10 Valentine Printables + Feature Friday Linky Party

Today I have a round up of 10 fantastic Valentine Printables. Perfect for making homemade goodies this love day. Check out all these fancy ladies and share a little comment love with them. Also don't forget to link up, while you're here. I can't wait to see what you've been up to.

P.S.
Tomorrow I have a giveaway from The Wool Fish.
I can't wait!

Kool-Aid Valentines @ Blue Skies Ahead

Keep Calm and Be Mine Printable @ Designs by CP

No Candy Valentine @ My House and Home

ABC Valentine @ Oopsey Daisy Blog

Valentine Hugs and Kisses @ Lil Luna

Valentine Printables @ Two Yellow Bird Decor

Valentine Subway Art @ Sweet Yarns

Valentine Tic Tac Toe @ JodieFitz.com

Donut Forget I Love You Printable @ Caramel Potatoes

 
Printable Tags @ My Sister's Suitcase



I can not wait to see what you all have been working on.
 Read the rules below, grab a button, and get your party on!

• Feel free to link up just about anything {that is appropriate, of course}.  Recipes, Tutorials, Inspiration, Crafts, Printables – If you blogged it, feel free to link it!  If you didn’t… don’t!
• It’s not mandatory, but I would {love} for you to follow my blog.
• Please link to your specific post and not your entire blog. 
• Please add this party to your linky party list.
• Please do NOT link Etsy stores, giveaways, or other link parties
• Take a few extra minutes to visit some of the bloggy goodness that has been linked up.
• Most importantly: HAVE FUN!  Feel free to grab my button and spread the linky {love}.

XODanielle

Red Pepper + Squash Soup

What do you do when you have an abundance of mini sweet peppers? Well make a soup of course. This was a slightly spicy and yummy soup. I loved it, the hubbs not so much. You decide for yourself. I can't wait to hear what you and your family thinks of it.

Red Pepper + Squash Soup

16 mini sweet peppers
2 russet potatoes
1 cup butternut squash - puree*
1 cup milk
1 tsp chicken bouillon
salt and pepper

Wash your potatoes and peppers. I like to keep the skin on my potatoes, so I skip the peeling and just dice them**. Cut the tops off your peppers and dice them. Put the potatoes and peppers in a pressure cooker***. Add enough water to cover the potato mixture half way. Cook in your pressure cooker for 12 minutes. Rapid Cool your pressure cooker. You do this by putting your pressure cooker in the sink (filled with water). The pressure will drop very quickly, so you can unlock the lid safely.





Next blend your potato and pepper mixture in a food processor, using the water from your pressure cooker to thin out the potato/pepper puree. I had to do this in batches.

Once all of my mixture was blended to a smooth consistency, I put it into a medium saucepan. Add 1 cup of milk, 1 tsp of chicken bouillon, and some salt and pepper. Cook to a simmer.


Notes:

* I steam and puree my squash in big batches, when it goes on sale. I store 1 cup portions in my freezer. They thaw quickly and are perfect to add to soups, sauces, and in your baking. It is also a sneaky way to get your family to eat more veggies :)

** I rarely peel my veggies. Leaving the skin on veggies means keeping those extra nutrients. I want to keep as much goodness as I can in each recipe.

*** My pressure cooker holds 6 quarts.

We served these with the bread-sticks from Weekly Meal Plan #3.



P.S.
These cute nuggets were my entertainment, while cooking.
Those giggles are contagious:)

See you later for the Feature Friday Linky Party

Follow me on Facebook Follow me on Twitter Browse my Pinterest 

Follow me with BlogLovin Send Me an E-mail Link up at My Party

$5 Mom Hot Dog Buns

My ultimate favorite hot dog has got to be one that is loaded with all the good stuff....ketchup, sweet relish, and sometimes chopped onions.MMMMMM...good! My little miss also has a love for hot dogs and even requested them for lunch on her birthday last week. I purchased the hot dogs, made sure our toppings were in stock, and then I realized I had no hot dog buns in the freezer. I usually use this recipe, but decided to try out a new one this time. It is from the The $5 Dinner Mom Cookbook. I love all her recipe's, very user friendly and always super simple to make. We tried out her hot dog/hamburger bun recipe. It was pretty good. I think that it could have been better, but that was mostly my fault. I should have let my rolls rise the second time, but I was too impatient. I was too set on watching Big Bang Theory with the Hubbs, that I rushed the rising process. I definitely will not be doing that next time.

