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More than 180,000,000 eggs! That’s a lot of egg salad — AND the number of eggs that Americans typically decorate for Easter. It sort of boggles the mind, doesn’t it? Paas Egg Decorating Kits and Heinz Vinegar are as much a part of that tradition, as the eggs. We were using both, even, when I [...]
All you need for an afternoon of egg decorating fun with the kids!
More than 180,000,000 eggs! That’s a lot of egg salad — AND the number of eggs that Americans typically decorate for Easter. It sort of boggles the mind, doesn’t it? Paas Egg Decorating Kits and Heinz Vinegar are as much a part of that tradition, as the eggs. We were using both, even, when I was a child. You know — back with Abe Lincoln and the dinosaurs. 
It was always a fun part of our family Easter tradition and something we looked forward to doing. Today, it’s still a budget-friendly family activity!
An iPad screen shot from the Egg Decorator app.
You can keep up your family tradition, and this year, you can add some new fun, while you help the Make-a-Wish Foundation. Paas and Heinz have teamed up to create a FREE app for the iPad, called “Egg Decorator”. Just search iTunes for Paas/Heinz and download the app. These generous companies will donate $1 for each egg that is decorated and shared, up to $25,000! So, go decorate some virtual eggs and start a new tradition of fun and giving with your kids, for Easter.
We used a Classic Kit from Paas. Here's what was inside.
Once you’ve shared the virtual fun, gather the family in the kitchen and break out the Paas Egg decorating kits and Heinz Vinegar. With eight new kits available, you can have a decorating bonanza! You can try out the new Go Wild kit, with trendy animal print patterns or the 3D Eggsplosion, that allows you to view your designs in 3D. There are so many other great kits and they’re easy to find at your local grocery stores, retail stores and markets. Give it a whirl. You and your kids will have a blast!
We decided to try a couple of new techniques, so wrapped rubber bands around some of the eggs before dying them, to create stripes and designs in the colors.
We also tried drawing designs with a wax crayon,so that it would work as a "resist", before dying the eggs.
We also tried dripping designs onto the eggs with a paintbrush and several colors. This was a little messy, but the eggs turned out so cool!
Beautiful for decorating, yummy for eating and a fun activity for the family! Grab a Paas Egg Decorating kit, some Heinz Vinegar and enjoy the fun with your own kids!
I wrote this review while participating in a blog tour campaign by Mom Central Consulting on behalf of Heinz and PAAS and received a Heinz Vinegar bottle, a PAAS Egg Dyeing Kit, and a promotional item to thank me for taking the time to participate. As with all Busy-at-Home reviews, the views and opinions expressed are wholly my own and based on my personal experience with the product.
Did you know you could make that “magic shell” ice cream topping at home? And that it only takes two ingredients? And that it’s incredibly easy? Me. either. But, you can and now, I’m going to tell you how. Get your ice cream ready! Plus, I’m going to show you how to use it to [...]
Did you know you could make that “magic shell” ice cream topping at home? And that it only takes two ingredients? And that it’s incredibly easy? Me. either. But, you can and now, I’m going to tell you how. Get your ice cream ready! Plus, I’m going to show you how to use it to make chocolate covered bananas. Your kids will hug you and then your neighbor’s kids will hug you. Just sayin’.
Ice cream topped with delicious homemade "magic shell". This is like those dip cones we loved as kids, only better, because it's right in the kitchen. lol See how it hardens as it hits the cold ice cream?
Chocolate covered bananas take me way back to elementary school. Isn’t it funny how food has the power to evoke memories and carry you back to another place and time? It was a HUGE deal if we could manage to scrounge up a dime to take to school with us on Fridays, because one high school club or another would be waiting outside the doors of the elementary building, after school, with trays full of frozen chocolate covered bananas. This simple recipe has only three ingredients and can be prepared in only minutes. Plus, by using Tropical Traditions Gold Label Virgin Coconut Oil, I was able to put a whole new taste-twist on this old classic — sort of like Mounds candy bar wrapped around a frozen banana. Trust me! It’s fantastic!
Did you realize that coconut oil is actually just the clear liquid that separates from coconut milk, after about 24 hours? I always wondered how it was possible to squeeze oil from a coconut! Seriously, though – not all coconut oils are created equally – literally, they are produced in very different ways. There are all kinds of refined coconut oils on the market, usually made by machine, from dried coconut. And all coconut oils are healthy and a great option for cooking and baking. But, if you want a truly organic, pure and natural product, you need to find one that is made by simply grating the fresh coconut, extracting the milk and then allowing the fresh milk to sit in a covered container and separate. That’s exactly how Tropical Traditions produces their Gold Label Virgin Coconut Oil. It is certified organic and I can tell you from personal experience that the taste is amazing!
