504 Main by Holly Lefevre: May 2012

Thursday, May 31, 2012

Tickled Pink No. 100!!!!!

Did you notice?
This is Tickled Pink No. 100!
So, indulge me for a minute.

I have spent over 400+ hours working on Tickled Pink.
I wonder what I could have accomplished with that time!
Sleep, clean, new book, etc.!
Some weeks I spend 5-6 hours going through links,
other weeks, 2 hours.
In the beginning of Tickled Pink,
I visited and commented on
EVERY - SINGLE - LINK.
I now visit many, many links, but do not leave as many comments -
evil word verification, misbehaving internet, and tired eyes stop me.

I enjoy Tickled Pink....I LOVE looking at your creations.
I truly do feel bad when I do not do features...but I can only do so much.
I want you to know I TRULY appreciate you coming by and linking up and visiting.

I am taking a break next week,
but have GREAT Guests lined up...
and a COOL (summer must!) Giveaway.

Have a GREAT weekend!

Be sure to enter to win a set of
Trudeau's Stress Less Kitchen Gadgets

________________________________________________________________________

FEATURES!

Grab a button HERE!

Be sure to visit Katy for her features!

Chocolate Ganache filled Raspberries from Heather's French Press

DIY Stenciled Ombre Door Mat from Delicate Construction

A Bling Themed party from Vixen Made

Yep, a Sharpie can make that! Thanks for the scoop Setting for Four

Tempting garlic bread from Recipes We Love

Three ingredient Greek Biscuit dessert. You have to hop over to Stardust Decor and Style to see the finished product!

Outdoor pillows using plastic grocery bags from In My Own Style

We love making our own tortillas...here is a recipe from Pink Recipe Box

Green bean bundle from Two Thirty-Five Designs

Cold Bean Salad in a Jar from Homespun with Love. I love beans!

I am sending you off with brilliant words and a little ole bucket list from one of my favorite lades EVER!, Moore Minutes

NOW FOR TICKLED PINK!

A craft...a recipe...a tip...a party...a short story...a poem...a fashion find...a favorite product...your favorite post...whatever makes your blog fabulous!
That is what Tickled Pink is all about!
{and it does NOT have to be PINK}

Grab a button HERE!
or here!

<a href="http://504main.com/" target="_blank"><img alt="Photobucket" border="0" src="http://i883.photobucket.com/albums/ac35/Holly7081/504Mainbuttonfridays-1.jpg" /></a></center>

PRACTICE PINK KINDNESS
1. Link up...whatever makes your blog fabulous. Family Friendly please. Guess what? Your post does not have to be PINK!! I reserve the right to remove posts that are offensive or do not adhere to the rules, without any discussion, at my discretion.
2. PLEASE LINK TO A POST URL, ****NOT YOUR MAIN URL****
3. Pretty please...add the Tickled Pink button or TEXT link back to the post* {people need to know what the heck they are doing!}.
4. Please visit a couple other links!

TICKLED PINK Now Has Categories

I won't banish you if you mess up, but try to link appropriately, pretty please!

By linking up...you grant me permission to use a photo if you are featured. Proper credit will be given.

Craft, DIY, Decorate
crafting, diy, decor type links

Cook, Bake, Eat
stuff to eat, cook, drink, and bake

Read, Write, Share
posts you love, stories, favorite things, ideas to share

Dip It! EASY Lentil Dip

I love hors d'oeuvres...appetizers...whatever you want to call them!

They are probably my favorite part of a meal or party.

You know what I like even better...

a simple hors d'oeuvres that looks like

I spent all day making it and tastes exceptional.

Today, I have a SUPER (Beyond easy) dip for you.

I make it all the time now...

it is highly requested too...

and did I mention it is EASY...

oh yeah I did.

(If you do not live near a Trader Joe's, it takes more time....

read on, you will see.)

*******

Now one thought, I got this recipe from my (non-blogger) friend...

and she got it from a (non-blogger) friend...

so if this originated someplace else,

I am not privy to that information.

Happy to give credit where credit is due if I hear otherwise.

*******

It is seriously hard to take good photos of lentils...
not the prettiest food on the planet,
but trust me...it is BEYOND good!

INGREDIENTS

I box of steamed lentils from Trader Joe's. They are prepared and vacuum sealed and the cost is good, about $2.50

I tub of Bruschetta mix from Trader Joe's

WHAT!? No Trader Joe's!

Read on for how to make this with a wee bit more effort.

DIY Lentils

I just made my own steamed lentils and it was EASY (and more cost effective)

1. Rinse lentils and then soak lentils in a pot of water for about 2 hours

2. Fill (another) pot with about 1-2 inches of water and place steamer basket on top.

3. Lay lentils on the steamer basket, and steam for about 45 minutes with the lid on.

!!CHECK ON THE LENTILS AND STIR THEM OFTEN...ALSO BE SURE TO CHECK YOU WATER LEVEL AROUND 30 MINUTES!!
During my first check many of them were just about ready, but a few were still hard...so I stirred them up and continued to steam.
You may need to steam for longer...just be sure to keep enough water in the pot.

