Patriotic Potatoes

This past Memorial Day I had what’s called RED, WHITE AND BLUE POTATO SALAD.  It is so yum that I have to share it with you. This is your opportunity  to try something new and wow friends and family  on the 4th!  Here’s what you’ll need:

3 pounds of purple and red potatoes (some packages come with red, white and blue potatoes which is fine to use.)

2/3 cup of mayo

1/2 cup of crumbled blue cheese

4 strips of crumbled bacon and/or 1/2 a cup of finely chopped red onion.

Step 1:  Rinse potatoes in a colander and pat dry. Then slice into large bite sized chunks leaving the skins on.

Step 2:  Put 8 cups of water in a pot to boil. After water starts boiling, put red potato chunks in for 2 min. Then add purple chunks. Reduce heat and simmer for about another 10 min. or until a fork can easily go through a chunk. Drain the potatoes and put in the freezer to cool.

Step 3: In a bowl combine the mayonnaise, blue cheese, 1 teaspoon or more of garlic salt and about 5 cranks of cracked pepper. Use a fork to make sure that all the chunks of the blue cheese are smushed. Next if you are adding crumbled bacon and/or chopped red onion, mix them into the mayo/blue cheese mixture.

Finally, stir mixture in with the potatoes. Keep in the fridge until time to enjoy. ( Serves 10 to 12)

Looking Back

Last 4th of July we did some really fun and easy patriotic (4-ingredient) desserts: A WATERMELON PIZZA and AN ALL AMERICAN TRIFLE. Talk about crowd pleasers!

Killing Three Birds With One Berry

By now you have probably figured out that I am obsessed with wreaths. Well I have figured out how to make one wreath work for three holidays. This past Christmas I found a grapevine wreath (the hairy kind) with red berries already on it.  I decided to remove the greenery it had on it and add more berries and a Christmas bow. (If you want to be reminded of a great way to make a bow for a wreath, go to Berries and Bows.) Anyway for Valentine's, I exchanged the  Christmas bow for a Valentines one. Finally to celebrate Independence Day I recently added blue and white berries and stars. I decided to share this just in case you, too, wanted to kill three birds with one berry.

Funnier Saying

One of my besets friends in the whole world, Lisa Taylor, and I were getting our toesies done.  We were laughing about last week’s FUN SAYING: “I have a frog in my throat”.  Lisa, the former French teacher, remarked that the French say, "J'ai un chat dans la gorge!" which means “There’s a cat in my throat” And I thought Americans exaggerate! Now I really can’t breathe at the thought of that. Can you?

Patriotic Pizza

The 4th is almost here, so it's time to start thinking about yummy all American food. This patriotic creation is called a Watermelon Pizza. I heard about it from Monica at my yogurt shop. We decided that it would be perfect for the 4th. Here's what you'll need:

A seedless watermelon

2 cups of vanilla yogurt (Whipped cream looks better but it's not as tasty. I think I'll mix the two for the 4th!)

a carton of blue berries (Blackberries or blueberries)

A carton of red Berries (Raspberries or strawberries)

Cut a round section of the watermelon about 1 1/2 inches thick. (This is so you can get your mouth around it.) Next cover the top with vanilla yogurt. You then arrange the berries however you want. (Of course it always helps to have a two artistic daughters around.)

Cooking Tidbit: Do you know what kind of hotdogs are the best? Nathan's! Just ask Auntie Anne.

Meal Planning Magic

Do you ever find yourself at a loss as to what to make for dinner? If so, you're definitely not alone. Here is an idea that is super helpful in this department. What you do is type out about 14 main dishes and print them out. You then choose one of them each night.

Also you would list different vegetables and salads that you can make. One really neat thing about having all these options is that you won't  get in a rut and make the same thing all the time. Your experience will be more like: "Oh yeah, I think I will make Asian Lettuce Wraps. I haven't made those in a few weeks!"

Fun Saying:

"I'm just pulling your leg".  Another funny image. No one seems to have any idea where this saying came from. It really makes zero sense, but we say it all the time. The next time I use that phrase I think I will actually pull the person's leg. 

All American Trifle

You must think I'm trifle crazy. The funny thing is, I actually am. The difference between this week's trifle and the one a few weeks ago is that this one is super low-calorie. The one before is anything but. Just like all Pickett's Pearls recipes this trifle has 4 ingredients and is super easy to make.

My July 4th plan is to serve the watermelon pizza (from last week's blog) during the main part of the meal and this trifle for dessert! Aren't I patriotic with all my red, white and blue food! Here's what you'll need:

1 angel food cake

1 large pkg. of vanilla pudding mix (Sugar-free if you'd like.)

2-12 oz. cartons of whipped topping

4-6 oz. pkgs. of raspberries or 2 large cartoons of strawberries

Optional:  (to make trifle festive) 2-6 oz. pkgs. of blueberries or blackberries

*To make trifle a bit more adult. Mix 1/2 cup of Grand Marnier or Triple Sec into the raspberry puree.

Puree 1/2 the red berries in a bullet or food processor. Next mix with a hand-mixer the pudding mix, 1/2 cup of frozen whipped topping and 1 1/2 cups of iced cold water for about 2 min. or until thick.

Start by layering the bottom of a glass dish with pieces of angel food cake. Next spoon half of the berry puree onto the angel food cake layer. You then spoon on a layer of pudding. Next add a layer of both red and blue berries and finally the whipped topping. Repeat all five steps, then decorate the top however you want. (Serves 10 to 12)

Cooking Tidbit: The difference between an English Trifle and an American Trifle is the liqueur poured on top of the cake layer. (In other words, the English trifle is a bit more fun:)

Solving The Mystery

Now that we are on the subject of berries, Let's talk about the fruits that are best to buy organic and those that we don't need to buy organic. It costs more to buy organic, but it is worth it! It seems that the fruits that have a more permeable skin absorb more pesticides, and those with a thicker skin absorb less. The common ones are apples, berries of all kinds, grapes, peaches and nectarines. If we do get these fruits non-organic, then we need to wash the heck of them!

On the other hand the more common fruits that we don't need to buy organic are pineapples, mangoes, grapefruits, kiwis, cantaloupes, watermelons and avocados.  (Yay! My family is obsessed with avocados! As a matter of fact, Abbey said the one thing she would want with her on a desert island would be avocados.)

Buy organic:

No need to buy organic:

Orange You Glad It's Autumn!

