food – Preciously Paired

Budget Friendly Holiday Dinner Party

posted in decor, diy, food, holidays, inspiration, money saving tips, party, Uncategorized by Hanna on December 9, 2015

When the holidays roll around it usually involves parties, food and entertainment. All of that can get a little overwhelming and pricey when you are the one hosting and start feeling like it has to look like it came out of magazine. What we are coming to find out is that you can still get a great look that will impress all your guests from just shopping your house, incorporating a little DIY and shopping dollar stores or discounted items. Also fancy, plastic dinnerware makes clean up a dream!

Here are the details on our Christmas dinner party and some tips that can help you!

– Since there was going a lot of people coming for dinner, to keep the cost low we decided to go with a rustic theme to incorporate elements that we could get right outside our door. We gathered pine cones to use in our centerpieces and branches from trees to make twig start place holders. I kept mine to use on my Christmas tree this year or you could let your guests take them as a little party favor to hang on their trees.

-For all the center pieces we shopped our houses for vases, candles and candlestick holders. Basically grab anything that could look good on the table and help add some fun interest and fill the space! The greenery and cranberries we used in the vases we got on sale at a number of craft stores but you could easily gather those things from outside as well the day of the party.

– If you want to know a secret for an easy and SUPER cheap charger 12×12 craft paper is the answer! We got 6 sheets of this metallic bronze paper for $1! To add a little color to our table and break up the layering of the plates we added some burlap ribbon with fringe ends.

-For dinner we decided to do buffet style so we created a quick menu in Word and got it printed out for $5. A chalkboard and some chalk would also word perfect for this! The sign we hung above the food table we created with a font we liked and cut it out using a Silhouette machine and then strung the words up with some twine.

Now lets move to the best part..the food! We’re really excited to introduce you to Megan and Nathan from the blog “Half Cup of Snark“. Hop on over to their blog to see what was on the menu for our holiday party, to enjoy some witty, food talk and get some A-MA-ZING recipes to wow your guest’s taste buds this Christmas!

Lastly, we all know that the decorations and food for a party are just part of planning but looming in the back of our minds is always, “What am I going to wear??” Well we have you covered for that as well. See how our plaid peplum top and window pane swing dress are perfect for any party, including all the ones for this holiday season! We’ll just call this the post that just keeps giving. 😉

Now with all your bases covered for hosting a bomb holiday party we wish you luck on all your family and friend gatherings!

We’d love to hear some tips and tricks you have tried for saving money hosting a holiday party while still wowing your guest!!

6 DIY Projects and Printables That Are A MUST This Valentine’s Day

posted in crafts, diy, food, holidays, printable by Sara on February 2, 2015

We’ve compiled the perfect list of cute and budget-friendly ways to celebrate Valentine’s Day this year that are sure to show your sweethearts just how much you love them! What we love most about all of these Valentine’s Day ideas is that they are things the whole family can enjoy, even kids!

1. DIY Heart Sweater | by A Beautiful Mess. We love this easy DIY heart sweater made by A Beautiful Mess. It’s literally as easy as cutting out a fabric heart and sewing it to a sweater. If you don’t sew, you could use iron on paper or fabric glue. Either way, in minutes you will be celebrating Valentine’s Day is style!

2. You Warm My Heart Free Printable | by Confetti Sunshine. How cute would it be to deliver your valentine their favorite hot drink with this adorable printable, created by Confetti Sunshine, wrapped around it?! Just a simple way to let your valentine know you’re thinking of them. My most favorite heart-warming drink is a hazelnut steamer, what’s yours?

3. DIY Conversation Heart Pinatas | by Studio DIY. Neither of us are ones to get super crafty on Valentine’s Day, but these DIY conversation heart pinatas made by Kelly over at Studio DIY are just too fun! Plus, Kelly provides an easy, step-by-step tutorial on her blog on how to make these cute Valentine pinatas. I can already picture the fun our kids (and hubbys) would have breaking into one of these!

4. Scratch-off Valentine Printable | by Better Homes and Garden. Nothing like a fun scratch-off Valentine card to intrigue your sweetheart. You can download this FREE printable on Better Homes and Garden’s website, and they even provide a great video on how to make the scratch-off solution. There is even an option for you to customize and download your own scratch-off Valentine printable!

5. La La Love You: French Toast | by Grilled Cheese Social. Nothing speaks love to us better than food! And this french toast recipe by MacKenzie at Grilled Cheese Social, topped with mascarpone cheese, nutella, and fresh strawberries sound like it would definitely do the trick! Plus, it is something the whole family would enjoy!

6. Valentine’s Day Tumble Game | by Tried and True. Vanessa from Tried and True created this fun Valentine’s Day game out of a mini Jenga game she found at Dollar Tree! We LOVE this idea as it is inexpensive, easy to make, and completely customizable! Perfect for a romantic night with your sweetheart or a fun game night with the whole family!