Allow your buns to rise and take their time. Then your buns will come out nice, fluffy, and oh so yummy!


Hot Dog Buns -
The $5 Dinner Mom Cookbook

1 cup hot water
2 cups white flour
1 cup wheat flour
1 tbl or 1 package active dry yeast
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp salt
1 tbl vegetable oil
1 tbl melted butter
2 tbl milk

In a mixing bowl, combine the hot water with 1 cup white flour. Add the yeast, sugar, salt, milk, and oil. Whisk together to make a "spongy" dough. Let sit for 10-15 minutes.

Add other 1 cup white flour, plus 1 cup wheat flour to the spongy dough and stir with a wooden spoon. When the dough becomes thick enough, knead it for 6 to 8 minutes on a floured surface, until it reaches the consistency of soft baby skin. Place the dough in a floured or greased bowl and let rise for 45 minutes to 1 hour.

Once the dough has risen and doubled in size, the dough is ready to be formed. Grease a baking sheet. Divide the dough into 2 halves. Then divide the halves into thirds. Form smaller dough balls into bun shapes. Remember the dough will rise again, so "flat" buns are okay. Place the buns on the greased baking sheet. Set aside and let the buns rise for at least 30 minutes in a warm place. Preheat the oven to 350'.

Bake the buns in the preheated oven for 20-25 minutes, until slightly golden brown on top. Remove from the oven and brush tops with the melted butter, and return to the oven for 2 more minutes. Remove and let cool on a rack. Cool slightly before slicing.

* You can also make this in the bread machine. Place all ingredients into your bread machine in the order listed, except for the butter, into a bread machine bowl. Set the machine on dough cycle.

Once the dough cycle is complete, flour your fingers, remove the dough and place it on a floured surface. Shape into hamburger or hot dog bun sizes. Place the buns on greased baking sheets. Set aside and let the buns rise for 30 minutes in a warm place. Continue baking as directed above.




Yeast can be stored for up to 1 year in the freezer.

Follow me on Facebook Follow me on Twitter Browse my Pinterest 

Follow me with BlogLovin Send Me an E-mail Link up at My Party

 

Fashion with Nikki: Fashion for the Day of Love

Not going to lie Valentine's Day is not a big deal to me. My ultimate Valentines date would be in my jammers cuddled up with a blanket and my hubby watching a movie. BUT not everyone thinks the same as I do, so I thought I'd do 4 different outfits from casual to fancy ready for any type of Valentine date!

The Casual Look

 / Cardigan-F21 Similar  /  Pants-Kohls similar  / Tanktop-Urbanwear similar / Shoes-Dolce Vita similar / Headband-F21 / 

Hearts and red pants are perfect for a nice casual outing to the movies or for an all day look before changing into the stunning night outfit. 

The Classic Look

/ Pants-H&M similar / Blouse-Marshalls similar / Boots-Naughty Monkey similar/

 All black to be classy and sexy, and the pant option is way warmer than wearing a skirt or dress in the snowy weather as we have here in Utah. The gold polka dots and the tuxedo pants adds the glamor to the pair of pants and blouse for the special night.

 The Dressy Look

 / Skirt-H&M similar/ Peplum top-F21 similar / Tights-Nordstrom Rack similar / Heels-Forever Young Shoes similar/

You can't go wrong with colored tights, a peplum top, and classic skirt for a nice dinner downtown. You can spiff up the outfit with fun colored tights, and the colors pink, red, or purple are perfect for the night. 

