Snappy Green Bean Salad Recipe

Snappy Green Bean Salad

Shop List:
1 pound fresh green beans
1 red onion
1/2 pint grape or cherry tomatoes
extra virgin olive oil
lemon
salt and pepper

Steps:
1. Wash and snap the ends of the **green beans. Place the beans in a low bath of boiling water, cover and cook for 4 minutes. Remove the beans from heat and immediately shock in running cold water. (this keeps them crisp) Drain.

2. Thinly slice 1/4 of the onion and slice the tomatoes in half.

3. Toss the beans, onions and tomatoes with a few drizzles of the oil and teh juice of half a lemon. Add salt and pepper to taste. Chill before serving.

Serves 4.

**Fresh Beans 101

Select beans of equal size, that are no thicker than a pencil. The beans should have a fresh, vivid color and a velvety feel, with a firm texture. When broken, they should snap crisply.

Do not buy beans that are limp, over-sized, split, or have rust spots or scars. If the seeds are bulging inside the pod, they are too mature.

Wash the beans in cold water and snap off each end.

Recipe courtesy of Cathie Filian, 2008

Asian Fusion Cole Slaw Recipe

Asian Fusion Cole Slaw

Shop List:
1 bag shredded cole slaw mix
1 purple cabbage
1 1/2 cups bean sprouts
1/4 cup rice vinegar
1 table spoon canola oil
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1 1/4 tablespoon sesame seeds
large handful of crispy chow mein noodles
optional: palmful peanuts or cashews

Steps:
1. Prepare the dressing. Whisk together vinegar and oils in a large bowl.

2. Chop 1/4 of a purple cabbage into small squares.

3. Toss the purple cabbage, slaw mix and sesame seeds with the dressing.

4. Chill for 1/2 hour. Toss with chow mein noodles and optional nuts just before serving.

Serves 4.

Recipe courtesy of Cathie Filian, 2008

Salmon Salad Recipe

Grilled Salmon Salad

This really should be made the day before serving.  

Shop List:
1 - 2 pounds grilled or baked salmon (de-boned and skin removed)
3 cups spiral pasta
1 cup light sour cream
1 cup light mayonnaise
1 cup chopped orange and yellow bell peppers
3/4 cup chopped and drained tomatoes
1/4 cup chopped purple onion
1 large bunch fresh dill
salt and pepper to taste

Steps:

1. Grill the Salmon or bake.  For baking, cook at 450 for 15 min or until done.  Cool.  Using a fork flake the grilled salmon into bite sized chunks. Chill.

2. In a separate bowl combine the sour cream, mayo, peppers, tomatoes and onion.

3. Prepare the pasta al dente** sytle. Drain. Rinse with cold water. Lightly toss with olive oil if the pasta is sticking.

4. Toss the pasta and sour creme mixture, add the dill and fold in the salmon. Sprinkle the top with fresh dill.

5. Chill until you serve. Delicious as a leftover.


**Al dente refers to the desired texture of cooked pasta in Italian cooking. It literally means "to the tooth". When the pasta is cooked al dente, there should be a slight resistance in the center when the pasta is chewed.

Glitter Is Not Litter

I am working on my sign for tomorrows "Safe Sparkle Rally" at The Ellen Show. With the help of Crafty Chica I have my poster slogan!!! - "Glitter Is Not Litter: so don't trash it" and now all I need is get my tush glittering. So I ventured into my craft supply room and decided to take pics of my favorite sparkly craft goodies.

In no certain order...drum roll please.....

Glitter is the spice of life.

All different brands, some collected over 20 years ago. By storing them in sifter top spice jars, I can pour or shake, blend colors when one gets low and the screw tops keep the glitter "mess free". I get the jars at cost plus world market.

My Glitter Glue Drawer

So safe that it is non-toxic & kid friendly! This stuff works great on felt and you can usually scoop up bottles of great colors on sale during holidays at Mikes or Jos.

My Newest Obsession!

Glitter Mod Podge from Plaid is amazing. I have mixed just about everything with Mod Podge over the years: glitter, paints, shimmer powder, etc. and I had pretty good success - or so i thought, until I tried this new product (will be available in Gold and Silver). The glitter is so fine, super sparkly and blended so well that with each brush stroke you get loads of glitter goodness.

