#Summertime #Pasta Salad & #ColeSlaw #Recipe

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Ok this one is really a good 2 in one deal. Although I do not have a picture for the cole slaw. I just wanted to share it because it is the dressing that is used for the pasta salad!

So you know me. I am far from a professional chef/food photography ect. A lot of my recipes are literally dump and go but I try my best to keep track of what I use.  I made this pasta salad for a BBQ/Pool Party last night and it was a HIT!

So to start- the dressing this is a basic Cole Slaw Dressing:

1/2 cup mayo

1/2 cup sour cream

1/4 cup white vinegar

1/4 cup sugar

dash if salt

dash of pepper

dash of onion powder

dash or two of celeray seeds

 

So the sugar start small and add to your level of sweetness- if you like a more sweet sauce you can use more then 1/4 cup but I found that was sweet enough for us. Mix all those together and let chill for at least an hour (can chill for up to 24 hours!)

Now- this dressing can be used in a cole slaw- either buy a bag of cole slaw mix this amount makes a little more than needed- Or get to chopping! Chop that cabage- get some chopped carrots. You can easily double the dressing to make more for a larger serving.

The salad:

1 box of rotini noodles

cucumbers

carrots (diced up or buy a bag of shredded carrots)

Tomatoes

(Other options for veggies would be gr pepper and broccoli- have fun with it!)

Cook the noodles according to the directions and let chill completely. Start chopping up veggies! The fun thing about this is- the amounts are really up to you and what your family likes! You could probably even add some shredded chedder cheese or colby jack. Pasta salads are really easy to make your own!  Once you get all that chop let chill until ready to serve. Add the cole slaw dressing when you are ready to eat and enjoy!

Now another option:

To the dressing add 1/2 tbsp of White Chocolate Raspberry Honey Mustard and mix well. This will give it a unique sweet/tang twist. You don’t want to use to much because you are already using vinegar/oil but this Honey Mustard is so full of flavor that a little bit goes a long way on any recipe.  This is a product that is sold by The Cocoa Exchange so check it out HERE!

ENJOY!

 

 

~The above recipe contains a link to a site where I do make commission off of any sales. I am not paid any extra for posting this. these are my own and personal opinions. ~

Strawberry Ice Cream Cake #DIY #recipe

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So this year for my son’s 14th birthday, as always, I asked him what kind of cake he wanted. At first he was like “why do we have to have a birthday?” So I said we have always had cake! He jokingly said a Strawberry Ice Cream cake thinking I would be like… nope… not happening.  But instead he got a- ok I will figure it out. He didn’t take me seriously until I bought the stuff a few days prior.

Now there are 2 things I learned during this process- 1- I am not perfect at makin cakes look pretty- so if anyone has tips for not getting the wrinkles I would gladly take them.  The second thing was- Don’t put the strawberries on top until you are ready to serve- they were as hard as a rock.

Now this is not 100% made from scratch- I am totally not that good lol. So here is what I bought:

1 package of Pillsbury Strawberry Cake Mix

1 jar of hot fudge

1 package of oreos

2 pints of Strawberry Ice Cream

I did not take step by step because it is all rather self explainatory. Also I didn’t know how it would turn out. So above is the cake as a whole (see those wrinkles lol).

First I made the Pillsbury cake mix according to the direction on the box- I took about 1.5-2 cups of the mix and put it in a 9 inch pie pan to form a thin layer for the bottom. Baked at 350 for about 15 minutes (toothpick test!).  Bonus cake! There will be so much extra cake left- I just put it in a 9X11 casserole dish and baked it until it was done- we just ate it over the next few days but you could serve it as an option for those who can’t have dairy.

Place the cake layer in a spring form pan lined with syran wrap. Freeze for at least 2 hrs

This is where it will get repeatitive.

Let the strawberry ice cream soften- Thinly slice strawberries and place around the edge of the cake standing upright against the pan. Then carefully spread about half the pint (or more if you wish) ontop of the cake. Freeze for at least 2 hours.

Slightly Warm up the hot fudge and spread a generous layer on top of the ice cream- crush the oreos and spread on top of the fudge. You guess it….. FREEZE. This time I let it freeze over night.

Add your last layer of Ice Cream- I used a little over the half pint (which is why 2 pints is needed) and then you guessed it……… FREEZE- again I let this layer freeze over night. But I am sure as long as you give it at least a good 2-3 hrs you will be fine.

When you are ready to serve- take strawberry halves and form a circle around the top (see above picture). Drizzle some hot fudge- sprinkle more of the crushed oreos-  Then remove the cake from the pan and the syran wrap. And serve!

This cake is more time consuming then anything but it is well worth it- I am not being asked if I could do a peanut butter cup ice cream cake for my daughters birthday. I may have created monsters!

