Friday, December 6, 2013

Our Eccentric Projects - Hobbes






My son is a Calvin and Hobbes fan so when dear hubby found a pattern on Instructables to make a stuffed animal Hobbes I was smitten and decided to make one.

The Hobbes took me a while to make since I hand stitched most of it, but I like the way it turned out, and I think my son did too. 

The pattern and instructions created by Seamster are very easy to follow, here is the link:
http://www.instructables.com/id/Stuffed-Hobbes-with-pattern/

If you check out the site, there are also accessories you can make...I'm thinking my son's Hobbes would like a new cape.

Calvin and Hobbes by Bill Watterson




Wednesday, December 4, 2013

Homemade Pumpkin Pie

Headed out the door with a pumpkin pie donation to the Ashville, Ohio, Village Chapel Election Day Dinner

My friend Kim organizes the Ashville, Ohio, Village Chapel Election Day Dinner every year.  This year she needed extra pies and cakes, so I whipped up a batch of pumpkin pies.  The church smelled so good when I dropped the pies off, no wonder the event gets bigger each year.  My friend Kim does such a wonderful job organizing this huge event while juggling her job, school and family needs.  What a blessing she is to our community.

My pumpkin pie recipe is based on the Libby's Famous Pumpkin Pie recipe (recipe at bottom of page), except I swap out one can of evaporated milk with a can of sweetened condensed milk and use 1/2 cup less sugar.

Homemade Pumpkin Pie

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

1 cup sugar
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon ginger
1/2 teaspoon cloves
4 large eggs
1 can (29 oz.) Libby's Pumpkin
1 can (12 oz) evaporated milk
1 can (14 oz) sweetened condensed milk

2 unbaked 9-inch deep-dish pie shells

Add all of the ingredients to a a large bowl and mix until combined.  Pour into pie shells.
Bake for 15 minutes then reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees F. and cover crust with crust sheilds.  (I use foil but it is a real pain, and really wish I would invest in the sheilds). Continue to bake pies for 40-50 minutes or until knife inserted near center comes out clean.

Cool pie for 2 hours then refrigerate.  Note:  The pies will be puffed up when hot and will relax as they cool down.



Libby's Famous Pumpkin Pie
(recipe from the label)

1 1/2 cups sugar
1 tsp. salt
2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 tsp. ground ginger
1/2 tsp. ground cloves
4 large eggs
1 can (29 oz.) Libby's 100% Pure Pumpkin
2 cans (12 fl. oz. each) Carnation Evaporated Milk
2 unbaked 9-inch (4-cup volume) deep-dish pie shells

Mix sugar, salt, cinnamon, ginger and cloves in small bowl.  Beat eggs in large bowl.  Stir in pumpkin and sugar spice mixture.  Gradually stir in evaporated milk.

Pour into pie shells.

Bake in preheated 425 degree F. oven for 15 minutes.  Reduce temperature to 350 degrees F. bake 40-50 minutes or until knife inserted near center comes out clean.  Cool on wire rack for 2 hours.  Serve immediately or refrigerate.

Note: Do not freeze pie, as this will cause the crust to separate from the filling.
*3 1/2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice may be substituted for the cinnamon, ginger and cloves, however, the taste will be slightly different.


Tuesday, November 26, 2013

Southern Shredded Chicken

Dear hubby's specialty, and my day off from cooking :)  This chicken is melt in your mouth delicious.

We use shredded chicken for any recipe that calls for cooked chicken, but my favorite is simply adding barbeque sauce and making a tasty chicken sandwich.

Southern Shredded Chicken
1 whole chicken, guts removed
1/2 can of pop (Crush or Hawaiian punch)
wood twigs or wood chips
salt
pepper
onion powder
garlic powder
foil
propane grill

Preheat your gas grill by lighting one side on high, do not light the other side.


The set up, pictured left to right: a heat resistant pan or container with wood, (dear hubby uses wild cherry twigs), and a chicken grill stand with a pan to go under it, (dear hubby uses a cake pan).

