MADE WITH LOVE!

HOME-MADE HALLOWEEN COSTUMES.......

Several of you have been wanting to see the Halloween costumes I was making for my 2 grandsons, well here they are! I made everything except for the Star Wars Yoda mask, my wonderful son-in-law made that, he did a wonderful job! Can you guess what the little went as.....You got it......"Foghorn Leghorn" and I have to say a cute one at that! I know I am bragging a little but you have to admit he is adorable. By the way he would crow for anyone who would ask, you would of had to been there.

Hope everyone had a fun & safe Halloween.....email me a pic of your favorite kids costume, yours or the grand-kids.....can't wait to see them!

You can check out more pics posted on my Facebook!

A LITTLE HISTORY LESSON

CANDY CORN..........YUM YUM!

Candy Corn was created in the 1800's by George Renninger of the Wunderlee Candy Company, the 3 colors of the candy mimic the appearance of kernels of corn (I know you already knew this). Each piece is approximately 3 times the size of a whole kernel from a ripe or dried ear (OK, you probably knew this too). Candy corn is made primarily from sugar, corn syrup, artificial coloring and binders. A serving size of 22 pieces (that's a lot) contain 140 calories and NO fat.

Another variation is the "Indian Corn", chocolate brown bottom, orange in the middle and white on the tip.

Originally the candy was made by hand. Manufactures first combined the sugar, corn syrup, and water and cooked them to form a slurry (thickened to a solid). Fondant (a kind of icing-like substance used to decorate pastries) was added for texture and marshmallows were added to provide a soft bite (bet you did not know that). The mixture was then heated and poured into shape molds. These passes, one for each colored section, were required during the pouring process.

The recipe remains basically the same today. The production is called "corn starch molding", like wise remains the same, but today by machines that were invented for the process.

Candy Corn is my favorite Halloween candy.....leave me a comment telling me your favorite Halloween candy.

TIME TO SAY......"GOODBYE"

It is time to let them go......my "little green tomatoes". After picking a crop of green tomatoes to store to ripen, I hope, and picking some to decorate with, it was time to pull them up and put in the compost pile.  I hated to do this because the plants were so green and still full of life, but I knew the freezing temps in a couple of nights would destroy them. I let them grow and produce as long as I could, they still had little blooms on them, boy they sure did like my Lasagna Garden. I am preparing my soil for my Lasagna Garden next year, lots of good stuff to pile to decompose during the Winter months. Rich, Rich, Rich soil is what I want next Spring, want to grow some good veggies!

"LITTLE GREEN TOMATOES"

A LITTLE OUTDOORS BROUGHT INSIDE!

I thought what could I do with my "little green tomatoes", too small to wrap up and put away to ripen, so I threw this center piece together. I went out and gathered up a bunch of Hickory Nuts and put them in a large glass bowl with my "little green tomatoes".  OK, It's not fancy but I just could not throw those "little green tomatoes" away!

GREEN TOMATOES

GREEN........RED........MAYBE!

Yes I picked these green tomatoes from my tomato vines yesterday, there were more but too small. I wrapped them individually in newspaper, put them in boxes, single layer. Hoping to have a few red tomatoes by Thanksgiving, we will wait and see.  I have never tried this but have read about it and decided to give it a try, the least I could end up with is a bunch of rotten tomatoes, if so they will go in my compost pile. I will get to use them in some way or another. Keep checking back I will keep you posted on how they are coming along.

DELICIOUS!

Another wonderful and tasty dish from "Good Earth". Mediterranean Chicken with Angel Hair Pasta, I found this one at Wal Mart over the weekend. It was so simple to make and the seasonings that are included are absolutely wonderful. Like I had mentioned in my other post, there is No Artificial Flavors, No Artificial Preservatives and 100% Whole Grain Pasta. Add the chicken and you will have a wonderful dish! Go to their website at http://www.goodearthathome.com and print a coupon for $1.00 off, can't beat that!

 

PEAR BUTTER

JUST SCRUMPTIOUS!

Keep making those home-made buttermilk biscuits because my Pear Butter has been taste tested, approved and sealed.....boy is it good. If you have ever eaten Apple Butter then you will like Pear Butter. I used to eat Apple Butter growing up but never had Pear Butter until this year, I will definitely continue making it year after year as long as I can get pears. Since the squirrels ate all but "3" pears on our tree this year I went and picked pears at a relatives house. Thank you, Thank you, Thank you! Last year we had the best crop of pears that we have ever had, we even had "Papples", don't know what that is, they are cross-pollinated pears and apples. You see the birds and the bees were so generous to travel back and forth from our apple tree to our pear tree and that produced us the best tasting "Papples" I have ever eaten. Now you have another chance to win , just leave a comment below to register for this jar of wonderful Pear Butter to be given away soon. After you leave your comment please scroll to the bottom click name and type in your name and then click publish so it will get posted. Thank you & good luck!

Be sure and leave a comment below!

SPICES

A LITTLE TIP FOR TODAY.........