 The Fancy Look

 / Skirt-Bohme similar/ Blouse, which is actually a dress-DVF via Nordstrom Rack kinda similar /

 / Heels-Jessica Simpson similar /

This outfit shouts "I'm ready for the 5 star restaurant Mister Right reserved 2 months ago" The texture screams "I'm sexy" enough said ;)

Outerwear

/ Coat-Tulle similar /

February in Utah means it's still snowing, so you always need a coat to go along with any outfit and since it's Valentines Day red is the perfect color!

Well there you have it, my thoughts from causal to fancy for the Valentines Day! Thanks for reading and come visit me here anytime!

Or at any of these locations...

Pinterest

Instagram @Nikki_fashionsonthefly

Twitter @Nikki1156

Facebook

Weekly Meal Plan and Recipes + Printable Shopping List #5

I hope you all had a wonderful weekend. We had a birthday party for my little Miss. It was a fun day, spent with all our friends and family. I also got some canning done and quite a bit of cooking. I have a new hot dog bun recipe, homemade potato chips, and some other goodies I will be posting. Lots of yummy goodness going on this week. Be on the look out for it.


I am also working on some posts about canning and how to do it. It may take me a few weeks to get all the pictures and stuff together, but it is in the works. I have another new series in the works as well......I have been working on it for like a month, but I am moving at a snails pace:). It is called "Reader's Corner" If you have a thrifty living question, let me know and I will answer it in "Readers Corner". You can send me an email here or at blissful_and_domestic@yahoo.com

Now onto the my shopping loot this week.....

This week I received one conventional basket and 8lbs of strawberries. I purchased the extra strawberries, since I plan on making my own jam this week. We are no longer buying store bought jam (we are saying no to high-fructose corn-syrup. That stuff is in everything). Plus homemade is always better right?!

Bountiful Baskets 
1 conventional Basket- $16.50
8 lbs strawberries - $14
Total spent this week - $30.50



Total This Month: $376.64
* I love showing the breakdown of each week. It keeps me accountable and also I hope it is showing you that budgeting will save you money. You can eat healthy, delicious meals and still live within your budget. This is the biggest key to saving money. Set a budget and stick to it.



If you are new to meal planning, start HERE.
I have great tips for just starting out with meal planning.


Black Bean Chili (meatless) and cornbread *
Baked Potato Night
Homemade Pizza Night
Salad Night 
{with homemade Honey Mustard Dressing}
Breakfast Night - we will having Buttermilk Pancakes
Asian Chicken Wraps
New Recipe Night/Leftovers

* Add ground turkey to your shopping list if you're
adding meat to your chili this week.



Asian Chicken Wraps

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2 tbl terriyki sauce
1 tsp soy sauce
3 carrots, peeled and julienned
1 handful chopped romaine lettuce
1/4 cup peanuts, finely chopped
4-6 burrito size flour tortillas
1 bag of snow peas
salt and pepper

In a bowl, marinate the chicken breasts in the terriyaki  and soy sauces for at least 30 minutes in the fridge. In a skillet, saute the chicken with the marinade for 6 to 8 minutes on each side, or until no longer pink in the middle. The cooking time will vary depending on the thickness of your chicken. Slice the cooked chicken into 1/2 inch strips.

Julienne or shred the carrot sticks and chop the lettuce.

Rinse the snow peas and pat dry. Place them in a saucepan with about 1/2 inch of water. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 1 to 2 minutes. Serve the steamed snow peas with a pinch of salt and pepper.

Assemble the wraps, using chicken strips, carrots, lettuce, peanuts, and tortillas.

Serve the Asian chicken wraps with the snow peas as a side dish.

Honey-Mustard Dressing
1 tsp vinegar
1/4 cup yellow mustard
1/2 cup honey
salt and pepper

In a small jar or bottle, shake the vinegar, mustard, honey, salt, and pepper. SHake vigourously until contents is combined. Store in the fridge. I store mine in a mason jar with a label.

*Add 1 tbl of milk for creamier dressing. I did and it is SO.GOOD!


Buttermilk Pancakes
2 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
3 tbs. sugar
2 eggs
3 cups of buttermilk
4 tbs melted butter

I put all the wet ingredients in first and then mixed them in my Kitchen Aide Mixer.
I then added the dry ingredients and mixed again.

