Tute Sweet Tuesday

Do you know what I love most about people who have gardens?  Reaping the rewards :) 

Baha! I know, so lazy of me, right?

I have a garden {that I started two months too late :} But it is soooo not even ready to harvest.  But my super Mother-in-Law let me have some of her garden freshy veggies that looked de-VINE! 

Now, my Spunky is a little picky about his veggies which meant I would be eating these on my own, and knowing how well I go through veggies... {even though little E will help with her ice cube baby food } I still might not go through them fast enough.

I saw as I was going through my Betty Crocker Cook Book yesterday afternoon, figuring out the dreaded "What's for dinner?" question and found a page on how to make your own pizza dough and thought...mmm a FRESH! veggie garden pizza.  

Sounds a little {trulie} scrumptious, no?

Here's what I did!

To make the dough you will need:

1/2 cup of warm water (105-115 degrees)

a packet of yeast (2-1/4 tsp)

Dissolve yeast.

Then add about 3/4 of flour 

1 tsp e.v.o.o. (extra virgin olive oil)

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 sugar

{Sad I know that from memory... I made two extra doughs that I put in my freezer the next time I'm jonesing for some PiZZA :}

Mix all together and place on a lightly floured surface.  Knead for 10 mins adding about 1/2 cup or so more flour as you go.  You want the dough to be smooth and springy.  Place in a warm area and cover for 20 mins.  After 20 mins punch down the air and place in the fridge-covered for 2 hours, but no more than 48 hours.  

After waiting patiently for your bread to rise, heat oven to 425 and chop up some veggies.  I smoothed my dough with a rolling pin and put it on a round pizza pan, making the sides thicker than the middle.  Lather the dough with a drizzle of e.v.o.o., or use your favorite pizza sauce, cover the bottom with mozzarella or Italian cheese.  Place your veggies perfectly on pizza.  I used tomatoes, yellow and green squash.  Drizzle some more evoo and sprinkle with even more cheese, fresh basil, salt, pepper and oregano.  I dashed a tad of cayanne pepper and it gave it a nice bearable heat to it. 

MMMMMmmmmm.

Bake for 15-20 minutes or until the crust is golden brown.  

Pop out of oven and enjoy with a nice garden salad and {Cafe Rio} tomatillo ranch sauce with sunflower seeds.

 Delish, no?!

What delish recipes do you use with your fresh garden veggies?

Be Jealous!!

I know you're all going to be SUPER DUPER Jealous of this winner because she is getting hooked up BIG TIME!!

So who is this lucky person you ask??? The one who is winning an A-M-A-ZING Item of their choice from THEE

Poppy Chain Boutique etsy shop????

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According to Random.org the lucky gal is

Quilter in the Gap

Quilter in the Gap said...

I have added Poppy Chain to my favorite shops list on Etsy. Thanks for sharing them!

August 23, 2011 1:38 PM

Thanks for all you Scrumptious readers who participated!

{Just so you know, the entire Fan-Damily was together this weekend for our Brother Justin's
MISSION FAREWELL!!
Crazy huh?
He did a fabulous job and had  the entire towns {love} and support..

(I mean they literally filled up the entire chapel and then some, NO JOKE!! Our little bro is a cool dude)

He is leaving for the MTC in 9 DAYS! 

The countdown is ON until our stud muffin little bro is changing the lives of the people in NEW YORK!}

{successful huckleberry picking day! Huckleberry Jam Recipe soon to come......}

Fruity Fact Friday

It's that time of year, once again.

 The most wonderful time of the year for some parents.  

For some kids...

not so much.

In honor of  the beginning of a new school year, here's some Fruity Facts for your Friday.  Enjoy!

* The number of students enrolled in American schools from kindergarten through college now totals approximately 78.8 million.

* In 1995, approximately 50% of American schools had Internet access. Today, that number is 100%.

                                               
* The oldest public school in the United States is Boston’s Latin School, which was founded on April 23, 1635. Five of the 56 signers of the Declaration of Independence were Latin School graduates, including Benjamin Franklin, John Hancock, Robert Treat Paine, Samuel Adams and William Hopper.

