Tag: eggs

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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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Potpourri

Hello! We had an unseasonably warm few days and some sunshine in my neck of the woods but Winter has returned.

We had our monster birthday bash on Sunday. My oldest daughter’s birthday was January 3 and my twin sons had their special day on January 25. My compadre in crime, Linda, celebrated on January 26. We rolled all those birthdays into one and had a party.

As I mentioned in a previous post,  each celebrant picks their own treat. Therefore, it was a busy day for me in the kitchen. Melanie picked angel food cakes, as she always does, with the fluffy cooked frosting. I say cakes because she always expects at least 2 cakes. One year she request three!! She likes the leftovers. Josh selected baked New York style cheesecake. I chose an easier recipe than the one I usually use. He liked it but told me he likes the old recipe better. Although everyone enjoyed the cheesecake. Jacob wanted an ice cream cake. Linda wanted Rick Krispie treats. I will share recipes below. Well, except for the angel food cake. I buy mixes for those. I’m not nuts enough to make those homemade. Well, at least not yet! Oh, and everyone knows how to make Rice Krispie treats. The only thing I did differently was to cut the treats up and stack them like a layer cake.

Money Savers

  1. Save your wrappers from butter and margarine in a container in the frig. Whenever you need to grease a pan just use the wrapper. Rub it around the pan using the side that was next to the butter or margarine. My Mom always did this and I started right off the bat when I had my own home!
  2. I get many things in the mail that have an envelope enclosed that I don’t use. I save those envelopes and use them rather than purchasing envelopes.I use them to do night deposits at the bank and pay the in town bills that I just drop off. Basically anytime I need an envelope for something and it doesn’t matter what kind of envelope I use.
  3. When you are making something that only requires egg whites save the yolks. Put them into a pan of boiling water and cook them until they are no longer runny. Cool. Crumble them for salads.
  4. If you need a knife or pair of scissors sharpened and don’t own a knife sharpener you can still get the job done. Turn a ceramic mug upside down. There is almost always an un-glazed ring around the bottom. Hold your knife blade at a 45 degree angle against the ring and pull it firmly along the ceramic edge from base to tip a few times on each side.
  5. Here’s another tip for eggs. You can freeze them! Of course you have to take them out of the shell first. Crack 2 eggs at a time in a bowl. Beat them until well blended. Freeze them in muffin tins. Once frozen, remove them from the tin and store in a freezer bag in the freezer. Each time a recipe calls for 2 eggs get your bag out and you will be able to select a perfect portion. If you have a recipe you use frequently for say 3 eggs, you can do those too.
  6. Muffin tins can be used for many things. If you turn a muffin pan upside down you can use it to bake tortillas for tacos or edible bowls for salads.

 

     

Have you ever had or do you currently have a cupboard that is difficult to get to? I do! It is right beside my stove and I keep spices and other related things in there. It is just a little too high for me to be able to see things in it. I have tried those spice shelves made out of bamboo that have steps and that didn’t work for me to see into the cupboard. I tried long skinny plastic containers that would hold a row of spice jars. That didn’t work that well either. The other day I had an epiphany! I needed a tray or container that would hold many things from the cupboard so that I could simply pull it out and see everything. Luckily I collect tins from various products. My daughter gave me two Moon Pie tins filled with, what else?, Moon Pies! The Moon Pies are long gone but the tins were here.

My friend Linda decided she needed to make a lighted fabric garland for Valentine’s Day. She shared the thought with me and we were both off and running! I am a little obsessive so I must have one for each holiday that I am decorating my antique Hoosier cabinet with.

We cut fabric strips in the colors of whatever holiday we were working on. The strips of fabric were roughly 5 to 6 inches long and about and inch to an inch and a half wide. We both were able to find or collect fabric scraps that we could use for the project. However, when we did need certain colors we bought quilting squares for 94 cents at Walmart in the colors we needed.  I used pinking shearers for mine. Linda simply tore some of her strips. You can also use regular shearers. It is all up to you and the look you want to have. Then you simply tie the strips onto the a light cord. We used discounted 20 light strings that we bought after Christmas for 47 cents each!

