Crafts

The Party Bunch Link Party // no. 31

0 · May 30, 2014 · 11 Comments

Akkkkkk, things have been crazy busy around here… School’s out and it’s time to amp everything up a few notches. Somewhere I’m missing the lazy days of summer idea so far. How about you guys? Who’s ready to PARTY?!?

Amy from The Idea Room, Mique from 30 Handmade Days, Heather from Whipperberry and Desiree from The 36th Avenue want to thank you for partying with us… You guys are the best!

Here are some of our favorites!

Heather’s Favorite

Magic Cookie Bar Cookies from Melanie Makes via Org Junkie

These look magical! Yum.

Mique’s Favorite

Jello Playdough from Create Craft Love

A fun idea that my kids would love – especially over the summer!

Amy’s Favorite

Happily Ever After Art from Love Grows Wild

Such a pretty wall and I love the DIY canvas.

Desiree’s Favorite

Frozen Limeade Pie in a Jar from Thistlewood Farms

This dessert looks amazing for summer. Delicious!

As always thank you for so may fabulous projects and recipes!

We hope you take a minute and button up here!

Also we want to invite you to click here and follow

The Party Bunch Favorites on Pinterest.

We are featuring more of our favorite projects and recipes from the link party on this board!

Now it is time to party!

TPB Party Bunch Link Up... Every Friday to Sunday link up your projects over at theidearoom.net , thirtyhandmadedays.com , whipperberry.com or the36thavenue.com Four bloggers = ONE BIG PARTY! We can't wait to see your projects!

Here are a few things to remember before you link up!

Please make sure to share the love and grab a button here to let your readers know that you linked up with us!
By linking up with The Party Bunch, you are giving permission to any of us to feature your projects and recipes on our social media with a link back to you. Thanks!

Pickled Tomatoes

28 · May 29, 2014 · 10 Comments

This post brought to you by Pompeian Red Wine Vinegar // I’m a pickle girl… Honestly, I don’t think I’ve met a pickle that I didn’t like. I love all kinds of pickles not just pickled cucumbers. Have you every tried pickled okra, cauliflower, carrots… they are amazing! We have a restaurant here in Lincoln called Granite City and they have a steak salad that I ADORE and they have a pickled tomato relish on the salad and it’s divine. The whole idea intrigued me, so I thought I would try and come up with some pickled tomatoes of my own…

I love that I will have tomatoes along with some red onions that are pickled and ready in my fridge at any time. I was one of the kiddos that when my mom made salad or tacos I wouldn’t eat them if they didn’t have tomatoes, it just didn’t seem complete to me. This way I always have tomatoes on hand even when I haven’t made it to the market for a few days. This whole idea is super simple and only takes about 45 minutes to pull together. I used my favorite Pompeian Red Wine vinegar for these pickled tomatoes. You need to check out their whole line of vinegars, they have some amazing flavors!

First, I prepared my four 1 quart wide mouth Ball canning jars, by sterilizing them in the dishwasher.

I gathered my simple ingredients, tomatoes, salt, sugar, garlic, Pompeian Red Wine Vinegar, red onion, dill and pepper corns…

I prepared my pickle brine from the recipe below and while it cooled I prepped my veggies. I cut my tomatoes into large pieces, sliced my onions and peeled the garlic. I layered my veggies in the sterilized jars…

Now, this is a cold pickle so I wanted the brine to be cool, so that it wouldn’t cook the tomatoes. This also means that I just put the pickled tomatoes into the fridge and I don’t go through the whole preserving process. This means that I will have to keep the pickles in the fridge because they have not been officially preserved by the full canning process which kills all the possible bacteria.

The tomatoes will become rather soft, so you may want to use a small grape or cherry type tomato and not cut them for a firmer pickled tomato.

