Apple & Cherry Crisp in a Jar

Woo Hoo! I finally made these! These are so simple!

Penny

I finally got the hang of making Pennies!

My Funny Husband ....

so tonight Greg and I are enjoying a nice fire..wine..beer.... and he said "will you bring me Joy?" I said "of course I will". He said "ok.. here's her number"!hahahaha!! he's so friggin funny!

Cinnamon Roll Cookie Recipe and a Tip!

I originally bought this box mix to make some quick Snicker doodles for Greg.... then I found the recipe for Cinnamon Roll Cookies on the back! (sorry honey!) Wow... these are so good and easy too!
Here's a tip: the directions say roll dough into a 12 X 8 rectangle. I draw the rectangle on parchment paper and roll out to the marks! I also cover the dough with waxed paper to keep it from sticking to the roller.

Cherry Vodka ---- is good stuff!

Tried my infused cherry Vodka last night! Wow... it's really, really (did I say really?) good! The key is to freeze the Vodka (see the cherries in the bottle?) My next project is to infuse oranges with Vodka (got that idea from Greg)

Gumby likes his Baileys on ice....

Tangled Christmas Lights .....

Help! I'm being attacked by tangled Christmas lights.....

Mini Pumpkin Pie Recipe

3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 t pumpkin pie spice
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs - lightly beaten
1 can (15 oz.) 100% Pure Pumpkin
1 can (12 fl. oz.) Evaporated Milk
2 9-inch pie crust doughs – pre-made from a box
Whipped cream (optional)

Directions

Mix all ingredients until smooth. Pour into pie shells filling them to the top. Bake at 425* for 15 minutes. Then turn your heat down to 350* and bake them for 25-30 minutes.

Deer Jerky Recipe

Jerky

1/2 t garlic powder
1/2 t seasoned salt
1 T Accent
2 T liquid smoke
3 lbs. meat cut in strips
1/4 C soy sauce
1/4 C worch. sauce
1 t onion powder
1/4 t pepper
hot sauce (optional to taste)

Combine all ingredients, marinate meat in refrigerator overnight. Lay strips of meat on rack with oven at lowest temp. Crack oven door open and dry meat until chewy. This could be 3 or more hours.... keep checking.

Corn Souffle Recipe

8 oz sour cream
1 can cream corn
1 can whole kernel corn (drained)
1 box Jiffy Corn Bread mix
1 stick of butter

mix, transfer to baking dish, bake 375 for 45 min

Homemade Wine Vinegar

I'm making a small batch of wine vinegar to see how it turns out. (I'm not wasting any wine!). To make, simply pour wine in a wide mouth jar and cover with a paper towel (to let the air in and keep "stuff" out). Put in a dark place for about 2 months. Then start tasting! When it's to your taste, strain and add to some good olive oil for a great wine vinaigrette! Wish me luck!

Project Woman Project

Made up 20 gift bags for Project Woman. My dentist Gary Thomas and his staff donated the toothpaste & brushes.Then I added soap, a scrubby and tissues. (I forgot to get the tissue paper to finish the bags!) Karen also gave me a bunch of stickers and pencils that I'm giving to the Foster Care unit where I work. This is the time of year when I realize how fortunate I am for all the blessings I've been given and I'm thankful I have enough to share with others.

Mini Muffins .... finally!

I finally made mini muffins! I wanted to try out my new mini muffin pan so I bought a pack of Martha White mixed berry muffin mix. One pack made 11 muffins...they were really moist. I baked them for 12 min @ 425.

Broom Corn is a Hit!

Definitely planting more broom corn next year! The birds picked it clean! We hung one on the post and it took about 2 weeks for them to figure it out...but when they did...they loved it!

Easy Scalloped Potatoes

1 (10 3/4-ounce) can condensed cream of mushroom soup
1 1/2 cups milk
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
5 cups thinly sliced peeled potatoes
1/4 cup butter, melted
1/4 cup all-purpose flour, sprinkled

In a small bowl, combine the soup, milk, salt and pepper; set aside.
Place a third of the potatoes in a greased 13 x 9 x 2-inch baking dish; layer with a third of the butter, flour and soup mixture. Repeat with two more layers.

Bake, uncovered, at 350°F for 1 hour and 20 minutes or until the potatoes are tender and top is golden brown.

