December 5, 2015 by Krista

Happiness is Homemade Link Party #101

Welcome back! I hope you are doing well and basking in this holly jolly time of year. It’s time for another Happiness is Homemade link party! There were some mouth-watering links last week and if you didn’t get to check them out you should go back. There were some amazingly yummy recipes linked up! Also, I’ve got a $25 PayPal cash giveaway going on, so come on over and enter that!

I got pretty lucky in co-hosting the party and get to do it for a couple more weeks! The hosts have decided to do December a little differently – but I’ll let them explain that…

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We hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving weekend! We will be hosting Happiness is Homemade this week and next week! Then we are taking the remainder of the month of to spend with our families! We are looking forward to a new year and we have some exciting news to share in 2016!

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December 1, 2015 by Krista

Spread Cheer This Holiday Season – $25 PayPal Giveaway & Free Printables

This year, I am simplifying Christmas. Or at least trying to. This year, I’m focusing more on memories than on things. Don’t get me wrong, there is still going to be more than we need under the tree come Christmas morning, but I’m determined not to be the crazy, stressed out mom this holiday season. My Christmas shopping is pretty much complete and I plan to have the gifts I’m making done in the next couple weeks. That way, we can focus on ways to spread cheer to some of our favorite people this month and keep it simple! We kicked off our month of fun with a Mommy-Son Date!

I have a love-hate relationship with having my kids in the kitchen with me. They love it at first, I start out loving it; but, somewhere in the process they get distracted and become uninterested. So, baking cookies with my kids usually starts with everyone helping and ends with me frustrated, shooing them all to a movie and finishing it myself when they stop listening to instructions. But I’ve found a way to make cookies in the time before they lose interest! With a Betty Crocker Cookie Mix!

It cuts down prep time and holds my kids’ attention – Little J even liked helping with my super special cookie scooper spoon this time. He also liked trying to say “super special cookie scooper spoon”. He’d never even seen it before – I bought it 3 years ago. He doesn’t usually stick around long enough to see this part.

Little J and I made these Betty Crocker cookies as a mom-son date. He’s my middle kiddo and sometimes gets cheated out of attention when things more pressing – like homework and dirty diapers – take center stage. So we had a little date while Baby N napped and Big J was at school. We decided to spread cheer to Little J’s buddies. We made cookies from our Betty Crocker Mix that I grabbed at our local Kroger store (save $0.50 with the printable coupon!) and then we packaged them up all cute with a fun color page and printable tags and delivered them to some of his friends. It was fun to get this special time with my Little J and he loved being the center of attention for a little bit. He also loved doorbell ditching his friends… In ten years, I may end up regretting that I taught him this…

We didn’t get all fancy with our cookie recipe this time – Betty Crocker cookie mixes are pretty darn yummy all on their own – and I kept the decorating simple. We melted some peppermint chocolate candies and then drizzled them over the top of some of the cookies. The other cookies we just pressed a candy on top while they were still a little warm. Little J loved making the blossom cookies. Then we bagged them up in little baggies and tied these cute {FREE} tags from Betty Crocker on the bags. There’s also a super cute color page we printed out for Little J’s friends to decorate their own “cookies”.

Then we delivered them. I think this was probably Little J’s favorite part. He was so noisy, I highly doubt that any of his friends were truly surprised, nonetheless he loved it. But, the time we got to spend together was the best part, by far! A huge thank you to Betty Crocker for helping us spread cheer, spend some time together and make some really fun memories.

Wanna win some cash? And make some fun memories of your own? Well, then listen to this! When you make your own Spread Cheer goody basket and deliver it to some of your favorite people, you could win by sharing your fun on social media! Here’s what you gotta do:

Visit the Spread Cheer page at Betty Crocker and check out all the amazing ideas! They have all kinds of stuff – fun recipes, printable color pages, the cute tags I mentioned earlier and don’t forget about your coupon! I found the cookie mixes on sale the other day at our Kroger store for $1.99 so it was only $1.49 for the mix with my coupon. Totally worth it.
Create your own Spread Cheer basket and share an original photo to your social media channels. Use the hashtag #SpreadCheer and nominate (@tag) two of your besties to make their own Spread Cheer baskets!
Come back and let me know who you shared your delicious cookies and spread cheer to AND share your link so I can check it out too! That’s it!