* In the U.K., the term “public school” refers to a private academy. This seeming anomaly dates back to the Middle Ages when private charities started schools to provide education for the poor.

* Although Thomas Jefferson had supported the concept of free public education, elementary schooling was only available to America’s wealthy until the 1840s when reformers like Horace Mann of Massachusetts and Henry Barnard of Connecticut began to push for tax-funded schools in the belief universal education would produce good citizens, unite society, prevent crime and end poverty.

* Until the 1930s, most Americans only completed eight years of school. “High School” only became popular during the Great Depression when job-strapped communities saw benefits to keeping teenagers in class and out of the workforce where they’d only serve as low-cost competition to adults.

* Today, the largest high school in America is Morton High School in Berwyn-Cicero, Ill., a co-op with more than 8,000 students. Its East Campus alone has 6,000 students.

* Of the 10 largest high school gymnasiums in America, nine are in Indiana.

* The largest college campus by enrollment is Ohio State University, which in 2008-2009 enrolled 53,715 students.

* The most expensive college by tuition is Bates College in Lewiston, Maine, with an annual tuition of $43,950. The most expensive college when figuring tuition along with housing, books, clothing, booze, etc., is Sarah Lawrence College in Yonkers, N.Y., with yearly costs computed to be $53,166.

Yeah, that's a lotta dough.

* Education pays. According to a recent study reported in U.S. News & World Report, college graduates earn an average $20,000 a year more than people who only have a high school diploma.

My little guy is GROWING

BOOM BABY! 

I still haven't killed it :}

Do you Zu?

I've got to tell ya, I'm addicted.

Every day morning, sometimes at work I get on my computer and check for my Zuliy email-religiously.  

I can't help it.  

Me: "Hi, my name is Ashlie and I'm a Zulily fan."

You: "Hiiii Ashlie."

As I discovered Zulily.com  some eight or nine months ago, really a little bit since before little E was born, I've fallen in love with this website.  If you aren't familiar, it's a site that features tons and tons of great name brands--at discount prices.  They have daily deals that are 50-90% off retail.  And everything, I mean everything is über adorable.

But wait....

it gets better :}

Better than good deals for mom, your home, baby and kids, you say?

Yes. 

They've got an app for that.

Zulily has just launched an app for your iPhone.  

Why is that SO fantastic and has me break dancing in my kitchen?

Well.  

I'll tell you :}

1.  You can set it up to alert you of when the good deals start - 6:00am PST.  (Good thing I'm MST, I won't let my alarm wake me up that early.  Yeah I know that's 7a for me but I usually need 30 more minutes- hey, every minute of beauty sleep counts!)

2.  It is easy to navigate and find exactly what you are looking for.  They have catagories such as New Today, Bestsellers, Home, Moms, Kids Apparel, Toys and Books, ect.  They even have a preview of tomorrows' events  so you can sleep with your credit card under your pillow for your important morning Zulily reminder alert to wake you.  

You can even tap and highlight what you would like to be alerted for.  For example on 8/24 I've got my eye on The Snack Trap highlighted for my little E so I can stalk the good deals before I even get out of bed.  

There's not a better way to start your day.

   

3.  Each item is easy to view, has easy zoom-age so you can see exactly what you'll be getting, and has a thorough product description, so there's no guessing what the size and measurements are.  They even have an link at the bottom right where you can learn more about the company they're featuring.

 {In LOVE with that dress BTW.  If only it came in my size... you think? :}

4.  Checkout is simple.  They offer payments through PayPal as well as credit card.  AND, when you register, they keep track of all your information so you don't have to worry about inputting all of your information over, and over, and over. 

And over.

What else is neat is every order is on your phone.  I have an order that I received last April. 

{My sweet SkipHop diaper bag-which I use EVERYDAY and I LOVE.  Even Spunky uses it.  Only because it's not "way girly".}

  Everything I need to know on my smart little smart phone. 

Impressive, no? 

 5.  What's even cooler is the $15 credit to put towards your next purchase once you invite a friend to shop Zulily.  It's a win-win-win.

