Shrimp A la Creole or Shrimp Creole

We do love our spicy food and Shrimp Creole (originally known as Shrimp A La Creole) is one of our long time favorites.  I started making this recipe when we were first married 42 years ago.  The recipe I use is from the Betty Crocker cookbook I received as a wedding shower gift.  I have made a few tweaks to it over the years, but it is oh so delicious and easy to make.

I did a little research on Shrimp Creole and this is what I found.  Creole cooking is a combination of French, Italian, African and Spanish cooking originating from the Louisiana Territory even before the Louisiana Purchase in 1803.  Creole cooking is the original food influence in New Orleans.


Shrimp creole is a dish of Louisiana Creole origin (French, African and Spanish Heritage), consisting of cooked shrimp in a mixture of whole or diced tomatoes, onion, celery and bell pepper, spiced with hot sauce, and served over steamed or boiled white rice.  Wikipedia


Even though Wikipedia doesn't mention the Italian cooking influence, other information said the use of tomatoes in their cooking  comes from the large Italian migration that occurred in that area.  Makes sense.    Whoever is responsible, I salute you!  


Before you start cooking your Shrimp Creole, make about 6 servings of white rice and let it cook while you make your sauce.   The rice will stay warm in a covered pan if it finishes a little before the creole sauce.


Here is what you need:


1 large onion, diced
4 ribs celery sliced
1 large green pepper diced
2 cloves garlic minced
1 to 2 Tbsps olive oil
1 to 1.5 pounds shrimp shelled, deveined and tails removed (frozen works fine)
1 14 ounce can diced tomatoes
1 14 ounce can fire roasted tomatoes
1 8 ounce can tomato sauce
1 TBSP chili powder
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1/4 cup medium or hot taco sauce (or you can use Tobasco by adding it in drops until you reach the "heat" you want.  Dan thinks Tobasco has too much vinegar for his taste, so I use the taco sauce)
Salt and pepper to taste  (I never add salt as there is enough in the tomatoes and seasonings in the sauce, but I do add black pepper)


I make my sauce in an electric skillet because the temperature is easier to control.  Place temp on 325 and add olive oil to pan.  When hot, add onions and saute until translucent.  Add celery and green peppers and saute.   Don't overcook.  I like them still somewhat crisp.  Add garlic, tomatoes, tomato sauce, chili powder, and worcestershire sauce.  Cook for 20/25 minutes until sauce starts to thicken.  Add hot sauce.  Add shrimp and cook just until pink, only takes a couple of minutes.  If you are using frozen shrimp, throw them in still frozen and they will cook just fine.  Turn heat off.   This is how it looks in the pan.  OH SO GOOD!

To serve, place white rice in the middle of a plate and spoon the creole sauce over the rice like in the picture above.  Let me say, it's fantastic.  When I am in a "spicy" mood, this is my go to dish.  Most people think Mexican for spicy, but this is a fabulous change up from Tex-Mex.  Yummmmmmy.

We have a green salad and warm crusty bread with our Shrimp Creole and my, oh my, what a delicious dinner.  Next time you are having company and you want something different, easy, and delicious, give this recipe a try.  If you have left overs, and this is my favorite part, put the rice in a large tupperware bowl, cover with sauce and you have the most delicious left overs ever.  It reheats great in a microwave oven.  I just place the amount we each want in individual serving bowls, cover with a paper towel and heat.  Just as good the second time around!  Mmmm Mmmmm Mmmmm  Time to think Creole.

Everyday Donna

Things to Remember:

New Orleans food is as delicious as the less criminal forms of sin. Mark Twain 

Spring Is In The Air

This has been one crazy week.  I am not sure it can all be explained, but TGIF is all I have to say.  Whew, glad this one is over.  It's been a lot of little things to deal with, you know how those weeks go.  But, I did get to create some fun new things as I worked on getting spring decorations put up a little at a time.

