Three Kids and Just as Many Brain Cells Left

Did You Miss Me?

2010-09-14T13:34:00.000-07:00

It has been a LONG time since I have felt the urge to blog but with Fall right around the corner I am feeling a bit nostalgic. One of my favorite things about Fall is the cooler weather and the changing of the leaves. In our family we also have a tradition of going to the pumpkin patch and picking out pumpkins, sampling the fresh apple cider and our favorite "treat yourself",apple cider donuts. This recipe is courtesy of All You magazine....guess what I'm doing next weekend?

Apple Cider Donuts
2 cups sugar
1 TB plus 2 tsp cinnamon
1 1/2 cups apple cider
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
3 1/2 cups all purpose flour
4 TB unsalted butter
2 large eggs plus 1 large egg yolk
6 cups vegetable oil for frying

Line baking sheet with parchment. Line a large plate with paper towels. In a paper bag, combine 1 cup sugar and 1 TB cinnamon, shake to mix well. Set aside.

Bring cider to a boil over medium heat. Cook stirring occasionally, until cider reduces to 1/2 cup (about 20 minutes) Let cool to room temperature.

In a large bowl whisk baking powder,salt,1 cup flour and remaining sugar and cinnamon until well combined. In a small bowl whisk butter,eggs yolk and cooled cider until well combined. Add cider mixture to flour mixture; whisk until smooth. Add remaining 2 1/2 cups flour and mix until just combined. Dough will be slightly sticky. Refrigerate 10 minutes.

Pour oil into a large pot and attach a candy thermometer to side (thermometer should not touch bottom of pot) Heat oil over medium high heat until it reaches 375, watching and adjusting as needed to keep oil from overheating.

Turn dough out onto a well floured counter top and coat fingertips with flour. Pat dough out to 1/2 inch thickness. Using a doughnut cutter or two round cookie cutters (one large and one small) cut out doughnuts and holes. Transfer both to lined baking sheet. Gather scraps and re-pat dough cutting as many doughnuts as possible.

Working in batches carefully slide doughnuts into hot oil. After about 1 minutes doughnuts will rise to surface and begin to brown. At that point turn over and fry 1 1/2 minutes longer. Transfer to lined plate to drain. Bring oil back to 375 before frying another batch. When doughnuts have cooled for a minute add to bag with cinnamon and sugar and toss to coat. Remove to clean plate and serve.

Kettle Corn

2009-11-05T07:38:00.000-08:00

just wanted to share this super-easy kettle corn recipe from Rachael Ray....my kids loved it (me too)

Kettle Corn

1/4 cup vegatable oil
1/4 cup white sugar
1 tsp salt
1/2 cup popcorn kernels

Place first three ingredients into large pot; mix up till sugar is incorporated into the oil. Add popcorn kernels.Cover pot. Heat on medium high or high heat till kernels start to pop, make sure to keep the pot moving at all times so that the corn and sugar do not burn. When popping slows turn off heat and remove from burner. Wait a minute before opening the pot lid; pour into a large bowl and enjoy!

Pay It Forward This Christmas

2009-11-03T06:19:00.000-08:00

These gift ideas do double duty; not only can you give to those on your Christmas list but also others in need.

Starbucks has their red travel mug for the holidays. a dollare from each sale goes directly to the Global Fund; an organization that fights AIDS/HIV, tuberculosis and malaria in needy countries.

Find it at most Starbucks locations or at starbucks.com $15.95

Mo Smells the Holidays~adorable scratch and sniff children's book 10% of sales go directly to the Best Friends Animal Society which supports animal shelters

Find it at retailers nationwide or mosnose.com $17.95

The Hunger Site is offering up a beautiful Turkish ceramic keepsake bowl. For each bowl purchased 25 cups of food will be donated to those in need. At $6.95 it's a steal.

Find it at thehungersite.com/store

All profits from the bay,olive,eucalytus branch wreaths are donated to Meals on Wheels.

Find them here lindsayolives.com Prices start at $30

Hot chocolate anyone? St. Jude's is offering up these incredibly cute marshmallow fudge snowman tubes for $6 each or 2 for $10
100% of the proceeds go toward finding cure for and treating pediatric cancer.

Find it at stjude.org/shop

Lucky Dog

2009-08-25T06:38:00.000-07:00

Lucky Dog.... Mary and her husband Jim had a dog named 'Lucky.' Lucky was a real character. Whenever Mary and Jim had company come for a weekend visit they would warn their friends to not leave their luggage open because Lucky would help himself to whatever struck his fancy.
Inevitably, someone would forget and something would come up missing. Mary or Jim would go to Lucky's toy box in the basement and there the treasure would be, amid all of Lucky's other favorite toys.
Lucky always stashed his finds in his toy box and he was very particular that his toys stay in the box.
It happened that Mary found out she had breast cancer. Something told her she was going to die of this disease....in fact; she was just sure it was fatal.She scheduled the double mastectomy, fear riding her shoulders.
The night before she was to go to the hospital she cuddled with Lucky. A thought struck her...what would happen to Lucky? Although the three-year-old dog liked Jim, he was Mary's dog through and through. If I die, Lucky will be abandoned, Mary thought. He won't understand that I didn't want to leave him! The thought made her sadder than thinking of her own death.
The double mastectomy was harder on Mary than her doctors had anticipated and Mary was hospitalized for over two weeks. Jim took Lucky for his evening walk faithfully, but the little dog just drooped, whining and miserable.
Finally the day came for Mary to leave the hospital. When she arrived home, Mary was so exhausted she couldn't even make it up the steps to her bedroom. Jim made his wife comfortable on the couch and left her to nap. Lucky stood watching Mary but he didn't come to her when she called. It made Mary sad but sleep soon overcame her and she dozed.
When Mary woke for a second she couldn't understand what was wrong. She couldn't move her head and her body felt heavy and hot. But panic soon gave way to laughter when Mary realized the problem.
She was covered, literally blanketed, with every treasure Lucky owned!
While she had slept, the sorrowing dog had made trip after trip to the basement bringing his beloved mistress all his favorite things in life.He had covered her with his love.
Mary forgot about dying. Instead she and Lucky began living again, walking further and further together every day.
It's been 12 years now and Mary is still cancer-free. Lucky still steals treasures and stashes them in his toy box but Mary remains his greatest treasure.

Remember.....live every day to the fullest. Each minute is a blessing from God. And never forget....the people who make a difference in our lives are not the ones with the most credentials, the most money, or the most awards. They are the ones that care for us.

Pearly Bites

2009-08-18T07:46:00.001-07:00

RECIPE INGREDIENTS:
Pink frosting
Small, round wafer cookies
Yogurt-covered raisins or peanuts
White frosting
Black food coloring
1. To make each oyster, spread a layer of pink frosting on the bottom of a small, round wafer cookie, then gently press a yogurt-covered raisin or peanut on top. Position another cookie as shown, anchoring one edge in the frosting.

2. Dab on white frosting eyes, then use a toothpick dipped in black food coloring to add pupils.

*Recipe and picture found here: http://familyfun.com

The Bee's Knees

2009-08-14T11:25:00.000-07:00

Friday's fun picks

Looking for Something Fun ?

2009-08-06T15:48:00.001-07:00

I got this recipe and idea from a great website called Kaboose
This is for Salt Dough:
2 parts flour
1 part salt
1 part water
Mix together well, if needed knead the dough. Roll out and use cookie cutters to make different shapes or make your own creations with your hands. If you want to use these little trinkets to hang on backpacks use a toothpick to make a hole big enough to fit some string through when they are done baking.
Place on cookie sheet and bake for 2-2 1/2 hours at 250 degrees. Let cool and then paint.

On a Personal Note

2009-08-05T07:49:00.000-07:00

I find myself in a very strange place right now and thought writing it out would help bring some clarity.

I'm the type of person that likes to plan things out; funny how all of my children were "surprises" :O) What occurred just recently has really thrown me a curve ball.
I knew this day would come but I didn't expect to feel so conflicted about it and quite frankly....nervous.

We decided when my oldest was two years old and we lost our sitter that it would be better if I stayed home until he was ready to go to school, less heartache and stress on the family...so we re-adjusted and low and behold right when I was about to return to the job search we found out I was pregnant. This happened twice (yes, every four years I had a baby)LOL. Now my daughter is going into first grade and I am about to return to searching. I'm not going to lie, this has me up at night. The last time I returned to work after a six month break every interview had the same question "why haven't you worked in six months?" Is anyone going to be willing to hire me after not working for 12 years? Am I going to have to take a job that I really don't want just to help contribute?

I know in the end it will all work out but for now I remain quiet and contemplaintive....

When Life Hands You Lemons....

2009-08-04T14:42:00.000-07:00

make this delicious frozen treat :O) Recipe courtesy of kraftfoods.com
This is so easy and yummy!
Frozen Lemonade Squares
What You Need!
9 HONEY MAID Low Fat Honey Grahams, finely crushed (about 1-1/4 cups)
1/3 cup margarine or butter melted
1 qt. (4 cups) frozen vanilla yogurt, softened
6 oz. (1/2 of 12-oz. can) frozen lemonade concentrate, thawed
1/2 cup thawed COOL WHIP LITE Whipped Topping
Make It!
MIX graham crumbs and margarine; press onto bottom of 9-inch square pan.

BEAT yogurt and concentrate with mixer until well blended; spread over crust.

FREEZE 4 hours or until firm. Serve topped with COOL WHIP.

