Paper Expressions Rubber Stamping & Video Tutorials

Potato & Onion Chowder

Listening to the radio this morning and hearing about the temps in the teens on black Friday, I thought I would quickly share a recipe from my recipe files that is hearty, hot and delicious!  It's a good way to use up that left over ham from Thanksgiving too! lol

This is also a wonderful recipe for that holiday potluck you are attending, an elderly neighbor, or a shut in you happen to know.

Potato and Onion Chowder

2 cans chicken broth
1 cup water
½ cup yellow onion, chopped
2 bags frozen, shredded hash browns
½ teaspoon parsley flakes
2 cups cured ham, chopped
1 can celery soup
1 can onion soup
1 cup velveeta
1 small tub cream cheese with chives
half and half, 1 pint
cracked black pepper to taste

• Brown onion and ham in large soup pot in a little olive oil.
• Add chicken broth and water and bring to a boil.
• Add hashbrowns and cook for 15 minutes or until potatoes are tender.
•  Add parsley flakes, soups, cheese and cream cheese.
•  Let dissolve and cook for 20 minutes.
• Add enough half and half to create desired consistency.
•  Add pepper to taste.
• Serve with a crusty bread that has been sliced, drizzled with olive oil, topped with cracked pepper and warmed in the oven. 
• OR- serve your soup in a bread bowl! Yummo!!
• An ultimate comfort food and  yummy on a cold day.

Happy Shopping!  Don't forget to check out my Ordering Special for Black Friday that I will reveal tomorrow! (Wednesday)

Stampin Up! Color Collection Video

To order these amazing colors just check pages165-170in the New Idea Book and Catalog 2010-2011  and click HERE   - log in if you are a registered customer on mine and if not it will ask you for your info. Then put the item number in the search box and it will open in a new page and just click on the photo of the item and then click "add to bag" how ever many you would like and when you have added them all to your online order click checkout!

Very easy!

You don't have a brand new catalog?  Well, email me for directions on how to get a copy!  USA residents only please (per company policy)

These colors are TO DIE FOR!  Be sure to update your selection at home by ordering them today!

You're Invited dinner invitation

Stamps Dinner Party stamp set* Paper Very Vanilla card stock Very Vanilla envelope* Ink Ballet Blue Stampin' Spot* Accessories Stampin' Dimensionals *From Country Living Cards à la Carte

Instructions:

1. Print "You're invited" on Very Vanilla card stock and adhere to strip of Very Vanilla card stock. Wrap strip around So Saffron printed card from Country Living Cards à la Carte.
2. Stamp silverware image in Ballet Blue ink on Very Vanilla card stock. Cut out, distress one edge, then adhere to card stock strip using Stampin' Dimensionals.
3. Stamp silverware image in Ballet Blue ink on envelope flap.
 

Apple Stuffed Chicken with Cider Reduction

 

As the fall weather begins to visit us and days are shorter, we begin to move our cooking inside. This recipe uses fresh Gala apples (my favorite) along with chicken and sage. “Why bone-in chicken,” you say? I’ll tell you: taking a chicken breast off of the bone is a simple process.* There are three advantages to buying chicken breasts on the bone:

Bone-in chicken is less expensive
Since you can leave the skin on the bone-in, you get a more moist and flavorful chicken!
The skin will help hold the breast together when you pound it out.
*To remove bone from chicken, use a very sharp paring knife and start at the edge of the breast and slice the meat from the bone with keeping your knife at a downward °45 angle. This will allow you to get the most meat off the chicken.

INGREDIENTS

1 cup finely chopped Gala apple
1 cup cold water mixed with 1 T. lemon juice (called acidulated water)
4 strips bacon, chopped very fine
½ cup chopped onion
½ cup chopped celery
2 T. fresh sage-finely chopped
3 T. bread crumbs
2 T. chicken broth
2 tsp. Kosher salt
1.2 tsp. coarse, black pepper or fresh ground pepper
4 chicken breasts, de-boned, skin left on
1 cup seasoned flour (flour with a little salt and pepper)
Olive oil
1 apple cider
1 T. apple cider vinegar
DIRECTIONS

Preheat an oven to 400 degrees. Grease an ovenproof baking dish; set aside.
Place bacon in a medium skillet over high heat and cook, stirring frequently for 3 to 5 minutes.
Combine chopped apple, sage, onion and celery. Add to bacon pan and sauté vegetables until tender. Remove from heat and let cool. Add bread crumbs and 1 T. broth to vegetable mix and stir until ingredients are combined thoroughly.
Place the chicken breasts, skin side down, between two sheets of heavy plastic (re-sealable freezer bags work well) on a solid, level surface. Firmly pound the chicken with the smooth side of a meat mallet to a thickness of ½ inch. Place about ½ cup of dressing into each pounded chicken breast leaving ½ inch on either side. Fold sides over and roll chicken breast to enclose the stuffing. Roll tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate. This can be done up to 3 days ahead of time.
Lightly dredge rolled chicken in flour being careful to keep together. Gently pat off excess flour.
To cook the chicken, heat a large skillet for 2 minutes on high heat. Add enough olive oil to cover bottom of pan and place chicken breasts, skin side down in pan. Cook for 3 to 5 minutes per side, making sure to get the chicken golden brown. Reduce heat and add the apple cider, vinegar, and remaining chicken broth to pan. Cover pan and cook for 10 minutes until chicken is cooked through.
Remove chicken from pan and set aside. Return pan to heat, bring to a boil, and reduce until sauce begins to thicken.
Slice chicken breasts into ½ inch pieces, arrange on a platter and drizzle sauce over medallions.

