Food

How to Personalize Your Home

0 · Feb 1, 2016 · 3 Comments

+ This Personalize Your Home post is brought to you by Michaels Craft Stores +

I am LOVING finding new ways to personalize my home!

Using letters, numbers, words and sayings to show off your personality. It’s a great way to turn a simple house into a HOME.

This months Michaels Makers Challenge is find a fun way to personalize our space.

Challenge accepted!

Michaels has a new line called the Make Market and it has over 800 ways to help you bring your personality into your space. Here’s a quick little video to show all the fun goodies they have to share…

Aren’t they fun! You can create with all of these goodies or you can keep them simple. I tend to like the simple side of things so the galvanized metal letters were perfect to add a little pizzaz to my space.

Of course you can get all crafty with these great letters but, just like Mr. Rogers… I liked them just as they are.These shelves are in my kitchen right above our kitchen table and I love to use them to create an inviting space for the family to GATHER for meals, to play games, do homework or just sit and chat. So it was simple to add that sentiment to my selves with these great letters. They sit on the shelf just right or you can easily hang them as well. LOVE THEM!

Then I add other items that are classic and simple like the water pitcher that I wrapped with a little knit cozy that I attached with some ribbon.

Next, I add some greenery, a bowl of oranges on the table, a few other odds and ends and you have a beautiful and inviting vignette that has within minutes personalized your space.

Did you know? Making your home more energy-efficient can also add personal value. Check out available home energy grants to upgrade your space while saving money.

Want some more ideas on how to personalize your home? Check out all of the other 49 Michaels Makers to see how they interpreted this months Personalization Challenge!

An InLinkz Link-up

Balsamic Chicken Bites Recipe

7 · Jan 21, 2016 · 1 Comment

+ This Balsamic Chicken Bites Recipe is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Tyson Foods, Inc. All opinions are entirely my own. +

It’s getting EXCITING!!

THE BIG GAME is almost here!

No matter who you are rooting for, the Super Bowl is always a fantastic time to gather with friends and family to enjoy some crazy excitement together and to enjoy some fantastic food!

Whether the game is a wild ride or a blowout, you want to make sure your game time snacks are ON POINT!

The Super Bowl just isn’t the Super Bowl without a scrumptious, tempting spread of all kinds of snackable treats. Just like any event or holiday, you want to make sure you have some great recipes that are tried and true so that you can look like a kitchen ROCKSTAR!

You can find all kinds of fantastic ideas at Talk About Delicious or the Talk About Delicious Game Pinterest Board. It’s packed full of great ideas. Today, I have a tasty recipe for you as well. Our family’s favorite Balsamic Chicken Bites…

What I LOVE about this little bite sized treat is that it’s on the healthier end of the typical game time snack spectrum and it’s packed full of flavor. It’s also super easy to make, you can even make it a head of time which is fabulous, since you don’t want to be bogged down with food prep when you’re with your friends and the game is on.

I typically head to Walmart to gather all of my supplies. I love using the fresh Tyson® Chicken found in the refrigerated meat section of the store. Then I grab the rest of the ingredients for my marinade, one of the stars of the show.

For the chicken marinade you’ll need–

1/4 cup olive oil

1/4 cup honey

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

1 tablespoon dried oregano

1/4 teaspoon salt & pepper

1 tablespoon minced garlic

Cut two Tyson® Chicken Breasts into bite-sized pieces and add your dry ingredients.

Then add your wet ingredients and mix well. Store in an air tight container or Ziploc bag for at least one hour or up to 4 hours. This is a strong marinade and you don’t want to over do it with those bite sized pieces of chicken.

Now, this marinade is one of my go-to recipes when it comes to making scrumptious chicken meals for the family throughout the year. When I am using it with whole Tyson® Chicken Breasts, I can marinate it overnight and it will be just fine. I normally serve it with a lovely salad and some French bread and you’re good to go.

Once the chicken is full of that balsamic flavor, you’re ready to cook your chicken. Typically if I am cooking whole breasts, we grill them BUT, since these little gems won’t really work on the grill AND it’s February… I cook them inside either on a cast iron grill pan or a cast iron pan. I LOVE my cast iron cookware, I’ve grabbed most of my pans at Walmart. They are fantastic and you can’t beat the price. I purchased the pan I’m using in the photo below for less than $15!

