Patriotic Jell-O Shot’s

Over this past weekend I was invited to a house party.  Let me back up, I’ve been walking with a friend from my previous job.  We post on FB about us walking.  One day I get a private msg from a friend of hers.  Turns out this girl was one of my very first roommates 15 years ago!  I know small freaking world.  Being the sweet person she is she invited me to their house party.  Well you know me I can’t go in empty handed so I brought Jell-O shots and Cupcakes (I’ll show the cupcakes tomorrow).  I thought with this being a celebration of the amazing people that fight for our freedom, why not do red, white and blue.

I found a Fourth of July  Jell-O Shot that I played around with and I’ve found this to be the best layered shot around  I’ve done so far.

Preparation: Lightly spray wells with bake spray. Wipe off excess (only a light coat is needed.)

Ingredients:

• 1 large blueberry Jell-O Box
• 1 large strawberry Jell-O Box
• 2, 14oz cans sweetened condensed milk
• 5 cups water; divided use
• 8, single packs of Knox Gelatin, divided use
• 2 cups of vodka, divided use

Instructions:

1. Measure out 2 cups water into a bowl and sprinkle 2 packets of gelatin on top and allow to bloom for 2-3 minutes. Pour bloomed mixture into a saucepan over low heat. Stir mixture constantly until gelatin dissolves. Remove from heat and pour in blueberry Jell-O.  Add ½ cup of vodka to blueberry Jell-O mixture and stir to combine.
2. Repeat step two for the strawberry Jell-O.
3. Empty sweetened, condensed milk into a bowl; set aside. Measure out 1 cup of water into a bowl. Sprinkle 4 packets of gelatin on top and allow to bloom for about 2-3 minutes. Pour bloomed mixture into a saucepan over low heat. Stir the mixture constantly until the gelatin dissolves. Remove from heat and pour the dissolved gelatin into the sweetened ,condensed milk. Add 1 cup vodka to mixture and stir to combine.

Assembly:

1. Remove chilled pan from refrigerator. Measure and pour evenly out strawberry Jell-O into wells. Transfer to the refrigerator and chill for about 30 minutes to an hour to set. 
2. Remove the pan from the refrigerator. Measure and pour evenly the sweetened, condensed milk on top of strawberry layer. Return pan to refrigerator and chill for 30 minutes to an hour to set.
3. Remove the pan from refrigerator. Measure and pour evenly of blueberry Jell-O on top of the sweetened, condensed milk layer. Return  pan to refrigerator and chill for 30 minutes to an hour to set.
4. You can do smaller layers but I didn’t have time to do multiple layers so I just did the 3 layers.

Hope you try this for your next party, it was a lot of fun to make and watch the people enjoy.

Queue in Car full of kids … NOW

This am I will be heading out with Cole’s class to head up to our state capital Olympia!  We will playing all day at the Children’s Hands on Museum!  Watch out world we are bring 22 kids with only 5 or so adults!  I think I may have to take that Excedrin before I leave the house today.  I may just need a nice glass of wine when I get back.

Wish me luck!

Cool Sweet Treat

Since I’ve been dieting for you know the end of time, I still need something to curb my sweet tooth.  I found this of course on Pinterest my obsession of the current times.  BUT I am actually making things I find … yup I tell myself that so I rationalize it is ok.

My latest creation are these yummy Low Calorie Greek Yogurt Cheesecake Minis on Volume 25 blog.  She added a few blueberries, I didn’t have any left so I just drizzled a little agave syrup.

Greek Yogurt Cheese Cake Mini's

INGREDIENTS:
12 oz Plain Greek yogurt
1 package Sugar Free Fat Free Cheese Cake Pudding Mix
1 Cup almond milk (or any other milk)
3 Tbs Butter
5 Graham Crackers
12 Cupcake liners

(I used low fat Graham Crackers, you can also use non fat Greek yogurt to lower fat / calories)

DIRECTIONS:
In Zip Lock Baggie, crush graham crackers. Melt butter and mix into graham crackers until well blended. In a lined cupcake tin, evenly distribute cracker mixture, using your fingers, pack it down. In a mixing bowl, add Greek yogurt, Cheese cake pudding mix, and milk and mix well. once well mixed evenly distribute into the cupcake tin. Pop in your freezer or refrigerator for about 30 minutes. 

I put mine in the freezer it was the perfect treat.

