Summer Pasta

Last summer was the first in which I had tomatoes and basil to harvest.  And I fell in love.  Truly.  I pretty much eat anything with tomatoes and basil when in between the months of April and September. I can eat my summer quesadillas almost every day for lunch, which also boasts a delicious mix of tomatoes, basil, and balsamic vinegar. Yum!

This pasta is incredibly easy to whip up, and I'm sure you'll love the light and summery mix of these ingredients!

1 box any pasta (I stick to rotini and penne most of the time)

1 tomato, chopped

Fresh basil leaves, chopped (use as much/little as your tastes prefer)

1/4 cup freshly grated parmesan OR shredded mozzarella cheese

1 tsp olive oil

Optional: 1/2 cup diced chicken breast

1.  Cook pasta according to directions.  Drain.

2.  Mix in olive oil, tomatoes, basil, cheese, and chicken breast.

3.  Stir lightly, coating and mixing the ingredients.  Serve immediately.

I usually find this to be perfect, but I will occasionally add a few grinds of pepper on top or adjust the cheese (more or less) depending on what I'm in the mood for that day!

Enjoy!

Do you have any go-to summer foods/flavors/ingredients?

80% Off at Canvas People Plus $10 Refund!!!

Canvas People are running a sale right now for Father's Day...80% ALL Canvas Prints!  What a great way to enlarge a picture of the children with their daddy onto a beautiful canvas to hang on the wall!  You should not need any special codes, just click on the picture above or any of the Canvas People links within this post and anything you create should be 80% off!  

Note: To receive your canvas print by Father's Day while just paying the basic Standard Shipping, you will need to order by June 1st.  

And of course, since there's no limit to the amount of prints you can get for 80% off, you can always buy more canvas prints for around the house decor!  Perfect!

Oh, and it get's better!  I was just looking around at their deals and noticed that with any canvas purchase of $14.99 or up, you get a FREE one year subscription to Family Fun magazine.  BUT, if you don't want it, there is a REFUND OPTION!  I LOVE when I get these kind of deals!  Basically, you can ask for a refund instead of the magazine subscription.  In this case it's a $10 refund!  So, when you are on the create your canvas page, scroll to the bottom where you see the magazine deal, click on "refund and offer details", print the page, fill it out, and mail it in.  You must include a copy of your online order confirmation showing the date of purchase and total purchase amount, and must do it within 30 days of ordering!

Now that's a great deal!

(The links in this post may be my referral/affiliate links.  Read my disclosure policy HERE.  Thank you for supporting the continuation of this blog by using my links!)

Pete the Cat Book Giveaway

It's time for another giveaway!  This time, there are many more chances to enter and win!

I am giving away a paperback copy of Pete the Cat: Rocking in My School Shoes.  The Pete the Cat books are absolutely my new favorite books!  With fun, catchy singing throughout the book, your kids will instantly fall in love with Pete, too!  I bought quite a few copies of this book and have been giving them away as gifts.  They really are incredible and so much fun!  Plus, I love any book that has repetition because early readers and not-yet readers can join in on the "reading" action, too!  You can check this book (and others in the series) out on Amazon, too!  

Anywho, there are a lot more entry options this time around, so be sure to check back in daily as there are some entry options that you can do once per day until the raffle is over!  And as always, thanks for being a loyal Mothering with Creativity reader ;)

Ready, Set, Go!

(Note: I modified some of the entry categories because I found out one of the methods was not allowed by Facebook...oops!  If you "shared" the page on Facebook before I modified it, your entries are still valid...Thanks for your understanding!)


a Rafflecopter giveaway

Homemade Fruit Snacks

I am a total sweet tooth kinda person.  I love pretty much anything sweet, but I have an extra weak spot for chewy, sweet things (i.e. skittles, starburst, gummy bears, fruit snacks, jelly beans....it could go on and on).  So, I've wanted to try homemade fruit snacks for a long time but hadn't gotten around to it.  My sister in law mentioned that she tried a recipe and it flopped, and asked if I took requests to try new recipes :)  I of course said yes!  I found the original recipe HERE.  I followed her direction pretty much to a T, but found I would change some things next time.

