DIY Clay Christmas Tree Ornaments

The Christmas season has officially started!

Even though my husband and I bought our Christmas tree a week before Thanksgiving I was not allowed to decorate it until 12 am Thanksgiving night. So instead of decorating the tree, I made decorations for the tree!

Me and my crafty neighbors were at it again. My friend Kara, over at Happy Go Lucky, gave me the inspiration behind making these clay ornaments! All of our ornaments came out great! These didn't take much time at all and they would be great to make with kids.

To make these ornaments all you need is:

1. Clay
2. Christmas cookie cutter ( to make the monogram snow flakes)
3. Foam letters ( to make the monogram snow flakes)
4. A beer glass & shot glass ( to make the owls)
5. Buttons (to make the owls)
6. Skewer or anything with a pointed end ( to make the owls) 
7. Glue gun
8. Mod podge & paint

Once you have all your supplies, roll out your clay. To make the monogram snow flakes cut out your shape and use the foam letters to make an indent of the letter you want. Also poke a small hole at the top of your ornament for the string.Bake at 275* for 15 mins. Oh and make sure that you don't bake the ornament with the foam letter on. The foam letter will shrink. Let cool and then paint with glitter mod podge. Once dry place your foam letter in the indent.

To make the owl ornaments use a beer glass and cut a circle in the clay. Use a shot glass to make the wing indents. Poke holes with the skewer in between the wings. Then place half of the shot glass on the top and cut a half circle. Bake at 275* for 15 mins. Once cool paint your owls. Wait until it drys and then apply the glitter mod podge. The button eyes go on last once everything is dry.

These were so much fun to make. I do think next time I will make them a little thicker. I originally made six but one of my snow flakes was too thin and broke at the top after I baked it. Making these ornaments are going to become a family tradition for me and my little girl once she is old enough to know better then to put the clay in her mouth.

What fun holiday ornaments are you making this year?

Cheddar Broccoli Bites

My mom always said eat your greens!

My mom is the inspiration behind today's post. She has been asking me to make these for weeks. Whenever we go out to eat and broccoli bites are on the menu my mom is sure to order them.

In my household we have broccoli on a very regular bases. I love making this healthy veggies something that everyone can enjoy. Broccoli can be hard to get your children to eat, but these yummy bites-size snacks will be a hit!

 I love working in my kitchen, but I hate cleaning up the mess. For this recipe I only used a bowl, a measuring cup, and a baking sheet! What is better then an easy kitchen clean up? This recipe was so easy, the prep for it only took me 10 mins. I have a 5 month old daughter and any recipe that is this fast to make and easy to clean up is something that will go right to the top of my recipe box.

These cheddar broccoli bites were my lunch today and oh man did they hit the spot! They had an awesome crunch. I served mine with ranch dressing. The dressing went well with the crispy crunch and the yummy cheddar cheese. My hubby is deployed right now, so I put some in the freezer for when he comes home.  He will love them! I think when I make them for him I will try frying some instead of baking them. No one has to force me to eat my green, but these cheddar broccoli bites make it even tastier!

But before we go, tell me your favorite green veggie to eat?

Ingredients

1 cup Broccoli

1 cup shredded Cheddar Cheese

1/2 cup Parmesan Cheese

1 cup Flour

1/2 Bread Crumbs

4 Eggs

Salt & Pepper to taste

Directions

1. Pre-heat your oven to 375*. In a large bowl combine all the ingredients.
2. Form the broccoli into balls. Place on a lined, greased baking sheet. Bake for 25-30 mins or until bites are browned.

 

Turkey Lasagna

A twist on the traditional lasagna!

When it comes to Italian food lasagna is the one of the best. When I told one of my friends that I was going to be making a turkey lasagna with a white sauce for my blog, he was like,"oh turkey? Why would you want to mess with a good thing?" I live to mess with a good thing.  I like to see if I can take something traditional and take it outside the box!

This turkey lasagna is a perfect example of outside the box! I like this lasagna because it didn't give me that over stuffed feeling I get sometimes when I eat Italian food yet was hearty and rich like the traditional. I enjoyed making it too. It was a bit time consuming, but I love being in the kitchen. The next time I make this I'm going to add a few more veggies.  Carrots or zucchini would go great in this dish.  I am also thinking about making another one and freezing it. I have a 5 month old so I know there will be a day when I won't have time to prepare a meal for the hubby. Also the next time I make this I will add a little bit more sauce. The sauce tasted great, I just wish there was more of it. This recipe is definitely going to become something I make for my family a lot. 

What dishes do you like to make that are outside the box?

Ingredients

1/2 chopped Onion

2 stalks Celery

1 teaspoon Garlic

1 tbsp Vegetable Oil

1 package of ground Turkey

1 cup cooked chopped Broccoli
2 tbsp Butter 

1/4 cup Flour

1 1/2 cups Milk

1 package Lasagna Noodles

2 cups Mozzarella Cheese

Salt & Pepper to taste

Directions

1. Pre- heat oven to 350* and cook the lasagna noodles according to directions on box.
2. Meanwhile in a large saute pan saute onions, celery and garlic until soft.  About 3 min. Add the turkey and broccoli. Cook until turkey is done and set aside.
3. To make the sauce use a small sauce.  Melt the butter, once melted remove from heat.  Add flour and mix until a white rue forms. Return to low heat and whisk milk and S&P to taste. Allow sauce to thicken.
4. In a casserole dish add a thin layer of sauce to the bottom. Then add a layer of noodles.  Top noodles with turkey, sauce and cheese.  Continue until your lasagna is assembled.
5. Bake in the oven for 45-60 mins.  Let stand for 10 and server warm.