Snowman Tower of Gifts

Every once in while I am able to take my time and wrap a couple of gifts in a unique way.  My husband was the lucky one to receive this one.  It was very easy.  I didn't have any plain white paper so I just used regular wrapping paper flipped the other way.  I used a hat and scarf from the closet, but you could easily buy new and make them part of the gift.  

Materials

• Black Paper
• Orange Paper
• 3 Different Sized Boxes
• Wrapping Paper
• Hat and Scarf

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Best Place to Rent a Stroller for Disney World

Sometimes you just have to take a nap

The fact that my kids have never really loved to ride in a stroller made me think that I wouldn't need a stroller for them.  After talking to a few friends, I realized that there was NO way they were going to be able to walk as much as I would be asking them too.  The last 4 times we have went to Walt Disney World we have rented a stroller from the same company -Kingdom Strollers.  I chose them based on a couple of factors including price, selection, and a recommendation from a friend.

If you plan on using a stroller while at Disney World, do yourself a favor and DO NOT rent one from the parks directly.  There are not too many things at Disney World that I criticize, but their strollers are at the top of the list.  They are hard pieces of plastic (see picture to the right) and they are very expensive.  Another drawback of WDW strollers is that you can only use them inside the parks, in other words you can not take them to Downtown Disney, other parks, or even to your resort.  The WDW strollers are a lot more expensive than Kingdom Strollers.  Here is a link to WDW Stroller Rental so you can see the prices.
                                                                           
A couple of months ago Disney changed their policy about having strollers delivered to their resorts.  They now only allow a couple of trusted companies to provide this service.  Kingdom Strollers is on that list.  They will drop off and pick up the stroller from the Disney resort (and lots of others be sure to check out the list) of your choice and you specify the time and date.  The delivery is free of charge.  They deliver to resort and Bell Services will hold it for you until you arrive.  They label the stroller with your family name, but I recommend that you bring a bright colored piece of ribbon to tie to the handle.  There are TONS of strollers and looking for yours can be difficult especially since it isn't yours and you might forget what it looks like:)

Kingdom Strollers offers both single and double strollers as well as other baby gear such as cribs.  They will also deliver cases of water to your resort as well.  Included in the stroller rental fee is a small cooler and rain cover both of which come in very handy.

A couple of trips ago, a friend of ours decided after one day at the park that they needed something more than just the umbrella stroller that they brought with them, so at 7 pm they ordered a double stroller for the following day from Kingdom Strollers.  It was delivered by 8 am.

Kingdom Strollers also offers a FREE rain guard, just check the box!!!

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Creamy Sausage Tortellini Soup

I am a huge fan of two types of soups 1- The kind that you make in the slow cooker and 2- The kind that you can throw together quickly and simmer for less than 20 minutes.  This one falls into the second category.  When I made this the other night, I had to eat it and rush out the door to a meeting so I didn't get to hear everyone's comments and feedback.  I enjoyed the soup a lot, but I wasn't sure what my mother-in-law, father-in-law, and husband were going to think.  Well, 3 days later my father-in-law was still talking about how much he enjoyed it and was wondering when I was going to make it again.  He generally likes everything that I make.  He is by FAR the most critical member of the family.  If you likes something he lets me know and if he doesn't like something he also lets me know:)  I appreciate his feed back and I have learned to take his critiques as encouragement  so I appreciate his opinion.  Although sometimes he tries to get way to technical and we all laugh at him and keep eating.  

Ingredients:

• About 2 Cups of Baby Spinach
• 3 14 oz cans of Chicken Broth
• 1 lb of Mild Italian Sausage
• 1 can of Italian Seasoned Diced Tomatoes
• 4 oz Cream Cheese (not fat free, it won't melt) at room temperature and cut into cubes
• 1 small package of Frozen Tortellini

Serves 6

Cook, crumble 1 lb of bulk mild Italian Sausage.  Drain off excess grease.  In a large pot combine chicken broth, tomatoes (undrained), and cooked sausage.  Bring to a boil, reduce heat to med and add cream cheese.  Stir to combine and melt.  When cream cheese is melted throughout, add in spinach and tortellini.  Cook for about 15-20 minutes or until tortellini is cooked.

If you want this soup to be spicier, add a pinch of red pepper flakes and/or use HOT Italian Sausage.  

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Rolo Cookies

Although this recipe is not my own, it is one that I have made several times.  I originally got the recipe from Six Sisters Stuff.  I didn't change anything, but I have never been able to get more than about 24 cookies from a batch.  I usually use two boxes of cake mix and a bag of Rolos and I get about 50 cookies which was just enough for my family to snack on and to pass some along.  Today I made this for the teacher pot luck lunch at my son's school.  

