Leftover Turkey?

Hi there, this is Heather doing my very first blog post for Lita! Here in the US its just been thanksgiving and I am sure most of us still have tons of turkey leftover. I never know what to do with it, and especially this year because I am cooking twice. Once for me and my mom and then again tomorrow for me and the kids. And I love turkey, I really do, but there is only so much turkey one can eat before getting sick of it. ALSO there are tons of sales going to go on in the next few days for turkey because you know the grocery stores ordered too many. I know I will be buying at least one or two extras to freeze for later.

If I could chose to sit at anyone in the world's supper table it would be the wonderful Paula Deen. I mean she is southern and her recipes make me want swim in her food. Here is a recipe for her Turkey Cranberry Monte Cristo. Click the picture to go to the recipe.

And here is another wonderful idea. Turkey and Black and Bean Ziti:

And here is next Day Turkey Soup:

Do you have any recipes you would like to share?

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Christmas Blessings Blog Freebie

Hi everyone, Di here! Wishing everyone who celebrates a Happy Thanksgiving.  Hope you've all had a wonderful day.

With Christmas just around the corner, I thought I'd make you all a little cluster frame that you can use on your Christmas layouts or in your Christmas albums.  I've used Lita's gorgeous Christmas Blessings kit that she collabed on with Rachel from Captivated Visions.  I just love the warm muted colours.  If you haven't yet purchased this kit, you can head over to Lita's store at Scrap Orchard to pick it up.

Download here

Don't forget to upload your pages with Lita's goodies to her Scrap Orchard gallery, we'd love to see what you've created.

Have a wonderful weekend.
Di x

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Dude Quick Page Freebie

Hello all!  Pene here with a short but sweet post with a Quick Page freebie using Lita's gorgous kit Dude.

It's available now at Scrap Orchard, so be sure to check it out!

Here is my layout with this fabulous kit, featuring one of my little munchkins who covers his mouth when he laughs! I love that I got this photo so I could scrap it!

I love this page so much, I decided to make it into a Quick Page for you!  You can download it here.

Hope you enjoy it!

Cheers,
Pene xo

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Farmer’s Market is Open

It’s that time of year. It seems like everyone is buzzing around with so much to do in preparation for the approaching holidays. The stores are filled with shoppers that have anxiously waited for the biggest sales of the year. Today is that day… The Farmer’s Market is OPEN and it is filled to the brim with lush goodies ripe for the taking. By ripe I mean perfectly priced to pick! How does $1.00 sound? To me it sounds like a rock bottom price and one that will not last long. Lita has been busy filling the market with some fresh fruit. These prices won’t last long so hurry over to Scrap Orchard and fill up your cart! Here is a taste of what you will find in Litabells store.

First up is a fantastic set of elements that are a must have for your digi stash. We have all been there… working on a page and the kit we are using doesn’t have a staple or a fastener. Stick It to the rescue. This collection of assorted fasteners will keep your digital goodies from flying off the page.

Stamped is a mix of strips and mats that will add a bit of grunge to your next project.

Also for only $1.00 during the Farmer’s Market sale is the brand new Thankful For You. This mini kit makes a great first impression with the fantastic color palette. Once you look inside you won’t be disappointed with all that it has to offer.

For those days that you are not feeling particularly inspired to scrap, turn to Duets Volume 3 and lend your creativity a hand.

Newsworthy - A vintage newspaper alpha a perfect finishing touch for your next project.

This hybrid Chore Chart will make creating a chore chart a breeze. It includes a customizable sticker sheet.

Lita’s Belles has been burning the midnight oil to bring you a ton of inspiration.

   

Thank you so much for stopping by the blog today. Now go forth and scrap!

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Sneak Peek

Quick post... just stopping by to tease you! It's coming... the biggest sale of the year!

Look what Lita is adding to the Farmer's Market.

That's right... all of these goodies are only $1.00 for a limited time.

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Dude! It's a freebie!

Hey hey everyone! Happy weekend! I know I'm happy to see it arrive!! Jan here today with a little freebie for you all :) Just a little token of thanks for being fans of Lita and hanging out with us here!!

If you haven't seen Lita's newest kit - Dude - you just have to check it out! Here's a little preview:

And here's my little freebie! Hope you enjoy it and the rest of your weekend!!

Download here

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CT Spotlight - Athena

Hey everyone! Yo here, bringing you a CT spotlight post. I chose to interview my fellow Oregonian, Athena. Here's what she had to say:

* Tell me a little bit about yourself.
Married to my wonderful husband for 20 years. I have known him since I was 10. We have two children, Justin 18 and Marin 13. I have worked in employee benefits for 17 years and can say, finally, I love my job. As soon as youngest graduates from HS we are outta here and heading somewhere sunny.

