Archives for 2011

Thanksgiving Planning 2011

November 21, 2011 · Narrative

I am doing this all for YOU GUYS, ’cause I’m not hosting Thanksgiving this year. I am, however, having a bloggers’ after-Thanksgiving feast this weekend, so I expect my Sweetnicks’ readers to pony up their MOST FAVORITE feast-like recipes ever. You just MIGHT find your recipe the subject of a future blog post here, or on Joanne’s site, or Patsy’s, or Sarah’s. Cool, yeah?

Alright, so back to the plain old, Thursday Thanksgiving planning… you all know my favorite centerpiece by now, the Gratitude Tree. Tonight, the kids and I were talking about it. Madeline asked if everyone had a Thanksgiving Gratitude tree.

“No, honey, they don’t.” I had to make sure to break the news to her gently.

“Well they should!” she shouted.

And, of course, I completely agree.

I asked her what she was thankful for this year. “You and my brudder, Nick.” Of course, I could not be more proud. And I also happen to love the way she says brother. I hope she never stops.

Now placecards. Do you need them? I don’t care how many people you’re having at your table, I think it makes a really nice touch, and these turkey ones I made a few years back are still in rotation. Love them! (And as a side note, completely unrelated, I still adore that dress Madeline wore that year, and it still fits!). I also made a different version of the placecards for the folks at Disney last year, which you can see right here.

Need a little more in the way of Thanksgiving decorations? How about this banner I made two years ago, which I just dug out this past weekend and hung? Still la-la-love it!

And now the food……

Weekend Photos in Review

November 20, 2011 · Narrative

November 20th and 67 degrees today – holla! An absolutely gorgeous day today!

If you’re one of my Monday through Friday Sweetnickers, be sure to go back and enter the contest from Friday night (there’s still time!) and check out Saturday’s post with a Thanksgiving centerpiece idea.

Tomorrow, we talk turkey… and all those wonderful appetizer and side ideas.

Still want more? Check out a few snaps of a weekend holiday shoot. Twinkle lights. They’re my favorite.

DailyBuzz Moms 9×9: Thanksgiving Gratitude Tree

November 19, 2011 · Holidays and More

When the folks at DailyBuzz Moms mentioned that they were doing a round-up of Thanksgiving table decor and centerpiece ideas, I knew exactly what idea to pitch them. We started using this Gratitude Tree as our Thanksgiving table centerpiece two years ago, and I love it. It’s super simple to make, a nice understated but powerful centerpiece that involves everyone, and one that you can add to every year. And the bonus? You can likely put this together using supplies you already have on hand.

I happened to find glittered bendable branches at Pier 1 in 2009, so lucked out in that respect. If you can’t find them, Target has something similar. And the best method? Forage in your backyard for long branches, clean off, spray paint, or dust with glitter.

I used a clear glass vase and colored stones to anchor the branches.

Every year, Thanksgiving guests add a leaf to the tree, writing what they are thankful for that year. It’s fun to look back and see some of the highlights from previous years. You can make your leaves using scrapbook paper, construction paper, even pages from an old book. Simply tie a little string on it and you’re set. After the holiday, I put all the previous years’ leaves in a sealable bag and store it all together.
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Review and Giveaway: Stonefire Bread

November 18, 2011 · Ad-Free

I am always on the look-out for a new bread to try, and happened upon these garlic-flavored naan packages from Stonefire during the early summer. They have just the tiniest hint of garlic infused into them, and my favorite way for using them is by making flatbread pizzas. Caramelized mushrooms and onions, melted Cambozola cheese, and a smattering of fresh herbs, and it’s seriously, hands down the best homemade lunch ever. Like I could totally eat it every day and not complain a lick. That good. And my girls who love Cambozola will agree.

The day after I last made that overstuffed deliciousness, I happened to get an email from a PR rep who works for … wait for it … Stonefire. I mentioned how much I love their bread, and she mentioned how she’d love to do a giveaway. Winner, winner, chicken dinner. I happen to love how sometimes things are fun and happy in the PR world of random pitches, as opposed to telling you about all the completely off-target pitches I delete on a daily basis. She didn’t need to ask me to tell you how wonderful the bread is ’cause I would have done that anyway. It’s soft, with a nice chew, and stays fresh forever. Especially if it gets buried on your counter amongst all your other bread finds and you discover it some time later. Yep, still good!

