This is a super easy Updo! Start with hair in a loose pony tail, then put your fingers up thru the pony between the rubber band and your head creating a hole. Grab the tail of your pony and pull it thru, this creats little twists on each side of the pony. Now, take the tail of your pony and put it thru again, this creates the roll of hair. Put in a few pins to secure and that's it!
Saturday, January 28, 2012
Easy & Elegant Updo
Friday, August 12, 2011
Thursday, June 16, 2011
Hand Painted Wooden Growth Charts
These make the best gifts! I have made them for so many kids, now I need to get some finished for my own! Use your imagination - you can do any color and theme! They are hand painted, and then I use my CRICUT for the letters and numbers. See what you come up with!
Friday, February 25, 2011
New Take on Shrimp Cocktail
I have the most amazing shrimp cocktail recipe for you. Instead of buying the cocktail sauce, make your own. Believe me, the few little changes I have made takes this dish from ho-hum to terrific.
5 Star Shrimp Cocktail
1 lb raw jumbo shrimp, shelled and deveined
1 lemon
1 orange
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 green onion, green part only, sliced thinly
1/4 cup fresh flat leaf parsley, chopped finely
1/4 cup ketchup
2 tsp horseradish
2 tbsp Grand Marnier
Extra Light, Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Salt and Pepper
For the Shrimp: in a large bowl, add the shrimp, the zest of 1/2 the lemon, the zest of 1/2 the orange, juice from 1/2 the lemon, 3 cloves minced garlic, drizzle of olive oil, and a drizzle of Grand Marnier and a sprinkle of salt and pepper. This is the marinade for the shrimp, let sit for 1 hour (not more, the lemon juice and the Grand Marnier will start to "cook" your shrimp and will make them tough and rubbery.)
For the Cocktail Sauce: in a small bowl, combine ketchup, horseradish (be sure to taste as you add it slowly, so to not make it too spicy and overpowering), the parsley (reserving 1 tbsp), 1 minced garlic clove, the sliced greens from the green onion, 2 tbsp Grand Marnier, the zest of 1/2 lemon, the zest of 1/2 orange, the juice from 1/2 lemon, salt and pepper to taste. Stir well, and set aside.
For the sauce to drizzle on the shrimp after they have cooked: add 2 tbsp olive oil, 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice, 1 tbsp parley, salt and pepper.
To cook the shrimp, heat a non-stick fry pan over medium heat. Add a drizzle of olive oil, add shrimp. Now here is the MOST important tip to remember- DO NOT OVERCOOK THE SHRIMP!!! As the shrimp cooks, you will notice they start to turn translucent and pink, that is when they need turned. From that point cook the shrimp no more than 1 minute on the second side. You will only be cooking the shrimp 3-4 minutes total!! Now remove the shrimp from the pan and put into a bowl.
Drizzle the shrimp with the olive oil and lemon juice sauce, serve warm with the cocktail dipping sauce.
I made this recipe along with a Ribeye steak for my husband for Valentine's Day. Try this recipe for a special dinner with someone special, and you'll knock their socks off!
5 Star Shrimp Cocktail
1 lb raw jumbo shrimp, shelled and deveined
1 lemon
1 orange
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 green onion, green part only, sliced thinly
1/4 cup fresh flat leaf parsley, chopped finely
1/4 cup ketchup
2 tsp horseradish
2 tbsp Grand Marnier
Extra Light, Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Salt and Pepper
For the Shrimp: in a large bowl, add the shrimp, the zest of 1/2 the lemon, the zest of 1/2 the orange, juice from 1/2 the lemon, 3 cloves minced garlic, drizzle of olive oil, and a drizzle of Grand Marnier and a sprinkle of salt and pepper. This is the marinade for the shrimp, let sit for 1 hour (not more, the lemon juice and the Grand Marnier will start to "cook" your shrimp and will make them tough and rubbery.)
