A Curry Chicken Frittata Recipe #HormelFamily

I bought a Costco size package of red potatoes and I wanted to cook something else with them before they went bad. I’m not exactly sure when a potato has gone bad, I think someone once told me that once they start growing then they are bad but if that’s the case then how do you know when a potato is ok for you. That question is for another day I suppose because my potatoes were still good. I used my can of Hormel Chicken and potatoes and eggs and created a Curry Chicken Frittata.

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I opened up the can of Hormel Chicken, drained it and rinsed it. Put butter in a skillet and used a teaspoon of salt and 2 Tablespoons of curry and 6 peeled and chopped red potatoes.

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Cooked for about 10 minutes, then added 1/2 cup water and let simmer for 15 more minutes. Next I cracked 6 eggs and stirred with a fork, then added 1/2 cup of cheese and poured into the pan. Cooked for about 5 minutes, letting the eggs get solid. Now I was worried about the eggs getting over cooked on the bottom so I stirred it a bit to make sure the liquid on the top would cook.

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Curry Chicken Frittata Recipe:

Ingredients:

2 Tablespoons butter or margarine
1 10 OZ can of Hormel Premium Chunk Chicken (drained and rinsed)
6 red potatoes peeled and chopped
1 teaspoon salt
2 Tablespoons Curry
1/2 cup water
6 eggs
1/2 cup cheese

Directions:

  1. Cook the chicken, and potatoes in the butter for about five minutes.
  2. Add the salt and curry and cook for about five more minutes.
  3. Then add water and simmer for 10 to 15 minutes, making sure the potatoes are cooked all the way
  4. Crack the eggs in a separate bowl, scramble them with a fork and add 1/2 cup of cheese
  5. Pour over the chicken and potatoes and cook the eggs until they are done, be careful not to over cook them.

 

 

I’m part of the Hormel Family Blogger Program and this post enters me into a contest at the end of six months.

Spring Clean and Organize Your Tech with Microsoft

I did a poll on twitter and asked if it’s soon enough to write about Spring cleaning and most people said yes it’s too soon, but they still wanted tips for winter cleaning. So if you’re still organizing for the New Year or ready to clean out for Spring, don’t forget to consider your tech and be green about cleaning out your tech.

Remember when Summer gave us some green tips on how to deal with your technology a year and a half ago. She gave us some really great tips and Microsoft has a few of their own versions of these great tips but just to remind you, here are Summer’s tips. Dispose of Batteries Properly. Know Local Places to donate used toys, electronics, and other items. Donate used items to charity. Find places to Sell Used ElectronicsFind, and ways to properly dispose of electronics and make some money doing so at Microsoft among other places. Remember you can Recycle Cell Phones through Operation Gratitude, and Turn off Vampire Appliances to save energy. Microsoft recently sent me some other great ideas and ways to clean up your tech at the Microsoft Store. Here are their tips:

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Out with the Old, In with the New (In Store): Already have your new PC and need to get rid of your old one? Just bring your computer, phone or other device into the nearest Microsoft Store and they will happily recycle it for you. Even better, if they determine your computer still has value, we’ll give you a Microsoft store gift card for that amount. Just like Summer said, make some money off your old appliances. We’ve been doing that with some of our old stuff.

PC Tune-Up (In Store): Let trained technicians at a Microsoft Store closest to you help improve the speed, performance, and security of your PC. I’ve been really bad about this, I usually just deem my machine to be out of date and in need of replacement. It’s a good idea if you’re not ready to upgrade to just get some help with the one you have. Plus it’s greener to use your machine as long as possible. image

Sign up for a Personal Trainer (The Tech Kind): With Microsoft’s One-Hour Personal Training sessions at $49.99, you can learn at your own pace, the way you want to. Get the most out of your PC experience with a one-on-one training session with a Microsoft Answer Tech. You can customize your hour to concentrate on the topics you want to learn about most, like creating documents or newsletters, organizing your email inbox, creating photos and videos with Windows Live Essentials, and much more.

