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St. Patrick’s Day Switches to Easter!

Wow! We just were decorated for St. Patty’s Day and we need to switch to Spring/Easter decor. We only have 13 days! I am a massive decorator. I do it up for Cinco de Mayo and any other holiday that comes down the pike. Do you love to be festive too? Please share in the comments.

I have some recipes and crafts to share with you that are appropriate for this month. Here’s hoping you see something you find interesting.

I am switching the order of my topics a little to spice things up.

Hacks for Your Life

*Are you still pouring your pasta water down the drain? You may want to stop that and save it! If you’re making bread the pasta water has starch and the flavor from the pasta in it and will give the bread a depth of flavor. You can also use pasta water to cook your rice. It will add flavor and a richness to the rice. The pasta water can be used to thin out to thick of a sauce like marinara or as broth in soups. Another use is to let the water cool and water your plants with it.

*Did you know you can use fabric softener sheets for many reasons other than in the dryer? Used dryer sheets make great dustclothes and you can ward off gnats and mosquitos. Just put a fresh dryer sheet in your pocket and leave just a little sticking out. These pests hate the smell! Discourage dust from collecting on your tv just by wiping it down with a used dryer sheet.

*Ever have cloudy glass bottle or the like? You can clear that up with rubbing alcohol. If the opening is large enough to get your hand in you just use a paper towel and the alcohol to wipe that cloudiness away. If the opening is too small you can pore some rubbing alcohol in the bottle and by covering the opening with your hand you’re able to twirl it around in the bottle. Clouds gone!

*If you have ever wanted to reuse a Cool Whip other container for a project but that printing on the container annoying? You can use nail polish remover to get all that off.

*If you would like to get your wooden cutting board really clean and free from smells and food residue just rub it with coarse salt and let it sit for 15 minutes. Ta da!

Recipes

Sweet Potato Muffins (goodinthesimple.com)

Ingredients

  • 3 cups of mashed sweet potato, see below for instructions
  • 2 cups flour
  • 2 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • ¼ teaspoon baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup sugar
  • ¾ cup vegetable oil
  • 3 large eggs
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • ½ cup ground flaxseed meal, optional

Instructions

  • To prep the sweet potatoes (this can be done a day or so ahead if you want to break up the muffin-making process): Pierce the potatoes with a fork and place on a foil-lined baking sheet. Bake at 400 degrees for approximately 45 minutes, or until the inside is soft when poked with a fork. Remove and let cool. When the potatoes are cool, peel off the skin and mash the sweet potato filling with a fork or masher until any big lumps are gone. Measure out 3 cups worth of filling.
  • To make the muffins: In a large bowl combine the flour, cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder and salt. In a separate bowl, combine the sugar, oil, eggs, and vanilla. Stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, and then add the sweet potato.
  • Pour into muffin tins/cups. If using flaxseed, sprinkle on top of the muffins. Bake at 325 for approximately 30 minutes.

These are very tasty without being overly sweet. This is also a good way to use leftover sweet potatoes.

Veggie Pot Pie in the Crockpot (lifecurrents.com)

Ingredients

Pot pie filling:

  • 1 large onion
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt
  • ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 3 medium Yukon gold potatoes
  • 6 medium carrots
  • 3 cups vegetable broth
  • 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
  • ½ cup unbleached all-purpose flour
  • 1 ½ cups whole milk
  • 1 teaspoon dried thyme
  • 2 teaspoons garlic powder
  • ¼ cup dry white wine
  • 3/4 cup frozen peas thawed

Dumpling Biscuit Crust:

  • again, I’m not sure that this will work in all crock pots. still testing, but included for those that it has worked for in the past
  • 1 & ¼ cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 & ¼ teaspoons granulated sugar
  • 2 & ¼ teaspoons baking powder
  • ¾ teaspoons salt
  • ¾ cup buttermilk

Instructions

Make filling:

  • Finely chop the onion. Add chopped onions, oil, salt, and pepper to the bowl of a large slow cooker, cover, and turn on high while you prepare the rest of the veggies.1 large onion,3 tablespoons olive oil,1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt,½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • Chop the potatoes into ½-inch dice. Make sure they are all fairly uniform in size so they cook at about the same rate.3 medium Yukon gold potatoes
  • Peel and chop carrots into ¼-inch thick slices.6 medium carrots
  • Add chopped potatoes, carrots, and broth to the slow cooker. Cover and turn to low. Cook on low for 6 to 8 hours.3 cups vegetable broth
  • After filling has cooked for 6-8 hours, and veggies are tender.
  • In a microwave safe bowl, melt butter in the microwave, about 30 seconds. Stir the ½ cup of flour into the butter, and mix the 1 ½ cups milk, dried thyme, garlic powder, and wine into flour. Stir with a whisk until most of the lumps have dissolved. Don’t worry if you have some left, they will disappear into the pot pie.1 tablespoon unsalted butter,½ cup unbleached all-purpose flour,1 ½ cups whole milk,1 teaspoon dried thyme,2 teaspoons garlic powder,¼ cup dry white wine
  • Stir the milk-flour mixture into the veggies in the slow cooker, fully mixing it in.

Make biscuit dumpling crust

  • In a medium bowl, mix together the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Add the buttermilk to the dry ingredients in the bowl, and mix until a loose sticky batter forms, and all ingredients are combined.1 & ¼ cups all-purpose flour,2 & ¼ teaspoons granulated sugar,2 & ¼ teaspoons baking powder,¾ teaspoons salt,¾ cup buttermilk
  • Drop the biscuit crust batter by large spoonfuls onto the top of the pot pie filling in the slow cooker. Leave the lid off and cook for 1 hour on high.

Finish pot pie:

  • Stir the thawed peas into the pot pie filling, (remove one of the biscuits from the top if necessary to get at the filling). Taste the filling for salt and pepper.3/4 cup frozen peas thawed
  • Serve the pot pie while hot. Garnish with additional fresh thyme if de

This recipe was super scrumptious! So much flavor and the dumpling crust was to die for!

Leftover Mashed Potato Soup (togetherasafamily.com)

Ingredients

  • 4 tablespoons butter
  • 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
  • 2 cups whole milk
  • 4 cups vegetable broth
  • 4 cups leftover mashed potatoes
  • 1 cup shredded medium cheddar cheese
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt (or more to taste)
  • 1/2 teaspoon black pepper (or more to taste)

Garnishes for Serving

  • sour cream, shredded cheddar cheese, bacon, sliced green onion

Instructions

  • In a large pot, over medium-low heat, melt the butter. Once melted slowly sprinkle in the flour, while whisking constantly, until it forms a thick paste texture.* This should take less than 30 seconds of constant whisking. You don’t want to burn it. Just mix until it’s combined and turns into a thick paste.* Have the flour measured out and ready to go before starting the recipe. Same thing with the milk, have it measured and ready to pour.
  • Add the whole milk and whisk together to combine. Let it simmer for about 5 minutes, while whisking frequently, until it has thickened.
  • Add the vegetable broth and bring the pot of soup to a simmer (low boil on the edges of the pot).* If needed, turn the heat up to medium to bring the soup with the broth to a simmer (a slight boil). Watch carefully and whisk it frequently to avoid the milk from burning.
  • Add the mashed potatoes, shredded cheddar cheese, kosher salt, and black pepper. Stir to combine everything together and to melt the cheese.
  • Soup is ready to serve when it’s thicker and the cheese has fully melted into the soup. Serve with chopped bacon, additional shredded cheese, sour cream, and sliced green onions.

Green Velvet Brownies (plainchicken.com)

Brownies

Cream Cheese Frosting

  • 1 (8-oz) package cream cheese, softened
  • 3 Tbsp butter, softened
  • 1½ cups powdered sugar
  • ⅛ tsp salt
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract

Instructions:

  • Preheat oven to 350°F. Line bottom and sides of a 9-inch square pan with aluminum foil, allowing 2 to 3 inches to extend over sides; lightly grease foil.
  • Microwave chocolate chips and butter in a large microwave-safe bowl at HIGH 1-1/2 to 2 minutes or until melted and smooth, stirring at 30-second intervals. 
  • Whisk in sugar. Add eggs, one at a time, whisking just until blended after each addition. Gently stir in flour, green food coloring, baking powder, vanilla, and salt. Pour mixture into prepared pan.
  • Bake for 44 to 48 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in the center comes out with a few moist crumbs. Cool completely on a wire rack (about 2 hours).
  • For the frosting: Beat cream cheese and butter at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy. Gradually add powdered sugar and salt, beating until blended. Stir in vanilla.
  • Lift brownies from pan, using foil sides as handles; gently remove foil. Spread Cream Cheese Frosting on top of brownies, and cut into 16 squares. Garnish, if desired.

I made these as dessert for our traditional cornbeef and cabbage dinner for St. Patty’s Day. They were a big hit. I would say that they are chocolatey but not as much as tradition brownie. I actually liked that fact.

Loaded Mashed Potato Bowls (budgetbytes.com)

Ingredients

  • 6 cups prepared mashed potatoes $2.17
  • 2 cups frozen corn kernels* $1.49
  • 1 15oz. can can black beans $0.79
  • 1/2 tsp chili powder** $0.10
  • 4 oz. cheddar, shredded $1.00
  • 1/2 cup BBQ sauce $0.68
  • 2 green onions, sliced $0.22
  • 1 jalapeño, thinly sliced (optional) $0.33

Instructions

  • Allow the corn kernels to thaw, or heat them through if you plan to eat the bowls immediately. Rinse and drain the black beans, then add them to a bowl along with the chili powder and stir until the beans are coated.
  • To build the bowls, place about 1.5 cups mashed potatoes in each bowl, then top with about 1/2 cup corn kernels, 1/3 cup black beans, about 1/4 cup shredded cheddar, 2 Tbsp BBQ sauce, and a sprinkle of sliced green onions and jalapeño.
  • Serve the bowls immediately, or refrigerate until ready to eat. To reheat, simply microwave until the mashed potatoes are hot and the cheese is melted.

