Wednesday, December 31, 2008

Handmade Light by Lilolme at The tincat Crafts

Link

Veggie Pizza By Rebecca Brown

Very addicting, very. Veggie Pizza By Becca Brown.

2 packages of crescants. open unroll flatten out on cookie sheet .. bake at what package says ..... yesssss while this is cooking ..

take a package broccoli - cauliflour - carrot mix (california blend) - put in food grinder and grind til tiny pieces ..

16 oz fat free sour cream

2 - 1/3 fat free cream cheese

1 envelope of zesty Italian seasonings (from the baking isle)

1 package of skim milk shreded cheese that you like, (we use the taco cheese and skim milk mazarolla?)

put sour cream, cream cheese Italian seasons, in bowl and mix. once crescants are baked, take out of oven, spread with cream cheese mixture, then the veggie mixture, then spread with grated cheese.

cut and eat.

This makes a large cookie sheet. But it taste great !!!

From Linda In Ohio

This is my coasters snowman post-it note holder. I covered two coasters in white cardstock. The black hat hingest the two coasters together. The eyelids are just a circle cut in half and glued over the wiggle eyes. Inside is a post-it note pad. Darling Linda

Wednesday, December 3, 2008

The Tin CAt Christmas

Twas the night befor Christmas and all through tincats

No crafting was stirring, not even a spoon

The stocking were hanging by the chimney with names

in hopes that ole brooke would soon hold the reins

Rooster was nestled all snug in her bed

While visions of racing danced in her head

With snitch in her kerchief and t in her cap

They just had some chocolate and settled down for a nap

When out on the roof franklin fell with a clatter

Trying to hang Christmas lights and a banner

Away to the window judy flew like a flash

Tore open the shutters franklin fell on her ash

Connie awake and amazed by the new fallen snow

It gave gave her a radiant glow

When what to connies eyes should appear

But a minature sleigh and eight tincats bringing up the rear

Snitch knew iin a moment it must be brooke

More rapid then donna the tincats they came

As gwen whistled and shouted and called them by name

Now ginny now coco

Now lexanna and Kathy

On jenny on crazy for crafts

On deb now on whirlydoo

To the top of the porch to the top of the wall

Now dash away dash away dash away all

We crafted and pasted as the time it did fly

We lost track of the time looking into the sky. So up to the house top the courses they flew. With the sleigh full of toys and brooke in pink shoes. And then in a twinkling auntb heard on the roof. The tincats are dancing and and we thought they disappeared with a poof. As auntb drew in her head and was turning around. Down the chimney brooke came with a bound. She was dressed all in fur from her head to her foot. And her pink shoes were tarnished with ashes and soot. Bunches of crafts she had flung on her back. As she looked like a peddlar just opening her sack. Her eyes how they twinkled her dimples how merry. Her cheeks were like roses her nose like a cherry. Her droll little mouth was drawn up like a bow. And her cheeks and her chin were as pink as the bow. The paper and staples she held in her teeth. It encircled her head like a grand Christmas wreath. She had a broad face and a little round belly. And it shook when she laughed like a bowl full of jelly. She was chubby and plump a right jolly ole elf. Auntb laughed when she saw her inspite of myself. A wink of her eye and a twist of her head. Showed that the crafts that she gave us wa nuttin to dread. She spoke not a word but went straight to her work. And filled all the stockings and turned with a jerk. And laying her finger aside of her nose. And giving a nod up the chimney she rose. She sprang to her sleigh to her team gave a whisle the tincats they all flew like the down of a thistle. But I heard her explain as she drove out of sight. Merry Christmas tincats its was a heck of a night.

By Auntb

Tuesday, December 2, 2008

Tuesday, November 25, 2008

Recycle Plastic Bottle From Linda (Linners)

These are so cute.What a wonderful way to recycle plastic bottles.This is a water bottle snowman. Bottle was spray painted white. Head is a styrofoam ball. Fleece hat/scarf

Painted plastic peanut butter jar pumpkin.