6.  The ultimate best part.  The app is FREE.  I {heart} free apps.  They make me so happy.  


Now really, you say, it all can't be this good.  What's the drawback?  Ok, I've found one so far.  


1. You got to shop the goods early. Because when they're out.  

They're out.

{so really set your alarm}  

So let me ask you again, do you Zu?

*Don't forget our Goody Goody Giveaway.  It ends Sunday night so ENTER now!

TST: Lace Earrings

Hi, I'm Ashley from Embrace the Space and I'm so excited to be sharing this easy little {tute} sweet tutorial with you today!

I'd love to show you how I made these lace earrings, inspired by a pair I saw at Anthropologie last weekend. These earrings were so simple to make, and I love the vintage, time-worn feel to them.  I love making jewelry, but you do NOT have to have a lot of jewelry making experience to make these earrings.  The jewelry tools are a good investment, and they are honestly not expensive, especially with a good old 40% or 50% off coupon. :)




Materials:
-a piece of crochet-look lace, maybe 1/4 yard (I got mine at Joann's for $1, regular price)
-chain
-jewelry findings: earrings (ear wires) and metal ring things (jump rings)
-scissors
-jewelry tools
-disappearing ink pen
-not pictured but VERY essential to this project: Fray Check

1. With the disappearing ink pen, trace the part of the lace that you would like to make up the earrings.

2. Cut out the pretty new lace shapes.  I'm a fan of the more "teardrop" style. :)

3. Run a line of Fray Check along the edges of each lace piece, being careful with the lace since it will probably unravel quite easily.  I let the Fray Check dry overnight and put another line along the edges of the lace the next day and let dry.  I wanted to make sure those puppies weren't going to unravel on me!

4. Measure and cut 4 equal pieces of chain.  I started out with them each being 1 1/2" long (but as you'll see shortly, I cut the chains down a but because the earrings were much too long for me... you can always cut the chain, so overestimate!).  Then, using 2 larger jump rings, connect them to the top of the lace, making their spacing even.

5. Attach the chains to the jump rings.  Then, connect the ends of the chains with a small jump ring, and add an earring wire to the small jump ring.  Close the jump ring securely.

6. Pretty.  Try the earring on!

7. If the earring is too long, cut the chains down to make the 1" long and reattach.  Try the earring on again and see if the length is to your liking.  If not, feel free to shorten again, but I ended up stopping here and using the 1" chain length.

8. Repeat steps 4-7 to make the other earring.  Try them on and love your new vintage-look accessories (that cost wayyy less to make than their $32 inspiration earrings)!

I love these earrings!  You could also try tea-dying the lace, dying the lace with different colors (like the Anthro ones) or even crocheting your own (if you have that awesome skill, which I definitely DON'T but hope to someday!) and attaching the earring findings to them.  Enjoy!

Ooooh! How scrumptious are those?!  We are so tickled to feature Ashley, um hello? Can you say talented?! I would have never in a million years thought to make my own lace earrings.. So splendid!  We need to have her stop by again {hint, hint, Ashley :}


If you would like to {tute} your own horn and send us a post to be featured on Tute Sweet Tuesdays, you can email us at truliescrumptious{dot}com.


Happy Tuesday everyone!


P.S. Don't forget about our Goody Goody Giveaway going on.  Enter to win one of Ashley's treats from the Poppy Chain Boutique 

GaGa For Goody Goody Giveaways!

CLOSED.

But don't fret.

Keep an eye out for upcoming {trulie} scrumptious giveaways coming soon!

Our Dear Miss Ashley from the Poppy Chain Boutique has decided to grace our {trulie}scrumptious followers with an Amaaaz-ing Giveaway from her SCRUMPTIOUS etsy shop.

Coolio huh?

Here's the scoop:

She will be giving away any one item from her shop to a random winner which will be announced Monday 29th. 

AND is also

offering a 20 % off coupon during the giveaway  

Code: TRULIE20 

Here's how you enter:

*Leave a comment below stating your favorite item....

But-

For an additional entry {or two} 

                                     *become a follower of {trulie}scrumptious 

*favorite the Poppy Chain Botique on etsy

* or comment on   about the giveaway

Leave a comment for each entry. 
Giveaway ends 8/28/11 11pm MST.

