Today was The Littlest Apple’s class Easter Party and Egg Hunt.  For the last few days, I’ve been busily prepping the craft and taking care of last minute party details.  Things went SO smoothly today.  Our best party yet!

I love this craft!  You’ve seen variations of it before: the Heart Suncatchers from last year’s school party and the Rainbow Suncatchers we did with the Art Playgroup (I miss you guys!).  It’s simply 2 pieces of clear contact paper with tissue paper sandwiched between.  For this cross variation, I also added a black construction paper outline to emphasize the shape, and I’m so glad that I did.  The black outline really stands out!  This craft required lots of cutting on my part-28 crosses (1 front, 1 back for 14 kids), the black outline piece, and all of the tissue paper squares.  The results were definitely worth it though.  The kids and moms all loved this one.  It’s great for fine motor skills, too!

They look so beautiful hanging in the window with the sun streaming in.  A perfect little reminder of the true meaning of Easter!

Thanks so much to everyone who entered the Slightly Biased giveaway and thanks again to Jennifer and Slightly Biased for sponsoring The Picky Apple and this great giveaway!

The winner of the 3 Yards Riley Blake Gingham in Red Double Fold Bias Tape is Ashley (ashy_lu05….)!

The winner of the 3 Yards Michael Miller Ta Dot in Minnie Quilting Tape is Heathery (myheehaw…)!

Congrats to both of you!

Thanks again to everyone who entered the giveaway, and thanks to The Picky Apple’s newest sponsor, Slightly Biased.  If you didn’t win, head on over to Jennifer’s shop to get handmade bias tape of your own!

Stay tuned for another giveaway next week!

I spent some time over the weekend adding some spring color to our front flower beds.  I can handle my square foot garden fairly well, but when it comes to flowers (particularly those in the front yard), I seem to have a black thumb.

I planted daisies, begonias, petunias, salvia, and marigolds.  I’m hopeful that I can water them enough (and not too much) and that we’ve got the right amount of sun and shade in the spot where they are planted.

Waiting to be planted….

This evening, I brought in the first the first gardenia bloom from the backyard.  So fragrant!  I love gardenia!

The Littlest Apple and I also enjoyed the first strawberry from my square foot garden.  We’ve had a baby bunny in our backyard munching on strawberries, but I bunny-proofed, and now we’re enjoying the first fruits of the season.  That one little strawberry we had was delicious.  Perfectly ripe and sweeter than any store-bought strawberry I’ve had recently.  Just perfect.  I can’t wait to enjoy more!

Still on my to-do list for spring planting: lavender (didn’t make it through the winter), basil, blueberries, peppers, jasmine, moonflower, 4 o’clocks, and evening primrose.  I’m also hoping to build (okay, ask my husband to build) The Littlest Apple his very own square foot garden.  Then he can dig, plant, and scoop dirt to his little heart’s content.

What kind of spring planting are you doing?

Yesterday was one of those days that was jam packed with plans.  But the day started to unravel before it even really started.  On the schedule: a morning meeting, allergy shots, lunch with a friend, and an afternoon of errands and productivity around the house, all while The Littlest Apple spent a fun day with his grandparents.

What actually occurred?  The morning meeting was cancelled.  The Littlest Apple threw up on me.  He complained about having a headache for the first time EVER in his life.   I cancelled The Littlest Apple’s fun day with the grandparents.  We got in the car, running late already for his last minute doctor’s appointment, only to discover the gas tank was empty and in need of gas.  The pediatrician took one look in his nose and throat and diagnosed him with a sinus infection and strep throat  (she even went so far as to say that his throat looked really awful…no swab test required.  I’m feeling super guilty that I had NO CLUE he was that sick!).  Lunch plans were cancelled.  I had a carpal tunnel flare up preventing me from gripping a pen or typing.  Productivity came to a screeching halt.  I made a huge smoky burned mess in the oven while cooking dinner.  I went to bed without doing the dishes.  Oh, and last night I realized that I forgot to go get my allergy shots.

I am giving myself a huge pat on the back for being very go-with-the-flow about it.  I am NOT a go-with-the-flow person so that was a big accomplishment.  Which is good, because that’s about all I accomplished yesterday.  Ha!

All of that to say…..”Things are nutty around here.  I haven’t had time to work on the longer blog posts I had planned for this week.  Here’s a recipe post I had ready to go.”

How’s that for a recipe intro?

I LOVED the sauce in this recipe, and I think it would be delicious with chicken, shrimp, beef, OR pork.  It’s just that good.  Ours was a bit on the spicy side, so I’ve included some adjustments to the recipe below.  Just make sure you find some salsa verde that is labeled “mild.”  I’d also suggest using every last bit of the dry rub on the meat for the bigger flavor.  This one’s definitely a keeper!

