Birthday Card

My GrandDaughter Kara, LOVES shoes. I saw this card and I knew it was perfect for her birthday next week. It is all made on the Cricut and so fun!!!!

Merry Christmas

Jon and I wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a blessed New Year in 2020.

Family Recipes Preserved

I love hand written old recipes, especially from those who are no longer alive.  I have developed a way of preserving them and applying them to a 100% cotton tea towel.  If any of you are interested, I will be glad to quote you a price and design them for you,

My Mom was famous for her pies.  I found this recipe that she hand wrote with the recipe for Chocolate and Butterscotch
Pie.   I added 4 pictures that are from a baby until her last years.  The middle two are when she was in the kitchen cooking.

I designed this recipe for a client.  She is giving all of her family one for Christmas. Her mother wrote the recipe and we added 5 pictures from the time she was a baby.

I also found this recipe that Mom wrote.  My cousin Lydia gave us the recipe for Pulled Candy.  My Aunt Betty, cousin Andy, Mom  and I spent an entire evening making candy.  We could hardly read the recipe and our first batch failed because we cooked it too long.  But, we finally figured it out and made the best candy I have ever eaten.  After we left  (December 10, 1981 2:00 AM) Mom sat down and rewrote the recipe giving perfect directions.  It is a night we will never forget and I cherish this recipe with her hand writing.

This is a towel I found on the internet, but wanted to show another style.  It is not mine.

Christmas gift

I learned something new this week and it was so much fun.  Cricut has introduced a new product called Infusion Ink Pens.  I needed a gift for someone I have not met and decided to try my hand with this new product.  Once I finished the coasters, I made the box below with writing on all 4 sides.  So fun!  The flower designs are waterproof and will not come off.  I can see all kind of fun things I can do with this new product.  What do you think?

Tissue Box

Pine Ridge will be having their annual Fall Craft Show. So, I have been creating some new projects for it with my Cricut. This tissue box will be one of my new items. They fold flat for storage to put away for a new season. My dear friend Darlene Pavlick shared her measurements for the tissue boxes she creates and then I adapted them to my Cricut Maker. Anyone else out their using the Cricut??

Gifts for Branch

When I was in Michigan last week, my youngest Great Grandson Branch asked me if I would make him a sign for beside his bedroom door. I said "sure". Then he rolled his cute eyes and ask me if I could do him a shirt and again "sure". Then he rolled his eyes and said can you make me a hat. And then he gave me explicit details, colors, what he wanted on them etc.
So, I now have them ready to mail to him and they turned out cute (so I think). Before you ask, I didn't spell his name wrong as I (and many others) call him Branche, He is adorable and I loved making these for him.l

Flowers

For those who know me know how much I love flowers and decorating.  This is a perfect sign for my home.  What do you think.  I created it with a new Chalk Couture Transfer.

This is the Chalk Couture Transfer I used..  I cut it apart so I actually have two different transfers I can use.  So Fun.

Get Well Pop up Box

I had lots of fun creating this Get Well Pop-Up Box.  I love  making boxes for our Grandchildren.  Because we have so many, I decided to try and create it on my Cricut, which I did.  It took me a couple plus days, but now I can cut them easily.

It is the same pattern that I did the tutorial on listed under Tutorials on the right.  I used 12x12 paper so it makes a larger box.

In the box I have 2 bouquet of flowers, a butterfly, a Tea Party sign, a food tray, a cup of soup, and a get well sign.  Fun Stuff

Do you enjoy making boxes?  If so what kind?

Fathers Day card

I made this Tool Box Card  for Jon Father's Day.  He loved it and must have told me 4 times how impressed he was that I could do  something like that.   

 This was fun even though I spent a good part of the day doing it.  Who cares...I am retired. ha

Lemons

I love yellow with my black and white and I love lemons , so I created this for my living room.

I love i . What do you think?

What are your favorite  colors?

New look over Stove

I have created a new look for above my stove.  What do you think?
I have several things I want to get done, and  then I will probably change them again. :)  

Don't forget, if you would like to try a sample of the Chalk Couture Paste, just email me at jfricker@fourway.net and I will send one out to you.  It is so fun and easy.