I made this recipe but switched it all up due to having a mixed group of people (vegetarian and none vegetarian). I used a white biscuit gravy in place of the BBQ sauce. For toppings we used the green onions, shredded cheddar, sour cream, bacon bits, and chives. Each person created their own bowls and topped what they wanted.

Cheesy Cauliflower Soup (realhousemoms.com)

Ingredients

  • 32 ounces chicken broth
  • 1 head cauliflower green part discarded & cut into chunks
  • 1 cup leeks diced
  • 2 garlic cloves
  • ¼ teaspoon pepper
  • 3 cups sharp cheddar cheese shredded
  • ½ cup heavy cream
  • Salt & pepper to taste

Garnish

  • Cooked and crumbed bacon
  • Green onion or chives chopped
  • Shredded cheddar cheese

Instructions

  • Add chicken broth, cauliflower, leeks, garlic, and pepper to a 6-quart slow cooker.
  • Cover and cook on LOW for 6 to 8 hours.
  • Add everything from the slow cooker into a blender, cover, and pulse until smooth. (or use an immersion blender right in the crock pot.) Add the blended soup base back to the slow cooker.
  • Add in shredded cheese and heavy cream. Stir until the cheese is melted into the soup. Check the seasoning and adjust with salt and pepper to taste. (I usually add about a 1/4 teaspoon and a pinch of pepper.)
  • Portion soup into bowls and serve topped with bacon, cheese, and chives, if desired.

I love using my crockpot for soups! It is so easy and it makes the house smell wonderful! I used some corn broth that I had made and frozen instead of the chicken broth. I gave some to people and they are loved it. It was very savory and delish!

Crafts

Leprachaun Hat

I belong to a Home Bureau and we get together to do a project once a month. We also, socialize and share a meal. It is a great time. For our February meeting w made this little cutie.

We used a 6 inch clay pot and corresponding tray. First we painted the pot and tray green and allowed it to dry. The black stripe at the bottom of the pot was painted and added after that. We had tried to use felt or ribbon for the stripe but with the way the pot narrows at the bottom it was too hard to make it lay flat. The shamrock was a scrapbook sticker and the buckle on the hat was thin gold ribbon that I cut and hot glued in place. I stuffed a little more than half the pot with tissue paper and then used coins from the Dollar Tree to top it off.

Stackable Bunny

The Dollar Tree was selling these stackable eggs in their Five Dollar section. (I think they’re going to have to change the store’s name.) They also sold them in all white. I stacked them and then used this fluffy wired yarn stuff I had on hand to wrap around the bottom of each egg. Then I used a Dollar Tree bunny ears headband and hot glued just the center portion to the top. Lastly, I added a bunny tail (one guess where I bought it) and put the bunny on a silver charger.

Spring Wreath

I used a wooden beaded wreath, flowers and ribbon from the Dollar Tree to make this wreath. I hot glue the bow and the flowers in place and made a hanger out of ribbon. I am not sure I will leave the hanger on because it seems to draw out the beaded circle and it looks more like an oval.

Paper Straw Egg

This, along with a bunny shape, was our project for Home Bureau this month. We used a wooden cutout from Dollar Tree from which we removed the jute hanger. We hot glued the straws onto the cutout. Some of us measured and cut before we glued them down and some just glued the straws on and using an exacto knife cut the excess off after glueing. I added a bow and a little bunny cutout that was painted to match the bowl. Of course the little bunny had to have a tail too! The piece is displayed on a plate stand. I haven’t quite finished my bunny but will share it next month.

See you next month and have a wonderful beginning to your Spring! I love to get comments so leave one.

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February Means Hearts, Groundhogs, Presidents and Mardi Gras

Most of my crafting this month has been about hearts. However, I did celebrate Groundhog’s Day with my t-shirt, coffee mug and flag outside. This is the time for warm comforting food, sweaters, and appreciating loved ones. Here’s hoping you’re having a cozy time and living life to your fullest!

Recipes

Tomato Basil Soup (pamperedchef.com)

I have a cooking blender but this recipe could be translated to any mode of cooking and/or the use of a submersion blender.

1/4 c. water or low sodium vegetable broth

1 tsp. salt

2 Roma tomatoes

1- 28 oz. can of whole tomatoes

1/2 medium onion

2 cloves of garlic

After all items have cooked and blended add 1/4 c. fresh basil and blend again.

So simple. So fresh. So tasty!

Lacking a cooking blender I would simmer all ingredients on the stove until onions and Roma tomatoes are cooked to tender. Then using a submersion blend, blend until smooth.

Unstuffed Cabbage Roll Soup for the Crockpot (eatingonadime.com)

  • 1 lb. extra lean ground beef Browned and Drained
  • ▢½ yellow onion chopped
  • ▢1 tablespoon minced garlic
  • ▢5 cups chopped green cabbage about half of a medium sized head
  • ▢32 oz. low-sodium beef broth
  • ▢2 cans tomato sauce 14.5 oz each
  • ▢1 cup shredded carrots
  • ▢1 bay leaf
  • ▢2 tablespoons packed brown sugar
  • ▢1 tsp. Salt
  • ▢1 teaspoon pepper
  • ▢1/2 tsp. dried oregano leaves
  • ▢2 cups cooked white or brown long grain rice
  • Place everything but the rice in the crock pot. Cook on low for 6 hours.
  • 15 minutes before ready to eat, remove the bay leaf, stir in the cooked rice and serve

When I made this I used ground turkey and put the rice, uncooked, in about an hour before completion. You could easily make this vegetarian by using plant based crumbles and vegetable broth.

Turkey Tenderloin in the Crockpot (beafitmommy.com)

  • 24 oz Turkey Tenderloin
  • 1.5 pounds small yellow baby boomer potatoes
  • 2 cups carrots
  • 2-4 TBSP Olive oil
  • No salt seasoning
  • 1/2 tsp Garlic Powder
  • Salt & Pepper to taste

Place potatoes and carrots in slow cooker.    Drizzle olive oil, no salt seasoning, garlic powder, salt and pepper and stir together making sure each potato and carrot is coated. Top veggies with the Tenderloin. Cook low for 7-9 hours

When I made this I cooked it on high for a couple of hours and then lowered to low for 3 to 4 hours. I’m impatient!

Crafts

It has been all about hearts for my crafting this past month!

Wooden Heart

I used a wooden heart from the Dollar Tree (you had to know, right?) and painted the edges red. I had some pretty pink dotted fabric which I used decoupage to affix to the heart. All I added was a fabric rose. Simple but oh, so sweet!

I filled the two holes on a, (all together now), Dollar Tree heart cutout with wood filler. Then when dry I sanded. I painted the heart pink but you could use any Valentine color or combination of colors. I also had 3 wooden cubes from DT which I painted pink and glued to the bottom of the heart. As a finishing touch I put a sparkly glaze on the little heart stand and used some themed items to decorate it. I makes a nice centerpiece.

I had, from last year, a metal heart and two porcelain figures I had purchased at a vintage shop. I put together this sweet little piece and all I added was a heart sticker and a little ribbon.

Also, from DT last year, I had a rippled metal heart. I “aged” it with some brown watered down stain. Then I added a wooden heart, painted red, and a black and white checked bow.

The final project we created in our Home Bureau group. Each of us had a different way of making our mobile and the all turned out cute. For mine, I painted a wooden dowel pink and when dry used a drill to drill and hole on each end. I then added the jute to create the hanger for the mobile. Now, onto the hearts! I used a wooden shape as a template and traced four pink hears and six red hearts from felt. After cutting them out I used embroidery floss to blanket stitch around the outside. Before going completely around, I added fiber fill to make the hearts fluffy and then finished stitching. I closed off by pulling the floss into the center of the heart, pulling it taunt and then cutting the floss. The end disappeared into the center of the heart. I used red and white twine to create the hangers for the hearts by inserting the twine using a needle through the center of each heart, tying the two ends together over the dowel. Each heart was at a different length from the dowel. Finally, I took a black and a pink fabric marker and created the face on each heart. I was happy with the piece and would like to create one next year using the typical heart shape.

Let’s Do Some Hacking

  • Want to clear snow off your car quickly? Use a leaf blower! Now, this won’t work completely, obviously, with ice mixed in but it would still save you some time. With a light fluffy snow it would completely do the job.
  • For a relatively short flight ( of less than 500 miles) check out Amtrak. They have discounts and offers that can make the train way cheaper than a flight. Also, people over 65 get a ten percent discount. Another way to save on Amtrak is to travel between 7pm and 5 am. Go to Amtrak.com/nightowl to find deals on overnight routes.
  • When traveling, skip those rest stop burgers. Use Roadfood.com to find regional diners, clam shacks, and other local places. Yelp, Tripadvisor and Foursquare also advise on local places where you get the local experience and pay less.
  • When looking for appliances and used furniture, surplus remodeling supplies and othe furnishings look for a nearby Habitat for Humanity ReStore location.
  • Foam soap is just soap and water. Make your own using an empty foam soap bottle. Add 3 to 4 tablespoons of your favorite liquid soap and the fill the bottle with water. Such a great savings!
  • Puzzled by “sell by dates’, “best if used before dates”, ” use by dates” and “freeze by dates”? Here’s a crib sheet. Sell by tells stores how long to display a product for sale but is not a safety date. Best if used by or before dates indicated when a product will be in it’s peak flavor and quality time. A use by date is the final date a product is estimated to be at it’s peak quality. The only exception is infant formula. In that case that date is set in stone. A freeze by date indicates when a product should be frozen to maintain peak quality. It is not a safety date.

Hope there was something useful for each of you who read this post. See you next month! Will next month be potatoes, shamkrock and stew? Who knows?!

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A New Year, Same Old Me!

