What up Doc?

April 5, 2011

We just love everything about Spring. Easter, flowers, and warm weather. Oh and a great carrot cake goes well with Spring too, at least in our book it does! We have found some Savvy Carrot finds, from recipes to DIY crafts. So whether or not that myth about carrots being good for your eyes is true, we hope you enjoy what you 'see'!!!

Gluten Free Carrot Cake from Betty Crocker

Carrot Walnut Cookies from Woman's Day

Involve the kids and let them help you sort and stuff these fun Family Fun Carrot napkin utensil holders. Display at each setting on your Easter table or pile them up in a pretty basket.

Our Cozy Nest Carrot Wreath tutorial is such a creative twist to the ordinary wreath.

Waffle cones, food coloring, cellophane bags, and your favorite treat will let you create these carrots in grass from Good Housekeeping

Have fun playing with Starburst candies and green licorice to create these adorable carrot patch cupcakes from Family.com

These Crepe Paper Carrots from Martha Stewart are a sweet treat for your guests that will leave them surprised!

Smiles~

Amy & Bri

Donut Sunday

April 6, 2011

One of the best things about families are the traditions that can be made. My(Amy) family started 'Donut Sunday' a year ago due to my daughter's obsession with donuts and sprinkles. So just before bed every Saturday night she reminds my husband and I, "Tomorrow is donut Sunday!" and then goes on to tell us which kind of donut she will be picking. It is the little things in life that mean the most!

So recently while doing our daily Facebook feeds, I saw that Daily Grommet was featuring a new line of bakeware called Babycakes. If you have not heard of Daily Grommet it is an online marketplace where you can discover and buy inventive, new products, watch video reviews, and get to know the people behind these up-and-coming businesses. Babycakes countertop appliances come in a variety of your favorite treats such as, the Mini Cupcake maker, the Cake Pop maker, the Whoopie Pie maker and the one that sold me was the Donut maker!! So, I bought one and could not wait to try it out on our first 'Donut Sunday at home'!

I love the idea behind these machines! For the donut machine in particular, you can make 6 donuts in 4 minutes!! Perfect! So, we invited a few of our friends over to share donut Sunday with us! I thought of making this Sunday more of a decorating donut Sunday. So we set out some plates and bowls with different toppings for the kids to decorate their donuts. I love that you can be creative with everything about this machine, from the type of donut, to the flavors of frosting's, to the kinds of toppings! Of course the topping of choice were sprinkles, and lots of them!! Just a little side note, how great would this idea be for a kids birthday party??? My wheels are spinning on this one!

I used the recipe book that was included and made the maple glazed applesauce donuts. I poured the batter into a plastic bag, cut the tip and filled each tray with the batter. So easy! And in 4 minutes we had these fluffy little guys!!

Once the donuts were done the kids were ready to dip their mini's into the maple glaze!

We let them go crazy with the sprinkles!

Why not?

So pretty right? They almost look professional!

The kids had a great time decorating and spending the morning together. The only bad thing about this machine is that you cannot eat just one!!! My donut Sunday consisted of at least 4! I am loving this new tradition!

Smiles~

Amy & Bri

Drinks with a Twist!

March 17, 2010

Happy St. Patrick's Day! Weather you are enjoying

beef stew or corn beef hash tonight, why not enjoy a fun and festive drink to go along with it? Perhaps this beer with a twist or as the English/Irish tradition would call it, a Shandy!

Image Courtesy of Celebrations.com

Not a beer drinker? Check out some other fun twists to your favorite cocktails as well as recipes for your St. Patrick's Day festivities on Celebrations.com!!

Smiles~

Amy & Bri

Savvy and Lucky Finds

February 25, 2011

Top O' the Mornin' to you all!!!! This Friday feature is inspired by all things GREEN, just in time for St. Patrick's Day! Enjoy!

Felt Floral pillows are a huge trend right now and look so easy to make. This Green felt flower pillow tutorial found over at I Share Crafts has us Green with Envy!

We found this fun and festive wreath tutorial over at My Frugal Family. The best part was the Savvy cost to make it, $3.75!!! It just might be your LUCKY day if you can score the same deals to make this wreath!

This traditional St. Patty's Day Beef Stew recipe is the perfect way to take the chill off these last weeks of Winter

Images from Woman's day.com

With Girl Scout Cookie season upon us (Woo-hoo!!) this Frozen Thin Mint Grasshopper Pie is the perfect dessert for those of you seeing GREEN

Images from Woman's Day.com

Amazing Moms has this great St. Patty's Day recipe and craft.
You can download this Lerechaun Cupcake Wrapper Here

We just love The Twisty Noodle.com for those moments when your kiddos need a little something to pass the time! Here are some fun coloring pages for your little one to add a touch of the rainbow to.

