Celebrate Your Unique Talent Day – Holiday Review

Definition of UNIQUE: being the only one of its kind; unlike anything else. 

While this definition of Unique does not totally agree with the following, I thought it would be fun to celebrate the 'individual', if  not totally unique, talents of my fellow Contributors here on Review This Reviews. And while some of us have similar talents, our special styles make us each 'unique' in our field.

November 24th is known as “Celebrate Your Unique Talent Day”. Therefore, we are going to point out some of the 'unique' and special talents of the RTR Contributors to show what they are best at. Some of the fine writers here have more than one special talent, as you shall see.

Yarn Talents

Several of those in our group are good at yarn crafts.

• Dawn Rae's specialty is crochet. She features handmade hats and neck warmers and warm slippers in her Etsy Shop DawnRaeCrochet.

Her shop also carries a line of what she calls “Jenny Hats” which came to be after making a custom hat for a friend (Jenny). These soft, slightly slouchy, chemo hats are made from a cotton blend yarn.

• Wednesday Elf also crochets. Her Etsy shop – Coastal Crochet Crafts – specializes in plush animals for children, plus a few assorted other items. 

Baking/Cooking Talent

• For very unique cakes and cupcakes in particular, you will find some fascinating recipes and how-to instructions from Sylvestermouse on Cooking for the Holidays.   She also includes other recipes from appetizers to main dishes to desserts, but I LOVE her special cupcakes and cake creations. 

Other RTR writers also have culinary creations to share. In particular, we have Sam Monaco who shares many favorite family recipes on his blog Sam's Place. 

Check out ReviewThisReview:Recipes for everything from the proverbial soup.... to nuts, for your cooking enjoyment.

Gardening

We have several gardeners in our group, our most prolific being Olivia Morris and Raintree Annie.

Come see the many helpful gardening tips offered on Review this Reviews:Gardening 

Also:  

Check out Olivia's website Grammie Knows How in her Gardening and Backyard section. 

And our newly added English gardener, Raintree Annie for her gardening tips here on Review This Reviews and on her own Gardening Blog Diary of a Wild Country Gardener. 

Writing Talent

• In addition to writing for Review This Reviews, Beverly Owens is establishing herself as a writer of Cozy Mysteries. She currently has 7 published books in 2 series (4 in the Roni Ranier series and 3 in the Cabin 9 series, with more to come. Read about how she began as a published author and her upcoming literary achievements at Beverly Owens, Author. 

Find her current books on Amazon, both on Kindle and in paperback. 

Photography Talent

• One of our favorite photography experts here, Mary Beth Granger (MbgPhoto), has studied photography for years and often shares expert advice on cameras and photo angles to help us all get the best photographs we can. Mary Beth's favorite thing to photograph is  lighthouses and she is constantly searching out new ones to feature. 

Check out her Lighthouse Enthusiast Zazzle Shop  to see some of her beautiful images. 

For lovely photos on her love of photography, traveling, and nature , see Mary Beth's Beauty in Nature Zazzle Shop. 

Sylvestermouse Cynthia is also a fine photographer who loves to photograph zoo animals in particular and many other fun activities. You can see her lovely images at Photography by Sylvestermouse.

Diana Wenzel is also a wonderful photographer on our staff, as is BarbRad. 

DIY Talent

• Diana Wenzel (Renaissance Woman here on Review This Reviews) is our 'Go-To' expert on do-it-yourself projects. 

Check out her many DIY articles here on everything from turning a simple rural mailbox into a bird house (Mailboxology) to creating a beautiful Fall Pumpkin Succulent Centerpiece.

Diana also has become an expert on rescue animals, most particularly one darling disabled dog who has won her heart. She chronicles his life & times in Mr. Muffins Journey, and relates his adventures and accomplishments in many articles on Review This Reviews (including becoming a therapy dog). 

• Tracey A. Breen (The Savvy Age) is very creative in coming up with inexpensive projects using supplies from dollar stores. These holiday-related and home décor and just-for-fun projects are perfect for parents, teachers and scout leaders. 

Tracey is also very 'savvy' about recipes, holiday ideas and Lifestyle tips & hacks to manage an active home and life at all ages. Read all about it on her website The Savvy Age. 

More Unique Talents

Barbara Tremblay Cipak (Brite Ideas here) is our country music expert. She explains the meanings and stories behind many well known country songs and singers on her website (Drageda) The Heart of Country Music. 

Barbara is also a professional in the field of home décor and has many unique and unusual Decor ideas to offer both here on Review This Reviews and on her own website Funky Home Decor. 