Today was a particularly awesome day as my friends Don, Rick and Marge came down to visit.  I LOVE visitors.  They motored down so that I could take them to the store that sells Annie Sloan Chalk Paint.  Don and Rick want to paint their dining room furniture and Don had called me to ask what I thought he should do.  My immediate answer was the amazing ASCP and yes, it was worth a 2.5 hour drive to come down here and get everything they needed.  We also got to eat Thai food at the Smiling Elephant AND have Jeni's Splendid Ice Cream.  Now, if you ever head to Nashville, you must have Jeni's Splendid Ice Cream - it's a must!  It was named one of the top 10 ice creams in America.  We got to talk and laugh and had a spectacular day.  I was sad when they left, but they will be back soon (because they are going to want to paint everything in their house)!

While we were out doing errands this week, I made a quick stop in Tuesday Mornings to see if they had something I was looking for.  Do you do Tuesday Mornings?  Great place for all kinds of wonderful household items at greatly reduced prices.  I didn't find what I was looking for, but I did find this wonderful piece that, as soon as I saw it, I knew I wanted to use for my spring vignette.   I always make a seasonal vignette on top of a cabinet in our entryway and this was the perfect thing!  This was an awesome piece because it was totally different from anything I have used in the past and it reminded me of a church window or arbor of some kind.   It is almost 4 feet tall and was only $6.00.  You know the drill, just my price range!  So I bought it and brought it home to live with us.  This is how it looked.

It is sort of like willow ( not really sure exactly what material it is) and I loved it, except I didn't want it to be dark brown (of course).  I gave it a light spray with some white spray paint I had and now it looks like this.

Much better.  I had an idea of what I wanted to do with it so I went to work.  First, I decorated a small grapevine wreath I had with some spring flowers.  I used 1 branch of cherry blossoms, a pick that had some berries and a small pink hydrangea on it, and a small lavender bush.  When I finished it looked like this.

It is so simple and sweet with just the right touch of spring.   I was so pleased with the finished product.  I attached it to the lattice by putting a couple of chenille stems through the back of the grapevine wreath and twisting them around the lattice.

Now, I wanted a banner or something with a poem or saying about spring.  I searched and searched for just the right thing.  I found a prayer from the Ute Tribe of Native Americans which really resonated with me.  Ute means land of the sun and the state of Utah is named for their tribe.  I took one line from the prayer and used it.  I had a piece of upholstery fabric that was a loose weave in a cream color.  I cut a square of it and decided I would stamp the saying on it with my wooden stamp set.

I used lavender acrylic paint instead of ink so that it would give me the look that I wanted.  I made the letters uneven so it looked more hand made.  Then, I stenciled a pink butterfly in the corner.  I raveled the edges of the fabric just a little for a more hand made touch.

I tied the fabric to the lattice by placing some lavender yarn in each corner of the fabric and tied it in a small bow.  When I put the "church window" on the cabinet, I was very happy with the way it looked and the prayer is so lovely and touching, that I keep reading it over and over.   But, it needed something around the base to make it look more finished.

I used a large ceramic rabbit and a small ceramic bird which are both representational of spring and rebirth and the newness of life.  I used another small lavender bush I had to fill in around the rabbit and tie all the colors together.   Then I ran a lime green ribbon across the top of the cabinet to represent grass and the vibrant color of springtime.  I have to say, I am very happy with the look.  It is different from anything that I have used before and it is just perfect for this time of year.  We will be able to enjoy this until it's time to decorate for summer.

It's a happy ending to a crazy week and doing creative things helps keep me centered.  I keep going to look at this vignette because it is peaceful and calming.  Peaceful and calming is something we all need more of.  I hope you have a great weekend, and do something for yourself to make your life more peaceful and calming.  You deserve it.

