{Copycat} Backyard BBQ Salad & a Menu

Posted on May 24, 2013 by Megan

In my opinion, salads with meat are one of the best summer meal inventions ever. I grew up eating taco salad, but in recent years (okay, for like the last fifteen years), every restaurant offers a salad with chicken, beef, or seafood. I’m not a huge lover of green salads as a side dish, but I love the combination of protein and vegetables. I know, I could just spear some salad then some meat on my fork, but it’s just not the same.

Anyway, last summer Noodles and Co. offered a Backyard BBQ Salad that was, frankly, an addiction for me. Thus far, they’ve not reintroduced it, so I’ve been forced to recreate it at home. Fortunately, it’s super easy and required very little culinary thought. And I usually use leftovers in it, which is a bonus!

First, though, here’s our menu for the week:

Monday: BBQ Chicken Sliders, Sweet Potato Puffs (Alessi), Sliced Cucumbers and Tomatoes
Tuesday: Chicken Fried Rice, Spring Rolls (from Costco), and Edamame
Wednesday: Fish and Chips and Asian Slaw
Thursday: Teriyaki Beef Skewers, Grilled Corn on the Cob, and Grilled Peppers and Onions
Friday: Backyard BBQ Salad and Mini Ciabatta Rolls with Olive Oil for dipping

For the BBQ chicken sliders and salad, cook six boneless chicken breasts, covered in your favorite BBQ sauce (or make this one), for 5 to 6 hours on low, then shred. For sliders, serve on mini ciabatta rolls with shredded cheese and lettuce. Refrigerate leftovers for BBQ Salad.

To grill corn on the cob, just throw the ears (with husks) on the grill, rotate 1/4 turn every 5 minutes for 20 minutes until done. If your corn is already shucked, wrap each ear in foil and then grill. You can also cook them in oven at 400 degrees for 30 minutes. Cook extra so you’ll have leftovers for the salad.

Copycat Backyard BBQ Salad

(serves 6)

2 cups shredded BBQ chicken
3 ears of corn, roasted and cut off the cob
2 cups grape tomatoes, halved
1 English cucumber, diced
1 large head Romaine lettuce, chopped
1/2 cup Ranch dressing (we use fat free)
3 Tbsp BBQ sauce

On plates, divide lettuce. Top with chicken, corn, cucumbers, and tomatoes. Combine Ranch and BBQ sauce in a small bowl, and drizzle over salad.

See, I told you it was easy. The whole family loves this meal…it really is like a backyard barbeque in a bowl! (And I don’t think any of them even realize I’m using leftovers and cleaning out the frig!)

School’s Out S’Mores Buckets

Posted on May 23, 2013 by Megan

Yep, it’s almost that time…summer time, no school, moving across the country. Oh, wait, that last one is just us. Anyway, you know I won’t let the kids go to school on the last day without some gift for their teachers. We gave these S’Mores Buckets last year, as well, and I think they’re the perfect way to say, “Enjoy your summer!”

They take only minutes to assemble…if you’d like, you could wrap the ingredients in some patterned paper, bakers’ twine, or your favorite gift wrap, but the kids were making these, so we kept it simple. We bought the buckets and roasting sticks at the dollar store, then picked up marshmallows, graham squares, and chocolate bars at the grocery store. In each bucket, we put a bag of marshmallows, 3 packs of graham squares, and 4 chocolate bars, along with two roasting sticks. In all, about $5 per bucket, including the bucket.

We downloaded some summer subway art from Two Yellow Birds and resized it to print six to a page. After cutting each out and matting on cardstock, we wrote a thank you on the back and used curling ribbon to attach the tags to the bucket.

Like I said, it took about 10 minutes to assemble five of these. Then we headed outside to eat the leftover bucket ingredients! Waste not, want not and all that.

“Keep In Touch” Seed Packets

Posted on May 22, 2013 by Megan

I have another cute idea for the end of school, especially for families that are moving cross-country (like us!). And it couldn’t be simpler, y’all. Especially since I already have 200 family info cards from when we lived in our house two years ago…yep, the same one we’re moving back in to in Washington. Nifty how that worked out.

