I SPY BAGS!!!

It is a completely unique, homemade game that is fun for both young and old!!

Hidden in this cool 6.5" x 6.5" bean bag is 21 different things to find!! It has a clear window to see through to the inside and a tag attached to listing all the "hidden treasures"!!

The back is made of a soft material, making it fun to hold!!

These make WONDERFUL GIFTS and an AWESOME way to pass time in the car!!...and since the pieces move around, finding them again and again never gets boring!!!

How do you get one??? Read below!!

Example of a couple of bags.....

Back

example of things in the bags....each bag usually has some variation

ORDER DETAILS:

To get your hands on one (or more!) of these awesome games, please click on the "order form" link below "I Spy Bags" on the right side of this blog. Fill out the form and click "confirm order". From there I will send you an invoice and you can pay with Paypal. If you already have a paypal account, you know it's as easy as logging into your account and sending money to my email address (truedelights@hotmail.com ) or if you don't have an account, it's super easy (and FREE!) to sign up so head over to http://www.paypal.com/ and you can pay with any major credit or debit card. (And of course, if you live close, you can always pay me in person!)

PRICE: $14 per bag

SHIPPING (and handling): $5.95-- shipped via Pripority Mail

STYLES AVAILABLE: I usually try to make all the bags so they would work for a boy or a girl (like the bags pictured). If you have a special request for a specific gender, let me know and I'll see what I can do! On the order form, I will have you select which style you want by putting in the number under the picture in the "styles available" link. If you'd rather be surprised and have me pick one and send it to you, I can do that as well! All styles are first come, first serve so if you see a design, you better order before it's snatched up!!

Restaurant-Style Lasagna

1 lb ground beef
1 lb breakfast sausage (use my homemade recipe for this!!)
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 - 14.5 oz cans whole tomatoes (or diced)
2 - 6 oz cans tomato paste
4 T. dried parsley flakes, seperated
2 T. dried basil
2-1/2 t. salt, seperated
about 10 lasagna noodles (depending how big your pan...I used 10)
1 T. olive oil
3 c. cottage cheese
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 c. parmesan cheese
1 lb mozzarella cheese (slices or shredded)


In a large skillet, combine the beef, sausage and garlic. Cook until brown. Drain most of the fat. Add both cans of tomatoes & both cans of paste. Add 2 T parsley, 2 T basil, & 1 t. salt. Mix together thoroughly and simmer, uncovered for about 45 mins, stirring occasionally. In the meantime, boil lasagna noodles and add 1/2 t salt and 1 T olive oil to water to prevent noodles from sticking together. When noodles are done, drain and rinse with cold water, set aside. While noodles are cooking, mix together cottage cheese and eggs. Add parmesan cheese, 2 T parsley, and 1 t. salt. Mix together well.

Get your assembly line ready! (And use a deep dish 9x13 pan if you have one. If you don't (like me!), put a cookie sheet under the pan in the oven in case it bubbles over a little, you can catch the drips and not have to clean your oven!). Lay 4 lasagna noodles in the bottom of the pan, over-lapping as you go. (I put one at the bottom of the pan too...depending on your pan...just make it so the bottom is covered with noodles). Then spread half of the cottage cheese mixture on the noodles. Then put half of the mozz. cheese (1/2 lb) over the cottage cheese. Then put half of the meat mixture on top of the cottage cheese. Then repeat the process! Noodles, cottage cheese, mozzarella cheese, meat. Spread evenly. You may finish by sprinkling parmesan cheese on top.

Now pop it into a 350 degree oven for 20-30 mins, until nice and bubbly! (Or you could cover and freeze it, unbaked. --Or cover and refrigerate it at this point, unbaked, for up to 2 days before baking.) Another thing you could do is to seperate it and freeze it in sections so you have a few meals ready to go in the freezer!

**This makes a big, thick pan of lasagna....perfect for having left-overs!! This fed our family for 3 meals (or 2 meals and 2 lunches for Nathan!!) and most of you know how much my family eats!!

Enjoy!!

Eggs Ortega

This is a wonderfully quick-to-whip-up egg bake that you can either have for supper or mix the night before, refrigerate, and place in the oven in the morning for a great breakfast!

