier!) I snuck ground turkey into alot of meals without him knowing until I left and gave him a bunch of recipes with ground turkey.

These are soooooo easy!  Prep time takes about 7-8 minutes,

Spice Corrals - My first Silhouette Project!

Finally, my first Silhouette project is complete!  It has been a trek but it's been totally worth it.  Now I LOVE my Silhouette Cameo.  I just received it a week ago and have been having so many issues getting it to work properly.  The machine kept cutting all the way through my cutting mat- even on the lowest setting.  Then it was only cutting all the way through on part of the image... it was so weird.  Well, finally completely frustrated I contacted Silhouette to find out what I was doing wrong.  They responded immediately and let me know that it sounded like a defective cutter and they would be sending me a new cutter and cutting mat immediately!  Talk about GREAT customer service!!!


So, now I'm finally able to play and I have bunches of ideas!

This project was a last minute thing that I just had to do or else I was going to go insane!  My spice cabinet (which I'm sure is like most peoples) is an absolute disaster!  It's so hard to find anything because...

Super Simple Shredded Beef Stew

Shredded Coca Cola Beef stew

What’s better during these dreary winter days than curling up on the couch with a cozy blanket and some hot yummy stew?!

If you haven’t noticed I have been on a crock pot kick- if it can be done in the crockpot then I’m trying it!

So the other day I pulled some stew beef out of the freezer (at least I thought

Manic Monday 2 Features

Today is FEATURE DAY!

 This is where I feature the top 3 link ups from last week’s Manic Monday Linky Party.

This past Manic Monday had a fantastic turn out…109 link ups! Check out this week's Valentine Round Up!

This week has been amazing so far!  I got my Silhouette Cameo this week and have already made a few things that I’ll get posted this coming week!  I’ve been getting supplies together for some bigger projects I have coming…. an antique sewing machine cabinet, a recliner redo, a sewing chair redo, a dresser redo….and sooooo much more….there’s just not enough time in the day!

Are you new to blogging too?

Are you new to blogging too?

Are you interested in growing your blog along with me?

I’ve been learning so much about the blogging world and it struck me the other day to share this information with others that are just as lost as I am sometimes.

So I propose we learn together!

Valentine Round Up from Manic Monday

Oh My Gosh…. Let me just say Thank You! 

Manic Monday was a HUGE success- there were 109 link ups!  I loved going and checking out everyone’s links on Love!  

There were so many fantastic ideas that I felt like featuring a few of my Favorites…

Sweet Vidalia Onion Rice

It’s Tastefully Tuesday!

Do you ever get bored of plain old rice?  I DO!

My husband is from Puerto Rico and he’s used to eating rice at just about every meal.  I get bored with it rather quickly and now he gets rice about 2-3 times a week…I just can’t do it every day!

My mother-in-law came over and cooked the night we brought our son home from the hospital and she made this rice… now I didn’t know at the time if it was REALLY that good or if I was just excited to have some real food after having hospital food all week… 

well, it was REALLY that good!

Now I make this all the time!

Ingredients

1 medium onion

1 TBS butter

1 ½ cups uncooked rice

1 can Cream of Onion Soup

1 ½ cups of water

Directions

A neat little trick I learned from a friend:

Light a candle when cutting onions to keep your eyes from watering... it really works!

1.    Chop the onion into diced pieces.

2.    Melt the butter in a large skillet and sauté the onion.

3.    Once onion is cooked add raw rice and let it brown.

4.    Once rice is brown (not burnt) add the cream of onion soup and water.

5.    Cover and cook on medium heat until rice is done. Stir frequently so it doesn’t stick to the bottom and burn.  You can add more water if needed.

Using sweet onions makes this dish really tasty!  Even people who don’t normally like onions Love this rice!


Don't forget to link up at the Manic Monday Linky Party!

Lamp refashion- from DRAB to FAB!

Do you ever have one of those mornings where you wake up before everyone else and feel productive?  Well, that’s the kind of morning I’m having… It seems like I can get so much accomplished when everyone else sleeps!  Now, on to my project…

I have a newfound Love for turquoise!  I’m really digging the pop of vibrant color that it adds- especially during this dreary winter.

