photo credit: Daquella manera

If some may celebrate Christmas in July, then why shouldn’t I write a post about Poinsettia in September?

At the beginning of this year, right after the Christmas season, I wrote an article about Poinsettia (click on the highlighted word to see that post).

I encouraged you not to discard your Poinsettia into trash, but suggested to nurture it until next Christmas, to be pleasantly surprised with its renewed beauty, and to save money by not purchasing a new one.

Since I try to practice what I preach (most of the time), I saved my Poinsettia as well, and will keep you updated with its progress from now until Christmas.  If you can follow the instructions I provided in my first post, we both might have a free blooming Poinsettia for Christmas.

Let’s be optimistic, and don’t worry too much if we both fail, because there will be plenty pretty plants around the holidays to pick from, so we can start all over again.

Just don’t give up.  “They didn’t build Rome in one day either”!

I kept my Poinsettia on my kitchen table all the way until Easter, but had to move it to my living room at that point, so my family wouldn’t think that I had my seasons mixed up.

I did not pamper it much at all.  I just picked off any dried up leaves, and watered it as needed.

Believe me, there were times when I was ready to “throw in the towel”, when it started to look very shoddy.  However, that would have made me a quitter, and would have let you down, so I held on to it.  For a while my poinsettia looked like something from a recycling bin, with hardly any leaves on, but I kept my hope for better days ahead.

Once the weather warmed up,  I took my plant outside and kept it on a window sill in the sun-room.  Watered it regularly, but did not fertilize it at all ( I’m kind of wary of house plants fertilizers, as sometimes they do more harm than good to my house plants).

It started to grow new foliage, and looking like a healthy plant once again. This is how it looks like now, from  this  side.

I must tell you that one branch broke off, when the wind knocked it off my window sill one day,  otherwise it would have looked even better.

Here you have the other side.  As you can see, it looks quite nice from both sides.

Now, if you still have your plant, please read my first article for further, very important, directions on how to care for your revived Poinsettia plant, in order to have it bloom once again in December.

I will keep you posted with my plant’s progress, so check back with us in October, November and December.

I’m just as curious as you are, as this is my first time actually following the care instructions.

I saved Poinsettias before, but was not aware of all the necessary steps to make it bloom again.

On our last visit to our youngest son, we snacked on a very tasty dip he prepared, among a nice spread of various other hors d’oeuvres.  It was a great feeling to see that he is becoming a great host, and practices his recipes on his parents.

If you have adult children, you will agree that it makes you feel rewarded, seeing them grow up into responsible, self-sufficient individuals.  It confirms that you have done a good job, and now it’s their time to shine, and show it off.

Now back to the dip.  It was his home made Greek Tzatziki Dip, for which he shared his recipe with me to try at home, and to post for all of you, in case you have never tried making it yourself.

It is very refreshing any time of the year, but even more so during hot summer days.  It may be served as a dip with veggies, chunks of Pita Bread, with Gyros or Souvlaki, or as a salad dressing.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup of cucumber, chopped of shredded (one large cucumber-seeds removed, or 2-3 small ones ,with seeds,  as these have very small and tender seeds
• 3 cloves garlic, minced (garlic chopper is perfect for this job)
• 2 cups  Greek Yogurt, plain (or sour cream if you don’t like yogurt)
• 1 Tbs olive oil
• 1 Tbs lemon juice
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp black, or white pepper, ground
• 1 Tbs dill weed, chopped

Directions:

1. Peel the cucumbers, rinse under running water, pat dry.
2. Finely chop, or shred on a large eye hand grater, or food processor.
3. Salt cucumber and place in a strainer over a bowl, to drain any extra juices.
4. Mince the garlic.
5. Chop the dill.
6. Place cucumbers in a mixing bowl.
7. Add garlic, dill, pepper, salt,olive oil, lemon juice, and Greek Yogurt.
8. Mix well with a spoon, to fold in nicely.
9. Cover and chill for about an  hour.

Serve as suggested above.

TIP: If you are not very fond of Dill, you may use chopped, fresh or dried mint leaves.

Labor Day is just around the corner, which means it’s time to start planning a party.  I have already posted several recipes for party foods, but this time I will share one that has been around for a while.

It used to be very popular few years back, and it’s gaining popularity once again.

