tip well received

Great tip!

We love them (and so does J).

cake pops

one year the nieghbors gave us something like these cakepops for christmas as they were AMAZING

i saw this recipe at little miss momma

these would be great for little treats at a party. try them. i promise you'll love 'em! the sticks are optional, they're fun to just pop in your mouth like truffles

the main jist is bake a cake, let the cake cool, crumble it into pieces and add frosting to the crumbled cake, roll it into lots of little balls, dip in melted chocolate and vwala! they're dangerously yummy and super sweet so be careful. go the post for exact details!


(i feel like all i post is desserts...it's so bad. i say crazy cammy needs to do some dinner posts)

salad pizza

 

Have you ever had a real salad pizza?

There's this place in Mesa, AZ called Sauce, it's one of my favorites and I always get the chicken caesar salad pizza.

So amazing.

Found this recipe for one like it at this site

For the pizza sauce: In a medium saucepan over low heat, saute 1-2 garlic cloves in a lot of olive oil. Add 1 small onion (chopped), salt, pepper, a few shakes of red pepper flakes, and turn up heat slightly. Stir until onions have softened, about 3 minutes. Add 1 15-ounce can tomato puree (or sauce or diced tomatoes), a half dozen shakes of oregano. Stir and simmer on low heat while you prepare the rest of the meal. If you have basil, definitely add a few shreds at this point.

For the salad: In a medium bowl, toss shredded lettuce (any kind you like, this was red and green oak lettuce), a healthy handful of chopped cherry or grape tomatoes, a few slivers of red onion, a lot of shredded Parm. Then add your red wine vinegar and olive oil to taste, like you’re at a pizzeria. Toss.

For the pizza: Preheat oven to 450°F. Place store-bought pizza dough (or homemade if you are lucky enough to have it available) in the center of a lightly oiled square cookie sheet. Using your fingers, stretch it out to the sides of the pan as much as possible. Store-bought doughs are usually very springy so don’t get frustrated. The goal is to get the crust as thin as possible. Using a ladle or a large spoon, distribute a few dollops of pizza sauce on dough. Add sliced fresh mozzarella to the kids half of the pizza, keeping the other half relatively cheese-free. (We cheated a little here.) Bake for 10 to 15 minutes (start checking after 10) until cheese is bubbling and crust is golden and crispy. Remove from oven, let cool slightly and top the cheese-less side with salad.

The place we go to in Mesa makes the crust super thin and crunchy which makes it way yummier :)

more stripes

but in the bathroom!

HOw awesome is this?! A bathroom redo where the walls and shower curtain blend perfectly with each other!! I think this is so cute!!! That posts helps you learn how to do it as well!!!

I found k.f.d. designs a few weeks ago and it's one of my new favorites! She's so creative when it comes to home/room redo's! i want to be her!

future reference

I think we're both crossing our fingers and tosies hoping we never have to have one of those dead animal heads with some kind of antler hanging on our walls...

BUT...

if we just so happen to give in one day and have to endure such a horrific trial...

let's remember to hang christmas lights on them all year long :)

paint the walls!

I love this idea of these stripes on the wall. not just white and another color but 3 soft colors!

I also like that it's blues for a little boy's room. cute but boyish and playful!

found on design sponge

Better than just socks

Have you seen this look around the block? I personally love it. I think of it like a little bit of fun coming out of them boots!

 Here's an idea of creating some make-shift ones of your own! I'm thinking take the arm of an old cute sweater and playing with it to make a spot for your heel! Cute of what!?

(Here's where I got the idea and pics)

Baby

I want to make these so bad! i think they are adorable beyond adorable!

find instructions here

(you could most definitely make this a less expensive project by buying cheap towels at IKEA/Walmart and a cture cheap fabric!)

Christmas giving

I read this idea over at BLOOM today

"My sister has five children. Christmas with five children can get crazy real fast, so she uses this little rhyme to guide her gift giving:

Something to wear, something to read, something you want, and something you need"

via martha

how cute is that!?

: spawns in the kitchen :

The best recipe book ever when little spawns join the family!  It includes yummy, kid-friendly, and nutritious meals, snacks, drinks, treats, etc. that the kids can participate in preparing!!!  We love it!

C is for Cooking

Swim swim swim!

If you love Modbe swimwear, then you'll love this too my friend.  I was pretty bummed because the two tops that I LOVE are both sold out.  There are a bunch of other cute ones though so check it out!

