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Book Page Spring Flower Branches – Frivolous Friday

Book Page Spring Flower Branches

Spring has, finally sprung and you probably, have started to decorate your home for the spring/summer. It makes you feel alive and fresh. I wanted to show you this branch of flowers that you can easily make for your home. I will make this for my home sometime, but circumstances make it difficult right now. I want to feature Diane at An Extraordinary Day for her Book Page Spring Flower Branches.

Diane is, amazingly creative. She saw someone glue artificial silk flowers on a branch, but she didn’t want to spend the money for them, so she came up with the idea of using book pages. Card stock would be too stiff, but book pages are soft and pliable enough to work fine. She uses a flower paper punch to punch out flowers and then hot glues them onto the branches. How cute!

Here’s what you need

Old paper back book
Flower punch-you can get one at Amazon. EK Success Paper Shapers Medium Punch, Daisy
Glue gun and glue sticks (glue dots would work)

How to Create the Flower Branches

Punch out several pages of flowers with your punch
Use a dull pencil and place it in the middle of your book page flower
Fold the flower petals down over the pencil – precision is not necessary here as no flower should be the same
Admire your new fluffy and realistic looking spring flowers
Using your glue gun, carefully add a small dot of glue to the outer center
Attach the flower to the branch
Continue until you have filled your branches to your liking

There a many ways you can create with branches from your back yard. I’ve seen them painted white and then you hang decorated blown Easter eggs on them. Diane hung red snowflakes on hers for the winter. Cute idea too. I’m not putting all the tutoral pictures on because it was her idea and would like if you visit her to see her great tutoral at An Extraordinary Day.

Now, isn’t this beautiful? I can’t wait to make these Book Page Spring Flower Branches for my home. I love Daisies. Have a blessed weekend.

We may have met by chance…but we become friends by choice,

Simplee Sue

If you need a glue gun, you can get it here, at Amazon.

0 0 24 May

How to Purchase and Store Strawberries – Top Tips for Today

How to Purchase and Store Strawberries

What do you think of, when you think or see strawberries? I think summer is here, juicy red fruit desserts, or just strawberries and cream. Strawberries are full of nutrition. Over the years, I learned how to pick the right fruit or vegetables, but not for all of them. I still question my choices or ask my husband’s advice. This is why I’m going to help you and me on How to Purchase and Store Strawberries today.

I think that strawberries should be the fruit of Heaven. They are my favorite fruit. When you go to the market, you can find the strawberries even with your eyes closed and just by using your nose, if they are fresh. At What’s Cooking America, she has a lot of good recipes and info.

How to Select and Purchase the Right Strawberries

Pick or buy from your local produce market or stand. If you buy from the grocery store, be sure to choose the locally, grown and not the ones that are bred for shipping.
Be sure to choose with your nose, the most fragrant berries.
Choose the plumpest and brightest red, with no bruises on them.
The caps should be attached and bright green.
Strawberries shouldn’t be wet or moldy.
Strawberries do not ripen after they’ve been picked so they should be bright red with a natural shine.
If a strawberry molds, don’t let it sit next to another. Throw it out.
Usually, small to medium strawberries are more sweet and tasty.

How to Store Strawberries

Leave caps on until you’re going to use them.
Pick through and remove and discard any moldy or mushy ones.
Do not, don’t even think about washing them until you’re ready to use them. They’re like little spongettes and absorb water easily and then become mushy.
Do not cover strawberries in the refrigerator. Best stored in a colander so the air can get to them. You could even line a bowl with paper towels if you don’t want to use a colander. Keep cool and dry.
Remove the caps only after you have gently, washed the strawberries. Don’t soak in water long, just a gentle spray of water and then pat dry.
Remove caps with the point of a paring knife or a kitchen gadget called a destemmer or huller which you can buy at Amazon.RSVP Strawberry Huller

If you have too many strawberries to use at once, it is easy to freeze them

General Directions for Storing Strawberries

Use only firm, ripe berries.

Drain on absorbent paper or in a colander or sieve.

Remove the hulls with the tip or a paring knife or official strawberry huller.

Chill the fruit in ice water to lower its temperature for fast freezing.

Packaging for Freezing

Do not fill containers completely full; allow a head space of 1/2 inch for pints, 1/4 inch for 1/2 pints, and 1 inch for quarts.
Ascorbic acid (vitamin C) may be purchased in crystalline or tablet form or as a commercial ascorbic acid mixture to help prevent darkening of foods. If using the crystalline form, dissolve 1/2 teaspoon of ascorbic acid in each pint of water. For a dry-sugar pack, mix the ascorbic acid with the sugar. If using tablets, use 1,500 milligrams per pint; crush the tablets so that they will dissolve more readily. When using a commercial mixture, follow the manufacturer’s directions.
Seal containers and label with the name of the product and the date frozen.
Freeze promptly, then store at 0 degree F or below.

