Author Archive

Chicken Pesto Open-Faced Flatbread Sandwich

Monday, April 16th, 2012

I can’t think of anything I love as much as the flavor combinations of chicken and pesto. Sometimes my ideas for pairing flavors together come from amazing restaurants with talented chefs. This recipe for a Chicken Pesto Open-Faced Flatbread Sandwich though came from a humble beginning at Fazoli’s.

Hey.

At least I am honest.

I wanted to recreate the idea of the flatbread sandwiches that they serve at the restaurant, but add a gourmet spin to them with simple ingredients I found at my local supermarket. What makes this recipe a true showstopper is the delicious and flavorful grilled meat (using my favorite knock-off Cracker Barrel Chicken Tenders) and the pesto drizzle that is created from a simple store-bought pesto mixed with the richness and tang of the balsamic vinegar.

The results are nothing short of spectacular. We simply could not stop eating these. It tasted like a restaurant-worthy dish, but was made in the comforts of our own home. The leftovers, as little left as there were, were nothing short of spectacular.

Eat them like a pizza or fold it up (if-you-dare) and eat it like a sandwich…it all tastes the same.

All I know is that this dish will be repeated and repeated often.

In fact, I want it again already.

Chicken Pesto Open-Faced Flatbread Sandwich


Recipe Type: Main
Author: Amy Allen Clark
Prep time: 15 mins
Cook time: 10 mins
Total time: 25 mins
Serves: 4
An open-faced sandwich filled with grilled chicken, lettuce, tomato, & cheese, with a delicious pesto drizzle finish.
Ingredients
  • Flatbread
  • 1 pound diced grilled chicken (see my notes above for recommended preparation)
  • 1 cup Italian Cheese Blend shredded cheese
  • Lettuce
  • Tomatoes
  • 1/2 cup jarred pesto
  • 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
Instructions
  1. In a jar, mix together the pesto, balsamic vinegar, and salt. Set aside.
  2. Turn on your oven’s broiler to high.
  3. On a cookie sheet, top individual flatbreads with a handful of shredded Italian cheese (approximately 1/4 cup each).
  4. Broil the flatbread for two minutes, or until cheese is melted.
  5. Top each flatbread with grilled chicken, lettuce, and fresh tomato slices.
  6. Finish each flatbread off with a generous dollop of your pesto drizzle.

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10 Unique Ideas for Projects To Do With Goodwill T-Shirts

Friday, April 13th, 2012

If there is one craft material I love, it is t-shirt material.

If you have ever been in a Goodwill store, one thing you will notice is that there is an abundance and plethora of donated t-shirts in every size, style, variety, and color.
The next time you visit your local thrift store, don’t just visit the t-shirts in your own size for ideas.
Look in the Men’s section and in the larger sizes to find t-shirts that will offer you extra and a generous amount of craft material for the same amount of money as your smaller t-shirts.
Try to select t-shirts that are not as faded or that have fabric pills on them for optimal material for your projects.
Today I wanted to share with you ten of my favorite projects that I have found to do with old t-shirts from some very amazing bloggers.
I love that all of these ideas are extremely unique and that most require no sewing skills at all.

T-Shirt Scarves

I have seen lots of varieties of t-shirt scarves on many different blogs, but I absolutely love this DIY Dish episode you can watch to discover three different varieties of scarves you can make from an old t-shirt.
My favorite is the one, pictured above, with a bright pom-pom trim.

T-Shirt Bibs

If you are looking for a fast sewing project that would make a fun baby gift, then these t-shirt bibs are the project for you.
For little boys, you could look for their dad’s favorite sports teams and for little girls you could look for a fun t-shirt with sparkly letters or flowers.
Don’t forget that these could also be embellished with rick-rack, ribbon trim, or an easy t-shirt rolled rosette flower.

T-Shirt Bracelets

There are many varieties of cute bracelets that I have seen using t-shirt materials, but this one has to be one of my favorites.
This twisted knot bracelet can be made from just a single t-shirt or it could be made with a mix of prints or a mix of solid colors.
I can’t wait to make some of these for myself and my daughter this summer.
Nothing could be cozier than a gently worn t-shirt bracelet on your arm!

T-Shirt Produce Bag

Nothing could be greener than carrying your groceries in a cloth grocery bag…until you start using recycled materials for your bag.
Even if you are a beginning sewer, this simple produce bag can easily be created for a visit to the grocery store of your local farmer’s market.
I think these would be fun to make in a variety of pastel colors or to give as a gift to someone special in your life.

