Julie's Favorite Christmas Cookie - Raspberry & Almond Shortbread Cookies

Did you read that?

RASPBERRY & ALMOND SHORTBREAD COOKIES?!?!?

Just the name sounds delicious, right?!
I gotta say,my mouth is watering just as I was uploading the pictures of  these cookies. They are MY FAVORITE cookie!!! I made a batch of them this past Saturday & Sunday afternoon every single one of them were gone. Don't freak out... I had helpers in the consumption!
So today as I'm feeling more & more in the Christmas spirit, I wanted to share the recipe with you!
And of course now I'm itching to make another batch...but I'll refrain...for now!

Raspberry & Almond 

Shortbread Cookies

Ingredients:

1 Cup Butter, softened (do not use margarine)

2/3 Cup White Sugar

1/2 tsp Almond Extract

2 Cups All Purpose Flour

1/2 Cup Seedless Raspberry jam

Glaze:

1/2 Cup Powdered Sugar

3/4 tsp Almond Extract

1 tsp Milk

Directions: 
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a medium bowl, cream together the butter & sugar until smooth. Add in 1/2 tsp almond extract & mix. Begin to add in the flour until dough comes together.

Roll the dough into 1/2 inch balls & place on un-greased cookie sheets.

Make a small hole in the center of each ball, using your thumb/pointer finger.

Fill the hole with preserves. *To do this I put the preserves in a sandwich bag & snip a  small hole in the corner & use it like a pastry bag...filling the holes of the dough with the preserves.

Bake for 14-18 minutes in preheated oven or until lightly browned. Let cool for a few minutes & remove onto a cooling rack.

In a medium bowl, mix together the powdered sugar, 3/4 tsp almond extract & milk until smooth. Drizzle lightly over cooled cookies. *Again, I use a sandwich bag for a glaze...just snip an extra tiny hole to make a prettier drizzle :)

Enjoy, my friends! 

Another reason to say MERRY CHRISTMAS!!

Love,

Julie

*And, HEY!!! Don't miss our Christmas giveaway with JAMBERRY NAILS!

Go leave a comment for Melissa & like her facebook page :) Tell her which of the two Holiday Shields you would pick if you won! 

Jamberry Nails! Christmas Giveaway!

Time for some Christmas FUN!

Our blog has been quiet for too long!

Let's get rollin again in style, shall we?!

WHO WANTS A GIVEAWAY!?!?

Who wants to try Jamberry Nails?!?!

My friend Melissa starting selling Jamberry Nails recently & after joining her Facebook page, I was interested in HOW she was getting these adorable designs on her nails! They look so good & the designs she keep sharing in her pictures were crazy fun! 

Well...I have good news!

Melissa let US try some shields out, AND she wants to giveaway a set of Christmas shields to ONE OF YOU!! 

Not only are the Jamberry designs fun & look awesome, they made my thin, weak nails stronger! WAY better than my experience with polish! I was SHOCKED how much longer & thicker my nails were when I took them off after 6 days. My best guess is that the shields protected my nails from the abuse I give them daily from cleaning, crafting, diapering, & GOING! I also received compliments left & right...even from my oil change guy! hahahhaa!

I LOVE THEM...and so did my family!

It was a JAMBERRY Thanksgiving this year!!

TO ENTER THE GIVEAWAY: 

'Like' Melissa's Jamberry page on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/jamsRrockin) & leave her a comment telling her which design you'd pick if you're the winner! That's all!

Merry Christmas Design OR  Red White & Green Diagonal Stripe

This Friday (at noon EST) we'll pick one winner! 

And hey, even if you don't win, maybe you'll consider choosing some shield for those teens & ladies on your Christmas list! Melissa is your Jamberry girl!!

They're PERFECT for a stocking stuffer or to pair with some manicure items as a gift!

Go!! Have fun!!!!Trust us, you WANT to win!!!

