tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-74412389263202003572024-03-14T02:26:39.634-07:0010 Things That Made Me Happy This Weekmichelle's 10 thingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09364384620442122698noreply@blogger.comBlogger257125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7441238926320200357.post-15655640160087544072015-10-27T22:48:00.001-07:002015-10-27T22:48:37.570-07:00Lonely blogLonely blog. Sometimes I think of a post...and obviously don't. Post.michelle's 10 thingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09364384620442122698noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7441238926320200357.post-20374395239157007412013-01-29T19:19:00.000-08:002013-01-30T10:01:35.834-08:0029 January, 2013 <br />
"Between the pages of a book is a lovely place to be." unknown<br />
<br />
With a big snow storm last night I am home for the day :)<br />
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I was organizing my Wolf Cub Scout stuff and cleaning under my bed when I came across my husband's original scripture case. His name is embossed on it. He no longer needs it because he uses electronic scriptures (ipad). So now what do I do with it??? (hmmm. Wonder if there is some scout project?)<br />
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Here is my thought. I have my Grandma's Book Of Mormon that was given to her by her dad, my great grandpa, in 1939. I have it displayed in my bedroom bookcase.<br />
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We have our great great great grandpa's medical book. He bought it in 1891. In 1893 he gave it to his grand daughter (our great grandma) who gave it to Grandma, who gave it to us. I have it displayed in my living room.<br />
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I have the 1913 White House Cook Book. In 1932 my great grandma gave it to my Grandma. In 1962 my Grandma gave it to my Mom. My mom gave it to me. I am planning a way to display it in the kitchen. (A bit harder to keep it protected there.)<br />
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Each of these books are signed as they are passed from generation to generation, from book lover or caretaker to book lover or caretaker. I am one of those that treasures the bits of the past, my connection to unknown and known family that came before me.<br />
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I read real books and real newspapers and real scriptures (I know. Electronic ones are real...) made from paper. I love holding a book. I love turning pages (and looking to see how many pages there are and how long "this" chaper is). I love bookmarks (and have a lot:). I love books and I love to read. This is me. <br />
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<br />michelle's 10 thingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09364384620442122698noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7441238926320200357.post-11575506381638199892012-07-11T15:10:00.003-07:002012-07-12T14:21:08.598-07:00Flea.o.logy"How could I consider taking Monday off? Monday is the diving board poised over the rest of the week. You walk out on the board, review the situation, plan your strategy, bounce a few times to get the feel of things, and then make a clean dive. Without Monday, one simply bombs into the water, belly first, and hopes for the best." from "At Home In Mitford" by Jan Karon<br />
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I used this quote on my blog in Jan., 2010, but I just kept thinking about it Monday morning,<br />
<br />
Flea.o.logy is this Saturday. Flea.o.logy is a large, and getting larger, vintage/antique/craft outdoor sale in Payson, UT. It is held 3 times during the summer, with 1 indoor winter sale. I have a week of picking and pricing and packing planned. I have been working to have over 100 items priced at less than $5.00 (all different items) but lost count. I have a few things that I am excited to show.<br />
I am prepared for the weather with a canopy for sun or rain, and fans for the heat. My assistant is scheduled (Thank you, Leslie). I will have a borrowed phone that takes charge cards (Thanks, Lindsay). And the van is starting to get packed.<br />
We leave my house by 5:30 a.m. for the drive, and hope to be set up quick enough for just a quick look at what the other sellers have brought to sell. There are over 30 sellers. (And parking for buyers at the bank right across the street from our sale at a 100 + year old home.<br />
<br />
WANT ALL THE DETAILS?<br />
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Do you relish rummaging around in rusty stuff? Is shabby your idea of chic? Got kitsch in your kitchen? Go ga-ga over “junk” jewelry AND gems? Need a table for Mabel to put her elbows on? Do you subscribe to the motto, “Live Well, Laugh Often, Junk Much?”<br />
Wanna come play at the flea on Saturday?<br />
Then be there this Saturday for our first flea market of the season. Flea.o.logy is the new name for the 8-years-running flea market at the historic Red Sandstone Victorian house on the corner. <br />
Over 30 sellers will be there to greet you with primitives to pottery, Victorian to vintage, garden art to glassware, and furniture to just plain funky. There’ll be junk jewelry, vintage jewelry, artist jewelry, and re purposed jewelry. Vintage dresses, heirloom dresses, a wedding dress, and a dresser or two. Tablecloths, aprons, hankies and blankies. License plates, dinner plates, wood crates and silver plate. Gas cans, frying pans, a few things that were made in Japan. Buttons, books, gobbledygook. AND. . . artist-created chocolates, crafts and a charity baked goods sale. Etc., etc.<br />
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Sound fun? You’re SO right! . . . .<br />
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Flea.o.logy Antiques & Crafts Flea Market<br />
218 N. Main, Payson (just 40 minutes south of Sandy) <br />
Saturday July 14<br />
8:00 a.m. sharp <br />
No early birds. . . <br />
Go to http://fleaology.blogspot.com to find out about the history of our flea market and to learn about our vendors.<br />
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(A few things that I priced today.)<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">3 Swedish Modern Fire King Jadeite<br />
Mid Century nesting mixing bowls<br />
teardrop w/ pour spout </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Red Polka Dot Rain Boots<br />
+<br />
IMAGINE sign</td></tr>
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<br />michelle's 10 thingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09364384620442122698noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7441238926320200357.post-44371544925036251832012-07-02T19:36:00.000-07:002012-07-02T19:36:40.729-07:004Th OF JULY PICNIC"Happiness is how you respond to Plan B." Tillotson Family<br />
<br />
2 July, 2012<br />
<br />
I love holiday serving pieces and this basket is a fun one.<br />
<br />
In Better Homes and Gardens (July 2003) there was a flag painted wicker picnic basket (It was a For Sale item.) that I HAD to make. The picture went into my Patriotic file (no Pinterest in those days ;). I made it within the next few years (Should have dated it. Atleast I still have the picture.)<br />
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I had a vintage Red-Man Basket that was perfect.<br />
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I started by by taping off the stripes and star background. I used star stickers as reverse stencils and spray painted my blue background. I used tape and plastic and spray paint to paint my red and white stripes. I used a light coat of spray paint to let the original dimpled pattern remain defined, and very lightly stained it. <br />
I painted one handle blue (left one) and the other one red. I finished it with a clear spray to protect it. I re-spray it every spring.<br />
I keep it filled with paper/plastic plates, cups, silverware and napkins. (I store the extras in the basket when I put things away in August.)<br />
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<br />michelle's 10 thingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09364384620442122698noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7441238926320200357.post-12123334623451463502012-06-28T19:26:00.001-07:002012-06-28T19:34:40.095-07:00BBQ BABY BACK RIBS...Part 2I love BBQ pork baby back ribs. <br />
We have our favourite place to get them, but a few months back I watched Todd Wilbur's Copy cat show and decided to try CHILI'S. We decided to go there for our date this week. I was extremely disappointed. I ordered the Memphis dry rubbed ribs and Doug ordered the original sauce ribs. <br />
Mine were dry and with not much meat-or flavour. Doug's were a bit better, but were still short on meat, sauce and flavour.<br />
I decided we needed to make a trip to American Fork to visit our rib place. We love <a href="http://ribcityutah.com/"><span style="color: #6aa84f;">RIB CITY</span></a>. We highly recommend their ribs, and love the sauces on the table.<br />
RIB CITY is owned by Toni J. She shared a Baby Back Rib recipe on a local t.v. show that I have made several times to great reviews. I made them a few weeks ago (with some <a href="http://michelles10things.blogspot.com/2012/06/baby-back-ribs-mmm.html"><span style="color: #6aa84f;">crock pot ribs</span></a>) and they still had great reviews.<br />
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BBQ BABY BACK RIBS<br />
(from Toni J. owner of <a href="http://ribcityutah.com/"><span style="color: #6aa84f;">RIB CITY</span></a> in American Fork, UT)<br />
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Spray a large (at least 9x13) pan.<br />
Pour about 1 cup of water in the bottom of pan. <span style="background-color: white;"> </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;">Put in your racks of ribs and cover with your favourite sauce. (Ours is (still) Sweet Baby Ray's.)</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="background-color: #b6d7a8; color: black;">Cover tightly with foil and</span><br />
