With half the dish being the “ocean” and the other half being the “beach”, it is so fun to dip your fruit into the sour cream and brown sugar.

This is the easiest dip to set up but I promise you that people will think you are the most creative person ever!  I have made this many times throughout the years and it has never failed to bring a smile to someone’s face.

I have grandkids coming in three weeks and I know that are going to love dipping their strawberries into the ocean and beach. Who says we can’t have a little beach action in Utah?

So Cowabunga dude!  Let’s get making this dip!  This video will show you just how quick and easy it is. The recipe follows the video.

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Beach Theme Fruit Dip

Author This Grandma Is Fun

Ingredients

• 1 16 oz container of sour cream
• 2 cups brown sugar
• Blue Food Coloring
• Strawberries
• Beach accessories like swedish fish umbrellas etc.

Instructions

• In a mixing bowl, mix together the sour cream and blue food coloring. Add as much blue coloring to get the sour cream to the color that you want.
• Spread the colored sour cream onto one half of a 9x13 pan.
• Pour the 2 cups of brown sugar onto the opposite half of your pan barely touching the sour cream.
• Add your beach accessories as garnishments.
• Wash and dry strawberries for dipping.

Happy Summer Everyone!

The post Beach Theme Fruit Dip appeared first on TGIF - This Grandma is Fun.

So what does this Weight Loss Soup Recipe have to do with our Bucket List? No, it’s not on our bucket list to lose weight. Well, kinda…Read on!

My husband loves snow skiing.  As a second job, he has worked as a Pro Ski Patroller for almost 20 years.  So one of the things on his bucket list is that he wants to ski in all 50 states.  Obviously some states don’t have a ski resort and for those states, he usually tries to find a city park, he puts on his boots and skis and will ski down a hill.

He was well aware that the southern states were going to be a challenge. However, just last week they had a storm which deposited snow in the southern states.  Hubby just so happened to have some vacation time coming so we spontaneously flew to Dallas and rented a car for a massive road trip!

In just four days, we drove through Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi,  Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina and Tennessee and my husband skied in every state!  We knocked 10 states off his bucket list for a grand total of 30 and so now he has only 20 more to go.  Isn’t that great?

I am not a skier so what did I do during this trip?  Well what else do you do on a road trip but…eat?   Some days we were driving for 12 hours and of course we needed some snacks during our drive.

I might have eaten four candy bars in one day.

Geezo Peezo, no, I really didn’t.

Okay, maybe I really did. 

Which is where today’s post comes in.  Whenever I need to lose a few  pounds this is my go-to food.  It is flavorful and satisfying and is virtually fat free.  (There is just a trace in the corn)  It really helps me to get back on track.  I seriously can eat it every day (and I do) and the pounds start dropping off!    You seriously are going to want this recipe.

I love my crockpot and this is the one that I love!

Print

Weight Loss Soup Recipe

Course Main

Author MadeFromPinterest

Ingredients

• 1 14 oz can of cut green beans
• 2 14 oz cans of whole new sliced potatoes
• 1 15 1/2 oz can of corn
• 1 14 1/2 oz can sliced carrots
• 1 15 oz can of kidney beans
• 1 14 1/2 oz can of Del Monte Zucchini with italian sauce
• 2 14 1/2 oz cans of Del Monte fresh cut diced tomatoes with basil oregano and garlic
• 2 14 oz cans of fat free chicken broth

Instructions

• Drain the green beans, potatoes, corn, kidney beans and carrots of all liquids.
• Put into large pot.
• Add the canned zucchini, diced tomatoes and chicken broth. Bring to a boil then let simmer for 5 minutes. It's then ready for serving!
• You can also put all of these ingredients into a crockpot for a few hours on low.
• **See notes!

Notes

Sometimes to make a thicker broth, I will blend the diced tomatoes before adding to the soup. I love it this way!

If you also  have a bucket list and you are having too much fun while you are crossing off your activities, make sure to come home to this soup!

If you are looking for more soup recipes, you won’t want to miss these:

Spicy Chicken Tortilla Soup Recipe

Wisconsin Cheddar Cauliflower Soup

Tomato Basil Soup Recipe

This awesome post has been shared with Whipperberry!

