The Search is Over and Steak Paprika

*Insert cheesy 80s mix tape*

"And I'm never gonna let you go, I'm gonna hold you in my arms forever . . . . "

That's right folks, the search is over! I'm so delighted! I have finally, after years of frustration, found the perfect dishwasher soap. I've just been dealing with white spots, film, flakies, globs and smeared dishes forever, and now my search is over. Dishwasher detergent is expensive, and I've tried every brand on the Target shelves believing their grease fighting promises only to be disappointed. New soap, amazing! Smells good, cleans great, no gunk and here's the kicker - child safe! Yeah, no dangerous warning on the back, all natural and affordable. Can you guess what brand it is? If you want to know more, email me or leave a comment w/ your email and I'll let you in on the secret. Rejoice!

And since my dishwasher can handle every crusty dish I put in there, let me share this fabulous recipe with you. My husband loves this steak over pasta dish, and the paprika makes it spicy good. You could serve it over rice, but penne pasta is my fave. Don't go skimpy on the mushrooms, they "make" this dish in my opinion.

Husband Rating: 5 stars

Father-in-law stamp of approval recipe

2-3 Tbsp. butter

4 4oz. flank steaks

1 cup sliced mushrooms

4 Tbsp. diced onion

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 tsp. paprika

2 Tbsp. flour

1/2 cup sour cream

1 cup beef broth

3 cups cooked pasta

Dash of black pepper

Cook pasta according to package directions. Melt butter over medium heat in a skillet. Cook steaks in butter 5-7 minutes, or until desired doneness. Remove steak, but save the drippings in the pan. In drippings saute mushrooms, onion and garlic. Stir in paprika and dash of pepper. When mushrooms are tender stir in beef broth, and stir over medium heat for 2 minutes. In a separate bowl stir together flour and sour cream. Whisk in to pan and stir until smooth. Slice steak into thin strips. Pour mushroom sauce over noodles and top with sliced steak. Enjoy!

Linking up with Foodie Friday, Friday Favorites, and Show off your Stuff Party

Chicken Sale? Now what?

Have you found a great chicken sale? What comes next? How can you make it useful?

I know I've bought a big package of chicken at some great price, forgot about it or didn't get it all used and ended up throwing half of it away. *gasp* I know, I'm so embarrassed:) I want to share my easy ideas for using chicken, listen up.

This picture is an average 1 month chicken supply. It's roughly 7 lbs, and cost me just under $14. I only buy chicken if I can find it for under $2/lb, that's my rule. I always purchase it from the meat counter instead of the aisle, that way they will package it for me however I want for free.

First, I have them pack 2 chicken breasts in one package, 2 chicken breasts in another and all the rest together. The wrapped packages you see have 2 pieces of chicken and are going right in my freezer. These are perfect for when I want to make something like Honey Dijon Chicken, Ritzy Chicken Nuggets, or Chicken Stir Fry. Simply put the chicken in your fridge the day before and you're good to go.

Next, you see the ziploc bags on the right? I get several marinades ready to go for a fast meal. Here I made Lemon Pepper Chicken (delicious on the grill), Sun-dried Tomato Basil (which is delicious with Asparagus Alfredo or for Smothered Grilled Chicken) and Teriyaki Chicken (which I use for my Teriyaki Noodle Bowls or a quick stir fry. And really, all I do is dump in the bottled marinades, you could totally make your own or go coupon some cheap Kraft marinades. After I add the chicken to the marinade I label and put right in the freezer. The night before I want to use it, I toss it the fridge to thaw. Delicious!

Finally, the last thing I do with the chicken it to cook and shred it. Click here to read my easy instructions on boiling and shredding chicken. I usually put 1 1/2 - 2 cups in each ziploc bag. Shred it or dice it, or some of each. It's soooo handy to have pre-cooked chicken to whip out right before dinner. I confess, sometimes I don't even have time to thaw the chicken. A few turns in the microwave and I'm in business. The cooked chicken is essential for quick meals like Chicken Quesadillas, Chicken/Rice/Bean Burritos and Chicken Tostadas. Throw it on Garlic Chicken Flatbread Pizza or make BBQ Chicken Sandwiches.

So what do you think? If you spend a few extra minutes prepping your chicken, you have a month full of chicken meals that are ready to roll.



Now go make something delicious with chicken!

(And for all your ladies from fabulesslyfrugal.com, I'm excited to be picking up my Zaycon Foods all natural chicken this weekend. I can't believe I got 40 lbs, of chicken for $1.48 per lb. I'm splitting it with my mom, but still, that is going to last me for months!!!)

November Sharing Times

I'm not going to be posting individual lessons for November sharing times, but I did compile some great ideas from the Friend that could really get you started!

You could easily create a fun service board game with this artwork from the Friend. You could cut apart the people needing service and spread them around the chalkboard. Draw simple squares connecting them. Have children roll the dice until they arrive and identify the service. Children could be on 2 teams. Cute eh?

When we're helping we're happy would make a great lesson. I love these printable buttons for a calender for the month of November. Scroll down and read the ideas for a puzzle, smile game and scriptures.

Here is a cute cartoon sketch of the story of President Kimball and his service to a family at the airport. It would be fun to read piece by piece or act out.

I love this idea that talks about how Jesus served others and we should do. Cute ideas, plus you get to make a kindness bouquet of flowers:)

This one could be an awesome sharing time as you discuss having a Happy Home. What makes a happy home? Serving your family! Love the ideas and printables.

Have a fabulous sharing time lesson!

October Sharing Time Week 4

Week 4: Temple work helps me and my family come unto Christ.

For sharing time this week I'm going to be using a great story from the Feb. 2002 Friend magazine and play a game that my primary kids love.

