Cooking with Kyle-Burritos

Kyle is looking entirely too happy in this photo.  He was messing around in the other photos, so I went with this one.  I also want to say ahead of time I apologize for the quality of these pictures.  We have horrible lighting in the kitchen and the USB cord to my better camera is currently broken.   I did want to share Kyle's latest, greatest recipe even if that means not so good picture.

Kyle came up with his own personal recipe. To make the process easier, he chose Chi Chis meat in the tub that was on sale.  It was must faster than frying up and seasoning his own and cheaper too.

The ingredients he used

• Chi Chis prepared taco meat 
• taco sauce
• burrito size tortilla 
• shredded cheese 
• a can of red beans 
• brown rice (for the side) 
• sour cream (optional) 
• jalapeno peppers (optional)

He warmed up the red beans using the directions on the back of the can.   While these were on the stove, he warmed up the Chi Chis meat in the microwave.  

Adding the ingredients to the burrito 

He added the taco meat, a spoonful of red beans, and then some of the shredded cheese 

Here he is rolling the burrito, and placing them in a Pyrex dish. A fun tip.. heat the tortillas in the microwave for 15-20 seconds before rolling. Warming them slightly keeps them from tearing. 

  

Funny story about the rice.  While Kyle  was putting the burritos together, Kara came in and asked to help. He told her that she could help with the rice.  She did not realize it was boil in a bag rice, so she started pouring it in the pot.  Halfway into pouring the rice, she was told that she was supposed to place the bag in the water.  Since there was still some rice in the bag, she threw it in.  Boil in a bag rice, became boil WITH a bag rice.    

I thought he might add some salsa to the burritos, but he insisted on adding taco sauce.  He just poured a few passes across the burritos. It actually tastes really good this way. 

He also added a fair amount of cheese on top of of the burritos, before placing them in the oven.  I helped him set the timer. He cooked them at 350 degrees for 15 minutes.  We did not need to cook it very long, because we used prepared, and warmed up taco meat.  

They looked really good when they came out of the oven.  

He served the brown rice on the side.  The burritos were excellent, the rice not so much. It seems boiling with a bag, made them too soggy.   

He was goofing off during the finished pic too.   He is busy thinking up his recipe for next week. Hope you stop back and check it out.  

Dare to Share Linky Party

Well it is now time for my first Linky Party. I have been thinking of hosting one for quite awhile, and finally took the plunge. I love to share tips about recipes, crafts, couponing and more with my girlfriends. Dare to Share is a party for anything that you feel you would like to share. It can be almost anything.


I wont have a lot of rules, but I would like you to follow my blog.

 You don't have to backlink, but please add my button somewhere on your blog


 

<center><a href="http://pamspartyplanning.blogspot.com"><img border="0" src=" http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v296/Kristisma3/button2.png " style="border: none;"/></a></center> >

 I will be sharing features on my blog, Pinterest, and Facebook

Crafting with Kara-Bunny Craft

Kara went to Michaels  with me recently, and saw supplies that gave her the inspiration to make this bunny craft.

To make a fuzzy bunny you need the following supplies.  I linked them if you do not have a craft store nearby, or can not find them in the store.  They are affiliate links. 

• a jumbo chenille stem  
• large google eyes
• pink pom poms  
• black chenille
• thread

Pretty much all of the supplies were  found in the same aisle except for the white thread.

Using the white giant pipe cleaner she rolled it into the head/face, leaving enough to fold into the ears.

To make the ears she she looped the pipe cleaner two times per ear, so they would be filled in and fuzzy.  She had a hard time describing exactly what she did, so hopefully her  directions on the ears were clear enough to follow.   She then used white thread to secure the everything in place.

The backside to the bunny's head is not quite as filled in.  That is okay as long as the front of his face is.

Using Elmer's glue, she attached the google eyes, pink pom poms and the mouth.

Here she is gluing on the the eyes.

Here she is attaching the pink pom ears

We are not sure exactly where we are going to display her bunny yet.  It would be a cute addition to a wreath, mantle, gift or almost anything else.

Random Thoughts

• I have so many things going on in my head today.   It is going to be a fun day though, the kids do not have school.  It is a teacher work day, because yesterday was the last day of the quarter.  We have only one quarter left, than it is summer break!  Woohoo!

• I am happy I got to sleep in this morning.  Isn't it frustrating on days when the kids can sleep in they wake up early, but on actual school days you have to literally  pull them out of bed.  My son Kyle did that today.  When I woke up at 9, he was already happily playing video games. He is horrible to get up on school days.   The girls have the right idea on what to do on days off of school. They are still sleeping! I think I might need to wake them up though, its 11 a.m. 

• We have a lot of fun things planned for today.  Kyle is going to cook up another delicious meal in a new "Cooking with Kyle" post.  I think he might make Quesadillas, but at this point he is still a little unsure.  Kara is also going to be making two Easter bunny crafts (if she ever gets up) for "Crafting with Kara".   I have a craft that I hope to make too.   If it works out the way I hope, it should be a fun thing to add to your Easter table.    

