Goals & Resolutions.....

I have spent the last couple of days really seriously thinking about where I am at in my life course right now.... (pushing 50.. choke, choke... shhhh!) And with the idea of "pulling to the top & dusting stuff off", I have reconsidered where I want to be a year from now...

I am a true Flybaby by heart since 2008... And I love the impact that it has had on my life and my family!

But I "GOT WAY BEHIND" in 2009... and so I am "STARTING AGAIN" in 2010!

I believe that there is truth in what they say about "writing down your goal and putting them visually in front of you..." so with that in mind and knowing that SCS is where I spend a lot of my spare & planning (hehehehe) time. I want to post my upcoming 2010 goals... When setting my yearly goals, I use a combo of SU!'s goal planner, Coveyisms & Flylady's organizational counterparts and I base my goals around my mission statement, which is:

"To Inspire others through my own creativity and desire to make this world a better place... ONE FRIEND AT A TIME!"

SO my goals are very simple and ever serving. Each month I take each goal and break them down into little counterparts on a list to be crossed off when completed... (This method works for me)

Renewal / Self: To Organize myself so that I can be happier in what I do for myself and others by...
1. Renewing my "FlyLady" Lessons
2. Renewing my "Biggest Loser" commitment to lose 50 pounds
3. Renewing my "Testimony in Jesus Christ" by reading the Old Testament
4. Renewing my "commitment to others" by seeking out Random Acts of Kindness
5. Renewing my "budget goals" by increasing my monthly savings by $10.00

Husband / Family: To become more patient and understanding to their needs by...
1. Incorporating "FlyLady" Lessons into Family's daily routine
2. Start making more "Healthy Life" choices in food & snacks
3. To apply the "Teachings of Christ" into our daily lives
4. Continue weekly date night with my hubby
5. Set up a Budget Plan for family vacations & boat buying

Education / work: To strive to be better at what I do to contribute to the ebb & flow of my household by...
1. Continue the studying and writing on my book that I do daily... (going to editors soon)
2. Donate some business time to help "spread the light of Christ" through charitable ways to help others.
3. Study the "Daily Life of Christ" as part of Homeschool
4. Learn the Art of making Cheese
5. Budget and take a Real Estate Class

Stampin' Up! / Annie's Pantry: To make SU! my primary source of income for the upcoming year by....
1. Scrap / Craft / Swap & hang with my friends at SCS
2. Transitioning my SU! business from Hobbyist to Business Career
3. set up and complete at least 12 Catering Events & Vendor shows this year.
4. Serve at the Local Ronald McDonald House
5. Set my sites on the SU! Cruise next year

Service / Religion: To take the time to share my testimony and talents with my neighbors and others who my cross my path by...
1. Sharing my Testimony of Christ with others when prompted by the spirit.
2. Feeding my spirit by attending church regularly
3. Attend the Temple at least three times this year
4. Do Visiting Teaching with 80% or above during the up coming year.
5. Hold at least 1 Quarterly Ward Activity this year


I love having goal seeking friends that strive to live everyday to the fullest with daily gratitude in their hearts. And because of this I share my goals, not to look better than anyone else or to poke fun at any other goals, but mostly to share my thoughts and post my goals visually for me, for many others who have asked "How do you do it?" and for those who might have ideas or SWAKS that will creatively help me stay on track.


For Me.... It's all about "BALANCE" & using MY ASSETS, (yes... that is my "One Word" for 2010!) I look forward to a very "HAPPY NEW YEAR" with all of you

Merry Christmas..... Everyone!

Christmas.... Spring..... Christmas.......Spring?

Our SCS color challenge today was to use the colors.... Mambo Mellon, So Saffron, & Mellow Moss. A threesome of very pretty spring colors! So should I stamp Christmas.... Spring..... Christmas..... Spring? Well, Spring won!

Here is my card...

52 Week Challenge #48 - 2009

"Cut Glass Salad"

Ingredients:

1 (3 ounce) box lime gelatin
1 (3 ounce) box blue gelatin
1 (3 ounce) box orange gelatin
1 (3 ounce) box cherry gelatin
2 (3 ounce) boxes lemon gelatin
Water
1 1/2 single packages graham crackers
1/2 cup (1 stick) margarine
1 cup granulated sugar
1 (20 ounce) can crushed pineapple
1 large cool whip
2 cups Whipped Cream (sweetened 1/4 of the sugar)

Make each box of lime, blue, orange, cherry and 1 box of lemon gelatin according to package directions using 1 1/2 cups boiling water. Pour each flavor into a greased 8-inch square pan and chill in refrigerator until set. Cut into 1/2-inch cubes.

Crush graham crackers and mix with margarine and 1/4 cup sugar. Save 1/2 cup of the graham cracker mixture and set aside. Press remaining graham cracker crumbs into bottom of a cold-cut keeper or 9 x 13-inch baking dish.

Drain juice from crushed pineapple and add water to juice to make 1 cup. Dissolve the other box of lemon gelatin in 1 cup of warm water and add pineapple juice. Chill until almost set, will be chunky when stirred. Stir in pineapple.

Fold together cool whip, whipped cream, lemon pineapple mixture. Next lightly fold in gelatin cubes. Stir easy as to not break up the gelatin cubes. Pour into prepared pan and sprinkle reserved 1/2 cup crumbs on top. Chill in refrigerator until set, at least 2 hours.

