House On Prairie Lane | a creative lifestyle blog

Fruit Salsa with Heart Shaped Cinnamon Sugar Chips

February 13, 2019

Do you celebrate Valentine’s Day with your spouse over a romantic dinner? Or together as a family with your kids? We like to make it special with our little loves, and today I’m sharing a super simple recipe that’s so fun to get your kids involved, and “helping” in the kitchen.

Fruit Salsa with Heart Shaped Cinnamon Sugar Chips is the perfect appetizer or sweet treat for your Valentine’s Day dinner. It is so versatile, and can be used with a variety of different fruits. We used strawberries, raspberries and apples (to make it look pretty with pinks and reds). But, you can add pears, blueberries, blackberries, pineapple.. the list goes on!

I had Chloe (my older one) cut the fruit into tiny pieces, and then Capri (the youngest) mixed it all together. We all took turns with the cookie cutter shapes and sprinkling the cinnamon sugar. It was a fun activity and delicious treat that we were all able to create together.

Cinnamon Sugar Chips

Ingredients:

4-6 burrito-style tortillas
coconut oil cooking spray
cinnamon sugar

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Cut tortillas into appropriate shape with cookie cutter
Spray with cooking spray
Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar
Bake for 10-12 minutes
Transfer to a cooling rack and let cool
Serve with fruit salsa or store in an airtight container

Fruit Salsa

Ingredients:

1 cup strawberries
1/2 cup raspberries
1 large apple
squeeze of citrus to prevent apples from browning (we used a squeeze of grapefruit)

Directions:

Finely chop strawberries, raspberries and apple
Combine ingredients
Squeeze citrus
Gently mix together
Chill until ready to serve

Happy Valentine’s Day from House on Prairie Lane

Free Valentine Printable

February 11, 2019

Today I’m sharing a quick (and FREE) printable for Valentine’s Day. I purchased a bag of heart shaped lollipops, but wanted to be able to personalize them for Chloe’s classroom Valentine exchange. I created a fun graphic, printed the file, and cut the squares. Then, Chloe will personalize each one and attach them to the lollipops with either tape or a dot of glue.

It’s cute + quick and perfect for so many different sweet treats! Enjoy!

CLICK FOR FREE DOWNLOAD:

lollipop valentine_printable Download

Slow-Cooker Bolognese

February 6, 2019

Last week, the polar vortex had us craving everything warm + hearty. We’ve been eating our fair share of salads and chicken this month (with our goal to eat more healthy this new year), but with the frigid temps, we prefer comfort food. Can you blame us? This Slow-Cooker Bolognese is the perfect meal on a cold winter night.

Slow-Cooker Bolognese

Ingredients:

1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
2 large carrots, chopped
3 celery stalks, chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
3 tbsp tomato paste
1lb ground beef
1lb bulk italian sausage
1 (28oz) can crushed tomatoes
t tbsp dried oregano
1 tbsp dried thyme
1 bay leaf
1 tsp kosher salt
1 cup whole milk
1/4 cup red wine
freshly ground black pepper
shaved parmesan (for garnish)
fresh parsley, chopped (for garnish)

Directions:

In a large skillet over medium heat, heat oil.
Add onion, carrot, celery, and garlic. Cook until tender, approx. 5 minutes
Add tomato paste and stir until combined.
Add ground beef and italian sausage, cook through, approx. 8 minutes
Transfer mixture with a slotted spoon to slow cooker
Add crushed tomatoes, oregano, thyme, bay leaf, salt, milk, and red wine. Season with pepper and stir until combined
Cover and cook on low, 6-7 hours
Discard bay leaf
Serve over pasta (we prefer a jumbo penne)
Garnish with parsley and parmesan
Enjoy!

ps.. With our goal to eat more healthy, I cook with all organic ingredients. All of my veggies, pasta, crushed tomatoes, milk and even the red wine are USDA Organic. Our beef is always Grass-Fed. I’ve done a lot of research of what goes into our bodies, and the quality of the ingredients are very important when it comes to feeding my family.

Valentine Home Decor

February 1, 2019

Whew! We made it through the polar vortex and the month of January! I am so happy that today is February 1st.. it just means we are a little closer to spring + celebrating the month of LOVE. I typically don’t like to decorate for every holiday.. it always seems to look cluttered, and just more things I have to find storage for. But, I love adding splashes of pink + red for Valentine’s Day. It brings a fresh spring-like feel. And lets face it.. we sure love the color pink around here, so the majority of the things don’t have to even be packed away for next season. Here are a few of the pieces I’m adding to our home this year..

Capri’s ‘Nutcracker’ 4th Birthday party

January 5, 2019

Happy NEW Year! We had the best Christmas break filled with quality family time, fun with friends, good food and lots of laughter. We also celebrated my sweet baby girl turning FOUR!

