We Made It Monday: Mandarin Orange and Lettuce Salad

We made this yummy salad tonight with dinner.  I substituted the golden raisins for some organic Thompson raisins a friend gave me.  I've learned a neat trick with raisins.  SOAKING.  I am not a huge fan of just snacking on raisins and as a result I just don't have them around.  BUT if you keep a little jar of raisins soaking in water they get nice and soft, plump, and juicy.  Perfect for hot cereal, oatmeal, baby snacks, adult snacks, salads, smoothies, even if you were baking with them.  It makes a HUGE difference.  As for the toasted cashews in the recipe I almost didn't do it because I thought it wouldn't make that much of a difference, but it did make a nice twist of taste and texture.  This is a really simple recipe and is very yummy.  I used Wishbone Italian dressing on ours since it is gluten free, but I'm sure you can use your favorite dressing.  I bet a rasberry vinagrette would be yummy.  When tangarines come in season I am going to try this recipe with
fresh oranges since canned mandarin oranges have so much sugar in the syrup.
ENJOY!!!

Mandarin Orange and Lettuce Salad

- About 6 Cups (or a 16oz pkg) of lettuce or salad mix

- 1 (11oz) can mandarin oranges, drained

- 1/3 Cup golden raisins (soaked overnight is BEST)

- 1/3 cup toasted cashews

- 1/2 commercial Italian dressing OR sweet-and-sour dressing OR favorite dressing of choice

Directions

1. Combine first 4 ingredients in a salad bowl. Pour salad dressing over salad, and toss. Serve immediately.

Forcast Report: Brainstorms Brewing at the Brewer Blog!!!

What would Mrs. Santa Claus say? 

If Mrs. Santa Clause had a message to give to a group of women before/about/or regarding something Christmas what do you think it would be?  It can be spiritual, funny, or helpful tips.  

What do you think she would want to tell women who are mothers, not mothers, old, young, 

married, unmarried, working, not working...all women?  

What would she want women to know?

Halloween at our house...

THE PRINCESS

  It was all about the princess this year!  Charlie-Marie dressed as a beautiful princess in pink. (Thanks Mookie!).  She was honestly the star of the night at our trunk-r-treat at church on Saturday.  As you will see in videos she had a HUGE gathering of women and grandmothers all surrounding her and laughing at her first experience with candy...a delicious lollipop.  It was so fun!  I dressed up as her fairy god-mother, although that hardly matters with the glow of my princess!  We sure missed having Dan with us that night.  He would have loved it!  On the actual Halloween night we only had one knock from trick-r-treaters.  3 Ninjas.  They were cute, but that was the total of our visitors.  Not many people do the old fashioned door-to-door anymore.  Although I can't say I blame them.  Nowadays malls, grocery stores, churches, and many other safer, better lit, and reliable places are hosting trick-r-treating.

 

THE FIRST CANDY

After the Party

WAY past bedtime

NEEDED a bath

SUGAR HIGH!!!

We Made It Monday (Halloween Stuff a little late)

 

Spooky Halloween Tree - Meant to be entirely edible with the Graham cracker bottom, frosting dirt, candy corn fence and pumpkins, and black licorice tree.  However, none of the wire I had on hand to put inside the trees to be able to bend them was working so I used black pipe cleaners.  

Might be a fuzzy bite if you do try to eat it.

 

Church Relief Society Dinner-In-A-Pumpkin

Mummy Candy Dish.  I used some old round baby food cups and cut and glued gauze to the outside over a cotton ball nose and around 2 googly eyes.  It is hard to tell from the pictures, but they were really cute! 

Note the baby footprint ghost (Thanks to Charlie-Marie) and the cool bat - They were meant to be hung upside down around the room over the tables, but we ran out of time