Orange Crush

Although I am excited about the start of the NFL season and my favorite team, this post is not about this: 

It's about this:

I found this recipe via Pinterest, from Teresa @ Blooming on Bainbridge, and it's every bit as delicious as she promises.  I made it for our company BBQ over the weekend and it was a hit.  The recipe makes 3 quarts and evidently my ice cream freezer is a bit smaller because I had some of the mix left over.  I mixed up another half-recipe which, combined with the leftover bit, was just short of the fill line.  I made up the difference by adding a pint of heavy whipping cream.  Needless to say, the second batch was even better. 

ORANGE CRUSH ICE CREAM

2 cans sweetened condensed milk

1 c. sugar

6 cans Orange Crush or other orange-flavored soda (Substitute 1 pint of cream for 1 can of soda for a creamier ice cream.)

Pour condensed milk into large bowl, add sugar and whisk together.  Slowly pour in Orange Crush, whisking thoroughly after each can.  Freeze according to instructions for your ice cream freezer of choice.

Enjoy on a hot summer evening with good friends.

This post is linked with Inspiration on Monday, hosted by Trish at Love, Laughter and a Touch of Insanity.

You Say Tomato . . .

The tomato section of our garden has produced abundantly and we have a cabinet and a freezer full of salsa, chili sauce and plain tomatoes to cook with all winter, and still the tomatoes keep coming!  So I've been searching for new and interesting ways to use them.  My adaptation of this quick and simple recipe has become one of my summer favorites.  Here is the original recipe from About.com:

Corn, Tomato and Basil Salad

1 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil

1 tsp. cider or white wine vinegar

1/4 tsp salt

1 small red onion

3 ears sweet corn

3 medium tomatoes

2 sprigs basil

In a small bowl, mix oil, vinegar and salt.  Finely chop onion.  Add 1/4 cup to dressing, reserve the rest.  Set dressing aside.  Husk corn and cut off kernels.  Core, seed and chop tomatoes. Cut basil into thin strips. Toss corn and tomatoes with dressing.  Sprinkle with basil and serve.

Adaptation #1:  The recipe specified that you will need "the freshest, sweetest corn for this recipe.  The kind that's so tender and sweet you can eat it raw!"  It being a little late in the corn season, that was tough to find, so I substituted the freshest corn I could find, microwaved for 3-4 minutes, then cut off the cob.  

Adaptation #2:  I don't need the extra calories of the olive oil, so I just left out the dressing all together.  I don't core and seed the tomatoes, just remove the stem area and chop.  This leaves a little extra juice that mixes with the juice from the onions and corn and makes it's own dressing.  

Adaptation #3:  I live in Hicksville, where it requires a 20 mile drive (each way) to a supermarket large enough to stock fresh basil.  So I substituted cilantro.  

I serve it as a dip on corn or pretzel chips, or as a topping on bruschetta.

Tami's Corn, Tomato and Cilantro Dip

1 small red onion - chopped

3 ears sweet corn  - wrap in parchment paper or place in covered casserole and microwave 3-4 minutes.  Cut kernels off ears.

3 medium tomatoes - chopped

chopped cilantro

salt and pepper to taste

Mix all ingredients and enjoy.  It's even better the next day.  There are 335 calories in the entire recipe of dip (If you want the dressing, add 120 calories).

Weekend Cooking is hosted by BethFishReads.  It is open to anyone who has any kind of food-related post to share: Book (novel, nonfiction) reviews, cookbook reviews, movie reviews, recipes, random thoughts, gadgets, quotations, photographs. If your post is even vaguely foodie, feel free to grab the button and link up anytime over the weekend. You do not have to post on the weekend. Please link to your specific post, not your blog's home page.

A Peck of Pickled Peppers . . .

Historically, I'm not much of a canner.  I've canned tomatoes, chili sauce, spaghetti sauce and salsa - to varying degrees of success.  This year, we have made chili sauce and salsa and both have turned out great, so we decided to try our hand at pickles.

If you're not familiar with Famous Dave's, it's a BBQ chain that also sells their pickles and sauces in grocery stores.  Their sweet pickles have a spicy kick  - and they are our favorites - so we wanted a recipe that would be similar.  We found a very close copy from Martha Stewart.  I'm so happy with the way they came out, I thought I would share Martha's recipe for other potential picklers out there.   Although Martha says one recipe makes three pint jars, we tripled the recipe and ended up with 15 well-packed pint jars.

