Hero Hostess Summer Picnic Fun!

Welcome, welcome to Day 3 of the Hero Hostess Summer Picnic Blog Hop. I hope you've been joining the fun alI week! If you haven't checked in at the Hero Arts Club Blog each morning, you've missed a lot of fun! Be sure to check it out.

If you've been following along in order on today's hop, you should have arrived here from my very talented hostess friend Anita's blog.

And the happy news is that Hero Arts will be awarding prizes from randomly selected comments. For a chance to win, simply comment on any of the stops along the way on any day, including each day's starting post at the Hero Club Blog. If you find a broken link, you can return to the master list at the Hero Arts Club Blog. Please report any broken links to: blog@heroarts.com.

When I think summer, I think flowers!! Very colorful flowers!




I used Hero Arts cling stamp CG 525 Tall Flowers to make this card. I stamped and embossed the flowers on white cardstock. After coloring with Copics, I cut the stamped image in half horizontally, and made room in the middle of the two halves for the polka dotted paper to peek out as well as room for the large sentiment which is from Hero Arts clear set CL380 Truly Appreciated.

When I think of picnics, I think of family get togethers, filled with love and laughter! And when you are cooking for a crowd a batch of Sloppy Joe's is easy to make ahead and simple to serve. Over the years I tried several different recipes but the search was over when I attended a church pot luck and sampled this recipe. I tracked the cook down and this has become a family standard.

Sloppy Joe's:

2 lbs.ground sirloin
1/2 cup celery, diced
1/2 cup green pepper chopped
1 cup onion, diced
2 Tbsp. sugar
2 Tbsp. vinegar
1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
8 oz. can tomato sauce
1 cup catsup

Begin by browning the ground sirloin in a heavy sauce pan. Add in the chopped celery, green pepper and onion. Saute for about 5 minutes. While the meat is browning, mix together the sugar, vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, tomato sauce and catsup. I often add more catsup, to taste. Lower the heat and simmer for about 45 minutes, until the celery is no longer crunchy! Serve on hamburger buns. This recipe will make 10 to 12 sandwiches. You can adjust amounts for serving a larger or smaller group. Enjoy!

I'm the last stop on the Hero Arts Summer Picnic Blog Hop for today. But there will be more hopping to do on Thursday and Friday. Be sure to check in at the Hero Arts Blog Club page to get started tomorrow.

Remember to leave a comment in order to be eligible for a prize! I will be drawing one name for a little gift from me, too.

Little did I know back in 2009 when I was invited to be one of the original Hero Hostesses that it would lead to the many friendships and strong connections among an amazing group of women! Thank you, Hero Arts, for the opportunity to be a part of this very special sorority!! And a big thank you to Deborah Nolan for keeping us organized and on track (and for the wonderful intro each day). Proud to call you sistahs!!