Before and After My Baking Frenzy!

Infused Vodka!

Time to make your infused Vodka for the holidays! Simply add your favorite fruit...fresh cranberries, maraschino cherries, orange slices to a bottle of Vodka. Don't use the cheap stuff (it doesn't hold the flavor), but don't use the good stuff (it's too good on its own), just use medium. Anyway, let it sit in a cool dark place for at least 2 weeks, shaking every few days. Then use in your favorite drink! I use maraschino cherry Vodka in orange juice or Sprite!! It gets me in the Holiday Spirit!

My First Cookbook!

My Grandma gave me my first cookbook when I got married in 1976! The marriage only lasted 7 years (yes... the 7 year itch thing is true for some guys...) Anyway, that husband is gone (his loss) but the cookbook remains loyal to me after all these years!

You Can Call Me Jack!

I'm a Jack of all trades and a Master of none! I dabble in a whirlwind mixture of everything from gardening, sewing, crafting, cooking, baking, photography,....ok, I think you get it. I've gone to school, classes and workshops for massage therapy, Reiki, Reflexology, bartending, cooking with chocolate (mmmm), growing and using herbs, ....(a career student?) I love learning and trying new things.

I don't care if I've never really "mastered" anything. I don't have one thing I'm perfect at. But when I hold up a quilt (with a couple of crooked squares) that I made with love for my Granddaughter, take that first bite out of a slice of homemade bread (that might be a little too brown on the bottom), or put my (slightly skewed) knitted hat on...all that matters is I'm thinking, "I can't believe I made this!"

Thought for the day ....

The first testicular guard, the "Cup," was used in Hockey in 1874 and the first helmet was used in 1974. That means it only took 100 years for men to realize that their brain is also important.

Knifty Knitter Hats!

I'm still making hats... they are so easy and fun to make.

Guilty About Mini Muffins.....

ok.... I've been wanting to try the "mini pumpkin muffins" in my new mini muffin tin, but haven't found the time! So to inspire me... I'm putting the muffin tin on my stove to remind me to make these!! It's the guilt thing!! Every time I see it empty I feel guilty for not making them! (tough love on myself!)

Gumby helping me clean....

Gumby helping me make gumbo!

Yarn makes me happy!

Went to Crafts 2000 and picked up some great yarn. I'm into making hats on my Knify Knitter... it's so easy and you can a hat in no time!

Snyder Park

This is why I always try to have my camera... we took a shortcut through the park and I took this picture. The weather man said next week will be peak picture taking time for leaves!

Gourds .... soon to be bird houses!

Here's my crop of gourds! I'm going to dry them and make bird houses!

Apple Rings ..... mmmm they smell so good!

Still picking apples from our neighbors tree.... I made these great apple rings, I just cored and sliced them, sprinkled them with cinnamon and put in the oven at lowest setting. I turned them a few times for a few hours. The house smelled so good. These taste good too! I'm going to make another batch for eating and slice them thinner.

Baby Dumplings .....

Homemade Egg Noodles

•2 cups flour
•1/4 teaspoon salt
•2 medium eggs
•1/4 cup water

In a large bowl combine the flour and salt. Make a hole in the flour. Crack the eggs into the hole. Use your hands to mash the eggs and flour together making a coarse and crumbly mixture. Add the water. Mix again until you have a nice, stiff dough. Knead the dough a few minutes to get it nice and smooth. You may need to dust it with a little flour to keep it from sticking to your hands. When you are satisfied with your ball of noodle dough cover it with a tea towel and let it rest for about 20 minutes.

After the dough has rested, lay it on a pastry cloth or waxed paper. Using a rolling pin, roll the dough out thinner than pie crust. Let it rest again, to dry slightly then cut with a pizza cutter. Remember they will swell up as they cook, so make them smaller than you think you should.

To cook the noodles, drop them in boiling broth, reduce to Simmer for 20 to 30 minutes, or until the noodles are tender.

*note.... I made these thicker than I usually do for more of a "dumpling" than noodle.

Homemade Biscuits & Sausage Sandwich for Brunch

Nothing like homemade biscuits after working up a sweat "homesteading".

me "homesteading" and loving every minute of it!

Next year this entire patch will be sunflowers and broom corn! I can't wait!