Interesting things I found along the way-you never know.

Tuesday, June 30, 2015

Summer Picnicking


Oh So Easy Picnicking

Picnics in the summer trump any activity, no matter where your picnic is. But, the clean up can be a bear when returning home.

          As a coinsure of summer picnics and picnicking, I devised at simple way of handling the hated, "after picnic clean up".

My strategy:

-Throughout the year, save plastic containers, i.e. store bought pies, purchased salads at say chicken take outs, preferable anything with a removable label.
-Before washing the container, peel off the labels while watching TV at night.
-After washing and drying them, store in an out of the way cabinet you hate getting into, i.e. the cabinet above the refrigerator
-Be vigilant with saving all containers
-Before the first summer concert, pull down all saved containers and separate them by size and shape.
-As concerts are planned, put your food in the containers and take off for the concert.
-After the concert, throw the containers, plastic forks, spoons, knives and cups away.

          You'll come home with an empty sack of nothing and be glad you saved those pesky containers.


Thursday, April 30, 2015

Little known fact about Ireland



Little known fact about Ireland

Muckanaghederdauhaulia (Irish: Muiceanach idir Dhá Sháile) The longest name of a town in Ireland. It means "ridge, shaped like a pig's back, between two expanses of briny water"..  It is a 470 acre townland in Kilcummin, County Galway, Ireland.
It was formerly regarded as the longest place name in Ireland (22 letters), but awareness of longer names has recently challenged Muckanaghederdauhaulia for the title.

Bet you can't say Muckenaghederdauhaulia 10 times fast!!

Thursday, April 2, 2015

Tax Time



TAX TIME!!
          Income tax has been a part of our lives since 1862 when Congress began imposing taxes to support the Civil War during President Lincoln's term.  In 1913 the 16th Amendment made income tax a permanent fixture in our lives. Thanks President Wilson!!
          I thought I'd add a laugh to the sting of April 15th deadlines.  After all, laughs are free and non-taxable!


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RqnAS0ZcmsY

Sunday, March 1, 2015

Irish Apple Cake


This recipe is similar to Spice Cake with sweet, juicy apples. I had this in Tipperary, when we visited Ireland last year. We ordered a second one to take back to our hotel. Great with melted butter drizzled on top or whipped cream.
Ultimate Irish Apple Cake
courtesy of Food.com
4 tablespoons butter, softened (room temperature)
egg, beaten (room temperature)
granny smith apples, cored, peeled and diced (2 cups)
1/4 cup chopped walnuts
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Preheat oven to 350°F
Generously grease an 8-inch square cake pan.
In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy.
Add the egg, apples, nuts, and vanilla and stir well.
Sift in the dry ingredients and mix well.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake about 45 minutes, until the cake is lightly browned and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
Remove from oven and let the cake set in the pan for 5 minutes, then remove from pan.
Serve warm or at room temperature with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.

Serves 10-12

Sunday, February 1, 2015

Valentine's Dessert-Decadent

Nothing beats a decadent dessert for Valentine's Day. Why go out when you and your special person can make and enjoy this dessert at home.

TRIPLE CHOCOLATE RASPBERRY MOUSSE

Courtesy of:  Lemon Tree Dwelling (e-mail address below)


Mousse
1 tsp. unflavored gelatin
1 Tbsp. cold water
2 Tbsp. boiling water
½ c. sugar
¼ c. cocoa powder
1 c. heavy cream, cold
1 tsp. vanilla extract (may substitute almond)

Chocolate Sauce
⅓ c. cocoa powder
1 c. sugar
¾ c. evaporated milk
¼ c. butter
½ tsp. vanilla extract (may substitute almond)

Garnish
2 Tbsp. chocolate chips
whipped cream

Mousse

1.    Sprinkle gelatin over cold water in small bowl; stir and let stand 1 min. to soften.
2.    Add boiling water; stir until gelatin is completely dissolved.
3.    Combine sugar and cocoa powder in small mixing bowl; add heavy cream and vanilla.
4.    Beat at medium speed until stiff peaks form; pour in gelatin mixture and beat until well-blended.
5.    Spoon into serving dishes; chill 1 hour.

Chocolate Sauce

1.    Combine cocoa powder and sugar in small saucepan; blend in evaporated milk.
2.    Add butter.
3.    Cook and stir constantly until mixture just begins to boil.
4.    Remove from heat and stir in vanilla.
5.    Spoon over chilled mousse; top with fresh raspberries, whipped cream, chocolate pieces, and sliced almonds (optional).


Preparation time- 75 mins
TOTAL TIME -1 hour 15 mins
Serves:2-4



http://www.lemontreedwelling.com/2014/02/triple-chocolate-raspberry-mousse-celebrating-valentines-day-with-pick-n-save-milwaukee-grocery.html

Friday, January 2, 2015

Snow Man Juice Boxes


Snowman juice boxes

These can be made ahead of time and used in your children’s lunch box for school.
Check out the website.

Monday, December 1, 2014

Holiday Family Craft


My family made ornaments every December using house hold items. This year I wanted to share pasta ornaments. They are so very much fun to make for adults and children of all ages. Then we would place them on the dining room table and used them for centerpieces until we put up the tree. They adorned our tree year after year with memories of each ornament.
          Great ideas below
Pasta train
Pasta tree ornaments