Instant Pot- Ranch Chicken

I think the first recipe everyone tells anyone who gets an Instant Pot about is the "crack chicken" recipe. I am not sure who started it to give credit to it for, but it is yummy. Here is my version of it, but we call it Ranch Chicken. Remember, even if you don't have an Instant Pot, you can cook most of these recipes in the slow cooker just adjusting the cooking times. It seems most slow cooker chicken meals I make I cook on high for 4-6 hours or low for 8 hours.

• Package of chicken ( i like tenders bc they are easy to shred)
• Package of Ranch Seasoning
• Block of cream cheese
• 1 package of shredded cheese (I used the Mexican variety)
• 1 cup of water 
• 4-6 cut up pieces of bacon or bag of bacon pieces
• Salt and Pepper to taste

I put the chicken in the cooker and topped with the block of cream cheese and ranch seasoning. Then I added a package of the ranch seasoning.  Seal Instant Pot and cook on high pressure for 25 minutes. When done, I do a quick release of the steam and open. I stir, shred chicken and add salt and pepper, shredded cheese, and bacon. We always have bacon around here. It's my husband's favorite food group :) I stir everything again and then let it sit in the pot and warm for a few more minutes. It tends to thicken up if you let it sit for a few. If you want it thicker, try adding a little cornstarch.  I've served this on rolls, with toasted sourdough bread, and over noodles!

I always forget to take picture until it's almost gone. I'll try and get better about that!
Enjoy!

Instant Pot- Banana Toast Breakfast Bake

 My husband is a fan of this pot people. I think he likes the new things I am trying. We get in a rut too and eat a lot of the same "go to" meals. I made this for Sunday morning breakfast and everyone liked it. Except the two year old. That day he didn't like food. He preferred being a stubborn toddler. Go figure.

Anyways- this was a little more intense than I had planned for, but it was just because it was my first time and I combined a bunch of recipes to make something of my own.  It'll be much easier next time. I am not really a "measuring" kind of cook. I prefer to just add what I want and cross my fingers. Maybe not the most technical, but hey, it's part of my creative side coming out ;) Let me know if you try it and if you add variations like pecans, or almonds to it!


 

•  5-6 slices of bread, cubed (I just used wheat)
• 4 bananas, sliced
• 2-3 tablespoons brown sugar
• ¼ cup cream cheese
• 3 eggs
• ½ cup milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 2 tablespoons chilled butter, sliced

1. Slice your bread into cubes. Or use scissors! Works great!
2. Grease a round baking dish that will fit down in your size pot.
3. Add a layer of cut up bread to the bowl.
4. Layer one sliced banana over the bread, then sprinkle one tablespoon of brown sugar over the bananas. or maybe a little more if you like :)
5.  In a microwave, melt the cream cheese 30-45 seconds until it’s creamy enough to spread. Cover the bananas and bread with cream cheese.
6. Add the rest of the bread to the bowl and layer one more sliced banana over the bread.
7. Sprinkle  brown sugar over the bananas.
8. Place sliced butter pieces over the bread as the top layer.
9. In a mixing bowl, beat the eggs with a whisk. Whisk milk, vanilla, and cinnamon into egg mixture.
10. Pour the egg mixture over the bread, making sure to coat the bread pretty well.
11. Pour ¾ cup water into the pressure cooker pot and place a trivet or pot lifter in the bottom of the pot. If you don’t have a trivet to lift the pan out of the hot pressure cooker, make a sling out of of a large foil strip. Mine came with the trivet.
12. Center the pan on the trivet or foil strip and lower it into the pressure cooker.
13. Lock the lid in place. Select High Pressure and set the timer for 25 minutes.
14. When timer goes off, turn off the pressure cooker and turn the steam release valve to “venting” to release the pressure. When the pressure valve drops, remove lid and remove dish from pressure cooking pot.
15. Let set for 5 minutes, then top with sliced bananas, more cinnamon, or syrup!

