Fun and Easy Pumpkin Decorating For Halloween

Have fun with the entire family by painting, adding decals and more for a funny or scary pumpkin.

Pick Your Pumpkin

Pumpkins are easy to get this time of year, whether it is a fresh found in grocery stores to farmers market. You could also opt to get a faux pumpkin and use it year after year. Check out your local craft stores for those.

Using Paint and Markers

For both the fresh pumpkin and the faux pumpkins, acrylic paint works best. Paint the entire pumpkin or just use the paint for a scary face or cartoon style. Use different size brushes and colors . You could also use markers either of the pumpkins and the best ones are Sharpies. The “Sharpie Markers”are able to stand up to the layer of wax that is on the fresh pumpkins.

Head on over to ThePumpkinLaday.com and choose from 700 Free Carving Patterns. While these can be used to draw on the pumpkin and then carve, you could also trace and then paint or use markers to make the Halloween scene. If you want to carve your pumpkin then check out The Pumpkin Lady’s page for How To Carve a Pumpkin

Skip The Paint – Go With Decals

For a fun and fast way to decorate your pumpkins, add decals and stickers. Sold in Craft stores.

Adding the Extra’s

Ribbons, hats, wigs and fuzzy accents bring out the creativity for your pumpkin. You could use yarn for hair, ribbon for bow ties and more.

Don’t want to carve free hand? Try the cookie cutter method. Check out this video below to show you how!

Wishing you a Fun and Safe Halloween

 

 

 

Photo Courtesy of digitalart at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

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How to Throw a Salad Bar Party Idea’s

Salads are great any time of year but in Florida during those hot, humid summer days, they are absolutely refreshing. A salad bar at a Party offers so many great options and can also cover those who are looking for lower fat intake, gluten free, vegan, vegetarian, diabetic or simply wanting to fit into their bathing suits and watching their weight. You can include a variety of fruits, vegetable and proteins and have a beautiful, colorful good for you salad bar enjoyed by all.

Start with the base of the salad, the Lettuce.  It is easier to pick great lettuce these days at your local grocery store with many options that are already washed and ready to go.  Have a separate plate or bowl for each one.

You could offer a variety of three types and let your guests mix and match or just choose to have one.

Romaine – Crisp and has high nutrition value
Radicchio – a bit bitter and has a lovely marble red and white color
Arugula (nickname rocket) has a light peppery flavor.
Spring Greens Mix – a variety of flavors and color and you could easily add fresh kale or spinach to liven it up even more.

Fresh Herbs like Basil, Cilantro, Thyme, Parsley gives your lettuces a boost of flavor. You can tear the leaves of each and have available to add to the lettuce or top a salad.

Toppings

This is the fun part of the salad, adding more flavor. Be creative and offer a good number of toppings like veggies, fruits, nuts, cheeses, legumes and proteins.

Here are some ideas:

Vegetables

Choose at least five vegetables.

Cherry Tomatoes – (officially a fruit) cut them in half to make it easier to eat. No one like to chase that round tomato around their plate.
Cucumber – slice thin or cube
Mushrooms – White button or Cremini there are lots of varieties to choose from
Radish’s – It may be a bit strong with the peppery flavor for some guest, so slice them very thin
Scallions/Green Onions – Both the white and green parts are delicious
Red Onions – Offer great flavor and color, slice thin
Carrots – Adds a bit of sweetness to the salad. Slice thin
Zucchini – Slice in rounds or cubes
Broccoli – loaded with vitamins and adds crunch. Cut into small trees for easy eating
Bell Peppers – Red, Yellow, Orange or Green offers great color and taste. Slice thin or cube them.
Shredded Cabbage – Adds crunch, flavor and color. Choose green or purple
Jicama – Has a sweet and nutty flavor and adds crunch and fiber
Fennel – Has a Licorice flavor and crunch

Fruits

Choose at least three fruits.