We hope you found some inspiration with this Valentine’s Day round-up! If you have any fun Valentine’s Day projects, please share them with us in the comment section below!

XOXO, Sara

The Cake That Never Stops Pleasing: Chocolate Eclair Cake

posted in food, recipe by Hanna on August 26, 2014

This Chocolate Eclair cake never seems to fail me when I bring to it potlucks, parties or when we have friends over. It’s always the rave. I myself have been know to eat at least a fourth of the pan in one sitting. In fact when my husband and I were dating we made it for his family and he started serving everyone with these tiny pieces of cake. I shook my head in disapproval and said that this cake is meant for large servings. Needless to say, everyone had seconds. I think that’s when he learned that in my family we are serious about our desserts.

For this particular time I made this cake for a potluck that we had with a couple families in our neighborhood this last weekend. The rainy weather we had all week cleared up for the evening for a fun dinner out doors. Since moving into our house last December we have made so many new friends in our neighborhood. It has been such a blessing for our family is so many ways especially since we’ve never seemed to feel quite at home anywhere else we’ve lived. Anyway, once again it was a crowd favorite so I thought I would share the recipe today!

To get started, line the bottom of a 9×13 pan with graham crackers. You might need to use your puzzle skills to cover the entire bottom of the pan.

Next, in a mixing bowl mix together vanilla pudding, sour cream, cool whip and milk and pour over the graham crackers.

Top that pudding layer with another layer of graham crackers, trying to fill in all the gaps.

In a small sauce pan, mix together the cocoa, sugar and milk and bring to a boil. Boil for 1 minute then take the pan off the stove and mix in 3/4 stick of butter.

Finally poor the chocolate sauce over the top layer of graham crackers and refrigerate for 3-4 hours before serving.

Chocolate Eclair Cake

Print

Recipe type: Dessert

What You'll Need

Pudding Filling
1 large pkg. instant vanilla pudding
½ cup sour cream
1 small tub whipped topping (8 oz.)
3 cups cold milk
Chocolate Sauce:
⅓ cup cocoa
½ cup sugar
¼ milk
¾ stick of butter

How To Make

Line bottom of 9x13 dish with whole graham crackers. Pour pudding over crackers. Top with second layer of graham crackers. Make the chocolate sauce by mixing together cocoa, sugar and milk in a sauce pan. Bring to a boil and boil for one minute. Remove from heat. Stir in ¾ stick butter until melted. Pour over top layer of graham crackers. Chill 3-4 hours to soften crackers before serving.

Linked To:

http://www.persialou.com/2014/08/the-makers-no-32.html.

http://designsbymissmandee.blogspot.com/2014/08/create-share-diy-and-recipe-party-19.html

12 Healthy and Easy Snacks

posted in food, health by Hanna on July 30, 2014

We’re so thrilled to have Anne Imsick back again today to share with us some easy and healthy snack ideas! In case you missed it, a while ago she shared her tasty, healthy Chicken Taco Soup recipe.

Finding food in between meals that is easy and healthy can be a hard thing for me. I always seem to gravitate to what is the easiest and most convenient which in my house is usually something filled with carbs! I’m really excited to give Anne’s list of snack a try and I know you will be too!

When I think of easy snack ideas I like to think of it in terms of “what will fill up my hungry family?” and these snacks are definitely easy and filling! I like to make an easy “smorgasbord” of color & options. Lately my fave snack has consisted of making a plate of these 4 things, all of which I purchased at Costco:

– Raspberries
– Mozzarella Cheese Stick
– Baby carrots
– Krave beef jerkey (Cherry BBQ flavor – yum!)

Other healthy snack ideas include:

– Celery, broccoli, or grape tomatoes with hummus
– A hard-boiled egg (SO easy)
– Kale chips (Trader Joe’s has a dynamite cheddar nacho flavor)
-Snap Pea crisps (huge bag from Costco – I call them “green cheetos”)
-SkinnyPop popcorn
– Veggie chips from Trader Joe’s
– Unsalted almonds
– Apple with a little almond butter

Mix it up, have fun, and play with COLOR!

Outdoor Summer Dinner Party: The Menu

posted in family, food, party, recipe by Hanna on July 10, 2014

You can’t have a successful dinner party without an awesome menu to go along with the beautiful decorations and for this outdoor dinner party we planned nothing short of it with delicious recipes for the menu. In case you missed part 1 of this dinner party showing the table setting and decorations you can check it out {HERE}.

