POST PARTY OMG-NESS

Good morning guys and dolls! How are you doing this morning? I am so ragged out it's not funny! But OMG am I in such a great mood! I'm sitting here listening to the sound of young ladies giggling down my hallway. I've made them a filling breakfast of homemade French Toast and scrambled eggs... planned on bacon too but didn't know I was out of it LMAO! Oh I've got so much to talk to you about that I think I am just gonna get started... shall we?

First off I want to bring you some better pictures of the things I have talked about the last week or whatever. LOL... I also take pictures with my camera so they are better than the phone pics, but it's just harder to load. But since the party pictures are on the camera, I fought and got them on here today!



This first picture is that Cheez-it chops I told you about. You can see the colors much better in here. I'm tellin ya... its my homage au fromage! LOL I love cheese!



This is the Parmesan encrusted chicken breast over penne with homemade sauce and my fresh garden salad. It was super yummy! The actual chicken breasts also made awesome sandwiches the next day LMAO!



This is that kitchen set I made on the Christmas challenge as gift numer one. In this picture you can definitely see the colors MUCH better! I think it's so pretty and I hope the recipient likes it. I think they will...



Here's that purse I snuck and made for Madison's gift. She opened it and almost started crying which made me tear up and almost start crying LOL... shoot here I go again. She said that she loved it, and she said it in front of everyone... so that made me feel special! Some of the other girls wanted one too which I started giggling about.



Ah the lovely cake in all its glory! Now let me tell ya about this cake LMAO! I think I sprouted about 40 new gray hairs because of this thing LMAO! First off, I used the table to set DS's TV on at my mom's house so he would be content while we cooked, decorated, etc. This was the same table that we were "GOING" to put the cake on... but am I SOOOOOOOOOO glad we didn't! The table collapsed during the day, almost busting the DS's TV. THANK GOD IT WASN'T THE CAKE! LOL... OK so I assembled the cake and put it in the walk in pantry cooler LOL. I swore this thing was tilting and fixing to fall. I was so paranoid. So I "announce" the cake and all you hear is ooohhss and ahhhs LMAO. Come on now guys, it ain't THAT great I thought LMAO. But ya know what... Madison loved it, I saved LITERALLY hundreds of dollars by doing it myself, AND it tasted darn good... so that's ALL that mattered!



This is the main sitting area of the party. Decorated with the table clothes, the balloons, the centerpieces, and even the pennants I made up on the walls! The "room" where Madison and her friends sat was decorated the same way.



Here are some of the guests at the table with DD eating. Oh let me tell you, everyone was chowing down on some super yummy deliciousness... we even managed to cater to all the different food allergies that attended LOL... do you know how HARD that was? We had meatless, gluten free, cinnamon free, lactose free, and had to steer the diabetics in the opposite direction of the sugar LMAO... didn't quite work real well! But the food was great. Everyone enjoyed it and stuffed themselves silly! **I MUST OFFICIALLY THANK MY MOTHER FOR ALL THE HARD WORK SHE HELPED WITH THE FOOD PREPPING, HOUSE PREPPING, AND EVEN ALLOWING US TO HOST THERE. YOU'RE THE BEST MOM! LOVE YOU AND THANK YOU SO MUCH!**



Here is some more of the guests and family that attended. Both of my brothers, their young lady friends, and a cousin of one of the GF's. I had to have my mom sneak this picture because my lovely brothers feel inclined to flip the bird every chance I get to take a picture. So to avoid the finger, mom snuck pictures. It worked a few times but sadly they caught on LOL. I counted 8 pictures with one or both brother flipping the bird. Gee... ya gotta love'em!



Here are some of the kids that I call my kids... the band kids and friends of Madison that call me mom, etc. I got rather weepy yesterday (in the kitchen out of sight of course) because I was just so proud of my daughter. She is an awesome person! Good hearted, sweet, smart, stays out of trouble, and she will be a productive member of society! And she picks good people to be friends with. All the kids are great just like her! Guess I did something right, huh?

You must have patience with me as I am not bringing you a craft project today nor sewing on the Christmas Challenge, as I am still recovering from post-party-omg-ness LOL. I still have so much to clean and do today. Then tomorrow morning starts marching band season AND watching my "nephew" on a daily basis. So tomorrow starts the "busy-busy-omg-which-way-am-I-going" season LMAO! But rest assured I will get back to a bit of normalicy tomorrow... you have my word!

