Happy Holidays!

Wishing you the happiest of holidays this year and hoping that the coming year is filled with fun!
We will be getting back in the grove with lots of scrappy goodness after the 1st - be on the look out for a Feeling Scrappy design team call and our new winter class schedule. See you soon!

The Worlds BEST Fudge

This is a family favorite!!! I even entered this recipe in to the fair for 4-H when I was in grade school. I, of course, got a blue ribbon!!! Probably because of the bazaar secret ingredient.

This makes a HUGE batch.

Ingredients:

1 lb. Butter or Margarine
1 lb. Velveeta Cheese (yes really)
4 lbs. Powdered Sugar
1 c. Cocoa Powder (unsweetened)
1 tsp. Vanilla
Chopped Nuts (optional)

In a saucepan melt butter and cheese. Sift together the powdered sugar and cocoa. Add melted mixture to the powdered sugar mixture, along with the vanilla and nuts. Mix well and spread evenly into a greased 9 x 13 pan. Cool and then cut into pieces.

This work really well to pour into small gift tins lined with parchment paper - makes an awesome gift!

Enjoy!!

Stacey

Cowboy Caviar

With the holidays comes entertaining and with that comes food. I know many of you (including myself) are trying to eat healthier. This is a great healthy appetizer that even those not on a diet will enjoy. I think there are many variations out there on this recipe, but here's one we have made and enjoyed. This is great with chips or wrapped up in a tortilla (or just eaten with a spoon! Yum!)

Cowboy Caviar

1 can of corn (drained)

1 can of black beans (drained and rinsed)

2 tomatoes (or more) diced

1-2 avacados diced (depending on your preference)

2 bell peppers diced (I used red and orange)

1/2 onion diced

Sauce-

1/4 cup olive oil

1/4 cup red wine vinegar (I used apple cider vinegar)

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 TBS jalepeno jelly or fresh jalepeno

The juice of 1 lime

Cilantro to taste (I used a lot)

salt and pepper to taste

Combine sauce ingredients and mix well. Toss sauce with the other ingredients and enjoy! (I might have addded cumin and a couple of other things...I am not very good at sticking to a recipe! LOL)

Easy Gift Idea

I know this isn't scrap related but I also know that many people are trying to finish up last minute holiday gifts so I thought I would share this great deal with you! Amazon has a full year of the Oprah magazine on sale for just $5.00. You can not bet that price! Just go here to see the details. I got one for myself and one for my mom :) Enjoy!

Easy flower embellishment

Add a little something to your typical flowers with an easy ribbon or fabric layer. All you need is a strip of fabric or ribbon and some adhesive (I used phototape).

Gather your supplies-


Put adhesive on the bottom back of the ribbon or fabric-

Gather the fabric or ribbon together using the adhesive to hold it-

Layer your creation on some flowers and add an embellishment in the center. Easy! (I also trimmed a little around the edge of my fabric after scrunching it up to make the edges a little more wavy.)

Zesty Tomato Soup

I decided to share the soup I am making for dinner tonight with you. Paired up with a salad and warm bread - it is a perfect weeknight winter meal. So easy to make!

Ingredients:
1 medium onion (chopped)
2-3 cloves of garlic (minced)
1 Tbs olive oil
1 tsp cumin (or more to taste)
48 oz bottle of spicy hot V-8 juice
1 can diced tomato, undrained
1 can chicken broth (about 2 cups)
green onion (chopped)
monteray jack cheese

Instructions:
Cook onion and garlic in olive oil until tender in a large pot. Add cumin, V-8, tomatoes, and chicken broth. Bring to boil then turn down heat and simmer for about 30 minutes to blend flavors. In bowls place a small amount of cheese, pour soup into bowls over the cheese and garnish with green onion.

Here is a layout I did for my kitchen album that features this recipe:

Enjoy and keep warm!

Family Fun with Games

Speaking of traditions.....one of our families favorite holiday traditions is games - we play every year on Christmas and the day after.


(My sister, my aunt and I getting ready to play A to Z last year at Christmas)

My parents and grandmother's favorites are Tripoly and good old fashioned card games.

Others we love include:

Balderdash - oh the definitions we can come up with - it is a challenge to keep a straight face - such fun!!

Read my Lips - no talking is aloud - yeah my Grandma's a big cheater here - keeps us in stitches!!!

Scattergories

Taboo

We create so many memories each year with the fun of games! You too should make it a new family tradition - good fun will be had by all.

Holiday Traditions

Have you documented your family holiday traditions? Here are a couple of pages from the DT about our traditions.
This one, by me, is about baking our gingerbread cookies each year.


Here's one from Stacey Curry about one of their traditions.

Happy Friday!!

Paint & Painter's Tape

I love to use painter's tape to get a nice clean line on my layouts. You can use it any way you would like (it makes a great custom mask!!) Here is an example of one way to use the tape:

1.) I use a ruler and pencil to mark so that my tape will be even.

2.) Then I just place the tape wherever I don't want the paint to go.

3.) Add paint.

4.) Let dry and then slowly remove tape.

5.) You end up with a nice clean border :) Just finish your layout!

Finished layout:

Hope you give it a try - it is super easy and the possibilities are endless. Enjoy!