Lindsay, Author at Laughing Lindsay

Pigeon Forge Titanic Museum Attraction Christmas Decorations

November 30, 2012 By Lindsay 1 Comment

As you know, I love it when I get to feature the Titanic Museum Attraction. It seems like they are always coming up with something new to display that makes me want to go back and visit. Just in time for holiday season, the Titanic Museum Attraction in Pigeon Forge has been decorated for Christmas! That’s right, they have put up greenery, lights, and Christmas trees around the museum! I was able to take a tour of the newly decorated attraction a week ago and was very pleased with it.

Titanic Museum Attraction Christmas

For starters, the outside of the ship is decorated. The light poles have ribbon bows and greenery wrapped around them. Then, there are wreaths on the outside of the museum. Additionally, there is the huge pile of gift boxes (pictured above) outside in front of the bow of the ship. It is perfect for taking pictures with. There’s even a little spot for you to sit down and do so. I love that the packages even say “Titanic” on them so you know where you were when you took the picture.

Christmas Inside the Ship

The inside of the museum is decked-out, too. They have strategically placed decor around the museum so that you are reminded that it’s almost Christmas without it being over the top. For instance, my boyfriend liked that the bags of mail had bows on them. He suggested that kids had written letters to Santa that were being mailed. Additionally, the suites are decorated, too. The second class passenger room had some neat little things while the first class suite had a full size Christmas tree in it.

They also managed to make the grand staircase look even more beautiful. There are two Christmas trees at the bottom of it. Then, there’s pretty greenery and red bows on the staircase. This also means that when you have your picture taken, the background of the grand staircase includes the pretty Christmas scenery. It’s a really nice touch to complete the overall Christmas takeover of the museum.

Vising the museum was the perfect way to kick-off the holiday season. All of the pretty decor definitely helped get me into a more cheery mood. Now, I want to decorate my home for the holidays. So, will you be visiting the Titanic Museum Attraction this holiday season?

Disclosure: I received free passes to the museum. No compensation was received. The opinions expressed are my own.

What To Do With Leftover Turkey After Thanksgiving

November 21, 2012 By Lindsay Leave a Comment

If you are like my family, then you usually have a good bit of food leftover from the big meal. So, I thought it would be the perfect time to share a few recipes from Jennie-O to help you use up the rest of the leftover turkey while making it delicious again!

Leftover Turkey Recipes

JENNIE-O Pulled Turkey BBQ Sandwich

A delicious sandwich you can make with Thanksgiving leftover turkey.

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Cook Time 5

Total Time 5

Course Main

Cuisine American

Servings 6

Ingredients

About 18 oz. of leftover JENNIE-O Turkey
1 cup low-sodium barbeque sauce
6 buns split
1/2 cup coleslaw

Instructions

Combine turkey and barbeque sauce in slow cooker. Cook on HIGH 3 hours or LOW 6 hours. Always cook turkey to well-done, 165°F as measured by a meat thermometer.
Remove turkey from slow cooker. Reserve 1/4 cup sauce mixture. Shred turkey with fork.
Top bottom half of bun with turkey mixture. Drizzle with reserved sauce. Add coleslaw. Cover with bun top.

Keyword BBQ, Turkey

Jennie-O Mediterranean Pizza

Makes six servings

Ingredients:

4 cloves garlic, minced
About 18 oz. leftover JENNIE-O turkey cut into strips
1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary leaves, crushed
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 (12 inch) pre-baked thin pizza crust
2 large ripe tomatoes, or 4 Roma tomatoes, thinly sliced
1/4 cup ripe olives, pitted and halved
3/4 cup feta cheese, crumbled
1/4 cup basil leaves, thinly sliced

Directions:

Heat oven to 450ºF.
Coat a large skillet with cooking spray. Heat over medium-high heat; add garlic; cook 1 minute. Add turkey strips; sprinkle with rosemary, salt, and red pepper flakes. Stir fry 3-5 minutes or until turkey is well-done, 165°F as measured by a meat thermometer.
Place pizza crust on a large cookie sheet; top with tomatoes, cooked turkey mixture, olives, and cheese. Bake about 10 minutes or until crust is golden brown. Sprinkle with basil leaves; cut into wedges.