I guess I took a holiday from blog posting. It has been a busy two months with Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Years, birthdays, parties, baking, crafting, cooking holiday meals. You name it, we’ve all been doing it!

We are in the middle of a wind storm accompanied by rain that has semis overturned, traffic lights out, trees down, electric outages, the whole kit and kaboodle! Nice afternoon for a new blog post.

Recipes

Crockpot Ravioli Lasagna (themagicalslowcooker.com)

  • 25 oz. frozen ravioli – DO NOT THAW (I use 5 cheese)
  • 1 lb. ground beef
  • 1 cup white onion diced
  • 1/2 tsp. salt
  • 1/4 tsp. pepper
  • 1/4 tsp. garlic powder
  • 1/2 tsp. dried leaf oregano (not ground)
  • 24 oz. marinara sauce (I use Rao’s)
  • 8 oz. shredded mozzarella cheese (2 cups)
  • In a medium-sized non-stick skillet set to medium-high heat, add the ground beef and diced onion. Add the salt, pepper, garlic powder, and oregano. Cook until the meat is browned. Don’t drain all the liquid off the meat; keep a few tablespoons in the meat to keep it moist.
  • Spray the slow cooker with non-stick spray.
  • Add half of the marinara sauce to the bottom of the slow cooker.
  • Add HALF of the bag of ravioli on top of that sauce.
  • Add all of the ground beef mixture over the ravioli.
  • Add the remaining ravioli over the meat.
  • Pour over the remaining sauce.
  • Sprinkle over the mozzarella cheese.
  • Place the lid on the slow cooker. Cook on LOW for 4 hours.
  • Serve and enjoy!

Notes

I made this slow cooker meal for a meeting at my house when I needed a vegetarian dinner. I used cheese ravioli and added an 8 ounce bag of shredded mozzerella to the layering instead of meat.

Confetti Kielbasa Skillet (tasteofhome.com)

  • 1 tablespoon canola oil
  • 7 ounces smoked turkey kielbasa, cut into 1/4-inch slices
  • 1 medium onion, halved and sliced
  • 1/2 cup sliced baby portobello mushrooms
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1/2 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth
  • 3/4 teaspoon Mrs. Dash Garlic & Herb seasoning blend
  • 1 can (15 ounces) no-salt-added black beans, rinsed and drained
  • 1 package (8.8 ounces) ready-to-serve brown rice
  • 1 cup frozen corn
  • 1/2 cup chopped roasted sweet red peppers
  • 4 teaspoons minced fresh cilantro
  • 1. In a large skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add kielbasa, onion and mushrooms; cook and stir 4-6 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Add garlic; cook 1 minute longer.
  • 2. Add broth and seasoning blend, stirring to loosen browned bits from pan. Bring to a boil; cook 2-3 minutes or until liquid is almost evaporated. Stir in remaining ingredients; heat through.

English Muffin Breakfast Pizzas (foxvalleyfoodie.com)

I love to host brunches! For our last one I made this recipe and they were great!

I cheated a little and used a white gravy packet to make the gravy and also was cooking for a vegetarian so I used fake bacon as the meat. I didn’t have cheddar cheese slices so I used shredded cheddar.

  • 1 Package of English Muffins
  • ▢8 Eggs
  • ▢1 lb Breakfast Sausage
  • ▢8 oz Mild Cheddar Cheese thin sliced

Sawmill Gravy

  • ▢2 cups Milk
  • ▢¼ cup sausage drippings add butter if you don’t have enough drippings
  • ▢¼ cup flour
  • ▢½ teaspoon salt or to taste
  • ▢¼ teaspoon pepper or to taste
  • Cook meat in cast iron pan until well done. Remove from pan and pour off all but ¼ cup of fat.
  • To the meat drippings in the skillet, add the flour. Cook and stir over medium heat 5 to 10 minutes or until mixture starts to turn golden. (This burns away the raw flour flavor which must be done before liquid is introduced)
  • Slowly add milk, stirring constantly.
  • Cook gravy until it boils and thickens.
  • Lightly toast English Muffins in toaster while making gravy.
  • Scramble eggs in a non-stick skillet, add a small dash of milk to make them fluffier, if desired.
  • Turn oven broiler on high and assemble pizzas on baking sheet.
  • Add sawmill gravy to the open faced toasted English Muffin then top with scrambled eggs, slice of cheese and sausage.
  • Toast under broiler until cheese is bubbly and melted.

Rainbow Jello Salad

This is an oldie but a goody. If you take it to a potluck everyone is always so impressed with this and it’s pretty! I have made it in a 9×14 pan but also in a trifle bowl.

  • 6 boxes Jello (small boxes) Assorted flavors: cherry, lemon, raspberry, lime, orange, strawberry
  • 2 cups sour cream Regular
  • water
  • You will be making two layers from each box of jello. Once you do the first one, you’ll have the technique down.
  • Use a clear Pyrex dish. The 9X14 size works great for six colors. If your dish is a little smaller, use 5 colors like I did this time.
  • I use a 2-cup Pyrex measuring cup to boil my water and a second one for pouring off part of the jello.

Making the Layers

  • Put one cup of water in your Pyrex measuring cup and boil the water in your microwave. I used the two-minute setting for this.
  • Carefully remove the measuring cup from the microwave and add one package of gelatin. Stir until it is completely dissolved.
  • Then measure out ¾ cup of the jello into a second container. To this container, add 1/3 cup of sour cream and whisk until it is smooth.
  • To the remaining jello, add 2 TB of cold water and mix.
  • Pour this into a 9X13 clear baking dish and refrigerate until set.
  • After 30 minutes, pull your dish out of the refrigerator and pour the sour cream mixture over the first layer.
  • Place the dish back into the refrigerator for another 30 minutes to set.
  • Wash your measuring cups and prepare the next layer of jello the same way you made the first layer — one cup of solid color jello and one mixed with sour cream.
  • Pour the clear jello mix over the top of the set layers. Then half an our later, add the sour cream mixture.
  • Keep repeating this process until you have all the layers done.
  • Cover with foil and refrigerate.

Craftin’ Away

Santa Gnome

To make this project you need two of the Dollar Tree ($1.25 Tree. No! I am not over it!) white Christmas trees, a Santa hat and some to use for the nose. I used one egg holder section from the bottom of an egg carton.

First joined the two trees together by their bottoms with a zip tie. I made one side flat and fanned out the other side to look beard-like. I put the Santa hat on securing it with hot glue. I did have to overlap the hat at the back to make it fit. I used embroidery floss and a needle to make a hanger for Santa at the back of the hat. Finally, I painted the nose a flesh color and hot glued it to the “beard”.

Driftwood Tree

Quite awhile ago my son collected a bunch of small driftwood pieces for me to make a garland for my deck. I saved a bag of leftovers from that project and this year put them to use.

You will need a styrofoam cone or any other cone shaped item as the base. I then used hot glue to affix the pieces to the cone starting at the top. I did have to double some layers to cover gaps and to keep the rough tree shape that I wanted. I just put the beaded garland around it but you could decorate it anyway you prefer. I think I will fashion some kind of star for it when I get it out next year.

Top Hat

I bought this top hat at Halloween time because it just spoke snowman to me and I decorate with snowmen in January and February. I added a bow, a snow fake with a little branch of snowflakes to add some whimsy to Mr. Top Hat.

Watch Snowman

In my Home Bureau group we made these cute snowmen out of watch faces. Each of us put our own spin on how we did it. I used a Dollar Tree silver tray which I painted the center black. I took silve bead garland and hot glued it to the edge of the black painted area. We used 3 watch faces with at least one being a smaller one for the head. They were glued on the tray and then I embellished some. I use an old piece of jewelry for the moon and added a tree. Out of red felt I fashioned the hat. The scarf is a red rubberband and the arms are tan rubber ban pieces. The final touch was adding the snow to the bottom. I used spray glue and covered the rest of the project with a napkin so that the glue only landed where I wanted to put the snow. I quickly shook some snow on and that was it! Rather than hanging I used a plate stand to display my creation.

Ornament Tree

I got together for a little crafting with my friend, Shelly, and we each made an ornament tree. The above picture is of mine. She and I used the same base and stand but different color ornaments.

For the base we found a wooden round that resembled a large wooden thread spool and a simple wood plank. We both painted ours white and added a dusting of glitter. Once those two pieces were glued together we started arranging out ornaments. We just hid the hanger of the ornament by facing that side to the back. It is really simple and yet elegant. Shelly added an angel to the top of the tree but I kind of preferred the simplicity of it as is.

Hacks

  • Do you have a coffee grinder? Ever tried cleaning it? I found that filling the well with uncooked rice and running the grinder for a minute or two really did the trick. This is useful to know if you also use your coffee grinder for spices as you won’t mix flavors.
  • You know how you get that limescale build up around the bases of faucets? If you pour white vinegar in a bowl and soak a dishcloth or any other rag in the vinegar you can then wrap the rag around the base of the faucet and leave it there for 30 minutes. When you remove it, the limescale is gone! You can also use white vinegar to clean your showerhead.
  • Do you have issues with making bows. I just discovered this method!
  • Hydrogen Peroxide has many uses. Did you know you can disinfect your toothbrushes and other dental appliances with peroxide? I use it for the toothbrush and the travel case I put my brush in when on trips.
  • Here’s a neat use for cornstarch. If your deck of cards starts sticking together due to oils from your hands, just place the deck of cards in a ziploc bag with 2 tablespoons of cornstarch and shake! When you get your cards out and shake of the excess they are all set for easy dealing!
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Time To Fall Back, Again

Happy Halloween to all! I have dressed my doggies up for the holiday and the treats are waiting for trick-or-treaters in a bowl by the door. I also have chili cooking in the slow cooker so I think I am really into Fall. No pumpkin spice for me tho’. It just isn’t my thing. I like all other things pumpkin; pumpking pie, pumpkin cookies, pumpkin bread, pumpkin candles, etc.

