Flop to Fab... It's all how you look at it:@)

I'm no stranger to Bloggy Bloopers folks. And if you spend any time testing out new (to you) recipes, you undoubtedly know that they don't always work out or live up to expectations. Yep. I'm fond of coconut, saw a macaroon cookie recipe that included dried fruit and nuts, and since I had everything on-hand, whipped up a batch. Let's just say they didn't bake up as cookies, they got toasted on the outside, but stayed gooey on the inside. Bummer. So... I didn't want to waste all of that great dried fruit, and since it was made with sweetened condensed milk and no eggs... I whipped up a quick boxed cake mix, and broke up the "cookies" to use as frosting. Wa-la, presenting one very nice dessert:@)

Crumbly, sticky and gooey, and bits were falling off the fork and bounced all over the plate, but, man it tasted good:@)

If things don't work out quite as planned this holiday season, may I suggest we take a breath step back and look at the situation in a different light. Perhaps for what it can be, instead of what it isn't:@)

Here's hoping your cookies don't crumble!

Have a happy day:@)

Raised Bed Garden -Easy Solar Fountain

As with most things in life, it's the little things that make me smile. I had a big pedestal planter and thought it might be nice to turn it into a solar fountain in the corner of my raised bed garden. A simple $10 purchase on Amazon, and I have a pretty water feature, as well as the great sounds that go with it! Now, of course it wasn't ~quite~ that easy... Since I had used this for actual plants, I did drill holes in the planter for water drainage. Solution: An antique punch bowl I have literally stored in the closet for 30+ years. I placed a few pieces of broken paver in the bottom of the planter, punch bowl on top, fill with 2 gallons of water, sprinkle bottom with colorful gems (because, you know... I'm me), drop in fountain, add a little sunshine and wa-la!!! Lovin' it:@)

The fountain comes with various nozzle attachments,

everything from assorted sprays to,

I'll call it a gurgler, but it sprays higher that that.

These little fountains work great,

but make no mistake,

they do require ~full~ sun to be happiest.

And on windy days...

Yep, water does get blown out and it's needs refills.

Since this is not a permanent fixture,

I take the fountain out before I go inside on Sunday.

Also empty the punch bowl into the garden and store it in the shed.

Then when I'm ready for the weekend, 

it all sets back up in about 3 minutes:@)

Let the sun shine and,

Have a Happy Weekend🌞

Recycled Soda Bottle Parsley Collar

I love to have a parsley plant on the windowsill in the kitchen, it offers fresh green in the winter, and is bug free in the summer. But I don't care for when it grows tall and begins to flop over... A simple recycling solution that I tried, a Parsley Collar. I cut the round center from a two liter soda bottle, creating a cylinder, then cut straight up the side so it could be opened like a book. Then gently gathered the parsley and put the 'collar' around it. Slid it down a bit into the container and, wa-la, my parsley is held upright and tidy:@)

Just wanted to share a little something that works for me.

🌷Have a happy day:@)

Basil Steak Marinade

My son recently contributed a nice steak for our Sunday dinner and I told him I'd make some shish-ka-bobs with it. So the search for a good marinade began... Now, I try to stay away from big proclamations here on the blog for the simple reason that everyone's tastes are different. Case in point: I landed upon a recipe called The Best Steak Marinade in Existence. Of course we just had to try it:@) Did we agree with the bold title? Ah, no. ~But~ this, I'll call it, Basil Steak Marinade is quite tasty and a nice variation from the usual flavor profiles for beef. We found basil the primary flavor, it was different and good. I do suggest letting the meat marinate for as long as you can, at least overnight.

The recipe didn't say approximately how much meat this was for, I'm guessing 2 lbs? 

I made half for 1 lb of steak, that was fine.

I did cube my meat before adding it to the marinade and left it in the fridge for 7 hours.

Fun tip from a competition grill master:

He never places meat directly onto a plate or cutting board for the resting period, uses a rack. 

