Gloomy, Gray Day?

Some days are just plain ugly outside. But I know that it does not have to be that way inside!

What makes your gloom get kicked to the curb?

Music  -  that is my go too....loud and proud!

Reading  -  I love to read but just have not had the time for extra books as of late. (I do have one on my night stand beckoning me to slow down and breath)

Cleaning  -  who does that! Seriously, did I just ask that?

Creating  -  yes please!

A link or two for your Tuesday gloom and creative hearts.

Engineer Prints: To Die For!

Key Lime Cake! (I think I can make it sugar free for my sweet hubby!) : Yum!

Valentines Desserts: 15 Of Them!


I hope you have an AMAZING gloomy day full of joy!

Paula

The Easiest Jar Cake Ever

This is an easy dessert to put together and yet your guest will think you are treating them to something extra special...which you are because they are!

Ingredients:
Cake of your choice from scratch or box mix baked in a large sheet pan
Whipped cream, cool whip, what ever you choose
Frosting of your choice...made from scratch or from a can!

How is that for ingredients!!! Go wild! Get crazy or keep it simple!

Simple is what I did, as I used what I had on hand in the pantry and freezer.

 Once your cake is baked and cooled, get out those jars! Mine are little as I am the "portion control queen" and my hubby can take the little jars in his lunch with ease.

I used two different sized biscuit cutters as the bottom of the jar is a bit smaller than the top.

Cut the circles of cake, lay the smallest in the bottom of the jar, dollop a spoonful of whipped cream on the top.

 

 

Lay the larger circle of cake on top of the whipped cream and press down gently.

 

Top that with a small amount of frosting and you are done!

 

Put the lid on top and store in the fridge until you are ready to eat!

They look adorable and are fun for your family or guests!

 

3 Days In Bed....

Yes, the dreaded stomach virus got me and I spent 3 days in bed trying to sleep the ick off.

I feel much better now!

But due to being sick (someone in my work office was a true carrier monkey) I did not accomplish much around the house the past 5 days, but did get my laundry done this morning! Woot!

So I am just popping in to give you a couple of links to some really cute and very inexpensive Easter ideas!

First, "Cheeky" or should I say "Chicky" deviled eggs.

Elie at Organizer By Day made the cutest deviled eggs!
She actually used black peppercorns for the eyes, but I would switch that up and use capers instead since I believe that the pickled taste would match well with the deviled eggs AND my husband would actually eat the capers and would not eat the whole peppercorns!

http://organizerbyday.blogspot.com/2014/03/deviled-eggs.html

And Melissa and Stephanie at Two It Yourself made a super cute wreath that will cost you time only!

AND the best thing....

After Easter you can simply dispose of it and not have to store it!! Major Score!!

They actually used a cutter to make the egg shape, I however, being a major cheap skate would draw around my egg shaped cookie cutter and then cut out the shape.

 

http://www.twoityourself.com/2014/03/paint-sample-easter-egg-wreath-kid.html

 

 

Have an amazing Wednesday all!

Cabbage Salad (my take)

My Dad used to request a cabbage salad that came from his family, who were not German....my Mom's family on the other hand, very German (Bingenhiemer is the family name....yep, you really do not get any more German than that!) and I would always get to help with this salad.

It really brings me back to my childhood in a great way. (along with bashing catfish in the head with a huge hammer to knock them out so my Dad could gut and skin them....yes, you read that correctly)

So, I want to share this recipe with you.

It has only 3 ingredients!

1 small head of green cabbage

(I suppose you could use red, but I'm not messin with tradition here!)

6 slices of bacon - diced and fried crispy and you WILL be using the grease from the bacon!

From 1/4 cup to 1/2 cup white vinegar - to your taste, I like a lot of vinegar (I suppose we used white because you can buy a gallon for like eighty nine cents!)

Why yes, I have one of the coolest liquid measuring cups ever!

Cut up the entire head of cabbage into about a 1/2 in dice (now you know why my Dad had me help!) and place the raw cabbage in a large bowl.

Cook bacon and grease & all pour the hot frying mess over the cabbage!!

Stir in the vinegar and eat while warm. (Because cold bacon grease has never helped anyone get greens down!)

That's it!

I know it sounds a bit odd, but that salty, sour crunch is really a thing to try. We only ate it about 3 times a year (good thing, cause I want to keep my arteries going for a while!) and it is really not that bad calorie wise, as the vinegar and cabbage are about void of calories.
It is gluten free!

