Thursday, October 18, 2018

Spinach Maria Soup

Today is my mom's birthday and I was thinking about some recipes and ideas she's given me that I could post in honor of her - there's quite a few of them but this soup popped into my brain and now I want to make it for lunch, so I'm sharing this one :) I don't have a photo (since I'm posting this before I make it!) but it looks like cream of spinach soup ... I'll leave you this adorable bunny and spinach photo instead:


I actually can't remember if mom gave me this recipe, or if she raved about the soup so much that I went and found the recipe somewhere (if I did I have no idea where so can't give credit).  Either way she gets the credit for telling me about it, and I've made it quite a few times since and we really like it. Perfect chilly fall day soup.

SPINACH MARIA SOUP

1/2 stick butter
1/2 small onion, chopped
3 T. flour (mixed with a little water)
3 cups chicken broth 
4 oz. cream cheese, cut into small pieces
1/3 cup plain greek yogurt
milk, as needed for consistency
1 box frozen chopped spinach, thawed
1 can artichoke bottoms, chopped into small bite-sized pieces

  • Melt the butter, add onion and sauté until the onions are wilted and softened.
  • In a small bowl combine 3 T. flour with a little water to make a thin roux, add to the butter and onions in the pan and stir to combine. Cook and stir for a couple minutes, then add the chicken broth and bring to a boil. 
  • Reduce temperature and add cream cheese, 1/3 cup plain greek yogurt, and enough milk to reach the consistency you want.
  • Add chopped spinach and chopped artichokes: continue cooking over low heat, stirring occasionally, until everything is heated thru and creamy smooth. 

10.18.2017: pineapple upside down bundt cake










10.18.2016: pumpkin owl












10.18.2015: spinach artichoke spaghetti squash

Wednesday, October 17, 2018

Mini Pumpkin Diorama

Ok, here's the last craft using Dollar store mini carveable pumpkins. Customize it however you want, I went a little "spooky" (you know me tho, I'm not very spooky haha)  but this would be cute with flowers or succulents; you could have bugs, worms, or spiders spilling out; instead of the paper headstone you could do a creaky house or trees; endless options!



To make this diorama I cut an oval in the front of the pumpkin using a craft knife and painted the inside and cut edges with black craft paint (leftover and still on the paper plate from the painted pail and flamingo). Then I filled it with things I had in my stash - a square of Halloween decorative paper that has a big moon and tree silhouette on it for the background (Stampin' Up), line the bottom with moss, a little stick stands up to mimic a tree with a plastic bat glued to it. I made a small headstone out of black cardstock trimmed in silver pen and rested a skull up against it. Note the bat and skull are both plastic rings that I cut the ring part off).

Cute, inexpensive, and other than waiting for the paint to dry it's quick!





Three ideas for mini pumpkin decorating - a mummy, a sequined one,
and this diorama - all easy, quick and cute! 





10.17.2017: make a candy corn wreath

10.17.2017: paint a Halloween canvas

Tuesday, October 16, 2018

White Chicken Chili

We had so much good food at the ukulele hoedown last week - Al made his West African Peanut Soup (click here for that post - I know it sounds weird but ya gotta believe me this soup is killer), beef stew, and my sloppy joe recipe (click here for that post); I made sweet and tangy meatballs; Cathy's neighbor, Jane, made this white chicken chili that has white beans and light cream cheese in it to thicken and make it so creamy  - mmmmm, delish! I like it so much I asked for the recipe and if I could share - my neighbor Midge makes a good one but I lost her recipe, I have to put this one on the blog right away so I won't lose it too! This is so good I took leftovers home and had it for breakfast the next morning (I love leftovers for breakfast, doesn't matter what it is!).



Ingredients
  • 1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts , diced into 1/2-inch pieces
  • 1 small yellow onion , diced
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 2 cloves garlic , finely minced
  • 2 (14.5 oz) cans chicken broth
  • 1 (4 oz) can diced green chilies
  • 1 1/2 tsp cumin
  • 3/4 tsp paprika
  • 1/2 tsp dried oregano
  • 1/2 tsp ground coriander
  • 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
  • salt and freshly ground black pepper , to taste
  • 1 (8 oz) pkg Neufchatel cheese, cut into 12 slices (aka light cream cheese)
  • 1 1/4 cup fresh corn (frozen works too)
  • 2 (15 oz) cans cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
  • 1 Tbsp fresh lime juice
  • chopped fresh cilantro , for serving
  • shredded Monterrey Jack cheese , for serving
  • tortilla chips , for serving (optional)

Instructions

  1. Heat olive oil in a 6 quart enameled dutch oven over medium-high heat. Once oil is hot add chicken and diced onion and saute until chicken is no longer pink, about 6 minutes.
  2. Add garlic and saute 30 seconds longer. Add chicken broth, green chilies, cumin, paprika, oregano, coriander, cayenne pepper and season with salt and pepper to taste. Bring mixture just to a boil then reduce heat and simmer 15 minutes.
  3. Add Neufchatel cheese and stir until nearly melted (it will break down in little bits and will appear to look like separated cheese but it will eventually melt).
  4. Stir in corn, and 1 can of Cannellini beans, then process 3/4 of the remaining beans along with 1/4 cup broth from the soup in a food processor until pureed, add bean mixture to soup along with remaining 1/4 can of beans (you can skip the pureeing step and just add the beans directly to soup, the soup just won't be quite as creamy). 
  5. Simmer about 15 minutes longer. Mix in fresh lime juice and serve with Monterrey Jack cheese, chopped cilantro and tortilla chips for dipping if desired.
  6. Recipe Source: Cooking Classy

