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On Friday night, I finished season six of Mad Men. At 2am. About a week after starting the season. On Netflix. On my wifi tv, my phone, my elliptical, and of course on my laptop (in just about every room of the house). And while none of those were even options a decade ago, they are all of course completely “normal” now, right?!? I mean, I don’t even blink an eye nowadays when a friend asks what show they should “start” next in April. Well, to harken back to the good ol’ days when Don Draper and his family would have sat together around a “set” to watch a show, at a designated time each week, no computer in the house, but perhaps with an Old Fashioned in hand, I made a simple shrimp saute to share with you today inspired by the classic cocktail. Read more This week has been one of those perfectly normal weeks that makes me adore life. Meals shared with friends every day of the week. Lest I ever forget, most often it’s those normal things are the best things. Read more Read more You guys.

Braided Spaghetti Bread » The official blog of America's favorite frozen dough We are carb lovers at our house, so when I saw the Braided Spaghetti Bread recipe in the Rhodes Home Baked Family Favorites with frozen dough cookbook I knew we would love it. This is a really simple recipe; it just takes a little planning for thawing the dough. It will take 2-3 hours for the bread loaf to thaw to room temperature or 1-2 hours for the rolls to thaw to room temperature. You will need: 1 Loaf Rhodes Bread Dough or 12 Rhodes Dinner Rolls, thawed to room temperature6 oz spaghetti, cooked 1 cup thick spaghetti sauce 8 oz mozzarella cheese, cut into 1/2 –inch cubes 1 egg white Parmesan cheese Parsley flakes Spray counter lightly with non-stick cooking spray (or use parchment paper). Roll loaf or combined dinner rolls into a 12x16-inch rectangle. Cook spaghetti according to package instructions. Remove wrap from dough. Make cuts 1 ½-inches apart on long sides of dough to within ½-inch of filling. Begin braid by folding top and bottom strips toward filling. This was fantastic!

Mighty Meaty Nachos (with homemade tortilla chips!) Homemade tortilla chips = Yum. Yum yum yum yum yum. Homemade tortilla chips that are this delicious need a dipping sauce that is equally extraordinary – something that can step up to the plate and match the taste “WOW factor” – bite for bite. The ingredients: 1 lb breakfast sausage (can use regular or hot), 1 lb hamburger meat, 1 small jar of salsa, 1 can Rotel tomatoes and green chiles (can use mild or regular… if you can handle the heat ;)), 1 can cream of mushroom soup and 32 oz velveeta cheese. For the tortilla chips: small, “fajita sized” tortillas (about 6″ in diameter), 3-4 cups vegetable oil & kosher salt About 2 hours before serving time, slice the Velveeta cheese and place in a crock pot that has been sprayed with Pam. Turn the crock pot to Low and put the lid back on. Now it’s time to get serious. Note to all the mushroom haters out there: Yes, you can leave the cream of mushroom soup out. Ok YAY! After about 10 mins the oil should be hot enough. Mighty Meaty Nachos

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Fudge Yes, really. If that doesn't stop you dead in your tracks, then I don't think you're human. This is serious stuff. I have a family recipe that I use for standard fudge, but I like making fun and unique variations as well - peanut butter, pumpkin pie, and white chocolate have all been well-received in the past. But I'm pretty sure this one surpasses them all. This comes together pretty easily, and honestly the hardest part is waiting for it to set up! So head into your kitchen and make these now. 1 3/4 c. sugar 3/4 cup brown sugar1/2 cup heavy cream 1/4 c. milk1 Tbs corn syrup3/4 tsp kosher salt2 Tbs unsalted butter1 tsp vanilla extract1/2 cup flour1/3 cup mini semi-sweet chocolate chipsSpray an 8x8 inch baking dish with cooking spray and set aside. In a 3-quart saucepan, combine the sugars, cream, milk, corn syrup and salt. Pour the mixture into a 9x13 inch casserole dish, and allow to cool until it reaches 110 degrees, 10 to 20 minutes. Allow to set at least 2 hours.