Thanksgiving comes very late this year, so we still have lots of time to enjoy autumn things and eat lots of yummy autumn food! This month’s Pickett’s Pearls features warm and cozy Pumpkin Soup, Orange Margaritas and Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Bread. (All 4 ingredients of course:)

Pickett’s Pearls to the Rescue

My very good friend Jill has a party every Halloween and she has the same scrumptious menu which includes Pumpkin Soup from a cafe called Plums. Well this year she called me in a panic because the chef at Plums hasn’t been making the soup. (The nerve!) I told her that I would see what I could come up with. I didn’t really have time to go shopping at that point, but luckily I had some things in my cupboard that I thought just might work. The soup turned out surprisingly delicious even though the ingredients are very unorthodox. I know because it was met with wholehearted approval from Jill herself! Here’s what you will need:

A can of pumpkin puree

1/2 of a 14.5 oz. can of thick coconut cream (or 3/4 cup of heavy cream)

1 to 1 & 1/2 cups of Ginger Miso soup - TJ’s (Miso soup is mostly vegetable broth and I thought the ginger would add a lot.) Vegetable broth can also be used.

1/3 cup of Trader Joe’s Pumpkin bread mix (before you think “too weird” remember that bread or cake mixes are basically flour, sugar and spices.) I needed a 4th ingredient that had pumpkin spices and sweetness!

Simply blend these 4 ingredients in a pot and serve hot in very small bowls. (It’s very rich.) You can top the soup with very finely chopped candied pecans, which can be purchased at the store. (I candied pecan pieces myself by combining them in a small pot with a little more pumpkin bread mix and butter till everything was browned, and then I chopped up the mixture very finely.)

*If soup gets too thick, just add a little more miso soup.

Orange Margaritas

Every year at Jill’s same Halloween party, I make The award winning Cuppa, Cuppa, Cuppa Margarita recipe. This year Jill asked me if I could make Orange Margaritas. I like a challenge so I went for it! Here goes:

A cup of tequila

A cup of beer (yep that’s the recipe:)

A cup of limeade concentrate.

A cup of frozen mandarin oranges (you have to freeze these yourself), a cup of frozen peaches-chopped, or a cup of frozen mango pieces (all of these are good!)

Blend everything together with 2 to 3 cups of ice and you have a super fun fall party drink! We also put a tiny bit of lime around the glass rim and turned the glass over onto a saucer of Tajin (a very popular mexican salt/spice; you only want a touch of this!)

Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Bread

Recently my daughter, Abbey, wanted to make pumpkin bread, so my family and I taste tested a bunch of pumpkin bread boxed recipes and we found that we liked the Trader Joe’s “Pumpkin Bread and Muffin Mix” the best! All you have to do is follow the directions and add a heaping 1/2 cup of dark chocolate chips. (What is it about dark chocolate and pumpkins? Beyond yummy!) Additionally, you can add a 1/2 cup of chopped pecans to the mixture or to the top before baking.

• By the way, it’s not by chance that everything on this post is orange and blue! Go Auburn Tigers!

Fall Napkins

This first one is super, super easy and ideal for a one time occasion like Thanksgiving.

Step 1. You'll just need one or two fall colored napkins, a fall colored ribbon to match and a real or artificial leaf.

Step 2. You overlap the napkins as in the second picture. You then pick the napkins up by pinching the overlapped napkins in their center.

Step 1.

Step 2.

Step 3. Next you tie up the leaf into the center of the napkin. Voila you have a lovely fall creation!

Step 3.

This next style of a napkin rings requires more work initially, but you can use them over and over.

Step 1.  First you will need: three artificial leaves. (I got mine from Michaels, of course. I had to look and look and finally found some that looked natural.) You will also need a glue gun and glue sticks, about 2 & 1/2 feet of ribbon, plain round napkin rings (you can get lots and lots from Amazon for super cheap), a pair of scissors and a bit of tape. 

Step 2. First cut the stems of the leaves so that they are about 1 inch long then tape them together. Using the ribbon, secure the bundle of leaves to the napkin ring by wrapping the ribbon around the stems and the napkin ring. (It's a good idea to put a dot of hot glue at the beginning part of the ribbon.) 

Step 1.

Step2.

Step 3. Proceed to wrap the ribbon around and around the ring overlapping the edges as you go. Once you have wrapped the ribbon all the way around, use a bit of hot glue to secure the end of the ribbon to the ring. Voila! you have elegant fall napkin rings.

Step 3.

*I'm excited to use these ideas to make Christmas napkins as well!!!

Fun Saying:

I'm happy as a crow in a cornfield! The fun thing about many sayings is their alliteration. Happy as a blackbird in a cornfield doesn't quite do the trick. Funny thing is crows are a major subject of sayings: "As the crow flies", "Eat crow" and the little known midwestern saying:"I have a crow to pluck with someone". Who would have thunk that those irritating little things were so popular!

Best Pumpkin dessert, bar none

Last week, I got a serious craving for Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars. (The funny thing is that I’m not even sure I’ve ever had one!) Anyway I ran to the store to get what I thought would be the perfect 4 ingredients to make some. Multiple trips, many failed attempts and who knows how many added pounds later (you gotta taste stuff!), I came up with these scrumptious Pumpkin Spice Cheesecake Bars. Here’s what you’ll need:

1 can of pumpkin purée

2 packages of cream cheese

1/4 cup of sugar + 3 Tablespoons

1 pkg of spiced cake mix

Step 1. Preheat oven to 325 then soften 10 oz (1 & 1/4 packages) of cream cheese in the microwave until it is very soft and stirable. Then in a large mixing bowl combine the cream cheese and pumpkin.

Step 2. In another bowl, throughly combine 2 cups of spiced cake mix with 1/4 cup of the pumpkin/cream cheese mixture. (At first, it will seem like you have way too much cake mix but keep working the dough.) Form four large balls. Next place the dough balls in each corner of a sprayed 8x8 pan. You then press down and spread out each ball to form a crust.

Step 3. Now return to the pumpkin/cream cheese mixture and stir in 1/4 cup of sugar and 1/4 cup of the cake mix. You then spoon this filling on top of the crust layer and place in oven for 35 to 40 min.

Step 4. When baking is done, turn off the oven and leave dish in for 10 min. with the door half open. Then, place the dish in the frig. for at least 2 hours so bars can set.

Step 5. Soften 6 more ozs. of cream cheese then whip with 3 tablespoons of sugar. Next ice the pan of bars and return to the frig for 30 min. or so.

Step. 6. You then immediately slice all the way through the layers with a very sharp utensil and carefully remove from the pan. (I use a baby metal spatula.) Serve at room temperature. You might need to use forks cause they will be a big gooey but boy are they good!!

Looking Back

My mother-in law Mimi Pickett used to make these 2 ingredient Pumpkin Cookies all the time! So much so that when we recently hired a carpet cleaner for the Pickett family home on Balboa Island, he said that when he used to clean the carpets there Mimi would give him pumpkin cookies! That was just like our Mimi!

Fun Sayings

I have a friend named Bradley whom I have known since Kindergarten at Highland’s Day School. (My Daddy used to call it Holiday Inn School, by the way. I think he was suggesting that the school was so cushy that it was like we were on perpetual vacation.) Anyway, when I go back to Birmingham, my and Bradley’s favorite thing to do is pig out on junk food and watch “Hart of Dixie”. The other day, Bradley called me ‘cause Wade, the bartender, on the show described someone as “drunk as a boiled owl”. I guess “boiled” means drunk, so basically the saying means: Drunk as a drunk owl. Doesn’t make a lot of sense, but it’s funny especially when cute Wade says it with a very small town Alabama accent!

