Texas Roadhouse Rolls and Honey butter!

I found this recipe here and had to try it.  I couldn't figure out to print it from her blog or easily copy and paste it so I posted the whole recipe here (and some of my method as well) so it should be easy to print out.  All I can say it this is good!  I don't really make bread or rolls because they often turn out a little hard and not so good but this one was easy and turned out really well.  Also check out the link because she has a lot of really good recipes I can't wait to try.


Texas Roadhouse rolls
1 pkg. active dry yeast
1/2 cup warm water
2 cups milk
1/2 cup sugar
6-8 cups flour
2 Tbsp. melted butter
2  eggs
2 tsp salt

1.Activate yeast in warm water with a tsp. of sugar.

2.While yeast is activating, scald milk and cool to lukewarm

3.Once yeast has doubled in volume, add yeast, sugar, and milk to a large bowl and enough flour to make a medium batter about the consistency of pancake batter.

4.Beat thoroughly. Let stand alone until light and fluffy

5. Add melted butter (which has been cooled), eggs, and salt. Beat well.

6Add enough flour to make flour to form soft dough Sprinkle small amount of flour on counter and set down on it to rest. Meanwhile, clean out the bowl and grease clean surface down with crisco. Place dough in bowl and flip over to grease the top as well. Knead dough until smooth and satiny Cover and let rise in a warm area until double in size Once double in size punch down. Turn out on floured board. Divide into portions for shaping and let rest for 10 minutes

7.Once dough has raised, shape dough into desired forms. Place on greased baking sheets and let rise until doubled Bake at 350 F for 10-15 minutes

* made my dough in the bread maker because I was lazy and in a hurry.  I don't necessarily recommend my method but it did turn out really yummy!  I followed the same directions above until step 4.  I started the dough option on my bread machine and let it start mixing it.  Then continued on to step 5 and added about 6 cups of flour.  I then started the dough option over again to mix it better.  When I came back from church about 3 hours later it was pushing my lid open a little bit.  I pulled it out and put it in a bowl and covered until we were ready to use it.  (about 15 minutes)  I then followed step 7.
Like I said those of you that bake bread are probably cringing that I would do this but remember was was in a hurry (yes and lazy).

Honey butter
You have to make this!  It makes a lot but keeps well.  We've been using it on our toast for the last week.

1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1/2 cup honey
1 tsp. cinnamon

Blend all ingredients together at room temperature. Spread on rolls

2x4 Pumpkins

We had a craft night at church a few weeks ago and this is one of the projects I decided to do.  It was really easy!  The wood was cut to  8", 6", and 3.5" (but you could do any size).  Just paint, Then hot glue a branch to the top for a stem and some moss to cover up the extra hot glue.

Guest Post from Kitty Cats and Airplanes

I'm so happy to have Amie here today.  She is seriously one of my favorite people and bloggers.  She has a great tutorial for you today.

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Hello Crystal's readers! I am so happy to be here to help out Crystal while she is off enjoying her family. I am Amie, and I blog over at {Kitty Cats and Airplanes}






 Today, I am sharing one of my most popular tutorials, the Lace Bow!


Are you ready for the EASIEST knock-off in the history of knock-offs?? This bow is so super simple it's criminal. It will blow your mind.

I was enjoying browsing through Anthropologie's loveliness when I spotted this pretty little number called the Fanny bow. My jaw dropped a little and I let out a "Fer realz????" when I saw it. Super cute and I knew I could whip up a knock-off version in a few short minutes. Enter supplies...

• Vintage lace (or regular, non ruffled lace from a spool)


• Matching felt


• Hair clip


• Scissors


• Glue gun

Cut two lengths of lace, one five inches long, one six inches long. Run a line of glue down one end fold the other end over to create a loop. Do this for both pieces of lace.

Make sure your two glue-y sides are facing down, and stack the smaller piece onto the larger piece. Center everything.

Put a little dab of glue into the center of the top piece.

Gently pinch the two sides of your bow inward. Make sure that the glue doesn't find it's way all the way up, you only want the glue to be at the bottom of the fold! You should still have a little bit of loose lace at the top of the fold.

Cut out a third piece of lace, shorter than the other two.

Fold/roll your lace. Secure with glue if needed.

