We used a BIG wheel of brie for this video, which can be very expensive. You can get away with something about (or a little over) half the size. A little bit of brie goes a long way.
YIELDS: 8 SERVINGS PREP TIME: 0 HOURS 15 MINS TOTAL TIME: 0 HOURS 40 MINS
INGREDIENTS
1 (35-oz.) wheel brie 6 strawberries, tops removed and sliced 1/2 c. blueberries 1/4 c. freshly squeezed orange juice 2 tsp. honey Graham crackers, for dipping
DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350°. Cut off the top rind of brie then place brie in a skillet about its same size. Bake until brie is bubbling and totally melted throughout, about 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, place strawberries and blueberries in separate medium bowls. Divide orange juice and honey evenly between each bowl and toss to combine. When brie is ready, arrange fruit in the pattern of the American flag. Serve immediately, with graham crackers for dipping.
Happy 4th of July! Today’s the day we celebrate our nation’s independence. Checking out a parade, hanging out by the pool and protecting our dogs from fireworks are the only things on our agenda. Oh, and grilling, of course. BBQ food is an absolute must on the most patriotic day of the year. Because really, is there anything more American than hamburgers and hotdogs? We didn’t think so.
As you prepare to chow down with family and friends this afternoon, why not prepare something special for your dog? She’ll likely be waiting beneath the grill anyhow, hoping for human food to hit the floor. Unfortunately, most traditional BBQ foods are dangerous for dogs and can make them sick. Providing your pup her own tasty meal will keep her out of harm’s way and help her feel like she’s part of the celebration.
Check out a few of our favorite dog-approved Fourth of July recipes below!
Ingredients
1 cup water
8 strawberries
1/4 cup blueberries
Instructions
Rinse strawberries and blueberries. Mix ½ cup water and strawberries in the blender. Blend until liquefied. Repeat with blueberries. Pour strawberry mixture into star-shaped ice cube trays. Repeat with blueberry mixture. Pop them in the freezer for 2-4 hours and serve!
Happy 4th of July! 4 Tasty BBQ Recipes for Your Dog
Father’s Day is coming up this year it’s on June 21! Make Dad a special gift this year. This decoupage boxed photo coaster set took about an hour an a half to make and was very inexpensive.
The boys had already made gifts for Dad, Grandpa, and Uncles, (Comic Strip Frames & Boxes), but I ran into a sale on wooden boxes at our local craft store that was just too good to pass up and we had lots of Mod Podge, spray paint, and photos left over from other craft projects, so really this project cost a whopping $3 for the box and coaster set. It will make a perfect gift for my husband, it has photos of all the grandkids. I made it just before we went to the blockbuster movie, Jurassic World, it was dry by the time we got home; from start to finish, including drying time in between coats of Mod Podge it took about an hour and a half.
Do ditch the tie this year and give Dad or Grandpa something they’ll love and use! Here’s how!
Materials:
1 Wooden boxed coaster set – you can get this from most craft stores, they’re very inexpensive, the regular price at our store was $5.99, but we picked it up on sale for $3!
Mod Podge Matte – I prefer to use matte finish when working with photos to reduce the glare
Mod Podge Acrylic Sealer Matte Spray
Sponge brush
Spray paint – I used red gloss I had left over from another project
Black & White Photos Matte finish
Masking or painter’s tape
Directions:
1. Cover metal hinges & lock with tape as best as you can.
2. Spray paint box and coaster edges. I found the easiest way to spray the coaster edges was to stack them on top of each other and spray. Don’t worry if you get paint on the coaster itself, the photos will cover them up.
3. Wipe off any paint that seeped on to the hinges and lock if you want to. I started to but decided it wasn’t that bad and actually looked good so I didn’t put too much effort in to wiping off the paint.
4. Let paint dry about 10 – 15 minutes or until it’s no longer tacky to touch.
5. Remove tape from hinges and lock.
6. Place coaster over section of photo you want to glue to the box. Turn it over and trace the coaster on to that section.
7. Cut photo INSIDE the lines you just made – cutting outside or on the line will make it too big. Place photo on to the coaster to check the fit, you may have to trim photo closer to the coaster edge.
8. Repeat step #7 for the other side of the coaster and for both sides of all the coasters.
9. Brush a light coat of Mod Podge Matte on to one side of the coaster and the back side of the photo. Be sure you brush Mod Podge all the way to the edges. Keep brush strokes in the same direction, it looks neater on the finished product. Allow to dry for 5 minutes. while you are waiting for the coaster to dry do the same to the other photos and coasters.
10. Place photo on to the coaster. Adjust photo so it is matched up to the coaster edges. Light press down on photo and smooth out any bubbles.
11. Brush a coat of Mod Podge on the photo from edge to edge. Apply a good amount of Mod Podge, but don’t soak the photo. Repeat with all the coasters. Allow to dry about 10 minutes.
12. Brush 2 – 3 more coats of Mod Podge on coasters allowing them to dry 10 minutes between coats.
13. While waiting for coasters to dry cut out photos you want to glue to the box. Trim photos to fit around the hinges and lock.
14. Repeat steps #9 – 12.
15. Turn dry coasters over and paste photos on them like you did in steps #9 – 12.
16. When coasters and box are dry spray them with 2 coats of the sealer, allowing them to dry 10 – 15 minutes between coats.
