Pumpkin Crunch

I Will Never Be June Cleaver.......(hard to believe, right??) but when I make this Pumpkin Crunch, I FEEL like June Cleaver! : )

I don't bake a lot. We are in our middle/late fifties and it's hard to eat like we used to. But when a friend of mine posted this recipe at school many years ago, I just had to try it. It is TOO STINKIN' simple and everyone loves it. Even friends who HATE pumpkin loved it and asked for the recipe. So, if it's during the fall time of the year...if you ask me over to watch a game, I'm bringing Pumpkin Crunch. If you ask me over for dinner, I'm bringing Pumpkin Crunch. If I show up for Thanksgiving, I'm bringing Pumpkin Crunch. Enjoy!! (I think I might even go buy an apron!)

2 cans pumpkin
1 can Carnation milk
1 1/2 cups sugar
3 eggs
1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1 pkg. Butter Cake mix

Mix all ingredients but the cake mix and pour in a 9x13 baking pan.
Sprinkle dry cake mix on top.
Pour 1 1/2 sticks of melted butter over cake mix.
Sprinkle with brown sugar.
Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour.
Serve with cool whip.

Have a Ball.....Jar!

If you read my last post, you saw a YUMMO kahlua-chocolate-chip trifle!  I wanted to take some to a friend of mine but didn't want to make an entire trifle.  I also didn't want to take a "spoonful" to her in a plastic container, so I thought, what about a Ball Jar?  While thinking about that, I was also wanting to make some summer desserts that were old-time-favorites, i.e., banana pudding.  Today I made a Cheesecake-Banana Pudding in a Ball Jar and it was DELICIOUS...and QUICK, QUICK, QUICK to make! 

Ingredients:

Cool Whip, Nabisco Mini Nilla Wafers, Philadelphia Cream Cheese Cheesecake Filing and a banana.

Recipe:

Layer wafers, a "glob" of cheesecake filling, bananas and a "glob" of Cool Whip.  Do this twice.
Seal the jar with the lid, put a cute bow on it and write a message on top!

I'm having coffee with a friend tomorrow.  Think I'll take her a mini Kahlua-Chocolate Chip Trifle! Look how perfect the cookie fits! : )

Chocolate Chip Kahlua Trifle!

OH. MY. GOSH!!!  I made this tonight for the first time and it took me about 10 minutes.  Seriously. I will be taking this to ALL family and friend functions from now on, so please don't bring it if you know I will also be there! : )

Here's what you need:
2/3 whole milk
1/3 cup Kahlua
1 large tub Cool Whip
2 packages of Chip's Ahoy ORIGINAL Chocolate Chip cookies

Here's what you do:
Mix milk and Kahlua in a small bowl.
Dip (not soak) cookies in mix and line bottom of trifle dish with cookies.
Spread thin layer of Cool Whip.
Repeat.
(I added shredded chocolate to the top.  Hershey bar with cheese grater!)

Hello Fresh!

Several friends from CS told me about this new deal (well, new to me) called Hello Fresh. NOW....before you read any further, know that this is NOT a business and it is not networking.  It is FRESH food delivered to your door each week...IF you want to order it.   I did and got our first order this week.  I am AMAZED.  It usually costs $69 a week for three meals for two people (we've had leftovers so far, so I got six meals out of it!) but because I had a code, I got the entire box for $29!!!! Here's a code for you to use:  JBNZGY  

In the picture above you see the box at my front door. In it was a "cold bag" with all the ingredients. 

As you can see, they are all FRESH foods.  It also comes with recipe cards with step by step instructions.  The bottom three pictures are what we had tonight...Seared Chicken & Pea Pilaf.  Last night we had Citrus Skillet Shrimp.  And my husband LOVED them both!  Each week you choose what you'd like for the next week.  You have several choices.

Here's what I like so far....
1.  I only used olive oil.  ALL ingredients were in the box.
2.  I didn't have to decide what to prepare this week or what ingredients I had or needed. UGH!
3.  The food is FRESH food!
4.  I didn't have to go to the grocery store.
5.  I didn't have to go to the grocery store.
6.  I didn't have to go to the grocery store. : )

A Cabbage Vase!

We have TONS of knock-out roses and I love my vases that I use but I wanted something different to put in my kitchen.  Something that had to do with food and that would look like I had ordered it from a magazine! : )  So....I went to the store and paid $1.23 for a cabbage.  Hubby was home for lunch when I walked in from the store and I finished the arrangement way before he left to go back to work.  So it's cheap AND quick.  I know that some of you have probably done this before but for those that haven't, ENJOY!!  And again....the whole thing was $1.23!!

Here are the directions:
1.  Buy cabbage.  Remove the outer leaves to use later.
2.  Use a Ball jar (or any glass) and mark around the opening.  Do this on BOTH  sides of the cabbage.
3.  Cut out the cabbage from end to end.
4.  Place a small glass inside.  Fill with water.
5.  Arrange flowers in glass.  Arrange outer leaves around cabbage.