<span style="background-color: #b6d7a8; color: #b6d7a8;"><span style="color: black;">Bake at 350 * for 1 1/2 hours</span>.</span><br />
Remove from the oven and let rest 20 mins. (THIS IS IMPORTANT.)<br />
<br />
Preheat outdoor grill with all the burners. <br />
Then turn to low and grill ribs about 20 mins.-turning often and brushing with BBQ sauce.<br />
So good.<br />
These ribs are not as tender as the crock pot ones, but the flavour is amazing. Hard to beat that grilled flavour. <br />
I will make both this recipe and the crock pot recipe. The deciding factor will be time.<br />
Sorry there are no pictures. People were ready to eat.<br />
<br />
I am not being compensated by anyone or anything (but I wish I was ;)<br />
BUYING RIBS<br />
I usually buy my ribs at Target when they are on sale for $2.99 a pound. They are usually meaty. They are in a sealed bag, and I put them right in the freezer.<br />
That is the price I like to pay and I usually budget about $10.00 a bag.<br />
When I make ribs for Sunday dinner I make another main dish for non-rib eaters (sad, huh?). Sometimes grilled fish or chicken... BUT I always let people know I am serving ribs. They are a family favourite.<br />
Let us know what you think if you try them. :)<br />
<br />
UPDATE: UGH! No clue why there are white areas. (The weird green is me trying to fix it.)<br />
<span style="background-color: white;"> </span>michelle's 10 thingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09364384620442122698noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7441238926320200357.post-69411756220327403362012-06-22T15:01:00.001-07:002012-06-22T15:01:12.065-07:00BABY BACK RIBS (mmm:)22 June, 2012<br />
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I have been hesitant to post these recipes since I have no pictures. It was Sunday dinner. It was baby back ribs. What can I say. They were eagerly waited for and I was busy.<br />
Having said that, I tried 2 new baby back rib recipes and waited for reviews. Both recipes received rave reviews. For different reasons.<br />
This recipe is made in a crock pot and adapted from mmmisformommy.com. I often use a crock pot lining bag, but did not use it for this recipe because of how the ribs are set up in the crock pot.<br />
CROCK POT BABY BACK RIBS (There are 2 steps to this.) <br />
(barely adapted from mmmisformommy)<br />
Step 1<br />
Mix and rub onto ribs<br />
1 1/2 table. paprika<br />
1 table. brown sugar<br />
1/8 tea. cayenne pepper<br />
1 tea. salt<br />
1 tea. pepper<br />
Spray crock pot and put<br />
about 2 pounds baby back ribs in as described<br />
"Arrange ribs by standing them up against the side of the crock pot walls with THICKER SIDE DOWN and MEATY SIDE TO POT WALL. <br />
Pour over the top of the ribs<br />
1 cup of Sweet Baby Ray's prepared BBQ sauce. (Or your own personal favourite ;)<br />
<br />
Cook on low 6-8 (7) hours.<br />
<br />
Step 2<br />
Line a cookie sheet with foil and put a rack in. Put the meat on the rack. <br />
Brush the meat with more Sweet Baby Ray's.<br />
Broil 3-4 minutes.<br />
Turn the ribs over and brush with MORE sauce. Broil about 9 minutes, basting 2 more times. <br />
(I was not ever compensated by SWEET BABY RAY'S.)<br />
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EAT!<br />
The reviews on this were great. Everyone loved the "flavourful fall off the bones meat" HUGE HIT. <br />
(Sorry about no picture.)<br />
I will post the other one next week, as well as a 4th Of July project, What I Buy Wednesday and a summer kids idea.<br />
Have a great week-end :)michelle's 10 thingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09364384620442122698noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7441238926320200357.post-71128069189385978442012-06-19T08:25:00.002-07:002012-06-19T08:25:49.656-07:00ODDS AND ENDSJust some random thoughts:<br />
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1 I am less likely to make a recipe that has the nutritional info. listed. (Calories, fat...) Are you?<br />
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2 I like blogs where the whole post is there. I don't like surfing a blog, starting a post and then having to click to see more. It makes it harder for me to really surf that blog. (How do you feel about that?)<br />
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3 A few Sundays ago I found some "FUN DIP" that Logan had left at my house, and I tried it. I LOVED IT. When I was in 4th grade my friends and I would buy these giant SWEET TARTS. (A bit bigger than a yo yo.) We would eat them (grinding our teeth down the candy for powder or trying to bite off bites to suck) on our way to and from school. We all had sores in our mouths and I don't remember caring. <br />
The FUN DIP was a fun memory. (We ate ABBA ZABBAS, too)<br />
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4 I have made 3 new recipes in the last month or so that use coconut milk. I did not think that coconut milk added anything. You have (about) 1 more chance, coconut milk!<br />
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5 There is a Chevron at the corner of 13th East and 7755 South (in Sandy, UT) that has FREE air for tires. There is also a Texaco on 7th East and 9800 South (Sego Lily - also in Sandy, UT) that has FREE air. I love gas stations that give you air for free.<br />
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6 I really do use PINTEREST. I try to do at least 5 new things a week. I looked at my Pinterest Halloween board and found that I had done 10% of my pins :)<br />
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7 I found my blog on a stranger's blog side bar. That was fun. <br />
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8 Although I have never bought a panini at IKEA, I did get a good idea from them. They make the sandwich part of the panini ahead of time, and wrap it. Then they just panini it when you are ready to serve it. I think that is a really good idea.<br />
I would love to hear some of YOUR random thoughts.<br />
<br />
I will post some summer ideas we are doing later this week.michelle's 10 thingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09364384620442122698noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7441238926320200357.post-72800461309349531612012-06-12T15:21:00.000-07:002012-06-13T07:54:11.969-07:00WHAT I BUY WEDNESDAY OR OUR FAVOURITE BBQ SAUCE12 June, 2012<br />
<br />
"Take the first step in faith. You don't have to see the whole staircase, just take the first step."<br />
Martin Luther King Jr.<br />
<br />
Can I just reappear with no other explanation other than I have been busy? (I know. We all are :)<br />
<br />
A couple of months ago I was preparing for Summer and came up with an idea/activity. <br />
Thru the years we have periodically changed BBQ sauces as we have tried new ones. (Not too often.) We really like the bottled sauce we use now. SO, I decided to try a BBQ sauce experiment as part of our big Sunday dinner. (We also had my Uncle and Aunt in town that night on their way to the MTC.)<br />
I started by buying 5 BBQ sauces. They were ones that we had used before, or another family member had used before or I had good things about. I bought bottles that were about the same size, and all were the original flavour. Then I "brown bagged" each sauce with a lunch bag and jute, and numbered them from 1-5.<br />
The activity was a hit. Everyone tried, commented and voted :)<br />
These were the 5 that I bought. (I listed them on a card in alphabetical order.) <br />
#1 Bull's Eye<br />
#2 Famous Dave's<br />
#3 KC Masterpiece<br />
#4 Open Pit<br />
#5 Sweet Baby Ray's<br />
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There were about 20 people for dinner that day. When all was said and done, I was surprised by the results. The one we use was by far the winner. Her are our results.<br />
#1 SWEET BABY RAY'S - WINNER<br />
#2 KC Masterpiece<br />
#3 Bull's Eye (We used to use this.<br />
#4 Open Pit<br />
#5 Famous Dave's (My Aunt liked this one best, and this is what they use :) We liked it the least.)<br />
<br />
It was an easy and fun way to start the BIG BBQ season. <br />
We would love to hear which BBQ sauce you use.<br />
Happy Grilling:)<br />
<br />michelle's 10 thingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09364384620442122698noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7441238926320200357.post-61377367901587696362012-03-26T11:57:00.005-07:002012-03-26T12:00:51.673-07:00FUN FAMILY ACTIVITYWell, probably I was the only one who enjoyed it. We were invited by the NIELSEN FAMILY to spend a week with them. This is the 3rd time (in 25 years) that we have been invited, and apparently it is very rare to be asked more than once. (Probably I was the only one who really enjoyed it, but the other 3 people living here did a great job recording everything and every bit of their tv viewing.)<br />
<br />
There have been a few things that I have watched on TV lately that I have enjoyed.<br />
<br />
A few months ago we had a "free preview" of Showtime. One of the movies I dvr-ed was "ONDINE" I really enjoyed it. I loved the music and the scenery of Ireland (and the accents), but what really got my attention was that I watched it knowing nothing about it-and had no clue where it would go.<br />
I have tried to delete it, but have not. (I got the idea of watching it again with my husband, but it is not his kind of movie. (Actually, I don't think he likes movies.) So I asked if he would watch about 10 minutes with me every few nights. He is usually tired and about to go to sleep, so it is working :)<br />
I think I may buy the DVD.<br />
<br />
I am (finally) watching Season 2 of DOWNTON ABBEY (PBS). I loved Season 1, and could hardly wait for the next season. It does not work to watch it on Sunday, and I hate waiting for the new episodes, so I DVR-ed the new season and saved it until I was not so busy. (I am TRYING to watch them slowly but...) I really really like DOWNTON ABBEY.<br />