Hope you find something of interest to you in this post. I have been trying some new things and just generally enjoying the transition into the Fall season.

Recipes

Cool Whip and Pudding Frosting (dessertsonadime.com)

  • 1 box Instant Vanilla Pudding Mix 3.4 oz box
  • 8 oz Cool Whip thawed
  • 1/4 cup Confectioners Sugar
  • 3/4 cup Cold Whole Milk
  • n a medium size mixing bowl, mix together the pudding mix, confectioner’s sugar and milk with a hand held mixer until combined (30 seconds to 1 minute).
  • Let the mixture sit for a few minutes until the pudding mixture thickens (3-5 minutes).
  • Then gently fold in the Cool Whip until combined.
  • Refrigerate until ready to use and enjoy!

*I used the store brand pudding and whipped topping and it was delish! I also used 1% milk and it was still delicious!

Homemade Croutons (platingsandpairings.com)

  • Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
  • Add bread cubes to a large bowl and drizzle with olive oil. Toss to coat. Sprinkle in Italian seasoning, garlic power, salt and pepper. Toss to coat.
  • Spread the bread cubes out in a single layer on a baking sheet.
  • Bake until golden, tossing halfway through, about 15-20 minutes, keeping an eye on them so they don’t burn.
  • Remove from oven, and let cool.

*I used rye bread and also added parmesan cheese to the mixture.

Crockpot Chicken and Stuffing (recipesthatcrock.com)

  • 11 Chicken Tenderloin Pieces
  • 1 Tablespoon Poultry Seasoning or to taste, see note
  • 10.75 oz Can Cream of Celery Soup
  • 6 oz Box Stove Top Stuffing
  • 2 Cups Chicken Broth
  • In a bowl mix stuffing and broth together and set aside.
  • Place tenderloin pieces in the bottom of your 6 qt slow cooker (I usedthis one.)
  • Sprinkle poultry seasoning over tenderloins.
  • Pour soup over chicken and spread evenly.
  • Once stuffing has absorbed all of the chicken broth pour evenly on top.
  • Cover with lid and cook on low for 4-6 hours

Mason Jar Soup

I took a quart Mason jar and added vegetable bouillon (actually Better Than Bouillon), soy sauce, sesame seeds, finely chopped green peppers, chives, shredded carrots, salt and pepper, vermicilli, and minced garlic. Then I boiled water in my tea kettle. I then added the water to the jar and let it sit for about 10 minutes. I did kind of shake the jar a couple of times and turned it upside down at one point to mix the ingredients. The boiling water cooked the pasta and the veggies and it was a great dinner! You can use any bouillon, any veggie, any spice you like. Spinach would be great. As would edamane or peas. Just create!

Crockpot Applesauce

brown sugar (about a half cup)

20 to 25 apples

1/4 cup lemon juice

1 to 2 teaspoons of cinnamon

I used an apple slicer/corer to cut the apples after I washed them. I then made sure all the seeds were off each slice. I put them all in the crockpot, added the other ingredients and gave them a little toss. I put the crockpot on low and cooked the mixture for 4 hours. At this point you have a choice to make. You can have smoother, darker applesauce by using an immersion blender and not removing the peels. You can also put them through a food mill and remove the peels for a slightly chunky consistency and lighter color. I tried both ways and they were both good. I think that I prefer the food mill prep though. Don’t know what a food mill is?

Crafts

Stacked Pumpkins

I used 3 Dollar Tree foam pumpkins. I had to remove the stems from 2 of them. I painted one a burnt orange, one a green and one a grey. I used hot glue to stack them and used sunflowers and leaves (also from the Dollar Tree) to wrap the pumpkins. Finally I glued them to a Dollar Tree sunburst mirror as a base. I will use it on one of the Thanksgiving tables.

Dog Painting

I had to small canvases which I put blobs of different color paints on. I then carefully put each canvas inside a gallon food storage bag that I had spread peanut butter on. Finally, I put them down for my dogs to lick. When they were done licking I removed the canvases and let the paintings dry. The last touch was to sign each painting.

Sunflower Wreath

My friend, Shelly, and I got together to make a sunflower wreath. Of course, we each had our own little twists and the picture above is mine.

I used a wooden hoop similar to an embroidery hoop as the base for the center of the flower. I hot glued burlap to the hoop and painted it a dark brown. When it was dry I added some black little dots to indicate the seeds. Shelly had some little bees from another project and shared with me. I attached them with hot glue to the burlap center. Now for the petals. I purchased 16 bandanas in a gold color and cut them into fourths. Before attaching them to a wire wreath frame, (I used a 12 inch frame), I folded the fourth of a bandana into a triangle making sure the finished edges of the cloth formed the top two sides of the triangle and then scrunched the bottom together and attached that with small zip ties to the frame. The finishing touch was to glue the center of the flower over the center of the wreath form and hiding where the petals were attached to the frame. You can fashion a hanger with jute or some other material but I just hung mine by the wreath form itself.

Although I used slightly different materials the video below shows the petal folding process well.

Book Folding Pumpkin

Hacking the Life

For this project I used a 300 to 400 page paperback book to form the pumpkin, orange paint, a green pipe cleaner, a piece of driftwood and felt to make a leaf.

To start you fold all the book pages in half by folding them toward the spine. Next you fold the top of each of those pages in at a 90 degree angle toward the spine to form the top slope of the pumpkin. The bottom of each page is folded at a 90 degree angle as well but just not as deep as to go to the spine. This is so there is a base for the pumpkin to stand upright. Once your folding is done you can then cut the front and back covers down so they are not visible beyond the pages. You can glue the remainder of the covers together but due to the all the folding and how thick the book has become they will naturally be hidden just by trimming them down. You paint the pumpkin using the dry brush technique. This is when you dip your brush in the paint and then on a paper towel or paper you brush most of the liquid from the brush. When you brush the ends of the pages you just add some color but your pages do not become wet. To complete your pumpkin you can make a vine with the pipe cleaner and hot glue one end to the top of the pumpkin. I used driftwood but you could use a stick, a cork, a piece of a branch, almost anything to make the stem. Just hot glue your item on and cut a leaf out of felt or any other material you like and glue that as well. For the Jack-O-Lantern I used black felt and hot glued the face on.

Hacking Your Life

  • If you like soft cookies try baking them in a muffin tin. They will stay soft and fluffy and not spread out so thin.
  • Have you ever added to much salt to a soup of spaghetti sauce? Put a few wedges of raw apple or potato in and let it simmer for 10 minutes. The apple or potato will absorb the salt.
  • Are your plastic food containers a little stinky? Put some crumpled up newspaper inside them overnight. The paper will absorb the odor.
  • Did you know that when traveling with your dog, some states (New Jersey, Rhode Island and more) require you to haer your dog wear a seat belt or be in a crate. You could be fined upto $1,000.
  • Confused by a Wikipedia article? Click “Simple English” on the left-hand list of languages. It will whisk you right to a simplified version without all the technical or subject matter jargon.
  • You can use a paper towel holder to hold your roll of garbage bags. Genius!

Hope you are enjoying the season with the great colors, smells, baking and coziness! See you next time!

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Fall Is My Favorite!

I love the smells, the colors, the spices, the recipes, the harvests, and the decorating,basically everything about Fall. What is your favorite season? Do you tend to really do it up big when it arrives? As you will see, I do!

Recipes

Peach Dump Cake (shesnotcookin.com)

2 pounds peaches, peeled and sliced

1/3 cup brown sugar

1 tablespoon cornstarch

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 cup coarsely chopped pecans

1 box (15.25 oz.) Yellow Cake Mix

1/2 cup melted butter

  1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray a 9×13-inch baking dish with cooking spray.
  2. Peel and slice peaches. (I like to leave one with the skin on and peel the remaining peaches).
  3. Add sliced peaches to a small mixing bowl. Add in brown sugar, cornstarch, lemon juice and cinnamon. Stir well to combine.
  4. Transfer peach mixture to prepared baking dish.
  5. In a separate mixing bowl, combine melted butter and cake mix. Use a pastry blender (or clean hands) and stir until a crumbly dough forms.
  6. Sprinkle on top of peaches in baking dish. Top with coarsely chopped pecans.
  7. Bake in 350°F oven for 40 to 50 minutes, until top is light golden brown and peaches are bubbling at the sides.
  8.  Serve with a dollop of whipped cream or a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Sweet Potato Muffins (goodinthesimple.com)

  • 3 cups of mashed sweet potato, see below for instructions
  • 2 cups flour
  • 2 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • ¼ teaspoon baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup sugar
  • ¾ cup vegetable oil
  • 3 large eggs
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • ½ cup ground flaxseed meal, optional
  • To prep the sweet potatoes (this can be done a day or so ahead if you want to break up the muffin-making process): Pierce the potatoes with a fork and place on a foil-lined baking sheet. Bake at 400 degrees for approximately 45 minutes, or until the inside is soft when poked with a fork. Remove and let cool. When the potatoes are cool, peel off the skin and mash the sweet potato filling with a fork or masher until any big lumps are gone. Measure out 3 cups worth of filling.
  • To make the muffins: In a large bowl combine the flour, cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder and salt. In a separate bowl, combine the sugar, oil, eggs, and vanilla. Stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, and then add the sweet potato.
  • Pour into muffin tins/cups. If using flaxseed, sprinkle on top of the muffins. Bake at 325 for approximately 30 minutes.

White Chicken Chili (deliciouslysprinkled.com)

  • 2 large chicken breasts
  • 1 can black beans drained and rinsed
  • 1 can corn undrained
  • 10 ounces can Rotel tomatoes with green chilis undrained
  • 1 packet ranch seasoning
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1 Tablespoon chili powder
  • 1 teaspoon onion powder
  • ½ cup water
  • 8 ounces cream cheese
  • Spray bottom on crockpot with nonstick cooking spray.
  • Place the 2 chicken breasts on the bottom of the crockpot.
  • Add black beans, corn, rotel, ranch seasoning, cumin, chili powder, onion powder and water. Mix everything.
  • Place the block of cream cheese on top. DO NOT MIX.
  • Cook on low for 6-8 hours or HIGH for 4 hours. 
  • Stir and shred chicken. Serve and top with toppings.