• Another Barbara (Barbara Radisavljevic known to us as BarbRad) has many talents. She is a writer, a photographer specializing in her native California landscape, and our book expert.  

Check out her uniqueness below at: 

• Paso Robles in Photographs 
• Bookworm Buffet  
• The Writing Life of Barb Radisavljevic 

• Brenda Little (Treasures By Brenda) is a collector, particularly of coffee cups/mugs and movie merchandise, especially vintage pieces.  

Brenda frequently shares her collections through her eBay store Treasures by Brenda for fellow collectors. 

In addition, Brenda gives us fascinating facts behind her collections in her two websites:

• Treasures by Brenda 
• Movie Treasures by Brenda 

• Heather Burns is an artist and colorist. She creates fantastic coloring pages and illustrations for you to color. 

Check out her Etsy Store at HeatherBurnsArt 

Heather is also a talented graphic designer and features her designs on many products in her Etsy Store HBStudioDesigns.

• Louanne Cox (Lou16) has a wide variety of interests and talents. My favorites are her artistic designs she features on a wide variety of items in her Zazzle stores.

I also enjoy the stories behind her designs found on her website Lou's Designs.

• Margaret Schindel is another multi-talented lady. When not writing professionally, she is a jewelry designer.   

She has created and sold one-of-a-kind and custom handcrafted jewelry for many years. She shares her jewelry making techniques in many articles on HubPages. 

Summary

As you can see, many of the multiple talents of the Contributors to ReviewThisReviews overlap. Many of us are into some form of arts & crafts, there are several wonderful photographers and quite a few good cooks. And I would say that all of us love to read and  enjoy movies and music. 

We are a varied bunch. While perhaps not individually unique, we all have our special talents. 

So…. Find your unique talent, and share it with the world on Celebrate Your Unique Talent Day November 24. 

(c) Wednesday Elf  (11/23/2019)

*All  images compliments of Pixabay and collages made with Canva.

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Halloween Sandwiches: Part IV of Halloween Recipes on Review This!

This year's Halloween celebration will be just a bit different than I normally have. I'm doing a sandwich spread for some of my family. Therefore I needed some good options for great Halloween sandwiches. And did I find some. Children and adults will be included in this event which means recipes appropriate for both.

Finger sandwiches from Pillsbury

Halloween Finger Sandwiches, Literally

Finger sandwiches are always worth doing and at Halloween we have sandwiches that look like fingers. I love this recipe, it's easy and adjustable for any variety of ingredients. Pillsbury came up with idea and uses meats, but I want to do a vegetarian version.

That turned out to be easy, by just replacing the meats with cheeses and vegetables in the sandwich and using triangles of red pepper instead of the pepperoni for the fingernails. Yep, simple.

Coffin Sandwiches

Coffin Sandwiches from Kraft

Kraft Foods came up with a cute idea as well. Coffin sandwiches are prefect for a fun Halloween treat. The easy part is cutting the shapes. Kraft even gives a template for the coffin shape. A sharp bread knife is a must for this. Getting the shape to come out makes a big difference.

The hard part is deciding on the sandwich fillers. Many, many options can work. With the kids involved, peanut butter and jelly will one of the choices, but I also like the idea of fillers such as egg salad and cream cheese spreads (www.whimsicalteapotsandcups.com/recipes/cucumber-dill-spread).

Personally, I love the idea of adding the R. I. P. onto the top of the sandwiches. Kraft suggests using decorating gel, mustard, even ketchup. Be careful about stacking coffin sandwiches with the message. You need to keep those with a message from sitting under another sandwich.

Halloween Cookie Cutters

Halloween Sandwich Cutters

When you want to make interesting shaped Halloween sandwiches, you can easily use a cookie cutter. Wilton has a fun set that includes that coffin shape for finger sandwiches. But, I also love the idea of the bat for some fun food additions.

Mummy Pizzas

Let us not forget pizza, one of those family food staples. Mummy pizzas are crazy easy to do. And you can add any and all pizza ingredients that you want. The trick is to layer thin slices of white cheese on top to create the mummy wrappings. Then add two slices of pitted black olives to make the eyes.

Food.com gives us a fun option using English Muffins for the pizza dough. Any crust style that you like will work out perfect for mummy pizzas. This is the time for you to use your favorite crust and your favorite ingredients.

Getting ready for Halloween, whether a big party, or a fun family dinner like mine, Halloween sandwiches make an easy menu option. There's plenty of choices for both kids and grown-ups alike. Review This has more Halloween recipes, too. See our appetizers, desserts and beverages to round out your Halloween menu.