Instant Pot- Buffalo Ranch Shredded Chicken

I finally used my Instant Pot! Are you impressed? I am! I was determined not to let it sit in a box and get lost in this crazy life.  I will also say it was a pretty big hit for the first go around! It's a little intimidating honestly. I mean I don't want to screw it up and ruin dinner and have to go get take out after all. That totally defeats the point!   So bear with me. I just kinda winged this with stuff I had on hand! (The Wildtree Blend I used was in my pantry. I got it from my sweet friend Sara Whiteside. Look up Wildtree By Sara on Facebook if you need some!)

Buffalo Ranch Shredded Chicken
1 package of chicken tenders
1 Cup of Franks Hot Sauce
1 Cup of Ranch Dressing
4 T of Blazin Buffalo Blend Seasoning from Wildtree
Cook Time: 25 mins


I put all the ingredients in the IP. I have the DUO Plus model, so I am having to make adjustments because of all the new fancy settings on it! I used the Pressure Cooker setting on 25 minutes high. When the cooking time was done, I did a quick release of the steam and used forks to shred the chicken. I normally use my kitchen aid mixer to shred chicken, but this was so tender it pretty much fell apart! We put out some Hawaiian Rolls, Crackers, and Celery and ate on this all day. I used the glass top I got when I got my IP and kept it on "Keep Warm" so we could munch! WIN in our book!

Instant Pot Craze

Unless you've been busy and under a rock, you've probably heard the hype about the Instant Pot. I recently joined world of users, and I have to say- it's great for families on the go!

I actually enjoy cooking. I know. Weirdo. But when the "crazy" season hits, and by this I mean ball season, it comes in pretty handy! I am trying to post a few of the recipes I try in the hopes it helps out some of my other friends who want more family time and less kitchen prep time!

Oh- for a few people who asked me, here is the link to my favorite CrockPot Baked Potato Soup! It's had thousands of views over the years! 

Thanks!

http://sixtytwocrafts.blogspot.com/2012/02/recipe-day-homemade-crockpot-baked.html

Social Media Links!

To change things up from paper, check out the new items!

 Online Store:

http://www.sixtytwocrafts.com

On Instagram:

@sixtytwocrafts

On Facebook: 

www.facebook.com/sixtytwocrafts

 

 

 

Notice anything new?

Yep. Almost 2 years I think. Crazy. I will fill you in soon and hopefully share some of the things that have happened in the crafty world of me :) Glad to be back in blog world friends!

Sound the Alarm! She's Back! and with a cute PAR-Tay too :)

I know, I've been MIA and if I could even start to explain it all to you, I would, but I'll spare you. So, let's get to the point of why you visit my blog :) The crafty goodness! I got to do a SUPER fun Chevron Firetruck Bday last weekend! Little Dunham was too cute in his custom shirt and his party table was fab. Great job mama Katie! Enjoy and happy 4th Dunham!!

 

Our Valentine's Day Candy Bar!

Hey everyone! It's been a LONG weekend! My 5 year old asked to have a Valentine's Day Party a while back. SOOOOO, I have obviously planned it for months now :)

I don't do many parties b/c I am usually busy making decor for all the orders in the shoppe, but I always try to have a great birthday and something small for his friends in the middle of the year.  I really try to cover all the basis, but of course, there is a long list of the things I forgot, or that didn't pan out the way I had thought! Nonetheless, the kids had a good time I think, the parents got to snack on the "adult" food (ham and swiss poppy seed sammys, chicken salad croissants, winter fruit salad, artichoke cups, and sausage wontons), the kids played, crafted, ate, and left with favors, and it's all not cleaned up :) HA!

Here is how it turned out!

 (I didn't make the Heart Cookies, they are by GoosieGirl.etsy.com :)

Twizzlers Cut in half and tied with twine

Pretzel Buttons- Easy peasey!

