Dana Marie's Country Living Blog

One of my best tricks at Halloween is to make spider cookies. They're peanut butter cookies with little peanut butter cups on top. Here's how I do it - Halloween Spider Cookies Step 1 . Bake a batch of peanut butter cookies using your favorite recipe. Step 2 . While the cookies are still warm, put a small peanut butter cup on top of each one and let cool. Step 3 . Melt some chocolate chips, and using a piping bag or a plastic sandwich bag with a hole cut in the corner, draw some legs coming from each peanut butter cup. Step 4 . Pipe two dots onto each peanut butter cup and apply sugar eyes. You can find them in the baking section of your local store. And here's my favorite peanut butter cookie recipe from my newest cookbook, Vintage Cookie Recipes , available on Amazon® . Have a yummy, creepy Halloween! ~ Dana   Peanut Butter Cookies Ingredients 1/2 cup salted butter, softened 1/2 cup peanut butter 1/2 cup granulated white sugar 1/2 cup brown sugar 1 egg 1 teaspoon vanilla ...

Here are some fun Halloween candles I worked on this weekend. I used little plastic bones and glass bowls I found at the dollar store. They turned out super duper cute! When you're burning your new candle, as the wax starts melting, the bones float around a little, adding to the creepy effect. It's fun to do unique projects like this. You can make things that no one else has but you!  Happy Haunting! ~ Dana   Halloween Skeleton Candle Supplies candle wax a glass bowl 20 drops essential oil made for candles 3 pre-made candle wicks small decorative plastic bones coffee grounds image for the sign cardboard Mod Podge® hot glue gun double boiler Instructions 1 . Melt the candle wax in a double boiler. You can use whatever brand you like. I like organic soy wax because it burns nice and clean. Add the essential oil and remove from heat. 2 . Pour the wax into a glass bowl. Add the candle wicks right away. Be sure to use wicks made for candle-making. You may need something to support ...

Look how cute my latest project turned out! Little trick or treat pails made from cans. I made them out of my dogs' food cans, some paint, some cinnamon to make them look rusted and old, Mod Podge® and some printables I found on the Internet. Super cute fun project!! ~ Dana Little Trick-or-Treat Pails Supplies used tin cans acrylic paint ground cinnamon, etc. vintage labels Mod Podge® raffia tissue paper candy vintage tags Instructions 1 . First, remove the original labels from the cans and wash them thoroughly. Dog food cans are a nice size, but you can use whatever size you have. I run mine through the dishwasher.  2 . When the cans are clean and dry, paint them with whatever color you want and let dry. Usually they will need 2-3 coats of paint. 3 . Select some vintage images for your labels.  You can find them on Pinterest® by searching for "vintage Halloween printables" or "vintage Halloween labels." And you can buy them on Etsy here . For dog food-sized can...

I made the most yummy simple biscuits the other night. They're great as a side dish at dinner or for a delicious snack. These are semi-homemade, because you start with a couple cans of refrigerator biscuits. I used Pillsbury®, but any brand will work. Enjoy! ~Dana Garlic & Cheese Pull-Apart Biscuits Ingredients 2 cans refrigerator biscuits 1/2 cup salted butter 1 tablespoon chopped parsley chopped fresh chives, to taste garlic powder, to taste garlic salt, to taste ground pepper, to taste 7 ounces gouda or mozzarella cheese Instructions 1 . Using kitchen shears, cut the opened biscuits into pieces, about 3/4 inch. Place them in a large bowl. Biscuit pieces and herbed butter 2 . Next, melt the butter. I used my homemade garlic-chive butter - the recipe is here on the blog if you would like to make it. Otherwise, you can use regular butter and add the parsley, chives, garlic powder, garlic salt and ground pepper. As for how much to add, just season to your taste. Melted butter w...

When I need roasted garlic for a recipe, I always roast more than I need so I will have some ready for other uses throughout the week. It's heavenly in so many ways! - as a spread on bread - blended into softened butter - tossed into pasta - as a topping for grilled steak or fish - stirred into soups - as a dip flavoring - added to mashed potatoes - pizza topping - in a marinade - as a topping for sautéed vegetables - some people eat it with a spoon It can be kept in an airtight container for 3-5 days. Just separate the cloves out of the head and wrap tightly to minimize drying out. If you wish, you can freeze it as chunks removed from the peels or mashed. Spread the chunks in a freezer bag and freeze flat, for easy removal when you want to use some. Or you can freeze mashed roasted garlic in an ice cube tray.  Keeps up to 3 months in the freezer. Enjoy this delicacy! ~ Dana Garlic paste - mashed roasted garlic Roasted Garlic Ingredients heads of garlic olive oil salt (optional) In...

I made butter from scratch! So much fun. You can really tell the difference in flavor when it's made from scratch. I do have to buy cream from the grocery store, though. I wish I could have a cow. I love this kind of butter with anything savory that I cook. It's also a perfect match for steak and baked potatoes. I flavored this batch with garlic and chives. So delicious! Another great thing about making butter from scratch is all the buttermilk that you get. It can be frozen in canning jars for up to 3 months or up to 6 months if you don't mind it separating when you thaw it. It's so nice to have on hand when buttermilk is called for in a recipe. Try it, you'll love it! ~ Dana Homemade butter with garlic & chives Homemade Butter Ingredients 5 cups heavy whipping cream 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt, or to taste Supplies butter muslin or several layers of cheesecloth a butter mold or container with a lid Instructions 1 . Pour the cream into a mixing bowl. Using a sta...

These Steak Pinwheels are stuffed with cheese, garlic and spinach. They're a great way to fancy-up your steak. Enjoy! ~Dana Steak Pinwheels Ingredients 2.25-pound flank steak 1 teaspoon coarse salt 1 tablespoon cracked peppercorns 1 tablespoon minced garlic 5 ounces cream cheese 3 slices Parmesan or Fontina cheese 1 cup fresh spinach leaves 2 tablespoons salted butter Instructions 1 . Place the steak between two pieces of plastic wrap, with enough room to expand. On a cutting board, use a meat mallet to pound the steak until it's 1/4-inch thick. 2 . Sprinkle both sides of the meat with the salt, pepper and garlic. Spread the cream cheese on one side and cover with cheese slices. Place spinach leaves on top. 3 . Roll up the steak, starting from one of the long sides. The rolled log should be about 4 inches in diameter. Wrap it tightly in plastic wrap and place in the freezer for 15 minutes. 4 . Remove from freezer, unwrap the roll, and tie baker's twine around it in six even...