Monday, October 15, 2012

Halloween Treats in England

Halloween Celebration differ by Culture
 
 
Candy Corn, Witches, Ghost & Goblins....That's all part of Halloween in the U.S.
But did you know that....
Halloween is celebrated in many different countries, on several different days and it's celebrated with different types of foods
 November 1: All Saints' Day in England
In many old English towns, children go "souling" on All Souls' Eve! They go from door to door singing for cakes, and sing:

         Soul! soul! for a soul-cake!
I pray, good misses a soul-cake--
An apple or pear, a plum or a cherry,
Any good thing to make us merry,
One for Peter, two for Paul,
Three for Him who made us all.


Each soul cake eaten represents a soul being freed from Purgatory. In England, the cakes are filled with fruit and flavored with saffron, mixed spices and currants.
Looking for something creative to try THIS Halloween Season? Try this recipe for Soul Cakes
 
 
Soul Cakes
Soul cakes get stale within a day or two, so eat 'em while they're hot.
Makes 12 to 15 2-inch soul cakes

Ingredients:

1 yeast pkg.                 2 cups milk
1/2 cup sugar               6 cups flour
1/4 cup warm water     1 teaspoon salt
1/4 lb. butter                 3 teaspoons cinnamon
Pinch Saffron                Raisins/ Currents to taste

Dissolve the yeast  with 1 teaspoon of sugar in the lukewarm water and let
it stand in a warm place. Cream the butter with the sugar. Add the milk which has been scalded and slightly cooled and then add the yeast. Sift the flour with the salt, cinnamon, saffron and add to the mixture, kneading for a few minutes. Place in a bowl and allow it to rise in a warm place to double its bulk. Shape the dough into round buns and bake at 375 degrees F. for about thirty minutes or until lightly browned. Originally, these cakes were shaped like men and women and were given raisins or currants for eyes.
 

 

Friday, October 12, 2012

Bubblegum Wrappers and Duct Tape

Do you ever wonder what Bubblegum Wrappers and Duck Brand Duct tape have in common?

 
Well, the answer is that you can use them both to make bracelets and other crafts!
 I'm sure by now you have seen the chains made of bubble gum wrappers that are used to make bags, bracelets, chains and more!
 
SHORT bubblegum chain
 
Funny Memory: When I was younger, I remember hoarding all my gum wrappers under my bed to make long chais to go all the way around my room. I even remember standing in line at the Rite Aid digging for extra change to get those last few gum packs because I just HAD to make my chain a few feet longer to beat my friend's chain!
 
It has been harder and harder to find those gum wrappers, so people have been creative by using starburst wrappers and even chip bag wrappers to do the same thing.
 
Figure 1

 In fact, a few weeks ago, my Girl Scout Troop did a craft where we recycled old magazines to make bracelets in the same method.

Once you get the hang of the methodical filding of each wrapper, the rest of the project is a piece of cake!


So, I was sitting here thinking....if we can resort to using chip bags, why not DUCT TAPE!


DIY: Duct Tape Chain Bracelet

Finished Product :)

SUPPLIES:
  • Various Colors of duct tape, we used 6 colors (or one color, if you dislike the rainbow look)
  • sissors or Xacto Knife
  • Cutting surface
  • Ruler
  • Tiny magnets or some velcro
DIRECTIONS:

1. Cut 6 different strips of Duck® tape, one strip of each color - each measuring about 9 inches in length.


2.  Cut each strip in half. Now they measure about 4.5 inches in length. You should have 12 strips

3. Cut each 4.5-inch strip in half lengthwise.  You should have 24 strips

4. Fold each strip in half length-wise, sticky side together. This is the perfect dimmension for the bracelet!

5. Making a link: fold one stip in half & crease. Open the fold. Fold each end towards the middle crease. Fold in half again (FIG.1). Repeat.

6. To join the links, insert the ends of one link in the folds of the other link (FIG. 1).

7. Continue making the links and joining them to the previous link until the bracelet measures the length you need it for your wrist. Make it overlap a bit for the closure by adding ONE more link now.


8. Apply the magnets or velcro to the last and first link to make the closure

Your finished product should resemble the one pictured above.


Hope you enjoyed this DIY project and spend some time reconnecting to a fav childhood pasttime. Ohh, and don't forget to post a pic of the finished project, if you try....or really any other duct tape creation...I would love to see them!

Thanks for stopping by....



Wednesday, October 10, 2012

October Holidays, Not Just Halloween!

Ever consider celebrating holidays OTHER than the ones we hold dear to our hearts? Well, then you should know that October isn't just about Halloween anymore!

October 10th, 2012 is National Cake Decorating Day!

 
 
Here are some things you might want to try today to honor this awesome holiday....

1) Invite some friends over tonight for a cupcake-decorating competition
2) Practice your icing "technique" by making a yummy dessert
3) Try out a new cake recipe or Frosting recipe
4) Create a truly one-of-a-kind dessert recipe that you can share with others! (you can even post it here for us to see)

Even though cake decorating is an art form that requires patience and experience, you can still give it your best try. What could be more fun or yummy than celebrating cake? Let the delicousness begin!

TIP: Let your cake cool completly BEFORE your icing it. Otherwise, you will have a mess on your hands.

Wednesday, October 3, 2012

October Giveaway!

 

***CLOSED: Congrats to our winner, Matt! ***


Welcome to the October giveaway! Each month we want to give away an Etsy treasure to one lucky blog reader.
This month we're giving away a set of buttons made by JessieandJessJessCreations. This button set is inspired by the popular Harry Potter book series. The set includes 5 buttons reading:
' I Solemnly swear that I am up to no good'
'mischief managed'
' I walked through my closet door, and found myself in the room of requirements wishing for the one ring to rule them all'
 'area 51 is the muggles department of mysteries'
and the deathly hallows symbol

This accessory is perfect to display your unique personality because you can pin the buttons to your shirt, shoes, bookbag, purse & more!

If you want to win this button set , all you need to do is  visit JessieandJessJessCreations Etsy Shop, and then come back to the blog and leave a comment telling us what item in our shop is your FAVORITE. If you tweet, Facebook, blog or post on any other social media about the giveaway, you can leave additional comments saying you have done so. Every comment on this blog entry counts as one entry into the drawing.

So Hurry over to Jessie and JessJess Creations Etsy Shop and choose your FAVORITES!

Good Luck :)

The Rules
- Anyone can enter, from anywhere in the world
- Every comment on this blog entry counts as ONE entry into the drawing. However, any comment which is not an entry as described above will be removed.
- The giveaway ends at noon EST on Monday October 15th.
- One winner will be picked using a random number generator and announced byTuesday October 16th.
- Please make sure that we can contact you in some way from your comment.
- The prize is the "Harry Potter Button Set" made by JessieandJessJessCreations shown in the photo above, it will be shipped to the winner by USPS