"Oh, the Places You'll Go!" Idea

I have seen this book given so often as a Graduation Gift many times. I heard about an even better idea though, and thought I would pass it along. Starting in preschool and every year on up, give this book to your child's teacher at the end of the school year. Have the teacher write a little note to your child. Then when your child graduates, give it as a gift. It will be so fun to see all the little notes. Luckily my kids have had the same teachers (and are still young enough that it won't take long to catch up). I am so excited about this (and am already loving reading what the kids teachers have wrote for them)! Hope you love this idea too!

Hapari Swimwear Review and Giveaway

I have a love affair with the pool/beach/water/etc. I love laying out in the sun relaxing and playing in the water with the kids (or sometimes relaxing by the pool if the hubby is around). But finding a perfect swimsuit can be difficult. One of my FAVORITE swimwear companies is Hapari. I have been a loyal buyer of theirs for years. I love the styles, colors, and that they are modest. Especially after just having a baby, I have many parts of my body that don't look the way I would like. Hapari is great for that.

I am dying over their new cinch tank, which is perfect for chasing the kids around the pool, or hiding those troubled areas, or even if you are pregnant! Seriously...darling! I have many different designs of Hapari suits, including their twist top and v-neck tops. Love them all. Plus I love that if you own a black, brown and white swim bottom, you can mix and match their tops to go with them. 

Also, did you know that Hapari has silicone inserts that will work in almost all Hapari swimsuits! Plus Hapari is known for having a great selection of swimsuits in plus sizes, Captains Quarters for both men and boys (which the men/boys in my life are a big fan of these), and also my personal favorite, the Shores.

So with swimsuit season upon us...whether we like it or not...you will be happy to rock a swimsuit from Hapari. I promise you will find one or two (or maybe even three or four) suits that you must own. 

Win It: One person will win a $85 gift certificate to purchase whatever you would like from Hapari!

Mandatory: You must either post a link on your Blog, Facebook or Twitter linking to one of these sites:

http://www.hapari.com/blog/

http://www.hapari.com/womens-swimwear/

http://www.hapari.com/plus-size-swimwear/

http://www.hapari.com/modest-tankinis/

Then come back and tell us you did so by including the URL in your entry. 

Extra options:
*Share this giveaway on Facebook and/or Twitter (1 entry per link)

Details:
Make sure to leave separate comments for each entry. Open to anyone! Contest ends May29th at 11:59 PM and winner will be chosen by Random.org generator. When winner is announced you will have until Friday to claim your prize, or a new winner will be chosen. 

Disclosure: I was provided this product free of charge. Opinions expressed are my own. Individual results may vary.

Peanut Butter Rice Krispie Treats

Last week we had a little pot luck lunch to celebrate a friends birthday. One of my friends brought this little treat. I was a little nervous to eat it...because let's be honest, I am not a cereal fan. I don't eat cereal at all. My kids do...but I hate the way it smells. I don't remember the last time that I ate a bowl of cereal...I had to be younger than 5 the last time.
Anyway, everyone was trying them...so of course I had to as well. Immediately I was a fan. Nothing beats a treat with peanut butter in it!

Ingredients:

5 tablespoons butter

3 tablespoons Karo syrup

1 package marshmallows

6 cups Cocoa Krispies Cereal

1/3 cup peanut butter

1/2 cup chocolate chips

16 Peanut Butter cups, chopped

In a bowl, combine cereal and peanut butter cups. 

In a large pot, melt butter. Add Karo and marshmallows and stir until smooth. Remove from heat and fold in cereal mixture. Press into a greased 9x13 pan. 

In a microwave safe bowl, melt peanut butter for 30 seconds (if not melted, try another 30 seconds). Drizzle over Cocoa Krispies. Follow the same step with the chocolate chips.

Let cool before serving. 

Grad "U" ation!

I am taking a moment to brag about my awesome husband! He just graduated last week from the University of Utah. We are so proud of him!! He has been going to school since we have been married...so we are excited to have him home!

We had a little get together with some friends and I made a few little graduation treats. So whether you have a college graduate, high school, or even Kindergarten...these are fun little treats! The best part, is the kids have fun making these. Just have them unwrap the candy...and you assemble!