Actually, one of my readers  asked me to post my recipe for the Rye Bread Dip, so here it is.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups mayonnaise (Hellmans Light, is my favorite)
• 2 cups sour cream (see TIP below this post)
• 1 Tbs Italian Parsley leaves, chopped
• 1 Tbs onion, minced
• 2 Tbs dill
• 1 packet Dried Beef, chopped(optional if you are a vegetarian)
• 1 round loaf of Rye Bread

Directions:

1. In a medium size bowl, mix mayonnaise and sour cream.
2. Chop the Dried Beef to small chunks.
3. Blend in the parsley, onions, dill and chopped beef.
4. Slice off the top of the round rye bread loaf (about 1 inch from the top)
5. Scoop out the middle section of the bread, and cut up into 2×2 inch squares.  The bread shell will become  a bread bowl.  The sliced off top of the bread may serve as a cover for the dip before serving, or it may be cut up into chunks, for dipping.
6. Set aside the bread chunks.
7. Fill the bread cavity with the dip (see TIP below this post).
8. Place the filled bread bowl on a serving platter, and arrange the cut up bread chunks around it.
9. Dip in, and enjoy!

TIP: To prevent the “bread bowl” from getting soggy, you can place a serving bowl, filled with the dip, inside the bread cavity, and as begin to run low on the bread cubes, you can cut up the remaining bread, to replenish.

To lighten up this recipe a little further, you may substitute the sour cream with Light Sour Cream, or Greek Yogurt.

Hummus is a great source or protein, quite nutritious to snack on, and very easy to make.   I began using Chickpeas a couple of years ago, when I experimented with The Fat Smash Diet, as it was included in the list of approved foods to snack on.

I used to always buy hummus, but now I prefer to make my own, since it requires very few simple ingredients, and only takes a couple of minutes to complete.

I grow my own garlic and basil, so my hummus is also very fresh, and very inexpensive to prepare.

If you love hummus, you will love this original recipe, or you can add your favorite vegetables for variation, and share your experience with us.

Makes 1 1/4 cup of hummus.

Ingredients:

• 1 can Chickpeas (I used Progresso 20 oz)
• 5 large basil leaves (about 2 Tbs), chopped
• 2 cloves of garlic, peeled and quartered (one is enough if you prefer a lighter flavor)
• 1 Tbs lemon juice
• 1 1/2 Tbs olive oil
• 1 tsp Soy Sauce, low sodium
• 1/4 tsp black pepper, ground

Directions:

1. Drain the chickpeas over strainer, reserving 1 Tbs of the liquid.
2. Rinse under running water.
3. Place the chickpeas in a food processor, add remaining ingredients.
4. Cover and process until the mixture is smooth.
5. Serve with your favorite crackers, for dipping.

TIP:  This dip is also excellent with raw veggies, such as celery, cucumber slices, or peppers.

photo credit: Sam Catchesides

Rice Krispies Treats make an excellent snack for kids and adults.  They are very simple to make, require very few ingredients , and best of all, a short preparation time.  It can’t get any better than that!

You can make them plain, or dress them up with colorful sprinkles, M&M, drizzle with melted chocolate, or to make them extra yummy, cover them with chocolate ganache.….ahhhh.

Ingredients:

• 6 cups of Rice Krispies Cereal
• 1 bag of Marshmallows (10 oz)
• 2 Tbs of butter
• Optional decorations: sprinkles, M&Ms, melted chocolate

Directions:

1. Measure 6 cups of Rice Krispies cereal into a bowl, and set aside.
2. Melt 2 Tbs of butter in a large pan, keeping pan on low heat.
3. Add Marshmallows, and continuously mix with a spatula, or a wet wooden spoon, until marshmallow dissolve and turn into a smooth paste.
4. Gradually keep on adding cereal, and continue to work it into the marshmallows, until all cereal in fully mixed in.
5. Remove from heat.
6. Generously grease a glass casserole dish, 9 x 12 inches.
7. Transfer the Rice Krispies/Marshmallow mixture into the casserole dish, and spread it evenly.
8. Press gently down, using your fingers dipped in water (to prevent from sticking), or with a wooden spoon, also periodically dipped in water.
9. If you want to use them plain, cover with plastic wrap, and set aside to cool.
10. If you plan to decorate them with your favorite accessories, this is the time to do it.
11. Cover and set aside to cool completely.
12. Once cooled and set, use a sharp knife to cut into serving portions.

Store any leftovers in a plastic zip-lock bag, to prevent from drying out.

ENJOY!!

TIP:  If you want to be creative, you can cut the Rice Krispies into interesting shapes, using your cookie cutters.

photo credit: aaronx

I found another very helpful hint to save energy and money, posted on ecomi website.

This one is about laundry, how to get the job done, and save money at the same time.

