A Party and an Appetizer recipe

It's a good idea to have a few younger friends, so when Nicole decided to turn a special milestone birthday, I wanted to have a small gathering in her honour. And of course, why not spend a few hours, scrapping, chatting and eating at the same time?
Everyone contributed to the food and it was all so yummy!  I love me a good Potluck and this antipasto tray looked so appetizing, I just had to take a picture.

Isn't that a thing of beauty?
And these little morsels of grapes, Dulce de Leche and nuts, frozen and skewered with birthday banners added such a festive touch....

So even though I didn't make these little appetizers, they have always been a favourite of mine so I thought I would share the recipe here...

Mushroom Nappies

Butter 3 Tbsp
Chopped onion 1 cup
Chopped mushrooms 2 cups
Saute.

Mozzarella(grated) 1 cup
Parmesan (1/4 cup)
Parsley (1 tsp)
Egg 1
Oregano 1/2 tsp
salt/pepper
Stir in one minute.

Bread Nappies
12 white bread slices,
Butter 1/3 cup

Remove crusts. Roll flat with rolling pin. butter slices and cut
into 4's. Press buttered side up into tart tins, Fill with mixture, about 1 1/2 tsp and top with cheese.
Hmmm? don't have the baking times. Try about 350F for 10 min or until cheese is bubbling and toast edges are crisp.
Happy Birthday, Nicole!

Time To Read

Well, I didn't do so well with my reading challenge last year. Disgraceful, I know. I didn't make it through 20  books and I used to LOVE to read. I'm blaming my IPAD. I spend most of my free time reading blogs and generally wasting time. (Thanks HAYDAY!) so this year, I have decided to get an earlier start and get reading, novels, the paper kind, not the electronic kind.

I received this book for my birthday and I wanted it to be the first book that I read in 2016 but after I started it, I realized that I wanted to savour and enjoy every page. It's not a book to read when you're half asleep or waiting for your dentist to call your name. So I'm saving this treasure for a long, leisurely day off.

I went through the stack of books that I have at home and started with What Alice Forgot by Liane Moriarity and I loved it. Interesting, not too deep, and some interesting human perspectives.

I liked it so much, I went to the Public Library and picked up the Husband's Secret (which I have read) and the Hypnotist's Love Story, which I just got today and can't wait to start.
And in case, I don't make it back to the library anytime soon, these are a few of the novels that I have lined up to read in 2016....

I have read Chronicles of Narnia but I think I will revisit it. January is a good month to purge the "stuff" and read a good book. Wish me luck. I'm aiming for 25 books this year.

Christmas Cards

It's a bit late but I still wanted to post the cards that I made for Kismutt Rescue. I made 7 different cards and I couldn't make them too elaborate as they had to be mailed and also cost effective. All in all, I was able to drop off over 100 cards, about 45 Christmas.

MFT Pure Innocence Stamp

Taylored Expressions Stamp

Whippersnapper Stamp

Whippersnapper Stamp

Mo Manning?

Recollections/Micheals

Whippersnapper Stamps

Birthday Cake

My special boy has a New Year's Eve birthday so even though almost everyone has sworn off carbohydrates and sweets, Life's Little Instructions says that EVERYONE should have cake on their birthday.

So I made an attempt at an ombre cake. I tried to use just one cake mix and divided it into 4 layers. Although, it turned out a little like a Smurf explosion, it wasn't too bad. I should have used a lighter touch with the food colouring. A little goes a long way.

Happy Birthday AMAC! 12 years old

Happy New Year!

I had time to squeeze in one last challenge for 2015. Little Red Wagon's challenge was to create a Happy New Year card. While I have no intentions of giving anyone a card for this occasion, I came up with this simple celebratory card that could be used for a number of occasions. I think it fits the bill.

You probably can't tell from the photo but the white card base is textured and the stamped part is smooth. Also, the champagne? is glossy accented. Also the brads are straight. It's an optical illusion. LOL!

On another note, my brilliant friend Nicole challenged herself to make these cuties after seeing a picture on Pinterest. They turned out very well. Good job, Nicole.

Stamp of the Month Challenge

Well, I DID IT! I accomplished one of my 15 in 15 goals and I completed the From the Heart Stamps - Stamp of the Month challenge for 12 consecutive months earning 12 free digis along the way. It was a really good way to push myself, I would never have completed these cards without the challenge. I'm a little late with my last card (he's a little Christmasy) but oh so cute!

I tried a couple different techniques. I did plaid lines with my Copics and I was able to use my new stitched circles which I have wanted for so long and just treated myself to. Didn't get around to a sentiment but my card is ready to send next year which is a good thing as I didn't get many out THIS year.
And I blogged TWICE in one day....

Will I do it again in 2016? Stay tuned.

Sweet and Sour Meatballs

Over the holiday season, there seems to be lots of opportunities to bring or make appetizers for entertaining so I'm going to share one of my favourites. I make this recipe all the time. It just simmers away in the crockpot and becomes nice and carmalized if you leave it long enough. I make my own meatballs but you could just use the frozen as well.

It's difficult to get an appetizing photo of meatballs, but trust me, these ones are delicious.

Sweet and Sour Meatballs
1 cup brown sugar
1 can tomato paste
1/4 cup soy sauce (low salt)
1/4 cup cider vinegar
1 1/2 tsp hot pepper sauce
1 tsp garlic (fresh)

Mix and pour over meatballs in crockpot. 5 hours on low heat.