Linners Christmas Creations

Cuttlebugged photo ornaments:The one on the left is my first greatgrandchild. On the right is me in white top and my daughter, the grandma of the little fella.

From Linners

Here it is on my quad cane. I decorate my cane for every holiday and season.It's a felt yo yo, stuffed. Pin on back. Beak and feathers are felt. Wattle is a petal from a silk poinsettia. Black bead eyes.

Thursday, November 20, 2008

Crafts shared From Tinycoco

Just finished by tinycoco this Beautiful fall basket She made these in two sizes

From Ginny (Surfing) Just Made

There beautiful Ginny !

Wednesday, November 19, 2008

The Christmas Spider

Once upon a time a gentle mother was busily cleaning the house for the most wonderful day of the year. Not a speck of dust was left. Even the spiders had left their cozy corner in the ceiling and had fled to the attic to avoid the housewife's busy cleaning.

At last, it was Christmas Eve. The tree was decorated and waiting for the children to see it. The poor spiders were frantic, for they could not see the tree, nor the presents that waited for dawn. The oldest and wisest spider suggested that perhaps they could peep through the crack in the door to see this glorious sight. Silently, they crept out of their attic, down the stairs and across the floor to wait in the crack in the threshold. Suddenly, the door opened a wee bit and quickly the spiders scurried into the room. The tree was breathtaking and certainly more than their eyes were accustomed to seeing. So, they crept all over the tree, up and down, over every branch and twig and saw every one of the pretty things. At last they were satisfied with the Christmas tree's beauty.

But alas! Everywhere they went they had left their webs. Now seeing what they had done, they became very afraid that they would be killed; so they prayed for mercy. Suddenly, an angel appeared and said, "I'll save you, but I will need some help. One of you must stay to save the rest." It was agreed who would stay, and then the angel touched the spider and turned it to ice, and the webs became shimmering silver and gold.

Since that time, we have hung tinsel on our Christmas trees to remind us of the sacrifice of one to save many. According to the legend, it has become a custom to include the spider among the decorations on the tree.

Spider1

spider2

Spider3

Saturday, November 8, 2008

Contests And Sweekstakes

1. Fine Cooking Magazine - Submit a Tip Each month you can submit a cooking tip and be entered to win a Prize. (The approximate retail value of the Prize is $200.)

2. Omagazine.Com - Get Cooking Sweepstakes Enter to win a private dinner party from a local chef (ARV $1,000).

3. Taste of Home - Recipe Contests This website publishes new recipe contests monthly. Check back each month to see what's cooking. Rules vary for each contest.

4. SeaPak.Com - Spectacular Seafood Recipe Contest Grand Prize Winner (1) Get ready for a fantastic kitchen refresh with this fabulous prize. The top recipe winner will receive new Calphalon cutlery, cookware, and bakeware and essential small kitchen appliances from KitchenAid. Cooking has never been this rewarding! First Prize Winner (1) SeaPak is all about making great shrimp and seafood easy and the first prize winner will be thrilled to know that their kitchen will be easier to work in than ever with new Calphalon cookware and cutlery. Runner-Up Winners (2) A great recipe deserves a great prize. The category runners up will both receive a new Calphalon cookware set. This versatile cookware is sure to make the time you spend in your kitchen better than ever

5. Joseole.Com - Coolest Mom Recipe Contest 1) Grand Prize Winner will receive gift certificate(s) and/or gift card(s) having a total aggregate value of $20,000 to a home improvement, appliance or other retail store of Grand Prize Winner’s choosing in the Grand Prize Winner’s home area. Approximate Retail Value (“ARV”) of Grand Prize: $20,000. Fifteen (15) First Prize Winners will each receive a $100 gift card to Cooking.com. ARV of First Prize: $100, each.

