Hope SPRINGS Eternal

There is possible snow in our future in my neck of the woods but I am still hopeful that actual Spring will arrive soon. I see evidence of it with the budding trees, the daffodils and snowbells poking up. I remain optomistic!

I have quite a few things for you in this post. Here’s hoping that you find some things of interest and try them out. Let’s get into it!

Recipes

Pizza Monkey Bread (reffors.com)

• 2 cans (16.3 oz each) of refrigerated biscuits, quartered
• 6 oz pepperoni, quartered
• 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1/2 cup shredded or grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/4 cup melted butter, cooled slightly
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
• 2 teaspoons minced garlic (or 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder)
• Marinara sauce, for dipping

1. Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Get it nice and hot before the action begins!
2. Mix it up: In a large mixing bowl, combine the quartered biscuits, pepperoni, mozzarella, Parmesan, butter, olive oil, Italian seasoning, and garlic. Toss everything together until well-coated and ready to mingle.
3. Prepare the pan: Grease a 10-inch Bundt pan thoroughly. If you prefer a traditional approach, a 9×13-inch baking dish also works wonderfully.
4. Bake the beauty: Transfer your prepared mixture into the greased pan, spreading it out evenly. Slide it into the oven and bake for about 35-45 minutes. To prevent over-browning, cover the pan with aluminum foil after the first 20 minutes. Keep an eye on it as it bakes, checking periodically in the last few minutes to ensure it’s done just right.
5. Serve it up: Once baked, remove the bread from the oven. Run a knife around the edges to loosen them slightly. Carefully invert the pan onto a plate, then flip it again onto a serving plate so the top side is up.
6. Enjoy: Pull apart the gooey, cheesy bread and dip each piece into warm marinara sauce. Delight in each bite!

*This was delish! What a great appetizer.

Mashed Potato Sundaes

I made this for some friends and it was a hit. You simply make mashed potatoes, beef and beef gravy. When you assemble your “sundae” you put 3 scoops of mashed potatoes, top with beef and gravy. Then add shredded cheddar (or cheese of your choice) and top with a cherry tomato which is standing in for the cherry. It was so cute and tasty!

Wafer Cookies Dipped in Chocolate

I constructed these as a little addition to a recent bake sale. You just purchase some wafer cookies, dip them in melted chocolate and top with some sprinkles. I always melt my chocolate or almond bark in the microwave in one minute increments. You don’t want to over heat the chocolate because it will get grainy.

Monte Cristo Sandwiches

12 slices of bread (I used white) 6 slices of cheddar cheese 6 slices of mozzerella cheese 6 slices of ham 2 c. shredded mozzerella 2 eggs 1/2 c. milk salt to taste

First you assemble your sandwiches with the ham in between the two slices of cheese. Next you whisk together your eggs, salt and milk. Dip each sandwich in the egg mixture. Do both sides. Place the sandwiches in a greased 9X13 pan and top liberally with shredded mozzerella. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes and enjoy!

Corn Casserole (adventuresofmel.com)

• 8 ounces cream cheese
• ▢1 cup heavy whipping cream
• ▢4 tablespoons salted butter
• ▢1 teaspoon cane sugar
• ▢1 tablespoon sour cream
• ▢6 slices bacon cooked and crumbled
• ▢3 green onions minced
• ▢32 ounces frozen corn
• ▢1/2 box JIFFY Corn Muffin Mix
• ▢1 teaspoon salt
• ▢1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• ▢1/2 cup cheddar cheese shredded
• ▢1/2 cup Colby Jack cheese shredded

• Pre-heat the oven to 325° F.
• In a medium saucepan, add the cream cheese, heavy whipping cream, salted butter, sugar, and sour cream.
• Cook the mixture on low heat until the cream cheese is fully melted. Constantly stir to keep the mixture from scorching.
• In a large mixing bowl, mix together the cream cheese mixture, crumbled bacon, minced green onions, frozen corn, JIFFY Corn Muffin Mix (1/2 a box), salt, and pepper.
• Grease a 9×13 baking dish with cooking spray.
• Pour the casserole mixture into the baking dish, making sure it’s evenly spread throughout the dish.
• Bake at 325° F for about 55 minutes, or until the mixture is set.
• Add the shredded cheese to the top of the casserole, and bake an additional 10 minutes.
• Serve while warm and enjoy! 

