Sopapilla Cheesecake

I am in the process of putting all of my favorite recipes on my blog. 

This is a recipe my friend gave me. I am not sure what the original source is. 

My family loves this recipe. I made this for our New Years celebration.

It is a great dessert to pair with Mexican Food.

I found the Mexican theme we had this year to be so approprite.

Sopapilla Cheesecake

2 pkg cresent rolls

2 (8 oz.) softened cream cheese

1 1/2 c. sugar

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 stick of butter

1 tsp vanilla extract

mix together 1/2 c. of sugar and cinnamon, set aside. 

Flatten one can of cresent rolls on bottom of 9x13 pan.

Mix 1 c. of sugar, vanilla and cream cheese 

(be sure to mix with electric mixer until there are NO lumps)

Spread mixture over the 1st layer of cresent rolls.

Unroll the second can over the cream cheese mixture.

Melt butter and pour over the top. Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar mixture.

Bake 350 for 30 min.

Homemade Salsa

Today we are having friends over to celebrate New Years Eve. We are having a Taco Party.  I decided it was about time for me to make homemade salsa.  Everyone loves homemade salsa right?  I love coming up with new recipes. What better way to start a Taco Party than by dipping salty chips into fresh salsa.

My little boy loves to help, so we did this together. It was fun for him to feel like he was really helping instead of just stirring for a couple minutes which is what he normally gets to do. I let him put all of the chopped ingredients into the blender.  He loves to help and his goal is always to be funny....so I had to rescue a couple of whole tomatoes more than once.  He just laughed and laughed.  This was a perfect thing to let him help with.  He is 2 and did a great job. If you have small kids this is a good recipe for little helpers.

I was so excited about how it turned out.  It has a great flavor. It is a little on the spicy side, which is perfect for us, but you may want to use half the peppers I used if you want it mild.  I hope you enjoy!

K's Homemade Salsa

10 Paloma (Spanish) tomatoes.
40 cherry tomatoes
1 onion chopped
2 tsp dried Cilantro (you can use fresh, but all I could find here was dried)
1 Serrano Pepper
1 Banana Pepper
2 Garlic bulbs
1Tbsp. Salt

Chop everything and place in blender. Mix well to desired texture!

Enjoy!!!

Bratislava for Lunch

Yesterday we drove to Bratislava to have lunch with a friend at Pizza Hut!  It was a real treat.  The kids had so much fun.  I did too. It was the first time the kids and I had been there.  It was special because we don't have a Pizza Hut where we live.  It is also pretty cool to drive to another country for lunch if you ask me.  Here are a few more food shots I took with my new lens.

The icing on the cake was that after we ate the kids and I went shopping at Tesco.  It is similar to Walmart.  You can get office supplies, toys, food and clothes there. We can get things there that we can't get here.  Things like Cherry Coke, Green Chilies, Pickwick tea, Lipton tea, and a variety of things we like from neighboring countries.

Here are some of our favorites:

Kinley Ginger Ale, I first tried this in Budapest.  We went there on a weekend trip just a couple of weeks before our little boy was born.  We were on a walk around the city walls and stopped for drinks and this is what I had that day.  It is the best Ginger Ale I have ever tasted.  Ever since then, when I see Kinley Ginger Ale I have to buy it.

Mattoni Water in any flavor, I first tried this on a road trip as we were driving through the Czech Republic.  There is a huge cut out of their logo on the side of the road, so when we stopped for gas I thought I would try it.  This is my favorite flavored water in Europe. 

Cherry Coke, a drink I miss from home.

Kubus PLAY, the kids love to drink this when we visit the grandparents in Poland.

Days like these make it interesting to live a multicultural life.  I never would have imagined growing up that I would have so many different cultures i my life.

Tutorial: Making normal cars into CARS

As a mom of a boy who loves all things transportation, I get to play cars a lot.  I can name almost all the characters from the Disney Cars movies.  I play cars, trains, and planes everyday.

One day my son and I were playing cars.  I noticed he kept pushing this one dump trunk to the side.  When I asked him if he wanted to race that car, he told me he can't play because he doesn't have eyes.  He was the only car on the floor without eyes. I told my son I would give the truck eyes so he could play too.

I painted eyes on the car, and gave it to my little boy.  He was sooo excited.  Within minutes he had gathered every car he owned that was without eyes. He gave me all of the non Disney movie cars that he had. He said they needed eyes too.  So now I am in the business of making eyes for cars.

Whenever I tell this story I am asked how I did it.  Here is a tutorial:

First grab normal cars...Hotwheels for example.

 I use whatever paint I have around.

Decide where you want the eyes then paint a white base coat.

Add some black for definition

Now add eyes and you are done!

I am linking up to these sites:
Creations by Kara
JAQS Studio
Blissful and Domestic
Sisters of the Wild West
Lovely Crafty Home
Happy Hour Projects
Someday Crafts
Homemaker on a Dime

Fondue

Last night some friends invited us over for meat fondue.  I had only tried cheese fondue before, so I was looking forward to having fondue this way.

 There were three types of meat: chicken, turkey, and pork. In the middle of the table was a fondue pot with boiling vegetable broth. Each person had a pair of sticks in a specific color assigned to them. We picked a meat, stabbed it and placed our sticks into the broth.  While we waited for the meat to cook we prepared our plates with sides.  There were several different sauces: Avocado, Garlic, Ketchup with Mustard and Onion, Salmon, Banana-Curry, and Pepper. They also served a variety of breads sliced up: pretzel, french, sandwich, and white.The meat I liked the most was the chicken, I liked the garlic and avocado sauces, and the pretzel bread was my favorite. I also enjoyed using my new camera lens to get some food shots. Enjoy!

Banana-Curry Sauce

All of the meat in the broth

Before

After

It was a fun night! I can understand why people enjoy fondue. This would be a great party food! There is time to talk as you cook your meat and it feels very relaxed and communal. I recommend trying fondue if you haven't yet!

No Time for Tea Parties

I have been thinking about writing a blog for a long time.  People are always asking me to share my recipes, stories, and tips for making beads.  I decided that the time has come for me to do just that and that a blog is the best way to do it all.

Picking a name for a blog is hard work.  I have spent days thinking about it.  What few words can best describe me and what my life is about?  What do I want people to know about me? What will a blog written by me contribute? What am I attracted to when I go blog-surfing? Should it be funny, serious, or simply words that sound catchy? So many things to consider!

I have been thinking about it even this morning while sitting down to enjoy a cup of tea from my new favorite mug.  I found it a couple of weeks ago at one of my favorite Christmas markets. It is turquoise and orange with red dots on it, and it was handmade by a talented Hungarian lady who has a little booth there. While we were at her booth I also saw a beautiful orange tea pot with turquoise swirls. It was so lovely, so whimsical - just the way I like things, but the kids were crying, it was cold, and I just moved on without buying it. To my surprise, I found the very same teapot under our tree on Christmas morning!  It was one of the gifts from my husband. As I was pouring tea from it this morning and admiring each swirl and the craftsmanship behind it, I started daydreaming about the fun things I could do with it, like tea parties or "me" time. Then a sweet little voice said "Mommy!", bringing me back to reality. It was my son asking for more cereal.  In an instant I realized, I don't have time for tea parties.

So the name for my blog was born.  I will share stories about my life as a mother of three, wife, and my many creative endeavors. I will post recipes, tutorials, cooking and beading tips as well as interesting things I learn and experience while living in 3 cultures at one time.  I am excited about this and think it will be a great way to keep in touch with friends and family who want to know what is going on with us

I would love for you to leave me comments and tell me what you think!