I'm now thinking bell peppers for a Mexican dinner, purple cabbage with white flowers (TCU friends!), pineapple with orange, pink and yellow flowers, etc! : )  Send me some pictures of YOUR creations and I'll feature you on the blog!

Those Bread Thingys!

You've seen them (those white plastic bread thingys) and you've thrown them away.  Well, now I've found a use for them!   We have our couple friends from CS visit us (8 people total) and then we have our kids and their families visit and EVERYONE has their own plug for their iPad, smart phone, computer, etc. And more times than none I've had someone call or text after a visit and say, "Did I leave my charger there?"  These are WONDERFUL to keep around for those visits and for all of those cords you have that you have NO idea what they are for.  Stick them in a small baggie when you take them off the bread, rolls, etc. wrapper and put them in a drawer.  They take up NO room. Use a sharpie to write your guests' initials on them,  hook on to their cord and VOILA! (or your TV, cords for your speakers, bedroom tv cord, chargers, etc.)

Lemon Ice Box Pie - 3 Ingredients!

I am heading to see my grandmother tomorrow and wanted to take something to the ladies/nurses at the nursing home but I did NOT want to go to the grocery store.  I NEVER like going to the grocery store! UGH! And Thursdays are my cleaning day (more on that later) and I didn't want to take time out of my day to go to too much trouble! HA!  So....I found this quick recipe and I mean QUICK QUICK QUICK.   There are literally three ingredients.

3 eggs yolks
1 can of Borden's Eagle Brand milk
1/2 cup of RealLemon lemon juice

When I'm baking, I do NOT want to try to figure out what I need to buy at the store, I do not want to cut up lemons or use the zest from one or try to be Martha Stewart.  But.....I do want something that's quick and that tastes good and that people like to eat.

So...here's the recipe for 

Lemon Ice Box Pie!

1.  Put the egg yolks in a bowl and beat.

2.  Add the Eagle Brand milk and 1/2 cup of RealLemon lemon juice and beat.

3.  Pour in a graham cracker crust.

4.  Bake for 30 minutes at 325.  Cool for 1 hour.  

Put in icebox/refrigerator for two hours and top with Cool Whip.  

Easy, easy cleanup and YUMMO!!

Paper Plates and the Microwave

Hi, sweet friends!  We had company this last weekend and I had my granddaughter last week so I am just now sitting down to send you a QUICK tip.  And I mean QUICK!  This is something that we have ALWAYS done no matter where we lived.  To help stop messes in the microwave (because WHO likes to clean the microwave??  Seriously?  Who?  And it's so hard to get that round glass plate back on. UGH!), have paper plates nearby to always cover your bowl, plate or cup.  The word nearby is of utmost importance.  I know most of you cover your food when using the microwave, this post is just about finding a place in reach!  When you are heating something up or using the microwave to cook something during dinner, you do not want to look for (or remember where you put them) a paper plate.  SO....find a cabinet or drawer that is close to your microwave and put your paper plates there or even on top of the microwave.  I buy them by the 50s or 100s and I always buy the cheapest.  These are not paper plates to eat on.   They are solely for your microwave.  They will save you TONS AND TONS AND TONS of cleanup time!  (The Chinet plates in the picture are for eating on...because they ROCK! : )

Piles of Magazines!

This might be one of my favorites.  We all have baskets or stacks or piles of magazines somewhere in our office or home and we walk by it and think, "One day...."  We bought the magazines for a couple of recipes or a really interesting article, etc. but not really for the entire magazine.  Here's an EASY solution to organize only the recipes/articles/ideas you want and to get rid of that PILE of magazines cluttering up your space!

1.  Take magazines out of basket.

2.  Buy a really cute binder (doesn't have to be cute but it helps : ) and some plastic top loading sleeves.

3.  Go through magazines QUICKLY.  Seriously.  Quickly is the big word here.  DON'T dawdle (yes, that's word) and start reading the articles.  Just QUICKLY tear out the ones you want to look at later and put them in the sleeves in the binder.

4.  THROW THE MAGAZINES AWAY.  You now have your articles, etc. in a really cute binder that you can take with you in the car, on the beach, soccer or ballet practice, etc. and your basket is clutter free!

Nailed it!!

Four years ago I married a wonderful man who is a Tooling/Composites aerospace engineer.  At work, there are BIG, HUGE, GINORMOUS tools.  At home....they are smaller but there are many, many, many tools at our home.  I was out of town last weekend on a photo shoot and came home to the most wonderful thing.  "K" had organized his entire room off of the garage and did the most wonderful thing for me.  (It wasn't for me but I'm just going to say it was.)  He organized every single screw, nut, bolt, nail, washer, etc. in two sets of small drawers.  Now...that's all fine and good but THIS part is the part I just KNOW he did for me. : )  He went so far as to glue each particular screw, etc. on the front of the drawer!  Now we don't have to search and hunt for that one specific screw or bolt that we need!  You nailed it, "K!"