Gently press open the fold on your bow. See how it can still be opened a little? This is important to give the bow the prettiness it deserves.

Lay your folded lace on top of your bow so that it "opens" the fold. Secure with glue.

Wrap the folded lace around to the back and secure with glue! The bow is done!

To attach it to a clip, glue a small piece of felt on the back of your bow.

Cut another piece of felt and sandwich it in between the prongs of your clip.

Add glue to the TOP of the clip.

 And add it to the back of your bow! Trim any necessary felt aaaaaaaaaand....

Look fabulous! I love this little bow, it's feminine and chic at the same time. Plus, I kind of love lace. A lot. Easiest Anthro knock-off ever right.

Sumo's Sweet Stuff

Hello everyone! Sumo, from Sumo's Sweet Stuff here!

I'm excited that Crystal asked me to help while she is enjoying the last little bit of summer!

This is a tutorial I've shared on my blog before, but I think it is super fun, and a great way to spruce up any outfit!

Okay. It's no secret around here that I'm a lover of jewelry. I rarely leave the house without it, even if I'm just in my gauchos and t-shirt!

Here's what you need:

- beads, beads, beads! (Yes, I realize that's a lot of beads. No, it's not even close to all the beads I own.)

- chains of varying sizes

- two large lobster clasps

- one smaller lobster clasp

- crimp beads

- scissors

- crimping tool

- beading wire

- split rings

The large flower bead had holes for two wires to string through it. So measured the chain that would be going around my neck on one side, strung it through a small piece of wire, and then put both sides of the wire through the large bead. (Sorry, I know the picture is fuzzy; I couldn't get very good clear shots today for some reason. I'm probably one of the last bloggers on earth still using a point and shoot!)

Then I took a large lobster clasp and put it on a split ring. On the two pieces of wire that have come through the large bead, string together with a crimp bead. Then loop the wires around the split ring and back through the crimp bead. Use your crimping tool to press the crimp bead down, securing it all in place. Trim any excess wire.

Measure a second piece of chain to go around your neck. Open up one of the rings and put a smaller lobster clasp on. This will connect the two sides on the back of your neck. At the bottom of the second piece of chain, attach another split ring with a lobster clasp on it by opening up another ring and close the ring around it. My crimping tool is handy for this! This is what you've got so far!

Now it's time to start making the fun bead strands! Take a piece of wire, put a crimp bead on it, loop the wire around a split ring and back through the crimp bead. Press the crimp bead down, securing your loop around the split ring.

String on your beads to the length that you want. Secure the end with another crimp bead and split ring.

Here's how it looks attached on to your base necklace pieces.

Measure different lengths of varying sizes of chains, and hook those on to your necklace. You like?

But maybe you don't feel like wearing those clear beads. How about a strand of black pearls?

What's that? It's spring, and time for bright colors? Okay, done.

Or you could always keep it classic with regular pearls.

For a simple look, maybe you just want a few different chains hanging on.

This strand may be my favorite: an eclectic group of clear and silver beads.

So there you have it. A boutique style necklace, with lots and lots of options to make it work for you!

Thanks for letting me stop by today, Crystal! I hope you are having a great vacation!

Kara's Pink Lemonade Pie

Hello fellow crafters! I'm Kara from Creations by Kara, and I'm thrilled that Crystal asked me to be a part of recipe week. I love crafting and DIY projects, but I also love spending time in my kitchen trying new recipes.

Today I'm sharing a dessert recipe that is just perfect for summertime-- Pink Lemonade Pie. It only takes a few minutes to put together, and it is so refreshing on a hot day. You can use a purchased crust to make things even easier. I used a pastry crust this time because we were out of graham crackers. You can use whatever you like. Oh, and if all you have is regular lemonade, I'm sure it would work just fine. :)

Pink Lemonade Pie

1 9" baked pie crust-pastry or graham cracker
8oz cream cheese, softened
1 14oz can sweetened condensed milk
6oz frozen pink lemonade concentrate, thawed (I used half of a 12oz can)
4oz Cool Whip
Few drops red food coloring (optional)
Beat cream cheese till fluffy. Gradually beat in sweetened condensed milk, then lemonade. Mix well. Fold in Cool Whip and food coloring. Pour into pie crust. Chill for at least four hours or till set. Garnish with whipped cream if desired.

