Delicious Potato Soup Recipe

This shop is part of a social shopper marketing insight campaign with Pollinate Media Group™ and Kleenex but all my opinions are my own. #pmedia #KleenexTarget  http://cmp.ly/3/8vNxcO

Although we're only 9 days into December, almost our whole family (my husband, four kids, and I) have already been sick this holiday season.  So far we've suffered through colds, really bad coughs, the flu, the stomach flu, and sore throats.  Ugh.  When my family gets sick, I make them relax in their bed or on the couch, have them sleep, and then they can watch a movie.  I give them a box of Kleenex tissues for those runny or stuffed up noses, and then make them a nice, simple warm meal that will make them feel better.

One of my favorite foods to eat when I have a cough or cold is a nice warm bowl of potato soup.  It warms me up from the inside out, and makes me feel all warm and cozy inside ;)  Chicken noodle is great for the job, too, but sometimes you need to mix things up a bit!

I recently bought a four pack of Kleenex boxes while shopping at Target, and fell in love with the cute new holiday boxes they have that look like they are wrapped like presents.  Hey, if you have to be sick,  you might as well do it in style, right?  There's also a $1 coupon that you can print HERE and use when you buy a 4-pack or larger of Kleenexes, which make these a great deal.

This potato soup recipe, like any recipe, is totally adaptable to your taste.  I use bacon in this recipe, but you can also substitute turkey bacon, or simply omit the bacon.  I used evaporated milk, but if you want to use heavy cream or half and half to make the coup richer, then go for it!  Like your soup cheesy?  Add cheese at the end!  (My son won't go near anything with cheese in it, so I leave it out).  I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I do!

Delicious Potato Soup:

• 1/2 lb. bacon, chopped into small pieces (I just used half the package of bacon)
• 1/2 onion, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 4 large potatoes, chopped into small cubes
• 4 Tbsp. flour
• 2 Tbsp. butter
• salt and pepper
• 3 cans chicken broth (6 cups broth total)
• 1 can evaporated milk
• Toppings: (Optional) chives, sour cream or Greek yogurt, shredded cheese, crumbled bacon

1.  Cook the chopped pieces of bacon right in the soup pot until they are nice and crisp.  Remove the bacon from the pan, but keep the bacon grease in the pan.  Add the diced onion and minced garlic to the pot and cook over medium hear, stirring occasionally, until the onions are translucent.  

2.  Add the 2 Tbsp. of butter, and let melt.  Add the chopped potatoes to the pot, along sprinkle on the 4 Tbsp. of flour, along with some salt and pepper.  Stir until the potatoes are evenly coated with flour, and cook for a minute or two.

3.  Add the chicken broth, bring to a  boil, and let the mixture simmer for about 15 minutes, or until the potatoes are soft.  Once potatoes are tender, add in the can of evaporated milk and the bacon (leaving some out for garnish for the soup).  Let simmer for about 5 minutes.  After 5 minutes, taste and re-season if necessary.

4.  If you like chunky potato soup, then you can leave the soup as is.  I like my soup creamy, with a few little chunks of potato, so I blend about 80% of my soup in the blender or food processor to give it a smooth consistency.  Just be sure to only fill your blender about halfway with soup (work in batches), because the hot soup expands and can pop the lid off and make a huge mess if you fill the blender too full.  Don't ask how I know this.  Rookie mistake after I was first married and attempted my first batch of potato soup.  But you're smarter than that and won't make the same mistake, right? ;)

I love to garnish my soup with a little shredded cheese on top, along with some Greek yogurt (tastes just like sour cream on top and I always have it on hand), chives and bacon crumbles.  I also like to serve it with crusty bread and a salad.  Yum!

This is the perfect soup for a cold winter day when you have a cold, cough, or sore throat.  It's a hot, hearty soup that will warm you right up!

Don't forget to print out your coupon for $1 off a multi pack of Kleenexes at Target. Then you'll be all ready to brave the colds, coughs, and every other sickness that this time of year is sure to bring!

xo, Laura

Cranberry Cinnamon Streusel Muffins Recipe

This post is part of a social shopper marketing insight campaign with Pollinate Media Group™ and Post Pebbles, but all my opinions are my own. #pmedia #PostWalgreens http://cmp.ly/3/8vNxcO.

I am so beyond excited to share with you this Cranberry Cinnamon Streusel Muffins recipe.  I've been experimenting in the kitchen, trying to come up with a really good cranberry muffin recipe (since it's cranberry season, right?), and I really think this recipe hits the nail on the head!

These muffins are sweet, but not too sweet, and perfectly balance out the tartness of the fresh cranberries that are baked inside.  The tops of these muffins have a nice slightly crunchy, caramelized top that tastes amazing!

