Happy White Day!

 

For those of you who somehow do not know, today (March 14th, is White Day)

It is often said to be a candy company scam in Asia where it is celebrated, however, in our household it is sweet and meaningful, (it also helps to avoid valentines day gifting conflicts)

This is what I did for my wife this year

 

 Thanks to pinterest I made funfetti donuts, homemade Twix,  tuxedo strawberries, and a not pictured salt dough hand print painted opalescent white.

The  Twix Bars were really easy and taste amazing

oh yeah I also made a 

White chocolate drizzled; pretzel, nut and candy coated; dark chocolate covered, caramel apple

 

Yeah, it's amazing

Happy White Day!

More cool stuff I have been working on

Lemon arrangement for my birthday =)

 

Valentine cookies for primary 

If a thing is worth doing...

It's worth overdoing!

Homemade, pink, "butter, garlic and basil crouton" harts, for valentines day!

Easy and fast, I made enough for a party of 50 in under an hour, it would take about 20 minutes (mostly cooking time) to do enough for a family or couple.

glad

Ducky Two Face

OK, so I had a ton of white (ish -colors got mixed a bit) frosting left over from a cookie party my wife was at on Wednesday, so I figured it was time to pull out the cake pan we bought 4 years ago and use it for the first time, I was going to just make it normal, but one half was all funky (the cake didn't quite rise enough) so I decided to just go with it.

What do you think? 

(BTW. I have limited cake tools and even more limited decorating experience)

Stuffed Biscuits and Gravy

I was trying to make classic food for a friend from New Zealand, It turned out pretty good, but I thought it could be better, thus was born ......

Which I believe was a miracle of breakfast.

Super easy adaptation, super tasty too!

sleeves

jerk

Soap

Cinnamon Pumpkin Trifle

Trifles are really easy to make

This twist on the traditional pumpkin pie is perfect for the holidays...

Cinnamon Pumpkin Trifle

Ingredients 

Pumpkin Cake!

1. Mix 1 box yellow cake mix to directions, but substitute pumpkin puree for the oil. (Delicious and low fat!)
2. Divide mixture evenly between 3 round cake pans.
3. Bake at 350 for 22 minutes.

Pumpkin Flavored Jello Pudding (mix with extra half cup milk, it makes it easier to spread)

Cheesecake Cool Whip

 Mix 8oz. Cool Whip with 

• 1 block softened cream cheese
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla

Cinnamon baking chips (I like Hershey's)

Directions

Step 1. Layer prepared ingredients in given order, using 1/3 of pudding and cool whip for each layer, and go easy on the cinnamon chips (no more than 1/3 cup per layer!).

Step 2.  Get praised from people who don't know how easy this is to make!

What to Do With the Leftovers

I started making this recipe a few years ago, because I cannot help myself but throw random stuff into pizza dough, I have in this, however, found a rare gem:

The Thanksgiving Leftover Pizza!

With the addition of  sweet potatoes, cranberry sauce and caramelized onions, this pizza is a little sweeter than most, so don't expect any problems getting to kids to eat it.

Dough:

• 1 Cup Cooked Sweet Potatoes (sweet potato casserole works great)
• 2 Packets Dry Yeast 
• 1/2 cup Warm Water
• 2 1/2 + Cups Flour
• 1 tsp. Salt

1. Add yeast to water in electric mixer bowl, and let stand until yeast foams.
2. Add remaining ingredients together into yeast mixture.
3. Mix on low setting, 
4. Add as much additional flour as necessary (amounts can vary greatly as some sweet potato casseroles are quite moist)
5. Let stand for 15 minutes before rolling out onto pan

Toppings

• 1-2 Cups Turkey (cut into small pieces)
• 1 Cup Pre-made spaghetti sauce (we prefer Prego)
• 1/2 Cup Cranberry Sauce (jellied or whole berry)
• 1 medium Onion, chopped and caramelized (sauteed in butter until tender and mixed with 1 big Tbsp brown sugar)
• 12oz. Shredded Mozzarella
• Anything else you would like

1.  Mix Spaghetti sauce with cranberry sauce and spread evenly on top of  rolled out dough. 
2. Sprinkle Turkey and Caramelized Onions on sauce evenly
3. Sprinkle Cheese and any other toppings.

Bake in 400 degree oven for 20 minutes or until cheese is golden brown.