17. Let the box and coaster dry for at least an hour before placing coaster in the box. You may have to lightly pry the box top open as some sealer may have lightly glued it together.
Mother’s Day is fast approaching, this year it’s Sunday, May 10th. If you usually take mom out for brunch, lunch, or dinner I doubt it’s going to be the same this year. Most of us are still quarantined, whether self imposed or mandated. But really with the COVID-19 virus still running rampant and without a cure or vaccine in sight do you really want to risk mom’s health, and yours, by dining out?
So instead of going out how about giving mom a gift instead? And what better gift to give mom than something made lovingly for her. Here are some really unique ideas that kids can make with just a bit of help from dad, aunties, or older siblings. Moms can make them too for grandmas, friends, and aunties!
And if you’re like me and don’t really want to go out to shop for supplies there are some ideas here that you won’t need to. I’m sure you have some of the supplies right at home, you’ve probably been using them to keep the kids occupied these last couple of months in quarantine. If not, then just get creative and improvise! So go ahead, have fun and get the whole family involved!
This is one of my favorite gifts, my grandson Devon made it for me a few years ago.
His mom, my daughter, helped him make the hand print tree and write the poem. She then had it framed and Devon presented it to me on Mother’s Day. It proudly hangs in our family room. Here’s the poem, feel free to use it for your projects.
I love this idea of taking a picture in a frame, my daughter did this with her kids last fall!
This pic was done by Moose Photography, professional photographers and posted by Cool Mom Picks But you can DIY it!
You’ll need the same frame in 3-4 sizes depending on how many generations you want to include. Take a photo of the smallest member, the baby, frame that. Take a photo of the next, mom, holding the framed picture of the baby, frame that.
Continue with each generation, grandma, great-grandma, etc.
Be sure the pictures are all taken using the same background.
This is too cute!
This idea came from Tips from a Typical Mom.
Just take photos of your child in 5 different poses, each pose holding a letter to spell “Mommy”. Mat and from the photos. Easy peasy! Great gift for Moms and Grandmas!
These photo flowers in a card stand are adorable and easy to make.
Every family has their favourite Christmas veggie side dishes – from citrussy carrots and braised red cabbage, to cauliflower cheese, roast parsnips, and infamous brussels sprouts, we have all the recipes you need for Christmas dinner
Try our best Christmas vegetable side dishes. Here are our top Christmas dinner side dishes, from Brussels sprouts to red cabbage and roast parsnips. Plus winter greens and some indulgent gratin recipes. We also have plenty of Christmas trimmings ideas here, from pigs in blankets to the perfect gravy.
We have made Christmas side dishes easy to make, and here’s our turkey guide to cook the perfect turkey.
If you’re going all out vegetarian this Christmas, try our Christmas vegetarian recipes here.
Ingredients:
Our veggie sides use Christmas ingredients such as orange peel, cinnamon and more to add a festive touch
Using a medium-coarsely ground cornmeal for this dish leaves some texture in the polenta while getting it as close to the consistency of soft, fluffy mashed potatoes as possible. (If using a more coarsely ground meal, increase both the cooking time and quantity of stock accordingly.)
What You Will Need
Small Bowl
Spoon
Medium Roasting Pan
Aluminum Foil
Medium Saucepan
Whisk
Ingredients
1 medium head of garlic (1¾ oz.)
1 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
4 cups chicken or vegetable stock
1 cup cornmeal (ground to a medium coarseness)
1⁄4 cup (2 oz.) mascarpone
4 Tbsp. unsalted butter, softened
1 tsp. fresh sage, finely chopped
1 tsp. fresh thyme, finely chopped
1⁄2 tsp. fresh rosemary, finely chopped
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 400°F. Drizzle the whole garlic head with olive oil and wrap it tightly in a sheet of foil. Roast for until the cloves are very soft and fragrant, 30–35 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool at room temperature.
Once the garlic is cool enough to handle, separate each clove from the head. Peel and discard the skins. Transfer the cloves to a small bowl, mash them well with a fork, and set it aside.
In a medium saucepan set over medium-high heat, bring the stock to a boil. Slowly pour the cornmeal into the boiling stock, whisking constantly. Lower the heat to medium-low and cook, whisking continuously until the polenta starts to thicken slightly, 2–3 minutes. Cover the pot and continue cooking, stirring every 5 minutes and scraping the bottom well to ensure that the polenta does not clump, until the polenta is creamy and lightly bubbling, but still falls off the spoon in ribbons, about 30 minutes. Stir in the mashed garlic, salt, pepper, butter and mascarpone. Continue cooking, while stirring, just until the butter and mascarpone are completely melted and the garlic is incorporated, about 5 minutes more. Taste and adjust the seasoning with more kosher salt or pepper as needed.
Immediately before serving, stir in the sage, thyme, and rosemary. Transfer to a large serving bowl and serve hot.
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Roasted Garlic Polenta “Mash” with Herbs and Mascarpone
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Using a medium-coarsely ground cornmeal for this dish leaves some texture in the polenta while getting it as close to the consistency of soft, fluffy mashed potatoes as possible. (If using a more coarsely