Season the chicken cavity with salt, pepper, onion and garlic powder.  Pull the skin back and season, then replace the skin.


Place the 1/2 can of pop on the stand and then the chicken.



Place wood on the lighted side of the grill and the chicken on the unlit side of the grill.  Face the chicken breast toward the wood.  Make a little foil hat for your chicken so it doesn't touch the top of your grill.

Close the cover of your grill and allow to cook for 45 minutes.

Rotate the chicken so the breast is facing away from the wood and cook for an additional 30 minutes. The grill temperature should be 300 degrees F.



Wow, this is spectacular chicken!  To make sure your chicken is cooked, the internal temperature should be 180 degrees F.


After the chicken is cool enough to handle, pull or shred the chicken from the bones.  Mmm, mmm, it's ready to use in your favorite recipe.



Friday, November 22, 2013

Baked Crispy Hash Browns

mmmm, delicious hash browns without the grease, a healthy alternative to fried, inspired by a Cook's Country recipe.

Baked Crispy Hash Browns

4 pounds of Russet potatoes diced
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
3 Tablespoons butter
1 1 /2 teaspoons salt
2 Tablespoons oil
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

optional: onion, seasoning to taste

Place a large rimmed baking sheet on oven rack set to the lowest position. Preheat oven to 500 degrees F.

In a large pan bring to boil 10 cups of water.  Add potatoes and baking soda and bring back to a boil and cook for 1 minute.  Drain potatoes and return to pot over low heat to evaporate any leftover liquid, shake as needed.  Remove from heat and stir in butter, salt and garlic powder.  Potatoes should be covered with a starchy paste.

Remove baking sheet from oven and drizzle with oil.  Spread potatoes in an even layer and bake for 15 minutes.  Turn the potatoes over and cook another 15-25 minutes until potatoes are browned and crispy.

Tuesday, November 19, 2013

Chicken Tortilla Soup from the Poodle Skirt Slayers



We are the poodle skirt slayers.

Two weeks ago, 12 ladies from church got together to make poodle skirts for the girls starring in our Christmas play.  3 lovely ladies volunteered to bring lunch, and we are so glad they did.  Our luncheon turned out to be lots of fun with great food and great company.   

My friend Dianna shared her sister's recipe for Chicken Tortilla Soup...not because I was licking my bowl and begging for her recipe...they are just nice folks that way.

Chicken Tortilla Soup
~from Dianna and Debbie

2 cans Cream of Mushroom soup
2 cans Cheddar Cheese soup
2 cans Cream of Chicken soup
2 cans Cream of Celery soup
2(15 oz) cans Chicken Broth
1(15 oz) can Rotel tomatoes
1 cup Medium Pace Picante
1 medium onion, chopped
1/4 to 1/2 packet of Taco Seasoning
4 cooked chicken breasts, cut in chunks
Tortilla strips

In large stockpot combine until smooth all cans of soup. Add chicken broth, tomatoes, picante, onion, taco seasoning and stir. Bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer 1 hour. Add chicken chunks and simmer 1 hour.  You can also make this soup in a crockpot.

If desired add 1-2 cans drained mild chili beans, a can of corn, shredded cheddar cheese. At the same time you add chicken.

Note:  This makes a huge batch of soup so I made half a batch with low sodium ingredients and still had enough soup for 6 large bowls.

Here are the ingredients for my half batch recipe, using all low sodium products:
2 cans Cream of Mushroom soup (hubby doesn't like cream of mushroom soup)
1 can Cheddar Cheese soup
1 can Cream of Chicken soup
1 can Cream of Celery soup
1(15 oz) can Chicken Broth
1(15 oz) can Rotel tomatoes
1 cup Medium Pace Picante
1 medium onion, chopped
1/4 to 1/2 packet of Taco Seasoning
3 cooked chicken breasts, cut in chunks
2 cups broth (reserved from cooking chicken)
1 can black beans
1 can Bush medium chili beans
1 can of corn
1 Tablespoon chili powder
Tortilla strips
Cilantro for garnish

Same cooking instructions as above.

p.s. In just one afternoon, we managed to finish all 19? of the poodle skirts we were assigned to make :)

Wednesday, November 13, 2013

Our Eccentric Projects - Life Sized Angry Birds Game

Life Sized Angry Birds Game

This is a 2011 throwback project, stolen from dear hubby's Instructable page.