Posted by: BuckHawk

About This Contributor

BuckHawk decribes herself as "Basically a lazy person who prefers the easy things in life." So that's what she writes about. Easy home decorating, easy recipes, easy entertaining. But, she is also a lover of animals, gardening and crafting. You'll find her writing all over the Web, but with Review This Reviews! she has the opportunity to write about all of her loves.

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Favorite Gadgets of 2022 Reviewed

It's end of the year gadget review time! Yes the end of the year is always a great time for the gadget fans to review the great finds of the year and also a great time to perhaps give a few of those gadget winners as Christmas gifts. I love a good gadget, but I love even more a gadget which has been tested and has made it into the winner category.

Favorite Gadgets And Reviews 2022

5 cup Coffee Mini Brew by Wednesday Elf

Another perfectly sized gadget which is just my size! Actually I am not a fan of coffee, but cannot exclude the coffee drinkers in a home. This mini brew is not only mini sized per cup I love it requires a small footprint for the counter top.

Coleman Camp Oven Review by Renaissance Woman

As gadgets go this may be one of the most flexible and valuable! If you live in an area where the power grid can be sketchy, this is an item of interest. A mini oven whose first intent was a portable oven for camping by as the reviewer discovered became invaluable at home during a power outage. What a fabulous gift for a camping friend!

Portable DVD Player by Sylvestermouse

Yes! What a great idea and stocking stuffer for those with DVD's- yes, raise your hand if your house still owns DVD's but no longer has a DVD player! This portable gadget is great for travel and an easy and convenient way to watch your favorite DVD's.

Flex Seal Reviewed by Sam

Liquid rubber in a can with so many darn uses! Who knew. I used this to repair a pesky little hole in a gutter that was being a problem child. I used the spray version of the flex seal to spray the area I knew the hole existed. Voila! Problem solved. 

Badminton Set by Olivia Morris

Whoa! The fun fun memories reading this review brought back of badminton in the yard. The sets have come along way and now portable badminton sets are available. What a great holiday gift this would be (hint hint!) 

Silcone Mini Molds by the Savvy Age

Definitely a winner for in the baking category! A very good price point for a large set of molds perfect to make mini desserts, mini appetizers and even mini meatloafs. 

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How to Make a Recipe Binder Organizer

Organize Your Favorite Recipes

I love having a recipe binder to organize my recipes!  By simply adding photo sheets to a binder, I can create my own recipe card binder with all my favorite recipes.  

In my recipe organizer, I can add, delete or move my recipes around for specific occasions or label the sections with tabs by courses.

The photo sheets will also protect my recipes from spills, smudges or tears.  My recipe binder organizer is my own personal cookbook of favorite recipes and meals.

 

My Recipe Card Binder

I personally selected the Green Marble Recipe Binder (shown above) and I left the text "My Favorite Recipes" on the cover even though it can be personalized with any text.  I also liked the font so this binder was perfect for me.

Zazzle Binders are designed for 8.5" x 11" sized paper or photo sheets.  Each binder has 4 pockets inside.

You can select the size of binder you desire.  I opted for the 2" spine binders simply because I have a lot of recipes that I wanted to add to my binder, but you could easily select several 1" binders and have a separate binder for appetizers, entrees, desserts, etc. 

Green Marble Recipes Binder by Sylvestermouse

My Photo Sheets

I personally selected two different types of photo sheets.  Each style of photo sheet fits neatly into the Zazzle 3-ring binders.

One set of photo sheets holds six 4"x 6" cards. (2 vertical and 1 horizontal) If you select this photo sheet, the recipe cards you place in the vertical pockets will need to be trimmed approx. 1/8" to fit.

The second set of photo sheets holds four 5" x 7" cards.  Obviously, there would be no need to trim your recipe cards for these pockets, but it holds 2 cards instead of three.

Photo of Set I with Recipe Card

 20 (Twenty Pages) - BCW Pro 3-Pocket Page (4 X 6 Cards, Postcards or Photos)

Photo of Set II with Recipe Card

 (50) BCW 2-Pocket 5 x 7 5x7 Postcard Photo Binder Pages

Printed Recipe Cards 

The recipe cards you see featured in my binder are all available on Zazzle.com.   I love the printed recipe cards professionally printed by Zazzle.  I purchased several of my favorite recipe cards to add to my Recipe Binder.

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Rectangular Serving Plates Reviewed

Serving Platter For Large Dinners

This turkey needs a serving plate (image from Pixabay.com)

Let's review an option for rectangular serving plates, today. I know, as I write this we haven't even celebrated Halloween yet this year. Before we know it, it will be time to sit down to Thanksgiving Dinner and then in December there will be the Christmas Dinner. Do you have enough serving plates to accommodate those larger portions of food?