I am finally catching up and had a chance to make some cards this week.  Can you believe I forgot to take any pictures.  But, things have slowed down here and I plan to get some made so I have them on hand.  I am so thankful for my craft room that I can spend my time in being creative. 

How about you,  What are you doing these days?  I would love to hear from you!  I certainly do miss that part of my business as my favorite thing was talking to my customers.

Join me!

You can join Chalk Couture for only $99.00.  I joined to get all the products at wholesale and you can too.   You can just be a hobbyist and use the products or start a new business.  

 I am having so much fun with these products as I am able to change the things in my home often with the change of the seasons.  If you have any questions, please email me at jfricker@fourway.net or call 574 514 1423.

Below is the Designer Kit that you will receive starting April 1.

A new look

Chalk Couture has introduced many new products that I just love.  Last week I showed you a card using the Happy Birthday card I made using the Chalk Paste.  Today, I am showing you the same transfer on a blackboard frame.  I plan to do a Happy Easter one soon for my entry.

The Bonjour transfer is done on our new pallet board.  After applying the transfer, I chalk pasted it with Teal, let it dry and then waxed it.  I then offset it and Chalked it with Storm Paste.  I love how it turned out.  What do you think?  It is so easy and I can have a different look all the time,  I am going to be working on Easter things this coming week,

FREE SAMPLE EXAMPLE AND BIRTHDAY CARD

 Chalk Couture's new Spring/Summer Catalog has many wonderful NEW transfers in it.

IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO TRY OUR PRODUCTS, I WILL BE HAPPY TO SEND YOU A SAMPLE OF A TRANSFER, 

A DISC  AND A SMALL SQUEEGEE to try.

Just email me at jfricker@fourway.net or text 574 514 1423.

I sent Patti Gilliam, a previous customer of mine a sample to try.

Isn't this beautiful?  AND she loves it!!!

You can see all the products to place an order  

https://www.chalkcouture.com/JoansTouch

If you would like to thumb through the catalog just click below.

https://tinyurl.com/y2t82rvu

I needed a quick birthday card for tomorrow, so I used the Happy Birthday cupcake transfer to make this card.  I'm telling you card makers, this works great.

CANADA TAKE NOTE!!

CANADA..TAKE NOTE

Chalk Couture is coming to Canada! Designers (Reps) wanted for this young Direct Sales Company that promotes an experience for creating unique, easy, DIY projects that anyone can do! The company is growing at a phenomenal rate in the USA! Now, we're ready to decorate the halls and walls of CANADA! Fantastic compensation plan! Get in NOW! Email me at jfricker@fourway.net  for details, or click here for more information or to hold you spot to be one of the first to enroll: https://essentials.chalkcouture.com/canada-pre-registration/.

My ID number is 38974

*Currently only opening in British Columbia, Ontario, Alberta, Saskatchewan

Grandma's Chicken

This dish is one of my families favorite meals.  And, a meal it is.  When my Mom's Mother died some 70+ years ago, one of their Hungarian neighbors prepared this dish for them.  We absolutely love it and everything in it is fresh from the garden.

Veggies all chopped up



After flour and cornmeal has been added

Goulash is ready to eat...ymmmmmm

Hungarian Goulash

5 cups green tomato, chopped

8+ cups red tomato , chopped (needs to be very juicy)

5 cups green pepper, chopped

5 cups onions, chopped

5 cups potato, chopped

1/3 cup sugar

2 teaspoons pepper

1 1/2 tablespoons salt

1/2 cup flour

1 cup corn meal

1. Mix all of the above ingredients together. Have a iron skillet or teflon skillet (won't brown as nice) very

hot. Melt about 1/2 cup lard or part butter.  
2. Fry on medium heat turning consistently so it doesn't burn. Best if it browns some.
3. Cool about 1/2 hour before eating. 

This is time consuming, but so worth it.  Over the years, I  have worked and worked to get mine as good as Moms.   Last week I accomplished it as it turned out just perfect.  This is soooo good!!!