Once the brine is cool, pour it into the jar, seal the jar with the lid and place in the refrigerator. Let the tomatoes “pickle” for a few days and then serve with your favorite salad, cottage cheese, use as a burger topping… the skies the limit! I will be sharing my copy cat Steak Salad from Granite City in a bit and share how I like to eat my pickled tomatoes.

Pickled Tomatoes

Save Print

Prep time

15 mins

Cook time

5 mins

Total time

20 mins

These pickled tomatoes are a sure fire way to impress your family and friends this summer!

Author: Heather // WhipperBerry

Recipe type: condiment

Cuisine: American

Serves: 25

Ingredients

3 cups Pompeian Red Wine Vinegar
3 cups water
3 tablespoons salt
⅓ cup sugar
8 garlic cloves
2 tablespoons peppercorns
25-30 medium sized tomatoes
2 red onions
1 bunch of dill

Instructions

Prepare your brine by placing the vinegar, water, salt and sugar into a sauce pan over medium high heat. Heat the brine mixture until the salt and sugar have dissolved about 4 minutes over medium heat stirring occasionally. Let brine cool.
Prepare your veggies by cutting the tomatoes into large pieces and slicing the red onion in onion rings and peeling the garlic. Layer the veggies in your sterilized 1 quart wide mouth Ball canning jars. Pour cooled brine into the jars and place the lid on the jars. Place in the refrigerator.

Disclaimer // This post is sponsored by Pompeian. I received product and payment for my recipe. However, as always… All thoughts, ideas and opinions are my very own!

German Ham and Cheese Garlic Toast // GIVEAWAY

16 · May 27, 2014 · 6 Comments

This post brought to you by the Panasonic FlashXpress™ Toaster Oven// A few years ago, our family traveled to Germany and one of the first meals I had there was a simple ham & cheese toast from one of the local bakeries. We had stopped at the Rhine Neckar Zentrum (Mall) in Viernhiem for dinner, my husband and the girls decided to eat at KFC and I just couldn’t swallow the idea of eating American food while in Germany. I mean really?

I set out on a hunt for a more “German” quick bite to eat while the family was eating their “American” chicken. I found a little bakery inside the mall there and had the most interesting, simple meal. It was a loaf a good German bread cut in half with some type of garlic spread, diced ham and lots of sharp melted cheese. It was simple and boy was it tasty!

Recently, the folks at Panasonic asked it I would be interested in trying out their FlashXpress™ Toaster Oven and to develop a quick, in a flash meal with the FlashXpress™ and I immediately thought of my first German meal. It would be perfect in a toaster oven! Of course I said yes, and set out to recreate one of my favorite quick German meals.

Once I found a good garlic spread it was super simple to recreate. I used Mezzetta’s Savory Garlic Everything Spread which is SUPER tasty. I spread that on some good bread that I found in the bakery at Super Target, topped that with some diced ham that I sautéed in a little bit of butter, shredded sharp cheddar cheese and a little parmesan cheese.

Popped it into the Panasonic FlashXpress™ Toaster oven and within 10 minutes I had a perfect quick meal for the family, in a flash!

The nice thing… I didn’t have to heat up my oven and my kitchen at all and the ham and cheese garlic toast turned out perfect!

I will have to admit, when I was approached by Panasonic to do this post I was going to turn it down. I didn’t want one more thing cluttering up my counter tops. I mentioned it to my husband and he flipped… He’s been wanted to get a toaster oven for some time and I just wouldn’t jump on board. I have never had a toaster oven and I just didn’t understand the magic that you can create in this little toasting machine.

This one especially is compact, it doesn’t take up much space, you can get it in white or silver and it has some of the best infrared technology around. I especially love that the rack is designed to pull out when you open the door, making retrieving your food easier and safer. It has several presets or you can just use the temperature and time controls. It’s super easy to use and clean and I will have to admit… I use it ALL THE TIME now! I hardly ever use my microwave anymore. I’ve been making homemade croutons, baking cookies and of course making toast of all kinds. I have been TOTALLY converted!

The folks at Panasonic would love to giveaway a FlashXpress™ to one of YOU!!