Punk Rock Hanger with Glitter Mod Podge

Shimmer Pigment Powders
(I never claimed them to be mess free)

I just adore the colors and soft subtle shimmer that you get from powders.
These are all Luminarte.

Rhinestone-a-Rama
Oh how I love the sparkle of a good rhinestone!

Birthday In The Park for my Mother in Law

This weekend we celebrated my Mother-in-Laws birthday in the park. Eddie's brother flew down from San Francisco and Tiasa (my MIL's sister) drove over from Santa Monica. We all gathered at a quaint park nested at the base of the Burbank mountains. The weather was divine - one of those rare, slightly overcast days in Los Angeles where the sun peeks at you but you still stay cool.

I spent most of Saturday cooking the dishes while flipping from Lifetime and The Halmark Channel. Nothing better than a full day of cooking, recipe experimenting and sappy TV.

The menu turned out great and all of the dishes were easy "make-ahead" and they traveled well in plastic containers and baggies.

Sunday was all about the party. We dined on lemongrass beef skewers, grilled salmon salad, grilled chicken, string bean salad, Asian fusion cole slaw, hummus & pita, tabouli, lemon pound cake, fruit with divine dip, Boston creme cake, water and fruity wine. We ate like kings and queens. On the jukebox we had John Coltrane, Jack Johnson and little Vivaldi and in the fields we had Nick, Erin & Eddie playing football and over-sized Frisbee while Ruben caught up on a few ZZZZ's.

I'll be posting all the recipes and super top-secret "picnic party" tips and tricks, including cooking with lemongrass 101. Until then.....here is a peek at the day!

The birthday girl and hubby!

She loves roses.

Nick's Heisman


The boys are hungry!!!!

Relight.

Story Tellers Art Show - Daytona Beach

Mom, me and my hubby Eddie at Lunch

As I was racing to get ready for a meeting this morning, I had 26 hot rollers in my hair, make-up brush in one hand and my mom on speaker phone. It looked like a scene from a circus. I could hear my hubby laughing at me from his computer.

My mom rang me up with a funny tale, the kind of story that makes you feel like the world is really small and that moms will always be referred to a the "mother of" regardless of how old we get.

So here is my "The Daughter Of" News.....my Mom just sold another painting! The painting is for a really fancy new hotel in Atlanta that is opening in 2009. Mom has sold many paintings but this one was a departure from her usual style - so this sale is especially sweet. If you want to learn more about my mom you can visit this blog post about her.

If my mom is not painting - you can usually find her at an orchid show with my Step-Dad Bill or at The Art League of Daytona Beach either taking workshops, teaching or just hanging with friends.

This weekend they are having an art exhibit that I know fans of Craft Lab will enjoy! If you are in Daytona Beach stop by, if not, check out the artists website for a little inspiration and creative juice.

Polymer Clay Bugs - Kids Craft Idea

Polymer Clay Bugs - Snail

Materials:
polymer clay: brown, orange, bright green, dark green, white, blue and red
20-gauge craft wire
wire-cutters
cookie sheet
parchment paper
oven

1. Knead the clay until it's soft. To make the snail shell, roll a piece of brown clay into a long log shape with one tapered end. Do the same thing with a piece of orange clay. Hold the two pieces together and roll them into a coil/cinnamon bun shape, starting with the skinnier ends.

2. To make the body, roll a piece of bright green clay into the same tapered log shape, only slightly shorter. The thicker end of the shape will be the head; gently smash the shell onto the top of the body and bend the head end of the body upward. Stick several tiny dots of dark green clay all over the snail’s body to create warts.

3. Shape a piece of dark green clay into a pea-sized ball. Next, make a flat disc shape out of white clay and press onto the green ball. Place a small blue circle of clay in the middle of the white area to create an eye for the snail. Repeat this process for the other eye. Cut two small straight pieces of wire, each approximately 1" long. Stick these into the top of the snail’s head, leaving a little more than half sticking out. Skewer the eyes onto the wire.

