Food

Eat In with Castle Wood Lunch Meat // $100 Giveaway

0 · Dec 14, 2012 · 8 Comments

Life is crazy these days! The girls are all in three different schools, with three different sets of activities. The little guy and I are ALWAYS busy working on WhipperBerry at home. By the time Mike’s home from work dinner is the last thing I want to think about. It’s always so tempting to just grab everyone and head off to one of our local restaurants, but that’s sooooo expensive. It’s fine a few times a month, but more than that the wallets really starts to feel the pinch. We MUST figure out how to make dinner fast and inexpensive at the same time… I was giving the opportunity to visit our local Sam’s Club this week to try out their Castle Wood deli section to create a sandwich for our family on the go.

Yesterday was super busy. I had a ton of work to do AND a whole bunch of Hales a.k.a. Lil’Whip friend’s were coming over after school. They all needed head shots for an audition next week for the school musical, and I offered to help them with that.

Needless to say, the schedule was tight, plus I had even more mouths to feed. I headed over to Sam’s Club and shopped for sandwich fixin’s for our crew. You can join me over at Google+ to follow along while I sign-up for a Sam’s Club membership and shop for our busy night.

Gage and I found all kinds of goodies for our busy dinner in the Castle Wood section. We finally decided on a few Castle Wood products for our sandwiches…

Then we headed home to put together our yummy dinner. Now, you may think sandwiches are boring, but they don’t have to be. I kept our sandwich simple, but it is FULL of flavor. The key is working with good, flavor packed ingredients.

I selected to use The Castle Wood Four Pepper Oven Roasted Turkey Breast along with the Castle Wood Pepper Jack. Then I paired those two stars with a fabulous supporting cast of tomatoes, cucumber and hummus… Yes, hummus! It’s a full flavor, less fat option to mayonnaise or Miracle Whip.

Recipe

2 slices of bread

1-2 T hummus

1-2 oz. Castle Wood Four Pepper Oven Roasted Turkey Breast

1-2 slices of Castle Wood Pepper Jack cheese

8-10 slices of cucumber

2-4 slices of tomato

Spread hummus on bread and then layer the turkey, cheese, cucumber and tomato.

Servings // 1

This sandwich is bursting with flavor and is perfect for those meals when you would like to save on time and money. With Castle Wood Lunch Meat Sam’s Club signature brand, you can create a fabulous sandwich for $1… Yep, that’s ONE DOLLAR!! You can’t get that at your local sandwich shop. This was perfect for our busy night of photos for all the high school kiddos. I made up a bunch of sandwiches, wrapped them in parchment paper to keep them fresh and served them with sweet potato chips and a couple of cookies and they were HAPPY and I was happy that I was able to feed the crowd without breaking the budget.

The folks at Sam’s Club would love to help you Eat In a little more often with a $100 gift card. Follow the directions in the Rafflecopter box below to enter!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

““I am a member of the Collective Bias® Social Fabric® Community. This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias® and Castle Wood Lunch Meat #CBias #SocialFabric”

Friday Flair Link Party // Eggnog Edition

1 · Dec 13, 2012 · 31 Comments

We’ve made it friends… The week is coming to a close and it’s time to celebrate with a little Friday Flair Link Party! I have to admit I am woefully behind on some of my Christmas tasks. I have been trying to take a picture of the family for over a week now so that I can design our Christmas card for this year. So far, the weather and our schedule just hasn’t cooperated. I tell ya, when the kiddos were younger life seemed to be so much easier. I may have to send out Valentines at this rate instead of Christmas cards. Oh well!

One of our families favorites at this time of year is eggnog. That’s where this weeks inspiration photo comes from…

img source // eggnog from epicurean mom

Katie from Epicurean Mom has a fabulous recipe that I am dying to try. I think I will add that to my ever growing list.

We've had a busy week on WhipperBerry… Today I shared some tips for easy holiday entertaining. Come on over and share some of your ideas and enter to win $250 worth of products from Breville. I also have a fun giveaway going this week for Sterling Pear and one of their elegant holiday kits. Come on over and enter to win either one!

Let’s get the party started!!

5 Tips for Easy Holiday Entertaining

1 · Dec 13, 2012 ·

There is nothing better than hosting a fun and successful holiday party during this time of year. You have the joy of planning and then the thrill of witnessing the joy that the gathering brings to your guests.

WAIT!! You don't feel that way?

Does the idea of planning Holiday Entertaining send shivers down your spine? Don't worry, I have five tried and true ideas for hosting a successful holiday party!

desgin elements // rhonna designs

I've spent years hosting fun gatherings large and small and these are my go to tips for making the event fun for my guests while being easy on me…

This kind of goes with out saying… Having a good plan will ALWAYS make things run smoother. Take some time a month or so in advance and plan out your menu, the decor, the guest list, how to entertain your guest, even brain storm things that could possibly go wrong and come up with plans A,B and C.