Melt Hugs (I used the raspberry Milk chocolate ones! in the oven on 200 for a couple minutes and top with an M & M!  I make these at Christmas every year b/c they are SO easy!)

 Cupcakes, Cake Pops in Ice Cream Cones, Chocolate covered Strawberries and Fruit and Jello Cups!

 Marshmellows Kabobs (covered in candy melts and sprinkles!)

My fabulous Goodwill find- a WORKING bubblegum machine!

M&M's of course!

 Kool Aid Bursts (Easy and none wasted!)

Red Velvet Cake Pops, Mini Cake Pops, Suckers with Lips:), and Cupcake PushPops!

 Close up on the push pops! These were a hit! (See below) :)

 Lexi Agreed!

 2 Carft tables for the kiddos! They made Valentines, Princess Crowns, Colored, etc

 And I made some props for our make shift Photo booth!

 Who said kids were the only ones who used the props and took pics :)

 Details! Covered the drinks of course!

and my sweet boy by the favor bags! He was so incredibly thankful for his friends who came and to us for letting him have the party. He thanked me no less than 30 times! His room was a WRECK from all the kiddos (21 in total I believe), but they had a great time! Luckily, my sister spent the weekend, so she helped me prep/set up/ and break down!

I hope he carries these memories! If he forgets, I'll be sure to mark the pages in his scrapbook that will document them! HA!

Photo Clip Picture from a Client!

I love it when sweet clients send me photos of their parties! Here is a set of our farm photo clips in action :) Sooooo cute! Thanks so much for sharing! I just addes several more new sets to the shop today! Little Red Wagon, Hot Pink Polka Dots, Frog Prince, etc! Havea  great day everyone!!

Recipe Day :)- Homemade CrockPot Baked Potato Soup!

I love a good recipe. Wanted to share this one I made for Superbowl! I may be using it for an upcoming party as it was SUPER yummy!!!

Homemade Baked Potato Soup

Ingredients:

64 ounces Chicken Broth

3 lbs (I used about 8 large) Potatoes

(Wash, do not peel, dice)

1 lg onion diced

1 tablespoon season salt

5 teaspoons minced garlic

16 ounces Cream Cheese (room temp)

Shredded Cheese

Crumbled Bacon

Place broth, onion, potatoes, season salt, garlic into the crocpot. Cook on high for 6 hours.

Pour about half of soup into a large blender and add cream cheese. Blend well. Add mixture back to original soup and mix well. (If you only have a small blender, you could do it in 2 parts or such.) Dip out, add shredded cheese and bacon as desired and enjoy! *Note: this freezes REALLY well! I suggest freezing enough for a family meal in one bag/container so that you can pull one as needed for a quick dinner addition.  Enjoy everyone!

Frozen Sandwiches :)

Okay- a crafty post today, but not about paper crafts or parties :)

Now, many of you probably already know this or do this,  but it has been a wonderful addition to my routine!

Matthew goes to preschool 3 mornings a week. He takes his lunch and always wants me to pack a sandwich. I love the convenience of Smuckers Uncrustables, (I used to keep a box in the freezer just in case I got ready to fix a sandwich and was out of bread or tortillas, or for those mornings where everyone overslept :)

Well, no more! I discovered freezing snadwiches at the beginning of the school year and I love it! I will spend 30 mins on a Sunday night and make a whole loaf on sandwiches. Turkey, PB, PB&J, Ham, Roast Beef, Cheese, etc.  I then cookie cutter them (He LOVES me sending a shaped sandwich :) and put them each in a baggie and pop them in the freezer! In the mornings, I grab a sandwich, throw it in the lunch box with his fruit and juice/milk, and off we go! It thaws before lunch and tastes just the same! (Don't put mayo or anything on it or it will be soggy.)

I get to send the healthy sandwich I want, made with love :) and in a cute shape, but didn't spend any time on it that morning!  Best of all, I never let a loaf of bread go bad! I have about 15 sandwiches in the freezer as we speak :)

Happy Sandwich Making :)

Dino-ROAR!

