A Very Vintage Halloween

Halloween Shakers

In my hunts for vintage Halloween items, I came cross some shakers.  They were vintage and had a $40 price tag! As I really looked at them I realized that they would actually be really easy to make. First I started with some circle paper boxes and cut a hole in the center of one of the sides. I stuck a dowel rod into it and tacky glued it at both sides inside. I let it dry overnight.

Then I poured about ¼ cup of dried beans inside and glue the lid on it. Now it was time to get creative!  I would consider myself to have an average crafter skill level for painting.  My secret to painting is to take a picture that you already like and really look at it as you paint each section.  If you do it free style it may not turn out very good.  Having a reference picture really helps.  Also if possible, paint the lighter areas first.  It’s hard to paint white over black, etc. For some of them I even used a sharpie to get the fine details. I decided to paint both sides with different pictures. Don’t forget to paint the dowel rods!

Once dry, I glued ribbons or trims along the center to both embellish and also cover up the section between the lid and the box.  Let it dry and shake away!

Ahhh Nuts!

Back in the early 1900’s nuts were perceived to provide guidance on matters of the heart. They were abundant at harvest time and very popular. People would often chant and circle a walnut tree at midnight. Their future mates were to gather the nuts and share them. 

Roasting nuts like walnuts or chestnuts over an open fire would also share your fate. Nuts that brightly burned in the flames signified prosperity and passionate love. While dark smoldered nuts signified misfortune, solitude and poverty.  For possible lovers, they would roast 2 nuts together.  If they roasted nice and slow, it symbolized lasting love and faithfulness.  If one of the nuts exploded or popped, the couple was destined to have an unsuccessful relationship. 

Crepe Paper Nut Cups

These are perfect for any nuts or candies and make great place setting and party favor. I purchased these nut cups at Blumchen.com and then decorated them with various stickers, scraps, and Dresden trims.  You can also make the paper cup yourself by finely folding crepe paper around a small Dixie or nut cup.  Blumchen.com and Vintagehalloween.com have a variety of stickers and scraps to decorate your nut cups. These are also cute for other holidays especially for Easter and as baby or bridal shower favors.

Bogie Books

 A few years ago I really got into researching how holidays were celebrated in the early 1900’s.  They had some crafty ideas back then and it’s also been fun to read up on all the traditions and theories on various fortune telling’s.  I discovered the line of Dennison Halloween Bogie Books and just had to have some of them. The Dennison Company was a paper party supply company.  They put out these books to market their products and gave instructions for all of your Halloween party needs.  There are directions for decorations, tableware, games, and crepe paper costumes. Now all I had to do was get my hands on one of these rare finds.  You can go on eBay or perhaps an antique store, but a Bogie Book may be quite expensive and tattered.  I found a company who sells reprints of the books at Bramcostpublications.com. They sell about 15 different Bogie books as well as other vintage holiday, sewing, and crafting reprints. On their site they have examples of the book’s content so you can see what you’re buying.

 

 

Beistle Halloween Americana

Vintage Halloween decorations are a hard find.  Besides Dennison paper goods, a company called Beistle has been making decorations for years.  The Beistle Company was founded in 1900 out of Pennsylvania. They originally specialized in honeycomb paper decorations and quickly expanded into a successful party goods company. This Halloween I discovered that Beistle has some reproductions of their vintage products at a very affordable price.  I found them at both Blumchen.com and Vintagehalloween.com.  There are a large variety of die cuts for hanging, masks, stickers, games, and even window clings.  I was in heaven, so as you can see, I had to buy a bunch of them up!

 

 

 

 

I wish a Happy Halloween to all of you Housewives & Househusbands out there!

Krazy for Kale

Many people know kale as a leafy garnish used in buffets and grocery displays, but it actually can be quite tasty.  This leafy green is high in carotene, calcium, and several vitamins. 

Kale is great in salads, stirfrys, soups, and stuffings.  It’s a great substitution to pretty much any recipe where you would use spinach.  On it’s own it can be tough and a little bitter in taste.  I recommend cooking it to soften it up or adding an acidic dressing which will break it down and start “cooking” it on it’s own.

Above is a soup that I made using assorted root vegetbles and veggie broth.  I added rough chopped kale in during the last 10 minutes of cooking.

Sesame Ginger Kale

Serves 4-6

2 Bunches of Kale
1 Small Piece of Fresh Ginger (about 1 ½ T)
2T Sesame Oil
1T Braggs Liquid Aminos (or Soy Sauce, Shoyu, etc)
1t Siracha Hot Sauce
1T Sesame Seeds

Prepare kale by washing and pulling the stems off.  Break or cut it into large pieces.