4. Roll out two small pieces of red clay into log shapes with tapered ends. Put them together to make lips; place on the snail’s head.

5. Bake the snail on a parchment-lined baking sheet according to the instructions on the package of clay. Let cool before handling. Other types of creatures can be made using similar techniques.

Smores on a Stick Recipe

Smores on a Stick - Yummy!

Shop List:1 bag large marshmallows1 bag chocolate chips1 package graham crackerssprinkleslollipop sticks, found in the candymaking section of craft storeswaxed paper
Steps:

1. Melt chocolate in a double boiler or microwave, stirring often until smooth.

2. Crush graham crackers in a large zippered plastic bag; roll with a rolling pin or crush with the back of a spoon until the crackers are the consistency of breadcrumbs. Place crumbs in a bowl, add sprinkles and mix together.

3. Place a lollipop stick in a marshmallow, immerse the marshmallow in chocolate and then halfway into the crumbs.

4. Place on wax paper to cool.

Newspaper Column: Green Gift Wrap Ideas

Green Gift Wrapping

By Cathie Filian

Recycling, re-crafting and making your own gift-wrap has been around for ages. When I was little, my mom and I would wrap gifts in the “funny pages” of the newspaper, we would carve potatoes and use them as stamps to create whimsical patterns on kraft paper and cardboard jewelry boxes were decoupaged with magazine cut-outs to create new fancy boxes. We were being “green” and we didn’t even know it.

Creating recycled gift-wrap is really taking trash and creating a treasure. It is not only great for the planet it is good for your wallet. With the prices of designer gift-wrap, you could easily spend ten dollars just to wrap a small gift. For just a few pennies you can get creative and craft your own gift bags, boxes and paper flower bows.

For quick and easy gift-wrapping, you can transform plain gift bags and lunch sacks into stunning “designer” look bags with the simple addition of paper flowers.

Who says a gift box can’t be a tube? Drink mix containers can be stripped of their labels and decorated with scrapbook paper and ribbons. They are the perfect size box for a bottle of lotion.

If you have some small jewelry boxes on hand and they have a department store logo, cover it with a scrap of decorative paper, ribbons, silk leaves and a paper flower.

You can use just about any kind of paper to create the paper flower bows. Grocery bags can be cut, crinkled and layered to create a natural looking bow. You can add a layer or two of colored plastic wrap for a shinny look. By adding a petal from a mismatched silk flower you can create an organic look. To add a pop of color, use magazine tear-outs and bits of scrapbook paper. The flower bows are super easy to make and they add so much flair and style to a package.

Now that you have the basics for creating your own paper flower bows, all you need is a gift to wrap.

To Create A Small Bow

1. Cut 8 circle shapes from paper or plastic. Begin with a 3” circle and work your way down to a 1” circle.

2. Add an organic look to the edge of the circles by cutting waves, scallops or zigzags. Gently crinkle each circle in your hand.

3. Layer the circles from largest to smallest and secure in the center with an office or scrapbook brad. Attach to your package with hot glue or tape.

I Heart Crest Toothpaste.

Here is a funny pic from my wedding - Nothing like fresh breath!

Featured Buyer at Etsy!

visit my Etsy shop

One of my favorite places to do a little crafty reading is at the Etsy Storque. So I was thrilled when Etsy wanted feature me as a buyer. I not only shop at Etsy but I also sell at Etsy.

In my opinion, Etsy has done more for artists and crafters than anything I have seen in a long time - perhaps forever. I am so proud to be a member of such a thriving community. For anyone who is not familiar, you can visit the home page here.

I must say a HUGE thanks to Etsy for helping with the push for my casting call! BIG KISSES.

Linda Blair & Steve Go Dog Crazy!

Peek a boo we see you!

Many moons ago, I wrote about our friend, the fabulously talented and awesome animal activist - Linda Blair. She does amazing things to care for animals with her WorldHeart Foundation. Well I am pleased to say that the foundation/ranch has been going through some "dog house" improvements! Steve was on hand to help out. If you want to learn more about Linda and her efforts please visit her website: www.lindablairworldheart.com.

Steve will take two!Everyone is all smiles!