Showcase Your Talent Thursday #42

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 Welcome to Showcase Your Talent Thursday!!


I hope everyone is having a good week.  This weekend is my 10 year High School reunion, so it should be interesting to see what everyone has been up to.  My husband and I went to High School together, and we still keep in touch with a few friends from High School.  Most of the other people I cared about, I keep in touch with through Facebook.  It will be nice to see some of those people in person.  The thing I am most excited about is that I bought a pretty new dress to wear to the reunion  

Thanks to everyone that linked up last week! There are so many great ideas, I always have a hard time picking the features! I can't wait to see what you have to share this week!!  
Most Viewed Link:




Sugar Free Turtle Cheesecake by A Cozy Place Called Home.  This cheesecake looks really good.  The best part is that it is sugar free, so I don't have to feel as guilty about eating a slice.


My Favorites:




Asiago Crusty Bread by Melissa's Cuisine.  This bread looks great and I really like the asiago on top.  This would make good sandwich bread.




Strawberries and Cream Bundt Cake by Chocolate Chocolate and More.  I love the look of this cake, it would be great for Valentine's Day.  Plus I love how easy it is to make.




Cutlery Recipe Card Holder by Polish the Stars.  This is such a good idea, this recipe holder is so adorable. This would be great to have right there when I am cooking.




Chocolate Peanut Butter Fingers by MamaBuzz.   I love anything that is chocolate and peanut butter.  I bet these little bars taste fantastic!


Thanks for linking up and feel free to grab a button if you were featured.

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Link up as many of your recipes, crafts, tutorials, ideas, projects, or fun posts as you would like to share.Please do not link up any etsy shops, giveaways, or advertisements.Link up to your post and not your main blog.Make sure to visit some of the other links and most of all HAVE FUN!!!

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Spinach, Artichoke, and Crab Dip

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The other weekend when we had a party to go to, I was try to think of what dip to make.  I mentioned Spinach and Artichoke Dip because that is always one of our favorites.  I also mentioned making a Crab Dip.  My husband thought it would be a good idea to add crab to Spinach and Artichoke Dip.  I turned him down at first, but the more I thought about it the better of an idea it became. 
I decided to make the dip in a bread bowl because I love bread bowl dips.  The best part of these dips is eating the bread that is soaked with the dip and dip flavor.  I think this Spinach, Artichoke, and Crab Dip was one of the best dips that I have ever made.  Everyone loved it and the whole thing was devoured at the party.  
This dip would be great for a Superbowl party or any party.  This makes a great appetizer.  The addition of the crab adds so much good flavor to the traditional Spinach and Artichoke Dip.  I plan on making this dip again to watch the football games this weekend.  I hope that you try it!


Spinach, Artichoke, and Crab Dip in a Bread Bowl
2 cans jumbo lump crab1 can (14 ounces) artichoke hearts, drained and finely chopped
1 package (10 ounces) frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained1 cup mayonnaise 1 cup grated parmesan cheese1 1/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese1/2 teaspoon garlic powderRound loaf of bread
Loaf of bread, cubed for dipping
1.  Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

2.  Mix all of the ingredients together, except 1/4 cup mozzarella cheese, until combined.  
3.  Take the round loaf of bread and cut a small circle out of the top of the bread.  Save the lid for use during cooking. Cut away the bread inside the round loaf to make a hollow space.  Save this bread for dipping.
4.  Place the dip inside the bread bowl. Sprinkle the remaining mozzarella cheese over the top of the dip.  Then put the lid back on the bread bowl. Place the bread bowl on a cookie sheet to bake. If there is extra filling that will not fit in the bread bowl, place it in a casserole dish and bake beside the bread bowl.
5.  Bake the crab dip for 1 hour and serve hot.  Bake any extra dip in the casserole dish for only 20 minutes or until heated through.  Serve with the extra bread from the inside of the bowl and the cubed bread. It also tastes good with tortilla chips.  
*Alyssa*
Linked to these parties 

Try these other great dips:

Cheesy Spinach and Artichoke Dip


Crab Dip in a Bread Bowl

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cake Cheese Ball

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I always look forward to watching the Superbowl. I think the match up of the Ravens versus the Niners will be a really good game.  I like watching football but I am usually more excited for the commercials, the half time show, and of course the food.  We always make a bunch of appetizers, even if it is just our little family watching the game together.  
The appetizer that I am most excited about is this Chocolate Peanut Butter Cake Cheese Ball. I thought of the idea to make a cheese ball when I saw this fantastic looking Red Velvet Cheese Ball from Taste and Tell.   We made this for watching a football game a few weeks ago and we loved it.  The Cheese Ball (the cheese being cream cheese) has a great chocolate and peanut butter flavor.  It reminds me of chocolate peanut butter cake with the peanut butter chips on the outside, similar to the peanut butter frosting on a cake.  