Check out my other blog!

Just a reminder that I have another blog that is full of easy cooking recipes and ideas for you!

Perfect!

As you know, I suffer with Dial up service as my only means of  internet service. (growl, grown, whine)  It has been either not working, working slower than slow making it nearly impossible to download photos or web pages, or not working at all.  Anyway,  the repairman is outside right now working on it and hopefully he will find the problem and we will be back to normally slow dial up instead of dreadfully slow dial up! lol   

I have been up since 4:30 am.  Hubby Kay has a nasty cold and woke bolt up in bed about that time and I haven't been back to sleep yet (well the 32 min nap on the couch during GMA doesnt count does it?)

After seminary as the kids were leaving for school - check out what I made!

Ok, here is the recipe- these are DELICIOUS and I will definately be making these over and over!

Andes Peppermint Crunch Cookies

• 2 sticks butter softened
• 1 c brown sugar packed (of course)
• 1/3 c sugar
• 1 lg egg
• 2 tsp vanilla
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 3/4 c flour
• 1 cup old fashioned rolled oats
• 1 c sweetened grated coconut
• bag of andes peppermint baking chips
• preheat oven to 300* bake 15-20 min
• ( I turned mine up to 325*)
• mix ingredients and bake 15-18 min at 325*
• do NOT over bake, they are crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside. 
• Yield approx 30 cookies

Of course I always make a double batch and the phone repairman took a baggie of them with him, he liked them so well! lol  I think they are delicious and I plan to make the recipe using other type chips-  butterscotch, m&m's etc-  let me know what you think of these yummy cookies ok?

Hey! Check out this post to an email group by my friend Michelle Stamps in Idaho-

Being good means being good all the time. There are no time-outs…no crossing your fingers behind your back. Everything counts. --Santa Claus

you are Not going to believe it-  I called into AT&T for a repair this morning, and the tech that came out said we are eligible for dsl!!  hooray!!! However,  the gal on the other end of the phone says we aren't-  they have turned it into the local engineer -  you have to be 15,000 feet from the office and we are 14,743 ft   so we "should" be able to get this service- ARGH!!!  XX your fingers for me ok?  I would be able to post more posts, with more photos and "actually" share tutorials if we had dsl. Right now I am spending 3 hours a day trying to post for you all (several photos included)  is rediculously time consuming as I am sure you understand!

Well, while the tech was here Kay came home from work sick with a bad cold, he will see the DR at 1:30 and I can pick up the stocking for Jack that I took to the machine embroidery place, I will do my best to share a photo later today of it!  I am glad Kay was here to ask him questions and all that stuff that engineers know how to do lol.

hugs!

Delicious Recipe!

click this link for my delicious recipe share of the day!

Chocolate Chip Cheese Ball

Chocolate Chip Cheese Ball
Enjoy this recipe from Christmas in the Country Cookbook (M970).

8-oz. pkg. cream cheese, softened
1/2 c. butter, softened
1/4 t. vanilla extract
3/4 c. powdered sugar
2 T. brown sugar, packed
3/4 c. mini semi-sweet chocolate chips
3/4 c. pecans or walnuts, finely chopped
graham cracker sticks

Blend cream cheese, butter and vanilla in a mixing bowl until fluffy. Gradually add sugars; beat just until combined. Stir in chocolate chips. Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours. Place on a large piece of plastic wrap; shape into a ball. Refrigerate for a least one additional hour. At serving time, roll ball in chopped nuts. Serve with graham cracker sticks for dipping. Makes about 2 cups.

my sister sent this and I felt with the holidays around the corner it would be fun to share with all of you!  I think I gained 2 lbs just by reading the recipe !!!

Southwest Chex Mix Recipe!

Southwest Chex Mix

1 stick butter
3 Tbs Worcestershire Sauce
2 Tbs HG Southwest Seasoning mix
2 Cups Corn Chex cereal
2 Cups Wheat Chex cereal
2 Cups Rice Chex cereal
1 Cup salted peanuts
1 Cup small pretzel sticks

1-Preheat oven to 250 degrees. Place butter in a microwave bowl and heat until melted.
2-Add Worcestshire sauce and Southwest seasoning mix to butter, stir and set aside.
3-In a large bowl, stir Chex cereal with the peanuts and pretzels. Pour butter mixture over the cereal. mix together and stir gently until cereal is coated
4-Pour into a large baking pan (13X9X2) and bake for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, remove the pan from the oven and stir the mix. Return to the oven and bake another 15 minutes. Remove from oven and stir again.Bake for final 15 minutes. Remove pan from oven and stir gently, and allow mix to cool completely before serving.
Serves 8

My family loves this recipe!!! What a great treat for stamping events! 

Enjoy!

Harvest Soup

Harvest Soup

1 lb. Beef cubes

2 tsp. Oil

12 cups beef broth

1 cup whole kernel corn

½ cup celery diced

1 cup peas

1 sliced carrots

2 cups diced potatoes

½ cup pearl barley

2 cups shredded cabbage

1 can diced tomatoes

½ tsp each of, thyme, oregano, parsley, basil, black pepper

2 bay leaves

2 cloves garlic crushed

1 table sp Worcestershire sauce

1 small can or ½ cup no salt V8 juice

Salt to taste

Cut beef cubes very tiny and then brown in bottom of Soup pot.

Add all other ingredients except Pearl barley.

Cook until meat and potatoes are tender, about an hour. Add barley and cook for additional 10 minutes. 

Serve with bread or biscuits.