**************Got leftover Thanksgiving mashed potatoes?

If your house is like mine, you eat all the left over turkey within a day or two after Thanksgiving and then you are left with all these side dishes that get thrown out. My Grandma used to make this dish called "Super Supper." It is very kid and husband friendly!

You will need:

mashed potatoes 3-4 cups prepared

1 pound cooked ground beef

1 can of corn (or use leftover corn from the feast!)

1 can diced tomatoes (DON'T DRAIN)

1 T sauteed minced onion

1 tsp salt

1 tsp oregano

1/2 tsp pepper

1/2 cup shredded cheese

Mix together all ingredients except cheese. Put in 13 x 9 inch dish, cover with cheese and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until browned and bubbly. Enjoy!

Spooky Juice Boxes

I saw these adorable ghost/mummy juice boxes on Pinterest, but all I had was black duct tape so I figured I would make a bat!

You will need:

duct tape ($1 store has them)

 juice boxes

 scissors

 hot glue

 googly eyes.($1 store) 

 1. Wrap your juice boxes in tape. I never cut my tape until it was all the way wrapped. For the top, make sure you cut out a squarewhere the strawgoes

 2. The wings were tricky. I tried many different ways and the best way was to fold a long piece in half, cut in in the shape of the wings, then tape it on the box. Cut out some teeth, then glue on your eyes and straw on the backside.

 

 Here is my finished bat and ghost/mummy. I put these in my daughter's lunch along with a sandwich cut with a ghost cookie cutter. She loved it!

Want the softest cookies ever?

My grandmother used to do this trick all the time when I was little. It really helps when you over-bake cookies, leave them out too long at a party, or simply want super soft cookies. You simply stick a piece of bread in an air-tight container with the cookies and overnight you will have deliciously soft cookies. People would look at me like I am crazy, but it works.

This works because the MOIST bread gives up its water vapor into the air, then the DRY bread gains the water from the moist air.

I think I am going to try this trick for stale cereal and chips!

The Lorax Cupcakes

I took my daughter to see The Lorax this past week and I couldn't help but notice that the trunk of the Truffula trees looked like those yummy Pirouette cookies that I love! And of course the bulk of the tree resembled cotton candy. This project was not hard at all and so cute and colorful. But what else can you expect from Dr. Suess?

You Will Need:

Cake Mix

Cotton Candy

Pepperidge Farm Pirouette Cookies

Frosting

Neon food coloring

Red M&M's

Green scrapbook paper (not pictured)

Scissors or a Cricut

1. Bake your cupcakes like you normally would


2. Let them cool completely

3. Mix in some food coloring into your frosting

4. Frost the cupcakes

5. Dip one end in the frosting (to secure the cotton candy) and stick the clean end into the center of the cupcake

6. Stick a bog blob of cotton candy onto the top of the Truffula tree. Form the tree by twisting little pieces into spikes

7. Add your "fruits" (M&M's) that fell from the tree at the base

8. Use your Cricut to cut a piece of grass or just use scissors to cut a long strip with one jagged edge. Wrap around the cupcake at the base.

These would be great for a Dr. Suess party or just a fun thing to do with your kids. Word to the wise: the cotton candy will shrivel with air exposure, so if they are for a party, you will have to make them the morning of the party, not the night before.

"Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It's not."

-Dr. Suess

Frank's Red Hot Buffalo Chicken Dip

If you are hosting or going to a Superbowl party this weekend, this dip is amazing! I have never met a person who did not like it. I always have to double or triple this recipe. This recipe is from the Frank's Red Hot website

8 oz. cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup ranch or bleu cheese

1/2 cup Frank's Red Hot Buffalo WINGS sauce

1/2 cup mozzarella cheese

2- 12.5 oz. cans chicken breast or 1 cup cooked, shredded chicken.

Mix all ingredients. Cook on low in the crockpot for 4-6 hours before guests arrive, or microwave for 2-4 minutes, stirring in between at least once. Serve with tortilla chips.

Got leftover ham from Christmas?