Use the rafflecopter below to enter the giveaway! Good Luck and Happy Holidays! Now, get out there and spread some cheer!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Come enter this Spread Cheer giveaway for a chance to win another $20!

November 28, 2015 by Krista

Happiness is Homemade #100 Link Party

I hope you all enjoyed a fantastic Thanksgiving weekend! It was a weekend full of family and friends – and snow! I’m so glad it doesn’t usually get as cold where we live! The company and the food definitely made up for it though.

So, did you realize that it’s the 100th Happiness is Homemade party? That’s a pretty big milestone! I remember hitting 100 when I hosted my weekend link party and was super excited. So, to celebrate there is a special feature from last week. Let’s check it out!

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We hope everyone had a Happy Thanksgiving!

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November 27, 2015 by Krista

Scalloped Potatoes & Ham Casserole with Betty Crocker Potatoes

We have always been a meat-and-potato family. When I think about dinners at my grandparent’s home in Idaho, hearty meals with meat, potatoes, garden-grown veggies, maybe a salad and something sweet for dessert around a big, crowded table are the memories I recall. The almost-too-warm kitchen flooding the dining area with heat from the oven and stove. The close quarters as everyone squeezes in around the table expanded with as many leaves as it will hold make passing the food a little difficult at times, but no one complains. The good food and family time are all worth it.

One of my favorite dishes is my grandma’s Scalloped Potato Bacon Casserole. She always made hers with fresh potatoes, homemade sauce and chunks of leftover ham, but I don’t know how she found the time to do all that. And that’s where I look to Betty Crocker to help me out. Betty Crocker’s Scalloped Potatoes are wonderful for this recipe and cut down on the preparation time immensely. And I have the option to throw it all in the slow cooker and just let it cook. This is especially nice when I’m preparing lots of other dishes for the same meal. I’ve created a few short cuts to fit this childhood favorite in with my family’s crazy schedules and kept this traditional dish alive and thriving in our family.

SCALLOPED POTATO & HAM CASSEROLE

with Betty Crocker Potatoes

Print This Recipe

Scalloped Potato & Ham Casserole

Prep time: 10 mins

Cook time: 40 mins

Total time: 50 mins

Serves: Serves 4-6

Scalloped Potatoes and Ham Casserole that makes a great side dish or a light meal all on its own. Simple and delicious, a family favorite!

Ingredients

1 package Betty Crocker's Sliced Potatoes - I chose Parmesan & Asiago
1 cup ham dices or bacon bits
2 cups Grated Cheese
Green onion slices, option

Instructions

Preheat oven as directed on the package of Betty Crocker Potatoes.
Mix up the sauce as directed on the package of Betty Crocker's Scalloped Potatoes in a large oven-safe casserole dish.
Layer half the potato slices in the sauce on the bottom of the casserole dish.
Sprinkle in half of the ham dices or bacon bits.
Sprinkle in half the cheese.
Repeat the layers - Potato slices, ham or bacon pieces and top with cheese. Garnish with green onions, if desired.
Bake as directed on the scalloped potatoes package.
Let set 5-7 mins and serve,

Notes

CAUTION: POTATOES WILL BE HOT!

This is a regular dish for all our family holiday dinners, but it makes an appearance on regular old weeknights at our house too. Grandma makes it all from scratch and it always disappears faster than I wish it would. But I don’t get as disappointed as I used to when I was younger, knowing it was going to be a while before I got to eat it again. But this recipe works well and satisfies my longing for Grandma’s Scalloped Potatoes & Ham Casserole.