Heat a saute pan and add all the ingredients except the sesame seeds.  Cook until all of the greens are dark green.  Sprinkle with sesame seeds and serve.

Kale and Fruit Smoothie

Makes 1 large smoothie

1 Banana
2 leaves of kale, stems removed and ripped into pieces
½ C Frozen Cherries
½ C Frozen Peaches
½ C Frozen Blackberries
1 C Unsweetened Almond Milk

Blend it all up in the blender and serve! 

*I like to drink this along with a piece of multigrain toast with peanut butter

*use any fruits that you like as long as a few of them are frozen.  Also any type of milk or juice works well.

Chopped Kale Salad

So….this isn’t so much a recipe as a suggestion of something healthy to throw together.  Kale needs to either be cooked or be dressed with an acid.  Vinegars and citrus juices are acids that can break down or “cook” the greens to make them easier to eat.

This particular salad is chopped kale, spinach, mango, raspberries, green onion, chopped fennel, chopped cilantro, almonds with fresh lime juice.

You can use any fruits, vegetables, and herbs that you like.  Nuts and seeds add some protein and make it heartier.  Any dressing will work well but I prefer not to have the oil.

 Bunny Time!

 And of course Bunnies Love Kale!  This is my bunny and I can’t resist showing her to you eating her favorite vegetable.

Salty Sweet Fatty Yumminess AKA Housewife's New Bacon Recipes

Sorry vegetarians…..but bacon is the most amazing ingredient ever known to man!  I’m a foodie and love talking to people all of the time about different recipes. Based on my food conversations, there’s nothing more eye widening and mouthwatering than a conversation about a recipe using bacon.  Given my love for bacon, I decided to concoct some new recipes that take this salty fatty goodness and sweeten it, bringing it to a whole new yummy level.  

 *Also look for my previous posts for bacon carmel corn and a chocolate truffle recipe made with bacon

Bacon Date Biscuits

Makes 15-20

2 C Flour

2 t Baking Powder

½ t Baking Soda

6 T Unsalted Butter, Softened

6 T Cheddar or Swiss Cheese

8 Oz Bacon

1 ½ C Heavy Whipping Cream

12 Dates, Chopped

1 Pinch Cracked Black Pepper

Approx. 2 T Maple Syrup for Drizzling

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Mix the flour, powder, and soda in a bowl. Mix the remaining ingredients (except the maple syrup) in a bowl with your hands and lightly knead it together until well mixed.  Scoop out onto a cookie sheet in approximately 2 T sized scoops.  Lightly drizzle with maple syrup. Bake for 15-20 minutes and serve.

Bacon Banoffee Bread

Makes 2 large loaves

4 Eggs

1 ½ Sticks Butter, Softened

2/3 C Milk

2 t Lemon Juice

2 C Sugar
2 t Baking Soda
4 C Flour
5 Bananas
1 C Cooked Bacon
1 C Heath Toffee Crumbles

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Mix eggs, butter, milk, and lemon juice with a mixer in a large bowl.  Add the sugar, baking soda and flour.  Then mix in the remaining ingredients.

Pour into grease loaf pans and bake for 50 minutes- 1 hour or until a toothpick comes out clean.   

Maple Bacon Pecan Cookies

Makes about 3 dozen

2 ½ C Flour

1 C Total of Butter and Leftover Bacon Grease
¼ C Sugar
2/3 C Maple Syrup
8 Oz Raw Bacon
1 C Chopped Pecans
Pinch of Black Pepper
Pinch of Cinnamon

Cook the bacon. Set it aside and refrigerate the leftover grease in a measuring cup.  Rough chop it finely.

Preheat the oven at 325 degrees.

In a large bowl mix the flour, butter and bacon grease, sugar, 1/3 cup of maple syrup. Add bacon, ¾ cup pecans, pepper and cinnamon.

Unwrap the dough and slice into ¼ inch slices.  Bake on a cookie sheet for 12-15 minutes. Sprinkle a few pieces of pecans on top of each cookie and lightly press down.  Brush or drizzle with remaining maple syrup while cooling.

Candied Bacon

1 Pound of Raw Thick Cut Bacon

4-6 Oz Maple Syrup
1 ¼ C Brown Sugar
1 T Vanilla Paste or Extract
Cracked Pepper

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. 

Line a sheet pan with foil.  Place a cooling/cookie rack onto the sheet pan. Lay out the bacon into single layers and drizzle it evenly with maple syrup.  Crumble brown sugar on top.  Drizzle with vanilla and lightly sprinkle with black pepper.

Bake for about 25-30 minutes or until crispy.  Let it get brown and candied but not burnt.