Apple Cider Pancakes and Edible Craft Idea

I thought is would be a really different delight at breakfast time with the holiday season fast approaching and it is really very simple.

What you will need is dry pancake mix and dry powdered apple cider packets about 3 of them will do; you choice of apple peeled and sliced into small chunks.

Mix up the pancake batter as the directions indicate then add the packets of apple cider, or if you have a jug of apple juice, apple cider sub it for the milk or water that the pancake mix asks for to make the batter.
Serve this will hot maple syrup and bacon it is yum! and the pancakes really seem to fluff right up using the packets of apple cider.

This craft project is also pretty quick and easy, that I thought up!


What you will need is two large packets of the sugar cookie mix, or make the cookies from one of your own sugar cookie recipes, or a box of sugar cookie mix.
Make up the cookie batter for cutting out shapes because you will need the flour spread out on a cutting board, I used about 2 table spoons of flour.
When you get your batter all done roll small smooth balls on the floured cutting board about 1 inch balls.
Roll the balls in sugar and cinnamon or color the sugar with a dab of green, red food coloring; place the balls onto a lightly greased cookie sheet, now take a smooth small cup or glass and dip it into the sugar mixture and flatten out the cookies carefully, bake till lightly browned and just before they cool make a small hole at the top. String fishing line or a heavy thread through the cookies and ribbon of your choice.
The idea of these is to make edible Christmas ornaments for the tree or to give as a gift for a neighbor or friend. Plus if you have kids around these are fun to make them with and they will not hang on the Christmas tree for long, this is very simple treat/gift idea and you can change and make the creative side of you flow out.

Homemade Chicken Pot Pie in an Black Iron Frying Pan

Yes it is another recipe to share with everyone!
I love cooking although I don't cook with a science in hand, instead I like to throw things into the pot and see how it comes out; in other words I love cooking by taste only, and I sharing with the idea you can can make this your own in in what ever way you wish.
Well we are getting the first really bad storm of the reason, winds will be blowing a 60 miles an hour and just sitting here writing this; I can tell you its blowing now.
My son picked potatoes with his girlfriend and he brought me a 100 potatoes and I am putting them to good use, and this is what the recipe is about those potatoes.
What you will need:
2-3 large potatoes all cut and cubed
I like to use caned meat and either beef or turkey will work or you can cute boneless chicken and cook a little before hand and then add it to the rest of this recipe.
small whole carrots/baby carrots don't cut them about 2 cups or 1 1/2
broccoli just about 1 1/2 cup and just break up the broccoli
can of mushrooms
one packet of chicken gravy
1 can of mushroom soup
1 red onion chopped cup
corn bread mix
Okay add your canned meat at least 2 cans in large skillet, don't drain the meat just dump the juice into the well greased frying pan. Add the mushroom soup, gravy mix, carrots, onion, broccoli and potatoes that are cubed, now mix really well in the frying pan and if it looks as though its all clumping together and too thick add about a 1/4 cup of water and mix again. Smooth it all out through out the frying pan.
Now follow the instructions for making the corn bread and pour the uncooked corn bread dough over the top. This is going to be a heavy frying pan so put a cookie sheet under before adding everything I should have stated that sooner, place the cooking sheet with the frying pan on top into the oven and bake for 30-40 min. or until it starts turning golden brown on top and tooth pick comes out clean, this is huge meal for a large family of about 5-6; we always have left overs, serve with a nice salad and hot apple cider.

A Recipe for Cranberry raisin Walnut Cookies

I love these Walnut Cranberry raisin cookies; these are very easy to make with just a white cake mix and it does not matter what brand just any will do. If you use Jiffy I suggest buying about four boxes being that the boxes are small.
Add you cake mix to a bowl and one egg and one cup of soften butter do not use margin, butter really makes these cookies taste mouthwatering good.
Now add a table spoon of water and just about two cups of cranberry raisins, the walnuts should not be chopped up into small pieces rather just cut and chopped slightly. Finally add about one and one half cup of white chocolate chips, mix all together and drop spoon out about a table spoon onto a well greased cookie sheet, bake at 350 until cookies look done and slightly browned serve warm, these will not last long. I can get up to 45 cookies using the cake mix and for me that is a good deal with that teen boy.

