Fun Stuff for Kids ~ Finger Paint & Play Dough

Finger Paint



3 T sugar

1/2 c cornstarch

2 cups cold water

food coloring



Mix sugar and cornstarch and add water. cook over low heat, stirring constantly until well blended. divide into 4 - 5 portions and color as desired.





Play Dough



1 c flour

1/2 c salt

1 T vegetable oil

2 T alum

1 c boiling water

food coloring



Mix flour and salt. Then add oil and alum. Add water and knead thoroughly. Color as desired. Store in airtight baggies between use.

Baked Scrambled Egg Casserole

2 tablespoons margarine
1 1/2 cups cooked ham -- chopped
1/2 cup green onions -- sliced
1 can cream of mushroom soup
12 eggs
4 ounces cheddar cheese -- shredded
1/2 cup half & half

Heat oven to 250~. Grease 2-qt casserole. In large skillet, melt margarine. Saute onions until crisp tender. In large bowl, beat eggs; stir in half & half and ham. Pour egg mixture into skillet with onions; mix well. Cook over medium heat. As mixture begins to set, gently lift cooked portions with spatula so that thin uncooked portions can flow to bottom. Avoid constant stirring.

Cook until eggs are thickened throughout; spoon into prepared casserole dish. Pour soup evenly over top. Bake at 250~ for 30 minutes; sprinkle with cheddar cheese and bake 10-15 minutes longer.

Rachael Ray 3.5-qt. Enameled Cast Iron Round Covered Casserole, Green In fewer than five years, Rachael Ray has radically changed the way America cooks dinner. Her perky-girl-next-door swagger, her catchphrases for techniques, and her dinner ideology of simpler, less expensive and just in time have sold billions of books and placed her at the top of the talent heap of food television personalities. Designed to perform on the stove or in the oven, this covered casserole features a large cooking surface to brown meats with room to add ingredients for a one-dish meal. The lid fits snugly to lock in moisture and flavors, making this pan perfect for the long, slow braising of a tender pot roast. Large handles make it easy to transfer dinner from the stovetop or oven to the table. Cast iron construction provides even heating and excellent heat retention. The enamel finish means you don't have to pre-season (or re-season) your cookware

Basic Pot Roast

4 to 5 pounds beef roast
1 tablespoon shortening
salt
1/4 cup water
1 medium onion, sliced
1 cup diced rutabaga or turnip
1 cup diced carrots
1 cup diced potatoes
1/4 cup sliced celery with leaves
2 teaspoons dried parsley flakes
salt and pepper to taste

In Dutch Oven or heavy kettle, brown meat on all sides in hot shortening. Sprinkle with salt. Add water and sliced onion. Cover and simmer for 3 to 4 hours. Add remaining ingredients; simmer for 30 minutes more, or until vegetables are done.

Remove meat and thicken liquid with flour and water paste To thicken: Stir a few tablespoons of water into a few tablespoons of flour and stir until smooth. Stir hot liquid while adding small amounts of flour paste until thickened as desired. Taste and season pot roast with salt and pepper to taste.

Hand Made Chocolate Confections

Nothing is better than hand made chocolate confections! Yummm. I found a site that has the most scruptious looking edibles!


Corina's Confections

Here you will find Cookies, Brownies, Chocolate Covered Pretzels, Favors for that special occassion, Theme Tins, Cookie Club and you can even purchase Gift Cards!

How 'bout a Spot of Blooming Tea?

I came across this awesome product I have to tell you about! Full Bloom Tea!

To quote the website, "Our hand tied Artisan teas "bloom" before your eyes into amazing drinkable floral bouquets. We use rare Silver Needle White Tea and premium flowers rich in antioxidants."

Each of these unique tea blooms are hand tied and wrapped in protective packaging that helps to keep moisture, light and air out, and locks in freshness, taste and aroma.

When you steep the ‘bloom’ in boiling water, the tea bloom twists, turns, moves and appears to “bloom” right before your eyes into a floral bouquet! Talk about a unique way to make tea!
According to the site they contain the finest rare Silver Needle White Tea leaves rich in antioxidants and are infused with beautiful dehydrated flowers such as Jasmine, Globe Amaranth and Marigold just to name a few which give additional flavors and health benefits.
These are mild teas and each tea bloom can be re-steeped up to 3 times each. And once you are done steeping and drinking, you can put the used bloom in a clear glass bowl with clean water and enjoy it as a centerpiece for an extra day or two.

They offer a really cool unique gift idea as well as a wholesale option for those with retail establishments.

I can hardly wait to order my own bloom!

Adapting Standard Recipe's to a Crock Pot

Here are some suggestions for best results when taking a standard recipe and using it in a crock pot.