Everyday Donna

Things to Remember

Earth, Teach Me

Earth teach me quiet ~ as the grasses are still with new light.
Earth teach me suffering ~ as old stones suffer with memory.
Earth teach me humility ~ as blossoms are humble with beginning.
Earth teach me caring ~ as mothers nurture their young.
Earth teach me courage ~ as the tree that stands alone.
Earth teach me limitation ~ as the ant that crawls on the ground.
Earth teach me freedom ~ as the eagle that soars in the sky.
Earth teach me acceptance ~ as the leaves that die each fall.
Earth teach me renewal ~ as the seed that rises in the spring.
Earth teach me to forget myself ~ as melted snow forgets its life.
Earth teach me to remember kindness ~ as dry fields weep with rain.

- An Ute Prayer

How To Transform a $1.00 Place Mat

In my next life, I want to be a visual artist, a painter, a Van Gogh, Chagall or Monet.  That is my wish.  Hear that Universe?  I'm putting in my order now.  Van Gogh's Starry Night is my all time favorite painting.  The colors and representation of the night sky humble me and make me so want to be able to do that.  To make someone else look at what I painted, to see and feel moved in a place and way they can't really describe.  But, it is not my gift.  Yes, I can do simple things.  I mean, I have watched my share of Bob Ross and I can make happy little clouds and streams with the best of them and perhaps that should be enough, but it's not.  

It's sort of like writing.  My daughter is an amazing writer.  She can put words together in a way that breaks my heart and makes me laugh all at the same time.  Me, I can write this blog and hope that my recipes and directions for crafts make sense to anyone who reads it.  But, I am no "writer".  I have read hundreds and hundreds of books. devoured them, enjoyed them, lived many other lives through the words I have read and traveled the world, but I could not write a book if I tried.  Do you know what I am saying?  It is frustrating to me.  I try to paint, I try to write, but my skills are rudimentary at best.

Does it stop me?  No.  I keep plugging away and hope that one day true inspiration will strike and that "painting" will come to me or that hidden book/story will formulate in my mind and will leap out onto pages.  Until then, it's craft time 101.   

Last week I bought these really pretty place mats at, where else, Dollar Tree.  My table sits 6, so I bought 6 place mats for a grand total of $6.00 plus tax.  The tag said they were 100% paper which was interesting, but I loved the way they looked and they would be great for a springy looking table setting.

Of course, I knew that I would doctor them up somehow, just didn't know exactly how at the time.

I brought them home and looked at them for a week.  No inspiration would come.  I looked at them every time I went into my craft room, better known as the extra bedroom.  Hmmmmm, what to do, what to do?  Saturday, I determined it was going to be a craft-a-thon since I hadn't spent a whole day at home  all week.  It was cool, rainy and a perfect craft day - no place to go, nothing else to do.  (I hate having to stop mid project.)  I finished the mirror I wrote about yesterday and was so pleased with that project that I got out some of my acrylic paints, a few brushes, covered the table to protect it, determined to finish the place mats.  This is what I came up with (see picture above), and they look adorable on the table!! 

These plain green place mats had a texture somewhat like jute or burlap.  The tag said they were 100% paper.  Interesting.  They did not lend themselves to lots of shading and detail.  My idea was to paint spring flowers on them.  Have you ever tried to paint a daisy and get it even?  Somehow, they always get out of shape.  Here's a trick.  Use the bottom of a 12 ounce soda bottle.  Paint the ridges on the bottom and stamp it on whatever you are painting.

Now, stamp.

See the pink spots it leaves?  All I did was load a square shader brush and pull the paint toward the center to make my daisy and they are all perfectly even.  I LOVE when that happens!  Now, I wanted some dandelions - you know, the kind kids like to blow when they have gone to seed.  White, airy dandelions, but I couldn't paint all the little details so I basically made a white ball.  How?  I found a small bottle in my spice cabinet that was the right size and painted the edge of the bottle white and stamped circles on the place mat.

Perfect circles.  Yes!  Easy peasey.  

                                                  

Next, I took a small stencil brush and loaded it with white paint and filled in the circle.  Bob Ross would be so proud.  Happy little dandelions.