Valentine’s Day    

St. Patty’s               

Easter                       

Summer                  

I will be doing one for Fall and of course Christmas. Also, I just realized I need one for Cinco de Mayo! I told you I was a little obsessive! That’s with the emphasis on obsessive, not on little!

Recipes

Cooked Frosting

 

  • 5 Tablespoons flour
  • 1 cup milk
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1 cup butter (2 sticks), room temperature 
  • 1 cup granulated white sugar

 

  • In a small saucepan, whisk flour into milk and heat, stirring constantly, until it thickens. This might take 5 minutes, give or take.  Keep stirring so as not to burn the mixture.  Remove from heat and let it cool to room temperature. Add the vanilla.
  • While the mixture is cooling, cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Then add the cooled mixture from step 1 and beat until it all combines and looks like whipped cream. Scrape the sides of the bowl so that you are sure to incorporate everything.

 

Easy Baked Cheesecake

  • 2 (8 oz.) cream cheese, softened
  • 2/3 cup sugar
  • 3 large eggs, whisked
  • 2 tsp. vanilla
  • graham cracker crust
  1. Beat cream cheese, sugar, eggs, and vanilla with mixer until smooth.
  2. Pour into a ready graham cracker pie crust.
  3. Bake 20 to 25 minutes at 350F.
  4. Remove cheesecake and cool for 5 minutes.
  5. Cool and refrigerate.
  6. Serve cold!

This recipe was saved from simple.net.

Notes: I had to leave it in the oven the full 25 minutes. I then turned the oven off and allowed it to cool in the oven and then refrigerated it. Allowing a cheesecake to cool in the oven is a normal practice. I used a spring form pan for the cheesecake and made my own grahan cracker crust using graham cracker crumbs, sugar and melted butter.

Ice Cream Cake

1 brownie mix baked as directed

1 half gallon of ice cream (softened)

1 tub of pre-made frosting

8 oz. container of whipped topping

sprinkles

I baked the brownies in a 9 X 11 pan as per directions. Once the brownies cooled I spread the frosting on top. The next layer is the softened ice cream. To top it off you spread the whipped topping on and decorate with sprinkles. The ice cream and frosting flavor are up to you. I used chocolate frosting and fudge ripple ice cream. Cover with plastic wrap (I always use Press and Seal. It is the best!) and store in freezer until serving.

Have a great week! Hope you enjoyed this post. I love to hear from you!

 

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Happy 2018

I took a holiday break for a bit but I’m back! I am sure we all had a busy couple of weeks with baking, cooking, visiting with friends, wrapping and giving gifts, etc. The funny thing that has always struck me is how much time and preparation go into the holidays and how quickly they fly by. Are you picking up what I’m laying down? LOL

Meanwhile, back at the ranch, I have some tips for you and a recipe and an assortment of other finds, observations and “check this out!” things.

Handy Tips

  1. You know how sometimes wooden furniture gets a dent in it when something is dropped on it? There is a way to bring it back where it should be or near there if the ding is deep. Take out your steam iron and get to work! Put a piece of cloth ( I use something without any nap so that fibers don’t leave little indents) on the dent. With your steam iron onto a hotter setting and filled with water iron the spot where the dent is. You can’t just leave the iron sit on there since you don’t want to do more damage to the furniture. The moisture from the steam iron will put moisture into the wood and the result is that the dent lifts up. I have done this countless times. It works!
  2. Sticking with the furniture theme, I have a fix for the white water rings that you get from cups and glasses. This works best when the ring is fresh and to varying degrees if it is not. Put some mayonnaise on the ring and let it set for a good while. Then take a soft cloth and wipe the area. Presto!  Chango! Water ring has left the building!
  3. I put my Christmas cards and some decorations up with a ring of masking tape. A handy trick is to take a little piece of painter’s tape and put it up before you put your masking tape ring up. Painter’s tape is meant to come off without damaging the surface it is on. Your decorations, or other items you may put up, come off without a hitch and the painter’s tape saves the day.
  4. This year I finally did something that I had seen long ago but never remembered. All of my rolls of wrapping paper that I had opened are now safely tucked away with an empty toilet paper roll or empty paper towel roll keeping them from coming open and getting messed up. There also is no damage done from scotch tape if that is what you used to use to keep your wrapping paper in line like I did. Just take an empty roll and using scissors cut a slit the length of the tube. You then slip it on your roll of wrapping paper like a cuff. It works like a charm to keep those pesky rolls from unwinding and ruining the paper.

