Friday, February 27, 2009

Friday's Favorite.....Bring on Spring

Ah, I am SO ready for spring to hit. Today I've picked out one of my favorites from Djstoreroom. I've been eyeing her items for several weeks now and very soon I'm going to treat myself :O)


You can find more great wristlets and other items here: http://djstoreroom.artfire.com

This photo is the property of Djstoreroom please do NOT use without her permission.

Thursday, February 26, 2009

Firecracker Grilled Alaskan Salmon


INGREDIENTS
8 (4 ounce) fillets salmon
1/2 cup peanut oil
4 tablespoons soy sauce
4 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
4 tablespoons green onions, chopped
3 teaspoons brown sugar
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
2 teaspoons crushed red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1/2 teaspoon salt


DIRECTIONS
Place salmon filets in a medium, nonporous glass dish. In a separate medium bowl, combine the peanut oil, soy sauce, vinegar, green onions, brown sugar, garlic, ginger, red pepper flakes, sesame oil and salt. Whisk together well, and pour over the fish. Cover and marinate the fish in the refrigerator for 4 to 6 hours.
Prepare an outdoor grill with coals about 5 inches from the grate, and lightly oil the grate.
Grill the fillets 5 inches from coals for 10 minutes per inch of thickness, measured at the thickest part, or until fish just flakes with a fork. Turn over halfway through cooking.

Funny for Today

Don't Forget to Clean Your Computer Screen~

I know you don't clean your screen very often and it is hard to do the inside, so here(http://www.raincitystory.com/flash/screenclean.swf) is my present to you.

Tuesday, February 24, 2009

New Addition to Sweet Treats by Maryann



This one's got me thinking of summertime~Coconut Lime Cookies Yum!

You can find them here: www.sweettreatmaryann.etsy.com

Maryann

Monday, February 23, 2009

Household Heroes

*Baking Soda: Clean tubs,toilet,and tiles with baking soda and a brush dampened with water.

*Vinegar: Dip an old toothbrush in vinegar and use it to clean offmildewed grout between tiles.

*Lemon juice: Put the juice on a sponge and wipe shower doors to remove soap scum.

*Chlorine bleach: Get rid of mildew and mold on shower tiles with a solution of one part bleach to five parts water. Scrub with a stiff brush.

*Dryer sheet: After you've finished cleaning the faucets, rub a sheet of fabric softener on them to polish and shine.

Friday, February 20, 2009

It's Time Once Again....

for another Friday favorite. This week I'd like to introduce you to TwistedRiverClay.


I'll admit it; I LOVE pottery and I think I've found the perfect mug for my morning coffee; the colors are very sootheing.
Twisted River has so many great items I had a hard time choosing ONE item as a favorite. Want to check them out?
*Photo is property of TwistedRiverClay please do not use without their permission

Thursday, February 19, 2009

Double Tomato Brushetta

INGREDIENTS (Nutrition)
6 roma (plum) tomatoes, chopped
1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes, packed in oil
3 cloves minced garlic
1/4 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup fresh basil, stems removed
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 French baguette
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese


DIRECTIONS
Preheat the oven on broiler setting.
In a large bowl, combine the roma tomatoes, sun-dried tomatoes, garlic, olive oil, vinegar, basil, salt, and pepper. Allow the mixture to sit for 10 minutes.
Cut the baguette into 3/4-inch slices. On a baking sheet, arrange the baguette slices in a single layer. Broil for 1 to 2 minutes, until slightly brown.
Divide the tomato mixture evenly over the baguette slices. Top the slices with mozzarella cheese.
Broil for 5 minutes, or until the cheese is melted.

Wednesday, February 18, 2009

Wednesday's Funny

The World's Smartest Dog?
As a butcher is shooing a dog from his shop, he sees $10 and a note in his mouth, reading: "10 lamb chops, please."
Amazed, he takes the money, puts a bag of chops in the dog's mouth, and quickly closes the shop. He follows the dog and watches him wait for a green light, look both ways, and trot across the road to a bus stop. The dog checks the timetable and sits on the bench. When a bus arrives, he walks around to the front and looks at the number, then boards the bus. The butcher follows, dumbstruck.
As the bus travels out into the suburbs, the dog takes in the scenery. After awhile he stands on his back paws to push the "stop" button, then the butcher follows him off.
The dog runs up to a house and drops his bag on the stoop. He goes back down the path, takes a big run, and throws himself -Whap!- against the door. He does this again and again. No answer. So he jumps on a wall, walks around the garden, beats his head against a window, jumps off, and waits at the front door. A big guy opens it and yells at the the dog.
The butcher runs up screams at the guy: "What in the world are you doing? This dog's a genius!" The owner responds, "Genius? I don't think so. It's the second time this week he's forgotten his key!"

