Tuesday, April 21, 2015

Mini Ham Cup Omelets



 
I have made these a few times lately for Bridal Showers and brunches with friends and they are always super popular and very cute too!
 
 HAM CUP OMELETS
 
Ingredients (Makes 12):
 
Pam Olive (or vegetable) Oil Spray
12 Ham Slices
Diced Green Peppers & Onions, sautéed in butter
8-10 Eggs
Splash of Milk
Salt and Pepper
Picante Sauce (or Chunky Salsa)
Cheddar Cheese
Green Onions Diced
Standard Muffin Tin
 
Directions:
Preheat Oven to 350 degrees
Spray muffin tin
Place ham slice in each muffin tin
Sprinkle a bit of pepper and onion mix in each ham cup
Beat eggs, milk, and salt & pepper in bowl together (like you would for scrambled eggs)
Pour egg mix into each cups
Put a dollop of Picante Sauce in each cup (this is what actually gives these flavor, they are a little bland without the Picante. Salsa and hot sauce work well too)
Top with Cheddar cheese and green onions
Bake 25-35 minutes, until eggs are cooked through
Let cool a bit before removing to a platter or plate
 
The above recipe is the best, easiest, and most poplar version I make of these. But I do make some other versions too.
 
HAM CUP OMELETS 2 (Caprese Ham Cup Omelets)
 
Ingredients (Makes 12):
 
Pam Olive (or vegetable) Oil Spray
12 Ham Slices
Diced Spinach Leaves
8-10 Eggs
Splash of Milk
Garlic Powder, Salt and Pepper
Diced Bacon
Diced Tomato
Mozzarella Cheese
Fresh Basil, chopped
Standard Muffin Tin
 
 
Directions:
Preheat Oven to 350 degrees
Spray muffin tin
Place ham slice in each muffin tin
Sprinkle a bit spinach in each ham cup
Beat eggs, milk, and seasonings in bowl together (like you would for scrambled eggs)
Pour egg mix into each cups
Sprinkle Bacon and Tomato in egg mix
Top with Mozzarella Cheese
Top with Basil
Bake 25-35 minutes, until eggs are cooked through
Let cool a bit before removing to a platter or plate
 
There also reaches a point in my omelet ham cup prep where I just start to throw everything in the cups. Bacon, peppers & onions, Picante sauce, cheddar and mozzarella.... Just throw it all in there. It turns out good, especially with the Picante or salsa in there. I have also made some without the ham slice liner for vegetarians. These are also gluten-free (just check the individual ingredients you use.)
 
 
They were the main protein dish at these bridal shower.
(They are on the round platter, more on the platter with the grapes, and more cooling back on the stovetop.)
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Monday, April 13, 2015

Wedding Veil Favors and Decor for Bridal Showers and Bachleorette Parties




One of my best friends is getting married on Saturday! I am a Bridesmaid so I have had the honor of helping with the wedding and throwing her some fun parties! I briefly wrote about her Cinderella Bridal Shower already http://www.berriesofwisdom.blogspot.com/2015/03/cinderella-bridal-shower.html, but I wanted to make another quick post about some cute favors I made for her Bachelorette Party over the weekend.




This whole idea started because I originally wanted little flasks for all the girls, but that is very expensive. So then I wanted little empty mini bottles and was going to fill them up myself, but that also seemed expensive and my friend Amy didn't like the idea of giving 17 girls 3 oz. of booze each to carry around in their purse... And then we decided that water is more of a necessity during Bachelorette Party shenanigans.

 
These were so cute. All I used was white tulle (from the dollar-store), white ribbon (dollar-store), and I found the little dresses at the dollar-store. I would have cute a dress out from the Cricut paper cutter too, or you just do the veil alone on any bottle and it'd be adorable! And a hot-glue gun. I'm really into my hot glue gun these days....
 
 

 The little bottle in the front is full of Bourbon, that one was for the Bride.
 

 
We also made little survival kits for the all the girls at the party full of everything you might need on a night out: band-aids (which we used quite a few of), hair-tie holders, ibuprofen, mints, granola bars, etc. and we put a crystal light energy packet in each bag too to go in the water.
 
 
 

 
These would be cute at a Bridal Shower too, even at a wedding. Or you could just add the veil and/or dress to little mini-bottles of alcohol too. Or anything. Lotions, soap, etc.










Tuesday, April 7, 2015

Kid's Fun Necklace for Airplane Ride, Road Trip, or Movie Treat


I first made one of these necklaces 3 years ago! These are old, not super good-quality photos, but this is one of my popular pins on Pinterest. Super easy and fun.

My kids and I will make these together, that's a fun activity in itself. Then we usually save them for when we go on a long plane ride or road trip, or sometimes to the movies. It will really keep them entertained on a plane, and quiet too (since their mouth is full). One of my kids take the time to eat the snacks in an order, which takes even more time! My other kid does care and just chows down.