Now these little gems cook pretty quick. I heat-up my pan until it’s screaming hot and then I turn down the temperature to medium. I add a little olive oil to the pan and then place the chicken into the pan making sure not to over crowd them or add too much liquid to the pan. You want to sear them, NOT boil or steam them. I typically cook them in batches. Turn them after 1-2 minutes and continue to do so until you have a good sear on them. Make sure to keep a close watch on them. Because of the high sugar content, they can burn quickly.

These little balsamic chicken gems cook pretty fast, usually 4-5 minutes but you’ll want to check the temperature to make sure they are fully cooked and are safe at 165˚. Remove from pan and set aside until you have finished cooking all of your chicken.

Tyson® Balsamic Chicken Bites

Next, all you need to do is assemble your Balsamic Chicken Bites. You’ll need…

cherry or grape tomatoes

balsamic chicken gems

buffalo mozzarella pearls

Now, the key to making this appetizer sing is to pair the Balsamic Chicken gems with some scrumptious bite-sized tomatoes like these cherry tomatoes still on the vine or some lovely grape tomatoes. Either one will work really well.

I use a large toothpick and feed a tomato onto the toothpick followed by a balsamic chicken gem and then cap it with a buffalo mozzarella pearl.

It’s super slick. You can either serve the chicken warm or cold. They taste great either way. I like to lay out a few basil leaves to set the Balsamic Chicken Bites on…

… I love how it adds some lovely color and some fresh vibrant flavors to your Super Bowl spread!

Looking for more GAME DAY ideas? Don’t forget to visit Talk About Delicious for more fantastic ideas and then visit your local Walmart to stock-up on all your game day goodies!

Chicken Stock 101 – How to Make the Best Chicken Stock Recipe

3 · Jan 20, 2016 · 1 Comment

+ Chicken Stock 101 – Come learn how to make liquid gold +

I am not sure if there is anything better in these cold winter months than a good pot of Chicken Noodle Soup or any of it’s chicken stock based cousins. I’m mean really… YUM!

It’s like a bowl full of love right there.

The issue is that commercially prepared chicken stock is good, BUT… It’s not GREAT.

If you’re really wanting a good chicken stock based soup, stew or gravy. You need to make your own chicken stock.

The good news is… It’s SUPER EASY!!

Here is what you’ll need…

Chicken Stock Ingredients

Chicken

Carrots

Celery

Garlic

Rosemary

Sage

Thyme

Lemon

Onion

Salt

Whole Pepper Corns

That’s it! Not a crazy list of obscure ingredients. The hardest thing to come by is the chicken carcass if you don’t typically roast your own chicken, but I’ve solved that issue as well.

We’re all running to the market to grab those rotisserie chickens for a quick weeknight dinner, why not put it to work making some stock for your next soup adventure as well! Yep, PROBLEM SOLVED!

First thing you need to do is to remove the meat from the bones if you have not already done so. DO NOT THROW THE BONES AWAY! That’s the star of the stock show.

Place the carcass into a large stock pot and then add the remaining ingredients…

I don’t really even bother to chop up my veggies or anything. I wash them for sure, but I don’t even bother to peel the carrots or onions. I cut off the ends, give the onion a rough chop and throw them into the pot.

Why do I leave the onion skin on you ask? I’ve learned from several stock experts that leaving the onion skin in the pot is what will give your stock a lovely color.

Using a vegetable peeler, I carefully peal the skin of my lemon and add that to the pot. Make sure to grab as little of the white pith as possible. That white part is bitter and you don’t want to add that to your pot. I prefer the peel method rather than adding lemon zest. It allows me to easily remove the spent lemon peels when finished.

I tie-up my herbs with a little baker’s twine to keep them contained then I add my salt & whole pepper corns. DON’T be stingy with the salt. This is what will help your stock come to life! Cover the pot with water and set it to boil.

Once you’ve brought your pot to boil, turn down the heat to medium or medium low and let it simmer, uncovered for several hours. I generally let mine simmer for 6-7 hours, checking every once in a while to see if I need to add more water to the pot.