Touch Up Your Table!

I know Thanksgiving is just two days away, but these flower arrangements are totally doable and will make your table that much more attractive. They are the same basic flower arrangements that were on a previous Pickett's Pearls post ("Put a Little Drama in Your Life") with two fun additions: autumn leaves and mini pumpkins.

I got the idea of using autumn leaves from my daughter, Carly, who was about six at the time. (Surprise, surprise she is an awesome artist now.) Anyway one Thanksgiving day while I was arranging flowers for our table, Carly came up to me and asked, "Why don't you use fall leaves?" Well needless to say, I have been using fall leaves ever since. 

There is some sad, sad news about mini pumpkins. I went to three grocery stores and couldn't find them. Of course there was plenty of poinsettias everywhere. Thankfully I had some mini pumpkins laying around the house. If you have super small mini pumpkins, you're lucky. If you happen to have a little larger minis, you may want to make your arrangement bigger.

You'll need:

1 oasis ( the soft kind, which you can get at Michael's)

 A low container for the centerpiece

Two different  bunches of fun, fall, flowers (I just had to put the "fun" in. Try saying that over and over.)

Very sharp scissors or clippers

Lots of small or medium-sized autumn leaves. I have a beautiful tree, so I don't have to forage anywhere else. (Artificial leaves are also an option if natural autumn leaves aren't available.) 

Tooth picks & masking tape

Opt. mini pumpkins and wooden skewers (The skewers  are at any grocery store.)

Greenery

Step 1. Cut oasis to fit container snuggly, then throughly soak with water. Step 2. Cut the stems of one kind of flower. Stems should be 3.5 to 5 inches depending on whether container is smaller or larger. Step 3. Arrange some of the first type of flower in a corner of the container (forming a cluster). Step 4. Arrange the same number of flowers of the first type across from the first cluster of flowers. (Thank goodness there are pics.) Step 5. Then take the second type of flowers and fill in the other two spots in the arrangement, so they are diagonal with each other as well. Step 6. Then add greenery. (Greenery fills in empty places and adds height to the arrangement.)

Step 7. Take the toothpicks and tape them to the stems of medium sized fall leaves. (Artificial leaves are also an option.)

Step 8. Put the fall leaves around the base  of the arrangement.

Opt. Step 9. If you want to use mini pumpkins, I suggest you take a wooden skewer and break it so that it is about 5 inches or so. Then pierce the bottom of the pumpkins and place them kitty corner from each other in the arrangement.

There, you have a beautiful flower arrangement!

Surprise, Surprise. I will be doing an arrangement with fall leaves AND baby pumpkins.

Just a note: At Thanksgiving we go around the table and say one thing that we are thankful for. This tradition makes Thanksgiving that much more special. (Except for the part about watching football, of course.)

East versus West

I'm from Alabama and 25 years ago (yikes) I married a California boy. Since then I've birthed two California kids, so I'm probably here to stay. Anyway, in the southeast we eat sweet potatoes for Thanksgiving. They are whipped with lots of butter and sugar, and on top of them we put baby marshmallows.

On my first Thanksgiving with my husband's family it came to my attention that we were going to have mashed potatoes instead of sweet potatoes. I was appalled! My mouth literally hung open. I called my Mama in Birmingham, AL and asked her for the sweet potato recipe. (Calling her on Thanksgiving to get the recipe has become a little tradition of ours.) Of course I showed up at my in-laws house armed with my sweet potatoes. They now request them every year.

All of the recipes I'm sharing are loaded with calories, but hey it's Thanksgiving, right? Also all the recipes have only 4 ingredients!

Below is the classic sweet potato recipe from my Mama in Birmingham, AL.

Classic Sweet Potatoes

In the South, we serve yams and call them sweet potatoes. (Sweet potatoes have gotten the shaft because their cousin Mr. Yam is more colorful.)

This is the classic sweet potato recipe from my Mama in Birmingham, AL. Here's what you'll need:

4 large yams

1/2 cup of brown sugar

3/4 stick of salted butter (softened)

Baby marshmallows

Put whole sweet potatoes on a sprayed cookie sheet and roast at 400 for 45 min. (until potatoes are soft.) Let potatoes cool then peel skins off.  Put potatoes and rest of ingredients in a mixing bowl. Using a hand mixer, blend on high until the mixture is smooth and fluffy.  

Next put mixture into  baking dish and bake un-covered for 30 min. at 350. Finally cover the top with marshmallows and bake uncovered  for an additional 10 min. or until marshmallows are browned on top. (Serves approx. 10)

*You can also make a mixture of 1/4 cup of all purpose flour, 1/4 cup of brown sugar, 2 tablespoons of salted butter and 1/2 cup of chopped pecans and add it to the top of all or part of the yams before baking.

Classic Mashed Potatoes.

(A recipe from our Mimi Pickett for classic mashed potatoes. They are truly awesome!!!!)

You'll need:

4 large russet potatoes

4 oz. (1/2 pkg.) of cream cheese

1/2 cup of sour cream

1 teaspoons of of garlic salt

Dash of pepper

Peel Potatoes and cut into large chunks. Put in large pot filled with water about half way to the top. Put potatoes in and bring to a boil. Turn down and cook on a slow boil till fork goes through potatoes easily. Pour into strainer and then pour potatoes into large mixing bowl. Put the rest of ingredients in the mixing bowl. Using a hand mixer blend until the mixture is smooth and fluffy. Spoon into large baking dish. Before serving, bake at 400 for 50 min. or until potatoes are heated through. You can also put the mashed potatoes in a crock pot on low  for the whole day. (That saves oven space.) Serves 10-12

Gourmet Sweet Potatoes

Below is a gourmet sweet potato recipe adapted from a restaurant called "The Smoke House".  So, so good!

You'll need:

4  sweet potatoes or yams. (I don't know if you've noticed, but there are all kinds of purple things in the produce section of the grocery store these days. There are purple cabbages, purple asparagus and purple carrots to name a few. Recently my friend, Toni, told me there were purple sweet potatoes at Trader Joe's. I thought, what the heck I'll jump on the purple band wagon.)

1/3 cup of brown sugar

1 stick of salted butter (softened)

Crumbled blue cheese

Bake the sweet potatoes at 400 for 45 min. Let cool. Cut the sweet potatoes longwise where they are 2/3 on one side and 1/3 on the other. (You are making a boat for the potatoes.) Carefully scoop out the insides of the potatoes and put in a mixing bowl. Throw away the smaller skin. Put rest of ingredients in the mixing bowl. Using a hand mixer, blend until the mixture is smooth and fluffy. Spoon potato mixture into the little boat. Before serving, put boats on cookie sheet and bake at 400 degrees for 20 min. Finally, cover sweet potatoes with blue cheese crumbles. 

