Dinner!

Yesterday I was dying to use my new Rachael Ray casserole dishes that I got from my parents for Christmas, but coming up with something to make was another story. I knew I needed to make a casserole of some sort but with so many options how will I ever choose? I finally landed on shepherd’s pie a recipe I practically know by heart because I love it so much. I was so excited to use those dishes that I went to the mall yesterday and also got one of RR’s oval skillets and a 3pc knife set because they were on sale! I have to tell you it was awesome!

Here is a picture of my new pan and knives: 

But onto this recipe for shepherd’s pie that is so very easy! 

Ingredients:

2 cups mashed potatoes (I used the ones that are already cut in the freezer section by Ore Rida)

1 clove garlic, minced

1lb hamburger

½ small onion, chopped

1 can cream of mushroom soup

1 package frozen mixed vegetables

Shredded cheese (I used cheddar) 

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees

Cook your mashed potatoes, whichever method you chose, I threw mine in the microwave for 10 minutes, then combined with butter, sour cream and garlic.

Put a small amount of oil/cooking spray in the pan, add onion, cook until translucent

Add hamburger and cook until brown

Add vegetables and soup to the pan and combine

Pour the meat/vegetable mixture into a greased casserole dish

Place mashed potatoes on top and spread out over the entire dish

Place cheese on top of the potatoes, across the entire dish

Place casserole in the oven for 20 minutes or until heated through

ENJOY!

This recipe is so easy and yet it is so good. I have tons of leftovers since it is just me, but it is even better the next day, I think. So it is perfect for lunches the next day. I’m always looking for meals that I can prepare for supper the night before and then take with me the next day for lunch. It makes cooking for one that much more worth it.  

Have you guys tried any great recipes lately? Let me know! I’m always looking for something new to try! 

XOXO,

Course 2 Class 4: The Cake

Last night we had our final class of Course 2. In this class we used all the flowers we had made throughout Course 2 to decorate a cake. The cake itself was a double layer funfetti cake with a icing filling. We had to have the cake iced with the base icing before we arrived at class. So last night I made 3 batches of icing and ice the cake all from when I got off of work to when I went to class, a time span of about 3 hours. I got it done though, so that was good. 

So last night when we got to class we learned how to do the basket weave on the side of the cake. It is actually really simple, it’s just time consuming, but it looks awesome when it is done!  

Here is what the basket weaving looks like: 

After the basket weave was done we then put a border around the top, and then it was time for the flower arranging. The flower arranging was actually easier than I thought it would be. That was nice. I knew I wanted to use the lilies but that’s all I knew for sure. So I just started laying out the flowers, only breaking one, and this is what I came up with: 

Then I decided the cake needed a sentiment and with the New Year right around the corner why not Happy New Year. I was planning on taking the cake to work anyway, so why not! So that’s what I did: 

And another view of the finished cake: 

I had a lot of fun making all the flowers that we make in this class, however, I’m really excited to learn how to make even more flowers! Though, Course 3 the flowers are made out of gum paste and fondant instead of royal icing! How exciting! 

I have to say that I’ve really enjoyed this class, though it’s not over yet, I don’t know what I’m going to do when it is. Actually, thinking about it makes me kind of sad. So let’s not think about it and just embrace the present. 

Have you guys started any fun new crafts or hobbies? Do you have any New Year’s Resolutions to try something new? As I’ve said before I would highly recommend looking into this class if you are even thinking about it!  

XOXO,

As 2011 Comes to a Close…

…I hope you all had a great Christmas holiday however you celebrate! I know I had a great Christmas surrounded by friends and family. We had a little family gathering on Christmas Eve with a turkey, mashed potatoes, and green bean casserole. Then Christmas Day we had biscuits and gravy for breakfast then opened presents and went out to my cousin’s house for a prime rib dinner. It was a lovely day. We also watched the Grinch after everyone was stuffed full! It was a great way to spend the day.  

