Taco’s with a Twist x 2 = easy

Last week I made two Taco Bake dinners, one for our neighbors and one for us. 

As you can see already, these are not your typical tacos. Instead of using taco shells to hold the meat and fillings I lined a pie plate with homemade bread dough. 

While the Taco Bake dough was rising I began cooking the taco meat and also made a colorful salad and some homemade Avocado Salad Dressing which I assembled in a clear bowl. Since it is getting close to Halloween and this meal was being delivered to our friends who have young kids I decided to add a little Olive Spider to the top of the dressing just for fun.

Once the dough had doubled I topped it with the cooked seasoned hamburger and put it in the oven to bake. When the edges began to turn golden brown I took it out and covered the top with cheese which melted over the meat. 

My idea for the salad, which actually has more lettuce hidden below the toppings, was that it could either be tossed with the dressing or could be used as toppings for the Taco Bake. The Taco Kit was ready to go. 

To complete the meal I baked a pan of Apple Squares. I considered Apple Empanadas but settled on Apple Squares instead because they are quick and easy and so good. I drizzled some icing over the top which looked a bit like a spiderweb so I could not resist adding a plastic spider to the dessert as well. 

As my family knows I love a theme, even at meal time. So spiders it was.

I will be back soon with another Meal Delivery idea.

Happy Monday!

Oktoberfest 2021:: recap

Last weekend we gathered with family and friends for our very first DIY Oktoberfest Celebration.  After months of planning and preparing the big day finally arrived. 

The idea hatched between the hubs and a couple of his buddies several months back. The interest continued to grow so we had a potluck with our neighbors in August to discuss the plan and logistics of how to make it happen. Several families, including the hubs and me, volunteered to help organize, gather equipment and make food. There were a couple other meetings as the date approached to confirm head counts and finalize the menu and timing. There were also party day weather concerns as it had been decided that this party would be held outdoors. It is not unusual for the forecast here to show rain at this time of year and that is exactly what was being forecasted. The week leading up to our event was showing all rain and cool temperatures the day of the party so an executive decision was made that we would hold the party rain or shine! Thankfully, the dreaded rain actually did not arrive until a couple days after the party and it turned out to be an absolutely beautiful day for Oktoberfest! The weather was perfect.

Our day started early with lots of cooking. The ribs had to be in the smoker by 6:30 am so prepping began even earlier in the wee hours of the morning. 

Once the ribs were done they were swapped out for 6 whole chickens which were on the schedule next. While Mr. Wonderful was busy cooking the mains and setting up the party area I was preparing some German Preztel Bites. 

They took a good part of the morning but so worth it!

Usually I make traditional German Pretzels but this time I made most of them into Bites instead so that there would be more to share. 

Once there were about 150 Bites I decided to switch and make a few traditional pretzels with the dough I had left which ended up making six. 

They all turned out great. 

You can't go wrong with pretzels. They are always popular. 

German Chocolate Cupcakes were on my list to make as well and were easy to fit in the schedule between the pretzels. 

These are a favorite not only for Oktoberfest but anytime.

In between the cooking there was setting up to do as well. Tent, tables, garbage cans, food warmers, etc. all needed to be assembled at the meeting area.

The DIY Portable Fire Pit was also brought out and set up for later as well as a wheelbarrow full of firewood. 

The hubs recently made a new Poker that fits on a bracket that he welded to the side. A great new addition to the handy portable fire pit. 

Late in the afternoon, before the sun set, the hubs got the bonfire started which was a good thing.  Once the sun went down it was very chilly so we circled our chairs around the Portable Fire Pit and roasted some Giant Marshmallows. 

It turned out to be a fun and beautiful day for our 1st Oktoberfest Celebration. We had all sorts of traditional German food including smoked Bratwurst, Sauerkraut, Apfelkuchen {German apple cake} to name a few and even had a corn hole competition. The party was a success and I am guessing there is a good chance this could become an annual event. 

auf Wiedersehen!

Care Package #2

A couple weeks ago while I was working on a Chemo Care Package for our friends daughter it occurred to me that her brother, who is younger, might enjoy receiving a little something as well. 

So, while I was at it, I made him a couple “seat belt pillows”. That is what I am calling them anyway, and he can use them in the car if he wants to, just like his older sister does to protect her chemo port, or he can use them for whatever his heart desires. They are made just like the Chemo Port Pillows but this time I used several sports themed fabrics instead. To make his Care Package a bit more fun I tucked in a small football that he could throw around with his friends. Mr. Wonderful suggested I make a batch of chocolate chip cookies so that we could tuck a few of those in for him as well. Once they were cool we packaged them up and the Sibling Care Package was ready to go.

On our way out the door I grabbed a big bag of homemade Caramel Corn for the family and then we headed over to make our deliveries. 

Have a great day!

DIY Holiday Door Tags ~ HALLOWEEN

This is a project that should have been done a few weeks ago however I am slow and the idea did not occur to me until this week. 