  1. Get dedicated one-on-one time with an expert – ask the questions you want and learn the way that works best for you
  2. Learn from the comfort of your own home or office – you’ll receive your training remotely via chat and phone
  3. Training covers the latest Microsoft software, from the company that designed Windows 7 and Office 2010
  4. You’re learning experience is tailored to the topics you want to focus on

· Manage the family calendar online: With Windows Hotmail Calendar, you can keep track of everyone’s schedules all at once. Don’t worry about trying to remember what time to pick up the kids from soccer practice and make it to your dentist appointment on time; it’s all in your calendar and easily accessible online or on your mobile phone.

 

I’m a Microsoft Windows Champion and this information was provided to me by them.

The Space Needle at Night Photography #2DaysinSeattle

We spent two nights in Seattle last month and I really enjoyed taking pictures of everything and we got a few really good shots of the Space Needle at night.

Under the Space Needle

 

Under The space needle

 

From the Top of the Space Needle

From the Space Needle

Top of the Space Needle

Space Needle Night Water

And inside the Space Needle

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We had a blast thanks to 2DaysinSeattle.

I Want My Sister’s Dogs

Watching my sister’s Facebook page has left me wanting her dogs or at least go visit them like a proud aunt should.

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Moira is adorable

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Baby Abbey above

and look at them together, they grow so fast…..

both dogs

but alas, I have no time for dogs, so I’ll just live vicariously through her facebook page.

Global Home Resort 7 Night Stay Disney Dream Vacation #OrlandoGiveaway

Sitting around looking at all the rain around me has me wishing for a vacation to a warmer place. I was even going as far as looking at plane tickets to go back to Florida with my whole family. Looking at tickets for the next few weeks made me really excited. Then this giveaway opportunity came up and even though I’m not eligible to win it still lifted my spirits a little bit. Plus how can the thought of Mickey Mouse not lift up your spirits. (this house is not a guarantee)

Red Mickey Mouse Room

 

I love Global Home Resorts and the people behind it. I was lucky enough to meet the owners and many of their employees and they have lots of fun and I just love fun people and fun companies and great products and the houses are amazing. If you remember I wrote a post on the Top 10 reasons why you should Go Global. Now that you KNOW you have to go Global then you must also be ready for the giveaway to start!

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Global Resort Homes is giving a 7 night stay at one of their 4 bedroom or larger homes for one of you to stay in. That’s a large enough prize right there right? Of course it is but the fun doesn’t stop there, you will also win a Family of 4 pack ride on the Orlando Balloon Adventure hot air balloon ride. Plus, yep, we had to go over the top, all the bloggers particpating in this giveaway pulled some money together and purchased a Family 4 pack of tickets to Wald Disney World (2 Day Park Hopper passes 2 adult and 2 child passes). This is the perfectly family vacation giveaway and I want to win. I’m hoping someone I know enters and then mails me the prize. Ha, a girl can dream right?

 

Enter to Win:

7 night stay in a 4 bedroom or larger luxury pool vacation home from Global Resort Homes
Family 4 pack of tickets to Walt Disney World (2 Day Park Hopper – 2 adult, 2 child)
Hot Air Balloon Ride for Family of 4 from Orlando Balloon Adventure
Open to US and Canadian residents. Valid thru 12/31/12. Blackout dates apply.

Travel and expenses are not covered.

To Enter:

I’d love a comment on the post but the only entries that will count have to be in the rafflecopter form.