GOOD TREATS TO USE (anything with a center, really)
 
  • Twist pretzels
  • Gummy Lifesavers (I don't want the little one to choke on a hard candy)
  • Mini Fudge Stripe Cookies
  • Fruit Loops, Apple Jacks, any round cereal. (The kids love a variety)
 
I will store the treat necklace in a big Ziploc bag until we use it, to maintain some freshness. And we usually only make them a few days in advance too. Good luck and have making this, and eating this fun necklace, with your kiddos!

Sunday, March 22, 2015

Cinderella Bridal Shower

 
 


My bestest friend from college, Julie is getting married! Whoo-hoo! I am so very excited for her, especially since I helped set her up with her fiancé, Wayne. Julie has loved Cinderella since she was a little girl and before she was even engaged (she might not have even had a boyfriend at the time....) but  I decided that when the day came for her to get married,I would throw her a beautiful Cinderella themed bridal shower.




 Cinderella's Glass Slippers (filled with Sixlets candy)


This tray of party favors and candy is one of my favorite things at the party. I just think the mice and treat bags turned out SO CUTE!
 
 
I am so happy with how everything turned out for this party. It was so cute and fun and exactly what I envisioned. My friends Adrienne and Amy helped me set up the party, and Adrienne helped with a lot of the party details too.
 
I'm waiting to get all my pictures back from Amy, who always takes great pictures of my parties. But I was so excited about this, that I couldn't wait to post SOMETHING! I'll do some follow up posts with all the décor, how-to's of how and what I did, recipes and everything else.
 
 
 
 
 


 

Clementines and a little celery stick make an adorable pumpkin! I think I would make these for a Halloween party too.
 

The food was beautiful and delicious! The main protein dish were Ham Cup Omelets, you can find the recipe here http://berriesofwisdom.blogspot.com/2015/04/mini-ham-cup-omelets.html. Stay tuned and I will post how-to's and recipes from this shower!
 
 

Wednesday, March 11, 2015

Interesting Facts about Uranus....In the Bathroom

Husband and I built our dream home last fall. We moved in mid-December, so we've now been in it almost 3 months!!! It was a crazy, fun, exciting, and sometimes stressful adventure! We also got rid of (most) all of our furniture and décor and started fresh in the new house. Also, fun, exciting, and sometimes stressful (i.e. expensive...). I will post most of the rooms we have done, but I am going to start here with the bathroom. And not even the master bath or anything, but our main level bathroom. I know, I'm weird.
The reason I'm posting this room first is because I think I am clever and funny (Ha ha.) I saw the sign below in a Jimmy Johns bathroom. I thought it was very funny. Because it talks about Uranus, the planet, and its in the bathroom. And even though it only ever mentions Uranus, the planet, I can't help but think of something else that sounds similar and is funny and immature bathroom humor....


My bathroom is decorated in yellow and gray chevron. I wanted the bathroom to be cute, fun, and done in bright colors since the tile, counters, and walls are very light and neutral.


The bathroom set is from Wal-mart. Seriously. I went to every nice home, linen, and décor store and looked online too and then stumbled upon this at good, ole Wal-mart. It was cheap too.  

All that was missing from my fun, bright bathroom was a cute sign with interesting facts about Uranus in coordinating colors.


Size 16x20

(Sorry some of these are not the best quality photos)


 I found Joyful Art Designs shop on Etsy and asked her if she could make the original sign from Jimmy Johns but cute for me. You can find her for yourself at:

She designed a digital print for me in a 16x20 size. I uploaded the digital copy she sent me to my local Costco and I had it printed on a nice canvas. It turned out way better than I ever thought it would. I have now discovered a great new way to create my own unique wall art. (I was originally going to get it printed on nice paper and get it framed, but I couldn't find a yellow 16x20 wall frame like my brain originally envisioned. )

I get a lot of compliments and chuckles for my Interesting Facts about Uranus wall sign. Its a great conversation starter during the parties we have too, so I wanted to share it. Have fun with this and learn something new about the seventh planet from the Sun.