<br />
Probably my favourite TV show is "BONES" I enjoy the relationships and humour and quirky characters. And I like procedural shows. (Although regular LAW & ORDER is my go to when I am stressed/overwhelmed/tired.)<br />
<br />
BONES did a spin off called "THE FINDER" I was not expecting much, but gave it a try and have really liked it (more quirky characters :).<br />
<br />
What do you watch? Something you never miss?michelle's 10 thingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09364384620442122698noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7441238926320200357.post-57379840917271287432012-03-20T12:10:00.000-07:002012-03-20T12:10:58.788-07:00A "CRUMBY" DESSERT"People first. Then money, THEN things." Suzi Orman<br />
20 March, 2012<br />
<br />
I got this dessert recipe in November, 1982. (It was brought over when I had my third child.) I made it for about 12 years... and then stopped. I kept the recipe, and moved it from recipe system to recipe system. But I never made it. That is because it calls for 2 raw eggs. My kidults and a few friends requested it but... <br />
After another request I decided to adapt it, and it worked great!<br />
<br />
SUBSTITUTE FOR 2 RAW EGGS <br />
(I found several, but this was cheap and easy)<br />
<br />
In a bowl put<br />
4 egg whites<br />
Sprinkle over the top with<br />
2 table. non fat dry milk<br />
<br />
Beat with a fork until very mixed.<br />
Stir in a drop of<br />
yellow food colouring<br />
Makes about 1/2 cup. 1/2 cup equals 2 eggs.<br />
<br />
DONE!<br />
<br />
A CRUMBY PEACH DESSERT (Yep, there IS a story behind the recipe name)<br />
<br />
1 lb. vanilla sandwich cookies - finely crushed<br />
2 table. melted butter<br />
<br />
substitute mix to equal 2 eggs (1/2 cup)<br />
1 cube softened butter<br />
2 cups powdered sugar<br />
<br />
1 cup whipped cream - unsweetened<br />
<br />
30 oz. can of peach slices (or more) OR fresh peach slices (or even berries)<br />
<br />
Mix melted butter into cookie crumbs with a fork. (This is not a lot of butter so just fork mix it.)<br />
Press a bit more than 1/2 the cookie crumbs into (about) a 9x9 dish.<br />
<br />
Mix 1/2 cup egg substitute mix, powdered sugar and softened butter til smooth.<br />
Carefully spread over cookie crust.<br />
Top with lots of peach slices (Cover the cream layer, and then cover it again. There is not enough fruit in the picture below.) I usually use canned (or berries) because they work better.<br />
<br />
Spread the unsweetened whipped cream over the fruit.<br />
Top with the rest of your cookie crumbs (and press down lightly).<br />
Chill at least 4 hours. (I like it the day it is made. Some people like it better the next day.)<br />
<br />
I have a great peach chicken (and stuffing balls) that goes well with this dessert.<br />
Let me know what you think if you try this.<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-FzNVZ-jn69I/T2jUSsMj1TI/AAAAAAAABIo/JTUdTKdRus4/s1600/100_0352.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-FzNVZ-jn69I/T2jUSsMj1TI/AAAAAAAABIo/JTUdTKdRus4/s320/100_0352.JPG" width="320" /></a></div> michelle's 10 thingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09364384620442122698noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7441238926320200357.post-47908875173837024092012-03-12T10:32:00.000-07:002012-03-12T10:32:06.331-07:00CORN BREADI love corn bread, which can be a bad thing. I keep finding cornbread recipes to try. I tried 2 new ones this week... and made my old favourite for company on Sunday :) <br />
I have had several requests for my recipe, so am sharing it.<br />
<br />
MY FAVOURITE CORN BREAD<br />
makes a 9x13 pan<br />
<br />
1 yellow cake mix (make according to package directions)<br />
<br />
2 cups cornmeal<br />
1-2 tea. salt<br />
2 table. baking powder<br />
1/3 cup sugar<br />
<br />
2/3 cup melted butter or margarine (cooled)<br />
2 eggs<br />
2 cups milk<br />
<br />
(Make cake mix as directed.)<br />
Mix dry ingredients and set aside. (cornmeal, salt, soda, powder, sugar)<br />
Mix melted (cooled) butter with eggs and milk. <br />
Fold butter mix into prepared cake mix. <br />
Carefully fold in dry ingredients.<br />
<br />
Bake in a sprayed 9x13 pan at <br />
375* for 20-25 mins. THEN LOWER HEAT AND COOK AT<br />
350* for 5-10 mins.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-JfcrWc3p-Tw/T1wTrZqc-7I/AAAAAAAABIY/_rmUgfvjl0w/s1600/100_0346.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-JfcrWc3p-Tw/T1wTrZqc-7I/AAAAAAAABIY/_rmUgfvjl0w/s200/100_0346.JPG" width="200" yda="true" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My favourite cornbread with <br />
sweet honey butter :)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>I tried 2 other cornbread recipes this week. One had great flavour and moistness, but was quite crumbly.<br />
The other one called for brown butter and sour cream. (I had high hopes for this one as I LOVE browned butter.) There was no hint of browned butter and it was d r y. BUT, it was baked in a preheated cast iron skillet. I will do that again with my basic (read "tried and true") cornbread. <br />
<br />
Basic (traditional) Cornbread<br />
from Susan Kennard (about 1983)<br />
<br />
Mix until just barely mixed<br />
1 cup cornmeal<br />
1 cup flour<br />
1/4 cup sugar<br />
1 tea. baking soda<br />
1 tea. salt<br />
1 egg<br />
1/4 cup oil<br />
1 cup milk<br />
<br />
Pour into a sprayed 9"x9" pan (about) and bake at 425* for 20-25 mins.<br />
OR<br />
Rub about 1/2-1 teas. vegetable oil in your cast iron skillet (about 7-8 in.). Pre-heat skillet as you make cornbread. Pour cornbread into hot skillet and bake at 425* for 18-25 mins.<br />
Cool completely and cut into wedges.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-kUATOcQh-h4/T1wVXXZSdjI/AAAAAAAABIg/j2WNFWXR5Z4/s1600/100_0347.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-kUATOcQh-h4/T1wVXXZSdjI/AAAAAAAABIg/j2WNFWXR5Z4/s200/100_0347.JPG" width="200" yda="true" /></a></div><br />
One of my goals for March? TRY NO NEW CORNBREADS! (And enjoy the ones I have.)michelle's 10 thingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09364384620442122698noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7441238926320200357.post-34695355034858805152012-02-29T16:36:00.001-08:002012-03-10T18:48:30.274-08:00EASY WEEK END DINNEROn weekends I like to make fast and easy dinners.<br />
<br />
Monte Cristo sandwiches are a favourite of ours (Blue Bayou - mmmm) so I put them on my menu for Friday. The ingredients are simple.<br />
<br />
An eggy bread is traditional (I bought "Great Grains Bakery SWEET HAWAIIAN bread at Winco. It is under $1.50, easy to find and works great.)<br />
eggs (I used 4)<br />
milk (about cup)<br />
2 table. biscuit mix<br />
thinly sliced ham (lunch meat type)<br />
thinly sliced turkey (")<br />
sliced swiss cheese<br />
melted butter<br />
<br />
I made the basic sandwich earlier in the day. (Layer slice of bread, slice of cheese, ham, slice of cheese, turkey, slice of cheese, bread.) I flatten them just a bit and wrap up to use later. (I got that idea from IKEA.) <br />
<br />
I cooked my Monti Cristo sandwiches on my Hamilton Beach (George Forman style) grill that is really my panini press. (I love it. A LOT) I like this particular grill for several reasons. <br />
1. It is level (does not slant down).<br />
2. REMOVABLE GRILL PLATES (Very easy to clean)<br />
3. Reasonably small for storage.<br />
4 Easy to find at thrift stores.<br />
<br />
I set the timer for the grill to heat (5 mins.) and mix the eggs and milk.<br />
I whisk in the biscuit mix and melt the butter in the microwave.<br />
Using a silicone brush to almost generously brush both grill plates.<br />
I quick dip the sandwich in the batter (both sides), put it on the grill and close it.<br />
(It takes about 3-5 mins. per sandwich.)<br />
<br />
I serve them with powdered sugar and jam on the side. This weekend I served Lingonberry jam that I picked up at Ikea this week. <br />
Closer that DISNEYLAND and cheaper than BLUE BAYOU. (Missed the experience and the fireflies, though.)<br />
(For a "closer to Disneyland", but less healthy and more time consuming,<a href="http://michelles10things.blogspot.com/2010/08/we-love-disneyland-food.html"> <span style="color: #38761d;">I use this recipe</span></a>.)<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-tpOnQUkC2ZY/T0g7J0S6-9I/AAAAAAAABIQ/TC_FdT2jPGk/s1600/100_0336.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" lda="true" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-tpOnQUkC2ZY/T0g7J0S6-9I/AAAAAAAABIQ/TC_FdT2jPGk/s200/100_0336.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">(I don't know how to turn the pic. Sorry.)</td></tr>
</tbody></table><span style="color: #274e13;"></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Hf4PYAHjliY/T0g6nwl8pEI/AAAAAAAABIA/4HQmCwKUFM8/s1600/100_0338.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" lda="true" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Hf4PYAHjliY/T0g6nwl8pEI/AAAAAAAABIA/4HQmCwKUFM8/s200/100_0338.JPG" width="200" /></a></div>michelle's 10 thingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09364384620442122698noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7441238926320200357.post-61190056408208892942012-02-24T14:25:00.004-08:002012-02-27T13:34:21.636-08:00ST. PATRICK'S DAY IDEA<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-PXjfUM4oK3g/T0gKhPTur3I/AAAAAAAABHw/kAb2rD9jBjk/s1600/100_0334.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" lda="true" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-PXjfUM4oK3g/T0gKhPTur3I/AAAAAAAABHw/kAb2rD9jBjk/s200/100_0334.JPG" width="200" /></a></div>Last night as I was trying to fall asleep I had an idea. It was too early for me to have fallen asleep (2:00 a.m.), but too late for me to try it (2:00). So I made waffles for lunch.<br />