This dessert ball was amazing and I can't wait to make it again for this Superbowl.  It tasted great with Vanilla Wafers.  It can also be served with graham crackers or fruit. I really liked that you can make this the night before and have it ready for the big party the next day.  You can't go wrong with an appetizer that tastes like Chocolate Peanut Butter Cake!!





 Chocolate Peanut Butter Cake Cheese Ball

1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 1/2 cups chocolate cake mix, dry
1/2 cup peanut butter
3 tablespoons brown sugar
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 cup peanut butter chips
Vanilla Wafers, graham crackers, fruit, or other cookies for dipping

1.  In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese and butter together until combined.  Then add in the chocolate cake mix, peanut butter, brown sugar, and powdered sugar and beat until combined.

2.  Place the mixture on a large piece of plastic wrap.  Bring up all the corners of the plastic wrap and wrap into a ball.  Freeze the ball for about 1 1/2 hours or until it is firm enough to keep its shape.

3.  Place the peanut butter chips on a flat plate and roll the unwrapped cheese ball in the peanut butter chips. Make sure to press the peanut butter chips into the cheese ball until it is fully covered.

4.  Place the ball on a serving dish, cover with plastic wrap and freeze the cheese ball for another 2 hours or overnight.  If frozen overnight, thaw for 20-30 minutes before serving.  Serve with Vanilla Wafers, graham crackers, fruit, or other cookies.


*Alyssa*
Linked to these parties 
Try these other great dessert appetizers:

Reese's Dip


Nutella Dip

Showcase Your Talent Thursday #48

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Welcome to Showcase Your Talent Thursday!!


I hope that everyone had a great Valentine's Day! My husband and I had a great date night on Saturday.  I can't believe that March starts next week, this year is really flying by.  I'm really excited for spring though, spring and summer are my favorite times of the year.   

Thanks to everyone that linked up last week! There are so many great ideas, I always have a hard time picking the features! I can't wait to see what you have to share this week!!  
Most Viewed Link:




Almond Joy Cheesecake by Will Cook for Smiles.  Wow, this cheesecake looks amazing and I'm sure it tastes just as great!


My Favorites:



Double Chocolate Chip Muffins by The First Year Blog.  These muffins look good, you can never have enough chocolate!




Brown Butter Lobster Ravioli with Tomato Cream Sauce by Half Baked Harvest.  Wow! This dinner looks fantastic, I need to try it!




White Chocolate Chunk Red Velvet Cookie Bars by Annie's Noms.  These look awesome! I'm sure the red velvet and white chocolate taste great together.




Make Your Own Snow "Paint" by One Little Project.  This is a great idea, I have to do this for my son if it snows again.




Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Fudge by Sweet 2 Eat Baking.  I love cookie dough and love that it can be made in fudge form too. Yum!


Thanks for linking up and feel free to grab a button if you were featured.

Copy and Paste Code
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Link up as many of your recipes, crafts, tutorials, ideas, projects, or fun posts as you would like to share.Please do not link up any etsy shops, giveaways, or advertisements.Link up to your post and not your main blog.Make sure to visit some of the other links and most of all HAVE FUN!!!

Please feel free to take a button and post it somewhere on your blog

Buffalo Chicken Crescent Ring

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I always like using shortcuts in the kitchen, especially at dinner time to help make dinner faster.  Anything that can make dinner easier, especially on weeknights is great.  I am always looking for fast and delicious meals.   When I get home from work I am usually really hungry and want to spend as much time with my family and my son before he goes to bed.  If I can make a fast homemade meal, everyone is happy.
This Buffalo Chicken Crescent Ring tastes great and is really easy to make.  It is made using refrigerated crescent rolls and has a great buffalo chicken ranch combination inside.  This is a great meal and has become a staple for easy dinners.