Each year, we take our girls to the Nutcracker Ballet. It is honestly my favorite Christmas tradition. Last year, was Capri’s first time, and she absolutely LOVED it. Since then, she requested that her next Birthday was a ‘Nutcracker’ theme Birthday party. So for the past year, I’ve gathered some fun party accessories and had so much fun with all the details.

Seeing her face light up at the Nutcracker this year (and her dancing in the lobby), was just the greatest joy. This little girl is filled with so much sparkle and delight, and is such a gift to our family.

HAPPY 4th Birthday to our precious, Capri.

‘Old Fashioned’ Cranberry-Orange Relish

November 20, 2018

There’s something about Thanksgiving that just brings back the BEST memories from growing up. Gathering together at our Grandparents house, and celebrating the holidays with all of our Aunts, Uncles and Cousins, was always so much fun! And there’s nothing like having all the traditional Thanksgiving food, to remind me of all the special times we shared together.

One of my favorite recipes from Thanksgiving is my Grandma’s ‘Old Fashioned’ Cranberry-Orange Relish. I’ve taken that over, and prepare it as one of our most loved Thanksgiving side dishes. I still have her original recipe card that I cherish and love, and always chuckle to myself when I add a “jigger” of Brandy! Just maybe keep an extra dish for the kids without it. Ha! I am so amazed at how quick + simple it is, and can even be made a few days ahead of time. It’s a huge timesaver when you’re trying to prepare so many dishes at once.

My Mom and Dad now host Thanksgiving, and I love that they still carry on so many of the holiday traditions.. to make it all that more special for our kids. And I hope they carry on the same traditions.

‘Old Fashioned’ Cranberry-Orange Relish

Ingredients:

1lb. (4 cups) fresh cranberries
2 oranges (rind + pulp)
2 cups sugar
1 “jigger” (shot) of brandy

Directions:

Chop oranges into chunks
In a food processor, grind together cranberries + oranges
Add to large mixing bowl and add sugar + “jigger” of brandy
Mix together
Cover + Refrigerate several hours for flavors to blend together
Serve with Thanksgiving meal
Enjoy!

Happy Thanksgiving from House on Prairie Lane

Family Photos 2018

November 15, 2018

HELLO! Ahh, it’s been quite a while since I blogged (July, to be exact) and I just cannot believe how much I miss it. I struggle with finding the balance to blog and be more present with my family, but I promise to try to do both. To start, I wanted to share the family photos we took a few weeks ago. They are definitely more casual than the past few years, but I sort of love that. Our girls are growing so so fast, and I cherish these family photos each and every year..

My very talented friend, Megan (from Under the Willow Photography), always seems to capture such great shots. My absolute favorites are the closeups of each of the girls.. those smiles melt my heart.

Capri’s ‘Ballerina’ Bedroom Reveal

June 27, 2018

A few months ago, I shared Capri’s Bedroom Design Board with her idea of a ‘Ballerina Bedroom’ theme. I had so much fun searching for all the tiny details, and my absolute favorite is the gallery wall that we created. It really is the prettiest wall in our home, and Capri adores it all! She is definitely our tutu wearing, all things sparkly + shimmery kind of girl.. and I LOVE that! It is definitely a stage that I cherish, and want to hold onto for as long as I can.

We all just love this space, and are so happy with how all the pretty details came together for our little ballerina. I’ll share all the sources next week, so check back soon!

Chloe’s ‘Fairy Garden’ Bedroom Sources

June 20, 2018

Last week, I was so excited to finally shared with you, Chloe’s ‘Fairy Garden’ Bedroom Reveal. I had a lot of fun designing this space for my girl, and love how much she loves it! Here are all the details + sources..

Chloe’s ‘Fairy Garden’ Bedroom Reveal

June 14, 2018

Hello! And HAPPY Summer! I know it’s been a while since I blogged, but I finally have a capsule of photos to share many new blog posts and room reveals.. yay!

Today, I am so excited to share all the beautiful details of Chloe’s Bedroom! You may remember my Design Board that I created many months ago, but it took quite some time to finally bring it all together. This room far exceeded my love for a neutral color palette, but I absolutely LOVE the bright colors + vibrant details so much! Chloe loves her bedroom, and I love walking into such cheerful + whimsical space.. something that definitely matches her personality.

I love that I was able to bring her idea of a ‘Fairy Garden’ Bedroom to life, and incorporate some of the pieces she’s been collecting. I’ll share all the sources to the room next week, so stayed tuned!

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Cinnamon Sugar Chips

Fruit Salsa

Slow-Cooker Bolognese

‘Old Fashioned’ Cranberry-Orange Relish