Coconut oil has been used as a cooking oil, in tropical climates, for thousands of years. It will be a solid, sitting on your shelf, at temperatures lower than about 80 degrees. In the warmer days of Nebraska summers, I will note it melting into its liquid form. Coconut oil can just be kept on a shelf in your pantry. It doesn’t need to be refrigerated. Plus, coconut oil can be used in all kinds of cooking — baking, frying, condiments and dressings. There are some great recipes to try in the Recipes section on the Tropical Traditions website. It was great to use the coconut oil, hands-on, and realize I didn’t have to do anything different from the way I use any other vegetable oil. It was an easy switch and I’m loving it.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup coconut oil
- 1 (12 oz) bag chocolate chips
- 4 bananas, peeled and cut in half
- wooden popsicle sticks
Instructions
- Peel the bananas and cut them in half.
- Insert a popsicle stick into the cut end of each banana half.
- Place on an ungreased baking sheet and pop them in the freezer for a couple of hours until they are frozen through.
- Now, it's time to make your "magic shell" topping. While the bananas are freezing, melt the chocolate chips and coconut oil in a microwave safe dish in the microwave. It will only take a minute or two.
- Stir the oil and melted chocolate together.
- Dip a frozen banana in the melted chocolate mixture. It will harden on the outside of the banana in a matter of seconds, so just hold it until the coating is dry. Lay the covered banana back on the sheet and repeat the same process until all 8 banana pops are coated.
- You can pop these back in the freezer until you're ready to enjoy them, or pass them out, immediately. The chocolate will harden as soon as it hits the frozen banana, so there's no reason to have to wait.
- The cool thing about this recipe is that after dipping all 8 bananas, I still had around a cup of the magic shell left over. I put it in a squeeze bottle and kept in on the shelf in the pantry. It stayed liquid, just like the magic shell products you buy at the store.
- It was DELISH on ice cream! And the kids loved the banansas!
- .
- .
- Ooooh! Grandma, it's cold!
- The coconut flavor really does come through in this recipe, using the Tropical Traditions Gold Label Coconut Oil. Everyone remarked that it was like eating a Mounds candy bar. Hmmm.... I'll bet it would be amazing to use in brownies!
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http://busy-at-home.com/blog/homemade-magic-shell-topping-and-chocolate-covered-bananas/I have two more pieces of AWESOME news! Tropical Traditions has their one quart size Gold Label Virgin Coconut Oil on sale, until March 29, Buy One , Get One FREE. Fantastic Deal!!! PLUS, a lucky Busy-at-Home reader is going to get the chance to add coconut oil into their cooking routine, too! Tropical Traditions is sponsoring a giveaway for one quart of their Gold Label Virgin Coconut Oil! Woohoo! You know the easy routine. Leave a comment on this post telling me something new you learned about coconut oil or another Tropical Traditions product you would like to try and then use the Rafflecopter form, below, to enter. Good luck!
a Rafflecopter giveaway
I received a quart of Tropical Traditions Gold Label Coconut Oil to test in my own kitchen, so I could collect information to write this review. No monetary compensation was received and a positive review was not required. As with all Busy-at-Home reviews, the views and opinions expressed are wholly my own and based on my personal experience with the product.
If you’re like me you may have eaten some really bad scones, in your lifetime – dry, hard, crumbly and bland. Enough so, that you are prejudiced against all sconedom, forever. I’m here to help you reconsider. I’ve done it and it’s good. The scones “on the other side of the fence” are AMAZING! Cross [...]
If you’re like me you may have eaten some really bad scones, in your lifetime – dry, hard, crumbly and bland. Enough so, that you are prejudiced against all sconedom, forever. I’m here to help you reconsider. I’ve done it and it’s good. The scones “on the other side of the fence” are AMAZING! Cross over with me! You’ll be so glad you did!
Perfect scones with my Blackberry Cream Cheese Spread. Yum!
These scones are lightly sweet, with a slightly crunchy exterior and a wonderfully moist and tender interior. You’ll get ALL the brownie points from your family when you make these at home. They’re pretty easy, for something so tasty, and if you add a delicious topping like my Blackberry Cream Cheese Spread, your scone bliss will know no bounds.
Ingredients
- 2 cups King Arthur All Purpose Unbleached Flour
- 1 Tablespoon Baking Powder
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 5 Tablespoons butter, very cold, cut into cubes
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1 teaspoon King Arthur Pure Vanilla
Instructions
- Cut the butter into small cubes and return to fridge to keep it cold until you need it. Cut it into thirds lengthwise. Turn it once and cut it in thirds lengthwise, again. Then cut small cubes from the ends.
- Put all the dry ingredients in a medium mixing bowl and combine.
- Use a fork or pastry blender to cut in the butter, until the mixture looks like coarse meal. It will have a few larger lumps of butter and that's okay. Those will build flakiness into your scone, while the smaller, more combined butter particles will give it tenderness.