Divinita Sole Swimwear

Coupon Code

The website says $64, but I believe if you enter in the promotional code, it discounts to $39.  The deal is this week only!

P.S.  Have you seen this VT blog?  I love it.  Very much.

Some great links to share!

Here's a great post on different ideas of playing with babies 3-6 months that are helpful to you and them

Go vote for your favorite shabby apple dress that they'll make next! (submissions were from regular old cute girls!)

Some great point and shoot tips from my most very favorite blogger ever (Ashley)

Modbe is back! I think there was some conspiracy going on though. Right when Shade closes Modbe magically reappears? Hmm... But who cares about there clothes, I want their swim suits to come out! (and they better lower their darn prices on those babies

grass

fact: shiver me kimber is a landscape design major
fact: she is currently taking 4 credit hours worth of turf (grass) classes (sports turf science and turf science)
fact: she has decided that she will be sharing more information on what she learns in the green industry with the cook, cut (grass and plants and paper etc), and bake away blog:)

simple lawn tips for your own home:
a. If you're fertilizing as a mo-jo homeowner, you're probably fertilizing too much. On average, homeowners who get a soil testing of their lawn's soil (plus or minus $25) will save more money in the long run. A soil test will tell you what type of nutrients you actually need instead of just "adding fertilizer" to the soil, I promise you'll probably be adding less fertilizer than you originally were. (But usually alll your grass needs is Nitrogen)

b. But seriously, NOW/November, is the time to fertilize well! If you really make the grass happy before snow and frost hit, it'll actually be more frought resistant in the summer (why? when the cold hits the grass wants to grown longer roots into the warm soil, if you give it more nutrients to do so, the longer roots it will be able to grow, thus making it possible in the hot summer to store/grab more water from all the soil

c. In early to middle spring "stress" your grass a little more than it's used to by not watering it- honestly, to the point where it's getting real ugly. Doing this will also make it more drought tolerant in the hot summer, promise :)

d. The longer between mowings, the faster the grass will grow each day (more blade=more green=more area for photosynthesis to occur=moregrowing. So really, cutting on a consistent schedule is less maintenance than not

e. If you got the booty available and you want to your lawn to look beautiful 24/7, I suggest using a Kentucky Bluegrass or one like it, mixed in with a little Perennial Rye. Why? Kentucky spreads slowly but is very durable once established. Perennial will quickly grow into the spots that have holes to make it look great temporarily, but Kentucky is the dominant species and will push it out of the way once time passes enough for it to grown and spread

f. Want greener grass? Apply iron :) Not too much or it will turn so dark green it'll look black!


Who knew we pirates could have so much fun on land!

A sign...

... of things to come my pirate mateys.

around the table

So awhile ago, I emailed Captain Sammy this link to this table and said 

"How would you feel about us doing this to our table?"

He abruptly replied back to my email with

"Actually I think we should change it from EAT to FAT because we don't want to get fat"

The Captain is quite a funny man,
EAT or FAT would be great additions on a dining room table eh?

Chicken & Noodle Caesar Salad

This stuff was a huge hit at Jaarrr's birthday party, and is uber easy!

Ingredients:
1 box farfalle noodles
2 bags grilled chicken strips
1 bag romaine lettuce leaves
1 bottle Asiago Caesar dressing (Briannas' Home Style is our favorite)
Parmesan cheese (grated and/or shredded)
Croutons (Caesar style)
4 diced tomatoes (optional)

Note: The proportions are estimated.  You can really do whatever suits your fancy and it can't go wrong.

Boil noodles until soft.  Drain and rinse.  Bake chicken strips on a cookie sheet (covered in aluminum foil) at 350 for 15-20 minutes.  Wash, tear, and spin lettuce leaves.  Assemble noodles, chicken, lettuce, dressing, parmesan cheese, croutons, and tomatoes and mix it all together in a large bowl.