Chipotle Turkey Chili

Makes six servings

Ingredients:

1 teaspoon vegetable oil
About 20 oz. leftover JENNIE-O turkey chopped into small chunks
1 tablespoon chili powder
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 (14-ounce) can corn kernels, drained
1 (15-ounce) can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
1 cup chicken broth
1 (7-ounce) can chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, chopped, plus 1 teaspoon sauce
1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Directions

In large skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add turkey, chili powder and garlic. Cook the turkey as specified on the package. Always cook to well-done, 165°F as measured by a meat thermometer.
Add corn, beans, broth, chipotle peppers and adobo sauce. Reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer uncovered 15 to 20 minutes or until thickened, stirring occasionally. Stir in cilantro.

So, what do you think of these recipes? Let me know if you try any of them in the comments.

Disclosure: I received nothing for this post.

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies Recipe

November 20, 2012 By Lindsay 3 Comments

I am so excited that in a little over a week, I will be attending Mixed Conference. I can’t wait to learn more tips for baking as well as interact with the fabulous people (and brands) that will be in attendance. One of the big sponsors is OXO. As such, they are encouraging everyone to post their favorite cookie recipe to correspond with their OXO Good Cookies initiative. I’m sharing my mom’s peanut butter chocolate chip cookie recipe!

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

When I think of Christmas baking, I think of baking cookies with my mom. We used to always bake sugar cookies and my favorite, peanut butter cookies on Christmas Eve. I decided to spice things up a little for this post and add a little chocolate. So, I’m sharing with you our Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies recipe, which contains lots of peanut butter and a good amount of chocolate chips too!

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

Delicious, really peanut buttery peanut butter with chocolate chip cookies.

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Prep Time 10

Cook Time 9

Total Time 19

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Servings 2 -3 dozen

Ingredients

1 cup peanut butter
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/4 cups flour
1 cup chocolate chips

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
Combine the peanut butter and butter. Then, add in the sugars, baking soda, and salt, mixing until combined.
Beat in the egg and vanilla. Then, add the flour a little at a time. Mix together and then add the chocolate chips.
Form the dough into balls and place onto a cookie sheet. You can flatten the cookies and create a crisscross pattern using a fork (my mom always did). Dip the fork into sugar in between cookies.
Bake for 8 to 12 minutes, depending on how big the cookies are.
Remove cookies from oven and cool.

Keyword Chocolate, Cookies, Peanut Butter

This recipe makes between 2-3 dozen cookies. I tend to make big cookies which means less cookies and more baking time. However, some people like my mom make them smaller and they require less baking time. As with any recipe, I recommend keeping an eye on the first batch of cookies to ensure they don’t burn.

So, there you have it. My Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies recipe. What do you think of them? Please let me know if you decide to make them.

Disclosure: Posting this recipe enters me into a contest for OXO for Mixed. attendees. No compensation was received. The opinions expressed are my own.

Taste of Home Best Loved Recipes Pumpkin Cupcake Recipe

September 15, 2012 By Lindsay 2 Comments

Taste of Home: Best Loved Recipes

You know that I love to bake and I can’t turn down a great recipe book. That’s why I was so excited to receive the new book Taste of Home Best Loved Recipes and to share the pumpkin cupcake recipe from it! It came out this week and it has 1,485 recipes! Wow! My copy is really heavy and big (928 pages) because it is chock-full of recipes. Plus, since they are from the #1 food and entertaining magazine (Taste of Home), you know they are good.

I am so impressed with this collection. The hardback cover makes me feel better about lugging it around the kitchen and leaving it open to cook by. Then, it also has a very nice ribbon bookmark attached to it that I can use to save my spot or to mark a recipe for later. I was surprised to see so many different categories of food present in this book. Alphabetized, there’s everything you could want from appetizers to soups.