My mom and I made some awesome treats to take to Christmas Day dinner: 

Melty Snowman Sugar Cookies: 

And a close up: 

Strawberry Santa Hats: 

And a close up:

Let me tell you these were so fun to make AND so easy! I mean seriously it doesn’t really get much easier than this. For the cookies we just made sugar cookies, frosted them with icing then you melt the marshmallows in the microwave slightly, and then draw on the faces and the bodies. So easy. The Santa hats are even simpler. You make a pan of your favorite brownies, cut out with a small round cookie cutter, put some icing around the edges of the brownie cut outs, and put a strawberry (hulled and cut flat) on top, with a dollop of icing on top of the strawberry and VOILA! You have Santa hats. Those Santa hats went like crazy at the dinner. They were the first thing gone! Woo hoo!  

How were your Christmas celebrations?  

Now is the time of year everyone starts to think about their New Year’s Resolutions and I am definitely one of those people. This year I want to try to make more realistic goals and post them around so I am constantly reminded of what I want to have accomplished by December 2012! We will see. 

What are you resolutions for 2012? 

XOXO,

Can You Believe...

…Christmas is only 2 days and a wake up away! It’s hard to believe that 2011 is so swiftly coming to a close. It seems like we were just saying good bye to 2010, and here we are now about to say goodbye to 2011.

I am overly excited about Christmas this year. Since losing my grandpa on Christmas Eve in 2008 I haven’t really gotten into the Christmas spirit. This year however, without school deadlines breathing down my neck along with other commitments and I think I have finally personally dealt with my grandpa’s death, I am so excited to celebrate this year! I’m glad that I’m back to my old self and excited about the holidays. I love spending time with family, being in the spirit of giving, seeing everyone’s faces when they open the gift you have carefully thought out for them, and who cannot love the food! There is nothing like holiday cooking!

Usually we go to cousin #1’s house on Christmas Eve for seafood night, however, this year my dad has to work and doesn’t get home until about 7:30p, therefore we won’t be going to seafood night. Instead, mom and I are going to cook a small turkey, mashed potatoes and gravy, and some green beans. This way my dad doesn’t have to miss out on Christmas Eve dinner. Then we will probably go drive around and look at Christmas lights! Then Christmas Day is the big day! We open stockings in the morning and then presents along with having cinnamon rolls for breakfast, then we will head out to cousin #2’s house for prime rib dinner! It’s quite the tradition we have going for our family!

Oh I forgot to mention that either Friday or Saturday my mom and I are going to go see The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo movie. I read the entire Stieg Larsson series last summer and LOVED it. I’m interested to see the American adaptation of the books. I’m always interested to see how directors/writers adapt the books to movies. Nine times out of ten the books are better than the movie, but it is still fun to go and to compare and contrast. The other movie series I will be watching this weekend is Twilight through Eclipse. I recently finished reading the entire series and now it’s time to watch the movies! Here we go!

What traditions do you have with your families? What do you think about it being so close to 2012 already?

Course 2 Class 3

Last night at class we made more flowers! Those flowers included violets, daffodils, lilies, and the Wilton Rose, and it was so much fun! I love making all these flowers! It is absolutely so much fun and they really are not that hard to make. This ease of making all of these has really come as a shock to me; however, it again gives me a whole new respect for the professional cake decorators that do this for a living. I will never think that a well decorated cake is overpriced again. The time, thought and effort that goes into planning a cake, making the decorations, and putting it all together is unbelievable. Kudos to those professionals! 

 Here are the roses, violets and daffodils:

Here are the lilies: 

And a close up of the lily:

I have to say I think the lilies are my favorite so far, though I really like the apple blossoms and primroses from last week as well. The daffodil and the Wilton rose are probably the hardest ones for me, so I need to practice them a little more.  Maybe on Monday I can practice some more after the Christmas holiday! Though maybe I could make some cute dessert for Christmas, we shall see.