You already know that washing clothes in cold water, not only saves energy by not heating your water, but also extends the life and appearance of your clothes, especially the dark colored ones.

Check these out, save energy and money:

Wash Laundry with Cold Water

What?
Save energy and money by washing your clothes in cold water.

How?
Avoid using the hot or warm water modes unless it’s truly warranted, such when you need to disinfect something.  Otherwise, leave the dial on “Cold.”

Why?
According to the EPA, approximately 90% of the total energy consumed by a standard top-load washing machine goes to heating the water.

Did You Know?
The average American household does 392 loads of laundry per year.

That’s more than once a day.

No wonder using cold water will save you a bundle.

photo credit: Asha Elizabeth Gupta

To increase your savings even further, here are some additional tips on drying your laundry.

However, before you decide to put out a display of your freshly laundered garments, do your homework, and find out if your neighborhood allows it.

Some developments have special deed restrictions, not allowing outside clothes drying rack, or clothes lines, which could result in a fine, if not adhered to.

If that is your dilemma, then you can dry smaller loads of laundry in your basement, garage, or laundry room.

What?
Save money and energy by line drying or rack drying your clothes.

How?
Do it the old-fashioned way: String up a rope or cord outside, and attach your clothes with pins. Or if you live in an apartment, purchase a rack that you can use indoors.

Why?
After the refrigerator, the dryer is the biggest energy-draining appliance in your home.

Did You Know?
You can potentially save up to hundreds of dollars a year on your electric bill by reducing your dryer usage.

This summer has been so hot, and the thought of using the oven is just not very appealing, except for special occasions, of course.  However, what do you do when your oven is out of commission, yet you still want to make that special cake.  Well… if there is a will there is a way…so here comes my own creation of an ice cream cake.

Last year I made an Atkins diet chocolate cake for this birthday boy, so this time I decided to put together a little bit of this and a little bit of that, and came up with this Super Chocolate Ice Cream Cake with Double-Stuffed Oreo, topped off with Rich Chocolate Ganache.

I love the rich and satiny creaminess of ganache.  Absolutely heavenly!

It would have been even more decadent, had I flavored it with liqueur, but it did not seem suitable for an office party.

If you love ice cream, chocolate, and Double Stuffed Oreo cookies, this cake will hit the spot for you.

Ingredients:

• 2 boxes of Double-Stuffed Oreo cookies
• 4 oz Philadelphia Cream Cheese (softened)
• 1 cup Powdered Sugar
• 1/2 gallon of Chocolate Ice Cream (I used Breyers Triple Chocolate – Milk, White, Dark)
• 1/2 gallon of Vanilla/ Chocolate Chunks Ice Cream
• 1 cup of Heavy Cream
• 1 Hershey Dark Chocolate Bar(4 oz)
• 1 Ghirardelli Dark Chocolate Bar (3.4 oz)
• 1 Tbs of Rum, or Grand Marnier liqueur (optional)

Directions for Oreo cake layer:

1. Place the cookies in a Food Processor and pulse/mix until all creamed up
2. Add sugar and cream cheese
3. Mix until well blended into smooth paste
4. Line a 9 inch spring form with a strip of parchment paper, wide enough to extent at least an inch over the top edge of the pan.  For easier fit, grease lightly the sides of the pan so the paper sticks to it. I needed to strips.
5. Spoon the Oreo paste into the pan, and evenly press onto the bottom of the pan, and if you wish, you can extend it about an inch up the side.
6. Set aside.
7. Place 1/2 of second box of Double-Stuffed Oreo cookies, into a plastic zip lock bag, and using a rolling pin, crush the cookies to coarse chunks.
8. Set aside.

Directions for Ice Cream filling:

1. Remove the Triple Chocolate ice cream from the freezer, scoop it out into a bowl, and keep at room temperature for few minutes, until it starts to soften slightly (not too long, so it does not get runny).
2. Scoop the ice cream evenly onto the Oreo “crust”.
3. Smooth the top to with a spoon, dipping it often into a cup of hot water.
4. Place it in the freezer for about 15 minutes to harden slightly.
5. Remove the Vanilla/Chocolate Chunks ice cream from the freezer and scoop into a bowl.
6. Set aside.
7. Remove the cake from the freezer.
8. Sprinkle the crushed Oreo cookies over the Chocolate ice cream layer.
9. Even it out.
10. Scoop the Vanilla/Chocolate Chunks ice cream over the crushed cookies.
11. Using a spoon dipped in hot water, smooth the top of this ice cream layer.
12. Select 12 Oreo cookies, and spacing them evenly (like the hours on the clock), push them halfway into the vanilla ice cream layer.
13. Cover and place it in the freezer to chill thoroughly (at least an hour).