Now, everything needed stems.  I chose a blue color called Tahiti Blue and mixed it with a little green and painted stems and leaves and grass across the bottom of the mat.  I chose blue so that it would show up on the bright green mat.  Nice.  Now, it needed filler and I wanted more pink and white so I made little flowers in clusters all over the grass using the end of one of my paint brushes.  You just simply makes dots wherever you want them.  I did white first and then filled in with pink.

Voila!  I painted yellow in the centers of the daisies, sprayed it with clear acrylic spray and I was done.  One down, five more to go.  I simply followed the same pattern and procedures and now have 6 matching hand painted place mats.  It was very restorative to my creative soul.  It's not Van Gogh or Monet - Grandma Moses might be a closer description.  Anyway, I LOVE them on our table.  They are bright and springy and just what I wanted.  

When I get the centerpiece and napkins made, I will show you pictures of the whole effect.  Always look at things with "other possibilities" in mind.  Nothing is just one thing.  The possibilities are endless.  Try your hand at painting on anything.  You may discover a new talent you didn't know you possessed.  I'm still plugging.

Everyday Donna

Things to Remember:

‘Things don’t change. You change your way of looking, that’s all.   

Carlos Casteneda

My Bargain Mirror and Duck Egg Blue Paint

 Some people keep a queue of movies on their Netflix account, movies lined up that they want to view.  You can keep a queue on you printer, jobs waiting to be printed.  Me, I keep a queue of projects that I want to do -  crafts, sewing jobs, things to be painted, furniture to be rearranged, new recipes to try - a running list of things I want to get done.  Do you keep  a project queue?  My list seems to never end.  The day it does, will be my last day on earth.  I will probably leave a list for Dan, bless his sweet heart.  

We moved into the little yellow cottage a year ago January 29 and we love it here.  Moving led to a whole new list of projects (of course).  One of the things on my wish list was a mirror for the wall next to the fireplace, but nothing had struck my fancy.  Also, I am cheap and there had been nothing that had struck my fancy in my "price range."  A few weeks ago, we were doing errands and I made a quick sashay through Kirkland's.  Do you do Kirkland's?  They have home accessories and sometimes you can come upon some really great bargains.  There was the time I found a bunch of toss pillows for $5.00 each.  Now that is a bargain and fits my "price range".   Yes, I do love a bargain.

As I wandered around the store, I saw a stack of mirrors that had been marked down.  Like a fly to a picnic, I zoomed over to the stack and started looking through all of them.  Lo and behold, in the stack was exactly what I had been looking for and it was marked down to $20.00!  Woohoo, that was my "price range".  Was it perfect?  No, the size was right, the price was right, the color was all wrong, but I knew that could be easily fixed.  Just a little paint and some wax and tada!  I would have the perfect mirror.

The mirror was a funny kind of no color beige.  My picture isn't great, but it looked like this.

Here's a close up.

I did like the dark piece that went around the mirror.  It has some goldish flecks in it that gave it some depth.  But the outside wood was the most bland color you can imagine.  So, I told Dan, Dan, the Painter Man, that we had a project to add to the queue.  He was ecstatic.  (not so much)

I also have a new love and that is Annie Sloan Chalk Paint.  Now, it is not like chalkboard paint - don't confuse the two.  Her paints are created to replicate historical colors and when you paint, it is a little gritty, but wow, is it awesome.  You can get really beautiful colors by layering them over each other, or using a single color.  Then,  you wax the paint with her clear wax for one look and to add additional depth and contrast, use the  dark wax over the clear wax.  This paint will make anything look awesome.

I did my bedroom furniture a while back and I was hooked!  It is not cheap paint, about $40.00 a quart, but you do not have to prime when using it aaaaaaaand, it goes a long, long way.  I did an armoire and three nightstands with one quart of paint.  Now, I have the itch to paint everything.  