I do not particularly like egg bakes, like, at all...ahem...but this one is fantastic! I even had seconds!! :)

10 eggs
1/2 c. flour
1 t. baking powder
1/2 t. salt
1 pt (2 c.) cottage cheese (no more)
1 lb shredded Monterey Jack cheese (I used about 1/2-3/4 lb & it was just fine)
1/2 c. melted butter
2 small cans of diced, green chilies (mild or hot..you decide)

Beat eggs well. Mix dry ingredients together. Fold eggs into dry ingredients (will be lumpy). Mix together cheeses and butter. Add this mixture to batch, blend with beaters until well blended and almost smooth. Add chilies. Pour into slightly greased 9x13 pan. Bake at 350 for 35-40 mins. Let stand and cool a few minutes before cutting. Serve with salsa if desired.

Stir-Fry

(so good you don't even need to add meat!!)

**And please use fresh veggies and not frozen...tastes so much better with fresh veggies!!

Make some rice.

Sauce:
1/2 c. olive oil
1/2 c. Braggs Liquid Aminos (the healthy alternative to soy sauce, sold in the health food section--tastes just like soy sauce but better for you! But if you don't have this or can't find it, soy sauce would work)
1/2 to 3/4 t. ginger powder
1 t. garlic powder
2 T. honey
1 T corn starch (or arrowroot powder) mixed with 1/4 c. cold water

Vegetables:
4 carrots, sliced
1 onion, diced
3 c. broccoli florets
2 c. cauliflower florets
5 stalks celery, sliced
1 can water chestnuts (or 2 cans if you love the crunch like I do!)
1 can bean sprouts
2 cloves garlic, minced

Combine sauce ingredients, except corn starch & water, in a small pan. Bring to high heat and add cornstarch & water mixture. Stir constantly with a wire whisk until thick. Remove from heat. In a large pan, cook carrots, celery, onion, garlic, broccoli, and cauliflower in olive oil. Saute for about 5 minutes. Add the rest of the vegetables and cook until done (about 5-10 mins or so. You want the veggies tender/crisp!) Combine vegetables and sauce. To seve, place veggies on rice.

This also makes wonderful left-overs!

Biscuits

(You may want to double or make two batches to feed more than a few people or to have some leftover!)

2 c. flour
1/2 t. salt
3 t. baking powder
2 t. sugar (or honey)
5 T. butter
3/4 c. milk

Mix flour, salt, baking powder, and sugar together (if you are using honey, wait until you add milk to add the honey). Cut in butter. Mix until pea crumb size. Slowly add milk until a soft dough forms a smooth ball. Knead slightly about 5 times. With a rolling pin, roll out until dough is about 1/2-3/4 inch thick. (if you roll it thinner, you will get thinner biscuits). Using a round cutting tool (cookie cutter, etc **or the top of a glass like me since I don't have one! :) cut biscuits and place them on a greased cookie sheet. Bake at 350 for 10-12 mins.

Gravy (from the breakfast sausage)

Drippings from sausage
Flour
Milk/Cream
Salt & Pepper

Remove sausage patties and leave drippings/fat in the pan. Add about a tablespoon of flour (or more if you have lots of drippings) to make a nice smooth & kinda soupy consistency. Cook that for a couple minutes while stirring, just browning the flour a little. Add a cup of milk (or cream) to the pan and continue to stir. You can keep adding milk until you have enough gravy or it's to the thickness that you like. Add some salt and pepper. Taste it. If you want more salt, add it. Now use this gravy to pour over your sausage and biscuits for a good, hearty meal!!

**You could also fry the sausage like ground beef and when it's done, just add about 1/4 cup flour and 2-4 cups milk/cream to it and let it heat up and serve it that way!

Breakfast Sausage

This is a super simple recipe to make for breakfast sausage to go with eggs, or you could use it with biscuits and gravy, or even in lasagna!! You could also mix it, shape into patties & freeze so all you have to do is pull them out when you're ready to fry 'em!

1-1/2 lb ground hamburger (raw)
1-1/2 t. salt
1/4 t. garlic powder
1/2 t. sage
1/2 t. thyme
1/4 t. black pepper
1 t. oregano
1/2 t. red pepper (give or take depending if you want it spicy or not)
1 T. maple syrup

Mix all together & make into mini patties & fry! How simple is that?!

**You could also fry it like ground hamburger and make gravy right with it to pour over biscuits. Look in my "gravy from sausage recipe" to see instructions!