Fall Fun

Three favorite recipes for fall: Candy Corn Rice Krispie Treats, Toasted Pumpkin Seeds, Pumpkin Play-dough...

Halloween Crisp Candy Corn Treats

1/2 c. butter

10 c. crispy rice cereal

9 c. mini marshmallows

2 c. mixture of candy corn and Indian corn

3/4 c. mini chocolate chips--if desired (refrigerated or frozen)

Melt butter and marshmallows; stir until smooth.  In a large bowl, mix rice cereal, candy corn and mini chips together. Add marshmallow mixture to cereal mixture; stir quickly to combine.  Spread on a large buttered 9 x 13 inch pan; press with buttered hands.  While warm.  Refrigerate and cut into squares.

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Toasted Pumpkin Seeds

2 T. butter
1/2 t. garlic powder
1/2 t. seasoning salt
2 c. washed, cleaned pumpkin seeds
Heat oven to 300 degrees F.  Melt butter in a saucepan.  Add seeds and spices; toss to coat.  Spread seeds on a large cookie sheet or jelly roll pan.  Bake 40 minutes, stirring often, until they're browned and crisp.  Yield:  2 cups.
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Pumpkin Play-Dough

I purchased a lump of this play-dough at an arts and crafts festival when my kids were little.  This smells great, so remind small children that it is not for eating.
5-1/2 c. flour
2 c. salt
8 t. cream of tartar
3/4 c. oil
11-12 oz. container pumpkin pie spice
Orange food coloring:  2 parts yellow, 1 part red
4 cups water
Mix all of the ingredients together.  Cook and stir over medium heat until all lumps disappear.  Knead the dough on a floured surface until it is smooth.  Store play-dough in an airtight container in refrigerator.
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Simple Oktoberfest Family Meal

This meal can be cooked over an open fire or right in the oven.  Be sure to use a pan to catch possible drippings if you cook in the oven.  A great way to enjoy a beautiful fall evening at home or camping.  Print Recipe

Simple Oktoberfest Family Meal
1 lg. sweet onion, sliced
3 lg. bell peppers:  green, red, and yellow
4 medium potatoes, sliced 1/2-inch thick
6 medium carrots, sliced 1/4-inch thick
1 small cabbage, sliced
2 medium tomatoes, chopped
1 to 1-1/2 lb. cooked Polish sausage
1/2 c. butter or margarine
1 t. salt
1/2 t. pepper
Place onion, peppers, potatoes, carrots, cabbage and tomatoes on three pieces of double-layered heavy-duty foil (about 18 x 18-inch).  Cut sausage into 1/2-inch pieces and add to foil; dot with butter.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Fold foil around the mixture and seal tightly.  Grill, covered, over medium coals for 30 minutes.  Turn and grill 30 minutes longer or until vegetables are tender, (if you open bundles to check, be careful of steam escaping, and carefully fold back if more time is needed, so they don't leak).  Yield:  6 servings.

Rx for Houseplants

• Leaf tips turn brown and lower leaves turn yellow and drop off:  Over-watering is the culprit.  Allow the soil to dry and water less often.
• Leaf tips turn yellow, then brown before drying:  Under-watering--soak pot in water, then water more frequently.
• Leaves look faded and are streaked with yellow or brown mottling:  Too much light--move plant to less intense light.
• New growth is elongated, pale and undersized:  Not enough light--move to stronger light.
• Leaves become yellowish, but veins are green.  Lower leaves drop off and new growth is weak:  Under fertilization--start a schedule of fertilizing.
• The plant puts on new growth rapidly but the stems are weak and streaked:  Over fertilization--flush the buildup of fertilizer out of the soil by watering the plant several times in a few hours.
• Leaf edges curl under and dry out:  Too high a temperature in the room--move to a cooker spot.
• White cottony growth appears in crevices between the leaves and stems:  Mealybugs--dab each bug with rubbing alcohol.
• Stems and leaves get tiny brown "warts":  Scale--gently scrape the scale off with a knife or fingernail.
• Leaves get a mottled dusty look.  Eventually there are webs on the branches:  Spider mites--rinse foliage thoroughly with a lukewarm shower.  repeat each week, if necessary.

