Mini Cheese Bites

About a year ago a dear friend, Stephanie, introduced me to these “Cheese Dreams” and I have been making them regularly ever since! 

They are a staple at my house and I am regularly asked for the recipe. After making them once they are sure to also become a favorite of your friends and family too.

• 2 Cups Finely Grated Sharp Cheddar Cheese
• 1 Cup Butter, Softened
• 2 T Heavy Cream
• 1 Large Egg
• 1 t Worcestershire Sauce
• ½ t Table Salt
• ½ t Dry Mustard
• Hot sauce to taste
• 1 Package White Sandwich Bread (I use sunbeam bread)

Beat cheese and butter at medium speed with an electric mixer until blended. Beat in cream, egg, Worcestershire Sauce, salt, Dry Mustard, and hot Sauce.

Cut crusts from bread slices; cut each bread slice into 4 squares.

Spread the cheese mixture on a bread square (about 1t); top with another square. spread cheese mixture over the top and sides of the sandwich. Repeat with remaining bread squares.

At this point I like to freeze the mini cheese bites on a  baking sheet and once fully frozen I transfer them to a plastic freezer safe container and they are good in the freezer for up to 3 weeks.

When friends pop by I toss them in the oven at 375 for 25 minutes or until golden brown.

If you want to cook them right away… preheat oven to 375 and bake for 15 minutes or until golden brown.

Changes to come in 2015

It might come as a surprise to everyone but I am a bit of a planner.... But I'm currently learning that you cannot plan everything, Sometimes you just need to let things go and trust.

Tomorrow, sadly, marks the end of my time in Joint Staff Protocol. I was detailed there for 6 months, extended for another 6 months, and the last request for extension was denied as the folks that own my billet want it back. (This is something that I fully understand as they pay my salary and I don't actually even work for them...) Anyway, back to Joint Staff,  I have so enjoyed my time there!
The people that I worked for and the team that I worked with have been some of the best and I look forward to continuing my friendships with them long after I depart.

I guess the next questions is "what's next??" AND I'm asking myself that very question. I was in a bit of  denial as my last day inched closer and closer and I didn't really have a chance to plan out my next step. For now I'm just trying to embrace going back to my former home base. They do not have a job sorted out for me yet so for the time being I'm assisting in the Admin office and taking the time to figure out exactly what I want to do. I have a few ideas and I'm finding that I'm at a point in my career where I can take a little bit of time to find the perfect fit. I want something that will allow for me to take on more responsibility, the chance to manage a team, and the opportunity to make real changes in my workplace.

Now as I'm remaining positive about figuring out what is next it does not mean that I don't have my freak out moments where I'm balling to my hubby or close friends... In fact, last Friday I lost my sh*t at the idea that I truly have NO idea what is next for me. In the mean time while I'm sorting it out I just feel blessed that I have a job right now even if it isn't the one I want....

So here is to finding the right fit in 2015 and taking on a job that I can really get excited about. Looking forward to determining if I will remain at the Pentagon or go back to my Party roots.

EASY Stuffed Pork Loin

I'm here to share a great and EASY stuffed pork loin recipe!

Steam some spinach. I added a little water and baby spinach to a microwave safe, glass, bowl  and covered with plastic wrap.

Microwaved for 1.5 minutes and drained water.

Added some chopped sun dried tomatoes and goat cheese

Mix

Pork tenderloin typically comes two to a package so I just spread my cheese mixture over one of the tenderloins, topped with the second, and tied up with bakers twine.

Cooked at 350 for 40 minute and BAM! SOOOO yummy and easy!

Handmade Play dough

So for Christmas this year I wanted to make as many gifts as possible and one of the first ones that I decided to make for Hunter was a Play dough kit.

I bought the bin from Ikea and added some vinyl that I cut using my Silhouette Cameo. 

I also bought a toy kitchen baking set from Ikea and a baking mat that I thought would be perfect to play on. Ikea also had perfect round metal spice containers with a clear top. The second I saw them I knew that I would use them to hold my handmade play dough

The mat is key because I didn't want him to play with the dough on the rug or wooden floors... 

 

Next up it was time to make the dough. After a lot of Pinterest research I decided that I wanted to go with a No Cook Base recipe... I also wanted one that made just a white dough that I mixed in the coloring after...

Ingredients needed for homemade play dough:

• 2 cups flour
• 1 cup salt
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 2 tablespoons cream of tartar
• 1 1/2 cups boiling water
• Food coloring - I used Wilton Gel Coloring

Mix the ingredients with the exception of the boiling water.

Pour in water slowly and mix until it becomes a dough consistency. If needed you can add additional flour until the dough is smooth and no longer sticky.

Next I prepped my materials for the coloring

I mixed each color individually... This is a messy process as you need to use your hands to manipulate the dough and get the color fully incorporated.

here were my hands after... and this was after washing about 10 times.

Here was the end result!!!

And here is the inside of the bin with all the items organized inside

Hunter LOVED his gift and played with it immediately on Christmas Day

 

Here are a few more photos from Hunter playing...

 

 

Emma's Year of Craft

Emma has recently taken up crafting... She really is my daughter!!!

On a lazy Sunday (while watching BIG) we explored Pinterest and picked out 12 DIY projects that she wanted to take on for the year.