"From the Pantry" Challenges..... Nov. 2009

I can't believe it has been a year since we had a "From the Pantry" Crop. I was thinking that this weekend would be a great time to have another round.

SO for Our Challenges today we are going to be saying....

Good-bye to Fall!

To start off with we are going to have a color combo challenge...  Challenge #1- post 178
Next my challenge to you is a Technique Challenge..................... Challenge #2 - post 185
Third is a "Ways to Use It" Challenge involving TAGS................ Challenge #3 - post 189
Fourth Challenge is an Inspirational trip with crafty Terry............. Challenge #4 - post 194
For #5, we "sketched" our way into a Fall Fantasy ..................... Challenge #5 - post 201
Traditional Pantry Format with Recipe included ......................... Challenge #6 - post 204

Keywords are FTPNOV09, 


You can find the gallery at this link.... FTPNOV09

You can find my examples here:
Page LO #1 ...... January Daily 5&6
Page LO #2 ..... Autumn Splendor
Page LO #3 ..... Pumpkins 2009
Page LO #4 ..... Mr. P's Pumkins
Page LO #5 ..... Thanksgiving Dinner 2009
Page LO #6 ..... January Daily 3&4

Card  #1.................. Stamped Fall
Card #2 .................. Smashed Thanks!
Card #3 .................. FTP - Tags
Card #4 .................. Tagged Fall
Card #5 .................. Falling for U
Card #6 .................. Snowy Friends

Prizes will be given in each category!

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!

"Around The World in Eighty Days".... Last Week.... We're Back in England!

We have returned to England in our goal of Eighty Days. This will be our last post for this Unit. We have enjoyed sharing our travels and experiences with all of you and hope that that you will return often to our new food blog "The Pantry Life" as we continue to explore the world and joys of food around us. We are going to continue to post our experiences and recipes as we continue our educational journeys.

TOAD - IN - THE - HOLE

What You Need:

12 slices of bread (two for each person)
1 Tbsp. margarine, softened
1 cup Shredded Cheddar Cheese, divided
6 eggs
6 slices Bacon, cooked, crumbled


What You Need to do:
PREHEAT oven to 400°F. Cut hole in center of each of 6 of the bread slices, using 1-1/2-inch cookie cutter or rim of drinking glass. Discard removed bread circles or reserve for another use.
SPREAD remaining bread slices with margarine. Place, margarine-sides down, in 13x9-inch baking dish; sprinkle with 1/2 cup cheese. Top with cut-out bread slices to make four sandwiches. Break 1 egg into each hole. Sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup cheese and the bacon.
BAKE 15 to 20 min. or until cheese is melted and eggs are set.

Snowman Soup

Does anyone know how many crazy snowmen it takes to make one cup of soup....???? Well, alot! hehehehehe

My Snowmen Soup were a big hit last night. I sold all ten packages, 12 cheesecakes and several bags of reindeer poop.... plus several other items. It was a great Vendor Fair this time. Here is an assorted sampling of my simmered goodies.

"Around The World in Eighty Day" - Tenth Week - New York

When we think about all of our favorite things that we love about New York, our memories immediately think of all the delicious food at Carmine's. Today is our oldest son's birthday and his favorite place in the whole word is Carmine's.... so to celebrate and wish him a Happy Birthday.

We give you..... Chicken Parmesan
 

1 jar (26 oz.) spaghetti sauce

1/2 cup Grated Parmesan Cheese, divided

8small boneless skinless chicken breast halves

2 cups seasoned bread crumbs 

1-1/2 cups Shredded Mozzarella Cheese

Bread chicken breast with seasoned bread crumbs and fry in frying pan until light brown about 3 - 5 minutes on each side. Heat oven to 375°F. Place chicken breast into 13x9-inch baking dish. Cover with sauce and 1/4 cup (4 Tbsp.) Parmesan cheese. Cover with foil and bake 30 min. Uncover, top with Mozzarella cheese; bake 5-7 minutes and cheese is melted. Serve with a side of hot pasta!


If anyone would like to join us in our Challenge "Around the World in Eighty Days" next week we will be back in England.

52 Week Challenge #44 - 2009

Enjoying the "Crisp"ness of Color...

This time of year one of my all time favorite desserts is the rich blended flavors of a hearty Cranberry & Apple Crisp and on Tuesday the SCS Card Color Challenge was to use the colors Vanilla, Kraft and Bravo Burgundy. So I thought it would be fun to mix the two to create a very elegant and yet festive scrapbook page to add to our 52 week challenges.

Your Challenge is to create a LO using the rich colors of Vanilla or White, light Brown and Burgundy or dark red.

Here is the recipe for my dessert:

Cranberry & Apple Crisp

Ingredients:

• 1 cups cranberries
• 3 cups apples (peeled, cored  & thin sliced)
  
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
  
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup light brown sugar, packed
• 1 cup quick cooking oats
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 5 tablespoons butter, room temperature 
• 1/2 cup chopped pecans
  

Preparation:   Mix together cranberries, sliced apples, granulated sugar, lemon juice, vanilla and salt; pour into a  buttered 9 X 13 baking dish. Combine brown sugar, oats, pecans and flour. cut in butter until well blended, it will be crumbly.  Spoon over cranberry-apple mixture. Bake at 325° for 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until topping is light brown and crispy.  The fruit should be tender but not mushy.