Good Luck!

..............................................

Can I just show what I would get if I was lucky enough to win this giveaway? :}

I totally know you want to know..

Aren't they SO pretty?!

{Hey Spunky, if you're reading this:  My BIRTHDAY is coming up... hehe ;}

*OH, P.S.  Ashley will also be stopping by Tomorrow for Tute-Sweet Tuesday.  Be sure to come back and see what's crack-a-lackin!

Fruity Facts- Thumbs up for ROCK and ROLL

Friday Friday Fri-I-day.... I wanna play don't wanna work today! 

{This is the song I sing every Friday, you should to}

Here are your Fruity Facts that you've been waiting for ALL WEEK!

• The chicken is the closest living relative to the T-Rex.
• More than ten people a year are killed by vending machines.
• McDonald's salads are more fattening than their burgers.
• Having blue eyes is actually a mutation. Before the mutation occurred, all humans had brown eyes. nice to know I'm a mutant :( 
• Colgate faced big obstacles marketing toothpaste in Spanish speaking countries because Colgate translates into the command 'go hang yourself.' 
• Your earlobes line up with your nipples. (Yes, I know you're all going to try and see if this is true, and you better believe I tried. This fruity-fact is LEGIT!)

Where do people come up with this stuff? 

I LOVE it! 

I hope NO ONE Works today and everyone just plays...

TGIF!

And Thumbs up EVERYBODY for ROCK AND ROLL!

Ashlie's Favorite Things: Fruity Ice Cuby Smoothies

I am so excited about this post, I'm just about to pee my pants!  So yesterday, if you remember, I did a post on how you MYO baby food. 

(if not-here's a refresher)

And you thought it was Awesome...right?! 

But today I've created the ultimate ice cube treat for YOU!  

(Baby can have some too if you're willing to share :)

Are you ready?!

EEEEK!

-----------

I MadeMyOwn:

Fruity Ice Cube Smoothies.

Can I get a YUM-O?

So, methinks I'm a genius and that I've discovered the next best thing next to sliced bread, but I'll let you be the judge.

Here's how you make 'em.

Along the same lines as the baby food: we're gonna blend in some fruit for our ---fruity ice cuby smoothies.  I've done some blueberries with bananas, along with yogurt and a little bit of milk.  I only made a small test batch, so I only threw in a little handful of everything. Next time for sho' I'm making more!

  But what would also be AMAAA-ZINGLY HEALTHY, which I'm not getting there- you can add plain yogurt (or go GREEK!), skim milk and some lean protein mix.  And if you're brave enough, put in some carrots or spinach...  

Whirl it up nice and thick.

 {I see you're drinking 1%. Is that 'cause you think you're fat? 'Cause you're not. You could be drinking whole if you wanted to.}

 Pour into your ice cuby tray.  As you can see I dribbled and mixed my pineapple, banana, mango smoothie (heavenly BTW) with my blueberrie* banana.   But no worries, you can't mess up perfection like this :)

(*note: I've spelt {trulie} too many times, I add "ie" to everything...probably b/c I like it better that way?  Yeah. Most Definitely.)

 Freeze for a couple hours, until, well--frozen.  Then add a few cubies to your blender with some milk.  I did 3 cubes with about 1/4C milk for a small smoothie.  I'll do 6 with about 1/2C milk for my breakfast in the morning :)

 Can you say perfection? Mmmmm!

So now you know my most latest and GREATEST invention yet -an even faster way to get your morning, noon, or evening {or midnight!} smoothie snack in like 10 SECONDS!  

Go get busy and MYO Fruity Ice Cuby Smoothies!  

Go! 

Go! 

Go!

Tell us how they turn out!:) 

Ashlie's Favorite Things: MYO Baby Food

I think one of my favorite things about being a mom is being able to provide and nurture my family.  Even if I think cooking is a worse chore than loading the dishwasher {baking is my forte}.

Like tonight, I had a polish hot dog and zucchini squash with cheese.  Mmm... 