He says the meat steams and the juices run out and puddle onto the plate.

I picked up a vintage Corning Ware Grill Plate at the thrift store for a couple dollars, 

it's hard to see the ridged plate in the pic above, but it works great:@)

Basil Steak Marinade-from All Recipes

1/2 C olive oil

1/3 C soy sauce

1/3 C fresh lemon juice

1/4 C Worcestershire sauce

3 Tblsp dried basil

1 1/2 Tblsp garlic powder

1 1/2 Tblsp dried parsley

1 tsp ground white pepper-I used black pepper, a nice coarse grind would be best

1. Mix everything, the gentleman put it in a blender, I just used a zip top bag and mixed it with my hands.
2. Add meat and place in fridge for up to 8 hours, preferably longer, give it a squish and turn every once in a while.
3. Cook meat as desired.

Eat well and have a happy day:@)

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Extending the life of your summer holiday garden flags

There are two things that ruin the look of the small American flags that we buy and stick in the yard for the summer holidays... Fading and fraying. I can't help with fading, ~but~ this simple suggestion might help with the fraying -use pinking shears to trim the edges. Wa-La, a sewing technique that's been around forever, helping to keep our flags looking tidy longer, and ultimately saving us a little money:@)

 This is not intended for large flags that are sewn with hems, 

just the small 6"-18"-ish sized flags.

Show your colors and have a happy day:@)

I'm Joining:
Theme'd Link-Up for All Things American-Red, White and Blue

Walmart Clearance Alert! Christmas Cookie Kits 89¢ -Playoff Team Jersey/Ugly Sweater Cookies

The assorted cookie kits at Walmart were all marked down 90% and may I suggest that we... think outside of the Christmas cookie:@) I picked up the ugly sweater kit and made some quick football fan sweaters for the playoffs, even though my team isn't in it any more *sniff*. This would also be fun for hockey. The sweater kit comes with some snowflake sprinkles, so that might be a fun snowy day project for the kids too. They also had a ton of gingerbread houses (even the Wilton brand was marked down to 89¢), they'd be cute decorated for Valentine's Day.

  There are 16 cookies in a box.

You might want to pick up some extra icing, especially if this is a kid's project...

I usually buy the seasonal ones when they are marked down and store them away until needed.

The footballs were from Dollar Tree last fall.

Just wanted to toss a couple ideas out there while the price is right! 

Have a happy weekend:@)

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Colonel Popper Silicone Microwave Popcorn Maker Review

I eat a ton of popcorn and I've tried making it every way imaginable. So I jumped at the chance to review the Colonel Popper Microwave Popcorn Maker. I can honestly say, this is ~the one~ that works in the microwave! Easy, mess free popcorn in it's own bowl (read easy clean-up) that's a healthy, fiber rich, whole foods snack. Gotta love it! Now, I will say, the key to having a happy popcorn experience will take a little trial and error... The most important thing is to learn your microwave and what power level and time setting is best for you. I have a very strong microwave with 12 power levels, I use 2:36 minutes at level 6. Every microwave is different.

The bowl collapses for easier storage (see picture of box below).
You can click HERE to find all of my popcorn posts. 

I'm hoping the boys don't see this post...

I'm a believer and did buy one for each of them for their birthday.
Oh and, um, Christmas is coming... Just sayin🎅

Observations:

1. A 2 lb bag of popcorn is $1.66 at Walmart. A single serving of popcorn = 1/4 C. Colonel Popper will accommodate up to 1/2 C of popcorn.
2. It's true that you can make popcorn without oil or butter in this popper. My personal experience has been, it works a little better with just a tad of oil. I've been adding a dime size drop of vegetable oil to the Colonel Popper, then swishing the popcorn around until the kernels are a little shiny from the oil. 
3. They say you can re-pop any unpopped kernels, I tried it and it's ok, but I prefer to just toss them. Refer to #1 above:@)
4. You want to listen to the popping, even when I set it to 2:40 I might stop the microwave 10 seconds or so early if I notice the popping has stopped.
5. The popcorn stays hotter longer. Whether that's because of the silicone or the unpopped kernels on the bottom, I don't know, but I like it!
6. They say the Colonel Popper is dishwasher safe. I can't speak to that, my dishwasher's name is Lynn, and while she doesn't do a very good job, she's been with the family forever:@) Mine washes up fine with hot soapy water.
7. I've tried the glass microwave popper with a handle that looks a little like a tea pot... I think that one creates too much condensation because it's shaped like a ball, the water runs back down the sides resulting in wet popcorn. The Colonel Popper is a better design and does a better job at allowing excess steam to escape.
8. I've seen a similarly designed cheaper brand on the market, but the silicone seems thinner and that one doesn't have handles. Steam is hot folks, I think you'll be much happier with handles!\

*I was generously gifted the Colonel Popper for review, but all opinions are my own, 

and I'm always honest with you!

Enjoy a healthy snack and have a happy day:@)

Ma's Growing Potatoes in a Container Experiment

I thought this was fun and wanted to share... In May Ma cut up some old soft baby yellow potatoes that had eyes and tossed them into a basket, then placed the basket inside a larger container with holes in the bottom for drainage, and filled it with potting soil and dirt. Then watered and treated it like all of the other planters in the yard.

This pic was on June 6th:

She took the basket out so we could see it, 

then put it back into the planter and let it grow for a couple more months...

They were harvested when the greens died back towards the end of August.
How fun to have some very fresh gourmet baby yellow potatoes...

Literally from something headed to the trash can months ago!

Here's a pic of the large 24" planter and Dollar Tree basket she used.

Thank you Ma for taking the time to take some pics of this fun project!

I hope it inspires someone else to give it a try next year.
Oh and, did she share some of the potatoes??? Stay tuned:@)

Have a happy day!

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The Scoop

New Instant Pot Pressure Cooker Steamer Basket -And Cooking Twice as Much at One Time

I have a great new kitchen toy to share with you today, I bought one for Ma for Mother's Day and both sons already asked me to get them one for their birthdays! This 6 quart steamer basket for the ♥Instant Pot ~or any~ ♥electronic pressure cooker is amazing, I found it after wrestling to remove a collapsible steamer basket (with no handle) of sliced carrots from the pressure cooker one Sunday... But what really sold me was when the write-up said it was great for making stock, simply lift the basket out of the vessel and toss the bones-wow, it really is that easy folks. They sell 3 quart, 6 quart and now 8 quart sizes. My theory is, you can always cook a smaller amount of food in a larger basket:@)

Here's a pic of the basket from Amazon,

It has feet so no trivet is needed and it washes up great! 

(My dishwasher's name is Lynn, and while she only does a marginal job she's been with the family forever:@)

Another thing that has me tickled is a Dollar Tree purchase, this little colander fits on top of the big steamer basket and is perfect for steaming a second vegetable at the same time! Both veggies just need to cook in the same amount of time, here I was making mashed potatoes and then some butternut squash, both about 3/4" dice and I cooked them on manual high pressure for 5 minutes and used automatic release. I poured the potatoes into the bowl of my mixer and stuck the colander of squash back into the pressure cooker to stay warm until dinner.

A pic of the little colander, it will steam enough veggies for two or (maybe) three people.

I did use pliers and pulled the ring off the bottom of the colander, that just looked like something I didn't need to deal with washing. 

One thing that is important, when you place the colander on the steamer basket,
make sure it's towards the front of the pressure cooker. 

You don't want it near, or blocking, the vent.