Labor of Love

2009-07-31T07:03:00.001-07:00

This story begins with my Sicilian Grandmother, for whom I would walk across town every Saturday to help make the meatballs for Sunday's "gravy". She is the one responsible for my love of cooking and all things food related.

One of my most prized possessions is the hand written recipe book that my mother gave to me at my bridal shower. She had taken the time to write in several family recipes that had been passed down;even ones from Grandma's kitchen. Fast forward about 14 years and you'll find my daughter rummaging through all my recipe books to find this treasure.

This gives me an idea; what better way to leave my children a little piece of "me" than to share all our family favorites in a personalized recipe book? My children all love to cook and on many an occasion you can find them right beside me getting their hands dirty and creating their own concoctions. Each of their books is different just like their personalities and over the last year or so I've been compiling recipes and adding to the books.

See for many of us we connect over the table, share our experiences of the day,relax and just enjoy some great food ;it truly is a way of bonding. So if you wouldn't mind.....Pass the Pasta

Five Things Friday

2009-07-24T14:55:00.000-07:00

Ok, play along
5 Things Friday
I am playing along with Jean Stockdale on her blog. Jean has started a "5 Things Friday" and I am excited to participate! So this week's topic is What 5 Things Do You Not Like? So here are my 5 things:

1.I am deathly afraid of snakes, don't you bring those things around me!

2.I don't like eggplant or anything that has a slimy texture. I like my food to bite me back when I eat it LOL Gimme something crunchy.

3. Cemetaries; HATE them. They are too final and I prefer to remember people when they were happiest and not in the ground...and God forbid it is raining, you won't get me near the cemetary (don't like my feet sinking in the earth)

4.Don't like public bathrooms, you never know what is in there....YUCK! 'nuff said

5.Most people think blowing in someone's ear is romantic; NOT ME....it grosses me out when someone tries to blow in my ear. Leave it alone, only earrings belong there.

Your turn.

Fun Finds Friday

2009-07-24T06:45:00.000-07:00

these are just too much fun not to share....TGIF

Strawberry Bread

2009-07-15T13:57:00.000-07:00

Tis the season for fresh,delicious strawberries. Here's a recipe that's perfect for breakfast,snack or dessert.

3 cups fresh,ripe strawberries
3 1/8 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 cups white sugar
1/2 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup vegetable oil
4 eggs,beaten
1 cup chopped pecans* optional

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour two 9 x 5 inch loaf pans.
Dice strawberries and place in medum sized bowl. Sprinkle lightly with sugar and set aside while preparing bread mixture.

Combine flour,sugar,cinnamon,salt and baking soda in large bowl; mix well. Blend oil and eggs into strawberries. Add strawberry mixture to flour mixture, blending until until dry ingredients are just moistened. Stir in pecans. Divide batter into pans.

Bake for 45-50 minutes or until tester comes out clean. Let cool in pans on wire rack for 10 minutes. Turn loaves out and cool completely.....yummm

Christmas in July

2009-07-06T09:50:00.000-07:00

Team EEAT is celebrating Christmas in July!
July 6-11

Come WIN PRIZES in our scavenger hunt,
or just take advantage of shop discounts!
(But we know you want to do the scavenger hunt...the prizes are too good to pass up!)

PRIZES!

Grand prize: A Team EEAT Sampler Box! ($50 value)
1st Place: $10 Gift Certificate from Double Dipped Sweets
2nd Place: $5 Gift Certificate from JustBakin'
There might be more prizes, depending on # of entrants!

How to Play:
Look for the image above in the shops listed here. They will be hidden in an item listing! One listing per shop.
Email 5 of the listing Id's where you found the picture to teameeat@gmail.com
DO NOT put them in the comments please!!!

A winner will be chosen on the 12th.

Additional entries:
Go shopping! Every item purchased from a team eeat store gets you 3 entries!
Tweet or Facebook- 1 entry! Leave a comment below
Blog: 2 extra entries!

Find 5 pictures in these shops: (1 per shop)
Also- many of these shops are offering discounts!
(All discounts are before shipping)

Double Dipped Sweets - 15% discount
Just Bakin' - 10% discount
Lucky Dog Treat Company
Del Alma Bakery - 10% discount
A Thyme To Bee Comforted - 10% discount
Bears Baked Goods - 15% discount
Fancy That Cookies - 20% discount
Sweet Treats by Maryann - 10% discount
Little Snowflakes - 15% discount
Nicole's Homemade Treats - 10% discount (please wait for revised invoice)
Megs Creations - 10% discount

Other shops offering discounts only!
(no hidden pictures)

Fat Daddy Sweets - 10% discount
A Sugar Affair - 15% discount
Cakes By Sugarplums - 20% discount

The Perfect Sunday

2009-07-05T08:57:00.001-07:00

These days everything has become so hectic; my family and I have decided to take one day a week to just "re-energize" for the coming week. Here's my favorite way to spend a Sunday.

Step one; sleep in, well at least until 8:30. Normally around this time my head starts working on all kinds of ideas....see step two

Step two; whip up something really yummy (and probably not so healthy) for breakfast. This morning's recipe to follow.

Step three; brew a large pot of coffee to go along with reading the paper.

Step four; by this point I have come up with lots of new recipe ideas and head off to the grocery store to get ingredients

Step five (my favorite); head to the kitchen. Isn't it funny how many people can actually fit into one kitchen? My company consists of three very hungry and curious kids, two dogs and one very "supportive" husband :O)

As promised here is the very simple recipe that I made this morning.

Cinnamon Rolls

1 can Pillsbury Crescent Rounds
cinnamon/sugar mixture

Frosting: powdered sugar
milk

Apple mixture: large apple of your choice
2 TB butter
cinnamon/sugar mixture

Open crescent rounds and unfold, sprinkle liberally with cinnamon and sugar then roll back up. Sprinkle more cinnamon and sugar on top. Bake as directed.
Drizzle with frosting after removing from oven. Serve....

*cinnamon and sugar mixture: usually a 3/4 to 1/4 mixture of simple white sugar and ground cinnamon You can adjust to your own personal taste.

Apple mixture: in a small saucepan melt 2 TB of butter,add diced apple and sprinkle liberally with cinnamon and sugar. Simmer on low heat until the butter and sugar mix start to bubble and reduce down. I put apples on top of my cinnamon roll instead of frosting, de-lish

Enjoy your Sunday!

For the Love of Ice Cream

2009-06-17T11:23:00.000-07:00

Summer is here! My all-time favorite treat is ice cream, you know the good kind with all the creaminess and fat.Add some homemade caramel on top and I've died and gone to heaven. Move over treadmill here I come....

Custard Ice Cream Base Recipe

This custard base is used for nearly all custard ice cream recipes.

1 cups heavy whipping cream
1 cups of milk
1/3 cup + 1 tablespoon sugar (the 1 tblsp. sugar may be excluded if a lighter ice cream is desired.)
2 egg yolks (recipes often call for 3 egg yolks, some people enjoy a heavier/ eggier taste, while others don't. It's really just preference)

1) Heat the milk, cream, and 1/3 cup sugar in a saucepan. Stir until mixture is hot and
all the sugar has dissolved

2) Whisk the egg yolks and 1 tablespoon sugar in a seperate bowl. Add one cup
of the hot liquid to the egg yolks (making sure to poor slowly and stir / whisk) Then, pour the mixture back into the sauce pan while continually stirring the mixture (all the stirring is so that the eggs don't cook, you don't want little pieces of scrambled eggs in your ice cream!)

3)Cook the mixture over medium heat until it thickens slightly and coats the back of a wooden spoon (stir constantly and do not allow to boil, or mixture will curdle). Mixture should take around
5 minutes to thicken. (warning!! 5 minutes is a very rough approximation, it may just take one minute. One tip for knowing when it has thickened is by leaning the pan to the side a little, so you can see the bottom; drag your spoon against the bottom / side, and you should be able to see if the mixture has thickened if a clean streak remains. Don't worry if you notice quite a bit of curdled mixture on the bottom, it will be able to be strained out. This is the hardest part of making a cream based ice cream, and it just takes a little practice.) Now strain the custard ice cream base into a clean bowl and use as directed in recipes.

-This ice cream base can also be made into a simple ice cream with no additional flavorings.
-the milk to cream ratio can be adjusted depending on if you want your ice cream to be more
or less rich.

Vanilla Ice Cream Recipe

1 recipe custard base
1 vanilla bean(split), or 1 tablespoon vanilla extract.

Add the vanilla bean to the milk, cream, and sugar when making the custard base. After
straining the whole mixture scrape in the vanilla seeds.If using extract just add to the end of the cooking procedure.

Asparagus the "New Green"

2009-06-10T11:27:00.001-07:00

I came across asparagus for the first time two years ago at a wedding. I had never tried it before but figured it was about time. That's when my love affair started.

Here are some facts about this yum,yum,yummy veggie:

Asparagus is a nutrient-dense food which is high in folic acid and is a good source of potassium, fiber, vitamin B6, vitamins A and C, and thiamin.

Asparagus has no fat, contains no cholesterol and is low in sodium.

It takes two years before you can harvest any crop from an asparagus plant.

Asparagus is a member of the Lily family.

The larger the diameter; the better the quality.

Read on for a delicious recipe....

