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 ***

Pea Salad (short)

 I was given a bag of canned goods as a Christmas gift. You never know what you're going to get. Among the cans given were 2 cans of  Sweet Green Peas.

I wasn't familiar with the brand and sweet green peas are not on my yummy list. However, I was not going to discard them. If I didn't use them I'd give them away.

Luckily, there was a recipe on the back label. I've never had pea salad but judging from the recipe,  it contained many of the same ingredients as in potato salad, pasta salad and broccoli salad. I like all of those. 

This is the outcome of the recipe. It was delicious and I will be making it again. It doesn't hurt to try out something new...in most cases.😉

FACTOR Meals

 There are numerous meal plans out there.

I want to eat reasonably healthy but, my urge to cook sways with my mood. I visit two fast food businesses so often, they know my name or face and know what I want.   (It's not Cheers and I'm a creature of habit.)

I ordered 8 meals.

The meals are not frozen. They arrived at my front door in an insulated box

with a cold pack at the bottom of the box and one on top of the meals.

The company tries to make everything as environmentally friendly as possible. There are instructions on how to dispose of the cold packs and the box.

Each dinner is in a plastic container housed inside a cardboard sleeve with the dinner's name on the outside. 

Further information on the back gives cooking and storage instructions, nutrition facts and other pertinent information.

My first meal I microwaved as directed. It was not very palatable.

                                       BUT,

I followed the directions of a FACTOR poster and after that the meals were delicious.

 I took the meal out of the plastic tray, placed it on a heat safe plate, covered it with foil, and put it in a 375-degree preheated oven for 12-15 minutes.   

It was delicious. It tasted homemade. The portion size was more than I could finish so I covered it and put it in the fridge.

 I have enjoyed all of the meals. I have 3 more to go.  I have one more box coming and after that I will discontinue. Not because of the meals but because of budget. 

This was something I wanted to try for the new year. I did and it's done.

That's it 🍽🍽🍽

Apple Crisp for Two

 

That's it ***