We were walking through Walmart when we saw some Angry Bird stuffed animal toys for sale. My wife and I looked at each other and said "we need to build a life sized Angry Birds Game". So, we bought some stuffed Angry Birds, some wood, various hardware, and rubber tubing and built a life sized Angry Bird Game.



Dear hubby made these from wood, and I painted them, oink!



Fun!

If you want to make your own game or just want to see more details of this one, check out dear hubby's project by visiting Instructables,  Life Sized Angry Birds Game

Saturday, November 2, 2013

Our Eccentric Projects - 3 for 1, Garden Cart, Rain Barrel, Food Cart Art

Bonus day! Playing catch up on our eccentric projects, 3 projects instead of 1.

  Garden Cart

Push ze little cart

Hubby made an all purpose cart from an old lawn mower.  This homemade cart has a low center of gravity so it doesn't tip over going up and down our steep hills.  I like it way better than our store bought cart.



Rain Barrel

 I wondered where my garden hook went.

Yes, it's one of those containers.  This 300 gallon IBC container was filled with vegetable oil at one time and dear hubby bought it empty for $65.  He rigged it up to catch rainwater from our roof, then when needed, we use it to fill our pool.  This container is somewhat hidden from sight; even our neighbors can't see it. Whew! Bet they're glad. Yes, it's one big hulking eyesore, but over the long run it will save us some big bucks and is environmentally friendly.  Our well pressure is so low we have to pay someone with a big water truck to haul water for us. 



Food Cart Logo Artwork


Here is one of my projects, a logo in the works, with a watermark, for our son's food cart business, "Happy Puppy".

Thanks for stopping by today!

Thursday, October 31, 2013

Crab Apple Jelly

Ten years ago a church friend gave us a jar of lip smacking good crab apple jelly.  Dear hubby liked the jelly so much that we decided to grow crab apple trees.  In the spring we planted two crab apple trees but they soon disappeared when deer tore them up...we never saw a bloom.

Flash forward.

On my birthday this year we took a walk around our property and I saw something glistening red in the distance.  We stopped, looked, then exclaimed, crab apples, yay!  What a sweet birthday surprise, to see a crab apple tree loaded with fruit and just begging to be made into jelly.  (I think my husband was the real winner here).

I told my neighbor about our great tree find, and he said they have a crab apple tree and we could pick as many as we wanted.  Dear hubby and son picked most of the apples, which left more time for me to prepare the fruit.


Crab apples!


We took the stems off because dear hubby tasted one and said it was bitter. 



Cleaned and washed




In large saucepan, cover with water and bring to boil for 1 minute, then reduce heat to simmer.



When fruit is mushy, squish the fruit with a potato masher to release the juice.




Use 4 layers of cheese cloth and drain pulp.




I covered mine, and let it sit until it was finished dripping.
 Save the juice, this is what you will be using to make your jelly.




Sterilize jars




If you are using pectin, follow the directions that came with the package. 

Sure Jell *MCP Pectin Crab Apple Jelly

5 cups prepared crab apple juice (see pictures above)
7 1/2 cups sugar
1 box of pectin
1/2 teaspoon of margarine

In 6 or 8 quart saucepan add crab apple juice, pectin and margarine, then stir.  Bring to a full boil on high heat.  Stir in sugar quickly and return to a full rolling boil for 2 minutes, stirring constantly.  Remove from heat and skim off any foam with a metal spoon.

Ladle quickly into prepared jars filling to 1/8 inch of top.  Wipe jar rims and threads then screw bands tightly.

I did not give my jelly a water bath.

Invert jars for 5 minutes and then turn them back over.  Keep away from cold and drafts until sealed.  You will hear the pinging sound of the lids sealing.  Tap on the lid after they are cooled to make sure they are sealed.


