Heavenly Hash or Ambrosia Recipe...

I want to wish all of you a safe and relaxing Memorial Day. Here in the states, Memorial Day honors all those who have made the greatest sacrifice for their country and all those still serving to keep our country free. Thank you to the men and woman who are serving at home and abroad and to their families who sacrifice so much.

Memorial Day is a day for family, friends and food, so I wanted to share a great picnic recipe we always have at any function. We call it Heavenly Hash, but some call it Ambrosia. No matter what the name is...it is delicious.

Heavenly Hash Recipe

One 15 ounce can Mandarin Oranges...drained
One 20 ounce can Pineapple chunks...drained
One 30 ounce can Fruit Cocktail...drained
One 10-14 ounce bag Sweetened Coconut
One 10 ounce bag Mini Marshmallows
One 16 ounce container Sour Cream

The measurements of the fruits don't have to be exact...just whatever can size you have on hand or which fruit you like more of!

In a large bowl, mix all drained fruit with coconut, mini marshmallows and sour cream. Store in refrigerator until ready to serve. Make a few hours before or the day before you need it to incorporate the flavors.

Enjoy!!

Have a great day,
~Karen~

9:01 PM | 0 comments | Read More

Two Ingredient Fruit Dip Recipe...

Warmer weather means summer is just around the corner and that also means fresh fruit!! Here is a super easy fruit dip recipe that I've been making for years.

No measuring...just sour cream and add brown sugar to taste!!

Stir until blended. Maybe add more brown sugar. Lol !!

Dip and eat! Dip and eat! Dip and eat! You get the point...

I ate half the strawberries in the package before I took these pictures.

I LOVE this dip. I think there might be another recipe out there with marshmallow...that sounds yummy too!!

Happy Dipping,
~Karen~

9:10 PM | 0 comments | Read More

Frugal Fanny...Easy Marinade For Veggies

You know how I always think twice before I throw something out. Hmmm...can I use this for something else? Well, I had an idea for a jar of marinated artichoke hearts.

When I finished the artichokes, there was still all that yummy marinade in the jar. I had frozen green beans in the freezer, so I thought I would give it a try.

Yup...delish!! They are great in salads too. I didn't even cook them. Just threw them in the jar frozen and stored them in the refrigerator to marinate for a few days! I did add a little more vinegar and crushed garlic.

Give this a try with other veggies too!! Being a Frugal Fanny isn't just for crafting!

Take care,
~Karen~

9:01 PM | 0 comments | Read More

Chourico Dip Recipe...or Chorizo

This is a yummy sausage dip recipe no matter how you spell it or pronounce it. My Portuguese background is going to spell it chourico.

If you don't have chorizo or chourico sausage in your area of the world, I'm sure any ground sausage would work great. Besides, it has sour cream and cream cheese in it and they would make shoe leather taste great!! lol

Chourico Dip

1 pound ground Chourico (or any sausage) cooked til crumbly and drained. Cool
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
8 ounces sour cream
one small onion, chopped finely
1 heaping Tablespoon ketchup
1 heaping Tablespoon mayonnaise

Cook sausage until crumbly. Drain, cool and set aside. If you can't find ground sausage, you can just take the meat out of the casing.
Whisk all other ingredients (except the meat) together. Add sausage to creamed mixture. Enjoy right away or refrigerate until ready. Great to make ahead for a party.

Enjoy,
~Karen~

7:59 AM | 0 comments | Read More

Shoepeg Salsa Recipe...

Happy Monday everyone...I hope you had a great weekend. There was lots of football at our house. If there is any kind of gathering at our home...no matter the size...we always have this bean and corn salsa.

This recipe makes a big bowl, but this was all we had left the next day to snack on. Forgot to take a picture of the whole recipe.

Shoepeg Salsa

2 (15 ounce) cans black beans, drained and rinsed
1 (17 ounce) can shoepeg corn, drained. Shoepeg corn is a small white corn.
1-2 avocados, chopped
1 red onion chopped very small
2 large tomatoes, seeded and chopped
1 Tablespoon olive oil
1 Tablespoon red wine vinegar
4 Tablespoons lime juice ( I used the bottled kind...tastes better to me)
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Mix all ingredients in a large bowl. Cover and refrigerate. Make ahead so juices begin to flow from veggies...although it does taste great from the start! Serve with tortilla chips.

This is so yummy and healthy too. Only has one tablespoon of olive oil in the whole dish!!

Enjoy,
~Karen~

9:01 PM | 0 comments | Read More

Banoffee Pie...But With Coconut

Hello Ladies...it's recipe time!!

Remember last week's Thoughts on Thursday major discussion on sweetened condensed milk? Click here to re-read it, but in short it seems to be our favorite food group.

Well, Angela from United Kingdom, sent me a FABULOUS recipe for Banoffee Pie. Angela is from the blog Tracing Rainbows...click here to visit her!

