Ok I just heard this on the radio and if you don't already know about it, its a sweepstakes for a chance to win a 7 pound honey baked ham and 3 heat and serve sides for Easter from Honey Baked Ham stores. Looks like you also get a $10 coupon too when you join their VIP club. Its called the Honey Baked Easter Sweetstakes and its open to residents in Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Texas, and Washington. On their home page, there is apparently coupons as well... so check it out if you live in those states! Its a chance at a free $60 dinner!
Alrighty, I want to bring up something my Dad mentioned to me yesterday morning. It’s about personal safety and Social Network sites. Good Morning America did a piece on a lady who had hundreds of Facebook friends and a couple of them robbed her house for over $10,000 worth of stuff. It talks about social networking sites like Twitter, Facebook, Foursquare, etc. that all utilize GPS tracking when you do updates. There is even supposed to be a website called Please Rob Me where your updates are posted and thieves pick and choose who they want to hit. Rest easy Dad, I don’t use ANY of those social sites or GPS updating from my phone either. I also google myself at least once a week to make sure I cannot find myself online or any information about me. (Of course I have to worry just leaving and my neighbor seeing me leave LOL! Kidding) However, having said that, Dad does raise a good issue though. Nowadays with all the dishonest and spiteful people in the world, you HAVE to be careful with what you tell to whom. We warn our kids to watch what they say, we should do the same with ourselves. Of course, sadly, all criminals need is your name to find out things about you nowadays… and if you have ever made a purchase online, was a member of a club, etc. online, or even opened an email account… you’re out there somewhere! It just depends on how hard they want to dig and how well you cover your tracks! So be careful on that information super highway ok? Check out the editorial and video on their website HERE and even show it to your teens, kids, etc. It’s good information… a good reminder/refresher even. THANKS DAD!
Ya know what else is hard work and tiring… those plants! But I hope they will be so rewarding in the future that it’s so worth it. Just remember, if you are outside playing in fields, weeds, etc. take precautions! Plenty of not-so-awesome treasures (like poison ivy, etc) growing around, and then you always run the chance upsetting some natural wildlife (snakes, etc!) and they can leave you with something so nasty, antibiotics won’t clear it up! And of course, you have the sun beating down on you, so dress appropriately as well. Just like the internet issue, be careful in what you are doing. I would hate to lose some of my readers because of something that could have been prevented!
Alright… I have a confession (since I am on the plant topic LOL). Plants are beginning to consume my life! I think I am addicted to them LOL! Did you ever have an urge (not necessarily plant related) to do something you know you shouldn’t either because it could hurt you or just simply isn’t right but you want to do it anyway and not worry about consequences? I’ve had that urge… to become “The Midnight Plant Bandit”! LMAO!! Yes this may sound very tacky, but as I drive down the road, I see all these awesome plants and flowers in yards, by the road, etc. I have such an urge to drive around taking cuttings from them and bringing them home to try to propagate them! Can you imagine all the different kinds I would have? LMAO! But alas… I know better and being that my parents raised an honest person… I restrain myself and get them the normal way. I buy them or my parents give them to me or I find them free behind their house LOL!
Now, since the last couple of days/posts have been a little short (by MY standards LOL) I wanted to find you an awesome craft for today for being so patient with me LOL! I ran across this little gem last night and totally forgot that I used to make these! Shoot, maybe if I hadn’t lost mine, I wouldn’t be on blood pressure meds LMAO! So without further ado (and to my mom, dad, and everyone else PLEASE forgive the language but its just funny with this LOL) I give you the…
Craft Idea of the Day: The Dammit Doll
Supplies:
Calico or felt
Wool or doll hair
Toy filling
Sewing machine
Felt pens
Instructions:
These make great little Dammit Dolls for stressful people and can be thrown, jabbed, stomped and even strangled till all the frustration leaves you.
Attach this little poem to go with it:
When you want to kick the desk or throw the phone and shout,
Here's a little dammit doll you cannot do without,
Just grasp it firmly by the legs, and find a place to slam it,
And as you whack it's stuffing out, yell,
dammit, dammit, dammit!
You need to create a basic doll shape and cut it out of fabric.
You can use any color fabric you want, but if you intend on adding facial features you will need to keep the fabric light.
Cut out 2 body shapes and sew around the edges. Turn the doll the right side out and using a pen push out any edges in the hands and legs till it is all turned the right side out.
Then using your toy filling stuff the doll from the leg's up remembering to keep it firm enough so you can write against it. Keep filling the doll till you reach the head, then using some glue or a few hand stitches close up the head.
Use your waterproof felt pens to draw on some facial features and glue on the hair along the head seam. You can add as much or as little detail as you want to your doll.