Make a list of what things you can accomplish a month in advance, a week in advance, the day before and the day of. Try to plan for things that can be created in advance so that you don't have the added tasks on the day of the event. If it's something that needs to be done the day of, see if you can assign that item to one of your guests so that you keep your plate asfree as possible on the day of the party.

Invest is the proper tools for entertaining. You don't have to do that all at once, but for each gathering you have you can add to your party arsenal. Start with a good set of neutral serving plates and utensils. Keeping them in a neutral pallets means that you can use them for any occasion and then dress them up with items that go with your party theme. I have a good set of white platters that are perfect for entertaining.

You never seem to have enough oven space when entertaining so having a good counter top oven can help take care of the extra space needed. I am eying the Breville Smart Oven to add to my party planning treasure chest.

Make sure you have enough space in your refrigerator for all your party platters and such, if you know you need extra cooling options have a couple of coolers stocked with ice out of sight, ready for the overflow.

I'm one of those (possibly) odd people who like to read cook books from cover to cover. Sometimes you never know what gem you will find in those books. One of my favorite gems that I learned from a cookbook has nothing to do with a recipe or food at all. Ina Garten in herBarefoot Contessa Parties book, tells a story of a party that was turning into a dud. The gathering was lacking energy and she could tell everyone was counting down the minutes to when they could leave. She happened to have a connection with Paul Newman at the time and called in a big favor. She asked if he could run right over and stir the pot for her disaster of a party. Being a good friend, Paul ran right over in his racing uniform, walked right into the party. Without so much as a hello he walked up to a woman and kisses her right on her surprised lips!! He then turned, and walked right out of the house and went on his merry way. You can imagine the party was a dud no more!

Now, I know we don't have quick access to a hunk of a celebrity to break the ice, but we can put some thought and effort into ways to get everyone to mix and mingle. Play some silly games, make sure you have great music playing to add some energy to the room. Don't take on this task on your own. Enlist some help from a trusted friend to be the one in charge of breaking the ice. When I entertain, I am usually working on the food and little details, my husband is the one who gets out in the crowd to liven up the event and get everyone ready to mingle. We make a good pair.

Don't kill yourself trying to make the most amazing meal for your guests. Here is another tip I learned from Ina Garten. Have only one or two stars of the show with a good supporting cast. I have a few show stopping recipes that I like to save for special occasions like these, but I have a whole list of simple supporting cast members that help make a good party amazing!

Have a simple veggie platter, but make it interesting. For this gathering I used an eggplant as my dip bowl to have that added pop of color. Also, think out of the box or bowl for your serving accessories. I placed the crackers in a fun flower pot with a simple kitchen towel as an accent piece. Jars are all the rage now, use good ole' mason jars as a fun vessel for your olives or nuts.

Bottom line is… Keep it simple and you and your guest will have a fabulous time. In my book, simple (done well) is always stunning.

Ask for help, you will be surprised how much people really do what to be involved. Not only that, but people will be more invested into making your event a success.

Don't STRESS! Just roll with it and everyone will have a lovely time. The more stressed you are the more it shows and people will feed off of that negative energy. As long as you have prepared well, you've done all that you can do to make it a success, so sit back and enjoy the event!

Breville has released new, time saving products such as the Smart Oven, just in time for the holidays! Take the guess work our of holiday cooking with the Smart Oven, the oven that does the thinking for you. Check out their website for more information on this product and other great gift ideas.

And don't forget to reply below for two chances to win your choice of amazing Breville products either for yourself or as a gift to a loved one: YouBrew, Tea Maker and Smart Oven products ($250 ARV)

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Breville. The opinions and text are all mine. Official Sweepstakes Rules

DIY Winter White Wreath Tutorial

130 · Dec 11, 2012 · 26 Comments

I just can’t help myself… I love this style of wreath. I love how full and rich it looks when finished. Thus far I’ve made two different versions, my Candy Corn Wreath and my Candy Cane Wreath from last year’s wreath tutorial.

This year I made a simple yet stunning Winter White Canvas Wreath that I can use throughout the year…

I love a good thick wreath full of rich colors and textures. I think they are always a fabulous winter statement piece for anything from a front door to a fun vignette like this one I created for Christmas this year.

This wreath is super easy to make, it just takes a little time. Here is what you will need…

Supply List

Foam wreath form
16 inch floral wreath form
3 yards of winter white canvas or duck cloth
550 white head quilters pins
Cutting mat and rotary cutter

Instructions

Cut your canvas into 3 inch strips and wrap the wreath form with a few of the strips of fabric to cover the Styrofoam. Use some pins to pin the fabric down at the end.

Cut the remaining fabric into 3×3 inch squares. You don’t need to be super precise, this wreath is very forgiving. Fold a square in half and then half again and then pin to the wreath form.