Plus, this book was put together to showcase the best of the best recipes they have. So, each and every recipe is detailed and the end result is tasty. They even include user comments about the recipes throughout the book. Each recipe includes the year it was published, a quote from the submitter, cook and prep time as well as how many it makes. Then, it provides an entire list of ingredients followed by nice and clearly written instructions. How much easier can it get?

Pumpkin Cupcake Recipe

Let me share a recipe from the book with you. It’s for Pumpkin Cupcakes. Take a look!

A unique mix of pineapple and pumpkin creates a cupcake with mouthwatering flavor.
— Mary Relyea, Canastota, New York

Taste of Home Pumpkin Cupcakes

Excerpted from Taste of Home: Best Loved Recipes: 1485 Favorites from the World's #1 Food & Entertaining Magazine by Taste of Home

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Prep Time 30

Cook Time 20

Total Time 50

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Servings 16

Ingredients

2/3 cup shortening
2 eggs
¾ cup maple syrup
½ cup 2% milk
1-½ cups all-purpose flour
1-¼ teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon ground ginger
½ teaspoon ground allspice
1 cup canned pumpkin
1 can 8 ounces crushed pineapple, drained
1 package 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
¼ cup butter softened
1-½ cups confectioners' sugar

Instructions

In a large bowl, beat shortening until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition (mixture will appear curdled). Beat in syrup and milk. Combine the flour, baking powder, salt, baking soda, ginger and allspice; add to shortening mixture and beat just until moistened. Stir in pumpkin and pineapple.
Fill paper-lined muffin cups two-thirds full. Bake at 350° for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pans to a wire rack to cool completely.
For frosting, in a small bowl, beat the cream cheese and butter until fluffy. Add confectioners' sugar; beat until smooth. Frost cupcakes.

Keyword Cupcakes, Pumpkin

Do you see why I love this book so much? There’s something for everyone in it. If you make the pumpkin cupcakes, let me know how they turn out.

Disclosure: I received a copy of the book. No compensation was received. The opinions expressed are my own.

Vera Bradley Va Va Bloom Go Round Tote Bag Review

August 24, 2012 By Lindsay 5 Comments

Last summer I was able to do a Viva la Vera Bradley Review. As you know, I have been looking for a great teacher bag. Even if I end up substituting (which it looks like I’m going to be doing), I need a good bag to carry my stuff around in. So, I reached out to Vera Bradley again in hopes of finding a beautiful one. I’m happy to report that I did.

I was sent the wonderful Go Round Tote in Va Va Bloom. This awesome bag has many wonderful pockets. The outside has two pockets on each side. Then, it has two pockets on the side that reach around the entire bag. That’s two medium sized pockets and two extra large pockets on the sides! Those pockets are perfect for storing a cell phone, keys, id, pencils and pens. It could also carry a camera or planner. Then, the inside features three smaller pockets to store stuff. I do wish it contained one zippered pocket though to conceal my stuff.

Plus, the bag itself is a great, roomy size at 13¼” x 14¼” x 4¼”. I was actually able to fit a pair of dress shoes, socks, dress pants, a dressy shirt, suit jacket and my external hard drive into it one day for a last minute interview! It still had room! I have no doubt it will be able to handle all of my teacher papers and books. I love that the top zips close. It has a breakaway zip closure so the zipper is not in the way when I need to make something big fit into it. However, that does mean that it requires two hands to close it. I guess it can’t be perfect.

I love the look of this bag. The colors of the Va Va Bloom pattern are bright and bold. I think almost every color can be found in it. I like that because that means it can match every outfit I wear without me trying. Plus, the colors can brighten up a groggy morning and get me going. It is a pattern you would expect from Vera Bradley for sure.

Once again, I am very impressed with Vera Bradley. I can’t wait to see what they come out with next. I just love all of the things I have from the brand and want more. They might even make my Christmas/birthday wishlist. So, what do you think of this tote?

Disclosure: I received a free Vera Bradley Va Va Bloom Go Round Tote. No compensation was received. The opinions expressed are my own.