 

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Pretty Princess Puff Cookies Recipe

With all my Blah feelings I’ve been doing a lot of extra backing and eating, and eating and baking. Today we had more chocolate covered strawberries and last week I made peanut butter popcorn. MMMMM, I’m trying to eat my way into happiness. And you get to reap the benefits too with my recipes. I let Zoe do almost the entire recipe this time. I did the eggs and she did the rest. (this recipe was taken from the cookbook Pink Princess Cookbook, Zoe got for Christmas)

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Beat three egg whites until soft peaks form

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Then you add sugar and flavor of your choice and some gel dye if you choose, we didn’t have any dye and beat until stiff peaks form. Scoop out onto a foiled cookie sheet.

 

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Let the kids put sprinkles on of any kind and to their heart’s desire

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And more sprinkles

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and more sprinkles

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Pretty Princess Puff Cookies Recipe

Ingredients:

3 eggs
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla or other flavor
2 or 3 drops pastel gel food coloring
LOTS OF SPRINKLES

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 250 degrees

Line 2 cookie sheets with foil (easy clean up)

IN a large bowl beat 3 eggs until soft peaks form

With the mixer on, slowly add the sugar a spoonful at a time.

Then Add the tartar, extract and food coloring

Continue beating until stiff peaks form

Spoon mounds of mixture onto the cookie sheets, spacing them 1/2 an inch apart

Sprinkle with sprinkles

Place both cookie sheets in the oven and bake for an hour

Turn the oven off and leave the oven door closed for 10 minutes

Remove puffs from foil and let cool, store in an airtight container.

BLAH! Struggling With Time, depression, and anxiety

I know everyone around me feels the same way, there are not enough hours in a day, not enough days in a week and not enough weeks in a year. Or at least you think about time as something you don’t ever have enough of….I’ve been struggling….A….LOT

The work life balance is something that I’ve been struggling with quite a bit lately, I’d say for six months now it’s been nagging at me a lot. I work a lot and even putting in as many hours as I do I still consider myself a stay at home mom and not a work at home mom. The reality has become I’m a work at home mom. I look around my house and see disaster everywhere. I’ve never been very good at cleaning, and to tell you the truth it doesn’t bother me enough to do anything about it. My house is messy, I’d rather spend the time with my kids, than have a clean house. So I suppose I shouldn’t be so hard on myself with my time management, but still, I feel like I don’t give enough time to my kids.

It’s hard to sit down and write personal posts lately because things aren’t all rosy or I don’t have a really sweet story to tell about my kids right now. All I have are my own struggles. My mind has been clouded lately with them, depression, and anxiety. My reviews have been negative lately, even when I love the product, and I’ve been trying to give most of the reviews to my contributors so I can have more time with my kids and to deal with my depression and anxiety. I’m even seeing a doctor who’s trying to help me work through all of it. It’s still somehow not working.

Maybe it’s just the clouds and rain and constant overcast that’s talking right now. Because a few weeks ago I was feeling like things were going pretty well. Today all I want to do is take a nap but I hate leaving the blog empty for more than one day, I hate leaving it empty for one day even. Sundays I’ve had no time at all for blogging. Two weeks in a row I was in my house less than 30 minutes between 8:30 AM and 9:00 PM on Sunday, it was lucky that last week I had a post scheduled but this week I didn’t. Last Sunday was my stepmom’s birthday and I forgot to call her. I was so busy, and still I felt guilty so I called her the next day and in my guilt I was frustrated and my conversation didn’t go well. which added to my blah! Other things happened this week that made me more blah! And today I have no motivation. Blah, that’s what I wanted to title this post. Blah has been my mood for about five days now. Blah….I’m going to go take that nap and wake up with a new attitude. And get some better content for you guys!

Let Your Beauty Shine Beautiful Expressions Kabuki Set Giveaway

Spending time with Zoe has been really hard for me, one I’m not good at putting my work down and as a mom/blogger/house keeper/ the list goes on and on I always feel like there is something to do. I’m trying to make it a point to do things that she wants to do play dolls and read to her. But one thing that makes her extra happy is to do something she LOVES and that is makeup and hair. Today she didn’t want me to do her hair so I just did her makeup. And she did mine.