I’d love to take credit for this cleverness, but my friend Rosemary tugged at my heartstrings when she gave these to us a few years ago. What a perfect sentiment, right there on the seed packet already!

If you don’t have a whole box of cards to use, though, you can easily print your own, either on cardstock using your computer, or, if you have time to order them, for the cost of shipping and handling from Vistaprint. The cards themselves are free. Really. They come in very handy, too, when you meet someone at a school function and want to easily give them your info. Or as return address labels on a package. Or dozens of other times, too.

Anyway, all I did was staple them onto packets of Forget-Me-Not seeds from the dollar store (4 for $1), along with a bit of bakers’ twine, tied a bow, and now I have a simple way to give friends our new contact info. By the way, that’s not our real info in the photo, so don’t try to stalk us that way.

My kids love to plant seeds of any sort, so I think their classmates will love these little packets, and we hope they’ll use the info to keep in touch!

Etched Mason Jar Mugs

Posted on May 21, 2013 by Megan

Yes, I got to use my glass etching cream again! One of my friends mentioned how much she wanted some of those Mason jar mugs for iced tea this summer, so when she invited us over for brunch, I knew the perfect hostess gift to take along!

Etching in so very simple, too! You need a few supplies:

Etching Cream (such as ArmourEtch)

Vinyl or contact paper for your stencil

A paintbrush to apply the cream

Whatever glass you’re going to etch (Pyrex brand doesn’t always work, so avoid if possible)

1. Cut your stencil, using an electronic cutter, diecut machine, or craft knife. Or use premade stencils from the craft store. Adhere the stencil to the glass, making sure to press the edges down really well, so no cream will slip under them.

2. Apply a thick, even layer of etching cream. Let it sit for five minutes, then wash it off under running water.

3. Peel the stencil off, and enjoy the results.

These make a fabulous gift, especially if you include a carton of ice cream and some root beer. Who doesn’t love a ready-to-assemble Root Beer Float Party?

Make a Monster is Retiring!

Posted on May 20, 2013 by Megan

From the Stampin’ Up! catalog, that is. This is one of those sets that I bought, then did nothing with, then did a whole bunch with, then forgot about again. Poor stamp set. So I’m showing it some love today, sharing these cute photos with you!

One of the most fun things we did was to make Monster Minions with the set, some white cardstock, and some thin craft sticks (like wooden stir sticks, but you don’t have to sneak them out of Starbucks a dozen at a time). Not that I would have ever done that.

The supplies are simple:

Make a Monster stamp set (available only until June 3) Item 120606, $17.98 for the clear set; Item 118742 $23.95 for the wood set
White cardstock
Ink and markers or crayons
Thin craft sticks (from Walmart)
Some googlie eyes, of course!

The kids love making these and then spend hours playing with them, too. We’ve made them several times, and now they each have quite the minion collection. Now if I could only make some for myself that would actually do my housework, life would be fabulous!

By the way, this set makes great Halloween or kid birthday cards and crafts, and I created a really cute stamped canvas for one of my boys, as well as super fun “Monster Munch Mix” tags for Halloween gifts. I bet you could come up with even more creative uses! But only if you order it before it’s gone forever! (up there on the right sidebar…shop 24/7!)

Spring Vegetable Chicken Noodle Soup {& a Menu)

Posted on May 17, 2013 by Megan

Aaahhh….spring! We’re in sweaters one day and shorts the next, the kids are sneezing their little noses off, and I’m excited for new recipes, packed with produce. I saw this recipe for Spring Vegetable Chicken Noodle Soup in the April issue of Better Homes and Gardens, and it sounded just too delicious not to try immediately.

It was quite good, but I’ve tweaked it a bit and now we think it’s even better! My family loves my chicken noodle soup in the winter, but I think they like this one almost as well, especially in warmer weather when they crave (whether they know it or not) healthy vegetables. I have to say, though, the hubs makes me a little crazy by adding hot wing sauce to his…I’m sure it’s because of the orange broth and his mind thinking it should taste like wings. Whatever.