Pesto Parmesan Mashed Potatoes

This is a gourmet mashed potatoes recipe that I  got from my friend Lara Lanfried, Newport Beach, CA.

You'll need:

4 very large russet potatoes

2/3 cup of Parmesan

2/3 cup of sour cream

1/4 cup of pesto (We like Trader Joe's.)

Peel Potatoes and cut into large chunks. Put in large pot filled with water about half way to the top. Put potatoes in and bring to a boil. Turn down and cook on a slow boil till fork goes through potatoes easily. Pour potatoes into strainer and then pour them into a large mixing bowl. Put rest of ingredients in the mixing bowl (along with 1/2 teaspoon of garlic salt.) Using a hand mixer, blend until the mixture is smooth and fluffy.  Put into a medium sized baking dish. Before serving bake at 400 degrees for 20-25 min. or until potatoes are heated through. Serves 6- 8

Try 'Em You'll Love 'Em!

Ritzy Creamed Corn

My sister-in-law, Chris Steckel, from Nashville has been making this melt-in-your-mouth creamed corn recipe for years. It's a dish the family always looks forward to every Thanksgiving. The other day I was at T J Maxx talking  to one of the cashiers about "creamed corn".  (You have probably figured out that I get most of my ideas and stories from the cashiers at my favorite stores.) Anyway, I told Gayle that I was trying out a creamed corn recipe and she said that I had to check out the recipe from the Ritz Carlton. I went online and low and behold they had stolen Chris's recipe!

The first step in making creamed corn is to make a "roux".  A "roux" is something everyone who cooks should know how to make. I learned this technique back at Auburn in Food Prep. class and have used it ever since. This magical paste can be used to thicken sauces, soups, gravies etc.

I'm not going to be counting the roux as one of our 4 ingredients because I want us to view a roux as something as basic as cooking oil. Something we make  hardly without a thought. Here's how you make a roux: 

Step 1. In a skillet, melt 2 Tablespoons of butter

Step 2. Add 3 Tablespoons of white flour and using a wooden spoon make a paste, smushing all the lumps as you stir with the back of the spoon. Stir the mixture for at least 2 minutes.

Step 3. Turn the heat down to low. While stirring, slowly add about half of the recipe's liquid making sure, again, that you smush any lumps that form. You then add the rest of the liquid  in the recipe. The liquid should thicken after about 5 minutes of stirring. (If it does not, you can take about 1/2 a cup of the liquid and add another tablespoon of flour. You then whisk it until there are no lumps and add it back to the pan.  Here's what you'll need for our first dish using a roux:

*Make this amount of roux for every 2 cups of liquid in a recipe

Creamed Corn

2 pkgs. of frozen corn (32 oz.)

8 oz. whipping cream

8 oz. of whole milk

6 tsp. of sugar (I like to use dark brown sugar.)

Opt. 1/4 cup of parmesan cheese

After making a roux with flour and butter, slowly add the whipping cream, milk and sugar smushing any lumps that form, and stir until sauce has thickened a bit. You then stir in frozen corn, 1 level teaspoon of salt and a pinch of pepper. Next bring to a boil and simmer for 5 min. Optional: Add corn to a baking dish, sprinkle with parmesan cheese and place under a broiler till golden brown. Totally delectable! (I'm trying to come up with words besides yummy.)

Looking Back

Every Thanksgiving table needs potatoes. We actually have sweet potatoes and mashed potatoes out here in California because this Alabama girl would join Henny Penny in thinking the sky is falling without her sweet potatoes! You can find four super tasty (4 ingredient) potato recipes in last Thanksgiving's post ranging from the traditional to the fancy.

For years our Mimi asked me to do the centerpieces for our Thanksgiving table. It is always super fun because of the extras I have learned to put in them. If you want some easy but festive ideas check out last Thanksgiving's post.

Cool Coasters

I don't know about you but I love coasters. There are so many different types and patterns and colors in the coaster world! I planned on focusing just on fall coasters cause the last time I checked we were still in fall. I looked at Michael's however and there wasn't a fall leaf to be found. I can't very well tell you to go there and get fall leaves now, can I? So, we are going to cover all the bases and make both fall and Christmas ones.

Here's what you'll need:

Thin cardboard, scissors, gold spray paint, an object you can use to trace a circle 4 & 1/2 inches in diameter, a hot glue gun and sticks, and artificial leaves (or poinsettias, gold glitter and spray sealant.

The first thing you do is take a piece of very thin cardboard (all the legal pads in our house are now backless) and spray it with gold spray paint. You then trace a round circle on the cardboard using an object 4 &1/2 inches in diameter. 

Next peel the plastic veins off the backs of the leaves or poinsettia petals. (Oh yeah, dismantle the poinsettia first.) You then apply hot glue sparingly to the underside of one leaf (or petal) at a time and press them down over the gold card board circle. For the poinsettias, once you have glued down all the petals put multiple dots of hot glue (or regular glue) in the centers and cover the dots with gold glitter. Shake off the glitter, spray the coasters with a sealant and you have some fun and festive coasters!

Hope You Have a Happy and Meaningful Thanksgiving!

Adorn Your Door

I have always loved a challenge.  Last spring I was at Pier 1 and saw a beautiful wreath. I looked at the price tag and it was $80. I thought to myself, I can do that for a whole lot less than eighty bucks!  In the beginning I had a few false starts, as a matter of fact my first wreath came out just plain ugly. Finally I came up with a design that I was proud to hang on my door. Below shows a couple of wreaths from different stores to give you an idea of what's out there and how much different wreaths cost.

This not so pretty (tacky) wreath from Michael's costs $60.

This wreath from a place called Roger's gardens costs $150.

It's time for you to make a wreath that would make your Mama proud for only about $30!

You'll need: 

A Grapevine wreath

Artificial flowers and foliage - It's very important to take your time picking out the flowers, foliage, etc. so you can get the perfect ones for your wreath. (I often go to a place like Pier 1 to get ideas.) When looking for adornments, I usually don't see what I really like till I have looked for quite a while. In my humble opinion, Ha-ha, foliage and flowers with small buds look a lot better on a wreath than larger ones. As with the Rogers Garden's one above, the most attractive ones have a lot of foliage and/or flowers on them. (In this case more is more:) 

Garden Clippers or Sharp Scissors

A Glue Gun-( No home should be glue gunless:) You can access Michaels 40% off coupons on your phone anytime. I'm the least tech savvy person I know (under 80), and even I can find this coupon.

Hot Glue Sticks-Get lots of glue sticks cuz you'll use a ton for this project. 

Step 1 Clip a few of the flowers and/or foliage stems to 1-2 inches.