How Lucky are You to get these cupcake circle toppers from The TomKat Studio......FREE!!!

These Subway Art posters that The Girls at eighteen25 create for the holidays always Cheer us up!! Download yours here and put it in a frame for a bit O' Luck!

'For each Petal on the Shamrock this brings a wish your way-

Good Health, Good Luck, and Happiness for Today and for Every Day!!!'

-Author Unknown

Smiles~

Amy & Bri

{Feature Friday} Last Minute Valentine's Ideas

February 11, 2011

We thought we would share some last minute Valentine's Day ideas for those who may be stumped this year on extra Savvy ideas made with Love!!! All of these ideas were found from around the Internet as well as ideas that we found to be easy, cost effective and fun! We hope you find something to your hearts desire!

Why not start Valentine's breakfast with a message of love? This simple recipe of eggs, toast and ketchup can be found over at isharefunfood.com via cutefoodforkids.com

For the kids, TwistyNoodle.com is a great resource for coloring pages and worksheets that lets you customize your page by changing the font and the text!!! This site is also a great educational resource that has practice writing worksheets to keep you little ones busy.

We loved this idea from This Blessed Nest because the ingredients (popcorn, m&m's, candy melts, zipploc bags, and ribbon) are ones that we almost always have in our kitchens! This would be a great idea for your kids to give out at school!

Since we love a CUTE printable, Daphne from Moo Moo's TuTu has created the perfect and FREE 'Valentine Confetti' printable to finish off this tasty snack!
Download here

Another great and FREE Valentine printable comes from the always resourceful Skip To My Lou via Anything But Perfect. This FREE and simply adorable candy bar wrapper fits the standard Hershey's bar and can be dazzled up a bit with embellishments!
Download here

How pretty is this chocolate dipped brownie? Well, for us there is no brownie that is too pretty to eat! The Recipe Girl shows you this great tutorial that will make your mouth water just looking at the pics!

Display the Recipe Girl's heart shaped brownies on a pretty platter or get yourself some craft bags (usually Michale's or JoAnns carries these) and download this FREE Valentine's Brownie Bag from Twig and Thistle If you love this idea as much as we do, every Valentine's day there is a new version created!
Download here

And finally yet another FREE download (Gotta LOVE the internet!). We printed this version of the 'Keep Calm' series from The Hands On Housewife . Print this on a piece of heavy cardstock (here) and place in a pretty frame and display around your home or give as a gift as a friendly reminder! Since we all should take each day to Keep Calm and LOVE ON!!!!

Smiles~

Amy & Bri

{Guest Blogger} A Delicious Apple Crisp

Hello, Savvy Friends!

I’m Jennifer, from the party website Passion-for-Parties.com, and I’m thrilled to be your guest blogger today! ☺

In the spirit of Fall and Thanksgiving, I’m excited to share with you one of my favorite dessert recipes.

One that is so warm and cozy that you won’t want to spend another Fall or Thanksgiving without it…

Warm, Sweet, Delicious Apple Crisp

A good apple crisp starts with good apples.

Firm apples with a hint of tartness work best for baking. Granny Smith, Jonathan, and Fuji are all good choices.

For this crisp, I used Granny Smith.

Here’s what else you’ll need for this yummy treat...

…with the addition of butter…I forgot to put it out for the picture! ☺

Once you’ve gathered all of your ingredients, peel, core, and slice your apples.

I LOVE my Pampered Chef Peeler, Corer, Slicer for this job!

Place all of your apple slices into a bowl, then drizzle them with fresh lemon juice to prevent browning.

(I like to squeeze with the peel side down so the lemon seeds don’t drop into the bowl).

Combine some brown sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg, pour it over the apples and mix until the apples are good and coated. Don't they look yummy already?!!

Butter a baking dish and pour the apples in.

Now it’s time to make that yummy, crispy topping that gives this dessert its name!

Combine flour, sugar and oats in a small bowl. Cut in some cold butter until the mixture is good and

crumbly. Mix in some nuts for a little extra crunch, if you want. Mmmm, so good!

Sprinkle the mixture on top of the apples…

...bake...

...and ENJOY!

Sooo incredibly delicious!

