Roses, Valentine Heart of Chocolates, and a lovely Valentine Card from my husband. Sweet kitty Marylou who adopted us at
the start of the Worldwide Covid Pandemic.
Valentine's Day Treats
Making a heart shaped bread bowl.
Heart shaped bread bowl with
bacon cheddar dip
Cheesesteak
Ring
Strawberry Cream Stuffed Vanilla Cupcake
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Making Fall Chair Decorations
All my supplies were purchased at the
K &S Flower and Vine Warehouse that is located on Rt. 183N, 7.1 miles north of I-78 in Auburn, PA. It is the
third exit after Cabelas. It is also just outside the front gate to our community of Lake Wynonah, PA.
I purchased three bunches, two Autumn leaves & such,
and one of yellow daisy like flowers for $3.99 each. I then bought two 10 yd. rolls of wide woven plaid ribbon at $3.99 each.
The entire project costing $20.00 + tax - equaling $2.50 a chair.
Using wire cutters I cut all of the flowers from the bunch
leaving the stem about three inches long.I wanted the centers of the flowers to be brown like a sunflower so I stained them
carefully blotting the center with a heated wet tea bag. I cut the other two bunches of autumn silks apart and created bunches
as in the following photo.
I then cut the ribbon into 8 strips of a yard each,
also 8 strips of 2ft. each to use for the bow tie. See as in the following photo:
The 1 yard strip is threaded through the first two cross
section rungs of the chair, looped around the third and I then tucked in the bouquet and snugly tied it to that third rung.
I slid the 2 ft. ribbon through bringing it around and tied two loops of ribbon into a bow.
I
had considered using burlap ribbon which is $5.99 a roll at K & S for ten yards, however I did like that this woven plaid
ribbon matched the Autumn table cloth I had purchased last year at The Christmas Tree Shop in the mall on Airport Road South,
Bethlehem, PA.
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Adding Pizzazz during a Pandemic
Holidays at our home has always been a time for family to come together over a lovingly prepared feast!
The Coronavirus/COVID19 and the need to stay in our own home without outside visitors set out to change our festivities for
Easter 2020!
Although I surely missed my family being here with Roger and I it was my quest to make the best of this sad situation! I decided
early on in mid March to start decorating for Easter and leave them up until that day when my family can come to our home
to celebrate together. We even have a large ham in our freezer for that day.
I then decided that during the interim I would celebrate every day beginning with Palm Sunday then Maundy Thursday and ending
on Easter Sunday with a lovely meal for Roger and I to celebrate and praise GOD for keeping us safe and blessing us abundantly!
I made these cute burlap bunnies
Palm Sunday Dinner
strawberry cheesecake
Maundy Thursday Dinner
I baked the cookies
Good Friday Stuffed Shrimp
& Shrimp scampi
I made the peanut butter
& coconut cream eggs
Capons &
From scratch Lemon Meringue Pie
Traditional Easter Ham Dinner
Today wasn't a holiday but we made it through another week of just the two of us and we are so far in good health! We had
a nice dinner of homemade surf & turf with pineapple upside down cake for dessert.
Praise GOD from whom all blessings flow!
Stay Home & Stay Safe
Try to make the best of this sad situation!
Last year I carried on traditions even though it would be just Roger and I. This year we had my younger daughter
Jami and her family who practiced social distancing prior.
Honoring family traditions which warm the heart with love for family, hearth, and home. Traditions provide a feeling of coziness, stability, and safety which all members of the family
need to thrive. Aunt Ruthie Sugar Pie Farmhouse
I crafted the hydrangeas from
coffee filters
I decorated this basket and crafted the rose
from coffee filters.
I crafted the cabbage and carrots
out of coffee filters.
Abby and Maggie came and baked our traditional
Easter Cookies
Easter Sunday Dinner
Charcuterie Board
Carrot Cupcakes with cream cheese frosting for Jami's birthday.
Favors ~ Silk flower in a terracotta pot.
Easter
Sunday was also my daughter Jami's birthday!
Fresh Baked Easter Bread
I made these candy eggs; butter cream rolled in peanuts,
peanut butter, and coconut cream all hand dipped in chocolate.
Crudites Christmas Tree
1 cone shaped Styrofoam form (Walmart Craft Section)
Syran type plastic wrap
Endive, radish, carrot slices or baby Belgium carrots,
cucumber slices, grape tomatoes, broccoli, & cauliflower heads, cheese cubes, baloney slices, what ever you want to add
to the tree for crudites. Tooth picks, the decorative kind look better. Once I found those with curly foil ends...very
colorful and glitzy. Cover cone with plastic wrap, then endive securing with tooth picks. Add cut veggies, cheeses,
baloney as though you are decorating a tree securing with tooth picks.
Hollow out pepper, squash, for dipping sauce.
Dipping Sauce
One container of sour cream
1pkt. of Good Seasons Zesty Italian Salad Dressing
1/2 teaspoon of sugar (optional)
Mix well. pour into pepper, etc. place on tray next to tree.