Asparagus Avacado Medley
*courtesy of Allrecipes.com

INGREDIENTS
1 pound fresh asparagus, trimmed and cut into 1 1/2 inch pieces
8 fresh mushrooms, sliced
1 large ripe avocado, peeled and cubed
1 medium zucchini, diced
1 large tomato, seeded and chopped
1 medium red onion, sliced
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons olive or canola oil
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper

DIRECTIONS
Place asparagus and 2 tablespoons water in a microwave-safe dish. Cover and microwave on high for 3-6 minutes or until crisp-tender, stirring once; drain and cool.
In a large bowl, combine the asparagus, mushrooms, avocado, zucchini, tomato and onion; toss gently. In a jar with a tight-fitting lid, combine the remaining ingredients; shake well. Pour over salad and toss gently to coat. Cover and refrigerate until serving.
FOOTNOTES
This recipe was tested with an 850-watt microwave.

Just Added

2009-06-05T14:26:00.000-07:00

for your tummy's pleasure

Simply Lime Cookies

Double Chip Cookies
Maryann

Sweet Treats by Maryann

http://sweettreatmaryann.etsy.com/

Lighter Macaroni Salad

2009-05-29T16:42:00.000-07:00

this summer staple has been lightened up and still tastes fabulous~you can also omit the eggs

What You Need!
1-3/4 cups (8 oz.) multi-grain macaroni, uncooked
3 cups small broccoli florets
1 red pepper, chopped
1 cup KRAFT Mayo with Olive Oil Reduced Fat Mayonnaise
1/4 cup Reduced Fat Sour Cream
2 Tbsp. Dijon Mustard
2 hard-cooked eggs, chopped
Make It!
COOK macaroni in large saucepan as directed on package, adding vegetables to the boiling water for the last 2 min.; drain. Rinse with cold water; drain well.

MIX mayo, sour cream and mustard in large bowl. Stir in macaroni mixture and eggs.

REFRIGERATE 2 hours or until chilled.
Recipe and pic courtesy of Kraft Kitchens
www.kraftkitchens.com

Wanna Go Play....

2009-05-29T11:55:00.000-07:00

in the garden? I do, I do

Edible Arts Team Sampler Boxes~ON SALE NOW

2009-05-27T09:11:00.000-07:00

Announcing Edible Arts Team Sampler Boxes!
Can't decide what to buy?Too many shops making you drool?Well, no more worries! Here is your opportunity to try many different sellers at once!

Introducing...The Etsy Edible Arts Team Sampler! (The boxes will not look like this!)

ALL PROCEEDS GO TO:The Great American Bake Sale! 100% of the funds we raise go to help FEED KIDS!

The boxes include treats from up to 15 of our Team Members!

A Sugar Affair

Double Dipped Sweets

Just Bakin'

Caramel Jubilee

Vintage Confections

Del Alma Bakery

Sweet Treat Maryann

Sugar Smitten

A Thyme 2 b Comforted

Fancy That Cookies

Le Bella Caramella

Sweet Lollipop Shop

Ciao Hound (Pet Treats)

Megs Creations

Fortune Cookie Cafe

Boxes go on Sale this week! Buy them HERE (on sale now;hurry, limited quantities)Please help feed KIDS by feeding yourself! The Boxes will make a terrific Father's Day gift!

Farmer's Market

2009-05-22T08:07:00.000-07:00

There is no better season than summer for fresh fruits and vegatables. When I lived in New Jersey there was a fabulous farmer's market three miles away and there was no denying they had the BEST summer corn and tomatoes.

Now that I'm getting older and fighting hard to win the battle of gravity, I have been trying to be much better to my body. This includes eating much more fresh fruits and veggies and organics.

Here in Texas I have fallen in love with my local farmer's market Sprouts and Central Market. I love how I can walk into the produce section, ask for a sample of something new and the produce manager has no problem cutting open the absolutely scrumptious apple sitting in the bin.

So in hind sight, go check out your local farmer's market, make friends with the farmers, support the American economy and do something good for your body.....you may just decide that you like healthy food :O)

Find your local markets here: www.localharvest.org/

Foods That Help Your Skin

2009-05-20T08:54:00.000-07:00

May is national skin-care awareness month, so before you bust out the bikini, take a good look at your birthday suit. If you have moles that are an odd shape or color, or larger than a pencil eraser, see a doctor to rule out melanoma, the deadliest form of skin cancer.
We all know to wear sunscreen, but SPF 30 isn't the only way to protect your skin this summer. There's UV-fighting artillery stationed in your fridge and fruit bowl, too.
Watermelon Grab some watermelon—the beta-carotene and lycopene increases your protection against harmful UV rays from the inside out. Both vitamins settle into skin's outer layer, where their antioxidant action helps repair cells damaged by sunlight. In one French study, the dueling duo helped improve markers of skin defense against UV rays by as much as 20 percent. V8 juice is a source of both nutrients--just make yours is the low-sodium version to reduce belly bloat.
Orange peels The outer peel contains d-limonene, the mortal enemy of UV rays everywhere. A University of Arizona study found that eating one teaspoon of orange peel per week reduced skin cancer risk by 30 percent. Don't want to eat an orange peel? Grate one into your salad or salsa.
Broccoli Researchers at John Hopkins University found that skin treated with an extract of newly sprouted broccoli seeds and then exposed to UV radiation had 38 percent less redness and swelling then untreated skin--and remained protected for several days.
Green tea When it's hot, the bionic brew releases catechins, a type of antioxidant with proven anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer properties. (The tea's antioxidants start to degrade as it cools, so drink it while it's hot.) A 2007 study in The Journal of Nutritional Biochemistry found that drinking two to six cups a day not only helps prevent skin cancer but may reverse the effects of sun damage by neutralizing the changes that appear in sun-exposed skin.

~article courtesy of Women's Health magazine

Friendly Household Reminder

2009-05-18T13:35:00.000-07:00

Check the expiration dates on packages like pancakes and cake mixes that have yeast which over time develop spores. Apparently, the mold that forms in old mixes can be toxic! Throw away ALL OUTDATED pancake mix, brownie mixes,Bisquick, cake & cookie mixes, etc., you have in your home.

Your tummy and tastebuds will thank you.

And the Winner Is.....

2009-05-17T12:34:00.000-07:00

Congratulations to Katie! She is the winner of the 1/2 dozen red velvet cookies...

Enjoy!

Round One Giveaway~1/2 Dozen Red Velvet Cookies

2009-05-13T12:25:00.000-07:00

so, are you ready?.....Want to try out some red velvet cookies? Here's what you gotta do to earn some entries:

Stop by my Etsy shop and check out what I've been mixing up, come back here and leave me a comment on what YOUR favorite "sweet treat" is.

You can also earn additional entries by Twittering about this blog post or following my blog.....

come on, you know you want to try some of these cookies :O)

Winner will be announced on Sunday May 17th!

http://sweettreatmaryann.etsy.com

Grilled Corn Salad

2009-05-12T07:11:00.000-07:00

This one is super easy and perfect for the summer grilling season ahead. I like mine with peppers and green beans but you can substitute any of your favorite veggies.

3/4 cup Zesty Italian Dressing, divided
1/4 cup yellow mustard
4 ears corn on the cob, husks and silk removed
1/2 lb. fresh green beans, trimmed, quartered and cooked
1 green pepper,diced
1 red pepper,diced
2 tomatoes, cut into wedges
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil

HEAT grill to low heat.
MIX 1/4 cup dressing and mustard in shallow dish until well blended. Add corn; turn to evenly coat. Transfer corn to grill; reserve dressing mixture.
GRILL corn 15 to 20 min. or until tender, turning and brushing occasionally with reserved dressing mixture. Remove corn from grill; cool. Cut corn from cobs; place in large bowl.
ADD beans, peppers, tomatoes, basil and remaining dressing; mix well.

New Recipe to Share

2009-04-28T10:55:00.001-07:00

Super easy recipe for those very busy nights

BBQ Shrimp and Pineapple Kabobs
*courtesy of Kraft Kitchens

6 large shrimp (1/4 lb.), peeled, deveined
6 chunks fresh pineapple (1-1/2 inch)
6 squares green pepper (1-1/2 inch)
6 wedges onion (1-inch wide)
1/4 cup KRAFT Teriyaki Sesame Ginger Barbecue Sauce

PREHEAT grill to medium-high heat. Using four long wooden skewers, place two skewers, side-by-side on clean work surface.
THREAD shrimp onto each set of two parallel skewers alternately with the pineapple, peppers and onions. (You will have two kabobs.)
GRILL kabobs 4 to 6 min. or until shrimp turn pink, turning and brushing occasionally with the barbecue sauce. Serve over hot cooked rice.
~Double the recipe to feed four. Add a fresh garden salad and you've got a great,healthy meal.

Update....

2009-04-28T07:02:00.000-07:00

So this blog has been sorely lacking over the last few weeks for this I apologize. Life has taken me on yet another wild roller coaster ride. Lots of family "stuff" going on that has just about pushed me over the edge....but I'm resilient and I'm not giving up without a fight :O)

Got some good news though; with all the chaos I have decided to "down-size". I'm putting all my efforts into my Etsy shop. That being said I know that my shop is in need of a face lift...I've pulled the chocolate items due to the extreme tempuratures here in north Texas, I'll be adding new "shipping friendly" items for the summer months. Cookies,brownies and fudge are on the horizon. I will also be working on taking better pictures for the site; this just might kill me. Taking the pictures will require me to be baking up a storm.....here's where the good part comes in for you

As I bake and re-take the pics I will be having lots of extra goodies laying around (not good for my waistline) which in turn means EDIBLES GIVEAWAY....stay tuned for the first round.Tell your friends!

Today's Theme~Earth Friendly

2009-04-04T19:33:00.001-07:00

With Earth Day just around the corner today's theme is "Earth-friendly". Here are few items that I found quite interesting while browsing Artfire. Happy tree hugging!