Anyway, back to the mirror.   I wanted my new mirror to be duck egg blue which is one of Annie Sloan's fabulous color choices.  You can go to anniesloan.com to see the colors and all the wonderful effects you can get with her paint.  The paint has been on the market in Europe for 20 years, but is relatively new in the states.  You can order it on line, but I was lucky enough to find a wonderful little shop that sells it in our area.

Well, I did a second day of volunteer work last week, so Dan painted the mirror in the blue color for me. He is a fantastic painter and never has to tape anything to keep from getting paint all over the place.  I wanted to keep the dark section in the middle of the frame, so paint he did and I was so excited when I got home and saw the mirror.  Fantastic!

I let it dry a couple of days, and then I waxed the frame.  This is the base color before wax.

This is what happens when you add the clear wax.  You can see where the wax ends if you look closely.

It adds a beautiful patina to the paint and softens the color.

You can see the demarcation line where I stopped the wax for the picture.  The wax comes in cans like this.

You also use these  wonderful big brushes to apply the wax which is very soft and easy to apply.  One brush is for clear, the other is for dark.  You apply the wax to an area and then buff it with a lint free cloth.  What an amazing difference it makes to the finish.  After applying the clear wax, I added dark wax.  This is how it looks when you apply it:

Then, you buff it and it looks like this - giving the piece an old patina that is gorgeous in our shabby chic house.

Again, not a great picture.  Sorry.  I am not much of a photographer, but you get the idea.  Should have moved the lamp for the picture.  I'll try to do better next time.  

It is so amazing what a little paint can do.  It changes the whole personality of a piece.  Don't  you love when that happens?  The mirror is just perfect next to the fireplace.  Exactly what I wanted.  The blue color picks up colors in a framed poster I have of The Bluebird Cafe at the other end of the room.  Donna is a happy girl and very appreciative of Dan's contribution to this project.   I can tell you, there is more duck egg blue paint in my future (and Dan's).  Love you Dan.

Everyday Donna

Things to remember:

Creativity is a drug I cannot live without. - Cecil B. DeMille

You Put The Lime In The Coconut - You Mix It All Up

It was a gloomy, downpour kind of day all day.  As in DOWNPOUR,  toad strangler, gully washer.  At least it wasn't cold which made it more bearable.  Had I not had commitments today, it would have been a "read a book take a nap kind of day," but that didn't happen.  


Since we have one car, Dan dropped me off at Sophia's Heart today and he came home to take care of business things.  Fortunately, he picked me up at the front door when my day was over because there was a deluge right as I left the building.  When I got in the car he was playing one of my favorite Jimmy Buffett cd's.  Listening to the island style music made me wish I was on a beach somewhere with sand between my toes, sun on my face, breeze in my hair.  One of my most favorite places to be.  Walking in the house,  for some reason I had this song running through my head even though it's not a Jimmy Buffett's song:


"Bruder bought a coconut, he bought it for a dime,
His sister had anudder one she paid it for de lime.

She put de lime in de coconut, she drank 'em bot' up"


Singing that song made me want something tropical, so I baked a lime coconut cake.  Yum.  And I made lime buttercream icing with coconut.  Yum Yum.  We had it for dessert and it is so good.  There is something about the flavor of lime that resonates with me.  Lime, coconut, pineapple - the good flavors that make you think sunshine, sand, and ocean.  I think I need to go to the ocean soon.  Add that to the list.


This is a "from scratch" cake, but it's quite easy.  Here is what you need:


2 sticks (1 cup) butter, softened
1 1/2 cups sugar
3 eggs
zest of 2 limes
1/4 cup lime juice (took both limes)
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp salt
2 1/2 tsp baking powder
2 1/2 cups cake flour (I use Swans Down)
1 1/4 cups coconut milk (most of a 14 ounce can)
1 cup sweetened coconut


Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Grease and flour 9 x 13 pan.


Sift the cake flour, baking powder and salt together in a bowl.  Set aside.


