Pinterest Challenge #40 - Copycat Melting Pot Spinach Fondue

The Melting Pot's Spinach Artichoke Cheese Fondue is by far one of my favorite dishes.  One night, my husband and I wanted a date night without the cost (babysitter or price of the Melting Pot), so I ventured out to make a copycat recipe of the fondue with a little help from Pinterest and Favorite Family Recipes.

Here's what you need:
3-4 oz vegetable broth
a handful of spinach
1 Tbs. Garlic
3 oz of Butterkase Cheese
3 oz. Colby Jack Cheese
1 Tbs. Parmesan Cheese
dash of Tabasco (we used the chipolte kind)
small amount of flour

Instructions:
Heat the broth in a fondue pot until hot, and then add the spinach and garlic.  Shred Butterkase and Colby Jack cheeses and lightly dust with flour.  Add slowly to broth mixture stirring constantly.  Once cheese has melted, add in Parmesan cheese and Tabasco.
We dipped homemade croutons, apples, and carrots into the fondue.

Recipe was pretty simple (I did modify it slightly because I was unable to find Fontina cheese (so I subbed Colby Jack).  I was AMAZED at how good this was.  It tasted exactly like it did at the Melting Pot!  It was a fun and cheaper alternative to a date night out (although some of the cheeses can run high).  We had a great time and will be making this again soon!

Pinterest Challenge #39 - Hidden Words

When you purchase a big box of crayons, what is the least used one in the box?  The white one!  Well here's something fun to do with those white crayons.  Pinterest linked blogger No Time for Flash Cards did alphabet ones for her toddler.  We decided to do a more preschool friendly version and make these 'Hidden Words'.  Here's what you do:

1.  On a white piece of paper, write a word in white crayon.  I went over the lines several times so the words would stand out more.
2.  Mix washable paint with water (I used a 25% paint, 75% water ratio).

3.  Get a paint brush, and let your child paint.

She had a great time exposing each word with the paint.  We let them dry and used them the next few days for reading practice.

Exciting News!

We are excited to announce that we will be adding to our family yet again this upcoming October!

Nerf Gun Date Night

Looking for a cheap date night?  We put Elie to bed, and I found two guns for $3.96 each at the Navy Exchange.  Chris was extremely surprised, and we had a blast.  Check out the interesting places where some of the darts ended up.

Pinterest Challenge #37-38 - What goes into my dryer?

Months ago I purchased a Downy dryer bar, and after it melted all over my comforter, I can now say that I'm not a fan.  So, I recently began a search for an alternative to dryer sheets, and thanks to two pins on Pinterest, I now have a new dryer technique.
The 1st Pinterest idea is from Junk in their Trunk, and it is quite simple.  Take pieces of aluminum foil, lightly ball it up, and throw it into your dryer.  This significantly reduced my static cling.  I simple reuse the foil over and over again.  When it gets into too tight of a ball, I loosen it - that simple.  I include three or four of these balls each time I use my dryer.
The 2nd Pinterest idea is from Homemade Mamas, and I love the smell it has added to my laundry.  These are reuseable dryer sheets.  Years ago I cut up a yard of fleece for reuseable baby wipes for my little one.  I set a few aside to do something with one day.  So three years later, I got to use them.  I will say, seeing the wipes did make me a little sad being as it has been almost two years since I have used them.  I am very eager to use them again on another baby bottom.
Ok now back to dryer sheets.  In an old Cool Whip container, I mixed 4 parts fabric softener (1 cup) and 10 parts hot water (2.5 cups) then added the fleece.  When I do laundry, I just pick up one or two sheets, gently squeeze most of the liquid back into the container, and then add it to the dryer.  I find it helpful to dry my hand off with an item in the dryer (esp. hubby's socks) to make sure that item comes out smelling great.  Then once the dryer is done, I put the wipes back into the solution, and wait to do laundry again.

The Big Reveal

So, did you guess right?

 Not flesh of my flesh nor bone of my bone,

But still miraculously my own.

Never forget for a single minute,

You didn’t grow under my heart, but in it!

Chris, Lexie, and Elie are pleased to announce that our family is growing!!!  Richard Byron Tae-ho Cupp is waiting for us in Seoul, South Korea.  He was born April 10, 2012, and we hope to have him home by next fall.  

So I got this idea from Pinterest (challenge #36), so we changed it up a little since we were adopting.  At this time we cannot release his photos without a password protection.  If you would like to get picture updates, please email me at lexiejk4@gmail.com.

The Final Hint (#3)

Here is hint #3.  It may seem that the answer to the three hints is an obvious one, but I promise, it is very unlikely anyone has the correct guess.  So...are you ready for the big reveal tomorrow?  Until then, here is the final hint to keep you guessing.  This time I would love to hear what everyone thinks is the answer (unless you already know it because that would spoil the fun for everyone else).