Christmas Chex Mix (White Chocolate Peppermint)

Anyone else CRAZY busy this time of year?!  I've had no time to update this blog (makes me sad). I've got LOTS of fun projects I've been busy with just no time to share...  I have to say this post it TOO AMAZING not to share!  I have a co-worked who is on the hunt for the Peppermint Chex Mix that only comes out around Christmas.  I've never had it but it sounded good and I assumed it couldn't be too hard to figure out...   This is my version and it's SO simply and SUPER tasty!!

Peppermint Chex Mix

8 Cups Chex Cereal (I used Rice Chex)

24 oz White Choc Chips

8 Regular Candy Canes (crushed)

1 T Criso Shortening

1 C Powdered Sugar

-Place Chex mix in a bowl that can be used to mix everything together in a few minutes (helps if it has a lid).  

-Melt the White Choc Chips in the microwave (mine took 1.5 minutes), when almost melted add the shortening.  (I think you could skip the shortening but it thins the chocolate just enough it makes it easy to work with).

-Pour melted chocolate over the Chex and stir until covered.

-On a cookie sheet lined with parchment or wax paper spread the Chex out and sprinkle with Candy Canes.

-Place Powdered Sugar into the bowl (can use the same bowl as earlier), pour in candy coated Chex.  Seal the lid and shake shake shake.  

-Pour your chex mix back onto the lined cookie sheet to cool.  

When cooled place in sealed zip lock bag (make sure completely cooled/dried or else the moisture will make the chex mix stale).

Snowman Wreath - Dollar Store Craft

This week is all about INSPIRATION!!  

Check out our FUN give-a-way this week HERE.

I'm sure many of you are like me and Pinterest is a BIG pool of inspirational ideas for you?!  I could honestly get lost for hours looking at all the great recipes, crafts, decor, ect out there.  This craft is something I was inspired by on Pinterest.  The 'PIN' didn't link back to a blog/instructions but you can check out the original pin HERE.

Since I'm Dollar Tree crazy I went in hoping to find a fun craft for Christmas to share with all of you!  I spotted these wreaths and knew exactly what I could do.

Materials Needed:

3 Grapevine Wreaths $1 each Dollar Tree

1 Santa Hat $1 each Dollar Tree

1 Garland for scarf $1 each

Ornaments - had extra on hand

Spray paint if you want something other than natural - had on hand

Hot glue gun & hot glue - had on hand

All in all this could cost you about $5 for a really cute Christmas Wreath!! 

(Dollar Tree also has over-the-door wreath hangers for $1)

Since I wanted this for my front porch and it's Christmas theme is Pink-Black-Silver (white Tree) I chose to paint one side of the wreaths white with spray paint.

Then I used some curling ribbon left over from a gift to tie the wreaths together (I wove the ribbon between one of the vines and tied them off instead of wrapping the entire wreath).  I tied the 'scarf' around the neck and used some extra curling ribbon to tie the ornaments to the scarf.

The pink and white hat is actually a Disney  Princess Hat from Dollar Tree that I put on backwards and hot glued slightly crooked so I could hook it easily.

 What do you think?  I'm pretty impressed with my Dollar Tree Decor!!  Don't forget to share with us this week something that INSPIRES YOU!!  Check it out here.

What INSPIRES you?!

We are constantly inspired by others, everyday people never cease to amaze me (in a GREAT way)!!  From family, friends, co-workers, blogger, writers, pinterest, the list is endless...  We at Sister See Sister Do want to know 'WHAT INSPIRES YOU?'

Over the next 5 days (you must enter by 5PM on Friday Nov 16th) send us a pic or a story of something that has recently inspired YOU!  We've got a great give-a-way in the works!!  

PLUS we are SO excited to introduce you to a personal friend 

- Jan Miesse, Author, Speaker, Mentor -  

This woman is AMAZING and filled with TONS of INSPIRATION!!  Jan is the Author of the book 'Bloom Girl Bloom' and a VERY inspiring blog - http://janrmiesse.com/.  Plus if you're on Facebook you can follow her daily inspirations there too!!! 

