Dollar Tree Craft Item and St. Patrick's Day Recipe

Hello Everyone -- My apologies for delays in posting.  Things have been a little crazy around the home front.

Dollar Tree Craft Item Review:

To jump right in, I have a review of a Dollar Tree craft item that I intended to post last week and forgot.  Many people have jumped on to the adult coloring book trend.  People often find coloring relaxing, that it helps them to remove themselves from the hassles of the day and to focus on other things.  Some of the images available in adult coloring books are really beautiful and can be used as art to decorate walls or made into book covers or made into place mats, and more.

Dollar Tree has many adult coloring book choices from floral and garden designs to geometric designs to famous places around the world and more.  It's easy to see what you are getting when you can flip through the books, see the images, and get a feel for the quality of the paper.

But what about the colored pencils for use in coloring those images?  Dollar Tree carries a convenient pack of colored pencils, but you can't really tell how they will work or how the colors will look on paper until you get them home.

I picked up a pack of the Dollar Tree colored pencils.  The brand is Liqui-Mark, and the pack contains 10 pencils.  The colors look very vibrant in the package, and I was pleased to see that they were already sharpened to a fine point.  Colors included are:  dark green, brown, red, orange, yellow, bright green, sky blue, violet purple, black, and navy blue (the black pencil is in the box, did not realize it had not shown up until after I posted the photo).  I thought, "not bad for a buck."

But how do they work and look on paper?  I tried each one by coloring a little swatch of each color on a piece of white paper.  I found them to work smoothly on the paper.  I did NOT press hard with the colors because I have arthritis in my hands and do not want to use art or craft tools where I have to really press hard to get them to work.  Thankfully, that was not an issue as the color went onto the paper well, and the pigment was good without having to go over and over it.

Here is how the colors came out on paper.  If you go to Dollar Tree and wonder about the quality of the Liqui-Mark colored pencils, here is how they look.  I think for a dollar, you can't really beat it.

The black one (because I forgot to use it on the example with the others):

The colors would probably be more vibrant if I chose to go over them a few times or to press hard with the pencil, but for basic colored pencils to keep on hand for your coloring books or journals, this is a great buy, in my opinion.

Now, how about a fun salad or dessert idea for Saint Patrick's Day?

Pear Salad (to get your Green on)

Ingredients:

1 3-ounce package of lime jello

1 cup pear juice

2 3-ounce packages of cream cheese, room temperature

1 16-ounce can of pears, drained (save juice for the 1 cup of juice required)

1 8-ounce carton of Cool Whip

Instructions:

1)  Bring the 1 cup of pear juice gently to a boil.  Remove from heat.  Remove juice from pan and put into a medium size mixing bowl.

2)  Dissolve jello in the hot pear juice.

3)  Beat the cream cheese into the jello mixture.

4)  Crush the drained pears, and add them to the jello mixture.

5)  Chill until the mixture is turning thicker (like syrup).

6)  Fold in Cool Whip, and chill until firm.

Wishing everyone a great weekend coming up!

Happy Valentine's Day and Tasty Tuesday

I want to wish you all a very happy Valentine's Day!  

I hope all of you receive the gifts of love in all kinds of ways this coming year -- love among friends, love in a marriage or significant relationship, love and fun with your pets, and more.  I also hope that you all have the chance to do something that you love -- get into cooking, read more good books, make things, travel, play sports, learn to play an instrument, and other things you might want to do. 

Love makes life rich!

In keeping with the sweet theme of the day, I am sharing a dessert recipe:

Pecan Pie Bars

Ingredients:

2 cups flour

1/2 cup powdered sugar

1 cup margarine or butter

1 cup sweetened, condensed milk

1 egg

1 tsp. vanilla

1 (6-ounce almond brickle chips OR toffee chips)

1 cup pecans, chopped

Instructions:

1)  Mix flour and sugar.

2)  Cut the margarine or butter into the flour and sugar mixture.

3)  Press mixture into 9 x 13" pan and bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 15 minutes.

4)  Mix together the remaining ingredients and spread that mixture on crust.

5)  Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes or until golden.

6)  If you need to store the bars, store them in the refrigerator.

Tasty Tuesday and Bidding Farewell to January

Tasty Tuesday is here again...

Today's recipe is for a super quick and easy side dish that will go well with almost any meal.

Seeded Bow Tie Noodles

Ingredients:

8 ounces bow tie noodles

3 Tablespoons butter

1 teaspoon poppy seeds

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon coarsely-ground pepper

Instructions:

1)  Cook noodles according to package instructions, al dente.