But first, here’s what we ate:

Monday: Spring Chicken Noodle Soup with Fresh Pineapple and Cauliflower Garlic “Bread”
Tuesday: Three-Cheese Tortellini with Dave’s Gourmet Butternut Squash Pasta Sauce and Waldorf Salad
Wednesday: Beef Kebabs with Grilled Peppers and Onions with Blue Cheese Wedge Salad
Thursday: Grilled Marinated Chicken with Corn on the Cob and Poppyseed Strawberry Salad
Friday: Shredded BBQ Chicken Sliders with Alessi Sweet Potato Puffs and Cucumbers with Rice Vinegar

Now, for the soup recipe. This soup comes together in a little more than thirty minutes, as does the Cauliflower Garlic Bread. My kids cannot get enough of the “bread”…if you haven’t tried it, you should! I follow the recipe I linked above, except that instead of ricing or grating the steamed cauliflower, I put it in the food processor. I tried ricing, and it was really, really difficult to get the cauliflower to pass through the ricer. As far as grating, that might be easier, but I have to get a bowl dirty anyway, so why not use the food processor for the whole thing?

Spring Chicken Noodle Soup

(adapted from Better Homes and Gardens magazine)

2 Tbsp olive oil
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 tsp curry powder
1 tsp cumin
4 cups (1 quart) carrot juice
1 cup orange juice
4 cups (1 quart) chicken broth
2 cups carrots, diagonally sliced
2 cups celery, sliced
8 oz “kluski” noodles
4 cups shredded cooked chicken
2 cups shelled edamame

1. In large stockpot, sauté the onion in the olive oil until softened, about 5 minutes. Add curry and cumin and cook 1 minute, stirring. Add juices, broth, carrots, and celery. Bring to a boil, then cover and simmer twenty minutes, until the vegetables are tender.

2. Add noodles, bring back to a boil, and cook six minutes, until noodles are done. Add chicken and edamame and continue cooking until hot throughout.

Serves 6 to 8

Click here for the printable recipe

Princess Thundercloud’s Birthday Party

Posted on May 16, 2013 by Megan

Yep, she’s a big five-year-old now. And, of course, we had to have a party involving her entire class because, well, she’s a social butterfly, even in 4K. She had planned a ginormous fete at our home, but, as the snow and cold wore on and on, I was a bit (okay, a lot) stressed about that. I mean, having a party with eighteen kids is fine when you can be outdoors, but my poor house would have been shuddering with all that energy trapped inside.

Luckily, with a little covert persuasion from me, she decided a party at her gymnastics place would be fun. And even more luckily, one of her friends also had a April birthday and a brand new baby brother, so her mom was more than happy to have a joint party and split the cost and effort. Yay!

I snapped a quick photo of the girls one day and then created an invitation using Photoshop.adding party hats and the info. I printed them as 4×6 photos at Costco for 19 cents each, so they were very affordable. By the way, I’ve either blurred out or covered faces of the kids who don’t belong to me in this post, since I don’t want to plaster other people’s kids on the internet.

The party started at noon, so I thought we should have some actual food, not just cupcakes and ice cream. We made pinwheels with Flatout breads, cream cheese, cheddar, and turkey. The kids also helped make rainbow fruit kebobs, instead of just bowls of fruit on the table. To round it all out, we had bowls of carrots and veggie chips.

The other mom made yummy cupcakes, and I was surprised that the girls didn’t fight over who got to blow out the candles…they just did it together! I actually have photos with both girls, but cropped most of the other little girl out of this one for this post.

Two birthday girls meant two times the presents, so to avoid confusion, I picked up a couple of giant tubs at Target (in the kids’ décor section). I cut out purple vinyl letters using my Silhouette, which made it a snap to create a personalized gift that they can use in their rooms after the party. And, it made a perfect gift for us to give the other birthday girl!

For the party favors, I found sunglasses (6 for $1) and had individual bags of all-natural sweet and salty popcorn. I printed some tags that read, “Thanks for popping by to brighten up our party!” I used pink or blue ribbon/yarn to tie the tag, sunglasses, and popcorn together for a simple handout as the kids left the party.

