Pinterest Test: Crock Pot Swedish Meatballs

Alrighty! I have been trying out various inexpensive Pinterest recipes and I’ve decided to share my experiences with you!

Today’s recipe is Crock Pot Swedish Meatballs. I found the recipe here and decided to try it out one night. I was pleased to find this would be a quick family favorite!

Here’s what you’ll need: A crock pot (duh); homestyle frozen meatballs (I’m sure you could use your own frozen meatballs); dry onion soup mix; sour cream; cream of mushroom soup; beef stock (or beef consume with a can of water added) and steak sauce (like A1).

Mix up the cream of mushroom soup, steak sauce, beef broth and onion soup mix. It really doesn’t look appealing at this point. But trust me. It tastes fabulous.

I line my crock pot with a crock pot liner because I really hate having to clean that stupid thing. Where were these when we were younger and had to wash the whole thing without being able to take the crock out?! Anywho, I digress. Put your meatballs in, pour in your soup mix. Set your crock pot to low and cook 6-8 hours or 3-4 hours on high, stirring every now and then. With about 10 minutes left to spare before dinner, add in your sour cream and stir it up and let it cook while you boil your noodles.

Combine your egg noodles and Swedish meatballs and serve! It’s so easy and definitely the quintessential set it and forget it meal.

It’s so freaking yummy; and if my picky daughter is any indication, two servings later it’s a hit.

Here’s the recipe!

Crock Pot Swedish Meatballs

Ingredients:

1 can cream of mushroom soup

1 can beef broth, or beef consume

1 packet dry onion soup mix

2 tbsp. A1 steak sauce

1 (2 lb.) bag frozen meatballs

1 (8 oz.) container sour cream (1 cup)

1 (16 oz.) package egg noodles

Directions:

In a 5-6 quart slow cooker, mix undiluted soup with beef broth, onion soup mix and steak sauce. Stir well.

Then add in frozen meatballs.

Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours or on high 3-5 hours.

After meatball mixture has cooked, stir in sour cream.

At this time, put a pot of water on the oven to boil for your egg noodles (make according to package directions.) Drain noodles well when done.

Mix noodles and meatballs together. Or serve meatballs on top of noodles.

Polish Review: Stached Polish

AH!!! Another review?! YAY!!!!

I have four beautiful polishes for your consideration this morning from a delightful young lady who is the mastermind behind Stached Polish.

First up is Orodruin, inspired by every geek girls favorite movie, Lord of the Rings. It is a beautiful (and you know how I feel about oranges, not a fan!) burnt orange holographic polish.

I seriously wish this showed how pretty it is!

Opaque in two coats, Orodruin is a stunner even in indoor lighting.

But the sparkle in the sunlight is amazing!!!

Dry time is nil and honestly there’s no need for a top coat, but do it anyways because you’re gonna want to keep this gorgeous ginger polish for awhile!

Ok. Lovely Luna’s Livery is a sleeper. I saw it and I was like ehhhh… In the bottle, this mustard-shaded polish isn’t that impressive… But once you get it on the nail… WOWZAS!!!

It reaches full opacity in just two coats, with no need for a topcoat. But, like Orodruin, do it anyways!

Cause you’re gonna want to stare at it for awhile! I can see Lovely Luna’s Livery being used in a few fall themed nail art projects!!! For some reason though, it made my nails look super bumpy! Not exactly sure why, because they’re not like that irl LOL

Next up is Life in the Dollhouse, a beautiful Barbie-pink shimmer polish.

Again, opaque in two coats, Life in the Dollhouse doesn’t fail to impress! It is a tad bit streaky, but I find that the nature of the beast with shimmer crèmes.

Sooooo so pretty!

And now… For my absolute FAVORITE of the collection!

Pursue ALL the Knowledge is a BRILLIANT blue holographic polish that truly, you must have in your collection.

This midnight blue holo beauty show in indoor lighting. Two coats plus a topper.

And *sigh* in the sunlight. The formula is flawless, fast drying and just beautiful. Like I said, two coats, full opacity. Dry time is nil, same as the rest. It is AMAZING!

