Dollar Tree Trays Become Door Decor

Dollar stores can be a great source for crafting. One of my favorite projects that can be adapted for any holiday uses metal serving trays from Dollar Tree. You can use any shape, just make sure you get the metal trays.

Paint the entire tray gray with acrylic paint. Once it is dry, paint the center of the tray with chalkboard paint. I use some black paint to "age" the gray rim. If you want a more contemporary look, you could skip the gray paint and leave it as is. 

Next, glue leaves or flowers to the bottom portion of the tray. This can be done with tacky glue or a glue gun. Using chalk, write your message on the chalkboard center. You can also use a chalk writer if you want a more permanent message. 

Make a bow using wired ribbon and attach it to the top with glue. Attach a magnetic clip to the back of the tray for a hanger. 

If you want to hang the tray on an outside door, you can spray the tray with acrylic spray after you write a message and before you attach the flowers and bow. You can also sand or prime the tray before painting for more durable outdoor use. I've hung the trays on an exterior door without doing this step, and they've been fine. However, I think the acrylic might be a good idea in the event of inclement weather. The total cost is less than $10 per tray. These could be done just as easily for any other holiday or with any other message. 

I've Joined the Instant Pot Fan Club

My kids and several friends have been touting the Instant Pot pressure cookers to me. I, however, was reticent remember the scary pressure cooker my mom had. It blew lentil soup all over our kitchen, and the green geyser was something that I still haven't forgotten 40 years later. We found lentils for years in the kitchen, and the ceiling required repainting after the steamy explosion.

So you can understand my reticence to revisit the pressure cooker. But after assurances that the new models had plenty of safety features to prevent geysers, I broke down and got one.

Ten-Bean Soup

After thoroughly reading my instructions, I decided to try a bean soup. These always take forever with traditional cooking methods. I got the 10-bean soup from the Denver's Women's Bean Project. This is a great soup and a great non-profit. If you've never heard of them, I encourage you to check out their products and their mission.

Women's Bean Project 10-Bean Soup

I did pre-soak the beans, although that wasn't necessary with the pressure cooker. I like my beans soft, so I took the time to get them ready. I followed the recipe for the soup and the cooking recommendations. The normal 2.5 hour cook time was reduced to 40 minutes. I didn't saute anything, just put it all in the pot. I will say releasing the pressure the first time is a little startling, but the geyser of steam was clean and safe.

Then the end result was delicious, so I decided to try a second dish (maybe the first was a fluke). This time I used the Mealthy App for the iPhone. It has healthy recipes for Instant Pots and other cooking methods. The best part is that it links to your Instacart to purchase everything you need for your recipe. So it makes it almost as convenient as the meal delivery services. I don't have the proprietary Mealthy Instant Pot, but you don't have to use it to take advantage of the app.

Teriyaki Chicken Wings

Next, I tried the Mealthy recipe for teriyaki chicken wings. The person who developed this recipe must have previous Asian cooking experience because the wings were amazing. I think they may be the best teriyaki wings that I've ever tasted. They were fast, easy and actually had sufficient sauce (a common complaint about restaurant or frozen wings). 

Teriyaki Chicken Wings

Chicken Wild Rice Soup

Finally, I followed another Mealthy recipe, sauteeing my vegetables, and then I combined the remaining ingredients. The one-pot potential for Instant Pot recipes is a major selling point. This soup is not a low-fat meal since it has cream cheese and half-and-half in it, but at least the rest of it is good for you. I wound up doubling the cooking time to 10 minutes since the rice seemed a bit al dente for my tastes. The end result was fast and wonderful. I was beginning to appreciate the rave reviews for Instant Pot cooking.

Chicken Wild Rice Soup

I will continue to explore the new pressure cooking. I like the improved technology and the available apps. I certainly enjoy the shortened cooking time, and so far I've been pleased with the end results. 

So, if you are a more seasoned cook and remember the old pressure cookers with their spinning knobs, the new pressure cookers have little similarity. If you haven't tried one, they seem to be worth the investment if you like to cook, but have little time for cooking and cleanup. And so far, I've had no green geysers!

Mardi Gras, Fat Tuesday or Shrove Tuesday?

We never celebrated Mardi Gras as a kid. We called it Shrove Tuesday (one of several names for the Tuesday before Ash Wednesday). My mother always made pancakes to honor the day. Pancakes were initially served to use up the milk, flour and eggs before the fasting time of Lent.

Shrove was originally "shrive," which means to be penitent, and seek forgiveness before Lent's start on Ash Wednesday.

Mardis Gras or "Fat Tuesday" is the same day, but has a much more festive tone. It is the last day to party and celebrates before the somber, fasting, penitent 40-days of Lent.

I was first introduced to Mardi Gras when we were stationed in Shreveport, LA. The "carnival season" runs from Epiphany to Fat Tuesday. The dates vary depending on when Easter is celebrated that year. You've probably seen the parades in New Orleans, but there are Mardi Gras parades across the globe. Beads and plastic coins called doubloons are thrown from floats. There are balls and parties throughout the season. The events are sponsored by krewes, which are organizations that sponsor balls, parade floats and events during the carnival season.

While we are often in areas where Mardi Gras is not celebrated, we keep the tradition alive in our family by enjoying King Cake, a tradition of Mardi Gras. The cake is bread dough (in various flavors and fillings) formed into a circle. The cake is frosted and sugared with the colors of Mardi Gras, purple, green and gold.

The Mardi Gras color tradition is more than 100 years old. They were selected by the Rex Krewe in New Orleans. According to Mardi Gras New Orleans, Rex selected the official Mardi Gras colors in 1872. The 1872 Rex Parade theme Symbolism of Colors gave meaning to the colors. Purple Represents Justice. Green Represents Faith. And Gold Represents Power. 

The cake contains a baby that represents Jesus the King. The person who gets the piece with the baby is supposed to bring the King Cake to the next year's party. So the cake colors and tradition have their roots in Christianity.

Whether you enjoy pancakes, King Cake or just raise a glass, enjoy the celebration, which is rich in symbolism, history and good old fashioned fun.