Thursday, December 5, 2024

Homemade Dry Onion Soup Mix

I'm making crockpot apricot chicken for dinner tonight which calls for dry onion soup mix - my niece is joining us but she can't have gluten so I googled to make sure onion soup mix is gluten-free. Turns out it has yeast extract so it isn't GF. Hmmmm - I could have just left it out I guess but then I googled to see if anyone has a homemade version and sure enough, there are lots of recipes. I picked this one and it turned out really good so I'm sharing it - not just for GF purposes but also just in case you don't have any of the store-bought mix on hand you can easily make your own with just a few spices. 


  • 1 1/2 T. beef bouillon granules*
  • 1/4 cup dried onion flakes
  • 1/2 t. onion powder
  • 1/4 t. dried parsley
  • 1/4 t. paprika
  • 1/8 t. garlic powder
  • 1/8 t. black pepper
Mix all together and store in an air-tight container. 1 recipe = 1 store-bought packet.

Notes: I didn't have bouillon granules so I added a little concentrated beef stock to the sauce ingredients (apricot jam and french dressing, click the link above for that recipe). I also added about 1/4 t. celery salt to the soup mix. 




Wednesday, December 4, 2024

Winter Mum

I didn't ask Scott or Amy if it's ok that I share this fun idea, LeDonna sent me the pictures and I'm just going to show you anyway LOL.


This time of year, at least here in Michigan, the fall mums are dead (it's snowy and freezing cold!) and normally I'd have thrown them out by now but it's too cold to go do yard work hahha. I love how Scott and Amy transformed theirs into winter decor by spray painting the mums white and adding some bows. I love this and if I had white spray paint on hand I'd be copying their idea right now (in the garage, I already established that I'm a wimp and don't want to work outside right now!). 



12.4.23: snowman baggie wreath re-run

12.4.22: ðŸ”¥ week 49

12.4.21: defrosting the chest freezer

12.4.20: how to make tiny bows using a fork

12.4.19: cranberry sauce hand pies

12.4.18: snowman wreath








12.4.17: wine cork Christmas trees








12.4.16: pasta with roasted tomatoes and sausage


12.4.15: contact paper dog house





Tuesday, December 3, 2024

Tip-sy Tuesday: quick homemade bbq sauce

I made salmon two-ways the other day but didn't have enough bbq sauce so I did a quick google search and found this super easy recipe that literally took me one minute to put together - Dave didn't know I whipped up the sauce and commented later how good the bbq sauce was this time, he was so surprised when I told him I made it! This might be my new go-to sauce when I make bbq salmon in the future, even if I have bottled on hand. 

Mix together:

  • 3/4 cup ketchup
  • 2 T. light brown sugaar
  • 1 T. white wine vinegar
  • 1 T. Worcestershire sauce
  • 2 t. paprika
  • 1/4 t. cayenne pepper (optional)
recipe for 'Quick BBQ Sauce' found at delish.com 

Monday, December 2, 2024

Slow Cooker Bananas Foster

 Macey requested this for her birthday dessert - I don't like bananas and I've never made bananas foster but of course I'll make it for her haha! The dessert is usually bananas sautéed in butter and sugar and then topped with rum and flambeed, I was making this at her sister's house tho and didn't really want to attempt to flambe and catch something on fire LOL. So I googled for recipes I could make ahead of time that didn't require fire and round this one prepared in a crockpot, perfect solution! This is very easy to make, and everyone seemed to love it so I'd definitely recommend this recipe - the only change I made is to not add the coconut and nuts, judging from the comments they were not needed.

I'm so sorry I can't find the pictures I took - picture bananas in a caramel sauce topped with ice cream. Next time I make this I'll update with an actual photo and not just a description haha. 

Ingredients

  • 5 medium firm bananas
  • 1 cup packed brown sugar
  • 1/4 cup butter, melted
  • 1/4 cup rum
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/3 cup chopped walnuts
  • 1/3 cup sweetened shredded coconut
  • Optional: Vanilla ice cream or sliced pound cake

Directions

  1. Cut bananas in half lengthwise, then widthwise; layer in the bottom of a 1-1/2-qt. slow cooker. Combine brown sugar, butter, rum, vanilla and cinnamon; pour over bananas. Cover and cook on low until heated through, about 1-1/2 hours.
  2. Sprinkle with walnuts and coconut; cook 30 minutes longer. Serve with ice cream or pound cake if desired.

Nutrition Facts

1 serving (calculated without ice cream or pound cake): 462 calories, 17g fat (8g saturated fat), 24mg cholesterol, 99mg sodium, 74g carbohydrate (59g sugars, 4g fiber), 3g protein.


recipe found here at taste of home 


12.2.23: words 

Sunday, December 1, 2024

🔥 Around the Campfire (week 48)

Dear Campers ~ 

Well I just inadvertently took a week off from blogging! Oops, sorry 'bout that - I know some of you wondered what was going on!! Anyway, I back-posted for the week lists of what happened on each day in years past - check them out and find some good new/old ideas hahah! 

Posts ~

11/24: ðŸ”¥ week 47

11/25: thru the years

11/26: thru the years

11/27: thru the years 

11/28: thru the years

11/29: thru the years

11/30: thru the years 

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



  

Saturday, November 30, 2024

11/30 ~ Thru the Years

Oops - we had a busy week and internet issues, I scheduled some posts ahead of time but now see they didn't go! So here's a trip thru memory lane and I'll have new stuff next week! 

Friday, November 29, 2024

11/29 ~ Thru the Years

Oops - we had a busy week and internet issues, I scheduled some posts ahead of time but now see they didn't go! So here's a trip thru memory lane and I'll have new stuff next week! 



11.29.21: stuffed burgers

11.29.20: ðŸ”¥ week 48


11.29.18: pinecone elves














11.29.17: smoothie bowl

11.29.16: make a pocket towel for the guest room)

11.29.15: mini pineapple-upside-down cakes 

Thursday, November 28, 2024

11/28 ~ Thru the Years

Oops - we had a busy week and internet issues, I scheduled some posts ahead of time but now see they didn't go! So here's a trip thru memory lane and I'll have new stuff next week! 

11.28.23: glue gun station

11.28.22: monday fun-day 

11.28.21: ðŸ”¥ week 48

11.28.20: cast iron blackened salmon

11.28.19: Thanksgiving '19

11.28.18: Cathy's rolled oats cake


 

Wednesday, November 27, 2024

11/27~ Thru the Years

Oops - we had a busy week and internet issues, I scheduled some posts ahead of time but now see they didn't go! So here's a trip thru memory lane and I'll have new stuff next week! 


11.27.23: advent gifts

11.27.18: pinecone angels















 

Tuesday, November 26, 2024

11/26 ~ Thru the Years

Oops - we had a busy week and internet issues, I scheduled some posts ahead of time but now see they didn't go! So here's a trip thru memory lane and I'll have new stuff next week! 

11.26.21: black friday
11.26.19: tip-sy tuesday: aluminum foil
1.26.18: Miss Lori's Christmas wreath

11.26.17: birds on a wire artwork


11.26.16: mulled cider


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