How To Care for Houseplants

After years of being too afraid to care for houseplants, I took the plunge.  I discovered that I have a black thumb as opposed to a green thumb.  Years later, after trial and error and still not getting it right, I decided to follow some instructions.  (Duh)  I learned that there were many things I was doing right, and some things I was doing very wrong :(

I knew that using good soil mixes for each type of plant is really important.  If you go to Walmart or Lowes, you'll see that potting mixes vary towards the type of plants you're trying to grow.  It's sickening how some folks can grow plants in anything, but that doesn't work for me, so I have to be careful with soils and containers.  Containers need drainage holes to drain water and allow air in to lower soil areas.

Besides saucers to catch runoff, I place soft knitted dish clothes under my plants to protect the furniture they are on.  Clay pots are porous and it's a good idea to liberally rub petroleum jelly onto the inside of the pot before filling with soil and plant.  Plastic and ceramic pots allow no air through so they are good for small plants where rapid drying is a problem.  Saucers for large floor plants can be purchased with casters that help them move easily.  Always clean old pots and planters really well before using them.  After cleaning with hot sudsy water, I even rub my pots with hydrogen peroxide to ensure that no diseases are left.

If the plant looks top-heavy or there are many roots coming out of the bottom of the pot, it's time to repot the plant to a bigger container or divide.  A plant wilting between waterings or undersized new growth is a signal too.  New leaves should grow to the same size or even bigger than older leaves.

When potting, a small layer of stones or pea gravel should be placed towards the bottom for proper drainage--a half inch for small pots or 1-3 inches for pots over ten inches in diameter.  Cover the drainage pebbles with a layer of potting mix and firm lightly with your fingers.  Fill to the level that will allow for the depth of the soil ball of the plant and a half-inch space between the soil surface and the rim of the pot.

Remove the plant from the old pot by turning the plant upside down and tapping the rim of the pot firmly against a solid surface.  Gently lift the root ball out by firmly pulling up on the trunk.  Center the plant in the new pot and hold in place with one hand while you add the remaining soil.  Firm the soil by lightly pressing downward with your fingers.

Water the soil slowly from the top, or set the pot in a saucer of water for an hour or so.  Let the plant drain and then place it in indirect light for a few days while it adjusts to its new home.  After that, move it into the amount of light that is right for it.

Repotted plants do well if they have not been moved to a pot that is too large.  If the pot is too large, the plant will spend its energy putting out new roots instead of new growth.  If the plant doesn't need repotting, it should have it's soil replenished yearly.  Remove top 2-4 inches of soil with a fork; avoid harming fragile feeder roots.  Refill with fresh soil mixed with slow-release fertilizer, and if desired, top with grit.

This is mainly what you need to know about houseplants.  I've had trouble with mealybugs and I'm writing a post on Rx for Houseplants next.  If only I had just studied up a bit, a lot of plants could have been saved.  But I'm renewing my effort to have beautiful, healthy plants that provide much needed oxygen for my home.

The Greatest Gifts to Give a Grandchild

These are excellent excerpts from Creative Homemaking for Happy Living, Relief Society Homemaking Booklet, published by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Salt Lake City, Utah, 1984.  Barbara Winder was the General Relief Society President and her counselors were Jay Evans and Joanne Doxey.  This article was written by Elma S. Bradshaw.

• Get down on the floor and talk to them face to face at that eye level (it helps to see things from that point of view).
• Make it a habit to attend the events in which the grandchild participates, such as: swimming, baseball, football, cheer, gymnastics...
• Let your grandchild practice a speech or instrumental number before you prior to the big performance.
• Grandchildren love to show you how far they can jump, how fast they can read, or how high they can climb--be interested!
• Listen--really listen--with your ears, eyes, and heart to a teen grandchild who has a problem.

Give the Gift of Self-Worth

They like to feel important and to have evidence that what has been done or said is of value:

1. Display drawings on the refrigerator door or kitchen wall.
2. Compliment them in the presence of others.
3. Hire them to wash your car and then lavish with praise for their efforts.
4. Provide opportunities to succeed in a variety of tasks and activities.
5. Write your grandchild a letter on their birthday and list all the special qualities they have for which you admire.
6. Share useful skills such as sewing and building, cooking, etc.