Now, this week, I have brought you only 7 of the more unusual flowers to eat, but there are lots more you may be surprised by! For instance Day lillies, Geraniums, Chrysanthemums, Gladiolus, Marigolds, Snapdragons, Sunflowers, Yucca, and many more all make it on the list. Make sure you check it out and read about it BEFORE consuming! I don't want any of you getting sick. There is a great website with a chart of some of the many edible treasures of the world. And then make sure to visit this site for tons of great information about edible flowers!



Today's little FANTASTIC EDIBLE FLOWER is the dandelion. You know, those little yellow WEEDS in your yard you just can't seem to get rid of? Yep- THOSE! LOL. How about eating them instead of mowing them? LOL. I hear many people using the greens in salad, and while that is great... I wanted to bring you something different... interesting even. So I'll dazzle you with some knowledge on what you are considering chowing down on and then give you the great recipes to try... Eat & Enjoy!

Dandelion* Taraxacum officinalis

Tastes like: very young buds fried in butter taste similar to mushrooms. Makes a potent wine.

Here are some interesting facts about the dandelion flower:

The dandelion is the only flower that represents the 3 celestial bodies of the sun, moon and stars. The yellow flower resembles the sun, the puff ball resembles the moon and the dispersing seeds resemble the stars.

The dandelion flower opens to greet the morning and closes in the evening to go to sleep.

Every part of the dandelion is useful: root, leaves, flower. It can be used for food, medicine and dye for coloring.

Up until the 1800s people would pull grass out of their lawns to make room for dandelions and other useful “weeds” like chickweed, malva, and chamomile.

The average American recognizes thousands of logos for commercial products, yet recognizes fewer than five plants that grow in his/her area. Dandelions are most likely one of those familiar plants.

The name dandelion is taken from the French word “dent de lion” meaning lion’s tooth, referring to the coarsely-toothed leaves.

Dandelions have one of the longest flowering seasons of any plant.

Seeds are often carried as many as 5 miles from their origin!

A not so fun fact: Every year Americans spend millions on lawn pesticides to have uniform lawns of non-native grasses, and we use 30% of the country’s water supply to keep them green.



Dandelion Soup

2 qt. dandelion greens, loosely packed
2 qt. chicken soup (any kind)
1 lb. ground beef
1 egg
2 Tbsp. bread crumbs
2 Tbsp. minced parsley
1 Tbsp. minced onions
1/4 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. pepper
dash of nutmeg
3 Tbsp. Parmesan cheese
2 Tbsp. sour cream

Bring chicken soup to a boil.

Add dandelions.

Cook gently.

Rice or fine noodles can be added (1/2 cup rice or 1 cup noodles).

Make tiny meat balls out of remaining ingredients.

When greens are tender, add meatballs and cook gently 10 minutes or until meatballs are thoroughly cooked.

Serve hot with crusty French bread



Fried Dandelion Blossoms

new blossoms on short stems
1 c. milk
1/2 tsp. salt
hot cooking oil
1 egg
1 c. flour
pinch of pepper

Pick new dandelion blossoms, those on short stems, and rinse well in cool, lightly salted water.

Cut off the stem ends close to the flower heads, leaving only enough to hold the petals together, because the stems and greenery are bitter.

Roll the dandelion flowers in paper towels to blot up the excess moisture, then dip each one in a batter made of 1 egg, beaten, with 1 cup milk, 1 cup flour, 1/2 teaspoon salt and a pinch of pepper.

Drop the batter-coated blossoms into deep hot fat (375 degrees) and fry until lightly browned.

Drain on absorbent paper;

Sprinkle with more salt, if needed, and serve at once as a hot hors d'oeuvre.

Well Boys and girls... that's all for today. Its time for me to get my raggedy butt up and start cleaning and putting away the mountains of destruction we call party leftover crap LMAO! I hope you have enjoyed this week and all the great ideas, food, and adventures I was able to bring you! I will see you back here tomorrow for more great life and times of the Frugal Mom. Until then... HUGS!