2)  Drain water from noodles.

3)  Toss noodles gently with remaining ingredients.  Serves 4.

Today is the last day of January.

It has been a whirlwind month -- a new year, a new President, a new outlook, a new opportunity for change, exploration, and building.  I have been working on inventory organization, improving business practices, setting new goals and doing my best to meet them.  Tomorrow a friend is coming to help me haul many items out for donation and for trash.  Some of the items are big (chairs) so the help is much appreciated.

I did not make any big New Year's resolutions this year.  Instead, I am doing weekly goals, which I am happy to sat I am keeping pretty well so far.  Last year I made one big resolution, and I am happy to say I kept it all year.  It was a major decision having to do with my freedom, well-being, and progress, and keeping it faithfully has certainly been paying off.

Do you make resolutions every year?  How is it going for you?  I have found that keeping the resolutions to a minimum helps me a lot.  Trying to accomplish too much at once is not something I do well.  For me, the small number of weekly goals tends to work better.

I hope you are all having a good week, and that your goals and efforts are yielding good results for you.  

Welcome to Tasty Tuesday, Everyone

Today's recipe is for a hearty, elegant main dish:

SHERRIED BEEF (serves 8 to 10)

Ingredients:

3 pounds stewing beef, cut into bite-sized pieces

2 cans cream of mushroom soup (do NOT add water)

1 package Lipton Onion Soup mix

3/4 cup sherry wine

1/2 pound fresh mushrooms (can use canned mushrooms)

Optional: about 15 pearl onions

Optional: about a cup of cut carrot slices (about 1/2 inch thick)

Instructions:

1)  Preheat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit.

2)  Mix all ingredients together and place in heavy ovenware casserole dish with lid.

3)  Bake for 3 hours at 325 degrees.  

4)  Serve with noodles, rice, or mashed potatoes.

Tasty Tuesday (Sorry for my absence recently)

Hi All -- I have not blogged for a few weeks.  It's a long boring story, so I am just going to jump in to sharing a recipe with you for Tasty Tuesday.

The recipe this week is for a hearty, hot, flavorful soup.

Cheese and Onion Soup

Ingredients:

1 large onion, chopped in small pieces

3 Tbsp butter

3 Tbsp flour

1/2 tsp. salt

Pepper to taste

4 cups milk

2 cups shredded Monterey Jack and Colby Cheese

Seasoned croutons

Instructions:

1)  In large saucepan, saute onion in butter.

2)  Stir in flour, salt, and pepper until blended.

3)  Gradually add milk.

4)  Bring to a gentle boil, then turn heat down a bit and let the soup thicken, stirring constantly.  

5)  Add cheese and stir until melted.

6)  Remove from heat and serve in bowls.  Sprinkle surface of soup with seasoned croutons and serve.  Yields about 6 servings.

Tasty Tuesday and Brrrr....

Happy Tasty Tuesday, All!

It is COLD here today.  When I left the house to mail packages and run errands this morning, it was Two degrees BELOW Zero Fahrenheit.  The cars made little clouds of steam from their exhaust pipes as they traveled down the freeway -- the kind that turns to ice when it hits the pavement.  It was sunny, though, and driving was okay.

At this time of year (just before Christmas), I wish I could hold things in place for a while to keep Christmas from coming and going so soon.  Every year, the whoosh of time goes faster.

Today's recipe is a simple and tasty one, a side dish / salad to accompany most types of meals, fancy or casual.

Broccoli Bacon Cheddar Salad

Ingredients:

3 cups broccoli florets, cut to bite-size

1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese

1/3 cup raisins, either regular or golden raisins are fine

1/4 cup chopped red onion

8 slices of bacon, cooked and crumbled

Dressing Ingredients:

1/2 cup mayonnaise

2 Tbsp. sugar

2 tea spoons lemon juice (from an actual lemon if possible rather than the bottled stuff)

Instructions:

1)  In large bowl, combine broccoli, cheese, raisins, and onion.  

2)  In small bowl, combine dressing ingredients.

3)  Pour dressing over salad and toss gently.

4)  Top salad with cooked crumbled bacon and serve.

I hope you are having a good week and that you are enjoying the season.  Stay warm where ever you are.

A Saintly Day, Tasty Tuesday, and Baby, It's Cold Outside!

Greetings Everyone, and Happy Saint Nicholas Day!