You'll never guess the secret ingredient that gives the inside of these muffins such a nice texture, and is also part of the tasty, crunchy sweet streusel cinnamon topping... Honey Bunches of Oats Cereal!  I headed to Walgreens, where Post Honey Bunches of Oats, Fruity Pebbles, Great Grains, and Grape Nuts are all on sale this week for only $1.99, and picked up a box of Post Honey Bunches of Oats with Almonds Cereal.  My family eats a box of cereal a day (since there are six of us), so this is a great time to stock up!

You really have to give these muffins a try.  They are honestly my favorite muffin that I have ever eaten, and these are now going to be a recipe that I turn to again and again for great tasting muffins... enjoy!

Cranberry Cinnamon Streusel Muffins:

• 2 cups flour
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. cinnamon
• 2 cups Honey Bunches of Oats Cereal (I used the kind with almonds, but any will work), slightly crushed- 1 cup for the muffins, 1 cup for the topping
• 1 egg
• 4 Tbsp. melted butter
• 1 cup milk
• 2 cups fresh cranberries, rinsed and picked through to remove any soft cranberries
• 1/4 cup turbinado sugar (sugar in the raw), or regular sugar
• 1/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
• 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
• dash of nutmeg
• 1/4 cup melted butter

1.  Preheat the oven to 375 degrees, and grease 10 muffins cups or place 10 cupcake liners inside the cups.  Stir together the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and one cup of Honey Bunches of Oats cereal in a medium bowl.

2.  In another bowl, whisk together the egg, melted butter, and milk, just until blended.  Add the liquid ingredients to the dry ingredients, stirring just until moistened.  The batter will be slightly lumpy, which is fine.  Fold in the cranberries just until mixed in evenly.  Don't over mix!

3.  Spoon the batter into the muffin liners or cups, and fill level with the top of the cup.  Combine one cup of slightly crushed Honey Bunches of Oats cereal with the turbinado sugar, 1/4 cup brown sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg.  Stir in the 1/4 cup of melted butter, and spoon the topping evenly onto each muffin.

4.  Bake until muffins are dry, and when a toothpick inserted into the middle of the muffin comes out clean, approximately 25 minutes.  All ovens are different, however, so be sure to keep an eye on the muffins while cooking, and remove immediately when they are baked through.

I truly hope you enjoy these muffins.  In fact, I'm enjoying one right now as I type this ;)  If you want to try these, don't forget that Honey Bunches of Oats cereal, along with other Post cereals, are on sale at Walgreens this week for only $1.99.

Happy baking!

If you liked this, I'd love for you to follow me on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Bloglovin', and Instagram.

xo, Laura

DIY Gold & Bronze Painted Acorns

Today I wanted to share with you one of my very first posts from when I started my blog a year ago.  Most of you have probably not seen my DIY gold and bronze painted acorns yet, since my blog was just a newborn when I made them!

I LOVE gold, especially during fall and Thanksgiving time, and painting a light thin layer of gold and bronze takes a handful of plain, ordinary acornsand turns them into into exquisite and chic decor.  You can use them display them in a bowl, as a vase filler, or even turn them into tiny ornaments and hang from a Thanksgiving thankful tree or even your Christmas tree!  Without further ado, here's my original post... enjoy!

I was taking a walk through the park recently with my kids, when they started picking up and collecting acorns that they found on the ground.  Acorns are like little magnets that draw you in and make you want to pick them up.  They're so cute, and each of them has its' own unique shape, size, and color.

Soon I was down on the ground with my kids collecting acorns!  We brought them home, and I thought they would make a great decoration, but they needed just a little something.  I got out my Martha Stewart metallic paints, got to work, and ended up with these little jewels.  Aren't they beautiful?

The metallic bronze and gold paint gave them just the sparkle they needed, while still maintaining the beautiful browns of the acorn itself.  Want to make some to?  Your home will thank you.

You will need some Martha Stewart metallic paint in bronze and gold, a paintbrush, acorns, and a glue gun.  That's it!  I bought my paint at Michael's, used two coupons, and paid under $3.50 with tax.  

The first and most important step is to bake your acorns!  They could have little critters in them, and baking them for an hour at 200 degrees will kill them, so better safe than sorry.  After they have baked and cooled, all you need to do is to paint the acorns with the bronze paint, and the little acorn tops with the gold paint.  Let them dry, then glue the tops onto the acorns.  That's it! 

 I love the way they look in my Pottery Barn leaf bowl.

Or on my rustic wood stands.  (See how else I used these stands at the Very Hungry Caterpillar baby shower I created for my friend)

They also make a great vase filler.

There are so many fun ways that you can decorate with these golden acorns.  Get creative, try making these, and then have fun finding the perfect way to display them in your home! Let me know what you think of these little cuties by leaving a comment below.

You might also like my Easy DIY Fall Thanksgiving Wreath, this cute Boy's Thanksgiving Pilgrim Hat, and this Easy DIY Fall Headband (for boys or girls).