T-Shirt Pom Poms

Looking for a fun way to dress up your home for the warmer months?
I absolutely love these adorable t-shirt pom poms for a fun way to add a pop of color to your mantle, as a fun adornment to a wreath, or hung in a gathering on a door handle or front door.
The best part about this project is that no sewing skills are required for this one!

Petal Tees

I have seen many, many refashions of old t-shirts, but I think this Petal Tee is simply genius because the petal trim on this t-shirt is made from a variety of t-shirts, adding a cute pop of color for the Spring.
Visit your favorite thrift shop on their half off days and stock-up on a fun mixture of colors for a fun addition of color to your wardrobe.
If you are looking to add a little of the fluorescent color trend to your wardrobe, this would be a great way to do it without having to commit to an entire fluorescent piece!

T-Shirt Yarn

My favorite craft in the world is knitting and I love the idea of using t-shirts to create fun yarn for my projects.
This would be a fun gift to give to a friend that knits or crochets.
If you can use a pair of scissors and cut in a relatively straight line, then you can do this craft and use this yarn for a variety of projects!

T-Shirt Aprons

I have a true affection for aprons and have a little collection of my own thrifted aprons that I have acquired from Goodwill and antique shops.
I had never thought to use t-shirts to create aprons, but I think this t-shirt apron is the cutest thing I have ever seen.
This would be a cute craft to make for yourself or for your helpers in the kitchen.
The best part?
No ironing required and it can handle the messes that you might make in the kitchen.

T-Shirt Necklaces

I love t-shirt necklaces for adding a splash of color to your neckline.
This rolled rosette t-shirt necklace is a fun way to add some feminine details to your outfit very inexpensively.
I think it would be cute to make the t-shirt bracelet in a coordinating color and one t-shirt should more than cover both of these cute projects.

T-Shirt Flower Pin

Our tenth project is actually a fun t-shirt project we did here on the MomAdvice blog.
Be sure to visit my tutorial on creating a cute t-shirt flower pin made from an old t-shirt and spray painted clip-on earrings.
This is so cute and would be a fun addition to a Spring top or jacket.

What are your favorite craft projects to do with old t-shirt?

Don’t miss these craft ideas from MomAdvice.com:

 

8 Fun Sweater Crafts

 

 

Easy DIY Fabric Flower Wreath

 

 

Easy Paint-Dipped Spoon Sets

 

 

DIY No-Sew Reversible Cloth Napkins

 

Sign up for the MomAdvice newsletter

 

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Amy’s Notebook 04.11.12

Wednesday, April 11th, 2012

Welcome to my little notebook of ideas to help improve your life. This is a collection of gathered links to DIY crafts, food projects, and thrifty ways to spruce up your home. Nothing brings me more joy then to highlight other fabulous bloggers. I hope you will enjoy this weekly does of loveliness with beautiful links that are individually handpicked just for you!

 

I can’t believe how cute this repurpose is of your child’s old crib. It makes me wish I had hung on to mine (@ Life as a Thrifter)

This rain gutter for earring storage is a smart jewelry storage solution (@ Blue Cricket Design)

I love this idea for dressing up your push pins for your bulletin board (@ Under the Sycamore)

This tin roof ice cream sounds like a fun summer treat to make (@ Confections of a Foodie Bride)

I want to try this recipe for brown butter rice crispy treats (@ Handle the Heat)

Black and white angel food cake looks like a fantastic way to end a meal (@ shutterbean)

I love this idea for freshening up an old folding table (@ Tadaa!)

This DIY toddler activity board is a great way to keep little hands busy (@ Mollie D)

I love this simple alteration of jeans from straights to skinny (@ Fine & Feathered)

This parmesan crusted pesto grilled cheese sounds like a fun way to switch up the traditional cheese sandwich (@ Two Peas & Their Pod)

This Asian edamame fried rice sounds like a delicious lunch (@ Skinny Taste)

I am dying to try this recipe for pasta bolognese (@ Smells Like Home)

This honey prosciutto flatbread appetizer looks like an easy appetizer to make for my next party (@ She Wears Many Hats)

I love these tips for using Evernote to get organized (@ Small Notebook)

I adore this idea for throwing a craft birthday party (@ How Does She?)

An Apron Full of Giveaways 04.10.12

Tuesday, April 10th, 2012
love elaine, $45

Welcome to our Apron Full of Giveaways! I hope everyone is having a great week this week! As we do each week, here is our round-up of giveaways for our readers. We hope that this is beneficial to you and your family! Please let us know if you guys win anything- I love to hear the success stories!

