Baseball Marshmallows -Take me out to the ball game...

I was curious to see how these Baseball Marshmallows would turn out, and I think they're kinda cute. In a perfect world, I would have had a red food writer marker, but I didn't. So I added a couple drops of red food coloring to a small bowl and painted the laces on with a paint brush. Once they dry they can be added to a serving bowl, or mixed in with some peanuts, and maybe even some Cracker Jack:@) This is just a neat little idea to add some fun to your ballgame, whether tailgating or enjoying it at home. Or maybe a little something extra for a baseball theme'd birthday party...

*The food writer pens would be best though. I also suggest Googling a baseball, the laces are in more of a V shape... I used the Chocolate Stuffed Marshmallows from Dollar Tree.

⚾Make something just for fun, and

Have a Happy Day:@)

How to Make No-Sew Barbie Tops from Ribbon -Lots of Options...

I wanted to share an idea for a simple Barbie doll top. All that's required is about 6" of ribbon, some velcro and a hot glue gun. A couple folds in the back create darts and add a little shape. These tops kinda remind me of a tube top, although not as form fitting. I also like that straps are optional. Embellishments... If you have some cute trim, pom-poms, zig-zag, ruffle, etc, you could add it to the bottom. I had just enough silly 4" fringe left in my stash to make this one tunic length, yet sill look cool and breezy for a summer baseball game:@)

These tops were made with 1 1/2" wide ribbon:

✂What I did:

Standard Barbie = 6" of ribbon, Curvy Barbie = 6 1/4" of ribbon.

Fold the cut ends over 1/4" and hot glue in place.

Fold two glued ends in half, and glue together.

Place middle of ribbon over doll's bust. If you turn the folded ends up you'll see that it creates a dart on each side creating shape.

Glue velcro to each side of back.

Add straps and embellishments.

Three more variations:

Use short ruffled ribbon for off shoulder look. 5/8" ribbon with necklace as bathing suit top, and I've added a sheer ribbon capelet to the last one.

5/8" ribbon simply tied in front,

or wired ribbon scrunched up...

All of my Pinterest Boards here.

Barbie says, yep, 

all it takes is a little ribbon for a cute top! 

Have a Happy Day:@)

Garlic and Thyme Marinade for Beef & Broiler Grilling

I couldn't wait to do some grilling out and decided to treat myself to shish-ka-bobs... The thyme in the raised bed was beautiful and in need of a little trimming, so I tried this Garlic & Thyme Marinade for Beef. This is a good one folks, although it will be thick, so be sure to massage it into all of the meat:@) I could taste every ingredient, and it was nice to use my home grown thyme. Please give yourself lots of time for marinating, the longer the better for a big burst of flavor, even when meat is cut to kabob size. Did I fire up the grill? Unfortunately Mother Nature literally rained on my parade and added in gusting winds as an explanation point. So the cooking method was on to Plan B... 

As for broiler grilling, it works well, but we do need to be prepared for some smoke in the house. I heated the broiler to 525 degrees and placed the rack into the highest position (as close to the broiler as possible). My kabobs went onto a heavy duty sheet pan. I would loosely use these times: About 3 minutes each turn, turning the kabobs three times for rare. About 3 minutes each turn, turning the kabobs about four times for medium/well. My best tip: You might want to have a piece of meat on the pointed end of a few kabobs to easily pull off to check for desired doneness.

Garlic & Thyme Marinade for Beef-from Beef It's What's for Dinner

1/4 C olive oil

3 Tblsp red wine vinegar

3 Tblsp chopped fresh thyme -or- 1 Tblsp dried thyme

2 Tblsp sweet or smoked paprika

3 tsp minced fresh garlic

1/4 tsp ground red(?) pepper-I used black pepper

1. Add marinade ingredients to zip top bag.
2. Salt and pepper your beef, add it to bag. 
3. Marinate for at least 6 hours in refrigerator, turning occasionally, you can marinate overnight. 
4. Grill as desired.

Eat well and Have a Happy Day:@)

QVC Free Shipping Today Only!

Popping in quickly to mention that QVC has free shipping today 4/14/24. So if you've been thinking about any of the Lock-N-Lock Appetizer or Snack Trays I've mentioned for parties and tailgating, today is a good day to get one:@) There are round and square, colors are limited (but they do still have red for the Phillies, summer holidays, and Christmas). Additionally, it looks like L-N-L is an extra 20% off on top of free shipping... Yep, that's a good deal folks. We're just beginning to see warmer weather, let's be prepared for outdoor activities and entertaining!

Grab it when you see it, and

Have a Happy Day:@)

Garden Trash to Treasure, Grilled Chinese Food & Barbie...

I've mentioned before that sometimes I find a real treasure at the curb on trash day:@) I've been looking for a picnic table bench to place behind the raised bed garden to hold a couple pots of string beans. Well, I almost put my foot through the floor of my car hitting the brake when I saw this gem in the trash! Even better than wood, it mimics my cement table and benches on the patio. It's a very sturdy resin type material and a good weight, but manageable so I could put it in my trunk myself. Pulled into the driveway and got it situated in it's new home...

