Little Red Wagon #157 - Halloween Treats!

It's my week to set the challenge at Little Red Wagon and as today is Halloween, I've picked Halloween Treats as the theme.

I saw an idea on pinterest of using circles to create a lollipop and thought it would be perfect for this week:

Love the Authentique Halloween papers too!

If you can, please join us over at Little Red Wagon with your Halloween inspired project, we love to see what you create!

Thanksgiving Table and Recipes

Well, here I am finally posting about my thanksgiving table and some new recipes I tried.

But as Thanksgiving in Canada is so much earlier than in the US you US readers can benefit.

First up is the table. I already blogged about the napkin folds but I also created flower filled pumpkins.

And a closer look where you can see the oasis I used to place the flowers.  Then I also added votives in vintage baking cups, an idea I found on Pinterest.

I tried a new drink recipe, Apple Cider Sangria, which was yummy!

And another quinoa recipe, Broccoli Quinoa casserole, you can just see it in the background of the following photo:

I wasn't sure if my family would like quinoa, but they did!

And finally I tried Dianne's crockpot stuffing as well as my traditional stuffing in the turkey.  And everyone liked the crockpot stuffing just as much as the traditional.

And here's the recipes, enjoy!

Apple Cider Sangria

1 bottle pinot grigio
2 1/2 cups apple cider
1 cup club soda
1/2 cup brandy with a few slices fresh ginger
3 honey crisp apples, chopped
3 pears,chopped

Combine all ingredients and stir. Refrigerate for at leadt one hour or longer before serving.

Broccoli Quinoa Casserole

1 can cream of broccoli soup
1/3 cup mayonnaise
2 T milk
1 1/4 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 tsp sugar
1/4 tsp black pepper
dash ground nutmeg
2 cups cooked broccoli
1 1/2 cups cooked quinoa
freshly grated parmesan cheese

Preheat over to 350. Coat a shallow casserole  with non-stick spray. In large bowl combine soup, mayo, milk,cheese, sugar, pepper an nutmeg until well mixed. Stir in quinoa and broccoli. Spoon into prepared casserole dish, sprinkle with parmesan. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until bubbly on edges and golden.  Makes 8 generous 1/2 cup servings.

Traditional Turkey Stuffing

Makes enough for a 10 to 12 lb turkey.
1/3 cup butter
2 cups chopped onions
1 cup chopped celery
2 tsp each dried sage and savory
1/2 tsp each dried thyme and pepper
1 tsp salt
1/4 cup chopped parsley
8 cups bread crumbs
Optional: handful dried currents or cranberries

In skillet over medium heat melt butter. Add onion and celery,cook until softened. Stir in sage, savory, thyme, pepper,salt and parsley. In large bowl,combine bread and onion mixture, toss well until moistened.

300 Sensational Soups

I'm back with another cookbook review this time 300 Sensational Soups.

I don't know about you but I love soup most in the fall and winter months and this book has soup recipes for every occasion. It includes stocks, chilled soups, bean soups, cheese soups, dessert soups and more!

My family has been quite intrigued with the cookbooks I've been receiving from from Robert Rose and even my husband spotted a couple of soups in this book he'd like to try, Thai Chicken, Coconut and Lemongrass soup and Spicy Thai Chicken,Coconut and Lemongrass Noodle soup.

This week I tested a classic favourite, Broccoli and Cheese soup which my girls and I loved and I definitely will make it again.

Up next, Tortilla soup or Lasagna soup!

300 Sensational Soups is available now.

Little Red Wagon #156 - Colour Combo

I'm back with this week's Little Red Wagon challenge issued by Regan.  She has  suggested the colour combination of kraft, rust, olive and brown.

I think I cheated a bit by adding in cream as well:

I used no patterned paper on this one, just cardstock embossed with various textures.

So dig out those scraps of kraft, olive, brown and rust papers and link up your creation over at Little Red Wagon.

We love to see what you create.

150 Best Grilled Cheese Sandwiches

When recently given the opportunity to review some cookbooks,I jumped at 150 Best Grilled Cheese Sandwiches as grilled cheese is one of my daughter Brianne's favourite foods.

In fact, grilled cheese is one of the biggest trends in the food industry and is enjoying a resurgence in popularity.

The recipes in this cookbook range from uptown, simple,gourmet and seasonal. Grilled cheese is versatile and recipes are not limited to only lunch or dinner but also feature snacks, appetizers and even desserts.

The author, Alison Lewis, among several other things is a nationally known recipe developer and has come up with some awesome grilled cheese recipes ranging from Grilled Egg, Cheese and Bacon Biscuit to Grilled Salmon and Gruyere to Classic Grilled Two Cheese.

Being a traditionalist, I tried out the Classic Grilled Two Cheese which was yummy!

Alison also includes tips for choosing the best melting cheese, how to pair the right bread with the right cheese, how to lighten up recipes and add in seasonal options.

I will definitely be trying more of these recipes soon!