Let's use those pressure cookers, eat well and have a happy day:@) 

Went Junkin' -New (to me) Spritz Cookie Discs and My Best Spritz Baking Tips

It's true folks, I do really enjoy making spritz cookies. So I'm always on the lookout for different cookie presses and ~new to me~ shaped discs. This old Ateco aluminum press was $3 at the thrift store, it gives me five new cookie shapes and a pasta disc! Lovin' that clover:@) While I'm not sure I'll actually use this plunger press for cookies (although I am going to try it), the discs do fit my Kuhn Rikon press.

Tip one: If your old cookie press ever stops working or breaks, always save your discs,
they may fit your new press.

Tip two: A perfect spritz dough will be the consistency of play dough. Pliable and soft, yet solid and moldable.

Tip Three: If you want some fun seasonal color but don't want sprinkles bouncing all over the kitchen... 

Try stirring the sprinkles into your dough.

Tip Four: Not all candy sprinkles can be baked... 

This is a "let's all learn from Lynn's mistake" tip:@)

Tip Five: If for some reason the stars don't align and your cookies just won't stick to the baking sheet,

(and yes, we've all been there:@)

Don't toss that dough! Save the batch, and your sanity...

Scoop the dough into a disposable icing bag and free-form cookies onto the baking sheets.

Tip six: It's better to spend an extra 15 minutes baking a small three cookie test batch than waste a whole sheet of cookies... 

This helps make sure your oven temperature is correct and lets you know if you need to chill the formed dough before baking.

Tip seven: Store the cookie press where you can easily get to it folks, 

spritz aren't just for Christmas any more!

And My Best Spritz Tip: Spritz were always my go-to if I needed a quick treat to send to school when the boys were little. Not to mention, in my family they are ~the~ Christmas cookie. Then a few years ago they started melting and spreading out on the baking sheets, not holding their shape at all. I couldn't figure out why and tried every single suggestion I could find with no luck-and lots of frustration. Then it dawned on me, I had been buying unbleached flour for my Artisan Bread. Decided to pick up bleached A/P flour again and things have been fine since! That one small change made all the difference.

You can find my Spritz Cookie Pinterest Board here.

Happy holiday baking everyone:@)

Maple Syrup and Bacon Fat Roasted Butternut Squash

I always, ~always~ save bacon fat. It adds great flavor to things like this Maple Syrup and Bacon Fat Roasted Butternut Squash. While squash is a fairly wet veggie, roasting it helps maintain some body and bite. The maple syrup caramelizes and bacon fat gives it a tiny bit of smoky flavor. This is a great side dish that would work well any time, easy enough for a week night dinner and fancy enough for a Thanksgiving side dish.

I made the neck of a smaller squash for myself and half of this recipe, the measurements below are very forgiving and easily scaled up for more people. I made mine in a 10" cast iron skillet, use a baking sheet for bigger crowds.

Tip: Store bacon fat in a mason jar in the fridge, fat can even be (carefully) poured into the jar while hot. And if you don't have one of the plastic lids specifically sold for mason jars... I save the lids from 16 oz peanut butter jars, they work well too.

Maple Syrup and Bacon Fat Roasted Butternut Squash
medium size butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cut into 1/2" to 3/4" cubes
1 Tblsp bacon fat
1 Tblsp pure maple syrup
S&P to taste

1. Melt bacon fat on baking sheet in 400 degree oven.
2. Add squash and maple syrup to baking sheet, carefully mix well.
3. Bake for 15 minutes, stir.
4. Bake for another 15 minutes or until squash is tender. 
5. Remove from oven and sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Eat well and have a happy day:@)

Using Herbal Tea as a Room Freshener

I was trying different herbal teas and happened upon an apple one that I was hoping would taste like hot cider but reminded me more of Red Hots candy... Not what I was looking for. It did however, have a very strong fragrance that quickly filled the room and made it smell great. That night I added a tea bag to a mason jar (a ramekin or mug would work too) and poured hot water over it, then placed it on my electric candle warmer-it worked like a charm! The whole livingroom smelled like fall, cinnamon and apples-very nice:@)

These teas are around $2.25 for 20 tea bags at Walmart, and they can be reheated several times. 

