Crock Pot Country Ribs

This is just about the easiest recipe ever - and it's delicious. What's not to love about that hahaha?!

Put a package of boneless, pork country ribs in a large crockpot (I spray the crockpot with no-stick cooking spray first). Add 1 large can of cream of mushroom soup and 1 or 2 cans of mushrooms, including the juice. Cover and cook on LOW for 8-9 hours. If you don't want as much sauce just use a small can of soup, but I like to have extra to put over noodles or mashed potatoes as sort of a gravy. Yum. 

Note: country ribs aren't actually ribs, not sure why they're called that! Maybe because of the way they're cut? I've only ever made them in the crockpot - they are very moist, meaty, and flavorful. 

4.10.20: banana muffins

4.10.19: chocolate bunny cake

4.10.18: prosciutto-wrapped mozzarella sticks
4.10.17: how to make paper umbrellas

4.10.16: oven steamed salmon

Garlic Parmesan Wings

For the record, I'm not a fan of wings or little drumettes - can't give you a reason other than I just never eat them. So when Al made these for an appetizer I have no idea why I tried one - maybe because they smelled divine? And I was probably super hungry? I don't know but I'm very happy to report that I did, and I loved it, and of course asked for the recipe to share. These are truly delicious - finger lickin' good! Not sure I'm going to start eating wings now but if Al is making these again I'm in (that's a little hint if he's reading this hahaha!). 

He sent me a copy of the recipe, can't tell where he found it - I'll type it out for you in case it's too hard to read:

Ingredients:

• 3 lbs. chicken wings (note he did some drumettes in addition to the wings)
• 1 1/2 T. baking powder
• salt and pepper
• 1/4 cup salted butter
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 t. dried parsley
• pinch red pepper flakes
• 1/2 ounce grated parmesan (about 1/2 cup)
• fresh chopped rosemary or parsley

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 250' and place a baking rack over a baking sheet lined with foil. brush rack with oil to prevent sticking.
2. Pat wings dry very well (as dry as possible) and place in a plastic bag. Sprinkle with baking powder, salt, and pepper and sea the bag. Shake to coat. Lay wings in a single layer on prepared baking rack and bake in lower third of oven for 30 minutes. 
3. Increase oven temperature to 425' and move baking sheet to upper third of oven. Continue to bake for another 20 to 30 minutes, until crispy. Transfer to a large bowl.
4. Melt the butter in a microwaveable safe bowl or in a saucepan. Add the garlic, parsley, and red pepper flakes. Pour over the chicken wings and sprinkle with the parmesan. Toss well to coat. Sprinkle with chopped parsley. Sprinkle with additional salt and pepper to taste.
5. Serve immediately with your favorite dipping sauce. 

4.9.20: 3D flower card

4.9.19: tipsy tuesday: make a grease container
4.9.18: don't throw away old or broken candles...make new ones
4.9.17: JAR pot roast (short ribs and vegetables)
4.9.16: refrigerator jam and easy ice cream cake

Kid Craft: Fire Breathing Dragon by Brooke

hey guys! i made this super cute dragon out of a toilet paper roll! all you need is a toilet paper roll, green construction paper, red yellow and orange tissue paper, scissors, tape, a dark green marker and some google eyes! (i also used a hole punch and string so i could wear it around my neck but you don’t have to). 

first i took my green construction paper and measured how long the toilet paper roll was. then i cut it and wrapped it around and taped the paper so it couldn’t move. then i cut strips of tissue paper. i cut them all different lengths and sizes so the flames would all look different. i also cut triangle shapes on the end of each one too! then i took one and taped it on the inside of the toilet paper roll. i did this all around so the flames would look like it was coming out of the dragons mouth! once i taped them all around and it looked like enough flames i took a green marker and drew two nostrils. then i used the google eyes and put them on his face! (they had stickies on the back but you can use glue or just draw them lol! then you’re dragon is complete! i added string tho.. so if you want to do that all you need to do is hole punch 2 holes-one on each side and then tie a string! then you have a dragon! if you blow through the toilet paper roll the tissue paper moves and makes it look like he’s blowing flames! 

4.8.20: wacky nail polish

4.8.19: mug rug
4.8.18: ham pasta salad
4.8.17: coleslaw dressing
4.8.16: Brooke has a tip

Banana Oatmeal Cookies #2

I posted on 6/3/20 that I made banana oatmeal cookies but I couldn't find the recipe to share, so I remade them using a different recipe - the repeat cookies weren't exactly the same but still great and I moved on. So the other day I'm cleaning off open safari tabs on my phone and a recipe for banana oatmeal cookies is one of them (I didn't realize I have open tabs going back over a year!) - I'm thinking this must be the original recipe so I made them again to make sure they're good...and yep, they're great! Similar to the 6/20 recipe, they are soft and cakey with tons of flavor. I figured you might as well get the second version of these cookies - tell me if you've make both of the recipes and which you like better!