To get started I needed some wood tags but I did not have time to run out to look for some so I asked Mr. Wonderful if he might have some spare boards that might work and that he would be willing to use for my little project. He did! All he needed was a template so I grabbed a piece of paper and folded it in the size and shape I wanted and gave it to him. Pretty basic but it was quick and it worked.

The tags were cut and delivered a short time later so then it was my turn to take over and figure out how to decorate them.

The first thing to do was come up with some designs and then decide how many to make and finally, choose the colors. Thankfully I had some orange, black and white paint so I could get started on some Halloween tags first since it was now fish or cut bait time. Better late than never though. 

My sister and her husband made me this cute sign post for my birthday several months ago and it is just perfect for my new Halloween Door Tags. Only a couple weeks though until I will need to paint some new Door Tags for Thanksgiving and then Christmas. Oh what fun!

Happy Saturday!

Chemo Care Package

Last week I made up a little care package for a special teenage friend of ours who recently started chemo. My first thought was to make a Chemo Port Pillow so I began looking through my fabric. While I was trying to decide on colors and patterns it occurred to me that a DIY zipper pouch would make a fun gift bag for the port pillow and could later be repurposed so I switched gears and started with that. 

Once it was finished it was on to the Chemo Port Pillow. Since I had plenty of fabric leftover from the zipper pouch I used some to make the little matching pillow.

I also had some pink Minky in my stash and thought it would work well for another port pillow. Even though it would not quite match the color scheme that was evolving it would still be nice and soft and might even be convenient to have an extra one on hand. 

Once both were finished I made little tags with instructions on the back and attached them to the Velcro straps. 

There was still some room in the Zipper Pouch for something else so I decided to make a little matching travel size Tissue Pocket because tissue always comes in handy. 

The gift also needed a card so I made a small gift card but instead of a traditional paper envelope I made a matching Little Wallet to serve as the envelope.

The Little Wallet would not only be the envelope for the card but then could also be used to hold a variety of things such as I.D., gift cards, appointment cards, money, etc.

The itty bitty card was cut out of card stock and about the size of a business card. The top edge was cut with a scalloped border paper punch and then I used a rubber stamp to decorate the bottom of the front side. 

To tie it in with the little wallet I cut small pieces of coordinating fabric with my pinking shears which I ironed onto the card and then glued a heart shaped button in the center just for fun.

It all came together in the end and worked out great. A couple pairs of fuzzy socks and some Burt’s Bees Chapstick completed the Chemo Care Package and it was ready to deliver.

Be Well!

Black & White Pumpkins

It is Pumpkin season and my collection has grown. 

These cute pumpkins were sewn together and stuff by my mom however she got busy with other projects so I gladly offered to finish them. There was really not much left to do except add the stems. The directions called for felt which thankfully I had on hand so I cut, rolled and stitched those in the center of each pumpkin. Next I cut each stem at an angle and made each a different length. The last step, and maybe the most fun, was giving them a little bling! Some ribbon and trim was just what they needed for some extra Pumpkin Pizzazz. 

If I can find some sort black leaves that I think will work I will add a few of those too however they are pretty cute just they way they are! 

Happy Monday!

DIY Portable FIRE PIT

‘Tis the season for bonfires! At least around here. Fall officially arrived last week and so did the cooler weather and some rain which was sorely needed. It was another long, hot summer and along with that came more strict fire bans so our backyard fire pit remained covered with the table top all season. The good news is the rain is finally here and we are hoping the bans will be lifted just in time for our Oktoberfest Party in a couple weeks.

The planning for our October extravaganza began in July to be sure all of our bases are covered. Everything from the food and beverage lists, head counts, tent set up and of course logistics were all discussed and assigned but the hottest topic on the wish list was a fire pit. Something to keep us all warm but without damaging the pavement. Well, Mr. Wonderful stepped right up and offered to make, not only a big Fire Pit but a Portable one to boot. It just so happened that he already had most of the materials so he could start on it right away, which he did. 

The welding did not seem to take long as he is a man with a plan and this plan had been on his mind for years. He had initially been planning to make a portable grill for house boating however things changed and it wasn’t needed after all. The sheet of steel and supplies had been tucked away until he figured out a way to repurpose them, which has now finally happened. 

As expected, it did not take long for the portable fire pit to take shape.

A little welding here and there and the table had legs with wheels and sides all around.

Next he welded a free standing rack to fit inside to hold the wood. 

He actually repurposed some old steel flower pot hangers which he used as the legs to raise the wood rack up a bit.

Pretty clever idea! 

He does not mess around so the fire pit was finished in one afternoon.

We can hardly wait for Oktoberfest so we can try it out. Until then he already has plans in the works to modify the fire pit for a Pig Roast next summer. Sounds like a Luau to me!

But first things first, which will be family, friends and neighbors gathered around the DIY Portable Fire Pit at Oktoberfest in our neighborhood. 

Happy Fall Y’all!