Happy St. Patrick’s Day!

March 17, 2017 in Kitchen

Happy St. Patrick’s Day!

We decided to embrace our Irish heritage tonight with some corned beef and cabbage for dinner. I pulled out my pressure cooker to use for the very first time. I’ve had it for about 7 years (it could honestly be more – I don’t remember), so it seemed like maybe it was about time to learn how to use it.

Now that everyone has an Instant Pot, it’s easy to find millions of pressure cooker recipes. I saw one of those mouth-watering videos on Facebook for corned beef and cabbage that looked amazing, so we tried it.

Do people like corned beef and cabbage? I mean really like it. The meat was fine – definitely not something I’ll be craving any time soon, but everyone ate it ok. But the veggies were mush and gush. Flavorless mush and gush. Blech. I’m not someone who particularly likes mush. I can’t even eat a sandwich without chips to add a crunch.

Do you know what crunches? Tacos.

Lettuce is green. Guacamole is green. Salsa verde is green. Next year we’re definitely having St. Patrick’s Day tacos.

14 Fun Ways to Celebrate St. Patrick’s Day

March 7, 2015 in Family Room

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St. Patrick’s Day isn’t just for pinching your friends who forgot to wear green anymore. Now it’s the perfect excuse for a fun celebration. I love to keep things simple, so I gathered 14 simple celebrations for St. Patrick’s Day for a festive, easy holiday.

These  St. Patrick’s Day printables from Forty Eighteen are all ready for you to print and attach to your treats.

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Jane from xo, lauren & jane does something fabulous with mint chocolate chips to make a green treat that is perfect for anyone who loves mint and chocolate. (And really… who doesn’t love mint and chocolate??)

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Hoping to find a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow? How about inside the rainbow… if that rainbow is a cookie. These Rainbow Treasure Cookies from Stuffed Suitcase scream St. Patrick’s Day!

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So colorful and so tasty, my kiddos would LOVE these! They wouldn’t even need to find the pot of gold with Rainbow Pudding Pops from Saving Cent by Cent as the tasty rainbow.

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This is perfect! I love this St. Patrick’s Day printable from Occasionally Crafty.

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If you love sprinkles and tasty surprises, these Pot of Gold Cookies from A Sparkle of Genius are the perfect treat for you. I especially love the gold center… because it’s caramel. yummo!

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Hahaha, Blushing Leprechauns. I love these great cookies from For What It’s Worth

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Cute, cute decor makes any holiday better. That’s why I love this St. Patrick’s Day Canvas Art from Shambray.

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And this great Lucky St. Patrick’s day Printable from The Happy Scraps. I just love how a great printable makes an area instantly festive.

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Learn how to make a traditional St. Patrick’s Day dinner: How to Make Corned Beef Dinner from Mirlandra’s Kitchen.

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This Lucky Leprechaun Parfait from Jessica Weible Blogs is such an adorable treat! What more can you ask of a dessert than cute on the table and absolutely delicious in your mouth!

I love the idea of spreading some luck to a friend like this Bucket of Luck from Maybe I Will. Love her list of what to put in the basket and the free printable to attach to it.

Make a great dessert with this template and directions for a St. Patrick’s Day Shamrock Cake from The Things I Love Most.

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We always have a green dinner, and this Green Deviled Eggs and Broccoli Ham Ring from Forty Eighteen is in the running this year.

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How do you celebrate St. Patrick’s Day?

{Incredible Kid Day} Love Notes

March 13, 2014 in Mailbox

I don’t know how kindergarten teachers do it. I had 7 kindergarten girls at my house for less than 2 hours today, and I wasn’t quite sure I would make it.

My baby girl turned 6 today and had a party with her adorable school friends. They yelled every single word they said, asked the same questions over and over again without listening for an answer, and absolutely made Chuck’s day.

After the last girl went home, I sat down with Steve, laid my head on his shoulder… and woke up an hour later.

So I’m a bit worn out, but it was a great day with some incredible kids.

Speaking of incredible kids, this Saturday, March 15, is Incredible Kid Day! What kid doesn’t love to be told how incredible they are???So many fun free printables for families - lots of love ntoes for kids, visiting teaching handout, and more!

So to continue on with Free Printable Week, I gathered some of my favorite “You’re an incredible kid!” love notes.

I love to leave notes and treats for my little kidlets – on their pillows or hidden around their rooms. Although I have to be careful not to hide them too well or they might get mixed in with the mess. A few years ago, I bought little Valentine’s mailboxes on clearance after V-day, and each of the girls has one of those in her room so we can leave each other fun notes and sweet treats.

Basically this is a little lesson in how to turn this stuff:

What a fun and simple way to make my kids' day! Love these free #printable notes.

 into huge smiles and happy kids in three easy steps.

  1. Download and print this file.
  2. Cut out tags and attach to stuff.
  3. Give to kids and watch their faces light up.

Simple! Here’s what the whole class looks like together, all 9 of them.

What a fun and simple way to make my kids' day! Love these free #printable notes.

And we did a few group shots, too, so you can get a better look. I was going to explain them in great detail, but really, how much detail could there be? They’re just simple and fun.

