Monkey Meat

 I happened to stumble upon a recipe for something called Monkey meat while looking for a good recipe for pickled pigs feet and scrambled brains recently.  While this recipe does include random bits of organ meat and snout, no monkeys are harmed.  I love stuff with fun names so I had to try it out!

Monkey meat is merely chopped up bologna, dill pickles, and mayo!  Not even a banana in it!  You can eat it on crackers or use it as a spread for a sandwich.  It tastes just like what it is...a baloney sandwich sent through the chopper!

Duraglow Fabric Skirt

I had an impulse to sew up a skirt and took the risk on using some vintage fabric even!
I did take the precaution of using a pattern.  Although the pattern was one I had never used before and it was originally for a dress, I just used the south section.

The pattern I used was Simplicity 8294.  I also had to make up the waist band feature.

Close up of the fabric.  I picked it up from a thrift store a couple of years back.  The selvage says:  Vat Colors "Duraglow" Prints.  I think I may make a shirt to go with the skirt using the itsy bitsy leftover fabric to accent the collar.

Lastly, here is a photo of my sassy hair and caterpillar eyebrows!

Bologna Cake

Bologna Cake?!  It's not bologna in a cake, it's just in the shape of a cake, so wipe away those fears.  Of course if you fear bologna in any form then you may have to sleep with the lights on tonight.
Bologna Cake is a savory appetizer that you serve with buttery salty crackers, aka Ritz crackers for the fancy folks.  I had reservations as to how it would taste (I knew it would look amazing) but it is surprisingly delicious and addictive!

I am not a fan of bologna.  As a matter of fact this is the first time in my life I have ever purchased it or ate it willingly.  As a kid growing up in the south there were always boloney sandwiches wrapped in waxed paper in an old A&P brown paper grocery bag on the back seat of the car for trips to family's houses.  We didn't stop at restaurants or even fast food places to eat on the way.  Like Ron Weasley said depressingly about his packed from home corned beef sandwich "I'm all set..."  Although I do have to say I found it fun to strip the last bits of "meat" off the red plastic band from each slice with my teeth when I was younger.
As an adult I swore off ever eating any of those overly processed, non-nutritional, sodium laden (fill in black) -Roni or (fill-in-blank)-Helper crap foods.  I don't scorn my mom for feeding them to me, though.  Advertising sold them to the working mother as a quick (and cheap) easy solution for dinner, just toss in some ground beef and call it done!  I bet you could have even tossed in bologna.....Boloney-Roni!

But here we are...with a cake of bologna.  I don't recall where I first saw or heard about it.  Some sites say it's a vintage traditional dish served at church pot lucks and family reunions in the south.  I don't recall ever seeing one growing up though.  Nevertheless, it looks like it could have come straight out of a 1950-60s booklet of  "250 ways with appetizers".



Assembling the cake is super fun and then there is this great money shot of the interior once it's cut into!  Layers and layers of bologna!

Here is the recipe and How-To:

1 pack thick cut bologna

12 oz cream cheese 

1/2 packet powdered ranch mix

Aerosol "cheese" in a can

crackers

Set out cream cheese to soften and become spreadable.

Place cream cheese in a bowl, mix in 1/2 pack of ranch powder.

Place down first slice of bologna. 

With an offset metal spatula apply a thin even layer of cream cheese.

Continue this process till you reach the top.

Cover sides with cream cheese.

Decorate cake with aerosol cheese, olive slice, and some greenery!

Serve with crackers. 

(Helpful hints: I made a little foil covered cardboard disk as a base.

Make sure there is no extra moisture on each slice of bologna as you are constructing your cake. 

 Blot it off with a napkin or your cheese cream is not going to stick well.

To smooth out the cream cheese on the cake (before applying the cheese-in-a-can) , I washed off my metal spatula in hot water then dried it.  I used the retained heat against the cream cheese to polish it off, making it look velvety purdy!) 

I really thought this was going to taste like salty salt salt processed salt with salty salt crackers...but it didn't!  It really was quite tasty.  I have mentioned a few times before that I don't make many recipes more than once (except for Deep Dish Apple Pie with Candied Crust and Cranberry Coconut Holidainty) because what's the fun in that.  But!  I will definitely be making this again if the situation arises such as a pot luck or get together.
A Bologna Cake says "Now it's a party!"

Pineapple Pretzel Fluff Dip

When I first came across this recipe, it was called a "salad".  You know the types.... usually involving congealed peas, copious amounts of pimento and vinegar added to sweetened canned fruit cocktail...a salad!  No, those aren't salads, those are mistakes. However there are a few "salads" out there that are yummy and don't take liberties with Jello. These salads are actually really dessert, such as this yummy Pineapple Pretzel Fluff Dip....well it's a dessert that is an appetizer, so call it what you want...a dessertizer.

