Tuesday, December 31, 2013

Recipe :: Stroga-not (Dairy-Free Stroganoff)

I had some of the ingredients on hand for stroganoff (and they needed using before they went bad), but wanted to make a dairy-free version. (And from my limited knowledge of glutens, I believe this can also be gluten-free if you just substitute a gluten-free flour for the one I used.) Of course it is not as creamy as regular stroganoff that uses sour cream and milk, but I really liked how it turned out.
Here is the recipe:

Stroga-not

Grapeseed oil
1 pound ground turkey (I like the kosher kind from Trader Joe's)
1 teaspoon dried minced garlic
2 teaspoons dried minced onion
1-2 cups chopped mushrooms (I chop the mushrooms because my kids don't care for them and this keeps them at a similar size as the cooked ground turkey)
3 cups rice milk, almond milk, or a combination of the two (I used a combination)
8 tablespoons whole wheat flour (toasted*, if desired)
3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 pound Brown Rice Pasta Fusilli (from Trader Joe's), cooked and drained

1. Place dried minced garlic and dried minced onion in a small amount of water until it plumps up. (You can substitute with 1-2 cloves minced garlic and about 1/2 of an onion, chopped.)
2. Heat a skilllet and brown the ground turkey with the garlic, and onion. I cook in a cast iron skillet and use a very lean turkey, so I added some Grapeseed oil to my skillet to keep it from sticking.
3. When the turkey is almost browned, add the chopped mushrooms.
4. When the turkey is fully cooked, add the rice/almond milk to the pan, stirring occasionally.
5. When the "milk" is warmed, whisk in the flour. Stir often until sauce is thickened.
6. Add Worcestershire sauce and stir.
7. Add cooked pasta and stir to combine. Serve warm.

*To toast the flour, place it in a dry skillet and heat until it is slightly darker than normal. This just intensifies the flavor a bit.

Tuesday, December 24, 2013

Book Review :: NIV Essentials Study Bible

The NIV Essentials Study Bible is a fantastic study Bible comprised of portions of six different popular study resources: The Essential Bible Companion, the NIV Study Bible, the NIV Archaeological Study Bible, the NIV Quest Study Bible, the NIV Student Bible, and The Great Rescue, NIV. The jacket is the colorful cover shown here, and underneath is a more subtle hardcover - gray/black speckled with the words "HOLY BIBLE" on the front. The interior is laid out with black text and various blue accents (headings, chapters numbers, timelines, etc.) - it is very easy on the eyes. The words of Jesus are in black text, the same as the rest of the Bible text.

Each book begins with an introduction that generally includes: background information about the book, key concepts, key verses, key teachings, key terms, people to know, timelines, and maps. Throughout each chapter/book there are study resources interspersed. Each section from a particular resource is marked to show which resource it originally came from (for example, portions from the NIV Archaeological Study Bible are marked with |ASB|). The exception to this is that the bottom-of-the-page study notes are not marked - they are all from the NIV Study Bible. Each of the resources are well placed and give the reader something additional to think about.

If I was going to suggest a Bible purely for reading Scripture, I would not suggest this version simply because there are so many resources that it can sometimes spread the Scripture out over many pages, when it might be able to be read more easily without the distraction of the extra resources. However, I think this is a fantastic all-in-one study Bible and would definitely suggest it for anyone who wants to dig deeper. It has a lot to offer without being overwhelming. I think this is a great choice for a study tool for any family.
FTC Declaration: The publisher has provided me with a complimentary copy of this book or advanced reading copy through BookSneeze®. This does not change the fact that I will give my honest opinion in my reviews.

Friday, December 20, 2013

Blog Hop {My Craft Channel SuperFans}

The Introduction:
If you are hopping along with us today: You should have come here from My Craft Channel's blog. If you did, you are in the right place! Welcome!
If you aren't already a follower, I'd love to have you follow my blog!

If you are one of my regular readers: Thanks for coming back! I love having you! Please join along in the hop - you can start at My Craft Channel's blog.

The Hop Order:

Tifany's Project:
It's hard to believe that it's already been a year for us in the very first group of SuperFans! It's been a great year and we've seen so many great deals from My Craft Channel! There have been quite a few opportunities this year to grab some sets of washi tape - so I've decided to share this washi tape picture frame that I created:
I started by gathering three simple wood frames and I glued them together, collage style. Then, it was time to add some washi. I just started layering and wrapping the frame in various colors and styles of tapes...and that was it.
It was really quite easy (gluing the frames together was the hardest part) - and I love the finished effect!