Step 2 Place some of them on the wreath to get a feel for the design you want. (see ex. below)

Step 3 Using your glue gun secure the flowers and/or foliage on the wreath. Be careful cuz the glue gets super hot. (Don't be like me. I probably burn my fingers at least once a wreath:) With a grapevine wreath, you can also tuck the stems between the vines which hides them and secures the foliage even more.

Step 4. You will probably have to make lots of adjustments before you're happy with your work. In the end you will have a beautiful autumn wreath for your door, wall or table!

Another option is using an already put together bunch of foliage.  I trimmed a lot off of the one below and glued it on a wreath. I then added a colorful autumn bow. (See wreath to your right.)

Also I'm not above buying an existing wreath and changing it or adding to it. Hold on to your hat. I got the wreath on your left from my local drugstore, CVS, and it only costed $15!  I simply embellished it with some beautiful orange-red berries!

I have a good friend named Jill Hubbard and she loves color especially orange and kind of an olive green! She even has an orange door. Anyway I had a large "hairy" grapevine wreath and some brightly colored flowers, so I made this! My friends are lucky cuz they get all kinds of cool crafts from me!

And More Pumpkins

I love baby pumpkins. As a matter of fact I love miniature anything. The other day I saw a bunch of miniature bananas. I had to take a picture and send it to my friend, Toni, who is also miniature crazy. Well back to the baby pumpkins. I have seen pictures of really fun flower arrangements in pumpkins, so I thought why not use miniature pumpkins as a vase. Here's how.

You'll need:

A baby Pumpkin 

A vegetable peeler. (The old kind)

A small orange pill bottle (My pharmacist, Tony, and I are on a first name basis, so I had no problem getting a few pill bottles.)

Flowers (Daisies and mums are really cute.)

Using the vegetable peeler carve around the stem of the tiny pumpkin. Don't worry if you break through to the bottom. Next use the peeler to totally clean out the icky in the pumpkin. Also you'll want to make the hole big enough so that a small pill bottle fits snugly.

Once you've cleaned out the baby pumpkins, thoroughly spray them with shellac inside and out. (This will lengthen the their life.)

Insert a pill bottle bottle into a little pumpkin. Tie a ribbon around the top to make it extra cute.

Lastly arrange some little flowers in the bottle and add water to make a precious fall arrangement!

You can also make an arrangement with a bit larger pumpkin and use a large pill bottle.

As with any pumpkin that is cut, the little pumpkins won't last past 4 days or so before they get all mushy. If you are using them as decorations or party favors, make sure you cut the pumpkins as late as possible. Make sure you put them on a non-porous surface, so they don't get stain anything once they have started to decay.  

Pumpkin Mishap

The other day I was picking out a good ole orange pumpkin. There was a big stack of them in front of the grocery store. You guessed it, I caused a pumpkin avalanche. It was pumpkin mayhem!!!! Pumpkins were rolling everywhere even into the parking lot. Thankfully we (the pumpkins and I) didn't get smashed into the pavement. I had a good laugh at myself. Too bad the whole thing wasn't caught on video.

Classic Gingerbread with a Twist!

I was racking my brain (that's a nice image!) for a classic Christmas dessert and I thought, "oh yeah, gingerbread!" I  get asked about gluten-free recipes, so I decided to deliver. Plus there weren't any gluten-free gingerbread mixes out there or any gingerbread recipes with just 4 ingredients!  So, of course I made one up. What else is new?

Have you ever thought about what makes that  gingerbread taste? It turns out that besides ginger spice, it's molasses! Molasses is what makes it dark, not the ginger! Here's what you'll need:

A box of Gluten-Free Spice Cake Mix. (Namaste makes a very good double recipe one.)

4 eggs (Or the eggs required for the cake mix you are using.)

2/3 cup of water (or the water required for the cake mix you are using)

2/3 cup of molasses (you will be substituting molasses for the oil in the recipe.)

2 teaspoons of ground ginger for Namaste mix (For regular sized spiced cake mix-1 &1/2 teaspoons of ginger) 

Then you simply follow the directions on the cake box. (If your oven runs hot, bake closer to the minimum time and visa-versa.) Make sure you slowly open your oven door  at the end of the baking time to help prevent the gingerbread from sinking in the middle. The gingerbread comes out really scrumptious! A bit spongy perhaps, but hey, it's gluten-free.

*If you don't want to go the gluten-free route, just use any spiced cake mix, substitute molasses for the oil and add the ginger.

Cooking Tidbit: How does ""Black Strap Molasses" differ from regular "molasses"? Regular molasses is made by boiling down cane juice twice, and Black Strap is a result of a third boiling. As a result, Black Strap is more concentrated, darker in color and more bitter. So, making "Black Strap Molasses" has nothing to do with a black strap at all. (How boring!)

Looking Back

When we think of Gingerbread we think of gingerbread houses! My daughter, Abbey, who is a gingerbread house expert, shared some of the tricks of the trade in a blog post last Christmas called: "Christmas Crafts and Other Stuff". Check it out!

 

Dress up your Christmas table with these elegant Christmas napkins and napkin rings!

If you want to know the steps for making these napkin rings and how to fold napkins this way, check out the Thanksgiving blog post from a few weeks back called "Goat and Blue".

* World Market is a great place to buy very affordable, solid colored napkins and TJMaxx has good deals on printed napkins. I pulled out my Christmas stuff this year and realized I had like 30 red and green napkins. Oops! I guess I need to have a big party!

Back By Popular Demand!

People LOVED the Christmas Tree napkin fold  last year, so I decided to feature it again. This napkin fold is very easy to do and the post actually comes with a "How To" video starring Yours Truly. Check it Out!

Happy Holidays!

Christmas Crescent Trees

At Christmas time it’s fun to make food that looks like Christmas decorations! I’m not afraid to admit that I like making things people ooh and aah over. So if you want to get your own oohs and aahs, make one of these babies! There are lots of steps to these amazing trees but the end result is worth it! I got this idea from my sister-in-law who got it from a website called “It’s Always Autumn”, but of course as always I tweaked it quite a bit and made them with 4 ingredients. Here’s what you will need:

A tube of Pillsbury Crescent Dough (Butter Flake)

For Cranberry Tree:

An 8 oz wedge of brie (or moreo

1/2 cup of fresh cranberries

1/3 cup of brown sugar

Opt. 1/3 cup of chopped pecans

For Green Tree:

A cup of frozen chopped spinach

4 oz. of regular cream cheese

1 heaping Tablespoon of Knorr’s vegetable soup mix (anyone from the south knows all about Knorr’s!)

Opt. 2/3 cup of chopped artichoke hearts

Step 1. Pop open and unroll the dough then put it in the freezer for about 10 min.between 2 pieces of parchment paper. (I used wax paper and found out later that I could have burnt the house down! Whew!)

Step 2. While you are chilling the dough make the mixture for the filling.

