I've opened up shop

Crafty Momma's World Shop

I am customizing hair accessories, hats, dresses & what ever else I come across!! Check it out! You can find me on Facebook (search Crafty Momma's World) & Etsy. I'm just starting off so it's not anything spectacular yet but one day I will get there.

I got an "I love your blog" award!!

YAY!! Thank you "Give Peas a Chance"!! If she's not one of your blogs to follow you best make her one. Her food makes you not only hungry but drool!

Here are the rules of the award:
Here are the rules:
*Post the award on your blog*
*Link the person who has given you the award*
*Pass the award to 15 other blogs you’ve discovered*
*Remember to contact the bloggers you’ve nominated*

Three Many Cooks - Great recipes & everyday conversation.
Notes Girls Write - Each photograph has a story behind it.
Cake Journal - You all know my love for desserts, especially cupcakes.
My Military Hero - She started a small business that's now HUGE!

Ok, I suck, that's all I could come up with at the moment. I feel weird leaving an award on a complete strangers site (but I did). I follow a lot of blogs, I really do.

Brownie pizza

What you need:
Your favorite brownie mix or recipe
2 cups frozen cool whip, thawed
1 Tbsp sugar
8oz cream cheese, soften
1/2tsp vanilla extract
fruit of your choice

1) Line a round pan with parchment paper. Spray with cooking spray. Pour & cook brownie mix. Let cool.

2) Mix in a bowl the cream cheese, sugar & vanilla extract. Fold in the cool whip. Spread over brownie. Slice up the fruit & place on top.

3) Enjoy!

Cockpot corned beef & cabbage

No picture for this one. Use your imagination. :P It was gone by the time I even thought about posting. What's left in the crockpot really isn't "pretty".

Ingredients:
2-3lbs corned beef
carrots (I used baby carrots or you can chop up larger carrots)
2 onions (chopped)
potatoes (optional & I used red)
12oz beer (pick something Irish!!)
2 tbsp yellow mustard
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 cup water
cabbage (8 wedges is what was originally called for. I just sliced a head in half & then quartered 1 half.)

Cook time is 11-12 hours on low. I did it for 4 hours on high & then 3 hours on low. Mr has a football game tonight so I had to make sure it was ready for an early dinner but not too early. You could do 5-6 hours on high.

What you do:
Combine the onions & carrots at the bottom of the crockpot. Layer on the potatoes. Rinse your meat & place on top. Add seasoning packet that comes with it. Pour beer over it. Spread mustard over the meat. Mix the brown sugar & water together & pour over the meat. Cook. During the last 30-40 minutes take out the meat & wrap in foil to keep warm. Toss the cabbage into the crock pot & cook for the remaining time.

Chicken, snow pea and cashew fried rice

What you need:

• 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, sliced thin
• 1/4 cup teriyaki sauce
• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 3 scallions, finely chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh ginger (or an 1/8tsp dried ginger if you don't have fresh on hand)
  
• 8 ounces snow peas, trimmed
• 1/4 cup low-sodium chicken broth
  
• 4 cups cooked white rice (we used brown rice)
  
• 3 tablespoons chopped roasted cashews (added a ton more! I love cashews in chicken meals.)
  

What to do:

1. Marinade chicken in 2 Tbsp. teriyaki sauce in a bowl and set aside. Warm 1 1/2 Tbsp. vegetable oil in a wok or large nonstick skillet over high heat. Add chicken and cook, stirring, until no longer pink, 3 to 5 minutes. Transfer to a clean bowl.

2. Add scallions, garlic, ginger and remaining vegetable oil to wok and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add snow peas and chicken broth, cover and cook until tender, 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in rice, chicken and remaining 2 Tbsp. teriyaki sauce and cook, stirring, until rice is heated through, 1 to 2 minutes. Toss in cashews and serve.

Cheesies

This is something the Mr introduced me to. Pretty easy to make & yummy.

What you need:
Rye bread (sliced)
Salsa
Cheddar cheese (we use sharp)
butter

What to do:
We use the toaster oven to make these but you can use your toaster & then the oven. Toast the bread. Take it out & butter it. Add a layer of cheese & then top with salsa. Put back into the toaster oven or the oven & broil until cheese melted & salsa is heated through.

Cheaters Cannoli's

10 Sugar cones

Cannoli mix:
15oz Ricotta cheese
2/3 cup powdered sugar
1/2 tsp grated orange peel
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
2 tbsp mini chocolate chips

I dipped my cones in chocolate & then sprinkles. (optional)

Blend all ingredients except chocolate chips. Stir in chocolate chips. Refrigerate for 30 minutes. Fill cones. Keep refrigerated until ready to serve.

