Excalibur Dehydrated Peach Fruit Leather

Making fruit leather with your Excalibur dehydrator is a great way to make a healthy and yummy grab and go snacks. No additives or preservatives needed; just fresh peaches.

I like to make mine in single serving size packets. It's super easy

Just three simple steps:

1.  Purée peaches

2.  Spread out on a dehydrator sheet

3.  Dehydrate over night 

Each rollup packet is the equivalent of 1 1/2 peaches.

How to make Watermelon Infused Vodka

While I was dehydrating apples and grapes; my daughter, Sasha, was in the kitchen making a batch of summer fresh watermelon infused vodka. Her summertime cocktail recipe is fast, easy, and will impress all your friends!

You can use clean mason jars, or in Sasha's case, recycled salsa jars. Sasha eats lots of salsa, so she saves the jars for kitchen projects just like this one.

Here's how it's done:

1.  Cut your watermelon in neat cubes and fill the jars to the top

2.  Now, fill the remainder of the jar with vodka
 
Sasha typically uses Skyy Vodka when she makes infused vodkas.

                

  
3.  Finally, sugar must be added to the mix. In the larger mason jars, she adds 3 teaspoons.
     Lesser amounts of sugar is needed for smaller jars. In this case, she added one
     teaspoon of sugar in the salsa jars.
   
     More sugar can always be added, to taste, to the final product.

4.  After sugar is added, turn upside down to mix the sugar and liquid.

5.  Place on a shelf for 2 - 3 days, making sure to shake daily.

6.  Before serving, strain over a cheese cloth to catch any seeds or melon pieces.

You just made Watermelon Infused Vodka, enjoy!

How To Make and Can Organic Tomato Soup

Can tomato soup for pennies a jar.

Want a secret source for super inexpensive fruits and veggies?? Check out the discount veggie racks at Market Basket in Hudson, NH.

Just take a look at this bargain. I got a 9 pack of ORGANIC tomatoes for only 49 cents a pound. My total cost was only $5.84. That's an incredible saving for 12 lbs of the most expensive tomatoes in the world!

I'm going to use every bit skin and all to make Organic Tomato Soup this is so much better than canned soup and you won't believe how easy it is.

Here's my easy tasty recipe for Organic Tomato Soup:
  
1.  Wash and remove any stickers  
2.  Place tomotoes; seeds, skin and all in blender or food processor until liquified 

3.  Pour into large pot on stove; heat - low to medium. Soup is frothy at this stage but not to

     worry, it will darken to a deep rich red in a few hours

4.  Add sea salt to taste. 

Congrats, you are finished.

I made two big pots of tomato soup with this sales bargain.

I'll serve some now and can the rest and have it on the shelf ready to eat when I want a healthy, low cal, no carb meal.

Yummy!

Skys the limit. Painting a sky-ceiling day

What a great day! Periwinkle Painters

Nancy, Sasha and me had a great job this week. We have been painting for over 10 years and we still enjoy every job. Today we are painting a young girls room. 

Complete with a beautiful blue sky ceiling, sunny yellow walls and a pretty pink closet.

So much fun to paint. We love how it looks and so did our home owner Chris and her family.

Kate and Sasha Bangs plus Nancy Parkinson www.periwinklepainters.com

Nancy cutting in the sunny yellow wall color. The sky was painted yesterday and dried over night. 

So pretty it makes me want to sing! Lol

Pretty pink closet. Lots of room!

Before the yellow walls were painted

Sky ceiling really opens up the space 

The work day is done.. Now it's time for Sasha to repaint her nails.

Art Cards Editions and Originals A.C.E.O. and ATC..... What is it?

 

Vibrant Colors Angel Card with Jewels

 ACEO stands for Art Cards, Editions and Originals

ACEOs are miniature pieces of art that measure 2-1/2" x 3-1/2". If a small piece of art has different measurements than this, it does not qualify as an ACEO.

 They can be original art, printed editions or photographs.

Most ACEOs are two dimensional, but three dimensional elements may also be incorporated. Paintings, Drawings, Collages, Pop-Ups, books, and sculpture can all be ACEOs as long as they measure 2-1/2" x 3-1/2"!

ACEO History

ACEOs started off of Artist Trading Cards (ATCs), developed by the artist M.Vänçi Stirnemann. He based the size of ATCs on sports trading cards. 

 ATCs can only be traded or given away. Their purpose is to share art and to encourage creative exchange between artists.

Like ATCs, ACEOs may be made with any media, material, or method as long as they measure 2-1/2" x 3-1/2".

Vintage Jeweled Paris Collage Cards

Original Colored Markers Done freehand

 Pretty Pink Purses Card

Lilac essential oil infusion recipe

I just picked some fresh lilacs from my back yard.

Here is a quick essential oil recipe I'm using today. 

1.   Place lilac flowers in jar  

2.   Cover with Grape Seed Oil 

3.   Let oil and flowers sit on window sill for a few days

Congrats, you've created an easy and lovely smelling infused lilac oil

 

Upholstering Day

Getting the house ready for some welcome guests.

Me and Patti have had 3 days of girlfriend fun. Including upholstery!

Dr. Patti also known as Patti Paint says I really needed a home makeover.

On projects like this, she's the boss and always gets the job done. Just ask her sister Dee. 

How do I say thank you. Lots of hugs, dried apples and Bistro soups.

She's a good girl. I think I'll keep her.

   

Oh yes, she also picked the paint color

Xoxo

Dehydrating Apple Day in Kate Bangs' Kitchen

Its Dehydrating Apple Day. I say day because it takes a full day to make these delectable fruit slices that last and last. Once the water is removed from the fruit, they will keep for months, and if stored correctly, they will last for years. Perfect for food storage enthusiasts, homesteaders and preppers.

Fresh dehydrated apples need no preservatives or additives and make an excellent snack for children or adults watching their weight. I like something sweet after dinner and I enjoy them with a cup of tea in the evening.

I always have a big jar of dehydrated fruits on my shelf.

Thanks for visiting my blog. That's me with a big box of fresh apples

Peeled, cored and ready to dry

My Excalibur dehydrator is perfect for maintaining the vitamins, minerals and enzymes in

my apples. Great for healthy raw food lovers.

Apples labeled, packed and ready to mail

Dried apple slices with a strawberry petal 

Single serving snack size bags. Each bag holds 1 to 1 1/2 apples. 

Sparkling Rhinestone Recycled Flour Jar

Make a Sparkling Green Kitchen Project

Thanks for visiting my blog today

Re-use, re-claim and sparkle! I love to reclaim my bottles and jars. I find so many ways to use them. One of my favorite ways is to turn them into beautiful vintage inspired kitchen canisters. I made this one out of a reclaimed spaghetti jar, a re-purposed stretchy rhinestone bracelet and a simple label that I made on my computer.

Here is how I made it:

• Clean your jar

• Prime and paint top lid in color of your choice. I picked a creamy white

• Print out your label sheet using sticker papers

• Cut out just the word Flour in an oval shape and cover with contact paper. Leave a little extra contact paper around the edges so you will make a tight seal on your jar.

• Remove paper backing and apply to jar

• Glue your rhinestone bracelet around your label using Glass and Gem Glue. I found my glue at a craft store.

• Let dry over night

• Now your reclaimed jar has a classic, vintage, chic, glamour, gourmet and girly look and feel  

• Add flour of your choice and enjoy!

Right click on image and save to your computer