The recipe calls for semi-sweet chips and nuts, I did 1/2 semi-sweet and 1/2 butterscotch chips and omitted the nuts. 

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups flour
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 t. salt
• 1/2 t. baking soda
• 1/2 t. ground cinnamon
• 1/4 t. ground nutmeg
• 3/4 cup butter, softened
• 1 larg egg, room temperature
• 1 cup mashed ripe bananas (about 2)
• 1 3/4 cups quick-cooking oats
• 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375'. In a bowl, combine the first 6 ingredients; beat in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add egg, bananas, and oats; mix well. Stir in chips and nuts.
2. Drop by tablespoonfuls onto greased baking sheets. Bake until golden brown, 13-15 minutes. Cool on wire racks.

makes 4 dozen. 1 cookie = 97 calories, 5g fat, 13g carb (7g sugar, 1g fiber)

click here for recipe found at tasteofhome.com

4.7.20: Natalie makes crepes

4.7.19: around the campfire 🔥
4.7.18: swedish fish cocktail
4.7.17: DIY phone case by Brooke (I still use this btw, I just switched it to another clear case)
4.7.16: how to repair a wall clock

Tip-sy Tuesday: chili sauce

I wanted to make meatloaf for the April Fool's 'cake' last week but didn't have any chili sauce - so I made my own, didn't realize how simple it is!

• 1 cup tomato sauce or ketchup 
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 3 T. apple cider vinegar
• 1/4 t. allspice
• 1 t. red pepper flakes

Combine all the ingredients in a small bowl and stir until all the sugar is melted and incorporated. 

4.6.20: at home spa day

4.6.19: vodka bolognese 
4.6.18: diy heating pad
4.6.17: emergency kit ...although good luck finding everything right now :(
4.6.16: stuffed mini sweet peppers

MSIH: Ham and Lentil Soup

I'm betting my sister is down right starving it's been so long since I've sent food home for her to review hahahha. I found this one from last year that I never posted - and with the leftover hambone from Easter dinner I'll be making it again. It's so good. Here's her review, recipe below:

Ham and Lentil Soup.  Catchy name.  Perhaps needs some work.  Would have scared the husband off with just the word “lentil” so had to not tell him what it was called.

This soup was amazing.  loved it. 

Almost had the texture of beef stew so if you like soup that’s very “brothy” you may not like this one.  I on the other hand loved it.  The flavor was delicious, loved the lentils, quite filling due to its thickness. Very good. 

Jill here - I read a bunch of recipes and got a good idea of what to do, then I winged it with my own amounts and seasonings. I'll give you approximate amounts of what I used but I didn't measure when I made it - so adjust to your taste and/or what you have on hand, and what looks right. It was brothy the day I made it but after sitting overnight a lot of the liquid was absorbed and made it very thick and more stew-like. If you want it thinner just add water or more chicken stock. 

• 1 hambone with meat still on it
• 1 cup chopped carrots
• 1 cup chopped celery
• 1 cup lentils
• 6 cups chicken stock (low-sodium)
• 1 1/2 t. Italian herb blend
• 1/2 t. crushed red pepper flakes
• 2 bay leaves

Put all ingredients in a large crockpot and cook on low for 8 hours. Remove the hambone and pick off any meat that's still attached, chop and add back to the pot. Note, I look thru the soup for any large pieces and break them up, and remove any grizzle/bone/fat/etc. that you don't want to leave in the soup. Remove the bay leaves before serving. 

🔥Around the Campfire (week 14)

Dear Campers ~

Happy Easter!! I'm busy getting ready for dinner later, I bet you are too - so I'll keep this weeks recap short and sweet! 

Posts ~

3/28: 🔥week 13

3/29: Reese's bunny racing cars

3/30: Tip-sy Tuesday: deviled eggs

3/31: chocolate peep pops

4/1: meatloaf cake

4/2: godzilla rampage

4/3: Easter bark

What's Cooking ~ 

• crockpot boneless pork chops, mashed cauliflower, green salad
• grilled tuna, greek salad and roasted garbanzo beans
• grilled chicken, rice pilaf, baked cheesy spinach
• pork tenderloin, cubed sweet potatoes, roasted green beans
• meatloaf, mashed potatoes, mixed veggies
• bbq ribs, veggie tots, chopped kale salad

To make this cute flower arrangement I put the daffodils in a skinny vase and set into a larger clear vase. Then add jelly beans around the inner vase, top with plastic or edible grass, then a layer of peeps. 

