Creamy Rueben Spread

This is a shout-out-recipe to MissLyndsay!

This recipe experiment has been brought to you by my wonderful friend MissLyndsay, who recently brought her family to spend a weekend at our house.  Her only request was coffee & German Food.  After having this creamy reuben spread on dense pumpernickel & sunflower German breads, with side of dill pickles, we enjoyed a dinner of rouladen, spatzle, red cabbage with apples, kraut, & apple crisp.

 

 .  Creamy Rueben Spread  .

16 oz cream cheese  (2 8oz bricks)

16 oz chopped thin deli sliced corned beef

16 oz Swiss Cheese (shredded 2  8oz blocks)

16 oz Crisp Sauerkraut (canned kraut)

16 oz Sour Cream

Germanic Food has had a wonderful influence in both MrMan's & My life.  For a few years we lived on the West Coast & truly missed the Good German food.   Having returned to the Midwest we have found the recent economy has negatively affected our favorite restaurants.  Thankfully, we still have a few places that seasonally surprise us with good food during Oktoberfests.   On a recent date-night, we had the pleasure of experiencing a creamy rueben dip, which the restaurant owner provided us the recipe.   For those of you who know me, you know that I can't leave a recipe well enough alone.  So, I doubled both the kraut & beef. The cream cheese, sour cream, & swiss cheese were all placed in a crockpot on high.   The chopped, sliced corned beef along with the kraut was heated up briefly in a frying pan on high.  Added the hot kraut & beef to the melted creamy cheesy goodness in the crockpot.  We let this set for a couple hours on low to keep warm until the guys were ready for lunch.  

Potty Training : Plan B

 

After a long bout of good training, LittleMiss has hit the tantrum-throwing-wall.

 Plan B : POTTY PARTY!!!

The one-day potty training didn't work for her, because she decided that was really only a one-time-event! (Much like how I was frustrated to learn that I needed to go to kindergarten again after the first day.)

This 

Potty Party 

is 

 LONG-TERM, 

REPETITIVE,

 & 

REWARDING!

Every time she puts potty in the toilet (yes, we must be that specific with my Little Literal Lass), she gets to put a BIG sticker on a plate that is stuck on the wall.  After all five plates are filled with a big sticker on each, then she gets to open the prize at the top!  

The doorway to the bathroom is lined with balloons, the shower curtain has sparkly streamers, and there are sparkles on the counters.  

All of this is very visual & tactile for her to keep it top of mind, not out-of-sight-out-of-mind.

As each set of plates fill, they are replaced with new plates & a new prize at the top.  The completed set is moved to the window across from the toilet for her to look at how well she has already done!  (Keeping it visible).

Everything used in this party is from a dollar store & I spent less than $25 dollars.

What ideas have you used to potty train?

2L bottle penny bank

Slice 2L bottle in half.
Glue each side of a 14" zipper to the halves, putting the bottle back together.
Slice a slot for money & wrap with ribbon to prevent sharp edges from getting little fingers.
Remove cap & top with bouquet.
Criss-cross ribbon for fun.

Proverbs 13:11 '..Whoever gathers money little by little makes it grow".

 

Sweet Cake: Almost too sweet to eat, yet I can't stop eating it!!!

This is another shout-out to Miss Lisa!!!

SWEET cake

I really don't like calling dump cakes "dump".
After devouring the cake, we have decided to call this SWEET cake.  The "sweet" much be capitalized or else one might be liable for causing diabetic shock.


1 can Cherry Pie Filling
1 can Crushed Pineapple
1 box Yellow Cake Mix
1 stick of butter
(secret ingredient: Crazy Baby Helper)

Spritz a cake pan w/ oil.

Poured in the Cherry Pie Filling
Smoothed out.

Poured in the Crushed Pineapple.
Smoothed out.
 

Sprinkled on the entire box of Yellow Cake Mix.
 

Cover the top with slices from an entire stick of butter.

Put on tray.
Put in oven.
Bake:  350F for 1hour until top is golden brown & edges are bubbley

 
Drool.

Cool.

Drool.

Eat.

 

Recycle Bottle Lamps!

These are such a cute idea!!! Current features on FAB.com, these lamps by AbyuLighting.com add fun & whimsy to reusing recyclables.

Pineapple Right-Side-Up Cakes!

This post goes out to Wonderful Lisa Wilson!

1 can of pineapple pie filling (20oz)

1 box of angel food cake mix. (1lb)

Be sure to get the cake mix that is "add water only" as directions, but do NOT add any water!!!

1)  Line a jelly roll pan w/ foil & lightly spray w/ oil.

2)  Carefully, very very very slowly, fold in the pie filling into the cake mix.  The cake mix expands quickly with if you mix too much.  You do not want this to rise. You want to keep it as flat as you can. Fold it only until most of the powder is moistened.  There will be some powder not mixed and that is exactly what you want. 

  So, 

do NOT beat.  

do NOT follow the box instructions. 

do NOT use a mixer.  

3) Pour the batter onto the oiled foiled pan. 

4) Spread softly to a rectangle shape, but do NOT spread to edge of pan!

Keep the batter with at least a 1 inch space to the edges of the pan.  

This will allow the batter to expand without rising.

5) Bake for 20 minutes at 350F.

