Items From The Garden: Swiss Chard Side Dish

So something else I made with my swiss chard from my garden was this yummy side dish! Check out yesterdays post on how to clean it: HERE

Minced the garlic

Place oil in the pan

Let garlic and oil get toasted on medium heat!

Place swiss chard in the pan and sauté it. It cooks down just like spinach.

Now I used some balsamic vinegar in the pan. About 4 tbs. This is the kind I use. It is "Aged Balsamic Vinegar" from Cape May Olive Oil Company. It is the best store!!

 

Pour the vinegar in the pan and mix it together!

Serve on the side of grilled chicken and white/brown rice! Or steak with a baked potato! YUM!

Enjoy!

It is as Simple As 1-2-3!

Items From The Garden: Swiss Chard & Pasta Recipe

The next few posts are going to be on how to use some of those garden veggies!!

This one is about swiss chard! 

Facts about this yummy veggie:

One cup of chopped Swiss chard has just 35 calories and provides more than 300% of the daily value for vitamin K. But skip this veggie if you’re prone to kidney stones it contains oxalates, which decrease the body’s absorption of calcium and can lead to kidney stones. (web md)

How you can prepare it:

Prepare Swiss chard by rinsing the crisp leaves several times in warm water. Leaves and stalks can be boiled, steamed, or roasted. (web md)

So this is how I made it!

 First rinse the swiss chard really well.

Then place oil and garlic in a pan. 

Let it sit for a little bit and get nice a brown. Then add your swiss chard. 

It cooks down like spinach. Add some salt and pepper to taste. 

Then boil your pasta. Once your pasta is done mix everything together.

Pour into a bowl and sprinkle cheese on top! THATS it! SOOO good and healthy for you…and  EASY!

It is as Simple As 1-2-3!

Enjoy!

Fruit Salsa & Cinnamon Chips

I love salsa right up there with the best of them! But fruit salsa?!?! yumm!! As most of my readers know I had a baby about 3 months ago and I am have been trying to lose baby weight! BUT I LOVE SWEETS! So by curving my intake of sweet foods I have turned to fruit! I made this for my husband and he loved it! it is simple and easy and can be done really with any kind of fruit you may have! Here is what I did!




First I made the cinnamon chips!

You take a flour tortilla cut it into triangles and spread butter on on it. Then sprinkle cinnamon and sugar on top! Bake at 350 for 10-15 minutes! My oven cooks fast so it only took 10 minutes for me!

Next choose the fruit you want to use! I used strawberries, cherries and blueberries! Cut them up into small bite sized pieces!

After you are done put all fruit into a bowl and squeeze 1/2 a lemon on top and sprinkle with some sugar!

Mix well!

And serve!

That is it!! SO easy and SO yummy!!

It is as Simple As 1-2-3!

Enjoy!

A Royal Birthday

For my nephew and aunts birthday my mom decided to do a royal birthday party! Luke turned 7 and my Aunt Ruth turned 60! It was a great day filled with yummy food and great company!

My mom decorated a long table in a beautiful purple tablecloth. Gold and purple to stick with royal colors!

She used some of these cute printables throughout the party from Party Ever After! Party Ever After was super easy to work with and has some awesome items in her shop!

Introducing Party Ever After:

After spending 30+ years going to craft shows, selling everything from stained glass to anything country blue with a goose on it (remember that trend?!) it was time to look for an easier outlet for my need to create. 

When I was forced to get a new computer (hard drive failure = disaster!) I found a trial Paint Shop program installed on it. A whole new world was opened to me! It took me 3 years (off and on) of working with it to become comfortable. Finally, after creating many files that will never see the light of day, I was ready to take a big step and put myself out there for Etsy customers. I decided on making printable party kits and custom invitations because I love planning parties! With the addition of grandchildren to my life, even more parties began to take place in my head and needed someplace to go!

I love working with digital files especially since I can take my computer with me wherever I am. I can still create without hauling boxes and bags of craft supplies along! I'm a work in progress!

(Won't be posting pictures of me during the "creative process of designing". All you would see is me, sitting in my favorite chair, (only one close enough to the wood stove - cold here in Colorado right now) with my two cats curled up someplace close. They don't move much all day but I check on one of them now and then - he's pretty old! Sounds like I'm a reclusive old cat lady, but not really, there's just no one but me here in my large rambunctious family right now!)

Party Kit includes the following files:

Fill-in 5" x 7" Invitations
Once Upon A Time Banner (5" x 7" letters)
Mini Once Upon A Time Banner
Favor Box (approximately 2" x 2" base)
Place Cards/Labels (tent fold)
Cupcake Toppers & Tags (2 styles: roses & "once upon a time" wording)
Cupcake Wrappers
Napkin Rings
Once Upon A Time (large Sign)
Blank Signs (medium)
Blank Sign (large)
Key Tags (approx. 2" x 3")

A banner was hung to celebrate the birthday boy and my aunt!

We had yummy snacks!

We had poppers which are a perfect appetizer! You put different types of cheese, olives, peppers etc on little toothpicks and just "pop" them in your mouth!

I made my "crack" dip!

1 container of sour cream

2 cups of cheddar cheese

Strips of bacon I put 12 in

1 package of ranch seasoning 

As centerpieces my mom used lanterns with these adorable castle 

personalized printable Knights Castles from Wendy's Printable Party! Wendy was wonderful to work with! She personalized the boxes for me and they looked great on the table!

Hear Ye Hear Ye!! This personalized PRINTABLE Knights Castle favor box is perfect for any mediaeval / prince or knight themed party and can be filled with small toys, treats, candies etc.

Introducing Wendy:

I have been with my fiancé for almost 19 years and we have a gorgeous 4 year old son! I have always been creative and in my spare time I love creating new things. 

When my son had his 2nd birthday party I found it hard to find exactly what I wanted so decided to make my own party decorations and really enjoyed it! I then decided I would like to help others create their perfect parties and thought that by joining Etsy I could share my designs! 

I hope you enjoy my shop and my items as much as I enjoy creating them! 

Please email me if there is anything particular you would like to see in my store.

Dinner came out and it was delish!

We had soooo much! One of my favorite things was saucy susan chicken!

How to:

4 lbs. cut up chicken pieces
1 lg. bottle Saucy Susan Apricot Glaze— or duck sauce!
1 tbsp. garlic salt
1 tsp. black pepper
1/2 c. water

Place chicken in baking dish. Add water. Sprinkle with garlic salt and pepper. Bake in 350 degree oven for 20 minutes. Pour on Saucy Susan and continue to bake for about 40 minutes or until chicken is done.

Then the kids did a treasure hunt!

There were tons of clues on puzzle pieces that needed to be put together to find the treasure!

The treasure was buried in the dirt with little shovels sticking out of the dirt! The kids loved digging for it!

My aunts birthday cake was beautiful~ fit for royalty! 

It is as Simple As 1-2-3!