Pixie Stick Wands

I was trying to come up with an idea to take the craft show we did on Saturday that little girls would like. My mind kept going to wands but I didn't want to do them with dowel rods. I thought about it and decided to do them with those large pixie sticks you can buy ( I bought them at Sam's Club). I added some cute felt stars to the top and added some ribbon. I think they turned out really cute. The funny thing is that the first kid who bought one was actually a boy scout who was at the show buying popcorn. He just wanted the candy lol.
Here is how to make the wands.
First cut three stars out making two larger and one smaller. I this case I would have cut 2 orange and 1 yellow

 Hot glue the yellow star onto the orange star.

 Do not glue the two orange stars together yet!

 Cute your ribbon to go inside the stars. You can make it as long or as short as you want. I used 4 strands of ribbon for each but again you can make it to your liking.

 On your large star put a small line of hot glue

 Lay ribbon down

 Hot glue all over your star except the bottom of the star. This is where you will stick the pixie stick in.

 Put your two orange stars together now.

 At the opening stick your pixie stick in. Secure with a dab of hot glue.

I am weird and need everything to match so I had my ribbon and stars match the color of the pixie stick.

 

Enjoy!

 

Apple Pie Filling

I am still trying to use up all these apples from the other week so I decided to make some apple pie filling. I went ahead and used mine in a pie but I think I will make some more up and freeze it.

 

Apple Pie Filling

5 cups peeled,chopped apples

1 Tablespoon lemon juice

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 cup cornstarch

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 cups water

                                                        

Instructions

Toss the apples with lemon juice and set aside.

Combine the sugars, cornstarch, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt in a saucepan. Stir in water. Bring mixture to a boil. Boil 2 minutes stirring constantly.

 

 

Add the apples and bring to a boil again.

 

 Reduce the heat to medium low and simmer for 10-12 minutes. Cool completely. It will set up as it cools. Makes 4 cups of apple pie filling.

Enjoy!

 

Lazy Day Cookies

The other day I was in the mood to make a simple dessert. The cookies were perfect. Enjoy!



Lazy Cake Cookies

•  1 box of yellow or white cake mix
•  2 eggs, beaten
•  5 Tbsp melted butter
•  2 cups chocolate chips (can sub. in M & M's, etc..)
•  Mix together and bake in 9X13 pan on 350 for 20 min.

Apple Dumplings

 I took my girls to the apple orchard the other day. As usual we came home with way to many apples and now I need to find something to make all with them. I started with these delicious apple dumplings!

Apple Dumplings

Ingredients needed:

• 6 apples ( I used Cortland)
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 1 3/4 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg
• 2 1/2 Tablespoons of butter, softened
• pie crust ( the kind with 2 in a pkg)
• egg
• sugar

In a small bowl mix cinnamon, nutmeg and butter. Set aside.

Core apples

 Peel Apples

Open up your pie dough and roll out to make larger. Cut your crust into 4 pieces

Put apple in the center of dough. Fill with cinnamon mixture.

Fold pie crust up around the apple.

Mix a beaten egg with 1 Tbsp of water.

Brush apples with egg mixture. Sprinkle lightly with sugar.

Bake at 350 degrees for 40-45 min.

My apples were really large for the pie crust so I suggest if you are using large apples to have another pie crust to use.

Homemade Gel Air Freshners

I have been in a crafty mood lately. I think it is due to the fact that I know our craft shows will be starting soon. Anyways I decided to make some gel air fresheners and I am glad I did, they smell wonderful!

Materials needed:
2 pkgs of unflavored gelatin
1/2 cup hot water
1/2 cup ice cold water
food coloring
fragrance of choice

Mix the gelatin with the hot water. Stir until dissolved.

 Add food coloring and fragrance. Then add ice water.

 This is the fragrance that I used. I doubled the recipe and used the entire bottle.

 Pour into jars and let sit in a cool place ( not the refrigerator!)

How easy is that??? It took mine around 24 hours to set up then I put lids on them and they are ready to go. My jars were 4 oz and I got 5 filled by doubling the recipe for it.

Chicken-Tomato Skillet

If you are looking for a quick meal , this one is for you. It took less than 15 minutes to make, was cheap and everyone loved it.

Chicken-Tomato Skillet

2 cups pasta
1 pd chicken tenders, cubed
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 can diced tomatoes, undrained
1/2 cup milk
1 tbsp. basil ( you may want to go more or less depending on your taste)

Cook pasta and drain, Meanwhile cook chicken in skillet with a little oil for 4-6 minutes. Reduce heat to medium and add soup, tomatoes, milk and basil.
Stir in cooked pasta. Cook on low for 6-8 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Enjoy!

Crockpot Stuffed Peppers

I have an awesome new recipe for you guys to try! If you like stuffed peppers then you have to try these! I promise you will fall in love with them and never heat your house up by making them again. All you have to turn is turn your crockpot on, sit back and relax.

Crockpot Stuffed Peppers

4 large green peppers
1 pd ground beef ( you may need a little more depending how big your peppers are)
1 onion, chopped ( or if you are lazy like me just use onion flakes)
one egg, beaten
one can tomato sauce
1 cup water
1 can diced tomatoes, undrained
1 pkg of Spanish rice ( I used the Lipton kind that is in the bag)

Cut tops of peppers and clean out the inside. In a large bowl mix the ground beef, onion, egg, Spanish rice, tomato sauce and water. Fill peppers. It may be a little runny and that is okay.

In crockpot , dump the can of diced tomatoes on the bottom. Set stuffed peppers on top. Cook on low around 6-8 hrs.