First Day Of School Bracelets - this is a keeper!

I know that this is not the first day of school nor is it even close, but I just thought that this was a great idea! I got this from the Tie Dye Diva Patterns Blog .

The Pioneer Woman’s Chili

I have been reading and seeing more and more about the Pioneer Woman's recipes and cookbooks on the internet and newspapers/magazines. So this recipe caught my eye. I used to make my chili with McCormick's chili mix but it seems as if it just isn't as good as it used to be. I am not sure if they changed their recipe of seasonings or my taste buds have changed. This recipe does look like it has the right ingredients to make chili but I am not sure of the corn meal. So I still have to try it.

This is the link where I got the recipe: Crazy Jamie . let me know what you think.



Ingredients:

• 2 pounds Ground Chuck
• 1 yellow onion, chopped
• 3 cloves Garlic, Minced
• 1 can (29 Ounce) Tomato Sauce
• 2 cans (10 Ounce) Ro-tel (diced Tomatoes And Chilies) (I did 1 can hot, 1 can original)
• 1/2 teaspoon Salt
• 1 teaspoon Ground Oregano
• 1 Tablespoon Ground Cumin
• 2 Tablespoons Chili Powder (more To Taste)
• 1 can (14-ounce) Kidney Beans, Drained And Rinsed
• 1 can (14-ounce) Pinto Beans, Drained And Rinsed
• 1/4 cup Regular Corn Meal
• 1/2 cup Warm Water
• Grated Extra Sharp Cheddar Cheese

Directions:

• Brown ground chuck and add onions in a pot over medium high heat. Cook the onions with the meat until meat is browned
• Then add the garlic and stir in and cook for a few more minutes.
• Add tomato sauce, Rotel, salt, oregano, cumin, and chili powder.
• Cover and reduce heat to low.
• Simmer for 30 minutes.
• Add drained and rinsed beans.
• Stir to combine, then cover and simmer for another 20 minutes.
• Mix corn meal with water, then add to the chili.
• Stir to combine and simmer for a final 10 to 15 minutes.
• Serve up in a bowl with cheese, and diced onion if using

Crock-Pot Apple Pie Moonshine

My daughter-in-law gave me this recipe. There is a warning that the longer you store it, the more potent it gets. Also, this is an adult drink! It came from the Crock-Pot Ladies Site . Will you try making it? And if you do, will you drink it?

Crock-Pot Apple Pie Moonshine

Ingredients

1 Gallon Apple Cider

1 Liter Everclear Alcohol

3 Cinnamon Sticks

Instructions

1. Add Apple Cider and Cinnamon Sticks to crock-pot.
2. Cook on low for 8 hours.
3. Turn off crock-pot and allow the cider to cool to room temp.
4. In a large pan (large enough for a 5 quarts), mix cider and the Everclear Alcohol. If your crock-pot is large enough for this, you can do it there once the cider is cooled.
5. Pour into 5 Quart Canning Jars (or bottles of your choice) and put lids and rings on.
6. Let the jars sit in a cool dark place for 30 days to allow the alcohol to take the flavor of the cider.
7. This is shelf stable and can be kept on the counter, or if you prefer it chilled, in the refrigerator.
8. NOTE: this is a strong adult beverage. Serving size is one shot glass.

One Bowl Apple Cake

I can just smell it baking! Cinnamon, and apples in a cake tastes so good. I don't care what you put it in, it is delicious! A friend showed me this recipe that was on Gabrieles Skinny Fiber Facebook Page. You can join the group and you will receive inspirations each day. The recipe is inspiring me to go the store and get some apples. See ya! Gotta go!

One Bowl Apple Cake

One Bowl Apple Cake - This cake is so moist and rich and just perfect for this time of year. (and easy to make!)

Ingredients:
2 eggs
1 3/4 cups sugar
2 heaping teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 cup oil
6 medium Gala or Fuji or Honey Crisp apples
2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking soda

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350°. In a large bowl, mix the eggs, sugar, cinnamon and oil. Peel and slice the apples and add to mixture in bowl (coating as you go to keep apples from turning brown.) Mix together the baking soda and flour and add to the ingredients in the bowl. Mix well (best with a fork) until all of the flour is absorbed by the wet ingredients. Pour mixture into a greased one 9x13 or two 9″ round pans. Bake for approximately 55 minutes.

Join us for healthier alternatives and weight loss support at Gabriele's Skinny Friends Facebook Group.

ONE PAN, 20 MINUTE, SAUSAGE TORTELLINI - Ummmm, good...