Monday, October 27, 2008

Spider Cookies

Large chocolate cookies shaped like spiders. Kids love them. Makes 20 cookies

INGREDIENTS

2 ounces unsweetened chocolate

1-1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup butter or margarine

1 cup white sugar

1 egg

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

40 red baking candies

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Lightly grease baking sheet.

In a saucepan melt chocolate over low heat. Let cool.

In a small bowl mix flour, baking powder and salt.

In a medium bowl beat butter on low speed until smooth. Add sugar and beat until creamy. Stir in egg, vanilla and chocolate. Add flour mixture and mix well, forming a stiff dough. To make spider, shape a 2-inch flat oval for the body. Make the spider's head by flattening a circle about 1/2-inch wide. Shape dough for legs each about 2 inches long and less than 1/4-inch wide. Attach the head and legs to the body. Put 2 red candies into head for eyes. Bake 5 to 8 minutes. Let spiders cool on baking sheet to avoid breaking when moving.

Wednesday, October 22, 2008

From Tmarie These darling foam cut outs can be purchased from the dollar store by the bag full.

Thursday, October 16, 2008

Harvest Soup

Autumn Harvest Soup A compilation recipe using Puree of Carrots a al Crecy, adapted from The Modern Cookbook , 1846 and Williams Sonoma’s Cream of Butternut Squash & Apple Soup and Butternut Squash Chowder

Makes 16 servings (2 ladlefuls per person)

8 thick slices bacon, diced

2 medium sweet yellow onion, peeled and diced

4 ribs celery, sliced

4 ½ cups roughly chopped carrots

4 ½ cups peeled, chunked butternut squash

½ cup flour

1 Tablespoon sugar

1 teaspoon nutmeg

½ teaspoon allspice

2 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon pepper

10 cups chicken stock, preferably homemade or good soup base powder

2 cups heavy cream

Fresh finely chopped parsley

Julienned carrots, cooked al dente

Reserved bacon pieces

In large heavy Dutch oven brown bacon pieces over medium high heat, remove to absorbent paper with slotted spoon, set aside. Add onion and celery to bacon drippings and sauté until tender and translucent about 10 minutes. Add flour and seasonings, stir well and cook about 3 minutes. Slowly add a small amount of stock until flour is absorbed, then add rest of stock. Add carrots and squash to pan. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer over medium low heat, covered until vegetables are done. Puree soup in blender or food processor in small batches. At this point the soup can be refrigerated until ready to reheat and finish. Bring to a boil slowly, reduce heat and add cream and heat through but do not allow to boil. Ladle into serving bowls, garnish with bacon pieces and parsley or Julienned carrots.

Saturday, October 11, 2008

Moonlight

It has been many years since I picked up a paint brush. But thought I would share my first watercolor in over 10 years. This was a struggle for me to do and took much longer then it should have. Moonlight Magic

Thursday, October 9, 2008

Sticky Buns Craft

Look so good you could eat them ,but they are fake. From Hjvagar at HGTV

They are not my original idea says Hjvagar but as usual, I can't remember who originally posted this idea. I do have the directions saved and here is my version of them: I cut a 15 to 18 inch long strip of muslin - 5 inches wide (or smaller if you want a smaller bun) - I make all different sizes. Fold in half (so your strip is about 2 1/2 inches wide. Sew a narrow seam, and one end closed. Turn right side out. I soaked mine in strong tea (you can also use coffee), and rubbed with cinnamon when they were still damp. When they were dry - I lightly stuffed them with fiberfill - don't overstuff. Then I took my glue gun and glued the ends shut and then folded and glued one corner down so it came to a point on the end.I did this to both ends. Then just start gluing and rolling from one side. Watch as you go along to make sure the seam is on the inside and not showing. When I got to the end I put some glue on and you can either hold it til it sets up or take a small clip and put that on til it sets. Once it's dry, I take dimensional white paint and just drizzle it on starting with the middle and when I hit towards the sides I let a little drizzle down. As soon as you are done with the paint grab your cinnamon and just dust some on top.

