Halloween Pinwheel Craft

These pinwheels were so easy.
You will need:
Scissors, a dowel or skewer, a double-sided square of paper (any size you want), a small bead and push pin.

Here are some really great instructions for making a pinwheel:
http://www.leslietryon.com/3dcolorcutout/makepinw/makepinwheel.html

I used 6" x 6" paper.  I just took a 12 x 12 piece of scrapbook paper and cut it into 4 squares.
Fold the paper on the diagonal both ways

On each fold, cut about 2/3rds of the way down

Fold over every other corner to the center

Push the pin through each of the 4 corners and directly into the middle of the paper.  Place a bead between the paper and the dowel and push the pin into the dowel to secure it.  I suggest using an extra long push pin.

Halloween Paper Decorations

I got the inspiration for the project from HERE via Pinterest.

The instructions are very basic.  Just cut scrapbook paper of your choosing into strips.  My circles used 2-4 strips of 12" paper.  Depending how big and full you want them.

Basically just accordion fold them, then glue them end to end until you have a full circle.  Then take that circle and glue the center together and hold until mostly dry.

Then I just glued a small embellishment on the front and a stick to the back.  This one is just a circle of paper with a witchy sticker on it.

I got lucky and found some really cute scary embellishments at Michael's on clearance.  Here are some more I put together (the ghost is my favorite but don't tell the others):

I have a few more Halloween crafts I will be posting in the next couple weeks.

Ultimate Comfort Food: Tater Tot Casserole

My favorite dish as a kid was Tater Tot Casserole.  Someone always made it for family functions.  I hadn't had it in a very long time so I decided to throw it together and share it with you.

1 can Cream of Mushroom Soup

1 can Green Beans

1 can Corn

1 bag Tater Tots

1 lb Ground Beef

1 cup Shredded Cheese

Brown the beef, drain and cool.  In a bowl, mix everything but the tater tots and pour into a greased casserole dish.

Layer the tater tots on top

Top with the shredded cheese and cook for 45 minutes to an hour at 350.

Quiet Book

For my nephew's 2nd Birthday, I made him a quiet book.  Basically it is a fabric activity book for kids.  My Grandma Palmer made one for me when I was a kid and I really wanted to try my hand at it.  I have just started sewing so this project was a lot of trial and error.  It was also took a lot of time.

Here is the cover.  I made 4 different covers before I just settled for this one.  It just was not working how I had envisioned it.  It's made of felt and fabric paint.

This is the first page.  An apple tree.  The background is fabric with the tree, basket and apples being felt.  I sewed the tree onto the fabric and then hand-sewed the apples, using cotton balls as stuffing.  I attached Velcro to the apples and the tree.

Page 2 is my favorite.  The barn!  The barn is made of felt with bias tape as the white part.  The animals are also made of felt.

Page 3 is the color page.  The balloons are made of felt and I hand-stitched the lettering.

Page 4 is to show him how to tie a shoe.  The shoe is made of felt, with grommets put in and a regular shoelace.

Page 5 I just drew numbers and then stitched on the number of buttons per number.  I did this on a road trip!

The last page is a road page made of felt.  There is a garage where 2 cars fit and a large stop sign.

Grandma Biscuits

I have fond memories from my childhood of traveling to Oregon to visit my Great Grandparents.  I remember every corner of that house.  Including the Moose or Elk head that was at the top of the stairs.  I remember my Uncle Cecil telling me it was a haunted head and always thinking it was watching me as I ran past it.

I always remember my Grandpa sitting in his chair with his spittoon next to him, watching Hee Haw.  The kitchen was the heart of the home and I'm not sure I ever saw my Grandma anywhere but in there.  The  giant table in the middle of the room always had food on it.  She was always asking if we were hungry or if she could fix us something.  They were amazing people and I miss them dearly.  I feel bad for my younger cousins that never got to meet or know them.

I called them my Biscuit Grandpa and Grandma because that is what I remember most.  Thin, crisp biscuits.  I've been wanting to try to make them but they will never live up to the memories.  Here is my attempt and the recipe I made up.  I don't think the recipe was ever written down, or did she ever measure anything.  She just knew how to make them.