Mexi-Chicken Pasta

adapted from Picky Palate

Ingredients:

• 1 lb pasta (original recipe used campanelle, I used spaghetti, any will work)
• 1/4 teaspoon ancho chile pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/4 teaspoon coarse grind black pepper
• 1 1/2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breast
• 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided
• 1 cup finely chopped white onion
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 1 cup finely chopped sweet peppers (I used one banana pepper)
• 1 cups Salsa Verde, mild
• 1 cup petite diced tomatoes from can
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1/4 cup fresh chopped cilantro

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Cook pasta according to package directions, drain and run under cold water to stop cooking.

Place ancho pepper, smoked paprika, garlic powder, salt and pepper into a small bowl, stirring to combine.  Sprinkle over both sides of chicken, then rub.  Heat 2 tablespoons oil in Dutch oven or large pot over medium heat.  Add chicken cooking until browned on both sides, about 6 minutes each side.  Place pot in oven and continue cooking for 25 minutes.

While chicken is cooking heat 2 tablespoons oil in another Dutch oven or medium pot over medium heat.  Add onions, garlic and sweet peppers, cooking and stirring until tender, about 5 minutes.  Add salsa, tomatoes, cream and cilantro, stirring to combine.  Add cooled pasta back to original large pot and pour sauce over top, stirring to combine. Reduce heat to low, stirring often.

When chicken is cooked through, remove and let rest for 5 minutes.  Cut into slices.  Spoon pasta in serving bowls and top with slices of chicken breast.  Garnish with a sprig of cilantro if desired.

Please join me in welcoming the newest Picky Apple sponsor, Slightly Biased!  Slightly Biased offers beautiful handmade bias tape for all of your sewing projects, using fabrics from Amy Butler, Michael Miller and more!

Here are a few words from Jennifer, the shop owner, about how Slightly Biased got started:

“If you’ve ever bought bias tape from a big-box sewing shop, you know how truly boring it is. There are very few color selections, no prints available, and they are made from poly-cotton blends. They work in a pinch, but I wasn’t satisfied with how they didn’t add anything special to a project that I had already put so much time into. Once I started making my own bias and binding tapes, I was hooked and could never go back. It didn’t take too long to realize that everyone deserves a little special touch to their sewing projects, but not everyone has the time to put into creating their own tapes. Slightly Biased was born to give the sewing community unique, gorgeous, handmade bias tapes without the long, tedious, and precision-necessary work.”

Speaking from personal experience from my quilting days, making your own bias tape is indeed tedious and time consuming (um, especially if you’re sewing by hand, as I was!!), but as Jennifer mentioned, the store-bought options are so boring!  The bias tape offered by Slightly Biased is such a great finishing touch to your sewing projects.  Seeing all of Jennifer’s beautiful bias tapes almost makes me want to run out and start a new quilting project right now!

Here are some projects Jennifer has created using bias tape (all photos are hers!). For more bias tape inspiration, check out Jennifer’s blog, Married to a BMW.

Quilts….

Bibs….

Potholders…

Table Runners….

And here are just a few of Slightly Biased‘s beautiful bias tapes:

Double fold bias tape in a cute Amy Butler fabric

Quilting tape in Riley Blake fabric

Double fold bias tape in a fun and bright Amy Butler fabric
(Looooooove this fabric!!!)

Great stuff right?!  I’m sure all of my readers who sew (and I know there are LOTS of you!!) are drooling right now and thinking of how they can incorporate some of beautiful bias or binding tape into your next project!  And if you don’t sew or haven’t done anything recently (like me), you’re probably feeling inspired to get out the old sewing machine (or needle and thread, in my case) and make something beautiful.  So please go check out Slightly Biased, and let Jennifer know I sent you!

The GIVEAWAY!!

Jennifer has generously agreed to give away not one but TWO prizes to TWO lucky readers of The Picky Apple (one prize per person). Up for grabs:

3 Yards Riley Blake Gingham in Red Double Fold Bias Tape

AND

3 Yards Michael Miller Ta Dot in Minnie Quilting Tape

To enter the giveaway:

Head over to Slightly Biased‘s shop and look around.  Then come back here and leave a comment letting me know which tape you like.

For additional entries, you can post about this giveaway on Facebook, Twitter or your blog and leave a separate comment here for each.

Giveaway ends at noon on Monday, April 18.  Winners will be announced on Tuesday.  Good luck!

The newest waffle flavor for this week is….banana!  These waffles remind me of the banana pancakes I had a few year ago in Kauai, served with coconut syrup and macadamia nuts.  We’ll be going back to Kauai soon, and I can’t WAIT!!  (Just had to rub that in.  We NEVER take vacations….)