If you liked this project, please follow me on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Bloglovin', and Instagram.

Happy crafting!

XO, Laura

Fun Halloween Party Game + Free Printables

“This post is part of a social shopper marketing insight campaign with Pollinate Media Group™ and Cottonelle, but all my opinions are my own. #pmedia #CottonelleTarget  http://cmp.ly/3/8vNxcO.”

Only two more days until Halloween, are you ready?  Today I'm sharing a fun Halloween party game plus some free printable activity cards that I created to go with them!  This fast-paced game is great to play with kids and adults alike, and involves prizes, treats, acting, singing, and a whole lot of fun.  Oh, and toilet paper.  Lots of toilet paper!

I went to Target to pick up the new Cottonelle Triple Roll 12-pack of toilet paper for the game.  There's a great Target coupon that you can use, too, while supplies last- when you buy Cottonelle Triple Roll 12-pack or larger you get a FREE box of Kleenex... awesome!

Here are the supplies you'll need for the game, and all of the directions.  Trust me, it's fun, and will be a hit at your next Halloween party or family night!

Supplies:

• Cottonelle Triple Roll toilet paper (3 or more rolls)
• Small Halloween prizes and/or candy
• Free printable activity cards
• Paper plate (preferably with a cute Halloween design)
• 2 quarters

Prepping the game:

1.  Print out the FREE printable activity cards I made for the game.  Cut along the light gray lines.

2.  Start with a bigger prize or treat, and wrap the Cottonelle toilet paper around and around the treat, doing your best to keep it in a circle shape.  

Alternate between adding activity cards and treats and prizes to the roll, and tucking them inside the toilet paper ball.  Continue doing this until your toilet paper ball is the desired size.  I used three rolls since I was going to play this with my kids and their hands are smaller, but really, you could make this as big as you wanted to!!

3.  Gather the plate and quarters.

Playing the game:

1.  Have everyone sit in a circle.  One person will start with the paper plate and two quarters.  This person will flip the coins up in the air until they get two heads.  When both coins are heads, they pass the plate and quarters to the next person on their left in the circle, and they try to get two heads, and continue the process of flipping, getting two heads, and passing the plate.

2.  Meanwhile, the person to the right of the coin flipper has the giant roll of toilet paper with the activity cards and treats inside.  They get to unroll (not tear or rip) the toilet paper until the person on their left gets two heads- then they have to stop and pass the t.p. ball to the left.  As they unroll the t.p. ball, they will unroll prizes and activity cards.

If a prize falls out, it's theirs to keep!  If an activity card rolls out, then the game takes a pause. The person has to read the card out loud, and then do what it says.  The card might tell them to sing a Halloween song, share a Halloween memory, dance their best Thriller, or answer a question!  Once the activity is completed, then the game goes on as normal.  Make sense?

This game is seriously fun!  Give it a try, and let me know what you think!  If you have any questions, be sure to leave it in the comments and I'll answer them for you.

Have fun, and happy Halloween!  Don't forget to print your free Kleenex coupon when you go to buy your Cottonelle at Target!

xo, Laura

Free Printable Halloween Cupcake Toppers

With Halloween quickly approaching, I thought it would be helpful for you (and me!) to create some cute printable Halloween cupcake toppers, just in time for all of those Halloween parties, carnivals, trunk or treats, and get togethers you'll be attending!

I took the same design from the paper medallion centers that I designed for my spooky Halloween tree, and made them bigger so they could be used as cupcake toppers.  Loving how they turned out!  If you're in a real hurry to get to your Halloween party, carnival, or whatever, then you can always buy store bought cupcakes (like I did for these pictures), and then add your own personal touch with my free printable cupcake toppers.  It will look like you spent a whole lot more time on them then you really did!

Don't worry, your secret is safe with me! ;)

Just download and print my free cupcake topper printables onto white card stock, cut out the circles, stick onto a toothpick or cut striped straw, and you'll be good to go!  I originally made these toppers 2" in diameter, but that was too big for what I wanted, so I printed them out at 80% of the original size, so that the cupcake toppers were smaller (like the size in the photos).

Enjoy!!  Now I just have to figure out how to sew SIX costumes and have them ready in three days for our church's trunk or treat, amidst everything else I have to do.... yikes! Please tell me I'm not the only one who has procrastinated making costumes until the last possible minute!

Have you printed out your own  fall activities bucket list punch card?  Punch a hole in the pumpkins each time you complete a fall activity with your family!

This make at home Starbucks Caramel Apple Spice drink tastes just like fall, and is a great treat to have after making a craft or doing a fun fall activity ;)

And for a fun family Halloween meal, check out this Spooky Spaghetti with Eyeballs!

To decorate your home this fall, you can see how to make this cinnamon-scented nature wreath,

or this fall wreath made out of paper!