- Stir in the heavy cream and vanilla. You're only going to want to mix this enough to moisten most of the dry ingredients and let the dough pull together in larger, shaggy dough "balls" - maybe 30 seconds. There will likely still be some dry crumbly ingredients in your bowl, but the liquid will be completely absorbed. That's just the way you want it.
- Empty the contents of the bowl, (shaggy dough balls and dry crumbs) onto the counter and knead it very gently, just until it all comes together. There may still be some cracks in your ball of dough and it make look a little shaggy, but if all the dry crumbs have been incorporated, stop kneading. Overworking the dough will make your scones tough.
- Gently pat your ball of dough into a flattened circle, about 3/4 of an inch thick. I'm guessing mine was about 9 inches in diameter. You may notice small cracks around the edges of your dough circle. That's okay.
- Cut the dough into 8 equal wedges, just like you were slicing a pie.
- Place the wedges on an ungreased cookie sheet, leaving a little space between each one, so that the outer crust can crisp up slightly. (If you prefer ultra-soft outsides on your scones, you can place the wedges back into a circle and allow the edges of each wedge to touch each other.)
- Bake at 425 degrees for 12 to 15 minutes. The tops will be lightly browned when they are done.
- Allow to cool, slightly, on a wire cooling rack. Can be served warm or cool, plain or slathered with your favorite jam or topping. We devoured these with delicious Blackberry Cream Cheese Spread.
- And now, as I sit writing to you about them, I feel the need to have one, immediately! Is it acceptable to eat scones for lunch? hmmm....
- Enjoy!
Notes
Use aluminum-free baking powder, if you can find it. If you've ever experienced that "metallic" after-taste in your biscuit or bread products, your baking powder is likely the culprit.
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http://busy-at-home.com/blog/perfect-scones/PlumScrumptious is a really cool online shop that carries unique, handcrafted products — all made in America. Skilled artisans and craftsman from around the country showcase their wares in the PlumScrumptious shop and we benefit from their talent. I’ve been able to review some gorgeous lawn and garden decor that I know you will really [...]
PlumScrumptious is a really cool online shop that carries unique, handcrafted products — all made in America. Skilled artisans and craftsman from around the country showcase their wares in the PlumScrumptious shop and we benefit from their talent. I’ve been able to review some gorgeous lawn and garden decor that I know you will really enjoy. My whole family is enjoying the colorful additions to our yard (and even potted plants).
Our fairy garden is currently nestled around the base of the Meyer Lemon tree in our parlor. The mushroom forest is reorganized often, by our grandkids, and I have to smile, from the other room, when I hear the four-year-old speaking the voices of all the imaginary characters she dreams up to live there and dine at the table or sit on the bench. What a fun and creativity inspiring product!
This was one of the most colorful and entertaining review packages I’ve ever opened. Our ten-year-old daughter stood by oohing and aahing with each piece I pulled from the box and when the carefully wrapped fairy garden made its way into the light, the excited delight she showed was quite infectious. It’s hard not to be enthusiastic when a child is as happy and excited about something as she was. As I watched her, and have watched my grandchildren, since, as they inspect and imagine, I’m sure that the beautiful, bright colors are as important a part of the experience as the miniature size of the fairy garden.
We received some not so miniature lawn and garden decor, as well. All the products we reviewed were handcrafted by artisans in Utah. They are ceramic and hand-painted. Each product is unique and will vary slightly from others, since it is individually handmade.
I think that this birdhouse is absolutely adorable. I like the color and love that the top can be removed to clean out the birdhouse at the end of the season. It’s swaying in a tree in our backyard, waiting for a new tenant. I can’t wait to see who moves in!
The blue roof on our birdhouse is my favorite, but these are available in 12 different colors, so you'll have fun choosing!
The top lifts off the birdhouse, making it simple to clean.
The birdfeeder is gorgeous, too, and so organic looking in its brown and green tones. What bird wouldn’t be attracted to it and enjoy eating while perched at one of the six feeding ports. This is an all-weather feeder and the hand-twisted design gives the long body of the feeder a wood-like appearance.
This hand-twisted birdfeeder is full of whimsy and makes me think of some sort of woodland cottage. Like the birdhouses, the roof is available in 12 different colors. Adorable!
Beyond the mushrooms in the fairy garden, I also reviewed several of the larger sizes and colors of Shroomyz. These will bring a dash of color and whimsy to any flowerbed or garden corner that needs some “sprucing up”. You can create a colorfully unique mushroom forest anywhere you want to add a little pizazz to your landscape or use them to line the border of a bed! There are several different collections available, which vary in size, color and number.
The larger mushroom collection and butterflies with our ten-year-old .