I get so stumped on what to do with leftover Christmas ham, and there are only so many times you can make ham and bean stew. My husband LOVES this recipe! My sister-in-law Karen made it for us when we had our daughter and it has been a family staple ever since. This amount feeds 4-5 people

Cordon Bleu Casserole

3-4 large chicken breasts

1-2 cups Ham

16oz. Swiss cheese

1 pkg sliced mushrooms

1 bunch chopped green onions

breadcrumbs

butter

1. Cook chicken until it turn white on the outside and cut into bite sized pieces

2. Butter bottom of 8x8 baking dish, add breadcrumbs

3. Layer half the chicken, half the ham, half the mushrooms, half the green onions, and half the cheese.

4. Repeat for the second half

5. Cover top layer with breadcrumbs (I use a cup or so). Drizzle melted butter on top.

6. Bake at 350 degrees for 20-30 minutes or until top is golden brown

7. Enjoy!

Swirly Lollipop Napkins

I went to the Christmas Idea House last weekend, which is put on by the Desert Club. The Desert Club is a women's group that decorates a mansion every holiday season with Christmas decorations and baked goods. The proceeds go to charity or are awarded in scholarships. I received a scholarship when I was in high school.

Anyway, I saw these adorable striped wash clothes there that were twisted and made into a lollipop. What a cute idea right? So I thought this idea would be great on a tabletop with striped napkins. It literally took me 10 minutes to do 6 napkins. SO easy.

You will need:

Striped napkins

Plastic bags, gallon size, no zipper
Popsicle sticks

Green floral wire

Scissors

Decorative tie or ribbon

Beads or ornaments to attach to the final product (optional)

1. Start rolling the napkin from the corner
2. Start forming a swirl, twisting as you go. Don't twist too tight or too loose.

3. Secure the end to the rest of the "lollipop" with a small piece of wire

4. Cut off about 40% of the bottom of one bag and wrap around the lollipop like a wrapper. Put the Popsicle stick in the bottom and secure with a decorative tie.

The finished product is not meant to stand upright because the stick is not securely attached to the lollipop. After all, your guests are just going to take it apart to use the napkin :)You can add a large bead or a mini ornament for extra sparkle

The napkin will be a cute addition to your table

These are matching candy ornaments attached to my chandelier

Here is some ribbon attached to chair backs along with an ornament (all from Hobby Lobby)

Merry Christmas!

Red Velvet Ghost Truffles

I recently had some really yummy truffles and I started thinking about other combinations I could make. Because I am obsessed with red velvet lately. I decided to make some delicious red velvet truffle ghosts for Halloween. They are so easy to make with only three ingredients and no baking.

You will need: red velvet cake mix, 1 block of cream cheese (8 oz.), and candy making chocolate in vanilla, wax paper for cooling

1. Make red velvet cake as directed

2. Bake cake and cool completely

3. Pull apart the whole cake and put in a mixing bowl with the softened block of cream cheese (only a small piece of cake pictured here)

4. Your final mixture will feel like a really moist play-doh.

5. Form cake mixture into 1 inch balls. Start melting your chocolate in the microwave

6. Dip each ball into the melted chocolate and place on wax paper.

7. Put truffles into freezer overnight to harden

8. You are left with some simple, yummy truffles perfect for parties

I added some ghost faces with regular candy making chocolate to create cute little ghosts
Happy Halloween 2011!

Lollipop Centerpiece

As I was playing Candyland with my daughter, I noticed how all the bright yummy colors really popped off the game board. I found inspiration for this craft in a simple activity. My daughter loved helping me with this one, but it was harder to keep the Skittles around.....

This Lollipop centerpiece can be used at a birthday party, summer barbecue, set on an entry table, or simply to add some color to your counter top. There are edible parts so it is a favorite for the kids.

You will need:

colored paper

glitter

Elmer's glue

small round tin (from Target $1 bins or the $1 store)

Popsicle sticks

glittery floral sprigs

Skittles

2 bouquets of Blow Pops (from Dollar Tree)

Cricut or die cutter

Use your Cricut or die cutter to cut three circles. I did a two 4" and four 3" circles. Or you could trace around a can and cut them out if you cannot get to a Cricut or die cutter.

Add Elmer's Glue to each of the circles. I did a peppermint type design on one and a swirl on the others.

Add your glitter, let dry

Glue two circles together, sandwiching the Popsicle stick in between

Pour Skittles into the tin. This will help everything stay up in the tin.

Add your sprigs

Cut the plastic off the top of the Blow Pops, keeping them together though (don't cut the portion that bands them)

Stick the Blow Pops in the tin next

Add your paper lollipops and you're done! (mine lasted about 5 minutes before suckers started to disappear) :)The addition of colorful napkins and plates will make your table pop with color.