Filed under: Creating, Kids, Preloved | Tags: art supplies, children's activities, crayons, kid craft, kid's activities, party favors
My Pumpkin has several shoe boxes full of crayons (some were seriously mine when I was in school)… and he rarely uses them. We have broken nubs and perfect crayons mixed in together. What to do with all the broken bits? How to reduce the stash? When I was a kid my mother used them to make camp fire starters…
I decided to make Wacky Writers. I broke the crayons into smaller pieces and dropped them into my muffin tins (next time I’ll also use my mini muffin pans), creating several color combinations. I baked them in the oven for about 17 minutes at 200°F (until they were melted). I allowed them to cool completely before removing from the tins. The round crayons are perfect for my nephew, who will be two on Monday, to use (oh, how my SIL will love me!).
*These would make great party favors for a birthday party! I’ll have to keep my eyes open for fun shaped molds.
*These would also make great stocking stuffers.
Filed under: Home Improvement | Tags: DIY, stemware rack, recessed lights, kitchen remodel, trim, indoor brick
Kitchen
I wish I had before pictures of our kitchen… from four years ago when we got the house. There was orange brick half way up the wall, faux wood tiles, a naked lady oil lamp and stenciled birds and hearts all over! Ugly. Nightmare.
We had recessed lights sitting in the boxes in the closet since we bought our house. Hubster and I finally decided it was time to get them into the ceiling. It took him several nights to accomplish what would’ve taken him one, when he realized that our house originally had a flat roof and he have to cut through the tar. After we got all the lights installed, he swirled the kitchen ceiling and took the light fixture and switched it with the old bubble in the hallway. Way to go Hubster!!
Hubster Hard at Work
Recently I’ve decided to paint the stark white trim a chocolate brown. Above the sink there was a wooden scroll, and we cut it down the make the bottom on the cabinet flat, painted it, and added stemware racks. We also cut out the bottom shelf of the cabinet above the stove and replaced it was a hanging microwave.
Trim Cut Down & Paint Retouched
Prepping to Paint
Stemware Rack Added
Filed under: Baking | Tags: cheesecake recipe, dessert, dessert recipes, turtle cheesecake
I got this yummy recipe from Nestle Tollhouse years ago and had yet to try it. I modified it slightly as I was working and am so please with the decadent and delicious dessert.
My Pumpkin helped with the crust.
1) I used whole pecans instead of chopped.
2) My presentation on top is nicer (although messy is nice sometimes).
3) I pressed pecans and chocolate chips into the chocolate graham cracker crust.
4) I used more caramel for drizzling on top.
Filed under: Baking, Cooking, Kids | Tags: kid friendly food, mexican lasagna, taco lasagna, vegetarian substitution
My Pumpkin love tacos and lasagna, my lasagna that is. Today we decided to make a taco lasagna together. I love that it’s so easy and delicious.
Ingredients:
1 lb. ground meat (I use turkey or chicken), taco seasoning, 1/2 c. water, shredded cheddar cheese, taco sauce, 4 flour tortillas, sour cream, diced jalapeÑos, shredded lettuce and diced tomatoes.
Directions:
Brown the meat and add taco seasoning and water to skillet, simmer until sauce thickens. Grease an 8″ cake pan. Layer in one tortilla shell, top with ground meat, taco sauce, sharp shredded cheddar cheese. Repeat twice and the top with remaining tortilla, sauce and cheese. Bake at 350°F for 20 minutes. Allow to cool before slicing, top each slice with sour cream, chives and jalapeÑos (if desired). Serve on a bed of shredded lettuce and diced tomatoes.
This is so quick, easy and fun for the kids. They can help layer the ingredients as long as the meat is cooled a bit first. Eating it is just as fun.
* Next time I may use Pepper Jack in addition to the cheddar.
*I’ve made this before as a vegetarian dish, substituting veg. refried beans for the meat.
*You could make any variation to this recipe, to make it to you liking. I’d add kidney beans in it and black olives on top if Hubster only liked them.
Filed under: Cooking | Tags: potato dumpling soup, potato rivel soup, potato soup, seasonal recipe, Soup recipe, vegetarian soup
A local restaurant makes this soup (it’s the one item worth going there). I got this recipe from the Mennonite woman, whom which I purchased potatoes this summer.
