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One of my favorite dishes growing up was my mom’s Chicken Divan, aka Chicken in a Pan with a Tan. This creamy, cheesy, broccoli-filled casserole has since become a family favorite in our home. Where did we get “Chicken in a Pan with a Tan?” Let’s just say one dinnertime rhyming game got a bit out of hand…trust me, the name was a lot longer than that! (SCROLL DOWN TO PRINT RECIPE) Besides being a great way to teach rhyme, here are the other reasons why I love this dish:...

Creative Kids Cooking Challenge These cooking challenges are open-ended, with lots of room for creativity. They can be easily adapted to your family’s dietary choices, too! The cooking tasks included are fun for a variety of ages, such as: a preschooler, who likes spending time in the kitchen with you an older child, who is eager to learn more advanced cooking skills a tween or teen, who is ready for more independence in the kitchen...

I promise, you won’t be able to stop. And then everyone you know will be wearing your bracelets. It will be a bracelet bangle city!! Supplies: yarn – 2 colors of medium gauge crochet hook I scissors crochet needle sewing thread – color to match your yarn sewing needle buttons – size, shape, and color is up to you! NOTE: the tutorial I’m sharing is specifically for the bracelet shown above....

Follow the Numbers Obstacle Course My 6 year old and I thought up obstacles we could create for the backyard. He was imagining an American Ninja Warrior set up. I was imagining something a little more practical and doable with things we already had around the house. We came up with 9 different obstacles for the course. To add an extra bit of learning to the course, I numbered the obstacles using cardboard from cereal boxes....

Recipe for Grilled Portabello Mushrooms: 2 portabello mushrooms 2 slices of a large tomato 2 slices of swiss cheese olive oil, salt, pepper Prepare your grill, getting the heat to at least 400 degrees. While you’re waiting, brush your mushrooms with a little olive oil and salt and pepper. Once the heat is ready, place your mushrooms top side down, the stem pointing up. Let that grill for a bit, like 10 or so minutes....

Quickutz new Triangle Pennant Die just made my banner making days that much easier. With all the darling scrapbook papers available these days, the possibilities are endless. Thanks to Quickutz for providing me with this machine, helping me stay crafty. Oh yeah, and don’t forget Dad. June 20th will be here before we know it! Happy paper crafting! Kami Bigler is a regular contributor at Make and Takes. She’s the thrifty maven who runs the blog: no biggie – a montage of her three favorite creative outlets: crafting, cooking, and thrifting....

This evergreen wreath is the perfect addition to your front door! You could also hang it above the mantel, or on an indoor wall as well. Supplies: Twig wreath – store bought (try this one!) Green silk faux leaves – assorted in green colors, shapes, and textures Scissors Hot glue Instructions: The first thing you want to do is choose your largest leaves and lay them on top of the wreath to get the placement right....

DIY Cards and washi tape are two things I get super giddy about. We used Washi tape to make Birthday Cards with Washi Tape Cakes & even Washi Tape Pencil Flags. Today, we’ve combined the two together to make this Washi Tape City Skyline Card that is perfect for any occasion. You can make this as a stand-alone art piece or use your rainbow washi tape into a darling Washi Tape City Skyline greeting card that will put a big smile on someone’s face....

Nothing beats a good, home cooked pork roast, you have to agree with me! While it may sound like a lot of work, it is actually quite easy to do it. All you have to do is rub your pork meat with olive oil and mix of spices, sear it in a pan for a couple of minutes and pop it in the oven covered with aluminum foil. That easy!...

Muffins: My kids love muffins – I mean, really love them! Even when I adjust the recipe to use whole wheat flour, substitute applesauce for the oil, add shredded veggies – love them! Their favorites are pumpkin, zucchini, and banana. When I make muffins, I always bake a double-batch and put some in the freezer. Then, lunch can sometimes be a muffin, a piece of fruit, and a string cheese....

Supplies for Cupcake Liner Hawaiian Leis: cupcake liners – 12-24 each yarn scissors hole punch optional: straws (to help separate each liner) Fold your liners in half and punch the center of the bottom with your hole punch, only half way. When you unfold the liner, it’s a full circle. We found we could punch 4-5 at a time, much quicker. You’re going to have a lot of these to punch for all the guests to add....

Music and t-shirts are two things we have in abundance at our house. I often hear one of my kids complaining to the other, “You can’t sing that, its my song.” So, I decided to collaborate with them to make t-shirts with lyrics from songs they like. We came up with an image and lyric, and then used a combination of freezer paper stenciling, applique, and embroidery to create one-of-a-kind t-shirts....

Supplies for New Year’s Eve Poppers: 4 inch paper tube – paper towel roll or empty wrapping paper tube scissors and tape wrapping paper – use those leftover pieces from presents curling ribbon candy and confetti I like to cut my paper tube in half. That way, kids can pop the poppers in half or by the ends. Either way works well. Fill your tube with confetti and candy. Try not to stuff it too full or the contents will have a harder time popping out....

Gingerbread Cookies Recipe These Gingerbread Cookies are the best way to start the Holiday Baking Season! The texture is just perfect, soft in the middle and slightly crispier towards the edges. Gingerbread cookies are so much fun and easy to bake and to decorate thanks to these packs full of icing. Telling you, SO much easier and neater! You can create any shapes out of the Gingerbread dough. You can cut side walls for making the perfect gingerbread house, or gingerbread men, or even gingerbread stars....

There are two main factors to consider when picking fabrics for a project: color and scale. Color: Above is a collection I used for a recent quilt. First I picked a balanced variety of colors – especially lights vs darks (or in this case lights vs brights.) Then I picked different shades of the same color. Look at the oranges – they are all part of the same color family, but they are all different shades....

How about making a few Halloween Watercolor Ghosts for a boo-tastic surprise! Tie them up with a bag of candy witch brooms or pumpkin cookie pops! Yum! I’m sharing the step-by-step tutorial over at Eighteen 25 and their Spooktacular Halloween Extravaganza! There are so many fabulous ideas for Halloween in their spooktacular series. Go check them all out! Be sure to see all of our fun family-friendly Halloween craft and recipe ideas....

The God’s Eye is a quintessential summertime project. Whenever I see one it sends me straight back to my childhood summers spent at Camp Roganunda crafting and exploring nature. I love the idea of passing down this tradition to today’s generation. And while we’re at it – why not spice things up a little? Girls will especially love this updated God’s Eye because, let’s face it, we girls like shiny things....

The soup is colorful thanks to the orange sweet potatoes and bright green kale. It is very filling and is great for lunch or dinner. Serve with a salad and/or crusty bread and you are good to go. Warm up this winter with this Sweet Potato Kale Soup. It is a great recipe to start the New Year. This is a healthy delicious soup you’ll be making all season long....

Chicken Pot Pie Recipe: I go to Martha for her pie crust recipe. It is no-fail and so easy. I wish I had a food processor like her to make it even easier, but I do mine by hand and my kids love to help. There is something about making and baking by hand. I always think about what it used to be like when fancy gadgets were not in existence....