From polkadotsandposies~

Found here: http://www.artfire.com/modules.php?name=ViewListing&product_id=130044

Here's one from ficklefaerie~

Found here: http://www.artfire.com/modules.php?name=ViewListing&product_id=100315

and other from enchanteddandelions~

Found here:http://www.artfire.com/modules.php?name=ViewListing&product_id=159794

One last one from artsyfartsymommy

Found here: http://www.artfire.com/modules.php?name=ViewListing&product_id=62527

If you haven't checked out Artfire yet, you really should. There are SO many very talented artisans waiting to be "discovered".

http://www.artfire.com/

What to Do On a Rainy Day

2009-03-25T15:15:00.000-07:00

Here's what we do in our house when we can't go outside to play....we play in the kitchen. My son helped make and form these "cool" rice crispy treats. Then we ate the evidence :O)

Lucky Dog Treat Company

2009-03-17T06:53:00.000-07:00

Have you got furry friends at home? Well my friend Marlene at
http://www.luckydogtreatcompany.etsy.com/
is celebrating her one year anniversary today only. Her entire shop is 1/2 off! So if you're in need of some yummy treats for your four legged friends TODAY is the day to stop in.

Buddy and Trixie approved

Pizza Fiasco

2009-03-15T10:44:00.000-07:00

Sigh.....one of my favorite memories of growing up was when my Mom used to make home-made pizza. It was by far my favorite Friday night dinner.

I think I am probably the only Italian in the world that cannot make a really good home-made pizza. Now my culinary skills have come a great distance since I first got married and most everything I "mix up" is very good (ask my husband and kids)But for some reason this art of making pizza has escaped me once again.

Last night I tried yet again. I bought a really yummy dough from our local farmer's market; I just don't have the time or the patience to wait for home made dough to rise and so forth. Fresh mozzarella that I hand grated and organic tomato basil sauce. The workings were all there.....

Fast forward to 6 pm, we all all very hungry. I prep the pan, roll out and stretch the dough,top with sauce and hand grated cheese,drizzle with extra virgin olive oil and place it in the oven. Twelve minutes later all looks and smells great; there's only one problem, I can't get it out of the pan.
The kids are looking at me, their mouths hanging open with great anticipation......I'm trying to chizzle it out. Now I'm thinking to myself I prepped the pan with cornmeal and all,what went wrong this time?

It did taste good, the parts that we managed to remove LOL
Guess it's back to the drawing board for this one. I am determined to get this right...eventually

Hey it only took me eight years to get the perfect lasagna down :O)

What's In My Favorites?

2009-03-13T10:39:00.000-07:00

At the moment I'm longing for Spring. I can't wait until everything turns green again

WooHoo Another Giveaway!

2009-03-11T07:10:00.000-07:00

Welcome to all readers! Team EEAT has joined forces with the Spring Fling giveaway from The Sits Girls to offer you some fantastic goodies!
PRIZES

2 winners will split these goodies: chocolate covered cherries,toffee fudge brownies,caveman spices,hummus,white chocolate lemon bars, and a turtle caramel apple ! Winners announced on March 16, 2009

Here is what you do:

Visit our main website: Edible Art Team and take a look around! Click on all the yummy pics, drool a little...just find your way back to this blog to comment!You can get extra entries by:

*Following either blog. Make sure you leave a comment saying that you are following!

*Putting our button on your blog:

*Blogging about us on your blog!

Leave a comment with your blog address!Have fun!

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

2009-02-27T15:02:00.000-08:00

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.

Firecracker Grilled Alaskan Salmon

2009-02-26T06:33:00.000-08:00

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

2009-02-26T06:27:00.000-08:00

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.

New Addition to Sweet Treats by Maryann

2009-02-24T09:41:00.001-08:00

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

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

Maryann

Household Heroes

2009-02-23T11:03:00.000-08:00

*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.

It's Time Once Again....

2009-02-20T06:39:00.001-08:00

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?

http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5614445

*Photo is property of TwistedRiverClay please do not use without their permission

Double Tomato Brushetta

2009-02-19T08:27:00.000-08:00

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's Funny

2009-02-18T07:03:00.001-08:00

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!"

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

2009-02-17T05:28:00.000-08:00

to a fabulous site
www.EnchantedMakeovers.org

Team EEAT Friday Food Fest

2009-02-17T05:07:00.000-08:00

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

Today's Friday Favorites

2009-02-13T06:47:00.000-08:00

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/

Dark Chocolate Souffle Cake

2009-02-12T05:24:00.001-08:00

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 Kahlúa (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 Kahlúa 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.

Think About It...

2009-02-11T08:33:00.000-08:00

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.

New Listing ~Charity Item

2009-02-09T08:34:00.000-08:00

please check it out, this one's for Elliott and Henry

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=20838776

Maryann

Sweet Treats by Maryann

http://www.sweettreatmaryann.etsy.com/

http://sweettreatmaryann.artfire.com/

Friday Favorite~Valentines Edition

2009-02-05T07:17:00.000-08:00

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.

Another Blog Giveaway

2009-02-04T19:58:00.000-08:00

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

2009-02-04T16:11:00.000-08:00

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.

Wednesday Funny

2009-02-03T16:00:00.000-08:00

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

2009-02-03T10:51:00.000-08:00

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

Valentine Craft Idea

2009-02-02T14:07:00.000-08:00

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.

Friday's Favorite

2009-01-29T17:32:00.000-08:00

Once again it's time for another "favorite" Friday.

This week I chose DevinPrather; Devin makes some of the cutest cards that I've ever seen, like this one

Want to see some more great creations? You can find them here: http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5646641

This photo is the property of DevinPrather please do not use without permission.

If you would like me to feature one of your products on this blog, leave me a comment with your shop address. I'm always looking for new and exciting items.

New England Clam Chowder

2009-01-29T17:19:00.000-08:00

for this one I'm going back to my roots...hope you enjoy

Ingredients
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 cup diced onion
1/2 cup diced celery
2 cups (1/2-inch) cubed peeled Yukon gold or baking potato (about 3/4 pound)
1 cup chicken broth
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
1 (8-ounce) bottle clam juice
1 bay leaf
1 cup fat free half and half
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 (6 1/2-ounce) can minced clams, undrained
Chopped fresh parsley (optional)

Preparation

Heat olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and celery, and sauté 5 minutes or until onion is soft. Stir in potato and next 5 ingredients (potato through bay leaf). Bring to a boil; cover, reduce heat, and simmer 12 minutes or until potato is tender.
Combine half and half and flour in a small bowl, stirring with a whisk until smooth. Add flour mixture and clams to saucepan, and bring to a simmer. Cook 2 minutes or until mixture begins to thicken, stirring frequently. Discard bay leaf. Ladle soup into bowls; garnish with chopped parsley, if desired.

Wednesday's Funny~Pillsbury Dough Boy's Obituary

2009-01-28T05:52:00.000-08:00

Veteran Pillsbury spokesman Pop N. Fresh died yesterday of a severe yeast infection. He was 71. Known to friends as Brown-n-Serve, Fresh was an avid gardener and tennis player. Fresh was buried in one of the largest funeral ceremonies in recent years. Dozens of celebrities turned out including Mrs. Butterworth, the California Raisins, Hungry Jack, Aunt Jemima, Betty Crocker, the Hostess Twinkies, and Skippy. The graveside was piled high with flours as longtime friend Aunt Jemima delivered the eulogy, describing Fresh as a man who "never knew how much he was kneaded." Fresh rose quickly in show business, but his later life was filled with many turnovers. He was not considered a very smart cookie, wasting much of his dough on half-baked schemes -- conned by those who buttered him up. Still, even as a crusty old man, he was a roll model for millions. Fresh is survived by his second wife. They have two children and another bun in the oven. The funeral was held at 350 for about 20 minutes.

Giveaway,Giveaway,Giveaway

2009-01-27T11:39:00.000-08:00

My friend Krista from DoubleDippedSweets is having a giveaway.......you NEED to check this one out!
More info here:
http://doubledippedsweets.blogspot.com/2009/01/new-year-giveaway.html

Team EEAT Bake Sale

2009-01-26T10:17:00.000-08:00

Come join Team EEAT for a virtual bake sale, this Wednesday January 28th in the Virtual Labs of Etsy 8pm EST Come meet and greet some very talented members of Team EEAT. Check out this blog for more details: http://etsyedibleartsteam.blogspot.com/

Favorite Friday

2009-01-22T18:12:00.000-08:00

Today's featured seller is AAE-artglass. Tanya's pieces are so unique and beautiful I had a hard time picking one as my favorite. So here's the one that I picked, perfect for that special Valentine in your life, or treat yourself :O)

http://www.artfire.com/modules.php?name=Shop&seller_id=15704

This photo is the property of AAE-artglass please do not use without permission.

Spicy Chicken Soup

2009-01-21T14:40:00.000-08:00

'tis the season for soup, one of my favorite things to warm me up on a cold winter's day

You can also modify this one to suit your tastes.

INGREDIENTS (Nutrition)
2 quarts water
8 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon garlic powder
2 tablespoons dried parsley
1 tablespoon onion powder
5 cubes chicken bouillon
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 (16 ounce) jar chunky salsa
2 (14.5 ounce) cans peeled and diced tomatoes
1 (14.5 ounce) can whole peeled tomatoes
1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed tomato soup
3 tablespoons chili powder
1 (15 ounce) can whole kernel corn, drained
2 (16 ounce) cans chili beans, undrained
1 (8 ounce) container sour cream

DIRECTIONS
In a large pot over medium heat, combine water, chicken, salt, pepper, garlic powder, parsley, onion powder and bouillon cubes. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer 1 hour, or until chicken juices run clear. Remove chicken, reserve broth. Shred chicken.
In a large pot over medium heat, cook onion and garlic in olive oil until slightly browned. Stir in salsa, diced tomatoes, whole tomatoes, tomato soup, chili powder, corn, chili beans, sour cream, shredded chicken and 5 cups broth. Simmer 30 minutes.

