Weekly Thoughts-Week 44

Week 44-Finding trust in someone after years of not having any may just be the best feeling I have EVER felt.

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I have spoke about trust before...it is something that I feel VERY strongly about!!  My marriage failed for a lot of reasons but the main one is that trust was gone...completely and totally lost.  Needless to say when I left the marriage I truly believed that I would NEVER trust anyone again.  I felt like it was a feeling that was lost on me...a feeling that would only be a distant memory and that made me sad because all good relationships are built on trust.  I often questioned how you trust again when you have been hurt so badly. 

Luckily I am surrounded by some great people who were always in my corner and encouraging me.  Reassuring me that trust can be found again and that someday I would find it.  Truthfully...I thought they were full of crap!!  Thankfully...they weren't!!  Being in a relationship again with someone I trust completely is an amazing feeling.  I never realized the constant stress I was under when I didn't trust...that is, until I was lucky enough to find someone that I do.  Sweet trust-

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P.S. Tune in tomorrow for the recap of the dinner I am having tonight for some absolutely precious Trick or Treaters.  Also don't forget to enter my giveaway going on now in celebration of Sweet Taters and Tales 1st Birthday...personalized cupcakes could be in your future!!

Major Milestones!!!

On Saturday October 27, 2012 my blog turned one year old!!  It is crazy to me how time can fly by so darn quickly.  367 days and 201 posts ago I took a leap and decided to start the blog that I had been wanting to create for a while.  It has been so amazing to be able to share my ideas for recipes, crafts, home decorating and everything else that life throws at me.  Having so many fabulous readers who enjoy what I do and give me feed back has proved to be rewarding in more ways than I ever imagined.

To thank ALL of my SUPER AMAZING readers and to celebrate, I decided that I need to do something extra sweet.  So one lucky reader is going to win a dozen (because I have been blogging for a dozen months) cupcakes.  The best part about it is that the reader will get to customize them to their liking.

If you are the winner then you will get to tell me some of your favorite things and then I will whip up a new and fun cupcake recipe that will be named after you and have its very own blog.   To enter you just need to either comment on my post, on face book or even just like any of my face book posts for the next few days.  The giveaway will be closed on Friday November 2, 2012 at 5:00 p.m., so be sure to enter between now and then.  I will announce the winner and start working on the new recipe Monday November 5th.  Sweet cupcake-

Mummy Halloween Favors

I'm excited to once again be hosting a Halloween "before trick or treating" Dinner for my friends and their children.  It is so much fun to see all of the little cutie pies dressed up and excited to fill up on candy...especially since my two think they are too old to participate anymore.  Luckily I am blessed to have great friends who are willing to let me hijack their children for a few minutes to fill that void. 

Because I love to make fun treats and I am a little neurotic, I like to do something extra special for my guests as a favor for sharing a part of their evening with me.  So this year I decided to make Mummy's out of what else...Twinkies...

To make them you will need Twinkies, white Candy melts, Lollipop sticks and candy eyeballs...

The first thing you will need to do is melt the white candy melts in the microwave.  I started with 1 minute and then added 30 seconds until it was smooth and completely melted...

While your candy melts are in the microwave you can unwrap the Twinkies...

Then you will dip them in the candy melts.  I used an off set spatula to make sure they were completely covered and added the lollipop stick...

With the remaining melts I used a fork and drizzled it back and forth over the Twinkies to look like mummy gauze and then added two eyeballs...

Wrapped in a cellophane bag with fun ribbon they will be the perfect treat to send home.  Sweet mummy-

Weekly Thoughts-Week 43

Week 43-I just need to tell my parents something..."I'm sorry!!!"

Now that I am in the midst of raising teenagers, I don't think that there is a day that passes that I don't think to myself...I should apologize to my parents...AGAIN!  Spoiled rotten teenagers (of whom I love more than life itself) can really take a toll on a parent (especially a single one)!  How my parents successfully (or at least I think so) raised 3 GIRLS is so beyond my comprehension.  I am struggling with two...how the heck did they do it and not need major medication...sedation...hospitalization?  Truthfully...it isn't that bad.  I feel like I have pretty good kids but now I understand what a HUGE pain in the neck I was and I'm not sure of how they survived.  Raising kids truly is one of my biggest pleasures but some days it is TOUGH!!  I would like to thank my parents for putting up with me and for making it look so easy...because believe me...IT WASN'T!!  If you are a parent give yourself a big pat on the back...you deserve it!!  Sweet parenting-

Budget Beef-Cheesesteak Sloppy Joes

As my hamburger journey continues I find myself more and more inspired by all things ground beef.  I mean who doesn't love a mean sloppy joe?  Meaty tomato sauce slathered on a toasty bun with the possibility of some cheese...yep...pretty darn amazing!!  Want to make a version that I think is even better?  Thought so...its that mind reading thing that forgot to tell you about...not really...just a girl on a mission to use hamburger a few times a week to save a couple of bucks. 

