Monday, March 18, 2024

Jello, Pineapple & Maraschino Spring Flowers

As I was revisiting an old Jello post, Bloggy Buddy Sandi's comment stuck out... She said her mom would add maraschino cherries to the hole, and the thought occurred to me... The contrasting center would kinda look like Jello & Pineapple Spring Flowers. Talk about a pretty addition to your Easter dinner or Mother's Day brunch:@) Any holiday or occasion really... And no Jello mold needed, this is made right in the pineapple can, and is a very old idea from Dole. My best suggestion: Do gently warm the outside of the can before trying to release the Jello, don't try to push it out as they say in the vintage ad hereTrust me folks... 

Above pic is with lemon Jello.
Do you have any green maraschino cherries?
Yep, that would work great too:@)
I like the orange best:@)

Jello, Pineapple & Maraschino Cherries in a Can
20 oz can pineapple slices in juice
Enough maraschino cherries to fill center hole-approx 8-9
Four serving size Jello, any flavor
1/2 C boiling water
1/2 C cold water
  1. Open can of pineapple, leave slices in can and drain juice. (Use juice in this great marinade for grilling here.)
  2. Dissolve Jello in boiling water, stir in cold water.
  3. Blot cherries on paper towel and fill center hole of pineapple to the top.
  4. Carefully fill can with Jello, give a little shake, top off with Jello, you may have a little left over. Make sure it fills the center around the cherries too.
  5. Center pineapple in can and place in refrigerator until set. At least 4 hours, preferably overnight.
  6. Unmold: What I did... 
  7. Open other end of can with can opener. Place plastic wrap over each open end. Run hot water around the can for a few seconds.
  8. Dry can well, remove plastic wrap and shake out of cut end of can. I then allowed it to re-chill a little longer in the fridge.
  9. Use pineapple slices as your guide, cut with sharp knife and enjoy!
It's an oldie but a goodie!
Have a Happy Day:@)

Saturday, March 16, 2024

Easter Prep: Egg Chicks, Bunny Flatwear Holder & Jello Meringue Cookies

As we look forward to Easter and meal planning, I thought it would be fun to gather a few ideas that, while some are edible, they may all lean more towards the crafty side of the holiday:@) First, why not play with our food a bit and add some Hard Boiled Egg Chicks to the deviled egg tray or charcuterie board... They are cute and if not eaten during dinner, can be put back in the fridge and turned into egg salad the next day.


Whether hosting Easter dinner this year or just looking for a cute idea to bring a smile or two... These Felt Easter Bunny Flatware Holders literally cost pennies and come together in no time. This is an easy project that can be sewn or glued, perfect to get the kids involved. Why not whip up a few in pretty spring colors for your holiday tablescape:@)

And whether you try something as elaborate as these piped Easter bunnies, or simply drop spoonful's of this fluffy batter onto the baking sheet, I encourage you to give these fun Jello Meringue Cookies (or maybe it's more like candy:@) a try. This is a fun foodie project that will require a little time, but most of that is in the oven.

Happy Holiday Planning, and
Have a Great Weekend🐰

Friday, March 15, 2024

Inspirational Friday

 

Have a Happy Weekend,
and Don't Forget to Wear Some Green:@)

Wednesday, March 13, 2024

Small Any Fruit Pie Filling Dump Cake Recipe -Jiffy Cake Mix

Every once in a while I like to make a fast dessert using minimal ingredients, and this one only calls for three things. I'd also prefer that it only be for dinner, not temp me for days:@) That's exactly what this Small Any Fruit Dump Cake is, and we all thought it was pretty darn good. Maybe not Easter buffet glamorous, but nice for Sunday dinner. Especially with a little scoop of vanilla ice cream on the side. Start with any canned fruit pie filling you'd like, and it really doesn't matter what size... This will work best with 20 oz, but I think we can get away with 15 oz if that's all we have. And instead of a regular cake mix, I used the smaller Jiffy size, it worked great. 
Note: 9x13" crowd size would require two cans of pie filling, a full size cake mix, and 1/2 C butter.

Small Any Fruit Dump Cake
20 oz can pie filling
Jiffy yellow cake mix
1/4 C butter, cut into thin pats
  1. Pour pie filling into pie dish.
  2. Evenly sprinkle cake mix over filling.
  3. Add pats of butter all over top.
  4. Bake at 350 degrees for about 35-45 minutes or until top is golden brown and bubbling at edges.
  5. Serve with ice cream if desired.
Let's try something new, and
Have a Happy Day:@)

Tuesday, March 12, 2024

Barbie St. Patrick's Day Crafts Round-Up (Ken too...)