We celebrated Roommate Christmas last night as well! I have to say I LOVE giving gifts! I mean seriously, the roommates were so happy with their gifts! I was so happy! Seeing their faces when they were opening their presents was awesome! They also told me that I listen too well and that I am a great gift giver. I couldn’t have asked for a nicer compliment. The dogs loved their presents too! Finn, a wiener dog, got little bobo dogs and LOVED them, all 3 of them were around him all night long. He’s so funny! Charlie, a Bischon Frise, loved the treats and he gets to go to the pet store and get his hair done! YAY! I would say that Roommate Christmas was a success!

What are you guys doing for the Christmas Holiday? Share!

 XOXO,

You Really Have to Appreciate…

…Great customer service. I have to say that the great guys at Bowman Sales and Service have gone above and beyond with their customer service, an art that seems to be lost nowadays. I have to say not only did these guys deliver my new car to me (271 miles one way) they have also sent me a very nice winter coat and a baseball cap for my dad! That just does not happen anymore. 

Here is a picture of my new coat:

 
I was shocked at the customer service that I received from them, though now that I think about it I really shouldn’t have been. That’s just the way it is in North Dakota and the small towns in Montana! They don’t mind going the extra mile to make their customers happy. I guarantee you walk into any restaurant in small towns in Montana and North Dakota and you will be pleasantly surprised at the customer service. 

So I have to say that I really appreciate excellent customer service considering how it seems that people really do not care about the customers any more. I think we should all thank someone for excellent service and it should also remind us to do something nice for someone else. This could be something as simple as holding the door open for someone, helping an elderly woman carry her groceries out, it does not have to be something big but that little thing could just make that persons day! I think we should all strive to do something nice for someone else every day! And if someone holds the door open for you, do not forget to say thank you, yet another lost art! 

Today it seems that everyone has forgotten how to be nice to each other, it’s like they forgot all the manners they were taught. I don’t know what has changed but it’s definitely not something that has changed for the better. So when you are out use your pleases and thank you’s, hold the door for someone, help someone out, do something and together maybe we can bring back the old fashioned respect for each other as human beings. Wouldn’t that be a lovely change of pace? 

I would love to hear what you guys did today for someone else! Comment and let me know! I hope you all are having a safe and happy Christmas week! 

XOXO,

Weekend Recap

This weekend I finished all of my Christmas shopping!  I know I should have been done weeks ago, but I officially finished this weekend with the little stuff for the socks and what not.  It was quite triumphant AND I only have 1 more gift to wrap!  That is even more exciting! I cannot remember the last time I was done shopping an entire week before Christmas!  Usually I am still picking up things on the 23^rd!  I am not usually so on it like this year! 

I have learned though that when you start early it makes it so you are able to get the things that you would like for people because it is not coming out of one paycheck!  Therefore, you can get those presents that you really want to get people.  I wish I could say that I was one of those people that shops all year long for people but I am not.  But I did start Christmas shopping in October which really helped out tremendously!  It also helped me to get into the Christmas spirit of giving to others!  Next year my goal will be to do the same but to give to more charities such as Toys for Tots by the Marine Corps and those caring trees by the Salvation Army.  I think that would be another thing to add to my list of things to do in 2012.

Another source of my Christmas Spirit has to be our present room! Here is a picture of the room:

It is a little insane, but we have three girls living in our house and we all have decent sized families and we all started shopping early so that may have added to the insanity! It is so awesome though that we have so much for friends and family alike.  Mind you I took these pictures yesterday and we have taken several presents out of there, just myself I’ve taken 13 out, and the roommates have taken even more than that!

We are having a roommate Christmas on Tuesday so that should be super exciting! I cannot wait until Christmas! I just love watching people open presents and seeing joy on their faces when they see the thought that you have put into picking out a perfect gift for them! I do have to say I have a few funny gifts that are more jokes than gifts, but it is still fun all the same. I cannot wait until Sunday! I just find it hard to believe that 2011 is coming to a close. I feel like it should still be July or something. Where has the time gone?