Tuesday, February 17, 2009

I'd Like to Introduce You .....

to a fabulous site
www.EnchantedMakeovers.org

Team EEAT Friday Food Fest

Well it's that time again. Come join Team EEAT in the Etsy Chat rooms this Friday night February 20th for more fun, games and yummy treats!

See you at 8pm EST



For a list of offered sales and specials please see: http://etsyedibleartsteam.blogspot.com/

Maryann
Sweet Treats by Maryann
www.sweettreatmaryann.etsy.com

Friday, February 13, 2009

Today's Friday Favorites

For todays Friday Favorite I'd like to do something a little different. I'm going to feature two of my fellow Team EEAT members causes. They, like me, believe in giving back and supporting various causes.

First, we have Dave's Home Roast~home roasted coffee beans to support Batten Disease. Come visit Dave here and have yourself a fabulous cup o' joe while supporting the cause:

http://www.daveshomeroast.com/






and for those pet lovers out there Shari manages Pets Jubilee. Great boxes filled with lots of samples for you to spoil your pet.Pets need your love and support too:

http://www.petsjubilee.com/

Thursday, February 12, 2009

Dark Chocolate Souffle Cake



Yield
12 servings (serving size: 1 wedge)
Ingredients
Cooking spray
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar
3/4 cup water
1 tablespoon instant espresso or 2 tablespoons instant coffee granules
2/3 cup Dutch process or unsweetened cocoa
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped
2 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped
2 tablespoons KahlĂșa (coffee-flavored liqueur)
3 large egg yolks
1/3 cup sifted cake flour (such as Swan's Down)
6 large egg whites (at room temperature)
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon powdered sugar
1/4 cup raspberries (optional)
Chocolate curls (optional)
Preparation
Preheat oven to 300°.
Coat bottom of a 9-inch springform pan with cooking spray. Set aside.
Combine 1/2 cup granulated sugar, 1/2 cup brown sugar, water, and espresso in a large saucepan; stir well and bring to a boil. Remove from heat; add cocoa, salt, and chocolates, stirring with a whisk until chocolate melts. Stir in KahlĂșa and egg yolks. Stir in flour; cool to room temperature. Set aside.
Beat egg whites and cream of tartar at high speed of a mixer until foamy. Add 1/3 cup granulated sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, beating until stiff peaks form. Gently fold one-fourth of egg white mixture into chocolate mixture; repeat procedure with remaining egg white mixture, one-fourth at a time. Spoon into prepared pan. Bake at 300° for 1 hour or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out almost clean. Cool completely on wire rack. Remove sides from pan; sift powdered sugar over cake. Garnish with raspberries and chocolate curls, if desired.
Note: A substitution of 1/4 cup all-purpose flour may be used in place of 1/3 cup cake flour.

Wednesday, February 11, 2009

Think About It...

READ THIS VERY SLOWLY... IT'S PRETTY PROFOUND.
Too many people put off something that brings them joy just because they haven't thought about it, don't have it on their schedule, didn't know it was coming or are too rigid to depart from their routine.
I got to thinking one day about all those people on the Titanic who passed up dessert at dinner that fateful night in an effort to cut back. From then on, I've tried to be a little more flexible.
How many women out there will eat at home because their husband didn't suggest going out to dinner until after something had been thawed? Does the word 'refrigeration' mean nothing to you?
How often have your kids dropped in to talk and sat in silence while you watched 'Jeopardy' on television?
I cannot count the times I called my sister and said , 'How about going to lunch in a half hour?' She would gas up and stammer, 'I can't. I have clothes on the line. My hair is dirty. I wish I had known yesterday, I had a late breakfast, it looks like rain' And my personal favorite: 'It's Monday.' She died a few years ago. We never did have lunch together.
Because Americans cram so much into their lives, we tend to schedule our headaches.....We live on a sparse diet of promises we make to ourselves when all the conditions are perfect!
We'll go back and visit the grandparents when we get Steve toilet trained We'll entertain when we replace the living room carpet. We'll go on a second honeymoon when we get two more kids out of college .
Life has a way of accelerating as we get older. The days get shorter, and the list of promises to ourselves gets longer. One morning, we awaken, and all we have to show for our lives is a litany of 'I'm going to,' 'I plan on,' and 'Someday, when things are settled down a bit.'When anyone calls my 'seize the moment' friend, she is open to adventure and available for trips.
She keeps an open mind on new ideas. Her enthusiasm for life is contagious. You talk with her for five minutes, and you're ready to trade your bad feet for a pair of roller blades and skip an elevator for a bungee cord.
My lips have not touched ice cream in 10 years. I love ice cream. It's just that I might as well apply it directly to my stomach with a spatula and eliminate the digestive process. The other day, I stopped the car and bought a triple-decker. If my car had hit an iceberg on the way home, I would have died happy.
Now...go on and have a nice day. Do something you WANT to...not something on your SHOULD DO list. If you were going to die soon and had only one phone call you could make, who would you call and what would you say? And why are you waiting?Make sure you read this to the end; you will understand why I sent this to you.Have you ever watched kids playing on a merry go round or listened to the rain lapping on the ground? Ever followed a butterfly's erratic flight or gazed at the sun into the fading night? Do you run through each day on the fly? When you ask 'How are you?' Do you hear the reply?When the day is done, do you lie in your bed with the next hundred chores running through your head? Ever told your child, 'We'll do it tomorrow.' And in your haste, not see his sorrow? Ever lost touch? Let a good friendship die? Just call to say 'Hi'?When you worry and hurry through your day, it is like an unopened gift...thrown away..... Life is not a race. Take it slower. Hear the music before the song is over.

