Craft Project: Decorative Letters

We moved into our new house in January of this year, and we haven't really done a very good job of getting the place decorated. More than once, David was ready to hang pictures, but I couldn't go through with it...I just couldn't bear to put the holes in the walls! I'm having a hard time committing to the placement of pictures. But strangely enough, I don't have too much of a problem with hanging "stuff" on my walls. Right now, just about the only two decorative things we have hanging in our house are a tobacco basket and an old wooden ladder from my grandfather's farm (which led one of my colleagues to say that I'm going with the "Cracker Barrel" approach to decorating). Anyway, the ladder was the springboard for this whole craft. The ladder is hanging horizontally over the entrance to our kitchen/breakfast room, but it was a little bare. I knew that it needed something extra, and then I thought about the decorative letters I'd seen all over the web. Here's what I did:
I bought some large, chipboard letters from Michael's and painted them all a cream color. (I realize that it might be hard to figure out what the heck I plan on spelling. I had intended to spell HOME. However, Michael's did not have an M that day, so I got the letters to spell LOVE along with the H. Hopefully Michael's will have the M next time I go back.)

Then, I gathered my scrapbook paper and traced my letters. It's very important to actually do the tracing on the side that you don't want showing. Also be sure you trace the letter backward!

Here are cut out scrapbook letters! As you can see, they're all turned the right way. That's because I traced the letters backward! Now I'm ready to apply the scrapbook paper to the chipboard letters. Sorry I don't have any pictures of that step, but it's pretty self-explanatory. I used Mod Podge to glue the paper to the letters, but looking back, I'd use spray adhesive instead. The Mod Podge was a little messy to work with, and the paper wanted to wrinkle.

After the letters dried, I put them in the "frames" of my letters, and here's the finished product! In this picture, you can see the whole ladder.

And here, you can see the letters a bit better. Once I finally get my M, it'll only be a matter of changing two letters to make HOME. And, if you think about it, I can cover the reverse of the HOME letters pretty easily with other papers for Christmas! This was such a quick, easy project, and it makes such a difference!

White Castle Casserole

Is it health food? Nope. Is it gourmet? Absolutely not. Is it good? You bet.

My friends, I give you White Castle Casserole! I originally printed this recipe from RecipeZaar (which is apparently food.com now) on March 11th, 2010, and I can't figure out why it's taken me so long to give it a try! I have always liked White Castle, but there's not one that close by, so this was a great copycat recipe for those times when you want some White Castles, but a visit to the restaurant just isn't in the cards. (And yes, I know that you can buy frozen White Castles at the grocery, but it's not the same. Sometimes the bun gets hard, and they're just not as good when that happens!)

It's not exactly the same as a real White Castle, but it gets pretty close. I used the reduced fat crescent rolls for this, and they seemed a little "off". Next time, I'll use the full-fat ones. Because, really, if you're the kind of person who is making White Castle Casserole, are you really counting the calories and fat? Probably not. :)

White Castle Casserole

Stacieleah, via Food.com

1 package dry onion soup mix

2 (12 oz) cans crescent rolls

1.25 lb. hamburger

American cheese slices (or shredded cheese of your choice)

Dill pickle slices

Mustard

Cook hamburger with onion mix. Drain extremely well. Lay a whole can of crescent rolls in the bottom of a 9x13-inch baking dish (do not break the rolls apart). Layer hamburger, cheese, pickles, and mustard up and down across the pan. Lay a whole can of crescent rolls on top. Bake at 350 degrees until brown. Cut in squares and enjoy! (Makes 8 servings)

It's Been Awhile...

It's been quite a while since my last post. A month at least. Things have just been crazy lately, and I haven't taken the time to add to the blog. Rest assured, I've still been cooking (and taking pictures), so I'm getting quite the stockpile ready. But I've decided that there are going to be some changes to The Sweet Life. Instead of being strictly a cooking blog, I've decided to branch out some. I've been bitten by the crafting bug lately, so I'll be adding my craft projects as I get them finished (but some of them are slow going). I'll also be adding some of the adventures that I go on with David, friends, and family. And there'll probably be some general "life" stuff on here too. But there'll still be plenty of food posts. That's what I do best, I think.
So stay tuned. There'll be something new here soon!

And the Winner Is...

Valerie, commenter number three! (The winner was picked by the Random Number Generator at Random.org.) Congratulations, Valerie! Contact me at erinssweetlife{at}hotmail{dot}com with your mailing address and we'll have your Macaroni Grill prize pack on its way to you! Thanks for stopping by, and I hope you enjoy your frozen entree, serving bowl, and expandable tongs!