<br />
(Obviously) I used my heart waffle iron to make a 4 leaf clover. I used a box waffle mix, so it was an easy experiment. I mixed my green food colouring and oil into the water I was adding so that the colour would mix evenly. And so that I can mix it less. Now I just need to come up with some plating ideas before the middle of March. (My sister's birthday is on March 17th. What a fun breakfast :)<br />
<br />
I have a few questions and recipe requests that I need to post.<br />
Melissa asked how much liquid soap I put into my foaming Bath and Body Works bottle. I put in about an inch of liquid soap. Here is a trick. Put the water in first so it won't foam before it is full of water. I have had 66% success rate. (One of my bottles only worked 1 time. Two other bottles have worked a couple of times so far.) Good Luck.<br />
<br />
Next week I will post a requested corn bread recipe and a peach dessert recipe that I have had for 27 years.<br />
(Monday update- No clue why this did not appear on my blog after I posted it. Sorry.)<br />
<br />
In other news at my house, we are a NIELSEN FAMILY! It's a fun week for me, fan of tv that I am.michelle's 10 thingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09364384620442122698noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7441238926320200357.post-65122217594836874132012-02-06T13:42:00.000-08:002012-02-06T13:42:19.750-08:00Trying New RecipesI have tried about 15 new recipes in the last 3 weeks. Only 1 was a keeper. I have an idea about why so many were not keepers. And I came up with a new criteria for trying a recipe. QUIT TRYING RECIPES THAT I ALREADY HAVE A GREAT ONE OF! (Seems obvious, huh?) <br />
<br />
Some of my failures were chocolate cake and frosting (<a href="http://michelles10things.blogspot.com/2011/02/throw-back-thursady-recipe.html"><span style="color: #38761d;">Remember my crazy cake</span></a>? mmm), corn bread (I have a great sweet one and a great corn bready one.), Lemon cream cheese bars (Been there, have that)...<br />
<br />
It's a new month and there are lots of new recipes to try.michelle's 10 thingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09364384620442122698noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7441238926320200357.post-47807029137553598152012-02-03T16:42:00.000-08:002012-02-03T16:42:58.561-08:00Crock Pot Cooking...We have had some really busy weeks. Some things were planned. Some were not.<br />
<br />
With everything so busy, and a cold/sinus thing that has lingered over a month , I have been reading. The "series" of books are clean and low key, with characters I like-more or less. (They are murder mysteries, but are so easy going that I could put 1 down for a week with someone hiding under the bed when the owner comes in.) <br />
They are a series (Each book tells the complete story. They are not a continuing story that that make you crazy waiting for the author to write/release the next one so you know what happens.) of culinary mysteries. So far there are six with food (dessert) titles. Josi S. Kilpack uses food and recipes as part of her character's personality in LEMON TART, DEVIL'S FOOD CAKE (my favourite so far), ENGLISH TRIFLE...<br />
<br />
This week I unexpectedly hosted book club at my house due to illness somewhere else. I decided to try recipes for lunch from the books I've been reading. I tried 4. (Pretty brave to serve untried recipes, huh?) Two were o.k./fine. One was definitely not a keeper. One was a hit and will be made many times.<br />
<br />
(SUBJECT CHANGE) I love crock pot cooking. I usually crock pot at least twice a week. I crock pot on Cub Scout day and Sunday (sometimes 2 recipes on Sunday). I try lots of new recipes (not just crock pot), and have had a lot of crock pot failures the last 3 weeks. (Back to the recipe.)<br />
<br />
For book club I made Southern BBQ Slow Cooked Chicken from KEY LIME PIE by Josi S. Kilpack. It is shredded chicken that is Carolina style BBQ. (My husband prefers the more tomato based style of Memphis style BBQ, so he was thumbs down. He was the only one.<br />
<br />
Book Club liked it. I loved it. My son came by and said "Primo" (while touching his fingers to his lips). He later called to see if I would pack some for him to pick up for lunch the next day.<br />
My daughter in law (from South Carolina) tasted it, loved it, and came back with my son and grandson for dinner :)<br />
It was easy, cheap and I had everything for the recipe.<br />
YEA! Another crock pot recipe.<br />
<br />
SOUTHERN BBQ SLOW COOKED CHICKEN - shredded, Carolina Style <br />
from Josi S. Kilpack in KEY LIME PIE (p.112)<br />
I think this would also for pork or ribs :)<br />
<br />
1 36 oz. bottle ketchup<br />
6 table. brown sugar<br />
2 table. Worcestershire sauce<br />
2 table. soy sauce<br />
2 table. cider vinegar<br />
1-2 tea. crushed red pepper flakes<br />
1 tea. garlic powder OR 2-3 garlic cloves, minced<br />
6 boneless/skinless chicken breasts (I used 5 lbs. and it was great.)<br />
<br />
Put all ingredients in sprayed crock pot and stir to coat.<br />
Cook on low for 6-8 hours OR high for 3-4 hours (I did part high and part low.)<br />
Serve over rice or on rolls. (I did both.)<br />
I simmered mine on low for an extra hour to reduce the sauce.<br />
Serves plenty.<br />
<br />
I saw the idea on Pinterest for shredding your crock pot meats in your stand mixer. It seems like a good idea. <br />
Then I realized that I would need to transfer the hot meat/liquid to the mixer, hope I did not get splashed, transfer it back. and then wash extra dishes. I decided to use the usual 2 fork method. <br />
Then I had the idea of trying my pastry blender. (I like the sharp edges of my Pampered Chef one.). It worked really well. Then when I washed the crock pot, I saw scratches on the bottom of my crock pot. Were they already there? Who knows. ( Guess that will be one of the things that I will be "Pinbusting" (Hilary's word) next month?)<br />
Don't try this if you are using a crock pot liner.<br />
<br />
I think this will be a great summer recipe. Let me know what you think if you try this.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-s2tiLRUXsXo/Tyx2Ayg3tDI/AAAAAAAABHo/lpCP78Ipx-0/s1600/100_0293.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-s2tiLRUXsXo/Tyx2Ayg3tDI/AAAAAAAABHo/lpCP78Ipx-0/s320/100_0293.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>michelle's 10 thingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09364384620442122698noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7441238926320200357.post-40093136901369578832012-01-27T14:18:00.000-08:002012-01-28T18:19:59.298-08:00MYTH BUSTERS - Pinterest Style ;-)I have had great intentions of posting weekly (but weakly won).<br />
<br />
Gotta say I love PINTEREST. It is an easy and convenient file cabinet. But I have learned (from MANY sources-cooking shows, blogs, friends, magazines, Pinterest...) that not all that glistens is gold. (I can not tell you how many recipes have not met the expectation.)<br />
Usually if I try a recipe that is not for us, I delete it or throw it away. (I do keep a list of Internet recipes-and the sources- so I don' fall for them again.) <br />
<br />
But ideas? Well, we are "MYTH BUSTERS". (Actually we tried them with hope.) Following are a few ideas you WON'T find on my Pinterest boards. (You can check out my boards/follow my boards<a href="http://pinterest.com/johnson797/"><span style="color: #38761d;"> here</span></a>, or by clicking on the Pinterest logo on the right of my blog.)<br />
<br />
DISCLAIMER - These are our results and opinions. We hoped that all the ideas we tried would be successful.<br />
<br />
1 Make your own Febreeze/air cleaner. This is a cheap and easy replacement. (And I had the correct empty spray bottle.) I tried it. It worked so-so. I usually spray my bed linens in the morning. After the 3rd day of my homemade spray, I found a problem. There were dried spots, that were powdery, lots of places. BUSTED<br />
Note to self - Buy more Febreeze.<br />
<br />
2 Hard water cleaner. We have very hard water where I live. I frequently end up with white mineral residue in my dishwasher. Have you read the cheap solution of running an empty dishwasher with a $.15 pack of Lemonade Kool Aid? For us, it did not work. My dishwasher looked the same. BUSTED<br />
I do have have a (more expensive) product that does work for me.<span style="color: #38761d;"> </span><a href="http://michelles10things.blogspot.com/2011/03/what-i-buy-wednesday.html"><span style="color: #38761d;"> I use Lemi Shine for cleaning</span></a> my dishwasher. (I use it with dishes and dish soap in it.)<br />
<br />
3 Cinnamon scented pine cones. Ha ha. First I needed pine cones. There are plenty in our neighborhood. But, a big snow storm was coming. So I paid a daughter ($5.00) to take my grandson (paid $1.00) out to collect some-quick. My sister was visiting and we went hunting for the cinnamon oil. We tried health food stores ($$$), craft stores (1 squirrelly brand, 1 sold out brand), and finally found 2 kinds on the cooking row at Macey's grocery store. We bought them both for about $6.00. (I can make lots of batches ;)<br />
We soaked the pinecones (to get the bugs out-yuk0, baked them (much longer than the "recipe" called for), were very generous with the (strongest) scent, and waited the 5 days. (My sister was still visiting :)<br />
They smelled wonderful when we opened the bag. We put them in the perfect basket. They still smelled wonderful, if you put your nose in to smell them :( BUSTED<br />
I bought 2 bags at Winco grocery store (that were soooo nicely scented) for (wait for it) $2.98 each!!!<br />
<br />
4 (This was a sad one) Vinegar spray as window de-icer. Mix 3 cups white vinegar with 1 cup of water and spray it on your windows at night for a frost free window in the a.m. (Or spray window in the a.m. to get rid of the frosted windows.) It never worked for me. (I even tried straight vinegar.) I tried spraying everyone's car windows the night before. :-( I was picking up my sister from the train station another time at 3:30 a.m.. We got up to frosted windows, which I sprayed. :-( I tried again as we were leaving the train station. :-( <br />
