Reuse Wrapping Paper

Ok it may be to late for this post because you probably have already gotten rid of your excess wrapping paper but hey Birthdays happen all year long. So here is a list for ways to reuse that wrapping paper instead of throwing it out.

Cover a shoebox or clean tin can to create beautiful storage containers.

Use in school projects or for paper mache.

Reuse to cover smaller gift boxes.

Rip to shreds and use as packing filler.

Make colorful backgrounds on scrap booking pages.

Use for creative mats for framed objects.

Let your daughter create paper doll clothes from scraps.

Sorry I Forgot to Post my Pumpkin Recipe

It's been a little nuts around here with all the Christmas stuff and working more hours. I forgot to share my tasty recipes with you. Well I hope you froze some of that pumpkin you made (or at least have a can or two lying around after Thanksgiving and Christmas. Here are a few of my favorites.

Easy Pumpkin Loaf

Preheat Oven to 350.

1 C Sugar
1 C Cooked Pumpkin
1/4 C Salad Oil
3 egg Whites
2 TBS Skim Milk
2 C Sifted Flour
1tsp Baking Soda
1 tsp Baking Powder
1/2 tsp Salt
1/2 tsp Cinnamon
1/2 tsp Cardamon
1/4 tsp Nutmeg
1/2 C chopped Walnuts (optional)

Combine sugar, pumpkin, oil, eggs and milk. Mix flour baking soda, baking powder, salt and spices then add to sugar mixture. Blend well and add nuts. Pour into a greased and floured 9x5x3 inch loaf pan and bake for 1 hour.

Pumpkin Casserole

Preheat oven to 350

3 c Cooked Pumpkin
1/3 c Butter
1/4 c Light Cream
2 TBLS Brown Sugar
1/2 tsp Salt
1/4 tsp Pepper
1/4 tsp Cinnamon
1/4 tsp Nutmeg

Mix ingredients in given order and pour into a buttered casserole dish. Spready with net topping and bake for 30 minutes.

Nut Topping
1/4 C Dark Brown Sugar
2 TBLS light corn syrup
2 TBLS melted butter
1 c Chopped Walnuts

Mix until crumbly.

Pumpkin Soup

3 C Cooked Pumpkin
3 C Chicken Broth
1 Tbls Butter
1 Tbls Flour
2 Tbls Brown Sugar
1/2 tsp. Salt
1/8 tsp Pepper
1/2 tsp Ginger
1/2 tsp Cinnamon
1/2 C Julienned Ham
3/4 C. nonfat condensed Milk
Nutmeg

Melt butter in pan and add flour stir until flour is golden brown. add pumpkin and chicken broth. Mix well. Mix in other ingredients in order listed except for Nutmeg. Heat but do not boil! Serve with a sprinkle of nutmeg.

WHEW

I hope everyone one had a Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Happy Yule
Winter Solstice, Pancha Ganapati, Kwanzaa, Yalda, and Dies Natalis Solis Invicti.

There I think I covered all the winter Holidays. What every you celebrate at this time of year I hope it is Joyous.

I had to take today off from work because the wind we had yesterday tore half the siding off one side of our house. Now I'm sitting here waiting for the contractor to show up. One of the benefits of renting a house is I don't have to pay to have it fixed.

Sorry I haven't posted in a while Heck I haven't even had a chance to check in and when I checked my comments today I noticed I had been spammed. Dang that A. Nony Mous.

Well now that the Holidays are over I'll have more time and next year I'll have to remember to plan early so I can keep up with my online friends as well as my friends and family here.

Thank you everyone who expressed your support on my efforts to get healthy. Its been alot of fun so far though I did try one of the exercise classes and from the description I was hoping it was good for beginners but found it to be a little to complicated for me though I toughed it out till the end. Damn those stupid Exercise Balls I kept rolling off and landing on my butt. ( It could have been worse I guess, I could have landed on my head lol). So after that little embarrassing and rather sore class I decided to stick to the treadmills, bicycle and elliptical until I get under 200, then I'll tackle the classes again.

Anyway that's the update. Later today I'll be posting some more tips and getting back into the swing of things I hope you'll stop by :D