Soup Ingredients:
8 medium potatoes
1/4 c. minced onions or 1/2 c. finely chopped onions
1/4 c. finely diced celery
2 Tbs. butter
salt
pepper
2 c. water (you could use vegetable or chicken stock instead)
1 can evaporated milk
Rivel Ingredients:
3/4 c. flour
1 egg
salt
Directions:
1) Peel and cube potatoes. Cook all soup ingredients together (except milk) until potatoes are soft. Smash about 1/4 of the potatoes and stirred soup throughly.
2) Mix together rivel ingredients and drop by the spoonful into the soup. Boil for five minutes, stirring constantly.
3) Add evaporated milk and simmer for a few minutes.
*Garnish with or stir in crispy bacon.
*Add scallions, leeks to taste (I swapped out the mince onions for finely chopped scallions).
*I made an extra large batch!
This is the perfect recipe to warm and fill you on a cold evening.
Filed under: Handmade Jewelry | Tags: gift, gift giving, Handmade Jewelry, healing necklace, jewelry, necklace
I’ve always dreamed about earrings I’d love to make my sister… However, she doesn’t wear them. Sometimes I think of cute necklaces I could make to match my earrings… However, I don’t wear them. You think I’d make a complete set and wear the matching earrings to my sister’s necklace. As much as we are alike, we’re also different.
A little over a month ago my sister felt the need to wear more green. I decided to jump on that and make her a long over due necklace. I wanted the green necklace to look like her (she knows what I mean), and spent two weeks (7 crafts stores) looking for a pendant I thought would work. There was a strong need to put turquoise in the necklace as well, being the color we both love so much. Once I had my beads chosen, I was ready to create my healing vision.
I started the necklace and the next day I saw she blogged about a green and blue necklace she purchased… she beat me to the punch! Finally I finished my necklace for her, but I couldn’t photograph it because I didn’t have my camera back yet. Then I got my camera back, but couldn’t post it because she hadn’t received it yet! B, I hope you like it!
Healing Necklace
Filed under: Home Maintenance | Tags: Daylight Saving Time, Fall back spring ahead
On the first Sunday of November, in the U.S., clocks are set back one hour at 2 a.m. I used to love the extra hour the club would stay open as it became 1 a.m. all over again. Some people say we lose an hour (lost in time somewhere I guess), but it feels like we gain it since we get to live that hour twice. I still use the phrase “Fall Back, Spring Ahead” to remember which way the set the clocks.
Daylight Saving Time is when I remember to change the batteries in my smoke detectors (change, not just test). I use this day to evaluate my progress of my fall to-do list and fall cleaning list. Trying to catch up on anything that I may have let slip away.
Filed under: Baking, Cooking | Tags: baked sweet potatoes, date night, dill mustard sauce, Friday night dinner, mustard sauce, pecan crusted chicken, pecan encrusted chicken, sauteed spinach, seasonal favorites, seasonal recipe, spinach and feta, Thursday night dinner
Friday night dinners were my favorite part of the week with Hubster. It was the one night I had enough time to try a new recipe (other than a quick meal recipe during the week). However with our son’s sports and activities, we often spend the weekend at my MIL’s and no longer have Friday night dinners together at home. We’re often at my MIL’s for Friday night or if I’m home alone (due to hunting season) I whip up something quick (usually leftovers). I decided I reinstate Friday Night Dinner again, even if it is now Thursday Night Dinner.
Pecan Encrusted Chicken
I chopped up about 1 c. pecans and place on a plate. I pounded two chicken breasts into thin strips and then marinated in maple syrup and a splash of brandy overnight. I dipped the chicken into milk and then flour. I beat two eggs together and I dipped the chicken in egg then the pecans, making sure to press the larger pieces into the chicken. I then cooked the chicken in a pan using EVOO.
Sauteed Spinach
I used the same pan to saute the spinach with a fresh drizzle of EVOO, balsamic vinegar, fresh garlic, artichoke hearts and cranraisins. Just before I transfered the spinach to the plate, I sprinkled it with Feta cheese.
Mustard Sauce
I didn’t make my mustard sauce from scratch, instead I grabbed a glob of spicy brown mustard, mustard seeds, a bunch of dill weed and a cup of cream. I mixed them together and heated until warm. I poured the mustard sauce over the pecan encrusted chicken and promptly served my Thursday Night Dinner.
Baked Sweet Potatoes
I scrubbed two sweet potatoes and made a slit down the middle. I baked them in the oven, putting a little butter and cinnamon in the middle slit 10 minutes before they were ready.