Candy Corn Cupcakes

Saw these somewhere but lost the link. Super easy to make. I used a white cake mix & then divided it into 2 bowls. Tinted one bowl with yellow gel & the other with orange gel. Scoop about 2tsp of yellow into your cup & then top with about 2 tsp of orange. Bake & then ice with your favorite icing. I used buttercream - which proceeded to melt on me. I sprayed them with a black food coloring spray. I should have refrigerated the cupcakes after I iced them & then sprayed them. Oh well it was a learning process. :)

Red Velvet Whoopie Pies

I wanted to do something different than the usual cupcakes. Another momma made pumpkin whoopie pies so she got me thinking about those. No pumpkin mix in this house at the moment but I had some red velvet mix & cream cheese frosting sounded so good. For the cake part I followed the instructions on the box minus about a 1/4 cup of water & added 1 tsp of vanilla extract. Preheat oven at 350 degrees F. Place about 1tbsp of mix onto a cookie sheet. Cook for about 10 minutes. Let cool.

Onto the super duper yummy icing...

3/4 cup butter, softened
4 oz cream cheese, softened
1/8 cup light brown sugar, packed
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1-2 tablespoons milk (I used 1 tbsp
2-4 cups powdered sugar (I used 3 cups)

Blend together the butter & cream cheese. Add in the brown sugar & vanilla extract. Blend. Add in 2 cups of the powdered sugar, blend on low. Add in, alternating, the milk & powdered sugar - depending on your desired consistency.

Place icing on 1 cake piece & top with a second. Enjoy!

S'mores Bake

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Ingredients:
10-12 whole graham crackers (break up into quarters)
about 1/2 bag of mini marshmallows
1-1 1/2 cups of semi-sweet chocolate chips

Spray pan lightly. Layer the bottom with half of the graham crackers, chocolate chips & marshmallows. Repeat. Bake until marshmallows are slightly golden & the chocolate chips have started to melt - about 10 minutes or so.

Chicken with Mustard-Citrus Sauce

Found this in one of the magazines I get & we needed something new for a chicken dinner. It's approximately 1 hour of prep time & 30 minutes of cooking time.

Ingredients:
boneless, skinless chicken of your choice
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
3 tbsp minced garlic, divided
3 tbsp honey, divided
2 tbsp olive oil
salt & pepper
3 tbsp chopped shallot
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper
1/2 cup orange juice
3/4 cup canned low-sodium chicken broth
1/4 cup Dijon mustard
1/2 tsp orange zest


1) Marinate meat - mix lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, 1 tbsp garlic & 2 tbsp honey in a plastic bag. Add chicken & put in the fridge for an hour.

2) Heat oil in large skillet. Remove chicken from bag & pat dry. Sprinkle with salt & pepper. Brown chicken on all sides for about 10 minutes. Add shallots, remaining garlic, & crushed red pepper to the skillet. Cook for about 2 minutes. Return the chicken to the pan. Add orange juice & chicken broth. Simmer & turn once until the chicken is cooked through (about 10 minutes).
3) Remove chicken. Add mustard, orange zest & remaining honey to skillet. Bring to a boil & whisk until sauce thickens - about 7 minutes. Spoon over chicken & serve!

Crockpot Fajitas

Super easy & super yummy!

Beef &/or chicken (I get meat that is already seasoned - Carne Asada & Pollo Asdo.)
2 Fajita seasoning packets (use only 1 if your meat is already seasoned. Otherwise 1 packet is for your meat & the other for veggies.)
1 can of beer
green peppers, sliced
onion, sliced
your handy dandy crockpot

Slice your veggies & place at the bottom. Pour fajita seasoning over them & about half a can of beer. Mix. (If your meat is not seasoned, do so now.) Place your sliced meat on top of veggies. Pour rest of the beer over the meat. Cook on high for about 5 hours.

If you like hot dogs & beans....

here is a hot dog & bean casserole.

Ingredients:
1 package of hot dogs
3 cans of beans (drained)
1/3 bottle of BBQ sauce
2 tbsp brown sugar
package of corn bread mix (& the ingredients required - milk & egg)

Cook your hot dogs & cut up. Mix hot dogs, beans, BBQ sauce & brown sugar together. Place in a casserole dish evenly. Combine corn bread mix, milk & egg. Then pour evenly over casserole. Bake at 350 degrees F for about 20 minutes.

Donuts & donut holes

Ingredients:
1 package of refrigerated biscuit dough
~3 cups oil

(Glaze)
1 cup powdered sugar
2 tbsp apple juice
1/2 tsp (total, not each) of cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger & all spice. (I eye balled my measurements)

Separate your biscuits. Cut centers out of them with a small cookie cutter. Set aside until room temperature. Wisk your glaze together & set aside. Heat up oil, but not to hot**. Place up to 3 biscuits in at a time. I continuously flipped mine until they were golden brown on each side. Do the same with the holes. Place them on a paper towel to soak up the oil. Drizzle with glaze & enjoy!!



**This is what happens if you heat your oil up to much... burnt donuts & a melted spatula.

Champagne Cupcakes

Yep, cheated on these, too! ;) The taste is only a hint, but soooo yummy!

Ingredients:
White cake mix
1/3 cup oil
1 3/4 cup champagne
3 eggs

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Mix all ingredients. Fill cupcake liners about 3/4 of the way. Bake for about 20 minutes.

Icing:
I didn't have enough of the ingredients to make a butter cream icing so I used a Wilton mix I had stashed. Instead of milk or water I used 1/4 cup champagne & tossed in 1tsp of lemon extract (optional).

