Fall Tutu Wreath

I made this using some of the leftover tulle from the tutu's I made for our fall 5K run/walk (click here for that post) - hence the name 'tutu wreath'...plus it just looks like a tutu hahaha!

So easy and quick to assemble; the technique is the same as making the tutu's  - cut 12" lengths of (6-inch wide) tulle, tie them on a 12" wire wreath using a larks head knot (double the tulle strip, thread the loop thru one or two of the wreath rungs, bring both tails up and pull thru the loop going over the rung, pull to tighten). I did two rows (each covering 2 rungs), 16 strips in each section for each row. Make sense? Check out the pics:

backside of wreath - on the left I tied over two rungs, on the right I tied over a single rung.
Way thicker when I did every rung and I prefer the left side. 

All the tulle tied on and pushed flat, you can see the inner circle  and knots this way...

...or fluff it up! 

Once I had the tulle tied on I played around with how I wanted to finish it - big sunflower, different ribbons, fake leaves...I decided on the leaves and an orange ribbon to hang it. If I don't put this on a door and it doesn't get moved a lot, I don't even have to glue the leaves in place - they stick to the tulle. If it's going to get moved I'll quickly tack them down with some hot glue.

11.20.18: make a pumpkin vase
11.20.17: yarn wrapped wheat
11.20.16: Jen's spinach salad
11.20.15: leaf lantern

Tip-sy Tuesday: squash

Roasting squash is super easy: I cut the squash in half  (I cut a bit of the top and bottom off first so it stands up straight, sometimes it's hard to cut thru a squash so having a stable bottom helps), scoop out the seeds and pulpy center, cut into big chunks. Put on a baking sheet or in a baking dish, pop in a 350' oven until it's cooked thru and soft. Sometimes I drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper, other people add a little water to the pan, some do cut side down or up - all of that is up to you. I just normally put the pieces on a baking sheet cut side up and put them in the oven. The baking time will depend on how big your squash pieces are, it's usually an hour for mine.

A cool tip I have for you is if you have an ice cream scoop with a point on it, use it to scoop out the squash - it's so easy that way! Otherwise you can use a spoon, and if you have one with a pointed end even better. 

Scalloped Carrots

Cathy made this carrot casserole for dinner last night, and it's so good and different that I asked if she'd share the recipe - she knows the drill by now and already took pictures of the steps for me knowing I'd ask hahahaha. Love that - thanks Cathy!

We loved the carrots done this way - it will definitely be in rotation this fall and winter, and perfect as a side dish on Thanksgiving. Has anyone else ever heard of making carrots like this? I'm wondering why I've been missing out on it all this time - I mean, I love roasted carrots but creamy cheesy carrots? What's not to love.

Ingredients:

• 4 c. sliced carrots
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 3 T. butter
• 1/2 t. salt and pepper
• 1 can cream of celery soup
• 1 c. grated velveeta cheese
• 3/4 c. Ritz cracker crumbs
• 1/3 c. melted butter

Directions:

Cook carrots in salted water till tender, drain.

Cook onions in 3 T. butter until soft. Stir in soup, salt and pepper, cheese until well combined. Add carrots and gently mix. 

Pour into a buttered 2 quart casserole dish. 

Toss crumbs with 1/3 c. melted butter. Spoon over carrots. Bake 350' 20-30 minutes. 

*note from Cathy: she microwaved everything (carrots and onions) except baking it at the end. 