Martha Stewart's Sweet-and-Spicy Bread-and-Butter Pickles

2 pounds cucumbers, cut in 1/8" thick rounds (about 6 1/2 cups)
1 medium onion, halved and thinly sliced
2 heaping tablespoons coarse salt
2 c. ice cubes
3 c. cider vinegar or distilled white vinegar
2 1/4 c. sugar
1 t. whole mustard seeds
3/4 t. celery seed
3/4 t. whole black peppercorns
1/4 t. turmeric (I omitted)
1/4 t. crushed red-pepper flakes or 3 dried hot chiles.  (I used approxiately 3 times that amount of pepper flakes and Dave still thinks it could use more.)

To draw out excess liquid and increase crunch, toss cucumbers and onion with salt in a large colander.  Add ice and toss again.  Place over a bowl and refrigerate, tossing occasionally, for 3 hours.  Drain.  Rinse well and drain again.

Bring vinegar, sugar, mustard and celery seeds, peppercorns, turmeric and pepper flakes to a boil in a saucepan.  Add cucumbers and onions.  Return to a boil.

Ladle into 3 hot sterilized pint jars, leaving about 1/2 inch below each jar's neck.  Wipe rims of jars with a clean, damp cloth; cover tightly with sterilized lids and screw tops.  Using tongs or a jar clamp, transfer jars to a rack in a large canning pot or other large, deep pot filled with hot water, being sure to keep jars upright at all times.  Jars should be spaced 1 inch apart and should not touch sides of pot.  Cover with water by 1 inch. Cover pot, and bring to a boil.  Process jars in boiling water for 10 minutes.  Let Cool. Press down on each lid.  If lid pops back, it's not sealed; refrigerate unsealed jars immediately and use within 1 month.  Sealed jars can be stored in a cool, dark place for up to 1 year.

This recipe can also be used with summer squash.  Follow the same procedure except do not return brine to a boil after adding squash. 

We tried three jars of squash, just out of curiosity. Not as crunchy as the cucumbers, but not bad and a great way to use the mountains of summer squash we had.

Happy pickling!

May Pin It/Do It

May is nearly over and I haven't gotten as far as planned on my Pin It/Do It projects.  So far I've made Mason Jar Soap Dispensers, a 10-Minute Table Runner, and Lemon Fluff Freezer Cookies.  Then life got hectic, I worked some overtime, kids came home . . . and nothing got done for a few weeks.  Things have slowed down a bit and I managed to accomplish five easy pins this week.

 Fabulous Home Blog.

Pin #4 is a simple, but so cute, idea.  Wrap wire around the neck of a mason jar and hang from a hook next to the kitchen window for a place to display fresh flowers.  My window happens to have an unused curtain hanger, so I didn't even have to install a hook.  Add a few wildflowers and I have a lovely addition to my view as I wash dishes.
                          

Dreadlock Girl

Pin #5 was a fun paper craft.  I have no clue what they're good for except to be cute, but they're fun to make.  The original pin was made from a book page, which is part of what attracted me, but the pages in my old-book stash were too brittle, so I tried again from scrapbook paper.  I then made a smaller one from Christmas scrapbook paper to give in a Christmas ornament swap.  Dave made the little hangers to add a some more "cute" value.

static.artfire.com

Pin #6:  Pocket Prayer Quilts - You may have seen the full-size prayer quilts I've been working on.  I love them, but they are not always convenient in terms of time needed to make them and their portability.  When I was searching Pinterest for pattern ideas, I found these "Pocket Prayer Quilts".  They are a quick project that still has meaning.  There are multiple pins of this idea, but my favorite is this mini-9-patch idea.  There are no instructions with this pin - just the picture - so I made my 9-patch from 1 1/2" squares, so that it finishes as a 3" square.  I plan to make up several of these and keep on hand to tuck into a sympathy card or hand to a friend experiencing a tough time.

Each mini-quilt has a metal cross sewn inside (purchased at my local Christian book store for 50 cents each), and comes with a card with the following instructions:

 This pocket prayer quilt was made especially for you to slip in your pocket or purse.  Throughout the day, when your fingers touch the cross tucked inside, be mindful of God's grace for you.  Keep it as a tangible symbol of God's peace.

 Pins 7 and 8 are recipes - Roasted Asparagus with Lemon Parmesan Bread Crumbs, and Garlic Chicken

Cinnamon Spice and Everything Nice                                               Food.com

The asparagus was delicious - low cal, low fat, yet crispy and flavorful.  The chicken wasn't as impressive.  Although the original pinner said "This is freaking amazing", I didn't see much special about it.  I'm not a garlic fan so I cut down on the garlic and added Mrs. Dash chicken spice blend.  It was good, tasty even, but not "freaking amazing".

I have four pins left on my "to do" list for this challenge, but only one more day off work before the end of the month.  I better kick it in gear!