Beat the 2 sticks of butter with a mixer until light and fluffy.  Add the sugar and beat again until light and fluffy.  Add eggs, one at a time and beat again thoroughly incorporating eggs.  Add lime zest and juice.  Mix thoroughly.  Add 1/2 of the cake flour mixture and mix, but do not over mix.   Add 1/2 of the coconut milk.  Mix.  Add remaining cake flour mixture.  Mix.  Add remaining coconut milk.  Mix.  Add 1 cup sweetened coconut and mix one last time.  Batter is thick, don't be alarmed.


Pour batter into prepared cake pan and bake for about 30 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.  Remove from oven as soon as it's done and let cool.


Icing:


1 stick butter, softened
zest of one lime
juice of one lime
2 - 3 cups powdered sugar


1 cup tinted coconut


Beat the stick of softened butter until light and fluffy.  Add about 1/2 cup powdered sugar and mix.  Add lime zest and mix in.  Add a little lime juice.  Continue adding powdered sugar and lime juice until you have spreading consistency.   Ice cake.  Remember, I don't like a lot of icing.  If you want more icing, double the recipe.  


How to tint coconut.


Use a gallon zip lock bag and put 1- 2 cups of shredded sweetened coconut in the bottom of the bag.  Lay the bag on it's side on a counter top.  Put a few drops of desired color on the inside of the bag - on the plastic, not on the coconut.  Zip the bag and shake.  Tada!  Coconut in whatever color you chose.  Takes just a few seconds to do and it looks so festive.  Sprinkle over the top of the cake.


I have to say, this dessert hit the spot.  There is something so special about lime and coconut together.  Almost made me feel I was on a beach somewhere with water lapping at the shore line.  Unfortunately, that water sound was just the rain pouring down.  Maybe someday soon we will mosey on down south and spend a few days with our toes in the sand, feeling the rays on our face and listening to that glorious sound of waves returning to the shore over and over again.  Ahhhh, I can hear them now.  


Everyday Donna

Things to Remember:


“If life gives you limes, make margaritas.”  Jimmy Buffett  (or maybe a cake)


P.S.  Dan just came back for a second piece of cake.  It's confirmed.  Super good.

Chocolate Cupcakes With A Rolo In The Middle AND Nutella Icing !

No jelly beans and no peeps for me, but I do LOVE a good chocolate cupcake.  I mean, seriously, who doesn't?  And what could make a chocolate cupcake even better?  A surprise in the middle.  A really super fantastic surprise baked right in the middle.  A super fantastic Rolo candy surprise baked in the middle.  Yes, a Rolo candy - one of the world's best candies as far as I am concerned - baked right in the middle of a heavenly, super moist chocolate cupcake.  And what can make it even better than that?  Why, Nutella frosting on the top.  Uh huh.  That's right.  Nutella buttercream frosting.  Now THAT is what I call a cupcake!

Today was our volunteer day.  We spend Wednesdays working at Sophia's Heart here in East Nashville.  It is a wonderful organization that provides transitional housing for people who have lost their homes through unfortunate circumstances and also has an outstanding arts program for young people in the neighborhood.  Check out their web site for information.  It is a very worthwhile organization that could use lots and lots of help, especially financial.

After our day at Sophia's Heart, we stopped by our daughter's home to visit with the new baby who is 3 weeks old today.  He is so alert and strong and of course, very handsome.  He already holds his head straight up when you put him on your shoulder.  (He's gonna be a bruiser.)  Everyone is doing great and we are so thrilled to have him in our family.  They don't stay babies very long so we try to enjoy every moment with them we can.  It's great to have 5 out of 6 grandsons living within a few minutes driving time.  We are soooooooo lucky to be able to live in the same town with them (and their parents too).