You can view the SCS GALLERY HERE.....

Please use the keywords SCS52WK44 & SBC09NOV when you upload

Page 3 of the Scrappin' Sisters Story!

Melanie, Donna, Me & Judy really enjoyed getting together a scrapping for the evening. The Girls came to town for a little beach/stamping stay-cation.

"Around The World in Eighty Day" - Ninth Week - San Francisco

One thing we really enjoyed while visiting in San Francisco was the open air street markets loaded with fresh fruits, vegetables and fish. This is one of the salads the we made while we were staying there. 

Shrimp & Citrus Salad
(Makes 4 main course Salads)

INGREDIENTS:
2 large pink grapefruits (peeled and sectioned)
1 large Mango (peeled and cubed)
1 large can of Mandarin Oranges (well drained)
2 medium Tomatoes (washed and sliced into wedges)
6oz Spring Mix / Salad Mix
2 avocados
1/2 lb cooked peeled shrimps (about 6 to 8 per salad)
3-4 sprigs dill
1 cup candied Pecans (optional)

For the Dressing:
Juice from grapefruit and 1/2 of a lemon
1/4 sweet red onion, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, chopped
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
A pinch of salt and pepper
1/2 cup olive oil
1 teaspoon of poppy seeds

1. To remove sections from the grapefruits: Slice off the top and base of the fruits. Following the curve of the fruit, cut away the skin, zest, and pith so only the segments and central membranes are left. Slide the knife down each side of a section to cut it free of the membranes, letting the section fall into the bowl. Continue cutting, turning the membranes back like the pages of a book until you’ve removed all of the sections. Chill them and reserve the juice.

2. Wash and dry the salad mix. Halve each avocado lengthwise, cutting down to the pit. Twist the halves and pull them from the pit. Tap the blade of a knife sharply onto the pit, twist, and pull out the pit. Peel away the skin and cut the avocado flesh into lengthwise slices. Brush some of the grapefruit or lemon juice over the slices so they do not discolor.

3. For the dressing: Whisk the reserved grapefruit juice with the lemon juice, onion, garlic, mustard, poppy seeds, salt and pepper until mixed. Gradually add the olive oil, whisking constantly so the dressing emulsifies and thickens slightly. Taste, adjust the seasoning and set aside.

4. Shortly before serving: Toss the salad mix with about a third of the dressing and taste for seasoning. Spread a bed of salad mix on 4 plates. Arrange the avocado slices and fruit and tomato sections like the spokes of a wheel on top and spoon over more dressing. Chop the dill and toss with the shrimps and remaining dressing. Taste, adjust seasoning, and spoon the shrimps into the center of the wheel. Sprinkle with candied pecans. Serve the salad as soon as you can so the greens do not wilt.

If anyone would like to join us in our Challenge "Around the World in Eighty Days" next week we will be at the New York.

Candied Pumpkin Seeds

This Make over Monday recipe is going to be a little different...

As tradition states, at our house, we normally roast our pumpkin seeds from our jack-o-lanterns two days after Halloween. This year instead of making the traditional salt soaked and roasted seeds.

Recipe Here: 

All your leftover jack-o-lantern seeds (washed & cleaned)
6 cups of warm water
1 tablespoon kosher salt
Mix salt and water together and pour over seeds, soak overnight

Next day drain seeds and toss with 1 tablespoon vegetable oil and 1 tablespoon of Worcestershire Sauce or your favorite Bar-B-Que Sauce. We use Teriyaki Sauce. Spread on a flat cookie sheet and bake on 300* for 30-40 mins. Stirring often to avoid burning. We like to much on these, add them to our trail mix or toss with our favorite fall salads.

We decided to try candied pumpkin seeds. 

Recipe Here:

1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/8 teaspoon of salt

1/3 cup white sugar
3/4 cup maple syrup
1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Mix the oil, salt, sugar and syrup together and heat, stirring until dissolved. Stir in ginger, and cinnamon; remove from heat and pour over pumpkin seeds. Bake at 300* until light brown or dry looking.

This is a recipe that I received from a friend at our church. This is the way a lot of people here in the South like their Pumpkin Seeds. They were a great treat and we still enjoyed them in our trail mix, in our granola and I even tossed them on my pumpkin salad the other night.

Happy Birthday to The World's Best Mother!

Happy Birthday MOM!

"Around The World in Eighty Day" - Seventh & Eighth Week - Hong Kong & Yokohama

This week for our "Around the World in Eighty Days" we took a Field Trip to a Chinese Restaurant. We had a great time and spent a good portion of two hours enjoying the plethora of the 120 items they featured on their buffet. Grand assorted items from Chinese style crab legs to Mongolian Grill.

We recommend this restaurant to everyone..... Check it out here!

CHINA BUFFETT

"Around The World in Eighty Day" - Sixth Week - Calcutta

Kona Chicken

Serves: 4

6  halves of skinned chicken breasts (cut into 1/3s)

1 egg

½ cup flour

1 teaspoon curry powder

1 teaspoon chicken seasoning

1/4 cup butter, melted

1 can pineapple chunks in juice water

1 1/3 cups water

1/4 cup coconut dessert mix

1/4 cup brown sugar

2  tablespoon chicken soup base

1/2 teaspoon curry powder

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

4 to 6 cups cooked rice

Dip chicken breasts in beaten egg; coat with mixture of flour, curry powder and chicken seasoning. Place in shallow baking pan. Mix together melted butter and juice from pineapple chunks; drizzle over chicken. Cover with foil and bake at 350*F for 30 mins. Remove foil and continue to bake 30 mins more.