6) You MUST set up a chair in front of the oven, 

have a cup of coffee, 

and your pintrest app at hand, 

because you will 

NEED TO WATCH 

THIS CAKE BAKE!!!  

Seriously.  

If you mixed the batter too much, it will rise over the edge of your jelly roll pan.  If you see this start to happen, remove the pan immediately from the oven and scoop out a bunch of the batter from the sides.  Then return to the oven & finish baking.

7) Remove the pan from the oven after completed baking.  The edges should be slightly golden, but NOT burnt.  (again, if you were sitting in front of the oven you would notice)

8) Sprinker the entire rectangle with powdered sugar.

9) While the cake is still warm, drain a can of pineapple slices & cut the cake into individual circle cakes by pressing the empty can into the cake like a cookie cutter.


10) Transfer each individual cake to a cooling rack.  


11) Sprinkle w/ powdered sugar


12) Top with each cake with a pineapple ring (from that can you just drained, remember)  and a maraschino cherry.

 There you have individual Pineapple Right-Side-Up Cakes.

Lisa, we'll need to do your dump cake next!

 

takin' to the cleaners...

BATHROOM / TUB / TILE CLEANER

Ingredients
1 3/4 cup baking soda (slightly heaped)
1/2 cup unscented liquid castile soap
2 tbsp water 

10-20 drops Tea Tree essential oil

2 tbsp vinegar

2 ziplock quart-size bags

1 paper clamp

Mash until smooth the baking soda & liquid soap.

Stir in, gently, the water & essential oil.

Stir in, gently, the vinegar.  (expect a little bit of fizz)

When paste is complete & creamy, scoop into ziplock bag & seal.

Snip the corner of the bag - as if to use as a frosting piping bag.

Roll up the snipped corner & close with the paper clamp.

Place that inside the second ziplock bag for storage.

Squeeze out onto rag or sponge to use as soft-scrub in bathroom.

adapted from http://www.liverenewed.com/2011/03/non-toxic-bathroom-cleaning-and-homemade-soft-scrub-recipe.html

Spring Flower Photo Shoot by LittleMiss!

The afternoon outdoor adventure turned into an indoor photo shoot by LittleMiss!  While walking Nala-dog, we brought a bag to pick as many dandelions as we possible can (before they turn to seed & get to the neighbor's yards!)  We brought the flowers inside & tried mushing them, pounding them, smearing them, and shredding them.  What a tactile experience.  Then LittleMiss started arranging them on cardstock.  The camera appeared & she went to town snapping away!  Here's the results of her great button pushing abilities, enjoy.

 We start by her arranging the flowers any way she likes & then she takes pictures of them.   Here's what we start with:

Then MissMommy does some magic & we get this:

 

 

 That's all for now foks.  Hope you enjoyed the photo show. 

Sincerely, MissMommy & LittleMiss

Self-portrait photo of AVery Serious Artist at Work:

PROJECT: Office Floors

The new floors have arrived & look great!  Both of our offices now have vinyl flagstone floors & cherry wood chair mats!   Next :  paint those walls & get some curtains!

PROJECT: Knobs

 With over a dozen doors, this home had just as many different door knobs.   Current project is removing the all discombobulated handles & replacing with aged/antiqued bronze knobs, handles, locks, & levels.


Let the restoration begin!

A Reuben (the wrong way good)

Since the grocery stores across the nation are against the idea of me making a proper reuben, I have successfully & continually substituted pastrami & rye (if making it the wrong way good).

The proper way to make a Reuben is to use corned beef & pumpernickel.

 

Tonight, we lucked out with pumpernickel & rye swirl bread!

Freeze the bread (I typically keep my bread in the freezer, just 'cause).
Smear thick layer of butter on each slice of frozen bread.
(8 slices, making 4 sandwiches)
Drain 1 can of Frank's Sauerkraut
Open 1 package of deli sliced corned beef (or pastrami if making it the wrong way good)
Open 1 package of sliced swiss cheese
Open bottle of thousand island dressing

Heat griddle ~350ish

Throw on 'kraut
Throw on corned beef (or pastrami if making it the wrong way good)
Keep on the griddle only long enough to heat.  Do not fry or cook the deli meat, otherwise it'll get all rubbery and nasty crunchy, which is definitely the wrong way and not at all good.

Remove from griddle & place in bowls near by.

Place the slices of bread, thick butter side down, on to the griddle.
Dollop of dressing on each slice.
Slice of swiss on each.
Then hot 'kraut on one side & hot corned beef (or pastrami if making it the wrong way good)

If you have any left over cheese slices, throw them on!
Keep on griddle until bread is golden & the cheese is melted.
Flip the corned beef (or pastrami if making it the wrong way good) covered slice onto a 'kraut covered slice.

Set aside to cool just a bit.

Slice diagonally, because your husband will think that is fancy.

Serve with a side of dressing for dipping & pickles. 

Enjoy!  We did!

Deviled Chix!

My friend Ginny facebook-posted this instagram-picture of foods from a recent potluck she attended.  After Pinteresting this, I learned that Ana made these; Ana rocks!

What an adorable idea!  

Suggestions for eyes: peppercorns, capers, poppy seeds, caraway seeds, bacon-bits etc.

The eyes are dried chives & the beaks are carrot slivers!