Ingredients:

• Box of Devils Food Cake Mix
• 2 Eggs
• 1/3 Cup Vegetable Oil
• 24 Rolos
• Powdered Sugar

Makes about 2 Dozen Cookies

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  In a medium bowl, combine eggs and oil.  Then add in cake mix.  The first time I made these I used my electric hand mixer and the batter was so thick that my mixer had a tough time with it.  It was much easier to mix it my hand.  Next take a scoop of batter a little smaller than the size of a ping pong ball and press a Rolo inside.  Make sure that the dough covers the entire piece of candy.  Place on baking sheet.  Bake for 7-8 minutes.  Sprinkle with powdered sugar and ENJOY!

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Sweet Garlic Chicken Legs

Sometimes when I don't know what to make for dinner I look into my freezer and pick something out at random.  I knew I had to figure out something to do with the chicken legs that took out to thaw and I knew it had to go with the green beans that I had put in the slow cooker.  At about 4:30, I decided on this.  The sauce was great and the chicken was super moist.  This recipe is made with very basic ingredients that can be found in almost anyone's pantry.  I had chicken legs on hand, but feel free to use thighs or whatever you have!    

Ingredients:

• 6 Chicken Legs
• 1/3 Cup of Honey
• 1/4 Cup Soy Sauce
• 2 Tablespoons Ketchup
• Pepper
• 1 teaspoon Minced Garlic

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line a glass baking dish with foil (for easy clean up).  Place chicken legs in dish and sprinkle with pepper.  In a small bowl combine the remaining ingredients and whisk them together.  Pour mixture over chicken and bake for about 35 minutes.

 Remove chicken from oven and flip it over (so the other side can get a chance in the yummy sauce).  Raise the oven temp to 425 and bake for additional 10-15 minutes or until sauce is bubbly and begins to caramelize.

I served with Fried Noodles and Fresh Green Beans I made in the slow cooker.  

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Girl Scout Daisy Certificate

So I have ventured into the world of Girl Scout Troop Leadership. I am the troop leader for my daughter's kindergarten Girl Scout troop. I've been pinteresting (they need to add that word into the dictionary so my spell check doesn't keep trying to change it) and finding fun crafts and activities to do with the troop. I came across several cure awards and certificates that people are selling on Etsy, and I thought "I can do that and then offer it to anyone else for free!" So here you go, a cute certificate to signify their first year as a Daisy:) I plan on doing more as the year progresses, but I wanted to get this out now so anyone can use it.

To save to your computer, click on the image and it will enlarge. Then right click and select "save as" or "save to my computer." Save it in a spot you will remember, then when you want to print, just open it and select 4x6 or 5x7 and you can print 2 per page. You can also upload the image to Walgreens or any other photo place and print it and place in a frame. The girls will love the recognition. Enjoy!

*Please note, if you are going to post to your website, you must provide a link to Two magical Moms. This image is copyright protected and is for personal or crafting use. No parts of this image can be  used for commercial purposes.

Twice Baked Pesto Potatoes

Now that I have figured out exactly where my basil plant wants to live (I can keep it alive) I always have fresh basil.  Another thing I always seem to have on hand is potatoes, why not make Pesto Potatoes!?!  I wasn't sure quite where to begin, so I went to Pinterest.  I found a recipe on Kayotic Kitchen, I changed it up just a bit and ended up with a really GREAT baked potato.

Ingredients:

• 4 (fairly large) Russett Potatoes
• 2 cloves of garlic (minced)
• 1/2 Cup of Heavy Cream
• 1/2 Cup of Vegetable Broth
• Olive Oil
• Sea Salt
• Pepper
• About a handful Fresh Basil (chopped)
• Large Shallot (chopped finely)
• 1/8 Cup of Fresh Grated Parmesan Cheese

Serves 4-6 (because they are split in half and you can eat the whole potato skin and all!)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Wash and scrub the skin of the potato good enough that you could eat it.  Poke several holes in them with a fork, brush them with olive oil, and season with sea salt.  Line a baking sheet with aluminium foil, place potatoes on the foil, and bake for about an hour.

Insert a fork into them to check to see if they are done.  If the fork goes in easy, they are done.  Cut the potatoes in half and let them cool a little bit.  Scoop out the insides with a spoon.  Make sure to do it gently and keep the skins intact.  Place the scooped out potato into a large bowl.

Drizzle a small amount of olive oil in a skillet.  Cook the garlic and shallot for about 3 minutes.  Add in the cream and vegetable broth.  Bring to a boil and simmer for about 10 minutes, stirring throughout.  Add in the basil, a pinch of salt, and a pinch of pepper.  Let the sauce sit for a couple of minutes and it will thicken a bit more.   Pour it in with the potatoes and mix well.  I didn't completely mash the potatoes, but I combined it well (I don't even know if that makes any sense LOL)  Loan the potato mixture back into the skin, top it with a little bit of Parmesan cheese, place back on baking sheet, put it back in the oven for 8 to 10 minutes.

I actually made these a couple of weeks ago and my mouth is watering just writing about them.  OH. SO. GOOD!  I served this with the Loaded Flank Steak (recipe coming soon).

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