(For the Cranberry Tree: pulse the cranberries and brown sugar in a food processor until the cranberries are in very small pieces then add the pecan pieces and pulse a tiny bit more.)

(For the Green Tree: Defrost the frozen spinach in the microwave then using a paper towel squeeze it dry. Next soften the cream cheese in the microwave and mix it with the spinach and the Knorr’s.)

Step 3. Remove the dough from the freezer and using your fingers pinch the seams of the dough together. Using a pizza wheel cut the bottom four inches from the rectangle.

Step 4. Next cut out a triangle. This gives you one large triangle and two smaller ones. (See below) Next transfer the smaller triangles to a second piece of parchment paper, placing the straight edges together to make a second large triangle. You then press the two halves together in the middle. (This will be the underside of the tree.) Next use a bit of the extra dough to make a little trunk.

Step 5. Cover the bottom layer with the filling. (For the Cranberry Tree carefully slice off the skin of the brie and melt the brie in the microwave. (At this point you can also stir in a little salt.) Next spread all of the brie on top of the second triangle. You then spread the cranberry mixture on top of the brie layer.)

Step 6. Carefully add the first triangle on top and use a bit more of the extra dough to shape the top trunk.

Step 7. Using the pizza wheel cleanly cut horizontal lines across the tree forming sections about 1 inch thick. Finally twist each section starting from the center outward. (See below)

Step 8. Cover the edges of the tree with foil to prevent them from burning. (See below.)

Step 9. Bake on a cookie sheet in a preheated oven at 400 degrees for about 22 to 24 minutes removing the foil after 12 to 14 min. When tree is done, move the tree with the parchment paper to a large cutting board or large flat serving platter. Next very carefully slide the tree off the parchment paper. Serve hot.

Looking Back

If you want to do a yummy holiday appetizer but don’t want to go through the trouble of making a Christmas tree try, last year’s Cranberry and Brie!

Funny Story

About a year ago retail stores in California started charging 10 cents for bags. Lots of people put up a fuss about having to pay. When I asked one of the cashiers at Target about the wildest reaction she’d ever seen, she said one man refused to pay for a bag and instead took off his shirt and used it as a sling to hold his stuff. Was he cut? I said. She said, definitely not. He kinda looked like a shirtless Santa Claus.

Have a Merry, Merry!

GET TOASTY WITH THIS CHRISTMAS COLORED BURRATA

Burrata is a divine Italian cheese made from fresh mozzarella and cream. Last year’s “Bella Burrata” appetizer was more savory (made with Greek olives) where this one is drizzled with balsamic reduction, which gives it a sweeter taste. Here's what you'll need for this festive appetizer:

A baguette

Pesto

Three or four balls of burrata cheese. (They usually come like regular fresh mozzarella - floating in liquid in a clear plastic container.)

A basket of small grape tomatoes

Balsamic reduction (Rachel Ray makes a great one!)

Step 1. Slice the baguette into very thin slices (about 3/4 inch) and toast them in an oven at 400 for about 5 minutes till they are very slightly browned.

Step 2. Using a spoon, chop and lightly stir the burrata in a bowl.

Step 3. Chop the tomatoes into small chunks.

Step 4. Spread a dollop of pesto on each baguette slice, then add a dollop of chopped burrata and a dollop of chopped grape tomatoes.

Step 5. Finally CAREFULLY drizzle a bit of balsamic reduction on top and serve.

• This recipe has 5 ingredients instead of the usual 4:) Please don’t shoot me!

Tiny Trees

These tiny trees that I saw on Pinterest are super easy to make and turn out darling! Here’s what you’ll need:

Wood slices from Christmas tree bottoms. (You can get these from the guys cutting the ends off the trees at any Christmas tree lot.)

Pine cones (They often have these at tree lots as well.)

Small little gold stars (You can make them using very thin cardboard, glue stick and fine glitter.)

Hot glue gun and glue sticks

Simply hot glue the bottom of each pine cone onto the top of a wood cutting then hot glue the star on top. (You can also lightly spray these with flocking spray, shellac or adhesive and sprinkle with glitter.)

Christmas Candles

These festive candles are super easy to make. First, fill a mason jar with Christmas tree pine cuttings, cranberries and water. You then add a floating candle. (You can get the floating candles and mason jars at Michael’s.)

*These can be made for every holiday. Simply change the filling in the jars.

Looking Back

Last Christmas we did these darling Christmas Crescent Trees. I’m definitely going to make the Brie and Cranberry one this year! (They look harder to make than they are:). Also, every year I have to mention the Christmas Tree Napkin Fold. (So fun and super easy!)

Have a Very, Very Merry Christmas!

Berries and Bows

Cranberries and Brie

The holidays come with the need for lots of tasty food, and sometimes we need inspiration. This Cranberry and Brie Appetizer is not only delectable, but it's red! How festive! (And who doesn't worship Brie?)

I got the idea for this marvelous relish from Judy Strobolakos of Southern California. The only difference is that she adds a whole naval orange to the mix.  She uses it on everything from cheese & crackers to turkey sandwiches. Here's what you'll need:

1/2 bag of fresh cranberries

1/2 cup of chopped pecans

1/2 cup of white (or brown sugar)

A round or wedge of Brie 

All you do is put the cranberries, pecans and sugar in a food processor and pulse very lightly so that the mixture is blended but still very chunky. You then cover the top of the brie with the cranberry relish and melt brie in a microwave just until it is hot but not too runny (2o to 40 seconds depending on the microwave). Serve with crackers. Totally addictive! Good luck trying to tear yourself away from this one!

Looking Back:

Cream cheese and hot pepper jelly, totally tasty! Every year at Christmas we had this classic, colorful appetizer, and you probably did too. It's still just as delicious and fun! Check out last Christmas' post: Christmas Memories. 

Elegant but Easy

My very first job was wrapping Christmas presents at a little boutique that sold beautiful glass ornaments. (I don't think I broke anything, but maybe I blocked it out.)  Anyway I loved wrapping gorgeous packages and have loved it ever since! Here is a simple, but elegant way to make bows so that your presents will look that much more special. (Of course, you probably don't want to wrap socks in a package like this.) 

Here's what you'll need:

A wired ribbon about 2 & 2/3 yards for large boxes, 2 & 1/3 yards for medium boxes and 1 & 1/2  yards for smaller boxes. (Better to have too much instead of too little.)

One or two pieces of wired ribbon (depending on whether you are doing a single or double bow), about 1 & 2/3 yards for larger bows and  1 & 1/2 yards for smaller bows. (I like the ribbons made of cloth.)

A measuring device such as a tape measure

A sharp pair of scissors

Scotch tape

Half of a pipe cleaner or very stiff wire about 5 inches long

Step 1 Take a wrapped present and measure a ribbon so that it goes around the box twice with about a foot and a few inches extra.

Step 2. Cut the ribbon and tie it around the box crossing the ribbon at the bottom of the box. You then cross the tails of the ribbon on top instead of completely knotting them and tape them down.