*MCP pectin.  Ok, I asked dear hubby to buy Sure Jell, and this is what he came home with.  I've never heard of MCP pectin and normally do not advocate anything processed, but after researching it, there is hope that this stuff is helpful for cancer treatment.  MCP stands for Modified Citrus Pectin.  The pectin is chemically altered to make the molecules smaller which enables it to be absorbed into the bloodstream.  For further information, Modified Citrus Pectin, American Cancer Society

Thursday, October 24, 2013

Our Eccentric Projects - Clay Oven

Firing up my pottery wheel and kiln to make a clay oven for our son's food cart.  Pictured in front is version #6, and version #5 is pictured in the background.



My clay oven #6 cracked when I fired it.  It was a small crack, so dear son was able to experiment with it on his food cart.  It worked!  Now I'm going to make another clay oven along with a few modifications.

Clay oven #6 with notes written on it

Dear son is still working on getting permits for his food cart; after 3 months, it should be any day now.

That last permit...will it be today, or will he be required to fill out yet another form?  Nope, still waiting for the permit.  The permit he is waiting for is for a specific location.  He is allowed to set up on private property, as long as he has owner permission. In the meantime, I started clay oven #7.

Just got clay oven #7 off of my pottery wheel, trimmed it, added the door, handle and seal.  The clay is still wet, and I am going to dry it out very slowly this time to minimize cracking.  It will take a few weeks to dry and 2 days to fire, so I'll update this post then.  

Clay Oven #7







    
Looks like a frustration exclamation, doesn't it?  This is a code for a blog directory, lol.
YT5WXCPXWREF 

Cinnfully Delicious Cinnamon Cake Muffins



Need some aroma therapy?  I've been working on a recipe for individual sized coffee cakes since March...something like a marriage of a coffee cake and muffin.


Speaking of marriages...my future daughter in law invited us to her dissertation hearing for her Doctorate Degree from Ohio University, Athens, last spring and I volunteered to bring some food.  The hearing was in the morning, so I wanted to bring some kind of coffee cake packed with lots of cinnamon and the traditional streusel topping, but in individual portions that could easily be grabbed and eaten. 

While experimenting with recipes for coffee cakes I reduced the ingredients to 1/3 batches so I could experiment freely and not feel like I wasted a lot of food if my experiment was an epic failure. 

After several trial runs, this recipe far surpassed all the others, and is becoming a family favorite.

Now that the weather is getting colder, every time I make Cinnamon Cakes my house smells so delicious, so much better than a chemically candle and so much yummier for you...and a friend!

Pack these cakes up for an awesome gifty.  



Or bake in decorative paper trays, they practically wrap themselves.



Cinnfully Delicious Cinnamon Cake Muffins

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Spray a muffin tin with butter flavored cooking spray, or use cupcake liners.
There are three components to make separately, batter, filling and topping, makes 12 muffins.

Batter
In a medium sized bowl mix until combined:
1/2 cup butter, melted
3/4 cup milk
2 large eggs
1/4 cup sour cream (you can sub Dannon Vanilla Yogurt)
1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 Tablespoon baking powder
1 Tablespoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt

Filling
With a spoon, mix the following in a small bowl:

2 Tablespoons cinnamon
1/2 cup crushed pecans
3/4 cup granulated sugar

Topping
With a spoon or fork, mix the following in a small bowl until crumbly: 

1/3 cup flour
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup melted butter
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 cup crushed pecans(optional, if you do not use pecans, reduce butter to 3 Tablespoons)

Divide the batter evenly between the muffin cups, about 2 heaping teaspoons each. Next layer 2 teaspoons of cinnamon filling, go back and fill in any muffins that could use a bit more to use up all of the filling mixture.  Top with another layer of batter, about 2 teaspoons each.  Finish with topping, evenly distributed on each muffin.

Bake for 25 minutes or until lightly brown.

To check if done, a knife or toothpick inserted in the center of your muffin will come out without crumbs.