Chocolate Ganache

Preparation and Application:

1. About 10 minutes before taking the cake out of the freezer, start preparing the ganache.
2. Crash the two chocolate bars into small chunks in a mixing bowl.
3. Set aside.
4. Pour 1 cup of the heavy cream into a sauce pan, and bring it to low boil.
5. You must keep an eye on the cream, because it can spill over very quickly once it starts boiling.
6. Remove from heat.
7. Pour hot cream over the crushed chocolate, and mix with a spoon until all melted and a smooth paste has formed.
8. You can add your favorite liqueur flavoring here, if you wish, and mix it in well.
9. Once the Ganache is cooled to room temperature, you are ready to apply it to the cake.
10. Remove the ice cream cake from the freezer.
11. Place it on a plate, or a larger round pan (pizza pan which will be able to fit into your freezer later on)
12. Loosen the spring and remove the sides of the pan.
13. Loosen the cake away from the top edge of the parchment paper.
14. Pour slowly the cooled Ganache over the top of the cake, starting from the middle, so it spreads evenly into all directions of the cake.  It will start to solidify quickly, on top of the cold ice cream.
15. Remove the parchment paper from the sides, and pour some more of the Ganache at the edge of the cake, so it runs down the sides, at even intervals.
16. You need to watch your cake, so it does not start to melt.
17. Decorate the middle of the cake with Oreos, if you wish.
18. Place it in the freezer for about 1/2 hour.
19. Remove the cake from the freezer.
20. Gently loosen the bottom of the cake pan, and remove it (so you do not scratch it while cutting the cake).
21. Place the cake on a plate.
22. Cover the cake with foil paper, and return it back to the freezer for several hours, or over night.
23. Before serving, remove from the freezer for at least 15 minutes.

TIP:  For easy cutting to serving portions, dip your knife in a glass of hot water, as often as needed.

I enjoy doing so many different things, which makes it quite difficult to juggle my already very busy schedule.  I love culinary arts, creative arts, performing arts, some sports,  and admire everyone’s talent, who creates beautiful things out of simple supplies.

I embroidered an Easter outfit for my granddaughter this past spring, so now the time has come to make something special for my, very soon to join us, grandson.  We are extremely excited, and anxiously awaiting his arrival.

What can bring more love and satisfaction than making something with your own hands, and throughout the whole process keeping that person in mind, and close to your heart?

I have decided to try my crocheting skills, which I have learned at the age of 12, by watching my sister crochet her own black fishnet stockings (some of you might remember that style….), and a matching pair of gloves (I wanted to wear them so badly, but she guarded them pretty well).

I do crochet now and then, without following any specific instructions, but rather creating my own designs.  However, last fall I actually took a crocheting class and learned few new patterns (the blanket reflects one of them).

So, here are the items I have crochet for our baby grandson:

A very soft baby blanket.

Baby hats in two sizes, one for a newborn, and the other one for 3-6 months.

A pair of booties, to keep his toes nice and toasty.

These booties took probably as long to complete, as the whole blanket, since it was more challenging to figure out the correct shape, but with determination, and perseverance, I was finally satisfied with the outcome.   I tried to find instructions for this pattern, but without success, so I decided to “wing” it, and these are the results.

I did not write down my instructions, so this project will remain one of a kind, however, I would like to share  that I used two skein , 50z each, of   Softee Baby yarn , by Bernat, and the hook size for the blanket is H, and for the booties and hats, is G.

Baby showers are so much fun.  So much excitement and so many cutesy baby items to admire, and to  ooohhh and aaahhh about.

You already had the pleasure of reading about a baby shower with a girl’s theme, and now you will find out about a baby shower with a boy’s theme.

This one was for my son and daughter-in-law, as they are expecting their first baby boy, which will make me a proud grandma for the second time.  I am ecstatic, and can’t wait to meet the little fellow.

Lots of preparations were made by members from both sides of the family, and it was a fun party, with lots of delicious food prepared by Giando on the Water in Brooklyn, NY.

Gorgeous view of Manhattan from the restaurant,

and fully decorated baby shower party room.

The decor theme was “Onesies”, which  was also reflected in the invitations, as well as one of the games, where everyone was invited to express their ideas by decorating a Onesie.