11.18.18: 🔥weekly recap
11.18.17: how to make a paper box
11.18.16: silhouette art by Brooke
11.18.15: roasted cherry tomatoes

Around the Campfire 🔥 (week 46)

Dear Campers ~

Here's a quick recap in case you missed anything at MMDC this week:

Posts ~
11/10: 🔥week 45
11/11:  pony bead Indian corn
11/12:  tip-sy Tuesday: how much turkey?
11/13:  candy corn cone
11/14:  'my sis is hungry' review of pumpkin snickerdoodles
11/15:  green bean salad
11/16:  corny corn bread

Tesha and I went to Frankenmuth and ate at Zehnders restaurant - for the first time we didn't choose the "all you can eat chicken dinner" like we usually do and limited ourselves to the 2 piece plated dinner...which was still seriously too much food btw...and while I pretty much like everything that comes with the dinner (got my eye on you,yucky liver pate thing) we both love, love the cranberry relish - it is so fresh, crunchy, citrusy, a little tart and a little sweet - and I totally just eat it by the spoonful! I've posted the recipe in the past but with Thanksgiving just around the corner I thought I'd share it again; I promise, you won't go wrong serving this!

Zehnders Cranberry Relish:

Ingredients:

• 3 medium sized apples like Northern Spy or Granny Smith, cored but keep the peel on 
• 1 pound frozen cranberries (you want them frozen so they chop easier)
• 2 naval oranges, with the peel on
• 2 cup sugar

Instructions:

• Chop the apples, oranges (including peel), and cranberries into 1/4" pieces.
• Add sugar and mix well. 
• Let set one hour before serving. 

New roof is still underway (uh, hello bad weather slowing things down!) so Sarge is still barking and I still have a headache! In addition to the headache I woke up a couple days ago with my voice sounding like Batman with laryngitis - ugh. Thankfully I didn't have to be in any singing competitions this week - Teri said I might win tho because I'd be rocking a sexy hoarse Janis Joplin type voice LOL. Uh, yeah - no. 

Read "The Last House Guest" by Megan Miranda - guess what, it's another of Reese Witherspoons book picks (remember I haven't been a fan of her choices to date) and this one I actually really liked! Reese is back in my good graces and l might (cautiously) and I can recommend this one for an easy, entertaining, who-done-it, non- predictable read. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Off to Friendsgiving at Al and Cathys, gotta run. My contribution is mashed squash (I'll share that recipe this week), we are looking forward to hanging with friends and enjoying a pre-Thanksgiving dinner.  Have a great week - stop back often for more recipes, crafts, whatever else I can think of to make (hint: more fall and Thanksgiving ideas!). Bye!

Sincerely ~

Jill

camp counselor and Batman sound-a-like

Corny Corn Bread

We had a get together last night and Mickey suggested we have a 'chili bar' - perfect food for a cold night, I made 2 different chili's the day before so clean up was a breeze, and I bought paper bowls so everyone could try both kinds (and have seconds) without my having to try to find 30 bowls in my cupboards or do tons of dishes. Everyone brought lots of munchies, I made some margarita cupcakes that I'll share with you later, and this cornbread.

I've had this recipe in my files for a really long time, I just scribbled it on a piece of paper and have no idea where it came from. I'm so glad to finally make it and now know how fantastic it is and will definitely be making this one in the future. It's a keeper - very easy, moist, and delicious. Oh, and the house smelled great while it was baking...always love that, especially with it being so cold out!

2 boxes Jiffy corn bread
8 oz. sour cream
2 eggs
1 (15oz) can creamed corn
1/4 c. sugar
1 stick butter, melted

Mix all together. Pour batter into a greased 13 x 9" baking dish. Bake 375' for 30 minutes or until baked thru and golden brown.

I made Sheryl's chili

               and Jane's white chicken chili - both recipes I've posted before and they're both great!


11.16.18: pinecone wreath
11.16.17: doggie pupcakes
11.16.16: fall circle garland
11.16.15: DIY cookie stand

Green Bean Salad

My brain is thinking ahead to Thanksgiving next week and when I came across this picture in my file I (a) remembered that I never posted this easy salad that I made back when we were getting tons of beans and tomatoes from the garden, and (b) this would be a nice addition to the Thanksgiving dinner line-up if you want a change up from the traditional green bean casserole. It's a simple, fresh, crunchy, delicious side dish perfect for a potluck or dish to pass (in addition to being perfect to eat at home!), it comes together quickly, can be made ahead of time, and is great either chilled or at room temperature. 