After we got home this evening, I didn't know if I wanted to sit down and write an entry for my blog.  Grandma was tired.   When I walked through the kitchen, turned on the light and saw the cake plate of yummy cupcakes sitting there, I realized that the recipe needed to be shared.  Dan made some coffee, I got myself a cupcake and started to write.  This recipe is fantastic and you really should try it as soon as possible!  Here is what you need:

Cupcakes

1 devils food cake mix (I use Aldis)
1 small package instant chocolate pudding
4 large eggs
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup vegetable oil
24 Rolo candies, unwrapped

Icing:

1 stick butter (softened)
1/2 cup Nutella
2 cups powdered sugar
1 TBSP milk

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Makes 2 dozen (24), so line pan(s) with cupcake papers accordingly.

Mix all the ingredients for the cake in a large mixing bowl at medium speed on your mixer.  Mix thoroughly, but do not over mix the batter so cupcakes will be light and not tough.  Fill each cupcake paper 2/3 full of batter.  I use a heaping 1/4 cup measure and that is just about right.  Now, push one Rolo candy into the center of each cupcake.  As the cake bakes, it will cover the Rolo, though you may have a slight dimple in the middle of the cupcake.  That's okay, you will cover it with frosting.  Bake for about 20-23 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the cake comes out clean.

Let the cupcakes cool while you prepare the frosting.

To make the frosting, set your mixer on medium and mix the softened stick of butter until light and fluffy.  Add 1/2 cup Nutella and mix until it is all incorporated and light and fluffy.  Add one cup of powdered sugar at a time and mix until incorporated.   Icing will be rather stiff, so add just a little milk a few drops at a time until the icing is of spreading consistency.

You can spread the icing with a knife.   I decided to pipe it in the center of each cupcake because I don't like tons of icing.  It also looks pretty that way.  If you like a lot of icing, you might want to double the icing recipe.  To pipe,  cut the corner off a gallon zip lock bag, place a piping tip of your choice through the corner, fill the bag with icing and pipe whatever design you want on each cupcake.

These are DELICIOUS!!!!!  The cupcake recipe is off the Aldi's devil's food cake mix and it is super moist and chocolaty.  I decided to add the Rolos to the middle for a "little surprise" and because I really, really like Rolos.  When you bite into the cupcake, the rich little chocolate nugget in the middle is awesome and the ooey gooey caramel in the middle of the candy is the bomb with the texture and flavor of the cupcake!

Our 8 and 5 year old grandsons were here to help make these cupcakes (and great help they were).  They got to pipe icing on their very own cupcakes which made them very happy indeed.  It's the little things you know.  They declared them excellent cupcakes and we had so much fun making and sharing them.  As for Dan, well he has certainly eaten his fair share!  I think they are a hit.

Give this recipe a try.  I so enjoyed eating my cupcake while I typed.  What a fabulous ending to a great day.  Sigh.

Everyday Donna

Things to Remember:

Live, love, laugh and eat cupcakes!

What Can You Do With Jelly Beans Besides Eat Them?

Did you ever wonder what you could do with jelly beans besides eat them?  First off, let me say that I am not a fan - never have been, never will be.  They are so pretty to look at, but that is a trick!  Never be fooled by the way something looks.  It doesn't mean it will taste good.   I finally asked my mom to stop putting them in my Easter basket when I was a child.  Ugh.  Do you like jelly beans?  Does anyone really, besides my mom?

These days there are so many different kinds of jelly beans than the ones we grew up with.  There are so many colors and flavors, but that doesn't change my opinion one little bit.  My mom was the only person I knew who loved even the black licorice jelly beans.  She would pick them all out of our Easter baskets and the bowl on the table and eat them.  She was welcome to every jelly bean in the basket as far as I was concerned, didn't care what color it was.  Ew, and then there were peeps.  That's a whole new subject.  Double ugh.

Anyway, I had some styrofoam balls in my craft stash and these cute little flower pots from the Dollar Tree.  I think they are actually starter seed pots, but they are so cute.  Those pots and styrofoam balls just kept looking at me, saying do something with me.  After a little study, I came up with the idea to cover the balls in something "Easterish" because I am changing all my decorations over to a spring theme.  We were at the grocery store and I was perusing all the Easter decorations and there were these sacks of really pretty jelly beans.  Loved the colors.