For the Cocktail Sauce: in a small bowl, combine ketchup, horseradish (be sure to taste as you add it slowly, so to not make it too spicy and overpowering), the parsley (reserving 1 tbsp), 1 minced garlic clove, the sliced greens from the green onion, 2 tbsp Grand Marnier, the zest of 1/2 lemon, the zest of 1/2 orange, the juice from 1/2 lemon, salt and pepper to taste. Stir well, and set aside.
For the sauce to drizzle on the shrimp after they have cooked: add 2 tbsp olive oil, 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice, 1 tbsp parley, salt and pepper.
To cook the shrimp, heat a non-stick fry pan over medium heat. Add a drizzle of olive oil, add shrimp. Now here is the MOST important tip to remember- DO NOT OVERCOOK THE SHRIMP!!! As the shrimp cooks, you will notice they start to turn translucent and pink, that is when they need turned. From that point cook the shrimp no more than 1 minute on the second side. You will only be cooking the shrimp 3-4 minutes total!! Now remove the shrimp from the pan and put into a bowl.
Drizzle the shrimp with the olive oil and lemon juice sauce, serve warm with the cocktail dipping sauce.
I made this recipe along with a Ribeye steak for my husband for Valentine's Day. Try this recipe for a special dinner with someone special, and you'll knock their socks off!
Thursday, February 10, 2011
KP Duty for Leftovers
I have some great ideas for making over your leftovers. I love having meals that do double duty, cooking once, and eating twice (or more). My favorite double duty meal is shredded beef (or pork). I start with a roast in the crock pot. Season generously with salt, pepper, chili powder, garlic powder, onion powder. I also add fresh garlic, 4-5 cloves, and if you have it on hand a few chipotle peppers in adobo. Add water and cook on low for the day, and there you have it, shredded beef for tacos or burritos. Then, for the next day, simmer your leftover shredded meat in bar-b-que sauce for bar-b-que beef sandwiches. I like to top mine with coleslaw. Another super versatile ingredient is rotisserie chicken. For a family of four, we are able to get 2 meals out of one chicken. I like to use half of the chicken in a pasta dish, and the other half in a soup or salad. For the pasta dish, I combine any bite sized variety of pasta, cooked, chicken, also in bite sized pieces, pesto, fresh tomatoes, diced, and Parmesan cheese. Save a little of your pasta water to loosen up the sauce. I have also added cream to these ingredients to make it a little more luxurious. So, for the soup, use your imagination. You could go with the standard chicken noodle, or chicken and dumplings, or try the Thai Chicken soup recipe from the Food Network magazine. Or you could skip the soup all together and make a pizza. One of our faves is buffalo chicken pizza. For the boys' portion of pizza, I use Ranch dressing for the sauce, and on the adult portion, I use wing sauce. Top with the chicken cut in bite size pieces, and mozzarella cheese. Drizzle with Ranch just before serving. You could also use the leftover chicken for a Chicken Cobb salad, or make it a Southwestern Cobb salad by adding black beans, corn and a spicy Ranch dressing. I have made the same salad with leftover steak too. Leftovers don't have to be leftovers, makeover your main ingredient to create a whole new meal, your family with thank you, I promise.
Friday, February 4, 2011
Smooth Sailing.....
Today I had the boys' pictures taken. I have been looking forward to having them done, they are vintage style Valentine's Day pictures. I have had this picture in my mind, both boys sitting there, smiling, looking so sweet and adorable. Well, reality hit! The photographer was fantastic, my boys were not! Cash is in his mommy phase and didn't want to be put down. He cried and clung to me like I was going to leave him. Every time Cash started to get comfortable and enjoy himself, Chance was quick to ruin that! Taking the toy he was playing with, hitting him with the baseball bat (it was a foam one, but still). AAARRRRGGGGG! By the time we got out of there, I wanted to cry too!! I'm excited to see the pictures. In the meantime, I am reminding myself that there is no plan with kids, they keep me on my toes, and when I least expect it, I am blown away by how much I love them, even while pulling my hair out by the roots!
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