So here’s the skinny. Want to win some Stonefire bread of your very own to try out? Here’s how you can get yourself some entries:

Comment on this post and tell me your favorite go-to lunch. Bonus points if you tell me your favorite Stonefire product, if you’re already a devotee.
Tweet this post and come back and tell me about it.
Follow me on Twitter, if you don’t already, and come tell me.

You can do all three of those options if you’d like for extra entries. I know, tough, right? US residents only. Winner will be chosen by random generator. No entries after 7 pm EST on Monday, November 21, 2011 will be considered. Good luck!

And the pizza recipe? Once I find the scrap of paper I wrote it down on, it’s all yours. Swear.

I *will* be back here tomorrow with the Thanksgiving centerpiece idea for you guys – see ya then!

Recipe: Mint Buttercream Sandwich Cookies

November 17, 2011 · Ad-Free, Narrative

The folks at Pillsbury recently asked me and a few other bloggers to come up with new holiday cookie recipes. The requirements were straight-forward. Must use one of a handful of Pillsbury products. And must be three steps or less.

I knew exactly what I was going to do.

Let me be completely transparent. Any time I have an excuse to use buttercream frosting, I will.

And ESPECIALLY if I can smush it between two sugar cookies.

I mean, really.

As if we need a reason for EXTRA buttercream.

Am I right? Or am I right?

The sugar cookie dough that Pillsbury makes is great when you need to cut some corners. Or time. Or both. And honestly, with the holiday season nearly swooping in for the kill, who doesn’t need to save a few extra minutes?

And with those extra minutes? I cut the cookies into fancy star shapes, and dressed them up even further with a little bit of sanding sugar on top.

You know, to make ’em sparkle.

Because if the holidays aren’t an excuse to sparkle a little extra, I don’t know what is.

You can see the complete cookie recipe collection right here….

Graduation Gifts Courtesy of Dr. Seuss

November 16, 2011 · Narrative

Is it too early to be thinking about graduation presents? Um, totally not. Especially since this one is years in the making. I first saw this idea online somewhere last year, and then it popped up again (and reminded me about it) on Pinterest. As a huge fan of Dr. Seuss in the base case, any gift that involves one of his stories is a sure-fire hit. At least with me. And this book happens to be one of my favorites, right up there with Green Eggs and Ham.

But this gift is more than just gifting Oh the Places You’ll Go. See, you buy it when your child first starts school, and every year, you have their teachers write a note in it and sign it. So when you finally present it on their college graduation day, it will be filled with words of wisdom from some very important people who they met and learned from along the way. Coolest idea ever, right?

I started it last year for Madeline, and have another one for Nick. It’s not too late for you!

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Review: Sun High Orchards, Randolph, NJ

November 15, 2011 · Narrative

Sun High Orchards is one of those back-pocket type secret places that I love to introduce friends to. We have been going there since Nick was Madeline’s age, and although I have definitely posted pictures I’ve taken there in the past, I don’t think I’ve given it a proper review. It’s a well-kept secret off Route 10 in Randolph. It’s small enough that you can see the kids while you’re sitting on their picnic benches, yet big enough that there is plenty for the kids to do.

The crackling fire smelled amazing when we walked into their general store.

Inside, you can buy a variety of vegetables, fresh baked goods, homemade soups, order Thanksgiving pies, buy cheap bags of carrots to feed the animals, and even get an ice cream cone. They have a great assortment of nostalgic gifts that would be perfect for stocking stuffers.

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Recipes: Crock Pot Teriyaki Sandwiches and Olive Garden Salad

November 14, 2011 · Narrative

So I promised you a recipe for amazing teriyaki steak sandwiches… what the heck is that picture of the salad doing there? Well, here’s the thing. I haven’t quite gotten my schedule used to the whole losing-light-at-430-pm routine. Winter is so going to suck in that respect. I usually take my food photo shots right before dinner. I can’t always get my act together enough to do it earlier. So no steak picture today, but still the recipe and fancy lead-in. Swear. Luckily I did, however, have a picture of this mighty fine salad, so it’s a two-fer day.One post, two recipes.