Give the Gift of Heritage

Everyone wants to know who they are and who they belong to.  Grandparents are children's bridges to the past:

1. Write letters (or prepare a taped message if they live in a distant city).  Tell them what you did as a child when you were their age.
2. Write your life story.  Give copies to your married children with instructions to share your story with their children.
3. Share your old photo album with a grandchild--tell about the people in the pictures and encourage him/her to start keeping a picture album.
4. Help your young teen-aged grandchildren to prepare their Books of Remembrance.  Be sure you are also preparing yours so that you can be an example to them.
5. Take them with you to do research--help them to find themselves and their parents on familysearch.org--the church personal history website (or www.ancestry.com).
6. Write the histories of your own mother and father (their great-grandparents); then hold a Family Home Evening with your married children, at which time you can read the history you have compiled.
7. Take your grandchildren with you to decorate the graves of their relatives and ancestors.  A short meeting at the gravesite can be used to explain the relationship of each person buried there.

Give the Gift of Teaching

Most grandparents have a little more discretionary time than the parents of their grandchildren, so:

1. Teach a child to tell time.
2. Teach a child to tie his shoe.
3. Teach a child to count his money and figure up the tithing owed the Lord.
4. Teach a child to spell new words.
5. Teach a child to pound nails into a block of wood.
6. Teach a child to plant a garden.
7. Teach a child how to cook his favorite food.
8. Teach a child a new art or craft.
9. Teach a teenage grandchild how to shop wisely in the supermarket.  Compare brands, prices, quality, and sizes.
10. Teach a child a new song.
11. Teach a child to recite a poem, a nursery rhyme, or to repeat a special story.
12. Teach a child that Heavenly Father loves him.

Give the Gift of Creativity

Creativity begins with the stimulation of the brain at a very early age in children.  Giving even a small baby a variety of interesting things to look at, listen to, touch, feel, and manipulate helps him to store many different images and ideas in his mind which he can draw on in later life.  It's worth the time, mess and expense to have creative memories with grandchildren.

1. Many creative experiences cost little or nothing.  Many art museums are free to the public.  Look for activity books in the local library and choose activities that use many of the items found in a kitchen.
2. Discuss how things look, feel, sound, and smell by stressing details and differences in color, shape, texture, and size, and by giving simple explanations of how things work.  Encourage discovery and curiosity.  Children need lots of different experiences to expand creative potential.

More Good Grandparenting Tips

Here are few more not found in this article from Creative Homemaking for Happy Living:

• Let children's ideas be expressed in a non-threatening atmosphere.
• Help children to accept change and be flexible.
• Help children learn that some problems have no easy answers.  Be willing to say, "I don't know."
• Teach children how to solve problems and look for more than one solution--to brain storm ideas.
• Reward children for being creative, however, they must learn that good work is sometimes its own reward.
• Help children find joy through their creative efforts and problem solving--It is fun!
• Allow children to be "an original."  This makes them authentic.  It's okay to have your own style, ideas, opinions.  We are more interesting when we are allowed to be unique.
• Appreciate children who stick with a project when everyone else has moved on.  Find ways to encourage this behavior and identify it in the student's work.

Vancouver's Best Salad and Jiffy Pizza Sticks

I was so excited when I tried this recipe because it reminded me so much of the wonderful salad and bread sticks my young children and I would get at a little restaurant in Vancouver, Washington.  We lived walking distance to the downtown area and would window-shop and stop in at our favorite restaurant.  One reason it was our favorite was that for five dollars, I could get a whole tray of bread sticks for the children and a small salad for myself.  Back then we only had $50 per week to spend on groceries so this was a real treat once in a while.

Vancouver's Best Salad Print Recipe
12 cups mixed salad greens (I like the spring or herb mix)
2 large tomatoes, chopped
1 large cucumber, chopped
1 c. mayonnaise
Dressing:
1 c. Thousand Island salad dressing (any will do)
2 T. milk
2 hard-boiled eggs, chopped, optional (dressing pictured above is without eggs but it's really good with eggs!)
In a large bowl, toss salad greens, tomatoes and cucumber; set aside.  In a small bowl, combine mayonnaise, Thousand Island dressing and milk; mix well.  If desired, gently stir in chopped eggs.  Serve over salad.  Store any leftover dressing in the refrigerator.  Yield:  8 servings or 2 cups dressing.