Our cars smelled like vinegar during the week of my experiments. :-( BUSTED<br />
<br />
5 Dry skin cream. My feet/heels are exceptionally dry. I wear sandals year round. They never get better, summer or winter. They bleed and peel. UGH! (I have tried udder creams, bag balms, Vaseline.......) So I tried a recipe from<a href="http://www.patchworktimes.com/2010/03/06/homemade-hand-cream/"><span style="color: #38761d;"> patchworktimes</span></a>. I made a 1/2 batch using 8 oz. of a store brand baby lotion (about $2.00) , 4 oz.Vaseline (already had some), and 4 oz. vitamin E cream (2 4 oz. jars Fruit of the Earth vit. E cream for under $5.00). (Thank you, Lindsay for picking up my ingredients.) It said to beat it together, but I just had my husband stir it well. I liked that that left it creamy, but with teeny beads of Vaseline.<br />
I rubbed my feet (and hands) for about 3 nights, and wore socks to bed. Done that before. (See above) WOW! It works great. Now I use it as soon as a problem starts (which is really too late ;) If I use it regularly I also have far fewer of the edge of my fingernail problems. CONFIRMED<br />
<br />
These are only our opinions and results. We did not intend any specific pin/pinner or blog post.<br />
<br />
I will do another webisode of Myth Busters - Pinterest Style next month.<br />
<br />
As a side note, I figured out that I used/made/did a bit over 10% of my Halloween Pinterest Board for Halloween.michelle's 10 thingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09364384620442122698noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7441238926320200357.post-9429143044535513532011-12-21T15:05:00.000-08:002011-12-22T22:13:26.523-08:00WHAT I BUY WEDNESDAY (My grandsons' Christmas gift)"Traditions are not for keeping. They're for keeping us close." A Hallmark print ad<br />
<br />
Like everyone else I have been picking my Christmas projects and then trying to get them done.<br />
I decided to make these fun fort kits for my grandsons for Christmas. I found several different blogs that shared what they had done.<br />
My favourite was <span style="background-color: #93c47d; color: #38761d;"><a href="http://www.saltwater-kids.com/2008/11/fort-kit-mini-tutorial.html">Saltwater-Kids</a></span>. I started my search by finding great quality twin size flat sheets at a thrift store. Each "Fort Kit" uses 2 sheets. I did not want to worry about finding 2 sheets that match, so each boys kit has 1 blue and 1 red sheet. (We are a blue team family.) <br />
<br />
I found 2 matching pillowcases for the fort contents. I did not want to worry about drawstring dangers, so I just undid about 2 inches of stitching in the pillowcase side seam and sewed in ribbon ties. (Remember to quickly burn the ribbon edges to keep the ribbon from unraveling.) <br />
<br />
I really liked the idea of using jersey fabric strips for the fort/tent ties. Cheap and easy. One shirt made ties for 2 fort sets (6 ties on each of 4 sheets). I liked Saltwater kids tutorial for the ties, but found it was easier to sew the ties on and then stretch and knot the ends.<br />
<br />
Then came finding and collecting all the necessary accessories ;)<br />
In each kit I used<br />
<br />
2 sheets, 1 pillow case and 2 yards of ribbon - $6.00 @ thrift stores (Unloading the dishwasher for 1 week got all the ties sewn on for me :)<br />
<br />
12 jumbo clothespins (clamps for hooking loops to chair legs.) $2.00 at $ Store (Took about 1 month for me to find them.)<br />
<br />
12 wooden clothespins (great for closing gaps, or doors) - $.50 for 1/2 bag from $ Store<br />
<br />
Pack of 3 bungee cords - $1.00 at $ Store<br />
<br />
Flashlight w/ batteries - $3.00 at Walmart<br />
<br />
50 feet of cord - $2.00 at Walmart <br />
<br />
6 carabeaners (Is this spelled right?) - $5.00 at Walmart (I think.) I just like them.<br />
<br />
1 roll of Duct tape - $1.00 at $ Store<br />
<br />
1 tube of 50 glow sticks - $4.00 at Macey's grocery store<br />
<br />
1 over the door metal hook - $1.00 at $ Store (Great for raising the height of the fort.)<br />
<br />
1 shoebox size plastic container for storing the small supplies - $1.00 at Walmart<br />
<br />
<a href="http://michelles10things.blogspot.com/2011/10/what-i-buy-wednesday_19.html"><span style="color: #38761d;">Fun funnel phone</span></a> - $1.00 for funnels at $ store (Need to have 2 funnels the same size per fort kit.) + $8.00 for 20 ft. of tubing at Home Depot. (Be sure to take your funnels to make sure you have a good tight fit.)<br />
<br />
Total cost was about $35.00, but the total play value will be priceless. I will make one for my house after the holidays.<br />
<br />
This toy has many hazards and dangers. It should be played with by appropriate aged children. Use caution.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-HaRZPOktpac/TvJf96zPeHI/AAAAAAAABHI/o87OrHsHZTY/s1600/100_0148.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" oda="true" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-HaRZPOktpac/TvJf96zPeHI/AAAAAAAABHI/o87OrHsHZTY/s200/100_0148.JPG" width="200" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-CaCRhfg5PT4/TvJgIvmJNpI/AAAAAAAABHQ/Q5EKHJYlvxk/s1600/100_0149.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" oda="true" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-CaCRhfg5PT4/TvJgIvmJNpI/AAAAAAAABHQ/Q5EKHJYlvxk/s200/100_0149.JPG" width="200" /></a></div>michelle's 10 thingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09364384620442122698noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7441238926320200357.post-43395772802297781912011-12-13T07:12:00.000-08:002011-12-13T20:50:31.667-08:00CHRISTMAS PHOTO ADVENT CALENDER<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">It is hard to blog when you have not blogged for awhile. </div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">My sister came for a fun and busy 2 week visit.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div>After she left, I started a fun project (that I was slightly obsessed about) that I found on PINTEREST. The idea came from "<a href="http://hollyhocks-honeybees.blogspot.com/2011/12/let-countdown-begin.html"><span style="color: #38761d;">Hollyhocks and Honeybees</span></a>". <br />
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
I already had a table top flip frame/album that I had found at a thrift store a while ago. I used that for this project. I started by unscrewing the whole thing and taking it a part. The cover said something about friends so I spray painted it. Then I "mod podge"d a cover (paper) on the cover and when dry, I distressed it (inked the edges).</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Then came the fun part. And the hard part. Scrap booking 25 pages. The hardest part was picking which pictures to use (and I have so many that I feel like I need to make another one). I collected Christmas scrapbook supplies, and regular scrap booking supplies. The frame/photo album had photo sleeves so that determined my size. </div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div>I ended up not going to bed at all on Monday, working 1/2 day on Tuesday and all day Wednesday. So far. (Only 7 pages left.)<br />
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">I watched a lot of Christmas movies and got caught up on "Studio 5".</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div>I love this new Advent Calender (not that I needed another one;). It is personal and it is so fun to look at the pictures.<br />
The pictures are pretty bad. Still learning my new camera.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-XEXbzqDKNNc/TuAwCozvH9I/AAAAAAAABHA/QgtGuniM5Zs/s1600/100_0112.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" mda="true" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-XEXbzqDKNNc/TuAwCozvH9I/AAAAAAAABHA/QgtGuniM5Zs/s200/100_0112.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I spray painted a cover that had texture, <br />
and then Mod Podged a new paper cover on.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-RaYCPxaBgVA/TuAvswwoqRI/AAAAAAAABGw/sBd-wRAu3bA/s1600/100_0110.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" mda="true" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-RaYCPxaBgVA/TuAvswwoqRI/AAAAAAAABGw/sBd-wRAu3bA/s200/100_0110.JPG" width="200" /></a></div></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-smFdH3ufiTU/TuAv2QHg87I/AAAAAAAABG4/4JlSGlPv6DE/s1600/100_0111.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" mda="true" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-smFdH3ufiTU/TuAv2QHg87I/AAAAAAAABG4/4JlSGlPv6DE/s200/100_0111.JPG" width="200" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-1v2DgJDm0qQ/TuAu6Bx90wI/AAAAAAAABGI/Jb_WECREy3o/s1600/100_0104.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" mda="true" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-1v2DgJDm0qQ/TuAu6Bx90wI/AAAAAAAABGI/Jb_WECREy3o/s200/100_0104.JPG" width="200" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-YMt6XOTh8CU/TuAvPJIdqrI/AAAAAAAABGY/62y3OL6uV4w/s1600/100_0107.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" mda="true" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-YMt6XOTh8CU/TuAvPJIdqrI/AAAAAAAABGY/62y3OL6uV4w/s200/100_0107.JPG" width="200" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-1V3iA_YuzPE/TuAvZdh_PEI/AAAAAAAABGg/xk8-n8ZaZKE/s1600/100_0108.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" mda="true" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-1V3iA_YuzPE/TuAvZdh_PEI/AAAAAAAABGg/xk8-n8ZaZKE/s200/100_0108.JPG" width="200" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-MvBQ0Vpob2g/TuAvjX_jooI/AAAAAAAABGo/1ThyC9_dv3Q/s1600/100_0109.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" mda="true" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-MvBQ0Vpob2g/TuAvjX_jooI/AAAAAAAABGo/1ThyC9_dv3Q/s200/100_0109.