I usually leave a few chicken strips, some tomatoes, croutons, and a little of parmaesan cheese for the top so it looks pretty!:)

See!  Totally easy and a makes a great side dish at any party.  Enjoy!:)

we made it!

the yummy pirate eggs like cammy and larry suggested!

except ours did not look pretty at all haha.

i think i cooked it too long

 (i did not take into account altitude), so it like fell apart as i was trying to roll it haha, 

what's an easy way to roll it while it's so hot?

also, we had a vegetarian one...next time we will make sure to add some of that meat.

it needed just that little bit extra something in it and i just knew the meat would've done the trick.

thanks for the recipe!

we will definitely make it again!

mmm, mmm, good!

apparently this recipe for cinnamon rolls is the bomb diggity!

doesn't it look scrumptious!

found via this site

Ingredients

• 1 cup warm milk (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
• 2 eggs, room temperature
• 1/3 cup margarine, melted
• 4 1/2 cups bread flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 2 1/2 teaspoons bread machine yeast 

 

• 1 cup brown sugar, packed
• 2 1/2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
• 1/3 cup butter, softened

 

• 1 (3 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
• 1/4 cup butter, softened
• 1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/8 teaspoon salt

Directions

1. Place ingredients in the pan of the bread machine in the order recommended by the manufacturer. Select dough cycle; press Start.
2. After the dough has doubled in size turn it out onto a lightly floured surface, cover and let rest for 10 minutes. In a small bowl, combine brown sugar and cinnamon.
3. Roll dough into a 16x21 inch rectangle. Spread dough with 1/3 cup butter and sprinkle evenly with sugar/cinnamon mixture. Roll up dough and cut into 12 rolls. Place rolls in a lightly greased 9x13 inch baking pan. Cover and let rise until nearly doubled, about 30 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
4. Bake rolls in preheated oven until golden brown, about 15 minutes. While rolls are baking, beat together cream cheese, 1/4 cup butter, confectioners' sugar, vanilla extract and salt. Spread frosting on warm rolls before serving. 

makes 12 rolls

I hope to make these soon!!!

look at them wee pirate spawns grow!

look at this cute little "growth chart"

i think this is a great idea for us bc most likely we'll be moving around for years and years eh?!

and it's easy to move and reuse!

the link has tutorial on how she made it.

but of course we can always take short cuts in making it less "crafty" aka a time consuming project :)

my life is now complete

i'm drooling.
like a dog.
who just saw the juiciest steak ever.
along with their favorite chew toy.
smothered in warm bacon.

How Sweet It Is

ok, no really.
i just found a food blog that may have changed my life!

these pictures do not even begin to do justice the quantity, variety, and amazingness of all that this woman has done! Seriously, GO NOW and check it out!

Best White Chili ever

Got this recipe from my RS pres. We're not big chili fans but we absolutely love this!

2 medium White Onions
1 T Garlic Powder
1 T Oregano
2 T Cumin
1/2 tsp. Cayenne Pepper
2 small cans Green Chilies (diced)
4 cans (15 oz) White Great Northern Beans (drained)
3 cups Chicken Broth (2 cans)
1 Chicken Bullion cube
4 cups cooked Chicken breast (diced bite size pieces)
2 cans white corn (undrained)
32 oz sour cream
(butter to saute onions)

Saute onions in 1/2 cube butter in large pot. Add everything else BUT sour cream. Cook 30 mins. Add sour cream. Cook 10 mins. Top with grated Jack Cheese.

M.I.A no more!

I've been loving all the posts from you lately Crazy Cammy!

here's the back section of the cooking tips/tricks I told you about in that one recipe book!

I'll only put the ones that aren't mostly common knowledge :)

1. Use oils wisely: corn, canola, olive, grape seed, peanut, and sunflower for high temps; extra-virgin olive, sesame and walnut for medium temps

2. Never refrigerate tomatoes, potatoes, onion, winter squash and garlic- cold robs flavor

3. Bring butter and cream cheese to room temperature before beating

4. Place cheese in freezer for a few minutes before grating- easier to grate and won't stick

5. Ground beef shrinks when heated; place a 1/4 in divot in center of hamburger patties for flat burger (no more ball)

6. Use ziploc bag for marinating- you can massage meat and less risk of contamination

7. When frying or sauteing, heat pan before adding oil or butter. When oil is hot, add food. This prevents sticking and allows for even cooking

