Paper Pumpkin Challenge

So it has been awhile since I've posted anything, keeping up a blog isn't easy. I guess I'm not as disciplined as i thought I was LOL

So I take card classes from a Stampin' Up demonstrator, twice a month, it's a great way for me to relax, not worry about anything and get my creativity flowing.

So last class we each picked a box from the pile of  Stampin' Up Paper Pumpkin kits.

The challenge was for us to make something using only the materials from inside the box, couldn't use any paper, ink or stamps from our collection.

So I got the Paper Pumpkin kit for September 2014, 

which had supplies to make treat bags for my favorite holiday Halloween.

So here is my spin on what I got in the box.

 

I decided to do a little BOO banner, quite impressed with how it turned out too.

 I attached the sequins and the card stock with glue dots. 

 

I used the Artisan Label Punch

from Stampin' Up for the layer the letters are on

and popped them up with some dimensional squares.

Breakfast it's what was for Dinner!!

     So the other night I forgot to take out meat for dinner. Sometimes I have these squirrel moments where my brain just falls out and I forget that I was on my way to our freezer to take out the protein for our dinner that night. So any-who....when in doubt you can't go wrong with breakfast. Me and "the hubby" get up at different hours so, making breakfast for him before he goes to work isn't likely to happen when he sometimes wakes up at 4am and leaves at 4:30am......so why not for dinner???

-Sinful Sara

P.S. I used my large electric skillet for this one, love that thing, especially when cooking an all-in-one-pan-dish. A large frying pan or saute would work too though.

Sam's Breakfast Skillet

 Ingredients

1 package of frozen Hash Browns (I "un-stuck" mine while they were still in the bag)*

1 can of SPAM (yeah I said SPAM!!)

6 eggs

shredded cheese (which ever kind strikes your fancy)

Canola Oil

1. Heat your pan, HOT!, HOT!, HOT! ( I put my skillet on 400 degrees) and a good spoonful of canola oil.

2. Toss your hash browns into the hot pan and let cook, without stirring for about 3-5 minutes. Meanwhile chop up your SPAM into small chunks.

3. Once hash browns are browned a little toss in chopped SPAM, cook for another 3-5 minutes or however you like your SPAM.

 4.Beat six eggs together and pour evenly over hash browns & SPAM. Cook about 3-5 minutes or however you like you eggs.

5. Shred some cheese and sprinkle some on top. And BOOM! you're all done.

*un-stuck - In this case I slammed the bag of hash browns against the counter until I felt they were no longer in one large chunk, just in case someone out there had no clue what I was talking about, you may laugh but I bet there are more than a few who now are like "Oh!!" and pry a couple who are still going "Huh?!?"

New Direction.....New Start

     When I first began my blog I wanted to try and showcase as many of my crafts as possible. Well if you look at my previous posts I wasn't very consistent. So I decided, when I was ready, to try to post at least twice a week, one day a craft and another day a recipe. So I've finally decided I'm ready and for my first post for my second blog attempt I'm going to start with a recipe....Hope you enjoy!

~Sinful Sara

P.S. Please be advised that I'm not a "trained chef" just a cook. Sometimes I don't always "measure" ingredients per say but I will try to give you as detailed an account of each creation as I can.

Wheat Pasta w/shrimp

 in a tomato cream sauce

 

Ingredients

1 1/2 lbs. Raw Shrimp (devein em and shell em or if your a lil lazy buy pre-cooked)

3/4 c. clam juice 

1/4 lbs. bacon

3/4 c. heavy cream

a bunch of basil (how much you use depends on your taste buds)

5-6 cloves of garlic chopped (add more or less as you prefer)

2 8oz. cans of tomato sauce

Cajun seasoning (I like WEBER N'Orleans Cajun but use whatever you prefer)

1 box whole wheat linguini (or whichever pasta you prefer, with this sauce I think a penne would work as well)

Kosher Salt (I just prefer it but use what you like)

Black Pepper

Directions

1. Fill up your pasta pot with....really?? I hope you know water! Oh yeah and a little salt to season, some people add after it starts to boil but eh in my personal cooking opinion it doesn't matter.Anywho put the bad boy on the stove and start it to boil.

2. Once your pot of water is on the stove get out your saute pan, I recommend a 5 qt. at least, and put it on the stove on medium high heat. While pan is heating cut your bacon first length wise in half then width wise into small little chunks. Cook bacon until crispy and then drain on a plate with paper towels or however you drain your bacon. Turn down the heat to medium

3. Your water should be ready by now so pop your pasta in and drop your colander into the sink. 

4. Return saute pan to the stove, should be on medium heat now if you've been following along. Toss in your chopped garlic and stir until you start to smell it, I'd say about 20 seconds and yes I would count. Then add, in no particular order although I prefer this order, clam juice, tomato sauce and then cream.

5. Once this is simmering and well combined I add my basil but, since i like to get fancy I save some to garnish the finished dish. My pasta is usually done around this time too so I drain it

6. I take some of the Cajun Seasoning and and sprinkle it on the shrimp before I put 'em in. now I DID NOT MEASURE how much I used you will need to decide how spicy you want yours or if you want to use the cajun seasoning at all, just to let you know you don't have to if you don't want to. 

7. Drop the cajun seasoned, or unseasoned, shrimp into the sauce and cook until their pink about 5 minutes does the trick, oh and add the basil too.

8. After the sauce and shrimp are done I remove the saute pan from the stove and add the cooked pasta to the pan and toss 'em together. You toss this in a big serving dish if you wanted to get fancy schmancy but since it was just dinner for a regular 'ol night I just did it in the pan.

9. I garnish with some of the chopped basil and fresh grated Parmesan, I won't buy that powdery stuff in the plastic container I don't care how much the hubby says it doesn't matter or that it tastes ok, that's just no bueno.

Hope you enjoy this recipe because I know my hubby sure loved eating it!!

Oh yeah and I serve mine with french bread because I prefer the soft bread not crunchy,

Italians everywhere will now hate me but the one I married doesn't mind so pbbbbt!