    6 servings 355 cals per serving

Monday, October 15, 2018

Sequin Pumpkin

Here's a very easy way to decorate a pumpkin (and an artificial Dollar store one to boot, that means I'll be able to keep it for next year!) - paint it a color using basic craft paint and a sponge brush (I did black because I still had some leftover from painting the pumpkin pail and the flamingo, I like to put paint on a paper plate and then can store it and the wet brush in a big gallon bag until I'm done with it); after the paint dries spread on white glue using a small clean paintbrush - I did about a quarter of the pumpkin at a time - and dump sequins on the wet glue. Literally, I just took a handful and threw them into the glue! Using the end of the paintbrush I spread the sequins around if they were overlapping too much, but I didn't really "place" them - just pretty much let 'em go where they go. Then give it a good sprinkle with glitter to fill in the gaps. Let it dry. I love how this turned out - it's really pretty in person!





Sunday, October 14, 2018

Around The Campfire (week 41)

Dear Campers ~

After the giant mess I had in the craft room last week I spent an entire day pulling everything out of the closet, sorting, purging, labeling and organizing. Which means to say I had a very fun day :) Here's a recap of what happened at camp last week!

Posts you might have missed ~

10/7: around the campfire (week 40)
10/8: plastic spider earrings
10/9: paint a pumpkin pail 
10/10: mummy pumpkin
10/11: butterscotch sugar cookies
10/12: black flamingo
10/13: butterfly treat bags

What's cooking ~
  • grilled chicken, black bean/corn/tomato/avocado chopped salad
  • grilled chicken sausage, spinach alfredo ravioli (it was our anniversary and we splurged!)
  • buffalo burger salad
  • pork chops, gnocchi with roasted cherry tomatoes, grilled asparagus
  • grilled mahi mahi, corn tortillas, coleslaw (D bastes with lemon butter and then we combine pieces of fish with coleslaw and make tacos, also really good with halibut or swordfish)
  • meatloaf, rice mixed with veggies, coleslaw
  • Al's home-smoked brisket, creamed corn, roasted potatoes
Miscellaneous stuff keeping me busy but not interesting enough for an entire post ~
  • the downside of borrowing library books online is that when all your holds come in they seem to come in at once - so I have 6 books I've borrowed and the pressure of reading them quickly is getting to me (the stress I create for myself, geesh)!  I did manage to read "Heartburn" by Nora Ephron. Good - a little depressing, but good.
  • went to the local cider mill with Al and Cathy and together bought 1/2 bushel of Northern Spy apples which somehow turned into us having an "apple bake-off" to see who can come up with the better apple dessert. Even when I'm not with family I apparently have to turn everything into a competition LOL. I'm making an apple crumble cheesecake pie - recipe to follow soon and hopefully I'll come away with the trophy (no, there's no prize. The trophy will be in my mind).
  • first frost warning last night means the end to whatever tomatoes are still holding on in the garden. I pruned everything waaaaay back a few days ago but we had a couple days this week that were in the 80's so I decided to let the remaining tomatoes have a few days to ripen. Now I'll be pulling everything out.
  • made a morse code bracelet for my friend Teri. I still love those bracelets.
That's it - see you guys next week on the blog! So far I know there'll be a couple easy ways to decorate artificial pumpkins and a recipe for a creepy Halloween party appetizer, along with lots more of course!

Sincerely, 



Jill, your camp counselor

Saturday, October 13, 2018

Butterfly Treat Bags

Tesha made these with her grandkids and shared the idea and picture. It's super cute and creative, and a perfect kid craft. Decorate big wooden clothes pins using paint, markers, washi tape, little pompoms, stickers, whatever you want; glue on googly eyes and antenna coiled pipe cleaners. Set aside to dry.

Meanwhile, fill ziplock sandwich bags with small candy or treats like mini pretzels, cheez-its, goldfish, etc....you could do all one treat per bag, mix things together in the bag, or split them half and half making sure to keep the two sides separate (for instance - put mini pretzels in one side and m&m's in the other, don't let them mix together). Once the clothespin is dry, clip it in the middle of the bag separating the two sides of the filled baggie - looks like a butterfly!

Cute idea for Halloween treat giving, but would also be great party favors, place settings, even a fun lunchbox surprise!