8. Grind spices from whole. Whole spices keep longer than ground

9. Ice-cold water, butter or shortening are essential for flaky pie crusts

10. Whip egg whites at room temperature for greatest volume

11. Buy shrimp frozen. It's already been frozen anyway

12. Ground pepper only holds its flavor 3 months- buy whole

13. Kosher salt is best

14. Leave pit in avacado/guacamole to prevent browning- adding lemon juice to guacamole also helps

15. When measuring sticky substances spray measuring cup with non-stick cooking spray

16. When baking, measuring matters

17. Let cooked meat rest before slicing. 5 minutes small cuts, 10 min large

18. Stir-fry toughest veggies first; ie carrots, broccoli & cabbage

19. Crack egg on flat surface to prevent the shell from piercing the yoke when needed

20. Cookies bake most evenly on a baking sheet without a rim

21. If smothering is too spicy, neutralize it with dairy products such as milk, yogurt or sour cream

22. Roll lemon or lime on counter to get juices flowing (or pop in microwave for a few seconds)

23. Cool foods completely before freezing, and freeze in small quantities to avoid ice crystals

24. Add dryer sheet to your dish water as dishes soak for easier clean up

DID YOU KNOW?

1. Peel a banana from the bottom and you won't have to pick the little "stringy things" off of it?

2. Take your bananas apart when you get home from the store. If you leave them connected at the stem, they ripen faster

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

4. 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.

5. Add a tsp of water when frying ground beef. It will help pull the grease away from the meat while cooking. Also, if you add salt to the pan before cooking the ground beef, it won't "spit" at you as much

6. Rubbing alcohol on paper towel gets out permanent marker on appliances/counter top

7. A little hydrogen peroxide on cloth will get blood stains out of clothes

8. Use vertical strokes when washing windows outside and horizontal for inside windows. This way you can tell which side has the streaks. Straight vinegar will get outside windows really clean. Don't wash windows on a sunny day, they will dry too quickly and will probably streak

9. Spray a bit of perfume on the light bulb in any room to create a lovely light scent in each room when the light is turned on

10. Candles will last a lot longer if placed in the freezer for 3 hours before burning. The first time you burn a candle- that will be the widest width the candle will ever burn

11. Use conditioner to shave your legs. It's cheaper and leaves legs really smooth. It's also a great way to use up a conditioner you bought but didn't like on your hair

12. To get rid of pesky fruit flies, take a small glass, fill it with 1/2 inch of Apple Cider Vinegar and 2 drops of dish washing liquid, mix well. Flies will be drawn to cup and gone forever!

13. 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 doesn't harm children or pets!

14. To remove old wax from a glass candle holder, put it in the freezer for a few hours. Then take the candle out and turn it upside down. The wax will fall out!

15. A damp rag, dipped in baking soda works wonders for getting crayon off the wall

16. Weeds cannot grow through newspaper- if you wet the newspaper, layering it around plants overlapping as you go with mulch
17. Broken Glass; use a wet cotton ball or Q-tip to pick up the small shards of glass you can't see easily
18. To keep squirrels away from plants, sprinkle plants with cayenne pepper. Doesn't hurt plants but squirrels hate it
19. When you buy a container of cake frostin from the store, whip it with your mixer for a few minutes and you can almost double it in size
20. 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 reheat faster
21. Place 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 nylons. Statci si gone
22. Before measuring sticky substances, fill measuring cup with hot water. Dump out the hot water, but don't fry cup. Next add your ingredient (butter/peanut butter) and watch how easily it comes out!
23. Hate foggy windshields? Buy a chalkboard eraser and keep it in the glove box of your car. When windows fog pull out eraser, works better than cloth!
24. Add garlic immediately to a recipe if you want a light taste of garlic, and at the end of the recipe if you want a stronger taste of garlic
25. Spray your tupperware with nonstick cooking spray before pouring in tomato based sauces and there won't be any stains.
26. Wrap celery in aluminum foil when putting in the refrigerator and it will kep for weeks
27. When boiling corn on the cob, add a pinch of sugar to help bring out the corn's natural sweetness

Hope some of these tips will be useful!

Crazy Cammy's treasures

After the post about Larry's treasure, it got me a thinkin' about my own little treasures.  Just a few things that I love and use almost daily, but could live without if necessary, ya know?

This stuff is the bomb diggidy.  Been using it since high school.  Thick and luscious.  Makes the driest become the most moist.  (haha.. most moist.. say that five times fast!)

Yep, yep.  That's how we do it around here.  Got one for our wedding and still use one today (they recently came out with this newer model which we love).

Don't know if I could live without this baby.  I smother my lips in this several times a day and ALWAYS use it after I brush my teeth.  I have several size containers (pocket, travel, drawer, and the big tub).  Oh yes....

curly or straight... this baby does the job.

easiest way to cook. enough said.

my brain functions on dates, therefore my life is on google calendar. 