Step 3. Take the second piece of ribbon. (See measurements above.) You then make 3 to 4 loops on each side. For larger bows you want each loop to measure about 3 &1/2 inches when flattened, for medium bows 3 inches and for smaller bows 2&1/2 inches.

Step 4. Take 1/2 of a pipe cleaner or 5 inches of wire and twist it tightly around the middle of the bow.

Step 5. Tie the bow tightly on top of the box using the tails from the other ribbon.

Step 6. Using sharp scissors cut the end of each tail in a straight line then fold the ends of the ribbon and cut a V. Voila, you have a beautiful present!

Finishing touch

Almost all wreaths need the finishing touch of a bow. Bows for wreaths are made much the same as the bows above  for presents except you need just one piece of ribbon instead of 2. You'll need about 2 yards & 8 inches for medium sized bows and about 3 yards for large bows. (I like the look and feel of wired ribbon that is made more of a soft cloth.)

Step 1. Take a ribbon with the measurements above. You then start with a 6 to 8 inch tail and above that begin forming loops just like you did with the bows above.

Step 2. Once you have 3 to 4 loops on each side, tie the center with a thick wire or full pipe cleaner.

Step 3. Fluff the bow by pulling the loops apart, then attach the bow to the wreath. (See second one below.)

Wreath Makeover

Many of us aren't creative visionaries in the sense that we come up with ideas in a vacuum. Creativity can also be about taking one thing and making it better. I bought the wreath below (left) at Michael's for $20 and all I did was remove the green, add a few more berries and a bow! Voila, a whole new wreath which I, at least, think is much better!

Fun Saying

I was at my office this past week and saw that one of my fellow therapists put this up in our hallway. I just had to share it!

Hope you have a fun and meaningful Christmas!

Oh Christmas Tree. O Christmas Tree. . .

I was looking for napkin folds and I came across this darling Christmas tree one! To make things even better, it's easy to do! It would really make your Christmas table super fun and special! (Am I excited or what?) 

Step 1. Take a pressed napkin and fold it from the top down, then fold it over again right to left making a square.

Step 2. Rotate the square so that the point with no folds is facing you.

Step 3. Fold the top layer up leaving an inch of the bottom layer showing. (You will want to smooth down each part as you go.)

Step 4. Repeat with other three layers. You also may need to adjust each layer a bit so it lines up with the other layers.

Step 5. Flip napkin over so that the sharpest point is at the top. Take the left hand corner and fold it over, so the point touches the right edge making a triangle at the top. 

Step 6. Repeat with the right hand point. 

Step 7. Flip the napkin over so that the sharpest corner is facing you. Fold the top layer up a little past the top corner.

Step 8. Fold each layer up and tuck the corner into the layer above. 

Step 9. Presto! You have a Christmas Tree.

(Opt.) Step 10. To add a finishing touch: place a tiny bow on top of the tree using a straight pin.

Christmas Memories

I was thinking of past Christmases and realized that we only have a few family traditions. This year I'm forcing our family to each come up with an activity that we can do  together. My activity is driving around the surrounding neighborhoods and looking at Christmas lights. (Something we talk about, but never do.) We will each pick out our favorite houses. (The only requirement for this activity is there is no arguing:) I don't know if you drove around looking at Christmas lights with your family, but I did and it was a highlight

Strawberries and cream

When Valentine’s Day rolls around, while many of us think of romance, all of us think of decadent sweets! I ran across this darling VALENTINE’S HEART PASTRY on Always Autumn, and I just had to put my own 4-ingredient spin on it. It’s perfect for Valentine’s breakfast or really anytime of the day. Here’s what you’ll need:

1 pkg. of Puffed Pastry (comes in 2 sheets.)

1 regular basket of strawberries

1/2 + 1/2 cup of packed powdered sugar

1 8 oz. pkg of cream cheese

*3/4 cup of Nutella Spread can be substituted for cream cheese and 2nd 1/2 cup of powdered sugar.

Step 1. First, pre-heat oven to 400. Then, place each frozen pastry sheet on their own pieces of parchment paper for about 10 min. to thaw.

Step 2. Soften cream cheese in the microwave, stir in 1/2 cup of powdered sugar and return to refrigerator.

Step 3. Lightly pulse 2 cups of strawberry halves in a food processor, drain well in a colander then combine with 1/2 cup of powdered sugar.

Step 4. Unfold each sheet of pastry dough and roll it out so that it measures about 12 x 12 inches. Fold each sheet of pastry in half and stack them on top of each other (see below). Using the tip of a potato peeler trace half of a heart then cut through both layers with kitchen scissors. (Just like elementary school:)

Step 5 . Lay each heart flat on parchment paper. Spread the cream cheese mixture (or Nutella) on top of one of the hearts then add a layer of strawberry mixture (see below).

Step 6. Place the second heart on top of the first and pinch edges together. Make an X in the center of the top heart. Using a pizza wheel, start at the bottom point and slice almost to the center mark but not through it. Continue making slices all the way around the heart about 1 inch apart. Carefully lift each section and twist it 3 or 4 times. Twist the right half to the right and the left half to the left. (If you start twisting and the dough is too gooey, return the heart to the freezer for a bit.)

Step 7. Move the parchment paper to a cookie sheet, re-shape the heart and cover the edges of the pastry with foil (so they don’t cook too fast). Bake for 15 min., remove foil and bake for another 10 min. (or so) until entire heart is golden brown and cooked through. Using a spatula carefully slide heart onto a platter or cutting board and serve hot.

Step 4

Step 5

Step 6

*At some point you may need to return pastry dough to the freezer. You will want it to be very firm before you begin twisting.

The Spread Has Spread

Over 10 years ago when Todd and I were in Florence, we noticed everyone was spreading Nutella on everything just like we would butter or peanut butter. We had never seen such a thing! Now we see this decadent chocolate hazelnut spread everywhere we turn!

Looking Back

A couple of years ago Pickett’s Pearls featured this very fun Valentine’s Cake and last year we learned how to do this precious Heart Napkin Fold. Check ‘em out!

Fun Saying

Some people are just born funny and Ann Oliver, my friend Bradley’s mother, is one of those. A lot of it is her colorful Southern sayings. She literally says things like, “I gotta girdle up, I gotta doll up and I gotta gussy up!” So girls, this Valentine’s Day you know what to do!

Happy Valentine’s!

Many Mini Hearts

It's almost Valentines, so it's time for fun desserts! Last year's giant Valentine Heart Cake was such a hit among Pickett's Pearls readers that I decided that it would be fun to make minis!

Here's what you'll need:

1 cake mix (You can use any cake mix you want. I went with Betty Crocker Red Velvet Cake and Buttercream Frosting. Betty and I are buds.)

eggs

oil

Opt. mini chocolate chips 

Frosting

Step 1. Follow the directions on your cake box.

