Need some simple ideas to ring in the New Year? Catch Simple Solutions Diva Monday, December 30, at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m., on First Coast Living, WTLV-TV/Ch. 12! Five great ideas to ring in the New Year with a little style, without having to spend a lot of money!
Searching for "First Coast Living"
Simple Solutions Diva Featured On First Coast Living: Thanksgiving Craft Ideas
On Tuesday, November 26, Simple Solutions Diva got to share her simple craft ideas for Thanksgiving. If you missed the show, you can check it out here!
Simple Solutions Diva Talks Simple Halloween Decor on First Coast Living!
Thank you to First Coast Living on WTLV-TV, NBC 12 in Jacksonville, Florida for having me on the show Monday, Oct. 21!
If you would like to see the “How-To” instructions for the projects featured, Click Here!
Simple Solutions Diva Talks Halloween Decor On First Coast Living
Catch Laura Morey, your Simple Solutions Diva, on Monday, October 21 on First Coast Living, WTLV-TV, NBC Ch. 12 (@ 11 a.m. and 2 p.m.)! She will talk simple Halloween Decor you can make on your own or with your kids.
Tune in and see how simple Halloween DIY can be!
Simple Solutions Diva on Jacksonville’s First Coast Living on WTLV-TV
Join me every Wednesday in August on First Coast Living on WTLV-TV, CH. 12! The special segment, The First Coast Living Ladies Panel, will be live at approximately 11:30 a.m. each Wednesday, with rebroadcast at 2:30 p.m. Our panel will provide (hopefully witty!) commentary on news of the day!
I am so honored to be a part of this panel of smart and funny women in Jacksonville, Florida. I hope you will join us!
I may be able to provide a link to the segments after they have aired. Stay tuned for more details!
Easy Halloween Treats & Decor
Halloween is almost here! Whether you are going to a Halloween party this year or you are hosting one this weekend, the Simple Solutions Diva has some simple Halloween snacks and décor you can make yourself!
Witches Broom Snacks
These are as simple as 3 ingredients – and they aren’t full of sugar! String cheese, pretzel sticks and fresh chives make up this adorable and tasty Halloween treat!
Instructions – Cut the string cheese into thirds. Slice the pieces of cheese 2/3 of the way to the top, creating the bristles of the broom. Stick a pretzel stick into the top (uncut) side of the broom. Tie the chive just above the cuts of the “broom” bristles. Keep refrigerated until ready to serve.
Spider Ice Cubes
Create a surprise in your party cocktails with these creepy ice cubes!
Instructions – Take (new) plastic spiders and wash them in soapy water, rinse and let dry. Place a spider into each space in an ice cube tray and fill with water. Freeze overnight, pop them out and use in your Halloween drinks or cocktails. (Note: If you want crystal clear ice cubes, boil the water before filling the ice cube tray.)
Carrot Finger Food – “Don’t Stick Your Fingers in The Dip” doesn’t apply here!
Carrots carved into fingers, complete with slivered almond nails, make the perfect “Finger Food”! You only have to create a few to make the impact. Stick a few in your favorite dip and place them in and around the other veggies you supply with the dip!
Instructions – Peel and wash the carrots. Cut the carrots into finger-sized pieces. Using a knife or a vegetable peeler, carve out a “nail bed”. Secure the almond “nail” with a dot of sour cream.
Foam Pipe Insulation “Chains”
These make for some great table decor or to make your home look creepy. Simply purchase foam pipe insulation (it is dark grey). Slice the insulation into small rounds – these are the chain “links”. Attach the links together to make a chain. Hang on your stair railing, decorate your Halloween party table, or use as part of a costume! If you do decide to use them as part of a costume, you will want to secure the links closed using a hot glue gun (low temperature).
Glove Hand Treat Bag
You can find plastic gloves at dollar stores or in the grocery stores. Simply fill them with favorite Halloween Candy and close and secure the bottom with string, yarn or twisty-ties.
Yarn Pumpkin
My Confession: Sometimes, my projects don’t go as planned! Originally, I was going to create a paper mache pumpkin using yarn instead of paper. But honestly, it just didn’t work! The yarn stuck to the balloon – I couldn’t deflate the balloon without ruining the “pumpkin”. As I tried to figure out what else I could do, I realized the ball of orange yarn looked exactly like a pumpkin! So I added a pipe cleaner stem and leaf and, Voila! A cute yarn pumpkin! Couldn’t have been easier!
Thank you to WTLV-TV/NBC 12 First Coast Living for inviting me on to share these ideas!
A Round-Up Of The Diva’s Favorite Household Tips
In honor of her LIVE appearances at the 2016 Fall Jacksonville Home + Patio Show, the Diva is sharing her favorite, simple household tips! Come out and say “Hi” on Sunday, October 2 at 11:30 a.m. – The Diva will be cooking things up on The Jacksonville Magazine Cooking Stage! If you plan to go to the Jacksonville Home + Patio Show, use promo code DIVA to get a discount on your tickets when you buy online! Buy Tickets HERE.