Pin It/Do It #3 - Lemon Fluff Freezer Cookies

One of my duties at work is to oversee the wellness program.  As part of that program, we had a healthy eating/exercise/weight loss competition during February and March.  One of the goals of the program was for the group as a whole - 30 participants - to lose 4% of their combined body weight.  And me made it!  We lost 283 pounds.  As a reward, I promised a healthy lunch for all participants.  When it came time to schedule the caterer, you should have seen the looks I got when I said "healthy, low-cal, low-fat".  And every bid returned with blah baked chicken and steamed vegetables.  That's exactly why people cringe at eating healthy!

So, I decided to do it myself.  I've cooked for 30 people before - piece of cake!  It turned into more of an ordeal than I anticipated, but that was mostly lack of planning on my part. Overall, it was a success.  Here is the menu I served:

Chicken Tacos:

• tortilla
• shredded, seasoned chicken
• lettuce
• tomato
• onion 
• low-fat cheese
• salsa

Apple-Cabbage Slaw from Taste of Home

Pina Colada Fruit Salad from All Recipes

And Lemon Fluff Freezer Cookies for Pin #3 for the May Pin It/Do It Challenge.

Recipe from Keri at Shaken Together

 100 Calorie Lemon Fluff Refrigerator Cookies

2 bags Newton Fruit Thins (30 cookies each) - Lemon Crisp flavor
1 small tub of Lite Cool Whip  
1 cup cold skim milk
1 small box (3.4 oz) sugar-free, fat-free instant lemon pudding mix
1 teaspoon of lemon zest (optional but SO yummy)Whisk together pudding mix and skim milk; allow to set for 30 seconds.  Gently fold in Lite Cool Whip and lemon zest, incorporating the pudding thoroughly.  Place in a piping bag fit with a large star tip.  Pipe approximately 2 tablespoons of lemon fluff filling on one cookie and place another cookie on top, pressing slightly.  Repeat until all cookies are filled.  Place in freezer until filling is set - at least one hour.  

Yield:  30 cookies

My store didn't have the Lemon Crisp flavored cookies so I used Blueberry Brown Sugar Newton Fruit Thins - still delicious!   I also didn't have a piping bag, but a zip lock bag with one corner snipped worked fine.  Be sure you get the zip lock portion actually zipped.  Not saying anything went awry - just a good idea to double check that. *wink*

They were a hit with the crew at work and I think they'll also be a hit with grandsons when they come to visit later this summer.

February Pin It/Do It - Pin #9: 100 Calorie Snacks

Healthy eating has become routine at our house in the last year.  Now I have been asked to create and run a fitness program at work, so I'm searching for ideas to encourage healthy eating among my co-workers.  That search led me to a Pin of an article called Make Your Own 100-Calorie Snacks on Budget101.com.  

Here are the top 5 reasons to package your own snacks:

#5. It saves money.  Pre-packaged snacks are expensive.  By packing your own, you can take advantage of savings on economy sizes without the risk of products becoming stale because the package didn't get re-closed tightly after each use. Which ties into #4 - 

#4. It cuts down on waste.  If a bag of pretzels is evenly portioned into ten single-serve bags, you never end up with a few left in the bottom that aren't enough for a portion so they just sit there till they're stale and get thrown out. (Which takes us back to #5 - saves money)

#3. You can customize the portion size to your diet or your family.  If you need/want more than 100 calories in each portion - just package it that way.

#2. Convenience - Individual packs are easy for kids to grab after school or, for me, to pack in my lunch.

And the #1 benefit is:  Individual snack packs reduce the chances of over-indulging.  If I'm having a craving for chips and try to eat a "serving" straight from the bag, chances are I'm going to go beyond what I should have.  Even if I put the chips into a bowl, I'm likely to grab a larger portion than I really need to fill the craving.  And it ends "grazing" - standing in front of the refrigerator, snacking on a half a slice of cheese, a couple grapes, a bite of leftover turkey . . . while trying to decide what I really want.  If the snacks are stacked and waiting in pre-approved sizes, it's easy to choose and get no more than I need.

To teach this frugal, healthy habit to my co-workers, I prepackaged 100 snacks (ranging form 80-125 calories) and stocked the break rooms.  The were a hit!  Some people just appreciated free food, but many asked questions and expressed surprise at some of the serving sizes.  I packaged mostly low-fat, low-calorie options, but threw in a few - like Pepperidge Farms S'mores Goldfish - that illustrated an option for curbing a sweet/chocolate craving without blowing the daily calorie bank.  

