Tag: ghost

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The Colors of Fall Are Amazing!

It has been a busy month. One full of crafting and my first Crockpot of Chili. We had a few cold days and therefore, the chili had to be made. However, today it is 77 degrees and I want a grilled hotdog. Life’s ups and downs!

Recipes

Grandma’s Fudge

All my life we have made my Grandma Nellie’s Fudge. I hadn’t made it in a long time and thought I might make it and add some marshmallow fluff to her old recipe and see what resulted. The recipe card is yellowed and stained. The words are old-fashioned but it’s a great recipe.

1 and 1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup white sugar

1/2 cup milk

Butter the size of a walnut (the old-fashioned words)

I heaping tablespoon of peanut butter (I use about a half cup)

Cook the sugars, milk and butter to a rolling boil. Stir constantly. Test a drop of the syrup every once in awhile in a dish of cold water to see if it forms a ball when rolled in the water. When it does, you turn off the heat and beat until the mixture thickens. Once that happens add the peanut butter and combine. This time I added a tennis ball size (my old-fashioned words) amount of marshmallow fluff and mixed that in. Finally you pour the fudge onto a pre-buttered plate and allow to set.

Crockpot Tomato Soup (thediaryofarealhousewife.com)

  1. 28 oz Crushed tomatoes, (canned)
  2. ▢30 oz Diced tomatoes, (canned)
  3. ▢1/2 cup White onion, (diced)
  4. ▢1 teaspoon Thyme, (dried)
  5. ▢1 teaspoon Oregano, (dried)
  6. ▢1/2 teaspoon Basil, (dried)
  7. ▢1/2 tablespoon Sugar
  8. ▢1/2 teaspoon Salt
  9. ▢1/4 teaspoon Pepper
  10. ▢2 cups Vegetable broth
  11. ▢4 tablespoons Butter
  12. ▢1 cup Half & half
  • Add all ingredients to the slow cooker. Give it a mix then cover with the lid. Allow to cook for 4-5 hours on high or 6-7 hours on low.
  • Use an immersion blender to blend soup until smooth and creamy. Serve warm and enjoy!

This came out so good! I highly recommend this soup!

Mom’s Pizza Cracker Treat

My Mom used to make these for my brother and I on Friday nights for when we watched TV. There’s nothing complicated or gourmet about these but they are tasty and bring back good memories for me.

You lightly butter one side of saltine crackers. First you add some pizza sauce (don’t over do it) and then add your mozzerella chees and finally a slice of pepperoni. Put on a tray in the oven. Use the broiler setting for 3 to 5 minutes.

I remembered to take a picture when I prepared them but not when they were done. I was having company and the crackers went from baking tray to serving plate asap!

TikTok Ramen (mommymouseclubhouse.com)

I recently tried this after seeing it online so often. It was easy and tasty.

  • 1 Package Ramen Noodles (3.5 ounce)
  • 1 Tablespoon Butter
  • 1 Teaspoon Garlic, minced
  • 1/4-1/2 Teaspoon Red Pepper Flakes
  • 1 Teaspoon Brown Sugar
  • 1 Tablespoon Soy Sauce
  • 1/4 Cup Reserved Broth
  • 1 Egg, lightly beaten
  • 1-2 Teaspoons Everything Bagel Seasoning
  • Sliced Green Onions, optional
  1. Start by cooking a package of ramen noodles al dente according to package directions. Add the seasoning packet if desired and mix with the noodles. Drain the liquid, reserving 1/4 cup of the broth before draining.
  2. In a separate pan, melt butter over medium heat. Add minced garlic and red chile flakes to the melted butter and cook for about one minute.
  3. Stir in brown sugar, soy sauce, and reserved broth. Bring to a simmer and let cook for about two minutes. Add the cooked noodles to the sauce and toss to combine.
  4. In a small bowl, beat the egg lightly with a fork. Slide the noodles to the side of the skillet and slowly pour in the beaten egg. When it starts to set up, stir to create ribbons of cooked egg throughout the Ramen noodle mixture.
  5. Transfer the cooked ramen noodles to a serving bowl and top with a few sprinkles of bagel spice, sliced green onions, and some sriracha sauce for more flavor!

Crafts

Man In The Moon

For some reason the man in the moon face is a big deal lately. Of course, I wanted one but wanted to make it myself. I found a free downloadable to print. I printed that out and on the back of it I rubbed pencil lead on the paper where the features of the face were. I painted a wooden disk white and when it was dry I lightly sanded it. I put the paper on the disk with the face up and the back side where the pencil rubbing was down. Then I used a pencil to trace the outline of all the features. This transferred the pencil rubbing to the disk. When I removed the paper you could clearly see the outline of the face. Using a paint marker I traced over my pencil transfer and then filled in all the features. I am really happy with how it came out!