Water Spots and Olive Oil

When I was a little girl, the only Olive Oil I knew of was Popeye's girlfriend.  And then we started hearing Rachel Ray say EVOO all the time.  (I literally Googled EVOO.)  Now....you can clean with it!  Who knew!?  When we looked at our new home for the first time, the first thing I noticed in the kitchen were the water spots (streaks) below the water dispenser on the refrigerator.  (I call it an icebox. : )  When we moved in, the first thing I wanted to do was to get those spots OFF!  We had never owned a stainless steel refrigerator/icebox before so I was at a loss as to how to clean it.  (Just an FYI in case you try it, rubbing it vigorously and using choice words doesn't help.)  So one day, while watching the Today show, they had a guy on there show how to remove water spots from stainless steel!  I nearly fell off the chair!  

Here are the directions:

1.  Get Olive Oil. (doesn't matter which kind)
2.  Put a small amount on a soft cloth and rub on water spots.
3.  Put your feet up and have another cup of coffee. : )

The Red Box

As most of my friends know, I start shopping for Christmas WAY before Christmas.  (I already have a few gifts.)  But the problem was, where I should put them during the year so that I could REMEMBER where I put them!?  So, since I was focused on Christmas gifts at the time, I bought a big red Tupperware box and that's where the gifts would go during the year.  Of course, then I started buying birthday gifts, Easter gifts, gifts to have on hand for forgotten b'days, etc. and now they ALL go in "The Red Box."  It's been fun to open the box when I'm ready to start wrapping....I literally forget what some of the gifts are!  Great way to keep those unwrapped gifts organized.

Fall and Winter Organizing?! NOW?

Yep, NOW!  Now is a great time to organize Fall (Halloween, Thanksgiving) and Christmas "stuff."  And you KNOW a lot of it is just STUFF.  So....since our hearts and minds are on spring and sunshine and Easter, etc., now is a great time to organize the other so that you are not so emotionally a part of that season and when it rolls around again, you are ready!    Here are some tips for quick, seasonal organizing.

1.  Unless you have a walk-in attic, or an attic that's easy to stand up in, try to find a closet or a part of a closet in your home to keep the decorations.  It's easier and it's handy.
2.  Get three boxes and label them with marker.  PUT AWAY....GIVE AWAY....THROW AWAY
Start with one pile or one box to go through.  ONE.
3.  When we moved I found great, sturdy boxes at Home Depot for like 69 cents!  I just couldn't throw them away.  And, right now is a hard time to find those big orange tupperware storage containers and they can get pretty expensive.  So....I used orange duct tape for "fall" and voila!  (You can do this for any season)
4.  If this seems like a big task for you, DON'T do it all at once.  Take 15 minutes today, 15 minutes next Thursday, etc.

Weiman Lemon Oil!!

I bought some used furniture yesterday from a dear friend and knew I was going to probably need to strip some of it and redo it. Four of the pieces were burl wood and I've never owned any of that so I wasn't quite sure what to do.   And then I remembered!!!!  I had Weiman Lemon Oil in my cleaning bag. (Cleaning bag to come later.)  I thought, "Why not give it a try before I find someone to refinish, etc."  O.M.G.!!!  Look at the before and after pictures.  I rubbed a small amount on the wood and rubbed in circles.  LOOK WHAT HAPPENED!!!  We were  SHOCKED!  I love it!  Now I'm thinking of all the other pieces that need to <<SHINE>>!

Cling Wrap and Painting!

Check out how I use Cling Wrap while I'm painting a room!!

Never Wet!!

OK...this may be the greatest invention EVER!  If you use a toilet brush (which I'm hoping you do!), then you will love this stuff!  Never Wet is a product that I bought at Home Depot (which is now on sale for $10/Regularly $18.98) and that I sprayed on a toilet brush.  I can think of NOTHING grosser than a toilet brush.  UGH!  I won't even go into it....use your imagination.  The brushes that you can buy with the snap on/throw away disks might be expensive for some....so, I've found the solution!! Spray Never Wet on a NEW toilet brush.  Scrub away.  The water and the YUCKINESS will NOT adhere to the brush.  Seriously....your brush will be DRY!   No need to walk across the room with a dripping, DISGUSTING toilet brush. Try it and let me know what you think!  Check them out on Twitter @NeverWet_LLC

Come On In!

When you knock on a friend's front door you might hear, "Come on in!" or "Welcome!" or "Get in this house!"  But before the door is opened, you see their front porch, their steps, their door, windows, etc.  We usually never walk in our own front doors.  As a family, we usually use the garage door or the back door.  Try it now.  Seriously.  Walk outside (right now), shut your front door, and look around.  I did.  It wasn't pretty.  Literally or figuratively.  The remnants of winter weather were all over my front door and porch.  So, RIGHT NOW....go get a wet rag, or some Clorox wipes and wipe that door down. Now....do you need a new door mat?  Do you need a new fresh plant on your porch?  This is the first thing your guests see and let's not forget the people that drive by every day.  Always make this first impression something that says, "Get in this house!"