Notes: This was so delicious that I would have eaten it with a straw until I burst! I didn’t have Rotel so I used diced stewed tomatoes. You can top with anything such as avocado, sour cream, fresh tomatoes, or shredded cheese. My pro tip would be to use chili cheese Fritos! It was to die for.

TikTok Viral Breakfast Wrap

You need to watch this video and try it! Quick and yummy.

Crafting Like it’s My Job

Denim Feather Earrings

Ghost With Wine Glasses

I bought two wine glasses and two multi-colored skulls at Dollar Tree. I turned the glasses upside down and glued the skulls to the bottom of the glasses. I am going to put LED candles in the bottom as soon as Amazon gets them to me. I have them on either side of my tv and not where pictured in this photo.

Skull Sunflowers

I bought sunflowers from Dollar Tree and then glued skulls in the center for a spooky bouquet. I used a clear glass vase filled with black stone.

Pink Ghosties Bouquet

I found these white leaves at Dollar Tree and cut little pink ghosties out of felt. I glued the ghosties on wooden skewers and viola!

Ghost and Candy Corn Stuffies

I used muslin and cut our several ghostly shapes with pinking shearers. I sewed them together leaving an opening. I then stuffed them with fiber fill, sewed up the little opening and put a face on with a black fabric marker. For the candy corn I used burlap cut in the shape of the candy and used the same process to sew and stuff. I used acrylic paint to put the traditional colors on.

Dragonfly

I used a table leg and painted it black. To cover the metal screw at the top and to make a head, I used a plastic bottle roughly in the shape of a lightbulb, painted it black as well and glued it to the top of the leg. To add some bling, I painted a couple of areas on the table leg with gold paint. I then went to work on four discarded ceiling fan blades. The fan blades were cleaned and dried thoroughly. I used 3 different colors of spray paint to jazz them up. Finally I screwed the fan blades onto the table leg. I used paint to cover the heads of the screws. To make a hanger I stapled some wire to the back of the dragon fly about 2/3 up the leg.

Hacks

  • Fruit flies are a particular problem this time of year. I put a little wine or vinegar in a small dish. To that I add a little dish soap. The bugs are attracted to the wine or vinegar and the soap kills them. Works like a charm.
  • Preserving your pumpkins is easy. Fill your sink with water. Add about a cup of white vinegar. You know you have enough when you can smell the vinegar. The ratio is about 10 parts water to 1 part vinegar. Place your pumpkin in the mixture. Clean it and then let it sit in the mixture for ten minutes. If your pumpking couldn’t be fully immersed in the sink, just turn it over and let the side that hadn’t been covered now soak for ten minutes.
  • If you want your house to smell like Fall you need look no further than your slow cooker. Fill the slow cooker with water. To that add a handful of cinnamon sticks, rind from 2 or 3 oranges, 2 tablespoons of whole cloves, and 3 to 5 whole bay leaves. Simmer away on low!

Hope you found some fun ideas and please make that chili! I guarantee it will knock your socks off! See you next month!

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The Tail End of Summer

I am enjoying the idea that Fall is around the corner. It just happens to be my favorite season. There is something wonderful about each season but Fall stands out to me with the beautiful sights and smells and the end of Summer harvest time. In our neck of the woods a sure sign of Fall is the smell of concord grapes during the harvest which will be starting in a month or so.

Recipes

Graham Cracker Cookies (saltandbaker.com)

I made these for a bakesale since I had graham crumbs that I had purchased out of the discount area in the grocery store. I was very pleased with them as they were large and soft. Similar in texture to the large molasses cookies.

  • 1 cup unsalted butter – softened
  • 1 1/2 cups brown sugar – packed
  • 1/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 2 large eggs
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1 tablespoon light corn syrup
  • 2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
  • 2 2/3 cups graham cracker crumbs
  • 2 teaspoons cornstarch
  • 1 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a baking mat, set aside.
  • In the bowl of a stand mixer cream the butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar, about 2-3 minutes. 
  • Add the eggs, vanilla extract, and light corn syrup and mix to combine. Use a rubber spatula and scrape down the sides of the bowl.
  • Add the flour, graham cracker crumbs, cornstarch, baking soda, baking powder, and salt and mix until combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed to ensure everything gets incorporated.
  • Using a ¼ cup measuring cup, portion the dough into round balls. Place 6 balls of dough on a baking sheet. 
  • Bake for 10-12 minutes or until edges are and tops are just set. 
  • Remove from the oven and let cool on pan for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. 

Zucchini and Summer Squash Casserole (elvolvingtable.com)

Everyone gets overloaded with zucchini this time of year. This recipe turned out very nice and was enjoyed at a picnic I hosted.


  • 2 lbs. summer squash zucchini and yellow squash, cut into ¼-inch slices
  • 2 ½ Tbsp. olive oil
  • 1 ¼ tsp. salt divided
  • ½ tsp. pepper
  • ⅓ cup Parmesan cheese* grated
  • ⅓ cup Panko breadcrumbs gluten-free
  • ¼ tsp. garlic powder
  • 2 Tbsp. fresh parsley finely chopped
  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  2. Cut yellow squash and zucchini into thin, ¼-inch slices.
  3. Sprinkle ½ teaspoon salt over the zucchini and squash slices. Let sit for 10 minutes and then dab to remove excess moisture with a paper towel.
  4. Spray a 9-inch square baking dish with non-stick cooking spray.
  5. Alternatively, overlap the zucchini and squash in a row. (See pictures.) You should be able to form 4 rows.**
  6. Drizzle olive oil over the zucchini and squash and then sprinkle with salt and pepper.
  7. In a small bowl combine Parmesan cheese, breadcrumbs, and garlic powder. Toss to combine and then sprinkle over the zucchini and squash.
  8. Cover baking dish with aluminum foil and bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes.
  9. Remove foil and turn heat to a High broil. Broil for an additional 5-7 minutes, or until breadcrumb topping starts to turn a golden brown.
  10. Serve immediately with fresh parsley and enjoy!

Breakfast Tacos

This is not so much a recipe as me trying to make a copycat of IHOP’s newest menu item.

I used a mix and made pancakes so that when folded they would be the size of a taco shell. I thinned the batter more than directions indicated because I wanted to make them so they would bend but not crack open. Then I scrambled some eggs with cheddar cheese while I was microwaving some turkey bacon. Of course, you can use regular bacon or sausage but turkey was what I had on hand. When the pancakes were warm I gently folded them and lined them up in a pan. My tastetesters built their own breakfast taco and I had syrup for dipping.

Corn Stock

Several posts ago I gave directions on making vegetable stock. This is like that but only with the cobs from corn. I purchased a lot of corn and cut it off the cob to freeze. I put all the cobs in enough water to nicely cover them and brought that to a boil. I then turned the burner down and simmered the corn cobs until the pot smelled very “corny”. Once that started to happen I used a strainer to remove the cobs and then allowed the stock to simmer and cook down some. After it cooled I froze it. The idea of letting it cook down a little allows you to have to freeze a smaller amount and then, if you need to want to, you can just add some water when you use the stock in a recipe.

Crafts

Dollar Tree Ghost

This ghost is made using two bundles of rope from the Dollar Tree. First you cut a half oval for the base of the face out of cardboard. To that you hot glue the rope to the base. about 2/3 of the rope is left hanging off the base. You then unwind the rope to make the bottom of the ghost. I cut eyes and a nose out of black felt but you could use construction paper or anything like that. I made a messy bow and decided my ghost would be a girl. For hanging I fashioned a loop out of some ribbon, glued it to the center back and took a portion of a craft stick and glue that over the ends of the ribbon to secure the loop.

Ghostly Paintings

I went down a rabbit hole on TikTok after my friend, Tanya, told me about the ghost paintings. I decided to try a couple. Keep in mind, I am no artist. First I went to a couple of thrift stores until I could find some pictures, prints or paintings that might be able to be made spooky. I removed them from their frames, cleaned the glass and painted the frames if necessary. Setting those aside, I gathered my acrylic paints and some brushes and gave it a whirl. The first was a photograph that I used traditional Halloween colors to jazz it up and the second was a print where I decided to use pink as the color of choice. Now, the choice of pink is all due to the viral pink ghost blanket that TJMaxx and HomeGoods had that went viral and now you can’t get them anywhere unless it is ebay for over $100. Thanks again to Tanya for making me obsess over pink ghosts. Below are the results of my efforts.

More Pink Ghosties

I used embroider floss to make pink ghosts for a garland. The eyes and noses are drills leftover from my diamond painting which I secured with Mod Podge. I used fishing line to string them on.

I used a metal cutout of a ghost from Dollar Tree and put some pink vinyl on it that I had leftover from a Cricut project. Of course, I removed and then replaced the jute hanger when the vinyl was on. Again, a little ribbon.

Feathers Galore

During our time working at the fair Tanya and I worked on making feathers with yarn. I made several but my favortie is below. Here is the link with instructions on how to do it. It is so simple!

I also tried my hand at making denim flowers which is a different process. I picked up a cheap pair of jeans at a thrift store. The four step picture below is courtesy of Doris Lin.

I cut a feather shape from the seam area or the leg and used a seam ripper to pull strands of fabric from the shape. If you pull them in the direction shown in th picture above you end up with a more whitish leaf. If you pull the threads from the other direction you would get more a blue leaf. The picture of my leaf is below. I want to make a couple of small ones and fashion earrings out of them. Stay tuned………

Window Valance

I wanted a couple of new valances for my windows. I bought some muslin and lace. I cut the muslin into strips and cut same size strips of lace. I tea stained them and just tied them to a tension rod. So simple and so cute!