* How long have you been scrapping?
I have been scrapping since I was a kid. Got my first scrapbook from my grandma when I was around 9. I started paper scrapping in today's style about 15 years ago and went digital about 4 years ago. I love digital scrapping, so easy and limitless.

* What is your favorite Litabells kit?
Current fave is Where I Stand.

 All time fave is probably Smoochie (sadly this is retired).

* Show me a layout using your favorite Litabells kit.

* What else do you like to do besides scrapping?
Although I prefer digi-scrapping over just about anything, I also enjoy going wine tasting with my hubs and being out in the sun (cause we rarely see it here in Oregon).

* How about linking me up to your SO gallery?
http://scraporchard.com/gallery/showgallery.php?ppuser=12695&username=athena

Thanks for letting me spotlight you, Athena! Be sure to check out her beautiful gallery and leave her a little bit of love ♥

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Athena's version of Jacques Pepin Potatoes

Athena here to bring you one of my family's favorite dishes. I saw this recipe being made on a Rachel Ray Show so I had to try it. I modified a little to appease my family. This is always a hit and I am asked to make it all the time. What I love about this recipe is you can be modify into a "skinny" version fairly easy by eliminating the butter and parmesan. Still just as tasty.

Picture from Food Network

Ingredients

* 3 pounds baby Yukon gold potatoes (red potatoes work just as well)
* Salt
* Freshly ground black pepper
* 3 cups chicken stock
* 3 tablespoons butter
* 1/4 cups parmesan cheese
* 2 to 3 tablespoons freshly chopped parsley leaves (optional)


Directions

Place the potatoes in a deep skillet and add salt and pepper, to taste. Cover potatoes halfway with chicken stock, about 3 cups, add the butter and cover skillet with a lid. Cook the potatoes in the stock until almost tender, about 15 minutes, depending upon the size of the potatoes. Remove the lid pop each potato using a ladle or large spoon, creating a small crack in each, but do not smash. Allow the potatoes to absorb the remaining liquid and brown on each side. Sprinkle the parmesan over the top of the potatoes and return the lid to the pan. Let sit, without the burner on for 2-3 minutes while the parmesan "melts". Remove the potatoes from the skillet and place onto a serving platter, garnished with the parsley.


All the flavor absorbs right into the potato. No reason to add any other toppings.

Original recipe posted here: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/rachael-ray/yukon-gold-potatoes-jacques-pepin-style-recipe/index.html

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Dude! It’s Friday

Happy Friday Litabells fans! Are you ready to see the latest release from Lita? You may think you recognize this one, but this kit has been revamped! Doesn’t it look pretty in that Scrap Orchard packaging? I think so! Introducing the new and improved Dude kit from Litabells, exclusively at Scrap Orchard.

As always you can snag the grungy goodness for 20% off this weekend only. Don’t miss out on the chance to save some cash on a sweet addition to your digi stash.

Lita’s Belles had a fantastic time playing with the supercharged version of Dude. Have a look at their incredible work!

I know you love this kit and hope you entered for a chance to win it over at Scrap Orchard. Get over there and see if you won it! Go!!!

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Celebrating Button Day!

I bet you didn't even know there was such a thing as BUTTON DAY, did you?  Neither did I until I was searching wacky holidays and came across this one, on the 16th of November.  Now I know there's DSD and iNSD, but seriously, I think we should all celebrate button day too, after all as scrappers buttons are super fun and cool!

I found some neat buttons in these kits of Lita's:

And check out these cool layouts with neat button uses that I found in Lita's gallery at Scrap Orchard - all linked for credits.

By scrapingramma

By mom2twoangels

By rachnmaddie

By Patti McCarthy

So go out today and celebrate buttons!  If you do a page with buttons on it, we'd love if you'd link us up in the comments so we can leave you some love.

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Sneak Peek

I hope you all are having a terrific week so far. Today I am popping in to show you a sneak peek of a new arrival to Litabell’s exclusive Scrap Orchard store.

For a chance to win this kit follow me over to the hopping forum at Scrap Orchard.

Good luck!!

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Pintrest Pick

Hello, CTM Vicky here with a Pintrest Pick for you !!

Christmas is fast approaching, and I've been thinking in advance of the photos I might like to take for my Christmas 2012 pages.

Not just of Christmas morning and the days festivities but also the traditions and happenings leading up to the big day xx 

Pintrest was my 1st port of call !!

I found this wonderful Photo Checklist, and here is my "Pin" of it

You can download a PDF copy on the Orginal Blog Post from "Simple as that"

Some of my Favourites were :

Opening the Advent Calendar

Christmas Baking

Kids writing Christmas Cards

Santa's Milk and Cookies

Close up of the tree decorations

Kissing under the Mistletoe

I hope this post has inspired you to think ahead for your scrapbook pages this Christmas.

