A few Valentines for my loved ones...

These are the the regular sized Hershey chocolate bars. I love the colors!


... and FINALLY, I saw this adorable idea all over blogland. No telling who started it. They are pink grapefruit Tic Tacs. A little ribbon and some paper. It was that easy!


It sure has felt good to get a little bit of paper crafting done lately! I finished my February projects already, in the first half of the month even!! Not only does it feel nice to have a few pretty things to give away, but I had a great time getting re-acquainted with my stamping supplies!

Monsters

Perhaps it's because my little guy's drawings look very much like these monsters but, I just love this stamp set from Recollections called "My Little Monsters". (I bought the set at Michaels)

It has been awhile since I've done any stamping. My craft room is about three quarters unpacked but, I had to get a bit creative as I was throwing these together for a challenge I'm doing to complete four cards each month this year. That doesn't sound very hard, but here I am at months end. :-) Namely my challenge was not being able to locate my watercolor pencils, they are probably still in one of six boxes left to unpack. So, don't tell anyone but Crayola colored pencils work too- when you are under a deadline! GIGGLE, giggle...

Spicy Pine Nut Pasta

There are certain things that I am "forbidden" to eat while the kids are at school. And NO, it's not bon bons.

You see, they have their favorite foods and IF it is discovered that I did eat those favorite foods without them I hear a few disappointing whines. Of course, they always figure it out, especially my daughter who has the nose of a blood hound. It doesn't look like a blood hound's nose, just works like one. (I had to clarify that, just in case she reads this).

Of course, if you know me then you also know I don't really let my kids dictate what I eat for lunch so, I made something yummy today... it is my favorite pasta dish. It's my own recipe, which just means I made it up. It is also one of my daughter's favorite meals.

Spicy Pine Nut Pasta

1/2 cup shelled pine nuts

1 tsp. olive oil

2 1/2 cups medium shell pasta (that is approximately half of a 1 lb. box)

4 1/2 cups water

2 chicken bouillon cubes (the amount you would use to make 1 cup of broth each)

2-3 garlic cloves, chopped finely or pressed

1 Tbsp. olive oil

1 can of Italian Style Stewed Tomatoes

ground cayenne pepper

black pepper, to taste

salt, to taste (I don't add any extra)

In a small skillet over low heat toast the pine nuts in the olive oil until they just begin to turn a light brown. Set aside.

In a medium saute' pan bring the water and one bouillon cube to a boil. Add pasta and cook 7-8 minutes until al dente. Drain pasta, rinse with hot water, and set aside. In the same saucepan heat up 1 Tablespoon of olive oil, add garlic cloves and over medium heat saute' for a minute to soften. Add the canned tomatoes, the remaining bouillon cube, 2 dashes of ground cayenne pepper, and 2 dashes of black pepper. Simmer over medium heat for about 3 minutes or until the bouillon cube is dissolved. Add pasta and pine nuts; gently stir the pasta mixture. Serve with crusty, warm bread.

My daughter took one step inside the front door and asked, "Did you save me any?"

A rainbow in the midst of a sea of kleenex

Now I am sick. The kind of sick that you choose to sleep all day, even ALL of the hours your children are away at school. The kind of sick where you cannot sleep well regardless of the amount of hours you spend in bed. Fevered, then cold, body aches, sore throat, congestion, migraines, an annoying cough... the list goes on a bit more.

Even though my challenges these last few weeks have been very small in comparison to others, this is a week when I didn't want to be mom. I wanted to be the one taken care of, or at least the one left alone to sleep my way through the week. I have less ambition to tackle the dishes, feed the family, wake the kids for school and settle their tiffs. Basic stuff has been a sacrifice.

In the middle of my self-pity I have seen a rainbow this week, and it is beautiful. I did find beauty in the middle of a sea of Kleenex and a foggy brain on cold medicine. I was blessed with sweet parents willing to come take one child to his martial arts class, children who surprise me by cleaning the house while I am away at a the pharmacy, a son who offers to rub my feet when I complain of the aches spreading to them, and a daughter who decides to bless me this week with taking her showers without begging, pleading and threats. (Just kidding about the threats, sorta.)

I just feel so blessed that joy in my family can be felt even when I am fevered. I no longer resent the "chore" of caring for them while I am feeling miserable, only grateful that I have them around when I am feeling miserable. I am also grateful to discover that joy in family life doesn't mean that life has to be going well, there are things that bring happiness even in the middle of life's challenges, big or small.

Boston Cream Pie

I usually order Boston Cream Pie from a bakery... but, no more! This recipe was a hit with us! I made a few slight changes to the original recipe, those are noted in color. Try it, it is just yummy...

Kraft Boston Cream Pie

1 (3.4 ounce) package JELL-O vanilla flavor instant pudding (I used French Vanilla)
1 cup cold milk (I used 1 c. heavy cream + 3 Tbsp. milk)
1 1/2 c. thawed Cool Whip Whipped Topping
1 round yellow cake layer (8 -9") (I used two 9" rounds made from 1 boxed cake mix)
1 (1 ounce) square BAKER'S unsweetened chocolate
1 Tablespoon butter
3/4 c. powdered sugar
2 Tablespoons cold milk

1. Beat pudding mix and 1 cup milk (or 1 c. heavy cream + 3 Tbsp. milk) for two minutes. (It should appear quite thick and smooth) Stir in Cool Whip, let stand 5 minutes. Meanwhile cut the cake layer horizontally into 2 layers with a serrated knife (or use two layers, as I did).

2. Stack cake layers on a serving plate, with the pudding mixture in between layers.

3. Microwave chocolate and butter on HIGH 1 minute; stir until chocolate is melted. Add powdered sugar and 2 Tbsp. milk; mix well. Spread over the top of the cake. Refrigerate for 1 hour.

Black Eyed Pea Salad

Here's one of my favorite side dishes... it is delicious on it's own or as a dip with tortilla or regular chips. It came from a Weight Watcher cookbook or magazine.

Black Eyed Pea Salad

1 (15.8 oz.) can black-eyed peas, rinsed & drained
1 (11 oz.) can shoepeg white corn, drained (or frozen regular kernel corn, thawed)
1 c. chopped seeded cucumber
1 c. finely chopped celery
1/2 c. finely chopped red onion
1/2 c. finely chopped fresh cilantro
1 (10 oz.) can Rotel diced tomatoes & green chilies (either mild or medium)
3/4 c. KRAFT Roasted Red Pepper Italian Dressing with Parmesan
1/2 tsp. black pepper

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl; cover and chill. Serve with a slotted spoon. If using as a dip, drain liquid.

Yields: 7 servings (3/4 c. = 2 WW points)

How to fix a cake blunder PART 2

I used BAKERELLA's Easy Buttercream Frosting, which turned out very yummy and indeed easy to make, and I covered the top of the cake.

Easy Buttercream Frosting (this is BAKERELLA's recipe)...

1 cup (2 sticks) butter (room temperature)
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 1b. 10X powdered sugar
1-3 teaspoons milk, half and half or cream

• Using a mixer, cream softened butter and vanilla until smooth.
• Add sugar gradually, allowing butter and sugar to cream together before adding more.
• If you want your frosting a little creamier, add a teaspoon of milk at a time and beat on high until you get the right texture.
• Then, just use icing color to tint the frosting the color of your choice.

I decorated it with crushed graham crackers (dirt) and green frosting (grass)... added a few cars and flags... there you go... a suitable "PLAN B cake". It especially looked beautiful to me at 1:00 am, knowing I now had a cake for the birthday party just hours away, and I was going to get at least a few hours of sleep! MORE to come about the party...