Saturday, April 17, 2010

Recipe Corner: Lemon Bars

Lemon bars…. What can I say about lemon bars except that I can eat an entire batch on my own! If you are a fan of lemon desserts, these are a must try!!! It may be hard to share them , but so your best. Enjoy!

Ingredients
• 1 cup butter, softened
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 4 eggs
• 1 1/2 cups white sugar
• 4 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 2 lemons, juiced

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. In a medium bowl, blend together softened butter, 2 cups flour and 1/2 cup sugar. Press into the bottom of an ungreased 9x13 inch pan.
3. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes in the preheated oven, or until firm and golden. In another bowl, whisk together the remaining 1/12 cups sugar and 1/4 cup flour. Whisk in the eggs and lemon juice. Pour over the baked crust.


4. Bake for an additional 20 minutes in the preheated oven. The bars will firm up as they cool. For a festive tray, make another pan using limes instead of lemons and adding a drop of green food coloring to give a very pale green. After both pans have cooled, cut into uniform 2 inch squares and arrange in a checker board fashion.

Tricky Trivia

What it estimated time that a plastic container can resist decomposition?
Take a guess in the comments below!

Friday, April 16, 2010

Friday Follow

Welcome to Between the Lines!  I hope you all have had a great week and I hope you have an even greater weekend!!   I am excited that I will be spending my weekend celebrating the April birthdays in my family.  April is our big month, so it will be a huge party with 5 guests of honor.  What big plans do you have for the weekend?   Whatever it is, make it something fun.  You deserve a fun day!  On your way out, grab my new button.  Leave a comment that you took it and I''ll stop over and grab yours!  Take Care and Happy Blog Hopping! 





Friday Follow

Tricky Trivia

A cucumber is _______% water.

Take a guess in the comments below (no peeking:)!

Thursday, April 15, 2010

iTouch Apps: Part Two

Yesterday I posted some of my favorites apps to share and I promised you a few more reviews. There are so many apps out there for the iTouch, iPhone, and iPad that it is hard to decide which ones are worth your time. I thought I would use these posts to share some of my favorite apps. Since I am always looking for new apps, if you have discovered any great ones, I would love for you to share them in the comments below.

Cooking Dash and Miriel the Magical Merchant are two of my favorite games on the iTouch. In Cooking Dash, you play as the character Flo who is left in charge of all the diners in town. The owners and main chefs have left to appear on a cooking show. As Flo, you have to take orders, cook the food, clean up, and take the money. If you aren’t fast enough, you will lose customers. Miriel the Magical Merchant is similar, but a bit more difficult. After a few round you have to star combining ingredients in order to cook the food. Cooking Dash is $2.99 and Miriel is $0.99.

Hidden object games are also fun. They are like ISpy for adults! Some of the hidden object games are very boring, but I found a few that are worth getting. The Big Fish Games like Buckingham Palace and Everest : Hidden Expedition are a few of my favorites. I also really enjoyed Yard Sale by Method Solutions and Jewel Quest Mysteries by Electronic Arts. I think my least favorite hidden object game was Nick Chase. Don’t waste your money. Most of the Big Fish games have Lite versions so you can test them out before you buy them.

I’ve noticed lately that there are many classic games available, but I’m unsure of the quality. I have purchased Yahtzee and The Price is Right and I’ve really enjoyed them. But I am hesitant on buying the Family Feud or Press Your Luck. Has anyone played these apps before? Do you know of any great apps that we all must try? Grab a latte, put up your feet, and join the discussion!

Recipe Corner: No Bake Granola bars

Kids love these easy to make granola bars. Once you try them once, you may have to double the recipe the next time. Enjoy!

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 cups crispy rice cereal
• 2 cups Old Fashion cooking oats
• 1/4 cup raisins (or other dried fruit)
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/2 cup honey (or light corn syrup)
• 1/2 cup crunchy peanut butter
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• Cinnamon to taste (I add cinnamon to almost all my bake goods)

Directions

1. In a large bowl, stir together the rice cereal and oats. Set aside. Grease a 9x13 inch baking dish with cooking spray.
2. Combine the brown sugar and honey in a small saucepan over medium heat. Heat just until boiling, then remove from heat and stir in peanut butter and vanilla until smooth. Pour over the cereal and oat mixture, and mix well.
3. Press into the prepared pan using the back of a large spoon. Allow to cool, then cut into squares.

Tricky Trivia

How long can a snail sleep?

Take a guess in the comments below (no peeking:) !

Wednesday, April 14, 2010

Open Discussion: Swag Bucks

What are your feelings about Swag Bucks?  Are they worth your time?  What is the greatest amount of Swag Buck you have won at a single time?  Who is still confused about it?

Not signed up for Swag Bucks?  Click here to enroll.

Tricky Trivia

What was the first CD pressed in the US?
Take a guess in the comments below (no peeking)!