Thanks for having me Crystal! I hope that all of you will stop over and say hi. I love meeting new bloggy friends!


my boys ate all

Cafe Rio knock off! From Bugaboo, Mini, Mr & Me

Hey Crystal’s Craft Spot fans!  Allow me to introduce myself - the me in bugaboo, mini, mr & me!  Or Kimberly, if you’d prefer - it’s not such a mouthful.  Over on bugaboo, mini, mr &me, we do what is called “Yummy Monday” every week!  That’s when I pick three new recipes to try (and sometimes MORE depending on how ambitious I’m feeling!) and then use my family and my parents as guinea pigs!  Sometimes they love it.  Sometimes they hate it.  I’ve discovered a lot of great recipes this way, and I’ve also developed some dormant cooking and baking talents!

The recipe I’m going to share with you today is one that I discovered on-line on a little blog called Favorite Family Recipes.  I made a few subtle changes to the recipes that I’m including below, and you will definitely want to check out their blog for more delicious inspiration.  

With the following recipe (which is a knock off salad done in 6 parts... so it does take some time) you will be upgraded to Master Chef status after the first few bites - guaranteed.  It’s definitely one of our favorites.

Without further ado, I bring you the

Don’t you love their shredded pork salad?  You’ll love this one even more, and that’s not lip service.

First of all, please note that several pieces of this salad can be made up ahead of time, so as to break the work up over a few days.  The rice, beans and salad dressing can all be made and refrigerated, then heated up when you serve the salads.  The pork needs to cook for about 6 hours - although if you do chicken as I usually do, you only need about half that time.  You may want to cook this over night.  The crispy tortilla strips are really the only thing that needs to be made just prior to serving so they stay nice and crunchy.  

On to the recipes!

Part 1: The pork or CHICKEN (note, I ALWAYS make this with chicken because it’s faster, and we love it that way.  The pork is yummy, too, though!)

Sweet Chicken

2 pounds chicken (if you use pork, it’s best to get the boneless pork loin)

2 20 oz bottles of Coke (NOT diet)

1/4 c. brown sugar

1/2 tsp. garlic salt

1/4 c. water

1 can diced green chilies

3/4 (10oz) can red enchilada sauce 

1 c. brown sugar

Put the chicken in a heavy duty ziploc bag to marinade. Add a bottle of coke and about 1/4 c. of brown sugar. Marinade for a few hours or overnight.  Drain marinade and put chicken, 1/2 a bottle of coke, water, and garlic salt in a crock pot on high for about 2-3 hours or on low for 6-8 hours. Remove chicken from crock pot and drain any liquid left in the pot. Shred the chicken.  In a food processor or blender, blend 1/2 bottle of Coke, chilies, enchilada sauce and remaining brown sugar.   Put shredded chicken and sauce in crockpot and cook on low for 1 hour. 

Part 2: The rice

Cilantro-Lime Rice

1 c. uncooked rice (long-grain, white rice)

1 tsp. butter 

3 cloves garlic, minced or pressed

2 tsp. freshly squeezed lime juice

1 can (15 oz) chicken broth

1 cup water

2 Tbsp. freshly squeezed lime juice

2 tsp. sugar

3 tablespoons fresh chopped cilantro

In a saucepan combine rice, butter, garlic, 1 tsp. lime, chicken broth and water. Bring to a boil. Cover and cook on low 15-20 minutes, until rice is tender. Remove from heat. In a small bowl combine lime juice, sugar and cilantro. Pour over hot cooked rice and mix in as you fluff the rice.

Part 3: The beans

Mexican Black Beans

2 Tbsp. olive oil

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 tsp. ground cumin

1 can black beans, rinsed and drained

1 1/3 c. tomato juice or V8

1 1/2 tsp. salt

3 Tbsp. fresh chopped cilantro

In a nonstick skillet, cook garlic and cumin in olive oil over medium heat until you can smell it. Add beans, tomato juice, and salt. Continually stir until heated through. Just before serving stir in the cilantro.