Joke of the Day

2009-01-21T14:32:00.000-08:00

A new teacher tries to make use of her psychology courses. The first day of class, she starts by saying, "Everyone who thinks they're stupid, stand up!"
After a few seconds, Little Johnny stands up. The teacher asks, "Do you think you're stupid, Johnny?""No, ma'am, but I hate to see you standing there all by yourself."

Team EEAT is Having a Bake Sale

2009-01-20T07:18:00.000-08:00

Team EEAT presents our Virtual Valentine's Bake Sale!
Held on January, 28th, 2009 in Esty's Virtual Labs at 8pm EST!
Come see our team members present their beautiful work. There will be great contests, sales, and amazing giveaways! Start shopping early by searching for "team eeat"!

Why should I come? Trivia Questions! Answer a Valentines day trivia question, and win a $5 gift credit in a Team members shop!

Giveaway! We will be giving away a grand prize worth over $100! Plus, 2 prizes worth $20 each! Prizes will be delivered just in time for Valentines Day!
Blog post coming soon on ways to enter!Get your Valentines Day shopping done early!Sales offered:
JustBakin'FREE Chocolate Cookies with every order.

LuckyDogTreatCompanyFREE bag of treats of Lucky's choice with any sized order!

DoubleDippedSweetsBuy one get one 50% off!Equal or lesser value applies; full shipping charges incurred.

SweetTreatMaryannFREE Chocolate Covered Grahams (3) with a purchase of any size

ASugarAffair1/2 dozen chocolate covered oreos with with each product bought

athyme2bcomfortedBOGO half off of equal or lesser valueFREE shipping with orders of $100 or more!

DelectableDelightsFor the Love of Chocolate25% off all chocolate covered items10% off everything else

LittleSnowflakes3 FREE Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Truffles with Each Order**Order is refers to a completed Credit Card Transaction

CiaoHound20% off your purchase, before shipping!FREE priority shipping for orders over $15

CakesbySugarPlums2 FREE Boston Cream Pie Cupcakes with any purchase

BearsBakedGoods25% off all items, before shipping!
Stay tuned for more great sales!

Good To Know

2009-01-18T13:52:00.000-08:00

By now, I suspect everyone is familiar with _WWW.snopes.Com_ (http://www.snopes.com/) and/or_WWW.truthorfiction.Com_ (http://www.truthorfiction.com/) for determining whether information received via email is just that: true/false or fact/fiction.
Both are excellent sites. I received the advice below from one of my correspondents today.Advice from Snopes.com
MEMORIZE THIS!1) Any time you see an E-Mail that says forward this on to '10' of your friends, sign this petition, or you'll get bad luck, good luck, or whatever, it almost always has an E-Mail tracker program attached that tracks the cookies and E-Mails of those folks you forward to. The host sender is getting a copy each time it gets forwarded and then is able to get lists of 'active' E-Mails addresses to use in SPAM E-Mails, or sell to other spammers.

2) Almost all E-Mails that ask you to add your name and forward on to others are similar to that mass letter years ago that asked people to send business cards to the little kid in Florida who wanted to break the Guinness Book of Records for the most cards. All it was, and all any of this type of E-Mail is, is a way to get names and 'cookie' tracking information for telemarketers and spammers - - to validate active E-Mail accounts for their own profitable purposes. You can do your friends and family members a GREAT favor by sending this information to them; you will be providing a service to your friends, and will be rewarded by not getting thousands of spam E-Mails in the future!
If you have been sending out (FORWARDING) the above kinds of E-Mail, now you know why you get so much SPAM! Do yourself a favor and STOP adding your name(s) to those types of listings regardless how inviting they might sound!You may think you are supporting a GREAT cause, but you are NOT in the long run. Instead, you will be getting tons of junk mail later! Plus, we are helping the spammers get rich! Let's don't make it easy for them!

Also: E-Mail petitions are NOT acceptable to the Government or any other organization. To be acceptable, petitions must have a signed signature and full address of the person signing the petition. Read the full story here: _http://www.snopes.com/inboxer/petition/internet.asp_ (http://www.snopes.com/inboxer/petition/internet.asp)

Coffee Filters

2009-01-18T12:21:00.000-08:00

We are all trying to stretch our dollars, here are a few extra uses for coffee filters.

Helpful household tip of the week.

1. Cover bowls or dishes when cooking in the microwave. Coffee filters make excellent covers.

2. Clean windows and mirrors. Coffee filters are lint-free so they'll leave windows sparkling.

3. protect China . Separate your good dishes by putting a coffee filter between each dish.

4. Filter broken cork from wine. If you break the cork when opening a wine bottle, filter the wine through a coffee filter.

5. Protect a cast-iron skillet. Place a coffee filter in the skillet to absorb moisture and prevent rust.

6. Apply shoe polish. Ball up a lint-free coffee filter.

7. Recycle frying oil.After frying, strain oil through a sieve lined with a coffee filter.

8. Weigh chopped foods.Place chopped ingredients in a coffee filter on a kitchen scale.

9. Hold tacos. Coffee filters make convenient wrappers for messy foods.

10. Stop the soil from leaking out of a plant pot. Line a plant pot with a coffee filter to prevent the soil from going through the drainage holes.

11. Prevent a popsicle from dripping. Poke one or two holes as needed in a coffee filter.

12. Do you think we used expensive strips to wax eyebrows?? Use strips of coffee filters.

13. Put a few in a plate and put your fried bacon, french fries, chicken fingers, etc on them. Soaks out all the grease.

14. Keep in the bathroom. They make great razor nick fixers.

Will You Give This to My Daddy?

2009-01-17T06:21:00.000-08:00

Will you give this to my Daddy?
As a Company, Southwest Airlines is going to support 'Red Fridays.'
Last week I was in Atlanta , Georgia attending a conference. While I was in the airport, returning home, I heard several people behind me beginning to clap and cheer. I immediately turned around and witnessed one of the greatest acts of patriotism I have ever seen.
Moving thru the terminal was a group of soldiers in their camos. As they began heading to their gate, everyone (well almost everyone) was abruptly to their feet with their hands waving and cheering.When I saw the soldiers , probably 30-40 of them, being applauded and cheered for, it hit me. I'm not alone.
I'm not the only red-blooded American who still loves this country and supports our troops and their families.Of course I immediately stopped and began clapping for these young unsung heroes who are putting their lives on the line everyday for us so we can go to school, work and home without fear or reprisal.
Just when I thought I could not be more proud of my country or of our Service men and women, a young girl, not more than 6 or 7 years old ran up to one of the male soldiers. He kneeled down and said 'hi.'The little girl then asked him if he would give something to her daddy for her.The young soldier, who didn't look any older than maybe 22 himself, said he would try and what did she want to give to her daddy. Then suddenly the little girl grabbed the neck of this soldier, gave him the biggest hug she could muster and then kissed him on the cheek.
The mother of the little girl, who said her daughter's name was Courtney, told the young soldier that her husband was a Marine and had been in Iraq for 11 months now. As the mom was explaining how much her daughter Courtney missed her father, the young soldier began to tear up. When this temporarily single mom was done explaining her situation, all of the soldiers huddled together for a brief second. Then one of the other servicemen pulled out a military-looking walkie-talkie. They started playing with the device and talking back and forth on it.After about 10-15 seconds of this, the young soldier walked back over to Courtney, bent down and said this to her, 'I spoke to your daddy and he told me to give this to you.' He then hugged this little girl that he had just met and gave her a kiss on the cheek He finished by saying 'your daddy told me to tell you that he loves you more than anything and he is coming home very soon.'
The mom at this point was crying almost uncontrollably and as the young soldier stood to his feet, he saluted Courtney and her mom. I was standing no more than 6 feet away from this entire event.As the soldiers began to leave, heading towards their gate, people resumed their applause. As I stood there applauding and looked around, there were very few dry eyes, including my own. That young soldier in one last act of selflessness turned around and blew a kiss to Courtney with a tear rolling down his cheek.We need to remember everyday all of our soldiers and their families and thank God for them and their sacrifices. At the end of the day, it's good to be an American.
RED FRIDAYS ----- Very soon, you will see a great many people wearing red every Friday.20The reason? Americans who support our troops used to be called the 'silent majority'. We are no longer silent, and are voicing our love for God, countr y and home in record breaking numbers.We are not organized, boisterous or over-bearing.. We get no liberal media coverage on TV, to reflect our message or our opinions. Many Americans, like you, me and all our friends, simply want to recognize that the vast majority of America supports our troops.Our idea of showing solidarity and support for our troops with dignity and respect starts this Friday - and continues each and every Friday until the troops all come home, sending a deafening message that.. Every red-blooded American who supports our men and women afar will wearSomething red.By word of mouth, press, TV -- let's make the United States on every Friday a sea of red much like a homecoming football game in the bleachers.If every one of us who loves this country will share this with acquaintances, co-workers, friends, and family. It will not be long before the USA is covered in RED and it will let our troops know the once 'silent' majority is on their side more than ever; certainly more than the media lets on.The first thing a soldier says when asked 'What can we do to make things better for you?' is...We need your support and your prayers.Let's get the word out and lead with class and dignity, by example; and wear something red every Friday.