Are you guys finished shopping or are you waiting to start until Christmas Eve? What are you guys doing for the Christmas holiday? Are you going anywhere exciting?

For Christmas I Got…

…Myself a new (to me) car!  I have been looking for a new car for awhile now, which is actually kind of funny since I knew exactly what I wanted to get, a Ford Edge.  And that is what was delivered to me yesterday from the nice people at Bowman Sales and Service in Bowman, ND.  I have to say that I have never had such great customer service in my entire life.  I would highly recommend these great guys if you are looking for a new car!

Here is a picture of me in my new car!

The other good news is that I am practically done Christmas shopping!  I just need to get a few things to help out Santa and his stocking stuffing duties!  So that should be good. I am going to attempt to go to WalMart later tonight (like 10ish) to get the last few things that I need,  which should work out perfectly since I need to meet my uncle at the airport at 11:30 tonight when he flies back in from Phoenix.  So that should work out good.  I have a ton of stuff to do this weekend, hopefully I can get it all done.  We shall see.

What are you guys doing this weekend?  Are you finishing up your Christmas shopping in the last weekend before Christmas? 

XOXO,

Course 2 Class 2: Royal Icing and Flowers

Last night we had our second class for course 2 and it was awesome!  We made royal icing before class and made TONS of flowers, including primroses, apple blossoms, and rosebuds!  I cannot believe how much fun these little flowers are!  They are super easy to make as well!  We just had lots of fun making them!  Next week we are doing some lilies and the Wilton Rose.  That should be fun!

Here is a picture of what I made last night:

I have to say for how complicated these flowers look, they are relatively simple to make. I was shocked at how easy actually. A few simple movements and BAM you have a flower! So crazy! Seriously, if you guys are on the fence about taking a class, just do it! It has been one of the greatest things I could’ve ever done! I definitely encourage any of you to give it a try!

So after work last night I was super busy. I got a phone call that my DVD player was fixed so I had to go pick that up, go to the grocery store, wrap presents, order presents online, meet the parents for dinner, go to class and then I ended up watching the Biggest Loser Finale with Roommate #1! It was insane to say the least! I do not think today is going to be any better honestly, we shall see though. I need to finish up my shopping and then get some Christmas Cards made and whatever else decides to come up! So much to do!

How are you guys coming along during the Holidays? Anything exciting going on? Let me know!

XOXO,

Let the Baking Begin!

This weekend was kind of busy and rather uneventful all at the same time!  Friday night I did not do much.  Just hung out at home and read Twilight and chatted with the roomies!  Then Saturday I decorated the basement.  I thought it would be a fun thing to do since that is where I spend most of my time.  So that ended up really good.  Then mom and I went Christmas shopping.  I did buy something for myself from Cost Plus World Market, stackable coffee mugs:

 I got these mugs because they were on sale for one and two they are so cute!  I just love the design on the sides and when I get my own place they will match the theme that I am going for in my kitchen.  So that should be even better!  I cannot wait to start using them!

We also went to the mall, a local pet store called Lovable Pets, Hastings, and Bed, Bath and Beyond.  It was a crazy day of shopping.  I got home and finished the Twilight series and then was chatting with Roommate #1 and we decided to go to WalMart at 10pm.  Yep, we were a little insane! But I got a little present for the Bestie when I was shopping for the Brother.  It was kind of funny! 

Then there was yesterday, and the baking marathon!  My mom and I made sugar cookies, Nieman Marcus cookies, peppermint bark, peanut clusters, cookie dough truffles, turtles, chocolate dipped pretzels and pumpkin rolls.  Needless to say it was quite the exhausting day yesterday! Here are the sweets of our labor:

We had 2 mixers going pretty much all day long yesterday.  It was rather insane if I do say so myself.  But I have to say, giving them out is probably the best feeling ever!  I love the Christmas season and giving and giving some more!  I just think it is so awesome to be able to give to others, probably another reason people get entirely too spoiled around this time of year!  I just cannot help myself! 