Some of my 100-calorie Snack Packs:  Pretzels, Honey Wheat Pretzel Twists, Goldfish crackers, sugar-free angel food cake, turkey lunch meat and string cheese, beef jerky, mandarin oranges, apples and peanut butter, chocolate parfaits  . . . get more ideas on Budget101.com

I will admit it was time consuming to count out serving sizes.   When I do it for my own use I will probably count out the first serving of 40 goldfish into a measuring cup, then approximate the rest.  Since I was doing this for work, I wanted them to be exact, so I counted every fish.

I think the benefits of packaging my own snacks make it worth the effort, but a word of warning:  Eating all the broken crackers, chipped vanilla wafers, and crumbs of beef jerky while packaging is counter-productive.

February Pin It/Do It - Pins 1-5

I took the plunge on Trish's newest Pin It/Do It Challenge - but it's already Feb. 15 and I haven't posted any pins accomplished.  But I did finally get a couple things done - so it's catch-up time.

Pin #1 - Pillowcase Apron

Pinned from Betz White

This is a double-duty project.  I needed to make a half-apron for a Farmgirl Sisterhood badge, but I don't wear them.  I use the bib-style when baking, but a half-apron just doesn't cut it for flour-flingers like me.  But Betz' pillowcase apron is just what I need for clothespins.  I have tried those bags that hang from the clothesline to hold pins, but when the prairie winds begin to blow, the pins go flying.  Besides,the bag never seemed to be where I needed it when I needed it.  So I took to just leaving the pins on the line - but then they are weathered and dotted with bird-poop.  This is the perfect solution . . . an apron with a large pocket to hold pins.  I'll keep it in a laundry basket so it's handy to put on when I'm headed to the line, and easy to drop back in the basket when I'm done.

This project really did take 10 minutes, as advertised in the original pin, and cost $1.64 (plus tax).  I found pillowcases for $1 at Wal-Mart.  In my excitement over being frugal, I didn't read the fine print, which said "polyester" pillowcase.  In other words, its a slick little rascal and hard to sew.  For the ribbon ties, I chose the heaviest grosgrain ribbon I could find that coordinated with my pillow case.  Again, it's a bit too slippery and lightweight to make a good bow, but it was only 32 cents/yard.  If I were to do it again - and I might - I would be certain I had a COTTON pillowcase and would probably take the time to make a fabric tie or purchase heavier cotton braid.  Overall, a successful and useful project.

Pinned from PopSugar

Pin #2 - Iced Green Tea Lime Cooler

A simple recipe - just green tree, lime juice, sweetener and ice - but so refreshing.  I added a splash of club soda because I like the fizz.  A great alternative to soda - plus the metabolism boosting effects of green tea.

Pinned from King Arthur Flour

#3 - Baked Zucchini Sticks
Another simple recipe, but oh so delicious.  Though these are pretty low calorie to start with, I cut out a couple more by using only egg whites rather than whole eggs.  I also omitted the dip - they are so yummy on their own that dip really isn't necessary - but it would be easy to make using low-fat mayo or sour cream.

#4 - Gift Tags

Pinned from Milomade

This is not a new idea - we cut pictures out of used Christmas cards to use as tags when I was a child.  But we cut basic squares or followed the outline of the designs on the card.  I fell in love with these little jewels because of the shape and the variety of ways you could center (or not) pictures on them.  In the pin, they were cut with a die cut, which means they were basically no work at all.  Not having a die cut available, I purchased a package of similar-shaped cardstock tags at Hobby Lobby, intending to use one as a pattern and save the others for a future project.  It was harder than I anticipated to cut that shape with standard scissors and make it look precise.  I experimented with using a corner punch to make the shape on top, but it's not quite large enough.  In the end, I made a few which I will use next Christmas, but I think it would be more fun to just decorate the plain ones I bought.

Pin #5 - Georgia Peach

Pinned from Martini Recipe

1 part Peach Schnapps
1 part Coconut Rum
1 part vodka
2 parts Ginger Ale

Next time I'll leave out (or ask my friendly neighborhood bartender, Kari, to leave out) the shot of vodka.  It adds nothing but more calories and "kick' - don't need either.

Now all I need are a beach and an umbrella.

Check back for more Pin It/Do It fun - including a rolled-paper cross, more recipes, a gift card keepsake book, some "beachy" decorating and other projects made from these supplies:

Update:

Note to self:  Always read the fine print.  There is a minimum requirement of 2 hrs. work in order for the half-apron to count toward the Farmgirl Sisterhood badge.  Back to the drawing board - or Pinterest.

Holiday Pin It/Do It - Pins #13-16: Food

The gathering of family for Christmas seemed like the perfect opportunity to try out some new recipes.  I reported earlier on the Weight Watchers Taco Soup that I made ahead and froze.  We had so many options on Christmas day, that I never got around to trying the Taco Soup, then sent all the leftovers home with college kids - so you're on your own with that recipe.  All I know is that It tasted good while it was cooking, and those who ate it on Christmas came back for more - so it must have been ok.