Banoffee is short for bananas and toffee. I was making the pie for work and the vote was no bananas, so I used toasted coconut instead.

As Angela warned me...I am not responsible for cavities or inches added to your waistline. Recipe is below.

Here it is all dressed up! I took pictures of it like it was a new member of the family. Lol !!!

I used a spring form pan, but you could use a pre made graham cracker pie crust. This is before all the toppings

She is thin, but deadly...

Get your forks ready ladies...

This picture cracked me up, because the close up looks like I used a huge meat fork to eat this!

Here is the recipe Angela sent me, but I converted it from grams to cups. Worked great for me.

Banoffee Pie

Crust:
one store bought graham cracker pie crust or... 

make your own with:
2 cups graham cracker crumbs
1 stick butter, melted
2 Tablespoons sugar

In a small bowl, mix together crumbs, sugar and melted butter. Press firmly into bottom of greased spring form pan and up the sides about 1 1/2 inches. Chill in refrigerator while making filling.

Filling:

7 Tablespoons butter
(the conversion for the butter was from 100 grams...one stick of butter is 8 Tablespoons, so I think one whole stick verses 7 Tablespoons won't hurt!!)
half cup packed brown sugar
1 can sweetened condensed milk

To make filling:
In a sauce pan, mix butter and brown sugar until melted and sugar dissolves. Add the can of sweetened condensed milk and bring to a boil, stirring constantly. When the caramel has started to boil, remove from the heat and pour over chilled graham cracker crust. Cool, then chill in refrigerator for 1 hour until firm.

Topping:
Top with whipped cream and chopped bananas for the true Banoffee Pie
or I toasted coconut and used that instead of the bananas...
or use both!!!

Here is the link to the original recipe Angela sent me if you'd like to see it:

http://www.carnation.co.uk/recipes/pies-and-tarts/banoffee-pie?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_term=banoffee%20pie&utm_campaign=Champion%20Recipe%20-%20Banoffee%20-%20Exact

It's delicious!! Easy and will be a new family favorite.

~Karen~

10:43 AM | 0 comments | Read More

The First Day Of Fall...I Smell Apples and Cinnamon

Happy first day of Fall! However, here in southern New England it's raining, sticky and humid. Last week it was cool, in the low 60's and felt like autumn...not so much for the next week or so here.

Well, the temperature may not be fall, but I'm going to make it smell like autumn in my house. I posted this idea before, but wanted to share it again.

When I think of Fall, I think apples and cinnamon. Use your crock pot to slowly simmer apples, cinnamon, and a few whole cloves to fill your home with the greatest smell ever!!

For this batch, I saved the cores and peels from a recipe I had made earlier. I think you could probably freeze them until you need them.

Add a little water and simmer away.

A wonderful smell from something you were going to throw away.

You could also use the apple part and find a great recipe for apple sauce and then at the end, you'll have a yummy treat to eat too along with filling up your home with the smell of autumn.

Don't forget to look in on all the great ideas on this week's Sew Darn Crafty and you still have time to add a link of your own. Click here to go take a peek!

Happy Fall,
~Karen~

5:04 AM | 0 comments | Read More

The Nester Club...Raisin Bran Muffin Recipe

Hi to all who joined the Nester's Club last week. What's a Nester's Club you ask? You can read the whole post by clicking HERE or in short, it's a club for any one and everyone who has a change in their home...kids growing older and moving out, kids sharing house between mom and dad, kids going off to college, older parents moving in, finding yourself in a quiet home etc...

Nesters...kids or family about to make their way at some point
Semi Nesters...kids share homes or you may be an empty nest but, your elderly parents live with you
Empty Nester...a quiet home all to your own or with your significant other

What ever the case, the Nester's Club shares thoughts, ideas, tips and tricks. Read through the comments of the Nester posts too, you may find someone in your same circumstance and make a connection.

Want to join? All are welcome. Grab the button on the right side bar. If you don't know how to grab a button...click here for a tutorial.

Well, I thought I would share a recipe that is perfect for any Nester...

Refrigerator Raisin Bran Muffins. It's a big batch of muffin mix that stays in your refrigerator for 6 weeks. Just scoop out the amount you need and make muffins for 1 or muffins for 40!! There are so many different versions of this, but this was my mom's.

The recipe calls for 15 ounce box, but they seem to be only 20 ounces or larger.

Here's a quick tip...

According to the box, 1 cup is about 2 ounces. So if you need 15 ounces that would be about 7 1/2 cups give or take.