Isn’t that just the funniest thing? LOL! I might make some for sale even LOL! Once I get the clutter cleaned out of my house at least… I could do prints and solids, faces and non, you name it! Attach the poem on some cardstock and it’ll be good to go! Oh I bet those would sell like hot cakes, especially at things like music festivals, etc! (Yes my mind is always churning on how to make extra income LOL! And inebriated people tend to buy lots of things they don’t necessarily need LOL!) OK on to the next topic that fills me with joy… FOOD! Ahh the joy of cooking (no copyright infringement intended people… its just a phrase!) with all kinds of goodies! Tonight I am STUFFING everything! WOOHOO! Remember those round zucchini I got at market… yep stuffin’ them! And I think I have some pork chops…. Stuffin those too LOL! If not, I KNOW I got some chicken and I’ll be stuffin!
Cranberry and Apple Stuffed Pork Chops
Ingredients
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 onion, chopped
1 large Granny Smith apple - peeled, cored and diced
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1/2 cup dried cranberries
salt and pepper to taste
2 thick cut bone-in pork chops
1 tablespoon olive oil
Directions
Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Stir in the onion and apple; cook and stir for 5 minutes. Stir in the cranberries and balsamic vinegar, and continue cooking until the apple and onions have softened, about 5 minutes more. Season to taste with salt and pepper, then scrape the mixture onto a plate, and refrigerate until cold.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease a small baking dish.
Cut a large pocket into the pork chops using a sharp, thin bladed knife. Stuff the cooled apple mixture into the pork chops, and secure with toothpicks if needed. Heat the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Season the pork chops with salt and pepper to taste, and place into the hot skillet. Cook on each side until browned, about 3 minutes, then transfer to a baking dish. Top with the remaining apple mixture, and cover the baking dish with aluminum foil.
Bake in preheated oven until the pork is no longer pink in the center, about 40 minutes depending on the thickness of the pork chops. Uncover, and bake about 10 minutes longer until the apple mixture has browned around the edges.
Balsamic Stuffed Round Zucchini
Ingredients
8 cherry tomatoes, quartered
1 large mushroom, chopped into small chunks
1 small garlic clove, crushed
1 tablespoon white onion, finely diced
1 tablespoon dried oregano
4 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoons parmesan cheese, finely grated
salt & pepper
1 zucchini, round (about the size of a softball)
Directions
1 Heat the oven to 180°C.
2 Put the tomatoes, chopped mushroom, garlic, onion and oregano into a bowl. Mix to combine and add the balsamic vinegar, mixing until well combined. Leave to stand for 30 minutes.
3 Cut the zucchini in half lengthways, and using a teaspoon scoop out and discard the pulp.
4 Heap the tomato mixture into the scooped out shells.
5 Grind over salt and pepper to taste, drizzle over the olive oil, and top with the parmesan cheese.
6 Bake for 45 minutes or until the shell just starts to go soft.
And finally, no stuffed dinner is complete without a stuffed dessert! So courtesy of one of my favorite chefs, Emeril Lagasse, try this recipe on for size!
Candy Bar Stuffed Baked Apples
Kids will love this outrageously delicious take on the classic baked apple! Try it with vanilla ice cream for a truly decadent treat.
Ingredients
1 tablespoon sugar
3/4 cup apple cider
1/4 cup finely chopped Snickers candy bar
1/4 cup finely chopped Skor candy bar
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/4 cup coarsely chopped Snickers candy bar
1/4 cup coarsely chopped Skor candy bar
4 medium apples (7 to 8 ounces each)
Instructions
Position rack in center of oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Place the apples on a cutting board. With a sharp knife, carefully cut the top 1/2-inch from each apple.
Using an apple corer or a small melon baler, scoop out the stem, core, and seeds from each apple, leaving the bottom intact.
Stand the apples in a 9-inch square baking dish, cut side up.
Divide the coarsely chopped candy bars among the apples, about 2 tablespoons of candy per apple.
Place 1 1/2 teaspoons of the butter inside each apple, on top of the candy bar pieces.
Divide the finely chopped candy bars among the apples, about 2 tablespoons of candy per apple.
In a small bowl, whisk together the cider and sugar and pour the cider mixture over and around the apples.
Using oven mitts or pot holders, place the baking dish in the oven and bake the apples uncovered until tender, about 1 hour and 20 minutes.
Using oven mitts or pot holders, carefully remove the apples from the oven and let sit for 5 minutes.
Serve hot or warm, spooning the pan juices over the apples, and add vanilla ice cream if desired.
So there you have a totally awesome craft, some super stuffed recipes, and even a bit of blog-world news! Now TODAY is a blog fitting the frugal mom! LOL! Its time for me to let you go for today and start working on some of these boxes crowding out my living room. I will see you all back here tomorrow for more truth and wisdom… ok fine just facts I either know about or find LOL! Stay safe and until tomorrow… HUGS!