150 Best Grilled Cheese Sandwiches is available now.

Mother is a Special Word for Love

I spent the day yesterday scrapbooking with friends and was able to complete this layout of my Mom:

I thought since it was her birthday the least I could do was scrapbook her photo. It is from a family wedding last year and I think the Prima Printery paper sets it off beautifully!

Thanks for stopping by! And happy belated birthday Mom!

Little Red Wagon #155 - Bow-dacious!

This week at Little Red Wagon Judy is challenging us to put a bow on it!

I actually put four bows on it!

Not sure Judy is expecting die cut paper bows but a bow is a bow right?

So dig into those wagons and create your bow adorned project to link up at Little Red Wagon.

We love to see what you create.

Fall Cloches

Marty is hosting a cloche party over at A Stroll Thru Life and I'm playing along with my fall cloche arrangement.

I used some varied fall fillers and grouped them all together.

Then simply a gourd under a cloche.

Thanks for stopping by and Happy Fall!

Top 100 Step-by-Step Napkin Folds

If you have followed my blog for awhile, then you know I like to tablescape. So I was all for reviewing Top 100 Step-by Step Napkin Folds by Denise Vivaldo:

I hosted a thanksgiving dinner this past weekend and took the opportunity to test out some of the napkin folds shown in the book.

The folding techniques vary from easy to more complex with easy to follow step step by instructions. I warmed up with a few easy folds then settled on the Cabbage Rose fold to place in the centre of each plate:

I think it looks cute with a gourd in the centre, but here is another view:

I know I will refer to this book often when planning the table for future events.

Top 100 Step-by-Step Napkin Folds is available in stores and online now.

Little Red Wagon # 154 - Fallin' For You

Well, the weather and the trees have definitely turned fallish in our area so Tammy picked an appropriate theme this week, fall!


I layered some Kaisercraft paper, the Devonshire Collection, to create this card:

So dig into those wagons for your fall inspired items and link up your project over at Little Red Wagon.

we love to see what you create.

World Card Making Day!

Well,I couldn't let World Card Making Day pass by without posting card:

Using Memory Box die Tessatina Border(love it!), I based this card on an idea from Pinterest.

Thanks for stopping by!

Christmas Treats!

This past Sunday I created with a bunch of fabulous ladies!

The main focus of our event was to create Christmas cards so I crafted some Christmas themed treats to take along.

Of course I found lots of ideas on Pinterest.

First up, individual packages of reindeer noses.

So cute.

And also cheese and crackers with the cheese arranged in the shape of a Christmas tree.

So fun and festive looking!

I'll be back with some of the cards I created soon.

Little Red Wagon #153 - Button Bonanza

Jan has an awesome challenge for us this week at Little Red Wagon and it is to use a minimum of 3 buttons.

I think I managed to quadruple that requirement, how's that for being an overachiever?

So with that for an intro here's my card:



So dig into those wagons for those buttons and link up your creation over at Little Red Wagon.

We love to see what you create!

500 Best Quinoa Recipes - Cookbook

I'm back with another cookbook review(published by Robert Rose Inc.), this one featuring quinoa(pronounced KEEN-wah). The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization has declared 2013 the year of quinoa to celebrate its nutritional qualities and crop viability.

Although it is eaten like a grain it is technically a seed. It is native to Peru, Bolivia and Chile where the Incas recognized its value and cultivated it to feed an empire!

It is classified as a superfood because it contains all the essential amino acids humans need. Quinoa can flourish anywhere and may become a relief crop for battling famine and malnutrition.

In addition to all its nutritional qualities, it tastes good, is nutty in flavour, and is easy to prepare. It can be cooked in a variety of ways but the easiest is to cook it like rice.

500 Best Quinoa Recipes by Camilla Saulsbury has recipes using quinoa in a variety of ways and I plan to try several.

But when choosing a first recipe to highlight I picked a stir fry where quinoa is essentially used in place of rice, Broccoli, Chicken and Quinoa Stir-Fry.

And I may never go back to using rice again, it was that good!

Here's the recipe:

2T toasted sesame oil, divided
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
3 cups small broccoli florets
3/4 cup reduced sodium chicken or vegetable broth, divided
1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into thin strips(could also use pork tenderloin)
fine sea salt and freshly ground pepper
1/2 cup chopped green onion
2 cups cooked quinoa,chilled
1/3 cup hoisin sauce
2T freshly squeezed lime juice

In large deep skillet, heat half the oil over medium high heat. Add garlic and cook, stirring for 30 seconds. Add red pepper, broccoli and 1/4 cup of the broth;cover and cook for about 3 minutes or until the vegetables are tender crisp. Transfer to a bowl.
Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper. In the same skillet, heat the remaining oil of medium-high heat. Add chicken and green onions; cook, stirring, for 3 to 4 minutes or until chicken is browned and all sides and no longer pink inside.
Return vegetable mixture to the pan, along with the quinoa,hoisin sauce, lime juice and the remaining broth. Cook, stirring for 2 minutes.
Tip: make sure the quinoa is well chilled before adding to stir fry to prevent clumping.

500 Best Quinoa Recipes will be available in October 2012.

Enjoy!