And that salad picture? Although not up to my usual standards, I hope you’re suitably impressed that it was taken with absolutely zero light. This was the only part of dinner that we could actually eat on Friday after the power went out for hours. So that’s good, right? Now onto the details.

The salad is a copycat of Olive Garden’s famous house salad. I thought it was a pretty good copy of it. Mystic thought it was good, but that it didn’t taste like theirs. But he also knew the dressing had mayonnaise in it, and he hates mayonnaise so that could have totally colored his opinion of it. He did eat all of his portion, and by the time we had decided the power wasn’t coming back on, the whole bowl of salad had been scoffed up. Methinks that’s excellent. Three adults, two kids. Crazy simple to make … chop up salad ingredients, whisk the dressing ingredients together, and serve. (I didn’t make the croutons) I personally don’t think you’ll scream out “there’s mayonnaise in this dressing!” but mayonnaise doesn’t particularly offend me either.

Now the crockpot teriyaki stead sandwiches. OMG. Like seriously oh-m-gee. I first made it on Thursday, completely proud of myself that as I was at work, dinner was making itself at home in the crock pot. Until I got home and realized that I had put the crock pot on low for 3-4 hours, instead of high. Which meant if I wanted it for dinner that night, it would be at around 8 pm. Oops. So I went to Plan B for dinner, and decided on the teriyaki steak sandwiches for Friday night. And that’s, of course, when the power blew. Awesome, right? By the time Sunday night rolled around, our dinner guest list had grown, so I made a second batch and combined the two. The recipe could not be easier to make, and aside from the meat, I bet you have everything you need in your cupboards already. THIS IS A RECIPE YOU NEED IN YOUR REPERTOIRE. Yes, I’m emphasizing that. Because I want to make sure you make it. The meat is tender, ridiculously moist, and seriously well seasoned. Since it takes all of five minutes of prep time, it’s a perfect go-to recipe when you just can’t think past “what’s for dinner.” A great hearty meal for Fall appetites, and perfect in the summer when you don’t want to heat up your kitchen any more than necessary.

I served the steak in small sandwich rolls, and everyone accessorized it the way they liked it… some with cheddar and pickles, some with sliced red onions and tomatoes, some with fresh salsa and ketchup. The boys at the table plowed through four or five sandwiches each and barely came up for air. Six out of seven loved the steak. The seventh doesn’t count because not only did she not taste it, she just wasn’t doing dinner. Period. End of story.

Oh, one caveat. The recipe indicates that it serves 8. I totally don’t believe that. Maybe five. Definitely not 8. Especially if the 8 includes growing teenagers or men with a normal appetite.

Have I convinced you yet to make it? Hope so. You won’t be sorry.

November 14, 2011 – Bonus Photo

This is the before shot of the master bedroom. I bought the new paint color, oh, some five or six weeks ago, and even though this week is crazybusy with a vendor show on Saturday, I’m determined to at least get SOME paint up on the wall. Just need to find my “get up and go,” because for now, it has gotten up and gone.

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Weekend Photos in Review

November 13, 2011 · Photography

A half-hour before Mystic and his kids were due over for dinner Friday night, a transformer blew outside, taking down the power of most of our neighborhood. Awesome.

See how dedicated I am? Even though we had no power, I continued on with as much prep work and assembly as I could, even chopping cauliflower by flashlight. After two hours, we abandoned ship and went out for pizza. A call to JCP&L was completely unreassuring. They advised us not to fill our refrigerators just yet as power will be intermittent over the next few weeks as they still recover from Snowmageddon. I kid you not.

Luckily the Netbook had a good deal of battery life left, so three of the kids worked on a short story together.