I love it when my customers share their photos. It's one thing to make items for your party, pack them in a box and send them on their way, but to actually see them incorporated into your vision is the most rewarding thing for me!

This fantastic super mom has twin 5 year old boys and a 1 year old daughter.  I love it when I develop a relationship of sorts with a client and get to work with them over so many major events! She is one of those, "I think we'd be best friends if we lived close to each other." kinda clients. 

Well, her boys wanted a dino party, she set a budget, we made it work and in the end, she did a FAB job with it!

Here are some of the awesome pics she sent!

Great job Chrissy! You rock :)

Ornaments! And cute ones :)

SO, I am in LOVE with these simple and easy ornaments. A sweet friend came over the other night and I think I made 2 in 10 minutes! Here they are!

These are SUPER easy!

Directions:

Gather styrofoam balls, ribbon, straight pins, and buttons! Cover.  LOL!

That easy, super cheap and they look SO cute when you are done!

Watch out those who have an ornament exchange with me :) You might just get one :)



Little Prince

Time to share some more pics!!

I love the Little Prince theme :) ALL those who are mom's of little boys know that they are the jewel in our eye.  Just something abotu a mom and her lil guy :)

These were created for Baby Pierce, expected in February 2011.  I can't wait to see the little crown in his newborn pictures!!!



Golf Banner- Vance

I LOVE it when my customers share their photos using products they have gotten from us! It's just so cool to see something made in my studio in action :) Yes, I'm a nut like that :) Here is a banner for a sweet 10 day old baby boy named Vance. His mom is a professional golfer and her photographer used it as a prop for his photos. Check out her site!!! She is on Facebook too!!!

I seriously can't get over how adorable he is!!!

New Photo Clip sets!

Aren't you impressed :) I've been blogging again! HA! JK.

Had some new request for photo clips in the shoppe! Here are a few of the new sets!



Construction time!

Some fun decor for a recent construction party!

The colors just pop!!!



Hi everyone!

I can't even begin to start in on what all has been going on around here. From personal life to business, it's been a bit crazy and hectic. I am sure a lot of you can relate! Just wanted to share a couple pictures of some Christmas Ornaments I got the chance to make! If you would like directions, drop me a comment and I will be happy to share! Some really great party pics coming soon! Stay tuned!

Holiday 2011- Cards and Giveaway!!

Happy Sunday everyone!

Well, with the holiday season upon us, it's crazy to think that Thanksgiving and Christmas is JUST a round the corner! My sister was up to visit this weekend and we were talking about our Christmas cards. (CANNOT believe I'm already doing this. Seems like I just did it! EEK!)

Anyways!

I always send  a few handmade cards to special friends and family, but mostly I order a neat card with a picture collage from Shutterfly. Those who don't get to be around or who are not on Facebook :) LOL may not get to see fun things Matthew has been up to over the past year! Last year I went with Shutterfly's FAB folded Holiday Cards  and they were such a hit! Everyone told me how great the colors in my pictures looked and how they loved all the pictures I included on it!

Some of my favorite Shutterfly cards this season are:

I LOVE the colors in the 3rd card for sure!

Photo Christmas Cards are just so special!!! I love it when the recipient says, "Oh, I ALWAYS save your Christmas card!"  Nice to know that the money I spend isn't just thrown in the trash!!!

SO, who wants to make their Christmas Cards keep-worthy :)???

Shutterfly is giving me a set of free cards this year AND they are letting me give away a few free sets of 25 cards to my readers!!!! ( YAY FOR YOU!!!)

It's rather simple to win, just visit one of the links above, picj your favorite card, and leave me a comment letting me know which it is!!!  I will be drawing a winner next week and I will send over your promo code so you can order!!!! I will also be giving a set away on my Facebook page, so watch for that as well!!! (www.facebook.com/62cards)

It's that easy!!! Not a fan of Holiday or Christmas Cards??