Is anyone suffering from dry and/or cracked fingers due to the cold weather? I know I am. My son, who is a UPS driver and handles cardboard packages all day, taught me a trick. Put some oatmeal in an old foot from the pair of panty hose or a knee high. Then you tie it shut and rub your hands or any other dry area. He swears by this method.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              This Makes Sense 

You know how eggs or really egg yolks had a really bad reputation for years, like decades? Now, current thinking is they are good for you and Healthline website says that up to 3 whole eggs a day is fine and they have studies that have been done to prove this.  It turns out that eggs do have a lot of cholesterol in them but the more you consume, the less your liver makes. Anyway, eggs have protein and B vitamins in them. You absorb protein slowly so it keeps you fuller, longer and B vitamins are used by your body to make energy. One egg has 6 grams of protein in it and about 15% of your daily requirement of B vitamins.  I call that a WIN/WIN!

Attention All Cat and Dog Owners!   

My Mom used to put on a classical radio station for her dog when she left the house. The rest of the family and I called it BOW WOW music. Well, as with most things, Mom was right! The doggies and even your fine feline friends enjoy and are calmed by music. You can find a classical music station or there are other more specifically targeted sources for music. There are at least 2 volumes of Canine Lullabies available for purchase on Amazon. I am sure they would be great for cats too. Turns out that shelters, boarding kennels and vet offices use this music to “calm the savage beast” too! If you want to spend more money there is something called, iCalmDog for about $90. These are mini speakers with pre-loaded music which feature, and I quote from a techy article in the latest AARP magazine, “psychoacoutstically designed” sounds for dogs. The music is called Through A Dog’s Ear and features classical piano in versions that are slower, simplified and in a lower key just for Fido.   Not to be out done by the dogs, cats have the iCalmCats for $70 which has the feline version of the piano music. If you would like to learn more the website is; https://icalmpet.com/

 

Recipe

Cinnamon and Spice Sweet Potato Bread

YIELD: 1-9X5 LOAF, 2-8X4 LOAVES OR BUNDT

TOTAL TIME: ABOUT 80 MINUTES

PREP TIME: 20 MINUTES

COOK TIME: 60 MINUTES

Sweet potatoes do a wonderful job of keeping the bread extremely soft and moist. It’s almost like cake it’s so soft, springy, and bouncey. The interior is tender with a dense, moist crumb, and the crust is firmer and slightly chewy. The sweet potatoes are complimented by a variety of comforting and warming spices including, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, allspice and cloves. The bread is robustly spiced and full of hearty flavor. If you like sweet potatoes, carrot cake, or pumpkin-based recipes, you’ll love this bread.

INGREDIENTS:

about 1 1/2 cups mashed sweet potatoes (2 medium or 1 very large)
3 tablespoons water
2 large eggs
1/2 cup canola or vegetable oil
1/4 cup buttermilk (or yogurt, Greek yogurt, sour cream, or buttermilk powder)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
1/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
pinch salt, optional and to taste

DIRECTIONS:

  1. Preheat oven to 350F. Spray one 9-by-5-inch loaf pan (what I used), or two 8-by-4-inch loaf pans, or a 10-cup Bundt pan, or a muffin pan with floured cooking spray or grease and flour the pan(s); set aside.
  2. Peel the sweet potatoes and chop them into 1-inch sized chunks. Place chunks in a large, shallow microwave-safe bowl. Add 3 tablespoons water, cover with plastic wrap, and cook on high power for 15 to 17 minutes, or until potatoes are very fork-tender. Pour off any water. Mash sweet potatoes with a fork. Allow them to cool momentarily so you don’t scramble the eggs.
  3. To the sweet potatoes, add the eggs, oil, buttermilk, vanilla and whisk until combined; set aside. (I used buttermilk powder and added 1 tablespoon powder to the dry ingredients and 1/4 cup water to this wet mixture)
  4. In a large mixing bowl, combine the dry ingredients – flour, sugars, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, allspice, cloves, optional salt, and whisk to combine. Pour the wet sweet potato mixture over the dry ingredients, and stir to incorporate. Take your time stirring until no stray bits of dry ingredients are visible, folding and scraping the bottom of the bowl with a spatula as necessary because it’s very easy to miss dry ingredients hiding at the bottom of the bowl in this batter. Stir and fold with a gentle hand as to not over-mix and over-develop the gluten, which results in tougher bread.
  5. Turn batter out into prepared pan(s), smoothing the top lightly with a spatula. Bake for 60 to 70 minutes for a 9×5 pan, or until top is domed, golden, loaf is springy to the touch, and cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Tent pan with foil in the last 15 minutes of cooking if top is browning a bit fast before interior has cooked through. I estimate that 8×4 loaves will take about 40 to 45 minutes, a Bundt about 1 hour, muffins about 18-20 minutes, but I haven’t tried those versions and they are just guesstimates.
  6. Allow bread to cool in pan for 10 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack to cool completely. Bread will keep at room temperature for up to 1 week. I store my bread by wrapping the completely cooled loaf in plastic wrap, and then placing loaf inside a gallon-sized Ziplock.

  

* This recipe turned out fantastic! It was super moist and delicious! I doubled the recipe because I knew one loaf would never do for my family. I wasn’t mistaken!

*This recipe is courtesy of averiecooks.com .

 

One last thing I wanted to share with you is my cookie board from our Christmas Eve celebration. I could have made it prettier with some candy canes and other accoutrements but my troops are interested in easy access to the goodies. With that in mind I used my chartcuterie board and set up a cookie board. If you remember from an earlier post, I made this board last year.

Thanks for reading my blog! Have a wonderful week! See you next Sunday.

 

Posted on

88 Degrees on October 22!

As my title indicates, we are having a wonderful Fall day in Western NY. To top it off the Buffalo Bills won the game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers! Life is good.

In The Kitchen

Today we are celebrating my youngest daughter’s birthday. It was really Friday but as a family we tend to do our parties on Sundays since that day works better for most of the family.

Since Sara’s birthday is in the second half of October her chosen treat usually involves Halloween or Fall. One year when she was little I remember making a grave yard with cookie headstones for her and buttercream frosting ghosts. This year she requested pumpkin cheesecake. I was more than happy to make it because it is a no-bake recipe and I love pumpkin flavor too! The recipe was really easy!

Pumpkin Cheesecake

2 1/2 c. graham cracker crumbs

1/2 c. butter

3 – 8 oz. packages of cream chees

1 c. heavy whipping cream

1 c. powdered sugar

1 1/2 c. pumpkin puree

1 t. cinnamon

1 t. vanilla

whipped cream or whipped topping for garnish if desired

Combine the graham crumbs and melted butter in a bowl. Press firmly into the bottom and up 1″ of the sides of a spring-form pan. Set aside.

In a large bowl, combine room temperature cream cheese and cream until smooth. Add the remaining ingredients and beat until smooth and fluffy.

Pour the filling into the pan. Cover and refrigerate until set, about 6 to 8 hours.

Garnish with whipped cream or whipped topping if desired.

*I used prepared graham cracker pie crusts to make this dessert. The filling filled two pie shells nicely. The filling is not overpoweringly pumpkin. It is just a nice taste!

On Facebook, a friend of mine shared one of those recipes you see quite often. Thanks, Sue! It was for bean soup and I love bean soup so I made it yesterday. It is delicious.