Dry-Sugar Pack

Halve, quarter, or slice clean berries into a bowl or shallow pan. If desired, berries may be crushed rather than sliced.
Sprinkle sugar over berries, using 1/3 to 3/4 cup sugar for each quart of fruit.
Gently turn berries over and over until the sugar is thoroughly dissolved.
Package and freeze.

Syrup Pack

Make a syrup using 1 1/4 cups water to each 1 cup sugar. Dissolve the sugar in either cold or hot water; if hot water is used, be sure to chill the syrup before using.
Use about 1/2 to 1/3 cup of syrup for each pint container. Place whole or sliced berries in containers and cover with cold syrup. Package and freeze.

Unsweetened Pack

Pack whole, sliced, or crushed berries in containers.
Cover whole or sliced berries with water or berry juice. For better color retention, add ascorbic acid to the water, berry juice, or crushed berries. Cover crushed berries with their own juice. Package and freeze as discussed earlier.

Strawberry Equivalents

1 small basket = 1 pint strawberries = 12 large strawberries = 24 medium strawberries = 36 small strawberries.

1 pint = 2 to 2.5 cups sliced (1/4-inch thick slices) strawberries.

1 pint = 1.25 to 1.5 cups pureed (mashed) strawberries.

Now go out and get ‘um! Strawberries. Because you know How to Purchase and Store Strawberries. You can buy a truck load of strawberries and freeze them and have them all year round for smoothies, cakes, pies, jelly, and stop me. I can’t get enough.

Here’s a recipe for a Sweet Strawberry Pie with a Cookie Crust.

We may have met by chance…but we become friends by choice,

Simplee Sue

0 0 23 May

Gramma’s Natural Home Remedies for Snoring

Gramma’s Natural Home Remedies for Snoring

Snoring can be a nuisance, not only to the person doing the snoring, but to his/her spouse. This can be a pressure on the marriage. Many people who snore, have obstructive sleep apnea. This can be a serious problem. After consulting a physician, try Gramma’s Natural Home Remedies for Snoring.

What is snoring?

When air moves over relaxed tissues in the throat, causing the tissues to vibrate during breathing. This results in a characteristic “snoring” sound.

What causes snoring?

There are many different causes which vary from one person to the next. Here are some common causes:

Nasal ailments-upper respiratory infections, deviated septums, or allergies that cause swollen tissues that block the passages.
Sleep apnea- absence of breathing or there will be periods of interruptions of or no breathing for 10 seconds and more at a time while sleeping. These occur often in conjunction with snoring.
Medications that cause drowsiness
Alcohol consumption

What Would Gramma Do?

Honey- reduces snoring by reducing the swelling around the throat area due to it’s anti-inflammatory properties. A soreness can occur due to snoring and therefore, causes swelling. This decreases or obstructs the air passage. Honey can reduce soreness and snoring. Mix honey with hot water and drink before bedtime. Another condition remedied by honey, you can find here.
Turmeric is an antiseptic and antibiotic that can cure inflammation. Mix turmeric with hot milk to increase turmeric’s potency. This is the best combination to reduce the problem of heavy snoring. This is a very strong snoring home remedy that can be used to cure heavy snoring.
Olive oil-is an anti-inflammatory that cures inflammation by reducing and curing the problem of heart burn. It eases the tissues all along the respiratory passages. The swelling and soreness are reduced resulting in decreased obstruction and snoring is cured.
Chamomile- contains bisabolol, which is the ingredient that makes chamomile a strong anti-inflammatory. Bisabolol is also a nerve and muscle relaxant that can ease the tense muscles and nerves. By drinking chamomile tea before bedtime, it can help snoring by relaxing muscles and nerves.
Other considerations to help in snoring: maintain a healthy weight, sleep on your side, abstain from the use of alcohol, stay away from sedatives, and get treatment for nasal congestion.

Resources: Search Home Remedies and Dr. Weil

We may have met by chance…but we become friends by choice.

Simplee Sue

Have you tried the nasal strips for snoring? You can buy them here, at Amazon.

photo by: papalars

0 0 22 May

Strawberry Shortbread Nutella Parfait – Try One New Recipe a Week

Strawberry Shortbread Nutella Parfait

The strawberries are coming into season in Pennsylvania. I love it. I could sit in the middle of a strawberry patch and gorging my face with strawberries with the juices dripping down my chin. OK, Sue, wake up! I was browsing Pinterest and found this tart recipe at Crazy for Crust that gave me an idea. It would be easier to make a parfait. So, I adapted this recipe to make Strawberry Shortbread Nutella Parfait.

This is simple and quick stuff, so I love it and it’s yummy too.