Combine pineapple chunks, water, coconut

dessert mix sugar, chicken soup mix, the

1/2 tsp curry powder and black pepper, in a saucepan. Cook over med heat until mixture comes to a boil and thickens slightly, stirring constantly; remove from heat. Serve chicken over rice, top with pineapple coconut mixture.

If anyone would like to join us in our Challenge "Around the World in Eighty Days" next week we will be at the Hong Kong.

"Around The World in Eighty Day" - Fifth Week - Bombay

Our stop-over in Bombay proved to be very interesting. Everywhere we looked the food was all curried. We finally decided to grab some very tasty looking Curried Crab Cakes as we started to move on the Calcutta.

Curried Crab Cakes 

1  teaspoons  curry powder

1/4  teaspoon  salt

1/2  teaspoon  mustard

1/8  teaspoon  black pepper

1/4  cup  minced onion

1/4 chopped red bell pepper

1  garlic clove, minced

1/4  cups  dry breadcrumbs 

1 cup shredded baked potato 

1  can lump crabmeat

1  large egg,  

2 Tablespoons  dried parsley

Preparation:
Combine all the ingredients in a bowl; mix well. Chill 30 minutes to and hour to allow the flavors to blend. Next, form into desired size patties or "cakes" and fry in small amount cooking oil heated in a large nonstick skillet until light brown. About 3-4 minutes per side. Serve with sour cream or Indian Yogurt.

If anyone would like to join us in our Challenge "Around the World in Eighty Days" next week we will be at the Calcutta.

New......... "From The Pantry" Challenge Week #39

"Falling" for Some Old Favorites

I can't believe that I have been hanging around SCS for just a little over two years now. And I have made a whole bunch of great friends along the way. Friends that I seem to always "Fall' back on inspite of how my day has went. I thought for my challenge today it would be fun to "Fall" back on some old friends, (recipe challenges from last year) that I love to make every FALL.

SO... You decide if are you a "SWEET" Friend or are You a "SAVORY" friend? Your challenge is to choose one and scrap the challenge and upload it. In your post please tell us why you chose sweet or savory. (extra bonus points if you case your own LO from Last year)

Here is the "SAVORY" Challenge,

Warm Spinach & Artichoke Dip

Challenge Recipe:

This should be a warm and savory page, much like the Dip it's self.

Please use white as cream cheese, mayo & grated cheeses.

Please use Green DP's as Artichokes

Please use dark Green Embellishments or Hardware as Spinach and of course you have to add a touch of browns for the Crackers or Chips.

Recipe INGREDIENTS:
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup grated Romano cheese
1 clove garlic, peeled and minced
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1/4 teaspoon garlic salt
salt and pepper to taste
1 (14 ounce) can artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
1/2 cup frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
1/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

DIRECTIONS
1.Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease a small baking dish.
2.In a medium bowl, mix together cream cheese, mayonnaise, Parmesan cheese, Romano cheese, garlic, basil, garlic salt, salt and pepper. Gently stir in artichoke hearts and spinach.
3.Transfer the mixture to the prepared baking dish. Top with mozzarella cheese. Bake in the preheated oven 25 minutes, until bubbly and lightly browned.



Here is the "SWEET" Challenge

Pumpkin Nut Dip

 
Challenge Recipe:

First use orange as your background. Circles, Squares and or DPS, doesn't matter... just make the background shapes bold and eye catching. Next add the spice... like journaling, brads, buttons and tags. Think about the colors of the spices and fluff... dark brown, black and white or cream. Try to make your page rich and snappy! Please include chipboard in this challenge, you always need a hard cookie for dipping.

 
INGREDIENTS:
* 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
* 1 cup confectioners' sugar
* 1 small jar of  marshmallow fluff                                
*1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
* 1/4 cup of chopped walnuts
* 1 teaspoon frozen orange juice concentrate

DIRECTIONS:
1. In a medium bowl, blend cream cheese, fluff and confectioners' sugar until smooth. Gradually mix in the pumpkin. Stir in the cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, nuts and orange juice until smooth and well blended. Chill until serving. (Best if served with Gingersnaps)


You can view the SCS GALLERY HERE.....

Please use the keywords SCS52WK39 & SBC09OCT when you upload.

"Around The World in Eighty Day" - Fourth Week - Seuz Canal

I came acrossed this awesome looking salad from one of my new friends on Foodbuzz. You can find the recipe here... "Vegetable Salad with Sprouts". We made it last night to go with our homemade Egyptian pizzas. It was very tasty... My guys are not fans of chillies or tomatoes, so I added dried cranberries and green peppers instead. Thanks for Sharing... Padmaja! :)

If anyone would like to join us in our Challenge "Around the World in Eighty Days" next week we will be at the Bombay/Mumbai.

mini-VSBN.... September Challenge!

Play with Team Colors!

As many of you know I love Fishing and FOOTBALL! hehehehe...Both are sports you know. SO for this challenge you can choose your favorite sport, as long and you use my favorite Team's Colors. (RED, WHITE & BLUE) and there will be a prize from the Fan Club for the first person who can guess my Team.