Midge's Project:
Welcome to the final blog hop of the year with the My Craft Channel SuperFans! I’m Midge Hammon and I’d like to share a Christmas project with you.
Every weekday I’m excited to see what new product that MCC is featuring. One day they featured a Teresa Collins Christmas bundle. It included a red binder, beautiful Christmas papers, and fun embellishments. It’s been sitting on my shelf just waiting for me and the weekend before Thanksgiving was my ‘get ready for Christmas’ weekend with the girls. I worked on Christmas cards and this binder. I’m really pleased with how it turned out. Not all the pages are included in the pictures, but enough to give you a feel for it. Now I just have to be patient and wait for Christmas…and for the pictures to be developed! I hope it inspires you to scrapbook your memories, too. Merry Christmas!
Thanks for stopping by today!

The Next Stop:
Abigail Stoops' blog

Friday, December 13, 2013

Something GOOD in every day.

This may be my last card for awhile using this sentiment from the Lasting Thoughts kit. I won't stop using it...just thought you all may want to see that I can use something else. :o)
Thanks so much for stopping by!
Supplies:
Cardstock: Papertrey Ink (Rustic Cream);
Patterned Paper: Crate Paper (On Trend 6x6);
Stamps: Unity Stamp Company (
Lasting Thoughts); 
Markers: Copic (R27, YG17);
Ribbon: May Arts (1/4" Silk Ribbon - Black);
Tools: Fiskars (Trimmer, Scissors); Scor-Pal (Scoring Board);

Thursday, December 12, 2013

Book Review :: Inflammation Nation by Floyd Chilton


Inflammation Nation by Floyd Chilton - Find it on Amazon

I was able to read/skim this book in about an hour. While there is some helpful information in it, the end result of the actual "diet" portion of the plan was nothing groundbreaking, in my opinion. I have been having autoimmune/inflammatory issues for over a year now and have done quite a bit of research and although his initial approach from the scientific side is different, the end result was really nothing new. I was all excited to see his amazing diet tips after reading about his research (which was interesting)...only to find out that I already eat within the parameters of his "breakthrough diet" and still have inflammatory issues.

Yes, more people need to watch what they eat. Yes, eat more healthy veggies. Yes, stay away from foods not made from whole grains. Yes, we need to stay away from high sugar foods. Unless you eat things like chitterlings, pork liver, beef brain, fried everything, white flour everything, cakes, cookies, and no veggies...and if you watch at all what you eat, you may be pretty close to his "breakthough diet" already.

I felt more like the book should have been about wild salmon versus farmed salmon since that seems to be the bulk of his main argument. I do think it is important to note the difference, but again...you can find that out on the internet.

There are a few important pieces of information I believe were pointed out in this book:
-All fish is not created equal. Some fish can cause serious pain and inflammation and some will help you. (You can see his findings about specific fish in a concise list in Chapter 15...pages 172-175.)
-Egg yolk can pose a serious inflammation risk.
-Do not take a GLA supplement without having EPA (in supplement or food form)...it can cause serious harm.

I did find it interesting that he includes some of the major inflammatory foods (tomatoes, potatoes, eggplant, peppers, and citrus) on his "foods to eat often" lists. Personally, I have seen a direct link between these foods and my pain levels and therefore have decided to avoid them, as much as I love them. I would be curious to see more information on why he does not see these as inflammatory foods when they are some of the most common that will pop up in a Google search about inflammatory foods.

I recommend borrowing this book from your library. First, look at the indexes (unless you are very curious about scientific things) from page 165 through 175, maybe make a few lists of what to buy or avoid, and then take it right back to the library for someone else to borrow.


{Review originally published on 12/12/2008.}

Tuesday, December 10, 2013

Good in every day.

Yep - I am back with another card using the sentiment I designed for the Unity Artista Kit: Lasting Thoughts.
There truly is something good in every day.
Thanks for stopping by!

Supplies:
Cardstock: Discount Cardstock (Brilliant White 130#);
Patterned Paper: American Crafts (Dear Lizzy - 5th & Frolic 6x6);

Stamps: Unity Stamp Company (Lasting Thoughts); 
Markers: Copic (0, C0, YG01, BG000, BG11, BG15);
Tools: Fiskars (Trimmer, Scissors); Tim Holtz (Tiny Attacher); Scor-Pal (Scoring Board);

Tuesday, December 3, 2013

Miracles Happen

This is another card that I created using the new Lasting Thoughts kit from Unity Stamp Company. I didn't design this stamp, but I did enjoy using it to create this bright card.
Thanks for stopping by today!
Supplies:
Cardstock: Discount Cardstock (Brilliant White 130#);
Patterned Paper: American Crafts (Dear Lizzy - Lucky Charm 6x6);
Stamps: Unity Stamp Company (Lasting Thoughts);
Markers: Copic (YG03, Y38, Y08, YR68);
Twine: The Twinery (Solid Mandarin);
Tools: Fiskars (Trimmer, Scissors); Scor-Pal (Scoring Board);

Friday, November 29, 2013

Good. Every Day.