How about their Birth Announcements, Photo Books,  or Greeting Cards? You can find some great options there as well!!!

 Happy looking and GOOD LUCK!!!

Halloween Weekend! No tricks, just TREATS!

Hi everyone! Hope you are having a fab October!

Just wanted to share this super cute idea!

Matthew has a great teacher for preschool again this year and for each class party, I always try and get the teacher a little something. Afterall, she is putting up with MY child three mornings a week :)

So, today was his Halloween party! Here is what she got!

This was a normal kraft beverage container! I covered it on all sides with Halloween paper, inked the edges, made a cute title, added twine and tulle. Inside are some tasty treats from Heine Brothers, the BEST local coffee shop. There is a tumbler, coffee, tea leaves, green tea mints, stew cup, etc. Perfect for a sweet teacher!

Hope everyone has a safe Halloween weekend!

Matthew was spiderman today, but has 3 more costumes pulled from his dress up bin for the rest of the weekend :)

xoxo!

Monkey in a Tux & Hole in One :)

Happy Labor Day Everyone!

A day full of plans was changed as my little guy woke up with some stomach bug that had his little heart throwing up and mommy wishing she could make it all better! It's only the second time he's ever been sick like that, and he's a champ. A few extra hugs and a morning full of nothing but Rugrats on Netflix and momy holding him in bed fixed it all :)

A quick pic from the wedding monkey was in last weekend :) That's the Ohio River in the background. The wedding was on the roof top and it was a beautiful day for it!

 I was asked recently to make a golf banner :)

Here is how it turned out!!

Hope you all have a wonderful day!

Matthew turned 5!!! ARG!!!

Well, my little man is a whole Hand now :) He is 5 and I can hardly believe it! His birthday was a few weeks ago and I'm not going to lie, there is a lot of stress on this momma to have a fAB party since I happen to help others do that on a daily basis!

We had a great turn out at the park in the Kentucky heat and his closest friends and our wonderful family showed up to help him celebrate!

I had the picnic catered by Mark's Feed Store- they have FAB BBQ! We had Pork, Chicken, Buns, Green Beans, Potato Salad,  Cole Slaw, and Buttermilk pies!

The kiddos enjoyed chicken nuggest and a fruit arrangement from Edilbe Arrangements!

Here are some pics from the evvent!

This was the sweets table!

 Included above are red velvet cake pops, pirate face cookies, anchor cookies, fruit arrangement, cupcakes, chocolate pops, favor cups, brownies and nuts! Not to mention his cake!! The cupcakes were red velvet and yellow, so the cake was top carrot and bottom white!

 Here is his cake! (Cakes by Lisa E) There was a fondant pirates hook on top, but it broke the day we picked it up. Oh well. He needed a candle somewhere!!

 If you notice, there are edible cupcake toppers that are pirate faces :) The favors consisted of red adn white striped boes with an eye patch around them. Inside were pirate coloring books, crayong, hand clappers, pirate wristbands, red hots, lemon heads, pirate paddle ball, etc. and custom suckers in covers that said Matthew is 5!

 My yummy cake pops!! The tags say Matthew Is 5!

 Pirate Face cookies!

 Adorable anchor cookies!!

 Serving up cake to a hungry pirate :)

 

 The bouncy for all the kiddos!

 Opening presents! (And a little hot from playing!)

ANd these are my lovely girls from high school from made the hour and a hlaf trip up for the party. We have always had it at my parents every year in my hometown, and with this being the first year not down there, I felt so loved that they and there kiddos came up for the day! Between us we have 8 cute kids :)

Wish I had gotten pictures of the rest of the decor, but oh well! There were paper fans in red, black and white.  Red and white polka dot fabric table runners. Polka dot ballons, personalized centerpieces, etc! Shew- just not enough time to get it all!!

I hope you all have a fab week!