Below are the contest links-if you are hosting a contest please link it up below. Sorry, we aren’t giving away the aprons just showcasing them! Please put your site name and then what type of contest you are hosting. For example, “MomAdvice (Kid’s Movies).”

Please let me know if you have any questions and good luck to each of you!

Easy Felt Fabric Brooch

Monday, April 9th, 2012

If there is one thing I love to do it is spend a little time with my glue gun and create something sweet for someone I love. I wanted to share with you a super cute and fun Spring craft you could create with just a few simple materials. This is a fantastic little craft to have in your back pocket for a sweet teacher gift or a fun Mother’s Day gift for a special mama in your life.

I am sharing this fun craft-a-long for our readers and all supplies can be found at your local Walmart store or can be ordered directly through the suppliers. Let’s get started!

Supplies Needed (Available at Walmart or online)

Dimensions Wool Felt- any color
Cutter Bee Scissors (or any scissors you might have on hand)
Laliberi Pins and Clips Multi-pack
Hot Glue Gun & Glue Sticks
Jolee’s Bumble Bees Cabochons
Cardstock (to print our FREE flower template- see below)
To begin, print out our free flower template to create this felt rose. Our template should be printed on heavy-duty card stock to help make it easy for tracing. We have put the numbers of how many to print in the center of each circle, but here is another picture of what you are doing. One piece of the Dimensions Wool Felt (12×12) will create one of these flowers. Save the scraps to create a center for your rose after you are done cutting all of your circles.

You will find the link for our flower template at the end of this post.


 Set your largest circle aside- this will be the base for your flower.  Now grab your other circles and your glue gun and let’s get gluing. Add a big dab of glue in the center of each of these circles and hold it steady for a minute. Repeat with every single circle, fifteen times in total, until your hands feel crampy and you are feeling the hot glue gun burn from trigger-holding forever. Feel the burn, baby!
If I was an octopus I could have posted better pictures, but I hope that this picture will give you the visual you need for now. Begin placing your five large circles on top of your largest circle, attaching with a strip of hot glue on the back. Repeat this process with another layer on top. Repeat this process again with your baby circles. You will have a small hole in the center of the circle once everything is stacked.

If you use the Dimension Wool, this wool is very thick and you may be able to get away with just three circles on the two smaller circles so you can fit everything nicely on your flower. I would just use your best judgement, depending on the thickness of your felt and how big you like your flower.
Taking a small scrap of felt and wrap it into a circle to create the center of your flower. Secure with a dab of hot glue. Position it in the center of your flower and cut it down (if needed) until it fits nicely in the center of your flower.

Grab your pin and secure it to the back of your felt flower brooch with more…you guessed it… hot glue!

Add a little whimsy to it and glue a little bumblebee to your flower to make it even more Spring-y.

Grab your FREE Easy Felt Flower Brooch Template here!

I am a part of the Walmart Moms program, and Walmart has provided me with compensation for these posts. My participation is voluntary and opinions are always my own.

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Ham & Vegetable Breakfast Strata

Monday, April 9th, 2012

Throwing brunches is one of my favorite entertaining tricks for staying ahead on food preparation and staying under budget. A breakfast strata happens to be one of my favorite brunch dishes to prepare because all of the work can be done ahead of time, allowing me the chance to really be in the moment and visit with our guests.

Breakfast strata is nice and frugal because you can use what is in season and on sale to create this elegant dish. Better yet, you can use the leftover Easter ham and leftover vegetables in a fun and creative way. Even the bread can be stale or leftover from your Easter feasting. If you don’t have any bread to dig into, don’t forget my super awesome resource for day old bread. Between that and your Easter leftovers, you have the makings of a meal for mere pennies.

This strata is unlike my usual meat and cheese strata because it is filled with delicious fresh vegetables. I used zuchinni, mushrooms, and green peppers in mine, but you can mix up whatever variety of vegetables you love or have on hand. Leave the meat out to keep it vegetarian or add your favorite meat to add another dimension of flavor.

The creaminess in this comes from a tiny bit of half-and-half and a whole lot of cream cheese.

In my grandmother’s words, “Cream cheese just makes everything better.”

We couldn’t agree more.