DIY Bruschetta Mix

1. Chop a few Roma tomatoes

2. Chop a cup or so of basil leaves

3. Crushed a few cloves of garlic

4. Add a few tablespoons of olive oil.

5. A pinch of salt perhaps.

MAKE THE DIP!

Now it gets complicated here...not!

1. Open lentils and break up with a fork.

2. Open bruschetta mix and add to lentils.

3. Stir (or put the lid on and shake).

4. Preferably, let your creation sit over night to really get the flavors to meld together...if not it is good right away too!

Serve with warm pita chips, homemade (I'd prefer) or store bought tortillas chips,

carrots - whatever your heart desires.

This is a fast and easy dip that is perfect to take along to those summer parties!

Tuesday, May 29, 2012

Giveaway: Stress Less Kitchen Tools from Trudeau - CLOSED

GIVEAWAY CLOSED
I have a fondness for kitchen gadget and tools...

because they make my life easier!

Recently I had the opportunity to try Trudeau's line of Stress Less Kitchen Tools.

Stress Less Kitchen Tools are designed to make every day kitchen tasks easier for everyone! These tools are "designed to reduce the strain on hands and joints, these products are ideal for those with arthritis or limited hand dexterity."

Not only is this ideal for tired, busy mothers but also I tested the items out with my son who is almost 11 and we are trying to encourage him to take more initiative in the kitchen.

We took a moment yesterday to make some salsa and quesadillas and test out these products.

Now, let's checkout these awesome products!

We have a similar type of can opener, but turning it is really not all that easy to turn...but Trudeau's can opener was smooth and easy...LOVE it!

The garlic press was great - so easy to use and easy to clean with the pivot chamber (huge plus)

I love the way the salt and pepper mill set look and they make it so easy to grind up that fresh salt and pepper - essentials for every kitchen and cook!

style may vary from this photo

The cheese grater created wonderful thin curls of cheese (at first I used to large a hunk of cheese, but once I figure out that I needed to slice my cheese thinner...it was A-OK!). The grater can also be used for chocolate and other items you need grated...

and it can work for righties and lefties!

Everyone need s pizza cutter, right? I happen to like a pizza cutter for so many things...like quesadillas! I was a big fan of the large stainless steel blade - I happen to like thick crust pizzas...and cannot wait to try it out on that!

THE GIVEAWAY....OH THIS IS AWESOME!
************GIVEAWAY CLOSED*********

Valid May 28, 2012 through June 5, 2012 at midnight, PST

Winner selected at random at the conclusion of the giveaway

ONE WINNER WILL RECEIVE ONE OF EACH of the following:
(total retail price of each set is $143.00)

Stress Less Safety Can Opener
Stress Less Garlic Press
Stress Less Easy Grind Pepper Mill
Stress Less Easy Grind Salt Mill
Stress Less Pizza Cutter
Stress Less Rotary Cheese Grater

To Enter - MANDATORY:GIVEAWAY CLOSED
Visit the Trudeau Kitchen Gadget Page and come back and tell me what is your favorite gadget (one comment, one entry)

OPTIONAL:GIVEAWAY CLOSED
#1: Share the Giveaway via twitter (one entry, leave a separate comment).
Sample tweet:
Have fun in the kitchen! Win a set of Stress less Kitchen Tools from @504main and @TrudeauKitchen! http://bit.ly/LDkofE

Keep up to date with the latest and greatest from Trudeau by following the Trudeau USA Facebook page

GIVEAWAY CLOSED

disclosure: I was provided with a set of Trudeau's Stress Less Kitchen Gadgets to review and one set to giveaway.

Friday, May 25, 2012

Pinterest Party #33! I am a Guest!

Can I even begin to tell you how excited I to be asked to join
Michele, Malia and Beverly for the Pinterest party!
This is quite a party!
And when I hear party I come running.

You can join the party too!
(click on that button right there to head over to the "master" link up)

Like most of us, I LOVE Pinterest!
(wish I could make that a career!!).
I have 67 boards and 2720 pins

(does not seem like much compared to some of you!)

When it comes to being creative, I like it all...

paper crafts, fashion, jewelry, repurposed, vintage,

painted, jigsawed, glued - you name it!

This weeks feature has boards that reflect it all!

I think that is why I fell in love with this lady's boards...

Denise Deeves!

She has 107 boards with 6165 pins

Her boards are all beautiful and cover everything from Building to clothing diy to cooking to printmaking. I could go on and on...but for now, I will just share a few of her gorgeous boards and then you need to head over there to see the rest!

I am kind of in love with canning and preserving.