Cinnamon Apple Jello Shots

Ingredients

• 1 cup of water
• 2 cups of Apple Cider (non-alcoholic is our preferred option)
• 1/2 to 1 cup of Fireball Cinnamon Whiskey
• 1/2 cup of Sour Apple Schnapps
• 2 envelopes, or .5oz, of Knox Gelatin (each envelope is about .25oz)

Directions

1. Pour the water and apple cider into a saucepan and heat over medium heat.
2. Pour in the Knox Gelatin and dissolve.
3. Remove the saucepan from the heat after the gelatin is completely dissolved, and let cool to room temperature.
4. Pour in the Fireball and Apple Schnapps
5. Let the mixture cool a little before pouring into plastic jello shot cups.
6. Put in the fridge until the jello is firm enough (2+ hours)

Makes around 16-32 jello shots depending on how generous you are with each shot. Be careful not to mess with the amount of liquid or the jello could be too runny or too firm.

Oval Rug

Found at http://www.antiquecrochetpatterns.com/oval-rug.html

REQUIRED MATERIALS

AMERICAN THREAD COMPANY "AUNT LYDIA'S" HEAVY RUG YARN, Article 235 9 Skeins Gray
2 Skeins White (or colors desired).
Aluminum Crochet Hook Size H

NOTE(s)

Rug measures 23 inches x 37 inches without fringe.

STEP-BY-STEP INSTRUCTIONS

With Gray, ch 40, 3 s c in 2nd st from hook, 1 s c in each of the next 37 sts of ch, 3 s c in last st, working on other side of ch, 1 s c in each of the next 37 sts, do not join this or the following rounds, place a marker at beginning of each round.

2nd Round. Work 1 s c in each s c on sides and 2 s c in each of the 3 center s c at each end.

3rd and 4th Rounds. Work 1 s c in each s c on sides and 2 s c in each of the 6 s c at each end (110 s c).

5th Round. Start to carry yarn in back of work, * with Gray 1 s c in each of the next 5 s c, with White 1 s c in each of the next 5 s c, carry the Gray yarn under the White sts and the White yarn under the Gray sts, repeat from * all around, drop White. When changing colors always complete last half of st with next color. Yarn is carried underneath in pattern rounds only. 6th Round. With Gray 1 s c in each s c on sides, increasing in every other s c of the 12 sts at each end.

7th Round (Pattern Round). 1 s c in each s c working 5 White s c in center 5 sts between the White groups of previous pattern round.

8th Round. With Gray 1 s c in each s c on sides and increasing in every 3rd st of the 21 sts at each end (7 increases at each end).

9th Round. Same as 7th round, cut White.

Next 6 Rounds. With Gray 1 s c in each s c on sides and increasing a sufficient number of times on each end to keep work flat and having a number of s c divisible by 10 on last round.

16th Round. Work in same manner as 5th round but reverse the order of colors.

17th Round. With Gray work 1 s c in each s c on sides and increasing a sufficient number of times at each end to keep work flat.

18th Round. Same as 7th round.

19th Round. Same as 17th round.

20th Round. Same as 18th round.

Next 6 Rounds. Same as 17th round but having a number of s c divisible by 10 in last round.

Repeat the last 11 rounds once, then work 2 more rounds in Gray, sl st in each of the next 3 s c to even round, cut yarn.

Fringe

Wind yarn over a 4-inch cardboard, cut one end. Using 1 strand, double in half, loop through s c, draw ends through loop tightly. Repeat in each s c having 2 strands Gray, 1 strand White all around.

- See more at: http://www.antiquecrochetpatterns.com/oval-rug.html#sthash.E9sfjZcF.dpuf

Cheesy Meatball Cups

Found on http://www.caciqueinc.com/blog/2015/01/cheesy-meatball-cups/#.V9wMC_krJpg

Cheesy Meatball Cups

Makes 16
Estimated prep time: 10 minutes
Start to Finish: 30 minutes

Ingredients

• 2 (8 ounce) cans crescent dough
• flour for dusting
• 5 ounces Cacique Queso Quesadilla Jalapeño, shredded
• 16 frozen meatballs
• 1/2 cup garlic spaghetti sauce
• 1 tablespoon fresh parsley, finely chopped

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350° F.
2. Prepare two muffin tins with (16 molds total) with non-stick cooking spray. Full size tins.
3. Extend dough on a lightly floured surface. Pull apart dough triangles and press each inside a muffin mold. Covering the bottom of mold and pressing up the sides.
4. Sprinkle each dough cup with 1 teaspoon shredded cheese. Place a meatball on top of cheese, lightly pressing into the dough.
5. Bake for 10 minutes. Remove from oven and top with 1 teaspoon of sauce and 1 teaspoon shredded cheese. Place back in the oven and bake for 10 minutes more or until dough is golden brown and the cheese bubbles.
6. Serve with a sprinkle of fresh parsley.

Salsa Chicken Casserole

Found at http://tiphero.com/salsa-chicken-casserole/

Salsa Chicken Casserole
Serves 6

Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 1 Hour
Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes

Ingredients
1 cup uncooked basmati rice, rinsed
1 cup frozen corn kernels, thawed
1-15-ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed
1-16-ounce jar salsa
1 cup chicken broth
1-½ teaspoons ground cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon oregano
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper
2 large chicken breasts (about 1-1/2 pounds), thawed
1 cup shredded cheese blend
2 green onions, sliced

Directions

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.

In an 8-inch-by-8-inch baking dish, add the rice, black beans, corn, salsa, chicken broth, chili powder and oregano. Stir to combine.

Cut the chicken breasts into 3 pieces and submerge into the liquid in the baking dish as far as possible.

Cover the casserole dish tightly with foil and bake for 1 hour, until the rice is tender and the liquid has been absorbed.