These are just like the bread sticks we got in Vancouver--only better because there's chopped pepperoni baked inside.
Jiffy Pizza Sticks Print Recipe
1 pkg. JIFFY Pizza Crust Mix
1/4 tsp. garlic and herb seasoning (I use pizza seasoning)
1/2 cup hot tap water (not scalding)
1-1/2 pkg. pepperoni slices, chopped (or less if desired)
1/2 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
14 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
Butter Topping:
2 T. margarine or butter, melted
1/4 tsp. garlic and herb seasoning
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Grease one baking sheet.  Mix Pizza Crust, seasoning, pepperoni and mozzarella cheese.  Add hot water (1 tablespoon at a time) and mix well with a fork.  Spread Parmesan cheese onto flat surface; drop dough onto Parmesan cheese and knead cheese into dough (I like to do this on a wooden cutting board cause it won't stick).  Roll to 1/2 inch thick, cut into 1 inch bread sticks.  Place about 1 inch apart on baking sheet.  Bake 18-20 minutes.  Mix together butter topping ingredients.  After removing sticks from the oven, brush tops of sticks with butter topping.

Buttermilk Blueberry Pancakes

"...Almonzo loved light, fluffy, buckwheat pancakes with plenty of molasses...The three pancakes on the griddle were holding their bubbles in tiny holes near their crisping edges.  He flipped them over neatly and watched their brown-patterned sides rise in the middle.  The good smell of them mixed with the good smells of fried salt pork and boiling coffee..."  (The Long Winter, by Laura Ingalls Wilder, ISBN # 0590488198)

Just like Almonzo Wilder, homemade pancakes are one of my favorite comfort foods.  I grew up thinking you had to buy store-brand mixes to make pancakes.  For years I tried to make good pancakes without success.  Then I grew brave enough to try pancake recipes in my cookbooks.  Making pancakes from scratch was sooo much better than store bought mixes, even if it took just a little more trouble.

The key to making pancakes is to have a consistency of a cake batter when you're ready to pour out the mixture.  They can't be too thin or too thick--it should pour easily but not too fast.  As the tops get plenty of bubbles and the edges firm up a bit, you can turn the pancakes over.

My husband is a better fry cook than I am and flips pancakes perfectly.  I have forced myself to practice until my pancakes turned out just as good.  So practice does make perfect.

Also, it really helps to invest in a nice, long electric griddle because the pancakes turn out better (cooks more evenly) and you can make a bunch at once and get done faster.  (I would even consider bringing one to camp outs!)

This recipe comes from my Southern Living Cookbook (ISBN # 084871816X).  It mentions you can keep the batter in the fridge for up to a week.  It also includes a homemade syrup recipe.  The recipe calls for buttermilk but I mix up powdered buttermilk instead because it's easier for me to keep on hand than buttermilk.  You can add 1cup of blueberries (like the pancakes shown above) or chopped pecans to the batter.

Buttermilk Pancakes with Homemade Maple Syrup 
Print Recipe
2 cups all purpose flour
2-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons sugar
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1-1/2 to 2 cups buttermilk (2 cups is always too much for my batter; start with 1-1/2 cups and add more 1 T. at a time if needed)
1/4 cup vegetable oil
Homemade Maple Syrup
Combine first 5 ingredients; stir well (be careful not to stir too much or the pancakes will not be fluffy).  Combine eggs, buttermilk, and oil in a bowl; add to flour mixture, stirring just until dry ingredients are moistened.  For each pancake, pour about 1/4 cup batter onto a hot, lightly greased griddle.  Cook pancakes until tops are covered with bubbles and edges look cooked; turn and cook other side.  (Store unused batter in a tightly covered container in refrigerator up to 1 week.  If refrigerated batter is too thick, add milk or water to reach desired consistency.)  Serve pancakes warm with Homemade Maple Syrup.  Yield:  18 (4-inch pancakes).

Homemade Maple Syrup Print Recipe
1 cup water
2 cups sugar
1/2 teaspoon maple flavoring
Bring water to a boil in a small saucepan; add sugar and flavoring.  Boil 2 minutes, stirring constantly; remove from heat.  Serve warm, chilled, or at room temperature.  (Store leftover syrup in a tightly covered container in refrigerator.)  Yield:  about 2 cups.  (Per 3 pancakes and 1/3 cup syrup:  Calories 566; Fat 11.9g; Cholesterol 77mg; Sodium 612mg)

Freezing Blueberries

I love fresh-picked blueberries (as long as someone else picks them--ha, ha!)  Picking berries is something you should do with your children or grandchildren or friends at least once.  The great thing about blueberries is how well they freeze and how good they taste whenever you pull some out of the freezer to bake (or pop in your mouth!)