Tuesday, October 7, 2008

Santas Key

Instructions for the beautiful Santa Keys Copy and paste pdf code below www.decorativepainters.org/downloads/dp_1106/DP-6-06_11-20.pdf

Monday, October 6, 2008

SWEET ONION CASSEROLE

SWEET ONION CASSEROLE - Lowfat version

1 lb. onions, sliced and separated into rings

1 cup buttermilk

1 tablespoon

cornstarch

2 egg whites

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/2 cup shredded reduced-fat sharp Cheddar cheese

Paprika Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In medium saucepan combine onions with water to cover. Bring to boil; boil 1 minute. Drain well. Transfer to 8-inch square baking dish sprayed with non-stick vegetable coating. In bowl combine buttermilk and cornstarch and stir until cornstarch is completely dissolved. Mix in egg whites, salt and pepper; pour over onions. Sprinkle with cheese, ten paprika. Bake 25 minutes. Serves 6. Each serving contains approximately;

ONION CASSEROLE:

4 large sliced onions (Supersweet onions ONLY!)

1 bag barbecued potato chips

2 cups grated cheddar cheese

Layer the above three ingredients. Repeat layers again. Combine two cans cream of chicken soup with one-half cup milk. Pour over layers and top with crushed chips. Bake at 350 degrees F. for one hour.

"FARMERS MARKET STEAK

1 pound of round steak

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 large bell pepper

2 large Supersweet onions

1 cup water

1 tablespoon margarine

1 and one-half teaspoons beef-flavored bouillon granules

1 tablespoon soy sauce

Hot cooked noodles or rice

Trim steak and cut into serving pieces. Combine flour, salt and pepper. Dredge steak in flour mixture and lightly pound with meat mallet. Brown steak in hot oil in a skillet. Place in a shallow two quart casserole. Layer bell pepper and onion (both cut into slices) over steak. Combine water, butter, bouillon granules and soy sauce in skillet. Cook until bouillon granules dissolve. Pour sauce over meat, bell pepper and onions. Cover casserole and bake at 325 degrees F. for 1 hour and 15 minutes. Serve over rice or noodles.

Onions

OF COURSE EVERYONE KNOWS THAT: Onions can be chopped and dried in the oven. Use the lowest setting and remove when thoroughly dry but not brown. Store at room temperature in airtight containers. Onions can be frozen. Chop and place on a cookie sheet in the freezer. When frozen, remove and place in freezer containers or bags, and seal. This allows you to remove the amount you want when you want it. An alternative is to freeze whole. Jumbos can be peeled, washed, cored and dropped in a plastic bag. Once frozen, they can be removed like ice cubes. Freezing changes the onion's texture, so frozen onions should be used for cooking only. Whole frozen onions can also be baked. Place a whole, raw, unpeeled onion in the refrigerator and chill for approximately one hour before serving, or peel and cut into slices and place in a bowl of ice water for approximately 30 minutes and then drain on paper towels. Either of these methods will bring out a sweeter flavor when eating raw onions.

Onions Frugal Onions

We use tons of onions and today bought a 50 lb bag for 7.89 at Cash and Carry. Makes it 15.8 cents a lb. Now what do we do with all those onions ? I chop and freeze one half and the rest become dinner. ONION COOKERY Cooks over much of the world would be lost without the onion. These pungent bulbs are prized and often referred to as "lilies of the kitchen."

ONION RINGS

1 cup flour

1 cup beer

(the brand of your choice since there will be some left to cool you during the cooking!)

3-4 cups shortening for frying purposes

3 tablespoons sugar

2 teaspoons salt

seasoning salt (optional).

