Spiced Orange Coffee

Prep Time: 10 min
Total Time: 10 min
Makes: 8 servings


1/2 cup ground MAXWELL HOUSE Coffee, any variety

1 Tbsp. grated orange peel

1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/3 cup firmly packed brown sugar

1-1/2 qt. (6 cups) cold water

1 cup thawed COOL WHIP Whipped Topping

PLACE coffee, orange peel and cinnamon in filter in brew basket of coffee maker. Place brown sugar in empty pot of coffee maker.

ADD water to coffee maker; brew. When brewing is complete, stir until well blended.

POUR into 8 large mugs. Top each with 2 Tbsp. of the whipped topping.

more animals

Weird News

X-Rays Detected From Scotch Tape

filed under: Science News, Weird News

It's the kind of discovery that could really stick. Physicists say if you peel Scotch tape off its roll in a vacuum chamber, it emits X-rays. With some tinkering, the process might be used to make inexpensive X-ray machines for paramedics or for places where electricity is expensive or hard to get.

This was too cute.

From Yahoo News:

Hero dog risks life to save kittens from fire

SYDNEY (Reuters) – A dog was hailed as a hero on Sunday after it risked its life to save a litter of newborn kittens from a house fire, rescuers said.

In a case which gives the lie to the saying about 'fighting like cats and dogs', the terrier cross named Leo had to be revived with oxygen and heart massage after his ordeal. Fire broke out overnight at the house in Australia's southern city of Melbourne, where he was guarding the kittens.

Fire fighters who revived Leo said he refused to leave the building and was found by them alongside the litter of kittens, despite thick smoke.

"Leo wouldn't leave the kittens and it nearly cost him his life," fire service Commander Ken Brown told reporters.

The four kittens also survived the fire and Sunday Leo, who fire fighters nicknamed 'Smoky', was again back at the house.

Dalton

Uncle John & Aunt Stacey's little Dalton
~Stolen from Sandi's blog (Little Nothings)

Frozen Jack-o-Lanterns

12 Navel oranges
1/2 gallon Dark chocolate ice cream
12 Cinnamon sticks

Cut off tops of oranges. Gently hollow out pulp (reserve for another use), leaving a thick shell; hollow out pulp off tops also. Cut jack-O-Lantern faces into each orange. Pack chocolate ice cream into shells, avoid letting ice cream come out of holes. Cut a hole into topof orange top. Set tops back on, over ice cream, and inset cinnamonstick stem through the hole. Place in freezer for at least 3 hours, or until serving time.
Serves 12

Victorian Spells 2

Victorian Spells 1

Candy Corn Bark

Guaranteed to send you into a coma:

HOWLIN' CANDY CORN COOKIE BARK
Source: Philadelphia Cream Cheese website
16 Halloween Oreos, chopped
1 1/2 cups mini pretzels broken in pieces
1/3 cup raisins
1 (12 ounce) package white chocolate chips
Candy corn
Milk chocolate to drizzle
Melt chips and pour over mixture of cookies, pretzels, raisins and candy corn in a 13 x 9-inch pan lined with foil that has been sprayed. Drizzle with chocolate.

If it tastes good....SPIT IT OUT!!

I was in Wally-world this morning shopping for lunch for the rest of the week adn I saw something that looked REALLY REALLY good!! Of course, it was expensive so I talked myself out of it. Chocolate covered blueberries and chocolate covered pomegranite. I settled for rice cakes.

Yule is coming so I can pig out then. I have to hold out!!!

Autumn Drinks

Spicy Orange Cider
Ingredients:
1 tablespoon orange flavored breakfast drink
dash ground cinnamon
dash ground nutmeg
2/3 cup hot apple cider or juice
1 lemon slice
In a heat proof mug stir together drink powder and spices. Add the hot cider and stir well. Float the lemon slice on top. This makes one serving, so fix per cup!


Autumn Punch
Ingredients:
3 quarts cider
3 cups pineapple juice
1 can frozen orange juice (6 ounces)
A 6 inch cinnamon stick, broken into pieces
1 tsp. whole cloves
1 2 liter of ginger ale
Combine all ingredients except the ginger ale. Heat to boiling. Simmer 15-20 minutes and remove from heat. Cool. Add ginger ale. Float the orange slices on top of the punch.


