Glam Rhinestone Skull Restyled from $ store

 I had this lil plastic skull...not by any means made well...kind of cheap plastic, but it was a rainy gloomy day, so I got to playing in my broken jewelry box....I have to say this dollar skull looks high end glamour as long as no one picks it up and sees the sticker on the bottom...hee hee...
The spider was black and from the dollar store also...I have to say I LOVE THEM!!

Instant Pot Taco meat from Frozen Ground Beef

• Place a trivet in the bottom of your Instant Pot.
• Add 1/2  cup water for every pound of meat and seasoning.
• Add frozen ground chuck on top of the trivet, in one big frozen chunk.
• Lock the lid, close the sealing valve, and select 20 minutes of pressure cooking on high (manual button) per pound of meat.
• Open lid after releasing pressure. Use saute' setting to finish cooking meat breaking it apart.
• Add more water if needed depending on how moist you like your meat.

Please note...this recipe is using ground chuck . If your beef is not super lean you will have to drain the fat off, so do not add your seasoning until after the 20 minute processing time.I would add it when you saute' the meat..

Instant Pot Canned Salsa

Don't ya just love this Instant pot by Pioneer Woman??? This is Vintage Floral...ooooh..I just love it in my shabby chic kitchen... The Instant Pot Pioneer Woman LUX60 is a 6-quart, 6-in-1 multi-cooker that functions as a programmable pressure cooker, slow cooker, rice cooker, sauté pan, steamer, and warmer.

I got mine at Walmart for 99.00. I have to be honest...the orange color in the flowers had to go...I used my Dremel with a sandpaper attachment and sanded off all the orange..I then used my pink auto paint and  clear sealer to paint over the bare metal areas...Sorry not sorry  Ree Drummond..

BEFORE

AFTER

Let me start off by saying....the USDA, as a result, has not tested the Instant Pot for food safety in pressure-canning. You can, however, do boiling-water(steam) canning.

Ingredients

• 1/3 cup fresh cilantro
• 
  
• 7 cloves Garlic
• 
  
• 1 3/4 cups Green bell pepper
• 
  
• 5 Jalapenos
• 
  
• 1 T. lime juice
• 
  
• 3 cups Onion
• 
  
• 10 cups Tomatoes

12 oz Tomato paste

16 oz Tomato sauce

2 1/2 tsp Black pepper, coarsely ground

2 1/2 tbsp sea salt

1/3 cup Sugar

1 1/4 cups Apple cider vinegar

2 1/2 tsp Cumin, ground

You can chop all these ingredients and combine for a chunky salsa, or pulse a few times in a food processor for a restaurant style salsa.. either way it is DELICIOUS.. 

Jar Preparation

*Sterilize mason jars and new lids in a pot of boiling water for 15 minutes. 

*Drain them on a paper towel and then immediate fill with hot salsa. 

*Wipe off the rims to make sure the lids will seal. 

*Put on the lids and screw them down.

Processing

1. Use the trivet to keep jars off the bottom which could cause breakage.

2. Make sure your Instant Pot is at the vented setting.

3. Make sure you use heated filled jars.

4. Higher altitudes  need to add 10 minutes to the process time.

5. Add a penny to the bottom of your Instant pot so you know there is still water in it, and it is boiling...the penny will rattle.

6. For a 6 quart size pot, I use 4 cups of water, plus a tablespoon of vinegar to keep my jars sparkling.

7. Push your steam setting

8. Once you see steam coming out of your vent set it for 35 minutes.

9. After the 35 minutes is complete press cancel.

10. Open your Instant pot lid so the steam is away from you.

11.Remove your jars and let cool on a towel or rack ...making sure all lids are sealed “pops” and is concave. 

Special Note:

4 pint jars fit perfect in my 6 quart Instant Pot as well as 13 (4 oz. ) jars  or 7 (8 0z) jars.

Please stay tuned for the video...

THE BEST HOMEMADE SPAGHETTI EVER (Red Sauce)

Did you know???
Tomatoes are  high in vitamins – Vitamins A, C, and K, as well as a whole boat load of minerals not to mention  they are high in lycopene, a carotenoid, which increases immune response, prevents heart disease, helps clear free radicals from the blood .. 

