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.