• Remember that liquids do not cook away like they would if on the cook top. Use half the amount of liquids called for in the standard recipe. Also, add liquids last, after meat or vegetables have been placed in the cooker.
• It is not necessary to brown larger pieces of meat unless you need to cook off some of the grease before adding the remaining ingredients. For example, browning ground beef, sausage or bacon first and draining the fat is recommended.
• Milk, cream and sour cream should be added during the last hour of cooking to prevent curdling.
• Do not remove the lid except to add ingredients. It takes up to 20 minutes for the heat to build back up to the proper temperature.
• Spices intensify during long cooking times so use half the amount and add during the last hour of cooking.
• To thicken sauces after cooking the meat, you can add quick-cooking tapioca or a paste made of flour or cornstarch and water and cook on HIGH an additional uncovered 10 minutes.
• Most vegetables should be thinly sliced or placed near the sides or bottom of the cooker. They cook slower than meats.
• Cut whole chickens and any meats in half that are over 2 lbs to be sure they cook thoroughly.
• For safety, always cook meat and poultry dishes on HIGH the first hour to speed up the time it gets to get to a safe cooking temperature for meats. Then reduce to LOW for the remainder of the cooking time.

My Favorite BBQ Sauce!

You won't find a much better line of BBQ sauces and spices than Cookies. They have perfected the right blend!

We ordered a case of 4 GALLONS of the original and split it between ourselves and my son. It was his idea! He came over one day and asked me "Mom, where can I buy Cookies bbq sauce around here?". Well we live in PA now and its not out here, so we hit the net and found the website for Cookies. Voila, we placed an order and in less than 5 days we had a huge heavy box of 4 gallons of our favorite bbq sauce on the doorstep!

Give it a try! You'll love it too.

7 Layer Casserole

2 cup thinly sliced red potatoes
1 cup thinly sliced onion, separate rings
1 cup thinly sliced carrots
1 can green beans, drained
1 lb raw ground beef OR 1 lb of chopped ham
1 can cream of mushroom or celery soup
1/2 can water
Salt & Pepper

Lightly grease a 2 qt casserole dish. Layer the items in the order listed, lightly salting and peppering each layer as desired. Cover and bake 2 to 2 1/2 hours at 350 degrees. Uncover the last 10 min if you want the top browned.

Ingredient Substitutions

Here is a fantastic list of ingredient substitutions! I have it in a .doc format for you to click on as it is a very long (5 pages) in Word, this way you can open it and print it out to keep handy!

Ingredient Substitutions

Kitchen Gadget Review ~ Innovative Measuring Cup

This innovative measuring cup has:

~ Patented angled surface makes is so you can read measurements from above
~ Standard and metric markings
~ Soft, non-slip handle
~ Dishwasher safe
~ OXO products have a satisfaction guarantee

Click the measuring cup picture or HERE to see more details!!

Monkey Bread

2 loaves frozen bread (thawed but not raised)
OR 4 tubes of refrigerator biscuits

½ c sugar
4 tsp cinnamon
Mix sugar and cinnamon in bowl

Take bread or biscuits and make walnut sized chunks and roll in sugar mixture. Place in 2 lightly greased (if needed) bunt pans.

Mix:
1 ¼ sticks melted butter
1 large package of butterscotch or vanilla NON instant pudding powder
nuts (optional)
raisins (optional)

Pour butter and pudding mix over dough.

If you used bread dough, let sit in warm area until raised up double.
When bread dough is raised bake at 350 degrees for 18-20 min.

If using biscuit dough, bake immediately at 350 degrees for 18 minutes.

Monkey Bread

2 loaves frozen bread (thawed but not raised)
OR 4 tubes of refrigerator biscuits

½ c sugar
4 tsp cinnamon
Mix sugar and cinnamon in bowl

Take bread or biscuits and make walnut sized chunks and roll in sugar mixture. Place in 2 lightly greased (if needed) bunt pans.

Mix:
1 ¼ sticks melted butter
1 large package of butterscotch or vanilla NON instant pudding powder
nuts (optional)
raisins (optional)

Pour butter and pudding mix over dough.

If you used bread dough, let sit in warm area until raised up double.
When bread dough is raised bake at 350 degrees for 18-20 min.

If using biscuit dough, bake immediately at 350 degrees for 18 minutes.

Lemon Angel Food Cake

12 egg whites
1 tsp cream of tartar
1/4 tsp salt

Beat at high speed until foamy. The whites are beaten enough when they start to slip when you tip the bowl.

Add 3/4 cup sifted powdered sugar, 1 T at a time until stiff peaks form. Fold in 1 T lemon rind, 3 T fresh lemon juice and 1/4 tsp vanilla.

Combine 1/2 cup powdered and 1 cup sifted cake flour, gradually fold in the egg white mixture. Spoon batter into a 10" tube pan. (Do not grease the pan!!)

Bake 375 degrees for 35-40 minutes. Invert pan onto the neck of a bottle or funnel until cooled.