And finally, the Flutterbies – they’re beautiful! Designed to handle the harshest weather conditions, year-round, these colorful butterflies will sway in the breeze and bring color to your landscape. They screw into a metal stake, that is included when you purchase a Flutterby, and then can be inserted into the ground anywhere you would like to bring a ray of sunshine and a dash of color to your yard or garden. They’re available in a variety of colors and sizes.
To create the illusion of flight, the flexible metal posts for these giant butterflies, allow them to sway in the breeze. I love the bright colors!
A Busy-at-Home reader is going to decorate their landscape, as well! PlumScrumptious is generously sponsoring a giveaway for a Fungtasmic Variety Pack of colorful mushrooms! The winner will receive the 7-pack set valued at $71! The set includes 1 Large, 2 Medium Large, 1 Medium Small, 1 Small, and 2 Mini Shroomyz. To enter this fun giveaway, leave a comment on this post, telling me the name of one other item you would like to try from the PlumScrumptious website. Then click DO IT and ENTER in the Rafflecopter form, below. That’s it! You’re entered in the drawing AND you will have opened several additional optional entry possibilities to increase your chances. Good luck!
a Rafflecopter giveaway
I received a sampling of PlumScrumptious Lawn and Garden Decor in order to test them in my own garden and gather the information to write this review. No monetary compensation was received and a positive review was not required. As with all Busy-at-Home reviews, the views and opinions expressed are wholly my own and based on my personal experience with the products.
I have just finished reading one of the best gardening books, ever! Jere and Emilee Gettle, of Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds, have a new book that has recently been released. The Heirloom Life Gardener: The Baker Creek Way of Growing Your Own Food Easily and Naturally is a gorgeous hard-cover text loaded with full-color photographs [...]
I have just finished reading one of the best gardening books, ever! Jere and Emilee Gettle, of Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds, have a new book that has recently been released. The Heirloom Life Gardener: The Baker Creek Way of Growing Your Own Food Easily and Naturally is a gorgeous hard-cover text loaded with full-color photographs and fantastic tips and gardening information for everyone – novice to seasoned pro.
Container gardening can produce abundant food for those with small space for gardening.
After the Introduction, the book contains 8 information-packed chapters, (see below) an appendix, contact information for a variety of gardening resources and a complete index. The chapter titles are:
- Growing Up With Heirlooms
- The Baker Creek Heirloom Seed Company
- Seeds in America
- Collecting Seeds Around the World
- How To Garden
- Seed Saving
- City Farmer
- A to Z Growing Guide
Artichoke section of the growing guide - Each veggie's guide begins with a description and history, then a section on Growing Tips gives advice for the best way to grow them, and ...
What’s different about this gardening book, when so many others are available? I’ve never read a more in-depth description of heirloom seeds and why they’re important. This book is for anyone who truly wants to understand the importance of heirloom seeds to our food safety. It’s common sense and logic, without a lot of sensationalistic hype. That makes it so much more credible to me, as I read through the heartfelt explanations and understand what they have learned from their own hands-on experiences.
then a section that discusses pests and diseases common to that plant, plus suggestions for treating them, before finally ending up in a section that....
I also like that whether you are just getting started and only have a pot or two on the deck or patio, or you have a giant garden with years of experience, there are tips, tricks and valuable information for everyone. There is actually an entire chapter devoted to city gardening and real encouragement for those who want to produce something amazing in their container gardens.
For me, the best part is the Growing Guide. This very detailed and informative guide has given me the confidence to try and grow vegetables that I had previously considered too difficult and an understanding of why I haven’t been successful with some others. The introductory section of each vegetable’s guide describes the plant and some of its history. This is followed by growing tips, then pest and disease information (with suggested help), seed saving tips for that specific vegetable and finally, in the kitchen, a section on the different uses of the vegetable.
details all the ways to use the vegetable, cooking, freezing, canning, etc - In the Kitchen.
I know this book is a resource that I will refer back to over and over, again and I’m excited that Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds is going to give away a copy to a Busy-at-Home reader. To enter the giveaway, just visit Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds and find a seed you would love to try growing or a piece of information that you didn’t know before. Leave a comment on this post, telling me what you’d like to grow or the new fact you learned. Hit the DO IT button on the Rafflecopter form, below, then ENTER and that’s it. Not only will you be entered in the drawing to win this book for your own gardening library, you will have opened some additional optional entries to help increase your chances. Good luck!
a Rafflecopter giveaway
I received a copy of “The Heirloom Life Gardener” in order to read it, test it in my own garden, and gather the information to write this review. No monetary compensation was received and a positive review was not required. As with all Busy-at-Home reviews, the views and opinions expressed are wholly my own and based on my personal experience with the product.
Looking to spice up your weekly dinners or sweeten your next family gathering with an extra special dessert? Bake-Off.com now has 100 new recipe creations from Pillsbury Bake-Off finalists from across the country. There are dozens of recipes to choose from, in each category! Whether it is appetizers, breakfast and brunch recipes, dinner made easy [...]