Monday, January 4, 2010

Grandma's Chicken

 
This baked chicken recipe is one of my favorite chicken dishes. Delicious chicken coated in bread crumbs and Parmesan cheese. Sooo easy, but your guests will never know how hard you didn't work!

Ingredients:

4 large or 8 medium size skinless, boneless chicken breast halves -
1 egg
salt and pepper to taste
1 teaspoons garlic powder, divided -
1 cup bread crumbs (I love Panko Bread Crumbs)
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 pound sliced fresh mushrooms
1/4 cup butter, melted
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon chopped fresh parsley

Directions:
I marinate my chicken and pork chops in butter milk all day. This makes for very moist chicken.
Then rinse it dry, and put between wax paper and pound dry so all pieces of chicken are the same size.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).

In a shallow bowl, beat the egg with salt, pepper and 1 teaspoon garlic powder. In a separate dish, mix bread crumbs with 1 teaspoon of garlic powder and Parmesan cheese. Set aside.

Mix together the melted butter and lemon juice. Pour about 2/3 of the butter mixture into the bottom of a 9x13 inch baking dish. Tilt pan to coat the bottom. Spread mushrooms in an even layer in the bottom of the dish.

Dip each chicken breast into the egg mixture, then into the bread crumb mixture. Place on top of the mushrooms. Drizzle remaining butter over the chicken, and sprinkle with parsley.

Bake uncovered for 45 minutes in the preheated oven, until chicken is golden brown and juices run clear.

Sunday, November 22, 2009

Yeast Roll Recipe

This is our yeast roll recipe that my Mom has made for years. I make them now for all of our holiday dinners. They are so easy and you make them up the day before and put in the refrigerator over night.

1 package dry yeast
1/4 cup warm water
1 cup milk, scalded
1/2 cup shortening ( butter)
1/2 cup sugar
4 1/2 cups Flour
1 teaspoon salt
3 eggs, slightly beaten and room temperture

Prepare yeast by adding to water until it starts to work.
Heat milk and add sugar, butter, salt
cool to about baby bottle temperature
Add eggs, yeast, flour (1 cup at a time)
Mix completely and cover. Let rise until double, punch down and put in refrigerator overnight.
Three or four hours before you are ready to bake, take the dough out, add just enough flour so you can handle it.
Pinch out and place in greased pan, put 1/2 pat of butter on each one and let raise until doubled. (Usually 3 to 4 hours)
Sometimes I turn the oven on for 1 minute, turn it off and set the rolls in the oven. I especially do this when it is cold outside or I am in a hurry for them to rise.
Bake at 400 for about 15 minutes

I am sorry, but I won't have my sale up until Monday morning.
We have had out of state company who arrived Thursday night and left this evening.
Please check back in the morning for my weekly sales. I appreciate you stopping by this evening so very much!

Joan

Sunday, November 8, 2009

Taco Soup - & a reminder

 
If you haven't already placed your order for the new JustRite stamps
and the Flower soft products, please do so soon. I will be ordering them
tomorrow.

I am sharing one of our favorite soups. We like it even better than chilli !

JOAN'S TACO SOUP 

1 pound ground beef, browned & drained (1 to 1)
½ C. chopped onion
2 cans tomatoes, canned (I use my home canned tomatoes, so 2-28 oz cans)
1 can tomato paste (8 oz.)
2 cans kidney beans with juice
1 package corn frozen
1 pkg. taco seasoning
2 cups water
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon salt (maybe more...salt to taste)

Place all ingredients in a soup pot or large kettle, bring to boil, then simmer on low about 15-20 minutes. Serve with crushed taco chips and shredded cheddar cheese and a dollop of sour cream if desired. Also works great in a crock pot.

It is a beautiful day in Indiana. I think we are having our October weather in November.


What a blessing it is, because the farmers can now harvest their crops.

Thursday, April 2, 2009

Hummingbird Cake

This is one of the best cakes I have ever eaten. If you don't want to go to the trouble of making the pineapple flowers, just make a cream cheese frosting and enjoy! A great Easter cake too!