I also tried a couple other recipes that I actually ate and can review.  First was Peanut Butter Eclair Cake.  I have been making Eclair Cake since it was served at my bridal shower over thirty years ago.  It has long been Mitch's favorite and his request for his birthday every year - but I never thought of adding peanut butter.  Genius!

Note: I wasn't able to find chocolate graham crackers, either at my local grocery store or even at the huge Wal-Mart, so I made it with regular graham crackers and it was still awesome.

From Plain Chicken

Peanut Butter Chocolate Éclair Cake

1 box chocolate graham crackers (there will be a few graham crackers left over)
2 (3 1/4-ounce) boxes vanilla instant pudding
1 cup peanut butter
3 1/2 cups milk
1 (8-ounce) container Cool Whip, thawed
1 can chocolate frosting

Spray the bottom of a 9x13 pan with cooking spray. Line the bottom of the pan with whole graham crackers. In bowl of an electric mixer, mix pudding with milk and peanut butter; beat at medium speed for 2 minutes. Fold in whipped topping. Pour half the pudding mixture over graham crackers. Place another layer of whole graham crackers on top of pudding layer. Pour over remaining half of pudding mixture and cover with another layer of graham crackers.

Heat the container of prepared frosting, uncovered in the microwave for 1 minute. Pour over the top of the cake. Refrigerate for at least 12 hours before serving.

To balance the indulgence of peanut butter and chocolate, I cut calories by making my own Ranch Dressing.  

From Caffeinated Chronicles of a SuperMom

1 cup plain Greek yogurt
1 packet Hidden Valley Ranch dressing mix (not dip mix)
1/2 cup 1% milk.
Whisk together, chill 1 hour before use.

The entire jar has only 1.75 grams of fat and 255 calories!

The pinner wrote that this version "tastes better than bottled".  I'm not sure I would go that far but, considering the fat and calorie savings, it was darn good.  The yogurt has a tang to it that you don't usually find in Ranch dressing, but still a very good alternative to bottled Ranch with 140 calories in two tablespoons.

With all those saved calories, we splurged on breakfast the next morning with this delicious and simple recipe from Too Stinkin' Cute.  

Breakfast Sticky Bun Ring

2 small tubes refrigerator buttermilk biscuits OR 1 tube Pillsbury Grands buttermilk biscuits

3 Tbsp. butter or margarine, melted

1/2 C. maple syrup

1/3 C. packed brown sugar

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

1/4 C. chopped pecans, optional

1/4 C. chopped almonds, optional

Spray a fluted pan with non-stick spray. Combine the melted butter and syrup in a small bowl and set aside. In another bowl, combine the brown sugar, cinnamon, and nuts (if desired).  Place about half of the syrup mixture in the bottom of the pan. Then sprinkle half of the brown sugar mixture on top. Lay the biscuits on the bottom of the pan, overlapping edges (closely together) to form a ring.  Top with remaining syrup and sugar mixtures.

Bake at 375 degrees for 15 minutes or until golden brown.  Cool for 1 minute in the pan, then invert onto a serving platter and enjoy!

Never one to leave well enough alone when it comes to recipes, I substituted Karo syrup for the maple syrup (I'm not a maple fan) and I used 1 1/2 cans of the larger canned biscuits because it seemed a little skimpy in the pan with only one.  This recipe definitely gets a permanent spot in my recipe file and will get made at every excuse.

My final food-related pin wasn't a recipe, but a serving idea. Jen @ Yummy Fun shared a recipe for guacamole and showed it served in a candle holder.  I didn't try the recipe, but I did borrow the serving idea for my buffet.  I filled two (faux)-wrought iron and glass votive holders with sauce for the cocktail shrimp.  They looked pretty and added some height variety to the buffet.  I love finding alternative uses for common items.

The Holiday Pin It/Do It Challenge is nearly complete.  I'll be back tomorrow with one final pin - or at least 1/2 of a pin.  

Holiday Pin It/Do It: Pin #10 - Taco Soup

Soup is a tradition for Christmas at our house.  My mother always serves soup when our extended family gets together, and soup is our usual Christmas Eve supper before we open gifts with our kids.  This year, I'm hosting Dave's family on Christmas day.  Since our little house has no dining room and the kitchen table will only seat six, we have no place to have a formal, sit-down-and-pass-the-food-around meal.  I briefly considered borrowing another table and setting it up in the living room, but that would be crowded - not to mention block the TV - and you can't easily pass dishes between two tables.  Instead, I chose to have a less formal Christmas dinner of soup and and "finger foods", served buffet-style from the kitchen counter.  Folks will have to eat wherever they can find a spot - kitchen table, couch, piano bench...  I even purchased TV trays for those people who don't get the spots by the coffee table.  