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We used the Beautiful Expressions Kabuki Set.*

About the Product:

This set is designed to let your true colors shine through for a night on the town with your loved one (or your girlfriends!). By using EcoTools’ Limited Edition Beautiful Expressions Kabuki Set you can get a different look, a soft look or a more defined look. The set gives four times the love, allowing you to create custom coverage using four different kabuki heads with different brush directions. Whether you are looking to conceal imperfections, bronze for a sun-kissed look, contour cheeks or buff on the perfect powder, each brush is designed to make you look flawless. The brushes are made of recycled aluminum and ultra-soft, cruelty-free taklon bristles, our 4-piece brush set is essential for a total face makeover.

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Our use of the product:

I gave the brushes a try with Zoe. With her small face, I first used the buff brush to put on a base of neutral color and then I used the conceal brush for a more defined look with the pink blush. The brushes are very soft and something I have to mention about the packaging is that the entire package was eco friendly, you can recycle all of it. The brushes are so soft and I think now that I’ve played with them with Zoe they’re hers now. She loves them. I love them.

 

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*EcoTools’ Limited Edition Beautiful Expressions Kabuki Sets are available at Walmart and Target stores. Check out www.ecotools.com for information on the whole collection.

Enter to Win:

Beautiful Expressions Kabuki Set.*

To Enter:

Leave a comment telling me which of the brushes you would use most and why

Extra Entries:

Please use the rafflecopter

 

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Mother Daughter Date: A Northgate Mall Excursion with Zoe

Zoe and I had a Mother daughter day last weekend. We spent the morning together at Northgate Mall in North Seattle. My goal was to get her nails done, this girl loves makeup and everything girly much more than I do, so I knew it would be fun for her. 

We arrived at Northgate Mall before it opened and walked from one end all the way to the food court. There we found that See’s Candies was open early. Of course it was before Valentine’s Day and they were open extended hours because chocolate is such a popular gift for Valentine’s Day. The good thing about See’s is you can go in for a free sample and that was the beginning of a magical day with my daughter. I had a chocolate caramel and she had a chocolate vanilla truffle. YUM. After the chocolate delights we walked back to the other end of the mall to get our nails done.

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We went into Nail Art, and they made our nails very beautiful but whatever they did with my daughter’s nails it didn’t last more than 4 hours. Each nail peeled off one by one. It was just polish but I really had hoped it would have lasted longer. Maybe it’s because she’s a busy little girl using her hands all day, who knows?

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I think the most important part of the day was making great memories with my daughter. We were able to talk to each other without any interruptions, I found out she likes one of the boys in her class more than any of the other kids, he likes to laugh at her jokes. I also found out that she really likes to play Candy Land. We had a great day and enjoyed looking in quite a few stores and had lunch there. She loves going into Claire’s and I love going into Romy’s and Victoria Secret. She also loves the shoe stores and lotion stores. Because we were short on time we ended up having a slice of pizza. Northgate Mall has everything a daughter and mother could want in a mall.

 

I received a gift card to use for getting myself organized, I ended up using it to get a few clothes I needed for my blogging business trips. I’m a Northgate Mall Blog Ambassador.

Giveaway Jingle, Link Up Your #Giveaway Here, Have it Tweeted Too

You’ve got a giveaway, I want to know about it! Oh, and if you list your giveaway on Mom Start Facebook page anywhere on the page, then I will tweet it out to all of my twitter followers. If you could link directly to the giveaway you want me to tweet that would be very helpful, even more helpful would be for you to leave the exact thing you want tweeted. But whatever works for you! . I’m currently at 19,761 followers and growing all the time! Cool? I hope so!

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I’ve got a few giveaways you might want to check out too! Other places to list your giveaways include

Prizey
Online-Sweepstakes
Connie’s View
Free Sample Site
Big List of Giveaways
Contest Corner (Saturdays)
Sweeps Advantage
Sweeties Sweeps