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!"