All you have to do is follow the direction in the Rafflecopter box below…

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Disclaimer // This is a sponsored post. I received a Panasonic FlashXpress™ Toaster oven to review along with funds to create a recipe. All thoughts, ideas and opinions are my very own.

The Party Bunch Link Party // no. 30

1 · May 23, 2014 · 6 Comments

Hey there, it’s FRIDAY!! This week is extra special because this week was the last day of school for my kiddos. I LOVE the summer!! I love sleeping in, I love the lazy days with my kiddos… it’s time to unwind and just enjoy each other.

We’ve been having fun planning some fun ideas for the summer and buy the looks of last week’s party so have you guys. Here are some of the fun things that caught our eye this week…

Amy from The Idea Room, Mique from 30 Handmade Days, Heather from Whipperberry and Desiree from The 36th Avenue want to thank you for partying with us… You guys are the best!

Here are some of our favorites!

Heather’s Favorite

Printable Mason Jar Recipe Cards from
I Should Be Mopping the Floor.

These cards are absolutely adorable!

Mique’s Favorite

Easy Cocktail Napkin Tassels from My 3 Monsters.

Super cute tassels that would make a party.

Amy’s Favorite

Organizing a Camping Kitchen from Echoes of Laughter.

What a cool post for camping this summer!

Desiree’s Favorite

Twisted Half Up from Ma Nouvelle Mode.

This is so pretty and simple. Perfect for summer!

As always thank you for so may fabulous projects and recipes!

We hope you take a minute and button up here!

Also we want to invite you to click here and follow

The Party Bunch Favorites on Pinterest.

We are featuring more of our favorite projects and recipes from the link party on this board!

Now it is time to party!

Here are a few things to remember before you link up!

Please make sure to share the love and grab a button here to let your readers know that you linked up with us!
By linking up with The Party Bunch, you are giving permission to any of us to feature your projects and recipes on our social media with a link back to you. Thanks!

Bing in the Classroom

0 · May 22, 2014 · Leave a Comment

This post was created in partnership with Bing. // I’m still in awe sometimes when it comes to the internet. The unfathomable amount of information that is available just at the click of your mouse is mind boggling! I’m mean really… if you were born before or while Ronald Regan was in office, you saw Top Gun in the movie theaters you also remember research projects being a MUCH BIGGER DEAL than they are today!! The vast amounts of amazing information at our finger tips is unprecedented. With that kind of power comes great responsibility!

I know when I sit down with my kiddos while they are working on the internet I cringe a little. When my daughter Emily was just learning how to spell her name, she typed her name into a web search and I was shocked as to what appeared on our screen. It was just a simple search on her name, that should be safe, right? Nope… All kinds of porn images smacked us in the face. She was FOUR!!

It was a huge wake-up call for me. From that point I have been very vigilant when it comes to my kiddos and the internet. Even if they are searching for simple age appropriate things, sometimes the ads that bombard them aren’t the best. I know that when I am at home with them I can monitor their internet usage, but what about when they are at school. One teacher cannot sit and look over the shoulder of 20-30 kiddos every single time they are using the internet at school monitoring the content that they are viewing. That is why the folks at Bing have created Bing in the Classroom.

Bing has created a safe, ad-free space for our children to explore in. Think about all of the wonderful place you can go and see now without even having to leave the classroom!

We can help Bing reach even more kiddos. Last month I told you about the Bing Rewards Program, where you can earn points every single time you do a Bing search, well when you sign up for Bing Rewards you can choose to donate your Bing Rewards to your local school to help provide Surface Tablets in the classroom. This is a fabulous program that will help our kiddos discover all the amazing things the world has to offer with tablets in the classroom that are free of ads, with strict adult content filters and enhanced privacy protection. All you have to do is search away on Bing!! It’s a win/win so Sign up for Bing Rewards! You can also show your support for Show support for #adfreesearch for our kiddos!

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