I mentioned earlier that I finished the Twilight series!  I have to say that Stephanie Meyer is an absolutely awesome writer!  The series is absolutely crazy but it had my attention for 3 weeks!  I have to say it was great and I would suggest it to anyone!  It is not what you think with the whole vampire and werewolf craziness, it is so much more than that!  I strongly suggest you read it!

What did you guys do over the weekend?  Did you do any holiday baking?  How is your holiday shopping coming?  Are you almost done?

XOXO,

Christmas Shopping!

Last night Roommate #1 and I went to work on our Christmas shopping lists.  I would say we did pretty well.  We were gone for about 5 hours and hit TONS of stores.  We went to a local store Apricot Lane, Cost Plus World Market, the Mall, TJ Maxx, and Kohls.  Then we ended the night at one of my favorite places to eat Buffalo Wild Wings!  It was quite the night, and the good news is that I got a few people done!  WOO HOO!

I do have to say that before I was not into TJ Maxx as much BUT after spending a little bit of time in the store it is AWESOME!  I will be going back after Christmas for myself and getting some new snow pants for sure, if not more!  I just could not believe the prices in the store.  They are crazy cheap!  I did buy one thing for myself last night, some ear muffs.  The kind that goes behind your head, the brand is 180s, at TJ Maxx for like $7!  Let me tell you that was a great investment because as we walked out of Kohls last night and it was snowing.  This morning there was probably an inch or two on the ground when I walked to work this morning!

How is the weather in your areas?  I would love to hear about them!  So grab some cocoa and snuggle by the fire and stay warm this Christmas season!

XOXO,

Course 2 Class 1

Tuesday night cake decorating class started up again!  It was super fun!  We made button flowers and pansies.  I have to say the flower thing is a lot harder than it looks!  We did get to play with fondant and gum paste though so that was kind of fun, if I do say so myself.  Surprisingly enough fondant tastes good by itself, it is really sweet but the texture is kind of weird, which is why most people do not like it, especially between the cake and the butter cream!

Here is a picture of the flowers I made.

I used neon fondant in pink and orange.  I definitely thought they would look better than they do together.  Oh well, at least I gave it a shot right?  The pink and purple flowers are my moms.  Hers look awesome!  Next week we are doing roses out of royal icing!  This should be interesting.  My last attempt at roses was really discouraging, but it just takes practice.  I cannot wait until we do the lily though.  That is going to be super exciting I do believe!

In other news, I have started Breaking Dawn, the final book in the Twilight Saga.  I have to say that the books are so well written that it makes it hard to want to be finished with the series, but then I get to watch the movies, as soon as my DVD player gets repaired.  I had a little string of things, mainly electronics that were breaking last weekend, my DVD player being one of those things.  Luckily, I found a local repair shop that might be able to get the job done so I do not have to ship it off to the manufacturer.  Hopefully it ends up being cheaper as well!  We shall see.

Other than that it has been pretty quiet around the home front.  Everyone in the house is preparing for the Christmas holiday; we have a whole present room between the 3 of us.  It’s pretty sweet actually!  I need to get on my wrapping.  I love wrapping presents, it is just so awesome, the bad part is when I run out of things to wrap I want to go shopping for more presents and that is not always so easy on the budget!

How are you guys preparing for the holiday?  Are you done shopping?  Have not even started yet?  Anyone doing any holiday baking?  I would love to hear!

XOXO,

Weekend Recap

This last weekend I participated in the craft fair at the Festival of Trees in Billings, Montana.  It went ok.  Not the best show ever, but who am I to say I have only done 2 shows in my entire crafting career, so I am chalking it up to inexperience and just getting to know the venues a little better.  Trying to keep it positive, I will try to do the show again next year and see if it is any better.