The post Weight Loss Soup Recipe appeared first on TGIF - This Grandma is Fun.

For my first post I decided to use a real foodie adventure as a jump off point. I happened to go on one of my yearly treks to Toronto recently. A couple of times a year I make the 4 hour trek up there to visit a blogging friend. We hang out, visit local markets and hit fabulous restaurants. It’s always a blast. My friend Isabelle blogs at Crumb, it’s such an amazing site. Some time ago I pinned a recipe of hers that uses rainbow carrots. I’ve never been able to make them because I can never find rainbow carrots in my area.

As luck would have it Isabelle and I happened upon some at a small market we visited last weekend. I realize they are hard to come by in some areas, but if you ever happen upon them make sure you grab a few bunches. When I got home from my trip I made a few different recipes using the rainbow carrots. One of the recipes I made was Isabelle’s Balsamic Roasted Carrots. I had been wanting to make them since I first pinned them a couple of years ago.

I have to say they turned out amazing. I love roasted vegetables so I could eat these every single day. The balsamic vinegar adds just the right hit of flavor, and the honey adds a touch of sweetness. I opted to leave out the thyme, simply because I didn’t have any on hand.

You can totally make this recipe with regular carrots if you do not have access to rainbow carrots, or baby carrots. Use what you have, that tends to be my motto in life. You can’t sweat the small stuff. If all you have is regular carrots, use them and adjust the time a bit.

Thanks for reading today. Tune in next month when I share something seriously decadent for the holiday season. Thanks to the gals for inviting me to join the team. I’m pleased as punch to be here.

Print

Roasted Rainbow Carrots

Author Adapted by Cravings of a Lunatic

Ingredients

• 2 bunches fresh carrots peeled and trimmed
• 1 tablespoon good quality olive oil
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon white pepper
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
  
• Line a rimmed cookie sheet, or pan, with parchment paper. Set aside.
  
• If the carrots are really large you can slice them in half lengthwise. If they are thin you can leave them whole. Peel if desired. I did one batch peeled, and one batch not peeled.
  
• Place the carrots in a large mixing bowl and toss with oil, salt and white pepper. Make sure to toss until evenly coated.
  
• Now arrange the carrots in a single layer on your cookie sheet. You can place some cut side down, and some cut side up. Whatever works for you.
  
• Place the cookie sheet in the oven, and roast the carrots for about 10 to 15 minutes, depending on
• thickness
  .
• In another small bowl add the honey and balsamic vinegar, whisk until it comes together perfectly. Pour this over top of the carrots evenly, move the carrots around until it evenly coats them all.
  Roast the carrots for an additional 15-20 minutes, depending on size. You can cook them to taste, if you like al dente cook them for a little less time. If you like them soft you can cook them for longer. I like mine to caramelize almost to the point of overdone, with the inside of the carrots being soft. It's just how I roll.
  
• Remove from oven. They are best when eaten immediately. 
  
• Serve with a big old rainbow coloured smile!

Take a look at some other great posts by Kim! Just click on the picture to be taken to the recipe.

This amazing idea has been shared with Whipperberry

The post Roasted Rainbow Carrots appeared first on TGIF - This Grandma is Fun.

My daughter had a little bit of a meltdown last night. It’s football season, she is in Colorguard, and the schedule is intense. The straw that broke the camel’s back was an online chemistry quiz. She was up at 5am, went to early morning religion class, school, practice, straight to piano, grabbed something to eat, came home, ate her dinner, and then finally had time to take her online quiz. It was an open notes quiz, but when you are mentally burned out, what does that matter?

She bombed it.

5 times.

That’s when she lost it, and started to cry. I don’t blame her. We talked it through, emailed the teacher, made a plan. It will all work out.

When I am feeling like she did last night, I am so tempted to eat some comforting junk food. And the holiday season, while I love it, can be very stressful. And there is lots of comforting junk food available during the holiday season. I was looking for a recipe to indulge in that was “holidayish” and comforting, but would still leave me feeling healthy. Man, I found it!

Sometimes when I find a new recipe that I love, I just don’t know how to do it justice here on the blog. This is one of those recipes that is better than good. This is wowzer! I would eat it as a main course for lunch and dinner. No sides. Okay, so I kind of did do that. Word of advice; make a double batch. I will make double next time, and I will be making it just for me and my man. One recipe each, and it will probably be just barely enough! It is definitely going to be on my holiday table. I really hope you try it and can’t wait to hear from you when you fall in love!

