Valentine's Day Ideas for Kids - Valentine Box

Black & White Damask Valentine Box 

with Monogram

Last month, I posted about buying discounted wrapping paper for occasions other than Christmas (namely birthdays).  Well, my clearance wrapping paper has come in handy again!  In addition to bringing cards, Ashleigh and her classmates also need to bring a decorated box to school to hold the cards they will receive on Valentine's Day.  Using an old photo box, I wrapped the lid and box in black & white damask textured wrapping paper from the Target after Christmas clearance sale.   

To the top of the lid, I added a white paper heart doilie.  Folded strips of book pages surround the heart giving the appearance of pleated ruffles.  And to the center, an "A" monogram (from the Martha Stewart site) for Ashleigh.  If you look carefully at the wrapping paper, you'll see snowflakes along the edge of the solid black lines (it was Christmas paper after all!).  But the snowflakes look a bit like lace, adding to the overall romantic, vintage look of the box.

Dave told Ashleigh she would definitely have the most distinctive Valentine box in her class!  And it was all thanks to shopping clearance!

Mary Ellen

Linked at:  Dear Lillie

 

Easy Crab Dip Recipe For Your Super Bowl Party

Score a touchdown at your Super Bowl party with this delicious crab dip recipe!  A co-worker shared this recipe with me, when he found out how much I love crab dip.  I made it for New Year's Eve and it was so good!  Very much like the crab dip at our favorite local grille, Winston's.  Enjoy! 

Crab Dip Recipe

8 - 8.5 oz (2 cans) crab meat, drained
10 oz cream cheese, softened
4 teaspoons sour cream
4 teaspoons horseradish
1 and 1/3 teaspoons Old Bay seasoning
2 and 1/6 teaspoons chopped scallions {the white end}
2 teaspoons minced garlic
4 teaspoons minced shallots
1/3 teaspoon Tabasco {I didn't have this brand on hand, so I used Cholula, a Mexican hot sauce}
Parmesan cheese, shredded raw cheddar & shredded mozzarella
Salt & pepper to taste

Place drained crab meat in a food processor and pulse until minced.  Add crab meat to a large bowl along with the remaining ingredients and thoroughly mix together {I blended everything together using my KitchenAid mixer}.  Transfer crab mixture to a 7 x 5 baking dish and top with cheese.  Bake at 350 degrees for 5 minutes to meld flavors.  Then broil to brown the top of the cheese.  I served the dip along with toasted slices of Italian bread. 

What team do you think will win the Super Bowl this weekend?

Mary Ellen

Game Day Essentials at Cooking.com!

(Note:  This post contains affiliate links.  Read my disclosure policy here).

Winter Garden & Tuscan Bean Soup Recipe

Mary, Mary quite contrary,

How does your garden grow?

In this Mary's case, I'd say extremely small!  I've discovered two things about my ability to garden:  (1) I can grow things without killing them (good!).  (2) I seem to be able to only grow things in miniature.  I'm working on the second item.  I'm taking this time leading up to the Spring gardening season to find out what I need to do to make my garden more productive.  I'm hoping the folks at our local garden center can offer advice on how to improve my soil mixture. 

Despite their small size, I used the chard leaves from my garden in place of kale in this Tuscan Bean Soup recipe from the Pioneer Woman.  I also omitted the shrimp, if you couldn't tell.  Quite simple and delicious!

Mary Ellen 

Happy Birthday Clayton!

Happy 7th Birthday to our Clay Baby!

Reuse Spice Jars

Cinnamon Sugar

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 cup sugar

Save empty spice jars and reuse them for homemade spice mixes.  I needed cinnamon sugar mix this morning for muffins.  I didn't use all the mix, so I saved the remaining cinnamon sugar in an empty sea salt shaker. 

Add a label or gift tag to your homemade spice mix to present them as gift for someone special!

Mary Ellen 

Faux Mashed Potatoes aka Mashed Cauliflower

I'm always looking for new ways to present fresh vegetables to our children.  The boys love vegetables!  They're the types that will put anything in their mouth and decide after the fact whether they like it!  But Ashleigh, is a bit pickier.  She makes her judgement beforehand based on sight and smell.

The kids have had cauliflower before in stir-fry, vegetable soups and crudite.  So, I thought I would try something different - mashed cauliflower.  Maybe they would even think it was mashed potatoes, which they all love.  Maybe :)  I started by cutting the florets from a head of cauliflower and boiling them in water until they were tender. 

Once the florets were tender, I drained the water and dumped them into my Vitamix blender.  I used the wet blade attachment - the same one used for smoothies. 

I added my seasonings directly into the blender.  Just a little bit of sea salt, black pepper and a dollop of sour cream.

Then I blended the cooked florets until they reached the consistency and appearance of mashed potatoes.

The finished product!

I served the "faux mashed potatoes" with Salisbury Steak & Mushroom Gravy.  So, would it fool the kids - especially Ashleigh?  Not quite!  Even though the mashed cauliflower looked like mashed potatoes, it still tasted like cauliflower!  But that's okay, it was very tasty.  Even though our kids don't always like certain vegetables, I feel its important to keep presenting them anyway.  As the kids get older, their tastes will change and mature.  And as the primary meal preparer, I want to make sure they have every opportunity to explore new tastes!

Mary Ellen

(Note:  This post contains an affiliate link.  Read my disclosure policy here.)

Homemade Pizza Crust & BBQ Chicken Pizza

Our family enjoys pizza nights!  And while we do order out on occasion, we also like to make our own.  To start, I mix up a simple pizza dough in my KitchenAid mixer.  This recipe was actually included in the instructional booklet with the mixer.  I've made it numerous time with great results!

Crusty Pizza Dough Recipe
Recipe from KitchenAid

1 package of dry active yeast
1 cup warm water
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons olive oil
2 1/2 - 3 1/2 cups of all purpose flour

Dissolve the yeast in warm water.  Add olive oil, 2 1/2 cups of flour and salt to the water and yeast mixture.  Using dough hook attachment, mix for 1 minute on speed 2.  Continuing on speed 2, add flour 1/2 cup at a time. {I typically use just a total of 3 cups of flour}.  Mix until dough clings to the hook and separates from the sides of the bowl.  Knead for 2 minutes on speed 2.  Place the dough ball in a greased bowl, turning to grease the top {I just use the mixing bowl itself}.  Cover and let rise in a warm place until the dough has doubled (about1 hour).

I have the worst luck getting dough to rise anywhere in our house!  So, I preheat my oven to the lowest temp while I'm mixing up the dough.  When the dough is ready, I turn the oven off and let the dough rise inside the warmed oven.  

After the dough has risen, punch the dough down and roll out on a floured surface.  I also add a bit of corn meal to my surface as well.

For this pizza night, I decided to make one of my favorites, BBQ chicken pizza.  With the cold, rainy weather, grilling chicken breasts was out of the question.  So, I picked up these grilled chicken breast strips from Trader Joe's.

To make this pizza, I spread a layer of barbecue sauce first {I used a local brand - Otta the Park}.  Then added the chicken (diced), red onions, crumbled nitrate-free bacon and topped with shredded mozzarella cheese.  Bake for 15-20 minutes at 450 degrees.

Out of the oven - hot and ready to serve!

Mary Ellen

KitchenAid 5-qt. Stand Mixers with $30 Rebate Offer at Cooking.com!

(Note:  This post contains affiliate links.  Read my disclosure policy here.)