Friday Favorites

2009-01-15T15:00:00.000-08:00

Keeping things interesting, I'm featuring some of my favorite things on Fridays. If you would like me to feature one of your items just leave me a comment with your shop address.

To start off, here's one of my favorite totes made by creativejenv, you can find her on Artfire. I have a couple of her totes and I love them. If you love purses like I do you are sure to find something you like.

http://www.artfire.com/modules.php?name=ViewListing&product_id=37065

This photo is the property of creativejenv please do not copy without her permission.

Tasty Thursday~Today's Recipe

2009-01-15T06:38:00.000-08:00

Baked Honey Mustard Chicken

~seems like everyone is always in search a another great chicken recipe, my family loves this one

INGREDIENTS serves 6
6 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup prepared mustard
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon dried parsley

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
Sprinkle chicken breasts with salt and pepper to taste, and place in a lightly greased 9x13 inch baking dish. In a small bowl, combine the honey, mustard, basil, paprika, and parsley. Mix well. Pour 1/2 of this mixture over the chicken, and brush to cover.
Bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes. Turn chicken pieces over and brush with the remaining 1/2 of the honey mustard mixture. Bake for an additional 10 to 15 minutes, or until chicken is no longer pink and juices run clear. Let cool 10 minutes before serving. Enjoy!

Recipe courtesy of allrecipes.com

I'm Out of the Box

2009-01-14T08:24:00.000-08:00

I was approached today by Out of the Box. What is out of the box you say, well it's a sampler box that goes on sale on the 16th of each month. Each box is filled to the brim with samples sent in by lots of different "etailers" I'll be in the box for March.Curious? Come and check it out:

www.outoftheboxsampler.com

Maryann

Sweet Treats by Maryann

www.sweettreatmaryann.etsy.com

Healthy Choice Thursday

2009-01-08T07:00:00.000-08:00

I thought I would start up a recipe series for those who are trying to make healthier choices in their diets. Today's "food for thought"

Egg White Veggie Omelette

What you'll need:
3 egg whites
veggies of your choice~my favorite combo is mushrooms,broccoli,tomatoes and green peppers
salt and pepper to taste
Non stick cooking spray

First cut up your veggies and set aside. Meanwhile spray your skillet with non stick spray.
In a separate bowl scramble your egg white and add a TB of water , salt and pepper to taste.
Start heating your pan on medium heat, when warm add eggs and dump your veggies on top. Cook through, about 5-6 minutes. Plate up your creation and enjoy!

Who says healthy eating has to taste bad :O)

Time for a Laugh

2009-01-05T17:51:00.000-08:00

Those of us over the age of 30 will appreciate this one...enjoy and relive your childhood

THE SPOILED UNDER-30 CROWD!!!
If you are 30 or older you will think this is hilarious!!!!
When I was a kid, adults used to bore me to tears
With their tedious diatribes about how hard things were. When they were growing up; what with walking Twenty-five miles to school every morning
... Uphill...
BOTH ways
Yadda, yadda, yadda
And I remember promising myself that when I grew up,
There was no way in hell I was going to lay
A bunch of crap like that on kids about how hard I had
And how easy they've got it!
But now that... I'm over the ripe old age of
Thirty, I can't help but look around and notice the youth of today.
You've got it so easy! I mean, compared to my
Childhood, you live in a damn Utopia!
And I hate to say it but you kids today you
Don't know how good you've got it!
I mean, when I was a kid we didn ' t have The Internet. If we wanted to know something, We had to go to the damn library and
Look it up ourselves, in the card catalogue!!
There was no email!! We had to actually write
Somebody a letter, with a pen!
...Then you had to walk all the way across the street and put it in the mailbox and it would take like a week to get there!
There were no MP3 ' s or Napsters! If you wanted to
Steal music, you had to hitchhike to the damn record store and shoplift it yourself! Or you had to wait around all day to tape it off the radio and the DJ would usually talk over the beginning and @#*% it all up!
We didn't have fancy crap like Call Waiting! If you
Were on the phone and somebody else called they got a busy signal, that ' s it! And we didn't have fancy Caller ID either!
When the phone rang, you had no idea who it was! It could be your school, Your mom, your boss, your Bookie, your drug dealer, a collections agent, you
Just didn't know!!! You had to pick it up and take your chances, mister!
We didn ' t have any fancy Sony Playstation video
Games with high-resolution 3-D graphics! We had the Atari 2600! With games Like ' Space Invaders ' and ' asteroids ' . Your guy was a little square! You
Actually had to use your Imagination!! And there were no multiple levels or Screens, it was just one screen
Forever!
And you could never win. The game just kept getting
Harder and harder and
Faster and faster until you died! Just like LIFE!
Sure, we had cable television, but back then that
Was only m-net And there was no on screen menu and no remote Control! You had to use a Little book called a TV Guide to find out what was
On! You were screwed when it Came to channel surfing! You had to get off Your ass and walk over to the TV to change the Channel and there was no
Cartoon Network either! You could only get cartoons
On Saturday Morning. Do you Hear what I ' m saying!?! We had to wait ALL WEEK For cartoons, you spoiled
Little rat-bastards!
And we didn ' t have microwaves, if we wanted to heat
Something up we had t o use the stove ... Imagine that!
If we wanted Popcorn, we had to use that stupid Jiffy Pop thing
And shake it over the stove forever like an idiot.
That ' s exactly what I ' m talking about! You kids
Today have got it too easy.
You are SO spoiled. You guys wouldn ' t have lasted
Five minutes back in 1980!
Regards, The over 30 Crowd (Send this to someone you ' d like to make smile, Whether they are under 30 or not.

Quote of the Day

2009-01-04T07:45:00.001-08:00

"If you want to be happy, set a goal that commands your thoughts, liberates your energy, and inspires your hopes." - Andrew Carnegie

Another Site You May Be Interested In

2008-12-29T14:50:00.000-08:00

For some great recipes and tips come check out:
http://cheftomcooks.com

My Studio on Artfire

2008-12-29T14:36:00.000-08:00

Store not available

Artfire

2008-12-28T15:03:00.000-08:00

Now you can find me and my "sweet treats" at:
http://SweetTreatMaryann.artfire.com
Come on by and check out what all the buzz is about....

New Site Worth Checking Out

2008-12-15T17:51:00.000-08:00

if you're an animal lover like me, please click to help feed shelter animals....it's FREE
www.animalrescuesite.com

Spinach Artichoke Dip

2008-12-07T08:25:00.000-08:00

this is one of my favorites on game day~this healthy version brought to you courtesy of Sprouts Farmers Market

1 cup nonfat plain yogurt
9 ounces baby spinach leaves
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
1/2 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella
2 TB canola mayonnaise
2 cloves crushed garlic
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon hot pepper sauce
1 14 oz can quartered artichokes hearts (drained)
2 TB grated parmesan cheese

Place yogurt in a fine sieve over a medium bowl. Cover and refridgerate. Let drain for an hour.

Preheat oven to 350. Fit a steamer basket in a large pot with 1-2 inches of water and add spinach. Bring to a boil and steam spinach until lightly wilted. Transfer to a colander and let cool. Wring out excess water.

Place spinach in food processor, add drained yogurt, 1/2 cup parmesan cheese, mozzarella,mayonnaise,garlic,salt,pepper,and hot sauce.Process until coarsely blended. Add artichoke hearts and pulse until a chunky mixture forms.

Place mixture in a 1 QT baking dish and sprinkle with 2 TB parmesan cheese. Bake until bubbly and lightly browned, about 35 minutes. Enjoy with your favorite crackers or veggies!

New Addition~Cherry Chip Truffles

2008-12-06T18:12:00.000-08:00

this one is inspired by my Mom who loves chocolate covered cherries

Maryann

Sweet Treats by Maryann

www.sweettreatmaryann.etsy.com

Some Rules for Being Happy

2008-12-01T17:12:00.000-08:00

IT'S YOUR LIFE: HOW TO BE HAPPY 1.Take a 10-30 minute walk every day. And while you walk, smile. It is the ultimate anti-depressant.

2. Sit in silence for at least 10 minutes each day. Buy a lock if you have to.

3. When you wake up in the morning complete the following statement, 'My purpose today is to __________. I am thankful for______________'

4. Eat more foods that grow on trees and plants and eat less food that is manufactured in plants.This one will make your body happy.

5. Drink green tea and plenty of water. Eat blueberries, wild Alaskan salmon, broccoli , almonds & walnuts.

6. Try to make at least three people smile each day.

7. Don't waste your precious energy on gossip, energy vampires, issues of the past, negative thoughts or things you cannot control. Instead invest your energy in the positive present moment.

8. Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a college kid with a maxed out charge card.

9.. Life isn't fair, but it's still good.

10. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.

11. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.

12. You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.

13. Make peace with your past so it won't spoil the present.

14. Don't compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is all about.

15. No one is in charge of your happiness except you.

16. Frame every so-called disaster with these words: 'In five years, will this matter?'

17. Forgive everyone for everything.

18. What other people think of you is none of your business.

19. GOD heals everything.

20. However good or bad a situation is, it will change..

21. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends will. Stay in touch!!!

22. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.

23. Each night before you go to bed complete the following statements: I am thankful for __________. Today I accomplished _________.