I have also stepped up this idea by using a topiary form from the Walmart Craft Dept. This
gives a Victorian look to a party. I have used this for weddings.
My Sister Ruth Ann's Stuffed
Mushrooms
2 cups Italian Bread Crumbs
16 large mushrooms (about 1 lb.)
3 Tbsp. butter or margarine teasp. crushed garlic
1 green pepper, finely chopped
1 red pepper, finely chopped 1/2 sweet onion
1 stick butter or margarine, melted Thyme Turmeric Soul Seasoning or Seasoned Salt and pepper to taste
PREHEAT broiler. Remove stems from mushrooms; chop stems. Saute mushroom caps lightly in butter, remove
then saute and stir mushroom stems, peppers and onion to skillet; cook and stir until tender. Add bread crumbs, spices,
(salt and pepper to taste). Spoon into mushroom caps; drizzle with 2 Tbsp. melted butter. BROIL 5 to 7 inches from heat 5 min. or until heated through.
Kiffel Dough Hor Devours
I have another hor-devours for those who love liverwurst. I make the kiffel dough using
cream cheese, butter, and flour, roll it out cut into squares, diamonds, little circles- bake and cool. Mix cream cheese
with a tube of liverwurst and you and add some grated sweet onion if you like. Put liverwurst mixture into a decorator bag
or sandwich bag and pipe onto the cooled kiffel dough. Top with fresh parsley sprig or green olive slice, pimento.
Kiffel Dough4 c. flour "You may need more if dough seems too wet."
1 lb. butter
1 lb. cream cheese
Mix well. Divide into about 4 large round balls. Refrigerate overnight; however, if there
is not enough time to refrigerate overnight, the dough may be worked immediately after mixing.
Cups of Spinach Dip
I also have taken this dough and made circles like you do for nut cups, press them into
the nut cup pans, and bake. Make the cream cheese and spinach dip and fill each cup.
Cream Cheese Dip
2 packages of cream cheese, add 2 tablespoons of milk, beat until smooth, add one very
well drained, deforsted package of chopped spinach, 1/2 cup of grated sweet onion. Add a pinch of soul seasoning or seasoned
salt, pinch of pepper, pinch of sugar(optional)
The Spinach Dip can also be added to hollow out crusty bread. Cut up more crusty bread
for dipping.
Seafood/Cheddar FondueSaute
Lobster, Shrimp, Scallops, Clams, Mussels in one stick of butter, add 1 pint of heavy cream on low heat constantly stirring,
add one cup cheddar cheese or Velveeta, constantly stirring until cheese is thoroughly melted and blended. You can also add
sauteed pimento, peppers, onion,or celery. Remove from heat pour into a toasted, hollowed out loaf of crusty bread, cut up
more crusty bread for dipping. Garnish with parsley.
The strawberry shortcake biscuit recipe used to be on the side of the Bisquick box. For
some unfathomable reason, the company has started to print the recipe on the inside of the box.
Heat oven to 425°F. Stir baking mix, melted butter, milk, and 6 Tbsp of sugar in a mixing
bowl until soft dough forms. Divide dough into halves. Pat each half into a circle the size of a small dinner plate, transfer
onto a greased cookie sheet or I prefer parchment paper. I then sliced it with a sharp knife as though you were cutting
a pie, make an X then sliced through the middle of the X horizontally and then vertically. (I did this step to make it easier
to cut when ready to serve) Bake 10-12 minutes or until golden brown.
Two quarts of fresh strawberries
Wash 2 quarts of fresh strawberries, put aside the 8 best looking strawberries leaving the
stem and leaves intact. Next clean and cut the remaining strawberries, add sugar as to your preference of sweetening. Stir,
let sit about an hour. Drain the juices off.
Next you will assemble about 45 minutes before serving. I placed the eight triangular shaped
biscuits on my serving plate in a circular fashion. I used a small container of cool whip because it holds up better than
whip cream, but you can choose what to use. I then spread the cool whip over the biscuits making it fluffy around the parameter,
I then added half of the strawberries.
Next I added the second set of eight triangular shaped biscuits placing them evenly atop
the strawberries aligning with the lower set of biscuits. Then I spread 2/3 of the second small container of cool whip over
the biscuits in the center, also making if fluffy around the parameter of the center, and added the remaining strawberries
to the very center(see photo . Lastly I placed 8 dollops of the remaining cool whip, one to each wedge (see photo) and placed
the whole strawberry in the middle. Serves 8.
* I had slightly altered this recipe for the cake in the photo, as it was to serve 10.
In a large bowl, beat eggs well. Add oil, brown
sugar, zucchini, and vanilla; stir well. Blend in flour, cinnamon,
baking powder, soda, and salt. Stir in nuts. Pour batter
into two greased and floured 9 x 5 inch loaf pans.
Bake at 325 degrees F (165 degrees C) for approx. 1
hour. test to see pick comes out clean Cool. I dust it with powdered
sugar also
Why have ordinary when you can have extraordinary?
I enjoy decorating my home and entertaining my family and friends.