Digital Art designed by: Olivia Snyder, Joyful Art Designs


Wednesday, February 25, 2015

Grandpa's 75th Surprise Rock n' Roll Birthday Party

Last year my Grandpa Paul turned 75 years old! My family and I decided to throw him a huge surprise party for the occasion. Not only was the party itself a surprise, but we also had all his out-of-state kids and most out-of-state grandkids fly in to surprise him just by being here for him! This was the first time in 20 years that all 7 of his kids were in the same place, at the same time together! It was so awesome and I'm so grateful to all those who helped make it possible.
Now since this party had a huge guest list we needed large space for it. Also, we had a large span of ages at this party-from babies an kids (all the great-grandkids had to be there), teenagers, young adults, and all the way up to 75 year old Grandpa! We had to have activities for everyone. We choice a fun bowling alley for this party, there was something there for everyone. They had a big private room that we decorated and had the surprise in. It was perfect for the surprising of Grandpa and for gifts and all the fun party action in. The little kids could go play all the arcade games when they got bored. The adults had plenty of pitchers of beer. We had the private room for two hours, then we all did a few games of bowling. Then after bowling, the adults went to the bar/lounge area of the bowling alley for some awesome birthday karaoke! It was perfect, something for every age and size!
DRESS UP TIME

This was a fun and easy party theme to dress up for! We just told everyone to dress like a rock star or to at least wear their favorite concert or band t-shirt. Even those people that normally would never dress up for a party got in the spirit. I picked up a Pink Floyd t-shirt for my Grandpa so he'd have something to wear when he got there too.

ROCK N' ROLL TABLE CENTERPEICES




I made different guitars with my Cricut paper cutter and glued them on sticks and put them in mason jars full of candy. I also made some 'Rock On' and  'Rock n Roll' signs to put on sticks in jars too.
 I put packs of Pop Rocks Candy all the tables too for décor and a yummy treat. Get it: Pop ROCKS (like rock n' roll....)
And Rock candy in mason jars also. Get it: ROCK candy.... I tried to tie the Rock n' Roll into my candy and treats where I could. I had glow stick necklaces all over the tables too for the kids (and most of the adults) to wear.


 CUPCAKES
These were delicious and adorable! I barely got a picture of them before we ate them all! I love my cake lady, she's amazing! She did Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd (Darkside of the Moon), guitars, and a record with the '75' in the middle on top of the cupcakes. They turned out great!
 My cakes are made by Sprinklebelle Cakes, she's in West Jordan, UT. Check out here webpage here: http://sprinklebellecakes.com/

And check out some of her other cakes she has made for my parties here:
Teddy Bear Picnic Cake
Very Hungry Caterpillar Cake
Pink Lemonade Cake

THE BIG SURPRISE!!

 Grandpa was VERY surprised when he walked in the room! My Aunt Desiree, his youngest daughter, told him she was taking him bowling for his birthday with free passes she got from work. It was a great story and worked out splendidly! However, I'm always a little worried when a big surprise on someone who is getting a little older is in involved...But my grandpa is awesome!

PHOTO BOOTH WALL (AND PHOTO PROPS)

It was very important to us to have a fun way to get lots of photos of everyone. Since so many people came in from out of town and this was also a huge family reunion because it'd been so long since we had all been together in the same place at the same time, we really wanted lots of pictures. I bought a big backdrop of a concert stage from Amazon http://www.amazon.com/Rock-Star-Backdrop-Banner-Background/dp/B004N4XZY2/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1424912858&sr=8-1&keywords=concert+photo+background. It was only $10 and everyone loved taking photos in front of it. I also had lots of props for the pictures too. I got rock n' roll sunglasses and blow-up instruments
and microphones. I brought tons of fun hats that I already had from my hat bin (yes, I have a huge bin full of just hats that I use all too often....) I'm so glad we had the photo wall set up because we now have great pictures of us forever.

 Grandpa and all 7 of his kids together
 Even my baby had her own rock n' roll style t-shirt

Grandpa and some of his Grandkids


We did a little 'Roast' of my Grandpa also where we got up and told funny stories of him. It was really fun and everyone's stories were so different. He opened presents then we headed out to the bowling lanes, and ended the night with some karaoke. It was a great night!



The day following the party my Aunt Desi's good friend who is a photographer came over and took some nice family photos of us. It really was a huge deal that we were all together. My grandpa has 7 kids, 5 of them in Utah, one in Washington and one in New Hampshire. The out-of-towners visit often, but never at the same time. So this was the first time in 20 years they were all together. It was so great to get together for the party and then again for some nice photos the next day without our blue wigs and band t-shirts.



These photos were done by Missy Allen and her husband http://www.photosbytheallens.com/ 
You can check out some of their other work here.
 
 
 
 

Sunday, November 30, 2014

Removing Command Hooks (when the pull tab thing breaks!!)

I love Command hooks, they are very handy. However, after I put away my Christmas decorations last year and while I was taking my Command hooks off the wall, only 1 out of 4 of them came off properly. The tab/strip thing that you pull came off of 3 of them while I was pulling.
 
So, those 3 Command strips hung there for about 10 months until last month while cleaning and packing for a big move for our family, I decided they needed to come off. And they did. All I needed was:
 
 
 
*A Blow-dryer
and
*Dental Floss
 
 
 
Put the dental floss between the hook and wall, on top. Hold blow-dryer to it, you'll heat up the tab part. Slowly pull the floss down while blow drying. Then BAM!!! No more command hook stuck to the wall. Easy-peasy.