24. Remember that you are too blessed to be stressed.

Fully embracing number 15,
Maryann

Black Friday Special

2008-11-27T10:07:00.000-08:00

Stop on in to Sweet Treats by Maryann on Black Friday to satisfy your sweet tooth and save 25%**
This offer is good on orders received on Friday, November 28th only...so hurry in and get your Christmas yummies before they are back to regular price.
www.sweettreatmaryann.etsy.com
**Before shipping

Marrying a Boston Girl

2008-11-26T08:59:00.000-08:00

this one was sent to me by my Dad; he knows me well LOL
You can take the girl out of Boston but you can't take the "Boston" out of the girl

Marrying A Boston Girl

Three men were sitting together bragging about how they had given their
new wives duties.

The first man had married a woman from Louisiana and bragged he had told
his wife she was going to do all the dishes and house cleaning. He said it
took a couple days but on the third day he came home to a clean house and
the dishes were done.

The second man had married a woman from Florida. He bragged he had given
his wife orders that she was to do all the cleaning, dishes and the
cooking. On the first day he didn't see any results, but the next day it
was better. By the third day, his house was clean, the dishes were done
and he had a huge dinner on the table.

The third man married a girl from Boston. He told her that her duties were
to keep the house clean, dishes washed, lawn mowed, laundry washed and hot
meals on the table for every meal. He said the first day he didn't see
anything, the second day he didn't see anything but by the third day most
of the swelling had gone down and he could see a little out of his left
eye; enough to fix himself a bite to eat, load the dishwasher and
telephone a landscaper.

Gotta love those Boston girls ....

Maryann

Eggnog Coffee

2008-11-24T11:41:00.000-08:00

*Recipe courtesy of Kraftfoods.com

Makes:4 servings, about 1 cup each
What You Need
1/4 cup ground MAXWELL HOUSE Coffee, any variety
1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
2 Tbsp. sugar
2-1/2 cups cold water
1 cup eggnog, warmed
1/2 cup thawed COOL WHIP Whipped Topping

PLACE coffee in filter in brew basket of coffee maker; sprinkle with nutmeg. Place sugar in empty pot of coffee maker. Add water to coffee maker; brew. When brewing is complete, stir in eggnog.
POUR into 4 cups; top with whipped topping.

Today's Funny

2008-11-24T07:01:00.000-08:00

GOD CREATED CHILDREN (AND IN THE PROCESS GRANDCHILDREN)
To those of us who have children in our lives, whether they are our own,grandchildren, nieces, nephews, or students... here is something to make you chuckle. Whenever your children are out of control, you can take comfort from the thought that even God's omnipotence did not extend to His own children.
After creating heaven and earth, God created Adam and Eve. And the first thing he said was ' DON'T !'
'Don 't what ? ' Adam replied.
'Don't eat the forbidden fruit' God said
'Forbidden fruit ? We have forbidden fruit ?
Hey Eve..we have forbidden fruit ! '
' No Way ! '
'Yes way ! '
'Do NOT eat the fruit ! ' said God. 'W
hy ? '
'Because I am your Father and I said so !' God replied, wondering why He hadn't stopped creation after making the elephants.
A few minutes later, God saw His children having an apple break and He was ticked !
'Didn't I tell you not to eat the fruit ? ' God asked.
'Uh huh,' Adam replied.
'Then why did you ?' said the Father.
'I don't know,' said Eve.
'She started it! ' Adam said.
'Did not ! '
'Did too ! '
'DID NOT ! '
Having had it with the two of them, God's punishment was that Adam and Eve should have children of their own. Thus the pattern was set and it has never changed. If you have persistently and lovingly tried to give children wisdom and they haven't taken it, don't be hard on yourself. If God had trouble raising children, what makes you think it would be a piece of cake for you ?
THINGS TO THINK ABOUT !
1. You spend the first two years of their life teaching them to walk andtalk, then the next sixteen telling them to sit down and shut up.
2. Grandchildren are God's reward for not killing your own children.
3. Mothers of teens now know why some animals eat their young.
4. Children seldom misquote you. In fact, they usually repeat word for word what you shouldn't have said
5. The main purpose of holding children's parties is to remind yourself that there are children more awful than your own
6. We childproofed our homes, but they are still getting in.

ADVICE FOR THE DAY: Be nice to your kids. They will choose your nursing home one day

AND FINALLY: IF YOU HAVE A LOT OF TENSION AND YOU GET A HEADACHE, DO WHAT IT SAYS ON THE ASPIRIN BOTTLE: 'TAKE TWO ASPIRIN' AND 'KEEP AWAY FROM CHILDREN'!!!!!

Work at Home Mom's Holiday Giveaway Extravaganza

2008-11-20T12:13:00.000-08:00

Enter the Holiday Giveaway Extravaganza, sponsored by Moms United in Business LLC, http://www.momsunitedinbusiness.com celebrating the launch of Resources for Work at Home Moms, http://resourcesforworkathomemoms.com! Come celebrate with us, and enter for your chance to win an awesome prize package, just in time for the holidays! Over $800.00 in prizes! You will NOT want to miss this! Enter at http://tinyurl.com/5b7hvm

Let's Get Personal

2008-11-19T10:54:00.000-08:00

So here it is all laid out on the table. Did a "Bare it all" Wednesday; probably more info than you ever really wanted to know about me ;O)

I was asked by some of my fellow Team EEAT members:
OK......Did you go to college??? If you did where, did you live there etc.....if not what did you do instead?

I did not go to college. I WAS offered a job with GE as an Accounts Payable clerk upon graduation but thought, I can't spend my life behind a desk doing paperwork so I stayed at my job at a card and gift store until I met my husband and moved out of state. PS I loved that job because my boss let me have free rein when it came to making up gift baskets and all sorts of creative endeavors.

How did you get started with your goodies? When did you start on Etsy, and how did you find about it?

I can't remember how I found out about Etsy but I was a buyer on Etsy long before I opened my shop in April 2008. Three years ago I sent my husband in to work with my peanut butter cups, everyone raved about them and I took local orders for my treats around the holidays. Helped save my sanity considering I had been a stay at home Mom for over eight years at the time. It has evolved into something that I absolutely love to do. Food is love.

Who are your 3 favorite etsy shops? There's so many good ones out there and I love hearing about them!

This one was really hard because there are so many great shops on Etsy but I narrowed it down to these three (for this week LOL):

carrymeaway~she made a fabulous tote for my mother in law and she shares my goal in getting rid of all those nasty plastic bags

PaulZozem~if you are looking for sterling silver jewelry he's your man, I've got a beautiful wedding band on my finger that he custom made for me

sweetpicklespottery~LOVE her pottery, 'nuff said

Whats your favorite treat that you make and why?

my favorite treat is the Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Truffles, these things are truly addictive and have added a couple of inches to my waistline since I started making them Why do I like making them~cause I can eat any left overs ;O)

Anything else you'd like to ask fire away; I'm an open book.....
Maryann

It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas Around Here

2008-11-19T08:31:00.000-08:00

My kitchen looks like Willy Wonka's chocolate factory right about now :O)

Here's a couple of new items that I've added just in time for the holidays.

You can find them here: http://sweettreatmaryann.etsy.com

Snowballs~marshmallows, white chocolate and coconut

Candy Cane Oreos~these will only be in production through Christmas so get yours soon before they're gone

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

Team EEAT Presents a HOLIDAY GIVEAWAY!

2008-11-14T16:34:00.000-08:00

Who wouldn't want free goodies for the holidays! Now, just in time for Christmas, Team EEAT is giving away 2 $10 gift certificates!

The giveaway starts November 17th, and runs to December 5th! The winner will be notified, and will have 5 days to pick their prize! Your goodies will arrive just in time for Christmas!

How to Play!

Each of the following team members has hidden a picture of a CANDY CANE (above) in their shop, item descriptions! Go searching, find the links to 3 hidden Candy Canes in 3 different shops, and email them to teameeat@gmail.com. The winner will be picked on DECEMBER 5TH!

Other ways to enter:
* Blog about our contest, including a link back to our site.
* Sign up for our Mailing list!

That's it! Good luck on your hunt!

Participating team shops:

Double Dipped Sweets

Sweet Treat Maryann

ASugarAffair

A Thyme To Bee Comforted

Just Bakin'

Delectable Delights

CiaoHound

Have it Confections

Vermont Maple

Team EAT Blog: http://etsyedibleartsteam.blogspot.com

Now Accepting Pre-Orders for Christmas Delivery

2008-11-06T09:30:00.001-08:00

Just an FYI, I am currently accepting orders for Christmas. You can save 10% by placing your order now and leaving me a note to seller at checkout telling me when you need your order to arrive by.
I am happy to include a gift card with message and send directly to your recipient.

Place your order as usual and wait for a revised invoice before paying. Offer good until Thanksgiving.

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

Christmas Giveaway

2008-11-02T13:59:00.000-08:00

Team EEAT Christmas Giveaway

Description
This is my item for Team EEAT's Christmas giveaway. If you are the winner I will ship to you: a winter themed bowl filled with white chocolate truffles(4),milk chocolate covered pretzels(6) and my original peanut butter cups(4)

The ceramic bowl has snowmen and snowflakes on it, perfect for all winter holidays.

Stop by the Team EEAT for more details:
http://etsyedibleartsteam.blogspot.com/

Maryann
Sweet Treats by Maryann
http://sweettreatmaryann.etsy.com

Sharing One of My Favorite Sites

2008-10-30T07:53:00.000-07:00

looking for fun and easy recipes come check out:
www.kraftfoods.com
You can even download coupons too.

Another FFF on Etsy

2008-10-16T11:13:00.000-07:00

**This Friday October 17th Team EEAT will be holding yet another Friday Food Fest. Stop in the Etsy chat rooms at 8 pm EST for lots of fun, games, prizes and great deals.
My FFF Special:
BOGO~Buy one at regular price get the second of equal or lesser value for half off. Buyer to pay shipping. Please leave a note to seller FFF and wait for a revised invoice before paying.

