2-ingredient cake

Well school starts soon and everyone needs that quick desert with no complications and we have one for you. I love pumpkin pie, pumpkin bread, pumpkin cookies, you get the idea. My sister saw a recipe for using cake mix,  canned pumpkin and spices. She decided that why not use the ready mix pumpkin pie mix that has everything with a white cake mix and you cannot beat two ingredients.

Follow directions for style of cake in this case we have been doing a lot of Bundt cakes for some reason. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream, dust with powdered sugar or you can spoon warmed up vanilla icing over the top.

As you can see we had some icing on hand. It is moist, not too sweet, a little dense and I think it is one of those that the flavor is better the next day. I would like to try this with either a pineapple or orange cake mix.

Dressing a plus size patient

Our sister is physically disabled and at this time cannot get out of bed, as she weighs over 300 lbs. you can imagine how hard it is to get her dressed. For a time we used hospital gowns but they are boring, ugly, and too short and do nothing for morale. This is especially true during special events like birthdays, holidays or anytime the family gathers round.

Around one holiday I decided to make something to wear. The way I saw it why did it have to go around her? She was not getting out of bed so why try to force her into something traditional. Therefore, I grabbed a pattern and modified to make a basic empire waist short sleeve dress. However, I did not close the back up. Instead once her arms were through then the sides were tucked in. there was a tape at the neck line to tie shut if needed and the skirt went down to her feet. She was completely covered and looked completely dressed.

This one is in her favorite lepord print but I did not preshrink the material and it shrunk badly. My bad :(

Then I took some of her older clothes including her favorite t-shirt cut them up the back, attached the skirt and made her several outfits. I think they look good on her and she feels more normal.

Skirt to Blouse

My sister and I have really gotten into the blogs for DIY. I have always had to alter clothes we buy due to our size and my height but never did major overhauls until we caught the re-fashion bug. The blog we saw first was Refashionista (http://refashionista.net/) and her 365 changes. Now we have a few of our own to share.

My sister brought several skirts when they were on sale but was not happy with the fit we decided to try to make some blouses instead.

First I trimmed the elastic then placed the skirt upside down on my sister. She wanted a draped front so I pulled the front in until I got the proper fit. You will noticed I used binder clips instead of pins this is easier for quick fittings and less danger of poking an eye out when you are trying to take it off. I wanted the seams in front to look straight as they would look more natural. The arms are loose and drapey.

The hem of the skirt acts as a natural hem for the neck and sleeve although I did turn the back of the neck under once to make the seam look straight along the shoulder. I serged the bottom and hemmed it ½”. I think it came out real well.

Seasoned Fajitas are not just for tacos

Seasoned Fajita meat can be a great budget stretcher and much more versatile then just using in a taco. As it is already seasoned, a lot of work is done for you. Some examples of what you can are as follows

·         Super Nachos a great family pleaser and wonderful for the those busy nights or when you are looking for something not too heavy on a hot day.

o   1 package of seasoned Beef or Chicken Fajita meat cooked at 350 for 40 – 50 minutes then chopped roughly

o   1 large bag of nacho chips

o   2 cans of Nacho Cheese Sauce (looks better then shredded cheese but you can use it if you prefer.)

o   1 large can of refried beans heated and thinned with a little water for a smoother consistency and it looks better on the nachos

o   Assorted condiments such as lettuce, tomatoes, onions, guacamole, and sour cream; in fact without the last two condiments this is a very money saving meal

o   I forgot to take a picture so found this one on the web fairly close to what it looked like.

·         Chalupas are the same thing only using pre-made chalupa shells

·         Fettuccine Alfredo Fajita – past is always a great meal stretcher and the Alfredo sauce balances the spices in the fajita nicely. This recipe fed 8 people

o   1 package of Chicken Fajitas baked and sliced ½ inch thick

o   2 bottles of Alfredo sauce heated then add fajita meat, simmer lightly for 10 minutes

o   1 large package of fettuccine noodles cooked to al dente if it is too soft it will not hold the sauce well (can be served over hot biscuits or white rice)

o   Serve with garlic toast

o  

·         Chicken Fajita Tenders - someone gave us a lot of bags of plain cornflakes and lets face it unless it is covered in sugar kids are not interested in boring cornflakes so now what. well we had some seasoned chicken fajitas and decided what about chicken tenders. No need to season anything so simple and the kids loved them.

o   1 package of Chicken Fajitas sliced thick

o   3 eggs beaten

o   1 package of corn flakes crushed

o   Dip chicken in eggs then corn flakes being careful to press firmly to ensure even coverage. There is no need to season the corn flakes as the chicken has enough spices

o   Lay in baking dish coated with non stick spray

o   Bake at 350 for 50 – 60 minutes until runs clear

o    you can make gravy if you wish but ranch dressing works really well

Our Mothers Turn

Everyone talks about the circle of life but I think the best example of this is when the child becomes the caretaker. My mother is in the early stages of dementia. She still recognizes us and can function but needs a lot of care. In addition to tips about sewing, cooking, decorating, children, etc... there will be hints on how to deal with an elderly parent. The best decision I ever made was to move my household of our mother, our handicapped sister, my niece and myself in with my sister and her family. She believes and I agree with her that it is good for the children see the realities of taking care of my mom and sister and that family is important. My father was retired Army and always believed that family came first, then friends, then everyone else.

One thing that we have learned with our mother is to keep her hands occupied. Last Christmas I bought one of those block puzzles. It keeps her occupied even though she has managed to lose a couple of the pieces. The colors need to be bright although I took off the original packaging so she would not realize it was a child's game.