Today's card is one I created with the new Lasting Thoughts kit from Unity Stamp Company. I loved being able to contribute this image to the kit...and I had a lot of fun creating this card as well.
Thanks for stopping by today!

Supplies: 
Cardstock: Papertrey Ink (Rustic Cream);
Patterned Paper: American Crafts (Dear Lizzy - 5th & Frolic 6x6); Crate Paper (On Trend 6x6);
Stamps: Unity Stamp Company (Lasting Thoughts); 

Markers: Copic (E00, E53);
Trim: KaiserCraft (Lace - Nautral);
Tools: Fiskars (Trimmer, Scissors); Scor-Pal (Scoring Board);

Tuesday, November 26, 2013

Book Review :: Pirates on the Farm by Denette Fretz

Pirates on the Farm (The Next Door Series) by Denette Fretz

Pirates on the Farm is the first book in The Next Door Series by Denette Fretz. The basic idea is that five pirates (and one parrot) buy a farm next door to the Sanders family (a father, mother, daughter, and son) in a southern community.

First, I will start by sharing the responses from my kids after I read it to them and asked them, "What did you think about that book?":

Son, age 4: "I wish it had a trillion pages."

Son, age 7: "It teaches us about what to do to your neighbor. I really like that book. It's cool."

Daughter, age 9: "It's good. It's funny. I wish it would never end."

Unfortunately, I wasn't quite as excited about the book as my kids were. It was okay, but I didn't think the writing was quite as engaging as other children's books. There were also many words that aren't generally in kids' vocabulary (which is fine...learning new words is always good), but the definitions of those words listed in the back of the book were described in pirate lingo. Pirate lingo is fun, but not really helpful for when you are looking for a real definition.

As for the lesson in the book, I do feel like the end result was good (with people caring for their neighbors), but leading up to it for the majority of the story was nearly everyone in the book not showing love to their neighbors. And the change of heart was very easy to miss (in my opinion) because it wasn't stated in the words of the story, but just in the artwork. (The artwork is very cute, by the way.)

It wasn't quite up to what I was hoping for, but in the end, my kids all did enjoy it.
FTC Declaration: The publisher has provided me with a complimentary copy of this book or advanced reading copy through BookSneeze®. This does not change the fact that I will give my honest opinion in my reviews.

Friday, November 22, 2013

Baby Shower In A Box

Today I wanted to share with you a fun idea for mailing gifts. I've created a "Baby Shower in a Box"...but this idea can easily be adapted to a "Birthday Party in a Box", "Bridal Shower in a Box", "Christmas in a Box", etc.
To start, I created an invitation...
Inside is the typical invitation stuff (For, Date/Time, Place, etc.), but where it has a place for the Date/Time, I wrote: "Right now"...and for Place, I wrote: "In this box".

I wanted to add in some decorations as well, so I created this banner (with my precious nephew's name)...
Each banner piece is a letter from his name stamped onto a shipping tag (which I first stamped with that cute argyle outfit), then I embellished it with some washi tape and strung it together with The Twinery's Gold Shimmer twine.
Then it was time to place it all in a box. I started by putting the gifts in first...
Then I added in some air bubbles to keep it safe during shipping (although I think some blown up balloons would have been more festive...I just couldn't find any in the right colors...until after I shipped the box, of course).

Then, I topped it off with the invitation...
...and banner...
...and it was ready to take to the post office.

Thanks for stopping by today!
Supplies:
Patterned Paper: My Mind's Eye (Stella and Rose - Hattie 6x6);
Stamps: Unity Stamp Company (Color of the Seasons - KOM 8/12, Frame this Alpha);
Ink: Memento (Rich Cocoa, Cantaloupe);
Twine: The Twinery (Gold Shimmer, Solid Denim); 

Other: (Shipping Tags); (Washi Tape);
Tools: Fiskars (Trimmer, Scissors); Scor-Pal (Scoring Board);

Thursday, November 21, 2013

Brown Thursday Blog Hop {Unity Stamp Company}

The Introduction:
If you are hopping along with us today: You should have come here from Tracey Malnofski's blog. If you did, you are in the right place! Welcome!
If you aren't already a follower, I'd love to have you follow my blog!

If you are one of my regular readers: Thanks for coming back! I love having you! Please join along in the hop - you can start at the Unity Stamp Company Blog.

The Prizes:
Unity is giving away a full year membership for Stamp of the Week to two lucky commenters...so be sure to leave a comment on each blog along the hop (including the Unity Stamp Company Blog)...you don't want to miss this one!

The Cards:
I've created two cards for today's hop featuring the stamp I created for the new Artista quote kit, Lasting Thoughts.