 

Why #TheCocoaExchange

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3 years ago I was introduced to a company called The Cocoa Exchange. At the time it was called Dove Chocolate Discoveries but I will get to that in a moment.  I purchased some seasonings and instantly fell in love- a few orders later I was hooked and selling the products myself!

So what is the deal with the products you say? Well- for one there is a subtle hint of cocoa in EVERYTHING. You read that right- I cook with chocolate and no one ever knows! They love the flavor of my meals and ask for recipes and when I tell them they are shocked. They reason is because they use ingredients like cocoa liqoure or cocoa powder- so you are not getting a full on candy bar taste. Just a little subtle sweet to compliment the savory side of life. That is when I discovered

 

Yep- It has grown up on me. Or maybe I just grew up who knows. Either way I love it. My customers love it and my family and friends love to see what I come up with next.

One misconception is that you need special recipes. I am often ask what would you make with that- can you send me some recipes. To which I say- what wouldn’t you use it in! Take our honey mustard for example. It is a White Chocolate Raspberry Honey Mustard. You do not need any special recipes. Use it in things you would use mustard in to begin with! Deviled Eggs, Egg Salad, Potato Salad, Grilled Chicken, Pasta Salad…. I could go on!

So why a direct sales company? Well for one I have flexibility. We live out in the county- I drive my kids to a school 20 miles away. That also leaves for a lot of driving to other towns for activities. But this company was just different. The pay scale was really good. I also liked how EVERYONE starts each month at 25% for their commissions, no matter what level they are at in the business. That, and, in order to get any extra commission from downlines or anything YOU yourself have to reach certain amount of sales. So everyone is equal in this company.

Not only that but they recognize that those looking to work with them are trying to better their family life. So they often give us incentives for things like free products when new ones roll out, free catalogs, free table cloths ect. They actually GIVE YOU the tools to be SUCCESSFULL. And every day there is some sort of training call that you can participate in. I have been with a few DS companies and those did not do that. I am successful because they want US to be. They want that so much that remember how I said we used to be Dove Chocolate Discoveries? Well they wanted to stand out from our sister company and did a name change and rebranding to help us!

Since joining TCE (The Cocoa Exchange) I have been able to have my daughter join dance and take riding lessons. My son has been able to join a Robotics team. My husband was able to go from working 3 jobs to 2 and in 5 years (when my kids graduate HS) all our debt will be gone. My goal is to get him down to working 1 job and hopefully pay that debt off sooner!

My other why:

Yeah you see that picture right. FREE TRIPS! One year it was Hawaii this year was St. Kitts.  Next May I hope to join my fellow curators in the Grand Cayman- Oh and I suppose maybe take my hubby with as a birthday gift to him.

I would love to help you acheive your why. Grow your own business. Be indepent. Be Successful.  So if you are interested in being your own boss while having fun and enjoying amazing food the please fill out the contact form below and I will get back with you!

Here are some links to help you learn more:

Join Page: http://www.mytcesite.com/pws/sweetcountrychaos/tabs/join.aspx
VIP Group on FB: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1917040015196288/
Product page: http://www.mytcesite.com/Pws/SweetCountryChaos/store/TCEEPS/default.aspx?eid=

 

 

 

 

~The above thoughts are my own and honest opinion. I am a rep for this company and make a commission off of sales. I was not paid extra for posting this- I did this because I truly believe in myself and the company and my why. ~

Honey Garlic #Chicken Stir Fry #Recipe

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Wow it has been awhile. Life has been crazy and keeping up with it has been entertaining. I am spending the summer home with my kids and have thought to get to posting on here. I finally have a reason to. The other day I found a recipe for a Honey Garlic Chicken Stire Fry- and thought I would give it a shot- I normally would link up to the original recipe however, it’s been awhile and I honestly have no clue which of the many I went with lol.

I can tell you though- our family of 4 DEVOURED this. We did not have ANY left overs! I was rather surprised. Normally I can cook something like this and I am eating it as left overs for the next several days. Now- I am not your typical food blogger- I like to be realistic on my blog and food never lasts long to take a decent shot. But I promise this tastes amazing! One thing to note- my kids like more of a sauce- so if you like more meat and veggies- lower the liquid amounts by 1/4 and adjust the starch accordingly.

But enough with the talk here is my take on a Honey Garlic Chicken Stir Fry!

Ingredients:
Directions:
  1. In a large pan heat up 1 tbsp of oil- saute broccoli until just about tender and caramelized (about 4-5 minutes) remove and set aside
  2. In the same pan add another tablespoon of oil and some of the chicken- it is easiest to cook the chicken in batches- when the 1st batch is just about done sprinkle with a little of the Cocoa Seasoning to finish cooking. Repeat with remaining chicken.
  3. While chicken is cooking mix together the soy sauce, honey, water, and sesame oil in one bowl- the 2 tbsp of cornstarch with 2 tbsp of water in another.
  4. Once all chicken is cooked add the garlic and broccoli and saute for about a minute. Then add the sauce and corn starch mixture to the pan. Let simmer for a few minutes for the sauce to thicken.
Serve with rice, garnish with sesame seeds if you wish, and enjoy!