Ingredients:
Skewers/sucker sticks/whatever you have on hand
Peanut Butter cups
Ghiradelli chocolate
licorice
M&M's (or any other candy)
Frosting

Layer with peanut butter cup, then chocolate square. Each with go perfectly through the skewer. Then use a little frosting on the M&M and licorice. Let set before serving.


Ingredients:
Ding Dongs
Chocolate Graham Crackers
Chocolate frosting
Licorice

Spread a layer of frosting on the ding dong. Top with a graham cracker. Then use a little more frosting and top with a little piece of licorice (or any type of candy).

Christine's Gourmet Toffee

I am a huge lover of toffee...and caramel.
Yep...love them.
Caramel especially.
When my little package was delivered from Christine's Gourmet Toffee...I was so excited. I don't know about you all, but by the time the clock hits 2 or 3, I have hit a wall. I need a little pick me up. My package came right on time. I tore open my package of Sea Salt caramels, (don't judge) but I ate the whole little package while waiting to pick up carpool. Yep, it was that good. The sea salt with the caramel was the perfect combination. I was a little disappointed that I didn't have more than one package in the little box! Luckily I can purchase my own for only $2.50 for a package.

Coming in as a close second fav were the Chocolate Toffee Bites. Now these ones I didn't sit an eat the whole package. I nibbled on these for a few days. But I love that they were in little bite size pieces.

I loved ALL of the toffee that I was sent from Christine's. My only request would be that they come in smaller little pieces. Yes I know I can break them off, but maybe have them come in little bite size pieces. That way it is easier for the consumer!

You can purchase your own products online...and have them shipped right to your house. They taste so fresh. There are different sampler packs, or fill free to create your own. But be sure to check out Christine's Toffee. You will be glad you did!

Cinco de Mayo Recipes

Happy Cinco de Mayo...tomorrow! We plan on celebrating as well...hopefully we will share those recipes soon.
If you are in need of a few for your celebrations...here are some of our favorites!

Sour Cream Enchiladas

Shrimp Tacos

Cream Cheese Enchiladas

Cafe Rio Pork Burritos

Honey Lime Chicken Enchiladas

Cafe Rio Chicken Salad

Chicken Chimichangas

Queso

Cheesy Bean Dip

Sopapilla Bars

Mexican Haystacks

Life is starting to get busier and busier. Four kids will do that to ya! We are always heading off to soccer practice, games, dance, church activities, school activities, etc, etc...sometimes it is hard to find time to squeeze dinner in as a family. But to me, that is one thing that we don't compromise on. Even if there is only 15 minutes to spend at the table together, I will take it. My kids love sitting around the table talking about their "good and bad" of the day. If I ever forget, our 3 year old makes sure we do it. Our 8 year old always says, "Nothing good, nothing bad." So we make him talk about anything that happened during the day that he wants to share. Hopefully we will keep the lines of communication open...especially when they all hit those teenage years!

This recipe was one I found on Pinterest. It looked super easy...and was right up my ally since it is a crock pot recipe! EVERYONE ate this right up. Chips makes anything enticing for kids, right?

This recipe makes a ton, so we were able to freeze half of it for a later date!

Source: adapted from Jen's Yummy Fun

Ingredients:

4 chicken breasts

2 cans black beans, rinsed and drained

2 cans Rotel tomatoes

1/2 onion, diced

1 bag frozen corn

1 can diced green chilies

1 package Hidden Valley Ranch Dip

8 oz cream cheese, softened

1 cup milk

1/2 cup water

1 cup sour cream

2 teaspoons cumin

1 tablespoon  chicken bouillon

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1/2 teaspoon garlic salt

Fresh Cilantro

Cheese

Tortilla Chips

Rice

In crock pot, place chicken, black beans, Rotel, onion, corn and chilies. In a bowl, whisk/blend ranch, cream cheese, milk, water, sour cream, cumin, chicken bouillon, pepper, and garlic salt. Pour over chicken mixture. Cook for 4-6 hours on low. With 30 minutes to go,  remove chicken and shred. Place back in the crock pot and cook for 30 more minutes.

Cook rice as directed.

Layer with chips, rice, and chicken mixture and top with cheese and cilantro.

FOR FREEZING:

Let thaw in refrigerator. Heat on stove top at medium high heat for 20 minutes. 

