Monsoons?

As you might surmise from my title, we have been getting some rain lately. I don’t wish to not have any rain at all but a little better ration in the rain/sunshine ratio would be nice. In any case, my yard loves it (my mower does not).

Let’s get right down to business this month. I have some things that I hope will be of use.

Hackin’ in the Rain

• If you have broken something glass it is always difficult to get it all up from the floor and can be downright scary if you have pets, children or go barefoot. I have recently stumbled on a solution. Take a slice of soft bread and press it on the floor like a stamp to pick up all the tiny shards. It really works!
• If you would like to try a little twist on your traditional meatloaf recipe add the croutons from a stuffing mix instead of your bread or cracker crumbs. Then proceed normally. It gives the meatloaf a nice flavor and is just good for a change of pace.
• I don’t know about you but I have always struggled with grilling burgers. It seems that I always start a fire! It makes me nervous and I feel like a novice! Recently I have started doing what my Mom did forever and wrapping my burgers in foil to grill them. I season them with salt and pepper and add a slice of onion if I want it, wrap them up in little packets and toss on the grill. You still get a nice flavor. You don’t start fires and it seems quicker and juicier to me. A win/win!
• I just want to add in here a little reminder about the flashfood app. I am continuing to use it and really recommend that you give it a try. Here is a link that you can start with the app and save $5 on your first purchase. https://flashfood.app.link/pG2ylLdayhb
• You can add two eggs and a half cup of oil to any cake mix to make a cookie dough.
• If your shoes smell bad you can put them in a plastic bag and place them in the freezer overnight. The cold will kill the bacteria.

Slip, Slidin’ in the Kitchen (tastesbetterfromscratch.com)

Tomato Pie
5 roma tomatoes , peeled and sliced

▢10 fresh basil leaves , chopped

▢1/2 cup green onion (or red onion), chopped

▢1 9-inch pre-baked pie crust

▢1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

▢1 cup freshly shredded cheddar cheese

▢3/4 cup mayonnaise (or half mayo, half Greek yogurt)

▢2 Tablespoons freshly grated parmesan cheese

salt and freshly ground black pepper

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
• Place the tomatoes in a colander in the sink in a single layer. Sprinkle with salt and allow them to rest for 10 minutes.
• Use a paper towel to pat-dry the tomatoes and make sure most of the excess juice is out. (You don’t want wet (juicy) tomatoes or your pie will turn out soggy).
• Layer the tomato slices, basil, and onion in pre-baked pie shell (see my note above in the post about how I prepare the pie crust.) Season with salt and pepper. 
• Combine the grated cheeses and mayonnaise or Greek yogurt together. 
• Spread mixture on top of the tomatoes and sprinkle parmesan cheese on top. 
• Bake for 30 minutes or until lightly browned. Allow to rest for at least 15 minutes before cutting and serving.

I tried this for the first time when I had my vegetarian friend for dinner. We both enjoyed and I definitely will make it again! It will certainly get done when our local tomatoes are ready. I would love to try beefsteak tomatoes in the recipe as well.

Potato Soup Mix in a Jar (themakeyourownzone.com)

• 1-3/4 cups Instant Potato Flakes
• 1-1/2 cups Instant Dry Milk Powder
• 3 tsp Chicken Bouillon Powder
• 2 tsp Dried Minced Onion
• 1/2 tsp Celery Salt
• 1/4 tsp White Pepper
• 1/4 tsp Dried Thyme
• 1/8 tsp Turmeric
• 1 tsp Dried Parsley Flakes
• 1 Tbl Dried Chives

• Stir together all the ingredients.
• Place the mixture into a food processor and process until the mixture is more powdery.
• Store the mixture in a jar with a tight fitting lid.
• To make the soup: Boil one cup of water and then stir in 1/4 cup of the soup mix.

This is definitely happening in my house for Fall and Winter use. I guess I better order some jars! I am going to research other flavors of soup to stock my pantry with. Stay tuned!

Splashing the Crafts!

My outdoor furniture needed new cushions but oh my, have you checked the prices of those things?! You might as well buy a new furniture set in its entirety! I decided to make slipcovers instead. I was shopping online looking for outdoor fabric and found a really fun pattern at Walmart that was on sale for $3.86 a yard. That is a good price for outdoor material! I purchased 5 yards. I made the covers like pillow cases so they could easily be taken off and washed. While using I just tuck the ends in like an envelope. It works perfectly. I couldn’t find material at a reasonable price to cover my pillows. Since the furniture cushions themselves are rather busy, I wanted a solid fabric that would compliment them. Since I couldn’t find the material I wanted I order green pillow covers. They haven’t come in yet but I am sure they will look nice when they do.

You know how I adore the Dollar Tree store! My next project utilized materials entirely purchased at DT!

I used one foam wreath form, flip flops (child size), burlap ribbon, three coordinating flower blossoms and a flamingo ornament. I simply wrapped the ribbon around the wreath form using hot glue to affix the ends. Again, using hot glue I attached the flip flops around the form, attached the blossoms and finished it of with the cute little flamingo! I hung it on my front porch.

Last but certainly, not least, I made a necktie wreath for this Fall. My friend, Shelly, gave me some ties to use. I chose to go with red and blue colors as much as possible.

I started by cutting approximately two thirds of each tie off (cutting the narrower end), leaving just enough to wrap around the wreath form and have the larger end of the tie sticking out from the wreath. Then using hot glue I wrapped the piece around the wreath form and secured. To make the wide ends of the ties stick out from the wreath form and not flop down, I glued a craft stick to the underside of each wide tie end. Here is the result! I really do like how it turned out.

Let me know if you try any of the crafts or have a variation of your own. I would love to hear about what you’re doing!

I am going to hope for more sun and also hope you noticed my elusions to our rainy weather within this blog post. See you soon!