Here are my samples.... Baseball & Batter UP!

The Gallery can be found..... HERE

Please use the key words.... Sept09vsbn2 & sbc09sep

"Around The World in Eighty Day" - Second Week - France

We made a quick stop over in Paris France and we decided that we would try the crepes. We tried the....

CARMEL APPLE CREPES
(Recipe makes 10-12 small crepes)

For Filling:
2 Fresh Apples (peeled, cored & thinly sliced)
1/2 cup of brown sugar
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup heavy cream

For Crepes:
1 1/2 cups flour (sifted)
2 eggs
3/4 cup milk
pinch of salt
2 tablespoons butter (melted)
1/4 cup chilled water

In a blender or large mixing bowl , blend or whisk together the flour, eggs, salt and milk. Gradually add in melted butter, blend or stirring to combine. Let st ten minutes. Add water and blend or beat until smooth. Chill one at least one hour. Blend again just before using.

While crepe batter is chilling, make the apple filling. In a large saute pan, melt butter and brown sugar together, stirring until sugar is dissolved. Apples spices, vanilla and apples. Simmer on low until apples are tender. Add heavy cream, stirring until well mixed and slightly thick. Remove from heat.

Heat a crepe pan or lightly oiled griddle or frying pan over medium high heat. Pour or scoop the batter onto the griddle, using approximately 1/4 cup for each crepe. Tilt the pan with a circular motion so that the batter coats the surface evenly.

Cook the crepe for about 2 minutes, until the bottom is light brown. Loosen with a spatula, turn and cook the other side for about 30 seconds. Fill with warm Carmel Apple filling and top with whipped cream. Best if served warm. Recipe makes 10-12 crepes.

If anyone would like to join us in our Challenge "Around the World in Eighty Days" next week we will be at the Suez Canal.

Memories of my Mother-in-law...

Happy Birthday Grandma!

Today would have been her birthday and one of my favorite memories was coming to visit and she had made her famous Mint Chocolate Chip Meringue Cookies. So in memory of her, I give you....

Mint-Chocolate Chip Meringue Cookies

6 egg whites

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 1/2 cup white sugar

1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 275 degrees F.
2. Beat egg whites, salt, cream of tartar until very firm. While continuing to beat the egg whites, gradually add sugar and vanilla, beat until eggs whites will set up in stiff peaks. Gently fold in chocolate chips.
3. Drop by teaspoonfuls on pan. Bake 275 degrees for 25-30 minutes. They should only be lightly browned.

Happy Anniversary to the Chef's At the Pantry...

The Pantry Chef's Celebrated their 25th Wedding Anniversary Today....

And to Charleston we went...
It was uH.....okay - Nothing Special!



We left Myrtle Beach, stopped by Pawley's Island, (It was fantastic!!!!!!) we wish now we would have just spent the day there.




Anyway, left there.... went on down to Charleston. Battery Park was awesome for history stuff.
WE didn't go over to Fort Sumter or anywhere like that because we are taking the Scouts for an overnighter there in OCT. So we just stayed inland.








We went "Hyman's" Seafood Restaurant (rated #1), NOT IMPRESSED!!!!! only made TO (note: not through) the apps.... one taste and we were done.....very disappointed and expensive.... so we We then walked through a awesome open air market and had an excellent Chocolate Eclair at a little Bakery there. We looked around the area for another place to eat, but nothing good struck our fancy...










So we left early and came back to Capt. Benjamin's in N. Myrtle Beach for Calabash. We had a great time just simply because we love spending time together exploring new things,


but we have decided that we are due for another foreign affair... so a trip to the Swiss Alps will be our next adventure.

Remembering 9-11...

That day is still so real and raw in my heart and mind. I will never forget that day and how blessed my family and I am to be here today. There is not a day that goes by that I don't thank my Heavenly Father for that continual prompting and warnings that he made so clear to us those few months leading up to our not going to NYC on that day. I am so grateful for an willing and obedient husband that also is willing to listen to the spirit of the Lord. We have been truly blessed!!!!

"Around The World in Eighty Day" - First Week - England

For our First Cooking Challenge we choose "Yorkshire Pudding". Yorkshire Puddings are one of the major components of the National Dish of England which is Roast Beef served with two Vegetable sides and Yorkshire Puddings. The recipe is very simple and if made correctly, should be well-risen, golden brown with a crisp exterior and soft middles when served fresh from the oven.


You need:
4 large eggs
Equal quantity of milk to eggs
Equal quantity flour to eggs
Pinch of salt
6 teaspoons vegetable oil or drippings
2 tablespoons of cold ice water


Heat the oven to 425*. Pour the eggs and milk into a large mixing bowl and add the pinch of salt. Mix thoroughly with an mixer, blender or whisk. Let to stand for 10 minutes.

Gradually sieve flour into the milk and egg mixture, again using an mixer, blender or whisk to create a lump free batter resembling thick cream.

Let the batter to rest for minimum of 30 minutes, longer if possible.

Add ½tsp vegetable oil in 12-hole muffin tin and heat in the oven until the oil is smoking. Give the batter another good whisk adding 2 tbsps of cold water and fill a third of each section of the tin with batter and return quickly to the oven.

Leave to cook until golden brown approx 20 minutes. Repeat the last step again until all the batter is used up.