That's a very affordable, natural room freshener.

Have a happy day:@)

$1 Hanging Storage for a Flexible Hose

Update: I found a white basket at Goodwill (that probably came from the Dollar Store originally:@) It has the grid holes in the bottom too, much better!

I've been looking at these flexible hoses for a while now and was even more interested when I saw there is/was(?) a bucket that hangs over the faucet to store it in. The bucket only seems to be on Ebay these days and sells for big bucks. I knew there had to be another idea... Now, in a perfect world this little basket would be white. But this is ~my~ world and sometimes I just have to make do for now:@) Note: Dollar Tree has two similar oval baskets in a few colors, you'll need the bigger, taller one.

Simply put the back handle over the faucet first, then screw the hose fitting to the faucet, tuck the hose inside the basket and loop the front handle over the knob. Nice and neat! I'll ask my son to drill a couple holes in the bottom to make sure water doesn't pool in the bottom.

When it's time to use it, lift the front handle off the faucet knob and pull the hose out. Easy-peasy!

 A super simple $1 solution for hose storage that doesn't take up any room and can't be tripped over.

I want to wish everyone a fantastic Mother's Day Weekend-Enjoy! 

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Does Distilled White Vinegar Clean Hard Water Stains and Deposits on Sinks?

You won't find too many cleaning tips here at Pig In Mud, I'm more the type that makes messes... Yet here I am airing my dirty laundry faucet... *Head hanging in shame* I do love it when something really works well, is 100% natural and just happens to be a pantry item. My sink needed a little TLC and I decided to try good ole Distilled White Vinegar and was amazed at how well it worked. I simply poured a glug-a-glug (that's a technical term for tipping the bottle the length of time it takes to say "glug-a-glug":@) of vinegar over the faucet, waited 5 minutes and wiped it up with a paper towel.

 

So, after about a total of 6 minutes, 5 of them spent nosing around Pinterest, most of the hard water stains and crusty deposits are gone.
Now that's my kind of cleaning!

I'll continue to use vinegar going forward and am sure things will be as shiny as new in no time.

Don't forget vinegar's other great uses too:

A natural weed killer...

And pickles:@)

Save that elbow grease and have a happy day!

Meatloaf Pan Easy Clean-Up Tip

My dishwasher's name is Lynn, and while she doesn't necessarily do a very good job, she's been with the family for years:@) It's true, I have to hand wash dishes, so I like little tips that help make things easier. While we love meatloaf, it's messy... Lining the pan with aluminum foil before adding the insert is a great time (and elbow grease) saver.

You still have to wash the insert but that's the easy part.
$5 pan from Christmas Tree Shops years ago, a good purchase!

I'll spare you the pic from after I baked the meatloaf:@)

Have a happy day!

Chipotle Chicken and Black Bean Soup -from frozen with pressure cooker option

Philly has a nice little nip in the air in the mornings and evenings now... so that means it's officially soup season! This Chipotle Chicken and Black Bean Soup is truly a pantry meal and variation of the 20 Minute Chicken Pozole from last year, it's perfect for cool fall evenings. While this could easily be made on the stove, I used my pressure cooker and a frozen boneless chicken breast. In less than 45 minutes ~before work~ I had nice shreadable meat and a spicy warm, tasty broth. We like spicy warm here at Pig In Mud:@)

Tips:

• I do cut the chipotle in half and remove all the seeds and membrane I can. It's the smoky adobo sauce that brings the flavor. Small dice the chipotle, I thought it would break up more in the PC but it didn't. 
• Individually freeze extra chipotles with sauce, wrap in plastic wrap and store them in a zip top bag or Mason jar in the freezer.
• I prefer dried minced onion instead of fresh anytime I use either a fast cooker (PC) or slow cooker. 2 Tblsp in place of one big onion works for me and I get a pretty good size container of dried at the Dollar Store. 
• The 45 minutes above includes 35 minutes of actual cooking time plus the approx time it took the PC to come up to pressure.
• This recipe makes two-three very hearty bowls of soup and freezes well.