Tuesday, April 13, 2010

Birthday Weekend and New Web Domain!

This weekend I celebrated my 32nd 29th birthday. My birthday weekend started with my awesome friends taking me to the movies Friday night. We saw Date Night and laughed until our sides hurt. I know it didn’t get very good reviews, but I would definitely recommend seeing it. It was Steve Carrel and Tina Fey in their funniest performance ever. My birthday weekend continued with my parents visiting and taking the kids and I out for lunch on Saturday. We went to a delicious Japanese Steakhouse and had the whole restaurant to ourselves (they must have cleared it out for my birthday)! Then on Sunday, my wonderful brother and beautiful sister-in-law surprised me with my own web domain! YEAH! No more blogspot (no offense to blogspot, but it is just a really long URL to type)!!!!! So if you want to join me for our daily latte, just visit me at www.betweenthelines-kel.com. Of course if you forget, it will automatically redirect you. So, no worries! Speaking of, no worries…. I finished up my birthday weekend by going to the Outback with my husband and kids. YUM!  I hope everyone enjoyed their weekend as much as I did!

Recipe Corner: Lemon Zucchini Bread

My loyal readers know that I love allrecipes.com. And here is yet another fantastic recipe from their site. Make it, as is, or make it a little healthier by exchanging the oil for applesauce and the sugar for Splenda. Give it a shot and you won’t be disappointed. Enjoy!

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups shredded zucchini
• 3/4 cup white sugar
• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 2 teaspoons lemon zest

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Grease an 8x4 inch loaf pan.
2. In a bowl, beat together the zucchini, sugar, egg, and oil. In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, salt, baking soda, and baking powder; stir in the cinnamon and lemon zest. Stir the flour mixture into the zucchini mixture just until blended. Pour the batter into the prepared pan.
3. Bake 45 minutes in the preheated oven, until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove from heat, and cool about 10 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack to cool completely.

Tricky Trivia

Who was the world's first billionaire?

Take a guess in the comments below (no peeking :) !

Monday, April 12, 2010

Finding Friendship

We are surrounded by people from the very moment we are born. In the very beginning, the world revolves solely around our parents. We need food, they provide it. We need love, they unconditionally give it. We need shelter, they cover us. But from the time we enter the toddler stage of life, we begin searching for that person or persons we can call friend. There are many types of friendships in the world and most of us have experienced them all. Many friendships develop due to proximity. When you see the same people at school or work every day, you are bound to pick up some friendships. However, many of these friendships fizzle out when you no longer see each other every day. Some friendships develop over common interests. Perhaps you go to the same church or play on the same sports team. These friends may be great and very important in your life, but perhaps only for a season.


Although I could spend pages writing about the different types of friendship that I have observed, that is not the point of this post. This post, dedicated to my close-knit group of friends, is about finding true friendship. Friendship that is strong. Friendship that is forever. I have had very few forever friends before this point in my life. Maybe only enough to count on one hand, if you don’t count my family members. That is not to say that I don’t treasure each and every friendship I’ve had, have, or will find in the future. But the groups of ladies that I have by my side now are truly awesome. And I hesitate to use awesome because it just doesn’t seem to be a strong enough word. My friends are always there to talk to, laugh with, or cry on. They are only a walk, phone call, or text message away. They never judge and completely accept me for who I am. I pray that each and every one of you who reads this post is blessed with at least one friend who fits the above description. Without my close family and friends I wouldn’t be the person I am today. Thanks ladies. You are the best!

Recipe Corner: Cheesy Ranch Potatoes

I just found this recipe on allrecipes.com and I can’t wait to try it. It received great reviews and it sounds delicious. Let me know how it turns out if you make it!!

Ingredients
• 4 pounds russet potatoes, cut into 1/4 inch cubes
• 2 teaspoons chili powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 6 tablespoons butter, cubed
• 1 (8 ounce) package shredded colby-Monterey Jack cheese blend
• 1 (8 ounce) bottle Ranch dressing

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Lightly grease a 9x13 inch baking dish.
2. Place the potatoes in the baking dish. Season with chili powder, salt, and pepper. Evenly distribute the butter over the potatoes.
3. Cover dish with aluminum foil, and bake 1 hour in the preheated oven, until potatoes are tender. Remove from oven, and mix in the cheese and Ranch dressing. Continue cooking 10 minutes, or until cheese is melted and bubbly.

Tricky Trivia

Who is the world's largest distributor of toys?

Take a guess in the comments below.

Sunday, April 11, 2010

Silent Sunday

ASmall Glimpse Into Our Wonderful Easter Sunday!


Here are the girls sporting their new Wired Whismies!  Thanks again Christy!

Love the hugging, and the new flip flops too!

Daddy's Little Girls!

Testing out their new Air Hog.

Trying to fix their new Air Hog.

With the plane busted, it was off to the swings!

Then the rock climbing wall.

The little one made sure I didn't forget to water the flowers!