Get your Peeps before they're gone...

Should I admit that I look forward to looking through the baskets and baskets of Easter leftovers in the grocery stores the week after the big day?


This year I went with one purpose in mind.  Peeps.

I love them when they're fresh, and I even love them when they are turning hard.  Strange, I know.


I found a few recipes using these little guys that I want to try during the summer.  But by then, peeps will have become extinct.  I'm sure you could find them online (at an outrageous price though)


I picked up a brood of them, and then I needed to figure out how to keep them fresh.  Being an experimental soul, I decided to try preserving them two ways.

One - in my FoodSaver. (I can already tell that by forcing all the air out, it has deformed their cute little beaks and tails - but it will still be interesting to see how they fare in July/August)


Two - in Ziploc bags.  This method is slightly dangerous though (Anyone can easily break in without it being instantly obvious...)

I'll let you know how my Peeps survived the "off season" in July/August.  Join me if you can still find them in your local grocery store.  How do YOU use Peeps in the off-season?

Stay Soft Playdough - raw material for the imagination...

This not-so-traditional “salt dough” has an unusual ingredient that gives an irresistible feel to playdough that kids love.  As long as it’s kept in airtight containers, and is played with occasionally - it maintains the same texture as the day it is made.  I’ve used this recipe for almost thirty years now, and it’s still a favorite.

I’m taking care of three of my little grandchildren (under the age of 6) for a few days, and that calls for drastic measures...  As long as I am willing to A) Stay off the phone,  B) Stay off the computer, and  C) Get down on the floor and PLAY - all is well.  I make a (double) batch of this playdough most every time my little people come to stay a while.  

I have loved this dough because it doesn’t leave a salty residue on surfaces or hands, and remains moist and pliable for a long time.  I found the recipe while I was doing my student teaching in Utah State University’s preschool.  Later when I was teaching in a high school setting, I almost forgot about it.  All these years after raising my own kids - the same mimeographed (if you’ve heard that word, then YOU’RE as old as I am...), barely legible copy is still in my recipe file - and I can only find it by looking for it’s faded green color.

We get pretty innovative with our playdough sessions.  My six-year-old grandson and I play tic-tac-toe by rolling out “recyclable” squares of dough and then cutting in “X”’s with a plastic knife, and pushing in “O”’s with anything circular.  My four-year-old granddaughter loves to use my HUGE rolling pin, and then trades off for my small dual-roller with the cool edger built in.  

And the two-year-old’s favorite thing to do is cut it in microscopic pieces - over and over again.  

To each their own.  He did ask me to make a pink pig (kind of random) and I gave it my best shot.  Anything for the grandkids...

If you're tired of cooking, and want to pretend - check out this simple recipe at:

www.changeabletable.com

Ready for 'S More?

If you're like me, you're ready for a long break from kitchen duty about now... The holidays were great, but it's all I can do to plan another meal. After my daughter's wedding on Dec 19th, eighteen people staying here (off & on), Sinterklaas & Zwart Piet visiting my grandkids, two birthdays, Christmas Eve dinner, Christmas morning breakfast, and Christmas evening Waffle-Fest for fifty - I refuse to cook for a few days.



But my grandkids didn't care... because we made S'mores!



And the best part is they weren't sticky (other than the glue before it dried...)



The grandkids gave me a S'More kit - and we had a blast. Each little s'more person was a unique creation - just like the kids who made them. This one is supposed to resemble my eight-month-old grandson - only one marshmallow tall.



And this one was made by my two-year-old grandson... it strangely resembles Grandma after the past two weeks of holiday cheer. I'd show you my face next to it, but you wouldn't be able to tell us apart. I thought the hands in the air were a nice touch...

Hope your holidays were superb. Check back soon - I've saved up some great recipes.

DIE (you stubborn zucchini plant) - just give it UP!

My favorite season is Fall - and yet it does have it's drawbacks... I'm so happy to have had a successful garden, but once the frost arrives - I'm through! It's fun to go outside after the first really frosty night and see all the surprise produce standing outside like you caught them in their underwear... I had no idea I had so many cantaloupe living a secret life nestled in my woolly thyme ground cover. The jungle of leaves kept them well hidden.

I am looking forward to using all these banana squash - but the zucchini? I've had enough and I'm not afraid to admit it. I decided to make one more recipe to use up the baseball bats. (I'll post it tomorrow, then I'm so DONE...) Notice my die-hard zucchini plant that is half-frozen, but hanging on for dear life while snuggled up to the brick wall on the warm south side of my garage? You have to admit, it's a lesson in perseverance.

Notice my beautiful Autumn Blaze Maple tree... a gift from friends of my husband when he passed away. Every fall it literally catches on fire overnight - a beautiful reminder of how fast our lives can change.

Recipe for Disaster... weddings & food blogging don't mix...

I will not whine, I will not whine, I will not whine...



I really love creating things... but this is ridiculous!



I've been trying to get ready for my second wedding this year, AND trying to keep up with a food blog. Can you tell it's not working?



I am happy to say the fifth dress is now finished... Everyone is now ready with their wedding attire (Whew!)



Even after several weeks now - I'm not ashamed to say "I don't do windows" (or dusting either...) That there is a protective coating on my shutters. And I'm serving Del Taco for dinner till the wedding...



My two quilts are now ready for the bindings. I can hardly wait to sit in my easy chair with my feet up, put on "Pride & Prejudice" (or a Patrick Swayze film - I'm so sad to hear he passed away today of the same disease that took my husband...), and stitch away for a week. But I don't have a week:(

So... if you don't see as many posts for a bit, please hang in there. I'll be back.