Although no one knows for certain, some believe this confection is so named because it’s as sweet as the sugar that water-bird enthusiasts use to attract hummingbirds. Of course, others contend that the name simply came about because it’s easy to envision the hummingbird being unable to resist one of the cake’s most distinctive features: flowers made from dried pineapple. In either case, when cutting the pineapple, remember that the thinner you slice the rings, the faster and more colorful they’ll dry. I finally figued out that they must be paper thin to be pretty.

Hummingbird Cake

Makes 2 nine-inch layer cake

3 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted and cooled

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

2 cups sugar

3 large eggs

2 cups mashed ripe banana (about 3 large)

1 8-ounce can crushed pineapple, drained

1 cup chopped walnuts or pecans

1 cup unsweetened desiccated coconut

1. Preheat the oven to 350°.

Butter two 9-by-2-inch round cake pans. Line the bottom of pans with parchment paper. Butter the paper and dust pans with flour, tapping out any excess; set pans aside.

Whisk together flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt into a medium bowl; set aside.

2. Place butter, vanilla, and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Beat until well combined, about 2 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, beating to combine after each addition. Continue beating until mixture is fluffy and pale yellow.

3. In a medium bowl, stir together, banana, pineapple, walnuts, and coconut. Add flour mixture and combine.

4. Divide mixture between prepared pans. Bake until golden brown, and a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean, 30 to 40 minutes, rotating pans halfway through baking.

5. Transfer pans to a baking rack to cool. Let pans cool 15 minutes before unmolding. Loosen sides with a small metal spatula or a paring knife, and invert onto greased wire racks. To prevent layers form splitting, invert again, so tops are up. Cool completely before assembling cake or wrapping airtight to freeze cake for later.

6. Using a serrated knife, trim the top of one layer (It is ok if the second layer is a bit rounded, for it becomes the top of the cake).

7. To assemble, place trimmed layer on serving platter. Spread the top with 1/4-inch layer of frosting. Top with the untrimmed top layer. Lightly coat the assembled cake with a thin layer of frosting to protect against crumbs in the frosting. Finish with remaining frosting. Decorate with dried pineapple flowers, if desired. Serve immediately, or keep refrigerated until ready to serve.

Dried Pineapple Flowers

Makes about 2 dozen 2 large pineapples or 4 small pineapples

1. Preheat oven to 225°. Line baking sheets with Silpats (French nonstick baking mats) or parchment paper. 2. Peel pineapples and remove “eyes” using a very tiny melonballer. Cut crosswise into very thin slices (paper thin) and place in a single layer on prepared baking sheets.

Bake until tops look dry, about 4 hours. Using tongs, flip slices over and continue to cook until completely dried out, 25 to 30 minutes more. Cool on a wire rack. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator up to 3 days.

Cream Cheese Frosting

Beat 8 oz. cold cream cheese (not rock solid, but it means you can use it straight out of the refrigerator) with 5 Tbsp. softened butter and 2 tsp. vanilla until combined. Gradually add 2 c. powdered sugar that has been sifted after measuring. Continue to add more sifted powdered sugar until you reach a consistency and sweetness that fits your taste.

Thursday, November 13, 2008

Banana Nut Bread

With our weather turning cooler and the leaves almost gone, it is banana nut bread time of year. My Mom who will be 94 next month, created this recipe several years ago. I have yet to find one that I like as good as this one. Let me know if you try it and how you like it!

2 Ripe Bananas, mashed
2 Eggs Beaten
1 T Vanilla
1/2 C Oil
1/4 C Buttermilk
1 3/4 C Sifted Flour
1 1/4 C Brown Sugar
1/2 t Salt
1 t Soda
1 Cup Chopped Nuts (or more)

Preheat oven at 350 and bake 1 hour.

Sift together flour, salt, soda . Mix well. Beat eggs until foamy, adding sugar slowly.
Mix but be careful not to over mix. Add oil, bananas, vanilla, buttermilk and nuts. Add dry ingredients slowly add to above mixture. Mix, but be careful not to over mix.