It was actually very easy and quick.  I personally thought that these were not sweet enough (could totally be a personal problem), but all 3 of my children enjoyed them, so I figured I'd post it anyway (I'll mark the changes I suggest as we go).

2/3 cup fresh lemon or orange juice (I used lemonade...I would stick to real, fresh lemon next time)

2/3 cup berries (Since I totally scored on cheap strawberries last week, I figured I'd use some of those.  I also used some frozen blueberries.)

2 TBL honey (I will use 3 TBL next time for a little more sweetness)

4-5 TBL gelatin (unflavored, WINCO sells a generic brand for super cheap; the more gelatin you use, the stiffer it will become)

In a pot, heat the juice and berries on medium until they get super soft and it thickens a bit.  You want them really soft or it will not blend well into a smooth, fruit snack texture.

Once it is very soft, mix in your honey and stir well.  Let it cook for another 2 minutes or so, stirring occasionally.  

Next, using your immersion blender (I told you I love that thing), or a blender if you don't have one, mix your fruit mixture until smooth.

Now you are going to whisk in the gelatin.  It's important that you only add about 1 TBS or so at a time and whisk constantly or it will clump up on you.  I did 5 TBS and I think it was to firm for my liking.  Next time I will only do 4 TBS.  You'll see it get thick pretty quickly.  Just know that the more gelatin you use, the thicker/firmer it becomes.

Pour your mixture into a glass 8x8 pan.  It does NOT need to be greased.  They come out rather nicely.   Place it in the fridge to set for about 30 minutes or so.  Remove from the fridge, and use a knife to cut them into little squares.  They came out nicely, without sticking.  Store them in the fridge to maintain freshness.  

The kids really do like them.  It is definitely a recipe that I will do again, but with the modifications that I listed above.  

10 FREE Graduation Announcements

Do you have a preschooler, kindergartener, high schooler, or college student graduating this year?  York Photo is offering 10 FREE graduation announcements PLUS 40 FREE prints for just the cost of shipping.  Shipping starts at $3.49.  This offer is only available to new customers, so if you've ordered from them before, you will not be able to get the deal.  It expires June 2nd, so you'll want to hurry so your cards will be shipped in time for graduation!  Use code: MYGRADUATION to get the deal!

Head HERE to get started!

Don't forget to check out my graduation cap cookies HERE, and my graduation crafts HERE.

(The links in this post may be my referral/affiliate links.  Read my disclosure policy HERE.  Thank you for supporting the continuation of this blog by using my links!)

Clip Board Art Display

My fridge cannot possible hold the amount of art work that my children wish it would, and I do love for my children to be able to display art work that they are proud of where everyone can see it.  So, while I was at the Dollar Store, I bought 4 regular clipboards.  I used regular $.99 acrylic paints that I already hand to paint the clipboards brown and black.  Then I hung them above their little table (which we keep in the kitchen area).  They love being able to display art work on these.  The handprint picture has been there for probably 2 months!  And, no, they are not actually hung crooked, I just took a bad picture.

Super easy, frugal, and fun for the kids to display their "proud" pieces!

Betty Crocker Newsletter & Freebies

Sign up for the Betty Crocker Newsletter and receive 1) access to free samples each month (one per member)  2) Lots of great coupons  and 3) Recipe ideas

Also, when you sign up for the newsletter, you get a free download of Betty Crocker's All-Time Best Recipes ebook (link in first email after signing up).

I LOVE free samples and new recipes!

Don't forget about the Pillsbury newsletter that is currently offering sign-up incentives, too!

(The links in this post may be my referral/affiliate links.  Read my disclosure policy HERE.  Thank you for supporting the continuation of this blog by using my links!)