New Year's Eve goodies

We usually host a New Year's Eve open house. We never know how many to plan on and we always want to have hearty food on hand without going broke! I discovered Taco Soup years ago and it has been a steady item on our party menu. You use:
1 Can Black Beans
1 Can Mexican Corn
1 Can Rotel or Diced Tomatoes with Mild Peppers
1 Can Dark Kidney Beans

1 Can Light Kidney Beans
2-4 Cans Chili Beans
1 Pk Ranch Dressing Mix
1 Pk Taco Seasoning Mix
Open everything and dump into a crockpot or large soup pot. Mix well and simmer for at least an hour. Serve over Fritos with sour cream and shredded cheese. Can add cooked ground beef or chopped kielbasa. 

We have several dips, chips, cheese balls with crackers, cookies, cakes and we always have Seafood Spread. Everyone likes this easy appetizer. Soften slightly a block of cream cheese. Flatten it on a serving dish. I use chopped up imitation crab meat, top the cream cheese, cover with Seafood Cocktail Sauce. Serve with crackers. 

Hope everyone has a safe New Year's Eve and a prosperous New Year.

My Fairy Garden

I made the hypertufa container using a large bowl as the base. The mix is 2 parts peat moss, I part Portland cement and one part perlite or vermiculite. Mix well add one part water til just moist. Line container with a garbage bag and add shells, marbles, etc. pat mixture in bowl about 1 - 1 1/2 inches thick. It takes about 2 weeks to cure, don't forget a drainage hole.  Now the fun part; hunting for things to decorate with!  The Dollar Tree, Walgreens, and Big Lots are a great place to find the solar lights. They had frogs, fairies and gnomes at Walgreens last year. I had the pot stand and found the Gnome that's on the ground at Big Lots.

I made the fairy house from a small birdhouse from the craft department at Wal-mart. I left the hole as a window and cut out a door. The roof was painted then I glued on mosaic glass pieces, I had a glass dragon fly that I glued on top. I used flat marbles for the yellow brick road.  I had a fern, moss, Swedish Ivy, creeping Jenny and a wild violet that I planted in about 2 inches of dirt. I scattered a few shells and rocks for interest.

Top Shelf Wine Margaritas - 182120 - Recipezaar

My friend Dale and I are looking for good wine Margaritas, here are some I found.
Wine Margaritas
Ingredients
6 ounces dry white wine
4 ounces Cointreau liqueur (or triple sec)
10-12 limes, freshly squeezed
crushed ice
salt, from rims (optional)
Directions
1. Place the wine, Cointreau and lime juice in a blender.
2. Fill until almost full with crushed ice. Leave about an inch or so at the top.
3. Blend until very slushy.
4. Salt the rims of the margarita/martini glass if desired.
5. Pour margarita into the glass.
6. Garnish with a lime wedge is desired and enjoy.

Vino Margarita
Ingredients
3 oz Liquid margarita mix
3 oz Dry Chablis wine
1 Lime; juice of
Salt for rim of glass
Instructions
Freeze Margarita mix. Place frozen mix in blender, top with wine & lime juice; blend until frothy. Moisten rim of glass; dip in salt & pour in Margarita wine mixture. Serve immediately.

WINE MARGARITAS
Wine Margaritas are perfect for people who prefer a milder version of this potent drink. Restaurants around Southern California without hard liquor licenses invented them -- for obvious reasons! The taste is still great, but without the kick of the tequila. Serves four.6 ounces dry white wine4 ounces Mexican Controy (Cointreau or Triple Sec may be substituted)the juice from 10 - 12 limes, freshly squeezedcrushed ice to top of blenderMargarita salt (optional)1. Place wine, Controy and lime juice in blender. Fill until almost full with crushed ice. 2. Blend until very slushy.3. If salt-rimmed glasses are desired, wet top of martini or Margarita glass with water and swirl in small dish of salt. 4. Pour Margarita into the glass.