Now this is an easy recipe and looks so delicious! It would be great for a week night dinner. I got this from the Rachel Schultz Site . The tomato sauce that is in the recipe should be jarred spaghetti sauce. I read her notes and their were other people that questioned the sauce. So get you tortellini, your sausage, and make some sauce - 20 minutes! Then you can eat!

ONE PAN, 20 MINUTE, SAUSAGE TORTELLINI

Author: Rachel Schultz

Serves: 3-4

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 pounds sausage
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 cup vegetable broth
• 2 cups tomato sauce
• ½ cup heavy cream
• 18 ounces tortellini
• Salt & pepper

Instructions

1. Heat oil in a large skillet and cook sausages about 5-7 minutes, until sausages are browned throughout.
2. Add garlic and heat for 30 seconds.
3. Remove sausages from skillet and slice into bit-size pieces.
4. Return sausages to pan along with broth, tomato sauce, cream, and tortellini.
5. Season with salt & pepper.
6. Cover and simmer for 12 minutes.

Salad on a Jar - Delicious!

Well,  I tried this and the salad was just great! I put the salad dressing in the bottom and then added sliced red onions, sunflower kernels (couldn't find just the seeds), sliced grape tomatoes, sliced cucumbers, sliced hard boiled eggs, sliced radishes, and ending with the Spring salad mix (a container that I bought at Walmart) at the top. I used wide mouth quart Ball jars because that is all I could get. I made 4 jars of salad and ate 1 the next day. My Husband also ate 1. Initially, he was not a happy camper about me putting the salad in jars, but after he started eating the salad, he really liked it. 

I got the recipe from the Titan Outlet Store site. Never thought that they would have a recipe on their page. You have to try this! It is really good!

Farm Recipe: Salad in a Jar

Posted on: March 6th, 2013 by titanoutlet No Comments

 Salad in a Jar – Ingenious!

I’ve always loved salads, and especially love the salad bars where you can choose from a wide array of makings.  My biggest problem at home though, is actually putting the salad together once I have all of the fixings.  I don’t know why that is – perhaps my subconscious is telling me that digging in my refrigerator for the various ingredients is a lot more work than simply selecting them from choices already put in front of me at a restaurant.  Anyway, when I saw this idea that someone shared on Facebook I was quite excited, and I was determined to see if this method really works.  I added extra items based on my personal preferences, and spent most of an afternoon chopping red onions, green pepper, cucumber and carrots.  I also included one boiled egg per jar and added some bacon bits.   While this part of the preparation seemed rather time-consuming, once it was done the assembly process went quite quickly and it brought me great pleasure to see my refrigerator filled with premade salads.   The amount of dressing is up to you.  I started with ¼ cup and will see if that suits me.  I used the least expensive method of sealing, spending under $5 for the Zip-Loc hand vacuum.

I calculated an estimated calorie count for one of these salads, and was found that they were approximately 550 calories (the dressing and boiled egg carrying the majority).  I’m anxious to see how effective the vacuum process is.  If this works well, I hope to create a new habit towards eating healthier!

Salad in a Jar

THE ARRANGEMENT from BOTTOM to TOP:

Dressing

Shredded carrots

Cherry tomatoes

Sunflower seeds

Hard boiled eggs

Baby spinach

DIRECTIONS:

1. Arrange ingredients in a large Mason jar
2. Store in fridge for up to a week
3. When ready to eat: shake jar, place on plate, and eat!

You can make any arrangement you want (add red onion, cucumbers, radishes, peppers, etc.).  Always remember to put the dressing at the bottom and the lettuce at the top – a MUST.

Red Velvet Truffles

I love Red Velvet Cake. My son makes it for Christmas. He uses a recipe my Aunt used many years ago. I came across this recipe for Red Velvet Truffles. This really sounds delicious and easy. The recipe is from the Dessert For Two  site. I think I will give it a try! How about you?





Red Velvet Truffles
Makes 10 truffles* The first part of this recipe is identical to my recipe for red velvet cupcakes for two.
Ingredients

• ⅓ cup plus 1 tablespoon flour
• 2 teaspoons unsweetened cocoa powder
• ⅛ teaspoon baking soda
• ⅛ teaspoon salt
• ¼ cup canola oil
• ¼ cup sugar
• 2 tablespoons buttermilk
• 1 egg white
• 1 teaspoon red food coloring
• ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
• ⅛ teaspoon white vinegar

• –
• 3 ounces cream cheese, softened
• ½ cup powdered sugar
• 12 oz. almond bark (or white chocolate), for coating

Instructions
In a cupcake tin, place 4 cupcake liners on the outside edge.

In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, salt and cocoa powder.