Step 2. Fill mini pound cake tins (Any grocery has these.) and a cupcake tin with mix 2/3s of the way up. (Each heart consists of a 1/2 cupcake and 1/4 of a pound cake, so you'll want to make twice as many cupcakes as mini pound cakes.)

Step 3. Bake both cupcakes and pound cakes until a toothpick comes out clean. (Mini pound cakes will take longer.)

Step 4. When done leave in tins and put in freezer for 15 min. to make them easier to cut and to minimize crumbs.

Step 5. Run a knife around the edges of the tins and dump cakes onto a cutting board. Slice each cupcake with one horizontal cut then one vertical cut in the center. (At this point each cupcake will be in 4 pieces.) You then slice the mini pound cakes with one vertical cut in the center then one horizontal cut. (At this point each mini pound cake will also be in 4 pieces.)

Step 6. Trim the mini pound cake pieces so that they become squares then turn one of the squares so that it positions like a diamond. You then attach two of the muffin pieces to the top sides of the diamond.  (See first picture above .) I promise we aren't making a Micky Mouse cake.

Step 7. Finally decorate the mini hearts however strikes your fancy. (See picture above.)

Try 'Em You'll Love 'Em!

Heart Napkin Fold

Surprise, Surprise another napkin fold. Obviously I'm obsessed! Special napkin folds just make a table look so fun and attractive! This fold has more steps than most, but the result is worth it! So let's dress up our tables for Valentines!

Step 1. Fold the top half of the napkin down to the center then fold the bottom half of the napkin up to the center.

Step 2. Bring the bottom edge of the napkin up to the top edge and smooth down.

Step 3. Fold up the right half of the napkin so that it forms a right angle.

Step 4. Fold the left half up and smooth the napkin down.

Step 5. Flip the napkin over and place your index finger half way down as shown above. You then pull the top two layers in the upper right hand corner past the horizontal line. (Repeat on right.)

Step 6. Smooth down both sides making a V at the top. Tuck both points in the little pocket and smooth down again.

Step 7. Flip the napkin over and fold under the outer top corner of each side forming two sharp points.

 

Step 8. Fold under each point on the very top and smooth down again, vigorously.

Step 9. You now have a darling Valentine Heart napkin!

You can also make a very cute Valentine Heart with a paper napkin! 

Happy Valentines!

All You Need is Love......

I remember Valentines Day when I was in Elementary school? We would bring 24 or so little cards and pass them out to everyone. The funny thing is that we would all be so excited. (When my kids were little there was an upgrade. We attached candy to each card.)  Here are some valentines cards from my day that I found:

Some were totally sexist

Some were just plain gross

Some were extreme!

Some went straight to the point

I don't really give my family Valentines cards anymore, but this year I'm making them a Valentines cake! The idea for this cake was given to me by Suzy Wolitarski Roberts. I'm excited about it because it's a 4 ingredient recipe and a creative project! Here's what you'll need:

A Betty Crocker Cake Mix (Duncan Hines comes out spongy.)

1/2 cup of Cooking oil

3 Eggs

Water (Doesn't count as an ingredient in my book.)

2 cans of Pink icing (strawberry or white icing dyed pink.) 

You will also need to find a huge cookie sheet or cutting board and cover it with foil. (I used our broiler pan from under our stove.) 

First follow the directions on the back of the cake box. Don't make the mistake that I made and not follow them. (Often it makes things better when I change things a bit, but not this time. Just  say, we now have a couple of valentines cakes hanging around the house.) Next pour 1/2 the batter into a very well greased square pan and the other 1/2 into a greased round cake pan. 

Once the cakes are done let them cool until they are about room temperature. Then put them in the freezer for at least 15 min. You can even put them in the frig. over night. (Making the cakes cold helps the cake not fall apart and minimizes the crumb problem.) 

Next run a butter knife around the edge of each pan a few times. You then dump the square part onto a very large and flat cookie sheet or pan. Make sure the bottom of the diamond is facing you and is down at the bottom of the cookie sheet or pan. Then dump the round one onto a separate cookie sheet. Next using a large knife cut the round one in half.

You then transfer each half to the larger pan using a spatula. Next connect each round half to each side of the diamond. (You may have to shave off part of the semi-circle ones so everything fits together.) Lastly ice the heart cake with frosting and decorate it however you want. If there are cracks or gullies in the cake don't worry, icing covers a multitude of sins.

*This recipe can be made with gluten free cake mix and icing 

Happy Valentines!

All Things Flourless

So many of us try to eat low carb (when we aren't busy chowing down on Girl Scout cookies that is), so I thought we could try another FLOURLESS pancake recipe. My daughter, Carly, loves this recipe from the book, The Vertue Method, and of course it has only four ingredients! With St. Patrick's Day coming up,  I thought it would be fun to make the pancakes green and in the shape of 4 leaf clovers! (They make green eggs and ham, and green beer so why not green pancakes?) Here’s how you make them:

4 egg whites

2 large bananas

2 rounded scoops of vanilla protein powder

2 level teaspoons of cinnamon

Turn a stove eye on medium, put a skillet on the eye and cover the bottom with a thin film of oil. Next put all ingredients in a bullet or blender and blend well. You then make the pancakes as you would any pancakes.

I like to use a 1/4 measuring cup and pour batter into the skillet slowly so they make a nice uniform shape. I also turn the heat down to medium low after the first set of pancakes are made. In addition, a big metal spatula seems to make flipping the pancakes easier. They are good with butter and syrup, or just butter. (Recipe makes about 8 medium sized pancakes.)

A Word About Green Dye And Four Leaf Clovers

If you want to make your pancakes actually green,  you will need to add 6 or more drops of green dye to the batter. (Take it from me: if you are going to work with food dye cover your hands with something. I still have green dye under my finger nails from a week ago! ) To make the four leaf clover shapes I used a large cookie cutter from Amazon. (Amazon Prime is super convenient! Maybe too convenient!)

Looking Back

Want an additional FLOURLESS (4 ingredient) pancake recipe? Check out last Spring's yummy Banana-Almond Butter Pancakes. Flourless never tasted so good!

Helpful Hints For the Home (Powerful Products)

A while back I mentioned that I would regularly throw out a 'Helpful Hint For the Home', and occasionally I run across a "Powerful Product" that I want to jump up and down about. One such product is the "Mr. Clean Magic Eraser". Remember that giant in white with one earring? He is now touting the "Magic Eraser". It gets scuff marks off your doors and walls when nothing else will. Just try it for yourself. I'm telling you it's "magic"!

Funny Irish Story

My husband, Todd, lived in Ireland for 2 years while he was getting his M.A. in Classics. One St. Patrick's Day, he asked his landlady about how she planned to celebrate (assuming it was a big deal in Ireland). She said, "Yes--so excited--I'm going to watch the St. Patrick 's Day Parade from New York on the 'telly"!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!