Back during the spring I found this table lamp at a yard sale for $1…

It’s cute but I brought it home and just didn’t Love it anywhere, so it went in a closet

The Crazy Happy Dance

I was getting dressed a little bit ago and my husband starts looking at me like a crazy person, he rolls his eyes, and walks out of the room... 

 Now granted I was doing my crazy happy dance…

Why was I doing my happy dance you ask?

I’m so HAPPY you ask!  Well, it all started a little less than a year ago…

I found out I was pregnant with my son in February and was in maternity clothes by the end of March.  It seemed like once the line turned blue I began growing my prego belly at astronomical rates! 

We had a wedding to go to in March (not ours, a friend’s in Miami of all places- not good for trying to hide some skin!) we were trying desperately to keep my belly and non-drinking (did ya know ginger ale can not only calm nausea but also pass as a gin and tonic when put in a rock glass!) hidden from all of our friends because we had yet to tell our own parents…but that is a story for another time…. Right now we’re on my crazy HAPPY dance.

Now, skip ahead to October 24^th- exactly 12 weeks and 3 days ago- my beautiful son entered the world by a last minute c-section. 

 He was amazing, the most beautiful person I had ever seen- but I was in tremendous pain!  A few days after his birth I pulled a muscle in my belly and was afraid to do anything because everything hurt!  So, since his birth, I have not done a thing- no exercise, no diet, no straining, etc. In fact, I’ve been very vocal about women wanting to bounce back too quickly after having a baby!  I’ve always been a major advocate for healthy body image and how women are exploited for their looks… but, I ramble and am off subject again. 

So here we are today.  Careful not to be too hypocritical—this afternoon I was getting ready to go out.  Nothing big, we’re meeting some friends for Bingo- yes, I said Bingo!  Gone are the days of party all night, concerts, drinking till dawn…. now a fun night out is playing Bingo… at least it’s at a bar (the bar takes away the fact that it’s a game that instills images of 70 year old women with their 30 Bingo cards and giant stamper).   

So, wanting to look good for Bingo (I know…. really?!) I search my closet for something to wear—now I have been wearing maternity jeans for almost a full year now—at the bottom of my closet are a regular pair of jeans.  I think to myself “dare I try?”….

So, my husband is getting dressed in the bedroom and all of a sudden hears

“WOOO HOOO!”

“HELL YEAH”

 and then singing

“I’M HOT, WHO’S HOT, I’M HOT THAT’S WHO”

so he comes to see what the commotion is all about and he sees me jumping up and down, dancing around the closet, singing about how hot my butt looks....wearing those jeans.

I couldn’t believe it!  My pre-pregnancy jeans fit!!!  Granted, they were a little big on me before my pregnancy but who cares!! 

Do you remember when you were able to wear your pre-prego clothes?  Share your stories with me!

Easy Peasy Curtain Tie Backs

So today I'm working in my husband's home office new craft room, you know... straightening up, organizing, taking over redecorating, etc. 

 And it feels like a cold dark cave in here!  

Here's the office... excuse the big desk blocking the view... we're trying to fix it.

I start out by taking down these god awful tapestry curtains that came with the house and put up some light weight (almost sheer) satin curtains hoping to let some sunlight in.  Well, it still felt dark!  I decided I needed some tie backs.  I looked in my crafty stash and found some ribbon that matched the curtains.... 

WAIT.... I know what you're thinking... 

"Melissa, everyone in the crafting world knows how to use ribbon to tie a cute little bow and pull back the curtains!"  

But I changed it up a little.  I didn't want tie backs that I would have to untie and retie every time I wanted to close or open the curtains... I wanted something simple yet functional.

So I tied a knot at each end of the ribbon....

this way I can loop it over a nail and tada.... instant tie backs!

I know, you're probably thinking "duh!" but hey... it's good to get excited over the little things... right?!

At least this little guy is proud of how ingenious his mommy is...

Unique Yet Yummy Potatoes

Tastefully Tuesday continues...

These potatoes are FANTASTIC! They are super easy to whip together and taste like you slaved over the stove forever!