Hot Cranberry Citrus Punch
1 cup sugar
1 cup water
12 whole cloves
2 sticks of cinnamon (2 inches long)
3 quarts orange juice (can use 2 cans frozen)
1 quart cranberry cocktail
3 oranges
extra cloves
Stud the oranges with several cloves and place in a baking dish. Bake at 325 degrees for 3 hours. Meanwhile, mix the sugar, water, 12 cloves and cinnamon in a pan and heat. Remove the spices. When the oranges are almost done, add the juices and heat through. Pour into a punch bowl and add the oranges with any juices from the pan. You can heat in a crockpot as well.


Apple Cider Tea
Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups brewed black tea
1 1/2 cups apple cider
2 tablespoons honey
2 orange slices
1 small cinnamon stick
1/8 tsp. ground nutmeg
Simmer all but the tea for ten minutes. Add the tea and serve with the orange slices. Makes 3 cups. Easily doubles.


Hot Spiced Wine
Ingredients:
2 tsp. allspice, whole
3/4 cup grated lemon peel
3" long cinnamon stick
1 bottle burgundy wine (3 cups)
3/4 cup raisins
1/2 cup sugar
Tie the spices in a square of cheesecloth with kitchen string or tear a little piece of the cheesecloth to use as a tie. Mix all ingredients together and simmer until heated through. Remove raisins and spices before serving.

Dave Barry on Halloween

I love Halloween. It reminds me of my happy childhood days as a student at Wampus Elementary School in Armonk, N.Y., when we youngsters used to celebrate Halloween by making decorations out of construction paper and that white paste that you could eat. This is also how we celebrated Columbus Day, Washington's Birthday, Lincoln's
Birthday, Thanksgiving, Christmas, Easter, New Year's, Valentine's Day, Mother's Day, Father's Day, Armistice Day, Flag Day, Arbor Day, Thursday, etc. We brought these decorations home to our parents, who by federal law were required to attach them to the refrigerator with magnets.

That was a wonderful, carefree time in which to be a youngster or construction- paper salesperson. But it all ended suddenly one day -- I'll never forget it -- when the Soviet Union launched the first satellite, called ``Sputnik'' (which is Russian for ``Little Sput''). Immediately all the grown-ups in America became hysterical about losing the Space Race, which led to a paranoid insecurity about our
educational system, expressed in anguished newspaper headlines asking, ``WHY AREN'T OUR KIDS LEARNING IN SCHOOL?'' I wanted to answer, ``BECAUSE ALL WE EVER DO IS MAKE DECORATIONS OUT OF CONSTRUCTION PAPER,'' but I couldn't, because my mouth was full of paste.

But getting back to Halloween: It's still one of the most fun holidays of the year, as well as one of the most traditional, tracing its origins back more than 2,000 years to the Druids, an ancient religious cult that constructed Stonehenge as well as most of the public toilets in England. The Druids believed that one night each
year, at the end of October, the souls of the dead returned to the world of the living and roamed from house to house costumed as Power Rangers.

And thus it is that to this day, youngsters come to our door on Halloween night shouting: ``Trick or treat!'' According to tradition, if we don't give the youngsters a ``treat,'' their parents will ``sue'' us. That's why most of us traditionally prepare for Halloween by going to the supermarket and purchasing approximately eight metric tons of miniature candy bars, which we dump into a big bowl by the door, ready to hand out to the hordes of trick-or-treaters.

The irony, of course, is that there ARE no hordes of trick-or-treaters, not any more. We in the news media make darned sure of that. Every year we publish dozens of helpful consumer-advice articles, cheerfully reminding parents of the dangers posed by traffic, perverts, poisoned candy, and many other Halloween hazards that parents would never think of if we didn't remind them (``Have fun, but remember that this year more than 17,000 Americans will die bobbing for apples'').

The result is that many children aren't allowed to go trick-or-treating, and the ones who ARE allowed out come to your house no later than 4:30 p.m., wearing reflective tape on their Power Rangers costumes and trailed at close range by their parents, who watch you suspiciously and regard whatever candy you hand out as though it were unsolicited mail from the Unabomber.

So for most of Halloween, your doorbell is quiet. This means that you pass the long night alone, hour after hour, just you and the miniature candy bars. After a while they start calling seductively to you from their bowl in their squeaky little voices.

``Hey, Big Boy!'' they call. ``We're going to waste over here!''

As the evening wears on they become increasingly brazen. Eventually they crawl across the floor, climb up your body, unwrap themselves and force themselves bodily into your mouth. There's no use hiding in the bathroom, because they'll just crawl under the door and tie you up with dental floss and threaten to squeeze toothpaste in your eye unless you eat them. At least that's what they do to me. By the end
of the night my blood has the same sugar content as Yoo-Hoo.