(this is a sample... mine is not quite so neat and pretty)

gets the messies out.  mmm hmmm.

can't live without this one either.  i have several.  posted everywhere.

take a million pictures. pretty much everywhere we go. this guy does the job pretty well.

Alright, kim of the kimcam... I want to hear about your treasures!

Larry's Treasure

His package just arrived today.  He's so happy.

cupcake heaven

i saw this post awhile ago and just had a sweet tooth craving for it!

look at these dangerouslyyummycupcakes!!!

 if you go to her site there's a total of 33 of these little dangerouslyyummies!

the recipe is larger too :) if either of us make them we need to put up pictures!

pirates getting older

When it comes to throwing birthday fests for our growing lasses and spawns, cupcakes are the ways we pirates prefer.  So... I found me these little cupcake holder treasures.

I got me two of these things to help with the "presentation" part of the birthday fests.  Yeah... so Larry and Jaarrr have birthday's 4 days apart!!!  Wish this wench some luck!

random inspiration

dear kimcam:

we need to get down and use some good ol' elbow grease in our lives

a before and after from here

my favorite quilting blog,

go to the bottom of the page to see pics of all her finished projects- so cute and original!

another mmmm!!!!
if you've watched julie and julia, they eat something like this in the beginning and i've ALWAYS wanted to make it!
click here for the recipe!

and last but not least for a pirateness in us!
sticks for a pirate patch and arrgh sign :)

OH EM GEE

this looks yummyyyyy!!!!!!

Peanut Butter Snickerdoodle sandwiches with snowy center

found via thebellalifeblog.com

kimcam must make these one day, and tell their stories of across the seas

Ingredients

1 cup butter, softened
1/3 cup peanut butter
1 ½ cup sugar
2 large eggs
3 cups flour
2 tsp. cream of tartar
1 tsp. soda
¼ tsp. salt
2 tbsp. sugar
2 tsp. cinnamon
½ cup butter, softened
12 oz. white chocolate, melted and cooled
3 cups powdered sugar
3 tbsp. milk

Instructions

1. Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees.
2. In a large bowl, beat butter, peanut butter and sugar until creamy. Beat in eggs, one at a time, until well combined.
3. In a separate bowl combine flour, cream of tartar, soda and salt. Slowly incorporate dry ingredients into wet ingredients.
4. In a small bowl combine sugar and cinnamon.
5. Roll cookie dough into one-inch balls, and then roll balls in cinnamon sugar.
6. Place balls on ungreased cookie sheet and bake for 8-10 minutes. Allow to cool on cookie sheet for 3 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.
7. While cookies cool, combine softened butter and melted white chocolate. Beat in powdered sugar until all ingredients are combined. Filling will be thick at this point, so add milk to thin.
8. Pipe filling onto 25 cookies, then top with remaining 25 cookies.

Makes 25 sandwich cookies

pirate in training

Our wee spawn (aka Jaaarrrr) has already shown great interest in the pirate ways.

We believe he fancies this little fella amongst the many he has to choose from.

see...

quite the resemblance if you ask me:)

pirate mommy prego belly

Yes, it is true!!!  Don't even think about denying it!  This is a PREGO, I mean MAJOR PREGO belly.  We're talking a couple weeks from delivery, baby!  

p.s. It's the best I could come up with... that is with still keeping the photos somewhat appropriate!  Look! (Shiver me Kimber only that is) there's even the good ol' swollen fingers and belly button pushed out!  Now that is pregnant.

p.p.s. Here's to future mateys!:)

yummy pirate eggs

We pirate mateys don't like keepin' no eyes on the stovetop so we bake 'em eggs!  Arrrrrhhhh.

Hence, The Baked Omelet Roll (a.k.a. egg roll):

Ingredients:
6 eggs (or more!)
1 cup milk
1/2 cup flour
salt and pepper
1 cup (4 oz.) shredded cheddar cheese

Larry and Cammy also add:
1 lb. Jimmy Dean ground sausage
chopped peppers, tomato, green onion, cilantro whatev!

Place eggs and milk in blender.  Add the four, salt and pepper; cover and process until smooth.  (Stir in browned sausage, peppers, onion, etc.)  Pour into a greased 9x13 baking pan.  Bake at 450 for 20 minutes or until eggs are set.

Sprinkle with cheese (and tomato).  Roll up omelet in pan, starting with a short side.  Place with seam side down on a serving platter.  Cut into 3/4-inch slices.