Month: May 2018

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Flowers and Such

The weather is finally acting as it should for the end of May, nearly June. I am sure we all have been busy first cleaning up our yards and then working to beautify them for the Summer. I am very lucky in that my daughters own a riding lawn mower and Sara mows the lawn for me when needed. That leaves me to do the fun, pretty stuff. Somehow, putting that down in print makes me feel bad for Sara. Geesh!

Projects

One of my first projects was to create a flower container out of “a little red wagon” that Sara had won in a drawing. It was filled with all kinds of nice new things but Sara knew that I would really love the wagon and so it came to be mine.

First I drilled holes in the bottom of it for drainage. The wooden sides were all attached except for one. I left it that way so that the flowers could easily be seen. I filled the wagon with soil and went shopping for flowers. Then it was time to decide plant placement for the most pleasing look (that would be the most pleasing to me, lol). I decided to place the wagon to the side of my front steps. See below for the end result. I am pretty happy with it.

I added the flags for Memorial Day.

My next project was to create some flower boxes out of two vintage metal picnic baskets. I do collect them and have several. These two were in colors that were my least favorite and even though I don’t mind wear on my vintage items they had an unusual amount. Those two reasons made it a good decision to paint them and re-purpose as flower boxes. I toyed with the idea of painting them some bright, eye-catching color such as orange, hot pink or sunshine yellow but in the end decided on dark brown which goes with my house colors.

I drilled holes in the bottom of each one, again, for drainage and then filled them with soil. I used wooden dowels to prop the lids open, at an angle, rather than removing the lids. That way I felt they didn’t completely lose their original identity. They now have flowers in them that will hopefully grow and fill out. I may add some low covering plant to fill in but I am not sure yet.

  

Recipes

On Mother’s Day I had all my little chicks over for dinner (except Josh who lives in Ithaca). We had oven roasted turkey, mashed potatoes, corn and for dessert we had banana pudding.

I used to make it the way my Mom did which didn’t used sweetened condensed milk. However, my son, Jess, is a banana pudding efficiendo and had it with the sweetened milk and told me about it. Now, whenever I make it that is the recipe I use.

Banana Pudding (Magnolia Bakery recipe)

1 1/2 cups water

2/3 cup instant vanilla pudding mix

1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk

3 cups heavy cream

1 (12-ounce) box vanilla wafers

4 bananas, sliced

  1. Mix together the water, pudding mix, and sweetened condensed milk until smooth. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours, or overnight, until it sets up.
  2. Whip heavy cream until soft peaks form. Working in thirds, fold the whipped cream into the pudding mixture until well incorporated.
  3. In a trifle bowl, layer vanilla wafers, sliced bananas, and pudding mixture; continue until you’ve used up all the pudding mixture. Refrigerate for at least another 30 minutes before serving.

If you have never tried it this way you really must! It is so delicious and guaranteed to be a crowd pleaser. I always put mine in a clear glass bowl or trifle bowl. You could even make individual ones similar to little parfaits.

I have started making dinner and taking it up to my oldest son’s house after he gets out of work a couple of times a month. It gives us time to catch up and enjoy a meal together. I also miss cooking for people and this gives me another chance to do that. For our last dinner I made baked chicken, macaroni and cheese and baked beans. Below you will find the recipe for the homemade mac and cheese that I did in my Instant Pot.

If you don’t know what an Instant Pot is let me tell you what it can do. Mine has 7 different functions, all of which I have not tried yet. It is a slow cooker, a pressure cooker, rice cooker, yogurt maker, a steamer and you can saute/sear meat and use as a warmer. There are other versions with  less or  more functions. They usually run about $99. I bought mine on sale at Amazon a couple of years ago for $59. I couldn’t resist! So far I have used it as a pressure cooker and a slow cooker. I have also used it to sear meat and as a warmer.

The recipe that follows used the instant pot first as a pressure cooker and then as a warmer.

