Let’s Play! Creativity, food and football – GO PATS!!!

After an unseasonably warm December and beginning of January, winter finally has arrived. With Rhode Island bracing for its first measurable snow storm, we share our warm artichoke dip with homemade bagel bites (perfect for the Patriots game on Sunday), offer thoughts on restocking art and craft supplies, playing creatively, a patio update and, of course, the bears!

WARM ARTICHOKE DIP

Here is one of our favorite recipes. Great for halftime! GO PATS!!!

Ingredients:

2 and 1/2 cups light mayonnaise
1/2 cup parmesan cheese (freshly grated is best, but the green can works)
one 14 oz. can artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
1 teaspoon garlic herb mix
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

To prepare:

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.
Combine all the ingredients, reserving 1 teaspoon parmesan cheese.
Sprinkle mixture with reserved parmesan.
Bake for 45 minutes until golden brown.
Serve with chips, including those shown below.

Bagel bites

Slice 2 whole marble rye bagels into quarter-inch rounds. Bake at 350 degrees for 8 minutes, flipping halfway through. These crispy dippers are great paired with the artichoke dip. (They also make great croutons for your favorite salad!)

We also enjoy the artichoke dip with our easy, healthy pita chips. Here is the link :

Game Time!!!

RESTOCK AND PLAY

Winter is one of our favorite seasons for crafting, but most of our craft materials were used prepping for the holidays. January is a great month to take inventory and re-stock your supplies. Good timing, because craft stores are offering deep discounts. Take a look at your supplies and, if you need to, restock! Don’t forget to use craft stores coupons, easily found online.

When you do restock, why not play?

Just playing with craft materials can be inspiring. One of the goals we have for this blog is to create new things, and sometimes the best ideas come during play, when one idea leads to another. The “Create Peace” collage and the “Let’s Grow!” patio sign from last week’s blog evolved from this technique – covering your work space with a variety of materials and playing creatively.

In the photo above, Roy tried out our new Sharpies and crayons on a big sheet of newsprint. It was just for fun, sort of like the new adult coloring book trend. We probably won’t use the paper for anything (although Kevin thinks it would be cool gift wrap) but either way, that’s ok. Have fun – you just might create something!!!

Take some pictures

Speaking of playing, we continue to play with and learn about our new(ish) camera.

Still looking for Tippi Hendren from Hitchcock’s, “The Birds”!

PATIO UPDATE

We got some snow earlier this week. The Flamingo looks cooold!!!

PLAY AND PLANTING

We received an Amaryllis bulb as a Christmas gift and planted it this week. Turns out we didn’t need our potting soil. Who knew the small brown disc in the picture on the left would become three cups of the nutrient-rich soil pictured on the right!

Amaryllis updates to come. Looking forward to some beautiful blooms to brighten our indoor winter garden! Thanks, Chris and Bernard!

New door

After some false starts, we are pleased that our new sliding glass door is installed. We’re looking forward to spring and summer, when the screen door will allow us to enjoy our patio garden even more!

FOOD ART (Roy played with photo editing on this one – background is actually a gray cabinet!)

THE BEARS

The bears are enjoying browsing through our recent library finds. Hmm . . . shouldn’t they be hibernating?

No!!! They are too excited to sleep! GO PATS!!!

Enjoy!

Roy & Kevin!

Positively 2016!!!

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Happy New Year! In the northeast, the new year brings cold weather. Our white bean chicken chili will positively warm you on a cold winter’s night. We also offer a couple of upbeat craft projects, our garden update, and of course, the bears, who share their New Year’s resolutions!

WHITE BEAN CHICKEN CHILI

We were surprised when we looked back at our previous 64 blogs and saw that we hadn’t shared one of our favorite recipes, white bean chicken chili. It’s a healthy, warming comfort food, perfect for a cold winter night!

This chili is easy to make and delicious.

Ingredients:

One teaspoon olive oil
One lb. boneless, skinless chicken breast
Three 15.5 oz. cans cannellini beans, rinsed
One 16 oz. can fat-free refried beans
One 32 oz. carton low sodium chicken broth
One small onion, chopped
One 4 oz. can chopped green chilis
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon Mrs. Dash garlic herb mix
One teaspoon cumin

How to prepare:

Chop chicken breast into 3/4 inch pieces.
Warm olive oil over medium heat in a 5-quart Dutch oven.
Saute onion in olive oil until soft.
Sprinkle chicken with chili powder and add to Dutch oven.
Cook chicken until lightly brown, about 3 minutes.
Add cannellini beans, refried beans, chilis and cumin to pot.
Stir to break up refried beans.
Cover mixture with chicken broth.
Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer.
Simmer 20 minutes or until thickened.
Serve with tortilla chips, guacamole, olives (Kevin’s favorite), green onions, salsa, sour cream or any of your favorite toppings.

Adjust seasonings to make it more hot or mild according to your own taste!

COLLAGE

The new year is a hopeful time and one way to maintain that feeling is to surround yourself with positive messages. We combined two uplifting thoughts into one inspirational piece of art.

We cut out letters from old magazines and newspaper inserts, choosing contrasting sizes, colors and fonts. If you can’t find all the letters you need for your project, use stickers or print letters from the computer. Once all of our letters were gathered, they were attached to a piece of specialty scrapbook paper cut to fit the size of the frame. Gift wrap or construction paper also could be used as a background. Total cost for our framed project was about $6.00! This easy and effective type of collage has many applications. It’s a fun project for kids and adults alike. We’d love to see your positive messages for 2016!

SPEAKING OF POSITIVE MESSAGES

People appreciate being remembered. We make a point of mailing birthday, anniversary and holiday cards to family and friends throughout the year. To make this easier, one thing we do at the beginning of the year is to note special occasions on a wall calendar that hangs in our living room. It’s an easy way to keep track of card-worthy events throughout the year. Who doesn’t like to be thought of with a card? We recently received a touching, handwritten thank you note from Kevin’s 5-year old great-niece, and it made our day. Positivity bounces back and forth!

PATIO UPDATE

We removed the decorative holiday items this week, but left the greenery and lit tomato cages. The greenery will be removed when it starts to dry out. Hoping the tomato cages will be glowing on the patio all winter.

Sign for the Patio

While we were designing the “Create Peace” collage, we came upon a beat up old door from a long-discarded cabinet. A quick paint job and fun message adds a bit of whimsy! Let’s grow!

Hitchcock’s view from our patio:

Is Tippi Hendren in town? (Rizzolty rozzolty now now now) This photo from our patio reminds us of Hitchcock’s classic movie, “The Birds”.

FOOD ART

THE BEARS

The bears are doing pretty well with their resolutions!

Enjoy!

Roy & Kevin

Fresh and Shiney New Year!!!

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“Years end is neither an end nor a beginning but a going on, with all the wisdom that can instill in us. ” – Hal Borland (An author, not a character from TV’s, “Home Improvement”.)

Happy New Year! WOW!!! 2015 is almost over. It’s exciting to celebrate the beginning of a new year! This week, we offer our new dip recipe, which is full of fresh veggies. We also share our creative resolutions, give 2015’s last Patio Update, and, of course, check out the bears in their celebratory mode! As a bonus, we’ve included three more dip recipes from earlier blogs and instructions for our Happy New Year banner, featured with the bears above.

FRESH VEGGIE DIP

Everybody loves dip, but often they are made with powdered soup mixes, filled with dehydrated vegetables, salt and msg. Freshen things up with our easy and delicious veggie dip!

Ingredients:

one 16 oz. container fat-free sour cream
4 oz. room temperature, low-fat cream cheese
one small onion, chopped
3/4 cup broccoli, chopped and blanched for 2 minutes, then cooled in ice water
3/4 cup carrots, boiled until tender and diced
two medium bell peppers, chopped (we like red and orange, but green is fine)
one tablespoon olive oil
one clove grated garlic
one teaspoon hot sauce
two tablespoons lemon juice
salt and pepper to taste

How to make:

Saute peppers and onion in olive oil for three minutes.
Sprinkle grated garlic over peppers/onion mixture and saute for one minute.
Combine the peppers and onions with prepared broccoli and carrots.
Chill all the vegetables.
Place cream cheese and sour cream in food processor and blend until smooth.
Set aside 1/2 cup of chilled vegetable combo.
Add remaining vegetables, lemon juice and hot sauce to food processor.
Pulse until smooth.
Add the reserved vegetables to food processor. Pulse 3 or 4 times, leaving some chunks for texture.
Chill at least one hour.
Serve with chips, crackers or crudite.

DIP INTO THE PAST

Speaking of dips, one is never enough. Here are three other dip recipes we’ve shared in 2015!

“No Tell” Queso Dip

A Super Bowl dip, lights and a recycling tip. (Now that’s poetry!)

Red Pepper/Chickpea Dip and Rosemary White Bean Dip

Let’s Be Independent Together!

CREATIVE RESOLUTIONS FOR 2016

Our goal for this blog is to explore many creative avenues, and in doing so, to learn and have fun. Here are some of our creative resolutions for 2016:

Experiment with new foods and recipes.

See more plays, movies and concerts.

Learn to use our new guitar and camera.

Make more creative gifts.

Go to more galleries and art shows.

Meet more creative people.

Expand on the creative things we already do or have done.

Try new things.

Please share your creative resolutions for 2016!

PATIO UPDATE

This has been a wonderful year for our patio garden. We grew a few plants from seed and tried and succeeded at growing some new vegetables and herb plants. Our patio’s use was extended with real and artificial decorations into the holiday season and will continue to be a source of light and color this winter. Thank you for your continued interest in our patio updates. Looking forward to a green, colorful 2016!!!

This week brought the first snowfall (our favorite snowfall – didn’t have to shovel!) and it looked nice with the greenery on the patio.

FOOD ART

FRESH YEAR!

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

Every time you tear a leaf off a calendar, you present a new place for new ideas and progress. – Charles Kettering

NEW YEAR’S BANNER

Check out the link below from last year’s blog to make the banner featured above. Easy to update with a quick change of year from 2015 to 2016!

Happy New Year!!

MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE HISTORY OF NEW YEAR’S CELEBRATIONS!

This link from History.com is the place to look for New Year’s facts and videos.

http://www.history.com/topics/holidays/new-years

THE BEARS

The bears (featured above) are polished and shining for their New Year’s celebration!!!

OUR WISH FOR YOU IN 2016

We wish you a happy, healthy, fun, creative and prosperous 2016!

Enjoy!

Roy & Kevin!

Merry Christmas!!!

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This week, we share a couple of ideas to simplify your holiday preparations. Included are an easy recipe for minty fudge brownies, last-minute gift tips, more of our decorations, a patio update, and, of course, the bears, who are our featured image this week.

FUDGE BROWNIES WITH CHOCOLATE MINT CANDY TOPPING

These delicious and easy brownies are always a hit!

Ingredients: 28-piece box of Andes candies mints, 18.3 oz. box of brownie mix.

How to prepare:

Bake brownies according to package directions.

Top the warm brownies with 25 unwrapped mint candies (the baker gets the remaining three candies). Allow the candies to melt for a minute and spread them like frosting with an off-set spatula or knife. Cool the mint-covered brownies for 15 minutes and then place in the refrigerator for one hour. Candy will harden to its original consistency, making a delicious chocolate mint crust on your brownies.

Cut, serve and enjoy!

A FEW LAST-MINUTE GIFT IDEAS

You’re driving to a holiday celebration and realize you forgot someone on your list and need to get a last-minute gift. Here are a few suggestions, including two places open Christmas Day.

Gas stations

Gift card for the gas station – great gift for family and friends traveling over the holidays!
Scratch tickets or lottery numbers. They can’t win if they don’t play!
Gloves and hats – who knew they were sold at gas stations?
Make a quick car kit with an ice scraper, windshield wiper fluid, car air freshener and other related items.
Some gas stations sell gift cards for other stores just like major supermarkets.
Make up a tailgating kit: Buy chips, soda, Slim Jims and more for the sports fan on your list.

Movie theaters

Most movie theaters are open on Christmas Day. Buy movie passes and candy to make a great gift combo.

Online e-cards and gifts

The technology available today makes last-minute gift giving a lot easier than it used to be. You can order gifts online and have them shipped. Print out and give a picture of the gift to the recipient. Most companies also will send an e-mail notification that a gift is on the way. You can send gift e-cards directly to anyone’s e-mail address. One site we’ve used is giftcertificates.com, or go directly to specific company websites and see if they offer e-gift cards.

OUR DECORATIONS

More of our holiday vignettes, including snowmen, Santas, and New England sports teams.

PATIO UPDATE

Even with the recent rain, the addition of fresh pine cuttings, faux poinsettia and holly on our patio add color and make a festive view from our kitchen. The basil plant and other plants on the window sill are hanging in as well!

FOOD ART

NUTTY SANTA

THE BEARS

The bears love to reunite with family and friends at Christmas time! Look what old friend is visiting with them at the top of the page!

We wish you all peace and joy this holiday season. Merry Christmas!!!

Enjoy!

Roy & Kevin

Cool Christmas!

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Christmas is fast approaching and we are just about finished decorating.

This week, we feature pretty decorations using Christmas ornaments, an easy wreath project, a recycling craft, recipe ideas, a festive patio update, and of course, the bears!

SPARKLING DECORATIONS

Fill clear glass vases and pitchers with Christmas balls. Keep it simple, one color per vessel. Add a string of holiday lights behind or around the vases. This technique makes a beautiful display! Really catches the light!

EASY AND SPECIAL WREATH

Recycling was the inspiration for this wreath. We removed the original decorations and saved the metal form from an old wreath. Then, we wrapped it with the pretty piece of garland pictured below, which Kevin’s mom used to decorate her dining room chandelier during the holidays. The garland is not permanently attached and in future years, we can use it in other ways. Hmmm – maybe we’ll get a chandelier!

GIFT TAGS FROM CHRISTMAS CARDS

Recycle your old Christmas cards into gift tags! Simply cut out your favorite images, hole punch the top, add a ribbon and you have these cute gift tags. Write the recipient’s name on the back. These also could be used as ornaments and even necklaces. This is a fun craft for kids!

PATIO UPDATE

Evergreen cuttings trimmed from the large pine trees on our property add lush greenery to the patio. For additional color, we dotted them with faux poinsettia, unbreakable Christmas ornaments and pinecones.

The tool box planter looks great filled with fresh pine cuttings. The bee and flamingo both seem to like it!

We fashioned this swag by attaching a simple waterproof ribbon to an evergreen cutting and hanging it on the patio door. Cost: $1.25!

Of course, we have our tomato cage trees again this year!

Here is our post from last year with instructions on how to make these tomato cage trees.

Christmas Blog 2, The Celebration Continues!

SWEET HOLIDAY TREATS

All this decorating is making us hungry! Here are a few recipes for some easy holiday desserts.

http://www.realsimple.com/food-recipes/recipe-collections-favorites/desserts/easy-holiday-desserts

FOOD ART

Our final harvest of garden tomatoes, which we picked green and ripened indoors in a paper bag for almost a month, are finally ready for their closeup!

The tomatoes were roasted and served with baked fish – delicious!

JOKE OF THE WEEK

What does Santa suffer from if he gets stuck in a chimney? Claus-trophobia! Source:Theholidayspot.com

THE BEARS

The bears are hanging with some cool company this week!

Enjoy!

Roy & Kevin

The holidays are in the bag!

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Holiday prep is in full swing! This week, we share a recipe for an easy, tasty low carb side dish, a quick Christmas craft, a gift wrapping idea, some of our holiday decorations, a patio update and, of course, the bears.

SIMPLE BAKED CAULIFLOWER

This side dish is delicious and filling. If you think you don’t like cauliflower, give this one a try!

Ingredients:

1 lb. bag frozen cauliflower
1 teaspoon lemon juice
3/4 cup mayo (we use Hellmann’s Light)
1 tablespoon whole grain Dijon mustard (plain yellow works great, too)
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese (grate your own if possible – much better than the canned)

How to make:

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees
Defrost cauliflower
Mix mayonnaise with mustard
Spray 2-quart baking dish with cooking spray
Place cauliflower in baking dish, toss with lemon juice
Spread mayo/mustard mixture evenly on top of cauliflower
Top with parmesan cheese
Bake 1 hour or until golden brown

Using cauliflower is a good way to reduce carbs and add fiber to potato recipes. Check out these links from previous blogs. These recipes are great for cauliflower fans and non-fans!

For mashed potatoes:

MONSTERS, MASH AND MORE!!!

For potato salad:

Let’s Be Independent Together!

EASY HOLIDAY PINS

Our dancing Santa loves his snowman pin!

Here’s how to make these cute pins:

Buy a selection of holiday-themed foam stickers and a package of self adhesive bar-style pin backs. The light weight foam stickers work great with these pin backs, which are available at most major craft stores. Remember to look for online coupons.

Leave the peel off backing on the foam stickers so they won’t stick to clothes. Some stickers come on a clear backing sheet. Trim around the sticker leaving it on the plastic.

Attach the adhesive pin back to the back of the unpeeled sticker.

We created this dimensional snowflake pin by combining three stickers and one pin. Peel paper backing off the green snowflake and adhere to the white snowflakes. Attach pin to back of white snowflakes.

These multi-functional pins make great holiday additions to clothing, gifts and decorations, as shown on the Christmas stockings above.

LUNCH BAGS AS GIFT BAGS

We bought the lunch bags pictured in our featured image at the top of this blog at Target for $2.07 for a package of 50. They make great small gift or treat bags. Add a ribbon and/or stickers for extra pizzazz.

TIP: Place a piece of card stock or cardboard in the bottom of the bag for added stability. In these bags, a 3×5 inch index card fits perfectly!

OUR DECORATIONS

The candy-cane clothespins from last week’s blog work great attaching our stockings in this holiday vignette.

ADVENT WREATH

Kevin’s mom, Irene, gave us this Advent Wreath a few years ago. We make a point to light the candles every night during the advent season. It helps us connect to the true meaning of Christmas and take a break from all the activities of the day.

Click on this link to learn more about the Advent Wreath:

http://christianity.about.com/od/christmas/qt/adventwreath.htm

PATIO UPDATE

We’ve added lights, Christmas balls, faux poinsettia flowers and holly to our outdoor planters to brighten up our post-summer patio. Use inexpensive plastic ornaments and flowers outdoors.

This festively adorned hanging basket was home to our pansies this summer.

FOOD ART

“Oh Christmas beans . . . Oh Christmas beans . . . “

JOKE OF THE WEEK

What kind of motorcycle does Santa drive? A Holly Davidson! (source: funology.com)

THE BEARS

The bears think it’s cool adding some UCONN Husky touches to the holiday decor!

Enjoy!

Roy& Kevin

Catching the Holiday Spirit

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Sometimes its hard to get into the holiday spirit. One good way is to put on a Santa hat, listen to some holiday music, have a cup of peppermint tea or hot chocolate, take a breath and dive into your to-do lists! We have separate to-do lists for decorating, cooking and gift-giving. It’s a spirit-lifter to check items off your lists.

This week, we share a craft idea for painted clothespins (great for holiday decorating), a delicious, healthier version of classic onion dip, a patio update, and, of course, the bears.

CANDY CANE STRIPED CLOTHESPINS

These clothespins are a very functional craft. They work great for holding greeting cards, hanging stockings or hats (pictured above) and more!

You will need:

Wooden clothespins (we bought 50 for under $2.00)
White and red acrylic paint
Paint brushes and toothpicks

Tips:

We painted our base coat by hand, but white spray paint would work well and dry faster. Make sure to use in a well-ventilated area.

Use a toothpick to create the smaller lines on the clothespins. Simply brush the toothpick with a coat of red paint and lay it where you want a thin line. (It works sort of like a stamp.)

You also can use markers or paint pens to create the stripes. A great idea for kids!

SOUP-LESS ONION DIP

Appetizers are always an enjoyable way to start a party, and what’s better than a dip? We love the classic dip made from onion soup mix and sour cream, but the dry mix has a lot of salt and MSG, and uses dehydrated onions. We came up with this recipe, which uses fresh onions and a lot less salt. Delicious and better for you!

Ingredients:

Three cups sliced onions
1/2 teaspoon sugar
Two tablespoons of light margarine
1/2 cup mayonnaise
One 16-ounce container non-fat sour cream
One teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
Salt and pepper to taste

To prepare:

Saute onions over medium heat in margarine and sugar for about 15 minutes or until lightly golden. Onions will reduce by about half. Keep a close eye – be careful not to scorch the onions.
Chill sautéed onions completely.
Set aside 1/4 cup of the chilled onions.
Place remaining onions in food processor and pulse 3 times.
Add sour cream, mayonnaise and Worcestershire sauce and pulse until smooth.
Spoon into a bowl and stir in the reserved onions.
Chill at least 2 hours and serve with potato chips, crudite or our home-made pita chip.

Our pita chip recipe is on the link below:

Game Time!!!

PATIO

This week, we cleared out the last remains of this summer’s very successful patio garden. The photo on the left shows our garden in mid-season glory. Next up – time to decorate the patio for the holidays and winter!

We brought in the hummingbird feeder (shown on the right with some of our herb plants). This was the first year having the feeder, and we only saw 1 hummingbird. Maybe he’ll tell his friends and more will come next year!

FOOD ART

Ever seen a mushroom snow flake? You have now (or have you)!

JOKE OF THE WEEK

What is Santa’s dog called? Santa Paws! ( Source: WorldofChristmas.net)

THE BEARS

The bears wanted to help with the stockings and hats!!

Enjoy!

Roy & Kevin

Happy and Fun Thanksgiving to All!!!

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“Gratitude is the best attitude.” – Unknown Source: Quotegarden.com

Happy Thanksgiving! As Turkey Day approaches, we revisit updated versions of a couple of our favorite side dishes, a hostess gift idea, some of our favorite Thanksgiving things, what we are thankful for, the garden (now patio) update and, of course, the bears!

FAVORITE HOLIDAY SIDE DISHES

Sweet potatoes with bananas

Check out the recipe here!

Thanksgiving -The Third Blog Post

Cranberry sauce with jalapeno peppers

This zingy favorite is sure to surprise! Heat one 14 oz. can of whole berry cranberry sauce over medium heat until it liquefies. Finely chop one jalapeno pepper (remove seeds and ribs to make less spicy if desired) and add to cranberries. Simmer for 5 minutes. Cool at least one hour until mixture solidifies.

Check out last year’s post, where this recipe first appeared, to find a crunchy cranberry sauce variation with a touch of citrus!

Click here for the post and recipe:

Thanksgiving Continued!

HOSTESS GIFT IDEA

Baked goods are great hostess gifts, but time constraints around the holidays can make baking from scratch difficult. We suggest using quality mixes. This pumpkin bread was made from a boxed mix. Add dried cranberries, raisins, nuts or whatever you think will work to personalize your goodies. Make it your own! It’s a great gift when wrapped and paired with specialty tea. You can find delicious mixes and ready to bake treats at any supermarket. Easy and appreciated!

“Thanksgiving, man. Not a good day to be my pants!” – Kevin James (comedian)

THANKSGIVING TREASURES

Cornucopia

This cornucopia has been in Roy’s family for as long as he can remember. It was the subject of a recent “veg art” photo!

Pilgrim candle

Kevin’s family has had this pilgrim candle a long time, too. His mom gave it to us for Thanksgiving just a few years ago. A treasure for sure.

“Family gathers to share good noise and good food, gratitude abounds!” –

poet Alexandra Elle (source goodreads.com)

PATIO UPDATE (FORMERLY GARDEN UPDATE)

The bee is bee-fuddled by the change in the impatiens.

The tomato cages are waiting to be transformed into Christmas trees or some other holiday creation!

Bonus picture: We love bittersweet, a fall vine with berries which grows abundantly on our property. Bittersweet make a great fall decoration, but be warned, if you use it indoors, the berries can stain!

FOOD ART (FORMERLY VEG ART)

Fruits and vegetables ready for Thanksgiving!

JOKE OF THE WEEK

What sound does a space turkey make? Hubble . . . Hubble . . .Hubble!!! source:101thanksgiving.com

THANKSGIVING TRIVIA

Here is some interesting trivia about Thanksgiving!

http://www.examiner.com/article/50-family-friendly-thanksgiving-trivia-questions-and-answers

Thankful

We are thankful to have wonderful, supportive families, great friends and fun and creative lives. Plus, the 10-0 Pats!!!

THE BEARS

The bears get in the act with their own turkey hats.

Last but DEFINITELY not least, we are thankful for your support and kindness!

Enjoy!

Roy & Kevin

Pre-Thanksgiving Fun!

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This week, try our turkey chili, and check out our decorations, gift ideas, garden update, and, of course, the bears!

TURKEY CHILI

This easy, money-saving chili recipe makes a big batch and stretches a pound of ground turkey or beef. It’s a warming, make-ahead meal and leftovers freeze great, too! You’ll gobble it up!

Ingredients:

one lb. lean ground turkey
one large onion, chopped
one tablespoon minced garlic
one tablespoon olive oil
three 15.5 oz. cans each of black beans and red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
one 16 oz. can fat-free refried beans
one 28 oz. can crushed tomatoes
one 10 oz. can diced tomatoes with chilis
two cups water
one quart box (32 oz.) of reduced sodium chicken broth
one lb. bag frozen pepper strips
1/2 cup chili powder
one tablespoon cumin
one teaspoon oregano
one tablespoon red pepper flakes
one tablespoon paprika
2 tablespoons masa flour (in a pinch, finely ground tortilla chips work great, too!)
salt to taste

How to prepare:

Brown ground turkey in olive oil with chopped onion and grated garlic.
In a large saucepan, add the beans, tomatoes, pepper strips, chicken broth and water.
Bring to a simmer and add browned meat and onion combo. Add spices and masa flour; simmer for 20 minutes. That’s it!

Serve with tortilla chips, cheese, sour cream, olives and your favorite toppings!

THANKSGIVING DECORATIONS

Thanksgiving banner

This festive banner is fun to make!

Check out the directions here:

Thanksgiving post number one! The holiday blogfest continues!

Playing dress up

Roy’s hand-made scarecrows like to dress up as pilgrims for Thanksgiving!

Cards as decorations

We save our holiday greeting cards to use as decorations. This week, they are combined with the leaf print cards we made a couple of weeks ago to decorate a door in our apartment.

Check out the blog, “Autumn Leaves”, to learn how to make these leaf prints.

Autumn Leaves

GIFTS FOR KIDS

Keeping kids engaged and entertained during holiday celebrations can be a challenge. For Thanksgiving, we bought the holiday clings on the left so the children can adorn the windows (check with your hostess to make sure it is okay.) Also, nothing beats coloring and sticker books for creative fun. Give Christmas-themed books to the kids at Thanksgiving so they can enjoy them the whole holiday season. Washable markers are the way to go. Kids love to color!

Speaking of color, we are pleased to see our Christmas cacti, a gift from Kevin’s mother several years ago, in full bloom!

Hostess Gift Idea: Christmas cacti survive with very little attention and provide the gift of beautiful blossoms at least twice a year.

GARDEN UPDATE

When we started cleaning the patio, it looked like this:

After close inspection, we realized that the pepper and 2 tomato plants were ready to go. So thankful for the hundreds of peppers and tomatoes we harvested this growing season!

We kept some of the blossoming plants, which still provide color. The patio is now ready for our winter decor. More to come in future blogs.

VEG ART – TWO FOR ONE!

In anticipation of this week’s predicted frost, we picked all of our tomatoes and peppers. They are ripening in a paper bag (great way to hasten the ripening process).

JOKE OF THE WEEK

Why did the scarecrow win the Nobel Prize? Because he was out standing in the field! Source:EnchantedLearning.com

THE BEARS

The bears are looking dapper in their mini pilgrim hats!

Enjoy

Roy & Kevin

Here They Come – The Holidays!!!

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A FEW IDEAS TO PREP FOR THE HOLIDAYS

Yes, the time has come! It’s time to start thinking about and planning for the holidays.

Here are a few things we like to do to get ready for the holidays. These tips help minimize the amount of pre-holiday angst which is often present this time of year. Take a look at our thoughts about food preparation, a decorating idea, some hostess gift suggestions, a garden update, and, of course, the bears!

MAKE IT AHEAD

This time of year (or anytime) when cooking dinner, double the recipe. The oven is on anyway! Double up on soups, pasta sauces, chili, meatloaf, roast chicken, casseroles and side dishes that freeze well. During the busy holiday season, its great to have a meal ready to go – just re-heat and eat! Our chicken rice soup pictured above is a perfect example of this idea. (Hint – brown rice holds its shape when frozen and re-heats beautifully.)

THANKFUL DECORATIONS

Last year, we presented this Thanksgiving Tree (see the link below for instructions).

Thanksgiving Continued!

This year, rather than put up a tree, we hung the leaves – clothesline style. We first featured this clothesline banner idea in September’s blog titled, “Nice to Get Away”. Check it out here:

Nice to get away!

HOSTESS GIFT IDEAS

‘Tis the season for parties and get togethers. It’s great to bring the host or hostess a little something to show your appreciation.

Here are a few suggestions:

Seasonal live plant (last longer than fresh flowers and busy host or hostess doesn’t have to hunt for a vase)
Candy
Bottle of wine
Baked items
Jarred goods
Ornaments

A couple of presentation ideas:

Bottle of wine: We re-purposed the paper bag the bottle came in as the gift bag (above). A silk leaf photocopied onto card stock makes a great seasonal gift tag.
Tins of cookies and tea make a good combo gift. We topped the cookie tin with a faux, fall-colored flower.
Jar of pepper spread. Trim the lid of the jar with a fall-colored fabric. Hold the fabric in place with a rubber band and then tie a piece of jute over the band for a rustic look. Make a more complete gift by adding a box of special crackers.

Combine multiple items like these into a wonderful gift basket!

WRITE IT DOWN!

A great way to stay organized for the holidays is to use lists. Make lists of what you need to do and what to buy. We keep our lists, coupons and holiday ideas on handheld clipboards for quick reference. When a creative idea strikes, we grab the clipboard and jot it down. For the more technologically savvy, there are clipboard apps.

GARDEN UPDATE

This has been a crazy year for our garden. It has brought us great joy. These pretty flowers are hanging in even though it’s mid-November.

Still harvesting tomatoes and peppers and enjoyed some in pasta sauce and salads just this week.

We are very grateful for our abundant 2015 patio garden! (Made this year’s thankful leaf clothesline!)

Photo bonus: Love the fall colors of this vine on our fence along Route 95!

VEG ART

JOKE OF THE WEEK

What kind of music did the Pilgrims like? Plymouth Rock! source: Jokes4us.com

THE BEARS

The chilled bears enjoyed a nice cup of hot tea as they contemplated the upcoming holiday season. Looks like they borrowed our scarves!

And last but definitely not least. Veteran’s Day this week was the perfect way to begin the Thanksgiving season. We thank all those who serve and have served, keeping our country safe.

Roy & Kevin

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Funclesarts

Because creativity can be simple, affordable, and it makes life more fun!

Let’s Play! Creativity, food and football – GO PATS!!!

Positively 2016!!!

Fresh and Shiney New Year!!!

Merry Christmas!!!

Cool Christmas!

The holidays are in the bag!

Catching the Holiday Spirit

Happy and Fun Thanksgiving to All!!!

Pre-Thanksgiving Fun!

Here They Come – The Holidays!!!