Since the girls had so many gifts, and the time in the party room was relatively short, we chose to take the gifts home to open them. We took photos of each gift, then I added a quick text “thanks” to each, using Photoshop. We also had a great photo of the whole group in the foam pit, which I added a “Thanks for coming!” note to, again using Photoshop. After printing the photos in a 4×6 format at Costco, I cut pieces of cardstock in half and put one group photo on the front and the personalized thanks on the back. Princess Thundercloud slipped them into the envelopes, and we were done with thank-you notes!

This was such a simple party to pull together…I spent maybe three hours on it, between making invitations and thank yous, personalizing the buckets, and making the food. And, my favorite part was that we were home, with everything unpacked and cleaned up, in time for a Sunday afternoon nap!

Kids’ Charmed Friendship Bracelets

Posted on May 15, 2013 by Megan

I have a new crafting addiction…Shrinky Dink sheets that you can send through your inkjet printer. Yes, they make those! Just think of the possibilities! I came up with these bracelets when a writer from Military Spouse magazine asked if I had any ideas for gifts kids could give to their friends when they’re moving (as mine are in a couple of months).

I made some similar bracelets last year, using word beads with inspirational words such as “Believe,” “Hope,” and “Create” on them, but that really didn’t work for a five-year-old. So I put on my thinking cap, looked over my craft stash, and spied some Shrinky Dink for Inkjet sheets I bought on a whim last year (when I had a coupon and nothing to use it on at Michaels).

But what if you can’t find those? Well, you could use regular Shrinky Dink sheets and let your little artist draw charms, or you could use alphabet beads to spell out a name or word. See, easy peasy, and all sorts of ways to be creative with this!

Here are the supplies you’ll need:

Embroidery floss

Shrinky Dink Inkjet sheets

a 1/4” hole punch

Computer and printer

Oven for shrinking the charms

1. Design your charms, or print these on a Shrinky Dink Inkjet Sheet:

If you design your own, print them at 50% opacity, or they’ll be way too dark when they shrink.

2. Punch or cut the charms out of the Shrinky Dink sheet. Use the hole punch to make the holes for the thread to go through. I place mine on a piece of brown paper bag to bake them. Bake according to the package directions.

3. Cut three lengths of embroidery floss to about 24” each. Thread all three strands through the charms from the back. Then loop back through from the front to the back to hold it securely in place. To finish it, braid each side to the length you’d like and tie a knot in the end. Cut off excess, leaving a few inches to tie it. I also put a drop of E6000 under the thread on the back of the charm, as well, to secure it even more.

4. To make an alphabet bead one instead of the charmed one, cut three strands of embroidery floss to about 24”. Thread the alpha beads on, with all three strands going through the middle beads. For the first and last bead, thread two strands through, then tie the third strand to the other two, securing the word where you’d like it. Again, braid to the ends and you’re done!

These will be a perfect little gift for Princess Thundercloud’s friends on the last day of school. The rainbow “Friends” is even boyish enough that she approved it for the guys in her class. I’m still trying to come up with some cool ideas for the boys’ classes…although they think these are pretty cool, too…but they’ll have to learn to braid. Thundercloud and I have some tired fingers already!

By the way, you can see these ideas and lots of others in the June issue of Military Spouse magazine…woohoo!

Tuxedo Strawberries

Posted on May 14, 2013 by Megan

I have a bit of an obsession with chocolate-dipped fruit, especially strawberries. I think it’s because I feel as though I’m eating fruit, so it must be healthy! And if you use milk chocolate, you’re getting dairy, as well…or, as everyone knows, dark chocolate contains antioxidants, so that’s another health benefit. You’re welcome for that rationalization.

I’m always surprised at the price of chocolate-dipped strawberries at candy stores, though. I mean, you can make a dozen at home for what you’d pay for one already made for you. And they’re so simple!

These Tuxedo Berries look like you spent hours on them, but (shhh!) you really won’t need to! I made three dozen for the teachers last week in less time that it would have taken to make cookies. Really. Less than an hour.

To make them, you’ll need strawberries, white chocolate, a bit of vegetable oil, and milk or dark chocolate chips.

