Did You Miss Me?

Its been longer than a month since I last posted but its been a busy time. Now, is the time for us to catch up! Buckle up! There’s a lot of stuff in this post. Believe it or not, I held some for my next post. Whew!

Recipes

Peep Rice Krispie Treats

20 Peeps (any color, or mixed) 4 cups Rice Krispies 6 Tablespoons of butter

Heat oven to 375 degrees and spray a 9” X 13” pan. Line up the Peeps on the bottom of the pan. Then pour in the dry cereal covering the Peeps. Last slice the butter into thin pats and place over the cereal. Bake for 8 minutes and remove from oven. Stir entire contents of pan together until thoroughly mixed. Allow to set and you have your Peeps Rice Krispie Treats. The kids love them! Well, if I’m being honest, adults do too!

Cubans on a Stick

If you need a cute little appetizer for a get together you should try this. It’s easy and tasty.

8 oz. block of Swiss cheese 8 oz. sliced ham 16 oz. jar of dill cocktail pickles toothpicks

Cut small cubes of cheese and thin strips of ham. cut the pickles in half. Put one of each on a toothpick.

For a dipping sauce use;

1/3 cup Dijon mustard 1/3 cup mayo 1/4 teaspoon onion powder pinch of salt 3 Tablespoons honey (optional)

Overnight Crockpot Steel Cut Oats

1 cup steel cut oats 4 cups water dash of salt if desired

Place in crockpot and cook while you sleep on low. You may also add flavorings like maple syrup, vanilla or fruit. It makes quite a bit but I place my leftovers in a sealed container in the refrigerator. They keep for a week.

Veggie Enchilada Bake (aberdeens.kitchen.com)

• 24-28 corn tortillas
• 3 ½ cups red enchilada sauce
• 1 tablespoon El Pato or your favorite Jalapeño sauce
• 1 red bell pepper, diced
• 1 green bell pepper diced
• 1 ½ cups sweet yellow corn kernels, cooked
• 2 15 oz can black beans, rinsed and drained
• 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese and monterey jack cheese blend
• Fresh cilantro, diced for garnish
• Green onion, thinly sliced for garnish

1. Preheat oven to 375˚F. Grease a 9X13 casserole dish and set aside.
2. Combine enchilada sauce and El Pato in a bowl until fully mixed.
3. Spread about ½ a cup on the bottom of the pan.
4. Lay 6-8 tortillas on the bottom of the pan (overlapping is fine).
5. Spread about 1 cup of the mixed sauce onto the tortillas, fully coating them.
6. Sprinkle half the beans, half the corn, and half the of the bell pepper on top of the sauced tortillas and top with a third of the cheese blend.
7. Repeat the layering process starting again with the tortillas, then add sauce, then the rest of the beans, bell pepper, corn, and another third of the cheese.
8. Top this second layer with another 8 tortillas. Coat with the remaining sauce and sprinkle the rest of the cheese on top.
9. Place in the middle rack of the oven for 45 – 55 minutes, until the sauce is bubbling, cheese is melted and the middle is cooked through.
10. Let cool for about 5 minutes. Sprinkle with fresh cilantro and serve immediately.

This was absolutely delicious and you didn’t miss having meat in it at all! I don’t like cilantro so I didn’t use it.

Veggie Loaf (octoberfarm.blogspot.com)

• ½ cup brown rice, dry
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 large yellow onion, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 celery ribs, chopped
• Kosher salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 10 ounces crimini mushrooms, stems removed, sliced thin
• 1 tablespoons fresh tarragon, chopped
• 6 ounces fresh spinach
• 3 ounces sun dried tomatoes, chopped
• 4 eggs, whisked
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 2 tablespoons vegetable broth

1. Preheat oven to 400F.
2. Cook rice according to package instructions. Set aside.
3. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium high heat. Add onions and cook until translucent. Stir in garlic and celery and season with salt and pepper. Cook until vegetables are soft, about 5 minutes.
4. Add in mushrooms and tarragon and cook until mushrooms release their juices and the liquid evaporates, about 5 more minutes. Add in spinach and cook until wilted. Stir in sun dried tomatoes, then remove from heat and let cool slightly.
5. In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, mustard, and broth. Add in vegetable mixture and rice and stir to combine.
6. Generously grease a loaf pan with olive oil. Pour in vegetable mixture and smooth to flat with a spatula. Bake for 40-45 minutes, until edges are nicely browned. Let cool slightly, then run a knife along edges and flip onto platter.

When I started preparing this I realized that what I had was roasted red peppers and not tomatoes. I used them anyway and it was fine. You have to be able to adapt!

Tortilla Toaster Sandwich (sbs.com.au)

I saw this on Tik Tok. There are many versions of it. You can fill it with whatever you like. It is delish! Watch the video below for the how to.

https://www.sbs.com.au/food/sites/sbs.com.au.food/files/styles/body_image/public/hnet-image_3.gif?itok=7YC-E7Sd&mtime=1596511742

Make sure to check out recipes on Tik To! They are usually so creative and easy!