Shredded Sweet Potato Casserole

I've gotten at least 3 requests for this recipe this week, so Aunt Paula, for you I will post it to the world, (but all secret-like on this blog that nobody looks at)

Shredded Sweet Potato Casserole

3/4 c. white sugar
3/4 c. brown sugar
1/2 c. milk
2 eggs
1/2 c. pecans, chopped
2 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. nutmeg
1 stick butter (I leave this out, you really don't miss it)
3/4 c. buttermilk (I usually use a little more milk, if I leave out the butter)
1/8 tsp. baking soda
3 c. grated raw sweet potatoes (but if you grate too much, throw it in, I've never added too much)

Mix sugar and milk in large bowl; add potatoes. Beat eggs separately and add butter(if you absolutely have to use it). Combine 2 mixtures. Add other ingredients and mix. Pour into 2-quart casserole and bake for 1 hour at 450 degrees.

Words to live by

Just some thoughts I put down today

Perfect Cranberry Punch

Well, you know what they say, you cant have just one... here's another recipe I came up with for the holidays

Simply melt a can of cranberry sauce (but not in the can) and mix with a prepared can of limeade and a bottle of 7up.

Simple and delicious!

Make My Recipies!

So, I never post anything anymore, but I had a recipe that is too good not to share on pinterset, here it is

Adapted English Toad-in-the-Hole Recipe

FOR BREAKFAST!

    Prep time: 35 minutes

    Cook time: 30 minutes

Ingredients

    1 1/2 cup of all-purpose flour

    1 tsp. salt

    1 tbsp. cinnamon

    Pinch of freshly ground black pepper

    3 eggs, beaten

1  cup milk

    ½ cup maple syrup

    2 granny smith apples peeled and chopped to ½ inch pieces

    1 lb. of breakfast sausage links

Method

1. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour with the salt, cinnamon and pinch of pepper. Make a well in the center of the flour. Pour in the eggs, milk, and syrup into the well and whisk into the flour until smooth. Cover and let stand 30 minutes.

2. Coat the bottom and sides of an 8x12 or 9x9 casserole dish with nonstick cooking spray (floured is best). Place a rack in the bottom third of the oven. Put the empty dish on the rack. Preheat the oven with the dish in it to 425°F.

3 While the oven is coming to temperature, brown sausages in a skillet on medium high. Add apples and cook until tender.

4 When the apples are tender and the dish in the oven hot, pull the oven rack out a bit, put the sausages and apples in the casserole dish, and pour the batter over them.

5 Cook for about 20-30 minutes or until the batter is risen and golden.

Serve with additional syrup.

Yield: Serves 4-6.

10,000 Views

In less than 5 months

(Including one with only 2 posts, sorry)

Today at The Thrift Store has had 10,000 visitors 

(so you can't all be family)

I'm as happy as a kitten in roller skates

 But the real thanks goes out to you

dear readers, 

-especially the ones who comment-

you

are

 So I'm going to take all of you to HAWAII!

Be sure to watch out for the ash.

A Horse of a Different Color

 Like many people I  suffer from Equinophobia, not in a debilitating way, pictures don't bother me at all, way over there in that field, behind the fence, fine, but get me close enough to touch a horse, and I'm a sissy little girl., (Except sissy little girls LOVE horses, so like a sissy little girl in a cage with a snarling rabid dog.)

 In the past week I've had two big things come up in my life which have a lot to do with horses 

1. My wife introduced my son to Rainbow Brite, now he is now in love with that show

He keeps asking for the horsey show, and sequels when he sees Starlight

 2. I've finally reconnected with a family I used to know back in Virgina who raise and train horses

Sit! 

Pretty good eh?

This is not them, ...

which is good, because if I was stuck with those horses, I would probably die or worse, since the dad in the family is a therapist for people with irrational fears, he might foolishly claim I have an irrational fear and try to treat that, while I die (because the horse would eat me, duh).

Jumping For Joy

 Have you bought Fireworks yet?

Well, hop to it!

Cowboy Culture

What's more American than cowboys?

sitting around the campfire

Singing about how great a country we have

 How our carousel horses go right to left, 

not just any clown can be a cowboy

it takes a special kind to do it

A-Bear-icana

The 4th of July is coming up,  you know what that means...

that's right!

Patriotic Teddy bears!

what better way to show your love for a country than by making a teddy bear out of it's flag!

Show that proud to be an American spirit!

I love America too, little bear!  

 no greater sign of love than a patriotic lady liberty display

Now that's what I'm talking about!