I served dinner with fresh french bread and the table was graced with a beautiful centerpiece. I guess Hubster was thinking the same thing about Thursday night, because today he surprised me by sending a dozen light pink roses to me at work with a note that read “Thank you, from your secret admirer”… He can be romantic from time to time.
Filed under: Indoor Plants | Tags: house plant, indoor plant, lucky bamboo, lucky bamboo maintenance, lucky bamboo propagation, plants for vases
Lucky Green Thumb?
My friends seem to think I have an indoor green thumb and often enlist my help with their new plants. While on holiday I helped my sister with her overgrown “lucky bamboo” plant that she had potted in soil. That fall I helped a good friend with her “lucky bamboo” that had been weaved in a beautiful pattern, yet overgrew it’s twist-tie binding. Both needed some basic maintenance, so I decided to share my tips.
Lucky Bamboo isn’t really bamboo at all, although it can multiply like it. My lucky bamboo stays nestled in a vase (shallow, deep, wide, narrow, it just depends on your ideal arrangement) with small river rocks to support the roots and stems. I change the water once a week and make sure that the water level stay about 1 inch above the bottom of the plant. If I leave my lucky bamboo in the window during the summer, the plant gets too much heat through my large glass windows. I need to remember to bring the plants in just out of the sun during the scorching summer weather.
In Need of TLC
Maintenance
Once every few months, I empty the vase and scrub the vase and rocks with a small brush. I remove extra roots from the plant and thin out the leaves on top. I allow each stem to have one side shoot; if I need to cut off any extra side shoots (whether too large, wrong place, etc.) I seal the cut with melted wax to prevent infection or rot. I trim off any faded leaves from the shoot, making sure only green is revealed. Then I arrange the original stems back into the vase, make sure the roots are tucked under some rocks and fill with water.
Thinning Out The Roots
Propagation
Those shoots you just cut off will grow roots and continue growing if you place them in water. Once they reach a certain height, I top them off (and seal with wax) and way for them to grow their ow side shoots to achieve that “lucky bamboo” look.
New Shoots to Propagate
Filed under: Cooking | Tags: chicken noodle soup, chicken soup, egg noodles
For many people, chicken noodle soup is a comfort food, whether to warm up the fall/winter or get rid of a cold. Every time I make chicken noodle soup I picture my friend’s curly blonde haired niece rapping “Chicken noodle soup, Chicken noodle soup, Chicken noodle soup, Wit a soda on the side.” So today was no exception as I was whipping up a batch of good ol’ Jewish Penicillin…
Directions for my tasty homemade chicken noodle soup:
1) One day before eating, place a whole chicken in a large soup, fill with enough water to cover, and throw in several bay leaves. Boil until chicken starts to pull off bones. Allow to cool for a while and then place in the refrigerator overnight.
2) The next day, remove pot from refrigerator and discard any fat from the top of the pot. Slowly heat until warm, not hot. Remove chicken and separate meat then return to the pot, discarding any fat, skin, cartilage, bones and the bay leaves.
3) Add chopped parsley, thyme, minced onions, salt, pepper to the broth and bring to a boil. Add these ingredients to taste.
4) Add chopped carrots, celery and baby corn and allow to simmer.
5) Meanwhile, beat together three eggs. Add eggs to 3 c. flour and a pinch of salt. Roll out dough to about 1/4″ thick and cut into strips (I remind Hubster that he’s so much better at getting the dough thinner, this is my subtle way of convincing him to buy my a pasta press). I love a lot of homemade egg noodles in my soup, so I make extra.
6) Add noodles to the boiling soup only minutes before serving and then enjoy!
* I don’t add a lot of salt and pepper, so I make sure I add a little to Hubster’s bowl before serving him
*I cut my carrots either one of two ways: 1) with my ripple cutter, 2) make thin slices down the carrot before slicing it across, this makes them into little flowers.
*Corn I either use kernels or chunks of baby corn.
*Serve soup with a buttered sourdough roll.
*It is important if you’re making a large batch, to not store this with the homemade noodles, they’ll thicken it into a chowder. It’s best to make a fresh batch of noodles when reheating the soup.
Chicken noodle soup, Chicken noodle soup, Chicken noodle soup, Wit a soda on the side. I may have got the song stuck in my sister’s head as well…