After several hours, remove your stock from the heat and then strain it through a fine mesh strainer. Discard the used chunky bits and place your liquid gold (chicken stock) in an air tight container and place in the refrigerator. Once your stock is fully chilled, you can go back and using a spoon, remove the fat that has come to the surface and solidified. That way, your chicken stock will be almost fat free. Another benefit from making your own stock. YOU control the salt and fat content.

Now you can store this in the refrigerator for a couple of days or in the freezer for 3-6 months. Pull it out when you need a little stock and you’re good to go! Here’s the full recipe…

Chicken Stock Recipe

Chicken Stock 101

Save Print

Prep time

10 mins

Cook time

7 hours

Total time

7 hours 10 mins

You will never want to use boxed stocks ever again after you try this recipe!

Author: Heather // WhipperBerry

Serves: 1 liter

Ingredients

1 whole roasted chicken - meat removed
2 large yellow onions - cut off the top and bottom but leave the skin on
1 bunch of celery - wash and cut off top and bottom
4-5 carrots - wash and cut off top and bottom, don't bother to peel
2-3 stocks of fresh rosemary
small bunch of fresh thyme
5-6 sage leaves
1 lemon
2-3 cloves of garlic
1 tablespoon whole pepper corns
1 tablespoon sea salt

Instructions

Place chicken carcass into large stock pot.
Add celery, carrots, onions.
Tie fresh herbs together and place into the pot.
Using a vegetable peeler, peel the skin of the lemon and add to the pot. Be careful not to add the white pith part of the lemon.
Add salt, pepper corns and garlic.
Fill pot almost the the top with water and set on high heat just until the pot comes to a boil. Once it has started to boil, turn the heat to medium or medium low, what ever temperature that will keep a nice low simmer.
Let simmer for 6-7 hours
Check pot occasionally to see if you need to add more water.
After it has simmered for several hours, remove from heat and strain your stock with a fine meshed strainer. Place in an air tight container and put in refrigerator for several hours.
Once the stock has fully chilled, remove from refrigerator and using a spoon, remove the fat that has solidified onto the surface of the stock.
Store in refrigerator for 2-3 days or in the freezer for 3-6 months.

Silhouette CAMEO + BB Frösch a Match Made in Heaven // GIVEAWAY

188 · Jan 12, 2016 · 477 Comments

Peanut Butter & Jelly, Fred & Ginger, Mac & Cheese… Famous pairings. We have a new one that I’m sure you’re going to fall in love with as well!

Silhouette & BB Frösch Chalk Paint Powder!

If you love to create in any way shape or form, you need to learn how these two play so well together. Here’s an example…

This hot cocoa bar was created with BOTH Silhouette AND BB Frösch. The beautiful buffet was transformed with BB Frösch along with the fun Hot Cocoa sign. We used our Silhouette CAMEO to create the stencil for the sign along with the buffalo plaid fabric banner. WAY FUN!!

It’s super easy to make signs with Silhouette & BB Frösch.

You can download WhipperBerry’s Hot Cocoa sign design HERE.

I typically use the Silhouette Premium Vinyl when I’m making signs. You can also use the Stencil Material.

With this sign, started with a BB Frösch (more about BB Frösch in just a second) Faux Stained base. You can learn all about that HERE.

The secret to a perfect stencil is to seal your stencil with BB Frösch Premium Finishing Wax before you paint. It helps seal any edges that might leak.

Then I paint away…

I distress the sign and then finish it with another coat of clear wax to seal and protect my work. It gives the sign a beautiful sheen.

This same BB Frösch / Silhouette sign was a part of a fun wedding recently. Witney Carson from Dancing with the Stars commissioned WhipperBerry & BB Frösch to create a custom sign for the Hot Cocoa bar at the reception.

I’ve been working on signs like this for a while now, I LOVE THEM!!

Now, many of you are very familiar with the whole family of Silhouette cutting machines. Whether you have the Silhouette CAMEO, Portrait or the Curio… You know that you can design and create all kinds of fabulous goodies. If you didn’t know though, I’ve recently switched over to using a Cricut more often. I talk about the differences between Cricut vs Silhouette here. BUT…

What is BB Frösch Chalk Paint Powder?