Pour them onto a hot griddle and cook.
 

Pizza Crust

3 cups all-purpose flour  

1 package active dry yeast (2 1/4 tsp)

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

 1 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon white sugar 

1 cup warm water 

4 tbl Italian Seasonings
  

   Put all ingredients in your mixer and mix until a soft dough ball forms.
If your dough is too sticky add a bit more flour.

Put your mixer on level 2 and let your dough knead for 5 minutes.While the mixer is doing its magic I get out my toppings. I sometimes use store bought sauce and sometimes I make it. Depends on my mood.

We love a supreme pizza. So I brown a pound of sausage and only use part.
I save the rest for other pizza nights. Cooked meat freezes great! Quick to thaw too. Just run under warm water. Defrost in just a few minutes. Roll your dough out onto your pizza pan. I use a round pan with holes on the bottom.

Add toppings like green bell peppers, fresh tomatoes, purple onions, pepperoni, sausage, mozzarella cheese. Have fun with it!

Layer on your toppings and then bake for 20-25 minutes @ 375' Brush crust with olive oil and let cool for a few minutes before cutting.

Serve it up and enjoy.

Black Bean Chili

1 cup kidney beans*
1 cup black beans*
3 medium tomatoes - diced
1 can of tomato sauce (15 oz.)
1 can of water
1 chili seasoning packet
1/2 onion chopped
1 tbl nutritional yeast (optional)**
1 cup of cooked wheat berries***


Stove Top Method: Combine your tomato sauce, water, chili seasoning packet, and onion in your pot. Stir to combine. Add beans. Heat to a nice boil. Reduce heat and allow to simmer for 15 minutes. Serve with corn bread and enjoy!

Pressure Cooker Method: Place all ingredients in your pressure cooker. Stir well. Place the lid on your pressure cooker and cook on high. Once your valve begins to rock gently, start your timer. Cook chili for 5 minutes. Rapidly cool your chili. Serve with corn bread and enjoy!

* You can use canned beans, but I like to make them myself. It is SO.MUCH.CHEAPER and super easy! You can see how to cook dry beans in your crock-pot here and in a pressure cooker here. If you do use caned beans make sure you drain them.

I didn't have any beans already cooked in my fridge or freezer, so I had to cook mine in the pressure cooker first. I cooked 1 cup of kidney beans + 1 cup of black beans, with 5 cups of water, for 25 minutes. Allow them to cool down on their own. Then use them in this recipe.

** We use nutritional yeast as a substitute for cheese and sour cream in many recipes now. It's rich in B vitamins and taste yummy!. I buy ours in bulk from Winco or Whole Foods. Perfect for popcorn, veggies, and all your favorite recipes.

*** Wheat berries are wheat before it is ground. We cook it in our pressure cooker and then store it in the fridge. We eat it for breakfast with milk and fruit. I also add it to all sorts of recipes as an extra source of protein. It is a super grain!

Keep an eye out for "specialty" bags of frozen veggies, like snow peas and sugar snap peas, to go on sale. Store in your freezer for 6-12 months.


You can print this weeks menu plan +
 the shopping list and all the recipes HERE

Have a Fabulous Day Lovelies!

Follow me on Facebook Follow me on Twitter Browse my Pinterest 

Follow me with BlogLovin Send Me an E-mail Link up at My Party

200 Casseroles....

This week I received a beautiful little gift from Janet Eyring. She sent me one of her cookbooks,200 Casseroles and a wonderful note as well. This little, polka-dotted bundle of joy put a smile on my face. I spent about an hour browsing through the pages, finding new recipes to make my family. I am thankful today for the sweet friends I have made though this blog. I am thankful for sweet gestures, from sweet people. I am thankful for my newest cookbook and can not wait to make more recipes from this fabulous book. This is definitely a great one! Simple recipes that are easy to follow. I love that!

Have a wonderful Sunday Lovelies.....

*This is not a book review.

Follow me on Facebook Follow me on Twitter Browse my Pinterest 

Follow me with BlogLovin Send Me an E-mail Link up at My Party