Featured Freebies for the Week of April 25th

Happy Monday Everyone! I hope that everyone is not too stuffed from all the Easter goodies eaten yesterday.

Here are the latest digital stamp and clip art image freebies found on blogs, websites, and sent to us by friends.

Heather Sitarzewski has an adorable bunny digital stamp

Beccy's Place has gone sunflower with a bunch of Sunflower and Gerbera images including leaves

Bross Art Addiction posted a ton of new circle sentiments for different occasions

Netty's Cards also posted a bunch of new circle sentiment digital stamps

Louby Loo's Digital Delightss is giving away a free digital stamp of Time for Tea Booboo

Fimolas Arts has a few new digital stamps including this adorable birdhouse

Happy Crafting!
Creativity Bug ~ Sue

Happy Easter

The Easter feeling does not end.

It signals a new beginning,

Of nature, spring and brand new life,

And friendship, peace, and giving.

The spirit of Easter is all about,

Hope, love, and joyful living!

Wishing you and yours a very Happy Easter!
Creativity Bugs ~ Sandy & Sue

Recipe Friday: Chicken, Broccoli, and Cashew Stir-fry

When I was 12, I went to a slumber party at my friend Tina's house. As part of a dare (we were playing truth or dare), I was dared to eat broccoli. Having never eaten it before, I thought it was the worse form of torture that anyone could have placed on me, but surprisingly it was love at first bite.

Today's featured recipe is for a stir-fry using my favorites; chicken, broccoli, and cashew nuts.

Chicken, Broccoli, and Cashew Stir-fry

Ingredients:

3 cup broccoli florets with short stems (about 1/2 lb crowns)
2 large carrots, cut into thin diagonal slices (2 c)
5 oz soba noodles
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp minced fresh ginger
3 large cloves garlic, minced
2 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves (6 oz each), sliced crosswise
1 Tbsp reduced-sodium soy sauce
1 tsp toasted sesame oil
3 medium scallions, thinly sliced (about 1/2 c)
1/2 c reduced-sodium, fat-free chicken broth
1/2 c raw, unsalted cashews (3 oz), lightly toasted

Directions:

1. Bring large pot of water to a boil. 
2. Add broccoli, carrots, and noodles. 
3. Cover and cook until vegetables are crisp-tender, 3 to 5 minutes. 
4. Drain, transfer to medium bowl, and cover loosely with wax paper.
5. Heat olive oil, ginger, and garlic in wok or large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Cook, stirring, until garlic starts to turn golden, 1 to 2 minutes. 
6. Add chicken, soy sauce, and sesame oil. Stir-fry 4 to 5 minutes, or until cooked through. 
7. Add scallions and stir-fry 1 minute.
8. Stir in noodles, veggies, and broth and heat through. 
9. Sprinkle each portion with 2 tablespoons of the cashews.

Nutritional info per serving: 398 cal, 30 g pro, 42 g carb, 5 g fiber, 14.5 g fat, 2.5 g sat fat, 47 mg cholesterol 

Happy Eating!

Creativity Bug ~ Sue

BESTeam Weekly Feature - Plum Beadacious

Come check out this week's BESTeam featured site Plum Beadacious

Plum Beadacious owner LeAllyson feels that creating beautiful handcrafted items is very important. She was introduced to making beaded jewelry by her daughter and “ was surprised to find out how much I enjoyed it!”. It has become a passion of hers for more than seven years and she began selling her creations to friends and jewelry fans five years ago.

LeAllyson’s desire is to create jewelry that delights the eye and is a joy to wear! She enjoys selecting beautiful beads made from a variety of materials. LeAllyson works with lampwork beads, crystals, Czech glass beads, freshwater pearls and semi-precious stone and strives to provide affordable jewelry to those who want to adorn themselves in something beautiful.

Strike Me Pink Beaded Silver Spiral Necklace

Shiny silver plated spiral links connect gleaming pink cats eye beads with a lustrous mother of pearl oval pendant in this fresh contemporary necklace.

Red Wine Lampwork Bead and Silver Earrings

The lampwork beads in these earrings display swirls of white and pink on a red wine background. They are capped at both ends with bright silver plated beadcaps. Small clear aurora borealis Swarovski crystals sparkle at the bottom of the earrings. The beads are handwrapped with sterling silver wire to sterling silver earwires. 

Rose Plum Crystals Sterling Silver Necklace

Delicate soft rose plum Czech glass crystals are handwired to this necklace. Tiny clear glass seedbeads strung on the light beading wire reflect back the color. The clasp is a sterling silver lobster clasp.