Honey Garlic #Chicken Stir Fry #Recipe

Number of servings: 4

See more about Edamam on

Honey Garlic #Chicken Stir Fry #Recipe

Ingredients

  • Olive Oil
  • 2 cups of broccoli
  • 4-5 chicken breasts (sm-md size)
  • 6 minced cloves of garlic
  • 3/4 cup soy sauce
  • 3/4 cup honey
  • 3/4 water
  • 3 tsp sesame oil
  • Sweet N Spicy Cocoa Seasoning (to taste)
  • 2 tablespoons cornstarch

Instructions

  1. In a large pan heat up 1 tbsp of oil- saute broccoli until just about tender and caramelized (about 4-5 minutes) remove and set aside
  2. In the same pan add another tablespoon of oil and some of the chicken- it is easiest to cook the chicken in batches- when the 1st batch is just about done sprinkle with a little of the Cocoa Seasoning (if using) to finish cooking. Repeat with remaining chicken.
  3. While chicken is cooking mix together the soy sauce, honey, water, and sesame oil in one bowl- the 2 tbsp of cornstarch with 2 tbsp of water in another.
  5. Once all chicken is cooked add the garlic and broccoli and saute for about a minute. Then add the sauce and corn starch mixture to the pan. Let simmer for a few minutes for the sauce to thicken.
~This post does contain a link for a seasoning that I sell. I am a rep for a company and do make commissions off of orders placed- No other form of compensation is exchanged- the above thoughts are my own. ~

 

2018 Holiday Gift Guide

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We are now looking into our 2018 Holiday Gift guide! Here are some ideas of what we can promote for you:

Clothing, books, arts & crafts, things for him, things for her, tweens, experiences (concerts/plays) , kitchen items, and foods.

Who will be doing the review- Myself, my husband (so things for her and him) my kids an 11 year old girl (will be 12 shortly after Christmas) and a 13 year old boy

What we offer:

Review Only- Company sends a product or two for us to review- must be full sized. A social media blast will go out when product is received plus at least one other blast of product in use, company will be tagged. A blog post containing the review of the product- including original photos of the product- links to your site and social media. Blog post will also be promoted on social media .

Review and Giveaway- All of the above- plus a second post containing the giveaway- giveaway will run from November 20th-November 30th.  The shipment of the prize is the responsibility of the company (do not send an extra product to us for the prize we will not be responsible for shipping to the winner). Winner information will be collected and sent on to you for the shipment. Entries include following on any social media you choose and signing up for your news letter as well as browsing your site and referring the giveaway to others.

If you are interested in being featured please fill  out the below form (or click here) 

 

15 years and a small break at The Pines

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Sunrise at The Pines Resort and Campground in Deer River MN

It has been such a crazy year! I went back to working part time- It works out great because I don’t have to make a gazillion trips into town. Still doing my hustle of chocolate with The Cocoa Exchange and that is going good. Now the goal of getting back into blogging.

There is one thing this year that is major. The Popo and I celebrated 15 years! I have been told we are not normal but I am ok with that. We celebrated our 15 years at a resort  a friend bought off of Lake Winnibigoshish in Minnesota.

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A Refuge Assured #bookreview #ArefugeAssured #NetGalley

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I love a good Historical Fiction book. For my new readers I am HUGE on history. I love it. I love learning about the different era’s and I love books that take those and tell a story. One of my favorite authors is Jocelyn Green. There is just something about her writing that draws me and keeps me wanting more!

So who is Jocelyn Green? Well here is a little blip from her “About” section on the website

Jocelyn Green inspires faith and courage as the award-winning and bestselling author of numerous fiction and nonfiction books, including The Mark of the King; Wedded to War; and The 5 Love Languages Military Edition, which she coauthored with bestselling author Dr. Gary Chapman. Her books have garnered starred reviews from Booklist and Publishers Weekly, and have been honored with the Christy Award, the gold medal from the Military Writers Society of America, and the Golden Scroll Award from the Advanced Writers & Speakers Association. She graduated from Taylor University in Upland, Indiana, with a B.A. in English, concentration in writing. She loves Mexican food, Broadway musicals, Toblerone chocolate bars, the color red, and reading on her patio. Jocelyn lives with her husband Rob and two children in Cedar Falls, Iowa.