• We need to run some errands today, and it looks like it is going to storm.  Ugh, its cold and rainy! While I know 80s in Michigan in March was unusual, I really miss it. It spoiled us so much, that now we think it needs to be warm all the time.  Kara and I are going to return some pop bottles to the store, and then pick out some seeds.  I saw something really cool on Pinterest, that we are going to do this weekend. I can't wait to share it on the blog.  

• I am having pre-party jitters today.  You know the feeling right before a party, hoping everything is going to work out.  Tonight I will be posting my first linky party.  I have been linking to other parties for quite some time, and really enjoy it.  I am hoping to have some visitors.  If you do have something to share, I would love for you to attend.   

Well off to get the kids up and moving today. We have a lot of fun things to accomplish.

Peep Wreath

I LOVE peeps!  I also love all of the Peep wreaths that I have been seeing on Pinterest.   I love them so much that if I bought Peeps to make a wreath, I would most likely eat as many as I used in my craft.  It just so happened that last year I  bought 5 boxes of Peeps right after Easter,  and put them away for safe keeping. (hid them from the kids). Well I guess I hid them very well, because I forgot I had them until just recently.   Since I was not going to eat year old Peeps, I thought they would be perfect to use on my own version of the Peep Wreath.

I started with a styrofoam wreath I recently bought with a JoAnns coupon.  It was only a couple of dollars.

I only had 3 boxes of chick  peeps and 2 boxes of bunnies.  The bunny Peeps were blue and pink. I thought that might be too many colors, so I concentrated on the chicks.

Using toothpicks, I placed each peep onto the styrofoam.  I used half toothpick for the Peeps on top and full toothpicks on the center Peeps.

They are looking at me, asking me to eat them.  Good thing I know how old they are.  This should keep the kids from eatting my wreath too.

I didn't have enough Peeps to wrap them all around the outside.  I found some purple tulle in my craft stash and decided to add that. I like the look, but debating if I should buy a few more boxes and add some more. For now though, I think it looks sweet enough to eat.

Bunny Napkin Folding

Chinet recently contacted me, and asked if I would like to share some of their napkin folding ideas on my blog.  I told them that I would love to.   They sent me links to 4 different styles to try.   My favorite technique is the Bunny Napkin.  I asked Kara to give it a try with ne , and she caught on very quickly.  She watched the you tube video and knew how before I even had a chance to sit down and try.     We only had the lunch size napkins on hand, so we made baby bunnies.

I happened to have Chinet plates in my cupboard before I was contacted .  This is the size bunny you can make with a lunch size napkin

I had some leftover party color party napkins.  I really like how the bunnies look in different colors.

Kara wondered if you could use the same technique with tissue paper.  You can!  

Bunny napkins are quick, easy and fun to make     You can see how to make you own bunny napkins on the  Youtube.com/My Chinet link here.   Printable instructions can be found on MyChinet.com/napkinfolding here.

There are also instructions on how to make a rose, crown and bird of paradise.   We need to use some dinner size napkins for the other designs.  I hope to pick some while out tomorrow and will be posting how we made the other designs then.  You can see the directions now on Mychinet.com.

She Never Ceases to Amaze Me

I wanted to take a minute to share what my daughter did today.  She is always amazing me. It's days like this when you know you are doing something right.   Yesterday when she came home from school, she told me she had to make a present.  When I asked her what the present was for, she told me the story of her teachers niece.  She said that Mrs. Z had a new baby niece who needed surgery.  When the baby was born she has some sort of medical issue that  they  were trying to fix. She wanted to make the baby a gift, so the baby  would  know she that someone cared.  Kara does not know the niece, but she loves her teacher Mrs. Z.   I don't know how many almost  11 year olds want to make a gift for someone they have never met, but have only seen a picture of in class.

I think she still has every stuffed animal from the last 10+ years.  She found a baby safe bear and made it a felt dress.

She painted a rock from a craft kit with the message to get well soon.

She asked her dad to take her to Target so she could buy a card.  Inside she signed a sweet message.

She excitedly packed up her gift to take her teacher today, so it can be delivered this weekend.

I hope she always keeps this level as thoughtfulness.  Days like today, make me  proud to be her mom.

Awesome Meijer Deals

I had an EXCELLENT shopping day today at Meijer.  There are so many items on sale this week that also have coupons.  All together I saved $47.08 in coupons, and Meijers only doubles to .50.  In the picture are all of my BEST deals.

I think the BEST deal of the day was the Van de Kamps Parchment Tilapia.  It is normally $6.49 on sale for $2.99. I had a $1.75 off M Perks coupon AND a buy 1 get a FREE Birdseye Steamfresh.  What would have cost $7.92 only cost $1.24.  I printed the buy 1 get 1 free coupon from coupons.com, but I am not sure if it was on the main page or it if it was  a bricks coupon.

