I wanted to take a moment to wish all of my readers a happy Easter!! I have also added a few recipes to the database for Easter and will try to add a few more tomorrow if I can I will add them to this post if I do, so you can find all of the Easter recipes in one place.
The first recipe is near and dear to my heart, because it is different the typical Candied Sweet Potatoes Recipe you would normally have at the holidays, and it is one I have been eating all of my life and cooking for the past 30 years.
No Old Fashioned Easter is complete without Hot Cross Buns or Colored Eggs and since we are all about doing things naturally here, I have added some gentler and less expensive ways to color your eggs, I hope you enjoy and have a blessed Easter!
Forget to get an egg coloring kit this year? here are a few ideas that you can use to make your own colored eggsfrom things you have at home.
This year instead of using a coloring kit from the grocery store, why not use some natural dyes. Here are some ideas. Usually, the more of the natural ingredient you use and the longer the egg soaks (maybe even overnight) the darker the color will be.
Natural Egg Food Coloring
REMEMBER: Not all of these eggs will be safe to eat. Do not eat eggs that sit in hot water for many hours or overnight. Save those for decorations.
Red
Save the skins from red onions and boil with the eggs
for 1/2 to 1 hour. Remember the more skins you use and the
longer you soak the darker the color will be. A smaller amount
of skins will produce a nice lavender.
Pink
Soak your hardboiled eggs in cranberry juice or the juice
from pickled beets.
Violet Blue
Soak your hardboiled eggs overnight in hot water to which
you have added violet blossoms.
Lavender
Soak your hardboiled eggs in grape juice, or, add 2 teaspoons
of lemon juice to the Violet Blue water to lighten the color.
Yellow
To a cup of hot water, add 1 to 1 1/2 teaspoons of tumeric
and 1/2 teaspoon vinegar.
Golden Tan
Save the skins from yellow onions. Add them to the water when
you hardboil your eggs.
Brown
To a cup of hot water, add 1 Tablespoon of instant coffee, and
1/2 teaspoon vinegar.
Green
Add 1/4 teaspoon of baking soda to a bowl of the water from
Violet Blue before soaking your eggs. You can also soak your eggs
in liquid chlorophyll. (Buy it at the pet store or drug store.)
PrettyPastels
You can rub blueberries and cranberries right on the shells for
soft blues and pink. Blend them for another pretty result.
You can also use Household items to Make these beautiful Colored Eggs
Oil and Food Coloring Marbled Eggs
Print
Ingredients
Eggs (hard boiled)
Food coloring
Vinegar
Cooking oil
Containers for the dye mixture (mugs will work)
Paper towels
A few spoons
Instructions
In each container combine one tablespoon of each of the following: oil, vinegar, and your choice of food coloring.
Add enough water to make the liquid deep enough to cover an egg.
Swirl the liquid with a spoon, and quickly lower and raise an egg into it.
Pat dry with a paper towel, and repeat with a second color.
Swirl into a third color, if desired. Some white areas can be left on the egg.
Gently pat dry the completed egg, leaving a bit of the oil to give the egg a varnished look.
Homemade Christmas decorations are some of the most unique. They are also a lot of fun because you can enjoy them with your family. Below are 4 fun and easy to make homemade Christmas decorations:
Popcorn Stringing
If you like strung popcorn, it’s really simple to make. Start with a big bowl of popcorn (unbuttered, of course) and string it piece by piece using a standard sewing needle and thread. Make sure there’s plenty of popcorn because, if you’re stringing it for garland, you’re going to need a lot.
Cranberry Stringing
Much like the popcorn stringing method, many people used to string cranberries using a standard needle and thread. Again, make sure there’s plenty to go around if you’re going to use it as garland. Most importantly, and I know it’s tempting, don’t eat all the decorations. Save some for the Christmas tree.
Paper Chains
One of the greatest memories of decorating for Christmas, as a child, has to be the traditional paper chains. Using green and red construction paper, cut horizontal strips of each color. Fold them into a circle and seal with tape. Scotch tape is recommended and, if you use this when your child is young, the smell will always remind them of Christmas. It will likely become “Christmas tape” to them. Once you have a complete circle, take another strip in an alternating color and run it through the first circle. Next, fold it around and seal with tape. Complete this step until you have a big strand of paper garland in red and green. You and your child will enjoy doing this together and it will create wonderful memories for you both.