Fat Girl Trapped in a Skinny Body introduced me to this wonderful Cold Rice Salad for Fall. It is chock full of healthy goodness that tastes so good it would appeal to anyone! This recipe is not just for health nuts! And it is such a great recipe for the holidays, because you can make it ahead and serve it cold.

I love the nutty goodness of wild rice. You could use brown, or even black thai, but wild rice is my choice. I love the cranberry, nuts and hint of orange. This Pin Rocks!

Print

Cold Rice Salad for Fall

Author Adapted by Made From Pinterest

Ingredients

Salad Ingredients

• 1 cup wild rice
• 1/2 cup dried cranberries
• 1/3 cup chopped toasted pecans
• 1/3 cup chopped toasted unsalted cashews
• 1/4 cup finely chopped green onions
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped celery
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped red onion

Dressing Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons raspberry vinegar or red wine vinegar
• 1 tablespoon orange juice
• 1 clove garlic minced
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 1/2 tsp ground pepper

Instructions

• Combine 4 cups of water and 1 teaspoon of salt in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Add the rice. Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover and simmer until the rice is tender, about 45 minutes. Drain well and cool.
• While the rice is cooling, mix the dried cranberries, pecans, cashews, green onion, celery and red onion.
• Combine the vinegar, orange, garlic, mustard and sugar in a blender. While the blender is running, gradually pour in the olive oil. Pour the dressing over the rice mixture and toss.
• Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Check out some of our other holiday recipes!

Pumpkin Crunch CakeTexas Roadhouse Rolls with Honey Cinnamon ButterSweet Brown Sugar Baked Ham

This amazing post has been shared with: Living Well Spending Less and Whipperberry

The post Cold Rice Salad for Fall appeared first on TGIF - This Grandma is Fun.

I have no problems deciding what to cook on the grill. The list is long. And top of the list is Grilled Potatoes Asparagus Basil Parmesan. This is so good we are totally having it again! Even though I forgot to add the basil. You will want to remember it. Fresh basil on this is amazing! We have made this so many times, and guests love it. My sister in law introduced me to this recipe from Sunset Magazine years ago, and we have been making it ever since. In the winter we make it under the broiler. The vinaigrette has a bold flavor that is unforgettable. Combine that with the salty slices of shaved parmesan, fresh basil, soft potatoes and crunchy asparagus and this is an elegant side that really satisfies.

So even if you haven’t got a name for your grill, you are going to want to make this, because…

This Pin Rocks!

Print

Grilled Potatoes Asparagus Basil Parmesan

Ingredients

Vinaigrette

• 1/4 cup seasoned rice vinegar
• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 teaspoons fresh-ground pepper
• About 1/2 teaspoon salt

Potatoes and Asparagus

• 1 pound red thin-skin potatoes scrubbed
• Cooking oil spray or salad oil
• 1 1/2 pounds asparagus - washed dried and trimmed
• 1/2 cup lightly packed fresh basil leaves rinsed, dried
• 1/3 cup shaved parmesan cheese - I used a potato peeler

Instructions

• Prepare grill for direct heat set on high. Cut potatoes into 1/4 slices and place in microwave safe bowl. Cover with plastic wrap poked with a few holes and microwave potatoes for about 5 minutes to soften. You don't want to cook them completely, just get the process starting, otherwise it takes forever on the grill!
• Combine ingredients for vinaigrette. Pour over potatoes, and mix until potatoes are covered. Oil the inside of a grill basket and add potatoes, reserving marinade.
• Grill potatoes over medium heat, turning basket often until golden brown (about 5-8 minutes) and soft when pierced with a fork. Remove potatoes to serving platter.
• Add asparagus to reserved marinade, toss to coat. Place asparagus in oiled grill basket. Grill asparagus until soft when pierced with a fork, turning often.
• Add asparagus to potatoes.
• Lay basil leaves on top of one another and roll them up together into a bundle. Slice through in thin slices creating ribbons. (This is called a chiffonade.)
• Top Potatoes and Asparagus with parmesan cheese and basil.
• May be served warm or room temperature.