A friend of mine face booked me after my Tater Tot casserole post to tell me that she has saw this recipe on Pinterest and it was amazing (thanks Shara).  So what does this girl do?  Find the recipe, tweak it to my liking and share it with all of you...of course!!  Now because my sweet Tater doesn't always love tomato sauce this recipe was perfect for my family. 

To make the filling you will need 2 lbs. of hamburger, 1 teaspoon of Montreal Steak seasoning, 1 cup of beef broth, 3 Tablespoons Worcestershire sauce, 1/2 onion (chopped) and 8 oz. sliced mushrooms...

Begin by browning the hamburger in a skillet...

Once the hamburger is browned and mostly cooked through, add the chopped onion, mushrooms and Montreal steak seasoning.  Cook until the vegetables are soft and the onions are translucent.  Add the Worcestershire sauce and broth, reduce heat and cook for about 10 minutes or until the juice is reduced...

 

While the filling is finishing up place your buns on a baking sheet with two slices of provolone cheese.  Place in a 400° oven until the bread is toasted and the cheese is melted...

 

Top with the cheese steak filling and dig in...

 

For those of you who love peppers they would be perfect in this dish.  Just add them with the onion and mushrooms.  A perfect and tasty week night meal!!  Sweet Philly-

Where's the weekend?

This last weekend was a little busy at our house.  I mean they all tend to be pretty busy but this one was a BIG one.  Homecoming parade, football game, and dance...volleyball games in Klamath Falls...football game in Merrill...family pictures...carving pumpkins with 2 cutie pies...celebrating my bestie's birthday.  Not to mention that I made the desserts for 8 homecoming couples dinner...crazy...I know.  We had a lot of things packed into 3 nights and 2 days but the memories that were made makes the exhaustion COMPLETELY worth it!!  Here are some of my favorite shots of the weekend...

Tater's walkin' in the Homecoming parade...

A quick picture of Tate & fellow teammates...

Game time...GO HONKERS & #77...

Making the Block...

 Tales playing volleyball...

Bump it...

Serve it...

Homecoming Desserts...Mini Cheesecakes...

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Truffles...

Taters and his Homecoming date Hannah...

Tater and Landino...

Pumpkin Carving...Silly Lanie Lu...

Harley working hard...

It was a great weekend!!  I am truly blessed and thankful!!  Sweet weekend-

Candy Corn decoration

My love for candy corn could be called strange.  How could someone love candy corn so very much and not even like to eat them??  The answer to that is quite simple...I have a huge mild obsession with various food items and I don't even understand why.  Like mini chocolate chips for instance...they are tiny, cute, tasty, and I might have a semi-weird fascination with them??  For some unknown reason making recipes with mini chocolate chips and decorating with candy corn makes me happy...so sue me!

Last year I made these sweet candy corn for my house and I just LOVE THEM!!

They were the perfect addition to my decorations and were so easy to assemble.  A few craft items and voila...they are ready to spruce up your home.  You will need two foam cones (of various sizes), yellow-orange-white yarn and a glue gun...

You will start on the bottom of the cone and begin wrapping the yellow yarn 1/3 of the way to the top.  Be sure to use a little hot glue to keep it in place...

Once the yellow is finished, begin with the orange yarn...

The last and final step is to wrap the white yarn around the top 1/3 of the cone.  Once you are to the top you can continue in a spiral pattern until the top is completely covered and glue into place...

Mr. & Mrs. Candy corn are now ready to decorate your home.  Sweet corn-

Weekly Thoughts-Week 42

Week 42-I used to be able to party all weekend. Now, a night of drinking with friends requires more recovery time than minor surgery.
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I may have drank a little too much this weekend!!  I want to clarify that it is NOT something I do very often.  I do however, tell on myself a lot.  For some reason I tend to tattle on myself A LOT...especially when I have done something really kind of stupid.  Like the time that I used the porta potty in the dark when the seat was down and had to run home and change my jeans...YEP...not my proudest moment but yet I don't keep it to myself.   The problem with having a night out at my age is that if I step over the imaginary line I set for myself...you know the one that is there between HAVING A GOOD TIME & HAVING TOO GOOD OF A TIME...then I am pretty much out of commission for a week couple of days!!  Note to self: Don't cross the imaginary line or stay home altogether!!! Sweet age-

Halloween/Fall Decor.

I love this time of year because of all of the fun holidays that happen!!  Decorating for them is something I look forward to once the leaves start to turn.  I am always on the lookout for new ideas and inspirations that will make my holiday decorating even better!  For Halloween I like to keep things cute and simple...I don't care for scary and cryptic decorations...I like things to be on the lighter side.

Over the weekend...between a trip to Medford, volleyball games in Klamath Falls, getting the brown bottle flu & some shopping I decided to get my stuff out and go for it.  Maybe not the brightest idea I have had but I feel behind and I just couldn't take it!!

I have fall decor...Halloween decor...and Thanksgiving decor.  I keep my fall items up the entire season and mix in my Halloween and Thanksgiving accordingly.

A antique jar filled with candy corn (my favorite) and a sweet pumpkin make a perfect pair...

I drag this frame and photo out every year at this time...I love my babies...