If anyone would like to join us in our Challenge "Around the World in Eighty Days" next week we will be in Paris, France.

New......... "From The Pantry" Challenge Week #35

Good Morning ALL!.....

Because we have been craving Chocolate pudding at our house AND I wanted to do a challenge with a little different flair this week... I decided it would be fun to do a Chocolate Pudding Challenge....Hope you all enjoy as much as we do!

Your Challenge is to create a monochromatic colored LO using only the pudding (Brown-your choice) and the whipped cream (white). You may add one spot of red, if you like cherries. Also, I challenge you to use the Dry Debossing Technique some where on your page, either as background, accents or embellishments. Keep in mind that if you don't have a brass plate you can use anything that will make an indent or pattern.

mmmmmmmm........ Chocolate Pudding!

1 Cup sugar
1/2 Cup cocoa powder
1/4 Cup cornstarch
1/4 tsp. salt
1 (12 oz) can evaporated milk
2 1/2 cups half & half
1 tsp. vanilla extract

In a heavy bottomed saucepan, combine all of the dry ingredients and stir. Over medium heat, gradually add the milk and half & half, stirring constantly. Bring to a low boil over medium heat. Continue at low boil, stirring constantly for 3-4 minutes or until thickened. Remove from stove and add the vanilla, stirring constantly to blend. Pour into serving bowls and chill uncovered. Pudding can be enjoyed warm or cold. Top with whipped cream and chocolate sprinkles for an extra treat.


Please upload your layout using Keywords....... SCS52WK35

You can view the gallery...... Here

Here is My Sample..... Wilderness Pals!

Fall is in the Air....??????

Maybe......! I am not sure yet. It's hard to tell here is South Carolina. But I felt like it was time for a fun fall card anyway. The Challenge was to use FUN FOAM and texture pates to create a stamp to stamp a background with. Here is my card.....

Remembering My DaD!

Happy Birthday DAD.....

Experimenting in the Pantry Again....

I had this wild idea to take my favorite dish of Bacon Wrapped Scallops & my favorite recipe of Pasta Alfredo and combine them together for a new found friend, AND this is what I came up with...

Scallop & Bacon Alfredo

serves 2-4

1/4 cup butter
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 onion (diced)
1 clove garlic, (crushed)
1 1/2 cups freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
10-15 large Scallops
1/2 lb. of bacon (diced)
2-4 cups of Favorite Pasta (cooked)

In a medium sauce pan over medium heat add butter, Bacon and onion. Cook until bacon is done and onion is tender. Add Cream, Garlic, cheese, stir and reduce until it will coat and stick to a spoon when stirred. Add Scallops to sauce and turn slowly every two minutes until scallops are done. (about 4-6 minutes on each side depending on how large the scallops are) Drain Pasta and place in serving bowl, Pour Scallop Alfredo mixture over warm Pasta, Sprinkle with fresh parsley and serve...

Challenge of the Day...

Today our "Limited Supply" challenge at SCS was to use our 1 1/2 inch scraps and create a scrapling. I had a lot of fun putting these together and it makes for a great use of my large supply of scraps.

Also I was thinking that these scraplings would make great card candy or scrapbook page accents...

Time for a new look!

Fall is here.... Well, at least it should be? But hey..... I live at the beach now!



Anyway, I have been thinking that my blog needs a new FALL look... so I will be making some changes again.



Change is good right???????????

All Spread out and ready to go....

Okay.... I have spread my wings!

Here is my new Cooking Blog......

My need for More Cooking Space....

I have been thinking more and more about the movie "Julie & Julia" and I was chatting online with some of my friends and they were telling me about this great website ....Barefoot Bloggers , where a bunch of people have grouped together to cook with the Barefoot Contessa from the food network .... Great fun!

While I was there I was introduced to another great food site called Foodbuzz.com. I joined both!!!!

And now I have come to understand that I need a blog for just my food passion....

Don't we need a blog for everything....?????????

"Back to School" - For Personal Enrichment!

Good Morning Ladies....

I am off to take Hubby to work and then shopping for the menu items on tonight's dinner for our "Back to School" night for our Personal Enrichment (Homemaking) activity at the church. They asked me to be in charge of the food and to teach the mini-lesson on nutritious Lunches for kids and family. In putting my thought together for all of this, I thought it would be fun to take fun and regular sandwiches that we make for our kids and gourmet them up a bit...

SO, the menu includes three different sandwiches made with those new little round flat sandwich bread from Arnold's Bakery (you can by them at Sam's Club and Walmart):

" Mozzarella Chicken Caprese"
*Bread
*Lettuce
*Tomato
*Mozz Cheese slice
*Fresh Basil
*grilled chicken
*mayo & olive oil

"Twisted Club"
*Bread
*Ham
*Cheddar Cheese slice
*Apple
*Bacon
*Lettuce
*Mayo

"Chicken Harvest"
*Bread
*Chicken Salad
*cucumber
*dried cranberries
*sprouts
*lettuce

We are serving them on small plates in a brown paper bags, so I thought it would be fun to just have fresh fruit as the side dish, so there will be a wedge of watermelon, thin slice of cantaloupe and a small bunch of grapes or kiwi. Also for dessert, we are serving gourmet S'mores and Ice Cream. The Gourmet S'mores are really easy and fun too.