Strawberry Shortbread Nutella Parfait – Try One New Recipe a Week

Prep time

10 mins

Cook time

7 mins

Total time

17 mins

Take apart a tart and throw it into a tall, pretty glass and you have a parfait. Adapted from Crazy for Crust

Author: Simplee Sue

Recipe type: Dessert

Serves: 8

Ingredients

2 cups of strawberries, hulled and halved
package of shortbread cookies, lorna doones are good
Nutella Pudding:
2 T Cornstarch
2 c milk
¾ c Nutella
½ vanilla
⅛ tsp. salt
Whipped cream for topping

Instructions

For Nutella Pudding: In a sauce pan, whisk cornstarch into milk, then add Nutella, vanilla, and salt. Over medium heat, stir mixture until boils. Then, continue to stir until thickens, about 2-3 minutes. Continuously, stir so it doesn’t burn. Then remove from stove and allow to cool. Put into refrigerator after cooled to chill.
Once chilled, assemble your parfait. First, crumble shortbread cookies into coarse crumbs and put a layer of cookies into the parfait glass. Make a layer of strawberries and then a layer of Nutella pudding. Repeat layers again and final layer top with cookies and whipped cream.

You can make your own shortbread if you want to, but I like it this way to have a quick dessert. Just put the cookies in a plastic ziploc bag and smash them. There is a shortbread recipe here that I use when making my Sweet Scrumptious Strawberry Pie. This is good served with a tall ice cold glass of milk.

Nutella and strawberries remind me of eating chocolate covered strawberries without the fuss. For a no-fuss dessert, try this Strawberry Shortbread Nutella Parfait. It’s great for the summer because it’s not really a heavy dessert.

We may have met by chance…but we become friends by choice,

Simplee Sue

For some parfait dishes, you can get some at Amazon.

0 0 21 May

How to Make a Perfect Cup of Coffee – Morning Cup of Coffee

How to Make a Perfect Cup of Coffee

Today, is my first post at Morning Cup of Coffee. My husband and I live in Honduras at the moment and they grow one of the best coffees. The last time I read, they were #1 in export in Central America. It is mountain grown and whenever we come back to the states, everyone wants us to bring coffee with us. My husband is a coffee addict. Every mountain village that we visit, they will have a cup of coffee waiting for him. He drinks a pot of coffee a day. So, since this is my first post on coffee, I think we should know How to Make a Perfect Cup of Coffee.

As soon as I have everything set up, I want to make this great coffee available to you to buy here, at my blog site. We will get it right from the grower in Copan mountains. How many of you are coffee addicts? Do you know that there are 100 million daily coffee drinkers in the USA? WOW, that’s a lot of coffee beans. We visited the beautiful coffee farm at the top of the world and in another post, I will share the pictures with you.

Here are the tips to making a perfect cup of coffee.

Buy fresh coffee beans. It’s the best when used shortly after being roasted. Oxygen and bright light is surely going to ruin the flavor. So, good packaging is a must. Keep in an airtight container. I read that it’s not good to keep it in the freezer because after it comes out, the moisture lies in the beans. Not good!
Buy a good quality bean. Be sure it is 100% Arabica.
Grind it to a fine sand. Most grinders with metal blades grind it in many different sizes. A good grinder, like a burr grinder, grinds it to fine sand which is best.
Use spring water or charcoal filtered water. Don’t use distilled water.
Use a good filter-oxygen bleached or dioxen free filter. You can buy long lived gold plated filters that you can buy at Amazon.

The classic measurement of coffee, according to barista champion of 2012, Katie Carguilo, is 1 tablespoon to every 8 oz. cup of coffee. If you use a coffee scoop, it’s 1 tablespoon or 1/2 an ounce. Many coffee makers have their cups being only 6 0z. My husbands coffee maker is a 12 cup, but when measured, it’s 7 – 8 oz. cups.
The water temperature should be between 195 to 205 degrees F. Most coffee makers are set at the proper temperature. If you boil it, the coffee will be bitter.
If you take a peek when your hot water is pouring into the coffee grounds, it should “bloom”, or bubble. A by-product of roasted coffee is carbon dioxide. If it’s fresh, it should bubble.
Keep your coffee equipment clean. Every couple of weeks, clean your storage containers and grinder because of the oil build up. At least monthly, clean your coffee maker by running vinegar through it to dissolve build up of minerals.

Now, after I said all that, what is a perfect cup of coffee? To one person, it’s very strong and to another, weak, and another a nice cup that’s not too weak or not too strong. That’s how my hubbie likes his coffee, like Goldilocks…not to weak or not too strong. He uses 5 to 5 1/2 tablespoons of coffee to 7 – 8 oz. cups. Now his coffee maker is a 12 cup or 4.6 oz. cups. That’s a little cup! Not to confuse what I just said, he puts 5 to 5 1/2 tablespoons of coffee into his full coffee pot that comes with his coffee maker. Everyone who comes to the house loves his coffee, or so they say. Now, you know the basic steps of How to Make a Perfect Cup of Coffee. Oh and my hubbie drinks his black. He says, that is how a real coffee drinker, drinks their coffee. Haha, that’s his opinion.