A Refuge Assured is her newest book taking place during the French Revolution. From the book:

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The 365 Journey ~ Day 11 & 12

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Yikes! What a whirlwind! Both kiddos are sick. Stomach bug has officially hit our house. Little Man started it Wednesday night so I spent the night on an old uncomfortable couch because we really only have 1 bathroom on the main floor of our house.  I kept Little Miss home from school yesterday because they had a late start and if I would have come down with it while she was at school would have no way of getting her home. But life played a trick on me- Little Miss was next in line. As the day went on she was fading fast. Thankfully she has not thrown up yet, but has had the fever and the blah stomach, and headaches.  Needless to say- both are home from school again today, on on the mend, and one fighting it. Essential Oils are going and on our feet. I even used lysol on EVERYTHING. As bad as I feel for Little Man having the brunt of it. I really hope that a little blah feeling is the worse for everyone else. I am hoping the oils I am diffusing and putting on our feet help. So here is how our day today is looking:

In other news- Why must owning an old house cost so much? Here I was hoping in 2018 we could catch a break, pay down some of our debt (still hoping the thing I entered on Ellen will be a blessing and we would be selected to win) and get ahead. But we just got word that the thing we need to update in our house sooner than later will cost us about $10,000! That is the plumbing. See our plumbing is ancient. Like pretty sure original to the house ancient. Cast Iron, leaking, patched here and there with band aid fixes, ancient. So to fix the upstairs bathroom that has been pretty much gutted (the only thing they left in there was the toilet so at least we have that for middle of the night needs), add a bathroom up there (so there will be a main bath and then a master bath) and update all the plumbing to the current bathroom and kitchen. That isn’t including updating the fixtures in the current main bath, the flooring for either bathroom, or the vanity in the 2 upstairs bathrooms.

On the plus side- the Bathrooms and the heating/air are the most expensive updates we need to do at this time. Eventually we would love to update the kitchen but at the time we bought our house that was the most recent update so it is last on our list. We do need to fix up the 3rd floor. Yes I said 3rd floor. The electrical is the old knob and tube wiring so that needs updating adn there are 2 bedrooms and a main living space that needs minor updating. but since there is currently no ac/heat up there it is low on our list. So much to do, and I wonder if it will ever get done. I am sure at some point we should replace all the windows since that was done in the 90’s some time. Someday we will get this house to it’s formal glory. Know any contest I can enter to help get there sooner than later?

 

The 365 Journey ~ Day 9 & 10

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Warning- today is a day I am struggling. Maybe it is the blah weather. I am frustrated at our house, at our finances. I just can’t help but to think enough already! What I would give to have a house that we can invite people over and not have plumbing and wires and insulation showing through the ceilings and walls! What walls we do have are an ugly green color from us stripping off a gazillion layers of wall paper, with a ton of white painted here and there from the dry wall mud from us trying to seal up the cracks and the holes (plaster walls gotta love them). I look at our house and think:

WHAT THE HELL DID WE GET INTO?!?!?!?

We totally knew this was a fixer upper. But to the extent that it is. sheesh. I swear the people who owned it before us just did band aid fixes. It is a never ending cycle. We have a rare find- a house built in the early 1900’s with 7 bedrooms. We still have original woodwork. Normally houses from this era are a- not this big and b- gutted by now. I bet it was stunning in its glory youth. I hope we can get it there at some point, and hopefully sooner than later.

On the plus side yesterday and today have been (will be) gorgeous! 50’s is a good temp! It gave the kids a chance to be outside and get some fresh air. I also finally got my menu planning done. Tonight’s meal- Chili! We are suppose to go from 56 today to single digits by tomorrow morning. It is going to drop fast so I thought it was fitting. Tomorrow will be left overs since Thursdays are our crazy day. Friday will be a lasagna made in a slow cooker. Saturday is my son’s first robotics competition so we will be gone all day.

My business is slowly starting to pick up. I am looking for some people to host a Cooking with Cocoa event this month. This is where I introduce The Cocoa Exchange to you and your friends, share the health benefits of cocoa, and recipes. So if you are interested in one let me know! We have double host rewards this month so it is a great time to get even more free products!

How is your 365 Journey going?

The 365 Journey ~ Day 5-8

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Oh my goodness this weekend was CRAZY! I did not blog at all. Seriously this was suppose to help me stay on track!

So this weekend was my daughter’s birthday. Friday we celebrated by taking her to dinner at a pizza place, we then went to see Star Wars. OMG that is a good movie! It leaves it open for another one! It makes me wonder why the sudden push of movies for them over the past several years. Like the original 3 came out then nothing for YEARS and all of a sudden we are filling in the gaps. Don’t get me wrong I love it! My kids love it! Anyway- we get home and my daughter opened her few presents- she got a telescope and some astronomy books. Now if only the clouds will clear out!

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