Lighted Wreath
If you love the look of a lighted wreath, but don’t quite have a budget for one of the more expensive ones, consider another option. You can purchase a plain green wreath very inexpensively. A small strand of lights can cost anywhere from $1.00 to $3.00. But, put them together and you have the look of a professionally lighted Christmas wreath. For this project, you could use either clear or multi-colored Christmas lights. Simply take the plain green wreath and wrap the lights around in a design similar to the stripes on a candy cane. Once you’ve gone all the way around, tuck the last light into the green of the wreath. Make sure that you place it near an electric outlet because there won’t be a lot of extra cord. Now that you’re ready, plug it in and see your very own design. A red bow is a nice touch, but not necessary. As people drive by, they will see a beautifully lit wreath in your window and they will have no idea that you saved a few bucks by wrapping the lights yourself.
Tis the season when lots of people drag a real tree into their house and decorate it. Some people buy live trees that are balled in burlap instead of a cut tree. A live tree is a great idea, but many people make serious mistakes when it comes to handling a live tree, and they end up losing their money. The information in this article also pertains to any live tree you are planting, be it now during the winter, or during the summer.
1. Before you even take the tree in the house, dig a hole for the tree where you expect to plant it after the holidays. Put the soil in a wheelbarrow and park it in the garage. You’ll need loose soil to backfill the hole, and the ground might be frozen after the holidays.
2. Keep your live tree in the house for as short a time as is possible.
3. Keep the ball plenty moist while in the house, but not in a tub full of water. You don’t want the ball to dry out completely, but by the same token it shouldn’t be soggy all the time either. Just moist. You can wet it thoroughly, but then don’t water again until the water is almost gone.
4. After Christmas move the tree outdoors as soon as possible and plant it immediately. If you were not able to dig the hole earlier, the ground is frozen, and the tree cannot be planted, leave it outside and pack bags of leaves or bales of straw around the ball. Find a way to heel it in in such a way that the amount of sun and wind the root ball receives is minimal.
5. Try and plant the tree immediately if you can. You do not want to store the tree on top of the ground during the winter if you can avoid it. Putting it in your garage is not a good idea either, it is likely to dry out in there. The absolute best place for the ball is in the ground, even if the ground has frozen after you dug the hole. Just set the tree in the hole and backfill with loose soil. Make sure there are no air pockets around the ball. Backfill only with small particles of soil. If this cannot be done because the soil is frozen, just set the tree in the hole and backfill as soon as the weather permits.
6. Check the ball for nylon string. Cut and remove any nylon string. Sometimes the diggers wrap the string around the stem of the tree. If the string is a cotton type, like sisal twine, you can leave it on the ball but remove it from the stem. If the burlap is nylon it should be cut in many places or removed. If the ball is wrapped with a wire basket I recommend leaving it on. It will help to secure the tree and keep it from rocking back and forth with the wind. The roots will find their way through the wire and the burlap. Just cut the burlap where you can.
7. Do not plant the tree too deep. This is the number one reason for plants that do not survive. They should not be planted any deeper than they were in the nursery. The top of the ball should be one to two inches above the ground level. If you have heavy, wet, clay soil, you should plant it even higher and build a bed up around the ball. When you plant them too deep the plants literally suffocate.
8. Do not fertilize the tree at the time of planting. You can fertilize it in the spring, but only with an organic fertilizer. If you have compost available, mix some in while planting. Fertilizer can do more harm than it can good. I always recommend organic fertilizers. It’s hard to make a mistake with organics. It’s always a good idea to stake trees when you plant them. If the wind is constantly rocking them back and forth they will have a difficult time establishing new roots in their new home.
Keeping in mind what thanksgiving is about, expensive and elaborate decorations seem all wrong, Thanksgiving is about a lot of different things but no less is it about remembering our roots and the ancestors that braved adversity to found our country.
To me decorating for thanksgiving should be about getting back to those roots and creating a rustic and homey atmosphere that personifies all the things that we celebrate this holiday for. I have included a few ideas of how you can start your own Thanksgiving decorations, where to look for inspiration and finally several links to get your creative juices going. Happy Thanksgiving and have fun crafting.
The first place you should start is by taking a walk around your homestead both inside and outside, look for inspiration in the little things, the leaves on the ground, the branches of the trees, wood in the wood pile and bales of straw. Search for corn stalks, pine cones, acorns and any other bits and pieces of nature that you think might make great decorations.