But eating huge amounts of candy allegedly purchased for youngsters is only part of the Halloween tradition. The other part is buying a pumpkin and carving it to make a ``jack-o'-lantern, '' which sits on your front porch, a festive symbol of the age-old truth -- first discovered by the Druids -- that there is no practical use for
pumpkins.

Here's how to make a traditional jack-o'-lantern:

1. Cut a lid on top of the pumpkin.

2. Pull off the lid and peer down into the slimy, festering pumpkin
bowels.

3. Put the lid back on and secure it with 200 feet of duct tape.

(This is also the traditional procedure for stuffing a turkey.)

But however you celebrate Halloween, make sure you remember this important safety tip: (IMPORTANT SAFETY TIP GOES HERE). Otherwise, you will not survive the night. I'd give you more details, but right now I need to do something about these tiny Milky Ways crawling up my legs.

Corn Husk Doll

There is an old tale that says if you keep a corn husk doll in your kitchen your food will never burn. WORTH A TRY... Make one:


CRAFT MATERIALS:
24 pieces of black yarn, each about 15 inches long
8 tamale wrappers or dried corn husks (sold in grocery stores) soaked in water for at least 5 minutes
3 (12-inch) tan pipe cleaners
Scissors
1 (6-inch-long) stick

Time needed: About 1 to 2 Hours


1. Gather the pieces of yarn and knot them together at one end. Shake off excess water from the soaked wrappers or husks, then stack 4 of them together and lay the yarn on top with the knot near the narrow end (A). Roll the layered husks around the yarn and cinch them just above the knot with half a pipe cleaner (B).

2. Fold the husks down over the knot to make the witch's head (A). Wrap another pipe cleaner half around the husks at the neck (B).

3. For posable arms, roll up a long piece of pipe cleaner in one of the husks (A). Wrap a short piece of pipe cleaner around each end at the wrists, then sandwich the arm piece between the layers of folded-down husks, tearing the husks to separate if needed. Secure the arms in place by wrapping another pipe cleaner half just below the arms to form the witch's waist (B).

4. To make the hat, cut two 5-inch-diameter circles, each from a husk. Cut one circle in half and curl one half into a cone. To keep the shape, poke a small piece of pipe cleaner through the husk layers at the wide end of the cone and twist the ends together (A). Cut a 1 1/2-inch asterisk in the center of the other circle (B) and carefully push the cone three quarters of the way through the hole (C).

5. For a broom, fringe the wide end of a husk (A). Cut the husk K inch above the fringe, then roll the strip around the end of the stick. Secure it with a small piece of pipe cleaner (B).

Hang up and cook worry free! ;)

Savage Chickens

Halloween on a Dime

Click below to go to the page to download a free e-book (pdf) for frugal halloween costume, food and decoration ideas and more.


Halloween on a Dime

Horoscope

My horoscope for today:

LIBRA (Sept. 24 -Oct. 23)

Short trips will prove to be more fruitful than you imagined.
Don't do something silly just to get back at your mate.
Don't start any arguments unless you're prepared to accept
irrevocable results.

(Now that's good advice. )

Haunting Hot Chocolate

A unique twist on hot chocolate! Can't wait to try it!

Ingredients
• 1 medium orange
• 3 cups whole milk
• 2/3 cup vanilla-flavored baking pieces or vanilla-flavored candy coating
• 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• Whipped cream (optional)
• Ground nutmeg (optional)
• Purchased marshmallow ghosts

Directions
1. Remove peel of orange with vegetable peeler; set aside.

2. In a medium saucepan combine 1/4 cup of the milk, the vanilla- flavored baking pieces, orange peel, and nutmeg; whisk over low heat until baking pieces are melted. Remove orange peel. Whisk in remaining milk and heat through. Remove from heat. Stir in vanilla.

3. Serve warm in mugs. Add a marshmallow ghost, dollop with whipped cream, and sprinkle with nutmeg, if desired. Makes five 6-ounce servings.

What kind of tree are you?

I did these on my immediate family members and they are accurate.

