A brand new look for Momfiles

I am so excited that after so many years, Momfiles finally got a fresh, new look! I really wanted something very simple with a tiny pop of color. I am so happy with it. A big thanks to Kreated by Kelsey for hooking me up with the new look. She's awesome!

So what do you all think of it? I still have some things to clean up so ignore the obvious broken bits.

My latest Pinterest success | Two-toned frosted cupcakes

Yesterday evening, we had a graduation party for our oldest daughter. I gave her the option of ordering a cake but she wanted my homemade cupcakes. She requested hot pink and white "zebra stripes" for the frosting to match with her hot pink, black and white theme. I already ruled out the fact that I can make the icing turn out to look anything like zebra stripes, but I knew somehow I could pull off dual colored swirls. I remember seeing an idea on Pinterest about a year ago so I figured I would give it a shot.

I started off with baking the cupcakes (I did a boxed white cake to make life easier) and then mixed up my homemade cream cheese frosting. I scooped out half of the frosting in a separate bowl and tinted it with pink food coloring until I got the right shade I was looking for.

Next, I added the plain frosting in a piping bag and the hot pink in another piping bag. I then snipped the tips off both piping bags and put both bags carefully into one more empty piping bag that had a large star tip in it. I gently squeezed some frosting out until I saw both colors come out. 

I was so pleased with the results and it was worth using 3 piping bags to make it happen. I found some cute graduation themed cupcake liners and picks made by Wilton and here is the final product. 

My daughter and her guests all loved how cute the cupcakes came out!  

Kraft Foods Delicious Desserts Pin & Win Sweepstakes #kraftrecipes

Attention all Pinterest and dessert fans:  I wanted to let you all know about the Kraft Foods Delicious Desserts Pin & Win Sweepstakes. There is a total of $2,500 in cash prizes up for grabs. Can you imagine winning a cash prize for pinning desserts? Um, I'm entering myself! The good thing is that you can get some great recipe ideas for the holiday season.

HERE'S HOW TO ENTER SWEEPSTAKES:

1. Go to pinterest.com/kraftrecipes and follow us.
2. In your Pinterest profile, create a new board called Kraft Delicious Desserts Recipes Pin and Win. The board name must include Kraft Dessert Recipes and be categorized under Food & Drink
3. Pin 10 or more of your favorite dessert recipes, from dessert.com OR kraftrecipes.com. Include #kraftrecipes in the description of each pin.
4. Email the URL link of your Kraft Delicious Dessert Recipes Pin and Win board to kraftrecipes-pinterest@kraftapps.com for a chance to win one of ten $200 VISA gift card first prizes OR the grand prize of a $500 VISA gift card.

What dessert would you bring to your holiday festivities? Get Pinning and let us know! All entries must be received between 11/1/12 and 11/21/12. NO Purchase Necessary. Open only to residents of the 50 United States and D.C., 18 years of age and older. Ends: 11/21/12. For complete details, see the Official Rules here.

I made up my own Pinterest board of desserts and here are a couple that I WILL be making this month:

Lemon-Blueberry Swirl Cake (I want this NOW!)

And White Chocolate Cheesecake (**drool**)

I can't wait to try out these recipes and encourage you to enter the sweepstakes yourself! Good luck! :)

My latest Pinterest find

I love Pinterest. I can sit on the computer all day and Pin all sorts of things. A lot of times I Pin "wish list" items. On occasion I find things that I actually make or try. My favorite one recently was this recycled watering can. I was just nagging... informing my husband last week that I really needed a watering can for all of my plants I have on my deck and inside the house. I was thrilled to find this DIY idea that took no thought and cost nothing!

There are my office houseplants. Now watering them is so much easier.

I took a milk jug and rinsed it out thoroughly. I pierced holes in the cap with a corn holder. Since they have 2 sharp points, it made the process fast and easy. The result is a FREE watering can that may not be pretty but is environmentally friendly and does the trick. I have one in a half gallon size for my indoor plants and one in a gallon size for the outdoor plants.

What things have you found on Pinterest lately that you have tried or plan to try?

