Great Idea Thursday's - 20

Welcome to:

and please welcome and follow my co-host this week Miss Holly from Holly's Helpings!!! Check out her fabulous blog for all things yummy :)

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Blog: http://hollyshelpings.com/

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Back to school shopping. Done! Fun activities planned for the last week of summer break before school starts. Done! 5 days and counting until school starts! What are your plans for when your kiddos are busy at school? I am so excited to be a Teacher's Aid at a preschool this year!  I have been a sub for the last two years and I simply cannot work with little kids every day!

Thank you for coming to join me for another party! I love going through all the wonderful links and seeing your amazing talents.  Thank you for being the best readers ever!

Featured Sweets

Cookies and Cream Cannoli Cones by Lizbeth @ Just Dip It In Chocolate

2+ Pound Fudgy Brownies by Raven @ True Blue Baking

Pencil Stacker Eraser Pretzels by Lisa @ Hoopla Palooza

Featured Recipe

Stuffed Zucchini by Carrie @ A Mother's Shadow

Featured DIY

DIY Duvet Cover by Darcy @ The Ruffled Stitch

Featured Home Help

10 Money Saving Helps by Paula @ Beauty Through Imperfection

Homemade Baking Mix - Bisquick by Joy @ Yesterfood 

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Great Idea Thursday's #20

Come share what you have been doing every week! If you are interested in Co-Hosting this party shoot me an e-mail me  @ kristascookin@gmail.com.

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This is what I posted this week:

Elementary Age Educational Websites
100 Sight Words for Beginning Readers

An InLinkz Link-up

Grilled Steak with Citrus Compound Butter Fajitas

One of my favorite things to do for dinner is to utilize left overs to their fullest capacity!  I've read several different quick fix cookbooks and one of my favorite tips is when you are cooking meat to make extra to use for another time to save on cooking time every day.  When my husband grilled up our amazing Grilled Steak with Citrus Compound Butter I had him grill all 4 steaks instead of just the 3 we would have needed for our family of 4, which worked perfectly for dinner last night!

Grilled Steak with Citrus Compound Butter Fajitas

1 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 sweet onion peeled and sliced
1 garlic clove, pressed
1 green pepper seeded and sliced
1/2 red pepper seeded and sliced
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/8 tsp fresh ground pepper
1/4 tsp ground cumin
1/8 tsp ground ancho pepper
1/8 tsp ground chipolte pepper
1/4 tsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp dried oregano
Grilled Steak with Citrus Compound Butter (I used left over steak)
1 Tbsp Citrus Compound Butter
Flour tortillas

When I made this dinner I was only cooking for myself and my husband so I only cooked 1/2 of a left over steak, I still have another 1/2 for lunch today! Yummo :)

In a large non-stick skillet or wok heat the olive oil over medium-medium high heat and add the onion and garlic and stir with a wooden spatula.  Slice and add the green and red peppers.  Season with salt, pepper, cumin, the ancho and chipolte peppers, coriander, and oregano.  Stir well.  Cook stirring frequently until the onions are caramelized and the peppers are soft.  Remove to a serving dish.

Slice a steak across the grain thinly. If using fresh steak skip this next step.  If using left over steak add 1 Tbsp butter into the same pan that was used to cook the peppers.  Add the steak and cook until beautifully browned.  

Remove to a serving dish. 

 

Heat the flour tortillas and layer with pepper and onion mixture and then with the meat.  

Grilled Steak with Citrus Chile Compound Butter

This recipe is adapted from a fabulous new cookbook find All Fired Up!

The original recipe calls for Tri-Tip steak, I looked at five different stores to locate this cut and had no success, so my husband found a delicious pack of Surloin Steaks and called it good!

Print Recipe

Grilled Steak with Citrus Chile Compound Butter

4 thick cut steaks
1 Tbsp kosher salt
1 tsp fresh ground pepper
1 recipe Citrus Chile Compound Butter

Let the meat come to room temperature while you prepare the compound butter. Preheat your grill to between 350-400˚ F (medium-high).

Season both sides of each steak with salt and pepper.  Grill outside covered for about 10 minutes or so each side or until the meat reaches about 5˚ under desired doneness.