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">I have a few more posts before Christmas.</div>michelle's 10 thingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09364384620442122698noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7441238926320200357.post-14545977458551929992011-11-07T08:17:00.000-08:002011-11-08T23:28:33.057-08:00Caesar Salad With Homemade Croutons<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">I have been making these croutons (with a few minor changes) since the summer of 1992. When I make my own I can use the left over french bread, plus I hate 1/2 a box of anything hidden in the pantry.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">This recipe is fast, easy and uses what you have in the house.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">HOMEMADE CROUTONS </div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">#1 In a big microwave bowl/dish, melt</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">1/4 cup BUTTER</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">#2 Toss in</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">About 8 slices of bread - cubed (I use french bread cut into 1 inch slices and then cubed into 6-8 pieces.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Left over bread works great.)</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">#3 I sprinkle 2-4 table. of <a href="http://www.ourbestbites.com/2008/04/garlic-bread-seasoning/"><span style="color: #38761d;">OUR BEST BITES</span> <span style="color: #38761d;">"Garlic Bread Seasoning</span>"</a> ( I told you we use it a lot. You can use herbs of your choice.) and toss until the bread cubes are coated with the butter and the seasoning.</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Tp8BkS9HPNo/TrogXhuDJTI/AAAAAAAABE8/JFMC45tT2H8/s1600/100_5007.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" ida="true" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Tp8BkS9HPNo/TrogXhuDJTI/AAAAAAAABE8/JFMC45tT2H8/s200/100_5007.JPG" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">OUR BEST BITES<br />
Garlic Bread Seasoning<br />
(This recipe is in their cookbook.)</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-aUECH2vtTmk/TroguQNvEpI/AAAAAAAABFE/DkDakZu0u38/s1600/100_5005.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" ida="true" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-aUECH2vtTmk/TroguQNvEpI/AAAAAAAABFE/DkDakZu0u38/s200/100_5005.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">bread cubes tossed w/melted butter & seasoning<br />
in a microwaveable dish</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">#4 Microwave, uncovered, on high for 4-6 mins. (You can stir it once if you want, but then I need to cook a bit longer. Mine usually take 5-6 mins.) They will be crisp when they are done.</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-AOcGS8X5-nM/Trog0hy5EBI/AAAAAAAABFM/1kZ0FfM-EFY/s1600/100_5008.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" ida="true" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-AOcGS8X5-nM/Trog0hy5EBI/AAAAAAAABFM/1kZ0FfM-EFY/s200/100_5008.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">2 loafs of french bread made 4 batches<br />
and a very full 9x13 pan</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">#5 Let cool. Serve or store.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Pretty easy, huh? My family loves these. We use them to top salads and soups. <br />
<br />
I use Romaine lettuce, Caesar Salad dressing, grated Parmesan cheese and croutons for a fast and easy salad. I prepare the lettuce ahead of time because I want it really dry. (Most of the time we use a spinner.) <br />
Remember to not dress and toss the salad until just before serving. And... the lettuce will reduce to about 1/2 the amount that was in the bowl. (I use a purchased dressing most of the time.)<br />
Easy salad. Great reviews. </div>michelle's 10 thingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09364384620442122698noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7441238926320200357.post-71679293545859061642011-11-01T14:29:00.000-07:002011-11-01T14:42:23.896-07:00Winter blew in last night taking October with itIn Utah, fall blew out as we slept last night. "sigh" <br />
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">October and Halloween have moved on for another year. We ended the month with a few of our favourite things.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">This year our Grandpa (Dad:) really surpassed his past spook allies/haunted houses. (Even better than the year he had a partially demolished empty house.) </div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">On Grandpa's FRIGHT SCALE, he said the basement would be a 5 (with 10 being the scariest). The yard would be a seven, and the garage, a nine. Lincoln loved it so much that he declared the whole outside a 15. (He kept reviewing everything so he would not miss anything as he tells his sisters about it. The gorilla in the garage, the thrown leaves from upstairs windows (and great use of a leaf blower), rings of fire...)</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">My scariest part (O.K., I only did this part. I am afraid of things jumping out in the dark.) was THE BUSH. Mark borrowed a friend's undercover bush and scared a lot of people. (I just stayed near Mark to watch people ;-)</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Thank you, Dad. Your spook alley is one of the big highlights of the whole year. </div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zTLY08FVrSs/TrBQq51i8wI/AAAAAAAAA_8/9TeZmv4Tr9s/s1600/100_5058.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" ida="true" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zTLY08FVrSs/TrBQq51i8wI/AAAAAAAAA_8/9TeZmv4Tr9s/s200/100_5058.JPG" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">THE BUSH (Mark) relaxing after <br />
a "frightening" evening.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Doug's office invites Trick or Treaters on Halloween day. Logan has gone every year. He loves walking around with Grandpa. He loves how much candy he gets in a short time. (We miss Layne, who lives in Idaho.)</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-_VrF7XCHPIg/TrBO4f_IO5I/AAAAAAAAA_U/RLgJxmR_mjM/s1600/100_5066.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" ida="true" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-_VrF7XCHPIg/TrBO4f_IO5I/AAAAAAAAA_U/RLgJxmR_mjM/s200/100_5066.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Brooklyn, Grandpa and Logan<br />
Lady Bug, Grandpa and Captain Jack Sparrow</td></tr>
</tbody></table>I used my fun BAT sandwich cutter to make a Halloween lunch for Logan. He said it was so cute. ( "Can I eat the whole apple? O.K. I will take 1 tiny bite, and save the rest.")<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jTPIbVevifU/TrBO95MQ0qI/AAAAAAAAA_c/UAoSTNB-Pvk/s1600/100_5068.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" ida="true" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jTPIbVevifU/TrBO95MQ0qI/AAAAAAAAA_c/UAoSTNB-Pvk/s200/100_5068.JPG" width="200" /></a> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-TcXuryGaR0c/TrBPEOmw6KI/AAAAAAAAA_k/HDnxJNYYDag/s1600/100_5070.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" ida="true" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-TcXuryGaR0c/TrBPEOmw6KI/AAAAAAAAA_k/HDnxJNYYDag/s200/100_5070.JPG" width="150" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">I ordered my BAT sandwich cutter at <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Evriholder-Bytes-Sandwich-Cutters-2-Pack/dp/B004M5J1IG/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1320180200&sr=8-1"><span style="color: #38761d;">Amazon</span></a><span style="color: #38761d;">.</span> (It came with 2 cutters for $6.69)</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
With Halloween gone, I have my first Thanksgiving Decor up.<br />
My centerpiece of $ Store pumpkins with their fall/winter sweaters on.</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-9v6R9OQlmco/TrBPI-346OI/AAAAAAAAA_s/HJ2OGa82wUU/s1600/100_5062.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" ida="true" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-9v6R9OQlmco/TrBPI-346OI/AAAAAAAAA_s/HJ2OGa82wUU/s200/100_5062.JPG" width="200" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;">I got the fun idea for <a href="http://undermypolkadotumbrella.blogspot.com/2011/09/craft-capades-2011.html"><span style="color: #38761d;">sweater pumpkins</span></a> from Under My Umbrella blog. I have been buying sweaters (at thrift stores for $3.00 or less) to make an Eddie Bauer inspired sweater quilt. </div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="Pinned Image" height="200" id="pinCloseupImage" src="http://d30opm7hsgivgh.cloudfront.net/upload/281565457_9sQNDj3v_c.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="181" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Eddie Bauer quilt<br />
(It is sold out on their site)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Since I have my sweater collection, I just cut a sleeve off of 3 that coordinated. (I cut a cuff off of each of my sweaters to take with me for matching, when I go shopping.) I slide them up from the bottom to the top of the pumpkin, with the raw edge on top. I tightly bound jute around the top raw edge to form the stem, and used fishing line to sew the cuff on the bottom shut.<br />
(I can use these pumpkins again next year for Halloween by cutting the fishing line. When it is time for sweaters again I will just slide the sweater down this time, and restitch the bottom.)<br />
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;">Since I bought the sweaters for another project, my only cost for this centerpiece was $3.00 for the pumpkins at the $ Store. (I had the basket, and the mini pumpkins were given to me. The fall leaves were leftovers from a daughter. And jute to wrap the "stem"? I ALWAYS have jute. </div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