I hope that you will try this...it really is amazing and not something that you will have every tried, unless you grew up in my home!

Cutie Pie Crispy Treats

I think this is going to have to be a "helpful links" kind of week for me.

My husband and I are elbow deep in the built-in project and still tired from the Super Bowl Bash that we threw this past weekend. It was a ton of fun, but piggy backed with the construction going on in the house, I am just plain spent. (Fibro flair ups do not help either...booo!)

 

Well, today I am linking you to Basic Grey.

I think this little valentine project is just too sweet to not pass on!

 

 

http://blog.basicgrey.com/?p=5980

 

Thank you Lisa for your "sweet" idea!!

Food Table Labels

A very wonderful woman, who reads my blog,

noticed that whenever I put pictures of

parties that I have I always have little

signs in front of my desserts and foods.

They are too let my guests know what they will be eating,

 

whether things are sugar free or not,

spicy or not.

 

She asked me for the instructions on how I did this.

 

I never miss an opportunity to share the things

that I use to make my life easier!

 

First I had my husband cut 1x2's into squares.

  

 Only because we happened to have that laying around the basement left from something else that we built. You can use what ever size you want, although I would try to stay as small as possible to keep from taking up too much table space.

Next he drilled a small hole in the center of the block

to the size of the picture hanging wire that I purchased at the local hardware store.

 

I also purchased alligator clips that attached to the wire by simply pinching it tightly with a pair of pliers after the length of wire was placed in it.

 

I made differing heights because I thought it would be the most useful, and it has proven to be.

I painted all of them white so they will go with any table I set!

I simply go to free printable web sites (I will leave a couple of links at the end of this post) and print out on my computer the blank label sized printables and write in the food, or if I am able to, put text from my computer in the boxes of the printables and print them out with the information already on it.

 

It really was an easy process and cost us about $2 for all of the holders.

P.S. The beautiful doily I use here is one that my Grandmother Myatt hand made and was handed down to me!

http://blog.worldlabel.com/2011/round-labels-in-a-vintage-style-design.html

http://www.i-do-it-yourself.com/2009/08/free-lemonade-printables-by-farouche/

Randomness

First random information:

Making real butter soft for everyday use!

Yes, that is random, but something that I want to try since

we prefer the real thing and never use margarine in our house.

Right now, I buy it (you know, 3 ingredients, butter, salt & canola or olive oil)

But I am sure that I can save money by doing it myself.

Soooooo, here is the recipe:

2 sticks of room temp butter

1/4 C oil (olive or canola)

1/4 C filtered water

Whip the butter till light and fluffy

Add in oil in stream till incorporated

Do the same with the water.

Store in air tight container in the fridge.

Now how easy is that!!!!!

While in the UP of MI, I finally met our daughter's friend Sara.

I have been told alot about her, but this was my first time

having the opportunity to really get to know her.

What a lovely lady. Mother of 4, and an amazing baker!

Here is a display of her cupcakes which she made for "T"'s

graduation party.....just spectacular!

I have a to do list that is a mile and a half long!

Why, oh why do we do that to ourselves?

I hope that I will accomplish at least a few of these things during the long weekend....but sitting about, being lazy on a Monday home with my husband sounds so much better than being busy with to do lists!



Jalapeno Popper Sandwich

This is a sandwich that the men in my family would LOVE!

Go to Closet Cooking and find the recipe...

Who will be the first to try it???

http://www.closetcooking.com/2011/04/jalapeno-popper-grilled-cheese-sandwich.html

Giving you a link to one of the cutest little chicks ever!

Just in time to make for your "little chicks" for thier Easter Day!

http://www.blog529.com/2011/04/just-hatched-spring-chick-oreo-pops/

Mange! (Italian for "eat)

Link, Picture and Recipe from Blog 5 to 9

Making It Special For Your Family

As I sit here, in front of a warm, wonderful fire,

 with the dishwasher softly humming in the background,

floors clean, dinner done, dishes cleared and clean,

I contemplate my day tomorrow.

Tomorrow, after a day of work (my husbands day much longer than mine)

we will have two dinner guests.

We always try to make things special for the ones that we love,

and those that we treasure in our lives.

And tomorrow will be no different.

But how, do I make things extra special,

without all the fuss and extra time?

So glad you asked!!!

It begins, with three very simple, un-hemmed strips

of material from, more than likely, a remnant bin.

Placed on our normal dinner table.