I know, you're totally dying to come to my house for dinner right now.

{But it really was good!}

But I love, love, love making my own {MakeYourOwn} baby food.  It's one of the easiest things I could ever comprehend, unlike comprehending the game of cribbage-which is like rocket science to me. 

{My husband can't understand how and why I don't understand it...}

 I know some peeps prefer the jared kind-which is great too; but for me this is a cost effective and creative way to get yummy somethings in my babys' belly, and um, remember that I like EASY and FAST?

My SIL, Taya told me about it and it sounded like a TON of work fun. But really the first time I did it,  I thought it was the bees knees! 

 {hmm do bees really have knees?  Time for Fruity Fact Friday research...}

If you've never done it, give it a whirl and see what you think!  

** If you are totally NOT interested in making baby food-hold on, I've got something for you too... just keep reading.

K, what you need:

Ice Cube Trays

Fruit &/or Veggies

For Veggies: Boiling water accompanied by a stove

A Blender or Food Processor

Small Spatulua/Spoon

Freezer (I'm pretty sure everyone has one of these.  Maybe two. Lucky!)

For las frutas:  First ya take the bananas, pears, peaches, apples, plums,nectarines what-ev. and you cut them into chunks.  Stick them in the blender, add a little bit of water and liquify them down to your preferred consistency. 


For las venduras:  Sweet potatoes, yams, carrots, zucchini, spinach,beans, what-have-you, cut them into chunks.  Boil them until soft and mushy.  Stick in the blender, add a little bit of agua and liquify them down to your preferred consistency.
*Hint: Use the water that you used for boiling the veggies in the blender.  If you have a steamer-more power to ya, or should I say more nutrients for ya!  I don't have one so I use the boiled water to put the nutrients back into my veggie, then save it in a tupperware (as long as it hasn't been sitting in my fridge too long) for the next time.  I like to do all my cooking in one afternoon so I usually use it up.  It takes a while since I only have two trays. :o} (*note to self: need more ice trays.) But it's worth it!

 

Pour into ice cube trays.  Use your spatula/spoon to help you so you don't get your counter all messy.  Like me. :/ 

Place in freezer.  Freeze.  

Once frozen, pop them out and place in a zippy.  I like to put the date and what it is, since some things tend to look similar in this frigid state.  If you need a little help popping them out, I use my knife to give me a little leverage.  Once zipped in tight, place in the freezer until your ready to use.  

I've heard that they stay good for around 3 months.  I just finished up carrots and sweet potatoes that I made July 26th! 

 Can I tell you how nice it is, when E is hungry to put her in her chair, pull out a couple of cubes, nuke them in the micro, poor a little rice or oatmeal cereal to thicken it up and 

BOOM! 

Done!  

Most excellente, I say.

And you can always mix and match.  Some plums with bananas, sweet potatoes with carrots...you get the picture.

**For those of you that don't have to worry about making dinner for a little one, I got a frozen treat for you too.  Now, I have not tried it..yet.  Sounds pretty promising right?!

  I ran out of time today, but first thing when I get home from work tomorrow (if the temperament of my child allows it) I'm planning on testing it out to actually make sure it works.    

I've talked before about wanting food fast and easy, what, like a zillion times because honestly I go from 0 to starving in under 10.2.  Ask Spunky, he can vouch, cuz I get really grumpy.

I've been trying my hardest to get in the habit of eating healthier, not only for myself, but for my family.  Another great reason why I like to MMO{make my own} stuff-I know exactly what goes in it.  But more times than not, I buy a bunch of fresh produce with the best of intentions and I usually forget to eat it or I don't get to it in time and it goes bad.  It's a waste of food and money which to me, is a cryin' shame.  

Boo.

:'{

So my idea is to... 

Hmmmm.

Hmmmmmmmmm...

Know what?

You'll just have to wait and see.

{Talk about a cliff hanger!} 

Whoa.  

I. Am. EXCITED!

Yea?

Waaaay.

So look out tomorrow to see what I've come up with.

I can tell you're so excited too.  

Aren't chya?

Yeah,

I thought so. 

Until tomorrow...