My before pic, temporary set-up:

Ugly but functional...

I like the new look much better💗

If you're anything like me you've been itching to fire up the grill and enjoy a little time outside... May I suggest this Grilled Chinese Food recipe. The marinade is very good and would work well with chicken, pork, or beef. I'm not a big seafood person, but have a feeling it would be good with salmon too? I did give it my darn good label, and you could make shish-ka-bobs or just toss everything right into a screaming hot grill pan. Good stuff folks:@)

Yep, I'd say ~everyone~ is ready for a BBQ...

What I did for Barbie Ham Steak from Clay:

1. Shape clay into an oval, but have it big enough to cover what was printed on the grill grates by Mattel.
2. Added a mini white pony bead to mimic the bone.
3. Scored some grill lines across it and let the clay dry out.
4. Added a little white paint to look like fat...
5. And used a Sharpie for the grill marks-Barbie says dinner is served!

🌞Have a Great Weekend:@)

Inspirational Friday

 

Have a great weekend:@)

Quick Pickled Radishes -Mexican Food Condiment

I had some radishes in the fridge and Turkey & Black Bean Enchiladas were on the menu for Sunday dinner, so... I whipped up some super fast, Quick Pickled Radishes so we could add them as a topper. Good stuff folks:@) Normally I'd use white vinegar, but I was out so it was red for this batch. This is such a nice cool, crunchy, addition to any Mexican food, tacos, burritos, you name it... 

Easily cut in half for 1-2 people:@)

Quick Pickled Radishes

8-10 large radishes, julienned

1/2 C white vinegar

1/2 C water

1 1/2 tsp kosher salt

1 Tblsp sugar

A few hearty shakes of oregano

~Mix everything well, cover and place in refrigerator for at least 15 minutes, longer is better.

Eat well and Have a Happy Day:@)

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Weekend Potluck

How to Make a Beaded Barbie Necklace & Other Doll Jewelry

I know folks have been making Barbie jewelry for as long as... well, since 1959:@) But I wanted to share my favorite tip for creating an easy necklace for Barbie. You can use any smaller beads that are to scale and any wire (these necklaces were actually made with Christmas ornament hooks). Simply create a small loop on one end of the wire and add as many beads as you'd like. Then create another loop on the other end, but the key is to make sure the beads are tightly pushed up against each other. This allows the necklace to be shaped nicely into a circle or oval. Easy-peasy and pretty!

Other versions:

I made the floral necklace from a thrift store bag of kids beads. It was for my Hawaiian hula outfit, kind of a wink and nod to a lei. Ken says "aloha". And I've used the necklace to wrap around the neck of a Halter Top, pattern here.

A quick pic showing the little loops on the ends. True Jewelry makers and folks that sell things know how to make them tidy, tight little circles. In my world... So far Barbie hasn't complained😉

Dollar Tree baby bracelets make great Barbie necklaces. This is a fun idea for a girl's birthday party or sleepover craft. Simply glue or paint on embellishments.

I've also painted plastic Mattel jewelry 

for a more grown-up look...

 And there are three different earring ideas here.

🌺Make something just for fun and 

Have a Happy Day!

Vegetarian Chili Mac

No secret to anyone here, I love to eat:@) But if there's one thing I know, it's that a meatless dinner at least once a week is a good idea. This Vegetarian Chili Mac is filling, tasty, and can be made in about 30 minutes. And as the weather is hopefully getting warmer, regular chili might be a little heavy, this is a lighter version. I feel it's also a great recipe to help teach kids how to cook. This is ~incredibly versatile~, add more veggies, swap out the canned tomatoes for Rotel if you'd like. Use the beans you have on-hand (I had black beans for this batch). But no matter how you make it, I do highly encourage you to serve it with sour cream-good stuff folks.

Don't hesitate to start with this recipe,

I think it will appeal to most.

Then make it your own:@)

Vegetarian Chili Mac-from Taste of Home

1 large onion, chopped

1 medium green pepper, chopped

1 Tblsp olive oil

1 clove garlic, minced

2 C water

1 1/2 C uncooked elbow macaroni

14.5 oz can chili beans, undrained

14.5 great northern beans, drained and rinsed

14.5 oz can diced tomatoes, undrained

8 oz tomato sauce

4 tsp chili powder

1 tsp ground cumin

1/2 tsp salt

Sour cream for serving

1. In dutch oven cook onion and peppers in olive oil until onion is translucent.
2. Add garlic, cook for a minute, stirring constantly.
3. Add everything else except for some cream. Bring to boil, stir, reduce to simmer. Cover and cook for about 15-20 minutes stirring occasionally, or until macaroni is cooked.
4. Serve with sour cream.

Eat well and have a happy day:@)

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Weekend Potluck