All the decorated Onesies were so adorable, that ALL qualified to be the winners, so the prizes were awarded to the youngest “artists”.  This project was definitely lots of fun for everyone.  I highly recommend it for your baby shower.

For the table centerpieces, we used various stuffed animals attached to bunches of balloons,  and the start up kits for decorating the Onesies.

I created a Diaper Cake, out of 150 Pampers diapers, plus some small baby items.  To express the theme of the baby’s room decor accents, I used a plush monkey paying a guitar, as the cake topper.

The book  “Curious George” was my son’s favorite baby book, hence his admiration of monkeys, and idea for a theme of their son’s room decor.

Here are the close up pictures of the different decorations on each layer of the Diaper Cake:

Pacifier with a soccer ball emblem (very appropriate for this year’s World Cup Soccer), and a monkey baby rattle,

More baby rattles, teeter, and soft tip baby spoons (registry items).

Did you notice the monkeys on the ribbon?

Aren’t they adorable?

Last, but not least, the famous monkey with his “Rockstar” guitar.

For party favors, there were individually wrapped special baby cookies, in the shape of Onesies, of course.

Also, bottles of hand soap, dressed up in Onesies.  My daughter is very much into stamping and scrap-booking, so all her tools and ideas helped out tremendously, as well as her time.  She’ll make a great aunt!

TIP: By constructing your own Diaper Cake, you will save a bundle of money, as these cakes can be quite expensive, especially if they have several tiers and use so many diapers, plus the miscellaneous decorations.

Also, preparing your own favors, especially if you are lucky enough to have coupons to purchase your supplies, you can cut the cost down as well.  Of course, it takes imagination,  lots of preparation time, TLC and personal touches.

It is very relaxing and rewarding to plant your own herbs and vegetables.  You don’t even have to have a “green thumb” for planting these vegetables, and fruits, as you most likely will correct me, and call a tomato a fruit, rather than a vegetable.

I feel that some plants require much more care than others.  I have a hard time planting onions and carrots, as for some reason they just do not turn out as nice and appealing as the ones in the store.  If you have any suggestions, please share them, so I will perhaps give myself another chance with these two.

However, growing tomatoes and potatoes is so easy, and this year especially, as they turned out totally free.

Last year I bought a couple of tomato plants, one Beefsteak Tomato plant, and one Cherry Tomato plant.  They both did very well, and produced lots of fruits.  Some of these fruits fell off the plant and worked themselves into the ground, so this year I noticed free tomato plants sprouting in my garden.  I let them grow into at least 6 inch plants, before transplanting them into a more suitable location.

So, here is my first picking of my free Cherry Tomatoes, which grew even larger in size this year, than last year:

I already mentioned in my previous posts that I like to turn my vegetable kitchen scraps into compost, so I have been doing that during last fall and early spring.  I dug up several deep rows in my garden, kept on filling them up with the veggie scraps, covered them with dirt, and left them there until it was time to prepare the garden for planting.  Most of them were already decomposed, but some still stayed intact.

The excitement came in late April, when I noticed that besides the self seeded tomato plants, I also had numerous Pepper plants(not sure yet what color they will be) and potato plants, sprouting from my compost rows.  Since these plants self seeded themselves, they were hardier to survive any weather changes, as spring has kind of unpredictable weather most of the time.

Eventually I will share the peppers cultivated from these plants, but here are my free potatoes.

These Red Potatoes are a result of one piece of a potato which I must have discarded together with the potato peels.  I was very pleasantly surprised when the potato plant dried up, thus a sign that it is time to harvest the crop, and I found all of the above potatoes under that plant.  Amazing, don’t you agree?

I also told you that some of the potato peels sprouted as well, and these plants of course were much weaker, as the peels did not have much nutrition to feed the plant, unlike the potato chunk.

Nonetheless, they still managed to produce some potatoes.  Can you believe this, growing potatoes from a potato peel?

Here they are, free Russet Potatoes.

These are baking potatoes, so the skin is darker and thicker than the Red Potatoes.  Since these are a product from only potato peels, they are much smaller.  The larger ones are the size of an egg, and the smallest ones are the size of a grape.

I still am in a total disbelief that potato peels had enough nutrition to produce these potatoes.  I could have let them grow a little longer, to give them a chance to get larger, but I needed to dig them up as the tops were totally gone, and they just grew in between my other vegetables, not exactly where I would normally plant a potato.

So you see how easy it is to grow plants in your garden, even from scraps!

If next year to wish to try growing your own potatoes, I will post easy to follow potato growing instructions.

All you will need is at least one chunk of a potato, and a place to plant it.