Halloween Eyeball Plant

Seeing this on Pinterest a lot and just decided to do it! For the planter I used a black skull that I use to hold a liquid handsoap and put a small block or floral foam inside. I used bbq skewers I had kicking around and deco mesh tubing from the dollar tree to make the stems. The eyeballs were from the Dollar and a Quarter tree also. My handy hot glue gun was used to secure the eyeballs to the “stem”. Once all the eyeballs had stems I pushed them into the floral foam. As you can see in the picture, some of the eyeballs were droopy. That was by design. I used moss t hide the floral foam.

Mop Head Witchy Ghost

This is so simple and cute! All the supplies are from Dollar Tree except the hat which I made from black construction paper. You pick a vase from DT’s that is tall enough to let the mop head hang nicely. First you turn the vase upside down and open up the mophead so that it lays flat on the bottom of the vase and glue in place. This means that the black base of the mophead is sticking up. Don’t worry, the hat hides that part. Using black felt, material or construction paper cut out and glue your eyes on the mop head. (There are many tutorials online as to how to make a witch’s hat or you can just buy one. ) I glued down my hat on top of the ghost, adorned it with some ribbon and a sunflower. Finally, I put an LED tealight under the ghost and there you have it!

Pool Noodle Spooky Candles

You will need a pool noodle, black paint, hot glue, Halloween tealights and any adornments you would like. I used a miter box and a bread knife to cut the pool noodles. The miter box to keep the cuts straight so my candles took nicely. You could make a batch of 5 candles too. I only made 3. It is always more pleasing to the eye to have an odd number in any grouping. After cutting the pool noodles I used the handy glue gun again to form drips on one end of each piece. When you cover the glue and the pool noodle with black paint the glue looks like dripping wax. Before you paint you should hollow out the center if the pool noodle a bit to accommodate the tealight. Once you have done that and painted all 3 pieces (and it is dry, of course) you can glue the three candles together and put something around all 3 to bundle them.

Little Bit ‘O Life Hacks

*Before shopping day, inventory your freezer to see what has been shoved lost to the back/bottom of your freezer.

*Plan one or two meals a week using up what has been in your freezer or on your pantry shelf the longest. (Waste not, want not)

*Flipp is an app that gathers up sales flyers in your area and allows you to see them all together on your phone. You can then pick the best deals.

*Scan freebie websites like FreeStuffFinder, ILFT or FreeFlys. These sites offer samples of name brands that are promoting consumer products. You will have to enter your name, email and street address to get the samples.

*Every year check that the top of your washing machine is still perfectly parallel to the floor. Even off a little bit can tilt the basket and cause the motor and bearings to work harder.

*Clean the drain trap in your dishwasher periodically. It will lengthen the life of your machine and you will have cleaner dishes.

*Don’t open your oven door when baking if you can avoid it. Each time you open the door the oven temperature will lower by 25 degrees. This means using more energy to heat it back up. Use your oven light instead.

*One more appliance thing – cover your sewing machine when not in use. The oil that lubricates the parts can get all gunked up from dust. This cause wear.

Hope that your enjoyed this post. Let’s dive into November and have some fun!

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Is it Really Time for Pumpkin Spice Everything Already?!

Yep, I did some shopping yesterday. I saw Pumpkin Spice cereal, candy, cookies, coffee, soup. You name it, I saw it! I mean, I like pumpkin, but not in August and I could totally live without the spice part!

Anyway, I have some Fall (and some others) crafts to share because I am ready for that! Let’s start with my recipes and get this post started! (Did you just hear Pink singing Let’s Get This Party Started or was it only me?)

Recipes

Fresh Corn on the Cob Soup (I know this sounds fall-ish but it is corn season,)

3 to 4 cups of corn removed from the cob 4 medium potatoes, cubed 2 large carrots, sliced 2 large stalks of celery, sliced 1 medium onion chopped 1 teaspoon ground thyme 1 quart corn broth 1 quart vegetable broth salt and pepper to taste

I put all of this into a crockpot and cooked it on low until all the vegetables were cooked. Then I used an immersion blender to make it a little more creamy but still chunky. You can use all vegetable broth or all chicken broth. Really any combination you have will work. I had made the corn broth by boiling the cobs in water after I removed the corn. I am not giving credit for this recipe to anyone because I made it up myself. I loved it and the people who I served it to gave really good reports!