Blueberries should not be washed prior to freezing.  

They have a natural waxy coating that protects them when freezing, then rinse the berries before using in a recipe.  I rinse my blueberries after defrosting them in the fridge so I don't wash before freezing.

Spread them out evenly on wax paper on a cookie sheet in the freezer.  It doesn't take but about 15 minutes for them to be firm enough to put in quart-sized freezer containers.  Containers rather than bags will prevent the berries from getting squashed.  Whenever you need a handful, the berries are nice and loose and ready to use, or pre-measure blueberries for your favorite recipes before freezing.  In airtight containers, blueberries will keep up to a year in the freezer.

I place the amount I'll need in the refrigerator to defrost.  Then I rinse them gently in a strainer or colander under cold water.  This prevents your batter from becoming stained blue.  I use my frozen blueberries in pancakes, smoothies, and muffins.  Gently toss blueberries with a little flour before stirring them into batter to prevent them from sinking to the bottom of the pan.  The blueberries taste so fresh and delicious all winter long.

Here's some helpful tips:

To make a hands-free berry bucket, punch holes in a plastic ice cream container and thread a long piece of string through each hole.  Then tie the string ends and slip the whole thing over the head.  The container hangs down in front, allowing both hands to pick berries.

Blueberries should be picked when they are dry.  If there is dew or rain on them, they will get soft and not last as long after picking.

Be sure to pick deep-blue blueberries for the best flavor.

When purchasing already picked berries 

Look for fresh berries that are firm, dry, plump and smooth-skinned and relatively free from leaves and stems.

Berries should be deep purple-blue to blue-black; reddish berries aren't ripe, but may be used in cooking.

Stay away from containers with juice stains, which may be a sign the berries are crushed and possibly moldy; soft, watery fruit means berries are overripe.

Fresh berries should be stored covered in your refrigerator and washed just before using.  Use them within 10 days of purchase.

Luau Party

If you wear a flower on the left side of your head you are single.  If you wear it on the right, you are taken or married.

Games to Play:  
limbo
hula hoop contest

Ambiance:
paper sack lights (weighed down with sand and can use tea light candles with battery operated tea lights)
Hawaiian CDs for background music (found several at the Dollar Tree for a buck each)

Fun Activities (depending on the crowd):

• Sew simple bathing suit sarongs (find a good pattern and try it out)
• Make a candy lei:  Materials - small candies of any kind, plastic wrap (colored preferred) and curly ribbon.  Spread the wrap out on a table about 3 ft. long and lay the candies down the middle of the wrap.  Carefully close the wrap around the candy and in between the candy, tie a curly ribbon to close and to create the candy lei.  Knot and tie at the ends with more ribbon.
• Watch "Johnny Lingo" or "The Other Side of Heaven"

The Spread:
Make Hawaiian Haystacks or Pearly Shell Chicken Salad served with Hawaiian rolls and Hawaiian Punch, (or pork and teriyaki chicken on rice).

Jello Popsicles and Kool-aid Playdo

For yummy popsicles you can't buy from the store:
Jello Popsicles Print Recipe
1 pkg. Kool-Aid
1 pkg. Jello (same flavor as Kool-Aid)
1 c. sugar
2 c. boiling water
2 c. cold water
Pour into popsicle forms and place in freezer.  (Or pour into ice trays and when partially frozen, put plastic wrap over tray and insert wooden tooth picks into each cube-plastic keeps toothpicks straight).

For play-dough with a vibrant color and wonderful smell:
Koolaid Playdo Print Recipe
2-1/2 c. flour
1/2 c. salt
2 pkg. dry unsweetened Kool-Aid
2 c. boiling water
3 T. oil
Mix dry ingredients together in bowl.  Mix liquids together and pour into dry ingredients.  Stir until it forms a ball.  This may take a while.  As mixture cools and becomes less sticky, take out of bowl and knead until smooth.