2nd BEST deal was the Heluva dip deal.  I bought 3 Heluva dips for $1.29 each.  I had a $1 off 2 Meijer catalina coupon and a .75 off insert coupon. After coupons the cost was .77 each.  I also got back a $3 OYNO order coupon at checkout.  So they were actually a moneymaker.


4 Ortega Guacamole packets.   They were only sale for .65 each, and I had two  .50 off 2 coupons from the weekly inserts that doubled.  Final price .15 each.

Yoplait Lactose Free Yogurt .79.   I used an insert coupon for .35 that doubled, final price .19.

Blistex lip balm on sale for .99. I used an insert coupon for .30 that doubled, final price .29.

Franks Red Hot sauce. Regular price $1.12. I had a .35 insert coupon that doubled and  that was expiring this weekend.  Final price .42.

3 Nissin Big Cup Noodles. Regular price .79 each. I had a $1 off 3 coupon, final price .45 each. (my daughter LOVES the shrimp cups)

Duncan Hines cake mix, on sale for $1.15.  I had a .35 insert coupon that doubled, final price .45

Suave Sunrise Shampoo, regular price $1.45. I used a coupons.com for .50 off that doubled, final price .45

Frenchs Mustard. Regular price $1.19. I had a .35 insert coupon that doubled, and also expiring this weekend. Final price .49

Country Crock Margarine, on sale for $1.50.  I used the coupon on coupons.com for $1 off. Final price .50

Dole Salad, on sale for $1.50. I used a $1 coupon from the Meijer spring booklet right next to the salad display. Final price .50

Aunt Millie's Healthy Life Bread on sale for $1.25. I used a .35 coupon from the Aunt Millies website here, that doubled. Final price .55

2 Velvetta cheesy potatoes special price $1.92.  I used a $1 off 2 M Perks, and two .75 off insert coupons.  Final price was .67 each.

2 Dannon Crunchers  on sale for $1.88.  I used two .50 insert coupons that doubled, final price .88.

2 Planters Peanut Butter is normally $3.19, on sale for $2.50.  I had a $1 off 2 M Perks coupon and two. $1 off coupons, from either coupons.com or bricks coupons.  Final price was only $1 each.

Newmans Own Pasta Sauce on sale for $2.00. I had a .50 insert coupon that doubled, final price $1.

2 Keebler Crackers on sale for $1.99 each.  I had a $ 1 off 2  M Perks coupon and a $1 off 2 insert coupon, final price .99 each.

2 Hormel Compleats on sale for 2 each.  I had a .50 off 2 M Perks coupon and a $1 off 2 coupon, final price $1.25 each.

2 Fresh Takes cheese  on sale for $2.50 each.  I had a $1 off M Perks coupon, a $1 printable coupon and a .75 off insert coupon. Final price $1.12 each.

2 Philly Cooking Cream on sale for $2.50 each. I had a $1 off M Perks coupon, and a $1.50 printable coupon from coupons.com.  Final price $1.25 each.  I also found a .55 coupon here.

Kraft Sliced cheese on sale for $2.50.  I had a $1 off coupons.com, final price $1.50

Hormel Lunch Meat on sale for $2.50.  I used this coupon here for .50 off that doubled, final price $1.50.

2 Welch's Jelly on sale for $2.29.  I used two .75 coupons, final price 1.54.

With all the coupons I used today on these deals and some others, I was able to save $47.08 in coupons, and  39.66 in sales prices.  My cart of groceries would have been $185.47 down to $98.73. I was a $1.17 under budget. WOOHOO!

Weird Things That My Cats Do

If you are a long time follower you will know that I sometimes mention the unusual antics of our family cats.  I love my cats dearly, but sometimes I really don't understand why they do what they do   Reeses, named because she is the color of peanut butter and chocolate, is probably the "weirdest".   Lately she has been finding herself in some unusual postitions.   In January she had to be literally cut out of our couch, because she somehow managed to get herself stuck inside.   If you are interested you can read about that situation here. This morning when we got up to go to school,  I found her sitting on the back on one of the kitchen chairs.  Reeses is rather round,  the back of the chair, not so much.

She was somehow balancing herself on the back on the chair.  How she stayed on, I have no idea.

She may be "weird", but we love her anyway! 

Lots of Changes

Today I have been a busy girl.  I have been making some changes around here.  I designed a new blog  banner using  paint  and picnik.   I wanted something  that was simple, colorful and fun. I am still not sure how to get the banner to center in the middle of my blog, but I'm excited that I figured out how to do it all on my own.     I also designed my new party button for my upcoming linky party.   I hope to add a buttons page to my blog  in the next day or two.   On my facebook page,  I bit the bullet, and switched to Timeline today.  I am still unsure how much  I like it.  I think that is one reason why I didn't switch when it was first introduced.   I am not quite finished with the changes. I still need to tweak things here and there, but I think that is all I am going to do today.  My eyes are feeling like they have been  in front of the computer all day.  I now need  to make dinner and get the kids started on their homework.  They are already feeling spring fever, thanks to those super warm days earlier this month.  Today it was back to reality and temps back in the 30s and 40s. Brr!