If it all seems to early, just bookmark this page - or "Pin" it to Pintrest LOL

If you have started the search for some festive kits, look no further

Lita has this awesome collab with Captivated Visions at Scrap Orchard right now !!

Christmas Blessings

Here are some inspiration pages from the team xx

   

Thank you for joining me today xx

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Beef Dip Sandwiches

Hi everyone! Jan here today and so excited to be posting on Lita's blog again. I hope everyone got some fabulous DSD goodies last weekend and was able to join in all the fun! It seems like inside things are becoming more the thing to do around my part of the world as the weather is getting colder and the snow is starting to fall. One of the things that I like to do around this time of year is to find new warm and hearty dinner ideas. But being a working mom, I also like things that are fast and easy!! So today I thought I would share one of the newest things I've found to cook that my family LOVES - Beef Dip Sandwiches - made in the crock pot/slow cooker. I found this recipe on Pinterest and have made them several times since. They are always a big hit!!

Image is linked to the original recipe at The Country Cook for credit :)

Ingredients:
3-4 lb. Beef Round Steak (or any type of beef roast)
1 packet Onion Soup Mix
1 packet Au Jus Seasoning
1 (15 oz) can of Beef Broth or Stock
½ cup water
4 slices mozzarella cheese
Sub rolls 

 

Directions:

Put beef roast in slow cooker. In a medium bowl, combine Beef broth, Onion soup mix, Au Jus seasoning and water and stir until combined. Pour mixture over beef, put cover on slow cooker and cook on low for

about 8 hours. An hour before serving, shred meat with two forks or take it out and slice thinly.  Place meat back in the slow cooker for another hour.

When ready to serve, place several slices of beef on roll, add sliced mozzarella cheese and place under the broiler (or use broil option on toaster oven). Watch carefully, broil for just a couple of minutes until cheese is melted and roll is just slightly toasted.

Serve sandwich with a bit of Au Jus from the slow cooker (you may want to strain it first). 

I'm telling you, these are fabulous and easy and even great reheated for lunch the next day!

Thanks for stopping by and I hope everyone has an awesome weekend!!!

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Customer Spotlight - AngiePangie

Athena here to bring you a customer spotlight. I was perusing the gallery at Scrap Orchard and founds some fabulous layouts from digi-scrapper AngiePangie. So I decided to interview her. The thing that surprised me was that she has only been digi-scrapping for 3 months. You would never guess it by these layouts!

What is your favorite Litabelles kit?
Flutterby Deux. It's such a pretty, sophisticated kit and I love the colour combo (they were my wedding colours! :D).
How long have you been scrapping?
I've been paper scrapping for a couple of years, after I made our wedding invites. I moved on to digital scrapping about three months ago during house renovations and I haven't looked back! I love it.
Who or what is your favorite subject to scrap?
My son Tristan, my husband Dan and my cat Raz, for sure. I also enjoy scrapping our trips around the world.
Where is your favorite digi hang out?
Scrap Orchard. I've been to a few other places but Scrap Orchard has been the best, by far. Everyone is so lovely there, it's an incredible environment and so much fun!
Do you like to use templates or is it a free for all?
Free for all. The only time I use templates is when I'm participating in a template challenge. I enjoy having a blank canvas and letting a layout grow through the photos, the story, the kit and my imagination.
What is your favorite LO with a Litabelles kit?

It was my first layout using Lita's kits and I'd been waiting a long time to find the perfect kit to scrap these particular photos.

And here are a few I liked from her gallery.

Using Where I Stand

Using Dancing in the Rain

Thanks so much Angie for allowing us to feature you. Your layouts are GORGEOUS!

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Happy Tuesday

Is anyone else still hungover from all of the iDSD madness? I know I feel strung out. Soooo, what did you get? We want to know about your fab finds for iDSD 2011.

Did you get the new My Everyday Bundle while it was on sale? Perhaps you snagged the new collaboration with Captivated Visions - Christmas Blessings.

Show us your pages with Lita's goodies. Link us up here or you can post your pages in Lita's gallery at Scrap Orchard so that your fabulous works are not missed. Oh before I go I did want to offer you a sneak this week, but have no image for you, only words to let you know that what is coming is worthy of your attention. Stay tuned for the reveal on Friday.

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Falling Blog Freebie

Hi Everyone,

Ok so who has a DSD hangover ?? WOW what a fun weekend !! Hope you enjoyed the fun and games from Lita and her CT, we had a blast, and winners of all games and contests should either already know or will find out today !!

I wanted to keep the festivities flowing today, so I have a cute little Journal Spot freebie for you. I made it using the gorgeous  kit "Falling" which can be found right HERE

Download your freebie HERE

Dont forget to upload your pages with Lita's goodies to her Scrap Orchard Gallery, we love to see what memories you are documenting with Lita's Kits

Hope everyone has a good week

Vicky xx

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