These are only a few of the wonderful pieces of jewelry available. Please check out the rest of this beautiful collection at Plum Beadacious and also take the time to view the Beadaciously Yours blog.

Happy Shopping!

Creativity Bug ~ Sue

Featured Freebies for the Week of April 18th

Hello and Happy Monday to everyone!

Here are this week's freebie images and digital stamps from blogs, websites, and our crafting friends:

Di's Dig Downloadsi  features Teddy's new home digital image

Art by Andy Bauer features a bunch of free digital images including a few dogs, cats, a bear, and a bunny

The Greeting Farm is offering a free digital stamp of Easter Ian and Easter Anya

Bugaboo Stamps is offering a free digital stamp every Friday

Netty's Cards shares various Anniversary Circle sentiments.

That's it for today! If you have any digital stamps or freebie images to share, please feel free to post a link in the comment section.

Have fun crafting!
Creativity Bug ~ Sue

Recipe Friday: Chicken Vegetable Barley Soup

The weather in Illinois is still cold and rainy one day while nice and spring like the next. This soup is a nice pick me up/warm me up kind of meal.

Chicken Vegetable Barley Soup

Ingredients:

2 lbs skinless boneless chicken breasts, cut into bite sized pieces

1 teaspoon poultry seasoning

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 ½ cup chopped fresh mushrooms

2 celery stalks, diced

1 cup chopped carrot

½ cup chopped onion

½ cup chopped pepper (red, green, yellow, or orange)

4 cloves garlic, minced

2 teaspoons dried basil, crushed

1 teaspoon dried parsley, crushed

¼ teaspoon ground black pepper

6 cups chicken broth

1 lbs potatoes, cut into 1-inch pieces (about 2 ¾ cups)

½ cup quick cooking barley

Directions:

1. In a medium bowl, toss chicken breast pieces with poultry seasoning; set aside
2. In a Dutch oven, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium heat. Add mushrooms, celery, carrot, onion, pepper, garlic, basil, parsley, and black pepper. Cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove vegetables from Dutch oven; set aside.
3. Add remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil to Dutch oven; heat over medium head. Add chicken pieces and cook for about 5 minutes or until browned; stir occasionally.
4. Return vegetables to Dutch oven. Add broth and bring to boil.
5. Add potatoes and barley to Dutch oven, return to boil, and reduce heat.
6. Cover and simmer about 15 minutes or until potatoes are tender.
7. Makes 8 (1 ½ cup) servings.

Happy Eating!

Creativity Bug ~ Sue

Recipe Friday: Chicken Tamale Casserole

The one thing I miss about living in Arizona is all the wonderful Mexican and Southwestern foods. Since moving back to Illinois, I haven’t been able to find anything like it. A friend of mine sent me a recipe and said it was “pretty close” to the real thing so I should try it.

Of course, I tweaked it a bit to have more fiber and some more spices. So here you have the updated, almost “Mexican” version of Chicken Tamale Casserole.

Chicken Tamale Casserole

Ingredients:

      1 1/2 cup pre-shredded 4-cheese Mexican blend cheese, divided

      1/3 cup fat-free milk

      1/4 cup egg substitute or one egg

      1 teaspoon ground cumin

      1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper

      1 (14 3/4-ounce) can cream-style corn

      1 (8.5-ounce) box corn muffin mix (such as Martha White)

      1 (4-ounce) can chopped green chilies, drained

      Cooking spray

      1 (10-ounce) can red or green enchilada sauce (such as Old El Paso)

      2 cups shredded cooked chicken breast (seasoned with your favorite spices)

      1 can black or kidney beans, drained

      1/2 cup fat-free sour cream

Preparation:

1. Preheat oven to 400°.
2. Combine 1/2 cup cheese and next 7 ingredients (through chilies) in a large bowl, stirring just until  moist. Pour mixture into a 13 x 9–inch baking dish coated with cooking spray.
3. Bake at 400° for 15 minutes or until set.
4. Pierce entire surface liberally with a fork; pour ½ can of enchilada  sauce over top. 
5. Mix chicken, beans, and remaining ½ can of enchilada sauce together. Pour over top of corn bread mixture.
6. Sprinkle with remaining 1 cup cheese. 
7. Bake at 400° for 15 minutes or until cheese melts. 
8. Remove from oven; let stand 5 minutes.
9. Cut into 8 pieces; top each serving with 1 tablespoon sour cream 

Happy Eating!!

Creativity Bug ~ Sue