Looking to spice up your weekly dinners or sweeten your next family gathering with an extra special dessert? Bake-Off.com now has 100 new recipe creations from Pillsbury Bake-Off finalists from across the country. There are dozens of recipes to choose from, in each category! Whether it is appetizers, breakfast and brunch recipes, dinner made easy or sweet treats, you’ll find a fabulous recipe to inspire you to try 
something new for your family. Put your own twist on it or make it exactly as the Bake-off entrant did, but definitely, have your own bake-off at home and try one of these mouthwatering dishes! Your local Walmart will make it easy to have everything you need to complete the dish
- Head to your local Walmart where you can find great savings on refrigerated Pillsbury products including: Pillsbury Original Crescent Rolls, Pillsbury Cinnamon Rolls, Pillsbury Pie Crust, and Pillsbury Cookies among other items.
- Don’t forget to check everydaysaver.com/Walmart before you head to Walmart so you can take advantage of the great savings available through coupons and offers that will help you stretch your grocery budget and save money as you prepare some of the delicious bake-off dishes.
To get you inspired and off to a good start, Walmart and General Mills are sponsoring a $25 Walmart Gift Card Give Away! One lucky Busy-at-Home reader will win. It’s easy to enter. Visit the Pillsbury Bake-Off website and look at all the great recipes. Choose the one you’d love to see me prepare in a picture tutorial, here at Busy-at-Home. Leave a comment on this post letting me know the name of the one you’d most like to see. Then hit the DO IT button in the Rafflecopter form, select ENTER and that’s it! Not only are you entered in the drawing for this great prize, but you will have unlocked several other optional entries you can use to increase your chances of winning. Good luck!
a Rafflecopter giveaway
The gift card, information, and giveaway have been provided by Walmart and General Mills, through MyBlogSpark.
I’ve always heard such good things about SILPAT baking mats and have been terribly curious to try one out. I got the opportunity, this week, to test the SILPAT Petite Jelly Roll Mat, which fits a 9 x 13 pan. Now, I understand why people get so excited about SILPAT! What an excellent kitchen tool! [...]
Israeli Salad served in a Parmesan Crisp Bowl
I’ve always heard such good things about SILPAT baking mats and have been terribly curious to try one out. I got the opportunity, this week, to test the SILPAT Petite Jelly Roll Mat, which fits a 9 x 13 pan. Now, I understand why people get so excited about SILPAT! What an excellent kitchen tool! I used mine for two different savory recipes, but it’s obvious to me that these silicone covered mats would be perfect for just about any baking needs – especially cookies. No more messy sprays or baked-on grease on my cookie sheets and pans. Whether you’re roasting vegetables or baking a jelly-roll sheet cake, there’s a SILPAT in the perfect size to fit your project. I’d love to have the entire “ensemble” — one in every size!
Silpat Petite Jelly Roll Baking Mat
SILPAT is the original non-stick baking mat. Since 1965, Demarle has been committed to improving your baking experience by introducing top quality products. SILPAT products never need greasing and replace parchment paper. Using SILPAT products saves time, money and reduces waste in our environment.
SILPAT® products are great for working with sticky materials such as gooey batter, taffy, caramel, doughs and anything your imagination allows. Nothing sticks to SILPAT.
SILPAT® Non-Stick Baking Mats are made of fiberglass and food grade silicone. SILPAT products are completely food safe. Our products are FDA, NSF and Kosher certified.
Not only is the mat easy to use, but it’s also easy to clean! Just warm water and regular dish detergent and it’s ready for my next recipe. I love how food just slides off it, without needing any oils, sprays or grease. I have no doubt that it is going to be a regularly used tool in my kitchen. When you see the first two tasty recipes I made while using it, you’ll want to add at least one to your favorite kitchen tools, too!
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
- 1/2 cup Italian blend cheese, grated
- 1 English cucumber, diced
- 1/2 pint cherry tomatoes, quartered
- 1/4 cup red onion, minced
- 1/3 cup flat-leaf Italian parsley, chopped
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil
- 1/2 lemon, juice and zest
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- salt and pepper, to taste
for the Parmesan Crisp Bowls
for the Israeli Salad
Instructions
- Mix both cheeses in a bowl.
- Place SILPAT on a baking sheet.
- Divide cheese into six equal portions and form each portion into a 3-inch circle on the SILPAT baking mat.
- Bake at 375 degrees for 6 - 7 minutes, until the outer edge begin to brown.
- Remove from oven and allow to cool on sheet for two minutes. They will still be warm and pliable in the centers, but will hold together enough for you to be able to easily lift them off the SILPAT with a silicone spatula or some other non-metal utensil. (This will prevent cutting or marring your SILPAT baking mat.) I love using the SILPAT for this recipe. The cheese slides off the baking mat with ease!