Perched on an old crate I have a BOO pumpkin that I purchased at Walmart years ago and a witch that I painted...

Fall is in the air...

To my new mantel I added a few old books to give the pumpkin height and a leaf garland...

My book case is transformed with a few Fall/Halloween accents...

Instead of candles I used mini pumpkins on my holders and an old milk bottle is perfect to hold some candy...

Halloween subway art and yarn candy corn (learn how to make them later in the week)...

My dining room table holds an arrangement of pine cones, mini pumpkins and gourds...

To my desk I added two simple jars with red twigs and a fabric pumpkin...

Now my home is touched with fall and I am happy.  Sweet decor-

Candy Corn Krispies

This is the recipe that I made on my lunch the other day and promised to post on Friday!! Technical difficulties (I'm a technology tard) didn't allow it to happen and for some reason the photo I took of the finished product will NOT download!!  So I am posting this recipe without it...I don't like to do it but I am.

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I am ready for fall/Halloween...I have decorated (photos coming this week)...I'm starting to plan my 2nd annual pre-trick or treating party and I can't get enough CANDY CORN.  I love this stuff...I think it is the CUTEST candy EVER!!!  I will admit that I don't like the taste of it...BARF...but who could resist using them as decoration or the inspiration for a dessert!!

If you are a member of Pinterest then you have seen ideas similar to the one I am giving you today but I have to tell you that my way is the best!!!  Why??  ...because it is easy and turns out so great!

I began by gathering my ingredients to make Rice Krispie Treats (using the recipe off of the back of the box).  1 package of marshmallows, 1 stick of margarine, 7 cups of Rice Krispies, yellow and orange food coloring and a loaf pan...

I then divided the ingredients into thirds.  So you are going to technically make three small batches of Rice Krispie Treats, one regular, one yellow, and one orange.

The first one is the regular batch.  Melt the margarine and marshmallows together, add 2 1/3 cups of rice krispies and put into the bottom of the greased loaf pan.  To reduce on mess I use a Ziploc bag that I have sprayed with non-stick cooking spray to pat the mixture down...

The first layer...

To the next two batches you will add the food coloring.  Here is the yellow.  I then added the 2 1/3 cups of rice krispies and topped it over the first batch in the loaf pan...

The 2nd layer...

The same will be done with the final batch, only with orange...

I covered the entire pan with plastic wrap and left it until after work.  I then removed the tri-colored krispies from the pan and began to cut 1/2 inch strips length wise.

I then took each long strip and cut triangles...like this... /\/\/\/\/\/\/\...

It is as easy as that and you have candy corn krispies!!  I really wish I could get the final treat photo to download but I can't so this where you imagine how stinking cute they are and go make some for yourself.  Sweet Krispies-

Weekly thoughts-Week 41

Week 41-Wouldn't life be perfect if...

                Sweatpants were sexy...

                Monday's were fun...

                Junk food didn't make you fat...

                Weekends were longer...

                Vacations were free...

                 Love lasted a lifetime...

                Grandparents lived forever...

                Children were never neglected...

                and Goodbyes only meant until tomorrow.

Just a few things that I think would make life a little more perfect!  Sweet perfection-

Budget Beef-TaterTot Casserole

Let's face it...the economy really stinks!!  Every time we go to the grocery store or the gas station we are reminded by it!!  $4.27 per gallon of gas and $100.00 for the same cart of groceries that I bought a year ago for $60.00...something has got to give.  Somehow we all need to find ways to cut our budgets and adjust to the rising prices of EVERYTHING.  Hamburger (yet still expensive) remains the most affordable meat to feed a growing family and yet hamburger can get SOOOO boring.  The fact is...that is doesn't have to be.  Until the first of the year I will be sharing with you some creative and tasty ways to use hamburger in your kitchen and maybe even save a few bucks.

I remember my mom making Tater Tot Casserole when I was younger and loving it...luckily my children have the same great taste.  It is an awesome meal to make ahead of time, to freeze, and still easy enough to throw together after work.   What's not to love about that?

To make (my version anyway) it you will need 2 lbs of hamburger, 1 cup of stuffing mix, 1 egg, 2 cloves of minced garlic, 1 teaspoon of salt, 1/2 teaspoon of black pepper and 2 tablespoons of heavy cream or milk.  The heavy cream really gives the meatloaf layer such a great texture but milk would work just fine if you don't have any...

Mix the above ingredients in a bowl to combine (don't over do it) and then transfer it to a 9x13 baking dish.  Pat the meat mixture out to cover the bottom of the pan and then add a can of cream of mushroom soup to the top of the meat layer...

To that I added a couple of tablespoons of barbecue sauce and 1-1 1/2 cups of grated cheese...

 

The last step is a single layer of tater tots.  Cover with foil and bake in a preheated 375° oven for 45 minutes, remove the foil and bake for an additional 15 minutes or until cooked through.  I also like to turn the broiler on for the last couple of minutes to make sure the tater tots extra crunchy...

 

Add a side salad or vegetable and dinner is complete.

 

What a tasty way to use a little burger.  Sweet budget-