Take a child with you if you can, sometimes their imaginations are much more vivid and free than our own and they can often see a masterpiece where we see only a pile of junk.
Simple Ideas for Quick and Easy Thanksgiving Decorations
Create places mats from fall colored fabric scraps by piecing them together and making quilted place mats. This is an easy project that can be finished in an afternoon and will create beautiful place mats you can use year after year.
Fill a cornucopia with leaves, fall flowers, gourds, mini pumpkins and more. Hint: I have included a link on how to make a homemade cornucopia below.
Use leaves, ribbons, and crepe paper to make streamers that you can hang from the ceiling. Better yet give this project to your child and watch their imagine take hold and go wild.
Finally check out all the links below for great ideas to make wonderful homemade thanksgiving decorations.
Make your own cornucopia with this simple recipe then fill it full of things you find around your homestead or things you grew yourself. Easy to make and fun for anyone from child to adult. http://blog.jugglingfrogs.com/2007/11/bread-cornucopia.html
A bit of simple elegance is never out of place at the Thanksgiving table, this site offers a few different down to home ideas but my favorite is pressing leaves and using them as a place card for guests by using a paint pen to write their names on the leaves. http://www.brighthub.com/money/personal-finance/articles/51145.aspx
This link has a lovely idea for making a Thanksgiving centerpiece, the great thing about this idea is that you can use it as a base and create your own centerpiece by adding your own things from around the home and homestead. Have fun with this one! http://www.essortment.com/home/homedecorideas_sjcc.htm
This Video shows out to create colorful Turkeys from pine cones.
Making things using Scraps around your Home
The best Thanksgiving decorations are those that are made from using items around your home that are not being used for anything else. So get ready to sift through the junk drawers and boxes to find bits and pieces for making your best decorations ever.
This Pilgrim Hat Flower Centerpiece is a great example of what you can do with the old odds and ends around your homestead, take a flower pot you are not using, add some scrap material and cardboard box add a few odds and ends and you have a lovely centerpiece you can be proud of.
This website will get your Creative juices flowing and help you find uses for old household items in your quest for decorating for Thanksgiving. From what to do with old kitchen items and clothing to where to find inspiration this site offers a new look at what Thanksgiving decorations should embody. http://www.thanksgivingfun.net/thanksgiving_decorations_using_household_items-41975.php
Making things using your homesteading skills
If you live an old fashioned life chances are good that you have a few skills, whether you sew, quilt, crochet, or knit there are plenty of fun things that you can do to add warm and wonderful Thanksgiving decorations to your festivities.
This directory of crochet patterns has a wonderful and fun selection of thanksgiving crochet patterns. You could use some of the little acorn accents and pumpkins in your cornucopia, or you can make your own cornucopia with fruits and vegetables. http://www.crochetpatterncentral.com/directory/thanksgiving.php
Kids love to be a part of the holidays and Thanksgiving is no exception so no list of Thanksgiving decorations to make would be complete without a few things for the little ones to do. This selection allows your child to proudly display his masterpieces for everyone to see on thanksgiving day and lets them be an integral part of decorating for the big day.
With so many different ways to celebrate your Thanksgiving without having to spend a dime and getting the warm homey feel that Thanksgiving is supposed to have you and your family can spend a day over the weekend making wonderful handmade decorations for your table. Don’t let the expense, glitz, and commercialism of the holidays get you down, have fun with this fun ideas from all over the web or come up with a few of your own.
If you’re like me, you love to add special touches to your holiday tables and you want to do something different every year. That could get expensive if not for dollar store shopping and a touch of imagination.
Here’s a Thanksgiving table that recycles items already on hand to create a one-of-a-kind dining experience for your guests.
You can create a pair of hurricane lamps by combining hurricane vases and candlesticks. I used a pair of faux oak leaves from a stem of decorative leaves between the vase and the candlestick as accents and add orange pillar candles from a dollar store.
Use a strong glue to make these permanent or, as I prefer, simply sit the vases on top of the candlesticks so that each piece can be reused in a different way next time.
I wanted to take a moment to wish all of my readers a happy Easter!! I have also added a few recipes to the database for Easter and will try to add a few more tomorrow if I can I will add them to this post if I do, so you can find all of the Easter recipes in one place.
