Party Pictures, a Recipe, and a Winner

The party was great--great friends, good food and perfect weather--we couldn't have asked for a better day!  Our pulled pork even received the seal of approval from our Texas friends--a definite accomplishment!  The biggest hit of the day was definitely the dessert buffet--and with the exception of some cupcakes, there wasn't much leftover.

The Menu

Dessert Buffet

Cupcake Tower

Sugar Cookies

Chocolate Covered Strawberries

Gingersnaps, Chocolate Covered Pretzels

Pralines, Pecan Tarts

Close up of turtle

Lemon Bars

Beverage Station-Sangria, Lemonade, Iced Tea, Homemade Rootbeer, Water and Beer

Outdoor Buffet Server!

Thanks to a LOT of hard work by my brother, sons, dear husband and a friend--our yard was looking much more presentable than it was two weeks ago.  They raked, hacked, bagged and  hauled leaves, branches, and brush to the dump for over a week (our yard had not been raked in at least a few years when we moved in last summer!).  We also got the pool cleaned and running--although it is still way to cold to swim in--and even some new carpet on the pool deck.  It just made the yard so much nicer to look at and we even found room for a hammock (an early father's day present for my dear husband!).

Deck View

The Pool

Gazebo w/ seating

A little people picnic table, comfy chairs and drink holders

A Hammock in the shade!

One of my favorite treats on the dessert buffet was the pecan tarts--they are easy to make and taste so good.  There is just enough gooey sweetness to the filling without being overwhelming.

Pecan Tarts

 Pecan Tarts

crust:

 3 ounces cream cheese

1/2 C. butter

1 C. flour

Filling:

1 egg, beaten

3/4 C. packed brown sugar

1 tsp. vanilla extract

3/4 C. chopped pecans

1/4 C. chocolate chips (optional)

Cream butter and cream cheese, add flour.  Refrigerate for 30 minutes.  Divide dough into 24 balls and press into mini muffin tins.  

Combine egg, brown sugar, vanilla, pecans and chocolate chips (if desired).  Fill cups 3/4 full (trust me, don't overfill!).

Bake at 325 degree for 25-30 minutes or until light brown.

Cool for 5 minutes and remove from pan.

The winner of the hope chest cookbook is: Bonnie.  Congratulations!  I will be contacting you shortly to find out what color cover you want.  Also, because we only had 3 people enter, I decided to send a digital copy to the other two people who took the time to comment.  Thank you all so much!

***Hey ladies, if you won, please send me an email at hearthandshome@yahoo.com so I can get your info, blogger isn't letting me email you. 

Sweet Sixteen, a Hope Chest and a Giveaway

Today is my daughter's sweet sixteen birthday!  Sometimes it is so hard for me to believe my kids are growing up so fast! Saturday she will be taking a trip to New York City with her dad and a friend.  They have plans to see the Statue of Liberty, shop in Times Square and possibly even take the subway across the river to Hoboken, NJ to Carlos Bakery (Home of the Cake Boss) for a birthday cannoli.

The Birthday Girl

One of the gifts my daughter has asked for this year is a hope chest.  While the chest has not even been started (we are thinking of building something simple like this and then painting it really fun colors), we are looking forward to helping her start a collection of items she will need when it is time for her to begin life on her own or as a new bride.  I moved into my first apartment with not much more than a handful of clothes, an old bed and a handful of kitchen items. Fortunately I was working at Target at the time and was able to use my discount to slowly accumulate a few more items to make life easier before getting married at 19.  Our hopes are that when she moves into her first apartment she will have all the basics plus a few extras to feather her first nest.

We have started to collect recipes, homemaking tips and DIY projects and will add them to a binder for easy reference (I will be doing a post sharing our binder in the future). We are also printing out a copy of my Shortcut Cooking Cookbook and putting it into a binder with page protectors.  These are the recipes that she has grown up with (it was a carefully guarded secret in our house for many years that you could actually get graham crackers from a box) and are used daily in our house.

Now for the giveaway--you can win a printed and signed copy of the Shortcut Cooking cookbook in a three ring binder with page protectors for yourself or to give to someone special in your life who is starting out on a new life of their own or to add to their own hope chest.  The winner can choose the color for the cover.

How to enter:
1.) Leave a comment with something you would place in a hope chest (maybe something you wished you had when you first started out or maybe something you can't live without) or a favorite recipe, tip or DIY project (even a link to a favorite). You may leave up to 3 comments.


2.) Share this post on your blog or facebook or like Heart-Hands-Home on Facebook.  Leave a separate comment saying you shared and a link (if possible).


Hannah will choose a winner on Sunday night!

The Best Bruschetta and a Winner

Bruschetta is a favorite around our house, especially when made with homemade french bread and homemade mozzarella cheese.  In fact, it is one of the most requested appetizers when we have guests.

First, slice a loaf of french bread into thin slices.  Arrange on a cookie sheet and brush with olive oil or spritz with cooking spray.

Bake the bread at 400 degrees until lightly toasted.  Remove from oven and rub the cut side of a clove of garlic over each slice.

Thinly slice your tomatoes, mozzarella and fresh basil.  Mix equal parts of good balsamic vinegar*, olive oil; add salt and pepper to taste.



Layer the tomatoes and cheese on each bread slice, sprinkle basil over top.  Drizzle with balsamic dressing.

Enjoy!