You don’t need to make these little squares very precise either. Actually, the messier they are, the better the wreath will look.

Now… grab a Diet Coke and a good movie (I watched on of my favorites, White Christmas) and go to town…Continue to fill in the wreath, packing them pretty tight.

I really used every speck of the 3 yards of canvas for this wreath and it looks so rich and full, I ADORE it!!

Now, this wreath is a bit of an investment (I totally get that) So… I plan on creating fun ways to dress it up throughout the year to make the investment of time and materials worth it.

Here is what I did to accessorize it for Christmas…

I added a cute little house ornament from the Target holiday collection along with some vintage jingle bells that I found at Old Glory Antiques in Denver, and a little frosted berry sprig.

I pinned the bells to the back of the wreath, tucked the berries into the folds of fabric and set the house on the wreath.

This is perfect for indoors, If you were going to use the same accessories for outdoors, I would secure it a little better.

To hang the wreath, I use the little pocket created when wrapping the foam base with the fabric…

It actually works quite well with the stiff canvas fabric. Don’t worry about all the strings from the fabric. After a little bit of time and grooming they settle down and you don’t even see them.

This week I am giving away an elegant holiday décor kit from the Sterling Pear, that’s where I found those amazing stocking hangers from my faux mantle. Make sure you head over to enter the giveaway!!

I will also in a future post teach you guys how to make that fun Rudolph sign that I created using my favorite Rhonna Designs digital artwork!

That one is going to be really fun!! Some great Silhouette tips and tricks I can’t wait to share! So… Enough about me, what have you guys been working on? Any fun Holiday projects you’ve been working on? I would love to hear about them!

Holiday Decorating with Sterling Pear // GIVEAWAY

1 · Dec 10, 2012 · 4 Comments

Pinch me… I have found the perfect stocking hanger from Sterling Pear (who was recently featured on HGTV) and I am so excited to share it with you guys today!

Have you heard of Sterling Pear? I hadn’t until they contacted my about reviewing some of their products. I thought it was just a run of the mill holiday décor company, but I was so wrong. Sterling Pear is an online boutique that specializes in innovative holiday décor solutions! For example, the stocking hangers…

They are brilliant! I selected the Stocking Scroll to use with my faux mantle. It’s perfect for ornate type edges and will hold your stocking perfectly in place without causing any damage to your wood work. It’s masterfully designed to use counter weight in conjunction with a special grip pad that holds it in place without causing any damage to your mantle, or faux mantle in my case. It can even hold a filled stocking up to ten pounds!!! I LOVE them!!

I also took their adjustable wreath hanger for a test drive. Again another very innovative product.

The adjustable wreath hanger is perfect for any size door and it has protective pads at all the pressure points to protect your door. They also have these amazing garland ties designed to be not only stylish but functional… Think wired twist tie that looks great, is functional and protects your wood work.

SterlingPear.com was launched by two friends, Heather Dietrich and Janet Hayden, in time for the 2007 holiday season. What started with a different idea altogether, designing and selling Christmas decorating kits, morphed into something else entirely. As part of the Christmas decorating kits we ended up designing an ornament storage chest unlike any other that had ever existed. It was luxurious and sophisticated, something fitting to hold the treasures of one's collection of precious heirloom ornaments. It was like a jewelry box for your ornaments. We new we had something special and we decided to just focus on this box since we didn't have the time and funds to roll out the whole kit at that time. We launched with our Keepsake Ornament Storage Chest and a few other Christmas decorating products. And every year we've been adding new products ever since, with an emphasis on ingenious design and sophistication.

Our most popular item last year was the Candy Cane Stocking Hanger.

Last year it was a total surprise how quickly the Candy Cane Stocking Hangers sold out! We did not predict they would be as popular as they were. They are a bit more cute and whimsical than our other metal finished stocking hangers and we just didn't know how they would sell with our normal elegant and sophisticated product line. Last year we started with approx 1,200 Candy Cane Stocking Hangers ready for the holiday season and, to our surprise, they sold out in less than four days! Now for this year, the 2012 holiday season, we have an enormous supply on hand and we think we are prepared for the demand. We just hope they last through the end of Christmas!

What's so exciting about all of our Stocking Hangers is that they are child and pet friendly. The weight of the stocking pulls down on the stocking hanger and holds it securely to the mantel. And even if the stocking hanger did come off, they only weigh a few ounces and wouldn't hurt your little ones! (Unlike the heavy, clunky type of stocking hangers that sit on top of the mantel, which could injure a child if they were to tug on the stocking.)

The lovely ladies at Sterling Pear would love to give away an elegant Home Décor prize pack to one of you!! That would include a set of four stocking hangers, an adjustable wreath hanger and a set of garland ties. SCORE!! Just follow the directions in the Rafflecopter box below to enter the giveaway…