Craftiness!

St. Patrick’s Day Wreath

To make this wreath you need a 12 inch hoop or ring. You select the fabrics you want to use. I picked a yard each of three different ones but you can do as many as you like. I cut the fabric roughly into 7 in. by 1.5 in. pieces. Then you simply tie your fabric strips to the hoop. You can hang your wreath by the hoop or create a hanger with a loop of ribbon.

St. Patrick’s Gnome

I made this with Dollar Tree items. The hat I had left from a previous project. I purchased the car wahing mitt for the beard. What I wanted to use for the legs the Dollar Tree was out of. They were wooden leprechaun legs. Instead I used DT socks. For the nose you can use a wooden ball or pompom or a cotten ball. I hot glued all items together. The hat already had a ribbon loop on the back to hang it with but you could easily make one. (The hat was part of a DT decoration that was strung together. The hat was the top. Then come a Happy St. Patrick’s Day sign and finally leprechaun legs with feet. I had the hat left from something I made last year.

Dressed up Dollar Tree Bunnies

The bunnies have no clothes when you purchase them. I simply cut fabric to make a dress and a vest. I hot glued a button on the vest, gave the girl bunny some seeds and the boy bunny a carrot. The final touch was a little bow for the girl!

Mason Jar Bunny

For this project you need something to make the ears out of. I used tan and pink felt. You need a jar and a styrofoam ball being careful to make sure the sizes of each fit together well. I made the top hat out of a portion of a paper towel roll and some other cardboard for th brim. Both pieces were covered with felt. Additionally you need paint or other items to create you face. I used pink felt for the nose, black marker for the eyes, pink paint for the mouth, black floral wire for the whiskers and I had some little foam balls in pastel colors so I cut one pink one in half to create cheeks.

First you fill you jar with some Easter grass and whatever other little decor you want. The next step is to paint your styrofoam ball with a glitter coat. You don’t have to do this but it did add a little something. Once the ball is dry you glue it to the open top of your jar with the ring screwed on (don’t use the lid to the jar). From there I created my hat using hot glue and then hot glued it on styrofoam ball. I gave the bunny his face. The floral wire is just poked into the foam. The rest of the face was painted or hot glued on. Finally, I added the bow to hide the Mason jar ring.

Easter Egg Wreath

Some friends and I made these wreaths. They were easy to do. You can use an Egg Wreath form from DT or just trace one on thick cardboard. You simply glue the eggs on until you are happy with the way they look and not much of the cardboard can be seen. The Easter grass is tucked into the spots where some cardboard can be seen. We did not create a hanger for this wreath as we just hung it from the top inside of the form. Easy and cute!!!

Hacks

*I love to use my Crockpot and these charts help convert anything to a Crockpot recipe.

*You can make your own foaming hand soap. It’s cheaper. Save a foaming soap container that you purchased. Then simply refill using one part liquid hand soap and four parts water.

*Clean your microwave in a snap. Cut a lemon in half. Place the half in a bowl of water and heat in the microwave for a few minutes. The steam will loosen all food particles and make easy to wipe out. The bonus is the lemon makes your microwave smell fresh and clean.

*Do you want your drink to chill but don’t want it to be watered down when the ice melts? Freeze grapes and use them as ice cubes. They won’t water your drink down and make a sweet treat as they thaw. This is good for wine, juice, and even water.

*Use Mason jars for storage. Make your salads ahead of time by layering them in the jar. Put the dressing in the bottom and greens at the top. When you’re ready to eat your salad just turn the jar upside down and shake. Eat!

*When hosting a BBQ or picnic this summer use a muffin tin to serve condiments. Onions in one cup, catsup in one, mustard in one………………..you get the idea!

I hope you enjoyed this post! Let me know in the comments if you tried any of the recipes, crafts or hacks. See you next time! Happy Easter!