*The secret to this recipe is the balsamic vinegar.  DO NOT use the cheap store bought stuff, it is just too bitter.  Look for a good quality balsamic from Modena, Italy, preferably aged at least 10 years.  I found some at a local farm/country store but have also seen it at wineries and gourmet stores.

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The winner of the vinyl wall scripture is:  Mrs. H!  Please contact me and let me know the exact size of your wall scripture you would like as well as a mailing address!

Mrs. H said...

What a beautiful arrangement! The only scripture I've got on my walls are vintage plaques & pictures that I've found in thrift stores. I would LOVE to update our living room with something like this! :)


Thank you to everyone who entered and joined the group on facebook.  Look for more giveaways, including some just for those on the facebook page.

Writing on your door frames *Plus a freebie and Giveaway!*

"Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts.  Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the door frames of your houses and on your gates. " Deut. 6:5-9

Would a stranger walking into your house be able to tell what you believe without you having to say a word?  Do you have scripture visible in your house for teaching your children?  What do your walls "say" about your family? Do your door frames (or walls, or mirrors) declare the Lord?

For too many years my walls were bare or contained haphazardly placed random pictures.  My fridge was usually buried under kids "artwork", but it usually went from the fridge to the trash.  One day another mom and I were discussing the above verse and the importance of having scripture visible in our households, not just for teaching our children, but for our own encouragement, and as a reflection of what we believed to anyone who walked through our doors.  We vowed to be intentional in what we placed on our walls.

Since we moved into our new house last summer, I have been struggling to figure out exactly what I wanted.  Inspiration finally struck and I have been busily trying to put it all together.  My goal is for the wall to speak for itself about what is important in our lives--our faith and our family. I wanted to incorporate our family "theme" verse:

 Phillipians 4: 8
 "Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things."

I am very happy with the way it turned out! What do you think?

Now for the fun stuff!  First a freebie, here is a printable 8x10 pdf version of Phil. 4:8 just for you.

FREE DOWNLOAD

And the giveaway-win a custom sized vinyl (up to 36" long and 8 1/2" tall) of Joshua 24:15 for your wall! Let the world know what you believe. I will cut the vinyl on my Silhoutte to the size you specify and send it to you with directions, ready to apply to your wall, mirror, or door.

To Enter:

*Leave a comment below, share a way you use scripture on your wall (or a way you are inspired to try),

your favorite verse, or some tidbit about yourself.

*"Like" the Heart-Hands-Home blog on Facebook.  I am going to be having some special giveaways and freebies just for the facebook users in the future, so get in on the fun.  Leave a separate comment for "liking" the page.

*Spread the word.  Share this giveaway on facebook, twitter or your blog (or any other way you want) and leave an extra comment letting me know how you shared.

The drawing will be open until Sunday February 6th at midnight.  A winner will be chosen next Monday morning.

And the Winner is..........

..........All three ladies who entered to win Shortcut Cooking:Saving Time and Money in the Kitchen!

Since there were only three entries, I decided to go ahead and bless each one of them with a copy.  I hope that they can each find something useful that will make their lives easier! If you entered and didn't get an email from me, please contact me so I can send you your book!

We are knee deep in home repairs this week, but I have a couple of things I am working on and hope to get them posted later this week along with some before and after pictures of the house.

Here is a sneak peek at our project we are working on--this used to be a faux brick wall in our living room.

2011 Grocery Budget Goals and Giveaway

What are your grocery budget goals for 2011?  Spend less money?  Buy less convenience foods? Stock your pantry? Menu plan more? Learn to can?

How can I help you cut your grocery budget this year?

In 2010 I spent $308.94 a month on groceries, which was slightly over our $300 a month budget.  We do a lot of entertaining, have 3 teenagers (and friends) that we feed, and spent several weeks without a functioning kitchen so I was excited to see we came very close to our budget. 

In 2011 our goal is to keep our $300 budget.  We bought a house last summer, so I hope to be able to put in at least a small garden for this year.  Most of our yard is currently unusable thanks to years of neglect and too many trees, so I won't be able to grow all that I want this year, but every little bit helps!  I am also hoping to put in an herb garden. I planted garlic in the fall (my first attempt so I hope it grows) and have a nice space outside the door to plant lots of other herbs that I use!

I also plan to preserve a lot more food this year.  I finally have space to store home canned goods as well as having an excellent food dehydrator.   I inherited a ton of jars from my sister-in-law a few years ago when she moved and I am looking forward to filling them up.  My main goals for canning this year are to make all of my jams, jellies and preserves and all of my own spaghetti sauce.  I would also like to learn to pressure can dried beans so that they are quick and easy to use (without all the sodium of store bought beans).

One of the biggest areas I already save on groceries is in making my own mixes.  I haven't been as good at keeping up on the mixes the last few months because of all of our house stuff going on, but I am hoping to soon have all of my jars labeled and filled.  I will share a picture when I get it done!

Today I am off for my first grocery shopping trip of the year!  We are out of just about everything because we were hit with several unexpected expense at the end of last year.  I figure this will be one of my more expensive trips of the year as I need to stock up on some essentials, but then I won't have to shop for a while!

I would love to hear what your grocery budget goals are and what skills you would like to learn this year to help keep your budget under control.  Leave a comment below and one person will win a free copy of my ebook Shortcut Cooking: Saving Time and Money in the Kitchen! 

I will pick a winner Monday morning!