- As you remove each crisp from the pan, gently form and drape it over the bottom of one of the cups of your mini muffin pan.
- Allow the crisps to cool completely, so they will hold their ruffly "bowl" shape.
- When completely cooled, fill with salad, veggies, meatballs or any other appetizer food you can think of.
- They're so pretty and they taste delicious!
- Chop cucumber, onion, parsley and tomatoes.
- Mix veggies in a medium salad bowl.
- Add the zest and juice of 1/2 lemon along with the olive oil and paprika.
- Mix to combine.
- Add salt and pepper, to taste.
- Refrigerate at least 30 minutes, to allow flavors to meld. (This is definitely more salad than you need for the 6 crisp bowls, above, but it's great on it's own for lunch or you can make a double batch of crisps.)
- Serve.
- I served this salad as an appetizer, in the mini Parmesan crisp bowls. It was absolutely fantastic!
for the Parmesan Crisp Bowls
for the Israeli Salad
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http://busy-at-home.com/blog/parmesan-crisp-bowls-with-israeli-salad-and-a-silpat-review-and-give-away-plus-sweet-potato-chips/I tried out one more tasty and simple recipe when I was doing test-baking with the SILPAT — Sweet Potato Chips! You won’t believe how easy these are or how many chips you can make from just one sweet potato. You have to try this!
Ingredients
- 1 sweet potato
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil
- salt, to taste
Instructions
- Slice the sweet potato into very thin pieces. The thinner you slice them the crisper your chips will be.
- Drizzle the potato slices with olive oil and toss to coat. (As you can see, I had to switch to a larger bowl to manage this task.)
- Spread the potato pieces in a single layer on your baking sheet. (if you have a Silpat or some parchment paper, your clean-up will be super easy.) One sweet potato actually made so many chips that I had to use a baking sheet and my stoneware pizza stone and I still had potato slices left over, that wouldn't fit.
- Salt chips, to taste, before baking. This will help pull moisture out of the chips, more quickly.
- Bake in a 250 degree oven for 25-30 minutes, until crisp and edges are lightly browned. (The low heat is very important! The sugars in a sweet potato will burn before the chip is crisp, if you cook them at higher heat. So cook them low and slow. Your patience will pay off big time. I promise.)
- Remove from oven. Slide right off the baking sheet, into a serving bowl. Enjoy the chips warm or allow them to cool and serve them cold. Their delicious both ways!
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http://busy-at-home.com/blog/parmesan-crisp-bowls-with-israeli-salad-and-a-silpat-review-and-give-away-plus-sweet-potato-chips/You’ll love using SILPAT baking mats in your kitchen! You can visit the SILPAT website to find a retailer, near you, that carries them and be sure to enter our giveaway! You could win a SILPAT Petite Jelly Roll Baking Mat! You must be a resident of the U.S. and 18 or over to enter. It’s super easy. Visit the SILPAT website and look at all the great products they have to offer. Leave a comment on this post letting me know the name of one of their products that you would love to try. Click on DO IT in the Rafflecopter form, below, then ENTER! That’s it! Not only have you entered the drawing, but you’ve opened several additional optional entries, as well. Good luck!
a Rafflecopter giveaway
I received a SILPAT Petite Jelly Roll Baking Mat to test it in my own kitchen and conduct this review. No monetary compensation was received and a positive review was not required. As with all Busy-at-Home reviews, the views and opinions expressed are wholly my own and based on my personal experience with the product.
What a fabulous opportunity I’ve had this week, to try a wonderful new product at Wal-Mart — Ecce Panis Bread. If you love homebaked bread, but just can’t find the time or motivation to tackle baking your own from scratch, or remembering to thaw frozen bread dough, Ecce Panis is a yummy solution. I had [...]
What a fabulous opportunity I’ve had this week, to try a wonderful new product at Wal-Mart — Ecce Panis Bread. If you love homebaked bread, but just can’t find the time or motivation to tackle baking your own from scratch, or remembering to thaw frozen bread dough, Ecce Panis is a yummy solution.
Blackberry Cream Cheese Spread in an Ecce Panis bread bowl and served with Ecce Panis Ciabatta crisps made by slicing the ciabatta loaf and putting the slices under the broiler for 2 or 3 minutes. DELISH!
I had quite a bit of shopping to do, so I sat down and made a quick list, adding this new bread to it. I was anxious to not only see how it would look, but to taste it and see if they really could achieve that homemade flavor in just a handful of minutes in my oven. I wasn’t 100% sure where I would find it in our store. The bread aisle seemed like a logical choice, and yet, I swung by the bakery/deli department first and was happy to find the bread, right away. Next to our deli counter, there are wooden “islands” of baked goods. On the bottom shelf of the island closest to the deli, I found FOUR different varieties of the new Ecce Panis bread. Not wanting to play favorites, and seeing that they were all around $1.88 a loaf, I threw all four into the cart and headed off to get the rest of my groceries. After our experience with it, which I will relate, below, I heartily encourage you to find Ecce Panis breads in your local WalMart, for your own family!