Look how pretty they are - peach, pink, yellow, turquoise, green and lavender.  They look pretty enough to eat, so I tasted one.  They're still gross.  But, the colors have certainly improved.  I bought a couple bags and brought them home  thinking I will come up with a use for them - and then it came to me.  I decided to make little topiaries.  Those would look so springy.

First, I painted 3 of the little pots sort of a white wash and that was accomplished by watering down some white acrylic paint and lightly brushing it on the pots and letting them dry.  Next, I cut two 4 inch styrofoam balls in half and shaved 3 of the halves down a little so they would fit inside the pots.  I ran a bead of hot glue around the edge of the styrofoam next to the pot to hold it in place.

I had a quarter inch dowel rod that I cut in several pieces about 7 inches long.  I pushed one into the center of each styrofoam ball in the pots and hot glued them to keep them steady.  Then, I dabbed some green acrylic paint on the styrofoam and painted the stick green to look like a flower stem.  I used a small foam brush to do this.  (Only use acrylic paint on styrofoam.  Any paint with solvents in it can disintegrate the styrofoam.)

Next, I painted 3 styrofoam balls with pink acrylic paint and let them dry.   Center a ball on the top of each stem and gently push it onto the stem.  Hot glue around the base of the ball where it meets the stem to keep it in place.

Now, the real fun begins.  Dump all the jelly beans in a bowl so it is easy to see all the colors.  Fire up your hot glue gun and go to work. (Be careful and don't burn yourself)   I placed a row of the jelly beans around the center of the styrofoam ball north to south.  Place a dab of hot glue on the bottom of each jelly bean and hold it in place until the glue dries.  I started in the center top and worked down one side, then the other.  If you don't like slightly tedious work, you are in trouble.  lol

This divides the ball in half.  Now, you want to quarter the ball by diving the ball in half the other way.  Start at the center top and glue the jelly beans in the opposite direction.

See how you now have quarter sections between the rows?  This is where you will work next.  I randomly alternated my colors, but you can make them all one color if you prefer - it will just take more jelly beans.  I started at the top and filled in the first row around the top.  I actually placed each jelly bean I planned to use before I glued it to make sure it fit the space.  Continue with each row working top to bottom, keeping the jelly beans close together.  You want to fill in as much space as possible.  Every once in a while, you will come to a place where the jelly bean won't be small enough, so I would find the biggest jelly bean I could to fill in two spaces and kind of turned it side ways to fill in the space.  

Keep working left to right (or vice versa) filling in each row until you get to the bottom.  I then laid the topiary on it's side and filled in the bottom spaces.  Using this method made it much easier to see what I was doing.  Finish by pulling off all the "glue webs" like you see in the picture.

This is where I discovered the problem.  Yup, a bit of a problem.  These puppies are quite top heavy and don't want to stand up when jarred.  So, here is what I did.  I used some double sided tape on the bottom of the pots to hold them in place on the stands I am using.  A better solution (and what I will do next time) is to use a slightly bigger pot and put some rocks under the styrofoam for some weight.  Or, you can use a smaller styrofoam ball.  It's up to you.  It's not the end of the world, but I just didn't want them falling over every time we walked by the table they are sitting on.  Should have thought of that, but who knew how heavy jelly beans would be?  Duh

I had some green and yellow shred and stuffed it in the tops of the pots for a kind of "Dr. Seuss" grass effect.  I LOVE the way it looks all crazy and sprouty.  If you want a more finished look, you could place some moss over the styrofoam and fake leaves on the stems.  I just like the more whimsical look.  They are jelly beans after all.

Now, isn't that adorable?  The topiary is so festive and springy and will be so much fun to look at.  The grandsons are going to love them.  Who knew jelly beans could be so cute?  Almost makes me want to eat one.  Almost.

Everyday Donna

Things to Remember:

No jelly beans were harmed in the making of this project.  I used approximately 1 and 2/3 bags of jelly beans.