super bowl and baked brie

super bowl sunday...i spent the entire morning working on homework trying to get done in time for super bowl festivities, and yet i still had to bring it to the party. yes i was the lame one nerding out on a case study and only paying attention to the commercials :) but there was a beer in my hand and amazing friends around me..so i can't really complain :) any'who..earlier that morning the boy ran to the store for me to get the ingredients, then came home and helped me prepare my favorite appetizer my aunt taught me when i was younger. festive brie huh?? here's how you make it:

homemade habanero berry jam, brown sugar and chopped up pecans on top of the brie. cover it with crescent roll dough and use the left over to make fun design or picture. bake it at 350. i put these two in together and it took about fifteen or so minutes. depending on the size of the brie just adjust the time and keep your eye on it. i've also used regular jam or even just the pecans and brown sugar is pretty stinkin' amazing. if you're bringing it to a friends house, prep it at home and ask if you can bake it there...then it's warm perfect gooey'ness won't go to waste. 

sorry for the blurry pictures..took them on my phone

not to mention the boy and his friend kept waving hands and knives in front of it

so in my efforts not to get cut and have a good picture..it took about fourteen attempts. 

the boy helped with the football...i knew the shape, but lost when it came to the details.

can you see the knife in this picture..bottom left 

ha! attempt to fully ruin my picture..failed!

picture frame whiteboards

i'm a huge fan using the picture frame white board idea. extremely and ridiculously simple. all you need is a picture frame, scrapbook paper and a dry erase pen...amazing yes? it's works wonders the kids i work with  because they choose the design/color of paper to have in the background {love that the littlest things are the most motivating for kids}. you can also run lessons by printing pages in the back..identifying body parts, math or just practicing their name...it's fun to get creative with it. just remember that it is glass and most frames have sharp edges..my rule is it stays at the table. okay enough kid talk, here's what i did for my o' so grown up house :)

this idea has been floating around pinterest and i've wanted to do it every since i laid my eyes on it

the boy and i take turns, every so many days and write a new message

sometimes goofy, sometimes super mushy, always uplifting.

{i'm pretty stoked i got him to participate}

well school is back in session {and the boys home!} so we needed some organization for the meal situation

my schedule is different every day and night so obviously i pinned this idea off pinterest.

i super glued the wine corks at the bottom if i wanted to add a recipe or note to the boy

he's been helping out big time with our various dinners so it's not all on me :)

if it tastes bad..it's his fault ;)

eventually i want to put it on the wall..but for now it will hang out right here.

another tidbit...i forgot to mention if you're adding stickers put them on the paper not the glass

then you can save some mulu and reuse the picture frame

the scrapbook frame above was first used for a school project,

after i took pictures for my portfolio, i took it apart 

and wahla! a menu.

seconds on salad

confession...not a fan of most vegetables. in lieu of veggies we eat lots of fruit and salad...yum i love salad {yes i know it's technically a vegetable}. maybe it's all the yumminess i put on top OR the delicious dressings OR it could be that it's just so colorful. i saw on pinterest that keeping lettuce in a mason helps locks in the freshness and crisp...so that's what i've done..and every time i look in the fridge i can't help but smile.

 mason jar + lettuce = one very happy girl

prettiness.

things i love.

resolutions and easy recipes

resolution: actually use my crock pot

so i've been married for about two and a half years, which means i've been an owner of a crock pot for that time. AND yes, i'm guilty of only using it twice. i don't know why but it's just always been so intimidating to me. but it's 2012 and time to get over it and start cooking. school starts back up in about three weeks and the hectic schedule will begin again. what's different about this semester, is that the boy is home from a-school, so microwavable diet meals aren't going to cut anymore for dinner. i've been researching simple crock pot recipes and found four that require five ingredients or less...yes FIVE. awww music to my ears, easy and inexpensive :) i'll be spending the next few weeks experimenting with these recipes and others...and will let you know how it turns out! each title has a link to the recipe, if you're interested in checking them out. 

cranberry chicken

pineapple chicken

sweet and tangy meatballs 

salsa chicken

salad in a jar

okay obviously not a crock pot recipe but it's healthy, easy and pretty.

ps...any fun crock pot recipes? please share!