Blessings to you, from our house to yours

P.S. Dear future daughter in law received her Doctorate degree, we are so proud of her!


Topping without pecans:
With a spoon or fork, mix the following in a small bowl until crumbly: 

1/3 cup flour
1/2 cup granulated sugar
3 Tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon cinnamon






Monday, October 21, 2013

Easy Crock Pot Scalloped Potatoes


Whoah...hold the press folks, these creamy scalloped potatoes are super easy and soooo delicious.  So easy you will want to try them today.

My secret ingredient to smooth and creamy, but lightened up scalloped potatoes is "Cheesy Ragu, Light Parmesan Alfredo".  I'm not a huge fan of premade sauces but for $1.69 at Wal Mart this makes a reasonably priced side dish that is absolutely delicious.





Easy Crock Pot Scalloped Potatoes

Peel and slice thinly 4 pounds of potatoes  

Make the sauce, in a medium sized bowl mix the following:
1 cup milk (I used skim)
2 Tablespoons margarine
1 1/2 Tablespoons of all purpose flour
1 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
optional 1/2 teaspoon salt
1 jar of Cheesy Ragu Light Parmesan Alfredo
(adjust the seasonings to your taste)

Spray your crockpot with cooking spray, it will make clean up easy.

Add a little sauce to the crockpot then add about 1/3 of the potatoes, pour about 1/3 of the sauce over the potatoes then layer the potatoes and sauce 2 more times.  Make sure all the potatoes are coated.  Cover and cook on high for about 5 hours.  After 2 1/2 hours stir the potatoes and add 1/2 cup cheddar cheese if desired, stir in.

 The cooking time will depend on how thinly you slice the potatoes.  





Thursday, October 17, 2013

Our Eccentric Projects - Low Tech Stud Finder


Brilliant hubby is shining so brightly with this low tech solution for locating wood studs.  We were trying to hang a new shelf last week and couldn't find our stud finder.  He took a stack of magnets and moved them slowly across the wall until they stuck to the wall. The magnets were attracted to the screws that are holding up our drywall, which are located on the studs.



Ouch, my eyes are hurting from his brilliant rays, I better go put on sunglasses!

Wednesday, October 16, 2013

Indian Trail Cranberry Orange Sauce and Cranberry Jello



My Mother in Law introduced me to Indian Trail Cranberry Orange Sauce many years ago.  Every Thanksgiving we would make cranberry jello using the Indian Trail Sauce recipe.  The last couple of years I have not been able to find the sauce anywhere and was really missing it.  I found out they are no longer making the sauce so I decided to make my own.

I remember the sauce having a thick consistency with some large pieces of cranberry.  Here is the recipe I came up with (and yippie!) tasted exactly like Indian Trail Cranberry Orange Sauce.


Indian Trail Cranberry Orange Sauce
1 12oz bag of fresh cranberries
1 cup of sugar
1 orange (1/3 of orange with peel and pulp minced, the rest without peel diced)
1/2 tsp of lemon zest

 Place all the ingredients in a saucepan and heat until boiling.  (Cranberries will begin to split). With a potato masher, smash the cranberries to break up.

That's it!  Who new it would be so easy. 


Here is my new recipe for Cranberry Jello:

Cranberry Jello 
Note: this takes a long time to set, make it the day before. 
1 12oz bag of fresh cranberries
1 cup of sugar
1 orange (1/3 of orange with peel and pulp minced, the rest without peel diced)
1/2 tsp of lemon zest
 Place all the ingredients in a saucepan and heat until boiling.  Stir so mixture does not burn. (Cranberries will begin to split).  With a potato masher, smash the cranberries to break up.
Then add:
2 packages (3 oz.) Raspberry Flavor Gelatin
2 cups boiling water
1 cup crushed pineapple (juice and all)
1/2 cup diced celery
1/2 cup chopped pecans

Stir until mixed and pour into dish.  Refrigerate until set, overnight is best.











Ready for the refrigerator!
After sleeping in the refrigerator all night, mmm...yummy! 