Instant Pot Mac and Cheese

 a few dashes of hot sauce
1 tbsp brown mustard
1 lb Pasta
4 cups of water
2 tbsp Butter
2 cups of yellow shredded cheddar
1 can of evaporated milk
2 cups of a soft white shredded cheese such as mozzarella or Monterey jack.
4 cups Water
Place the hot sauce, mustard, pasta, butter and water in the pot and set it on high for 4 minutes. It is going to take longer than 4 minutes total because the pressure cooker will take a few minutes to reach temperature before the 4 minutes cook time.
When the cook time is finished release the pressure on the cooker. Then open the pot and if the pasta needs to be drained you may do so. Now, add the evaporated mild and both cheeses a little at a time while stirring to melt and blend. That’s it folks!!! Delicious and creamy.
This recipe is sort of  an amalgamation of several recipes I saw online. You can use really any two cheeses you want but all recipes seem to call for a cheddar and some other milder cheese. you can also use heavy cream or milk in place of the evaporated milk. Also, just a little note about the hot sauce. It doesn’t make it hot at all. I think it just gives it another little layer of flavor.
Tips
1. This handy tip comes from my daughter, Melanie. She had a problem with her vehicle headlights getting all cloudy and consequently not being as bright. She used toothpaste. The toothpaste was a whitening one with peroxide in it. It does take some elbow grease when you’re cleaning them but the results make it worth the effort. You just rub the toothpaste on in a circular motion across the lens. It does dry some as you’re doing it so more does need to be added from time to time while you work. Melanie reports that you can actually see the yellow coming off as you work. When you’re done applying the toothpaste you just use warm water to scrub and rinse it off. She recommends using an old washcloth to scrub. A paper towel seemed to make it harder to scrub.
  The left headlight has been cleaned but the right has not been done yet in this picture.
2.  When you look online at things you might possibly want to purchase websites leave cookies in your internet browser and of course, there is always the history on your browser of where you have been. This is the way they can keep track of your purchasing and browsing habits. Before you actually purchase something make sure that you go to your browser settings and clear your cookies and history. You want to make sure that you are getting the best price there is. If they know you have been contemplating the purchase of an item it may influence the price you are offered.
3. I have some habits that I want to share with you. First, I always leave positive  reviews on Amazon, eBay , etc. when they are deserved. Conversely, if I am not satisfied with a product I will privately contact the business or person that I purchased it from. Negative reviews really do you no good. You get further handling them privately. This idea of contacting people/companies also pertains, in a slightly different sense, to other situations. I want to give you two examples.
a. I needed a 3 foot by 4 foot piece of glass for my dining room table. I called two different glass companies. The first one said it would be $121 plus tax. The second one said it would be $84.50 plus tax. Obviously, I went with the second. When the glass came in a lady called me and told me it was ready and was $141 plus tax. I asked her why I was quoted something totally different. She said she would check into it and get back to me. When she called back she said that she had asked me if I wanted polished edges and neglected to tell me that it was extra. (I had told her when she asked that I just wanted the edges not to be sharp.) She told me that because she had neglected to tell me it was an extra charge that she would split the difference with me. Therefore, I paid $114 plus tax. I was happy with this since it was less than my first quote. Nothing would have happened if I hadn’t questioned it.
b. I received an ad in the mail for a magazine subscription for $10 for the year which was a special deal for first time subscribers. I sent my card back in to claim the deal. In the meantime I received an email for the same magazine with a deal for subscription as well but this one was for $7 for the year. Now, it is only a $3 difference but I took five minutes to email their customer service department about the difference. They did answer me and gave me the $7 price. They were very nice about it.
The moral? Always take a moment to speak up, inquire and/or express your opinion!
4.  My littlest dog, Duffy, was having a problem with his rear right leg buckling on him. I mentioned it to the vet. The doctor told me that he had luxation of the knee cap. This meant that his kneecap or patella was popping out-of-place and going to the inside of his leg. It really broke my heart to see this happen to him. On the suggestion of my friend, Cindy, I looked it up online and in particular if there was any massage or something that I could do to help him. What I found was a simple technique to talk to the dog softly and gently massage his leg. Once he was relaxed I gently pulled his leg out straight. The very first time I did this I heard the patella pop back into place. It was just so easy and amazing! He has been walking very well since and if/when it pops out-of-place again I know what to do.
The moral? Look it up! No matter whether you think it will be out there or not, just try! YouTube has videos about everything! I once was having a problem with a rechargeable battery for my weed whacker and found a YouTube video about the problem and a method to solve it.
Have a wonderful Memorial Day with family and friends!  Please leave a comment if you would like to share something! I would love to hear from you.
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Sunshine Superman

Hello! My title is mainly because of the sun shining so nicely today and it makes you feel good. However, the Superman part is an allusion to something from my past. Anyone my age should remember. If you do please leave a comment!

Before I get started I wanted to explain the timing of my blog posts. First off, I aim for once a week and try for Saturday or Sunday. However, sometimes life gets in the way (more often than I would like) and I am too busy. The second factor is that I aim for approximately 1000 words and this can be difficult to do since it takes some time to collect enough material.  I set that as a goal  because I feel it allows me to share some varied content that, although all of it might not appeal to you, there will be enough that does. The object for me is to make it worth your while to read.  Consequently, I have a hard time sticking to the “once a week on a weekend day” plan. This bothers me because I want to be dependable and there on a regular basis for those of you who tell me you look forward to the posts. I am still working on this and am considering doing twice a month instead. I welcome any thoughts you might have.