Apples – adds sweetness and many to choose from. Cut into bite size pieces or slice thin
Pears – adds sweetness and fiber. Slice thin
Strawberries – Wash the day you are going to use them. Cut off the leaves and slice thin
Pineapple – Adds citrus and vitamin C. Cut into cubes
Mango – Sweet and healthy. Slice up or cut into cubes
Watermelon – sweet and juicy they will add great flavor to any salad. Cut into small cubes

Cheese
Mozzarella – shredded or small pearl mozzarella
Parmesan – Makes a great nutty flavor topping. Slice thin
Feta – Greek Cheese that has a mild bite
Goat Cheese – Made from goats’ milk and has a tangy flavor

Proteins

Choose at least three proteins.

Adding a variety of proteins like beans, meats and vegetable-based proteins allows you to cater to everyone.
Chicken – Boneless, skinless, grilled or broiled will go well as a topping to your salad bar. You can also buy already cooked chicken in the freezer isle of the grocery store. Heat per instructions.
Roast beef – For an easy way to add this topping, visit your local deli and have them slice it for you.
Ham – You could purchase a cut of ham from the deli and cut into cubes’
Bacon – Cooked crisp and crumbled makes a delicious topping.
Black Beans – Are popular with rice, salsa and make a great topping for protein in a salad
Chickpeas/Garbanzo Beans – Add a nutty flavor
Cannellini Beans – Soft and creamy bean with a light flavor
Tempeh – Soybean product that is high in protein. Comes in different flavors. You could try the maple bacon tempeh for a substitute for a bacon topping.
Tofu – Soybean product that is made from soybeans, high in protein.

Nuts
Nuts add crunch and flavor. Buy them in a variety, flavored or raw.
Walnuts
Pecans
Sunflower Seeds
Cashews

Dressings – Sweet, sour, salty, cheesy, fat free and oil and vinegar are a great variety. Put the dressings into bowls with ladles so your guest can pour the dressing over their salad easily.

Extra’s
Croutons – Plain and flavored
Bread – A good crusty bread or rolls
Crackers – Offer a variety, saltines, Ritz or a gourmet cracker

Set up your Salad Bar with Plates, Silverware, Napkins at the beginning of the bar. Have all the food in separate dishes starting with lettuces, toppings, fruits, proteins, cheeses and then nuts.  For each one have spoons, forks, tongs or what is easy to use for them to get the food to their plate.

Have bowls with ice under the bowls of food to keep it cold longer (no one like wilted lettuce…) and keeps it from spoiling.

Keep spare lettuce in the refrigerator and replace as needed as well as toppings that need that attention.

 

Enjoy :}

 

 

Photo Courtesy of  Suat Eman. at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Driving Through a Storm Safety Tips

Driving safely on the road in pouring down rain and wet roadways can be a challenge. One of the things to keep in mind is the method of driving on wet pavement versus dry.

Just like a boat on the water, your vehicle can skid over the water in what is called hydroplaning. When your hydroplaning your tires lose traction with the pavement and you are now slipping and sliding over water. Worn tires, tires not inflated correctly, how fast you are going and the amount of water on the pavement contribute to hydroplaning. This is scary and the first thing to do is Don’t Panic!

Here are some tips to get your though hydroplaning safely.

Take your foot off the accelerator.

Do not step on the brake.

Shift the vehicle into neutral.

As the car is slowing down, steer in the direction you want to go.

Here are some tips to help you in a rain storm.

• Turn on your lights if they do not automatically come on. It is required by law but sometimes it is the smallest things we forget to do. This will not only help you see but will help other motorists to see your car on the road.

• Reduce your speed when you are approaching any sort of large puddle or flooded roadway. Decreasing your speed will increase the contact of your tires treads on the surface of the road and reduce the risk of hydroplaning in pooled water. (See tips for driving on flooded roads here)

• Stay a safe distance from other cars to avoid an accident. If they start to hydroplane it could cause them to come into your car.

• If you are approaching stop signs or light signals, slow down a bit sooner than normally and give yourself time to stop completely when you get to the light or stop sign.

Try to drive as smoothly and cautiously as possible. Avoid excessive braking and accelerating and be careful when going around corners, if you tires are slippery you veer off instead.

Maintaining your vehicle is vital for just a time such as a very wet roadway or rain storm.

• Make sure both your headlights are working correctly. You want others to see you in the daylight and at night.

• Check your windshield wipers. Replace the current wiper blades with new ones whenever there are any issues with it cleaning the windshield properly.