If you liked this, I'd love for you to follow me on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Bloglovin', and Instagram.

xo, Laura

Linking Up Here: Snap!, 36th Avenue

Headless Horseman Pumpkin + Pumpkin Carving Package Giveaway!

It's not officially Halloween time yet at my house until we have carved pumpkins.  It's one of our favorite fall traditions, and one that the kids would never forgive me for if we didn't do!  This year I wanted to carve a special pumpkin, one celebrating my love for my favorite Halloween story of all time... The Legend of Sleepy Hollow.  I let the kids carve their own pumpkins this year, too, which was very exciting for them, and a great way for us to spend some quality family time!

The silhouette of the Headless Horseman on his horse in the dark night stuck with me, so I decided to recreate that silhouette on my pumpkin.  To make a detailed design like this I needed some special tools, so I used Pumpkin Masters pumpkin carving tools.  They have TONS of different kits to choose from- a traditional pumpkin carving kit, decorating punches to punch out circles and other shapes from your pumpkin, a surface carving kit, and even a kids carving kit that's easy and safe for kids to use.  Pumpkin Masters even makes strobe lights to light up your pumpkins, instead of using candles that could cause a fire.

Pumpkin carving sure has come a long way since I was young, and would use kitchen knives... yikes!  You can find Pumpkin Masters Kits at Target, Walmart, and your local grocery, drug, and craft store.  I've seen them everywhere this year!

Now you can WIN a set of ALL of the Pumpkin Masters Carving kits I just just mentioned that are pictured above!  Just follow the directions at the bottom of the post to enter to win the prize package, worth over $35!  The contest will end Monday night at midnight, so be sure to enter today to win!

Now on to the Headless Horseman!  To create my Sleepy Hollow pumpkin, I followed a great tip that I found in the Pumpkin Masters carving kit directions.  Instead of carving a circle along the top of the pumpkin to open it up and scoop the flesh out, I carved a hole in the BOTTOM of the pumpkin, where no one would be seeing it.  Then I used the scooping tool to scoop out all of the pumpkin flesh and seeds, and to scrape down the wall of the pumpkin a bit so that it was thinner.  Of course I saved the pumpkin seeds so that I could make some of these delicious pumpkin seed recipes with the kids... yum!

Once the inside of my pumpkin was cleaned out, I painted the entire pumpkin, including the stem, with two black coats of chalkboard paint.  Since I wanted my Headless Horseman silhouette to be black, I painted the pumpkin black with some chalkboard paint I already had.

To draw out my Headless Horseman silhouette, I used this silhouette as a guide.  I drew up my design, taped it to the pumpkin, and traced the lines hard with a pen, so the lines would go through, and proceeded to cut out the area around my design.

When I was almost done, I had a feeling that I should take a picture, even though my pumpkin wasn't finished.  I ignored it, then finally gave in, but only snapped a quick cell phone pic instead of one with my camera.  As I was cleaning out the pumpkin, I totally dropped it.  My Headless Horseman broke into pieces, and could not be saved (as you might have seen on Instagram if you follow me).  I was sooooo sad, but relieved that at least I had one picture of all my hard work, which is the picture you saw above!  So please ignore the imperfections, as I wasn't finished with my pumpkin when the picture was taken...

My kindergartner wanted to make her VERY own pumpkin this year, so I let her carve one of the pumpkins that we grew in our backyard.  It is small and cute, which is just perfect for her!  We cut a hole in the bottom, and scooped out the seeds and pulp.  Pumpkin Masters has an awesome kids set of carving tools, so I let her draw her design onto a piece of paper first, and then she used a special crayon that came with the kit to draw her face on the pumpkin.

We both worked together to cut out her original design, and within 15 minutes she had her very own jack-o-lantern!  Isn't it cute?

She was so proud!

My little guy wanted to get in on the fun, too!

Pumpkin Masters is having an amazing pumpkin carving contest this year, and they are giving away six prizes, one of which is $5,000!  You can share a pic of your carving via Instagram or Twitter with #PumpkinMasters2013, submit via the Facebook app, or send via email to social@pumpkinmasters.com.  The contest runs from October 1-31, and you can check out the contest details and official rules here.

Now for the giveaway!  The winner will receive a Pumpkin Masters Pumpkin Carving Gift Package which includes everything you see in the photo (see the second paragraph of the post for a full description), and is valued at $35.  You can carve years and years worth of pumpkins with all of this product!  The giveaway is open to U.S. residents only, and the giveaway ends on Monday night, October 21st, at midnight.

Follow the easy directions on the widget below to enter now!! The winner will be announced next week on the blog.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Good luck, and happy carving!!

If you liked this, I'd love for you to follow me on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Bloglovin', and Instagram.

xo, Laura

I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls Collective and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.

Linking Up Here: Snap!, 36th Avenue