What GREAT give-a-way do we have planned?  Over the next 5 days email us a picture of something you've done after being inspired by ANYONE or ANYTHING.  Or email us a story about someone or something that has inspired you.  We'll pick our top 2 and the winners will BOTH receive one of these super cute handmade winter headband/ear warmers (handmade by our Mom).  

PLUS the #1 winner will also receive a copy of Jan's book 'Bloom Girl Bloom'!!!  

Our email is sisterseesisterdo@gmail.com - looking forward to hearing about what INSPIRES you!!

Stay tuned for the WINNERS - we'll try to post as many submissions as possible 

(if you wish your submission to remain private please let us know).

Here is something as a Mom & Wife that recently inspired me from Jan's Blog - check it out: http://janrmiesse.com/2012/03/18/listen-and-learn-choose-carefully/.

SOUP WEEK: BLOG SWAP SURPRISE!!! Tortilla Soup from Healthin' Ourselves!

Hey there!!! We're Ashley & Holly from "Healthin' Ourselves"!

We're two friends on a weight-loss journey together, who wanted to share our stories with the world. We feel so honored to be able to write a guest post on one of our absolute favorite blogs (seriously, these ladies are ingenious, aren't they?!?)! So without further ado...

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Once in a while a meal will come along that the family just l-o-v-e-s! The kind of meal that satisfies all the picky eaters at the table, and leaves them asking for more. The kind of meal that is healthy, and you don't mind them asking for more of! The kind of meal that they are just as anxious to eat the next day. In our family(both of our families, actually), that meal is Tortilla Soup and we are SoOoO excited to share it with you!

This recipe is ridiculously quick and easy. We usually make it at least once a week, and I try to save it for  the nights that I know we'll be in a hurry, because it's that quick.

Here's what you'll need:
2 cups of cooked chicken (we've also used canned chicken, and personally, I like it better that way)
1 box chicken broth (if I've cooked a whole chicken, I use the broth from it instead)
1 can diced tomatoes
1 small can green chilli's
1 can black beans
1 can sweet corn
1 can cream of chicken soup
1/2 cup instant brown rice
2 tbsp ground cumin
1 tbsp chili powder
salt & pepper to taste

It's pretty much as easy as opening each ingredient and pouring them into a large pot. Bring it to a boil and then reduce the heat to a simmer. Let it stew for at least 15 minutes so that the rice can fully cook. After that, it's up to you! Eat it right away, or let it simmer for as long as you need to.

Before serving, top your bowl with some tortilla chips and cheddar cheese!

Yuuummmm! We just had this for dinner last night, and I'm seriously thinking about having it for breakfast! We hope you love it as much as we do!

Love,

Ashley & Holly

Like and Share us on Facebook!

 www.facebook.com/healthinus

And Twitter!
https://twitter.com/HealthinOurselv

Don't forget Pinterest!
http://pinterest.com/healthinus/

  And feel free to e-mail us anytime!!

 healthin.ourselves@gmail.com

SOUP WEEK: Lemon Chicken & Spinach Soup

Are you ready to learn more about the soup that has tempted your taste-buds all week long? It's the soup that is featured on our SOUP WEEK banner!

Day 4:

Lemon Chicken 

& Spinach 

Soup

Holy cow...This soup is so different. But a very very GOOD different! If you like the flavors of chicken, garlic, onion, Parmesan and lemon, well you will probably enjoy this soup! It's a trip to Tuscany in your mouth, people. My whole family devoured it...and mind you, I have a six, four & a two year old. My husband enjoyed it as well and mentioned that it would be a great soup to make when you're battling a cold or sore throat. Smart guy! I have to agree with him! I have only made it once but it will most definitely be repeated!