Here is what my table looked like. It needs some improvement.

My goal for the next craft fair season is to have more inventory and another line, something flashier and eye catching to bring the customers into my booth.  I would also like to get some card shelving, like you see in the stores, but a smaller tabletop version to start out with.  We shall see what I can find.  Right now those are my ideas for improvement, do you have any suggestions for my table?  I would really appreciate any input from you!

So the craft fair was Saturday, so Friday I spent the evening setting up and making sure I had everything ready to go for the day.  Then Sunday I went Christmas Shopping!  It was really fun.  I spent 4 hours of my day shopping and I got SOOOO much done!  It really should have been IMPOSSIBLE to go to that many stores in 4 hours, but the good news is I made a HUGE dent in my shopping list, so that makes me feel a lot better!

Tomorrow we resume our cake decorating class!  That is super exciting!  I cannot wait for that to start again!  Christmas is coming up so fast I can hardly believe that is December 2011 already, it feels like it should just be getting to the 4^th of July or something!  Here at SkyleRae’s we have big plans for 2012, so stay tuned!

How were your weekends? Any craft fairs or anything exciting? Let me know, I would love to hear from you!

XOXO,

I Suppose I Should...

…Update you on what is going on in the life of SkyleRae.  It has been rather quiet around here lately.  We had the Thanksgiving holiday, Black Friday, and now I have a craft fair on Saturday that I am trying to prepare for.

I have also recently become addicted to the Twilight Saga.  I am already on book 3: Eclipse.  I held out for so many years and then Roommate #1 asked if I wanted to go to Breaking Dawn Part I.  I went more or less for something to do.  Turns out I really liked it, and now have been feverishly reading the books.  Twilight and New Moon arrived from Netflix this week, so I will have that to watch after I finish reading the books, which from the looks of things will not be very long.

I have to say the books are very well written.  Stephanie Meyer really knows how to invoke emotion of the reader.  So far she has invoked anger, sadness, happiness, pretty much EVERY emotion you can think of.  I really enjoy that the story is told from Bella’s (the human’s) point of view, which I think is what makes it relatable and SO GOOD!  So if you have not partaken in the Twilight Saga, I would recommend that you do.

I had an excellent Thanksgiving.  I had family come from all over to celebrate.  So that was really nice.  Then we did the whole Black Friday thing at Midnight, which I was against at first and then realized it was the only time my aunt could go so we went.  I spent a whopping $60.  I got a luggage set for $50, a set of pans for roommate #2 for $6, and then a coffee for $4.  Yep. That was the extent of my Black Friday shopping.  My aunt and mother went nuts though.  That was good for them I suppose.  I ended up being up for 36 of 38 hours between Thursday and Friday.  Not the smartest thing I ever did.

I decorated this cake for one of my cousins that came over.  That was fun and she really liked it! 

We resume taking cake decorating classes next week.  Our instructor went to Hawaii to celebrate her 30^th wedding anniversary so we took this week off!  HOORAY!  I am excited for Course 2: Flowers and Cake Design.  I guess we make flowers the entire time and then decorate a cake in the final class.  This should be super fun.  I am super excited for this, I want to learn more flowers and how to design a cake.  So I am super excited for class to start again.  

The craft fair on Saturday is the Festival of Trees at The Shrine Auditorium.  It should be a good craft fair to participate in.  I will be selling cards, gift tags, mini cards, flat cards and then some cupcakes that my mom and I have decorated.  So if you are in the Billings, Montana area you should come check it out. 

What else have I been up to?  Well not a whole lot to be honest.  Trying to get Christmas shopping done, preparing for the craft fair and reading, yep that is about it.  Nothing too exciting.  I will try to get pictures up this time of the craft fair setup.  I hope everyone is having a great holiday season! 

XOXO,