Grandma Biscuits
2 cups All Purpose Flour  (I was told to use Self Rising Flour but I didn't have any.  If you use self rising, do not at the Baking Powder)
2 1/2 tsps Baking Powder
1/2 tsp Salt
1 tsp Baking Soda
1 cup Buttermilk
Bacon Drippings

Bake some bacon on a sheet pan.  I baked mine at 400 for 25 or so minutes.  Mmmmm Bacon!

Sift the Flour, Baking Powder, Salt, and Baking Soda into a bowl.  Add the buttermilk and mix with wooden spoon until it comes together.  Dump the dough out onto a floured surface and knead for just a few minutes.

Roll the dough out as thin or as thick as you like.  I like mine thin and crispy so I rolled mine pretty thin, probably 1/4 of an inch.

I used a drinking glass to cut out my biscuits.

Remove the bacon from the pan and use the drippings to coat both sides of the biscuits.

For these thin ones, I baked them at 350 for 20 minutes.  I ate my first one straight out of the oven and as it burned my fingers I was in heaven.  So crispy and really tasted a lot like I remembered.

Slow Cooker Italian Chicken

I love slow cooker recipes.  I can throw them together before I leave for work and when I come home my house smells wonderful and dinner is ready.  I found this recipe here and adapted it for our taste.

6 Chicken Tenders
3 lbs Fingerling Potatoes
1 cup Italian Dressing
2 tbsp Italian Seasoning
1/2 cup Parmesan Cheese

Coat the slow cooker crock with non-stick cooking spray.  Place the chicken in the bottom of the crock.  Sprinkle with half of the seasoning, half the dressing and half the cheese.  Cut the potatoes into bite size pieces and layer on top of the chicken.  Sprinkle the remaining seasoning, dressing and cheese on top.  Cook on low for 7 hours.

Buttermilk "Fried" Chicken

I call this "fried" chicken because you fry it and then finish it in the oven.  We strictly use thighs because it's our preferred piece and I can usually get it for 79¢/lb.  I will give you a list of ingredients and what I did but there are no measurements, use your judgement and season to your taste.

Buttermilk "Fried" Chicken
Ingredients:
Buttermilk
Flour
Cornmeal
Johnny's Seasoning Salt
Cayenne Pepper
Baking Soda
Oil
Directions:
Place all the chicken in a container with a tight lid and pour buttermilk over to just cover all the chicken.  Put in the fridge to marinate for at least an hour, I always do overnight.  In another container with a tight fitting lid, I mix a couple cups of flour, a cup or so of cornmeal, 10 or so shakes of Johnny's, about 2 tablespoons of baking soda, and a couple teaspoons of the cayenne pepper.

When ready to cook, I set up an assembly line.  I always do it in the sink for spillage reasons.  I place my large bowl of chicken and buttermilk in the first sink, my container of breading in the second sink and a sheet pan with a cooling rack on the counter next to it.  Then, on the stove, I set up my cast iron, enamel coated, pot with a thermometer in it.  I fill it about 1/2 an inch with veg oil or even better, Crisco and let it heat up to 375.  This was about an 8 on my stove's dial.  I preheat the oven to 400 and set another sheet pan with a cooling rack next to the pot.

I take 2 pieces of the chicken, place them in the breading container, secure the lid and shake it up.  After about 10 seconds, remove the chicken to the first sheet pan with cooling rack.  I usually do as much as will fit on the pan and then head over to the stove.  When the oil has reached 375, I place about 3 pieces into the pan, skin side down.  This will depend on the size of your pan and depth.  Mine is really deep and I had virtually no splatter.  I cook it about 5 minutes on the first side and flip it over to cook 2 more minutes on the other side.  Then I take it out and place it on the second sheet pan and cooling rack.  Once the second pan is full, I put it in the 400 degree oven for about 20 minutes.  Again, this will depend on the size of your chicken, so after that time, check for doneness.

I didn't get a photo of my finished chicken but I promise you, it was delicious.  We ave made this 10 or 15 times in the past few years.  We always make extra so we can eat it for breakfast and lunch for a few days.