Ingredients:

• 2 pounds fresh green beans, ends trimmed, leave whole or cut into smaller pieces 
• 1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 3 T. lemon juice
• 3 T. balsamic vinegar
• 1/4 t. salt
• 1/4 t. garlic powder
• 1/8 t. pepper
• 4 oz. feta cheese, crumbled
• 6-8 strips bacon, cooked and crumbled

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add 1 t. salt, cook green beans until tender, 5-10 minutes. While they cook prepare a large bowl with an ice water bath (that means fill the bowl with water and ice cubes). Once the beans are crisp-tender drain them into a colander to drain then quickly put them in the ice water for a few minutes to stop the cooking (don't want mushy beans!). 

2. Drain the beans and pat dry. Toss them in a bowl with the tomatoes.

3. For the dressing: whisk together the olive oil, lemon juice, vinegar, salt, garlic powder, and pepper. Pour the mixture over the green beans and toss to coat. Cover the bowl and chill for at least an hour or up to 3 hours before ready to serve. 

4. Stir in the feta and bacon right before serving. Serve chilled or at room temperature. 

*note: the bacon gets a little soggy after it sits in the beans overnight (but still tastes good), if you're making ahead of time I'd wait to add the bacon until closer to serving time. 

recipe found on melskitchencafe.com


11.15.18: pinecone birds
11.15.17: Brooke's nutella mug cake
11.15.16: deviled egg short-cut (I do this all the time!)
11.15.15: Thanksmas

My Sis is Hungry: Pumpkin Snickerdoodles

So. I needed to not go by her title on this one at all.  Pumpkin Snickerdoodle Cookie something or other.  First of all I’m not a huge cookie fan.  I mean, I’ll take a hot chocolate chip out of the oven (who wouldn’t) or I do love a good no bake (except my kids think they are meant to eat with a spoon off wax paper, since mine never firm up.  Story for a different day).  Sorry, lost my train of thought there...back to pumpkin blah blah blah cookie.  Hmmm..

So it looked fine.  A brown weird lump of cookie.  I could smell the pumpkin which did indeed draw me in.  Let me be clear that this did not taste anything to me like a cookie.  It was more like a pumpkin muffin top.  Or a pumpkin bread dollop. (oooh bread dollop.. new invention?).. 

Anyway.. Delicious.  LOVED these.  Not too sweet, loved that it wasn’t a crunchy cookie but was more of a bread texture.  And even a few days later still moist and delicious.  Could taste the pumpkin – so the husband didn’t like them for that reason.  The teen however LOVED them.  Only negative for that is since they were not cookie-like she was eating them for breakfast and pretending it was a health food.  Yes it has pumpkin however its got sugar all over the top.  Come on kid, you can't count that as health food. She did indeed eat them until they were gone.  So please don’t make us more.  Ok make us a few more.. and I’ll hide them.

Pumpkin Snickerdoodles

Ingredients:

• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 1/2 t. baking soda
• 1/2 t. cream of tartar
• 1/2 t. coarse salt
• pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
• 1 stick unsalted butter, melted and allowed to cool
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup canned pumpkin puree (not pie filling, there's a difference)
• 1 large egg, room temperature
• 1 t. vanilla
• 1/3 cup fine sanding sugar (note: I used regular sugar)
• 1 t. cinnamon
• 1/2 t. ground allspice

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375'. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, cream of tartar, salt, and nutmeg. 

2. In a large bowl, whisk together butter, sugar, and pumpkin until smooth. Add egg and vanilla and whisk to combine. Add four mixture and stir to combine, about 2 minutes. 

3. In a small bowl, whisk together sanding sugar, cinnamon, and allspice. Drop heaping tablespoons of ought into sugar mixture and roll into 1 1/2" balls. Transfer to parchment-lined baking sheets, 3 inches apart. Using a spatula, flatten balls to just under 1/2" thick. Sprinkle with more sugar mixture.