 

At $8.50 to $9.50, these gorgeous polishes are more than affordable and like I said, a must for the holo lover! You can find these and more in her Etsy shop! Also, stop by and like her Facebook page! Tell her the Good Witch sent ya!

 

Polish Review: Poisoned Lacquer

Hello my Witchie-Poos! I come to you this wonderful Wednesday morning, bright and early! Which is a big change from fourteen years ago today, when I was busy trying to hatch my oldest minion lol!

Today I bring you a gorgeous polish from Poisoned Lacquer, but first… A little meet and greet with the owner!

GW: What are your favorite sources for inspiration?
PL: I pull my inspirations from all over. The hues of the sunset, the way a tree's leaves flutter in the slanting afternoon light, or attempts to catch the shades of color swirling in my loved ones' eyes.

GW: Where does your creativity stem from to allow you to come up with an array of colors and possibilities?
PL: I come from an art background, and I've done some form of art my entire life. I was a theatre costume designer for many years, and really fell in love with the words and works of William Shakespeare, which inspires and shapes my brand at its core.

GW: What do you love about making polish?
PL: I love creating vivid and complex shades that express a feeling or make you smile. Nail polish is such a little thing, but it can brighten your whole day.

GW: If someone copies one of your polishes, is that flattering or insulting?
PL: Flattering for sure! You learn very quickly in the art world that everything has already "been done." Embrace it, because we're all trying to express ourselves and we're all working from the same pool of resources.

GW: What made you start making polish?
PL: I started making polish four years ago, when I saw a need for long-wearing, chip-resistant shades that were non-toxic. I wanted to make a product that anyone could use without wondering what they were putting onto themselves. It's safe for everyone, including expectant moms and children. My top priorities are safety, producing high quality products, and education.

GW: What are some of the new polish trends going around that you like and what are some that you cannot stand?
PL: I'm utterly obsessed with anything glittery, jellies, holos, and stiletto nail shape. I'm not a fan of Jamberry (can't get them to stick, no matter what I do) or gel polish (it does horrifyingly terrible things to your nail plate.)

GW: Do you have anything awesome in the works for your customers?
PL: Oh, always! Right now I'm collaborating with a local fashion designer (The Minerva Collection) to do a line of polishes to go her Fall/Winter line, which is inspired by Star Wars and the Sith. Think jellies, holos, and glitter bombs. Look for those at the end of this month.
I've also been working on a second line of work friendly neutral polishes, as well as bath and body products, under the name Pure Poetry Cosmetics. We'll be launching our Autumn scents in another week or two (and one of those is a dead-on Pumpkin Spice Latte!)

GW: Lastly, what type of base coat do you use or suggest? As well as top coat?
PL: I'm very fond of Zoya's Anchor base coat, and I've been loving our top coat, "Seven-fold Shield." (Out later this month!) It's super shiny, and that shine lasts for days! (And don't forget to prep your nails by removing any oils. Swipe 'em down with a little bit of nail polish remover or acetone.)
I prefer to use 5-free formulations, but if someone has something that they like and works for them, they should use it. Body chemistry is a funny thing, so finding your Holy Grail of base and top coat really makes a difference.

 

And here is Full Fathom Five, listed as a “true blue glitter”, this topper is chock full of blue microglitter, giving every blue loving girl the flutters as they watch it sparkle!

I mean GAH!!!! Its sooooo pretty!!!

It does work well on its own, shown on three fingers with three coats. My ring finger has been mattified. But it looks even better on black. I swirled it around a bit on my middle finger to make a swirly marbled look. I absolutely LOVE how it looks on black.

Full Fathom Five goes on as smooth as silk. Dries quick as all get out. It honestly really doesn’t need a topper, but would shine even brighter with one. I love a good smooth glitter topper these days!

At $10, Full Fathom Five is in the Mid-Price range of my indie list. It’s well worth the money! Go check out this one and countless others in her Etsy shop!

Recipe Tutorial: Quick No-Bake Granola Bars

The first few weeks of school have come and gone for my little minions. Well they’re not so little anymore. At almost 14 and almost 12, they’re I guess, pint-sized minions.