First, visit this link and print the story and 2 coloring pages. I would print the images on cardstock. I colored them with markers, cut them out, and put sticky velcro (just the hooks) on the back.

Our church library has large (about 2x3) flannel boards you can check out. The velcro sticks perfectly to the flannel. If you don't have a flannel board, you could use a poster board and masking tape, or a magnet board and magnets, or even a chalkboard.

Begin by telling the story about the family that goes to the temple open house. I will invite one child to come up with me and help me put the pieces anywhere on the board. Ask questions as you go like: Why do they where booties in the temple? Why are they wearing their sunday best? How many oxen are there? How old do you need to be to do baptism for the dead?

Now that you have all the pieces up, it's time to play the game. Sometimes I bring a child up to help, other times I choose the piece. I call this game the Baby Shower Game, since we always seem to play it at baby showers:) My junior and senior primary kids get really in to it. I place my flannel board on a music stand so I can easily spin it around, but a blanket over the top works well too. To play, turn the board around and remove one piece of the story. Turn it back around and have the children try to guess which piece is missing. They have to raise their hands, and when they guess it you can ask them more questions about the item.

To close, share a personal temple story, a great experience you've had there. Bear your testimony and encourage them to strive for the temple. I like to ask their teachers for their experiences in the temple too.

Have a wonderful lesson. If you haven't answered my question about sharing time lessons, please click here to let me know what you think.

Thanks!

Sharing Time Question

So, I have a question for you several hundred people that stop by my blog to use my sharing time lessons.

Here's the deal, I'm 2nd counselor and only teach every 3rd month. I usually only post the lessons for the months I'm teaching. I've been getting a lot of positive response to my lessons and I'm considering making lessons for every week, even when I don't teach.

Only thing is, the lessons take a lot of time and effort for me to prepare. Spending a few hours on the computer each week for a lesson I'm not going to teach, hmmm? So my question is, would you be willing to donate a couple bucks to keep my lessons free?

I'd love to hear your comments. If it becomes a little side job for me I'd love to keep doing it, if it becomes a hassle that just keeps me away from laundry, I'll let it slide.

If you've loved my lessons, consider it!

October Week 3 Sharing Time

Week 3: We can come unto Christ by repenting when we make a mistake

You'll need: An umbrella, picture of Jesus Christ, raindrop cutouts, umbrella cutouts and umbrella coloring page.

Click here to download and print my free printables. You will find the coloring page, the umbrella cutouts and the raindrop cutouts, 4 pages total.

To begin, have one child come forward, we'll call him Tyler. Tell the children that Tyler is going to his father's house for dinner and he's really excited. As he steps outside to walk all the way to his father's house he realizes it's pouring rain. The rain is splashing everywhere and the whole road is covered in mud. Tyler starts to get worried because he knows that at his father's house the carpet is white, the furniture is white and everything is so beautiful and clean. He would feel awful he showed up soaking wet and dirty. What can Tyler use to keep the rain away?

An umbrella! We are all preparing to meet our Heavenly Father. No unclean thing can be in God's presence, so when we arrive we can't be covered in dirt/sins, we need to clean. Our life here on earth is like a rainstorm, there are temptations and mistakes pouring down. How do we keep from being soaking wet? We have another kind of umbrella, it's a gift from our Savior, Jesus Christ. Does anyone know what this gift is called? It's the atonement, it's like a big umbrella, it lets us repent and stay dry from all the rain drops.

There are 4 steps to repentance that make up this umbrella. Let's put them on the board in order and discuss each one.

In advance, I'm going to cut out the raindrops and tape them all the way around my umbrella (a real one). One at a time a child will have a turn to come up and practice the steps of repentance with the umbrella. They hold the umbrella over their head and spin the umbrella in their hands. The raindrop closest to their nose they get to pull off and read. We will discuss how to follow the steps of repentance to fully repent from that raindrop.

We will handout the coloring page and be done. Why do kids love umbrellas so much? It'll be fun!

Do you love my free sharing time lessons? I have a question for you about them, click here to respond. Thanks!

Spooky Apron Sale

It is time to sell some aprons!
All of the aprons listed are in stock and ready to ship, shipping in October is only $1. First off, your boy and girl halloween spooky chef gear!


Boys size 4-7 Spider Apron
Matching Adjustable Velcro Chef Hat
Girl's Pink Skulls Medium Size 4-7 Apron


Chef Hat is adjustable with velcro, $13 for a set
2 sets in stock

Girl's Medium Apron, extra long ties and adorable ruffle - $13
1 in stock

SOLD

Red polka Dots Girls Apron with sweetheart neckline

Medium (4-7) - $13 each, 2 in stock

An apron for the real chefs, a sturdier weave fabric in a classic style, 1 in stock

Hawaii Classic Apron- $17

For you holiday crafting, a crafter's apron with deep pockets and an extra long sash

Red Retro Crafter's Apron - $15, 2 in stock

SOLD

Lady Liberty Women's Ruffle Apron - $21, 1 in stock

Removable polka dot tie at neck, extra long sash to tie in front

FYI - All aprons are handmade by Camille in a smoke-free, pet-free home. 100% cotton fabric is pre-washed. Care instructions will be included with your package. All packages ship the next business day via USPS. I can only accept orders in the United States at this time. If you are unhappy with your apron purchase I will accept returns. Upon receipt of the apron I will refund 80% of the purchase price, I'm sorry I can't be responsible for return shipping. I'm a stay-at-home mom, not a corporation that can lose a couple bucks on shipping. I design my own patterns and am happy to accept custom size orders. Contact me at camillescasa(at)yahoo(dot)com with questions or comments.