Thursday, February 5, 2009

Friday Favorite~Valentines Edition



This week's "Friday Favorite" is a little shop with a flying pig called Sumpinelse. Very cute stuff. If you haven't checked it out you really should.




Here are a couple of items that I picked out, right in time for Valentine's Day

Here's the shop URL so you can check them out:

http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=6154857

These pictures are the property of Sumpinelse, please do NOT use without their permission.

Wanna be a featured artist? Leave me a comment and I will check out your shop.

Wednesday, February 4, 2009

Another Blog Giveaway

come check it out~pamper yourself with bath and body products
http://shineyourhineysoap.blogspot.com/2009/02/bath-and-beauty-giveaway.html

Valentine's Day Dessert Idea

Broken Pink Heart

What You Need
1-1/2 cups cold milk
1 pkg. (4-serving size) JELL-O Vanilla Flavor Instant Pudding
1-3/4 cups thawed COOL WHIP Whipped Topping
Red food coloring
decorating icing


Make It
PLACE folded aluminum foil strip as divider down center of heart-shaped mold.
POUR milk into medium bowl. Add dry pudding mix. Beat with wire whisk 2 minutes. Gently stir in whipped topping. Pour half of the pudding mixture into one side of mold.
ADD enough red food coloring to remaining pudding mixture to tint it desired shade of pink; pour into remaining half of mold. Carefully remove foil. Freeze 4 hours or overnight until firm. Unmold onto serving plate. Decorate with icing as desired. Store leftover dessert in freezer.


Kraft Kitchens Tips
Substitute
Prepare as directed, using JELL-O White Chocolate or Cheesecake Flavor Instant Pudding.

Tuesday, February 3, 2009

Wednesday Funny

11 PEOPLE ON A ROPE
Eleven people were hanging on a rope,under a helicopter.
10 men and 1 woman.
The rope was not strong enough to carry them all,
so they decided that one had to leave
because otherwise they were all going to fall.
They weren't able to choose that person,until the woman gave a very touching speech.
She said that she would voluntarily let go of the rope,
because,as a woman, she was used to giving up everything
for herhusband and kids or for men in general, and was
used to always making sacrifices with little in return.
As soon as she finished her speech,
all the men started clapping ......

I Couldn't Resist



I've been busy lately adding to the Sweet Treats by Maryann line. I know I'm not going to be able to ship out chocolate for very much longer, that's what happens when you live in Texas :O)




Here's a couple of new items that I just added: Wanna Be a Chunky Cups


and Party Marshmallows

You can find them listed here: www.sweettreatmaryann.etsy.com

or http://SweetTreatMaryann.artfire.com

Thanks for reading,

Maryann

Sweet Treats by Maryann

Monday, February 2, 2009

Valentine Craft Idea

This one is really cute for young children.
Box of Kisses

Materials
Small Box - small earring or matchbox,Wrapping Paper,Ribbon


Take a small box open it and get your child to 'blow kisses' inside.
Close quickly so none can escape!!
Wrap the box in gift paper and tie with some festive ribbon.

These can be given as gifts to keep or even hang them on a Christmas tree as a decoration.
Its a simple idea but very touching and what Grandma or Grandad wouldn't want something so special. You just couldn't buy that sort of gift, its priceless

Hint
Add a gift card that says "Filled with kisses from (child's name)" or have your child put a small handprint on the card.