I changed up the original recipe from a "salad" which also means you scoop it on a plate and eat it with a spoon into making it a dip.  The recipe had the pretzels being added to the creamy mixture and left to sit turning them into mushy salty blotches appearing randomly within the "salad".  Uh uh, not eating that. I did think that the sweetness of the Fluff could work well as a dip for crunchy salty pretzels, so I have improved it, I must say. Oh, and I also added coconut too because why not?!

Pineapple Pretzel Fluff Dip

1 can well drained pineapple tidbits

8 oz cream cheese

1 tub cool whip

1 cup coconut

1/2 cup sugar

Set out cream cheese and cool whip to soften.

Drain pineapple well.  I took handfuls and squeezed it even.

Beat cream cheese and sugar together.

Fold in cool whip, pineapple, and coconut.

Scoop into a bowl and serve with mini salted pretzels. 

Easy peasy, and yummy! 

Back to the topic of "salads".  I have to admit that I am a bit memorized by the image of a smooth glistening tomato aspic with meticulously arranged shrimp and pineapple tidbits.  Or what about the towering clear dome of lime gelatin with floating wisps of radish and cucumber suspended within?   And then there is the beautiful congealed rings of green ombre layers concealing canned tuna and mayonnaise bedazzled with boiled egg slices.
They are all works of art...but I ain't eating that crap!

Black Skillet Fried Egg Magnet

I love little grandama crafts like this magnet made from scrap resembling a fried egg in a skillet.  I kind of made it up as I went along and just used stuff I already had on hand.
Here is the How-To:  Start by bending a small bit of wire into a handle.  Glue it down inside a metal bottle cap with E6000 and let dry.  Trace a nickel sized circle of black paper and cut out.  Place a small ball of styrofoam (out of a bag of "snow") on the sharp end of a pin.  Dip the ball into acrylic yellow paint.  Set aside to dry. Glue the circle of black paper into the bottom of the skillet.  Paint the entire skillet, including the paper, with black nail polish, let dry.  Glue magnet to bottom of skillet with E6000, let dry.  Squeeze white puffy paint onto bottom of skillet in the shape of the egg white, let dry slightly.  Remove the dried "yolk" from the pin and give it a squeeze between your thumb and forefinger to flatten it a touch.  Next place the yolk in the egg white while it is still a bit tacky and can thus glue the yolk to it. Let egg white dry completely.

Now place on fridge!

I like the simplicity of just the fried egg but you could make some bacon out of a tiny bit of crinkled brown paper striped with red paint as a little side!

For another mini food craft magnet check out the Jiffy Pop magnets I made last year. 

$1,000 Caramel Candy Pie

I love to make recipes from vintage Pillsbury Bake-Off winners, especially around the holidays.  The recipes are always something different and interesting.  It's also fun to tell family and friends that they are eating an $1,000 pie or even better, a $25,000 cake.
I made this $1,000 Caramel Candy Pie from Pillsbury's 4th Grand National Baking Contest in 1953 for thanksgiving last year and it was a big hit.

{click on image for recipe}

Even though it is full of melted caramel candies it is not overly sweet.  The filling is velvet smooth and the candied almonds on top provides a nice crunch in contrast.  I should have baked my pie crust just a bit longer for a more golden appearance, or brushed it with an egg wash but I'm always nervous of over baking so it's on the pale side.  The filling could benefit from a drop of brown food coloring to give it a small color boost.
I would certainly eat this pie again...only I don't typically like to make a recipe more than once (unless it's super easy).  But if someone else wants to make it, I'd get in line for a slice! 

$1,000 Peanut Brittle Cookies

This is the other Pillsbury Bake-Off cookie I made for Christmas 2018 called Peanut Brittle Cookies.
They took the Best of Class Senior Division $1,000 prize in the 4th Grand National in 1953.

{click on image for recipe}

I liked the idea of these cookies because I could just break them into pieces after baking and didn't have to shape or even drop them on the cookie sheet.  Only these things are crumbly...dare I say brittle.  I could barely get them to break into cookie sized pieces and most of it just crumbled to the bottom of the gift bags I placed them in.  I also thought the flavor was a bit bland.  I drizzled white chocolate on them and it was a definite improvement.  It gave them a bit more sweetness and kinda worked as a glue to hold a few of them together. The ones shown in the photos are un-drizzled since I wanted to get a picture more true to the original in the recipe booklet.

I would not make these again.   But maybe it's just me, after all they did win $1,000.  No one has ever given me $1,000 for being flaky, bland, and nutty.

Butterscotch Oaties

Butterscotch Oaties from Pillsbury's 16th Grand National Bake Off 1965

As I mentioned in the previous post, I had been eating some Christmas cookies that made wearing the belt to my snazzy dress a bit too snug.  Well these are said cookies and boy howdy are they good.

For Christmas 2018 I baked two Pillsbury Bake Off cookies to give as presents, this one and another which will be in an upcoming post.  These were my favorite by far!

I also drizzled white chocolate on top for a bit of extra festive flair, although the ones in the pictures are naked.
The texture of these cookies is both chewy and crispy.  The only complaint I have with them is they took way longer to bake than the recipe said and some spread disastrously on the baking sheet, while others held their shape just fine.  I have a bit of a suspicion though that it could be my oven acting up yet again, so  I might be light bulb baking before too long.

Disney Hollywood Studios: Prime Time Cafe

For lunch while we were at Disney's Hollywood Studios, we ate at The Prime Time Cafe'!
I just love this place.  The decor is for the most part true vintage pieces, not those ridiculous retro jukeboxes and poodle skirts hanging on the wall, like most places have. Just look at the top shelf on the right... a West Bend Bean Pot!

I wore one of my all time favorite vintage dresses so I could take some snazzy pictures next to the stove in the lobby!

One of the other fun things about eating at the Prime Time Cafe is the waiter/waitress interaction.  The premise is they are part of your family and treat you as such.  It's fun to improv with them.  We had Uncle Lou taking care of us.  I told him all proudly that I had washed my hands, and he says "What do you want a gold star for doing something you're suppose to?!"  Of course he then turned it on the boys and started grilling them about their hand sanitizing.  He gave us all nick names too.  Above you see Scooter and Sparky...I was Princess.

I liked all of the different floor tile patterns, especially these, so I snapped a pic to file in my mind's rolodex for future inspiration.

So let me tell you a little bit more about this dress.  I bought it about 19 years ago at an amazing vintage store in Tampa (Ybor City) FL called La France.  19 years ago I paid 55 bucks for it, so you can imagine what they would charge for it now.  It was new old stock and came with the belt, which I decided to not wear due to my having eaten a few too many Christmas cookies the week before.  I have not been not able to fit into this dress for the past 10 years and honestly thought I never would again.  Even after Kon-Maring my vintage clothes I still decided to keep it because it sparks some serious joy for me.  During the summer I started doing a DIY weight watchers diet and am stoked to say I have lost 15 pounds, meaning I can now wear several of my vintage pieces again!  Yay!

 The best park (other than Disneyland) to dress vintage is Hollywood Studios since it has a vintage vibe to it already.  When we were going through security check before entering the park in the morning the guard told me I looked very dapper, which is really like getting a gold star to me!

Here is our previous reservation:
2013 Prime Time Cafe

And another amazing restaurant also at Hollywood Studios that is like a Drive-In Theater at night and your table is a car!:
2014 Sci-Fi Cafe

Disney Hollywood Studios: Toy Story Land

On our recent trip to Disney World, I was looking forward the most to getting to see the new Toy Story Land!  The premise is we humans are also toys so everything is scaled up in size. The cast members say to "keep all of your pieces to your play set together", as in your family together.

We love love love the Toy Story Movies!  The stories are great and of course I love them because they feature classic toys, which I collect.

I was so giddy when I saw this Fisher-Price Camper!
(See my epic Fisher Price score for the real deal)
If you look off to the bottom right you can see a bit of Andy's shoe print on the ground.

The snack area for Toy Story Land is a large metal lunchbox with a thermos.  All around are over-sized animal crackers, cheese, toothpicks, what-nots, and doo-dads.  There's a large popcorn and cranberry garland up on the top as part of the holiday decor.
(If the area to the right of the thermos looks funny it's because I edited out some slob wearing gym clothes...out in public!!! and at Disney World!!!  arrgghh!)

The main new attraction is the Slinky Dog Dash roller coaster.

Fun little features in the queue.

Slinky dog is just too cute!  We couldn't get a fast pass for this ride so we made a bolt to it at rope drop.  We only had to wait about 20 minutes luckily, but after that the stand-by time was 185 minutes for the rest of the day, which we ain't doing!  It was super fun though!

This is the path leading out of the Toy Story Mania attraction (did get a fast pass for that).  I love that barrel of monkeys!

A bit more down the path is this balsa airplane with little green army men.

The restroom area is adorable too!

One side has a giant container of tinker toys and the other side is a large vintage styled Cootie game box, along with having Cooties all over the place.  I couldn't get a good picture of the cootie box, it was too peopley on that side.