Happy Holiday Season.</div>michelle's 10 thingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09364384620442122698noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7441238926320200357.post-83937721866366319842011-10-28T16:06:00.000-07:002011-10-29T00:24:02.475-07:00HalLoWeEn FAvORiTeS<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">With Halloween right around the corner I thought I would share a few of our favorite Halloween movies, and a game.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-KVs6zSHy_cc/TqsuKihtJxI/AAAAAAAAA-I/91K-DuMlOEI/s1600/100_5054.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" ida="true" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-KVs6zSHy_cc/TqsuKihtJxI/AAAAAAAAA-I/91K-DuMlOEI/s200/100_5054.JPG" width="200" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-XF8NiIINRXQ/TqsuPnnwF-I/AAAAAAAAA-Q/8ruxwgDcc7Y/s1600/100_5047.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" ida="true" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-XF8NiIINRXQ/TqsuPnnwF-I/AAAAAAAAA-Q/8ruxwgDcc7Y/s200/100_5047.JPG" width="200" /></a></div><strong>ACROBATS</strong> is a fun game that we played when my children were small. It has 3 plastic pieces that form an arch. A magnetic bat hangs from the arch, ready to have many more hooked on. The colour you hang is based on the roll of the die. This game can be short or long. And losing is not bad.<br />
This is a game that I pick up if I find it at a thrift store or yard sale. <br />
Here Logan and Grandpa enjoy one of Logan's fun games at Grandma and Grandpa's house.<br />
<br />
Our movies are ones more on the suspenseful side, so many of them are black & white (grey). Some of our favorite B&W ones (starring Bette Davis (scary) are "Whatever Happened To Baby Jane" and "Hush, Hush Sweet Charlotte". Some earlier B&W include "Gaslight", "The Second Woman", "Asrnic and Old Lace", "Sorry, Wrong Number", "Picture of Dorian Gray", and "Laura". Some smart ones we like (Hitchcock or Hitchcock style) are "Wait Until Dark", "Dial M For Murder", "Charade", "North By Northwest", "The Spiral Staircase", "Spellbound", ...... A couple other favorites are "The Bad Seed" and the newer "Lady In White".<br />
These are just a few. Hallowwen is a great time to turn off the lights and enjoy some classics.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1wc0D4KHyF4/Tqs1Jg3QPdI/AAAAAAAAA-Y/8UbtZYAZDR4/s1600/100_5055.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" ida="true" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1wc0D4KHyF4/Tqs1Jg3QPdI/AAAAAAAAA-Y/8UbtZYAZDR4/s200/100_5055.JPG" width="200" /></a></div>HAPPY HALLOWEEN. michelle's 10 thingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09364384620442122698noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7441238926320200357.post-27983596812303353252011-10-27T16:43:00.000-07:002011-10-27T16:43:51.615-07:00WHAT I BUY WEDNESDAYI was going to show what I am buying and doing for a Christmas gift, but I did not get the next step done. (Fighting with sinus infection/headache all week.) <br />
<br />
So, I decided to show what I buy for my sinus problems. I have had them all my life. Thru the years I have found things that help.<br />
<br />
The first is a <strong>NETI POT. </strong>A Neti Pot is a small ceramic(or plastic) teapot used as a sinus rinse. I paid about $12.00 for mine on sale.<br />
The Neti pot is filled with warm water and a small packet of a saline nasal rinse. I use it by leaning over the bathroom sink and tilting my head to one side. I put thespout in my top nostril and "pour" about 1/2 the water in. It will drain out the bottom nostril. Then you sniff, and blow. And repeat with your head turned the other direction.<br />
(Confused? There are videos on line that demonstrate.)<br />
After my Dr. suggested I do this (about 6 years ago) I had less problems. (I would have even less if I did it everyday - problems or not.)<br />
<br />
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Another option (that a daughter uses) is Sinus Wash <strong>SQUEEZE BOTTLE</strong>. It works on the same principle as a neti pot, but you just lean forward over the sink. It is plastic and costs about $10.00 and includes saline packets.<br />
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Next is a <strong>muscus relief product</strong>. Musinex is a brand name one. I buy Walgreen's brand when they are "Buy One, Get One Free". It is an over the counter version of a prescription that I used to use.<br />
This taken with a full glass of water, which helps to thin the mucus, and is taken about every 4-6 hours. (I have no medical experience. AT ALL. These are just some things that I have learned. I do have my honorary Law and Order law degree, however ;)<br />
<br />
<strong>Lots of water, a humidifier, chicken noodle soup, warm (I use hot) showers or baths with steam</strong>. You know the drill. Everything our moms said. (<strong>Sleep helps, too</strong>:-) <br />
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I know. Boring "What I Buy Wednesday. But, I really recommend the Neti Pot. Friends have called to borrow it from me. Mine is ceramic and was bought at Walgreens. I have read reviews of plastic ones, and it seems they tend to leak. Mine does not. If you have any questions, I am happy to try and answer them.michelle's 10 thingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09364384620442122698noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7441238926320200357.post-31618227802068212702011-10-25T09:40:00.000-07:002011-10-25T10:41:11.271-07:0010 THINGS THAT MADE ME HAPPYWork to be grateful the tragedies in our lives not directly related to the choices we have made. (Adapted from a thought I like by Josi Kilpack.) <br />
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</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">#1 I (finally) watched "UP". (My DVD got a scratch on it the first month we bought it, so I watched it on the Disney Channel on the night of of a late, home football game.) I really liked the beginning and especially the end. The silly talking dog plot? Way coulda done without. I DO understand that I am in the minority here. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-MfYwSwEaSr4/TqbfolhLK9I/AAAAAAAAA8w/r1eSVolRrI0/s1600/100_4914.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" ida="true" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-MfYwSwEaSr4/TqbfolhLK9I/AAAAAAAAA8w/r1eSVolRrI0/s200/100_4914.JPG" width="200" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">I wanted to watch it after visiting our local "UP" HOUSE. Yep. The "UP" HOUSE. A local builder built it for a home show. Lindsay and I headed over to see it with the grand kids for a play date. (It was not open that day, but Lindsay and David were able to go in an open day with the kids.)</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">It was fun to see with Logan. (I had not seen the movie, yet.) </div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zdMosarEnQg/TqbfyBa133I/AAAAAAAAA84/hBZkrzGrTCY/s1600/100_4912.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" ida="true" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zdMosarEnQg/TqbfyBa133I/AAAAAAAAA84/hBZkrzGrTCY/s200/100_4912.JPG" width="200" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-TLl71gvPg0g/TqbhFbdClgI/AAAAAAAAA9o/gBculxszXk0/s1600/100_4915.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" ida="true" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-TLl71gvPg0g/TqbhFbdClgI/AAAAAAAAA9o/gBculxszXk0/s200/100_4915.JPG" width="150" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-BNW62iepb9k/TqbfLQzIA-I/AAAAAAAAA8o/mhpgopKQbKY/s1600/100_4909.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" ida="true" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-BNW62iepb9k/TqbfLQzIA-I/AAAAAAAAA8o/mhpgopKQbKY/s200/100_4909.JPG" width="200" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">#2 I try to try 5-10 new recipes a week, from various sources. I have been hand copying/writing them. </div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"> Leslie has started printing them for me. (I still write some.) Saves me lots of time :)</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">#3 I tried 4 new crock pot recipes for dinner this Sunday. One was a BIG hit. Several asked that it be put on my 30 Day Rotation. (Of course that means that 3 are gone. Not terrible. Just never repeated.)</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">I will share the recipe next week.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">#4 My nephew, Jordan, returned from a 2 year church mission to Chile. It was great to welcome him at the airport, and then later hear him share his experiences and testimony.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-sP4yxKEnzso/Tqbj8xJ9EKI/AAAAAAAAA9w/CGaMXcbYX1c/s1600/100_4991.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" ida="true" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-sP4yxKEnzso/Tqbj8xJ9EKI/AAAAAAAAA9w/CGaMXcbYX1c/s200/100_4991.JPG" width="200" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">#5 I was able to visit the temple with family, and a nephew, Alex, who is preparing to leave on a mission to California. We went to the Salt Lake Temple (first time at that temple for one kidult) and had a special evening. (Minus my sinus infection/chest cold induced asthma attack. SO EMBARRASSING:-(</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">(Mom and Dad took us to Crown Burger after. Darn New York City for making me love pastrami.)</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">#6 My mom got bumped from her flight (with compensation) and came to spend another night with us. </div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">My nephew, Christopher, who lives an hour south of us, came up to visit her and have dinner with us. It meant a lot to my mom. Thank you, Christopher.