Need to clean your grill? Here are a great method to get you ready for grilling!

Magic Way to Clean Your GrillYou may also like these great recipes on the grill!

Soy Sauce and Brown Sugar Salmon Marinade

Glazed Ham and Pineapple Kabobs

We’re sharing this post with:

Living Well Spending Less

The post Grilled Potatoes Asparagus Basil Parmesan appeared first on TGIF - This Grandma is Fun.

When I hear the word granola, I think of my sweet Granny. When I eat this White Chocolate and Craisin Granola, I know it’s the kind of granola she would never have eaten. I, on the other hand, can’t seem to eat enough of it! Neither can my kids, a single batch of it disappears pretty quick at my house. We all love this stuff!

With age comes aches, pain and some wisdom. My body has some very definite ways of letting me know when I have eaten too much refined sugar. My shoulders start to ache so bad that I loose range of motion in them. I get that fabulous sugar high that comes with the horrible sugar crash. I’m guessing that there are plenty of you who by choice or necessity  have cut down on how much sugar you consume. About 4 months ago my daughter and I did a 8 week sugar cleanse. Going sugar free took all the ache’s and pains away, I regained full range of motion in my shoulders again. I feel great, but what about my granola?

Giving up this awesome granola just wasn’t an option for me, so I worked to create a healthier, sugar free version that tastes just as good as the regular version! I feel like I have accomplished the impossible; creating a granola recipe that my Granny would eat because it’s healthy and one I love to eat because it tastes as great as the original.

Now we can all have our granola and eat it too, enjoy!

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White Chocolate & Craisin Granola

Author Tracy van Overbeek Made From Pinterest

Ingredients

• 3 cups old fashioned oats
• 3/4 cashews roughly chopped
• 3/4 almonds roughly chopped
• 1 cup coconut
• 1 1/2 cup craisens
• 1/2 tsp salt 1 tsp if using coconut oil instead of butter
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 stick butter
• 1/2 cup flax seed
• 1/4 cup honey
• 6 oz. white Ghirardelli white chocolate - shaved pieces or small chopped pieces
• 2/3 cup brown sugar
• 1-2 tsp vanilla

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 325.
• In a large bowl, combine oats, cashews, almonds, coconut, salt and cinnamon. Set aside.
• In a medium saucepan, melt the butter or coconut oil, honey and brown sugar until sugar is completely dissolved. Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla. Pour mixture over oat mixture and stir to combine.
• Spread granola on parchment lined baking sheet. Bake granola for 15 minutes at 325. Remove granola from oven and break into pieces. If granola is still soft bake 5 more minutes. Let the granola cool, break into pieces and add the white chocolate & craisins.
• Optional you can use other nuts i.e. walnut or pecans.

Print

Sugar Free White Chocolate & Craisin Granola

Author Tracy van Overbeek Made From Pinterest

Ingredients

• 3 cups old fashioned oats
• 3/4 cashews roughly chopped
• 3/4 almonds roughly chopped
• 1 cup coconut
• 1 1/2 cup craisens
• 1/2 tsp salt 1 tsp if using coconut oil instead of butter
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 stick butter
• 1/2 cup flax seed
• 1/4 to 1/2 cup Malted Rice Syrup
• 6 oz. sugar free white chocolate shave or chopped into small pieces
• 1/2 cup Truvia Sugar Free Substitute - can use more or less to taste
• 1-2 tsp vanilla

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 325.
• In a large bowl, combine oats, cashews, almonds, coconut, salt and cinnamon. Set aside.
• In a medium saucepan, melt the butter or coconut oil, honey and brown sugar until sugar is completely dissolved. Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla. Pour mixture over oat mixture and stir to combine.
• Spread granola on parchment lined baking sheet. Bake granola for 15 minutes at 325. Remove granola from oven and break into pieces. If granola is still soft bake 5 more minutes. Let the granola cool, break into pieces and add the white chocolate & craisins.
• Optional you can use other nuts i.e. walnut or pecans.

The post White Chocolate and Craisin Granola appeared first on TGIF - This Grandma is Fun.