Refrigerator Raisin Bran Muffins

4 eggs
2 1/2 cups sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
1 quart buttermilk
5 cups flour
5 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon vanilla
15 ounce box Raisin Bran Cereal...I've seen about 6-7 cups in other recipes

Mix all ingredients together and store in an air tight container in the refrigerator. Store for at least 6 hours before making the first batch of muffins. Batter keeps for 6 weeks in the refrigerator

Grease muffin tin or use paper liners. Pre heat oven to 375*. Bake muffins 15-20 minutes.

source

Hope you enjoy this recipe. If you have any other great Nester type recipes, let us know in the comments or maybe link to one you've posted on your blog.

Happy Nesting,

Karen

7:54 AM | 0 comments | Read More

Tool Time Tuesday...Photo Album Recipe Organizer

Recipes...we all have them. Some we use ALL the time, some we have committed to memory and some we only use once in a while. Where do we keep them? In a box, in a drawer, in a folder, in a book...messy or organized. 

I keep mine in a photo box organized by category. They are a mixture of my recipe cards, my mom's cards and cut outs from magazines. However, I probably only use a quarter of them. I keep going to the same recipes over and over...and those are just thrown on top of the file in a big mess.

Why not take just your FAVORITES and put them in a special place. I found this photo album in a thrift store...50 cents.



It has three hanging booklets stored in the wooden box.

Each booklet has 12 double sided pages for 4" x 6" photos. That's 72 pages.

I don't print too many pictures any more. The pictures I do print go in frames or on the refrigerator. The rest are stored on memory sticks or on the computer.

So why not use this for all my favorite recipes. You can use 4"x 6" index cards or the 3" x 5" cards fit too.

I labeled each hanging section with my most used categories.

If you want to be really organized you can re-print all your recipes on the computer in 4" x 6" text box in your Microsoft Word program or the program on your computer.

For Microsoft Word Users...

• go to top left corner and click "insert"


• then towards the right, click "text box"


• from drop down box, I pick "simple text box"


• once your box appears, go to upper right corner and put in 4" and then 6" or the size you need for your photo album


• type what you'd like inside the box


• click another text box and drag it to bottom of page


• you can fit 2 per page

 Print out the pages on regular paper or card stock.

Cut out the 4" x 6" recipe card. It fits perfectly inside the page protector like a picture. They are protected from the mess by the plastic holder.

I like this method, because I can make the font larger for these "getting too old" eyes.



Easy to find and easy to see.



Not bad for 50 cents and a little organizing time.

Happy Tuesday,

~Karen~

9:03 PM | 0 comments | Read More

Sour Cream Coffee Cake Recipe...

A tried and true recipe for a yummy sour cream coffe cake. Crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside. There is a crumble topping and also a layer in the middle. The brown sugar crumble mixture makes it seem like bits of gooey caramel through out.

Sour Cream Coffee Cake

coffee cake ingredients

2 cups flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 cup (or 1 stick) butter, room temperature

1 cup sugar

1 egg, slightly beaten

1 teaspoon vanilla

8 ounces (or 1 cup) sour cream

topping crumble mixture

1/4 cup flour

3/4 cup packed brown sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup chopped pecans (optional)

1/4 cup (or half stick) butter, room temperature

For the coffee cake...

Pre heat oven to 350* and grease 10 inch bundt pan.

In a medium bowl, sift together flour, baking soda and baking powder and set aside.

In another bowl, cream together sugar and butter until light and fluffy. Add egg and vanilla, mix well. Add half the flour mixture, then add sour cream and mix well. Add remaining flour mixture and mix until combined

Prepare the topping mixture. Blend all crumble ingredients with fork or mix with hands until crumbly.

Spread half of the cake batter into the bundt pan. Sprinkle with half of the crumble mixture. Top with remaining cake batter and spread evenly. Top again with remaining crumble.

Bake at 350* for 40-45 minutes. Cool and remove from pan.

Enjoy,

~Karen~  

12:32 PM | 0 comments | Read More

Iced Coffee Cubes...

I LOVE iced coffee! Well, any coffee for that matter, but iced is so refreshing in the summer. I can only drink one large glass or I get nausea, so when I make it, I make it the best I can! I think I saw this idea a long time ago on the Martha Stewart Show.

I make ice cubes with coffee, so when they melt in the iced coffee the cubes won't dilute the drink!

Perk your favorite coffee or what ever is on sale...coffee seems to be pricey these days.

Pour cooled coffee into ice cube trays. I saved these trays from our old refrigerator, because the new one has an ice maker.

Freeze until solid.

Fill up your glass with ice.

Pour in your coffee and cream...

and enjoy!!

See...if you let it sit for a while and the ice starts to melt, coffee is melting not water. Little extra boost to your coffee.



I've used this idea for all sorts of drinks too...

• iced tea
• lemonade
• fruit punch...add the fruit punch to a bundt pan or jello mold, freeze and have the ring float in a punch bowl
• juices

Hope you can give this a try!

Have a great day,

~Karen~

10:15 AM | 0 comments | Read More