For the Furry Ones

Dog Biscuits

14 oz. jar of baby food 1 cup flour

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix both ingredients thoroughly. Add more flour if needed until it is no longer sticky. Roll out your dough on a floured surface. Cut them into whatever shape and size you want. Bake for 24 minutes.

Store in paper sack. you can use a lot of different flavors of baby food. i used sweet potatoes but you can also use apple, banana, squash, carrots, peas, green beans, berries, just to name a few.

Sweet Potato Dog Chews

Using 2 whole sweet potatoes cut them into 1/4 inch slices lengthwise. Toss them in olive oil and cinnamon. Lay on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper.

Bake at y 250 degrees for 2.5 to 3 hours. Store in paper sack.

Hacks

*No more struggling with tweezers to get a splinter out! Sometimes digging for a splinter with tweezers causes more pain. If the tip of the splinter is sticking out, cut a piece of duct tape and place it on the area, securely. Pull off quickly and the splinter should be on the tape.

*Why dirty more dishes than you need to? If mixing up a box mix or even your own recipe for say, brownies, spray your pan and then put all ingredients in the pan and mix. Saves the extra mixing bowl and works just as well.

*Soak potatoes in cold water before cooking. You will have fluffier, nicer textured potatoes. The water helps remove excess starch which can make potatoes gummy or sticky. You can soak as little or as long as you like up to 24 hours. I started doing this years ago on the day before Thanksgiving. It helps getting some of the prep out of the way too!

*Have you ever scorched a pan and felt like you needed a hammer and chisel to get the burned stuff off? Just place a fabric softener sheet in the bottom, add some dish soap and fill with hot water to cover the burned area. Allow to soak. It should be much easier to get off.

Craftiness Abounds!

Bottle Bunny

Friends saved me wine bottles and I made bunnies. I painted the bottles. It took two coats. Then I fashioned ears from burlap that I added some pink paint to. They then were glued on and I made a messy bow to hide the base of the ears. The face was painted on using paint markers. I made several colors.

Giant Egg

I had a large wooden egg that my cousin gave me. I decoupaged easter napkins (only the top printed ply) onto the eggs after I painted the egg white. I fashioned a hanger with a popsicle stick and jute which I hot glued to the back side. A messy bow went on top and I used a wooden bunny cutout, which I painted pink, on the bottom. Both items were hot glued on. I made a nice, festive door decor.

Sink Shelf

I had wanted a shelf for over my kitchen sink. I looked at them and then saw how expensive they were. I decided to make my own. I bought a piece of wood from Home Depot. Cut it to the length I needed for my sink and sanded it. I purchased drawer handles at Home Depot as well. After marking the correct places and drilling guide holes I attached the handles. Finally, I used food grade oil for wood to coat it.

Bunny Candlesticks

A friend and I painted the foam dice from Dollar Tree. I used white but you could do any color you like. I used paint markers to make the face. For the ears I used craft foam and fabric glued to the inner part. Using a X-acto knife I cut a little slit in the dice to slip the ears into the foam. Jute was used to make the bow and I added a button as an embellishment. Some of the bunnies I left as they were and these two I hot glued them to the tops of milk glass vases I had kicking around.

Easter Center Piece

I saw this idea on Pinterest and tried it out. First I put jelly beans in the bottom of a large vase. I thin put a small vase in the center on top of the jelly beans. Around the smaller vase I arrange Peeps bunnies and then made an arrangement with flowers, greenery and eggs. I am not a super adept flower arranger but it got compliments.

Carrot Door Hanging

My crafty friend and I each made carrot wall hangings. We cut out the carrot shape from cardboard and painted it orange. On top of mine I wrapped orange burlap ribbon and hot glued it to the back to anchor it. We had greenery from Dollar Tree that we hot glued to the back for the carrot tops. I used tulle ribbon to make a bow that I attached near the top. As I usually do, I fashioned a hanger from jute and a popsicle stick that was hot glued in place.

Bunny Wreath

This wreath was soooo easy! I had fluffy white yarn that I tied in place and wrapped around the entire wreath form. From Dollar Tree (I mean, what other store!) I bought a bunny ears headband. I cut the ears off and hot glued them to the back top of the wreath. My crafty friend, Shelly, had ordered bunny feet and was generous to give me a couple. I hot glued them on and there you have it!

Cinco de Mayo Wreath

By now you must know that I decorate for any holiday that comes down the pike. That’s just me. I can’t really help it!

I used a foam wreath form that I wrapped with burlap ribbon just in case any of the form would show through. I made a ribbon loop around the top to act as a hanger. To decorate the wreath I used cupcake liners and flower blossoms in bright colors. Cinco is festive! Lastly, I used long ribbon streamers which I glued to the back, bottom of the wreath. I really loved this project as I loved the colors!