Chili is mandatory.  Dave and Mitch love chili and the want it hot!  My favorite is potato soup, so of course we'll be having that.  But I thought we needed a third choice for those who don't care for potato soup and don't care to have their digestive tract set on fire.  I found this recipe among the pins on my Recipe Board and it seemed like the perfect compromise.

Weight Watchers Taco Soup

Ingredients

1 lb ground beef or ground turkey breast
1 (15 ounce) can stewed tomatoes (any flavor)
1 (15 ounce) can stewed tomatoes (Mexican flavor)
1 large onion (chopped)
1 (1 1/4 ounce) package taco seasoning mix
1 (1 1/4 ounce) package hidden valley ranch dressing mix
 (15 ounce) can hot chili beans
1 (15 ounce) can pinto beans
1 (15 ounce) can whole kernel corn

Preparation
1. Brown the the meat and onions and drain.
2. Mix the taco seasoning mix and ranch dressing mix into the meat.
3. Add all the other ingredients, without draining.
4. Simmer for about 1 hour.
5. Serve hot, topped with sour cream, cheese, avocado, raw onions, or nacho chips (optional).

Never one to leave well enough alone when it comes to recipes, I made a few "tweeks".  I used chopped white-meat chicken in place of the ground turkey, and cannellini beans in place of pintos.  I have this prepared and in the freezer so the only review I can give you is from the sample I tasted while cooking - and it was delicious.  One recipe serves 10 (the web site does not specify a serving size) at 239 calories per serving, so this will be a great option for me if I haven't gotten rid of those last, stubborn five pounds by Christmas day.

In My Best Pinterest . . .

Are you a Pinterest addict?  If so, it's time to stop making "wish lists" and start making those wishes come true.  Trish, of Love, Laughter and a Touch of Insanity is sponsoring the "Pin It/Do It Challenge" during the month of October.  The concept is pretty basic - make or do some of the things you have pinned; give/receive encouragement from other pinners, and maybe get some ideas for future projects.  If you want to give it a try, visit Trish's blog to sign up (link above).

Trish offers three levels of participation to coincide with your level of enthusiasm.  I am signing up for the "Pin Obsessed" level, which is to accomplish 8 or more pins. I created a "Pin it/Do it Challenge" board with all the things I thought I might actually try.  There are twenty-one pins on it and there's no way I'm going to get to them all, but my hope is to get some Christmas gifts made, try a new recipe or two, and finally hang some bedroom curtains (we've only lived here 18 months).  Here's what I have lined up:

Sewing: 

• Book marks
• Coasters
• Business card holders - to hold all those "rewards" cards stores give out.
• Potholders
• Casserole Carriers
• Placemats/table runners
• Coffee Cup Cozies
• Bottle "aprons"
• Bedroom curtains

Cooking - low calorie/low fat recipes:

• Ranch Dressing
• Strawberry Muffins 
• Skinny Monkey Cookies
• Weight Watchers Taco Soup

DIY Projects and Other Crafts:

• Spoon Ring
• TV Tray Ironing Board
• Curtain Headboard
• Christmas Gift Tags
• Gratitude Journal
• Book Page Christmas Trees

Decorating:  Candy Corn Candle

Activities:  Nature Treasure Hunt (with kids/grandkids)

If you want to try any of these projects, you can find them on my Pinterest Challenge board.  

Six Word Saturday

A Fair is a Veritable Smorgasboard . . .

My fair entries

This week I made my first attempt at entering the County Fair, and I would say we had a reasonably successful year.  I received 3rd place on my Wild Plum/Apple Jelly, 3rd on peach pie, and 3rd on apple pie.  I also got 1st place for my chili sauce, entered in the "Homemade Catsup" division - but there were only two entries, so I'm not sure that really counts.  Dave placed 3rd in the Animal Photos competition with his picture of Gabby, the Big Red Dog and her following of heiffers. 

We learned a lot about the subjectivity of judges' opinions.  They didn't award a ribbon to my chocolate chip cookies 

because they "needed more chocolate".  That would be because I like a larger cookie-to-chocolate ratio so I only put in 1/2 the bag of chocolate chips rather than the full bag called for in the recipe.  To each his own, I guess. I also entered Snickerdoodles made from a recipe which won a Grand Champion ribbon for a friend a few years back - but this group of judges deemed them "too thick".  Obviously not Snickerdoodle connoisseurs! :)  My flowers didn't win, either - but every group of "5 brown marigolds" entered looked identical to me, so obviously I'm not up on the finer points of marigold standards.  