TROPICAL FRUIT MARGARITAS
These totally tropical, spring or summer Margaritas are easy to make in your blender. Fun, tasty and refreshing, this recipe serves four and it's guaranteed to instantly transport you to somewhere south of the Tropic of Cancer! Serves four.4 ounces tequila2 ounces Mexican Controy (Cointreau or Triple Sec may be substituted)1 1/2 tbsp lime juice1 1/2 cups fresh strawberries or 3 peaches (or mangos), pitted and peeled (canned or frozen is okay)crushed ice to top of blendersugar (optional)1. Put tequila, Controy, lime juice, and strawberries, mangos or peaches in blender. 2. Fill to top with ice. Blend until very slushy and serve immediately.3. If sugar-rimmed glasses are desired, wet top of martini or Margarita glass with water and swirl in small dish of sugar. 4. Pour Margaritas into the glasses and serve them up!

Facebook is Pi**ing Me off!

My facebook account was compromised on Friday. Someone hacked into my account and sent a IM message to one of my listed friends. I had her go to my wall and her wall and post a message to let all of our friends know about it. I then went into Facebooks "list of things to do if compromised"; I changed my password for facebook and all of my email accounts. When I tried to go into facebook today it says my account has been deactivated. I tried to contact them to let them know I had done all of the password changes and there is no where to contact them. All you get is a list of Q &  A's to read. I finally found a place in the help section and sent them a message only to get an answer saying they have to confirm I am the owner of the account before they can do anything. I am still waiting!! I am having BeJeweled withdrawl!

Headaches!

I hate headaches! I know everyone does, but I REALLY hate them. I have suffered from them since I was 5 years old. The last 7 or so days I have been waking up every night and suffering through them for 2 hours during the night. I had hoped they were not the clusters again. Ya, I suffer with clusters too; on top of sinus, tension, migraines, and some aggravated from the arthritis in my neck. I finally decided they were not (yeah!) clusters when it did not respond to a DHE45 shot. So I ended up at the Doc-in-the-Box with my self diagnosis and she agreed. After looking at my red throat and red and swollen sinuses she gave the shot of steroids I requested and a prescription for antibiotics, which I did not request. I went to have the prescription filled at Wal-mart, not my normal place, and remember the DR is not my usual either. Neither place had all the list of all the stuff I am allergic to. The pharmacist did ask about allergies, but I wasn't feeling the greatest and couldn't remember them all. When I went to pay, not only was it almost $100.00 it was one I was allergic to. I called my regular DR and updated the list; it was then switched to a $4.00 one. NOW my question...If they could prescribe $4.00 drugs WHY are DRs still prescribing expensive ones???? The Drs warning about not sleeping and being hungry from the steroid shot was true, but at least I like to eat and was not awake most of last night from pain!! Sinus headaches suck! If you are suffering from one defiantly go and get a shot so it will go away. It shrinks the membrane in the sinuses and relieves the swelling in your head. I will turn in my DR licence now. Have a good one. Off to try to get my car air conditioner fixed.

Teble and family are moved in!!!

While Teble and fellow teachers enjoyed a trip to Washington DC, Dan, her brother Mike, nephew Jacob, her kids and I emptied the 2 PODS today and emptied 2 garages, a patio and several rooms in my house yesterday. All of their stuff is in the house....it may not be in the right rooms and it may not be assembled, but it is there! Just like a blister she showed up right after we carried in the last item.
My back is a little sore, and I have soaked in the tub already, so I just plan to rest and read the last few hours of today. In the morning I will take apart and deliver the bed her dad used out in the garage while they stayed here. He is very happy to live in the house again. BUT he also figured out a way to avoid helping with the move. He conveniently had a car show that lasted all day today!!!! Maybe I can get some help out of him tomorrow. I am sure Mike is very sore tonight too, he had to do landscaping this morning before he came to help.
It will take me months to get our house back in order, but it was worth getting them moved up here. Now they are only 4 miles away instead of 40. Off to rest.

Dan's my space site

http://www.myspace.com/danielbrewermusic1

If you want to hear some great music go to our son-in-law's my space site. He has written a lot of good songs. Check out the video too.