Tuesday, July 16, 2024

Tip-sy Tuesday: squeezing spinach dry

"Squeezing spinach dry"? That's a dumb post name but really, that's what the tip is so that's what I'm calling it hahahha.

I posted make ahead spinach manicotti and it says to 'thaw and squeeze dry' - you want the spinach as dry as possible so it doesn't add liquid to the recipe. To do that I first squeeze it between my palms to get as much water out as possible that way, and then press it between paper towels to really get it dry. 






Monday, July 15, 2024

Santa and Mrs.Claus Cinnamon Sticks

Found these cute cinnamon sticks in my craft stash - I didn't make them and I probably put them in my craft room instead of with my Christmas decorations thinking I'd use them as inspiration to make my own...and never did. So at the risk of never getting around to making and blogging them, I'm just sharing the project with you so you can have the idea if you want to make some! Christmas in July (so I don't forget to share closer to Christmas time haha).





I Googled and there are lots of images for this project - it seems the hair and beard might be made using snow effect craft paint. 


Sunday, July 14, 2024

🔥 Around the Campfire (week 28)

Dear Campers ~ 

Here's a quick recap in case you missed anything at camp last week:

Posts ~

7/7: 🔥 week 27

7/8: crochet bowl

7/9: TT brownie knife 

7/10: make-ahead spinach manicotti 

7/11: thru the years

7/12: glass gem personalized magnets 

7/13: words (cat with spiderweb)


That's it for this week! See you next week for more projects, crafts, recipes, whatever we can think of to make at camp - bye :)


Sincerely ~

Jill
camp counselor


Friday, July 12, 2024

Glass Gem Personalized Magnets

Yet another project I came across while cleaning out my craft room that I forgot about - and really easy to make. I went thru a phase where I made personalized sets of magnets as little gifts, wonder if anyone still has theirs haha. It's been a while. 

I cut out people, events, pictures and sayings from multiple sources such as photographs (I print the images onto regular copy paper), magazine pages, decorative paper, whatever you want. Cut to fit on either jumbo 1" or smaller 3/4" glass gems that are flat on one side. Brush the image with mod podge or thin glue that will dry clear, stick to the flat side of the gem. Hot glue a small magnet to the back. 




These are cute presented in a small metal tin like Altoids, I just cover the lid with something pretty like decorative paper for gifting. 


7.12.23: olive burgers



Thursday, July 11, 2024

7/11 ~ Thru the Years

The week got away from me again and I don't have a post for today - so let's revisit what happened in years past on this date!


7.11.23: boom boom sauce

7.11.22: window shadow box

7.11.21: ðŸ”¥ week 28


7.11.19: mnih (my niece is hungry!): oslo pasta bake

7.11.16: coco lopez

Wednesday, July 10, 2024

Make-Ahead Spinach Manicotti

I made this for Sunday supper and it was a hit! Not hard to do, but it does take a little time filling each manicotti shell. One tip that makes filling them easier is to put it in a ziplock bag, snip a little corner off and then insert it into a shell, squeeze lightly until the shell is filled. I served the manicotti with meatballs cooked in red sauce, crusty bread, and salad bar. Yum. 

  • 1 (15 oz) carton ricotta cheese
  • 1 (10 oz.) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
  • 1 1/2 cups (6 oz.) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese, divided
  • 3/4 cup shredded parmesan cheese, divided
  • 1 egg
  • 2 t. minced fresh parsley
  • 1/2 t. onion powder
  • 1/2 t. pepper
  • 1/8 t. garlic powder
  • 2 jars (28 oz. each) spaghetti sauce 
  • 1 1/2 cups water
  • 1 (8 oz.) package manicotti shells
In a large bowl combine ricotta, spinach, 1 cup mozzarella, 1/4 cup parmesan, egg, parsley, onion powder, pepper, and garlic powder. 

In another bowl combine spaghetti sauce and water; spread one cup of sauce in an uncreased 13x9" baking dish.

Stuff uncooked manicotti with spinach mixture; arrange over sauce. Pour remaining sauce over manicotti. Sprinkle with remaining mozzarella and parmesan. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

Remove from the refrigerator 30 minutes before baking. Bake, uncovered, at 350' for 40-50 minutes or until heated through. 

Makes 6-8 servings










Tuesday, July 9, 2024

Tip-sy Tuesday: Brownie Knife

Who knew? Natalie keeps a plastic knife in her utensil drawer for cutting brownies - for some reason the plastic makes cleaner cuts and the brownies stay intact better than using a regular knife. Good tip Nat! 


A few brownie recipes from the blog you might want to make - a chance to try out the plastic knife tip! 

7.9.23: week 28

7.9.22: roasted pork loin with fig sauce

7.9.21: yard yahtzee

7.9.20: bacon lettuce cups

7.9.19: hair bun hack

7.9.18: beach terrarium








7.9.17: knock-off Topopo Salad

Monday, July 8, 2024

Crochet Bowl

Still coming across uncompleted projects during my craft room cleanup - I don't remember making this small crochet bowl but I put it aside with literally 3 inches of stitches to go, why would I do that? It's been too long to know where I found a pattern, I googled around and found this one at Craftsy that seems similar to what I did - there are lot's of free patterns online, the one I made started with a magic circle at the center bottom, increased single crochet stitches until the bowl is as wide as you want, and then single crochet without increasing to build the walls of the bowl. I used variegated light weight yarn, if you want yours heavier and sturdier then use thicker yarn or crochet using 2 strands held together. 


My little bowl was quite flimsy because of the weight of the yarn I used and only crocheting with one strand so I decided I'd try starching it so it'll hold it's shape - I've never done that before and was curious how it'd work. For some reason I have liquid starch in the laundry room - probably bought for a different project that I never made hahah - I mixed equal parts of the starch with warm water, submerged the bowl until it was completley soaked, then let it air dry on a rack overnight. And sure enough, it worked and I have a firm little bowl now! 




Sunday, July 7, 2024

🔥 Around the Campfire (week 27)

Dear Campers ~ 

Here's a quick recap in case you missed anything at camp last week:

Posts ~

6/30: ðŸ”¥ week 26

7/1: rhubarb banana bread

7/2: TT repair a torn umbrella 

7/3: brownies with sprinkles

7/4: July 4th

7/5: felt pouch with fortune 

7/6: words (distracted reading)

That's it for this week! See you next week for more projects, crafts, recipes, whatever we can think of to make at camp - bye :)


Sincerely ~

Jill
camp counselor