Here’s the full recipe:

You’ll Need:

• 3 pounds (6 to 7 medium) apples (Granny Smith, Jonathan or Fuji work best)

• One fresh lemon

• 1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed

• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour

• 1/3 cup granulated sugar

• 1/3 cup rolled oats

• 4 (1/2 stick) cold butter

• 1/2 cup pecan pieces

• Vanilla ice cream (optional)

• Caramel ice cream topping (optional)



Instructions:

1. Peel, core and slice the apples and place them in a large bowl. Cut a fresh lemon in half and drizzle fresh juice over the apples to prevent them from browning.

2. Combine the brown sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a small bowl and pour over the apples. Mix well until the apples are nicely coated with the spice mixture.

3. In another bowl combine flour, sugar and oats. Cut the butter into small pieces and use a pastry cutter, butter knives or forks to cut the butter into the flour mixture until its crumbly. Stir in the chopped nuts for extra crunch, if you’d like.

4. Butter a baking dish, then pour in the apple mixture. Sprinkle with the crumbly flour mixture. Bake at 375° for 40 to 45 minutes, or until apples are tender and topping is lightly browned.

5. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream and caramel ice cream topping, if desired.



A big thanks to the Savvy Girls for allowing me to share this with you. I hope you all enjoy this recipe as much as I do! ☺



Happy Fall to all, and if you’re ever in need of fun party ideas, recipes, and more, please pay me a visit over at Passion-for-Parties.com.



Happy Celebrating!

Jennifer

A Whoot of Thanks

November 1, 2010

November is a time of Giving Thanks. We have so much to be thankful for this year and wanted this Play Date to be nothing more than a "Whoot of Thanks". We try and instill in our kids that each day is a day to give thanks. And "Welcome" hearts that are Thankful!

For the "Whoot of Thanks" Play Date theme, our inspirations came from a collaboration of fall, Thanksgiving, and Owls. We wanted to feature natural elements such as woods, moss and leaves to compliment this inspiration. In planning we knew we needed to create a unique outdoor play date that was whimsical yet natural. We started by contacting Anders Ruff Custom Designs to create the printable collection around our “Whoot of Thanks” theme. We then provided them our patterns and colors which included oranges, browns, reds, and greens.

All design elements for each play date are usually purchased or created in a “Savvy” way. When it comes to the dollar bins at Target or our local Dollar Store we try and see more than just the value of an item.The tree stumps that were made into toad stools were covered in plastic tablecloths which came from the Target dollar bins along with scrapbook paper that was laminated with a leaf for the kids to use as placemats.The table the kids sat at was also made with 3 hay barrels and a piece of plywood covered with a piece of burlap. With the left over burlap we made pennants to hang our “Whoot of Thanks” banner from.

We wanted to keep with the natural feeling and create owls made from pine cones that also served as décor for the table. This idea came to life with the help of a tutorial from Bristol Moms. We then added our own Savvy touches.

For each play date we like to incorporate a snack that is kid created with easy to make steps. In this case we turned to Amy Locurto of Living Locurto who came up with an “Owl Smore” recipe that made this possible.

The moss boxes were created from left over scrap 2X4’s and pieces of sheet moss purchased from the Dollar Tree. These were perfect for showcasing our “Whoot Corn” popcorn cones made from scrapbook paper, and as a platform for the “Cheese Pies” to be displayed on. Our centerpiece, our version of a "thankful tree", was also created with the natural elements of our own backyard. We simply placed a tree branch into a tree stump and dressed it with our Anders Ruff printables and colorful leaves.

We alway include a healthy snack that compliments the theme or season. For this play date we selected a full meal for the kids to enjoy. First, an adorable turkey made from fruit, cheese and vegetables. And second “Cheese Pies” made from biscuits and cheese baked on a stick. These choices made the meal kid friendly, nutritious and delicious.

We encourage and support reading. So every Play Date has a story that pertains to the Holiday or Theme. For our "Whoot of Thanks" we chose Twas the Night before Thanksgiving by Dav Pilkey. A fun read that made the kiddos laugh... A Lot!

We usually end the play date with something sweet for the kids to remember the day. Kolby Kakes edible creations baked the yummiest cupcakes, cake balls and owl cookie pops that coordinated with the colors and theme perfectly. She is a Baking genius.

The day was captured by the one and only Christine Racz of Racz Photography. She did an amazing job capturing all elements of the day. Including the Priceless faces of the kids.

We hope you enjoyed our Play Party......We give a "Whoot of Thanks" for YOU!!!

Smiles~

Amy & Bri