It's been a long time!

I can't believe how the months are flying by. I have missed posting but there have been so many things going on around here that I haven't been able to find the time. I am currently working on a few things to share such as what's going on with me and my family, some new tried recipes, some new tips etc... Hopefully, I will be able to start posting again soon. Thanks for not giving up on me.

Hummingbird Nectar

Well today I brought out the hummingbird feeder to find the flowers needed to be repainted so I tackled that. Next was to find a recipe for hummingbird nectar and fill the feeder. I remembered my friend at sparing-change.blogspot.com had posted one last year so I hopped over to her blog and found it.



Hummingbird Nectar(4:1)

Ingredients:

Water
Sugar


Directions:

Heat water in microwave for 3-5 minutes or until hot
Add sugar
Stir until sugar has dissolved
Let nectar cool to room temperature
Fill feeder(s)
Store remaining nectar in the refrigerator for up to two weeks

Side Note:
It is not good for the hummingbird food to stay in the feeder for more than a week.  Otherwise, it tends to get moldy or cloudy.  For this reason, I make smaller batches of hummingbird nectar and refill the feeders more often.  Many times, I make 1 or 2 cups of nectar with ¼ cup or ½ cup of sugar.  Or, I make the full 4 cups and keep the extra nectar in a glass jar in the refrigerator so I can easily refill their feeders.

My note:
When you heat water in the microwave it loosens up cooked on food. After the water is finished, take a few minutes and wipe down the inside of your microwave.

Reuben made from leftover corned beef - now and later

The day after St. Patrick's day usually brings leftover corned beef. Usually I just reheat and eat it the same as the day before. Tonight however I tried my hand at making a Reuben. No exact recipe but this is how I made it.

Leftover corned beef sliced thinly across grain (I warmed mine up)
Sauerkraut- drained and warmed
Thousand island dressing
Swiss cheese
Rye or pumpernickel bread (I used a rye and pumpernickel marbled bread)

Butter one side of each slice of bread, lay one slice butter side down, spread on thousand island dressing to taste, add slice Swiss cheese, add corned beef, add sauerkraut and top with second slice of bread butter side up.

Grill til desired doneness.

Later

Slice corned beef thin and add to small freezer bag with slice Swiss cheese.
Take sauerkraut and put in small freezer bag.
Take 2 slices bread, wrap in saran wrap,and add to a small freezer bag.

Take all the small bags and add to a larger freezer bag. Label bag with date and Reuben and put in freezer for another day.

I did this for one sandwich but you could do as many as you like.

Getting ready for the planting season

Well the warm weather has come earlier than normal and things all around are in bloom. So naturally that makes me want to plant. I started some seeds inside to transplant to outdoor pots eventually, started some herb pots and also trying my hand at garlic since my cloves had sprouts. I planted a few cloves outside in the flower bed and then 1 in a pot. I also finally got around to transplanting the aloe I purchased last year.

Dark and light brown containers are basil, garlic, parsley, chives, cilantro and oregano. The 36 seed starters contain snap peas, garden bean tender bush, Roma grande tomato, Roma vf tomato, jalapeño peppers, and cayenne pepper. I hope these all succeed in growing as the seeds are leftover from last year. I guess time will tell! Happy Planting!

Home Project #1 - redo wall decor in dining room

I have been wanting to do some changes in the house as far as decor goes and decided to start on the wall behind the dining room table. When I started all that was on the wall were a set of 3 pictures and a bookshelf. BORING!



With a little imagination, some things already around the house, some bottles from the woods and $10 I finished the wall in a very short time.

First step was to make the messages in a bottle. Great idea taken from fakeitfrugal.blogspot.com. Dug of some old bottles from the woods, cleaned them up, typed up some favorite quotes from the novel "Messages in a Bottle"' some paper twist and some string.



Then added a fish net that was purchased for $10 at a local antique store, some shells I had on hand and Voila!

Corned Beef, Cabbage, Potatoes and Carrots with Horseradish Cream

Corned Beef and Cabbage with Horseradish Cream

Corned beef- trim excess fat off
Baby red potatoes
Baby carrots
Cabbage

Trim excess fat from corned beef and put in crock pot. Add seasoning packet that comes with it. Then add your potatoes and carrots. Add water to cover items. Cook 8-10 hrs on low.

Cut cabbage into four wedges and put in pot. Take broth from crockpot and add to cabbage and cook until desired tenderness.

 
Horseradish Cream (recipe from Gina at Skinnytaste.com)

1 tbsp prepared grated horseradish
1/4 cup fat free sour cream
1/4 tsp dijon mustard
salt and pepper

Directions:

Mix ingredients together and add to top of sliced corned beef.

Red Raspberry Cane Giveaway

Check out this great giveaway over at Sparing Change. Better hurry though because the Giveaway ends Thursday, March 15th at midnight and the winner will be announced Friday, March 16th.