Life Hacking

  • Do you have trouble keeping your hair ties corralled? Use a carbiner from the dollar store.
  • Have you ever started to strip a Phillips Head screw and knew you were headed for trouble? A rubberband can be your saving grace here.

The above image is credit winkgo.com

  • If you’re trying to fill a bucket from your kitchen sink there’s no need to struggle with holding it up to the faucet. Just shove a pool noodle over the end of your faucet and extend the other end of the noodle to the bucket. The water will flow right through the center of the noodle to the bucket.
  • I have always put stones at the bottom of a pot before planting any thing in it to provide for proper drainage. You can cut up old sponges which will retain water and prevent flushing and provide for excess water be kept from rotting the roots of the plant. I think that might be a WIN, WIN, WIN, WIN!
  • Speaking of sponges, they can be used to make your own ice packs economicaly. Just buy a cheap pack of sponges. Soak one in water. Put it in a ziplock freezer bag and freeze it. Cheap and so easy!
  • Now, this one is genius! I could have used it when all my kids were home and I had started them doing their own laundry. Just use a dry erase marker to leave notes on the dryer or washer with instructions! Mind blown!
  • You can use a lint roller to defuzz your window screens. I already use one to clean my lampshades so I was happy to learn this trick.

Hope you try some ideas or recipes and that the crafts inspire you to be creative. See you next month. Enjoy the end of Summer.

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Direct From the County Fair

I am working at our local county fair this week, and in down time, doing my July blog post. I hope you are enjoying your summer. Hopefully, there is something that you will find of interest in the following ideas. Feel free to leave a comment and share what you have been up to.

Recipes

Turkey Burgers (healthyrecipesblog.com)

▢1 lb. ground turkey ▢1 tablespoon mayonnaise (I use avocado oil mayonnaise) ▢1 tablespoon Dijon mustard ▢1 teaspoon kosher salt ▢¼ teaspoon black pepper ▢1 teaspoon garlic powder ▢1 teaspoon onion powder ▢1 teaspoon smoked paprika ▢½ cup fresh parsley chopped ▢4 tablespoons olive oil for frying*

  • In a medium bowl, mix together the ground turkey, mayonnaise, Dijon mustard, kosher salt, black pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, smoked paprika, and chopped parsley.
  • With moist hands for easier handling, form the mixture into four ½-inch-thick patties.
  • Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat.
  • Add the patties and cook until golden brown and cooked through, about 5 minutes per side. Serve immediately.

*These burgers were heavenly. I am sure they would be just as good done with ground chicken.

Double Chocolate Zucchini Bread (manilaspoon.com)

  • 1½ cups all-purpose Flour
  • ¼ cup unsweetened Cocoa or Cacao powder
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • ½ tsp baking Powder
  • ½ tsp salt
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1½ cups zucchini, shredded/grated
  • 1 cup sugar (white)
  • ½ cup vegetable or any neutral-flavored oil*
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 cup chocolate chips or chunks (rolled/coated in 2 Tablespoons Flour) plus extra to add on top
  1. Preheat the oven to 350F. Lightly grease (or butter) a loaf pan.Whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
  2. In a separate bowl, lightly beat the eggs. Add the zucchini, sugar, oil, and vanilla extract and beat until smooth.Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix just until combined.
  3. Fold in the chocolate chips (including the extra flour with it). Transfer to the prepared loaf pan. Top with extra chocolate chips (optional but makes this bread even yummier!)Bake in the preheated oven for about 50-60 minutes or until a tester inserted in the middle comes out clean.
  4. Let cool in the pan for about 10 minutes and then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Crockpot Dorito Casserole (recipesthatcrock.com)

  • 1 lb ground beef cooked and drained
  • 1 oz pkt taco seasoning
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 13.5 oz can cheddar cheese soup
  • 16 oz can refried beans
  • 15.25 oz can black beans drained
  • 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
  • 1 bag Doritos
  • Mix together your water and taco seasoning
  • Mix your taco seasoning mixture with your prepared ground beef, set aside
  • In a separate large bowl, mix together your soup, refried beans and black beans (drained)
  • Add ground beef mixture to bean mixture and stir until well combined
  • Spread out in a lightly greased casserole crock pot or 6-quart slow cooker
  • Sprinkle cheese on top evenly
  • Cover and cook on low for 4 hours or high for 2 hours
  • Remove your crock from heating unit and let rest for 30 minutes
  • Sprinkle crumbled Doritos on top right before serving

Enchillada Casserole

1 pound ground beef, turkey or chicken 1 pkg. taco seasoning 1 pkg. of corn tortillas 2 cans of red enchillada sauce 1 bag of shredded cheddar cheese 1 16oz. can of refried beans

Brown your meat and add the seasoning. In a 9×13 pan pour some red sauce and spread out. Layer tortillas by overlapping a little. Then more red sauce and spread out. Layer meat, then refried beans and cheddar cheese. Repeat as necessary. Bake in a 375 degree oven and bake for 35 minutes. Yum!!!

Crafts

Solar Lights

At my favorite store, Dollar Tree ($1.25 Tree), I picked up some solar lights and vases. You could also use jars. I pulled the light off the stake and put it in the vase. I tried some with with stones in it and without. Which do you like better? These would be nice for a table at a party or on your patio.

Shell Trinket Dish

I had purchased a bag of big shells from the craft section of a thrift store thinking that I would find a use for them and look below! I decoupaged the top printed layer of a beautiful napkin onto the inside of the shell and put a top coat of Mod Podge on it. Once that was dry I edged it with metalic gold paint. It measures approximately 5″X6″ and works perfectly for a trinket/ring dish. Bonus is that it is sooooooooo pretty!

Hacks

* You must download the Tasty app! So many recipes. You can save them and create your shopping lists!

  • Do you hate when the McDonald’s ice cream machine is on the fritz? Go on McBroken.com. You will see an interactive map of every McDonald’s in your area and the real time status of their ice cream machine.
  • Need to find the wifi quickly? Download the app, wifi map. This will show a map with wifi locations and their passwords. Want to know what else is cool? The app doesn’t need wifi to run.
  • Want to help out the bees this summer? Hang a wet towel outside during a heatwave. This will provide a much needed water source for thee bees.
  • If you use puppy training pads it is much cheaper to buy incontinence pads designed for humans. These are cheaper, better quality and come in larger packages.
  • Going to the beach? Put your cell phone in a ziplock sandwich bag. It won’t get wet or sandy and you can still use the touch screen.
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Summer is Nearly Here

Wednesday is June 21 and the Summer solstice and the longest day of the year. Right now I am listening to all the birds singing in my back yard and it certainly is a lovely time of year. I think I am going to create a summer bucket list. What about you? Do you have plans?

I have been trying a bunch of new recipes and crafting as per usual. Oh, and let’s not forget some little life hacks. I mean I have to justify the title of this blog somehow, right?

Recipes

One Minute Chocolate Frosting (recipesbycarina.com)

This is super easy and I highly recommend it.

1 cup powdered sugar 2 T. cocoa powder 1/2 t. salt 2 T. room temperature unsalted butter 1-2 T hot water

Whisk the dry ingredients together in a bowl. Mix in the room temperature butter. Add the water a little at a time until you have the consistency you want.

*If you use salted butter, just eliminate the salt from the recipe.

Baked Italian Eggs (damndelicious.net)

These were a big hit at a brunch I had at my house. You will love them!

  • 1 cup marinara sauce
  • 4 large eggs
  • 1/4 cup fat free or lowfat milk
  • 1/4 cup shredded gruyere cheese
  • 2 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
  • 1/4 cup basil leaves, chiffonade
  • Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Lightly oil two 10-ounce ramekins or coat with nonstick spray.
  • Divide marinara sauce evenly into the ramekins. Top with eggs, milk, gruyere and Parmesan; season with salt and pepper, to taste.
  • Place into oven and bake until egg whites are cooked through, about 10 minutes.
  • Serve immediately, garnished with basil leaves, if desired.

*I don’t have ramekins so I used mini-loaf pans for mine. I baked mine a little too long because I was leery of having the egg whites not cooked. They were delicious but next time I will back off a 1 or 2 minutes cook time.

Cheesy Asparagus (melissassouthernstylekitchen.com)

It is asparagus season here and I found a great recipe!

  • 2-3 lbs asparagus ends trimmed
  • ½ teaspoon salt adjust to taste
  • ½ teaspoon black pepper adjust to taste
  • ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes optional
  • ¾ cup heavy cream
  • ⅔ cup grated Parmesan cheese divided
  • ½ teaspoon onion powder
  • 4 cloves garlic minced
  • 2 cups low moisture mozzarella cheese or monterey jack or Gruyere
  • ½ cup french fried onions
  • Preheat oven to 400°F. Spray a 13 x 9 inch baking dish with cooking spray.
  • Arrange asparagus in dish. Some may overlap. Season with salt, pepper and red pepper flakes.
  • In a small bowl, whisk together cream, ⅓ cup Parmesan, onion powder and garlic. Pour evenly over asparagus.
  • Sprinkle top with remaining ⅓ cup Parmesan and mozzarella cheese. Place into the oven and bake for 20 minutes.
  • After 20 minutes, sprinkle the top with french fried onions. Continue to bake another 5 minutes or until crisp tender and bubbly. Bake longer for softer texture.
  • Let stand for 5 minutes, then serve, drizzled with sauce.

*I don’t like anything spicy so I left out the red pepper flakes when I made this dish.

Cole Slaw Dressing (allthingsmamma.com)

It is the season for all cold salads.

