Dairy Free Mug Cake

   

 In  past  posts I've written about  Chocolate Mug Cake (requires egg, oil and milk )

 and  Wacky Cake/Depression Cake. The Depression Cake  highlights being able to make a cake without eggs and milk which were scarce during the Depression era.

    The Dairy Free Mug Cake is ideal for those following a plant based diet.  You can find additional flavors at Toasty Apron  which is where I found this recipe. 

3-D Frame

 

The Inspirations

Pinterest

   

The Result

The red bird was made from air dry clay, painted and wired to the branch. 

How I Did It

Brown paper wrapped around wire to make branches. Leaves from air dry clay and painted. Tree made from twisted brown paper, painted and glued to canvas. 

There  are flaws such as the frraming being crooked but, not bad for a first try.

That's it.***

Green- Not Envied

 

OF COURSE ART WORK IS NEEDED

The original art work was fine but not in the colors I wanted.

That's it***

Footnote 11-23-2025

                                            Toiletries holder

Decided to hang the picture. Can always take it down. The colors don't show up great here but I didn't want to toy with all of the doo-dads.

END...again

Bookmarks or Bookmarkers?

 "However, for clarity, it's beneficial to use "bookmark" when discussing digital contexts and "bookmarker" for physical markers. This differentiation ensures the listener or reader understands the specific context, preventing potential confusion between tangible markers and digital tools. "(askdifference.com)

I made these "bookmarkers" for an upcoming event that I will be co-presenting with a friend. 

 

Can you guess the subject? Breathing.  Breathing and the way we breathe is part of the mainstay of life. During a physical exam medical staff will use a stethoscope to examine heart rate and breathing.

In times of stress or fear breathing can become ragged. Incorrect breathing can cause or exacerbate health problems. 

People have various ways of dealing with stress.  Meditation, scripture reading, exercise, positive thinking, mantras only to name a few. In every instance breathing is necessary. 

In Genesis 2:7  Then the Lord God formed a man[a] from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being. (biblegateway.com)

Breath Is Life

That's it***

Corn Salad

Corn salad on a bed of spinach, pickled cucumbers, purple grapes

The Best Corn Salad (from Inspired Tastes)

• PREP 20min
 
• TOTAL 20min

Makes 3 cups

You Will Need

3 medium ears corn, kernels cut off the cobs, 1 ½ cups

Half large red bell pepper, finely chopped, 1/2 cup

3 green onions, thinly sliced, 1/2 cup

1 tablespoon chopped fresh tarragon

2 ounces (60g) crumbled feta cheese, 1/3 cup

1/4 cup (60ml) fresh lime juice, 2 medium limes

1 tablespoon sour cream

1 tablespoon olive oil

3/4 teaspoon fine sea salt

4 turns on a pepper grinder

Directions

1In a large bowl, add the salad ingredients. Gently toss them together, being careful not to bruise the herbs or smash the corn.

2Once combined, let the salad sit for about an hour to marinate. The flavors will come together during this time, making the salad taste even better.

3When ready to serve, give the salad another gentle toss and enjoy. Keep the corn salad in an airtight container in the fridge for up to three days.

NUTRITION PER SERVING: Serving Size 1/4 of the recipe (about 3/4 cup) / Calories 144 / Total Fat 7.9g / Saturated Fat 3.1g / Cholesterol 13.7mg / Sodium 578.9mg / Carbohydrate 16.9g / Dietary Fiber 2.5g / Total Sugars 5.9g / Protein 4.8g

I tweaked the salad to my individual taste.

• yellow bell peppers
• canned corn rinsed
•  grape tomatoes
• no lime
• no tarragon

I was pleased with the outcome and will make it again.

That's It***

 

When Your DIY Doesn't DO

 Not wanting to drive (it's a distance from where I live) to the craft store for more Air Dry Clay, I opted to try one of the DIYs I've seen on YouTube. I tried making a small batch. 

RECIPE

4 oz. School Glue

4 oz. or 1/4 c.  Cornstarch

1 TBS. vinegar or lemon juice

1 TBS. oil (of any type)

1. Mix the glue and cornstarch together until it is pancake batter consistency.

2. Add the vinegar  and oil. Mix.

Place the mixture in the microwave for 30 seconds.  

3. Remove and mix the contents. (It was beginning to thicken)  

4. Return to microwave for 30 seconds. 

5. Remove product. Allow to cool for a few seconds .

6. Turn product onto a piece of plastic wrap and knead.

As you can see it was clumpy and nonpliable. 👎👎👎👎👎😖😖😖😣😣😣Reminded me of chunks of cauliflower. 

This is its final resting place.

I may be  "DONE IN" but I'm not "DEFEATED."

I will find my mistake and try again .  Can you say "REMATCH?"💪 

That's it ***

Kitchen Curtains from a Bed Sheet

 

GONE are the days when I could spend a Saturday or a leisurely evening perusing the many outer wear fabric choices at Hancock’s or JoAnn’s Fabrics.  Before that it was Blackburn's, Rietta's, Allred's and probably others that now escape my memory. 

There are no longer any  stores in my area that offer fashion fabrics. The closest to obtaining  fabric by the yard is at Hobby Lobby. Most of this is for crafts, quilting, novelties and upholstery. 

I've noticed numerous sewists online upcycling items into new clothing and decor. 

After having the same lace valance on the upper window in my kitchen with a stained glass cling film at the bottom, I decided I wanted to change to something more opaque.

I purchased a white sheet from my local thrift store and and prepared to decorate it to fit my needs. After washing and ironing the sheet I took the  measurements needed.