We may have met by chance…but we become friends by choice,

Simplee Sue

For a good quality grinder, go to Amazon.

Resources: Slate.com and Eating Well

0 0 20 May

Sweet Scrumptious Strawberry Pie with Cookie Crust – Frivolous Friday

Sweet Scrumptious Strawberry Pie with Cookie Crust

What can I say? This isn’t a newly invented recipe. Invented or discovered? Hmm? I don’t know which word is appropriate. If anyone knows, let me know. No matter what strawberry recipe I find and it is delicious, I still have to make a strawberry pie when strawberries are in season. Do you want to have this recipe for Sweet Scrumptious Strawberry Pie with Cookie Crust? Ok, then let’s get the show on the road.

I got this recipe from a very special girlfriend of mine, Lori, that died 2 years ago of cancer. She was only 53 years old. So, every time I make this, I think of her. She loved to bake. She told me that this cookie crust is so much better with a strawberry pie, and she was right. I never made a regular pie crust again for a strawberry pie.

Sweet Scrumptious Strawberry Pie

Prep time

25 mins

Cook time

30 mins

Total time

55 mins

This sweet strawberry pie is so much better with a cookie crust. Don’t forget the ice cream and whipped cream.

Author: Simplee Sue

Recipe type: Dessert

Serves: 6-8

Ingredients

Cookie Crust-makes 1 pie crust
½ c. powdered sugar
2 sticks of butter
¼ tsp. of salt
½ tsp. of vanilla
2 c. flour
Strawberry Filling:
1 lb. med. to large strawberries whole
¾ to 1 c sugar
1 c. water
3 T. cornstarch
½ small box of strawberry jello

Instructions

For Crust:
Cream together powdered sugar, butter, salt and vanilla until fluffy. Then, stir in flour. Press into pie pan. Be sure to press it thin enough, especially in the bottom corners. It puffs up and gets thick after baked. Bake at 350 F for 20 to 25 minutes.
Strawberry Filling:
After crust cools, place hulled strawberries in the baked crust. Then prepare the glaze by cooking together the sugar, water, and cornstarch until clear. Add ½ pack of small box of strawberry jello, stir to dissolve. Cool slightly and pour over strawberries. Refrigerate.

You just press the cookie dough into the pan. I put a piece of plastic wrap on top and push it around. Sometimes, I put the other pie plate on top and push it around. You need to be sure that it’s not too thick, especially in the bottom corners of the pan. It gets thick after baking. Then, it’s ready to put into the oven. After it’s baked, you need to let it cool before putting the strawberries in.

I buy my strawberries by the pound but I think its a quart of strawberries. I just fill up the pie plate until I think it’s high enough. We have a long strawberry season, here in Honduras in this cooler region that I live in. I love it. For the Strawberry Cream Omelet for breakfast click here.

Don’t forget to get out the vanilla ice cream and whipped cream. What do you drink with your Sweet Scrumptious Strawberry Pie? Coffe, tea, or milk?

We may have met by chance…but we become friends by choice,

Simplee Sue

You can get some pie plates here, at Amazon.

2 0 17 May

Portable Care Kits for the Homeless

Portable Care Kits for the Homeless

When you drive or walk by a homeless person, what do you do? You look the other way, cross to the other side of the street, or just take pity on them? What do you do? I’m not pointing fingers because, shamefully, I’ve done some of the same things. Sure you don’t want to give them money, but there are things we can do to help or lift them up. At Pennies of Time, I found Portable Care Kits for the Homeless.

Sheila, at Pennies of Time, is doing a great job of raising her children to serve others. This project is what she decided to do for the homeless. Making portable care kits are simple and inexpensive. They are small enough to keep one in the glove compartment of your car and when you see a homeless person, you have a kit to give them and this may encourage them.

Buy a pack of white socks and in one sock put the other matching sock, along with travel sized toiletries. Socks are a luxury for a homeless person. To be able to have another pair of socks, they could find a place to wash out the other dirty pair. Other supplies in the photo:

bandaides

hand wipes or sanitizor

deodorant

toothbrush and paste

mouthwash

body lotion

You can include a little uplifting, encouraging note inside the sock. Another idea, if you want to go all out is to include a gift certificate to a local, walking distance restaurant or fast food place. Then, you’d be sure that they are going to eat, instead of giving them money and not know if they will use it for food or an essential. Next time, you go by a homeless person, you can show that people care by giving one of these Portable Care Kits for the Homeless and be able to greet them like they are somebody in this world.

For more idea for Random Acts of Kindness go here.

We may have met by chance…but we become friends by choice,

Simplee Sue

0 0 16 May