  • ½ cup mayonnaise
  • ▢1 tablespoon dijon or spicy mustard
  • ▢1 teaspoon onion powder
  • ▢2 teaspoons sugar
  • ▢½ teaspoon celery seed
  • ▢1 tablespoon cider vinegar
  • ▢1 tablespoon lemon juice
  • ▢Salt and pepper to taste
  • n a medium bowl or wide mouth jar with a lid, add mayo
  • Then add mustard and seasoning, stir to combine
  • Add vinegar and lemon juice
  • Place lid on jar and shake until well combined
  • Add salt and pepper to taste, place on lid and shake again
  • Chill until ready to serve with coleslaw
  • Store in refrigerator

*This was super good and super easy. It is very much how my mom made hers. I just like the addition of the celery seed and spicy mustard.

Rhubarb Cookies (funcookierecipes.com)

It is rhubarb season too. I never thought I like rhubarb but then I tried it in a bread recipe and discovered that it really just takes on the flavor of what it is put in. So I went on to try cookies. I think you would like them.

  • 1 cup light brown sugar
  • ½ cup (113g/1 stick) unsalted butter softened to room temperature
  • 1 large egg at room temperature
  • 1¾ cups (200g) all purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon baking powder
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup finely diced fresh rhubarb
  • Preheat oven to 375°F/190°C, and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper or a silicone mat.
  • In a large mixing bowl, using a stand or a hand mixer, beat the butter, sugar, and egg until smooth and creamy.
  • Add flour, ground cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder, and salt, and slowly beat again until just combined.
  • Fold in the diced rhubarb, then using a small 1-inch cookie scoop, scoop out balls of dough and place them onto the prepared cookie sheet.
  • Bake in the preheated oven for 12-14 minutes, or until set and lightly brown at the bottom.
  • Allow to cool for 5 minutes on the cookie sheet, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
  • I added white chocolate chips to mine and it was a nice touch. Again if you use salted butter don’t add the extra salt.

Crafting My Life Away

This month I was working on my diamond paintings that I told you about last time but I did get some other projects done.

I made a little sign for a friend who has a thing for snails. I used my Cricut for this. I bought the metal sign from Dollar Tree and used the Cricut to cut the vinyl for the sign. I added a little touch of ribbon to the jute hanger to just spice it up a little.

I used a star wreath form and tulle from Dollar Tree to creat a patriotic wreath for my porch. I tied strips of the tulle to the wreath. When I was done with that I took a piece of jute and hot glued the little foam stars I had in my craft room leftover from anothe project and suspended that in the center of the star.

Dollar Tree also had a shell wreath form. It was kind of a mustard color so I painted it white. I used a little roll of fabric that I had bought a while ago to make a sort of backdrop for the shelf. I hot glued the fabric to the back of the form a section at a time and then used an exacto knife to trim the fabric as close as I could to the form. I added a bow, some floral pieces and a shell. it was as simple as that.

I had seen an idea on line that used old world globes for different things. I took that idea and elaborated a little. It made for some pretty neat serving pieces that are great conversation starters.

I had two globes of very different colors. I separated the two halves of each globe. To the northern hemispere I added a draw pull as a little handle and to the southern hemisphere I glued a little round tart pan the allows the 1/2 globe to sit without tipping on a table. Then I painted the inside of the bottom half of the globe a coordinating color so that it went with the outside of the globe. I bought a large plastic bowl and a plastic round serving plate from Dollar Tree. I put the bowl inside the bowl I made with the lower half of the globe and the tray underneath the food cloche I had made with the top half of the globe. Great for a picnic and like I mentioned, a real conversation starter.

Hacks for Your Life

*If you would like to get the most bang for your gas dollar experts recommend. Every time you apply the brake you waste the gas you used to accelerate. They recommend accelerating gently and coasting toward red lights and stop signs while trying to use the brake less.

*Out on a short or long road trip and want to find a good spot to eat. Look for a place with a lot of trucks outside. Most truckers have done their routes many times and know the best places to eat.

*Combing your dog’s or cat’s fur? Just leave the hair outside. It is perfect material to help birds make their nests extra fluffy and cozy.

*When going on a trip and tagging all your luggage with name and contact info, make sure to put a tag on the inside too. Tags on the outside can fall off and the airline will open the luggage to see if they can find a clue as to who it belongs to. You will be prepared.

*Try opening your bag of chips from the bottom next time. Most of the flavor sinks to the bottom during shipping and storage. This way you will start with the most delicious chips first, when you are the most hungry.

*When making pie crust or biscuits and the recipe calls fo youto use a dough cutter to cut the butter into the dry ingredients until pea size pieces form you can do this instead. Use a box grated on the larger hole side for your butter and it will slim down the process and keep you from overworking your dough.

*When making scrambled eggs start cooking on medium high heat and then when your spatula leaves a trail through the eggs, reduce the heat and continue cooking for 30 to 60 seconds. This keeps your scrambled eggs from being loose with tiny curds or becoming dried out.

Have a wonderful month, hopefully with sunny, warm weather!

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So Many Projects, Not Enough time

Hello! The sun is shining and all is right with the world. I am going to share what I have been up to lately and I have just a huge bundle of ideas for more! Let’s just dive in!

Recipes

New York Style Baked Cheesecake

Crust 1.5 c. flour .5 c. sugar 1.5 t. vanilla 2 egg yolks 4 eggs 1.5 c. soft margarine

Grease a springform pan well. Mix ingredients and pat the dough on the bottom and halfway up the sides of the pan. Bake at 425 degrees until light brown.

Filling 2.5 pounds of cream cheese 1.75 c. of sugar 1.25 t. of vanilla 2 egg yolks 4 eggs .25 c. heavy cream

Add eggs one at a time to the first three ingredients beating after each addition of egg or egg yolk. Add heavy cream and beat until incorporated. Bake in a 525 degree oven for 10 minutes. Lower temperature to 275 degrees and bake for an hour and ten minutes. It will still be jiggly in the center. Turn off the oven and all the cheesecake to cool in the oven for an hour.

*I don’t use a water bath as if the cheesecake cracks on top it doesn’t bother me. If it does you, just wrap about 3 layers of foil around the bottom and up the sides of the pan, place in another larger pan with about 2 inches of water. Otherwise, the directions stay the same.

Donut Holes/ Baked Donuts (aseasyas applepie.com)

  • 1 cup (120 g) all-purpose flour
  • ¼ cup+1 tablespoon (65 g) granulated sugar
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ½ teaspoon cinnamon
  • ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
  • ⅓ cup+1½ tablespoon (100 ml) skim milk feel free to use full fat milk
  • 2 tablespoons (30 g) unsalted butter melted
  • 1 egg
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • For the cinnamon-sugar topping:
  • 2 tablespoons (30 g) unsalted butter melted
  • ½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar
  • ½ teaspoon cinnamon
  • Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Spray a donut pan with nonstick cooking spray and set aside.
  • In a large bowl whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg.
  • In a small bowl whisk together the milk, butter, egg and vanilla extract.
  • Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir with a wooden spoon or a rubber spatula just until combined. Be careful not to overmix the batter.
  • Spoon the batter into the donut cavities or use a large ziplock bag. Cut a corner off the bottom of the bag and pipe the batter into each donut cavity, filling ¾ of the way full.
  • Place the pan in the oven and bake for 8 to 10 minutes.
  • Remove from the oven and allow to cool in the pan before inverting onto a wire rack to cool down until you can handle them.
  • Make the cinnamon-sugar topping. In a small bowl mix together the sugar and cinnamon.
  • Brush each donut with melted butter, then dip in the cinnamon sugar mixture until well coated.

*I used a donut hole pan instead and it lowered the cooking time. I just started watching them after about 6 minutes evaluate how brown they were.

Gluten Free Peanut Butter Cookies (joyfoodsunshine.com)

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
  • Mix together peanut butter and sugar.
  • Add egg, vanilla and salt and stir until combined.
  • If desired, mix in chocolate chips.
  • Roll 1 TBS portions of dough into balls and place on baking sheet lined with parchment paper. (or use a cookie scoop to scoop the dough onto the baking sheet)
  • Bake for 8-10 minutes or until bottoms are just barely browned.
  • Let the cookies sit on the pan for 10 minutes before removing them to a wire rack to cool.

Crafts

I did a couple of fun and simple decorations for Cinco de Mayo.

Corona Bottle

I just put orange paint (you could use any color you would like) inside the bottle and twisted and turned the bottle until it was completely covered inside. Then I turned it upside down to allow excess paint to drain out. After it was dry I added some brightly colored flowers.

For this one I just bought a few cans of Spanish foods, ate the food, of course, and cleaned out the can. I put some floral foam inside and placed some more bright flowers in the can.

Summer Item

I used a tin can and hot glued driftwood pieces around it. For a little extra zip I tied some jute around it and added a shell. I have a few battery operated candles and I used one for this. Just a cute little accent for summer. We live by Lake Erie so it is locally sourced driftwood and fitting for the area.

I had been seeing people marbling the outside of dishes with different products. I decided I would try the nail polish version. It was so easy! You have a pan with 2 to 3 inches of warmish water in it. Then you have a few nail polish colors. You hold the bottle as close to the surface of the water as you can and pour some in. If you hold it up higher the polish sinks to the bottom and you want it to float. When all your colors get in there you twirl the colors gently with a wooden skewer and then dip the outside portion of what ever dish you’re doing in the water and pull it back out again. This whole process from the pouring of the color to the dipping of the dish has to be rather quick. When you lay your dish down to dry, take the wooden skewer and twirl it through the polish which is now dried and floating on the surface. Then you can add more colors, either the same or different ones and do it again. It is really fun. The mug I double dipped to see the difference. The second dip was lighter in color. I don’t believe you should microwave these pieces or use a dishwasher but that’s ok with me.

Hacks

*If you have a sick pet, before you go to the vet video your pet displaying the sound or movement that is a concern. The pet may not display this particular thing at the vet but you will have the evidence for the vet to see.

*When traveling to a new city, check out Free Tours By Foot. The site has tours listed for more than 50 cities across the globe. There are pay what you wish tours and self-guided tours as well.