Dec 23 to Jan 01 - Apple Tree
Jan 01 to Jan 11 - Fir Tree
Jan 12 to Jan 24 - Elm Tree
Jan 25 to Feb 03 – Cypress Tree
Feb 04 to Feb 08 - Poplar Tree
Feb 09 to Feb 18 - Cedar Tree
Feb 19 to Feb 28 - Pine Tree
Mar 01 to Mar 10 - Weeping Willow Tree
Mar 11 to Mar 20 - Lime Tree
Mar 21 (only) - Oak Tree
Mar 22 to Mar 31 - Hazelnut Tree
Apr 01 to Apr 10 - Rowan Tree
Apr 11 to Apr 20 -Maple Tree
Apr 21 to Apr 30 - Walnut Tree
May 01 to May 14 - Poplar Tree
May 15 to May 24 - Chestnut Tree
May 25 to Jun 03 - Ash Tree
Jun 04 to Jun 13 - Hornbeam Tree
Jun 14 to Jun 23 - Fig Tree
Jun 24 (only) - Birch Tree
Jun 25 to Jul 04 - Apple Tree
Jul 05 to Jul 14 - Fir Tree
Jul 15 to Jul 25 - Elm Tree
Jul 26 to Aug 04 - Cypress Tree
Aug 05 to Aug 13 - Poplar Tree
Aug 14 to Aug 23 - Cedar Tree
Aug 24 to Sep 02 - Pine Tree < Me
Sep 03 to Sep 12 - Weeping Willow Tree
Sep 13 to Sep 22 - Lime Tree
Sep 23 (only) - Olive Tree
Sep 24 to Oct 03 - Hazelnut Tree
Oct 04 to Oct 13 - Rowan Tree
Oct 14 to Oct 23 - Maple Tree
Oct 24 to Nov 11 - Walnut Tree
Nov 12 to Nov 21 - Chestnut Tree
Nov 22 to Dec 01 - Ash Tree
Dec 02 to Dec 11 - Hornbeam Tree
Dec 12 to Dec 21 - Fig Tree
Dec 22 (only) - Beech Tree

TREES (in alphabetical order)

Apple Tree (Love) — quiet and shy at times, lots of charm, appeal, and attraction, pleasant attitude, flirtatious smile, adventurous, sensitive, loyal in love, wants to love and be loved, faithful and tender partner, very generous, many talents, loves children, needs affectionate partner.

Ash Tree (Ambition) — extremely attractive, vivacious, impulsive, demanding, does not care for criticism, ambitious, intelligent, talented, likes to play with fate, can be very egotistic, reliable, restless lover, sometimes money rules over the heart, demands attention, needs love and much emotional support.

Beech Tree (Creative) — has good taste, concerned about its looks, materialistic, good organization of life and career, economical, good leader, takes no unnecessary risks, reasonable, splendid lifetime companion, keen on keeping fit (diets, sports, etc.).

Birch Tree (Inspiration) — vivacious, attractive, elegant, friendly, unpretentious, modest, does not like anything in excess, abhors the vulgar, loves life in nature and in calm, not very passionate, full of imagination, little ambition, creates a calm and content atmosphere.

Cedar Tree (Confidence ) — of rare strength, knows how to adapt, Likes unexpected presents, of good health, not in the least shy, tends to look down on others, self-confident, a great speaker, determined, often impatient, likes to impress others, has many talents, industrious, healthy optimism, waits for the one true love, able to make quick decisions.

Chestnut Tree (Honesty) — of unusual stature, impressive, well-developed sense of justice, fun to be around, a planner, born diplomat, can be irritated easily, sensitive of others feelings, hard worker, sometimes acts superior, feels not understood at times, fiercely family oriented, very loyal in love, physically fit.

Cypress Tree (Faithfulness) — strong, muscular, adaptable, takes what life has to give but doesn’t necessarily like it, strives to be content, optimistic, wants to be financially in dependent, wants love and affection, hates loneliness, passionate lover which cannot be satisfied, faithful, quick-tempered at times, can be unruly and careless, loves to gain knowledge, needs to be needed.

Elm Tree (Noble-mindedness ) — pleasant shape, tasteful clothes, modest demands, tends not to forgive mistakes, cheerful, likes to lead but Not to obey, honest and faithful partner, likes making decisions for others, noble-minded, generous, good sense of humor, practical.

Fig Tree (Sensibility ) — very strong minded, a bit self-willed, honest, loyal, independent, hates contradiction or arguments, hard worker when wants to be, loves life and friends, enjoys children and animals, sexually oriented, great sense of humor, has artistic talent and great intelligence.