Ingredients
2 small skinless, boneless chicken breast halves, cooked & shredded 
2 Tbsp Olive Oil
1 small yellow onion, chopped
3 cloves of garlic, minced
3/4 Cup Parmesan cheese
6 Cups chicken broth (48 oz)
1/4 Cup or less of lemon juice
2 Cups of fresh spinach, cut up
Salt and Pepper

Directions

In a large pot, warm the oil over medium-high heat.
Add the onion and garlic, cooking till translucent.
Add the broth & lemon juice.
Bring to a boil.
Add in the Parmesan cheese & reduce heat to medium.
Allow to simmer uncovered, stirring frequently for 15 minutes.
Add the spinach & chicken.
Continue to simmer until the spinach is wilted.
Season with salt & pepper.
Serves 4-6.
Optional: Top with more shredded Parmesan cheese.

Such a DELICIOUS blend of flavors!

I can't tell you enough how much I enjoyed it!

Hopefully you will as well!
Love,

Julie

Stay tuned... 

for one more day of soup!
Tomorrow we have a SURPRISE for you :)

Love,

Michelle & Julie

Butter Biscuits

What is better with a warm bowl of soup than some bread to soak up all that yummyness?  I'm sharing one of my families FAVORITE breads - Butter Biscuits (sounds so healthy doesn't it?).  It's defienetly not a 'diet' food but Oh my is it GOOD!  And it's so simple - 3 ingredients and one pan!

Butter Biscuits

1 stick unsalted butter melted

2.5 c Pioneer Brand Baking Mix (it costs a little more but it is SO worth it)

1.5 c milk (I use 1%)

Mix Baking Mix & Milk in bowl (will be a bit sticky).  Pour into greased 8x8 pan, spread mix out.  Pour Butter over top of the mix.  Use a knife to cut through the dough in any pattern you choose (butter will pool don't worry it will absorb during baking).

Bake 450 for 20 minutes.

This bread is also DELISH split in half, brush on some garlic butter, sprinkle a little cheese, broil on low 10 minutes.  Enjoy this along with the left over sauce from your Oven Baked Beef Stew! 

If you're more of a Crusty Bread lover check out our previous No Knead Bread Recipe!

SOUP WEEK: Bacon Corn Chowder

Are you enjoying 'SOUP WEEK' sofar?

If you missed Day 1 or Day 2,

here are links to those days:

Oven Baked Beef Stew & White Chicken Chili

Now, on we go to...

Day 3:

Bacon 

Corn Chowder

 Chow down! This is a sweet & salty chowder that hits the spot & certainly satisfies! Sorry, I don't mean to sound like a soup commercial! But the one thing I love most about soups, it's that they're soooo warm & sooo satisfying...wait, that was two things. Oh well! You get the idea!

Bacon Corn Chowder is one of my favorite soups...hence why it's included in Soup Week!

Ingredients

4 bacon strips, cooked & diced

1 small onion, chopped

1 celery rib, chopped
1/4 cup chopped green pepper ( I omit)
2 carrots, chopped
4 Cups Potatoes, cubed & peeled
2.5 Cups Chicken Broth
1 tsp Salt
1 tsp Dried Thyme
1/4 tsp Pepper
3 Tbsp All-purpose Flour
1 Quart half-and half cream
1 Package (16 oz) Frozen Corn, thawed 
1 Can Creamed Corn

Directions
In a large saucepan, cook bacon over medium heat until crisp. Remove to paper towels; drain, reserving 1 teaspoon drippings.
In the drippings, saute the onion, celery and green pepper until tender. 
Add the potatoes, broth, salt, thyme and pepper. 
Bring to a boil.
Reduce heat; Cover and cook  for 15-20 minutes or until potatoes are tender.
Combine flour and cream until smooth; stir into pan. 
Add corn. 
Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. 
Stir in bacon.
Serves 8

Mmm Mmm Mmm!

Hand over the fresh homemade bread & I might just go into a coma!

Two more days to go of SOUP WEEK!! 

You don't want to miss it!

See you tomorrow?

Julie

Like us on Facebook

...if you want to.

Love, 

Michelle & Julie

SOUP WEEK: White Chicken Chili

Welcome back to SOUP WEEK!

Today I want to introduce you to a different kind of CHILI! It's got a mexican twist & is totally AWESOME! My husband tells our boys that THIS VERY SOUP is why he married their momma. NotEvenKidding.

