Easy Pumpkin Maple Meatballs -2 Ingredients

I don't think these Pumpkin Maple Meatballs could get any easier folks. Your favorite frozen meatballs, a jar of pumpkin maple spread from Aldi (or any store that has something similar), and a slow cooker. I used my Little Dipper Crock Pot and about half a jar of the jam. Only two ingredients Lynn? Ok, if you'd like to add a little something else... How about some pumpkin pie spice. Or dare I say... Maybe a few shakes of hot sauce? But honestly, my crew says it was perfect as is. And I mean the whole crew this time! This is a nice sweet seasonal treat perfect to snack on after leaf raking, a trip apple picking, or pumpkin hunting at the garden center. 

And of course it's great for... 

Football parties:@)

How to make a Barbie Crock Pot here.

Let's change up our hosting routine and try something new while the pumpkin flavors are available! Maybe even tuck a jar away for Thanksgiving... Just a thought.

The Aldi jam I used:

As a point of reference I used 14 bite size meatballs and half of a 12.5 oz jar in my Little Dipper Crock Pot. There was room for a few more meatballs.

Pumpkin Maple Meatballs

1. 1 lb+ frozen cooked meatballs
2. 12 oz jar Pumpkin Maple Spread
3. Place meatballs in slow cooker, cover and cook on high for an hour.
4. Pour jam over meatballs reserving a few tablespoons to stir in before serving. 
5. Turn temp to low, place paper towel under lid, and cook for about two more hours or until heated through. (My Little Dipper is only one temp, I use at least 2 1/2 hours).
6. Stir in reserved jam. 
7. Stir and serve with fun food picks. 

🍁🏈Enjoy a snack and

Have a Happy Day:@)

Temp-Tations Football Theme'd Serving Items on QVC #2

Last year I shared that Temp-Tations on QVC has Football Theme'd Items HERE. Well, the pattern must be popular because they came back with some new items this year:@) I'll show a few, you can pop over to QVC.com to see what's left if desired. Everything from aprons to potholders to cutting boards.

Baking dishes, 2.5 quart (shown)

and a 9x13 version with lid/serving tray

Lazy Susan:

Tea Kettle:

Insulated Tote Bag and Bowls:

🏈Fun items for game day or gifts...

Grab it when you see it and

Have a Happy Day:@)

Phillies Pepperoni Logo for Pizza

Here in Philly we're going to ride the baseball wave as far as it will take us folks:@) This Pepperoni 'P' Phillies Logo Pizza is such a super simple idea for game day, after school snack, or any day. Start with your favorite cheese pizza, I grabbed a quick a personal size Celeste from Dollar Tree. Then place the pepperoni into the shape of a P with the bottom flaring out a bit. Be sure to overlap each piece by half or more. Using a logo for reference is always a good idea. Then bake per package instructions. Easy and sure to be a hit with the kids or any fan.

 ⚾Let's support our teams and

Have a Happy Day:@)

Just Bare Chicken -Good stuff folks!

I live alone and as the years go by I seem to be more drawn to the idea of convenience food. Things that cut out just a bit of prep, and most importantly, a lot of clean up. Can anyone relate? I thought so:@) The issue is, unless your budget allows very high end products, sometimes the quality is lacking. Most of you know Buffalo Chicken is one of my favorite things. Nothing better than tossing some nuggets into the air fryer, slathering with sauce, cutting up some veggies, and calling it Saturday (or game day) lunch. 

*Barbie's chicken is cut out of a sale ad... Just Bare needs to get ahold of the Mini Verse or Zuru people!

When it comes to chicken nuggets I've tried them all. Well, maybe not the dinosaur shaped ones, but all the rest-ha. I have finally found what I consider the most 'fried chicken' like nuggets. No extra spices, no funny after taste from the oil used in the breading, no excessive breading, and no ground up shaped mystery meat. Just whole white meat chicken breast cut to bite size appetizer pieces with a light breading. 

As the angels sing...

Have you tried Just Bare Chicken Breast Bites? My co-worker grabbed me a big bag at Sam's Club, but they are also sold in 22-24 oz packs at regular supermarkets. Not inexpensive, but not excessively expensive either. They go on sale for about $8. 10-12 minutes in the air fryer and I have a hot protein that satisfies. **Please note, I am not affiliated with or being paid for this post. Just sharing something I've been enjoying. But as I shamelessly always say, if they want to send me a little somethin'-somethin', I eat a lot of chicken. Just sayin' :@)

Don't hesitate to give them a try folks, they also have strips and fillets. I like the bites for charcuterie, appy's and dipping. Maybe put out a bunch of different sauces for your next football party or get together. Also good on salads, tacos, or as a short cut for chicken parmesan. Anything goes!

🏈Eat well and

Have a Happy Day:@)

QVC NFL T-Shirt and Zip-Up Hoodie TSV

Popping in to share that the today's special value 9/13/25 on QVC is an NFL licensed football T-Shirt and Zip-Up Hoodie combo. Great to show our team colors or to tuck away for a gift (yes folks, the holidays are coming:@) You might want to check it out while they still have your team... QVC.com.

🏈Grab it when you see it, and

Have a Happy Day:@)

Raised Bed Garden 2025

This was the year of the butterfly in my yard. Huge yellow, orange and black ones flying around every day. It was hard to get a good picture, but this little guy took his time at the zinnia and allowed me to get pretty close. He's a little beaten up and was a brighter yellow, this pic made everything a little paler.

I was excited to finally get a few beets:@) And learned you need to plant more than you think you do, and expect to let them grow for most of the season to get to any decent size. For some reason I thought they'd be ready to eat in June, not so much. I did enjoy adding the beet greens to salads throughout the summer though. Ma says they would sauté them and eat them like spinach when she was a kid. I hope to try that next year. Note for myself: 3/9/25 planted spinach, beets, and radish seeds.

All of these pics are from throughout the summer, so plants are various sizes. If you look closely, there is a black butterfly on one of the bottom zinnias. 

Tomatoes didn't get as tall this year, and a strong wind bent most of the vines over. As previously mentioned, they were a good three weeks later to ripen than last year. In addition to what you see there were planters of string beans and I had a good spring for radishes. Fall radishes, some turnips and another attempt at beets are growing now.

I've never planted Alyssum before, tried it in the strawberry planter. It grew well and I was amused at the way the white was dominant in spring, and by end of season it was mostly purple. 

Cherry tomatoes on this side, they grew well and I ended up with plenty to share:@) Cucumbers and zucchini were strong for a couple weeks, but made early departures. 

Peppers are starting to turn colors now.

Labor Day Weekend garden... Those crazy tall light purple flowers are Cosmos. The pack of seeds said they'd grow 2' tall-yea x 4. They got so tall I couldn't even dead head the flowers. New cement bird bath, clean and simple look, I love it:@) Coleus on the near end was -very- happy this year. 

Overall, it was another good year for the Pig In Mud garden:@) And as always, it gave me lots to think about for next year. My biggest challenge: The township forced us to use their trash cans now, I can only get so much into it (instead of throwing two bags on the curb as I've done forever). I have a feeling I'll be scaling back quite a bit. Especially the tomatoes. My coworkers are already disappointed... Oh well, we will see. 

I hope you all had a great summer!

Have a Happy Day:@)

Frozen Crushed Tomatoes -Small Batch Preserving The Garden

As the garden winds down and the season comes to an end the tomatoes start to look a little worse for wear. One way to try to use them up is to make some *simple* Frozen Crushed Tomatoes. The key here is it’s just an idea to eliminate waste and nothing too fancy. We can make as few or as many as we'd like or have. The excess liquid can be cooked out on the stove, or if you’d like, in a slow cooker. I used the stove because it goes a lot faster. My son adds some basil. I just made tomatoes, they can be used for spaghetti sauce, chili, soup, or stews. 

As a point of reference, I used four large tomatoes, cooked them for 1 hour and 15 minutes. This gave me about 1/2 C of crushed. Yep, preserving is a labor of love folks:@)

It was another good tomato year from the raised bed garden, although they did ripen almost three weeks later than last year. At this point I’m beginning to pull plants and clean things up.

My Preserving Pinterest Board HERE.

My DIY Barbie Pinterest Board HERE.

Frozen Crushed Tomatoes

• Wash and core tomatoes. Cut into quarters. Pushing the seeds out is always a nice idea, I didn't. Same with the skins, I left them on, just used the whole tomato. *Next time I'll run my thumbs through them to remove most of the seeds.
• Pulse about 6-8 times in food processor or chop with a knife. 
• Add a pinch of salt, bring to boil. Reduce to medium low, stir occasionally so they don't scorch or burn, and cook until reduced and liquid has evaporated. This will take time, plan this project for when you are home for a few hours.
• Cool, place in freezer bags or cups, label, and freeze.

🍅Let's use up what the garden gifts us,

and Have a Happy Day:@)

Fall & Football Tiered Tray

It's football season folks! Popping in with my Fall and Philadelphia Eagles Football Tiered Tray. I picked up a new white rectangular tray from Aldi. It has lots of room for decorations and I love it on my oblong table! Topped it with cute items gathered at various stores over the years, a crafted thing here and there...

And yep, a sign that says "Eagles Fans Only"-ha. 

Here's hoping it's a great season:@)

***GO BIRDS***

Have a Happy Day🏈🏈🏈

 

Have a Happy Day:@)