It took quite a while for me to decide what I wanted. Actually, I kept changing my mind. IN the end I made a simple two toned curtain of white and a wine colored red bottom. The red fabric was purchased from Hobby Lobby. 

I have yet to obtain hold backs for the curtains. I'm thinking of  a bent spoon on each side.

www.pinterest.com

For now I'm satisfied with the results.  They give me the privacy I want . BTW- I left the stained glass film on the lower window pane. 

I have sheeting and Hobby Lobby fabric left over. I'll be using that for my back door window. 

That's it. ***

This and That with discards

 Sometimes you just want to do something to occupy your hands and your mind. Escapism.

 

The finished product.

empty vinegar jug, yellow pages,  cardboard, permanent markers, napkins, Mod Podge, air dry clay,  sealant

I didn't give any of these a lot of thought. Just played it by ear using left over and recycled items.

That's It ***

Oven Roasted Okra

 

I’m not a fan of boiled okra but, I do like fried okra. I’ve been oven roasting lots of vegetables lately and most give me the taste of charred or grilled .    It’s supposed to be healthier depending on how much oil or other fat used in the recipe. I’ve done carrots, broccoli, onions, squash, eggplant and cabbage. Some turned out great and others were a waste of time.

Air fryers have become popular as devices used to alleviate some of the calories and fats from many fried foods. At this time an air fryer is not in my future. I also, don’t want to relinquish kitchen counter real estate for the fryer.

Oven Roasted Okra (America’s Test Kitchen) 

 

Ingredients

1 pound fresh okra rinsed and dried

2 tsps. of oil

½ tsp. Salt

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 425 degrees

1.      Remove okra caps. Split okra pods lengthwise.(for crispiness)

2     Place in a bowl. Add oil and salt. Toss thoroughly.

3.     Place pods seed side down on a baking sheet.

4.    Cover with foil and place in oven for 7 minutes*.

5.     After 7 minutes remove foil and place okra back in

     oven for another 7-10* minutes.

6.    Remove okra from oven.  Allow to cool on a cooling rack. You’ll notice that the okra has shrunk and that the flat side is a golden brown.

 ENJOY  your okra on its own or with a dipping sauce of your choice. Use as an appetizer or a side dish.

Blogger Note: * If using a shiny baking sheet, change cook times to 10 minutes each way. If using a browned baking sheet (what I used) cook for 7 minutes. Ovens may vary so check your okra halfway and make adjustments as necessary.

 

Blogger’s Opinions:  

v Washing and cutting were the most time consuming parts of the recipe.  

v I found the okra to be tasty but needing a little more seasoning. In the future I’ll be adding onion and garlic powder, salt, pepper, smoked paprika and a little more oil.

v There are other roasted okra recipes online that I may try in the future .

That's it***

 

Fridge Magnets From a 2024 Calendar

Continuing with my Upcycle and Recycle

That's it***

 

Better Late Than Never...Hmm...Maybe.

Read the original post from February 2016

That's it ***

 

Wacky Cake #2 with a twist

Trying some of the Wacky Cake variations, I decided I wanted to do a strawberry cake and top my serving with fresh strawberries and whipped topping. 

original cake recipe

Remember; This cake uses what you  have at home. I'm using 3 packs of strawberry jam I saved from my last breakfast at a fast food place and malt vinegar from my last visit at Captain D's Seafood. 

I mixed the jam with the amount of water called for and added some red food color for emphasis. 

 

 Sifted the dry ingredients into the pan as before.

Didn't have quite enough vinegar so I added the above.

Added the wet ingredients.

What a pretty batter.

Baked cake and allowing it to cool.

😕I was expecting a pretty pink interior. 

On with the taste test. Looks can be deceiving. 🤞

 It was not as good as the chocolate one. Truly, it was NOT GOOD AT ALL.  I ate the strawberries and the whipped cream. The remainder of the cake went in the garbage. 😞

I will not be defeated. I'll try again with another alternative in the future. 

For other variations;   Wacky Cake VIII

That's it ***

Wacky Cake/Depression Era Cake aka Crazy Cake

 

Right now eggs are $5.++ a dozen because of bird flu.  For bakers and breakfast businesses that's a problem. 

I happened to come across a recipe that was popular during the Depression Era for a cake that uses no eggs or milk.  Here is the recipe:

Wacky Cake

Wacky cake is made without milk or eggs and is a moist, dark, and delicious chocolate cake. A brainchild of the Depression era when ingenious cooks developed a cake that could be made without expensive and scarce ingredients. Frost with your favorite icing.

Submitted by Mary Knipe

Prep Time:

 

10 mins

Cook Time:

 

30 mins

Total Time:

 

40 mins

Servings:

 

10

Yield:

 

1 (8x8-inch) cake

Ingredients

• 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour

• 1 cup white sugar

• 4 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder

• 1 teaspoon baking soda

• ½ teaspoon salt

• 6 tablespoons vegetable oil

• 1 tablespoon cider vinegar

• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

• 1 cup water

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

2. Sift flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt together in an 8x8-inch ungreased cake pan. Make 3 depressions in flour mixture; pour oil into one well, vinegar into second, and vanilla into third well. Pour water over all, then stir with a fork until well blended.

3. Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 30 to 40 minutes. (allrecipes)

4. 
   

   

   1

   
   

No mixing bowl needed. All ingredients can be mixed in the pan.

Here are some websites to view

Southern Living Wacky Cake

Italian Chef Wacky Cake. Eight Variations

Quaint Cooking

Sweet Little Bluebird -Vanilla Crazy Cake

That's it ***