Part 4: The dressing

Cilantro-Lime Ranch Dressing

1 packet TRADITIONAL Hidden Valley Ranch mix (not BUTTERMILK)

1 c. mayonnaise

1 c. buttermilk

2 tomatillos, remove husk, diced

3/4 bunch of fresh cilantro

2 clove garlic

juice of 1 lime

1 jalepeno (or less depending on taste)

Mix all ingredients together in the blender. 

Part 5: The tortilla strips

Crispy Tortilla Strips

10-12 corn tortillas

oil for frying

salt

Cut tortillas into strips using a pizza cutter. Cut 2-3 tortillas at once.  Heat oil in a large frying pan. Place strips into hot oil and fry until they become crispy. When nice and crispy, remove from oil and place on a paper towel. Sprinkle with salt after each batch.

Just a note: the first time I made this I didn't make the strips, I thought they were just "fluff".  But I've made them every time since - they are almost essential in my book.  Just so you know.

Part 6: Assembly!  (best part)

Shredded Sweet Chicken Salad

6 large Tortillas

Mexican blend shredded cheese

Cilantro Lime Rice

Mexican Black Beans

Sweet Chicken (or pork)

Green Leaf Lettuce, or Boston Bib, or similar

Pico de gallo

Guacamole 

Sour cream

Tortilla Strips 

Cotija, or Mexican Cheese

Cilantro-Lime Ranch Dressing 

Lay your tortillas out on a baking sheet, sprinkle cheese on them, and put in the oven at 375 for about 5 min or until the cheese is melted. Remove from oven and place each tortilla on a plate or shallow bowl.  Add beans, rice, chicken, then lettuce and a pico.  Add guacamole and sour cream, if you like.  Sprinkle on some of the tortilla strips and crumbled cotija cheese.  Top with a few cilantro leaves. Serve with the cilantro-lime ranch dressing.

If you’d like to make your own pico de gallo and guacamole, you can find my recipes by clicking the links.  Otherwise, you can find them in most produce departments.

We usually eat this with a refreshing pitcher of Brazilian Lemonade - that stuff is addictive, I tell ya.  

This super duper salad will have them all begging for more.  And why not give them more?  Do you need dessert ideas?  I have some good ones for you!  Lemon Cake Pie.  Cheesecake Stuffed Strawberries.  Creamy Dreamy Lime Pie.  Take your pick!

Be sure to stop by my place and say hi!  Thanks for having me over, Crystal!

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Thanks Kimberly!  I love Cafe Rio and this looks so yummy.

J'adore-T-shirt Vinyl tutorial

I finally bought some t-shirt vinyl and decided to give it a try.  It is so easy, fun, and looks wonderful.  Here's what I made.

Expressions vinyl has great video tutorials to show you how to use it.  The tricky part is you need to cut everything backwards (or your image will be reversed when you iron it on-not a problem for many images but a big problem for letters).  I have an original cricut and it doesn't have a flip button but I do have sure cuts a lot so I was able to do it.  If you are in the same situation here's a quick how to. 

lay your t-shirt vinyl shiny side down on your mat.

In your software add your graphic and words.  The click the flip button.  The easiest way for the words is to spell out the entire word then click flip.  If you have more then one word start with the last word.

set your blade depth to 2, pressure to 3, and slow speed (I think the software automatically cuts it slow).  You do not want to cut through the shiny transfer paper.  Cut your design

Pull off the extra vinyl

Lay the sticky side down on your shirt (my camera died right about now but this is what my layout looked like).  Turn your iron on (between cotton and polyester) and gently iron the transfer paper.  Carefully peel off the transfer paper.  If the vinyl is coming off with it lay it back down and iron again. 

In no time you will have a new shirt.

*I don't have anyone that will fit into this adorable onesie so its now up for sale in my etsy shop.*

Flower Blanket

My three year old LOVES blankets.  She has one she calls flower blanket and has to have it.  Its getting worn so I thought I would make her a new flower blanket.  I just finished it this morning and gave it to her and she is in love.  Hopefully this one will give her other poor blanket a break every once in a while. 

So I've made a quilt top before but never quilted or binded a quilt before.  This was my test run before I finish the one for her bed.  Its very simple and I just kind of guessed and went with it.  After I relized I better read how to machine quilt or have some one help me because this looks pretty messy.  So all of you professional quilters just turn away and I promise I'll learn before I make the real one.