Buffalo Chicken Crescent Ring(Recipe adapted from Jayesel)
2 packages (8 ounces each) refrigerated crescent rolls2 cups pre-cooked chicken, shredded3 tablespoons buffalo wing sauce2 tablespoons ranch dressing1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened1/2 packet ranch dressing powder mixRanch dressing (optional for dipping)Blue cheese dressing (optional for dipping)
1.  Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
2.  Separate each package of crescent rolls into 4 rectangles, keeping 2 triangles in each rectangle together.   Place the 8 rectangles on a cookie sheet, overlapping to form a ring shape with a small circle left open in the middle.  
3.  Mix the chicken, buffalo wing sauce, and ranch dressing together in a small bowl.  In a separate small bowl mix together the cream cheese and ranch dressing mix.  Then mix all the ingredients together.  
4.  Spread the mixture in a circle on the inner portion of the crescent ring.  Fold the edges of the crescent ring over the mixture to form a ring shape.  
5.  Cook the crescent ring for 15 minutes or until golden brown.  If desired, serve with ranch dressing or blue cheese dressing for dipping.  
(For pictures on how to assemble the crescent ring see Jayesel)
*Alyssa*

Linked to these parties


Check out all these great buffalo chicken recipes:

Buffalo Chicken Quesadilla


Buffalo Chicken Taquitos


Buffalo Ranch Chicken Dip

Blogging Tip...How to Search a Blog

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Hi everyone! Today's blogging tip is how to search a blog for a particular post or topic and how to add a search box to your side bar.

We've all been there...you remember seeing a great post on a blog, a tutorial or a recipe, but can't find it anywhere. Well, there's hope!

The Search Box...




Every Blogger blog has a navibar at the top of the blog. There are lots of helpful things in the navibar, but the best is the search box in the upper left corner

Just type in anything you'd like to find and all the posts with those words in it will appear.

In this example, I typed in brownies in that upper left box...



Then the post on "How To Cut Brownies The Easy Way" popped up!!


Even the post where I described an ice flavor that had brownies in it was there too!!



Another great tool or gadget is the "Search Box" you can add to the side bar of your blog.

Red arrow is pointing to it on my blog in the picture below.


To add this "Search Box", just go to your dashboard and click LAYOUT.


Click ADD A GADGET...

Scroll until you see the "Search Box" and add it. Drag and drop to the desired spot on your side bar.



It's so easy to find anything on blogs with the Label Gadget, Archives and now the Search bars.

Have fun searching through all your favorite blogs!!

Happy Blogging,
~Karen~

Tool Time Tuesday...Ring Pincushion

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Happy Tool Time!! Today is another pincushion idea...a ring pincushion!! 
We all love pincushions and we all use them in different places...by our sewing machine, on the cutting table, on the ironing board, by our favorite chair when we do a little hand sewing or even in the car.
This is the best pincushion, because we'll never lose it...it's on our finger!!

The tools for this project are easy.

• a ring form. I bought mine at Hobby Lobby for $1.99
• scrap fabric
• stuffing 
• hot glue gun or another adhesive

This is the ring form. 


Adjustable too.


The top of this ring looks like a little cake pan. It has an edge. There are other ring forms that have a flat platform...that will work too.




This type of ring would be for a large gem stone or bead, but not for us!!


Scrap fabric and circle to trace.


This square of fabric is 2 1/2 inches, just as a guide to the size of my circle.

 

 
To gather the edge of the circle, you can hand sew a running stitch around the outer edge or I just sewed a loose stitch around the edge.

It's the largest stitch on your machine.


To gather, just pull either the 2 top threads or the 2 bottom threads.


Fill with fiber fill and pull threads. I also stitched it closed a little.






Fill in the ring bottom with hot glue and quickly add the cushion.


Cute, cute!!


The best kind of ring for me.


You can use it on any finger.





This ring will be perfect for you, but also great as a gift for a sewing friend.

If you want other pincushion ideas...Click HERE. This post will show first, but you can scroll for all the other ideas. You can also go to the "labels"action and click "Pincushion" and scroll through all the ideas.

Happy Tuesday,
~Karen~