Below are her picks and we plan to do one a month and post about her project here on the blog!

Elastic Hair Ties:

Duct Tape Pencil Case

iPad Case

 

 Hand Warmers

DIY: Bath Fizzie

Lib Balm in a locket

String and Charm bracelet

Instagram Mini Canvases

This Tablet Holder for the kitchen for when she helps cook

Gold Flower pots 

Jewelry Holder 

Jewel Magnets 

I HEART: LeTote

Okay so I currently have two obsessions right now… and that is NOT an exaggeration… If you talk to me for over 10 minutes it is guaranteed that I will start raving about LeTote or Plated… and with good reason! I’ve been utilizing both services for about a month now and I’m ready to give full reviews. First up is LeTote and I will discuss Plated tomorrow…

LeTote

So in two days I’m officially done with my first month of LeTote and I LOVE IT! If you haven’t heard of Le Tote, it is a clothing subscription box and  has been nicknamed the Netflix of fashion... YOUR WELCOME in advance for turning you on to this service.

Here is how it works…

Sign up on their website and browse through a virtual “closet” full of clothing, jewelry, scarves, and even a few handbags… As you are looking you can “heart” items to add them to your own closet. Meaning that these are items that you would like to see in your boxes. Note: Le Tote features great brands from stores like Shopbop, Anthropologie, Nordstrom, Piperlime and Lord & Taylor, and there is a good range of styles and price points. Plus they add new styles each month.

Once you pay your monthly fee of $49 they send you your first box and start the countdown on your first month. Each  box has 3 pieces of clothing and 2 accessories (I think that they guarantee at least 2-3 items from your closet will be in each box) . You can wear the items as long as you like, then send them back and wait for your next shipment. Fun, right!?

Here is the best part… you get as many totes as you want in a month! You can send it all back or buy the pieces you love at a discounted price. Theoretically, the best value is to wear the clothes/accessories immediately when you receive each tote then promptly switch them out for new ones. They offer free two day shipping both ways. That way you get the maximum number of new pieces to wear each month.  for me being on the East Coast (they are based in CA) I was worried that I would only get 2-3 boxes during my first month but I am pleased to report that I ended up with FOUR boxes!

Here is what I got in my boxes…

Loved the two sweaters and jewelry. In fact I asked to get the sweaters again in a future box. The green shirt had an odd seam through the stomach area and I didn't even wear it

This was my least favorite box out of the four... However, the statement necklace came at the perfect time to wear to a work Christmas Party and really made a pop with a plain black dress. After wearing the jewelry I immediately returned the box as the other items didn't really appeal to me. 

LOVED this tote! The black top had armholes that were a bit too big so that was the only item that didn't work for me. The dress was perfect for work and I also wore the red shirt with skinny black pants to work one day.I asked for the dress, red shirt, and necklace again!

This tote was another home-run. I never had a chance to wear the first dress. (Was going to wear it to the Kennedy Center last night but didn't have the chance to change before heading there) I'm wearing the French Connection dress TODAY to work as we have an important foreign visit. Other items were great too. I will likely ask for the two dresses again.

My review… 

When I first read about this service, I will admit I thought it was totally weird. Why would you rent clothing? Then I read a little more about it, looked at the styles they offered and thought about how nice it would be to have fresh things to wear each month. The items would be on trend and wouldn’t take up any permanent space in my closet. Plus it would cost far less than buying updated pieces each month. Recently I had found myself spending a lot on clothing through Stitch Fix and still only wearing the items once or twice. So LeTote actually makes perfect sense for me! Plus they handle all the dry cleaning. You just send the clothes back dirty, and they clean and disinfect all the jewelry.

While I didn’t end up buying anything I was SUPER tempted because the prices are so great! But I didn’t pull the trigger on the purchases because of another GREAT LeTote feature… if you really like something from your box you can request to cycle it back into your closet and it will show up in future box! What a great idea! This means that I can look forward to wearing it again one day without shelling out the dough! I actually ended up doing this with NINE items in my first month.

The Quick Skinny…

Pros:

• Can skip months anytime
• You get as many totes as you want per month (if you are quick about sending them back)
• Clothing/accessory prices are reasonable
• Less laundry and dry cleaning
• They frequently add new item and have a full reboot as seasons change
• You receive a credit to purchase something from within your first tote
• They cover 2 day Priority Mail shipping(each way)
• As soon as the box is shipped you can see the contents online on your account
• If you like an item you can request for it to be resent in another box
• Even though items have been worn they are in perfect condition. Every item is dry cleaned and sterilized before it arrives on your doorstep

Cons:

• You do not get to pick the specific items in each box… it is a surprise every time! Not really so much of a con for me as I love a good surprise but figured I had to put something in the con category
• If you want to wear one item multiple times, you have to wait to send back your entire tote (cannot send it back in pieces)
• There is always the risk that totes can be a complete bust

I LOVE this service and plan to continue using it!

This LeTote link is a referral link if anyone wants to give it a try. It will give you $25 off your first month!  

I've given my full and honest opinion here, so all the cards are on the table. I am not in any way compensated by LeTote for this post.

Simplify101: January Goals

The majority of the goals for this month are a no brainer! They center on finishing up items from Christmas and making sure that our storage spaces are organized to start off the New Year!

Again I’m using the Simplify101 checklists that I have modified via Adobe.