The first is a simple one...just stamp, add twine, and adhere to the card:
Of course, I also wanted to color in the rose...so I did:
I'm very excited about teaming up with the other Artistas for the new quote kit and I hope you are excited about this kit, too!
I think I am the last of the Artistas in the hop today...now back to your regularly scheduled programming with the fabulous Unity DT...

Thanks for stopping by today!

The Next Stop:
Card #1 Supplies:
Cardstock: Papertrey Ink (Rustic Cream);
Patterned Paper: American Crafts (Dear Lizzy - Lucky Charm 6x6);

Stamps: Unity Stamp Company (Lasting Thoughts);
Twine: The Twinery (Solid Caribbean);
Tools: Fiskars (Trimmer, Scissors); Scor-Pal (Scoring Board);


Card #2 Supplies:
Cardstock: Discount Cardstock (Brilliant White 130#);
Patterned Paper: American Crafts (Dear Lizzy - Lucky Charm 6x6);
Stamps: Unity Stamp Company (
Lasting Thoughts);
Twine: The Twinery (Gold Shimmer);
Markers: Copic (E00, RV02, RV04, YG03, YG25);
Tools: Fiskars (Trimmer, Scissors); Scor-Pal (Scoring Board);

Tuesday, November 19, 2013

Imagine. Dream. Fly.

I am back again today with another fun technique - this one is for your Distress Stains:
Simply swipe your Distress Stains across some plain vellum, and voila! Colored vellum.
For this card I topped it off with some stamping and attached it to my card base with staples. 

Thanks for stopping by today!
Supplies: 
Cardstock: Discount Cardstock (Brilliant White 130#); 
Paper: The Paper Company (Vellum);
Stamps: Unity Stamp Company (Feather Flight);
Ink: Ranger (Archival - Jet Black);
Color Media: Tim Holtz (Distress Stain - Broken China);
Tools: Fiskars (Trimmer); Scor-Pal (Scoring Board); Tim Holtz (Tiny Attacher);

Friday, November 15, 2013

Dream BIG

Today's card features a fun technique - great for those of us who have a large stash of mists.
For this technique, simply squirt some mist onto a non-stick craft sheet (or you can probably use something like wax paper if you don't have a craft sheet), "ink" up your stamp...and stamp away!

(Note: Stamping with mist is not going to give you clear, crisp images - you may want to work with a stamp that is rather solid and not detailed.)

To get the two-tone/ombre effect in the feathers, I simply squirted two colors of mist next to each other on my craft sheet and made sure my stamp went into both colors of mist.
Ink up again and repeat until you've got the look you're going for.

Have fun with it!
Supplies:
Cardstock: Discount Cardstock (Brilliant White 130#);
Stamps: Unity Stamp Company (Feather Flight, BIG TIME Special);
Ink: Memento (Tuxedo Black);
Mist: Heidi Swapp (Color Shine - Mustard, Mint Green, Teal);
Tools: Fiskars (Trimmer); Scor-Pal (Scoring Board);

Saturday, November 9, 2013

Moxie Fab Thanks! {Blog Hop}

If you are hopping along with us today: You should have come here from Yvonne Yam's blog. If you did, you are in the right place! Welcome!
If you aren't already a follower, I'd love to have you follow my blog!

If you are one of my regular readers: Thanks for coming back! I love having you! Please join along in the hop - you can start at the The Moxie Fab World Blog. (The full hop order is listed there.)


Before I say thank you, Cath, I want to tell you a story...

In late 2010, I received my first-ever happy e-mail letting me know I would be published in Paper Crafts magazine. I was ecstatic! Shortly after that, I received another happy e-mail letting me know I would be published in the May/June 2011 issue of Paper Crafts magazine. I thought I was going to burst from excitement! That is around the time when I first really took notice of you and the Moxie Fab World, Cath. And shortly after those e-mails is probably when you first noticed my work, with this card...
...which you ended up featuring on the Moxie Fab World and pinning on your Paper Crafts Favies Pinterest board. I didn't think anything could top the amazing excitement of being a published designer, but those two things made my day!

I was so thrilled that you had enjoyed my card so much, so I was planning to pack the card along with me to give to you at CHA...but unfortunately you couldn't make it to that CHA show, so this is as close as I got to meeting you in person...
After that, unfortunately I haven't been able to get to another CHA show to meet more than just Flat Cath, but that hasn't stopped your influence on me. I've loved the inspiration and challenges you've shared on the Moxie Fab World blog and the content you share in the pages of Paper Crafts.

And I know my story is similar to so many other designers you've encouraged, inspired, and motivated.

With the way trends move in and out, I am sure there is so much going on that these little stories get swept to the back of your mind, but for us designers, they stick with us and continue to inspire us for a long time after.

Thank you so much for your personal attention to each and every designer that joins you in the pages of Paper Crafts or in the Moxie Fab World. 

And with that, I can't think of anything more to say than...

The Next Stop: