Lady Ford's Blog About Everything!

This is the second version of my Cajun Jambalaya recipe. I've changed it just slightly the last few times I've made it, but this is the best so far! I think I'm going to stick to this recipe all the way. 3 yellow onions, diced 2 red peppers, diced 1 green pepper, diced or dried equivalent  3 stalks celery, diced 1 small bunch parsley chopped, or 1/2 cup dried parsley 8 small tomatoes, quartered 3 cups sliced (frozen) okra 1 large can fire roasted, whole tomatoes such as Muir Glen  1 1/2 bulbs (yes, bulbs) of garlic, chopped 3 cups (dry) brown rice, cooked separately  2-3 chicken breasts, cut into small bite sized pieces, seasoned with hickory salt or sea salt and pepper  2 lbs shelled shrimp, cut in half if large 5 andouille sausages, cut in half lengthwise, then sliced into "half moons" 1 1/2 sticks butter 4 T olive oil 1/2 cup flour 5 cups seafood or shrimp stock (optional items added to stock, see below) 5 cups prior to sim...

Happy Halloween!!! This is my pumpkin for the year. Pretty excited about how it turned out! Materials: - Gold Spray Paint - I'm loyal to Rust-olium - Teal paint - Black paint - Foam to cut leopard stencil from (See pictures at bottom.) - Thin paint brush - Thin Sharpie marker - Scissors Simple How To: - Spray paint pumpkin gold. Dry. - Use foam to draw leopard stencils. I created 6 and repeated those throughout the whole pattern on the pumpkin. Cut stencils out of foam, using tips of scissors cut negative space out between spots. (See pictures at bottom.) - One stencil at a time, dip stencil into paint, and begin pattern. I started with the largest piece to spread it out evenly. Repeat and fill the space accordingly using the remaining patterns.  - Let paint dry. - After teal paint is set, begin painting the black "shadows" with a fine brush. Recommend starting on the back of the pumpkin so you've mastered the outline before y...

Finally getting a chance to post pictures from projects over the last few weeks. Hope you find some inspiration behind these ideas. Happy Haunting!  I've included materials and steps for re-creating spooky spell books like these. The possibilities are endless when it comes to creating one of these books. I started by looking through my craft box for items of interest: small textured components such as flat wood pieces, rope/trim, ribbon, rhinestones, etc. These can be made very inexpensively - it just takes some creative thinking. Materials and directions are listed below.  Used: plastic bat, 1/4'' wide cording, 2 gold thumbtacks  Materials: - Old Books (Phone books, dish detergent box or books found at Goodwill or Garage sales). - Paper towels  - DIY "Modge Podge" - See below - Paint brushes, 2-3 sizes - Spooky findings for texture & detail (cording, plastic creatures, tacks, rhinestones, etc.) - Hot glue  - Paint colors o...

This is a new recipe I tried last night. It was quite the success, easy and really healthy! I made quite a few modifications from the original recipe, which can be found  here.  See below for my take on a fall beef and barely stew. In a lightly greased Crock Pot, combine the following ingredients: -1 1/2 lbs steak meat of choice, cut into bite sized pieces. I used $7/lb sirloin steaks, for maximum tenderness. - 1 cup dry barely - 1 yellow onion, diced - 3 stalks celery, sliced - 2 cups sliced carrots (fresh or frozen) - 1 large package of sliced mushrooms - 1, 14 oz can cranberry sauce, with whole cranberries - 1, 12 oz bottle of beer (I used Michelob Ultra, as it's what I had on hand.) - 4 cups beef broth or beef consume and water totaling 4 cups - 3 T chopped garlic (prepared type in jar) - 2 bay leaves - 1 t salt - 2 T pepper - 1 T thyme Mix all ingredients together, and cook on low 6-8 hours. Keep on warm until ready to serve. You may additionally a...

Your one stop list for all Halloween resources! Where to find what, at the right price?  (Scroll to bottom to see all our pictures!) Today I'm featuring a guest writer, my cousin, Stephanie Cahill for part of this post. Stephanie is a self proclaimed huge Halloween fan, like myself. Together we've made this master list of all our favorite places to shop for Halloween decor, props, costumes, etc. We hope you'll find this list helpful. Please scroll to the bottom too see a sampling of projects using materials from these places. We hope to inspire you, too! On the labels, we found most of these through free Pinterest downloads, a few were purchased, though.  Lindsey’s Tips (Most stores can be found nation wide): Chain Retailers: Dollar Tree (All $1): Creepy cloth, plates, napkins, cups, plastic skulls, highlighters, Spanish moss/ floral moss, floral foam, small tombstones, fake eyeballs, hands and feet, small table top decor, many items that can eas...

Holy awesomeness!!!! This is the easiest, cheapest, fastest, hands-down most awesome Halloween idea EVER! I saw a reference for using B Complex vitamins in a drink to make it glow, so I tested it out before "game day". Wow! This stuff really works like magic. This bottle found at Walmart, contains 10 pills for a whopping 88 cents!!!! You can clearly tell in the picture above this juice is glowing! Note, there is a black light on the table behind it. So, we have learned that the "B Complex" vitamins are black light sensitive. *** UPDATE*** (October 2015) I've been experimenting with all the B vitamin options. B2 works the best, since it is the Riboflavin that will make it glow. The complex works well, too, but if you have the option go for the B2. This glowing water/ ice will not have a taste, so you can mix it into pretty much whatever you want! (And, a great side note on B2- it is amazing for helping treat migraines and headaches. So thankful I found ...

You've probably noticed Halloween is my favorite holiday! I LOVE making things to decorate my house, and our costumes as well. I've been saving cool bottles for the last several months, and anything else that looks like it could turn into something spooky for Halloween. You can also find some pretty amazing things at Goodwill. Here are some pics of a few easy things to make. Remember, a little spray paint, goes a LONG way!!! I did some rummaging through my craft bins and found things I've been saving for years to add to my props! Finally! I will add, I've had a great "master of detail" help me (my husband). He's got an artistic side behind the well chiseled jock and came up with some great ideas. Before & After's:  Dollar Tree plastic skulls turned fab! Simple salt container; hot glued a Dollar Tree skeleton figure to it first, then spray painted. My husband did the coloring on the skeleton (see, I told you). The letters are silver, s...