Quick Witch Hats for Halloween

Well I finally started these and wanted to share them with you, they are not quite finished but you can do this recipe very quickly and add what ever color frosting you would like to these witch hats.
This year I went with the striped kisses just because I thought they looked pretty cool.
What you will need is Keebler short bread cookies that one can find easily in the store, I would buy several containers, depending on family size ; in my family these go super fast.
Then get a bag of chocolate kisses or the stripped ones and some chocolate frosting and a tube of the green, orange frosting for making the bows.
When you get home just flip the cookies over and and spread a small amount of chocolate frosting around the hole of the cookie, because you want the kiss to stick to the top.
Now take the tube frosting of either orange or green and draw a small line around the bottom where the kiss meets the cookie and then draw 2 small loops and then a dab of green in the center of the loops as to indicate a knot, do this with all the cookies and kisses, you can even mix it up with the stripes and just straight chocolate kisses, it is a very simple and quick idea for the last minute Halloween treat.





I have added the frosting just not the bows to these pictures, thought everyone could just use imagination and the bow is very simple to do and looks great not matter what. Sorry everyone that's hole not whole and just dab a bit of chocolate frosting around the hole then at the base of the kiss add the orange or green frosting in these photos I have not done that.

An Adventure with the Talking Tombstones

I just love this event held in Astoria Oregon every year right before Halloween night!
This year I was able to video tape some it and yes you see that some of it is side ways that because I got better angle but I can't seem to figure out how to turn the video with this new computer.
This first gentleman was a lawyer for the district and was shot by his rival. Remember that these are true life stories of actual people who once lived here and not made up so it really it neat how the historical society finds out about each person and then portrays them.
One really interesting bit of history was that the Chinese were buried in this cemetery and then later dug up and taken back home to china.


I wanted to video a one of the head stones just to give everyone idea how old this cemetery is and I got a bit of the hubby in it. What is so interesting is that you learn what life was like way back when and how hard things were, such as dying of consumption. The next story really was very sad a young lady of the times caught up in becoming a woman of the evening and given false promises and then ending her life; when the deceitful man went off and married someone else, she used Morphia and was buried without a headstone I thought this tale was sad.


This last gentle was very interesting, seems the papers way back when stated that he drowned in the item he is popping out of and that he was intoxicated at the time but the gentle states that he was not. His mother did sewing and mending socks, but that's not what she did really, seems she had a house where the men folk liked to visit all the ladies who mended socks. His mother left him in Astoria at a young age and later he worked in the Canneries, he would pull Salmon up with this great pole with a hook on it and often this item was used to fight with loggers, the day was so interesting and just perfect for a visit to the talking tombstones.

Its Time to get Spooky

Well I have been having lots of fun I decorated the yard in an old grave like manner and yesterday I when and enter a witch contest locally here in Astoria Oregon and was it lots ghoulish fun. There were some wonderful witch costumes and I will share some of the pictures that my husband took of me all dressed up and a picture of the pumpkin my son craved.
The contest was held at the Country Crafters store; what a wonderful store, filled with all kinds of goodies, I personally bought some neat scented candles and some orange hot chocolate, and is it good with warmed milk.
The pumpkin is from some wonderful friends and is about 100 pounds I would guess. Mitchell scooped out all the inside and I toasted the pumpkin seeds in celery salt and they sure did taste good.
I dressed up as the evil green witch from the coast and my top is stuffed with fiber fill in case anyone might wonder. I was so excited to fit in the green dress I have been really working hard to lose some weight and I have lost about nine pounds I still have a long road ahead.

Hello Again... It's been a long time.

Hey everyone, it has been a very long time since I have posted... let me say I am very sorry.
But I facing a very serious trial, one that is going to take some time I can not say much because I do not want to hurt the investigation that is going on.
But I can say this trial has shaken me very much...but I still have faith in that it will turn out.
It will not turn the way my daughter wants or I want but maybe just maybe... in the end it will turn out, maybe just writing this will help others.
I have seen the ugly side of technology used for what is know as sex texting, I have say those who do this should be ashamed.
I hope and pray someday there will be laws that will protect against this. Laws that protect kids that are not able to understand fully what an awful thing this is; sex texting. The thing of it is this was not teens who did this to my daughter but grown men, men that should know better, you would think. This is only part of what is going on and I have said too much now. I am sorry for writing this because it does seem possible it could happen to a parent with an daughter of Autism and yet looks grown up.
I will try hard to get some crafting ideas to everyone, but I have to be honest my heart just has not been in lately.
Please pray for my daughter...