Char Crust® Dry Rub Review & Giveaway

I received 4 boxes of Char Crust Dry Rub Seasoning in 4 varieties (Roasted Garlic Peppercorn, Ginger Teriyaki, Amazin' Cajun and All American Barbecue) to try out. Since I am a big at-home cook I was very eager to try it out. I decided to go with the All American Barbecue flavor. I really did not know what to expect. I am the type of cook that has an arsenal of seasonings. I literally use about 10-12 items for one dish. I figured I would grab some chicken and see what happens...

I opened the box and it contained a packet of the dry rub seasoning. I poured some onto a plate and pressed my boneless, skinless chicken thighs into the rub and coated them all over. There was a tiny part of me screaming to add some of my own flavors but I quickly shut myself up *ahem*

I had my trusty cast iron griddle heated up and coated the surface with some Canola oil. I added my chicken and let it sizzle for a few minutes. When I flipped them over a tiny bit of panic came over me because I thought I might have burned them! Turns out they were "charred" brown.. very brown! 

I transferred my chicken to a smaller cast iron skillet after browning them and popped them into the oven to be sure they cooked all the way through. I heated the oven to about 400 and cooked them for about 10 minutes. 

Now came the moment of truth. Tasting it. Oh my googlie goo it was so juicy and tender!! The flavor was a perfect blend of 'sweet heat'. I was so surprised and pleased with it and was I ever so happy that I opted to not add anything else. It has a great kick that I noticed intensified when it was reheated. Next time I cook the chicken like that I want some big, fluffy whole wheat rolls and some fresh crunchy veggies to make some sandwiches. I am already planning what types of dishes I will make with the remaining varieties. The great part for a busy mom like me? It was so fast and easy! It was interesting too that these rubs are one of the very few certified Kosher rubs and are low sodium. I was so happy to find out that one of the local butcher shoppes located about 5 minutes from my home carries Char Crust dry rubs! You can see if there are any locations near you here. You can also purchase them directly from the website. 

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I am so thrilled to be able to host a giveaway for 4 boxes of Char Crust Dry Rub Seasonings for one lucky Momfiles reader to win! 

**To enter (mandatory) just leave a comment telling me which Char Crust variety you want to try. 

For extra entries (leave a separate comment per entry method):

~ "like" Char Crust and Momfiles on Facebook

~ Write on the Momfiles Facebook wall letting me know you entered

~ Follow Momfiles on Twitter 

~ Tweet about this giveaway (once daily) 

Win 4 boxes of #CharCrust Dry Rub @momfiles and make your meats extra juicy! http://tinyurl.com/cprkzgk #food #giveaway

~ Subscribe to Momfiles via email

~ Follow Momfiles on Pinterest 

This giveaway is open to US Residents only and will end on April 7, 2012 at 12:00 AM EST. One winner will be chosen at random. Please leave an email address in your comment if you do not have a Blogger profile. Momfiles is not responsible for any lost or stolen prizes. Good luck! 

I received free products for review purposes and all thoughts/opinions are 100% mine as always.

My Pinterest is now linked to my junkie corners

I have a confession. I love to clean. I really do love to clean. Clutter makes me feel nervous. My house is very plainly decorated. Actually, my house is not really decorated.. more like void of a bunch of crap everywhere. Everywhere except... I have this little problem (so my husband thinks). He says I have an obsession with having tiny, junkie corners in several places in our home. I admit, I do. I have a tiny pile next to my bed, at the foot of my bed, in the family room... you get the idea. You are probably wondering what exactly I keep in my little piles... Everything from clothing, coupons, receipts, nail files, pens... nothing is exempt except trash. I have spent the weekend ridding my house of my junkie corners. Yep, everything is in the right place. No junk anywhere in sight. I have declared (no promises) that I will make an effort to cut down on my little bits of junk. Maybe.

Since it was a 3-day weekend I took some time to chill. I did some cleaning and cooking but for the most part I sat my little self down and relaxed (I think). I have recently started getting into Pinterest. I find myself pinning for hours some days. If you are already on Pinterest then you know just what I am talking about. If you are not then what the heck are you waiting for? So this is where my smart talking husband comes in. He says that Pinterest is filling my void for my junkie corners. He says now I can have virtual junkie corners thanks to Pinterest. Sadly, he is not lying! ;-)