Saint Nicholas Day is celebrated in Europe (most especially in Germany), and it is the day when the beloved saint rides on his white horse into the towns and villages to leave gifts and treats in the shoes of the children who have been good during the past year.  To those children who were not so good, he leaves a lump or two of coal.  I am guessing, though, that the ratio of coal given is quite low to the amount of happy gifts given.

And it is Tasty Tuesday Today!

As I am still focusing on holiday preparations and general busyness, I am sharing a recipe for a meal that is simple and satisfying and does not take long to prepare.  It is an excellent winter meal, great comfort food.  It is not so much a health food, though you can modify it by adding foods with additional nutritional value.  I actually do this myself.  I will let you know what I add to this recipe at the end of the Ingredients list.

Sausage and Potato Casserole (or Hotdish as we say in Minnesota)

Ingredients:

1 pound bulk pork sausage or ground pork

1 can condensed cream of mushroom soup (do not add water)

3/4 cup milk

1/2 cup chopped onion

1/2 tsp, salt

1/4 tsp. black pepper

3 cups sliced potatoes

1/2 Tbsp. butter, cut into small pieces

1 and 1/2 cups (6 ounces) shredded cheddar cheese

What I add to this (optional): 

1/2 cup carrots, sliced thin or chopped small and sauteed in butter for about 2 minutes.

1/2 cup celery, chopped small and sauteed in butter for about 2 minutes (can do this with the carrots).

1/2 can of whole kernel corn, drained, OR 1/2 cup of frozen whole kernel corn, thawed and drained.

If you do add extra ingredients, you may want to add a bit more milk for moistness (it's up to you).

Instructions:

1)  Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.  

2)  Spray 1 and 1/2- quart casserole with non-stick cooking spray.  Use 2-quart casserole if you are adding the optional ingredients listed above in addition to the regular ingredients.

3)  Brown sausage or ground pork in large skillet over medium-high heat, stirring to separate meat into small chunks.  Brown meat until no longer pink.  Drain fat.

4)  Stir together soup, milk, onion, salt, and pepper in mixing bowl (if you are adding in additional ingredients, add them to the bowl as well).

5)  Place half of potatoes in prepared casserole dish.  Top with half of soup mixture and half of sausage or ground pork.  Repeat layers, ending with sausage.

6) Dot with butter.

7)  Cover casserole with tin foil.  Bake 1 and 1/4 to 1 and 1/2 hours until potatoes are tender.  

8)  Uncover; sprinkle with cheese.  Bake until cheese is melted and bubbly.

Makes 6 servings.

I hope you enjoy this casserole meal.  It is perfect on a cold, blustery day.

And speaking of, Old Man Winter blew in today like a shock.  I know I should have been more than ready for it since I am in Minnesota, and Winter is what we do.  Still, the first big blast of cold wind sends the shivers to the bone.  I confess that on days like this it can be hard to keep my energy up; all I want to do is wear jammies, snuggle under the covers, and read a book.  But the cats are the ones who get to do that, except for the book part.  

Tasty Tuesday, Sort-of

Yup, It's Tasty Tuesday, but since I am a little late, it might be Tasty Wednesday by the time I publish this.

It is late at night, and I have been busy making items for the craft show this coming Saturday.  Even though I am cutting back on the different types of products I am making this time, and I am trying to use only what I have available at home, I still find myself on the wrong end of the clock.

As far as recipes go, I have been thinking about the coming holidays and foods that can be enjoyed at a holiday feast or enjoyed as part of a regular evening's dinner side dish.  I dug through my box and found one, though I can't recall who gave it to me.  It is good, though.  And it is definitely not diet food.

Bacon Carrot Bake

Ingredients:

1 pound carrots, cut in half and then each half sliced in half lengthwise.  Carrots will need to be partially cooked.

6 slices of bacon, diced, cooked in skillet, and drained.

1 can condensed tomato soup (do not add water).

3 Tablespoons brown sugar

1 small onion, diced.

Instructions:

1)  Put sliced and partially-cooked carrots along with bacon in 1 and 1/2 quart casserole dish.

2)  Add soup, brown sugar, and diced onion.

3)  Stir until well mixed.

4)  Cover and bake 1 hour at 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

5)  When done, let stand uncovered for 2 minutes before serving.

Serves 8.

That's it for now, everyone.  Thanks for stopping by,  I hope you enjoy this recipe or that it sparks creative cooking ideas for you.