4. Bake, rotating sheets halfway through, until light golden brown and firm to touch, 10-12 minutes. Let cool 5 minutes on sheets, then transfer to a wire rack an let cool completely. Cookies can be stored in an airtight container up to 3 days.

Jill's notes: this dough is very soft, I scooped small balls with my smallest cookie scoop, dropped them into the sugar then took a fork to turn the dough or else they fell apart. They do not taste like snickerdoodles to me, and my sissy is spot-on when she called them pumpkin muffin tops - I might rename these and form them into cookies that look even more like a muffin top! Please note that I'm not even reacting to her "brown weird lump of cookie" comment - what does she expect from a muffin top? ;)

11.14.18: pinecone owls

11.14.17: kid craft: decorating apples

11.14.16: curvy keepsake box turkey

11.14.15: wine and design: fall centerpiece

recipe found here

Candy Corn Cone

I saw this on Pinterest (how would I make crafts without Pinterest? hahaha, also known as "time sucking black hole"), someone used a styrofoam cone as the base but I don't have one of those and instant gratification isn't nearly as much fun if I have to go to the store for supplies, so I improvised. Made a cone out of a standard size piece of white cardstock, staple to hold it's shape, trim the bottom so it sits flat. Wrap with white, orange, and yellow yarn - whoever thinks saving little bits of yarn is a hoarding issue might change their mind when they see you can make fun things with leftover yarn! - I added white elmers glue every now and then on the paper to keep the yarn from unraveling and popping off the tip of the cone...guess how many times that happened to me before I glued it in place?  Let's go with 7 and that's probably an understatement.

This is apparently the week of kid crafts - first the pipe cleaner Indian corn and now a yarn candy corn. Who knows what'll happen tomorrow, maybe a toilet paper roll or paper plate craft? LOL!

11.13.18: pinecone turkeys

11.13.17: crocheted beanie

11.13.16:  spanish rice

11.13.15: crocheted dog scarf

Tip-sy Tuesday: how much turkey?

Thanksgiving is coming fast - even tho it's later this year it's still getting here faster than I'm ready for it! How 'bout you? Thinking about your turkey dinner yet? If I'm just making for Dave and I then it's easy to just get a small turkey or turkey breast (turkey breast is my new favorite btw) but what if you're having more than 2 people? Here's what a sample of googling got me (these are the first 3 hits): seems like 1.5 pounds per person assures you'll have some leftovers and can send some home with guests if you want, figure 1 pound per person if you don't want endless turkey.

Canadian Living:

the Kitchn:

lehighvalleylive:

11.12.18: herb bubble bread
11.12.17: stuffed spaghetti squash
11.12.16: caramel apple shots
11.12.15: pumpkin roll

Mini Pony Bead Indian Corn

I miss kid's craft day! I was surfing Pinterest and saw this idea - I have pipe cleaners and pony beads but no kids around...hmmm...do I let that stop me or do I make a kid craft with no kids present hahaha? Obviously I can't let no kid around stop me! I whipped one out in just a few minutes, it's sooooo easy and perfect for all ages. 

The original post I saw made these with 12" pipe cleaners and bigger pony beads; the pony beads I have are the little ones and I don't have a ton in the correct colors for Indian corn, so I cut the pipe cleaners in half and made even mini-er Indian corn. If you have the larger beads (or lots of the small ones) then bigger would probably look better - but I think this little 3" corn cob is super cute. If I had more beads - and kid helpers -  I'd make a few of these for table decorations in time for Thanksgiving.

Thanks for letting me indulge my kid craft side today!

Oh, and all I did was fold the pipe cleaner in half, thread 10 beads on each half (do that on 4 pipe cleaners), twist the middles together, then the tops together. I added a little twine to the top but you don't have to do that!