The Ingredients:
Diced Potatoes (I use Simply Potatoes because you can usually get them on sale and most of the prep work is done).
Monterey Jack Cheese - 1 Cup
Buttermilk Ranch Dressing- 1/2 pkg
Bacon Bits (I actually prefer ham but thought I'd give this a try- I recommend sticking with the diced ham).
Sour Cream - 1 cup

Directions:
Combine all ingredients and mix together in a bowl.


I decided to add in some Dill Weed which gave it some good zip!

Spoon into a baking dish and bake for 30 minutes at 350. Potatoes should be golden brown when done.

  

Flamingo Toes

Monster Trail Mix

It's Tastefully Tuesday...

My husband and I love Archer Farm's (aka Target) Monster Trail Mix.  Lately I've noticed that you get alot less for alot more...which is NO fun, especially in this economy!  

Have you noticed how manufacturers are making the packaging smaller but charging the same or more?  

Well once someone pointed it out to me I really began to notice.

So I decided why not make my own... and let me tell you... we wound up with a TON more for about the same price... it almost filled up a gallon jar!

The Ingredients

Salted Peanuts

Raisins

M&M's Candy

Peanut Butter Chips

Chocolate Chips

Pretzels (I added because I wanted more salty- there seemed to be enough sugar)

*really you can add whatever you like to the mix... I was thinking of adding Chex cereal, cashews, walnuts, etc.

Directions:

Pour everything into a container and shake! That's it!

I have several other Tasteful recipes I will be posting today for Tasteful Tuesday... make sure you stay tuned!

Cable Knit Skinny Vases

I am SOOOO addicted to the cable knit look!

So far I've refashioned 2 sweaters into:

A Wreath

Hurricane Lamps

And Now...

Vases!

These were unbelievably easy to make!

Materials Needed:

Old Sweater 

Vases

Scissors

Needle & Thread

Ribbon (optional)

Instructions:

1. Make sure the sleeves are long enough to cover your vase.

2. Cut the sleeves off of the sweater.

3. Put sweater face up and wrap sweater around the vase and pin snuggly.

4. Slide sweater off of vases - leaving the pins in place.

5. Cut off excess material, sew sleeves back together, sew close the bottom of the sleeve.

6. Flip sweater right side out and slide onto vase - should be a snug fit so you might have to work it!

7. Push end of sweater inside vase, add a bow, add dried flowers, and you are done!

Now I just need to see what else I can make with the rest of my leftover sweater!

Striped Star Pegs

It's Whimsical Wednesday!!

I decided not to put a changing table in my son's room because I've always heard that it's the least used thing for a baby... which after 11 weeks I have decided is completely true.  We usually change him in the bed, on the couch, on our laps, pretty much where ever he currently is.  After doing these modge podge letters for my best friend's son I decided I could do basically the same thing for these hooks and just hand the diaper stacker on the wall next to his dresser.

Although these were a bit different because:

1. Since the hook is poking out I had to trace the stars on the front of the scrapbook paper.

2. Again, because of the hook, I had to measure and cut a whole for it to go through.

Other than those 2 things I did everything else the same as in this tutorial for the Modge Podge Letters.

And while I was at it I decided to make matching letters for my son's room:

Hurricane Lamps

Check out some of my other fun crafts:

Sweater Vases

Sweater Wreath

Tasteful Tuesday! Chicken Rustica Casserole!

It's Tasteful Tuesday, when I highlight a favorite recipe, today is the super easy

Chicken Rustica Casserole!!

This is a favorite on game day!  It also freezes really well (best to use tater tots when freezing).  

Before my son was born I was looking for easy freeze meals and got really interested in Once A Month Cooking (OAMC) which is awesome for those busy days when I don't feel like cooking.  That is why it's in an aluminum pan-- I pulled it out of the freezer and popped it in the oven.  These aluminum trays are sold at the Dollar Tree in sets of 3 and make OAMC sooooo easy!

Okay, now for the actual recipe...

1. Dice Chicken into strips and put in dish.
2. Cut up red potatoes and put in dish or throw in tater tots.
3. Pour buffalo sauce over chicken and potatoes.
4. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes (or freeze now, before cooking).
5. Once chicken is cooked all the way sprinkle with cheese.
6. When cheese is completely melted remove from oven and serve.

Yes, it really is that easy!!  ENJOY!

Make sure you come back tomorrow for Whimsical Wednesday!