I got a funny text from Janis after she read my little April Fool's Day post - she wrote "okay...you got me!!! Good one! I was so upset that you were quitting your blog!" Awwwww - sorry for scaring her but that was a nice text hahah. 

That's all for now - hope you had a great week! Stop back often for more recipes, crafts, projects, whatever else I think of to make at camp - bye!

Sincerely ~

Jill

camp counselor

4.4.20: virtual Sunday supper

4.4.19: thousand island dressing
4.4.18: april challenge - water
4.4.17: using up postage stamps
4.4.16: how to make refrigerator pickles

Easter White Chocolate Bark

This bark is super easy to make - I'm planning to break it into pieces and stick in the top of mini cheesecakes for our Easter dinner. Brooke is coming over and has requested ham and cheesy potatoes  - usually I'd make a bunny cake for dessert but since it's only the 3 of us and 2 of us don't love cake, I'm making cheesecake instead (and I know that B loves it!). I'll do mini versions so the 3 of us aren't tempted to eat the whole cheesecake in one sitting hahahha - portion control and all that.

Melt white chocolate according to package directions (I used Ghirardelli melting wafers). Spread on a wax paper lined baking sheet, spread it pretty thin so you'll be able to break it up once it's set. While still melted add whatever toppings you want - I used some Easter sprinkles, along with 3 different other kinds of sprinkles that were all different sizes to add variety. I thought about adding mini m&m's but just went heavy on the sprinkles. Turned out so cute!

I'll probably make this recipe for the cheesecakes again, but without the fruit topping. I'll add a dollop of whipped cream and a piece of Easter bark to the top. 

4.3.20: neighborhood messages

4.3.19: sheet pan pork chops

4.3.18: peeling potatoes tip

4.3.17: K-cup bunnies (fun Easter craft!)

4.3.16: chicken soup

Godzilla Rampage (and a Peep house)

My sis sent me this inspiration idea like 3 years ago and I kept forgetting to make it until now - I didn't come up with the idea but I love it so much and it made me laugh, and I really dislike Peeps so this plays with my twisted sense of humor LOL. 

You should have seen Dave's face when he saw that I was sticking gooey marshmallow and sugar on his Godzilla statue/toy (he has a bunch of different ones and I promised to wipe it clean hahahhaha). 

Now if you don't want to have a Godzilla rampage, here's a much nicer thing to do with Peeps from my friend Lisa - make a Peep gingerbread birdhouse, so cute! 

4.2.20: cowboy pasta

4.2.19: stringing beads tip
4.2.18: yarn and tulip wreath
4.2.17: BBQ chicken stuffed sweet potatoes
4.2.16: cleaning glassware

Meatloaf Cake

Guys - you've probably known this was coming for some time now, I'm just burned out of blogging every day and have decided it's time to retire from running Make My Day Camp. It's been so much fun and I really appreciate you sticking with it for 5+ years - hopefully you've found recipes, crafts, projects, etc that you've made and enjoyed....and I hope you'll keep being creative even without my sharing ideas (some dumb, some good hahha). Thanks for everything!

Geez I hope you know that today is April 1st - HAPPY APRIL FOOLS' DAY!!! No way I'm quitting the blog, I love it too much - you're not getting rid of me that easily 😉. Now on to today's post - I'm making 'meatloaf cake' in honor of April Fools' day, it's 2 layers of meatloaf with mashed potato filling and frosting. I have the meatloaf in the oven as I write this, haven't assembled it yet so don't have a picture but I'll update after I do. Wanted you to have time to make this today if you're feeling like being silly with me. Here's my inspiration picture from an old All Recipes magazine:

I made my usual meatloaf recipe, LeDonna does a version with mushroom soup on top that I want to try but I went with this chili sauce glazed one since I know what to expect. I'll do the other version and share it next time. 

• 1 pound each lean ground beef, ground pork, and ground lamb or turkey
• 1 cup breadcrumbs (cracker crumbs or oatmeal work too)
• 1 bottle of chili sauce, or 1 1/2 cups homemade
• 2 eggs
• splash of milk
• salt and pepper

Combine the breadcrumbs, 1/2 of the chili sauce, eggs, milk, and salt and pepper in a large bowl. Add the ground meats and mix with your hands until it's evenly mixed together. Divide in half, place each in a 9" cake pan sprayed with non-stick cooking spray. Top with remaining chili sauce. Bake at 350' for approx. 45 minutes until done. 

4.1.20: American Sign Language alphabet

4.1.19: microwave bowl cozy we still use these just about every day!

4.1.18: Easter and how to make a jelly bean tree

4.1.17: perfect baked sweet potatoes

PS: thanks to Tesha for the funny toilet photo above!