In a perfect world, I would have used macadamia nuts too, but all I had were pecans.  These smelled absolutely amazing while they were cooking, but I was the only one who actually liked them.  Who doesn’t like banana waffles and coconut syrup?!  My two Picky Apples, that’s who.  Admittedly, they were a little floppy (somewhat remedied by toasting in the toaster), and I will definitely cut back on the banana next time.  But don’t let that stop you from trying these.  Great flavors in both the waffles and the syrup!

Banana Waffles

from Allrecipes

Ingredients:

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon white sugar
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 cup milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 2 ripe bananas, mashed
• nuts, shredded coconut, and sliced bananas for topping (optional)

Combine flour, white sugar, baking powder, cinnamon and salt. In a separate bowl, mix together egg, milk, vanilla, vegetable oil and bananas.  Stir flour mixture into banana mixture; batter will be slightly lumpy.  Preheat waffle iron.  Pour or scoop the batter onto the waffle iron, using approximately 1/3 cup for each waffle. Cook until golden brown on both sides; serve hot.  (You can also make them crispier by toasting them in the toaster before serving.)  Top with Coconut Syrup, nuts, sliced bananas and shredded coconut, if using.

Coconut Syrup

recipe by me!

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup maple syrup
• 1/2 cup coconut milk
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/2 teaspoon cornstarch (optional)

Combine all ingredients in a small pot and bring to a boil, stirring frequently.  Serve warm with Banana Waffles.

I am SO behind on my blog reading and commenting right now.  I’ve got close to 800 unread posts in Google Reader right now.  I really should just click “mark all as read” but I just can’t bring myself to do that!

I’ve also got a bunch of tabs open in Firefox right now with various articles, recipes and new-to-me blogs I want to check out….

There are another 7 not visible.

So tonight instead of my normal Apple Picks, I’m just going to share some of those tabs, the things I’m looking at right this very second.

Knitty Bitties Etsy Shop– Camera strap slipcovers, iPad cases, pouches, clutches all in cute, bright fabrics

Debra Prinzing– gardening inspiration

The Grass Stain Guru– “Childhood was meant to be messy.”  A blog about outdoor play

Gramercy Fine Linens & Furnishings– home decor inspiration

Sugar Boo Prints on ArtCraft

Potato Pie Recipe @ Always With Butter

Scissors and Spatulas– a blog about creative and crafty projects

Whole New Mom– a blog about “real food, frugality and faith for a fast-paced world”

Where Can I Find Real Milk?

Big Kahuna Hawaiian Salad with Pineapple Tahini Dressing @ Healthy Happy Life

I love to order beef dishes when dining at restaurants like P.F. Chang’s and Pei Wei (think Mongolian Beef, Teriyaki Beef), but I’ve never been successful in recreating anything nearly as tasty at home.  Until now!  There are several reasons this recipe worked for me.  The recipe calls for flank steak, and I purchased some pre-tenderized flank steak, which really helped the texture of the meat.  The other key is to slice the flank steak very thin and against the grain.  The last tip is to not overcook it.  It won’t take long at all to get it cooked!  The sauce and spice of this dish was just perfect, and it certainly tasted restaurant-quality.  I served mine with rice, but The Pioneer Woman served hers with rice noodles (which I may try next time).  The sauce has lots of flavor and a little bit of spice which we loved!  This recipe is a variation on The Pioneer Woman’s earlier recipe, Beef With Snow Peas.  (That one is also great, but not spicy.)

Beef With Peppers

from The Pioneer Woman

Ingredients:

• 1-½ pound Flank Steak, Sliced Very Thin Against The Grain
• ½ cups Low Sodium Soy Sauce
• 3 Tablespoons Sherry
• 2 Tablespoons Packed Brown Sugar
• 2 Tablespoons Cornstarch
• 1 Tablespoon Minced Fresh Ginger
• 2 cloves Garlic, Minced
• 1 teaspoon Red Chile Paste (or A Few Dashes Red Chile Oil)
• 2 Tablespoons Canola Oil
• 1 whole Medium Yellow Onion Sliced
• 2 whole Red Bell Peppers, Cored And Sliced Into Rings
• 1 Tablespoon Diced Fresh Jalapeno (or 1 Teaspoon Dice Hot Pepper)
• Red Pepper Flakes, For Sprinkling
• Cilantro Leaves

Mix together soy sauce, sherry, brown sugar, cornstarch, ginger, garlic, and chili paste (or chili oil.) Place sliced beef in the mixture and toss to coat. Set aside.

Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large skillet over medium-high to high heat. When it is very hot, throw in the onions and cook for less than a minute. Remove to a separate plate. Return skillet to flame, allow to reheat, and add bell peppers (and hot pepper/jalapeno if using.) Cook for a minute, tossing, until peppers have brown/black bits but are still firm. Remove to a plate.

Return skillet to heat and allow to get hot. Add the remaining tablespoon of oil to the skillet. Add 1/3 of the meat mixture, evenly distributing over the surface of the skillet. Allow to sit for 20 to 30 seconds, then turn with tongs. Cook for another 30 seconds, then remove to a separate plate. Repeat with remaining meat until all brown.

Reduce heat to low. Add all meat, onions, and peppers to the skillet and toss to combine. Pour in remaining sauce (the sauce the meat marinated in*) and stir. Allow to simmer on low for a few minutes. Sauce will slowly thicken. Turn off heat.  Top with cilantro leaves and serve immediately.

If you’ve taken a look at April’s Cleaning Calendar (available in the right sidebar), then you know that this week I’m doing some deep cleaning in the kitchen, working on some areas that are often neglected.  Yesterday, I wiped down my kitchen cabinets.

I spend tons of time in the kitchen, but I just wasn’t seeing just how dirty they were!  Yes, I saw them, but I wasn’t really SEEING them.  I see the fingerprints on the fridge, the clutter on the counters, and the crumbs on the stovetop, but the cabinets?  I don’t usually give them a second thought.  As result, they rarely get wiped down.

So as a result, I’ve been walking around my kitchen, blind to the fact that my beautiful cabinets really look like this:

See all those spots and drips and dust?  Yikes!

I was more than a little leery about cleaning my cabinets this week.  The last time I wiped them down (and I’m going to plea the 5th on when exactly that occurred!), I used some disposable wood cleaner cloths that left them looking very streaky (and The Picky Apple was NOT happy about it!).  As a result, I had to go back and wipe them down again to get rid of the streaks.

So I went in to this round of cabinet cleaning with a bit of trepidation.  I decided to give one my new favorite products a try, Shaklee’s Basic H2 Organic Super Cleaning Concentrate.  This is such a versatile, cost effective product, and maybe I’ll talk about it in more detail sometime soon.  I’m not receiving any kind of kickbacks for saying that, I just really love the stuff.  (Though if you sell Shaklee and are interested in sponsoring The Picky Apple, let me know!!)  If you remember, I used Basic H2 for cleaning my bathroom mirrors.  For cleaning my kitchen cabinets, I used the All Purpose Solution, which is just 1/4 tsp H2 mixed with 16 oz. water.

It took me about 30-45 minutes to thoroughly wipe down my cabinets (23 in all) and drawer fronts and really get all of those yucky spots off.  I have no idea what it all was.  Milk explosion?  Blender explosion?  Grease from cooking?  Spills from baking?  Probably a little bit of everything.

But the H2 did the trick, and left my cabinets looking clean without any streaks:

So much better, don’t you think?

Now on to my refrigerator coils, another neglected task…..

How often do you wipe down your kitchen cabinets?  Have you really taken a close look at them lately?

For a few months now, we’ve been using a simple positive reinforcement system with The Littlest Apple.  I felt like we were saying “No” and “Stop” and pointing out all of the things The Littlest Apple does wrong (or, not to our liking, I should say) and not giving him the feedback he needs and deserves for the things he does right.

So, here’s our simple system: He earns “Rainbow Rocks” for various good deeds and things we want to encourage him in.  The Rainbow Rocks are put in a jar.  Once the jar is full, he earns a prize from the Treasure Box.

What can The Littlest Apple earn Rainbow Rocks for?  (You can tell by the list some of the areas we’ve been struggling with!)

• being a good listener
• being kind/sharing
• doing things (getting dressed, etc) without help
• doing things without complaining or arguing
• being helpful
• picking up toys
• using good manners
• having a good daily report from school
• handwriting practice
• help stetting the table and cleaning up after dinner
• going to the potty without being told

What prizes are in The Treasure Box?

Currently, it contains:

• Scooper/shovel for the sandbox
• Firetruck/construction/trash truck movie
• Water gun
• Bubble gun
• VeggieTales Jonah movie
• Binoculars
• Coupon for donuts with Dad
• Coupon for a cupcake from a local bakery
• Coupon for a trip to the ice cream shop

Other notes:

• The Rainbow Rocks are just multi-colored vase-filler rocks from Michael’s
• We don’t ever take rocks OUT of the jar for bad behavior (though it is tempting sometimes!!)
• We usually give The Littlest Apple a handful of rocks at a time
• Prizes are all $10 or less
• The Littlest Apple has been earning a prize every week or week and a half.  If this increases, the prize value will definitely decrease!