What a fun and simple way to make my kids' day! Love these free #printable notes.

“Have a fun day!” attached to a Fun Dip – because what could be more fun than a bag of flavored sugar?

“You are one smart cookie” is attached to Smarties, but cookies would be good, too!

I love these Despicable Me fruit snacks, or you could attach “You’re One In a Minion!” to a minion Twinkie. Did you know the minions weren’t even in the first version of the Despicable Me script? Whoever added those little dudes in should get a raise.

What a fun and simple way to make my kids' day! Love these free #printable notes.

My girls love socks, so what better way to wish them luck than with a cute new pair of socks with a “Put your best foot forward. Good luck today!” note attached? Perfect for test day or audition day or any other day they’re nervous about.

Have you tried Extra Dessert Delights gum? We kinda got hooked and have a huge stash of every flavor we can find. They are so good! And perfect for when you want something sweet without all the calories. They’re also perfect for attaching a “You are Extra special to me!” note for your incredible kids.

What a fun and simple way to make my kids' day! Love these free #printable notes.

I love turning m&m’s into “mom” with a little sticker and a pen. It’s a fun way to sign any note, but especially an “I love you more & more every day!” note.

Fruit by the Foot is really long, right? So it’s perfect to give with this note to illustrate just how serious you are about how HUGE your LOVE is! “I love you <— ♥ —> this much!”

My little Babs definitely inherited the Irish temper from my side of the family. It especially fires up when she’s having a hard time in math. So I made her this little note to remember to relax when she’s in a crunch. “If you get in a crunch today, take a deep breath, relax, and remember I love you!” I’m sure the chocolate will help the day go better, too!

What a fun and simple way to make my kids' day! Love these free #printable notes.

 I don’t know what it is about these Kool-Aid Bursts, but they’re just so much fun! And a great way to say “You are one kool kid!” My kool kid thought the Kool-Aid Man included on this note was hilarious, but I didn’t include it in the final version. I was impressed they even knew who he was! Oh yeah…

You can click on any of the photos or —> right here <— to get to the download page and give these fun notes to your incredible kid. It will make their day!!!

What a fun and simple way to make my kids' day! Love these free #printable notes.

What makes your kid incredible?

St. Patrick’s Day {free} Printables

March 11, 2014 in Mailbox

My dad’s family is Irish – and I have the fiery temper to prove it! The story of my first ancestor who came from Ireland to America is full of action and adventure: fight scenes, robbery, murder, near-death experiences, cowboys and Indians, and the wild, wild west. He definitely didn’t have it easy. I would love to meet the man who went through so much to make a better life for my family. I just wouldn’t want to make him mad…

With our Irish heritage, we love St. Patrick’s Day. I love any excuse to give fun treats and sweet notes to family and friends, and this holiday is no exception. It is the perfect time for some extra cute love notes attached to super sweet treats.

These cute notes are perfect for St. Patty's Day treats for friends, teachers, kids, and anyone else!

Day 2 of Free Printables Week features these fabulous St. Patrick’s Day tags. My incredibly talented friend, Carrie, at My Recipe Confessions asked me to put together some fun tags to go with her amazing Pots of Gold. Naturally I jumped at the chance to work with her on something so fun!

These tags are so simple to use. Here’s what I did in 4 simple steps:

  1. Print them out on white cardstock.
  2. Punch out the circles with a 2 1/2-inch circle punch.
  3. Punch a 3 1/2-inch scalloped circle out of colored cardstock for each tag.
  4. Attach the tag to the colored paper.

So easy – and so cute!

These cute notes are perfect for St. Patty's Day treats for friends, teachers, kids, and anyone else!

You could leave them just like this and place them around for your family to find (like on a pillow or mirror). Or you could step it up a notch and add some goodies! Maybe punch some holes and tie the tags to your treats.

You can find the perfect Pot of Gold treats and Rainbow Sugar Cookies to give with these tags at My Recipe Confessions, so be sure to visit Carrie and check out her adorable crafts and incredible recipes.

To download these tags, simply click on the photos below to get to the download page. There are 12 different tags in all. The first two sheets have one of each tag like a sampler. The rest of the pages are single sheets with multiple copies of the same tag. If you are looking for a note for a group, class, or big family, these are perfect for you! There are 8 tags on each of those sheets.

You can find these on the Printables page, too.

These cute notes are perfect for St. Patty's Day treats for friends, teachers, kids, and anyone else!

These cute notes are perfect for St. Patty's Day treats for friends, teachers, kids, and anyone else!

These cute notes are perfect for St. Patty's Day treats for friends, teachers, kids, and anyone else! These cute notes are perfect for St. Patty's Day treats for friends, teachers, kids, and anyone else!These cute notes are perfect for St. Patty's Day treats for friends, teachers, kids, and anyone else!These cute notes are perfect for St. Patty's Day treats for friends, teachers, kids, and anyone else!These cute notes are perfect for St. Patty's Day treats for friends, teachers, kids, and anyone else!These cute notes are perfect for St. Patty's Day treats for friends, teachers, kids, and anyone else!These cute notes are perfect for St. Patty's Day treats for friends, teachers, kids, and anyone else!These cute notes are perfect for St. Patty's Day treats for friends, teachers, kids, and anyone else!These cute notes are perfect for St. Patty's Day treats for friends, teachers, kids, and anyone else!These cute notes are perfect for St. Patty's Day treats for friends, teachers, kids, and anyone else!These cute notes are perfect for St. Patty's Day treats for friends, teachers, kids, and anyone else!These cute notes are perfect for St. Patty's Day treats for friends, teachers, kids, and anyone else!

How do you celebrate St. Patrick’s Day?

Did you catch day 1 of Free Printables Week?

Green Eggs and Ham for Dr. Seuss Day!

February 26, 2014 in Great Room, Kitchen

A fun twist on Green Eggs and Ham to celebrate Dr. Seuss day with Deviled {Green Eggs} and {Ham} Broccoli Ring! from FortyEighteen.com #drseuss

I am Sam. Sam I am.

I think Green Eggs and Ham is my favorite Dr. Seuss book because it’s the first one Beth could read on her own. A cute little girl reading a cute little story is just about the cutest thing ever! So naturally we’re celebrating Dr. Seuss Day on March 2nd with Green Eggs and Ham.

My older brother made {green} scrambled eggs for my girls once when we were all visiting grandma’s house. I don’t even remember why he did that, but I do remember how much they LOVED it. For the next few years, every time we visited, they would ask for green eggs. It became one of those special grandma’s house treats.

Getting ready for Dr. Seuss Day, I’m thinking about Green Eggs and Ham, but I need a new twist on green eggs to make it extra special. My kiddos are totally in love with deviled eggs, so I’m sure this is the perfect twist I am looking for! And of course, we can’t just have a boring old piece of ham. So we’ll add to the fun with a delicious Ham Broccoli Ring that everyone LOVES.

A fun twist on Green Eggs and Ham to celebrate Dr. Seuss day with Deviled {Green Eggs} and {Ham} Broccoli Ring! from FortyEighteen.com #drseuss

My deviled eggs are simple and delicious and made to taste. Which means I don’t really have a recipe to share… since I never measure what I put in, but here is my basic process.

Start by making hard-boiled eggs. Add a single layer of eggs to your pot and cover with cold water. Heat to a boil over high heat. When you’ve got a hard boil going, turn off the heat, cover with a lid, and let it sit for 20 minutes. At the end of 20 minutes, pour off the hot water and cover with cold water to stop the cooking.

When you’re ready to work with the eggs, remove the shells and slice the eggs in half. Remove the yolks. Place the whites on a platter and the yolks in a bowl. I usually end up with a few eggs that didn’t peel very well, and I add those to the bowl, too, whites and all. Mash the egg yolks (and those few mutilated whole eggs) with a fork and then start making them tasty.

I add onion powder, garlic powder, pepper, Miracle Whip and mayonnaise (yes, both), mustard, and dill pickle juice. I may add salt if they need it, but they usually don’t need any more than what is already in the pickle juice. To make them green add blue, yellow, and green food coloring — a lot of blue, a bit of yellow, and some green.

Scoop the filling into the egg whites. I think the easiest way to do that is with a baby spoon. The baby spoon is great for taking the yolks out of the eggs whites in the beginning, too. Or you could use a pastry bag or ziploc bag with a large star tip and pipe the filling into the whites to make it look extra fancy. Sprinkle the tops with paprika – which I didn’t do here because they’re green, but I always add paprika to my non-green deviled eggs – and they’re ready to enjoy.

A fun twist on Green Eggs and Ham to celebrate Dr. Seuss day with Deviled {Green Eggs} and {Ham} Broccoli Ring! from FortyEighteen.com #drseuss

Broccoli Ham Ring

  • 2 tubes refrigerated crescent roll dough
  • 1-1/2 c shredded Swiss cheese (or any kind of cheese you want! – I did a mixture of Swiss and cheddar in this batch)
  • 1 c diced ham
  • 2-1/2 c fresh broccoli, chopped
  • 1 small onion, chopped (or 2-3 green onions – my fave)
  • 1 tomato, diced (optional)
  • 1/4 c minced fresh parsley (or about 2 tsp dried parsley)
  • 1 Tb mustard
  • 2 Tb Ranch dressing
  • 1 tsp lemon juice

Unroll crescent dough and place triangles around a round baking pan (like a pizza pan) with the edges overlapping. Lightly press the ends together to seal them.

Combine everything else in a big’ol bowl, then spoon it over the ring you made with the wide ends of the rolls. Fold the thin points over the filling and tuck under the wide ends. This won’t cover the filling completely. Bake at 375 for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown.

A fun twist on Green Eggs and Ham to celebrate Dr. Seuss day with Deviled {Green Eggs} and {Ham} Broccoli Ring! from FortyEighteen.com #drseuss

This may be my new favorite way to eat Green Eggs and Ham! And I will eat them in the rain and in the dark and on a train and in a car and in a tree. They are so good, so good you see!

You will like it, you will see. You will like it just like me!

How are you celebrating Dr. Seuss Day???

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