It's important to eat them with a good quality oil or animal fat, as the carotenoids are fat-soluble and can only be absorbed and used by the body if there are sufficient sources of fat present.Well...that is a good enough reason for me to add the butter to my recipe, you could also use 1/4 cup olive oil in its place if you choose, I just love the buttery taste and the velvet texture butter gives this sauce...

You can use canned tomatoes for this recipe, I make mine a crockpot  batch at a time as my tomatoes ripen. It is then frozen in quart size plastic containers, or jarred and canned in a hot water bath. It all depends on how full my freezer is at the time...

Add the tomatoes to boiling water for 3 minutes, remove , cool, and core and peel...This is called "Blanching"

 The secret to this sauce is the simmering process.

 slooooooow, baby. 

You let your slow cooker do all the work so you don't have to hover over a stove all day to enjoy this rich velvety pasta sauce.

That’s how all the flavors develop and marry one another in a sweet, luscious concoction.

The alcohol cooks out of the wine, carrots give it sweetness while reducing the acid in the tomatoes, and the butter makes it sooo velvety , I call it my "liquid gold" ingredient!

There is something magical  that happens between the tomato, beef and wine flavors ...trust me , this may take some time, but nothing duplicates the layers of flavors  in this sauce . I experimented for years before finding just the right ingredients.. 

You surely should make this recipe your own...Sometimes I add my meat before I freeze this, and sometimes when I have thawed it out..Same thing with mushrooms and red pepper flakes. I have found over the years to just make it basic, and then I can decide when I make my meal if I want to add chicken, sausage, hamburger, or no meat at all. Besides over pasta ,  stuffed shells,  and lasagna it also makes an awesome sauce for Swiss Steak, Stuffed Peppers, Spanish Rice, etc.  I even use it for a base in my chili, and soups all winter.I honestly cannot remember the last time I bought a jar of sauce from the store.

My hubby cannot do anything spicy, but I love a "kick" so I just add my pepper flakes to my plate before dinner..Make it your own custom for your family.

I peel and core my tomatoes, but leave the seeds. A lot of the tomato's flavor is in the jelly encasing the seeds. it also aids as a thickener The seeds and "juice" in a tomato has been scientifically proven to be the most "tomato"-y tasting bit of the tomato.  ...I have never found them to be bitter in my sauce. It turns out the seed in [the tomato] jelly ... has three times more flavor compounds called glutamates than the flesh, so when you seed the tomato... you're actually throwing out most of the flavor.. Fact is that the claim that tomato seeds are bitter is not supported by science. If a recipe calls to remove the seeds, it's likely for textural reasons--not because they're bitter."

Did you know?? 
 Tomato seeds have been identified as a key component to a long life and healthy alternative to aspirin. The natural gel found in tomato seeds can help maintain a healthy blood circulation by preventing blood from clotting, according to clinical trials.If you choose to remove the seeds for aesthetic reasons, be sure to strain off and use the flavorful gel that surrounds them.
Ingredients

1/3 cup fresh Basil
1 Carrot
2 Bay leaves
8 cloves Garlic
3 Onions, medium
4 sprigs  Oregano
2 sprigs  Parsley
10 lbs Tomatoes
1 sprig  Rosemary 
1/2 bottle red wine
1 stick butter
2 diced sweet peppers
2 T. beef bouillon  

I use fresh herbs when I can, but you sure can use dried...

There no

 “right” way to make this recipe..

 That is why recipes bring such joy .. they can be changed up.

 Throw everything in a large crock pot. Crank it on high for 12 hours to reduce. Give it a stir now and then.
  Then I use my immersion blender to break everything up to a silky sauce.You could leave it chunky, but by hubby does not like chunky tomatoes, so smooth it is for us..Let it cool, package label and freeze. This is good for a year, but mine never make it that long.

This is how mine looks in the beginning before giving it a stir..and after 12 hours below...

Garden Witch

Garden goddess ... is getting a fall makeover for Halloween..If you want to see how I made her go to garden-goddess-trellis

Now on with the makeover...you know I did this on the cheap...total cost 2.50

Here she is before her witch look

I used a thrift store witch hat, a paper towel cardboard insert ,duct tape, and a black garbage bag for stuffing

The paper towel cardboard was added for length for the top of the hat

I wrapped florist wire around so I could form it any way I wanted it to stay...

Her broom is made from stuff I found at the brush pile...