Handmade Gifts Is it too early to be talking Christmas? I love getting all of my Christmas shopping done by Thanksgiving. I have my Mother-In-Law to thank for this. We have to be a bit more frugal this year due to my health expenses, so I plan to make some handmade gifts. Vases, Rubberbands & Spray Paint. Make Your Own Canvas Print Salted Almond Pretzel Popcorn-Given In A Mason Jar, Of Course! Source: None via Amy on Pinterest Cupcake Wrappers As Jar Covers? Candy In A Recycled Jar Christmas Lights Poked Through a Canvas DIY Vanilla--Next Christmas? 5 Pillowcases Sewn Together, Insert Pillows. Printable Gift Labels For Fruit DIY Ice Cream Sunday Kit I'd Love This Gift Of Fresh Flowers! DIY Monogrammed Mugs & Hot Chocolate! Great Recipe For Natural Soy Candles, Costs Less That $1 To Make! Cookie Tin Made From Pringles Can. 12x12 Paper + Ribbon = Easy Gift! CD Sleeve As A Cookie Holder. Chocolate Chip & Oatmeal Quickbread In A Jar Homemade Lotion Bars Peppermint Stick Hot Cocoa--From Yours Truly:) Photo Coasters!

Real Food Fast: Easy Pepperoni Pizza Dip! At a party over the holidays my friend served pizza dip. I know it’s been around for a while, but I had never made it before. So, when I had people coming over the other night for a quick party I decided to make my own version as an appetizer. It was so easy and fun to do I can’t believe I had never done it before! I served it with toasted pita chips because I figured that would taste the most like pizza crust and, I kid you not, the dip was gone in just a few minutes. I only made this small serving dish of it, now I know next time I have to make more! Pepperoni Pizza Dip 8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder ½ teaspoon dried Italian season 1 cup shredded mozzarella 1 cup Parmesan cheese 1 cup pizza sauce 2 ounces pepperoni 1. 2. 3.

Incredible Nutella Fudge Enter my Baby Pool Contest for a chance to win up to $100 (3 winners!). Click here now. I love every recipe I share with you all. But this one… This one is special. I went into this baking endeavor not even knowing if it would turn into the dessert everyone knows as “fudge,” or if I would be left with a messy kitchen and a pan full of goo. Until now. Not only is this fudge easy, it tastes awesome! Incredible Nutella Fudge Author: Jennifer Recipe type: Candy ½ cup salted butter (you can use unsalted, but the salt brings out the sweetness)½ cup whole milk or half and half1½ cups light brown sugar1½ teaspoons vanilla1 cup Nutella2½ cups – 3 cups confectioner’s sugar Grease an 8×8 pan. Tagged as: chocolate, fudge, nutella

12 LinkedIn secrets to supercharge your social networking To know me is to know that I love—love—LinkedIn. At 150 million members and growing, LinkedIn is a powerful professional networking tool, and it’s not just for job seekers. Frankly, if you’re in the professional world and not using LinkedIn, I’m not sure what you’re thinking. Our team at V3 uses it for new business development, competitive research and analysis, participating in groups and discussions, and engaging with and learning from peers—and, of course, it’s the go-to site for savvy job seekers everywhere. One of the cool things about LinkedIn is there’s always something new to learn. I do a lot of corporate LinkedIn training and these are some of my favorite tricks and tips: 1. Want to ditch a connection? How to wield this magic? When you’re logged into LinkedIn, Select Contacts in the main navigation bar. 2. Sometimes it makes sense to operate in stealth mode. Click the drop-down menu under your name in the top right corner of the page, then select Settings. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9.

Creamy Avocado Dip and Baked Taco Potato Chips My favorite color is blue the color of seafoam. Then again, I like green the color of seafoam, too. I suppose, then, my favorite color is seafoam and I should stop trying to crunch it into a crayon color because it’s perfect, just the way it is. Seafoam is a color we used to have around until we up & moved to a new house 3 years ago and I got a wild hair and bought a red couch. So now the house is red and brown and it makes me feel much too grown up. You won't believe how easy this potato chip dip is, or how entirely impossible it is to stop eating. You can find the recipe for the Taco Baked Chips right here.

Pear Hazelnut Tart Recipe Elise, from Buttercream & Roses, impresses me day after day with her delicious goodies and mouth-watering photography. And this pear & hazelnut tart is definitely no exception. Though it’s slightly more time consuming than your average treat, I’m more than willing to bet that it’s worth the additional effort. Check out the recipe below! Ingredients For the dough: ½ cup unsalted butter, room temperature3 Tbsp ½ large egg, beaten1 cup all-purpose flour½ cup hazelnut flour (see directions) Directions Preheat oven 350 degrees.Toast hazelnuts in oven for 10 minutes.Remove skin from the hazelnuts. For the chocolate ganache: 8 oz semi-sweet chocolates½ cup heavy cream2 oz butter Place chocolate in a heat proof bowl.In a saucepan heat heavy cream to just under a boil.Pour heavy cream over the chocolate.Add Butter.Allow chocolate, cream and butter to sit for 3 minutes.Mix all ingredients with a whisk until everything is completely incorporated. For the poached pears: To assemble:

Easy Soap Making Recipes | Lotion Recipes | Salt Scrub Recipes Nothing’s more fun than sharing and swapping a good recipe. Here are a few of our favorites for making everything from skin nurturing soaps and scrubs, to solid perfume and more. Share your recipes by using the “comment box” at the bottom of this page. Gardener’s Soap Recipe 8 oz. Melt base and scent. Honey Bee CP Soap Olive Oil 32 oz. At trace, add fragrance and 1 Tablespoon of honey. Easy Shea Butter CP Soap Coconut Oil 16 oz. Easy Lip Balm Recipe – using Lanolin 1 oz. Skin Firming Gel – using CroThix CroThix has a secondary use as a skin firming agent. This makes (4) four ounce containers of gel-crème. Water 13 oz. Heat the water and Glycerin to 170 degrees and set aside. Lotion bars! Easy Lotion Bars 4 ounces Mango or Shea Butter 4 ounces Beeswax, Yellow or White 5 ounces Liquid Oil (Jojoba or Grapeseed are both excellent) 2 teaspoons of Essential Oil or Fragrance Oil Melt the beeswax in a separate container and the butter/oil in another container. Cookie Cutter Soaps by T.J. 1. 2 tsp.

recipe: sweet & sour chicken I was ridiculously excited when I came across this recipe for homemade sweet and sour chicken. You guys, it is SO GOOD. It’s a little involved with several steps (coating chicken, frying a little bit, then baking) but it is all worth it. Trust me. Start with a plate of chicken breast, cut into chunks. Mix up your sauce: ketchup, sugar, vinegar, soy sauce, and garlic powder. Dip the chicken into cornstarch and then in beaten egg. Transfer the chicken to a baking dish and coat all the pieces with the sauce. Bake that for about an hour, turning the pieces once or twice. Serve it all together and enjoy! Sweet and Sour ChickenIngredients 3-4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts Salt and pepper 1 cup cornstarch 2 eggs, beaten 1/4 cup canola oilFor the sauce (1 batch) 2/3 cup sugar 1/2 cup ketchup 1 cup vinegar 2 tablespoon soy sauce 1 teaspoon garlic powderPreparation Cut boneless chicken breasts into chunks, season with salt and pepper.

Tres Leches Cake I first made Tres Leches cake about five years ago, when my baby was still a baby and I was trying to find something yummy to make for my friend Ana for her birthday. Ana’s from Mexico and taught me how to make pico de gallo and guacamole, and I asked her what her favorite kind of cake was. “Tres Leches,” she said in her sweet Spanish accent. “Tres Leches?” I said. “Three milks?” Ana went on to explain to me what Tres Leches Cake is: a light, airy sponge cake soaked with a mixture of three milks: evaporated milk, sweetened condensed milk, and heavy cream. To die for. I did some digging and some reading and wound up making this very cake for Ana’s birthday. Throw flour and baking powder into a mixing bowl… And add a little salt. Now, separate 5 eggs. Whites in the other. Now, throw the yolks and some sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer. Mix on high until the yolks are pale yellow in color and doubled in volume. Next add 1/3 cup of whole milk… And 1 teaspoon vanilla. Now QUICK! And now. Look!

Paper Punched Easter Eggs Tutorial by Nikki In Stitches Some of the best projects are also the most simple, and it doesn’t get much more “back to basics” than these paper punched Easter eggs. Simple and classic, they take just a few minutes to make and will last for many springs to come! Materials: 5/8″ paper punch Decorative paper Styrofoam egg Straight pins Glue Directions: Scroll through the pictures below. ~Nikki Find more from Nikki on her blog Nikki, In Stitches Tagged as: craft projects, craft tutorials, Easter, Easter Projects, How To, nikki in stitches, Paper Punched Easter Eggs Caramelized Onion Dip recipe from food52 Author Notes: This recipe is very simple and so delicious. You will never go back to pre-made onion dip after you have this. I prefer to eat this with potato chips, but would be great with veggies as well. It is amazing how much sweetness is created through the natural caramelization of the onions. - ADRIENE (less)Author Notes: This recipe is very simple and so delicious. You will never go back to pre-made onion dip after you have this. Food52 Review: Patience pays off here -- take your time caramelizing the onions. Serves 6-8 5 pounds Spanish onions 8 ounces cream cheese 16 ounces sour cream zest and juice of 1 lemon 1 bunch chives 4 tablespoons olive oil salt & pepper Peel and cut the onions in a small dice. Your Best Dip Contest Finalist! Popular on Food52 and Provisions Tags: dips, onion

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