One other thing that I REALLY want to remember about this summer is the recipe that we have to share with you today even though I don’t really like pickled things.  Pickled beets, Pickled eggs, Pickled Watermelon Rinds. Yeah, they don’t do anything for me.  So why would I choose to try out a recipe that calls for pickling vegetables?

.

Two reasons.

The first being that I was drawn to all of the vibrant summer colors of the fresh vegetables that this recipe calls for.

The second reason being the challenge that the author, Smitten Kitchen, says about this Sandwich Slaw.  And I quote:

“If you’re one of those people who saw the word “pickled” in the title and said “Ugh, no, sorry, not for me,” do know, I was the same not too long ago and encourage you to fight the good fight for as long as you can, because once your tastes cross over to the vinegar side, there’s little going back.”

That would be me.

Putting my pickled prejudice aside, I bravely embarked on attempting to make this Pickled Vegetable Sandwich Slaw.

The recipe states that these will be lightly pickled within an hour and fully pickled within a day.  This will also last in your refrigerator for up to one month.

That is if no one eats it.

Which they will.

Because I did.

Yeah, me who doesn’t like pickled things.  This adds an uh-mazing zest to a sandwich and could also be eaten solo as a side dish.

It’s that good.

So try something brave today and make this Pickled Vegetable Sandwich Slaw.   Just click on over to My Kitchen Escapades where I have shared the whole recipe.

You just may become a pickled fan.

Like me!

Hope everyone has a great Labor Day!

Monday Link Parties today!

I Should Be Mopping the Floor

The Princess and her Cowboys

Creating Really Awesome Free Things

Boogieboard Cottage

Pursuit of Functional Home

Rain on a Tin Roof

DIY Showoff

Make Ahead Meals for Busy Moms

A Pinch of Joy

Jam Hands

Flour Me with Love

 Check out these other great lunch ideas!

The post Pickled Vegetable Sandwich Slaw appeared first on TGIF - This Grandma is Fun.

I know what you are thinking right now.

“What?  You don’t like watermelon? I’ve never met anyone who doesn’t like watermelon!”

Yeah, I’ve heard that all my life.  I don’t know what it is, but watermelon does absolutely nothing for me.  People will tell me…Oh, if you just had a really good one, then you would like it!  Or….if you just had a really cold one, then you would like  it.  Put it in a cold river, then you would like it.

Nope.

Don’t like it.

So why would I be posting about watermelon?  Because my family loves it!  My favorite son LOVES watermelon!  He could eat an entire watermelon for dinner.  In fact, I think he might have tried that once.

P.S. In case you are worrying about me saying that I have a favorite son, truth is that I only have one son.  So he has been my favorite son for his whole life.  It’s kind of our thing.

So how do I pick a good watermelon for my family to eat?

Taking direction from The Food Channel I look for these five things:

1.  I look for watermelons that are nicely shaped and ones that feel firm.  Make sure that they don’t have any cuts in them either.

2.  Pick your watermelon up to see if it feels “heavy”.  Watermelons are 90% water, so the riper ones will have more water and weigh more

3.  I look for watermelons that have a bright skin and vibrant green color

4.  I used to not pick a watermelon that has a yellow side but have since found out that this yellow spot is a good thing and should be creamy looking.  This is where it laid on the ground to ripen instead of being picked too early.

5.  When “thumping” your watermelon, a solid sound means it’s not ripe enough, if it’s too ripe, it will sound thick but if it sounds hollow, that’s the one you want!

Below is a picture of the coveted “yellow spot”!

Now that you’ve found your perfect watermelon, how do you cut it?

Here are two EASY ways to get a beautifully cut watermelon!

The first method comes from a pin that I pinned from Fifteen Spatulas.  First cut the bottoms off both ends of the watermelon:

Then stand it on one end:

Taking a knife, slice down and cut off the rind:

After removing all of the rind, cut into disks and then into strips and then into cubes:

Look how beautifully cubed the watermelon turned out!

Next up is a great way to cut watermelon if you have little bodies with little fingers as this takes out all the mess of eating sliced watermelon!   This great idea comes  from Mama Say What.  The above method of cutting does a better job with larger melons.  This next method works best for small to medium sized watermelons.

