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Happy National Cheesecake Day

Cheesecake, the weakness of many, and the best thing to hit the desert scene since cupcakes.  Cheesecake is one of the most amazing "cakes" that can be eaten just about anytime and anywhere.  To celebrate National Cheesecake Day, I've put together a few of my favorite cheesecake recipes that I've found on Pinterest lately.

1.  The Red Velvet Cheesecake:


Source:  Brown Eyed Baker

2.  Triple Lemon Cheesecake:


3.  Chocolate Chip No-Bake Cheesecake:

Source:  The Country Cook

4.  Candy Cane Cheesecake:


.......And last, but always first, the Classic!

5.  Classic Cheesecake:


Source


Follow all of my cheesecake pins on Pinterest



How will you celebrate National Cheesecake Day?

Summer sandwiches

This summer we have been on a crazy sandwich kick.  We have gone to Pinterest for some great ideas and because of the endless supply of links to blogs and websites, our sandwich-making ideas are endless.  Here are a few of our favorites that we enjoy.

• Grilled Margherita Sandwich 
via:  Scout Cooking Club

How to make this sandwich HERE!
Original 'pin' on Pinterest HERE!

• Turkey Reuben Patty Melt

How to make this sandwich HERE!
Original 'pin' on Pinterest HERE!

• Spicy Chicken Sandwich

How to make this sandwich HERE!
Original 'pin' on Pinterest HERE!

• Chicken Salad Sandwich

How to make this sandwich HERE!
Original 'pin' on Pinterest HERE!

• Parmesan Ham and Swiss Crescent Rolls

How to make this sandwich HERE!
Original 'pin' on Pinterest HERE!




Willamette Valley Strawberry Jam (repost)

The Willamette Valley of Oregon is known for it's strawberries and let me tell ya, they have TONS!  We even have a celebration around these parts in honor of the bright, red, delicious wonder.  Over the course of two months, May and June, there is nothing but strawberry stands, painted windows with strawberries and even strawberry shortcake makings in the local grocery stores.  Around this time, yearly, our home seems to find ways to utilize the local ruby treats and this year we found ourselves making a batch of Strawberry Freezer Jam.
A lot of different 'canners' go about making jam in a lot of different ways, but this "freezer jam" way seems to hold true. The funny part about this recipe, it's said to be passed down from grandma to grandma and through the generations in not only Jeff's family, but others as well.

What you'll need:

• 4-6 lbs Ripe Strawberries
• 25-30 clean, washed and dried canning jars with sealing lids
• 3 boxes of fruit pectin 
• 6- 1.5 lb bags of sugar (we used organic sugar)
• 3 cups of hot water
• 2 tbs. Lemon Juice
• A blender or food processor

 First and foremost you need a good harvest of strawberries.  Ones that are a bit over-ripe are the best to work with and seem to give off the most strawberry flavor to the jam.


   

Next you want to remove the stems and wash the berries.  Cutting them up into smaller chucks is optional, but you can leave them whole when you place them into the blender.

I like to use the small end of a melon baller because it wastes less of the "meat" of the strawberry, but other methods can be used.  Such as, a straw?


Once all your stems are removed and any blemishes from the strawberries, combine them into one large bowl and begin adding them to your blender.  You want to blend 3-1/2 cups of strawberries at a time/ per batch.
Once blended they will have the sugar added to them.  You want to combine 4 cups sugar with the crushed berries and stir for about 3-4 minutes to fully combine.  Set aside.


This is a great recipe to combine kids in the kitchen.  Just make sure they don't eat all of your jam before they hit the jars.  :)

While the strawberry/sugar mixture sits and dissolves even more, in a small sauce pan add 1 cup of water and heat on medium/high heat until boiling.  Add the entire box of fruit pectin to the water and stir to dissolve. Once dissolved, boil for another minute and remove from heat.  Immediately add the fruit pectin water to the strawberries/sugar puree and stir for 3 minutes to incorporate the pectin throughout the mixture and help dissolve the sugar granules even more.  At this time you want to add your 2 tbs. of lemon juice and stir to incorporate through the entire mixture.
Pour your puree jam mixture into a measuring cup with a spout and begin filling your clean canning jars, one at a time.




This process is a bit messy so go slow and don't rush with the filling.


Move filled jars back and empties forward to make the process easier so you aren't reaching over already filled jars of jam.

Once all the jars are all filled allow to sit out, uncovered for 8-12 hours.  


We found a label on one of the jar bottoms from 2005 when we made this jam recipe, but made it runny for pancake and muffin syrup.  It was a neat find and made my day because my son was 2 when we made the jam before.  :)


After 12 hours, place on lids and pop into freezer.  This jam keeps for about 1 year in the freezer and up to about 6 months in the refrigerator.  

It goes great on toast, muffins, or even as a PB&J combo.  And it pairs nicely with Greek Yogurt too!

ENJOY!
(Any questions or trouble-shooting please don't hesitate to drop me a line via "CONTACT" option above)

A new AMAZING bag from SAMMYdress (Review)

Oh man!  I received a wonderful handbag from SAMMYdress and let me just say, it has been one of the best handbags I've ever carried.  I broke this wonderful bag in by taking it shopping.


I received the Fashion and Laconic Solid Color Covered Bag For Women in brown.  This handbag is currently on sale on their site for under $12.00!  Unfortunately at the moment, the deep red is sold out, but the deep yellow is available. 


SAMMYdress is a company that contacted me about two week ago to do a review on a product and let the readers of my blog know about them.  Word of mouth through blogging is a great way to market a product, get your name out there, and share ideas and views on items worth buying.  The company of SAMMYdress has been around since 2009 and the head offices are based in Hong Kong, and United Kingdom.  They offer quality products at low prices, including wedding dresses, men and women's fashions, jewelry, and even shoes.

This handbag is one of the many they offer on their site.  Check out the many, MANY handbags they have to offer with prices that won't make you cry later.

And right now Free overnight shipping: Low to $0.75 & Fashion design for Sammydress Wholesite.




Check out these other awesome bags from SAMMYdress:



Preppy Style Casual Women s Tote Bag With PU Leather Solid Color and Covered Closure DesignVintage Style Women s Clutch With Simple Metal and PU Leather DesignCasual Women s Tote With PU Leather Vintage Style Belts and Buckles Design

Casual Women s Tote With PU Leather and Ostrich Patterns Zipper DesignKorean Style Women s Tote Bag With Solid Color and PU Leather DesignCasual Vintage Style PU Leather Women s Tote Bag With Color Block and Zipper Design

Tiny Prints and Graduation



Graduation season is here. Your little one isn't so little anymore and it's time to announce to the world that he or she is finally leaving the asylum...I mean, whatever school they are in.

Congratulations!

Now it's time to announce it in style with classy invitations from Tiny Prints, who is having their best sale of the entire year on graduation announcements and graduation party invitations. From now until May 13, new customers can get 30% off PLUS free shipping!
Here's how to take advantage of this great offer:
  1. Visit Tiny Prints Graduation Page and browse their selection of more than a thousand designs.
  2. Choose the design you like.
  3. Add pictures, customize the text, and make them awesome in your own style (you might want to involve that "little one" too).
  4. When you checkout, use the code GRAD30FS to save 30% and get free shipping (reminder: it's good for new customers only, but if you are a previous customer, you can still save up to 25% using the code GRAD25MAY)
  5. Once you get the cards, announce it to the world. (Make sure to order a few extra as keepsakes, though)