Strawberry champagne preserves

 

Hi Everyone,

I made it to the farmers market very late, but it turned out to be my lucky day. There were a few baskets of strawberries left that started to sweat and the vendor marked them down to $1.00 a basket. However being the savvy shopper that I am, I bargained I will take the whole lot for .50 cents a piece.

 

Now the proud owner of 8 baskets of strawberries, It occurred to me they will be best as preserves. 

 

Strawberry Champagne Preserves

Strawberries washed and pitted

2 cups of Champagne

1/3 cup of Splenda baking sugar

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Mason Jar

 

Directions

Preheat oven to 300F

• Hull, wash, and slice strawberries, mix in a container with the champagne, let stand at room temperature for 2 hours
• Cook on medium heat, stir continuously until it baubles and then lower the heat and cook for another 10 minutes, until the juice have reduce to half
• Add the cinnamon,mix well let sit for 1 minute

 

 

Clean mason jars, place into the oven for 2 minutes

 

• Remove jars from the oven, pour strawberry champagne onto jar
• Place jars into the oven and turn off the oven, let cool in the oven for 45 minutes

 

 

 

Voila! Preserves that is diabetic friendly

 

A few more ideas: this is perfect on crostini with mascarpone, or better yet spread it on brie and bake for 10 minutes.

Enjoy,

Maggie

Strawberry champagne preserves

Blueberry Banana Cupcake/muffin

 

 

Hi Everyone,

As we say goodbye to Blueberry season, I want to savor these fresh blueberries one last time before moving on to Pears, Plums and Pumpkins.

As you know I’m not a fan of frosting, however you can create a flavorful maple syrup mascarpone frosting to add more flavour and textures.

 

Banana Blueberry cupcake

 

1 box of banana bread

2 eggs

1 pint of Blueberry

1/4 cup extra virgin Olive Oil

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

 

 

Directions

• Separate the eggs and in a clean bowl, beat the eggs, add the oil until well mix
• Add the vanilla and cinnamon
• Pre-heat the oven to 350 F
• Add the banana mix a little at a time to avoid lumps,mix well
• Coat a muffin tin with oil
• Add the batter
• Sprinkle the blueberries evenly over the top of the batter
• Bake at 350F for 25 minutes

 

 

 

Serve with a touch of butter with espresso!

 

 

 

Enjoy,

Have a great week!

Maggie

Blueberry Banana Cupcake/muffin

Fall is here finally!

Hi Everyone,

It’s with a sigh of relief from the scorching 96-98 degrees and 40% humidity we have endured this Summer. I am looking forward to the balmy 75-80 degrees this Fall and enjoy the pool more.

Since my daughter is in college now I no longer have a partner to go to the pumpkin patch with,luckily we have the flea market that carries smaller varieties that I can get and start putting my fall menu together.

Here are a few pics of what I’m going to be basing my menu on.

Have a fabulous week,

Maggie

 

Gorgeous peppers, that are perfect for cream cheese stuffing with shrimp.

 

 

Red delicious perfect for pickling or pies

 

 

 

Peppers perfect for stuffing with dirty rice, or jambalaya

 

 

 

Perfect for bars, or cookies

 

 

 

Pumpkin bars, cakes, cookies, pies and the list goes on and on :)

 

Fall is here finally!

Pinterest recipe tweak: Fruit medley

 

 

Peach Cobbler

 

 

Hi Everyone,

I’ve been collecting recipes to try and I’ve found some of the recipes  doesn’t come out as stated. However some are so good it bears repeating over and over again.

Such is the case for this recipe Cobbler using soda. The recipe was a bit too dry for me when I first made it, I went to work on redoing it now ‘I have it perfect to my taste :)

Here’s how  I tweak it

 

 

Ingredients:

2 cans of peaches drained

1tbsp cinnamon and butter

1/2 tsp. vanilla

1 box of cake mix

2 1/2 cups sprite zero or regular

rectangle pan

Directions:

Mix 1/2 tsp. of Cinnamon with 1/2 tsp. of vanilla with the drained peaches in a bowl.

Spread fruit  mixture to the pan, add butter to the peaches.

Add the cake mix to the top of the fruit, sprinkle the remainder of the cinnamon on top of the cake mix.

Tip

the recipe calls for1 can of soda I found it to be too dry. Instead I used 2 1/2 cups of soda it was the perfect amount I needed for a moist cobbler.

 

Add 2 1/2 cups of sprite on top, you will see foams on top don’t worry. Bake 350 degrees for35 mtes. It should look like this.

 

 

When sliced it is very delicious with the added cinnamon, vanilla and butter.

 

 

What recipes from pinterest have you tried that has been a success?

Have a good week!

Maggie

Pinterest recipe tweak: Fruit medley

Scrapbook supplies Sale

Hi Everyone,

I have way too many scrapbook supplies it's time to destash some of my stash. Please email me @ mrsdavis1024@yahoo.com if you are interested in any of the supplies below :) Thanks for helping me out :)

Brand new never use! $139.00+shipping

Email me @ mrsdavis1024@yahoo.com
The Making Memories Slice Think Pink Cordless Digital Designer is available for a limited time only. This kit includes a Pink Slice and two design cards! Users will enjoy the fresh and feminine shapes on the new Think Pink Design Card and will go back to the updated Basic Elements card time and time again.

Pink Slice Cordless Design Cutter
Basic Elements design card and Think Pink design card
6" x 6" glass cutting mat, five blades, blade replacement tool, blade adjustment wrench
Repositionable adhesive and foam applicator brush
Basic Elements and Think Pink design guides
Power cord and user manual

Brand new Crafty Secrets stamps $40.00 for the set.

 I will post more as I go thru my stash :)

Thanks,

Maggie

Scrapbook supplies Sale

10 things to do before going camping!

Hi Everyone,

As I embark on a 15 states, 30 city tour of the west, here are the top 10 things I wish I had done before getting on the road.

• Calling each park to see what discounts they take and if they take the national card. Some does take club discounts such as passportAmerica, some don't it never hurt to ask them what club discounts they take?

• Checking to see if they have electricity, water,or laundry facility, and how much they cost?

• Showers within the campground, how far they are,and how much?

• Cooking (can charcoal be used) what is the level of dryness?

• Entrance fees included for the campground? Some charges a fee like the Grand Canyon $25 to enter and $12 a night for unimproved campground.

• Bringing a shower tote, some campground showers are located at least 25 miles away or 50 miles roundtrip, now that's too far for a shower. Some does charge $2.00 for a minute shower like the Grand Canyon.

• Eggs container for camping, putting eggs in the cooler the cardbox became mush.

• Fly traps, like the blue zappers out west the flies bites worst than mosquitoes.

• Bee repellent oh my they can swarm around when you are cooking or eating.

• Firewood seems to be like gold on campgrounds they charge upwards of $7.99-9.99 for a small bundle. At home the same bundle is $3.99

TIP
My best tip for you is to select a campground not too far from the bathrooms, trust me it's not fun to trek thru the campground in the middle of the night trying to get into a bathroom that is 600 feet away.

 I suggest an urine container like they use in the hospital, trust me this is better than facing a racoon in the middle of the night.

What are your best tips for camping?

have a fab week,

Maggie

10 things to do before going camping!

{Simple life} Lusk, Wyoming part 2

One of my friends email me this from a blog she has seen and thought this was perfect for my situation.

{ We get one trip people and we can either make the very best of it or we can one day look back and wish we had} By Kimberly Taylor

Today with so much time on my hand as we await  for the car to be fixed did a short historic walk in town, and making the best of the time we have here to get to know the community better.
Everyone is so friendly here, pratically everyone says hello and ask how are you?
I met Ellen who manages the museum, John the convenient store, the priest at St Leo's church, and offcourse Julie and doug from the rawhide motel.

Here's how I see the town thru the lens.

{Simple life} Lusk, Wyoming part 2

Simple {Moments} in Lusk Wyoming part 1!

There are times when things happened and you wonder why they happened to you? You see we were chugging along Route18 when we found the cheapest gas we've seen in the past 200 miles from Mount Rushmore on our Way to Denver.

We decided to stop at the {Outpost} to fill up, which is a really cute smaller tiny  version of 7eleven. Upon returning the car decided it will no longer move forward, it needed a rest.


What better spot to have car trouble? the good Lord was watching over us, cause the nearest town is 2 hours away from either North or South. Mind you this is Saturday morning at 11AM.

You see the Alternator went bad so did the water pump, being that we are in a small town population of 1200, there's only one part store and 2 mechanics. The parts had to be ordered on Monday from Denver and drop ship to Lusk by Tuesday.



We've been driving from Orlando to Georgia, Nashville TN, Louisville KY, Omaha NE, Sioux City, Wall, Keystone, Sturgis, Mount Rushmore SD. Seeing all the major sites and even took in Sturgis bike rally.

As you see spending 4 days in Lusk, Wyoming gave me a different perspective of small town America.
The people here are very friendly and helpful. There's a great coachmuseum, no not the pure the actual coaches the pioneers used in building the west.
I've found out there's only 2 real coaches from that area left one is in the Smithsonian and this museum here in Lusk.

We finally got the car fix and once again  we are on our way to Denver and scaling back on the trip.
While in Lusk I've learned the meaning of {Embraceing imperfection} truly letting go of things beyond my control. 4 Days in Lusk means we have to forgo some of the sites we had planned on visiting like Carlsbad cave, Garden of the Gods, Colorado Springs.

I've met new friends and discover life in a farming community. I am learning it is all about perspective. If you choose to find the pretty, the positive, then the good will find you with a positive attitude.

Simple {Moments} in Lusk Wyoming part 1!