Anywho. My kids always beg for an after school snack, so I decided to get a little inventive with the items I already had in the kitchen.

You’ll need: Oatmeal, rice crispies, brown sugar, honey, peanut butter and assorted fillings. I added dry roasted peanuts, granola, peanut butter chips and marshmallows. You can add pretty much anything you want. The sky is the limit!

Add your honey, brown sugar and peanut butter in a saucepan and combine.

It doesn’t look appealing, but trust me. Turn your stove on medium/low and bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. Bring it to a boil and continue boiling for 3 minutes, stirring constantly.

Get all of your non-melty ingredients together.

Grease a 9x13 pan and set aside.

Add the liquid to the dry and stir. Let it cool just a tad.

Add the marshmallows.

Peanut butter chips.

Add some mini chocolate chips and stir to combine.

Transfer to a pan and using your hands or a spatula, smooth the mixture out.

Sprinkle with chocolate chips and let cool as long as you can.

They’re so fantastic smelling that it might be kinda hard to keep your fingers out.

Cut them into bar shapes when you just can’t handle waiting any longer and enjoy!!

 

Easy No-Bake Granola Bars

*Note* You can tweak this recipe any way you like. I rarely ever measure anything but the oats for this, so you don’t have to either. Just go with what you think tastes good.

2/3 c Peanut Butter

1/4 c Honey

1/2 c Brown Sugar

3 c Oatmeal

Fillings and Add Ons:

1 c. Rice Crispies

1 c Dry Roasted Peanuts

1/2 c Granola

1 c marshmallows

1/2 c Peanut Butter Chips

1/2 c Mini Chocolate Chips

 

In a large bowl, combine oatmeal, rice crispies, granola and roasted peanuts. Set aside.

Combine peanut butter, brown sugar and honey in saucepan. Heat over medium-low heat until boiling, stirring occasionally. Once it reaches a boil, time for 3 minutes, stirring constantly.

Pour honey mixture over dry ingredients and stir to combine. Let cool slightly.

Add marshmallows, peanut butter and chocolate chips. Stir.

Press into greased 9x13 inch pan, let cool. Slice into bars and enjoy!

Polish Review: Little Dirty Secrets

WARNING!!!

If you are offended by strong (foul) language, please do not read, just scroll on through and look at the pictures. If that even bothers you, read no further!

I happened upon this company on Etsy, looking for new Indie Designers to add to my list. I have to warn you… I have an incredibly dirty mind, and an even dirtier vocabulary. I love my colorful adjectives and dirty sense of humor. And if you don’t, and you’re offended… Sorry, not sorry. You’ve been warned, LOL.

Little Dirty Secrets, which you can find on Etsy, is actually a storefront located in California specializing in naughty bachlorette and gag gifts. They have a small collection of polishes in their Etsy storefront and today I have four of these beauties to share with you.

First off, the packaging is super cute. I forgot to get a front shot of them, because I’m that good.

L to R: Pussy Teaser, Cum On My Face, Sit On Yo Face and Whore Me ‘Round.

I. Love. These. Names. LOL!

First up is Pussy Teaser, a beautiful deep pink crème. It goes on flawlessly, opaque in one coat.

There’s just a hint of shimmer in there. This is shown one coat, no topcoat.

Next up is Sit On Yo Face. A deep taupe shimmer polish. Opaque in one coat. This honestly isn’t my favorite. It’s pretty streaky, but still beautiful.

It does sparkle like crazy though. Two coats, no topper.

Whore Me Round has to be one of my favorites. This polish is STUNNING. It’s a deep red/burgundy color that looks almost black in low light.

One coat, no topper. This is a beautifully opaque polish.

Add a topper of Cum On My Face (hehehe) and you have a show stopper. I wore these polishes for my dad’s retirement party and seriously got sooooo many compliments. I was in mixed company (read: Old ladies and my dad) so I had to feign and say that I forgot the name of the polishes, LOL!

All in all, OMG these polishes are fabulous. Even the one that I think is not all that whoopy, is beautiful in it’s own way.

The polishes, which come in sets of six, are $18 per collection. Which really isn’t all that bad!

Go check out their Etsy shop and prowl around!