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.

obssession

I'm a little obssessed right now with couponing. Not going to lie. Go to the hip2save website, go to the bottom of the page and click on her videos link, watch a few. You will be inspired beyond any Disney sports movie to start couponing your life away too :)

peanut butter truffle brownies

this is the worst/best/yummiest brownie topping EEEEEEEVER

you'll love it so much and then hate it so much b/c you want to eat more and more (kind like the way the scotcharoos make me feel:)

make a regular boxed brownie pan

after it has cooled add the layers


first layer:
1/2 c butter softened
3/4 cup creamy peanut butter
2 c powdered sugar
2 t milk

second layer (melt together and spread on top):
1 c semi sweet chocolate chips
1/4 c butter

let cool! it will then become a love-hate relationship with that pan :)

TREASURE!

Note to self- don't ever go to high price store no matter how many cute things you know it has (i.e.- Nordstrom, Anthropologie, Banana Republic, etc [let's be honest, not like I'd ever be able to cough up money to buy anything at those stores anyways])

Instead!  Go to Ross, TJ Maxx, Goodwill, local consignment (Plato's Closet, Name Brand Exchange, Buffalo Exchange) etc. It's like stealing it's so cheap! Love it! You just have to be persistent and look through everything!

But no matter what store you're at, go to the clearance sale section first!

example:
enlarge pic to look at prices

my absolute favorite find of the day :) a little more of a splurge compared to the rest at $25 (was $50)!

I just love the feeling of knowing someone bought this for 50, 60, 80 dollars and I'm buying it for under 10! 

Hargh, Hargh, Hargh, Hargh! (that's a pirate laugh:)

arghh for stains

This idea also came from the women's circle at the reunion! from our very own Ms Blair Woodruff

Have stains on yours, the captains, or the little matey's shirts and can't get it out no matter what you do?

NO FEAR! RIT Dye Tinte here!

that's right, DYE those clothes a whole new color! the whole shirt dyes beautifully along with the stain. now you have what seems like a new (new color= new options) shirt with no stain! Also- have faded black clothes? Dye them black to make them beautiful again!

• wear apron and gloves
• make sure ally dye is dissolved before adding your clothes
• make sure the material/laundry is clean before dying

this can be found at Wal*Mart in the luandry detergent section for $1.50

***testimonial- Blair did it to 2 shirts that I saw and they seriously look NEW because the color is so bright!***

future mateys

i'm going to start posting oober/exceptionally fun activities for our kids to do when they're older!

example: GIANT BUBBLES

how awesome is that!!??

also another cute idea i saw on a blog is to have a fashion show every year with your kids/family/friends for all the new school clothes so they can show eveyone! cute huh?! each kid picks like 2 outfits or so and they parade around for all the adults! love it or what?!

Mexican Pirates?!?

Yes, I believe Larry is a bit of a Mexican pirate.  He loves Mexican food and well, he only spent two years of his life in Mexico!!!:)  So shortly after we were married, I found this recipe (Mexican Chicken Casserole) and it has gotta be in the top-5 list of Larry's faves.  So here goes:

Ingredients:
4 chicken breasts
8 flour tortillas
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 cup milk
1 medium onion, chopped
1 (7 oz.) can green chili sauce
1/2 lb. Monterey Jack cheese, grated
1/2 lb. Cheddar cheese, grated

Salt and pepper chicken.  Wrap in foil and bake at 400 for 1 hour.  Cool, bone, and cut up.  Cut tortillas in 1 inch strips.  Mix soups, milk, onion, and chili sauce.  Butter 9x13 inch casserole dish and put in chicken juices that you got from baking chicken in foil.  Layer tortillas, soup mixture, chicken, and cheeses.  Refrigerate for 24 hours, ten bake 1 hour at 375.  (May take 1/2 hour longer because of altitude.)

We love to eat it with a side a spanish rice, beans, chips, salsa, cilantro, horchata... you get the idea!

What to do when the wee little pirates toss them cookies!

This one is a little on the "ewww" side, but worth sharing after having a child!:)

So often times we spill things.  Things ranging from a simple milkshake to oober gross spit up.  Now when these things spill on the kitchen tile or bathroom laminate, no prob!  But what to do when it spills on the carpet?!?

