12 Oct 2016

Halloween Centerpiece

by Eva M | posted in: Crafts | 0

Isn’t this adorable. It was quick, easy and very kid friendly. The base of this centerpiece is a flower pot that I spray painted with gold sparkle paint. This pot is so versatile, it will be on the Thanksgiving and Christmas table, looking completely different for each one.

Here is what I did:

I gathered some sticks from my yard. Any will do. No need to be fussy here.

Then, I put them into floral foam to hold them upright while i painted them.

I picked up this paint from the craft store. I used flat black.

The next step was to spray every inch of them with black paint. Make sure you get underneath and in all the little nooks and crannies.

Then, I cut the floral foam to fit into the flower pot

After the branches were dry, I put them into the flower foam. Arrange them so they look somewhat balanced on all sides.

If your branches are as long as mine are, you want to make sure you are balancing them on all sides so the centerpiece doesn’t topple over.

The final touch was to put some moss on top to hide the floral foam.

The last thing was the decorations. I went to my local dollar store, where everything is $1 and I picked up a bag of bugs and creepy things. I used a needle and black thread to attach the bugs to the tree. I put the needle through the bug and left a big loop of thread. I tied a knot, then hung it on the branch.

If you don’t have a clay flower pot, a big can or bucket will do just fine. If you don’t have the floral foam, use dirt from your garden. If you are using dirt, you won’t need the moss.

10 Oct 2016

Chickpeas and Macaroni

by Eva M | posted in: Cooking | 0

This is the perfect meal for ‘Meatless Mondays’. It is easy to prepare and packs a whopping 12 grams of protein for one cup of chickpeas. Have it tonight with a slice of crusty Italian bread and a glass of your favorite white wine. You will be satisfied and you won’t miss the meat at all.

Ingredients

1 Can Chick Peas – 15 oz

1 Lb Pasta

2 TBSP Olive Oil

½ Cup Onion, chopped

2 Cloves Garlic, minced

½ Cup White Wine

½ Cup Chicken Stock

¼ Cup Fresh Parsley, chopped

½ Cup Parmesan Cheese, plus more for the table

Salt

pepper

Instructions

Heat olive oil in a large sauté pan. Add the onions, cook on medium heat for 2 minutes. Add the garlic to the pan and cook 1 minute. Cook just until the garlic becomes fragrant. Drain and rinse the chickpeas. Add them to the pan and cook for 1 minute, stirring occasionally.

Add the wine and stock to the sauté pan and bring to a boil.

Add salt and pepper. Simmer for 3 minutes.

In a large stockpot, cook the pasta according to the manufacturers directions. Salt the water with 1 tablespoon of salt. Reserve 1 cup of pasta water.

When the pasta is al-dente, drain and add the pasta to the sauté pan with the chickpeas. Reserve 1 cup of pasta water.

Gently stir the pasta together with the chickpeas. Add the parsley and ½ of the pasta water. Continue cooking for 1 minute. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Remove from the heat and add the Parmesan cheese. If the past is dry, add the additional ½ cup of hot pasta water and gently mix.

Serve immediately with extra Parmesan cheese and black pepper.

Print recipe here: chickpeas-and-macaroni

9 Oct 2016

Apple Fritter

by Eva M | posted in: Cooking | 0

There is something so amazing and delicious about an apple fritter. You can make them with a yeast dough, but these are made with an easy basic dough and lots and lots of apples. Really, how could you go wrong with a fried spoonful of dough with fresh apples, then dipping them in sugar glaze. That is a recipe for a delicious treat.

Ingredients

Fritters

Vegetable Oil for deep-frying

2 Cups Flour

¾ Cup Sugar

2 ¼ tsp Cinnamon

1 ¼ tsp Salt

2 Extra Large Eggs

¾ Cup Whole Milk

2 TBSP Melted Butter

2 tsp Vanilla Extract

3 Apples

Sugar Glaze

2 Cups Confectioners’ Sugar

1 tsp Vanilla Extract

3-4 TBSP Whole Milk

Cinnamon-Sugar

Cinnamon

Sugar

Instructions

In a mixing bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon and salt.

In a separate bowl, lightly beat the eggs. Add the milk, melted butter and vanilla.

Mix the dry and wet ingredients together just until they are barely combined. Don’t over mix the batter. Fold in the apples. You can add more apples if you don’t think the batter looks like there are enough. The apples are the star of the show, so you need to have plenty.

Using a teaspoon, drop the batter into the hot oil. Don’t overcrowd the pot, but you can do several at a time.

Keep your eye on the fritters so they don’t burn. Some will flip over by themselves, others you will have to flip with a slotted spoon. They should take about 2 to 2 ½ minutes to cook.

Drain them on a paper towel lined dish. Dunk them in the sugar glaze or roll them in cinnamon sugar. Serve warm.

You can reheat them in a 350º oven until they are crispy and warm.

Print recipe here; apple-fritters

8 Oct 2016

Basic Muffin Recipe

by Eva M | posted in: Cooking | 0

This is a basic muffin recipe that you can start with, then put variations of your choice in them. This recipe is a basic muffin recipe that is easily found on the internet. There are so many ways that you can make these muffins your own. Sweet or savory, it’s your choice. There are the basics, corn, blueberry, chocolate chip, orange-cranberry, pumpkin, bran and so many more. Some people eat the entire muffin and others only eat the top. Either way, its delicious.

Ingredients

2 Cups Flour

½ Cup Sugar

1 TBSP Baking Powder

½ tsp Salt

¼ tsp Cinnamon

1/8 tsp Nutmeg

1 Cup Whole Milk

1 tsp Vanilla

1 Large Egg

4 TBS Butter (1/2 Stick)

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 400º. Grease and flour a 12-cup muffin pan, or use paper liners.

In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. Melt the butter and let cool slightly.

In a medium bowl, beat the egg. Add the sugar, milk and vanilla. Pour the cooled butter into the egg mixture and stir.

Add the liquid ingredients to the dry ingredients. Mix for only 10-15 seconds, very gently. It is very important that you don’t over mix the batter, it will cause your muffins to be rubbery.

Let the batter rest for 10 minutes. Divide the batter into the 12 muffin cups.

Bake 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the muffin comes out clean.

Print recipe here: basic-muffin-recipe

8 Oct 2016

Grandma’s Coffee Cake

by Eva M | posted in: Cooking | 0

This is the best coffee cake you will ever have. My Grandmother used to make this coffee cake when I was growing up. I loved it then and I still love it now. We eat it for breakfast and for dessert warmed up with a big scoop of vanilla ice cream. Yum!!

Ingredients

1 ½ Cup Sugar – divided

1 tsp Cinnamon

½ Cup Chopped Walnuts

8 maraschino Cherries – halved and drained

1 Stick Butter

2 Eggs

2 Cups Flour

2 tsp Baking Powder

1 Cup Sour Cream

1 tsp Salt

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350º

In a medium bowl, combine ½ cup sugar, cinnamon, nuts and cherries. Set aside.

In a large bowl, combine 1 cup sugar, eggs, flour, baking powder, butter and salt. Mix together. Fold in the sour cream.

Grease a tube pan and pour ½ the batter in the pan. Pour ¾ of the cinnamon-sugar mixture on top of the batter. Pour the remaining batter over the cinnamon-sugar mixture. Top with the remaining ¼ of the cinnamon-sugar.

Bake for 1 hour.

Print recipe here: grandmas-coffee-cake

Author Archives: Eva M