My kids love this recipe and will almost always go back for seconds (we have to double the recipe most of the time). I love that I have found a way to take this favorite recipe from when I was a little girl and share it with my family now. I love that they love it too! And I love that it takes me about 10 mins to put together and is ready about the same time we are ready with the rest of dinner. Sometimes I love to sit down with the leftovers, warmed up, snuggle in with a cozy blanket and spend some quality time with my favorite TV show of the moment. Childhood indulgence and a guilty pleasure: It’s my own little piece of heaven.

You can grab this coupon and save $0.50 on two packages of Betty Crocker Potatoes. Betty Crocker Potatoes can be used as a substitute for fresh potatoes and have a longer shelf life. They are 100% real potatoes grown in the USA. You can make so many meals with Betty Crocker Potatoes and they are much easier to get home than a heavy bag of bulky potatoes.

November 25, 2015 by Krista

Get Company Ready this Holiday Season with Hoover AIR™ CORDLESS LIFT

You know what’s synonymous with kids? Mess. My three kids spend a startlingly large amount of time eating. I’m not sure if it’s a boy thing, or because they are growing, a little of both, or what; but, they eat a lot! Whether it’s because they don’t have as much practice as I do or the testosterone in their bodies doesn’t allow it, they are not dainty or careful eaters. To make matters worse, we have carpet in our dining room. I’m not sure who had that grand idea, but it is a terrible, horrible thing to live with. The last time I deep cleaned my dining room carpet, it stayed clean for an entire two weeks before it was stained again. Yep, that’s it.

Cleaning up the carpet after every meal is a must and, even then, I don’t always get it all. Then there are all the snacks all day long. It’s a full-time job just keeping my dining room floors clean. The new Hoover AIR™ CORDLESS LIFT UPRIGHT Vacuum line has made my job (well, one of them) a whole lot easier. I love my AIR™ CORDLESS LIFT UPRIGHT Vacuum. It’s perfect for after-meal clean up.

The Windtunnel 3 technology provides the perfect suction power to lift and remove dirt and food. I was mildly worried about the battery life when I first got the machine, but this thing is a tank. The LithiumLife batteries have double the capacity of Hoover’s standard 18-volt lithium Ion batteries which give me longer run time (about 50 minutes and an extra battery is included) and I get amazing power regardless of the battery charge. The LithiumLife batteries are interchangeable through out the Hoover Cordless line, making it easy to use the right machine for the job. There are three vacuums and a hard floor wet cleaner in the line and I’ve got a hankering for the Floormate® hard floor wet cleaner now…

My absolute favorite thing about the Hoover AIR™ CORDLESS LIFT though is the cordless part. The cordless feature means I can clean up multiple messes in multiple rooms in a fraction of the time I used to. I can vacuum up breakfast crumbs, grab the popcorn kernels my boys threw at each other during movie night last night and then zip over and get the dirt my husband tracked in from the garage in mere minutes. And it’s a dream in cleaning out the car. There is no unplugging and plugging back in, no winding that wretched cord back up (or driving my husband crazy that I don’t wind it back up). My kids don’t trip over the cord when I’m vacuuming or play tug of war with it anymore. And it’s easy to take out the to the car too!

The holiday season is here and it’s a busy time of year for most everyone. Simplify your cleaning duties and skip the cord. I also love the canister option on the AIR™ CORDLESS LIFT that makes dusting a breeze and stairs are so much easier to clean when you’re not lugging the vacuum behind you. Get the work done faster so you can enjoy more time doing the things you really want to do.

Whether hosting holiday parties or family is coming to visit, things can get crazy. I’ve come up with a printable checklist that can help you make sure you don’t forget anything super important before company comes. Then you can make the most of and enjoy the time you get to spend with your family and friends. Just click on the image below to be taken to it’s download page. You can save it to your computer and print it off. Hang it on the fridge so the entire family can help get the work done. No more “I didn’t know what needed to be done” excuses!

CLICK TO DOWNLOAD

Kick the cord this holiday season, grab the printables, get the work done and enjoy making new memories with the ones that matter most! Happy Holidays!

I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own. Pinky promise.

SCALLOPED POTATO & HAM CASSEROLE

with Betty Crocker Potatoes

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