Asparagus Pasta with Garlic Balsamic Vinaigrette

Nothing compliments a barbecue better than a fresh and cool pasta salad.  This is a simple, and delicious way to make warm weather pasta weather. 

Ingredients:

2 cups cherry or grape tomatoes sliced in half

2 cups asparagus chopped into 1 inch pieces

1 box or bag of fettuccine (or other long pasta)

Sauce:

2 cloves garlic finely minced

1/2 cup olive oil

2 tbsp balsamic vinegar

1 teaspoon  dried oregano

1 tbsp fresh basil chopped

1/2 teaspoon salt and pepper each (or to taste)

Start by boiling water, add the asparagus to the boiled water for 5 minutes or until tender.  Remove from water and immediately place in ice cold water to keep color and texture.  Add a tbsp of salt to the water and add pasta.   

In a separate pan, heat up 1 tbsp of the olive oil, until hot.  Add the garlic and cook briefly until it just starts to turn blonde.  Remove from heat immediately and add remaining oil, herbs and balsamic.  Whisk together to emulsify.  (this can be done in a blender as well to get it more incorporated if you don't want to whisk.

Cook pasta according to instructions, and strain.  Add the asparagus, tomatoes, and the sauce.  Toss and let cool. That is is.  Super elegant, and very tasty. Enjoy!

Kneader's French Toast and Caramel Syrup

Years and years ago when I was watching Good Things Utah, Kneader's came on and made french toast. I copied the recipe down...but I didn't know if I would ever make it because I wasn't a french toast fan. Remember, I don't like soggy bread?!? Fast forward until about a year ago. My friends have raved about Kneader's french toast. Since that is one of our favorite spots to go to for breakfast, I finally dared to try it. Oh. My. Gosh. It was so good. So I pulled out the old recipe and decided to make it for my family. They were all big fans too! Hope you like the recipe as much as we did!

Ingredients:

1-2 loaves of Kneaders Chunky Cinnamon Bread (cut into 8 slices)

(if you don't have a Kneader's by you, use any sort of cinnamon bread)

8 eggs

3 cups milk

1 tablespoon brown sugar

3/4 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon vanilla

butter

Butter baking dish generously. Slice bread. Whisk together eggs, milk, brown sugar, salt and vanilla. Dip each piece of bread into the mixture (the recipe calls for you to actually pour the mixture over the top of the bread when it is in the dish, but I was worried that it would make the bread super soggy). Cut butter into pieces and place a piece over each slice of bread. Refrigerate for an hour. Bake at 350 for 45-50 minutes. 

Kneader's Caramel Syrup

1 cup brown sugar

1 cup Karo syrup

1 cup heavy cream

Whisk ingredients together and heat on the stove until smooth.

Serve french toast with syrup, whipped cream and berries. 

Avocado Chicken Salad

The other day I was watching The Daily Dish while I was cleaning.  During the cooking segment they made this recipe. It sounded right up my alley. I knew I had to make it right away. What I loved about this was that it honestly took about 5 minutes to put together. But that was because I used items already made.

Tip:

One of my favorite tips is to make shredded chicken ahead of time. About once a month I take one of those big ol' frozen chicken bags from Costco, throw it in the crock pot with 2 cans of chicken broth, and about a tablespoon of Montreal steak seasoning. Let it cook on low for about 6 hours. Shred the chicken. Drain most of the juice and put it in 3-4 freezer bags to use later in the month for easy meals such as this!

For this recipe I used a rotisserie chicken though because I didn't let my chicken thaw that day. Either way would work great. Or just cook up a few chicken breasts.

But let me tell you...this is one of those meals that I have been thinking about all day. It was that good. Hope you like it as much as we did!

PS...I have to tell you, I have a new favorite type of chip, Tostitos Roasted Garlic and Black Bean. Try them:) My sister introduced us to them over the weekend and we are hooked!

Ingredients:

1 rotisserie chicken, shredded (3 chicken breasts, shredded)

2 avocados, diced

1 cup pico de gallo

1/4 cup cilantro, chopped

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons lime juice (or more depending on your taste)

salt and pepper to taste

tortilla chips

Mix all ingredients together and serve with your favorite brand of tortilla chip. Easy peasy lemon squeezy as my 3 year old says;)