First of all, wash the strawberries and let them dry completely. I wash them while the kids are eating breakfast and let them sit a few hours, until I’m ready to dip them. And then I still give each a quick dry with a dishtowel before dipping them. If there’s even a drop of water in your chocolate, it will seize up and become all clumpy. Ugh. And you can’t salvage it.

Melt the white chocolate according to the package directions. I melted mine in a glass bowl in the microwave, adding about a teaspoon of vegetable oil and heating it only 30 seconds at a time, so it wouldn’t get too hot. Dip the front of each berry into the melted white chocolate and place on a parchment (or wax paper)-lined pan to set.

These set quite quickly…by the time I was done dipping, they were hard enough to go ahead and melt the dark or milk chocolate, again according to package directions. This melts much better than white chocolate, which can be tricky for me.

Once your chocolate is smooth and melted, dip one side, then the other, of each berry in it. Set the berries back on the parchment to harden.

Use a fine-tipped paintbrush to add buttons and a bow-tie to each berry, while the chocolate in the bowl is still melted. Practice the bowties a couple of times on the parchment if you’re worried…just make two triangles, touching at the points.

These are even more impressive if you can find long-stemmed berries, but that wasn’t possible in my neck of the woods, so I made do with what I had!

Feel Goods Graduation Card

Posted on May 13, 2013 by Megan

I think I’m going to have to declare the Feel Goods stamp set from Stampin’ Up! to be my favorite from last year…and it’s in the 2013-14 catalog, as well. Woohoo! One of my favorite people from the hubs’ office recently completed her PhD…after almost 25 years of working on it. She spends her days helping out the families of the battalion, so I wanted to make her a special card.

Stampin’ Up! Supplies: Feel Goods stamp set; Remember This and That Rotary Stamp; Pool Party Coredinations Cardstock; Basic Black Cardstock; Basic Pearls; Basic Gray and Pool Party Ink; Whisper White Craft Ink; Storytime DSP; Splatter Stamp from Paper Pumpkin Welcome Kit; Labels Framelit and Big Shot; Corner Rounder Punch; Retired DSP for the butterflies; Bitty Butterfly punch

Non-SU! supplies: Washi tape, Spiral Border Punch; Sanding block

I know, I used a ton of things for this card…but they were all so fun and I wanted a scrapped, slightly grunged look for it. I love the new This and That Rotary Stamp…in addition to the date, it has 12 other sayings, such as “Save the Date” and “Best Day Ever.” It’s so simple to use markers to color just what you want to show, whether just a date or a date and a phrase.

The Coredinations cardstock is perfect for distressing…just randomly sand where you want to age your paper, and the white core begins to who through. I just sanded lightly on this, but it still adds interest. I stamped the sentiment in Whisper White (don’t forget to let it dry a bit, or use a heat gun) to look chalkboard-ish.

I’ve been hoarding washi tape for almost a year, and now have amassed quite the stash…so I need to start using it on projects. I like the way these three tapes aren’t matchy matchy but coordinate well. Oh, and this card is 3-1/2” x 6”, so you need 12×12 cardstock to cut the cardbase.

Have I mentioned that I received my new Stampin’ Up! 2013-14 Catalog? I have perused and perused, and can’t wait until May 31, when the whole catalog goes live. There’s some fun, fun, fun stuff, y’all! And I’m thrilled that Pool Party is becoming a permanent color, instead of a retiring In Color…it’s so perfect for really any season. Be sure to check back next Monday…I’ll be sharing a card using the new In Colors and a couple of new stamp sets, as well.

Chaos Served Daily

Crafting, cooking, and waiting for order to appear from the chaos…

{Copycat} Backyard BBQ Salad & a Menu

Copycat Backyard BBQ Salad

School’s Out S’Mores Buckets

“Keep In Touch” Seed Packets

Etched Mason Jar Mugs

Make a Monster is Retiring!

Spring Vegetable Chicken Noodle Soup {& a Menu)

Spring Chicken Noodle Soup

Princess Thundercloud’s Birthday Party

Kids’ Charmed Friendship Bracelets

Tuxedo Strawberries

Feel Goods Graduation Card

Copycat Backyard BBQ Salad

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Spring Chicken Noodle Soup

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