All you do for them is make a chocolate cheese ball, spread small amount on a quarter of a graham cracker, top with three or four mini marshmallows or a smear of marshmallow fluff , place the other graham cracker quarter on top of the marshmallow and give it a light squeeze. Serve as a quick snack or with Ice Cream.

Since these are a my own recipes and I have never made any of them yet, you will all have to wait until tomorrow for pictures... I am sharing because they all sounded like JUST TO MUCH FUN not to share.... The 30 minute activity and lesson that I am going to present while we are eating is all about the economics and creative ideas for school lunches from home. And I thought it would be fun to start the evening out having everyone find a friend and sharing or trading half of their sandwich with that friend.

Early Morning Surprise....

With this sleep pattern of resting around the clock, I found myself wide awake at 5:00 am this morning and of course the dog also decided that he to needed a potty stop. SO out we went and I noticed that there was a new flower in my garden and I couldn't wait for the sun to rise so that it would open up it's little sunny blossom.... Here is what I found at 7:30!

It's all about a Movie...

Last night, Marty came home early from work and surprised me with movie tickets to go see "Julie & Julia". It's an Awesomely Fun Movie! We then split a salad and some crab dip by the lake at Joe's Crab Shack. So it was a good day!

But it got me to thinking about food and how fun it would be to cook my way through Julia's Cookbook just like the girl in the movie did... What do you think? Anybody want to join me..... We could start our own blog about it!

I'm Back! ...... Did Y'all miss me?

I'm Back..... Our Tastefully Simple National Conference was Awesome. We had a great time and gained some fantastic ideas, inspirational words and personal challenges that would work both in our personal lives and our businesses. The Keynote speaker was KIM DUKE - author of "Tickled Pink", her presentation was not the best but she did share several good and valid points on how to be a better "SALES DIVA". My favorite was the Guest Entertainer MIKE RAYBURN... IF you ever get a chance to see him, he is wonderful! I came away from his presentation so pumped and jazzed not only about myself but about all the possibilities that I have around me. I felt so liberated like the statue of Mary Tyler Moore (in honor of her and the Mary Tyler Moore Show) that stands on the corner of 7th and Nicolette Mall...



Also, with great hesitation... I want to share with you that inspite of all the awesome and wonderful things that I was able to enjoy, I came home to total and complete bed rest for the next week or two, after experiencing another minor heart attack on Thursday evening while I was at conference. I also learned that my condition may be a genetic condition that gets worse as I age. IT SUCKS TO GET OLD!!!!! The reason I share this with all of you, is not for sympathy, but for your prayers... as I start down that path of medical testing (AGAIN), may the doctors finally figure out what is wrong with me and may it not be what or as bad as the doctors in Minnesota have lead us to believe.

SO... with all that in mind, I will have lots of time to SCRAP, STAMP & CHAT this week and I am looking forward to a great VSBN!

P.S. I will post more pictures when I get some done...

Leaving for Minnesota...

I leave early in the morning for the Tastefully Simple National Conference. I feel excited and yet apprehensive at the same time. I will be good to take a break and I have never been to Minneapolis, so as you all know I am always up for a new adventure...

Where did the summer go?

Summer here feels like it is coming to a close, the tomatoes have stopped blooming, the flowers are gaining their seed pods and even the air has that touch of fall early in the mornings, EXCEPT it is still really hot during the days here. Go Figure.... The boys say it is still rainy in New England and they haven't had much of a summer. So I am glad I am here where I can draw strength from the sun and the ocean waves. It has been a great summer of beach bliss!!!! I still feel like I am on the never ending vacation....

"PINK WEEK" Fundraiser....

This year for our Breast Cancer Awareness "PINK WEEK" Party we are focusing on all the many gifts that we have been blessed with and in keeping with the theme and life of the party, my Tastefully Simple Team and I would like to offer you some chosen gifts from the heart. We will be donating 25% of our sales to the "Komen" & "Huntsmen" Breast Cancer Research Centers.

SUMMER ENCORE - $39.25

(Gift pack includes: Cool ‘n Creamy Cucumber Dip Mix, Berry Buckle Cake Mix, Cherry Honey Mustard Sauce, Mango Breeze Margarita Mix, Pink Grapefruit Cheese Ball Mix & a FREE mini Merlot Sauce)

Simple Traditions - $42.95
(Gift Pack includes: Perfect Potato Cheddar Soup Mix, Dried Tomato & Garlic Pesto Mix, Spinach & Herb Dip Mix, Nana's Apple Cake Mix, Bountiful Beer Bread Mix)

SUNSHINE FAVORITES - $59.99
(Gift pack includes: Baby Blue Cheese Dip Mix, Chocolate Bliss Cheese Ball Mix, Giddyup Guacamole Mix, Granola Goodness Jam Bar Mix, Green Tea Peppercorn Seasoning, Mango Salsa, Pizzeria Ball Mix, Pomegranate Blueberry Margarita Mix & your choose of one free Chiller.... Strawberry Sundae, White Mousse or Oh! My Chi)

The Perfect 10 -$75.99
(Gift pack includes: Absolutely Almond Pound Cake Mix, Bountiful Beer Bread Mix, Corn & Black Bean Salsa, Fiesta Party Dip Mix, Key Lime Cheese Ball Mix, Nana's Apple Cake Mix, Perfectly Potato Cheddar Soup Mix Value pack, Seasoned Salt, Spinach & Herb Dip Mix, "The Trio" Dip mixes.)