I'm thrilled with our ribbons and the $7 in prize money we've got coming.  It was hard work getting everything ready, but also a lot of fun.  Already brainstorming ideas to enter next year.

In case you're not familiar with my 6-word phrase, A Fair is a Veritable Smorgasboard is a song from the animated movie Charlotte's Web.

Six Word Saturday is sponsored by Cate at Show My Face.  Just describe your life, or something in it, in exactly six words.  Visit Cate's blog and play along.

Food: Fresh, Frozen and Forbidden

Updates on a couple of food-related things in my life.

NutriSystem:  Going very well.  I hesitate to use the word "easy" lest it conjure visions of Magic Weight Loss Fairy Dust.  That's not what NutriSystem is about at all.  What it IS about is learning portion control, a balanced diet, and a healthier attitude toward food.  So, as life without lemon cupcakes goes, this is easy.  After ten weeks, I've lost 27 lbs.

Eating It Real:  This is a challenge issued by Trish at Love, Laughter and a Hint of Insanity, in which we attempt to cut processed foods from our diet - focusing on more nutritious fresh and frozen foods, and avoiding chemicals and preservatives. Since a large portion of our diet right now is coming from NutriSystem, we adapted the challenge to cover the foods we add to the NS plan.  I have to admit, this has been a bigger challenge than I was expecting.

Switching to fresh or frozen fruits and vegetables was a snap. . . except for green beans.  I eat a lot of green beans and our small-town grocer doesn't stock fresh green beans out of season.  I have picked them up whenever I'm in a larger town, and I've used frozen, but I have slipped back to the canned ones on occasion for convenience. 

Dairy products - about the only dairy I'm consuming at the moment is yogurt - lots and lots of yogurt.  I haven't got a clue how to make yogurt from scratch and, frankly, the thought of making something that involves "live cultures" without a good handle on safety issues makes me a little squeamish.  

Breads and Grains - I'm not eating bread except hamburger buns and tortillas. Tried to make buns from a recipe I found on-line which included calorie info (unlike Grandma's proven recipe). Not successful.  I love making pasta, but I'm not eating it right now.  I did switch to brown rice (point for me).

Attempted homemade hummus from dried chickpeas cooked according to package directions. Evidently the package directions were approximate because they weren't cooked clear through so they didn't blend into the smooth hummus I've come to know and love.  I went back to buying my hummus.

Then there is pop (or soda, if you prefer).  Hello, my name is Tami, and I am a diet pop addict.  I've cut down, but just can't let it go.  

So basically, I stink at this challenge and would probably die of some disease caused by the many artificial ingredients in my food - if it weren't for the fact that I'm not eating much food any more - so I'm hoping it evens out.

Eatin' it Real

Trish at Love, Laughter and a Touch of Insanity is challenging us all to go natural for a month . . . in the food department that is.  During the month of March, Trish and her family will be eating no processed foods, and she's inviting everyone to give it a try along with them. There are no specific rules, you can individualize your "go natural" plan to fit your life.  Here are the guidelines Trish will be following, to give you a starting place:

1. We will not consume any pantry food that comes from a box or a can (the exception might be canned tomatoes or dry pasta).
2. We will not consume any processed fridge products other than dairy items.
3. If a recipe calls for a processed condiment (such as ketchup), we will carefully analyze the feasibility of making said condiment from scratch
4. We will limit our eating out together and alone but will not avoid social gatherings such as family dinners.
Everything else should be as natural and unprocessed as possible. Yup—we’ll even attempt to make our own bread. Though we will not be grinding the wheat to make the flour. 

 Since our household is currently on NutriSystem, we can't avoid all processed foods, but at least we are certain that the prepared meals we are eating are nutritionally balanced, low sodium and low fat.  With the provided meals, we add fruits, vegetables, grains, dairy, etc.  That is where we will focus on "eatin' it real".  Here are my personal goals:

• No canned fruits or veggies.  This is the majority of our discretionary diet at the moment, so it will get the most attention.  We will have to make more frequent stops at a Mega-Mart because our small-town store does not carry some fresh produce, such as green beans, year round, or adjust our menus to what fresh veggies are available.  This also means no packaged fruit cups in my lunch - especially the "parfait" type with some mysterious custard-like substance.  They are delicious, but of course they contain less actual fruit in order to keep the calorie count similar to a plain fruit cup.  Fresh fruits only.
• No packaged pasta - what little we are eating I will make fresh from whole-wheat flour.
• Homemade bread - again we're not consuming much right now, but I will make our own IF I can determine how it compares in calories/portion size to the ready-made stuff.  Tortillas will have to be an exception, but I already buy whole grain, low fat.
• Dairy - Since I don't know how to make cheese, nor do I have a cow, that will have to come from the store, as will milk, obviously.  
• Peanut butter - don't know how to make my own, so I will look for natural varieties in the store or just eliminate it all together since I don't eat much anyway.  
• Salad dressing - I know there are tons of recipes out there to make it myself and regulate the fat/calories to boot.
• Hummus - This is one of my favorite snacks, so I'll be looking for recipes to make my own.