Chipotle Chicken and Black Bean Soup
1 frozen chicken breast-I had mammoth ones, so I only used half of the breast
3 C water, stock or broth-I used water and a tsp of Chicken Better Than Bullion
2 Tblsp dried minced onion or one large onion diced
1 tsp garlic powder or 2-3 large cloves minced
1 chipotle in adobo sauce, chopped, seeded if desired
15 oz can black beans, drained and rinsed
S&P to taste
Lime for serving

• For the pressure cooker-add everything except black beans, S&P and lime, set to 35 minutes (I just made another soup and only set the PC for 28 minutes and it worked well, so I'll use less time going forward). If you have the time let the pressure come down naturally, if not use automatic release. Shred chicken and return to pot, add beans and S&P to taste, heat through. Serve with a hearty squirt of lime juice.
• For stove top-add a little olive oil to pot, saute onion for 5 minutes, then garlic for 1 minute. Add liquid and chicken, cook until tender. Dice chicken, return to pot, add beans and S&P to taste, heat through. Serve with a hearty squirt of lime juice.

Eat well and have a happy day:@)

A Dedicated Baking and Sweets Spatula

It's not a bad idea to have a dedicated baking and sweets spatula, especially if you cook with a lot of big bold flavors and spices. Onion, garlic, hot sauce, cumin and curry come immediately to mind, and I use them all often. They say silicone doesn't retain flavors and smells... but anyone with a silicone gasket on their pressure cooker might dispute that. I picked this cutie up at Walmart, now there's no question which one to use for baking:@)

Words to live by!

Have a happy day:@)

The magicOpener really works! -got a new kitchen toy

Sometimes it's the little things that really do make life easier... Have you seen The magicOpener advertised? It honestly makes opening bottles and cans a snap! I don't know about your brand, but the lids on my water bottles are too small. There's only around 1/4" to grab onto and twist and it can be very hard to get them open with my fingers, but The magicOpener works great. It's also perfect for pop tops, whether beverage or pet food (broken fingernails are a bummer!) and it works on traditional glass soda and beer bottles. It's comfortable to hold and has to be amazingly helpful for folks with limited dexterity or limited hand/wrist strength too.

The sturdy magnet keeps mine handy on the fridge... 

Tip: If you need to remove it more easily simply store it closer to the edge of the refrigerator door and slide it off.

7/19/21 update: Of all of the bloggy goodies I've received, this is the one I use almost daily!

magicOpener is currently offering a 20% off promotion, use code MymagicOpener at checkout. So feel free to stop by their site HERE and order one for yourself at a discount (or maybe get a few, they're great Christmas gifts-yes folks, it will be here before we know it:@) This offer expires July 31, 2015.

The magicOpener has quickly proven to be a very useful kitchen tool and I'd like to sincerely thank them for the opportunity to do this review. I think you'll like this product if you get it folks.

Tops will be popping this 4th of July weekend! Have a happy day:@)

Full disclosure: I was sent The magicOpener for free in exchange for an honest review.

White Vinegar as a Weed Killer

Did you know that pouring White Vinegar on the Weeds that pop up between the cracks in the sidewalk or your driveway is an inexpensive, natural way to kill them? News to me! I always have vinegar (especially in the summer for pickles) and one gallon costs about $1.88 at the ShopRite, so I tried it and it worked great! I just glug-a-glugged it over the weed (didn't use much) and the pic on the right is about four hours later.

 Here's the victim two days later. And the amazing thing is, this was under the carport and it rained the night I poured the vinegar... 

Imagine how well this works in full blazing sun!

I have used it on the crabgrass in the cracks of the pavement and it worked equally well.

So don't hesitate to give this a try folks, I'm glad I did:@)

Have a happy day!