In another bowl, beat together the canola oil, sugar, buttermilk, egg white, red dye, vinegar, and vanilla using an electric mixer.

Slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, mixing all the while. 

Divide the batter between the four cupcake liners and bake at 350° for 20-22 minutes until a cake tester comes out clean. Let cool completely on a wire rack.

When cool, crumble the cupcakes into crumbs. In a bowl, mix the softened cream cheese and powdered sugar. Add the crumbs and stir very well. 

Scoop a heaping tablespoon of the mixture into your hands and then roll into balls. Place the balls on a plate and refrigerate at least 4 hours.

To make the coating, chop the almond bark into 1″ chunks and place in a bowl. Heat on medium power in the microwave in 30-second intervals, stirring in between until melted. Dip each ball into the coating quickly, using a fork to turn, then let them dry on a piece of wax paper. Can be made 3 days ahead of time and stored in the fridge. 

Notes
*Recipe is easily doubled and baked in a 6″ round cake pan.

Peachy Cream Cheese Pie

I saw this on Pinterest today and followed the pages to finally get the recipe on the Recipe.Com site. It looks delicious and so easy. Gotta try it!

peachy cream cheese pie

This easy pie with its no-bake cream cheese filling makes a refreshing summertime dessert.



Recipe from

Servings: 8
Prep Time: 20 mins

ingredients

• 3/4 cup vanilla wafer crumbs (about 17 cookies)
• 2/3 cup ground toasted almonds
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1/3 cup margarine or butter, melted
• 1 8 ounce package reduced-fat cream cheese (Neufchatel), softened
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 2 tablespoons frozen orange juice concentrate, thawed
• 1 cup frozen whipped dessert topping, thawed
• 3 cups peeled, sliced peaches
• 1/4 cup orange marmalade
• Raspberries (optional)

directions

In a medium bowl stir together wafer crumbs, toasted almonds, and the 1 tablespoon sugar; add melted margarine. Toss to mix well. Spread mixture evenly in a 9-inch pie plate, pressing onto bottom and up the sides of the pie plate. Bake in a 375 degree F. oven for 4 to 5 minutes or until edges are light brown. Cool completely on a wire rack.

Meanwhile, in a medium bowl beat cream cheese, 1/4 cup sugar, and orange juice concentrate with an electric mixer on medium speed until smooth. Fold in whipped topping. Spread over cooled crust. Cover surface with plastic wrap and chill at least 1 hour or up to 24 hours. Just before serving, arrange peach slices over filling. In a small saucepan, heat and stir the orange marmalade just until melted; brush onto peaches. If desired, garnish with raspberries. Makes 8 servings.

nutrition information

Per Serving: cal. (kcal) 389, Fat, total (g) 26, chol. (mg) 22, sat. fat (g) 10, carb. (g) 37, fiber (g) 2, pro. (g) 5, vit. A (RE) 237, vit. C (mg) 12, sodium (mg) 235, calcium (mg) 30, iron (mg) 1, Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000

Eco-Friendly Bath Rugs DIY

I saw this on Pinterest and looks like a great project that would be easy to make. Plus, it is recycling old towels! 

Pinterest referenced the Fine Craft Guild Site and this where I got the directions. If you go to the site, there is also a video showing a mat being made.
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Towel Bath Rugs

Give old towels a second life by knotting them into super-soft, eco-chic
How-to Instructions for Handmade Towel Bath Rugs

1. First, wash and dry the towels you’ll be using for your rug.

2. Decide how big you want your bath rug or rugs to be by measuring the dimensions on the floor, e.g.. in from of your shower recess, as shown here.

3. Purchase gridded matting also called ‘Latch rug canvas‘ and cut it to those dimensions. This usually sits under floor rugs to avoid slipping and is also called ‘rug canvas’ or ‘anti-slip mat’.


I received inquiries as to where to find a base for these rugs. Here is one solution: Blank Latch Rug Canvas With Grid. This rug canvas measures 36”x60” is only $7.50. If you prefer, here is a smaller size: 24 ”x 30 ” rug canvas. Or, just check out the first link here, which gives you a whole range of mats and rug – bases.

4. Cut the towels into strips of approx. 3/4” thick, and then cut the strips into 5-6” long pieces. If you do this, you will need 2-3 old bath towels for a rug sized 18 inches by 2 feet.

5. Knot each strip along the grid, ensuring they all face the same way.

Tip: for a thick, full mat, knot along every line. For a thinner mat, knot along every other line.

It’s an easy to do project that require little concentration. It may take you a while but it will be worth it once you’re finished with your eco-chic bathroom mat.

Budget: nil, and your old towels have a nice new use. bath rugs.

Happy New Year!