Many of you may be asking, “What is BB Frösch Chalk Paint Powder?“

I’m so glad you asked! BB Frösch is an all-natural powder that you add to any flat latex paint and turn it into chalk paint. The reason why we all love chalk paint is the ease of use & manipulability .

Ease of use – NO sanding, stripping or priming.

Manipulability – You can manipulate all kinds of finishes like smooth and modern, faux stain – all the way to shabby chic.

What BB Frösch brings to the table is AFFORDABILITY & FLEXIBILITY!

Affordability – When you use BB Frösch Chalk Paint Powder vs. boutique brands of chalk paint, you cut your paint expense in HALF!

Flexibility – YOU get to select your paint color, any color of the rainbow! If you were to use one of the boutique brands, you have a limited color palette.

You can paint wood, metal, glass, fabric… We’ve painted pretty much anything from a kitchen all the way down to the rug.

Classy Clutter BB Frösch Kitchen Makeover

Barn Owl Primitives Red Desk Makeover

BB Fröshed Stenciled Rug – You can watch how we did that HERE!

You can find all kinds of BB Frösch inspiration on our Instagram account or Facebook.

Silhouette & BB Frösch

The beauty of BB Frösch is that it brings the fantastic Chalk Paint world into the crafting world as well. Before it was way to expensive to use chalk paint for anything other than painting furniture or cabinetry. The cost was way to prohibitive for small scale projects. NOT with BB Frösch!! You can get all of the magic of chalk paint without the high price tag. Couple that with any of the Silhouette products and you have a match made in HEAVEN!!

You can create custom signs like these or create your very own stencil to stencil your pillows, bags or rugs. Really the things that you can do with these two are LIMITLESS!!

GIVEAWAY

Now that we’ve wet your whistle… We would LOVE to help YOU get started on your very own Silhouette + BB Frösch project!

Silhouette & BB Frosch have teamed up to GIVEAWAY a…

Silhouette CAMEO

+

BB Frosch Starter Kit

valued at $415

To one lucky person!

All you have to do to enter is follow the directions in the Rafflecopter box below.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Knitting Station + Craft Room Organization

2 · Jan 1, 2016 · Leave a Comment

+ This Knitting Station + Craft Room Organization post is brought to you by Michaels Craft Stores +

Ahhhh, it’s January… A new year… A fresh start…

Time to start on the right foot and get things organized!!

This month’s Michaels Makers Challenge is get things organized…

If you’ve been following me on Instagram, you’ll know that I’ve developed a new obsession… Knitting.

Holy cow, I’ve fallen head over heals in love with the yarn arts.

I’ve been a little intimidated with knitting and finally decided to bite the bullet and teach myself how. My main goal is that I want to learn how to knit stockings for my family for Christmas… I’m sure I’ll learn a lot more along the way.

Even though I am a relative newbie to the kitting world, I’ve had a thing for yarn for awhile and I’ve amassed quite a collection of yarn through the years. I decided for the Michaels DIY Organization Challenge I would create a knitting station in a little corner of my craft room.

Michaels has a new line of organization gems called Cre8ted Spaces and they are super fun!

I thought these tiered carts would be great for storing my yarn obsession in a stylish way.

These carts have become super popular in the last year or so and now you can find them at Michaels for a really reasonable price… PLUS, they are 50% off right now! You don’t want to miss out on that!

There’s plenty of space to store my yarn and then the top of the carts are a perfect little table top to either decorate or store smaller items like my scissors and kitting needles and books. I thought my station turned out pretty cute.

I needed a little more yarn storage so I paired the carts with these beautiful copper baskets that I found at Michaels as well.

What do you want to organize this year? Is your bathroom out of control? Your kiddos rooms need to be reined in? Have a craft obsession like me that needs a bit of help? You can take control of the clutter without sacrificing on style… I LOVE it!!

Looking for more inspiration? Here are some more projects from the rest of the Michaels Makers OR you can check out more ideas HERE or at The Glue String, the Michaels blog.

Disclaimer // I am a member of the Michaels Maker crew. I received products from Michaels in order to complete my DIY Challenge.