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">#7 When we built our addition, we lost our kitchen window (and quite a bit of light). Last summer I bought 2 "SOLAR SKYLITE"s. David installed them for us during his vacation. THANK YOU, DAVID. Love the extra light. </div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">(If only I had bought more. The price was great.)</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">#8 Hilary and I took a 2 month class on aprons with our woman's church group (Relief Society). (Leslie is making one at home.) It has been fun to see Hilary learn, and like, to sew. (Wonder what she will get for Christmas?) I could not get a good picture of my apron, but it is cute :)</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">#9 Winter is blowing thru for a few days, (That is not what makes me happy.) signaling the end of the harvest. Tomatoes will all be collected tonight and carefully stored (and watched) for indoor ripening. The basil will be picked and put in olive oil for a few weeks to make basil infused oil. (Thank you, Henry.)</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">It was a good garden and growing season. Thank you, Honey, for all your hard work.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">(The good news is that warm weather will return for Halloween weekend.)</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">#10 Peanut butter is going up in price. UGH!!! That is a real staple at our home. (Doug takes a peanut butter and honey sandwich every day for lunch. Has most of our marriage :) We use a 64 oz. jar (4 lb.) every 2-3 weeks. </div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">I found 4 jars at my regular $6.78 price (Only 4 after visiting 3 of the regular stores.) and was able to order 15 jars at $8.06. (An extra $.1.28 per jar ($19.20 for the 15).) I am happy to have 19 jars (plus 3 I already had). I love emergency preparedness. And planning ahead. </div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">As always, these are in no particular order. (I have at least another 10 for next week.)</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Tomorrow I will share what I am making my grandsons for Christmas. (A great idea that was shared with me.)</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
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</div>michelle's 10 thingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09364384620442122698noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7441238926320200357.post-89282513881640930482011-10-21T11:30:00.000-07:002011-10-21T11:30:38.363-07:00NOT QUITE WINTER(And I am not looking forward to the snow and the cold..). but I still have some tomatoes from gardens, so I decided to try this soup this week. Now I wish I had many more tomatoes. ( My husband grew tomatoes for us in his garden. (Thank you, Hun.) A kind neighbor (Thank you, Diane) and sister in law (Thank you, Kate) shared many tomatoes with me. I cooked them into seasoned tomato sauce (and froze) for pizza this winter. 23 frozen blocks. I used <span style="color: #38761d;">M</span><span style="color: #38761d;">arcella Hazan's Tomato Sauce</span> . It made the house smell wonderful.)<br />
Back to the soup. I made "Roasted Tomato Soup" from The Italian Dish.<br />
Everyone really liked it. (Even 1 kidult who hates tomato soup tried it since she has a bad cold/sinus infection and can not taste or smell ; ) <br />
This was really an easy soup. (I would love to have so many tomatoes that I could roast them and freeze for a winter of this soup.) This soup was so good that I forgot until just now to use fresh grated Parmesan cheese on top. <br />
<br />
You can find the recipe<a href="http://italiandish.squarespace.com/imported-20090913150324/2009/8/23/for-tomato-season-roasted-tomato-soup-with-parmesan-crisps.html"> <span style="color: #38761d;">here</span></a> at The Italian Dish. <br />
The ONLY changes that I made were to use my basil olive oil on the tomatoes (for roasting-instead of regular olive oil).<br />
<br />
AND, I added about 2 table. of<span style="color: #38761d;"> </span><a href="http://www.ourbestbites.com/2008/04/garlic-bread-seasoning/"><span style="color: #38761d;">OUR BEST BITES</span> <span style="color: #38761d;">Garlic Bread Seasoning</span></a> as I started the 20 min.simmering step. (That recipe is on page 53 in their cookbook and on their blog. Gotta say we LOVE the Garlic Bread Seasoning. I use it for oven roasted Parmesan potatoes, on pastas...)<br />
(I am sorely lacking in my photo skills (and my simple camera just quit it's ZOOM feature, so be sure and check out The Italian Dish post.)<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-J0ZHIAU9CJs/TqGwjNUR9SI/AAAAAAAAA8g/N-2ItgsQsNY/s1600/100_5021.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" rda="true" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-J0ZHIAU9CJs/TqGwjNUR9SI/AAAAAAAAA8g/N-2ItgsQsNY/s200/100_5021.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Flash</td></tr>
</tbody></table>On the Roasted Tomato Soup post there is a recipe for Parmesan Crisps that look great on top of the soup. I did not make those this time, but they are on my list.<br />
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I served my homemade croutons with the soup, and they were great. I will post that recipe next week.<br />
<br />
BASIL OLIVE OIL<br />
I filled a canning jar with fresh basil leaves from my husband's garden I filled the jar with EVOO and put it in the fridge, flipping it over every few days. The basil will not last in the oil, so after about a week I started using on pizza, in soups, ...michelle's 10 thingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09364384620442122698noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7441238926320200357.post-45623667910043876932011-10-19T21:01:00.000-07:002011-10-19T21:16:49.687-07:00WHAT I BUY WEDNESDAYI am making my grandsons' Christmas gift this year. My 2 grandsons are almost 4 and almost 7. The perfect ages for the gift I am making. It has lots of parts and pieces. This week I am making one complete part of the gift. (I will show you more next week.)<br />
<br />
The first thing I bought were 2 sets of (the black) FUNNELS at the Dollar Store. (Two sets give me 2 of each of the three sizes. There are 3 different sized funnels in each set.)<br />
While I was there I also picked up a couple of rolls of DUCT TAPE. (No picture. Needed at a later date.)<br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-bHP965Evx88/Tp-Yc2PNJfI/AAAAAAAAA7o/JjMhDWnEUus/s1600/100_5019.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" rda="true" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-bHP965Evx88/Tp-Yc2PNJfI/AAAAAAAAA7o/JjMhDWnEUus/s200/100_5019.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is one set.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Next we headed to HOME DEPOT with one set of the funnels.<br />
I bought 2 rolls of clear PLASTIC TUBING (because I am making 2 sets). (It was in the plumbing area near the back of the store.) Make sure that your tubing is at least 10 feet long. (Mine is 25 feet long.) Before you actually pick your tubing, make sure that the end of one (of the 3) funnel(s) will fit snuggly into the tubing.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-OMcgb7vPqII/Tp-ZoBgP5_I/AAAAAAAAA8Q/qX3PSo_ABFg/s1600/100_5017.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" rda="true" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-OMcgb7vPqII/Tp-ZoBgP5_I/AAAAAAAAA8Q/qX3PSo_ABFg/s200/100_5017.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">20 feet of clear plastic tubing.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Yep, we made walkie talkies/a phone/communication device...<br />
With 2 sets (of 3) funnels you can make 3 phone sets, BUT the tubing sizes will be different for each phone.<br />
<br />
I made these for grandsons to play with at our house this summer. (I used white funnels, but decided to use black for the boys. More manly :) Plus they will look cleaner.) I surprised Logan by putting a "funnel" outside the door when they were on their way for Sunday dinner. We were working in the kitchen when we hear, "Hello? Is someone there?"<br />
These have GREAT reception. (It may take a bit of time for younger children to to learn "on your EAR to LISTEN. On your MOUTH to TALK" :) It is always a fun toy to bring out. Layne and Logan will enjoy having their own as part of their Christmas gift.<br />
The funnels are $1.00 per set of 3. The tubing is about $7.00-$10.00.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-lqi0DUqiu84/Tp-Y5uMY7SI/AAAAAAAAA8A/F6B5Nb0YSsY/s1600/100_5018.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" rda="true" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-lqi0DUqiu84/Tp-Y5uMY7SI/AAAAAAAAA8A/F6B5Nb0YSsY/s200/100_5018.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We have lots of fun playing with the <br />
funnel phoneswith our grandsons.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">CAUTION- The tubing is a choking/strangulation danger. We use this with adults (under supervision) and put it away in a container when not in use.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">I tried a new bread recipe this week that we loved. I will share the recipe either this week or next, as well as a few things we have done with kids-in the kitchen.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">I am getting ready to do a GIVE A WAY for my blog followers in November. (Think Christmas.)</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">As always, I love to hear from you. Have you tried a recipe or craft? Let us know.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Thank you for stopping by. Michelle</div>michelle's 10 thingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09364384620442122698noreply@blogger.com3