Have no fear my mateys, here is a trick the Moon family has used for many a generation.

Materials Needed:

• Container of water (bowl, cup, pot, whatever)
• Large metal spoon
• Old Towel

Steps:

1. Poor water over spill (the bigger the spill, the more water needed)
2. Use spoon to scrape up the mess into the towel
3. The towel acts as the "catch all" for the nastiness
4. Repeat steps until mess is completely soaked up in towel
5. Throw towel in the washer!:)

P.S.  This has worked for Jaaarrr's messy poopy too!
P.P.S.  Remember that book of old household tricks you showed me one time??  You should publish it... on this blog!:)

what's on a pirate's booty

At the women's circle this year for my dad's family reunion, instead of having a recipie exchange (what we usually do) we had a helpful hint exchange- so I think I'll share some of them with my fellow pirates every so often when I feel like it :)

Did you know your G's a bleached white!? Yessiree they are! That's why if you use bleach, your garmies may be turning yellowish! But Shiver me Kimber- how do I get the yucky pit stains out of my my  husband's garmies and other stains?" Use Hydrogen Peroxide! (like a quarter cup or so? I haven't gotten a chance to try it out yet) Yes who knew? That'll get the stains out keeping your garmies a bright white!

Another tip- don't wash white socks with that load- they're dirty and yucky so just wash them with your colored load or something- let's be honest, it doesn't really matter if they're super duper bright white- they're on your feet! Or bleach them with a load of pure/real whites! (i.e.- towels, shirts, pants etc)

Yay for domestified PIRATES!!!

what are some of your laundry tips?

arrrgh

Pirate's Rump

Ingredients:

• rump roast
• 2 cans cram of mushroom soup
• 1/2 package of onion soup mix
• 1/2 cup sour cream

Place defrosted roast in the crockpot.  Add cream of mushroom soup and onion soup mix.  Cook on high 3-4 hours or low for 6 hours.  Remove roast, cut, and serve.   Add sour cream to soup mixture, and use as gravy over mashed potatoes.

a pirate ship's breakfast

Buttermilk Syrup (aka Scout Syrup)
2 cubes butter
2 c sugar
1 t baking soda
1 c buttermilk
2 T Karo Syrup
2 t vanilla

In LARGE saucepan, melt butter, Add sugar, baking soda, buttermilk and Karo syrup. Boil for 3-5 minutes. Add vanilla. Serve over pancakes, waffles, ice cream, and anything that tastes bad!

French Toast Casserole
To be made the night before
1 (24 oz) loaf buttermilk bread
1 pkg cream cheese
10 eggs
2 1/2 c milk
6 T margarine/butter melted
1/4 c. maple syrup
1 t vanilla
1/4 t cinnamon (or more:)

Cut bread into cubes. Place half in greased 9x12 baking dish. Top with cream cheese, cut into cubes, then put the rest of the cubed bread on top. Mix together eggs, milk, melted butter and syrup very well, Pour over bread/cheese evenly in pan. Cover with plastic wrap and press down on top to moisten top it all evenly. Refrigerate over night, remove plastic wrap and bake @ 350 for 50 min.

Serve with crossbones and skulls with pirate love

Scotcharoo you foo!

 These little yummies.... known as scotcharoos.  The first sweet pirate treat.  Delicious.

And of course it's not nutritious!  We're pirateeees!

Ingredients

• 1  cup  corn syrup
• 1  cup  sugar
• 1  cup  creamy peanut butter
• 6  cups  crispy rice cereal
• 1  cup  semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1  cup  butterscotch chips

Preparation

COOK corn syrup and sugar together in a large pan over medium heat, stirring to dissolve sugar. Bring mixture to a boil. Remove from heat. Stir in peanut butter; mix well. Add cereal; stir until evenly coated.

POUR into greased 13 x 9-inch pan; pat into place.

MELT chocolate and butterscotch chips together in saucepan over low heat, stirring constantly. Spread over cereal.

COOL at least 45 minutes, or until firm. Cut into bars.

Ah hoy there matey!

In the beginning,

two pirate shipmates became mateys by marriage through the Cutlers.

Now they face a world uncertain where only cooking, cutting, baking (and other things) are there only way for survival on the island!

Off to the decks (or kitchen floors) we go!