Cut your melon in half:

Lay the watermelon flat side down and cut into strips about 1 to 1/2 inches wide:

Then turn your watermelon and cut in the same size strips in the opposite direction:

What you will end up with are  watermelon “strips” perfect for just picking up and eating!

Well, I’d love to sit around and eat watermelon with you (NOT) but my favorite son is calling.

Change the way you cut a watermelon, because This Pin Rocks!

It’s a Par-tay with these great sites today!

The Recipe Critic  – Home Stories A to Z – ShareAtopia – A to Z Celebrations – Lady Bug Blessings – Chef in Training – Memories by the Mile – Nap Time Creations – Hun What’s for Dinner? – Cupcakes and  Crinoline – Sugar Bee Crafts – Mandy’s Recipe Box

The post How to Pick a Good Watermelon AND 2 easy ways to cut one! appeared first on TGIF - This Grandma is Fun.

I know I should begin with an introduction of some type since this is my first time posting on MFP,  however that makes me feel like an awkward, insecure teenage girl trying to convince people to like me and my blog, My Kitchen Escapades.  So instead, I will just have to win you over with my recipes because my food does a better job of convincing people to like me than my personality.  Honestly.

1. Food…..and mountains of it! — Not only are you feeding your family but also the endless supply of friends and neighbors who know you keep mountains of food at your house.
2. Entertainment — This comes in so many different forms depending on a child’s age and interests, but it all boils down to one critical point:  if your kids get bored, they come and find YOU!!!
3. Work — Everyone home 24/7 = Everything a mess 24/7 if everyone doesn’t do their part to survive.
4. Time — It can be 15 minutes or it can be a whole afternoon but those moments of time you spend together as a family is what your kids will remember when they reminisce about the Summer of 2013.

The kids and I had so much fun creating all the different variations of this same recipe base.  I made one double batch of the base, but used these five different mix-ins to create all our favorites.  Actually, I created SIX varieties, because my oldest son only likes plain granola bars.  Have fun with this base and mix in all the great stuff your own family loves!  I’m sure you can come up with amazing variations that will make mine seems as boring as my son’s plain ones

**UPDATE 3/7/14**  I have received many questions about using coconut oil instead of butter, and agave instead of honey, so I created a revised recipe using those substitutions!  Just click here for the instructions and tell me what you think.  I can’t tell the difference!  Carole

No-Bake Chewy Granola Bars

(recipe makes a 9×13 pan)

recipe by Carole Jones of My Kitchen Escapades

2 cups quick cooking oats (or pulse whole oats in a food processor a bit)

1 C rice crispy cereal

1/4 C shredded coconut

1/4 C butter

1/4 C honey

1/2 C brown sugar

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp vanilla

Mix -In variations listed below

1.  In a large mixing bowl, mix together the oats, cereal and coconut.  Set a small saucepan over medium high heat and melt the butter.  Add the honey, brown sugar and salt.  Stir together then leave it alone as it comes to a boil.  Once the boil has reached all the way around the edges of the pan, begin timing.  Allow this mixture to boil for 2 minutes and 15 seconds.  During this time, you may need to turn the heat down a bit so it doesn’t overflow, but be sure it keeps boiling.

2.  Add the vanilla and then pour the mixture over the oats, using a rubber spatula to get all the sugar mixture out of the pan.  Mix the ingredients together until the oats are completely coated.  Add in your desired mix-in then press very firmly into a lightly greased 9×13″ pan.  If you like your bars thicker, you can use a smaller pan.  If you do not press firmly enough, the bars will fall apart when you eat them.  Place them in the fridge for 20 minutes then cut to size.

Chocolate Chip

Add 1/2 C of mini chocolate chips to the finished mixture before pressing into the pan, allowing it cool just a bit or you will end up with melted chips.  Sprinkle on a few extra chips over the top after they are pressed into the pan.

White Chocolate Cranberry

Add 1/3 C of white chocolate chips and 1/3 C of Craisins to the finished mixture before pressing into the pan, allowing it to cool just a bit first or you will end up with melted chips.

Candy Bar

Add 1/3 C of Heath bar pieces, 1/3 C of mini M&M’s and 1/3 C of chopped pretzels to the finished mixture before pressing into the pan.