Other features in the Toy Story Land are character meetings with Woody, Jessie, and Buzz.   A set of real little green army men performed on the street path. There are tons of little references and Toy Story cleverness all over the place, like an Al's Toy Barn price sticker on part of the Slinky Dog Dash.
There is also another attraction that features the aliens from Pizza Planet kinda like the swirling Mad Hatter teacups ride at Magic Kingdom.  Fun, fun, fun!!!

Disney Hollywood Studios

We just got back from a trip to Disney World!  There were still Christmas decorations which helped to extend the holiday festivities and merriment!

Check out all of these super cute larger than life vintage replica ceramic cuties!

Here is an image I found that the above girls were based after:



I've never gotten into collecting these kinda Christmas dust gathers, mostly because I never come across any in the "wild".  I also don't care much for the little girls...but Santa, snowmen, reindeer, pixies, and other critters are welcome to take a load off at my place!

And speaking of critters!  Squee!
 These poodles were my favorite!

We also swung by the Grauman's Chinese Theater to see
Pee-wee's imprints.

Here's a few past Pee-wee posts:
It's Pee-wee's Birthday!
It's a Pee-wee Partypalooza!
Large Marge Sent me!
I pity the fool!

And also had to get my picture with Dick Van Dyke's!!!

More DVD for your viewing pleasure!
Dick Van Dyke Birthday card...to me!
Dick Van Dyke's 90th Birthday

and Mary Poppins!
Our Chimney Sweeps Costumes 2015
Lets Go Fly Kite!
Mary Poppins Board Game

Happy New Year Lil' Stinkers!

I put together this funny little gift for my grandfather for Christmas.  He's a cantankerous lovable old grouch who happens to get skunks given to him because of his personality.  At a thrift I came across this vintage ceramic little skunk sitting on a toilet saying "You little stinker, you never had it so soft" and knew I had to give it to Pa-Pa for a gift...loaded with tootsie rolls in the bowl!

Here's hoping 2019 will be "soft"!

I'll be back around this 'house' in a week or so.
 Gotta pack up the Christmas Thrift-er-land strode all over the joint!

Christmas is a wrap

Just a quick Christmas wrap up post.  The hardest part for me about Christmas is the gift buying/making.  So, so many factors play into this:  I am not good at gift selecting, all of the adults have waaay too much junk as it is,  we don't want any more random stuff ourselves, I don't like shopping in 'new stuff' stores, and I don't like spending gobs of money. 

What I usually do every year as one of the gifts is to give home baked goods because they don't take up any space except around the waistline.

This year I did it a little different and I think it was better on my holiday mental state of being.  It really is one of those moments when you smack yourself on your forehead and say, "geez, why have I not done this before?"  Usually with the baked gift I put it in one of those aluminum pans with the paper topper, like for take out.  I use these because I can cover the paper lid in cute wrapping paper and then when the treats are gone, the container can be recycled, leaving the recipient with nothing to take up extra space.  I happened to stumble on a blog or something through clickety clinking around that was about upcycling and using stuff from thrift stores as gifts.  Ohhhh! That's a fun idea!  It seems so obvious that it's what I should have been doing this whole time.  We pretty much buy everything used in our house, but our families don't, so I have been shying away from it.  I decided to start by seeking out interesting containers for the treats for each person's interest at thrift stores. I had about 6 different ones I needed to find.  I was pretty happy to find neat and interesting ones for everyone on our list.  A couple of cute vintage Christmas ones for friends, a hand painted Japanese bamboo tray for my mother -in-law that lived in Japan, a ceramic golf ball shaped vase for my stepfather, a plastic chip and dip tray with lighthouses for my grandmother, a simple uncluttered no frills (her decorating style) glass centerpiece bowl for my sister-in-law, and best of all, a vintage aluminum colander for my mom.  I used my amazing June's Miracle Cleaning Cloth to polish everything up to a high shine, looking brand new!  I then packed up the treats in the containers and wrapped them in some clear cellophane with white snow flakes (bought an entire roll from a thrift for 25 cents) and curling ribbon.  They looked fantastic and everyone loved them.  This made Christmas shopping not so stressful and aggravating for me and I enjoyed hunting for the perfect vessel in places I like to shop.  I think I am going to venture more into gift giving for next season through this way.  I have a whole year to search for stuff!

Another new thing that we did this year was put up our cardboard fireplace on Christmas eve so we had someplace fitting to hang our stockings (we don't have a fireplace).  I don't have room for it to be up with the holiday decor for the entire month so it's nice to be able to have it up even if it's for one night.

Our Christmas went pretty well this year, with minimal whining and complaining "Well, this might be my last Christmas" from family, so for that we are truly grateful! 

I hope everyone else had that same 'peace on earth'!