I have found a set of three serving plates that will come in mighty handy for those dinners or parties that we often host during the year. What I love about this set is that they do not have a design that will make you feel like you can only use them for one specific holiday. I have always been fond of those wonder old turkey platters with the turkey design on them but they look a little silly if you use them for anything other than Thanksgiving. So, they sit in the cupboard to be pulled out once during the year. That is not very practical is it? 

What I love about this set of three is that you have three different sizes of plates to serve on: small, medium and large. The largest plate is 15.6 inches by 8.8 inches and will serve nicely for a large turkey, ham, or pot roast. The medium size is 13.8 inches by 7.5 inches and will work well with a variety of dishes for the dinner or party. The smallest plate is 12.2 inches by 6.5 inches and is perfect for appetizers or just about anything! 

I also love that they are white in color. There is nothing that will distract from any pattern we might have on our dinnerware. They can be used for any occasion we plan to serve a lot of people and will stack nicely in the cupboard. 

This set of three rectangular serving plates are made of porcelain so that can be used in the freezer or oven and can be washed in the dishwasher. Now, I think that makes them even more practical! 

Rectangular Serving Plates

How about you? Do you think that this set of serving platters would function well for your large gatherings of family and friends during the year? 

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Review of Our Favorite Seafood Dip ~ with Recipe

Homemade Clam Dip & Chips

Family Game Night Snacks (c) Elf

The gathering of family and friends over holidays, for special events and celebrations, or for card & game nights, calls for finger food type snacks. 

The quickest and most popular of these type of snacks are what we all like to refer to as 'chips & dip'.

Many years ago our grocery store carried, along with your typical onion dip and guacamole dip, a creamy cream cheese type dip with clams. The seafood lovers in my family absolutely loved it. Somewhere along the line the store-bought clam dip disappeared from the dairy section, probably due to lack of popularity as not everyone likes clams. (Can't imagine that, but it's true!). :-)

We really missed not being able to buy clam dip any more, so I got to pondering on it and figured out it couldn't be that hard to come up with my own version. Using some suggestions from an appetizer cook book for seafood-type dips, this 'homemade clam dip' is what I 'invented'. My family and friends liked it so much that it has become the 'expected' snack item at our house for any time we get together. It's best served with ripple-style chips and/or pretzels because it is a bit 'stiffer' than some dips and the regular chips break apart too easily while 'dipping'.

My son recently called me long distance because he couldn't find his copy of my recipe and needed a review of the ingredients for the batch he was making. Others have asked for the recipe too, so I decided to share it here. Hope you enjoy it at your next gathering.

RECIPE For Clam Dip

Ingredients

Ingredients

• 1 (or 2) 8-ounce package Cream cheese, softened
• 8 ounce tub Sour cream, Use 'light' version, if desired
• 1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire Sauce
• 1 teaspoon Lemon Juice, bottled or Fresh
• 3 or 4 Scallions or Green Onions, chopped
• Dash Pepper
• 1 or 2 cans Canned Clams, drained
• Large Bag Ripple-style Potato Chips and/or Pretzels

Instructions

1. Place opened package of cream cheese in a medium bowl to soften.
2. Finely chop 3 or 4 fresh scallions (or green onions). Amount depends on your personal preference.
3. When cream cheese is soft enough to work with, add the chopped green onions, Worcestershire sauce, lemon juice and pepper. Stir to mix.
4. Add the sour cream a few spoonfuls at a time, stirring into the cream cheese mixture.
5. Continue adding sour cream until the dip is the consistency you prefer. Some like it stiffer, somewhat like a spread you could serve on crackers; others like it soft enough to use with chips and pretzels.
6. When the dip is mixed to the consistency you like, add the clams (drained, but allow a tiny bit of clam juice to remain for a nice extra flavor).
7. Cover and refrigerate for several hours or overnight to allow the flavors to nicely blend. Stir once again before serving with the chips and/or pretzels.

+Cook's Note: I often double the recipe, depending upon the size of the group I am serving it to, as you will find it gets eaten quickly! :)

*Extra Note: We like lots of clams in our dip, so I prepare it with two cans, but one can works just as well.

Cook Time

Prep time: 30 min

Ready in: 30 min

Yield: Serves 4-6 people

Clam Dip ready to eat and enjoy!

Cream cheese dips, clam and otherwise, are my favorite kinds of dip.

I made a batch of my clam dip for a recent visit from my son & family. It's our favorite snack and is always expected.

Chips and Other Dips!