As you can see, we aren't able to dive into the all natural challenge completely, but we'll take a dip where we can and, hopefully, develop better, healthier eating habits.  If you want to give it a try, visit Trish's blog (link at the top of the page) to sign up and see what others are doing.

Wildcats, Aggieville and.... Tomatoes?

If you've followed this blog much at all over the last two years, you probably know two basic things about us:  1) We are K-State fans and 2) we live on a farm we call Green Acres, after the 1960's TV show, because we don't actually farm, and I'm not normally the outdoorsy type. 

Dave and I attended K-State in the late 70's/early 80's.  He left with a degree and I left with a husband and we were both happy. We frequently travel to Manhattan for football and basketball games.  We've had season tickets at various times - even one year when we lived 250 miles away (bad idea!) Our closet is full of purple shirts; we have purple hats, purple socks, purple coats, purple golf bag, purple club covers, there are purple dishes in our kitchen, purple rugs in the bathroom, my dish soap is even purple.  If there is a color option, we almost always choose purple.  How does this connect to Green Acres?  Follow along...

When we moved into Green Acres last year, we inherited a lot of beautiful flowers and a lovely garden spot from the previous owner who, the locals tell us, turned these two acres into a showplace back in the 70's - brick paths leading to immaculate flower beds; shrubs, perennials and annuals selected to have continual color throughout the summer; even roaming peacocks.  There was even a separate and complete kitchen in the basement she used only for canning.  Unfortunately, the house sat empty and the gardens untended for a good many years while the owner was in a nursing home.  Only after her death a few years ago was the house sold and re-occupied.  We are slowly beating back the overgrowth, cutting up the dead wood and rediscovering the brick paths under the grass. I added a few annuals in pots and in the flower box attached to the front of the house, but otherwise we spent most of last summer just discovering what is already here.

Except for the garden. I have never been a gardener - I once planted some tomatoes and peppers in an unused flower bed, but the rabbits ate more of them than we did. We have always lived in town, where the combination of limited yard space and children and dogs wanting to use that yard, kept us from trying anything more.  But, faced with all this space - not to mention all the neighbors asking if we had our garden in yet - we decided to try our hand.  We planted tomatoes, peppers, carrots, green beans, cilantro, cucumbers, lettuce, cantaloupe and watermelon.  We planted everything from seed and we started way too late.  Never saw hide nor hair (nor leaf) of a pepper or cilantro plant - not sure what happened there - the carrots met with an unfortunate weed-eater accident, we harvested enough beans for about 3 meals, and every time a melon got big enough to be recognizable, a dog recognized it as a ball and ran away with it.  However, we had bumper lettuce, tomato and cucumber crops, so not a total wash for our first try.  In the process we learned a lot about soil preparation, planting season and protecting melons from dogs.  This year we are  prepared, we are enthused and we are going purple!

Through Twitter, I met a lovely lady named Kelly (@toesandtomatos), who has recently started her own heirloom seed business. I didn't really know what an "heirloom" seed was but it did make me wonder if purchasing quality seed rather than the 10 for a dollar variety at Wal-Mart might produce a better crop (cause I'm sharp that way!) so I paid a visit to Kelly's website, The Art of Seed.  What I found were some amazing tomato and pepper varieties that I had never seen or heard of - and some of them were PURPLE AND WHITE!  So, in our garden this summer you will find, Lord willing, some Black Cherry Tomatoes alongside Great White Tomatoes. Go Cats!

Photos courtesy of The Art of Seed

We're also going to throw in some Mini Chocolate Bell Peppers because their brown color has a purplish hue - and they're just so darn cute! - plus some regular red tomatoes and peppers as well.

One thing led to another, as things on Twitter often do, and I also met another lovely lady, Jan, (@twowomenandahoe) who had featured Kelly's story on her beautiful purple blog, Two Women and a Hoe (which is a portion of her web-site dedicated to her awesome landscaping business).  If you have any interest in gardening, landscaping or just like to look at pretty pictures, I encourage you to visit both of these sites, meet these women and get inspired to start making your garden/landscape plans.  In spite of what that groundhog said, summer will be here before you know it.