Menu

Arugula Pear Salad with Candied Walnuts and Creamy Balsamic Dressing

Grilled Potato Salad with Honey Mustard and Dill Dressing

Blueberry and Jalapeno BBQ Pork Ribs (Recipe below)

Homemade Vanilla Ice cream with Grilled Peaches and Candied Pecans

When coming up with the menu for this outdoor dinner party we definitely wanted to take advantage of the grill with it being summer and beautiful weather. We also decided to step outside our usual recipes and take a risk making some thing new. However when making new recipes and you’re cooking for a big crowd and don’t want to take the risk of having it not turn out I would recommend trying them ahead of time! It’s quite possible that we ran into some problems with this as we were making our homemade ice cream for the first time for the party. Luckily it was just us, our families and a close friend; all who are very forgiving and it helped that we had a back-up gallon of ice cream in the freezer.

Minus our little dessert mishap the rest of the menu was a complete success! My husband gets all the credit for the Blueberry and Jalapeno BBQ sauce that went on the ribs. He’s always loved experimenting with food and recipes and this was a sauce he came up with completely on his own. He’s pretty amazing like that! So far we’ve had this BBQ sauce on chicken, pulled pork and now on pork ribs; all of which taste SO good! It’s must try!

Blueberry and Jalapeno BBQ Sauce

Print

This sweet BBQ sauce with a kick goes great on both chicken and pork.

Make By: Stripes and Polka Dots

What You'll Need

1¼ cup Ketchup
1 cup Honey
3 Tbsp Brown Sugar
1-3 Jalapeno (depending on how spicy you want it)
2 Tbsp Soy Sauce
2 Tbsp Worcestershire Sauce
1 Tbsp Lemon Juice
1 clove minced Garlic
1 cup Blueberries

How To Make

Slice the jalapeno(s). Pour some olive oil in a pan and saute jalapenos and blueberries on medium heat for 3 minutes. Then put that mixture in a blender along with all the other ingredients and blend into a smooth sauce.

Notes

For making the Blueberry and Jalapeno BBQ sauce with ribs follow the directions below:

1. Place ribs side by side on an oven pan.
2. Add ¼" of water in the bottom of the pan to prevent burning.
3. Coat ribs with the BBQ sauce and cover with tin foil.
4. Cook ribs in the oven for 1½ hours at 450 degrees.
5. Remove foil and reapply sauce
6. Place ribs back in the over for 30 minutes without foil, or place ribs on the grill and baste them for approximately 30 minutes making sure to turn them frequently to prevent burning.
7. Remove from grill or oven, adding extra sauce as necessary.

Linked to:

http://www.thepinjunkie.com/2014/07/pin-junkie-pin-party-75.html

http://gracelangdon.blogspot.com/2014/07/making-monday-49.html

http://www.flourmewithlove.com/2014/07/mix-it-up-monday_13.html#more

Chocolate Pillow Cookies

posted in food, recipe by Hanna on June 25, 2014

In my family a cookie press is just as a necessity as a Bosch. In fact awhile ago I was trying to find one to give as gift for a cousin getting married and I couldn’t find one in a local store anywhere! I was like, “What has the world come to!” Thank goodness Amazon pulled through! Good old Amazon. The funny thing is there is really only one recipe that we really use that involves a cookie press and that would be these Chocolate Pillows.

For as simple as this recipe is, it’s one I hold close to me and obviously one my family makes often. This recipe for these chocolate pillows was one of the first things my Grandmother taught me to make. Along with it being a favorite treat when going to Grandma’s house it also has many other stories behind it to being on the dessert table at many of our wedding receptions, to winning over future spouses, they’ve been the source of sporadic family gatherings in the kitchen and they have been my “go-to” for simple gifts. Who knew such easy cookies could have such history!

And guess what? It take just 6 basic ingredients to make these! So you ready to find out how to make these?

Chocolate Pillows

1 cup Butter (softened)

1/2 cup Sugar

1 Egg

1 tsp. Vanilla

2 1/2 cups of flour

3 Hershey’s Chocolate bars

Mix all the ingredients together using an electric mixer.

Put the cookie dough in the cookie press. *One filled press makes 3 rows.

Make 4 rows of dough on a lightly greased cookie sheet and line with pieces of the Hershey’s chocolate bars.

Top each row with another row of dough on top of the chocolate.

Score with a butter knife and then bake at 350 degrees for 8-10 minutes.

Once cookies are baked, cut on scored lines and enjoy! Watch out though; you’ll easily eat at least half a dozen before you know what hit you!

Anyone else with family, favorite recipes that have a lot of history?