Source: Pixabay

If clams are not your favorite, there are lots of other kinds of dips from spinach and guacamole to onion dip to salsas. Any dip and combination of chips (potato, tortilla, pretzels) make great finger food snacks for any kind of party or get-together.

Dip Cookbook

Available on Amazon

Dips is a dip cookbook with more than 40 recipes ranging from quick & easy dips to fancy party dips.  A cookbook filled with dip recipes for any party or occasion.

Are you a fan of 'chips & dips?'  What is your favorite kind of dip? 


For a variety of other kinds of appetizers, check out these fabulous appetizer reviews compiled for your snacking pleasure here on

ReviewThisReviews/Appetizers

National Chip and Dip Day is

March 23

Originally written © 2013 Wednesday-Elf.  Updated for Review This! on 3/23/2023

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Food Review: Special Treats and Recipes for Valentine's Day

Show someone how much you love them on Valentine's Day with these special treats and recipes.   

Here are a few suggestions for making this Valentine's Day fun, memorable and full of hearts for you and the one, or ones, you love.  

Delight your sweetheart with unique treats throughout the day, starting with a heart shaped breakfast.  We have even included a special gift for your backyard birds.

 

Heart Shaped Breakfast Waffles

Why not start the morning off right with heart shaped waffles.  Waffle batter is pretty easy to make.  You can either use a product like Bisquick and simply add milk, eggs and vegetable oil, or you can whip up waffles from scratch with a recipe like this one.   The secret ingredient to making homemade waffles delicious is a 1/2 teaspoon of Vanilla Extract. 

 Chef’sChoice 840 WafflePro Taste / Texture Select Waffle Maker Traditional Five of Hearts Easy to Clean Nonstick Plates, 5-Slice, SilverCheck Price

Add some delicious strawberry syrup or raspberry topping to the breakfast table, and your family is sure to be singing your praises all day long.


*All of the recipes are linked for easy clicking to find the delicious recipes.  Plus, you will find a selection of Heart Shaped Waffle Makers by clicking here.

Mozzarella Cheese Filled Heart Shaped Snacks

I recently came across this recipe pictorial for Mozzarella Cheese Filled Hearts posted by a friend on Pinterest.  I simply had to seek out the original recipe and tutorial post to share here on Review This!

These treats look easy and delicious for an afternoon snack, a treat for a child's lunch box, or perhaps an appetizer for a Valentine's Day romantic dinner. 

The recipe and directions for these awesome Valentine's Day treats can be found on Hungry Happenings.  

Beth also provides a recipe for Roasted Red Pepper Pesto which makes the perfect red sauce for dipping for Valentine's or any day.

These mozzarella hearts really are a cool "twist" on the mozzarella sticks that are popular appetizers in so many family restaurants.    

Valentines Peep Pops   

Another fun and easy treat would be these Peep Pops.  

Brianna gives us excellent instructions with lots of photos so we can makes these specialty chocolate goodies.

It is truly amazing how many different shapes are available in our favorite "Peeps" these days.  They certainly allow us to make a lot of really awesome and tasty gifts by serving as the foundation for specially made designs.  

I never could make myself eat the little chicks, but I have no trouble devouring the Peeps hearts.     

Valentine's Day Chocolate Mice

I am sure it will come as no surprise to anyone that one of my own personal favorites has to be these Chocolate Covered Cherry Mice! 

They are the perfect way to give chocolate covered cherries and Kisses for Valentines Day.

Chocolate Covered Cherry Mice

Roasted Red Pepper Pesto

Roasted Red Pepper Pesto

Roasted Red Pepper Pesto

Roasted Red Pepper Pesto

A Special Treat for our Feathered Friends

We certainly don't want to forget to make a special treat for our backyard birds.  They are always so faithful to sing to us and to add beauty to our ordinary days.

Chrysa provides us with directions and a recipe to make a Valentine Bird Feeder Heart. 


Many of us experience extreme cold, snow and ice during the month of February.  These hearts are fun and easy to make.  They are a wonderful way to say thank you to our outdoor "friends" as and a beautiful way to provide food during the winter months. 

Heart Shaped Cake

Last, but my no means least, I want to share the gift I enjoy making for my own family each Valentine's Day.  

Heart shaped cakes are easy to make with the right pans and they can be made in any flavor of cake and icing.  Over the years, I have made pink and red icing for the cakes, but my husbands' favorite is a simple German Chocolate cake in the shape of a heart.

*Additional Heart Shaped Bakeware
 

Share your favorite Valentine's Day Treat

Have you published an article about your favorite Valentine's Day treat?  We would love to see it!  Please leave the link in our guestbook so we can visit.

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