*You can save 35% on food and 20% on drinks if you eat during happy hour rather than peak dinner hours or later. Learn something seniors have been doing for years and save some dough! LOL

*Experts now say that between substantial monthly cellphone bills, often large deductibles and hidden clauses in the contracts insurance on your cellphone is not a great value.

*If your still frying meatballs in a frypan, save the mess and bake them in the oven. Put the meatballs in the sauce and warm all of it in the oven. Baking bacon in the oven is a lot less messy too!

*When browning ground beef there’s a step to take prior to cooking. Break up your meat (2 pounds), add 1.5 t salt and .75 t baking soday. Let the mixture setr for 20 minutes and then brown. This methold allows for the meat not to shed a lot of moisture and it browns nicer.

*Staying in an Airbnb or other rental? Take a quick video of the place before you leave. That way you have evidence as to the condition you left it in incase you should need it.

*Want to repurpose your used dryer sheets? Use them to clean your electronics. The material works perfectly since it is designed specifically to not cause friction.

A final note, if you haven’t explored diamond painting yet, you need to! Super relaxing and fun. Don’t know what it is? Google to see!

Have a great month and see you in June.

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Spring is in the Air

I am busy getting my warm weather clothes out and putting away those sweaters! Along with that, I am also getting a few of my little displays for outside the house up from the cellar. The changing of seasons is always something I look forward to. Fall might be my favorite with Spring coming in a close second. In actuality, I don’t mind any season, even Winter. They all have their own special sights, sounds and smells and the added bonus is that I love to decorate!

Recipes

Oatmeal Biscuits (smalltownwoman.com)

  • 2 cups all purpose flour
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 tablespoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
  • 1/2 cup butter (well chilled)
  • 1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
  • 1/2 cup milk
  • 2 tablespoons honey

GLAZE

  • 2 tablespoons butter melted
  • 2 tablespoons honey
  1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Cover a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
  2. Whisk together flour, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and ground cloves.  Cut in butter using a pastry knife until crumbly.  Stir in oats, milk, and honey; just until moistened.  Move to a well-floured work space and pat out to about 1/2-3/4 inch thick.  Cut with a 2 1/2-inch floured biscuit cutter. Rework the dough and cut more biscuits.  Place on the prepared baking sheet.
  3. Stir together melted butter and honey. Using a pastry brush, lightly coat the tops of the biscuits with honey butter.  Bake for 15 – 20 minutes or until light golden brown.

These were super yummy and very soft. They were perfect with a cup of tea or coffee.

Jello/Marshmallow Candy (cakewhiz.com)

These are great for any ae but the kids especially would enjoy making and eating them.

  • 3 oz Jell-O Whatever flavor you like: Orange, Cherry, Raspberry, Lemon, Lime gelatin e.t.c
  • 1/2 cup Water Warm
  • 1 1/2 cups Marshmallows Mini
  • 1/2 cup Sugar Granulated or Sanding
  • In a large microwave-safe bowl, add JELL-O gelatin and water and whisk everything together. 
  • Microwave for 1-2 minutes until gelatin is fully dissolved. Be sure to stop halfway to whisk everything together. 
  • Add marshmallows and microwave for 1-2 minutes or until they are slightly melted and “poofy.”
  • Whisk mixture together until smooth with no lumps. 
  • Pour mixture in a lightly oiled square pan (Dimensions: 9×9). 
  • Chill in the fridge for about 50 minutes. 
  • If you are adding a second layer of JELL-O mixture, follow steps 1-4 again and add the same amount of ingredients again and pour that mixture on top of this set layer. Chill for another 50 minutes. 
  • Once this marshmallow mixture has set, run a sharp knife around the edges. 
  • Then, flip it onto a cookie tray, lined with foil paper that’s been sprayed with oil. 
  • Use a sharp knife to cut cubes. It helps to spray some oil on the knife blade to prevent it from sticking to the cubes and making a mess. 
  • Roll them in a bowl of sugar or sprinkles until fully coated and arrange them on a serving dish. 
  • If you are making rolls, cut 1 inch strips instead of cubes and roll them from one end to the other end and push a lollipop stick to hold the shape.  Sprinkle some sugar and enjoy!

Rainbow Poke Cake (bakemesomesugar.com)

  • Box Cake Mix + Ingredients On Box
  • Jello 3 ounce boxes – I used 4 flavors
  • Water
  • 1 Whipped Cream 8 ounce tub
  • The first thing you want to do is preheat the oven and mix up the boxed white cake mix as directed on the box. I used a 9×13 pan and baked according to the box.
  • Once the cake is done, remove and let it cool for about 10 minutes. Then use a wooden skewer and poke holes all over the cake. It will tear up the top of the cake slightly but that is okay.
  • Now you will take 1 cup boiling water per Jello box. Mix the 3-ounce packet of Jello with the hot water. Stir till the granules are melted. Then pour in 1/8 cup cold water.
  • Repeat till you do all 4 colors of Jello. You can do as many colors as you want. There will be a leftover Jello mixture.
  • Carefully pour the Jello liquid onto portions of the cake. This will create a rainbow poke cake look.
  • Cover and refrigerate the cake 3-4 hours.
  • Once cooled top with a tub of whipped cream. Top with sprinkles if you want.
  • Slice and serve up this colorful poke cake.

Easter Graham Cracker Dippers (thesimpleparent.com)

  • Graham Crackers
  • White chocolate chips or candy melts
  • Easter or pastel colored sprinkles
  • Break the graham crackers into quarters.
  • Microwave white chocolate chips on 50% power for 3 to 4 minutes, stirring every 30 seconds until melted.
  • Once the chocolate is melted dip the graham cracker rectangles halfway into the melted chocolate and set on parchment paper.
  • Decorate with sprinkles while the chocolate is still soft.
  • Set in the fridge for 15 minutes to let the chocolate harden and enjoy!

I used almond bark to dip the crackers in and used sprinkles.

Hacks

  • Wrinkly shirt/top? Throw it in the dryer with a few ice cubes or a wet washcloth. Run for 5 minutes. Wrinkles gone!
  • Ordering online, even if you pay a delivery cost, will save you money in the end since you would be lured by impulse buys. Always search Google for promo codes or coupons at the site you’re ordering from. Cha-Ching!
  • Have your weekends on Wednesdays and Thursday. Most inns, resorts, hotels, restaurants, have better deals during the week than Saturday and Sunday prices.
  • For energy stovetop cooking match the size of your pan to the burner size. You can save about $36 a year with an electric stove and $18 with a gas stove.
  • Things go wrong with your toaster when crumbs accumulate at the bottom of the toaster. Open that door on the bottom and get those crumbs out. Don’t shake the toaster upside down. Crumbs can lodge in crevices and cause damage.
  • Don’t settle for just ok asparagus. A lot of recipes call for roasting asparagus at 400 degrees. They have a great sear and are crisp andf tender if you blast them in a 500 degree oven for 8 to 10 minutes.
  • You can make your own “homemade” Goo Gone. Just mix 1 teaspoon of vegetable oil to 2 teaspoons of baking soda (of course you can double or triple the amounts if you need more). Dip a paper towel or cloth in it and rub away that sticky residue.
  • Getting a bunch of business cards at a conference? Stop cramming them all into your purse or wallet. Just take pictures of them instead.

Crafts

To make this adorable carrot is so easy! I just bought carrot treat bags at Dollar Tree which come 2 in a pack. I cut thr drawstring top off and stuffed the bag with fiber fill. Before tying it shut with jute, I stuck some fern, also from DT, in to look like the carrot top. I fashioned a little bow tied on with the jute I used to close the bag up and then hot glued a little button the center of the bow. You could make a loop for hanging or just put it on a table top as I did.

I had a 50th anniversary party to attend and was looking for something kind of sentimental to do as a gift. A friend had recently done a birthday card for a 12 year old with a penny for each year of her life. I adapted that idea for an anniversary. I had a collection of clear, glass, firgural banks and it took a little searching but I found one for each year. I cleaned them up with lemon juice and salt. On my computer I created the design I wanted and printed it out on card stock. I drew lines lightly with a ruler so that my rows would be straight and hot glued each penny in place. Finally, I framed it. I think it came out really nice.

Carrot Wreath

At my favorite store, DT, I found an orange metal carrot form. I cut out some burlap for it as a background and hot glued it on. Of course, we have to have a bow! Then to kind of put a little extra dash of cute, I added the little wooden carrot that I painte.

I love mason jars. There isn’t much you can’t do with them. This pin cushion/storage jar is so simple to make. I cut some fabric out a little larger than the insert in the lid. I put a ball of fiber fill on the lid insert, wrapped the fabric over the insert and secured the edges to the bottom with hot glue. Then I trimmed off excess fabric. Viola!

Bunny

I painted a wooden bunny cutout with white paint. Then I used Mod Podge to affix the top ply of an Easter napkin to this little guy. The final touch was a a cottontail! I used to as a hanger that I had glued to the back of the bunny (or really, in this case the front of the bunny, lol) and then glued a wooden popsicle stick over the jute to secure it.

This is a 10 inch metal wreath form to which I used white, yellow, pink, blue and lilac yarn to wrap it. The yarn was purposefully not wound around in any pattern or design but random. When I was done I hot glued a few sprigs of white artificial flowers on and 3 butterflies. I do like it and it is currently on my door. However, if I had been able to get the chenile yarn from DT I think it would have kicked it up a notch!

A friend of mine wanted a shirt to honor Damar Hamlin of the Buffalo Bills football team. His number is 3 and he is known for making a heart symbol with his hands. When he awoke after collapsing with cardiac arrest during a game, his first words were, “Did we win?”. I used 3 colors of iron-on vinyl and I had to pay 99 cents for the hand symbol from Cricut. While I made hers, I thought, why not have one for me? Mine is pictured above.

Have a wonderful month!! See you in May!

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