Peanut Butter

Add 2 Tb of peanut butter to the finished sugar mixture before pouring it over the oats.  Once mixed with the oats, add 1/2 C peanut butter chips before pressing into the pan.

Raisin Nut

Add 1/3 C of chopped raisins and 1/3 C of chopped pecans to the finished mixture before pressing into the pan.

Here are a few more recipes you should try from Carole:

Parmesan Chicken Bake

Sauce Pan M&M Cookies

Almond Poppy Seed Coffee Cake with Almond Streusel

 

 

You can also find me on Pinterest | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram

 

Link Parties: The Shabby Nest/Chic on A Shoestring/Whipperberry/Truly Lovely/Naptime Crafters/Shaken Together/Simply Designing/The Answer is Chocolate/My Romantic Home/VMG206/While He Was Napping/The Frugal Gals/The French Country Cottage/Serenity Now/Somewhat Simple/Craftionary/Just Us Four/The Pin Junkie/Living Well Spending Less/Thirty Handmade Days/Be Betsy

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You know what I hate? I hate it when I go to make a salad, only to find out my lettuce has gone icky. Don’t you agree? I really enjoy a good salad, but I haven’t been having much of it lately, because it is winter. It is not because it is out of season that I haven’t been having salads, but because in the cold weather I am not in the mood for salad.

So I have been buying lettuce, but by the time I get around to making a salad, the lettuce has gone bad. I have been seeing pins for different ways to store lettuce all claiming to be wonderful and I wondered….which one is the most wonderful?

So, I hosted my very own longer lasting lettuce contest. The contestants  began as three heads of Romaine Lettuce.I washed and dried each leaf and then stored them four different ways. After two weeks, I found that all of the methods were effective, but one was my clear favorite.

Contestant number one was Lettuce in a Ziploc Bag with a paper towel wrapped around it.  This came from Pinch My Salt.This method was very efficient. It didn’t take up much room in the fridge, and there was very little browning after two weeks. I like this method for sandwiches, where you will be pulling out one leaf at a time. The remaining lettuce stays crisp and ready to go.

Contestant number two was Lettuce in a bag that you blow air into like a balloon and then tie it. This idea was from GrowVeg.comThis had pretty much the same result as the Ziploc bag, but you would have to have a larger bag for a larger amount of lettuce and it takes up more space.

Contestant number three was lettuce cut and prepped in a bowl with a paper towel laid on top and covered tightly with plastic wrap.I liked this method because the lettuce is ready to go. Again very little browning or wilting. What I didn’t like was that it takes up a lot of space in the fridge.

Contestant number four is the winner for making salads! Thank you Hickory Holler Farm for the idea of storing lettuce in a Mason Jar.While the results between all four methods were pretty similar, this lettuce stayed crisper than the others. But that is not why it won according to judge (me :)). It won, because you can pack quite a bit of lettuce in that jar! Since by design the jar is tall, it uses some of the vertical space. It even fits in the door of my fridge.

I love that the prep is done, and the lettuce is ready to go. That is really helpful to me on a busy weeknight.

If you will not be using all the lettuce in the jar for salad, I recommend putting the remaining lettuce in a ziploc bag with a paper towel, as shown above. Once the mason jar is open and the lettuce is exposed to more air, this method becomes less effective.

I now like having a jar or two ready to make a salad with dinner.

In anticipation of the warmer weather Spring is soon to bring us (and I’m counting on it. Man, I hate Winter), I wish you some happy salad making.

These Pins Rock!

Want your lettuce to last even longer? Try our Longer Lasting Fruit and Veggie Wash!

We love linking with:  The Hopeless Housewife – Kitchen Meets Girl –Housewives of Riverton – 733 Blog – Southern Lovely – Adorned From Above – The Life of Jennifer Dawn – Gooseberry Patch – Someday Crafts – Wonderful Wednesday – Lady Behind the Curtain – And Sew We Craft – Ginger Snap Crafts – Lil Luna

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Just a little info about my particular palette preferences.  (Say that ten times fast!) I don’t care for tomatoes.  Now I know that might surprise some people. Yeah, those people that LOVE tomatoes.  People who love tomatoes can’t understand why I don’t like them.  Once I had a friend who told me that if only I tried  a tomato straight out of the garden then she was positive that I would like tomatoes.  “They are SO much better than store bought” she said.

