Zesty Italian Pasta Salad

Don't forget to enter the Martha Stewart Stencils Giveaway!

I love a good pasta salad, and down here in the hot South, I prefer to make one that is not mayonnaise-based for our outdoor cookouts. This is my favorite one and it is always a crowd pleaser.

Ingredients:

• 1 lb. Rotini Pasta
• 1 Packet Good Seasonings Italian Dressing (dry mix)
• 4 oz. Mini Turkey Pepperoni
• 8 oz. Asiago Cheese, diced (can also substitute Provolone)
• 1 Green Bell Pepper
• 1 Red Bell Pepper
• 3/4 Cup Olive Oil (not Extra Virgin)
• 1/4 Cup Balsamic Vinegar
• 2 1/2 Teaspoons Dried Oregano
• 1 Teaspoon Dried Parsley
• 2 Tablespoons Parmesan Cheese, Grated
• Salt to Taste

Directions:

• Cook pasta al dente according to directions on package (in salted water).
• Drain and rinse with cold water.
• Place pasta in a large bowl and mix in packet of italian dressing.
• Add cheese, pepperoni, and peppers.
• Cover bowl and refrigerate for about an hour for flavors to blend.
• Prepare dressing: In a medium bowl, combine olive oil, balsamic vinegar, oregano, parsley, parmesan cheese, and salt. Whisk together until well combined.
• Pour dressing over salad, blend together well and serve!

Places I'm Partying:

Martha Stewart Stencils Giveaway

I have slacked a bit on my blogging this summer with vacation and trying to entertain 2 kids all day (while keeping some shred of sanity). But now that school is back in session (with my oldest starting Kindergarten!), I am planning to get to all the projects I have on my "to-do" list, which, ironically, includes a "to-do" list.  And to kickoff my renewed sense of craftiness......a GIVEAWAY!

I found a great deal on this set of Martha Stewart Crafts Decorative Stencils, so I bought one for myself and one for a lucky reader! It includes:

• 48 3.5 inch x 4 inch stencils
• 1" Letters (2 Each of Alphabet, 4 Each of A, E, I, R)
• Numbers 0-9
• 6 Decorative Elements

My first project is going to be a set of monogrammed cloth napkins. Good luck!

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Sharing this giveaway at these great parties:
www.sumossweetstuff.com
www.keepingitsimplecrafts.com
www.linesacross.com
www.serendipityandspice.com
www.bacontimewiththehungryhungryhypo.blogspot.com
www.thenymelrosefamily.com
www.somedaycrafts.blogspot.com
www.happyhourprojects.com
www.oneartmama.blogspot.com
www.onecreativemama.com

Jitters Pillow

When I was a little girl at summer camp, I used fabric crayons to make a special pillowcase for my Mom. Whenever my son has a sleepover at Grandma's house, he always wants that pillowcase. When my Mom came to visit recently, she brought a white pillowcase and fabric markers for my son to make his own.

At our "Meet the Teacher" night, my son's new Kindergarten teacher gave each student a small bag of blue "Jitter Glitter" to sprinkle on their pillows the night before school started so they would sleep well and not have "jitters" about starting Kindergarten.
So we decided to make a "Jitters Pillow" with the "Jitter Glitter" sprinkled inside.
(Bonus: keeps the glitter contained)

What You Need:

• Pillowcase
• Fabric markers
• Stencils (we used cookie cutters and shapes cut from cardboard)
• Glitter

 

How To Make It:

Let your child use his/her imagination and color away!! My son wanted a pillowcase to make his dreams come true, so he wanted the word "DREAM" with a moon and stars. I drew the "DREAM" and he colored it in. He used my starfish cookie cutter and a moon shape I cut out of cardboard to outline

Let the marker dry and at bedtime, sprinkle in the magic "Jitter Glitter" so your child will not have any jitters!

SWEET DREAMS!!

Places I'm Partying:

Pool Party Cookies

I am busy working on some craft projects and will post about them shortly, but in the meantime I thought I'd share pictures of some cookies I made for a fun birthday pool party we went to over the weekend!

I used my favorite recipes for cutout cookies:

Best Rolled Sugar Cookies and Sugar Cookie Icing

And my cutters came from www.cheapcookiecutters.com

That's where I got the great cutters for these cookie monster cookies I made recently too!

Places I'm Sharing My Cookies:

Monogram Note Card Gift

Last year, having newly acquired my Cricut, I made my mother-in-law a set of monogrammed note cards for her birthday. This year, she requested some again, so I guess they were a hit! I made a mixture of cards....straight monogram, thank you, hello, etc. so she would have cards for various occasions.

I found a great sale on the sets of blank note cards with envelopes at Michaels, so used those rather than making my own (the set of 6 black ones with envelopes was only $0.99!). For everything else, I just used scrapbook card stock I had on hand.

Note cards are easy to make (assuming you have a die-cutting machine) and are a thoughtful, personalized gift. So if you see a great deal on note card sets, snatch some up and keep them on hand so you can quickly make a great hostess gift or birthday present.

     

Places I'm Partying:

Cream Cheese Filled Snickerdoodles

I was planning to make a cookie tray for a party I was attending and wanted to try a new cookie recipe. Like many other "Pinheads", I went straight to Pinterest and searched for "the best cookies ever" or something like that. I pretty much started drooling when I saw these Cream Cheese Filled Snickerdoodles from Cookies and Cups. My search for "the best cookies ever" did not disappoint!

What You Need:
Cookies:

• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 1 cup salted butter, softened
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 2 3/4 cups all purpose flour
• 2 tsp cream of tartar
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• Cinnamon-Sugar Mix (mix 1/4 cup sugar w 2 teaspoons cinnamon)

Filling:

• 8 oz. cream cheese, softened
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 2 teaspoons vanilla

Instructions:

1. Make filling by mixing cream cheese, sugar and vanilla.  Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
2. Cream butter and sugar together until fluffy.
3. Add eggs and vanilla and mix well.
4. Mix in flour, cream of tartar, baking soda and salt, using low speed.
5. For each cookie, roll 1 tablespoon of dough into a ball and flatten into a disk approx. 2 inches diameter. Repeat - will need 2 discs for each cookie.
6. Place 1 teaspoon of cold cream cheese mixture in middle of one disc, then place other disc on top, pressing down around edges to seal. Next, carefully roll into a ball and roll in cinnamon sugar mix.
7. Put cookie on plate and refrigerate. After making each one, put in refrigerator. It is important that these cookies stay cold before baking.
8. Once all cookies have been made, allow them to chill for at least 15 minutes.
9. While cookies are chilling, preheat oven to 400 degrees.
10. Bake on parchment-lined cookie sheet for 8-10 minutes, leaving about 2 inches between cookies.
11. Cool on wire rack.
12. Once cool...place several on a plate for people to taste and "oooh" and "aaah" over. Then hide the rest of the cookies so you can eat them yourself. Yes...they are that good. 

Places I'm Partying: