Tag: Easter

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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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March Comes In Like a Lion and Goes Out Like a Lamb……….Maybe

Recipes

Crockpot Chicken Dinner

This is one of my toss it all together, taste test along the way, and have dinner recipes. All ingredients are “approximate”.

3 skinless chicken breasts

1 can cream of chicken soup

1 cup of white rice

2 cups of frozen mixed vegetables

Water and chicken broth (1 part water to 2 parts chicken broth) enough to cover all ingredients.

Salt and pepper to taste.

I cooked on low for 5 hours

It was delicious and made its own gravy. I ate it just like it was but you could put it over biscuits or potatoes, whatever sounds good to you.

Crockpot Vegetable Soup

4 cups vegetable broth

1 bag of mixed cauliflower and broccoli

1 small bag of mini carrots

1 russet potatoe cut up

1 T. garlic minced

1 onion diced

1 small can of stewed tomatoes, not drained

1 can of tomato paste

2 stalks of celery diced

1 bay leaf

salt, pepper, Italian seasoning to taste

I put everything in the pot and cooked on low overnight. I adjusted the seasoning by added a little more of each and it was lunch! It is always better to start with a little seasoning and then add a little at a time. Once you put it in, you can’t get it out again! LOL

Bacon Wrapped Crackers (peartreekitchen.com)

  • 54 buttery crackers , like club crackers, about 1 ½ sleeves
  • 16 ounces thinly sliced bacon , cut into thirds
  • 1/4 cup brown sugar
  • Take bacon out of the refrigerator and allow to soften slightly.
  • Preheat oven to 275 degrees F.
  • Prepare a baking sheet with sides by lining with non-stick foil or parchment paper. Spray foil or parchment with baking spray.
  • Cut bacon slices into three pieces if using regular bacon, or cut slices in half if using center cut bacon.
  • Wrap one bacon piece around one cracker. Repeat with all crackers.
  • Lay on the baking sheet with seam side down. These can be placed close together, but not touching. Repeat with all crackers.
  • Sprinkle the top of each wrapped cracker with brown sugar. Do not use too much or it will run off and create a hard caramel layer. Repeat with all crackers.
  • Place into preheated oven and cook for 30 to 45 minutes. Longer may be required for crisper bacon.
  • Remove from oven and allow to cool for a few minutes.
  • Move to serving tray and enjoy!

Praline Candied Bacon (giftofhospitality.com)

I have not made this but looked up the recipe after I had it at a local restaurant, Music For Your Mouth. It is amazing! This is not their recipe but I am sure it is similar. I am buying bacon today!

INGREDIENTS  

  • 1 lb thick cut bacon
  • ½ cup brown sugar
  • 2 tablespoons maple syrup
  • 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
  • ½ cup very finely chopped pecans INSTRUCTIONS 
  • Preheat oven to 400°F.
  • Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil and top with a wire rack. Lay the bacon in a single layer on the wire rack (it can touch slightly but not overlap).
  • In a small bowl, stir together the brown sugar, maple syrup, and Dijon mustard. Use a pastry brush to brush the half the brown sugar mixture over the bacon.
  • Bake the bacon for 20–25 minutes, or until the bacon is mostly cooked through.
  • Remove from the oven and flip the bacon onto the other side. Brush the bacon with the remaining brown sugar mixture. and sprinkle the chopped pecans over the top, pressing gently with a spatula to adhere if necessary.
  • Return to the oven and cook until the bacon is very crisp, about 5–10 more minutes.
  • Remove from the oven and let cool slightly. Serve immediately.

Hacks

*I am cleaning pennies for a 50th anniversary gift and this works great. Just put the pennies in a dish and cover with any citrus juice like lemon and add salt. Allow to sit for 15- 20 minutes and then scrub with an old toothbrush to get off all the gunk! Dry with a soft cloth. This works with any coin.

*When reheating leftovers, create an empty circle in the middle of the food. This empty space will help the food heat up more evenly.

*Taking something apart to fix it? Take a photo before you start. This will give you a visual reference when putting it back together.

*Ever get a ring stuck on your finger? Spray some Windex around the area. It will slide right off.

*When making any toasty sandwich like BLTs, place two slices of bread together in a single toaster slot. This way, the bread gets toasty on the outside, but stays soft and chewy on the inside.

*Need a quick measurement but don’t have a ruler? Use a dollar bill. It is 6 1/8 inches long. You can get a rough length measurement that way.

* There’s a trick to keeping your refrigerator clean. Line the shelves with plastic wrap, waxed paper, etc. When there are spills just replace the liner.

*You can take the crumbs left in the bottom of a chip bag and save them in a jar. Just puree them in a blender and they can be used as a coating for fish or chicken.

*Don’t have an apple corer? You can use a winged corkscrew instead. This works great! Try it with baked apples.

*Amazon return bag trick, what you say is this? My hairdresser sharedn this with me. Thanks, Kim! Just watch, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XG5M9S56LDM

Craft Cache

It’s been a bit of a crafty time. I either have to give more away or get a bigger house!

Several years ago in a ceramics class did these bird houses. The base they were on broke but I saved them for future use. I finally found a use! I hot glued them to the bottoms of some small clay pots I had and put some moss around the base. I haven’t decided if I want to to any embellishment to the pots or not. I kind of like the plain look. What do you think?

This banner is Dollar Tree (more accurately, Dollar and a Quarter tree but I am not bitter at all! Grrr) all the way! I started with the plain banner and then added some pastel little bunnies that I painted. I had this adorable plaid pastel ribbon from DT too, so I just added a little bow. It is cute and was super quick to make. Painting the bunnies took the longest and that wasn’t too long at all.

This cute little bookmark is made from a square of scrapbook paper. Watch the video to see how simple it is. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BEwl0fvqo18

This adorable carrot was all Dollar Tree too. I started with the wooden carrot cutout from which I removed the jute hanger. I painted the carrot orange, the raised part of the carrot top white and the trim was painted lime green. I then used a dollar tree napkin (that I took the top decorated ply off bottom plain ply) and decoupaged it too the raised carrot top. I used orange burlap ribbon to wind around the carrot, securing it with hot glue. Finally, I added that sweet little bit of carrot ribbon to the top of the carrot. The jute hanger went back on and there you have it!

Isn’t this bunny adorbs?!! 3 of us got together and made these wreaths. The form was a bunny head and ears from DT. First, I wrapped bulky pink yarn that my friend, Shelly, shared with me, around the entire form. You can either tie a knot to anchor the yarn or use hot glue. Next was the black and white check fabric in the center of the ears. I cut two rectangles of the fabric that were slightly larger than the ears and glued them to the back of the ears. After the glue dried I cut the excess fabric off so you couldn’t see it from the front. I fashioned a messy bow using four pieces of ribbon, two black and white check and two pink. The bow was then glued to the wreath slightly of center. The final touch were some flowers in a deeper pink. I took the larger flowers off the stem and hot glued them, centering more toward the left ear. To finish it off, I added some stems of smaller flowers. You can make a jute hanger that will be hidden behind the ears.

The egg wreath form was from, you know where (DT). The rope and embellishments were purchased there as well. I anchored the rope with hot glue and wrapped the entire form with it. The embellishments were added and I made a messy bow from ribbon I had on hand which was glued slightly off center, at the top.

I hope this post finds all of you doing well and that you saw something of interest in it. Share your thoughts, etc, in the comment section and see you next month! Thanks, as always, for reading.

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Did You Miss Me?

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

Recipes

Peep Rice Krispie Treats

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

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

Cubans on a Stick

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

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

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

For a dipping sauce use;

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

Overnight Crockpot Steel Cut Oats

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

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

Veggie Enchilada Bake (aberdeens.kitchen.com)

  • 24-28 corn tortillas
  • 3 ½ cups red enchilada sauce
  • 1 tablespoon El Pato or your favorite Jalapeño sauce
  • 1 red bell pepper, diced
  • 1 green bell pepper diced
  • 1 ½ cups sweet yellow corn kernels, cooked
  • 2 15 oz can black beans, rinsed and drained
  • 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese and monterey jack cheese blend
  • Fresh cilantro, diced for garnish
  • Green onion, thinly sliced for garnish
  1. Preheat oven to 375˚F. Grease a 9X13 casserole dish and set aside.
  2. Combine enchilada sauce and El Pato in a bowl until fully mixed.
  3. Spread about ½ a cup on the bottom of the pan.
  4. Lay 6-8 tortillas on the bottom of the pan (overlapping is fine).
  5. Spread about 1 cup of the mixed sauce onto the tortillas, fully coating them.
  6. Sprinkle half the beans, half the corn, and half the of the bell pepper on top of the sauced tortillas and top with a third of the cheese blend.
  7. Repeat the layering process starting again with the tortillas, then add sauce, then the rest of the beans, bell pepper, corn, and another third of the cheese.
  8. Top this second layer with another 8 tortillas. Coat with the remaining sauce and sprinkle the rest of the cheese on top.
  9. Place in the middle rack of the oven for 45 – 55 minutes, until the sauce is bubbling, cheese is melted and the middle is cooked through.
  10. Let cool for about 5 minutes. Sprinkle with fresh cilantro and serve immediately.

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

Veggie Loaf (octoberfarm.blogspot.com)

  • ½ cup brown rice, dry
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 large yellow onion, chopped
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 2 celery ribs, chopped
  • Kosher salt
  • Freshly ground black pepper
  • 10 ounces crimini mushrooms, stems removed, sliced thin
  • 1 tablespoons fresh tarragon, chopped
  • 6 ounces fresh spinach
  • 3 ounces sun dried tomatoes, chopped
  • 4 eggs, whisked
  • 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
  • 2 tablespoons vegetable broth
  1. Preheat oven to 400F.
  2. Cook rice according to package instructions. Set aside.
  3. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium high heat. Add onions and cook until translucent. Stir in garlic and celery and season with salt and pepper. Cook until vegetables are soft, about 5 minutes.
  4. Add in mushrooms and tarragon and cook until mushrooms release their juices and the liquid evaporates, about 5 more minutes. Add in spinach and cook until wilted. Stir in sun dried tomatoes, then remove from heat and let cool slightly.
  5. In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, mustard, and broth. Add in vegetable mixture and rice and stir to combine.
  6. Generously grease a loaf pan with olive oil. Pour in vegetable mixture and smooth to flat with a spatula. Bake for 40-45 minutes, until edges are nicely browned. Let cool slightly, then run a knife along edges and flip onto platter.

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

Tortilla Toaster Sandwich (sbs.com.au)

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

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

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

For the Furry Ones

Dog Biscuits

14 oz. jar of baby food 1 cup flour

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

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

Sweet Potato Dog Chews

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

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

Hacks

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

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

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

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

Craftiness Abounds!

Bottle Bunny

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

Giant Egg

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

Sink Shelf

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

Bunny Candlesticks

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

Easter Center Piece

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

Carrot Door Hanging

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

Bunny Wreath

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

Cinco de Mayo Wreath

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

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

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