Fir tree (Mysterious) — extraordinary taste, handles stress well, loves anything beautiful, stubborn, tends to care for those close to them, hard to trust others, yet a social butterfly, likes idleness and laziness after long demanding hours at work, rather modest, talented, unselfish, many friends, very reliable. Extremely intelligent. loves life.

Hazelnut Tree (Extraordinary ) — charming, sense of humor, very demanding but can also be very understanding, knows how to make a lasting impression, active fighter for social causes and politics, popular, quite moody, sexually oriented, honest, a perfectionist, has a precise sense of judgment and expects complete fairness.

Hornbeam Tree (Good Taste) — of cool beauty, cares for its looks and condition, good taste, is not egoistic, makes life as comfortable as possible, leads a reasonable and disciplined life, looks for kindness and acknowledgment in an emotional partner, is strong, loyal, very independent and serious, self-confidence,mistrusts most people, very conscientious.

Lime Tree (Doubt) - intelligent, hard working, accepts what life dishes out, but not before trying to change bad circumstances into good ones, hates fighting and stress, enjoys getaway vacations, may appear tough, but is actually soft and relenting, always willing to make sacrifices for family and friends, has many talents but not always enough time to use them, great leadership qualities, is jealous at times but extremely loyal.

Maple Tree (Independence of Mind ) — no ordinary person, full of imagination and originality, shy and reserved, ambitious, proud, self-confident, hungers for new experiences, sometimes nervous, has many complexities, good memory, learns easily, complicated love life, wants to impress.

Oak Tree (Brave) — robust nature, courageous, strong, unrelenting, independent, sensible, does not like change, keeps its feet on the ground, person of action.

Olive Tree (Wisdom) — loves sun, warmth and kind feelings, reasonable, balanced, avoids aggression and violence, tolerant, cheerful, calm, well-developed sense of justice, sensitive, empathetic, free of jealousy, loves to read and the company of sophisticated people.

Pine Tree (Peacemaker) — loves agreeable company, craves peace and harmony, loves to help others, active imagination, likes to write poetry, not fashion conscious, great compassion, friendly to all, falls strongly in love but will leave if betrayed or lied to, emotionally soft, low self-esteem, needs affection and reassurance.

Poplar Tree (Uncertainty) — looks very decorative, talented, not very self-confident, extremely courageous if necessary, needs goodwill and pleasant surroundings, very choosy, often lonely, great animosity, great artistic nature, good organizer, tends to lean toward philosophy, reliable in any situation, takes partnership seriously.

Rowan Tree (Sensitivity) — full of charm, cheerful, gifted without egoism, likes to draw attention, loves life, motion, and even complications, is both dependent and independent, good taste, artistic, passionate, emotional, good company, does not forgive.

Walnut Tree (Passion) — unrelenting, strange and full of contrasts, often egotistic, aggressive, noble, broad horizon, unexpected reactions, spontaneous, unlimited ambition, no flexibility, difficult and uncommon partner, not always liked but often admired, ingenious strategist, very jealous and passionate, no compromise.

Weeping Willow (Melancholy) - likes to be stress free, loves family life, full of hopes and dreams, attractive, very empathetic, loves anything beautiful, musically inclined, loves to travel to exotic places, restless, capricious, honest, can be influenced but is not easy to live with when pressured, sometimes demanding, good intuition, suffers in love until they find that one loyal, steadfast partner; loves to make others laugh.

What to do with those old, in-the-way teacups?

Make hanging lights with them!! Would't that look great hanging over a bar? You can get these little cups in all sorts of colors if you don't already have some lying around. Found this on a branch off of apartmenttherapy.com.

Cool Candle Holders

These were sculpted and designed by someone in France, I read. Found this at apartmenttherapy.com who found them at clio.com.

This could also be achieved with globes found at flea markets and/or garage sales. They'd make a great table setting for a romantic dinner.

My Horoscope for Today.

Things are going to be very unpredictable today, so watch out for last minutes changes, cancellations and metaphoric wrenches getting tossed into things! Nothing is for certain, and nothing is going to be written in stone. But in a way, not knowing what is going on could be kind of fun. There has been so much predictability in your life lately that this day of shake-ups could be exactly what you have been waiting for! There's no pressure to fulfill plans effectively when the plans will change.

(Does this not sound JUST LIKE a normal MONDAY? There is no escape. It even tries to soften the blow by telling me it could be fun....Monday's BITE. I hope I'm wrong. )

*Today would have been my Meemaw's birthday.