~ Hanna

Linked To:
http://theblissfulbee.com/work-it-wednesday-no-53/
http://www.persialou.com/2014/06/the-makers-no-23.html
http://momstestkitchen.com/2014/06/wonderfully-creative-wednesdays-26.html
http://www.anyonita-nibbles.co.uk/2014/06/10-unconventional-delicious-4th-july-foods.html

Easy Slow Cooker Chicken Taco Soup

posted in food, guest post, health, money saving tips, recipe by Hanna on June 2, 2014

We’re thrilled to introduce Anne Imsick on the blog today who is sharing two healthy and inexpensive recipes that the whole family with love! For a little back story, Anne and I actually work together. As I’ve come to know her better she has become like my own personal dietitian. I love her food advice because 1) she loves great tasting food, and 2) she is a frugal shopper. On a “poor-college-student” budget I felt like it is almost impossible to eat healthy, but Anne provides some great tips on how to eat healthier while cutting some of the costs. She is so inspiring that we’ve asked her to share some of her healthy, money-saving tips on the blog.

Hi! I’m Anne, and I’m excited to share will you some simple healthy recipes and money saving tips. We don’t have children, but we definitely understand the concept of saving money when it comes to grocery shopping! My main stores are Costco & Trader Joe’s.

For my main entree, I am presenting TWO different recipes that utilize the same ingredient list. I’m all about mixing it up without having to buy more ingredients. The two entrees featured are: Easy Slow Cooker Chicken Taco Soup & Easy Chicken Nachos! Both are packed with veggies, protein, and the thing every kid loves…. CHEESE. If you are dairy-intolerant, try Daiya brand (carried by Costco) which comes in various shredded flavors.

Recipe #1:

Easy Slow Cooker Chicken Taco Soup (recipe adapted from food.com)::

– 1 (16 oz) can black beans
– 1 (16 oz) can niblet corn
– 1 (11 oz) can Rotel tomatoes & chilies (I add 1-2 cans depending on how much I want to stretch the soup)
– 1 (28 oz) can diced tomatoes
– 1 (4 oz) can diced green chilies
– 1 (1 1/4 oz) envelope taco seasoning mix
– 1 (1 oz) envelope Hidden Valley Ranch dressing mix
– 1 lb shredded chicken (COOKED)

NOTE: I buy pre-packaged Rotisserie meat already pulled off the bone from Costco. It comes in a huge, vacuum-sealed package right by the actual Rotisserie chickens. It’s ready to eat! It has been a game changer in our household.

DO NOT DRAIN CANS! Simply add every ingredient listed above to your slow cooker EXCEPT for your cooked chicken. That’s right — just dump it all in, stir, and leave it alone! Cook on high for 2 hours or low for 4 hours. You will add your cooked chicken during the last hour of slow cooking so it doesn’t get soggy.

Garnish each bowl of soup with the following ingredients as desired:

– Crushed black corn tortilla chips (Trader Joe’s)
– Shredded cheese
– Fage Greek yogurt — YOUR NEW SOUR CREAM! Jam packed with protein & it lasts a really long time. Costco sells a massive tub of it.
– Salsa — green or red!
– Avocado slices

Recipe #2:

Easy Chicken Nachos

This is more of a free-for-all, decorate your nachos as you please. Use the ingredients listed above as you like. I buy a few extra cans of the beans & corn to use for the nachos.

Typically I use:

– black corn tortilla chips

– Rotisserie chicken from Costco
– cooked black beans
– cooked corn
– Salsa
– Fage Greek yogurt
– Salsa
– Shredded cheese
– Avocado slice

Warm your cooked chicken in the microwave. Set aside. Then warm your tortilla chips on a large plate (microwave or oven) & set aside; each person usually will eat 10-15 chips. Set out your toppings buffet-style & you’re done! Each person will grab a plate & fix their nachos as they please.

And lastly, what’s a meal without dessert? Here is an easy recipe that is sure to fulfill your cravings while still providing you with plenty of protein!

Chocolate Haystacks from thepaleomom.com

– 2 oz. dark chocolate
– 1 Tbsp extra virgin coconut oil
– 1/4 cup shredded unsweet coconut
– 1/2 cup sliced almonds
– 1/4 cup walnuts, chopped

1. Line a baking sheet or large plate with parchment paper or wax paper. Combine coconut, almonds, & walnuts in a bowl.
2. Melt together the chocolate & coconut oil in the microwave (on medium) in a glass bowl.
3. Stir nuts into chocolate mixture.
4. Drop spoonfuls onto baking sheet while still warm; refrigerate until set.
5. DEVOUR!

Anne holds a B.S. in dietetics from Texas A&M University. She loves Jesus, her family and friends, running, yoga, exploring Oregon, playing piano, and cooking easy, healthy, and affordable meals.

~SARA

Linked To:

http://www.delineateyourdwelling.com/2014/06/link-it-or-lump-it-party-number-40.html

http://www.create-with-joy.com/2014/06/inspire-me-monday-week-126.html

http://gracelangdon.blogspot.com/search/label/Making%20Monday

Category: food