S'more Brownie Cupcakes

Tomorrow the kids & I are heading down to base to meet up with some of the other wives in the squadron. I got a bit of a late itch tonight to bake something for tomorrow. Between it already being late into the evening & 3 kids to chase after & get into bed I cheated a bit. I used a box brownie mix... {{GASP}} Ok, so I use mixes often & "doctor" them up to make them a bit of my own. There - the cat is out of the bag! So....

Ingredients:
1 Box of brownie mix
3 eggs (to make it more like cake)
1/3 cup water
1/3 cup oil
1 tsp vanilla extract
Crushed graham crackers

Topping:
Large marshmallow
Hersey chocolate bar broken up.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Mix all ingredients but the graham crackers. Spoon into cupcake tins. Top with the crushed graham crackers. Bake for about 28 to 30 minute. Let cool. Once cool roast marshmallows. Place on top of cupcake & add in a piece of chocolate. Eat & enjoy!!

You're invited to "cupcakes & tea"

I hosted this months OWC meeting for our squadron. My theme was "cupcakes & tea". Most of the food was mini-cupcake size & yes, (iced) tea was served.
Drinks:
1) Iced Tea
2) Sangria
3) Champagne & raspberries
4) Cucumber & lemon water

**SANGRIA**
6 cups of Carlo Rossi Sangria
4 ounces of Brandy
4 ounces Triple Sec
Fruit: oranges, apples & lemons
2 cups Sprite or Club Soda

Mix ingredients & chill.

**CUCUMBER & LEMON WATER**

Ingredients: Water, cucumber slices, & lemon slices
Add slices to water & chill. Light & refreshing summer drink!

Finger Foods:
1) Mini meatloaf "cupcake" iced with mashed potatoes
2) Spiral sandwiches
3) Spinach Souffle-Phyllo cups
4) Wonton Salsa cups
5) Pepperoni pizza cheese ball & crackers
6) Pillsbury Savorings
7) Fruit & dip

**MINI MEATLOAF "CUPCAKES":
Make your favorite meatloaf recipe & instead of baking in a loaf, use a mini-cupcake pan. Cook for 30 minutes at 350 degrees F. Top with mashed potatoes of your choice. I used an icing bag & tip to "ice" the meatloaf.

**PEPPERONI PIZZA CHEESE BALL**
(click on above link for recipe off of the "Give Peas a Chance" blog)
**WONTON SALSA CUPS**

Spray mini-cupcake pans & press wonton cup wrappers. Cook for 10 minutes at 350 degrees F. In a bowl mix 8oz of salsa with 1 - 15 1/4 oz can of corn (drained), 16oz can of kidney beans (washed & drained), & 1oz can of black beans (washed & drained). Spoon into shells & top with shredded cheddar cheese.

**FRUIT DIP** (passed onto my by another wife)

1 lemon

1 lime

1 orange

1 beaten egg

1 cup sugar

1/2 container cool whip

1) Juice and zest all 3 citrus fruits. 2) Boil juice w/ egg and sugar for one minute(stir constantly once boiling) Also, start timing 1 min once it's boiling. 3) Let cool. 4) Stir in cool whip and serve. (if you want it more like a dressing, add less cool whip.For a thicker like a dip put in more cool whip)

Desserts:
1) Red Velvet cupcakes with cream cheese icing
2) Cream Puffs with a little twist
3) Brownie bites covered in (purple) icing
4) Candies - (purple) M&M's, hard fruit candies



**CREAM PUFFS WITH A LITTLE TWIST**
Ingredients:
1 package of frozen cream puffs
4oz of frozen whipped topping, thawed
2 tbsp grenadine syrup
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
Powdered sugar

Place 12 cream puffs on a cookie sheet to thaw. Place the whip topping, grenadine, & vanilla in a bowl; mix well. Slice tops off of cream puffs. Top with mixture. Replace cut off tops. Dust lightly with powdered sugar.

Truffles

**What you need:

- 3/4 cup heavy cream
- 1 - 12oz bag of semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 2tsp vanilla extract
- choice of toppings to roll candy in
- candy wrappers

**What you do:

1) Heat heavy cream over medium heat until it begins to boil. Reduce heat & slowly add in chocolate chips. Stir until chips are melted.

2) Stir in vanilla extract. Pour into an ungreased 9" metal pan. Cool to room temp & then freeze for 2-3 hours until firm.

3) Scoop & roll into 1" balls. Roll into topping. Wrap in wrapper. Place back into freezer until set. Serve chilled.

Mini muffin & fruit skewers

The kids LOVE these because it has all their favorites.

"Rustic" curtains

I've finally gotten around to making Mr I's curtains. I've only had the fabric for just under 2 years, lol. The blinds in our house are the originals - 23+ years old. His finally kicked the bucket which forced me to get moving on these. I have some red bandana fabric that I will probably do a swag in. These were rather simple to make. Yes, I cheated. ;) I felt I could get away with cheating because of the type of fabric & the theme of the room. I used pinking shears to cut the fabric & then "no-sew" tape to make the curtain rod loop. No sewing required!!