Breakfast Strata
Recipe Type: Main
Author: Adapted from AllRecipes.com
Prep time: 45 mins
Cook time: 35 mins
Total time: 1 hour 20 mins
Serves: 16
A breakfast strata that you can assemble the night before. This is a winner for any brunch or when entertaining. This makes two. Cut your recipe in half for just one strata.
Ingredients
  • 3 cups sliced fresh mushrooms
  • 3 cups chopped zucchini
  • 2 cups cubed fully cooked ham
  • 1 1/2 cups chopped green pepper
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • 2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
  • 1/2 cup half-and-half cream
  • 12 eggs
  • 4 cups cubed day-old bread
  • 3 cups shredded Cheddar cheese
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon pepper
Instructions
  1. In a large skillet, saute the mushrooms, zucchini, ham, green peppers and garlic in oil until vegetables are tender. Drain and pat dry; set aside.
  2. In a large mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese and cream until smooth.
  3. Beat in eggs.
  4. Stir in the bread, cheese, salt, pepper and vegetable mixture.
  5. Pour into two greased 11-in. x 7-in. x 2-in. baking dishes.
  6. Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees F for 35-40 minutes or until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean.
  7. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.


We wanted to share with you a few of our favorite pictures from our Easter celebration. We hope you all had a wonderful Easter with your families!

What is your favorite way to use up those Easter dinner leftovers?

 

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Celebrating Earth Day as a Family

Thursday, April 5th, 2012

Looking for some fun ways to celebrate Earth Day with your family? This week I am over at the Kenmore Genius Blog to share some ways that our family has found to celebrate Earth Day and make it special for our kids. We hope you can join us and find a new way to celebrate with your family with these fun tips!

If you are in the Spring Cleaning mood, you will also find my article on Spring Cleaning Your Refrigerator.  Your refrigerator might be one of those appliances that may get overlooked, but it is one of the most important appliances in a home. Simple maintenance and cleaning procedures though can greatly extend the life & efficiency of your refrigerator and today I wanted to show how to keep your refrigerator running efficiently for your family with a few of these easy spring cleaning tips!

Today I wanted to share with you some tips for spring cleaning your refrigerator and keeping it running smoothly for your family.

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Amy’s Notebook 04.04.12

Wednesday, April 4th, 2012

Welcome to my little notebook of ideas to help improve your life. This is a collection of gathered links to DIY crafts, food projects, and thrifty ways to spruce up your home. Nothing brings me more joy then to highlight other fabulous bloggers. I hope you will enjoy this weekly does of loveliness with beautiful links that are individually handpicked just for you!

I am going to have to try this tip for getting rid of hot glue strings on my craft projects (@ craftaholics anonymous)

I adore this giant yo-yo garland (@ Salty Pineapple)

I want to try this recipe for easy chicken nuggets (@ weelicious)

This spiraled yarn circle garland would be a cute addition to my Spring decor (@ Two Shades of Pink)

These Peeps cake pops are adorable (@ i am baker)

This salted caramel Easter popcorn looks divine (@ Two Peas & Their Pod)

These pom pom fringe drink toppers would be a cute addition to a party (@ Daily Mixer)

I love this tutorial for turning your purse into a camera bag (@ Make It & Love It)

I love this tufted ottoman made from a drop cloth (@ from gardeners two bergers)

Tips for Hosting a Great Easter Celebration

Tuesday, April 3rd, 2012

Looking for some tips and ideas for hosting your Easter celebration this year? Today I am sharing my tips & ideas for hosting the best Easter celebration over at the Snackpicks site.

Head on over to find out some ideas for setting your table, choosing a great color scheme, and get recipes idea for elegant and effortless dishes to serve for your Easter gathering. I hope you will find some great ideas and inspiration for the Easter season!

Looking for other fun Easter projects on MomAdvice? Here are six recommendations for a fun Easter season.

1. Marbleized Easter Eggs

2. Homemade Bunny Bread (in the Bread Machine)

3. Deviled Eggs (to be created from your dyed eggs)

4. DIY Fabric Flower Barrettes (for Easter accessories)

5. Budget-Minded Easter Celebrations

6. Kool-Aid Easter Egg Dying

 

Don’t forget, I also have a fun Rolled Ribbon Rosette Hair Bow that would make the perfect Easter accessory for a little girl in your life. Be sure to head over to that tutorial and find out how to make this craft that requires no craft skills at all.

Happy Easter, everyone!

 

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An Apron Full of Giveaways 04.03.12

Tuesday, April 3rd, 2012
Paisley Pockets, $22

Welcome to our Apron Full of Giveaways! I hope everyone is having a great week this week! As we do each week, here is our round-up of giveaways for our readers. We hope that this is beneficial to you and your family! Please let us know if you guys win anything- I love to hear the success stories!

Below are the contest links-if you are hosting a contest please link it up below. Sorry, we aren’t giving away the aprons just showcasing them! Please put your site name and then what type of contest you are hosting. For example, “MomAdvice (Kid’s Movies).”

Please let me know if you have any questions and good luck to each of you!