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Tackling Laundry with Seventh Generation and Bounce Dryer Bars

November 11, 2011 · Ad-Free

Welcome to the newest publishing day on the Sweetnicks schedule – Friday! I’ve added Friday as a new regular posting day to corral product reviews, giveaways, and more like-minded topics … in an effort to catch up on some of my backlog, have a day to highlight such things, and keep it somewhat scheduled. They might occasionally appear during the week too, if there is a particular deadline attached to something, but now you’ll have an extra day of … me! And other stuffs.

And today, it’s laundry stuffs.

When it comes to laundry detergent, I don’t give it that much extra thought. I like the “free and clear” varieties, so it’s free from all the dyes and perfumes and things, but beyond that, give me a sale and a coupon and I’m a happy girl. The folks at Seventh Generation sent me this detergent an embarrassingly long time ago and because I was knee-deep in a bottle of Tide I wanted to finish, it took me awhile to get to. I love that it comes in a super-recyclable container (it uses 66% less in the way of materials than its counterparts, and because it’s a little more concentrated, you need less and it lasts longer. Which means it really does stretch your dollar. There is no smell associated with it at all, and to be quite honest, I didn’t notice any difference between using my normal free and clear Tide versus this version from Seventh Generation. I will say, however, and this might be just me, that when it comes to laundry and things being “concentrated,” I have a hard time wrapping my mind around the fact that only half the smaller-than-normal cup will do my whole entire load of laundry. Especially when it contains clothing from a three-year-old monkey and a 9-year-old boy. So that means I fill it a bit more than I should. Which totally defeats the whole needs-less philosophy behind the concetrated liquid. When I did follow the guidelines, the laundry, all of it, whites, darks, and colors, all came out clean, so do give it a try. It removed every stain I sent through without problem. You can find Seventh Generation at your local Target stores, and many other retailers and grocery stores.

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Recipe: Barefoot Contessa’s Baked Fontina

November 10, 2011 · Narrative

So here’s the thing. Over the years, I’ve learned a few things when it comes to cooking.

You can’t go wrong with a Barefoot Contessa recipe.

Melted cheese is good. Damn good.

And when you combine Barefoot Contessa + melted cheese + a cast iron skillet, amazing things happen.

Even if it’s a recipe that was supposed to be served right away and had to wait oh fifteen or twenty minutes for company to arrive.

Even if you reheat it the next day.

Even if when you reheat it the next day, and you’re all out of crispy pieces of baguette and you have to use stale Wheat Thin crackers because some kids refuse to close cracker bags properly.

Even if the leftovers happened to be your lunch the next day. At 2:45 pm.

There is no way that you can go wrong by making this recipe. Unless, of course, you can’t eat cheese. And then I feel really bad for you. Because out of all the things I’ve given up eating over the years, cheese was hands down the hardest. Especially the hot bubbly melted kind. I, like, practically lived on the stuff when I was pregnant with Madeline.

Perhaps that’s why she doesn’t like it.

And no, this is not a pregnancy craving.

It comes from the Barefoot Contessa’s last cookbook, How Easy Is That? I’m personally not a fan of the title of the cookbook, but I can overlook it when it contains this type of goodness within. Just promise me you’ll make it. Pretty please?

Tomorrow? We tackle laundry. Two products were sent our way recently, and I’ll share them with you. One might be as potentially life changing as this Baked Fontina. And it saves you money. Really, is there any better combination?

November 10, 2011 – Bonus Photos

Madeline is certainly quite at home in our new beast. For those that asked, I downsized and got a Ford Explorer. Sniff, sniff. You have no idea how much I miss my old truck. It had been with us for nearly eight years. Some awesome, awesome memories in it. And it had everything I needed, exactly where I wanted it. Although I’m happy we have this SUV to break in, and it’s a humongo (that’s Nick’s word of the week lately, right up there with “iffy” and “creepy”) savings in gas, I’m going to mourn the loss of my old one just a little while longer, mkay?

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Halloween … Through the Years

November 9, 2011 · Narrative

Totally killing me that I can’t find a picture of Nick from 2006. But I haven’t given up yet. He wore a fireman raincoat to school because he decided he didn’t want to wear the costume he picked out. One more computer to check, and then I’m going to nag the school in the hopes that they might have a picture.

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