A Giveaway of a Different Kind, Courtesy of Kroger

Several weeks ago, I was contacted by the good folks at MyBlogSpark.com about Kroger's Add Up the Savings Event. Of course, I was on board to join in the fun. The Kroger family of stores, General Mills, and Kimberly Clark (through MyBlogSpark.com) provided me with a $25 gift card to use on items featured in their Add Up the Savings Event, which started on August 8th and runs through August 21st. If you're not familiar with the Add Up the Savings Event, it's a promotion during which time you can purchase participating items and recieve $4 off of your purchase. There were tons of items included (think Yoplait yogurt, a variety of cereals, Pillsbury cookies, etc.). But honestly, when I saw the Kroger ad, I thought, "But we don't buy that much of that stuff..." So I wasn't sure how to approach this opportunity. I knew that I could purchase any of the participating items with the gift card, but I kind of felt bad, knowing that it was stuff that we didn't really need.
Then, today, on my way home from work, I heard Mark Hall (lead singer for Casting Crowns) on the radio, and he said something that really hit home. He has recently decided to sell off his entire collection of Star Wars memorabilia for a charity event, and he said, "God doesn't bless us so we can have more. He blesses us so that we can give to others." His words hit me like a ton of bricks. I know that I am blessed beyond measure. My life has been pretty darn close to perfect. I've never wanted for anything. In fact, right now, David and I have almost everything we want in life. So I decided to find a way to start blessing others out of the abundance I have. Earlier this year, one of my cousins mentioned that our church women's group should consider making a mid-year donation to a food bank. Everyone wants to give to a food bank around Thanksgiving and Christmas, but people are hungry all year round. This seemed like a perfect opportunity to stock up on items that my county's Family Resource Center might need.
So...I went to Kroger this afternoon after work and picked up a few things:
Look at that! I got 4 boxes of Hamburger Helper, 4 boxes of instant mashed potatoes, 8 cans of peaches, 8 cans of soup, and 8 tuna salad/chicken salad kits...for $24.32! It might sound crazy, but I had a great time going through Kroger trying to get as close to $25 as I could. I was pretty impressed with myself, and I'm hoping that these items will help out Henry County's Family Resource Center.
The Kroger Add Up the Savings Event is going on through August 21st, so if you want to help out your local food bank, now would be a great time to get an extra bang for your buck!
Thanks to Kroger, General Mills, and Kimberly Clark (through MyBlogSpark.com) for the $25 gift card. And thanks to Mark Hall for reminding me that what I have isn't mine at all...and that I need to share everything I have!

TWD: Oatmeal Breakfast Bread

I usually bake my TWD "assignments" over the weekend, but it completely slipped my mind this weekend. In fact, I didn't fully realize that today was Tuesday until about 2pm...and of course remembered that I hadn't made my Oatmeal Breakfast Bread! Luckily, Baking: From My Home to Yours is on Google Books, so I was able to review the recipe to see if I needed to stop by Kroger on the way home for any additional ingredients. Luckily, I was in good shape. And even better, after reading the recipe, I found that I would probably even have time to get the bread baked and photograph it in natural light!
Sadly, this was the only picture I got before it got dark. And oh, is it tasty! Sarah mentioned in her post that it reminds her of fall...and I have to say that it does the same for me! Applesauce, raisins, and spices all combine in this bread to make a perfect fall quickbread. (And as a side note, I am totally ready for it to be fall. I am done with heat and humidity.)
This week's pick was chosen by Natalie, of Oven Love. Thanks, Natalie! You picked a good one!

Macaroni Grill Frozen Entree Review and a Giveaway!

It's been ages since I last ate at a Romano's Macaroni Grill restaurant, but I always enjoyed meals there. David and I both love Italian food, so when I was invited to try one of the new Romano's Macaroni Grill frozen entrees, I jumped at the chance.

This afternoon, this sample of the Basil Parmesan Chicken arrived on our doorstep, packed in dry ice. As I unpacked the box, I was amazed that the meal was still frozen. It's been incredibly hot and humid here over the last few days, but the dry ice did the trick!
I also received this very nice serving bowl and tong set as part of the sample package. The serving bowl is heavy ceramic, and it's something I'm sure that we'll use often around The Sweet Life. The tongs are coated in silicone and they extend from 10" to 14". Pretty handy!

The meal is simple and super-quick to prepare. The package suggests using a nonstick skillet, but I used my trusty electric skillet instead...I tend to slop less of my food out of it than when I use a regular stovetop skillet! The only additional ingredient needed to prepare the entree was 1/4 of milk. Then, in about 13-18 minutes, we had a delicious meal! Again, I haven't been to Romano's Macaroni Grill in ages, but I have to assume that this recipe (Basil Parmesan Chicken) is based on one of their restaurant entrees. There was quite a bit of tender chicken, loads of broccoli florets, and a nice smattering of sun-dried tomatoes. But of course, the sauce was the best part! It seemed to me like a cross between a pesto sauce and a light alfredo sauce...a pesto cream sauce, if you will. The frozen entree is intended to serve two. Honestly, David and I could have both eaten more, but we were satisfied with the portions.

We added a side salad and enjoyed a nice Italian meal at home! These frozen meals are great to keep on hand for those nights when you don't want to spend lots of time preparing a meal, but you don't want to go out, either. There are several varieties of the Romano's Macaroni Grill frozen entrees: Basil Parmesan Chicken, Grilled Chicken Florentine, Roasted Garlic Shrimp Scampi, and Spicy Italian Sausage Pomodoro. This Romano's Macaroni Grill prize pack was provided to me by Romano's Macaroni Grill through MyBlogSpark.com.

And guess what? They want you to have one, too! Macaroni Grill has generously offered to sponsor a giveaway here on The Sweet Life where you can win a prize pack of your own! To enter, please leave me a comment letting me know which variety you'd most like to try. (If you're the winner, I can't promise that you'll get the flavor you'd prefer, but we can try!) You have to be at least 18 to win. The winner will be chosen at random on Thursday, August 19th. If you win, the frozen meal will be shipped directly to you, packed in dry ice.

***This giveaway is now closed.***