I guess when you make something with love, it works! 

Enjoy this Election Day,

Julie

Day 2:

White Chicken Chli

White Chicken Chili

Ingredients

2 - 12.5oz Can Chicken Breast, drained 

1 Large Jar Great Northern White Beans, undrained

3/4 of a 15-18oz Jar Salsa (I like to use medium Thick & Chunky - any brand)

36 oz Chicken Broth

2 Cups Colby Jack Cheese (or cheddar is fine too)

Toppings - add to your liking

Tortilla Chips

Sour Cream

More Salsa

More Shredded Cheese

Directions:

1. Place chicken, beans, salsa, chicken broth, and cheese in a large saucepan.

2. Heat on Medium until cheese is melted

3. Serve & top with crushed chips & other toppings to your liking

I have friends who use this as a crock pot recipe...on low.

I have never done that just because it goes together so fast & heats up rather fast as well. If you do choose to put this soup in the crock-pot, wait till you're ready to serve it to add the cheese. It will melt & combine in minutes...no problem!

See ya tomorrow for 
another yummy SOUP recipe!

Love,

Michelle & Julie

SOUP WEEK: Oven-Baked Beef Stew

Welcome to 'SOUP WEEK!'

Michelle & I are looking forward to sharing a different soup recipe with you for five days this week! Nothing goes better with the beauty of fall and the cool weather better than a warm bowl of delicious soup...and homemade bread. Just sayin!

Day 1:

Oven-Baked

Beef Stew

This recipe is a combo of two different recipes with a little change of my own added in. The originals called for water, tomato juice & minute tapioca. Well, I rarely have tomato juice on hand or minute tapioca. My Gram would be shocked, I'm sure. So I decided to bust out a $1 can of Hunts Spaghetti Sauce. I use it as pizza sauce most of the time, but it has proved to be WONDERFUL in this dish as well! And the reserved sauce is the perfect amount for a pizza!! Win!!

 Ingredients
1- 1.5 lbs Beef Stew Meat
4 Medium Sized Potatoes, cut into 1 inch chunks
5 Medium Sized carrots, cut into 1 inch chunks
1 Medium Onion, chopped
2 Cups Spaghetti Sauce
2 Cups Water
1 tsp Sugar
2 tsp Salt
1/2 tsp Black Pepper

Directions
Preheat oven to 350*.
Spray a 9x13" baking dish with nonstick spray.
In baking dish, combine beef, potatoes, carrots and onion; mix well.
In a large bowl, combine the spaghetti sauce, water, sugar, salt & pepper; mix well & pour over the beef & vegetables.
Cover tightly with foil & bake for 2-2 1/2 hours or until the beef and vegetables are tender.
Serves 6-8.

So yummy!! So filling!! So comforting!!

A fantastic fall dish!!

Happy Eating,

Julie

Stay tuned... 

for more soup recipes 

throughout the week!!

Love,

Michelle & Julie

Scarf Tutorial - To Infinity and BEYOND!

I love scarves!  

They're so much fun to dress up an outfit with (plus they keep me nice and warm in these cool months).  The one frustration I have with scarves is how to wear them!  The options are endless (which is great) but it seems like everyone of them ends up shifting halfway through my day.

This is a scarf I picked up at a Dollar Store last season.  I love the gray color but its silky texture always seems to do the 'slide' all over...  
I love my Infinity Scarfs and thought it couldn't be 'too' tough to whip this baby into a bit ol' loop - right!?  RIGHT.

First I lined the scarf up end to end over the back of a chair (so the strings would hang down and not get caught in my pinning). 

I pinned the scarf to avoid slipping during it's adventure into my sewing machine.

One long stitch across the bottom was all it took!! 

(Now if you don't sew you could just as easily tie the strings of each side together knotting as close to the hem as possible).

I cut off the 'strings' and melted them with a lighter to avoid fraying.

Then TA DA in the words of Buzz Light-year 'To Infinity and Beyond'!!!