Steak:
Rare: 125˚ F
Medium Rare:130-135˚ F Food Network, USDA 145˚ F
Medium: 135-140˚ F, USDA 160˚ F
Medium Well: 140-150˚ F Food Network
Well Done: 155˚ F + Food Network, USDA 170˚ F

When the meat is done remove from the grill and rub some of the compound butter onto the steaks.  Cover with aluminum foil and let stand for 10 minutes to rest. Uncover the meat, slice across the grain and serve with additional compound butter.

Enjoy!

Citrus Chile Compound Butter

This recipe is from our new Favorite Cookbook All Fired Up it is marvelous!

1/2 cup butter (1 stick), softened
1 Tbsp lime zest
1 Tbsp lemon zest
1 large or 2 small garlic cloves, pressed
1/2 jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced
1/2 tsp chopped fresh thyme
1/4 tsp kosher salt or to taste
1/8 tsp fresh ground pepper or to taste

In a mixing bowl add the butter.  Zest the fresh citrus and add to the butter.  Press in the garlic.  Seed and mince the jalapeno.  Add the chile, thyme, salt and pepper.  Mix well until fragrant and completely combined. Transfer to a small covered bowl and refrigerate until ready to serve.  Remove about 10-20 minutes before ready to serve to allow time to soften.

Fabulous Cookbook to Give Your Man!

August is the month of birthdays at my house.  My husband, my oldest son, my Father-in-Law, my Brother-in-Law, and my brother all have birthday's in August.  Sometimes it can be difficult to come up with things that are different from what I'm getting everyone else and something that will still be used and enjoyed.  This year for my husband I purchased the amazing new cookbook from Southern Living "All Fired Up" and it has quickly become a favorite at our house! If you haven't picked this one up I highly recommend you check it out!

There are a few gifts I've given my husband I would consider successful and this is definitely one of them.  This book is NOT a one hit wonder.  Of the recipes we have tried we would make all of them again! If you hubby likes to help in the kitchen this book is sure to please!

100 Sight Words for Beginning Readers

A	Go	Here	Dad
I	Like	Back	Red
The	Was	An	Two
And	Not	Dog	Or
It	Do	Mom	How
On	This	From	Am
To	What	Her	Saw
In	No	Did	Over
You	Then	Very	By
Is	Too	Your	House

We	She	Got
But	Little	Had
Up	Will	Put
Of	See	Cat
Can	Down	Them
For	Some	Just
Said	Get	Away
My	Come	Tree
All	So	Came
Are	Went	Where

At	Be	Has
Me	Day	Good
One	Into	Water
Big	Eat	Home
They	His	Going
Have	Look	Made
With	Now	Time
Out	There	As
That	When	Help
He	Make	Long

Elementary Age Educational Websites

Most of these websites are fabulous resources no matter where you live, and some are specific to VA since that's where we are! Thank you to the wonderful teachers who provided these amazing resources to me and my kids!

For Kids:
http://www.ipl.org/div/kidspace/

KidPort Grade 1 Home Page
http://www.kidport.com/Grade1/Grade1Home.htm

Learning Games:

PBS Kids:
http://pbskids.org/

Sheppard Software: We Make Learning Fun
http://www.sheppardsoftware.com/

History & Social Studies

Capital Classroom:
http://capclass.virginiageneralassembly.gov/

Jamestown and Yorktown:
http://www.historyisfun.org/videos-and-podcasts.htm

Museums in VA:
http://www.virginia.org/directory/museums/

Virginia Historic Sites:
http://www.virginia.org/historicsites/

Williamsburg:
http://www.history.org/media/

Gifted Education:

Hoagies' Kids and Teens Gifted Education Page:

http://www.hoagiesgifted.com/hoagies_kids.htm

NCGE:
http://www.gifted.uconn.edu/parents/parentws.html

Reading:

Daily activities related to reading:
http://daybydayva.org/

Go to this website and enter in your child's grade level, interest categories, and print a custom reading list:
http://www.lexile.com/fab/VA/

Hoagies' Gifted Education Readings Lists:

http://www.hoagiesgifted.com/reading_lists.htm

Literactive:

http://www.literactive.com/Home/index.asp

Public Libraries in VA:
http://www.lva.virginia.gov/public/libraries.asp

Star Fall:
http://www.starfall.com/

Story Time For Me:
http://www.storytimeforme.com/

Math:

Count Us In:
http://www.abc.net.au/countusin/default.htm

Math & Science Resources:
http://www.ipl.org/IPLBrowse/GetSubject?vid=12&cid=3&tid=4278&parent=0

Mathcounts Arcade:
https://mathcounts.org/arcade

Snappy Maths:
http://www.snappymaths.com/

Science

4H Virtual Forest:
http://www.sites.ext.vt.edu/virtualforest/

NOAA For Kids:
http://oceanservice.noaa.gov/kids/

Science Matters:
http://ideastations.org/sciencematters

The Smithsonian:
http://smithsonianeducation.org/students/

Puzzles:

Concept is Puzzles:

http://www.conceptispuzzles.com/

Brain Bashers:

http://www.brainbashers.com/

Brain Food:

http://www.rinkworks.com/brainfood/

Language:

Hello World:

http://www.hello-world.com/

Research Sites:

Ask:
www.askkids.com

EduHound:
http://www.eduhound.com/

Fact Monster:
http://finditva.com/

Find It Virginia: free access to resources- newspapers, magazine articles, journals, and books for all age ranges and interests
http://finditva.com/

Go Gooligans:
http://www.gogooligans.com/

Kids Click:
http://www.kidsclick.org/

Kids Konnect:
http://www.kidskonnect.com/

National Geographic Kids:
http://kids.nationalgeographic.com/kids/

Sports Illustrated Kids:
http://www.sikids.com/

Start Squad:
http://www.startsquad.org/

Yahoo! Kids:
www.kids.yahoo.com

Summer:

Virginia Department of Education's Summer Learning Website:
http://www.doe.virginia.gov/instruction/summer/index.shtml

Fabulous Features from Great Idea Thursday's Summer Vacation Edition

As promised here are the amazing Triple Features from the last three weeks! Thank ya'll so much for coming to party, you never cease to amaze me with the wonderful posts that you bring!  I'm so blessed to be surrounded by such amazing talent :)

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Most Viewed

Laundry Room Pallet Sign & Printable by Denise @ Denise on a Whim

DIY Pampering

How to DIY Pedicure by Carrie @ A Mother's Shadow

Featured Sweets

Classic Sour Cream Cheesecake by Raven @ True Blue Baking

Soft Snickerdoodles by Mary @ Spindles Designs by Mary and Mags

Homemade Chocolate Pudding with Pie Crust Dippers by Joy @ Yesterfood

Rich Biscoff Brownies with Shortbread Crust by Winnie @ Something Sweet

Featured Recipes

Watermelon Feta Salad by Lorraine @ Cookin' For the Seven Dwarfs

Calzones by Holly @ Holly's Helpings

20 Creative & Healthy School Lunch Ideas by Christine @ I Dig Pinterest

Chocolate Dipped Tangerines by Kim @ Soliloquy of Food and Such

Featured Crafts

10 Back to School Duck Tape Crafts by Christine @ I Dig Pinterest 

Low Volume Love by Kim @ Windsor & Main

The Ultimate Reusable Snack Sack by Cheryl @ Sew Can Do

Superman Name Sign by Leah @ Leah Inspired

Online Helps

How to Increase Page Views and Traffic by the fabulous ladies @ Six Sister's Stuff

Great Idea Thursday's - 19

Welcome to:

I'm back!!! Whew.  Airports are a wonderful and horrible thing all at the same time.  But me and the boys made it on vacation and back so that's all that really matters.  And, on a positive note, most of the coughing has stopped! Just a little in the morning and evening.  Wohoo! Now that I'm back I hope to get back in the swing of things and bring you some fun posts!  And since all day today was spent doing laundry, grocery and school shopping, yes school is coming... yikes and yeah at the same time. So tomorrow I will have the Triple Features ready for you! I'm so excited to look through all of your fabulous links!  Thank you for being such patient and FABULOUS readers and understanding of my time off.

Great Idea Thursday's #19

Come share what you have been doing every week! If you are interested in Co-Hosting this party shoot me an e-mail me  @ kristascookin@gmail.com.

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• Please follow me
• Please link directly to your post not your home page.
• Share the love - please visit and comment on at least 2 other posts.  Everyone loves comments :)
• Grab a Button or text link back to A Handful of Everything
• Thank you for stopping by to Party! Have Fun!

An InLinkz Link-up