Months later someone gave me some tomatoes straight from their garden.  Remembering what my friend told me, I decided to try to cast my tomato prejudice aside and try yet one more time to like tomatoes.  I heartily took a bite. I heartily spit it out.

Do you spell tomatoes with just an “o” or do you add an “e”.  I think I like the “e”.   Random.  I know.

This gets weirder in that I like tomato soup, salsa and ketchup.  I think it must be the texture. Yuck.

But I digress.  What does this have to do with today’s post?  When looking for a new recipe for the Super Bowl, after I saw the recipe I almost didn’t make it.  Why?  You guessed it.  Because it had tomatoes in it.  But it looked so dang yummy that I mustered a gust of tomato energy and bought the ingredients to make Texas Caviar from Weekday Chef.   I was not disappointed.  Although this included tomatoes (with an “e”), it was fresh and had a great citrusy taste because of the lime juice and I LOVED IT!  I heart black eyed peas so I used those instead of black beans.It was my most favorite new recipe that I tried last Sunday.  I am so glad to report that This Pin Rocks!

Print

Texas Caviar

Course Appetizer/Dip

Author Weekday Chef

Ingredients

• 1 15 ounce can white corn, drained
• 1 15 ounce can black eyed peas, OR black beans, drained and rinsed
• 2 Roma tomatoes diced
• 1 bunch finely chopped cilantro
• 2 Tablespoons small red onion finely chopped (optional)
• 1/2 green or red pepper seeded and chopped
• 2 Tablespoons lime juice
• 1 avocado - peeled pitted, and diced
• A dash of Lawry's or Johnny's seasoning salt
• A few shakes of chili pepper
• 3 Tablespoons Zesty Italian or House Italian Dressing

Instructions

• Mix all ingredients together and chill until ready to serve.

We excited to be linking with these great sites today:

Katie’s Nesting Spot – The 36th Avenue  – Live Laugh Rowe – Glued to my Crafts – Gingerly Made

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I still need to make a cute label for them and wasn’t going to worry about it until it got a little closer to Christmas.  However, I was blog surfing the other day (Me? Spending hours on the computer? Really? No way!) and found this darling label for my vanilla bottles.  And the best part about it is that it is FREE!

I am so excited to just be able to print these off and Voila!  My bottles will be done.  Aren’t these cute?

Just hop on over to Live Laugh Rowe to print the label for your bottles. AND she’s offering a great giveaway to help encourage  you to make your own vanilla.

Thanks so much Kelly! You’ve just made my life a little less crazy around the holidays.

This Pin Rocks! 

The post Make Your Own Vanilla Part Two – The Label appeared first on TGIF - This Grandma is Fun.

Only three things are needed.  Bottles, vanilla beans and Vodka.  So easy!I  bought my bottles online from Specialty Bottles for .74 cents a  piece, and the vanilla beans at Amazon.com.   I have never bought Vodka in my life so felt a little unsure of what I was supposed to get, but it all looked the same so I just got the cheapest that I could find.   While purchasing the Vodka, the cashier did the RUDEST thing!  I had gotten my I.D. out to prove that I was over 21 and old enough to purchase liquor and SHE DIDN’T EVEN ASK FOR IT!  Sigh. Note to self.  Time to dye my hair.

The directions from the pin said to use 2-3 beans for 4 oz of vodka.  I just used two and that worked out fine.  I cut the vanilla beans in half and then cut each half all the way up the middle to expose the fleshy inside of the bean.

Into the jar it goes and pour the 4 oz. of vodka in.After capping the first fifteen bottles,  I looked at them and it appeared that at the bottom they were already starting to “steep” and the vodka was turning a beautiful amber color. How exciting! The bottles are supposed to steep for at least a month before using so I have made these in plenty of time.  And one of the best things about this is that when the hectic-ness (is that  a word?) of the holidays hit,  I will have these all ready to go to give to neighbors and friends.  What a stress reliever!  In fact, I think this might turn into a yearly tradition for me.

This made me so happy today and I would definitely say that This Pin Rocks!

UPDATE:  Here is a quick pic of my vanilla after a week of steeping.  This is so fun to watch and I can’t wait to give them out as Christmas presents.

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