I know we all cook with spices and even more during the Holidays. As I was reading in my October issue of Better Homes and Garden magazine I came across this little bit of information about spices and wanted to share it......When you open a new spice, write its expiration date on the bottle--one year for ground, two for whole. This is something I will do in the future when I purchase new spices, especially ones I don't use real often.

MEMORIES BROUGHT BACK

I love my screened front door that my husband and I installed this year. I could hardly wait to use it when Fall approached, well let me tell you I am really enjoying it. By day, especially the early morning hours, the nice breeze and sounds of the birds are wonderful! By night the stillness and cool breeze is so nice, but I love sitting and listening to the cows, not far away, and the crickets singing to us. You may think I am crazy but I love the sound of a screen door slamming shut so gently, it reminds me of my childhood going in and out of the house and the screen door slamming behind me. Oh, such long ago, I am glad they still make screen doors today!

YUM! YUM!

This is a great dish and easy to make! I admit I did not discover this one by myself, my brother recommended it to me, I am glad he did. It was a hit with my hubby too....I will be buying more of this in the future. Good Earth makes products with No Artificial Flavors, No Artificial Preservatives and this recipe has 100% Whole Grain Brown Rice. Good Earth has several different recipes to choose from, I chose Herb Crusted Chicken with Mushroom Risotto. Also included 100% whole grain brown rice, wine sauce, seasoned panko crumbs and mushroom risotto seasoning. All you do add is chicken and follow the directions on the box. I found Good Earth products at Kroger Grocery Store here in Jackson, you can go to their site to see more about Good Earth at http://www.goodearthathome.com.

HALLOWEEN & COSTUME SAFETY TIPS

I know Halloween is fun and exciting for the kids...getting dressed up...getting candy and such....but please keep them safe. I have found a few sites that I like on Halloween Safety for Kids and our Pets! 

This Safety Tip is from: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf929815.tip.html

Regardless of if your costume is bought or homemade, please use a "homemade" face. As a volunteer with our local fire dept and a first responder, I find it sad that every year at least one child is injured by their costume.

Instead of a mask, consider using makeup to create the face. A mask is often bumped out of place and blocks vision. Some masks also contain lead (from the paints) which can be inhaled. Other times small children have had them block their nose and mouth while sleeping and have suffered from a lack of oxygen. So instead of a mask, draw those whiskers and such on the face.

Also, if your child's costume has a tail, have them practice stairs with it. You may need to shorten it so that they don't trip over their tail. Don't let them ride their bikes with sandals, tails or other costume parts that can be tangled in the brakes or spokes of the bike.

Also avoid materials that are highly flammable. Try to make it with pajama fabric if you can. It is marked as being flame retardant. One step too close to a Jack O lantern can result in third degree burns.

Try to place some reflective tape on all sides of the costume and give your child a flash light. Avoid costumes that are of dark or black colors.

Lastly, please don't use draw strings around the face or neck area. Use elastic string instead, and make sure it is loose and won't choke a child if caught on something.

Source: very sad experiences 

The following is a list of the safety sites that I found very helpful:

www.safetyathome.com

www.vetmedicine.about.com

www.thriftyfun.com

www.halloween-safety.com

Some of the above sites have lots of other great safety information that we all can use, please check them out.

Have a safe & fun Halloween! 

TOO FUNNY !

I have to share this, I thought it was funny, cute and not a bad idea, all at the same time. This morning I was informed  that our oldest grandson (8 yrs old) went out to do his usual chore of feeding and watering the chickens but what his mother did not know that he was out there singing, yes singing to them. She so many times have wondered why he takes so long about feeding and watering them, well she now knows. He was singing "Oh My Darling" when all of a sudden a Hen raised up and dropped an egg, imagine that! He told his mother that he always talks and or sings to them, they like it and it helps them lay eggs. Kids say and do the darndest things sometimes, I just love their imaginations. Oh by the way he has named some of the hens and his one and only rooster is named "Alvin".

PEAS & GREEN BEANS

Our youngest grandson (3 yrs old) has never eaten vegetables real good, only occasionally, no rarely. The other night my daughter informed me that while trying to coax him into eating peas and green beans nothing seemed to be working. They decided to try something else, they told him to pretend they were bugs and grasshoppers like on the TV show Man Versus Wild. You guessed it, being a boy, this was perfect, he ate some of his peas and green beans. Now everybody might not want to try this with your kids, be aware they might try it with the real thing!

SEWING PROJECT I JUST FINISHED FOR A FRIEND

JEWELRY LOG

This is an easy to make and a cute little gift for someone. All you need is some quilt batting, fabric of your choice and a 1 inch dowel 10 inches long or any length you desire. Cut the batting to fit the length of your dowel, I used a piece that is 10" by 11", enough to roll the dowel 3 or 4 times. Cut the fabric piece (use pinking shears if needed) to fit the length of your dowel with an extra 3" on each end for gathering, I used a piece that is 7" by 16", enough to roll the dowel about 3 times. Turn the exposed side under for finished edge and pin in place (see photo), slip stitch from end to end. Gather each end of fabric, I gathered with thread first to hold it and then tie off with ribbon or roping or whatever you desire that coordinates with fabric. All done! So slip on your bracelets and watches to keep them neat and all together.