Combine flour and beer in a large bowl, blending thoroughly. Cover and allow batter to sit at room temperature for at least 3 hours. Afterwards gently stir in the sugar and salt. Cut onions into one-fourth inch or larger (depending upon preference) slices. Separate slices into rings. Heat shorting to 375 degrees F. (You can determine this temperature by dropping a sample ring into the hot grease -- it should begin to immediately sizzle and quickly rise to the top or a one inch square piece of bread will brown in one minute in 375 degree oil.) Dry sliced rings and roll in flour. Then dip onion rings into batter and fry until delicate golden brown. The batter can be made thicker by adding more flour or thinner by adding more beer. .

Saturday, October 4, 2008

Popsicle sticks From Hjvagar at HGTV

Now at the beginning of this I will tell you - these are the directions from the book. I did make a few adjustments because it just didn't seem right to me. My adjustments did not make my life any easier lol. Take 2 double pages of newspaper. Cut or rip them in 1/2 so you have 4 pages. Stack them on top of each other. Mark 4" down from the top and 3" in from one side and cut. Once it's all cut fold the papers in 1/2 bringing the top 1/2 to the bottom edge. Fold the papers in 1/2 again the same way - top to bottom. Fold the papers in 1/2 a 3rd time but this time bring the left side to the right side of the papers. Take a pencil or a bone folder and crease this fold. This crease will be the center of the popsicle. Open up the last fold and roll one side toward the crease in the middle. Use a clip to hold it in place. Then roll the other side in and clip it. Take masking tape and put it down the crease between the two rolls, around the bottom and up the back between the two rolls. Take off the clips. You can add your hanger now if you want. It said to put your sticks in now but I will add here - up to this point they can be flattened kind of easy so I added more newspaper like paper mache. Once it was dry I made a slit on both sides of the bottom. Then I started putting hot glue inside and shoved the sticks in. Another thing I will add - try to get them as smooth as you can. You end up using more of the diamond dust to hide all those blemishes if you don't. In the book it said to use another layer of colored tissue paper over the newspaper. I didn't have any (just white) so I went ahead and painted them. Let it dry completely. Then I took some glue, put it in a dish with some water (not much, just enough to water it down so it's easy to brush on), brushed it on one side at a time and sprinkled the diamond dust on while it was still wet. Voila - popsicles. I want to make more in different colors. In the book it had them in green, red, yellow and purple. I thought the red and purple looked the best but that's probably because those are my fav flavors lol. Be kinder than necessary, for everyone you meet is fighting some kind of battle.

Friday, October 3, 2008

Mythical Origins of Jack O'Lantern

An Irish tale tells us where the origins of the name Jack o'lantern came from. There once was a man named Jack who liked to play tricks on people. He lived a long, mischievous life. One day he tricked Satan into climbing a tree. Jack then carved the image of a Holy Cross in the trunk of the tree. This trapped the Devil up the tree. Jack made a deal with the Devil that: he would let the Devil down the tree, if the Devil promised to never tempt him again. After Jack died, he was not permitted into Heaven because of his evil ways. He was also denied access to Hell because he had tricked the Devil. The devil gave him a single ember to light his way through the freezing blackness. This flame was put inside a hollowed-out turnip to keep it glowing. As Jack walked his neverending journey as punishment for his trickery, he carried a burning coal inside a turnip to help him see along the roads everywhere he traveled. Soon he was known as "Jack of the lantern" or Jack O'Lantern. In Ireland, turnips were used as their Jack's lanterns originally. However, immigrants to America, found pumpkins more plentiful than turnips. The Jack-O-Lantern in America was a hollowed-out pumpkin, lit with an ember.