Ecce Panis Neo-Tuscan Mini Boule
Ecce Panis Ciabatta Loaf
My challenge, with this mission, was to create a delicious spread recipe to use on Ecce Panis breads, so I added several other things to my list as an idea for the spread started swirling in my head — cream cheese, (of course ), green onions, bell peppers in red, yellow and orange, bacon, cheddar cheese… This definitely seemed to be going in a savory direction and I was envisioning something like the wrap filling I had come up with for our daughter’s graduation party that incorporated cream cheese, my homemade hot pepper jelly, lots of veggies and fresh herbs, cheddar cheese and diced chicken breast. It was really tasty and with some simple modifications, I thought I could transform it into a delicious spread. Ideas were churning as I continued through the grocery aisles. Thank heavens I had taken a list, or I would have had one of everything in the store! As it was, I did succumb to the beautiful selection of fresh berries on display and made it home with a pint of gorgeous blackberries. If you want to see more pictures of my shopping trip (I apologize in advance for the picture quality. When I got to the store I realized the only camera I had with me was on my phone. ), check out my Google+ album.
Ecce Panis French Rolls
Ecce Panis French Demi Baguettes after baking at home. They come two to a package.
The Ecce Panis lived up to it’s “freshly baked bread in minutes” label. It is truly delicious; and warm from the oven, you would be hard pressed to know it wasn’t white bread baked in your own kitchen. Our family ate each variety with pleasure and gusto – no shrinking violets in our house, when it comes to homemade bread! We had the french baguettes, sliced on the diagonal for crostinis and the french dinner rolls made great sandwiches for a quick chicken salad lunch. I used the ciabatta and Neo-Tuscan Mini Boule to serve the fabulous Blackberry Cream Cheese Spread that I’m about to share with you.
Okay, so I drove home from WalMart, unpacked my groceries and quickly started my recipe idea’s transition from wrap filling to spread. Epic fail! -lol- It actually tasted great and my son probably ate 2/3 of it in the first hour or so, but it was not as “pretty” as I pictured it and I wanted this to be really special, so….rewind! What else did I have on hand that would make a delicious spread and look as beautiful as it tasted? I’m starting to think that deviation from my grocery list was God-inspired. Blackberries! Well, to say it was a success to change courses, would be an understatement. We loved the color, the flavor and the texture of this delicious spread. It’s only five ingredients and we will make this over and over again, easily substituting whatever fresh berries are in season. Your family will think you’re amazing!
This will be one of your most requested recipes, whether you are serving it with appetizers at a party or on bagels for breakfast or as a simple snack at home! Other berries could easily be substituted. It can be whipped up in minutes and will satisfy all comers with it's lightly sweet, fresh flavor.
Ingredients
- 2 (8 oz) blocks of cream cheese, softened
- 1/2 lemon, juice and zest
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1 pint fresh blackberries
Instructions
- Place all ingredients in the bowl of your stand mixer (or in a large bowl and use a hand mixer) and mix thoroughly, until the ingredients are well blended into a creamy spread. The individual blackberry segments will still be visible in the beautiful purple spread, as will a few small lumps of cream cheese.
- Serve on toast, bread, crostini, bagels, biscuits, or even crackers! Use your imagination and this spread will end up being one of your most requested recipes!
- Refrigerate leftovers, if you're fortunate enough to have any.
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This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias. #CBias #EasterMeals As with all Busy-at-Home reviews, the views and opinions expressed are wholly my own and based on my personal experience with the product.
Gardening is such a big deal for me. It’s therapy to be out working in the garden, where it’s peaceful and productive. Gardening saves our family money and helps us to provide the healthiest food options for them to eat. It’s good for the soil, the environment and anyone we can share our bounty with. [...]
Gardening is such a big deal for me. It’s therapy to be out working in the garden, where it’s peaceful and productive. Gardening saves our family money and helps us to provide the healthiest food options for them to eat. It’s good for the soil, the environment and anyone we can share our bounty with. I love having my kids and grandkids be part of what we’re doing with the garden. Not only do they learn about good nutrition, being good stewards of the earth God created for us and enjoy the yummy garden produce; it also teaches them a good work ethic. Ecclesiastes 9:10 instructs, “Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might.” and that is a character trait we have tried to instill in our kids. As they have learned to work, they have also learned to appreciate what work can produce; and so, can enjoy their labors more.
The kit came packaged in this cute Gigglin' Garden Gang Tote.