• Your tires are vital for your safety. Get good tires that are suited for wet and dry conditions. Look more for quality then low price. Make sure your tires are inflated to standard of your vehicle. Well maintained tires can cut through water and more importantly keep traction better then worn tires. If you do not see good tread on your tires, its time to go shopping.

 

 

Photo Courtesy of jiggoja at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

 

 

Celebrate Mardi Gras Fat Tuesday with Gumbo Jambalaya and More Recipes

Fat Tuesday or as the French say Mardi Gras is a day of feasting on fatty foods and living it up before the Christian Lenten (Lent) season and fasting.
This colorful holiday also know as Shrove Tuesday, comes with a parade of floats, lots of beads and fun in New Orleans and celebrated around the country. If you cannot be in New Orleans, then celebrate in your home with Gumbo, Jambaya, or how about a Muffuletta sandwich. There is great food and music that comes out of New Orleans and this is the day to join in the fun!

Check out these recipes…

Gumbo Recipe – When you say Gumbo you are talking Louisiana, New Orleans. It originated in Louisiana early in the 18th century according to Cajun History. Gumbo is personal, like a good stew, every home makes it with the main ingredients and some additional for their own taste and flair.
Main ingredients of gumbo are a good roux (mixing equal amounts of fat and flour to make a thick sauce), okra, vegetables (the Holy Trinity, onions, green peppers and celery) meat and seafood. The seasoning that finishes off the Gumbo is File’ powder which is a spicy herb made for Sassafras leaves that is ground down to a powder and available in most grocery stores.

Jambalaya Recipe -A Spanish and French influenced dish that has seafood, meat, vegetables and rice. A must have in this dish is sausage that has been smoked, seafood (crawfish is popular in the area as well shrimp) chicken and pork. Very flavorful with the spices added.

Shrimp Etouffee Recipe – A New Orleans classic recipe that is beloved by both Cajun and Creole cooking. It is served over rice with seafood as its star ingredient that could be crab, crawfish or shrimp. It was created in the 1950’s, but some historians say it could go back to as far as 1920.

Muffuletta Sandwich Recipe – This packed with flavor sandwich originated with Italian immigrants that came to New Orleans, using a round loaf of bread and stuffing it with olive salad on the bottom, Salami, Swiss Cheese, Ham, Mortadella, and more. This sandwich is made for a crowd or you could make them in individual sandwiches on smaller rolls.

The King Cake Recipe – The King Cake is used in some countries for celebrating the Epiphany twelve days after Christmas and up to Lent. There are a variety of recipes but the main one has spices of nutmeg, cinnamon and made with yeast. The decorations are colors that came from the Christian religion, with purple symbolizing Justice, Green symbolizing Faith and Gold symbolizing Power. They honor the three Kings (Wise Men) who visited Jesus on the Epiphany twelve days after Christmas.  These colors are used in the sugar topping that makes the frosting.
A small porcelain figurine toy or Fava beans were used for the baby that was traditionally hidden in the King Cake as a symbol to the baby Jesus.  Today luck and prosperity is the symbol of the baby to many. The person who finds the baby in their slice of cake irresponsible for throwing the next years Mardi Gras party in some countries and is a designated King or Queen for the day. The beans and porcelain figures are today replaced with plastic toy babies and some bakers are leaving the baby outside of the cake to lessen the chance of liability of someone choking or swallowing the toy.

 

 

Enjoy Mardi Gras!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Photo courtesy of skeezeat Pixabay.com

Companion Planting – Fighting Off Bad Pests in Your Vegetable Garden Naturally

Spring is in the air for Florida and planting a garden certainly comes to mind. Veggies, herbs and flowers are quite common choices, but did you know that there are certain plants that should not be near each other? For instance, if you are going to plant carrots then you would want to plant lettuce, chives, leeks, sage and peas next to it, but not strawberries, fennel or cabbage.

Plants that are companions fight off those pests that want to eat and destroy your plants and hard work. Putting plants together that attract beneficial insects and others that act as repellents to bad pests can help your garden bloom and give you the harvest you’re looking for.

Check out this Companion Planting Guide the Old Farmer’s Almanac before you buy your seeds or plants and reap the benefits of companion planting.

Happy Gardening!

 

Photo courtesy of krzysztofniewolny at Pixabay.com