Remove from the oven and sprinkle with cheese. Return to the oven and bake just until the cheese has melted.

Top with green onions and serve.

So simple! We love that this recipe uses common ingredients you probably already have or can easily get on a budget. What do you think of it? Have you tried similar casseroles before? 

Recipe slightly adapted from Budget Bytes

Paper Flower

I found this at http://www.thecraftpatchblog.com/2013/04/paper-flower-tutorial.html#.V5iurfmANBd

Fun, huh?! I'm seriously in love!

Ready for the tutorial? All you need to make your very own flower is scrapbook paper, scissors and a hot glue gun.

Step 1. Start by cutting out petals. You will want six each of three varying sizes. You can experiment with petal shapes and sizes to make all different variations of flowers.  And just to give you an idea of size, my petals were about 3", 4" and 5" and the finished flower turned out to be about 11" across. 

Two sizes of petals. (I had already used one stack when I remembered to take the picture.)

Step 2. Place a small dot of hot glue at the bottom center of a petal.

Step 3. Press the petal together and pinch until the glue cools. Gently curl the outside edges so they are slightly rounded. Repeat with all six same-sized petals.

Step 4. Place a small dot of glue on the bottom right corner of the petal.

Step 5. Press the glue onto the left corner of another petal, lining up the corners with right sides together. Repeat until all six petals are glued together into a circle. Then do the exact same thing with the other sizes of petals. Each size will make it's own ring.

Step 6. Put hot glue on the back of the smallest petals and glue them to the medium layer. Glue the medium layer to the largest layer.

See how I spaced the petals so they overlap and aren't lined up perfectly? Remember that when you are gluing the layers together. You don't want the tips of the petals all lined up or it won't look right.

Step 7. Make something decorative to cover the center hole. I layered paper circles and added a stamped butterfly on this one, but the possibilities are endless....buttons, rhinestones, words, photos...there are tons of cute possibilities.

The last thing I did was to add a paper loop on the back to make them easy to hang up.

Just to show you how versatile this method is, here is another flower I made using the same technique: 

It has a completely different feel to it! All I did differently was cut out rounded petals that were a little longer and skinnier. I also added pointed leaves in another color around the outside and a big yellow button in the center.

Some other ideas to get your creative juices flowing:

- Use glitter paper. Because everything is better with glitter!
- Try crinkling the paper before assembling everything. It will give it a softer, antique look.
- Ink/distress around the edges of each petal before assembling.
- Make two identical flowers and glue them back-to-back to make a flower that looks good from both sides.
- Try using vellum or embossed paper.
- Sew around the edges of each petal before assembling. The stitching would be such a cute detail!
- Make a jumbo flower with layer after layer of petals.

I think I need to make a hundred of these. They are so fun and the possibilities are endless!

Well, I was true to my word. haha. Check out THIS post to see all the different flowers I made!

Lemon Drop Shots

Found on http://tiphero.com/lemon-drop-wedge-shots/

LEMON DROP WEDGE SHOTS

Makes 36 lemon drop wedges

INGREDIENTS

– 6 lemons, cut in half lengthwise
– ½ cup lemon juice (from the 6 lemons)
– ½ cup water
– 3 tablespoons orange juice
– ⅓ cup granulated sugar
– 5 ½ teaspoons (2 envelopes) unflavored gelatin
– ½ cup citrus vodka

DIRECTIONS

1. Cut around the edges of the lemon flesh to separate it from the peel. Scoop it out into a bowl and scrape the peel clean.
2. Place each clean peel into a jumbo muffin tin, or any container that will hold them upright, separate, and prevent spillage.
3. In a small sauce pan, combine the lemon juice, orange juice, sugar and water.
4. Sprinkle the gelatin over the mixture and let it sit for 5 minutes, until the gelatin is softened.
5. Heat the pan over medium heat, and stir until the sugar and gelatin are completely dissolved, about 2 to 3 minutes. Do not let the mixture boil.
6. Whisk in the vodka and remove from the heat.
7. To make it easier to fill the lemon halves, transfer the gelatin mixture to a large liquid measuring cup when cool enough to safely do so.
8. Fill each peel up to the top.
9. Transfer the tins of filled peels to the refrigerator for 6 hours, or overnight, until the gelatin is set.
10. Slice each lemon half into thirds and serve.

TIP

• Squeeze the lemons for their juice before scooping out the fruit to make slicing easier.

Beef and Broccoli Stir-Fry

I found this on http://www.food.com/recipe/the-best-easy-beef-and-broccoli-stir-fry-99476 and have made it several times.

By Chris from Kansas

I clipped this recipe from Taste of Home magazine several years ago and have found it to be the best-tasting easy beef and broccoli stir-fry. It is credited to Ruth Stahl. I often use charcoal chuck steak, which is very tender and lean. I also like that it doesn't call for any unusual ingredients.

3T cornstarch, divided
water
1/2t garlic powder
1lb boneless round steak cut into 3" strips
2T vegetable oil, divided
4c broccoli florets
1 sm oinion cut into wedges
1/3c soy sauce
2T brown sugar
1t ground ginger
hot cooked rice

In a bowl, combine 2T cornstarch, 2T water and 1/2t garlic powder until smooth. (I normally add a little soy sauce also)

Add beef and toss.

In large skillet over medium high heat, stir-fry beef in 1T oil unitl done. Remove and keep warm.

Stir-fy broccoli and oinions in 1T oil for 4-5min.

Return beef to pan.

Combine 1/3c soy sauce, 2T brown sugar, 1t ginger, 1T cornstarch, 1/2c water until smooth. Add to pan.

Cook and sitr for 2min.

Serve with rice

NOTE: I add rice wine vinegar to the sauce and decrease the water.  I have also cooked noodles and added it with the sauce.