The love of gardening has really taken hold with our ten-year-old daughter and our five-year-old granddaughter. The five-year-old was admiring the garden seedlings we already have sprouting in the window and telling me how much she can’t wait until we have tomatoes in the garden! She has helped me to harvest, in the past, and nabbed a snack or two from the plants as we go; and as they are one of her favorite foods from the garden, she is already dreaming of how great the tomatoes will taste.
Our three grandkids. Isn't God grand to have blessed us so!!??!!! Photo Credit: Grammy
We got to have the grandkids stay with us all this past weekend, so I was hoping they would be here to complete this project with us. Unfortunately, they went home before the kit arrived, this morning, but they will have fun keeping it watered and watching it grow when they are here, again. Our daughter, however wasn’t about to miss out on a planting opportunity — especially when it’s planting flowers, HER favorite garden produce!
Besides the bag, the kit included a Sing-Along CD, Story Book, Sunflower Seeds, a Sticker, Instruction Sheet and Peat Pellets in a Growing Container.
The kit we received is from The Gigglin’ Garden Gang, a group dedicated to teaching kids about “going green” and healthy living through gardening. I love this concept and their website is loaded with videos and great teaching resources that will help you to engage your kids’ imaginations and inspire enthusiasm about gardening, healthy lifestyles and nutrition. Teaching at Gigglin’ Garden Gang isn’t done with lectures, but with fun, hands-on activity that make learning exciting and playful. We ordered their Go Green ‘N Giggle Book and Tote Activity Set. The order was processed through Amazon.com and we received it in a little under a week.
The packet of sunflower seeds was attached to the inside back cover of the fun story book.
The Gigglin’ Garden Gang website is colorful and bright, loaded with fun garden characters that will interest and excite young children and it is simple to navigate and find your way around, using the left, sidebar menu. You’ll be able to check out their educational products for kids when you select SHOP or learn more about sunflowers and how to grow them by clicking FUN FACTS or taking the QUICK QUIZ. Detailed instructions and a video are also available to engage your kids in the sunflower planting activity.
The story book will engage your kids with bright colors and interesting illustrations.
This kit was actually really fun! I’ll bet the “little gardeners” in your family will love it, too! Anything to do with planting or gardening is a HUGE hit with our ten-year-old, so she loved that aspect of this project! The CD of songs and the storybook included in the Book and Tote Activity Set, as well as the characters and videos on the Gigglin’ Garden Gang website are perfect for our three grandkids (ages 2-5) and will all be great tools in passing on a love of gardening, as well as a strong work ethic to the next generation of our family! To keep up with all that’s happening at Go Green ‘N Giggle be sure to follow them on Twitter and Like their Fan Page on Facebook.
Adding warm water to the compressed pellets allows them to expand, hold moisture and be a perfect medium for sprouting seeds.
Rissa pushed the sunflower seeds about 1/2 inch into the pellet and made sure they were covered with growing medium.
The sunflower seeds are nestled in next to our other garden seedlings, in the dining room window. Can't wait to see how soon they sprout and get them transplanted into their permanent outdoor home!
How do you inspire a strong work ethic in your kids? Does your family have a garden? What things are you and your family doing to learn more about “going green” and healthy living? I’d love to hear some of your ideas and tips!
This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias. #CBias #GoGreenNGiggle I purchased a Go Green ‘N Giggle Book and Tote Activity Kit to test it and write this review. A positive review was not required. As with all Busy-at-Home reviews, the views and opinions expressed are wholly my own and based on my personal experience.
I got a chance to test out the Mega Bloks Block Squad, recently, with our three grandkids and our ten-year-old. To be honest, they worked diligently for about 45 minutes and after a good measure of frustration, they gave up. This is such a cool toy and when it was finally assembled, they had a [...]
I got a chance to test out the Mega Bloks Block Squad, recently, with our three grandkids and our ten-year-old. To be honest, they worked diligently for about 45 minutes and after a good measure of frustration, they gave up. This is such a cool toy and when it was finally assembled, they had a great time with it, but it took my son-in-law and daughter about 30 minutes to figure out the sketchy directions and get the vehicles together. The kids loved playing with the boat, police patrol truck and police force carrier.
Family fun - Our daughter and son-in-law with the three grandkids put the three vehicles together.
Once assembled, our grandson had a fabulous imagination-inspired playtime!
The cost for the complete set is only $24.99, which seems like a good deal to me, for the size of this kit. Since the first day, the blocks have had a lot of miles put on them, as my grandson gets them out and builds from his own imagination, when they visit each week. As always, we are pleased with Mega Bloks and the great toys they offer to practice eye-hand coordination and small motor skills, as well as inspiring creativity and lots of fun.
I received the Mega Bloks Block Squad Police Force Rescue Squad set in order to test and review it. No monetary compensation was received and a positive review was not required. As with all Busy-at-Home reviews, the views and opinions expressed are wholly my own and based on my personal experience with the product.