The only thing abnormal about this time is,

that it will be set for only 4 people.

The norm for me is 12 - 20 people....

and if you can ask my husband or children about this,

they will tell you, the norm of setting a special table is,

for me, VERY normal!

Next, I add an amazingly easy, yet fun centerpiece
Of which I am giving you a "sneak preview" of the outcome

of one of my "Guess What Will Come" previous blog posts!!

Next, I added simple bone white plates,

cloth napkins and simple silverware.

And next, I added water and (for us) soda glasses

One stemmed, the other not stemmed.

And  last, but not least,

Salt & Pepper shakers for each person at the table.
Now, let me say, that my Mother, for a special Christmas present,
several years ago, gave me these mini salt and pepper shakers
to use for special or any occasion, that I pull out for MOST occasions!
So I completely understand if you do not have these as an option!
AND, Individual water bottles for all those at the table.
And again, this is not the first, nor the last time that these
will be used for a dinner at our home!

For those of you who are curious,

the water bottles are re-purposed

olive oil and balsamic vinegar bottles

in which I used up the oil and vinegar

and then carefully and fully cleaned the bottles when empty

and store in my basement until needed for the

spoiling of those that I love!

And this is not the first time that they have been used!!

Tune in next week for the completion of this

"Spoil" dinner, and the complete

example of how you too

can spoil those you love.....

with VERY little effort and $ involved!!!!

Have an amazing weekend!!!! 

Are You Ready For Thanksgiving???????????

Well, as I mentioned a few day ago, I have my menu planned for Thanksgiving…and here is how it looks. I put together a book of sorts, (as I have for several years now) with the menu, the dishes that I have asked others to bring (I cook the meat, potatoes and all the desserts) and the recipes that I personally need for my part of the feast. I also send recipes to a couple of my relatives, as they always say…”you just let me know what you want, I am willing to try anything” [I have a fantastic family!] and they get to try something new and fun to bring with.
I find this tool to be one of great value and there are 3 reasons why.
1) When the menu is set, there is NO last minute panic. I know exactly what is being served and I never worry about not enough or too much food. Welllllllllll, I like a bit too much, as then everyone gets to take a bit home with them, as thanksgiving leftovers are the best!
2) I have all the recipes at my fingertips….I am not searching for anything when the time comes to bake and cook!
3) I can make my grocery list up way in advance, allowing me to keep it with me, and then I can buy a bit each week, and I am not doing a huge grocery run the day before thanksgiving….the more organized I can be ahead of time, it allows a stress free cooking time and I am much more relaxed during the actual meal.
We usually have anywhere from 12 – 25 people at our annual meal and the farther ahead that planning and work can be done, the more fun I can have!
I would encourage you to try making a book of your own….it may just make your holiday a bit more fun!!!

I Just Had To Share This Recipe!!!!! Thank You Kaitlin In The Kitchen!

Candy Corn Sugar Cookies

INGREDIENTS
2 sticks butter,softened

1 c. sugar

1 egg

2 T. lemon juice

2 t. lemon zest

1/8 t. salt

3 c. flour

1/2 t. baking soda

red food dye

yellow food dye

1/2 c. granulated sugar (for dusting)

DIRECTIONS
Combine butter and sugar in a large bowl; beat at medium speed until creamy. Add egg, lemon juice, lemon zest, and salt. Continue beating until well mixed. Add flour and baking soda, beat until well mixed. Divide dough into thirds. Press one-third of the white dough evenly into the bottom of a loaf pan that you have lined with foil, wax, or parchment paper. Place another one-third of the dough into a bowl and add yellow and red food dye to make orange (refer to the chart on the back of your box). Once it is mixed evenly, press orange dough evenly over white dough. In another bowl, add the final amount of dough and dye yellow. Press that evenly over the orange dough. Cover and refrigerate until firm (2 hours or overnight is best). Once chilled, invert your loaf pan and unwrap your dough. Flip it back over and place it on a cutting board.

Cut loaf crosswise into 1/4-inch slices using a sharp knife, trimming edges to make even, if necessary. Cut each slice into 6 wedges.

Bake for 7-10 minutes in a pre-heated 375 degree oven. Place cookies straight into a bowl with sugar and coat. Place coated cookies on a baking rack to cool.

I LOVE sugar cookies! These cookies look so cute and festive and fairly easy to make. These would make the cutest favor treats for a Halloween party. Original recipe found here and here. Enjoy!
{image credits Kathie Cooks found via Pinterest}