Tex-Mex Linguini

Alas, we should probably call this one a win. 

You will need a breath mint.

Tex-Mex Linguini. 

Major complaint: I food-processed this way more than it called for, hoping to get rid of some of the grittiness of the sauce, and to make it smoother. It was still a bit gritty. But if you can get past the texture, the taste was nummy. 

The Pin  (Why was I not adding links before?? Durh.)

The Source: Linguini Tex-Mex

Mini German Pancakes....

WHY do they FALL???

Ok. I used the recipe to a T.

I have come to the conclusion that the reason so many of the recipes on Pinterest look so yummy... is just because they look so yummy. I'm thinking photography has a lot to do with it. I make German Pancakes a lot in our house, using my trusty old Better Home and Gardens cookbook, and they taste great.

These were bland and didn't set well, or something.

Blueberries were the best part. 

The Pin - See how fluffy?!?

Hubby says, "Stick with what you're used to."

Regrow your green onions... or not.

This was one of those 'A-ha!!! What a great idea!' moments when I first saw this on pinterest. I really wanted this to work! The picture above shows the green onion... uh... nubs... after they had been in the water for about a week and a half. The original blogpost said that she had to change the water "periodically". I had to change mine every other day, or it became VERY cloudy and kind of slimy. You can see, in the picture, that the roots are starting to grow and the green tips are poking out a little bit.
However, this water is almost gelatinous. And I just changed it yesterday. And the smell.... if you don't mind your kitchen smelling like an onion that is slightly off, then by all means try this! Also.... I love Texas. Especially Texas fruit flies. There's one floating on the top right end of the onion that is second from the left. Yeah. I dumped this.

If moneysavingmommy, or whoever it is, wants to have a stinky, gelatinous, fruit fly filled jar in her kitchen in an effort to save .68 then she can.

I'll pass.


BTW... I hope you all had a great holiday! My 2 year old daughter broke my camera, and I dropped my phone and lost a lot of the Christmas projects I had done. *sigh*.... so I have some catching up to do! :)

Rainbow Birthday Party Ideas

Various ideas I found on pinterest. Some cute ones!

Rainbow Cake

Rainbow Crispy Treats.... Nutritional Atom Bomb.

Rainbow Sprinkled Pretzels... Nom Nom Nom.

Rainbow Jello Cups .... Love! 

Birthday Girl Approved!!

Ginger Ale Soaked Apple Slices

Soak apple slices in ginger ale or lemon aid to prevent browning. Tried this for Big Dude and Ike Ike's lunches. Kept some home in a baggy for me to see how they would turn out for the boys at lunchtime. 

Not nearly as brown as they would have been otherwise, but more than that, they were very tasty!

Berries Soaked in Vinegar...

...to prevent molding. It works! No mold four days later.... 

Kinda mushy though. 

Lemon Orzo with Grape Tomato and Asparagus

In the words of my six year old, "Why are you taking pictures of the yucky food?"

Pretty much sums it up. 

I love each of these things... wasn't so great altogether though. Shoulda been.
Kinda disappointing. 

Update:Tomato Cage Christmas Tree

I put more lights on it. It looks better. :)

Himmelsleiter

Which I learned, after using google translate, means Stairway to Heaven. I love that!

I totally dig all things rustic, so when I saw this German "tree", I just had to try it!

Personally, I think it's a win... if a bit lopsided. :)

My biggest concern is keeping the dog from eating it, the 2 year old from confiscating pieces of it, and the four year old from climbing it.

In the words of Miracle Max, "It'll take a miracle."

Pictures don't do it justice...

Baby Buggy Diaper Cake

Wider ribbon next time... definitely ... and a blanket on top...

And to think I gave this as a gift. 

This was incredibly easy to make. The fail was completely my own fault. Wider ribbon... definitely.