Crockpot Bean Soup

6 c. chicken broth

1 lb. dried Great Northern beans

1 lb. ham (chunked)

1 med. onion (chopped)

Salt and pepper to taste

Parsley and oregano to taste

Put all ingredients in the crock-pot and cook on low for 8 hours.

*I added about a half pound of baby carrots chopped in half to the ingredients  because I could! LOL! No, really, because I like carrots in my bean soup. I left my crock-pot on while I went to the zoo and shopping and I was gone longer than 8 hours. The soup was fine but now needed a little more broth. So I just added about a cup and a half of chicken broth to it. Perfecto!!

TOH Tips

Last week I gave you a couple of Taste of Home tips from chef Kari Kartch. I want to bestow more knowledge on you this week!

Do you cry when cutting onions? We all do! If you cut each end off an onion and take off the peel you can then place your onion in the microwave for 15 seconds. It isn’t long enough to really do anything to the onion except release the odors that make you cry.  Give it a try!

Don’t salt and pepper your eggs before or when you first start cooking them. They should be at least 70% done before you season them. It gives the eggs a rubbery texture if they are seasoned at the beginning of the cooking process.

If you have any other tips to tackle these problems or others please leave a comment and share! I would love to know and I am sure that your fellow readers would too.

Grab and Go!

I wanted to talk a little about disaster preparedness. We have had some disasters in our country recently and they’ve been scary. People are still dealing with the aftermath and my heart aches for them.

This made me think of when I lived in Germany in the late 70’s to 81. We were told to keep a “Go Bag” ready at all times in case something required our immediate evacuation and we didn’t have enough time to think let alone gather all the needed supplies. We had a small suitcase packed and stored in our closet the whole time we were there.

I have read a couple of articles lately about keeping a “Go Bag” now so we could be prepared to evacuate if needed. Even here in Western New York we live on a fault line and have had minor quakes in the past.  It is my opinion that no one in our country is exempt from some sort of natural or man-made disaster. At the very least it is an insurance policy but at the most, it could be life saving.

What might you include in your “Go Bag”? There are some basics you should have in it and then maybe some other things you might add depending on the demographic you’re packing for.

The Basics

Electronics – an extra phone charge, a portable battery pack in case you have no electric, a long lasting LED flashlight, a small portable radio with extra batteries

Personal needs – travel size of every toiletry you and your family uses in the morning to get ready for the day, backup eyeglasses, first aid kit, baby wipes and a multipurpose tool which would have a knife and a can opener

Clothing – Pack a few days worth of clothes for each person in your household that are easily layered, lightweight rain gear and waterproof boots

Meds – Pack at least 3 days worth of each of your prescriptions for all household members

Paperwork – Use a zip-lock bag to hold copies of your important papers for each person such as your birth certificate, driver’s license, health insurance cards, power of attorney, will, marriage and adoption certificates, medical and immunization records and finally information about your ATM and credit cards

Food and Drink – Bottled water, granola, energy bars, and other small and filling items enough to last at least 3 days

Cash –  enough money for a few days including small bills and a roll of quarters in case you need to purchase something from a vending machine

In my household I have dogs. I would pack copies of their licenses and proof of vaccinations. I would also include food for them and something to put water in for them to drink. You could also make these same adjustments when you pack for any pet.

Pack your “Go Bag” and view it as part of your insurance policy!

Money Saver

In a previous post I have told you about the Plenti card where you accumulate savings when you use your card while making a purchase at participating businesses. Examples of those businesses are Exxon, Rite Aid, Macy’s and Chili’s. If you would like to sign up or learn more please follow this link, https://www.plenti.com/

I am mentioning this now because 2 weeks ago I put gas in my car at a local 7 Eleven store which sells Exxon gas. When I swiped my Plenti card I was informed that I had $9.74 I could use toward my purchase. I don’t really keep a close eye on how much I have accumulated because someone at a business usually tells me and I immediately use it. However, I was unaware that I had that much. What a great surprise!

Have a wonderful week. I hope that you have found some things you could use in this post. Please let me know if you have anything to share with all of us. I am always on the quest to know more (about literally anything!).

 

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