10.13.2017: costume ideas
10.13.2016: making babies (baby plants, that is!)
10.13.2015: Sarge's reversible Halloween scarf


Friday, October 12, 2018

Halloween Flamingo



I'm seriously wishing I saved that flamingo that the lawnmower guy chopped up (I'm pretty sure he was mad at me and getting retaliation hahaha!) - it would have been perfect for a creepy halloween decoration. Oh well - at the time it didn't occur to me that a ruined flamingo could be turned into something cool! Fortunately (not sure others would call my plastic flamingo collection "fortunate") I have lots more so turned one of them into this fun porch decoration by just painting it black and gluing on some googly-eyes. My original plan was to make a scary flamingo but once you add googly eyes the scary factor disappears!


painting tip: if you're painting a project that needs a second coat or touching up
you don't have to wash the brush or put the paints away (I pour paint onto
a paper plate when I'm doing this kind of craft) - just pop the whole
 thing into a large ziplock bag - the brush and paint won't dry out!  

Sarge wanted to be part of the porch display..

this is the maimed flamingo that would have made a perfect Halloween decoration!

10.12.2017: paper covered owl
10.12.2016: Cassandra's no-bake cookies
10.12.2015: Halloween tree

Thursday, October 11, 2018

Butterscotch Sugar Cookies

Here's another cookie recipe from that Joanne Fluke murder with recipes book I read that wasn't very good but this recipe is! In fact, I gave some to my sis and asked for their opinion - she said Brooke deemed them "money" ... 'nuf said.

The recipe says it makes 5-7 dozen but I did not want 5-7 dozen cookies so I cut the recipe in half...and it still made 4.5 dozen. Fortunately they are so good that everyone wants them and I don't "have" to eat them all myself ;)

The only other change I made is to stir whole butterscotch chips into the batter - I only did a big handful but it's a really good addition and next time I will had lots more! Here is the original recipe, cut all ingredients in half if you want less cookies - and add chips to the batter if you want (and you do!).


Oh, and by the way - I don't think I've ever made a batch of cookies that turned out so uniform in size and shape! These would be perfect to package in a rectangle carton or anything that makes them line up in a straight row.


  • 2 cups salted butter (4 sticks)
  • 1 cup butterscotch chips
  • 2 cups powdered sugar
  • 1 cup white sugar
  • 2 large eggs
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon cream of tartar
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 4 and 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 cup white sugar in a bowl for coating the cookie dough balls before baking
Preheat oven to 325', rack in the middle of oven.

Melt the butter and butterscotch chips in a microwave-safe bowl by putting the chips on the bottom of the bowl and the butter on top of that. Heat for one minute on high, let the bowl sit in the microwave for one minute, and then try to stir it smooth. If you can, you're done. If not, continue to heat in 30-second intervals until you can stif the mixture smooth. Set in on the counter to cool.

When the mixture has cooled to slightly above room temperature, pour it into a mixing bowl or the bowl of an electric mixer. Add the powdered sugar and the white sugar. Beat until the mixture is smooth. 

Add the eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition. Mix in the vanilla extract until it's well combined. Add the baking soda, cream of tartar, and salt. Mix until everything is thoroughly combined.

Add the flour in half-cup increments, mixing after each addition. (The reason for this is adding it all at once will go all over the counter when you turn the mixer on! Add the flour slowly). Note: Stir in the butterscotch chips by hand if you are adding them.

Prepare you cookie sheets either by spraying them with non-stick baking spray, or line them with parchment paper.

Place a half-cup of white sugar in a bowl. Roll one-inch cookie dough balls with your fingers (I use a 2 teaspoon scooper to form the balls). Dip the dough balls in the sugar and roll around until they are coated. Place the balls on the cookie sheet, 12 dough balls to a standard size sheet.

Flatten the dough balls with a metal spatula (or your fingertips). This will make them bake evenly. If you leave them on the cookie sheet without flattening them, they will flatten out during baking, but the insides will be chewy instead of melt-in-your-mouth crispy.


Bake at 325' for 12 minutes until lightly golden around the edges. 

Makes 5-7 dozen cookies.

10.11.2017: German chocolate bread
10.11.2016: how to repair a toilet lever
10.11.2015: acorn squash stuffed with meatloaf


Wednesday, October 10, 2018

Mummy Pumpkin

Well this mummy pumpkin is definitely not very scary - I think adding google eyes to anything sorta takes the scary away hahaha. Whatever, he's cute!

Just stick some big google eyes on a small Dollar store pumpkin, and wrap with strips of cheesecloth. I gave him a "mouth" by adding a small piece of black cardstock under the cheesecloth and then cut a small slit in the cheesecloth over the paper.

He looks really cute standing on a wood candlestick, but then I stacked him on this painted pail (click here for that post) and added a black bird on top - I couldn't decide if it was too much of a random stack of things so asked my sis, she likes it and says it's cool so I'm leaving it like this. Sometimes I look at something too long and can't tell if it's good!





Tuesday, October 9, 2018

Paint a Pumpkin Pail

A classic trick or treat pumpkin pail is cute enough on its own...but paint it black and silver and it's  now a cool kinda-spooky updated piece that could be a fun vase for flowers or a plant (I'm thinking a small mum would be perfect), a candy bowl on your desk or at home, or as a Halloween decoration around the house - just don't put it outside, the paint will wash right off!
How easy is that?!

Come back tomorrow and see how I stacked it with a mummy and a bird - super cute. 













10.9.2016: baked crab cakes










10.9.2015: spider soap