Hope to "see" you there.
Maryann
Sweet Treats by Maryann
www.sweettreatmaryann.etsy.com

On Sale at Sweet Treats by Maryann

2008-10-12T08:52:00.001-07:00

sweettreatmaryann's Shop Announcement
**On Sale This Week~TRUFFLES!Prices reflect 20% off original price. Offer good until 10/16**

www.sweettreatmaryann.etsy.com

Dabbling in the Kitchen Again

2008-10-10T18:47:00.000-07:00

People laugh when I tell them that I come up with ideas when I am in the shower, true story.

My mind goes 24 hours a day; so much so that I should be a walking advertisement for Ambien LOL

Truth be told there has been many a day when I have put off the necessary laundry washing just to play in the kitchen.

I have so many ideas going through my head that when they hit I literally stop everything that I am doing,go to my journal and write it down; I have been known to pull over while driving to find a scrap piece of paper to write down my latest creation.

Then comes the fun part. I block off my kitchen,clean and sanitize it and start experimenting like a mad scientist:O) Not everything I've thought of works out.....but that's the best part. My kitchen is my playground. It is my favorite place to be and I love the fact that I am passing down my love for cooking and food down to my children. Each of them have their own favorite thing to cook and my oldest son even wants to go to culinary school....makes a mama proud!

This morning I whipped up something else and I hope you'll come by to check it out.

These are my peanut butter truffles. We couldn't agree if they should be peanut butter/peanut butter truffles or peanut butter/chocolate truffles, so I made both.
My personal favorite combination is the PB/PB....you can decide for yourself.
Maryann
Sweet Treats by Maryann
http://www.sweettreatmaryann.etsy.com/

Au Naturel Glow's October Special

2008-10-03T11:14:00.000-07:00

Au Naturel Exclusive Mineral Powders on SALE.

Prices start from $4

Sale ends October 31st 2008

Go direct to Exclusive Mineral Powders

If you've always wanted to try mineral make-up, now is the time! With prices this low you can't go wrong.

Maryann Richards ANG Consultant #200717

www.aunaturelglow.com/store/aGo.asp?aff=200717

Come Visit Me

2008-10-02T11:54:00.000-07:00

Helpful Tips

2008-09-28T07:56:00.001-07:00

This is something I thought might be helpful, enjoy!
DID YOU KNOW . . . . ?

Peel a banana from the bottom and you won't have to pick the little 'stringy
things' off of it. That's how the primates do it.

Separate your bananas apart when you get home from the store. If you

leave them connected at the stem, they ripen faster.

Store your opened chunks of cheese in aluminum foil. It will stay fresh much
longer and not mold!

Peppers with 3 bumps on the bottom are sweeter and better for eating.
Peppers with 4 bumps on the bottom are firmer and better for cooking.

To really make scrambled eggs or omelets rich add a couple of spoonfuls of
sour cream, cream cheese, or heavy cream in and then beat them up.

For a cool brownie treat, make brownies as directed. Melt Andes mints in
double broiler and pour over warm brownies. Let set for a wonderful minty
frosting.

Add garlic immediately to a recipe if you want a light taste of garlic and
at the end of the recipe if your want a stronger taste of garlic.

Add a teaspoon of water when frying ground beef. It will help pull the
grease away from the meat while cooking.

Leftover snickers bars from Halloween make a delicious dessert. Simply
chop them up with the food chopper. Peel, core and slice a few apples. Place
them in a baking dish and sprinkle the chopped candy bars over the apples.
Bake at 350 for 15 minutes!!! Serve alone or with vanilla ice cream. Yummm!

Reheat Pizza

Heat up leftover pizza in a nonstick skillet on top of the stove, set heat
to med-low and heat till warm.
This keeps the crust crispy. No soggy micro pizza. I saw this on the cooking
channel and it really works.

Easy Deviled Eggs

Put cooked egg yolks in a zip lock bag. Seal, mash till they are all broken
up. Add remainder of ingredients, reseal, keep mashing it up mixing
thoroughly, cut the tip of the baggy, squeeze mixture into egg Just throw bag away
when done easy clean up.

Expanding Frosting

When you buy a container of cake frosting from the store, whip it with your
mixer for a few minutes. You can double it in size. You get to frost more
cake/cupcakes with the same amount. You also eat less sugar and calories per
serving.

Reheating refrigerated bread

To warm biscuits, pancakes, or muffins that were refrigerated, place them in
a microwave with a cup of water. The increased moisture will keep the food
moist and help it reheat faster.

Newspaper weeds away

Start putting in your plants, work the nutrients in your soil. Wet
newspapers, put layers around the plants overlapping as you go cover with mulch and
forget about weeds. Weeds will get through some gardening plastic they will not
get through wet newspapers.

Broken Glass

Use a wet cotton ball or Q-tip to pick up the small shards of glass you
can't see easily.

No More Mosquitoes

Place a dryer sheet in your pocket. It will keep the mosquitoes away.

Squirrel Away!

To keep squirrels from eating your plants, sprinkle your plants with cayenne
pepper. The cayenne pepper doesn't hurt the plant and the squirrels won't
come near it.

Flexible vacuum To get something out of a heat register or under the fridge
add an empty paper towel roll or empty gift wrap roll to your vacuum. It can
be bent or flattened to get in narrow openings.

Reducing Static Cling Pin a small safety pin to the seam of your slip and
you will not have a clingy skirt or dress. Same thing works with slacks that
cling when wearing panty hose. Place pin in seam of slacks and ... ta da! ...
static is gone.

Measuring Cups Before you pour sticky substances into a measuring cup, fill
with hot water. Dump out the hot water, but don't dry cup. Next, add your
ingredient, such as peanut butter, and watch how easily it comes right out.

Foggy Windshield?

Hate foggy windshields? Buy a chalkboard eraser and keep it in the glove box
of your car . When the window s fog, rub with the eraser! Works better than
a cloth!

Reopening envelope
If you seal an envelope and then realize you forgot to include something
inside, just place your sealed envelope in the freezer for an hour or two.
Viola! It unseals easily.

Conditioner

Use your hair conditioner to shave your legs. It's cheaper than shaving
cream and leaves your legs really smooth. It's also a great way to use up the
conditioner you bought but didn't like when you tried it in your hair.

Goodbye Fruit Flies
To get rid of pesky fruit flies, take a small glass, fill it 1/2' with Apple
Cider Vinegar and 2 drops of dish washing liquid; mix well. You will find
those flies drawn to the cup and gone forever!

Get Rid of Ants

Put small piles of cornmeal where you see ants. They eat it, take it 'home,'
can't digest it so it kills them. It may take a week or so, especially if it
rains, but it works and you don't have the worry about pets or small
children being harmed!

Team EEAT's October Bake Sale

2008-09-24T20:06:00.000-07:00

TEAM EEAT is having a Bake Sale October 1-4th. Come on by and check out all the great "yummies" from EEAT members. Lots of sales and fabulous deals. Type in Team EEAT to find more Etsy members......Are you drooling yet?

My Bake Sale Special~ FREE Sampler Pack with Every Order from October 1-4th! which will include some of my best~sellers:a toffee PB cup,s'more marshmallow and a chocolate covered pretzel

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

~Have you discovered Etsy yet?

Great Moms

2008-09-23T10:12:00.001-07:00

To All Women.....
FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO PLAN TO BE GREAT MOMS,

THOSE OF YOU WHO ARE GREAT MOMS,

THOSE WHO HAVE GREAT MOMS,

AND THOSE OF YOU WHO HAD GREAT MOMS...

Real Mothers don't eat quiche; they don't have time to make it.

Real Mothers know that their kitchen utensils are probably in the sandbox.

Real Mothers often have sticky floors, filthy ovens and happy kids.

Real Mothers know that dried play dough doesn't come out of shag carpets.

Real Mothers don't want to know what the vacuum just sucked up.

Real Mothers sometimes ask 'Why me?' and get their answer when a little

voice says, 'Because I love you best.'

Real Mothers know that a child's growth is not measured by height or

years or grade... It is marked by the progression of Mommy to Mom to Momma

or

Mother...

4 YEARS OF AGE - My Mommy can do anything!

8 YEARS OF AGE - My Mom knows a lot! A whole lot!

12 YEARS OF AGE - My Mother doesn't really know quite everything.

14 YEARS OF AGE - Naturally, Mother doesn't know that, either.

16 YEARS OF AGE - Mother? She's hopelessly old-fashioned.

18 YEARS OF AGE - That old woman? She's way out of date!

25 YEARS OF AGE - Well, she might know a little bit about it.

35 YEARS OF AGE - Before we decide, let's get Mom's opinion.

45 YEARS OF AGE - Wonder what Mom would have thought about it?

65 YEARS OF AGE - Wish I could talk it over with Mom.

The beauty of a woman is not in the clothes she wears, the figure that

she carries, or the way she combs her hair. The beauty of a woman must be

seen from in her eyes, because that is the doorway to her heart, the place

where love resides. The beauty of a woman is not in a facial mole, but

true beauty in a woman is reflected in her soul. It is the caring that she

lovingly gives, the passion that she shows, and the beauty of a woman with

passing years only grows!

There's a New Baby in Our Family

2008-09-11T12:13:00.000-07:00

Her name is Trixie and she is one silly puppy. She's always "talking" to us. She's a typical Lab pup getting into everything.