I wanted to share some last minute cute ideas for Barbie Crafts for St. Patrick's Day. After all, even Barbie doesn't want to get pinched:@) Most of these crafts come together in no time, and you may even have everything you need already in your craft stash. Click the links for how-to's... St. Pat's is this Sunday folks, I expect a fun, full o' green, weekend of celebration

I love re-purposing k-cups,
this silly hat is a great kid's craft...


🍀Let's make something just for fun, and
Have a Happy Day:@)

Monday, March 11, 2024

Chive and Onion Cream Cheese Deviled Eggs

It's always fun to try a new flavor combination and this one has been on my mind for a while... These Chive and Onion Cream Cheese Deviled Eggs have a nice mellow onion flavor, and the filling is just a tad denser from the cream cheese. I kinda like the little green bits in the yolk mixture too, but also decided to bump the color up with some fresh chives from the garden:@) Don't hesitate to give these substantial deviled eggs a try this Easter folks, I don't think you'll be disappointed.

Chive and Onion Cream Cheese Deviled Eggs
~Mix up your favorite deviled egg recipe but simply swap at least half of the mayonnaise for softened Chive and Onion Cream Cheese Spread.

Eat well and have a happy day:@)

Saturday, March 9, 2024

St. Pat's Tiered Tray & Leftover Corned Beef: Soup and Hash

To be honest folks, my St. Patrick's Day Tiered Tray doesn't change too much from year to year... Top Shelf: Little bouquet of mini daffodils from the yard, and acrylic craft bead shamrocks scattered around. My thrift store leprechaun and the Dollar Tree large mushroom fairy garden house he lives in:@) 
Bottom Tray: Flameless candle with holiday wrap, bowl of colorful candy, S&P, food picks, and napkins (my tiered tray has to be functional as well as cute:@). And I've had the large shamrock ornament forever.

Seems like all of the early holidays are ganging up on us this year! St. Pat's and Easter are only two weeks apart, so my ReView for leftovers is a little early, but the ideas are worth tucking away... What makes my Corned Beef Hash a little different? A nice generous sprinkle of fresh rosemary:@) That and a beautiful brown crust takes it right over the top. Talk about a breakfast I look forward to every year, good stuff folks.

And this Corned Beef and Cabbage Soup would be great as an alternative to a big holiday dinner, or a good use of leftovers. Maybe even tuck some meat away for a rainy day in April. It's a nice light meal.

🍀Let's get ready for St. Patrick's Day, and
Have a Happy Weekend:@)

Friday, March 8, 2024

Inspirational Friday

 

Have a great weekend:@)

Wednesday, March 6, 2024

Winter Gardening: Microgreen Seed Sprouts

I was killing some time on-line and typed in 'mason jar accessories'... Sprouting lids popped up and I thought that might be a fun little experiment, so I ordered them:@) Do you need a specialty lid? No. Folks have been sprouting seeds forever simply using cheesecloth, a coffee filter, or by cutting circles from a cheap $1 splatter screen that they sell for frying. The first thing I tried was a microgreens mix from Dollar Tree. The packet had about a half Tblsp of seeds in it. I used a quart jar, you could easily use a pint jar, or even a recycled peanut butter jar... Oh, btw, that gorgeous spinach wintered over in my raised bed garden-yep!

What I started with:
Observation: I'm not fond of the large openings in these lids. Seeds do fall out, all small would be best.

The process:
  • Day 1: Add seeds to clean jar, fill jar 1/3 to 1/2 with cool water. Add lid, place in a cool, dark spot for 8 hours or overnight.
  • Day 2: Pour off water. Add fresh water, gently swirl, drain. Do that twice, turning jar so the seeds 'stick' to the sides of the jar. Place jar inside bowl at about 45 degree angle. If you have sprouting lids, the jar can be turned upside down as the lid has bumps to raise it off plate for drainage. Add to cool, dark spot.
  • Day 3-until big enough to eat: Repeat Day 2.
  • When ready to eat: Rinse, drain, and this time put jar in a sunny window so the sprouts green-up before eating.
  • Leftover sprouts: Store covered in refrigerator.
After soaking for 7-8 hours,
draining and sitting upside down 24 hours...
Little sprouts:@)

After another 24 hours:

I'll spare you from having to watch, well, sprouts grow:@) I started soaking my seeds at 11 AM Sunday, and the sprouts were put into the window 7 AM Friday morning to green up for a few hours, and eaten with lunch. When it comes to growing things, this is a satisfying project, and because it grows so quickly, a fun one to do with the kids. There are plenty of videos on-line and it's perfect as we're waiting for the weather to warm up enough to get outside and start working in the garden.
If this is something you'd like to try, I do suggest buying seeds on-line in bulk specifically for sprouting. And you should use 1-3 Tblsp per jar to get enough greens to make it worthwhile.

Let's try something new, and
Have a Happy Day:@)