Thursday, October 2, 2008

Get Organized for the fall Season

The Fall Cleaning Chore Checklist Farmers Almanac 1. Add leaves and grass clippings to your compost pile. 2. Dig and harvest all vegetables before frost. Place green tomatoes on shelves in a cool area so they can ripen slowly. Parsnips, turnips, and carrots may be left in the ground. Some gardeners say this improves their flavor. 3. Mulch strawberry beds, roses, tender perennials, and plants with peat moss or straw to help prevent winter damage. 4. Do an over seeding where lawns are sparse. Fall is nature’s seeding time so a little help now will help eliminate bare or thin spots later. 5. Apply wilt-proof sprays to tender, broad-leaved evergreens to help reduce the drying effects of winter winds, especially on newly-planted shrubs. 6. Stake any newly-planted trees to help them get through their first winter. 7. If bagworms or late insects attack, physically remove and destroy them. Check trees and shrubs for scales and other pests. If you find any, plan an early dormant oil spray before flowers or leaves appear on fruit trees. 8. Pull up annuals and prune perennials as a good cleanup practice. 9. Begin fertilizing plan for houseplants. As home heat goes on, it stimulates plant growth which means you will need to pay more attention to fertilizing and watering. 10. Do final mowing raking and make notes of lawn care projects for the spring. 11. If you have wet spring weather, plan to dig or till your vegetables garden in the fall so you can get an early start next spring. 12. Remove old fruiting canes of berry bushes. Prune grape and blueberries.

Wednesday, October 1, 2008

tincat cards

Tuesday, September 30, 2008

Black Russian Cake
INGREDIENTS 1 (18 1/4-ounce) box Devil's Food Cake mix, without pudding
1 (4-ounce) package instant chocolate pudding mix
4 eggs, beaten
3/4 cup strong brewed coffee, at room temperature
3/4 cup coffee liqueur
3/4 cup crème de cacao
1/2 cup oil GLAZE 1 cup sifted powdered sugar
2 tablespoons strong brewed coffee
3 tablespoons coffee liqueur
2 tablespoons crème de cacao
Additional powdered sugar Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Grease and flour a 10-inch Bundt pan. Mix first 7 ingredients together and pour into the pan.
Bake 45 minutes or until inserted tester comes out clean.
Let cool in pan 10 minutes. Meanwhile, combine remaining ingredients (except additional powdered sugar).
Put cake on platter, pierce top with a fork and spoon on the glaze.
Cool completely. Dust with additional sugar.
Safety Pin Angel
Combine everyone's two favorite crafts... pony bead patterns and beaded safety pins for a winning angel project. Makes great ornaments or back pack decorations. You need: 5 Safety Pins, Size 4 6 Safety Pins, Size 2 49 Red, White & Blue Pony Beads or Translucent Pony Beads 20 Metallic Pony Beads White Glue 30" Metallic Cord One 16mm Wooden Barrel Bead
Instructions:Cut cord to 30". Stiffen ends with white glue. Let dry. Fold in half and tie a knot 1/2" below the fold. Choose your bead colors for the wings. Open six size 2 safety pins and string on the beads. Four safety pins should have four beads each. Two safety pins should have three beads each. See diagram at right. Close the pins. Choose your bead colors for the body. Open five size 4 safety pins and string on the beads. Two safety pins should have four beads each. Two safety pins should have five beads each. One safety pin should have six beads. See diagram at above. Close the pins. These written directions for weaving the pins and beads may seem complicated. Just follow along using the diagram above. String three metallic pony beads on one end. String the other cord end through the same three beads in the opposite direction. String one barrel bead on one cord. String the other cord end through the same bead in the opposite direction. String one metallic pony bead on one end. String the other cord end through the same bead in the opposite direction. Tighten cord, pulling both ends evenly and firmly. String the safety pins in the order shown above on one cord. String that cord through the metallic neck bead again forming a loop that holds the safety pins. String that cord down through the first safety pin of the wing. Pull it through the opening on the pin head. String on a metallic bead, then through the next wing safety pin head. String on a metallic bead, then through the third wing safety pin. String on a metallic bead, then through the last two beads on the first safety pin of the body. String on a metallic bead then through the head of the first body pin. String on two metallic beads, then through the next body safety pin head. String on two metallic beads, then through the third body safety pin head. String the other cord through the last safety pin on the wing then through the head. Continue adding gold beads and stringing through the heads as with the first cord. Tie off under middle safety pin. Add a dab of glue on the knot. Let dry and trim.