I'm Sailing Away....

As of tonight, I'm officially on vacation. That's right - no cooking, cleaning, carpooling, stamping or scrapbooking - although you know I'm going to take ton of pictures! We are going on a Disney cruise! We'll arrive in Florida tomorrow morning, and we'll sail away on Saturday. We'll be gone a blissful seven days, stopping in St. Thomas, St. Maarten and Castaway Cay - Disney's own island (shown in the picture above)! We've had this booked for three years, and the kids are over the moon excited. They will keep so busy on the ship - they have their own club and there are so many activities, I'm sure we'll hardly see them! 

I was really worried about even making this trip, because something came up on Monday evening, and not in the too busy, over-worked and over-scheduled suburban family kind of way. I mean in the stomach virus kind of way. I caught the lovely bug on Sunday at a baby shower - I know this because three other people came down sick too. Anyhow, I wanted to die during the hours between Monday and Tuesday, but by Tuesday evening I was feeling better. I sent the kids to my moms because I was afraid they would catch the bug too, since it's obviously very contagious. I stripped and cleaned everything and used about two cans of Lysol in and around the house. I even Lysol'd the dog - I couldn't take the chance.  So far, so good - noone is sick - yet. But I keep having nightmare visions of all my kids and maybe even my husband all barfing on the plane tonight. Wouldn't that be great? That would be such a Bowden family thing to happen!

Anyway...I've made some really cute projects, but I'll have to post them when I return. I just haven't had the chance to do it the last few days. To my customers, if you have placed any orders with me I will deliver them as soon as I get back!

Off to finish packing!!!

Yummy Recipe of the Month (and kids dig it)!

I've decided to post a favorite recipe of mine every month, cause we have to eat while we're stampin' and scrappin', right? This one happens to me one of my favorite comfort food recipes, and my kids think I'm the coolest mom in the world when I make it for them.

So what do you get when you mix Captain Crunch Cereal with chicken strips? An absolutely fabulous, yummy appetizer or dinner! Friends go nuts over this recipe every time I make it, and it's super easy. I discovered it at a Planet Hollywood restaurant, and it was so good that I had to find the copycat recipe on the internet. It sounds like a weird combination, but it's seriously yummy! I like to fry mine in the deep fryer because I live on the edge like that, but for a healthier version you can "oven-fry" it instead. Both versions rock!

PLANET HOLLYWOOD'S CAPTAIN CRUNCH CHICKEN

2-1/2 cups Captain Crunch Cereal - do not use the one with pink berries - unless you want pink chicken. Eww.
1 cup corn flakes
1 egg
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup flour
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
2 pounds chicken breast, cut in 1-oz. tenders
Vegetable oil for frying (I actually use a deep fryer, but a pan works too)

 OR:

Heat the oven to 350 degrees and bake until done

HONEY-MUSTARD SAUCE (you can use this recipe, or just cheat and by prepared honey mustard - I like this version better).

1/2 cup mayonnaise
2 Tablespoon honey
1 Tablespoon prepared mustard

1. Coarsely grind or crush the two cereals and set aside. Beat the egg with milk and set aside.
2. Stir together the flour, onion and garlic powders and black pepper; set aside
3. Dip the chicken: pieces in the seasoned flour and coat well; shake off the excess flour. Dip in the egg wash, coating well, then dip in the cereal mixture, coating well.
4. Heat oil in a large heavy skillet to 325. (or skip this step and bake on a foil-lined sheet at 350 degrees until done)

Drop coated chicken tenders carefully in the hot oil and cook until
golden brown and fully cooked, 3 to 5 minutes depending on size.
Drain and serve immediately with sauce.

5. For sauce, combine all ingredients and mix well.

Yield: 4 to 6 servings.

Sale-A-Bration is here!!!

It's Sale-A-Bration time again at Stampin' Up! and free stuff is what it's all about!

Every year Stampin' Up! gives customers, hostesses, and new demonstrators the opportunity to earn fantastic, FREE, limited-edition stamp sets they'll enjoy for years to come.

Here's how Sale-A-Bration works:

Customers
When you spend $50 on Stampin' Up! merchandise, you'll receive a free Sale-A-Bration stamp set. There's no limit - for every $50 you spend, you can select another free Sale-A-Bration set!

Hostesses
When you host a workshop of at least $300 (before tax and shipping), you'll receive a free Sale-A-Bration set in addition to all of the regular hostess benefits!

New Demonstrators
During Sale-A-Bration, anyone who joins as a demonstrator can choose any stamp set--a value of up to $47.95--from the Spring-Summer 2008 Collection catalog! PLUS, new demonstrators get 20 percent off the Demonstrator Starter Kit--over $350 of Stampin' Up! products and business supplies for only $159! How flippin' cool is that?! And as always, you can customize you demo kit. You can sign up through my website here!

The Sale-A-Bration promotion starts on February 1 and runs through March 17, so don't miss your chance to earn free products! Contact me to book your workshop or learn more about this promotion. If you haven't received the Sale-A-Bration brochure from me, you can view it online here.

Let's Sale-A-Brate!

Meeting Shelli!

Last weekend I attended the Stampin' Up! regional seminar in Anaheim with a few good friends. It was my first seminar and I had a great time! We made some cute projects, learned some new techniques and got some great ideas for class projects. I also got to meet Shelli Gardner, the founder and CEO of Stampin' Up! She is so personable and such a genuinely sweet lady. She also has the cutest hair ever!

We were given the set "So Much" at the seminar. I wasn't crazy about this set when I first saw it in the catalog, but it's very versatile and we made some really cute projects with it!