Makes 12 Cupcake sized cheesecakes

Enjoy, I promise this is a treat even if you are not on a diet.

Here today … Gone Tomorrow

I found the most amazing channel on dish it was (yes was) called Pixl.  You all know how much I love my Hallmark movies.  I came upon this station when I missed one of my shows and did a search to find it.  I was so excited to find it but it was on a station I didn’t recognize.  Turns out it was a great station that had all my favorite movies (mostly a few years old) with NO commercials.  I was so excited and my DVR was getting a work out.  When I’m doing things around the house I love to have a good movie going on in the back ground.

Then today I went to go look to see what was on today to see the channel was removed.  Looks like it was a on a week or so free preview.  MAN don’t you hate it when you fall in love with something to come find out it is no longer or you know have to pay extra for it.  CRAP I’m already stretched to the max with our TV bill for $70, you think they can throw in a channel or two … ugh.

Well it was great while it lasted, Pixl I so will miss you and your no commercial movies.

It’s funny I planned to write this great post about this station I had it all typed up last night so you all too could check it out.  Then I come in this AM to find it was gone.  So my post was deleted and a farewell was added.  Yes I know it was a TV station but when you’re home most of the time good movies that you don’t mind your kids watching are hard to come by.

Back to rainy days here so bring on the soup

We have gone from some amazing 70 and 80 degree days to downpour rain.  I must have had my physic hat on when I did my meal plan because when I woke up Monday it was pouring and didn’t stop so my plan for dinner fit so perfect.  Here I thought I was thinking it was just something easy but it turned out to be easy and warming just what we needed.

I found this recipe for Low Fat Lasagna Soup on What’s Cookin’ Italian Style Cuisine that turned out so yummy and the best part was I didn’t spend an hour + making perfect stacks to just come out with goo when I tried to cut into it.  YUP mine never looks like the kind you get in the restaurant standing up and looking all pretty.   Enjoy this soup I promise everyone will love it and not even know it was low fat.

Ingredients:

32 ounces of homemade chicken broth or use canned low sodium 99% fat free
2 lbs of fresh plum tomatoes diced or use a 28 ounce of whole tomatoes rinsed then diced to lower the salt content
2 cups homemade tomato sauce or  jar store bought your favorite kind
2 teaspoons minced garlic
1 bell pepper finely chopped (I put mine in the food processor)
1/2 teaspoon each chopped parsley, basil, oregano fresh or dried
4 links of Italian mild turkey sausage snipped in small slices with a kitchen shears
1 pound of ground turkey
1 tablespoon oil
2 cups broken whole grain lasagna noodles
2 teaspoons grating cheese
salt and pepper to taste
pinch of cayenne

(I used canned chicken broth, canned tomatoes, store bought sauce.  I skipped the parsley and cayenne.  I know I should use fresh but you have to go with what you got.)

In a large dutch oven add the tablespoon of olive oil, both meats,  and peppers. Fry until the bottom starts to turn brown, stirring, this takes around 10 minutes. Add garlic and cook one minute. Next add all the liquids and spices. Cook around 20 minutes. Add broken up lasagna noodles and 2 teaspoons grating cheese. Let it cook for another 10 minutes for noodles to soften. Ladle into oven proof bowls, top with shredded fat free or low fat mozzarella cheese and broil till brown. You can also add a dollap of fat free ricotta cheese instead or both.

See I told you it looked yummy!  It was perfect!

Got my Pre Planning Hat on …

Planning a head of time and buying all the molds etc before hand for Cole’s party worked so well and made me less stressful.  So the theme for Caden has been picked and my Pinterest board is full and ready to go.  I went on to my favorite sites Amazon and Ebay to look for molds and fun things I will need for this theme … drum roll please … Shark!

Oh yes we will be having a lake party at my parents waterfront in July and it will be all about the sharks!  I’m thinking crayons and chocolates will be on the must do list.  I've found a few fun molds I can’t wait to experiment with.

Check out what I have bought so far!  I can’t wait to share the invites and all the other fun things we will be doing.

First off I bought a cool Shark Holder for the Shark Fin Cupcakes I will be making.

Silicone Shark Cookie Mold

This Shark Fin Ice Mold I’m going to try with Crayons.

This is for the punch bowl.  Shark Fin ice ring.

Shark Sucker Chocolate Mold

There we go , it was a packed weekend with work and fun road trip.  I didn’t get a lot of down time so just a quick post for today!

Google Drive with some templates for this party.