Enticing Meals - $99.99
(Gift pack Includes: Asian Zen Noodle & Sauce Mix, Corn & Black Bean Salsa, Dried Tomato & Garlic Pesto Mix, Everyday Grillin' Seasoning, "Everyday with Tastefully Simple" Recipe Book, Lemon Pepper Linguini & Clam Sauce Mix, Meyer Lemon Infused Oil, Onion Onion, Pasta & Pomodoro Sauce Mix, Perfect Parmesan Biscuit Mix, Seasoned Salt, Smoky Bacon Grill Sauce, "Warm from the Oven" Savory Cheese Dip Mix)

Bountiful Pantry - $199.99
(Gift Pack includes: Absolutely Almond Pound Cake Mix, Bacon Bacon, Balsamic & Basil Dipping Oil, Blue Aztec Chips, Bountiful Beer Bread Mix, Cinnamon Muffin Melt, Corn & Black Bean Salsa, Creamy Caramel Sauce,Dried Tomato & Garlic Pesto Mix, Fiesta Party Dip Mix, Garlic Garlic, Key Lime Cheese Ball Mix, Merlot Sauce, Nana's Apple Cake Mix, Oh! My Chi Drink Mix, Onion Onion, Perfect Parmesan Biscuit Mix,Perfectly Potato Cheddar Soup Mix, Pomegranate Chipotle Sauce, Rhubarb Strawberry Fruit Spread, Savory Wheat Beer Bread Mix, Seasoned Salt, Spinach & Herb Dip Mix, Sweet Pepper Jalapeno Jam, Truffle Fudge Brownie Mix, Twisty Grahams, Vidalia Onion Dressing, "Warm from the Oven" Savory Cheese Dip Mix)

We accept Paypal, Credit/ Debit Cards and money orders. To view your cart and complete your order online click here....

or you can email me your order and/or any questions at anamarproductions@yahoo.com

Grandma's Birthday Challenge.....

It's Grandma's Birthday today!

Happy Birthday Grandma and in Grandma's honor, we want to do another Birthday Party Challenge... This year she has been thinking a lot about her heritage and "the way it use to be". She has shared some more wonderful stories with me...

SO My challenge to all of you is to use our favorite colors of Pine Green, True Blue and Soft Pink, (odd.... I know, but after I laid some combos out last night, they actually go real well together.) We would like you to include photos of family heritage or Family Get-Togethers.

In the past month, Grandma has been to her Daughter-in-law's funeral, An extended Family reunion on her side, Her immediate family get-together and this weekend they had the wedding reception of her Granddaughter, (My cousin just lost her mom and is the last grandchild to get married). Anyway, Grandma has had lots of time to reflect and admire the progress of her heritage.

The challenge will be open for Two weeks, ending July 25th, 2009 and then we will judge them. We decided that we would like to see two different categories this time, one for Digi and one for Paper. We have two sets of goody bags to give away!


Anyone up for the challenge.....???????

Please use the keywords GBCJULY09 & SBC09JULY

New... "From The Pantry" Challenge Week #28

Summer Time Favorites…

My all time favorite summer snack is Watermelon. So in honor of Watermelon and Watermelon Fun, here is your challenge for today…

Your creation should be layered like a watermelon from Green to White to Red with accents of black. Feel free to use seed shapes and round circles.

I CAN’T WAIT TO SEE EVERYONE’s SUMMER FUN!

Watermelon Pops
Prep Time: 35 min Total Time: 4 hr 35 min Makes: 16 servings[/CENTER]

What You Need!
1 cup sugar, divided
1 pkg. (3 oz.) Lime Flavor Gelatin
2 cups boiling water, divided
ice cubes
1 cup cold water, divided
1 pkg. (3 oz.) Strawberry Flavor Gelatin
3 Tbsp. miniature semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/2 pkg. (4 oz.) Cream Cheese, softened
1-1/2 cups thawed Whipped Topping
12-16 craft sticks or plastic spoons
12-16 (3-oz) paper cups


What You Need to DO!

MIX 1/3 cup sugar and lime gelatin mix in medium bowl. Add 1 cup boiling water; stir 2 min. until completely dissolved. Add enough ice to 1/2 cup cold water to measure 3/4 cup. Add to lime gelatin; stir until ice is completely melted. Refrigerate 25 min.

MEANWHILE, repeat Step 1 using strawberry gelatin mix and omitting the refrigeration step. Pour into 16 (3-oz.) paper cups. Freeze 20 min. Stir 1/2 tsp. chocolate chips into gelatin in each cup.

BEAT cream cheese and remaining sugar with mixer in medium bowl until well blended. Stir in COOL WHIP; spread over gelatin in cups.

POUR lime gelatin over cream cheese mixture. Insert wooden popcycle/craft stick into gelatin in center of each cup. Freeze 3 hours or until firm. Remove pops from cups just before serving.

Don’t forget to upload using the Keywords: SCS52WK28, SBC09JUL & IFC44

You can see my Summer Treat Here……. Lucky Ducks!

The Gallery for this challenge can be found..... Here

Happy 4th of July Everybody......!

The Scrappin' Sister's Story - page 2

Terry & I had a great time chatting about digi stuff and getting to know each other...

You can find page 1 here... PAGE 1