I do have some hack to pass on to you today and a couple of recipes. Hope some of the information is of use to you!

Recipes

I have recently started making my own dog food. For those of you who have dogs or know people who do I thought it would be worth sharing. (You can make your own cat food also.)

Making my own dog food came about at the urging of my daughter, Sara, and the desire to give my dogs a better diet that would, hopefully, allow them to be healthier and live longer. After Sara make the suggestion to me I did a lot of research online as to vet approved homemade food. I combined a couple of recipes which overlapped a little as far as ingredients and my dogs seem to really like it. They are small dogs so I give them approximately 1/2 cup twice a day.

Homemade Dog Food

2 pounds ground chicken, turkey or beef

8 ounces broth ( I use vegetable, chicken or beef depending on the meat I use)

8 ounces of water

1 can of low sodium peas and carrots (drained)

1 can of kidney beans (drained and rinsed)

3 eggs (beaten)

2 medium apples (peeled and diced)

1 cup rice (uncooked) or 2 slices of bread broken into small pieces

I put everything in the Crock Pot and cook on low until the rice and meat are cooked thoroughly. The apples and bread completely dissolve in the mixture. You may have to add a little more broth and water if the mixture becomes too thick. In the dog food I have used drained mixed vegetables which is nice because they do like the green beans but I always pull out the potatoes. The dogs don’t like them and they don’t need that starch. I never use corn. It only adds starch and is not easily digested. In place of the kidney beans I have used cannellini beans and the dogs like them just as well.

Now, on to human delights!

Soft Oatmeal Raisin Cookies (from Sprinkle Some Sugar)

1 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
3 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
1 tsp baking soda
2 tsp cornstarch
pinch salt
2 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp nutmeg
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 cup light brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 large egg yolk
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 tbsp molasses
1 cup raisins

 

Mix dry ingredients in a medium bowl and set aside. Combine the butter and both sugars with a mixer until light and fluffy.  To this mixture add the vanilla and molasses. Now, add the eggs and thoroughly combine. With the mixer on low add the dry ingredients a little at a time. Once they are incorporated add your raisins. Chill your dough for 30 to 60 minutes.

Line your cookie sheets with parchment paper and preheat your oven to 350 degrees. When dough is chilled using your hands roll balls of approximately 2 Tablespoons of dough. ( I probably used more. I make everything bigger!) Place them on the prepared pans at least 2 inches a part. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes.

* Notes: I was out of cornstarch and I looked up what to substitute. You can sub flour or instant mashed potatoes.  I chose the flour.

I divided my dough in half and used raisins in one half and Craisins in the other. I loved them both but must say that the Craisins edged out the raisins just a little bit!

As I have said in the past, I always check my baking items early at least the first time I make them. I set my timer for 8 minutes. They were not done so I let them bake for 2 more minutes and they were perfect. At least in my oven, 12 minutes would have been way too long.

 Before  After

Hacks

  • My niece, Nicole, uses a natural fruit wash that she wanted to share. Fill your sink with water, add 1 cup of vinegar and stir well. Add all of your fruit and soak or 10 minutes. You can even use this for berries. The water will be dirty but your fruit will sparkle. This helps your fruit last longer as well. Thanks, Nicole!
  • When you have a meal outside sometimes (for me, often) you struggle with keeping any table covering from blowing around which is super annoying. I have discovered that if you use a twin bed fitted sheet on your table the fitted corners keep that from happening. This works for most tables.

  

  • You know how you can get those pesky weeds growing up between sidewalks? You can use apple cider vinegar on them and they turn brown and die! I put my vinegar in a spray bottle (of which I always keep one or two under my sink for use with various hacks) and spray those little buggers!
  • One spring/summer I had a little mama garter snake that lived under my porch and nurtured her babies there. I know everything is just struggling to live and get by in this world but snakes give me the creeps and I just wanted her to go live her life somewhere else. Besides, my dog, Rudy, wanted to play with them! I kept trying to picture how I would get one of them out of his mouth if I had to. I never came up with a plan so the snakes really had to go! So, here I go with a spray bottle again (I told you they come in handy) but this time it is filled with ammonia. Turns out that ammonia is a cheap and easy snake repellent. They find elsewhere to live because they don’t like the smell. No one gets hurt and I lose the snakes! WIN
  • Recently, I have been making fruit infused water in my never ending quest to add more water to my days. I have tried grapes (cut them first), cantaloupe, watermelon, cucumber, and strawberries. The strawberries are by far the best in adding flavor to the water. I have it today and it is only lunch time and I have almost fulfilled my water quota!

Have a great week! Hope you enjoyed this post.

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