I pulled out my Indian Trail recipe that I clipped from a box.  Here are the original recipe's on the inside label:






The familiar light blue lettering is a bit faded now, so I am retyping the original recipe's for you.

Cranberry Orange with Cherry Gelatin
2 packages (3 oz.) Cherry Flavor Gelatin
2 1/2 cups boiling water
1 cup crushed pineapple (juice and all)
1 package (10oz.) Frozen Indian Trail Cranberry Orange Sauce, defrosted

Dissolve gelatin in boiling water.  Stir in Indian Trail Cranberry orange Sauce and pineapple.  Pour into mold.  Refrigerate until firm.



Hot Cranberry Butter
Makes 1 1/2 cups

1/4 cup butter
1/2 cup maple flavored syrup
1 package (10oz.) Frozen Indian Trail Cranberry Orange Sauce, defrosted

heat butter and syrup together until butter melts.  Add Indian Trail Cranberry Orange Sauce, heat to boiling.  Serve warm over Waffles, Pancakes or French Toast.






 

Saturday, September 21, 2013

Blooming Flowers


Sneak Peek :)

Big news today!  My fresh flower business is expanding into the silk flower market.

We at Blooming Flowers have been serving the community since 2003 with passionate, award winning floral design.

Most of you may be familiar with our flower website, Blooming Flowers, and now introducing you to our new silk flower Etsy shop BloomingWeddings.  Please give our websites a visit for weddings, homecoming, prom and special events.


Thank you for stopping by today, I look forward to cooking up more awesome recipes and floral creations!


Tuesday, September 17, 2013

Pizza Roll Ups and Cheesy Bread



Sometimes the best recipes happen by accident.

I accidentally left my lasagna pan at my son's apartment in Wisconsin, so when I made lasagna last night I had to use a different baking pan.  The baking pan is alot smaller than my lasagna pan and when I finished making the lasagna I had about 6 leftover lasagna noodles.  hmmm...what to do with the leftover noodles?  Then inspiration hit me and I decided to try a lasagna roll up infused with the flavors of pizza.

My family loved, loved these pizza roll ups better than my lasagna!  I'm going to make them for a church supper next week.  They are delish!  Try them at your house.

Pizza Roll Ups
1 package of lasagna noodles
sliced pepperoni
pizza sauce with basil
shredded mozzarella
shredded mild cheddar cheese
1 carton of ricotta cheese
2 eggs
1 jar of Prego or favorite spaghetti sauce
oregano, garlic
optional: parmesan cheese, salt 


Prepare the ricotta filling.  In a bowl mix the following:
1 carton of ricotta cheese
2 eggs
Oregano, garlic to your taste (I use about 1 tablespoon Oregano, 1 teaspoon garlic)



Fill a large saucepan with water and bring to boil.  Add lasagna noodles and cook until tender.  Use tongs to lay noodles flat on cookie sheet then spread with ricotta mixture, add 3 pepperoni slices per noodle, a line of pizza sauce and top with mozzarella and cheddar (see picture above).  Roll each lasagna noodle and place in greased baking dish.  Top with Prego (or spaghetti sauce), and finish with a sprinkling of mozzarella and a little cheddar cheese.  Cover and bake for 50-60 minutes.


Cheesy Bread
Favorite pizza dough recipe, rolled to the size of cookie sheet.
Spray with butter flavor cooking spray, or brush with olive oil
Sprinkle mozzarella cheese
Season with oregano and garlic.

Bake for 15 minutes or until lightly browned on the bottom.  Slice with a pizza cutter.








Monday, September 16, 2013

Our Eccentric Projects - Tiki Rocket Stove

Oh, oh...version #5 of a rocket stove in the works?



Above is the form for the rocket stove, it is made from a garbage can.

The concrete cured and when dear hubby took the form off some of the face was missing, so he added to the face by free sculpting with concrete and again letting to dry.  There are a few hairline cracks on top where the new concrete was added.

And now for a test fire.







Yay, it works so far!  Hubby wants to use this tiki rocket stove to heat the greenhouse he is building.