Stuffed Waffles

I bought a stuffed waffle maker as I mentioned in my last post. Finally, I tried it! I stuffed the waffle with scrambled eggs, bacon bits and cheddar cheese. It was delish and also very filling. You could stuff them with fruit, chocolate, peanut butter, and really anything you can think of! You will need the special waffle maker.

Stuffed Tomatoes

It is also tomato season. I stuffed my tomato with tuna salad but you could use chicken salad, cottage cheese and maybe other things. I found the best way to stuff the tomato is really to take out as much as you can of the seeds, etc.

Tortilla Bowls (steamykitchen.com)

I used an oven safe bowl that would accommodate the tortilla. I preheated the oven to 325 degrees. Before putting the tortilla in the bowl I sprayed both sides with cooking spray. When you put the tortilla in the bowl you will naturally have all those little folds. Bake in the oven for 6 to 8 minutes or until bowl is browned and crunchy.

Let’s Get Crafty!

Spooky Skeleton Bottle

You have to use what you have, right? So, I had a wine bottle that had a skull on it. ( I love me some sugar skulls or really any skull.) I added fairy lights and instant Halloween decor.

Bones in a Specimen Jar

I used a smaller size canning jar to which I added water with neon green food coloring. Now, here is my first Dollar Tree reference. Finally, I added bones from DT. I am debating how I did the covering on the lid. I may do something else. If you have any ideas leave them in the comments.

Watering Can

I had several watering cans that I used at one time for a decoration for my front steps. They were all painted black and orange. For this project I repainted one a turquoise color. I suspended fairy lights from the spout and hung it on a small shepard’s hook.

Light Globe Ghost

While thrifting with a friend I found a light globe from a ceiling fan. It was just what I needed to try and make a cute little ghosty! I added some ribbons and eyes, viola!

Serving Tray

For this project I used a 12 inch in diameter wooden disk that was a half inch thick. First, I painted it white and after it dried completely it was given a light sanding. Next, I separated the top ply of a watermelon napkin from DT. Using Mod Podge I coated the top side and edges of the disk. Then the napkin was laid down and I used a brayer and plastic wrap to smooth out the napkin on the tray and down the sides of the disk. A coat of Mod Podge was then put on top of the napkin. When everything was dry I used E6000 and a little hot glue to attach spoons that had been bent for handles to opposite sides of the tray.

Thrifted Bird Bath

I have wanted a bird bath and have seen ideas on how to make your own. I started looking for vintage glassware. For the base I found a divided serving tray with a well in the center for a bowl of dip. It cost $2.99. It was harder to find the vases for the stem that would match up for gluing. DT to the rescue. I bought 2 vases for $6.(So, the bird bath was not totally thrifted really but close.) . There was a little more hunting involved to find a large shallow serving bowl for the actual bath portion. I finally found it at Savers for $3.99. Again I used E6000 to glue the pieces together. I let each section cure for 24 hours before the next section was added. The height of the bird bath is approximately 2.5 feet +. The whole project cost me $13.

Sunflower Screen

At the end of a friend’s yardsale a few years ago I was given a couple of old screen doors. I used one to paint a sunflower on. If you try this do make sure you use a stiff bristle brush as it can better with stand the grating of the screen. The door was originally white and I painted it green. It made the flower stand out more. It is now hanging on my front porch.

Hacking It

*This may not really be a hack but I am sharing it here anyway. I recently learned about a website for exchanging postcards. I collect them so it was right up my alley. I registered on the site and was given a name and address for a lady in Hong Kong. You are also given a postcard ID number which you put on the postcard along with your message. When this lady receives the postcard she will post that using the ID on the website. I will also be getting cards from people by the same process. If this sounds like fun to you, the website is postcrossing.com. I will let you know in my posts when I start getting postcards. By the way, an international stamp costs $1.65.

*Need a home improvement project done inside your house? Contractors are less busy in the Winter and are more likely to give you their full attention and a better deal during the cold weather.

*Everyone seems to know that matinees at the movie are a cheaper way to go but also check to see if any movie theaters near you offer midweek evening specials too. A Tuesday or a Wednesday often is less busy and movie theaters give deals to draw in customers.

*Restaurants often offer more food at a cheaper price for lunch. Pro tip: order at lunch time and take home for dinner.

*Keep track of National Food Holidays! Whether it is National Pizza Day or National Coffee day, you might find deals or even freebies at various restaurants. This past pi day I had a deal at local convenience store to get two slices for $3.14. Check this website to stay in the know, http://NationalDayCalendar.com.

See you next month! Enjoy the rest of your summer and leave a comment. I love to read them!

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