Artsy Chaos

So many things are just not like they used to be; sturdy, solid, simple and built to last. Everything these days seems so rushed, hurried and disposable, including so many of the products on the market. Honestly, we get real tired of rolling the dice every time we purchase a product. I bet you do too. Jacob Bromwell is out of the ordinary. Established in 1819 with an idea to create solid cooking and kitchen ware, Jacob Bromwell creates products the same way they did back then and they are expected to last for generations. I inherited one of Jacob Bromwell's fine flour sifters from my father's family's estate. It may have belonged to his great-aunt Josephine or possibly his grandmother but in any case, it made its way to me many years later. I used to just turn the handle to feel how smoothly it turned the little wires inside the sifter. It was mesmerizing. Unfortunately, the sifter suffered during one of our moves in my early 20's and couldn't be put back tog...

Admit it, you have a hard time thinking up tasty new foods to cook for your family. I certainly do and since we eat a lot of chicken, it seems to fall into the same boring rut. Hellmann's to the rescue! Hellmann's is launching its first-ever Chicken Challenge - a series of head-to-head chicken dish challenges to help moms diversify their dinner routine. Hurrah! Watch celeb dad and actor Mark Consuelos, renowned chef Tim Love and lifestyle expert Sissy Biggers try to win over the crowd and champion for their favorite Hellmann's chicken recipe. Watch a video of the rivalry: Here is the info for the event: What: Hellmann's Live Chicken Challenge Where: Live stream at Facebook.com/Hellmanns When: Tuesday, Sept. 20th at 12:10pm EST Don't miss it!! FTC Disclosure: We learned about this project as a direct result of our involvement with the One to One network.

Have I ever mentioned that I really dislike cooking?  Yes, it's true.  Unfortunately, my sister convinced me to go over to her house to make jam and salsa for the freezer.  Super fun?  No, not really.  Super yummy?  Totally!  I'm the cooking party pooper I suppose.  We did try out some stickers you print yourself at home , though, and stickers are super fun to use as labels for your canning jars! More on StickerYou later on in the post... We certainly had plenty of peaches to use in our jam as our peach tree is overloaded.  The tree even had a large branch break a few weeks ago from the weight of the peaches.  And they are tasty!  Fresh peaches just picked from the tree are very yummy. As for a recipe, we decided to use the recipe that is on the pectin jar.  I did a lot of internet searches and honestly, most recipes are similar so we just decided to use the basic.  Having made no-cook jam before which failed horribly...

Did you know that birthdays are good for you?  Indeed, statistics show that people who have the most, live the longest! We celebrated a birthday in our family today and every birthday, in my opinion, screams for cake.  So here we are, Red Velvet Cupcakes frosted with the most amazing cream cheese frosting I have made yet and topped with adorable cupcake toppers from Expressions by Devin . <---so cute, check them out!! You may have noticed that I said the most amazing frosting I have made yet .  That's because it's a quest.  This latest concoction of incredibly smooth, perfectly sweet goodness is the result of trial and error, internet research and luck.  It's not too heavy, not too thick and holds its fluffy shape perfectly.  Want the recipe?  Sure you do! Fluffy and Smooth Decadent Cream Cheese Frosting 1 8oz. package Cream Cheese at room temperature 1 8oz. container of Mascarpone Cheese at room temperature 1 cup powdered sugar 1 1/2 cups he...

Today was Greek day at our house.  Actually, we had to make Baklava for an awards ceremony earlier tonight.  The kids had to dress up for said ceremony.  My husband also taught us a few greek terms like moose ca ca and if you haven't seen My Big Fat Greek Wedding , you're seriously missing out, and well, probably don't get the joke.  Phyllo dough is really cool and a bit touchy to work with.  I honestly had never made Baklava before but have made meat pies with phyllo.  We were a bit worried when we put it into the oven but after it was baked to a golden perfection and the honey sauce was poured over the top, it was lovely.  I didn't get any pictures of the final product in the cupcake papers but I should have!  In case you're wanting a recipe, we used this one at AllRecipes.com .   We literally had about 10 minutes to find something Greek-ish to use for the dress-up portion of the evening since I didn't realize everyone was to dress up....

I have a love/hate relationship with cooking and baking.  Love eating it..... Hate making it.  I'm a good cook too.  I always get the thumbs up from hubby and kids... well, except picky daughter but she doesn't count.  There is just something about measuring, mixing, stirring, tending and turning that I hate!  Maybe it's my impatient nature.  I'd much rather clean it all up than cook it in the first place.  Sadly, I have had to cook and cook and cook for many years!  And most likely will have to cook and cook and cook for many more!   Making Chocolate Chip Snowball Cookies for Christmas I do love my kitchen gadgets and appliances as they make things easier.  The crock pot is my very best friend and we have had many good memories together.... oh beefy mushroom pot roast, soda pulled pork, sweet potatoes and chicken, and tomato hamburger soup.  The waffle iron often holds my hand for breakfast.  The Braun hand blender leads me...

Great ideas for a fun Superbowl party including a review of Super Bowl Home Party Games from Python Printable Games, recipe ideas and more! So football has never been my thing. I even dated football players in high school and college. Liked the boys, disliked the game. But, the Superbowl is a little different in that there are more things to do than sit on cold bleachers or watch slow-moving (hah!) action on the TV. Yes, we can eat great food, watch hilarious commercials, enjoy the half-time show, socialize and play games other than football!! The Superbowl commercials can be some great entertainment for the day. One of my all time favorites is the herding cats commercial from 2000. Funniest ever! Check it out below. Now just because I don't enjoy a football game doesn't mean I don't enjoy a football party. One of the best parts of a Superbowl party is having games that everyone can participate in, regardless of their love or un-love of football. Python Printable...