How To Fold A Towel For Easy Stacking: Tired of your towels flopping over when you try to stack them? The Diva makes it easy! Check out the tip – Click Here
How To Get Your Dryer To Dry Faster: Is it taking forever for your clothes to dry? Try this little tip from the Diva – Click Here
What To Do With Dryer Lint: If you do laundry, you know it always produces lint! You can leave the lint (along with old thread) out for the birds to use in their nests! Or check out this simple tip from the Diva – Click Here
The Secret Way To Make A Room Smell Great! – Try adding a Febreze Car Vent Clip to your air conditioning vent in a room – rarely do people look up when they enter a room, so it is a great way to make a room smell great, without being too heavy a scent! Available at Pubix, Target, Walmart and more. Or, you can also add a few drops of your favorite essential oil to your air conditioning filter when you change it out every month.
Simple Way to Clean Blinds: Tongs & Microfiber cloths! Wrap a microfiber cloth around each end of tongs, secure them with rubber bands, and you have a simple tool to clean those blinds! Toss the cloths into the wash when done!
How To Clean Large Amount Of Silverware: This is my FAVORITE Simple Holiday Survival Tip! Click Here to see how to go from tarnished to clean, without having to do all that hard polishing! (And you have to watch my Simple Holiday Survival Series before the holidays!)
How To Clean A Wooden Cutting Board: Lay the board on a clean work surface. Sprinkle the cutting board with salt. Using half of a lemon, place cut side down on the board and rub in a circular motion, combining the lemon and salt. The salt gently removes any built up grime, and the lemon naturally sterilizes the wood.
How To Clean Your Hair Dryer: Prevent your hair dryer from blowing up with this SIMPLE tip! Click Here
Thank you to WTLV-TV’s First Coast Living for having me on to share these tips!
Simple Fall Decor For Your Home
Happy Fall Y’all! I LOVE the cooler weather! Now is the perfect time to start decorating for the season, so I thought I would share some simple ways to bring a little fall into your décor!
Decorate With Mason Jars! You can buy mason jars in bulk at Publix, Walmart or other stores. They are very plentiful now because people are canning their summer produce.
Distressed Can Be Good! Check out these cute, painted & distressed mason jars! I used Krylon Flat White Spray paint from Michael’s, sprayed the clean mason jars, then, when they were dry, I used a fine sandpaper to lightly distress the jars. I finished them off by wrapping natural twine around the top and added fall hydrangea! So simple!
Get Leafy With It! If you like the look of fall leaves, grab a few, use glossy Modge Podge to affix the fall leaves to the mason jars – I use silk leaves when I do this project!
Love the Mercury Glass look? Grab a can of Krylon “Looking Glass” spray paint (I found it at a Michael’s Store) and spray the INSIDE of your mason jars. Add an LED candle inside and you have a cute candle! (Another Great Idea: You can also use the paint on the inside of one of those glass vases that come with flowers! I always have a few around the house! Or buy a simple glass vase from the Dollar Store!)
Bring A Little Nature Into The Home: Grab some pine cones from outside and use them in your decor! (But first be sure to dry & “debug” them with this simple tip from TwoitYourself.com)
Pine cones & Flowers – Now check out this cute Flower display – it looks like the flowers are sitting in a jar of pine cones! (the Trick is, you have 2 vases – one small, one large. Put small inside the large, then add pinecones in between the two! Flower stems go inside the smaller vase!)
Shop Your Home! Using pine cones and items around your home, you can create a Fall Tablescape that can take you from early Fall, Halloween on through to Thanksgiving! The tray is one that has been sitting in my bedroom. I had the three glass jars. I got the pine cones from outside, and then I just added items appropriate for the season – orange berry sprays for Fall, glitter pumpkins for Halloween, and I can add small gourds & mini pumpkins for Thanksgiving! The only thing I bought were the candles!
Dollar Store Deals – If you want to decorate for the fall, you’ve got to check out dollar stores NOW! They have all their products out for fall and Halloween! (And even a little Christmas now, too!) I found cute little mini pumpkins, felt placemats in the shape of fall leaves, and forms for wreaths!
Special Giveaway! I will be cooking things up on the Jacksonville Magazine Cooking Stage Sunday, October 2, 11:30 a.m. at the Jacksonville Home + Patio Show. I have 4 pairs of tickets to the Jacksonville Home + Patio Show, September 29-October 2. The first four people to email me at info@simplesolutionsdiva.com will win the tickets.
If you don’t win, don’t be upset because I have a coupon code you can use to get discounted tickets at the Home & Patio Show – Use the code DIVA!
Thank you to WTLV-TV’s First Coast Living for inviting me on to share these simple tips!
Simple Desserts To Celebrate July 4th!
Independence Day is Monday, and that means we have a long weekend to celebrate with family and friends! i’m featuring a few simple desserts you can bring to that July 4th Party or Picnic that are sure to be a hit! Best of all you can get kids of all ages involved in making these!
Patriotic Oreos – Red, white & blue make this simple dessert a winner.
Ingredients:
- One package of Oreo cookies.
- One container of Dolce Frusta White Shell, melted (or you can make your own white chocolate dip by following the melting directions on back of package of Nestle’s White Chocolate Chips)
- Red and Blue Cookie Icing – To make it easy on myself, I used Betty Crocker Cookie Icing.
- Optional: Edible, Patriotic decorations
Directions:
Dip the Oreos in melted white shell/white chocolate (cover 1/2 – 3/4 of cookie). Place on wax paper to cool and set.
Using the cookie frosting, drizzle the Oreos with red and blue, then sprinkle with patriotic decorations (If using!) Allow icing to set before serving.
Fruit Flag Dessert – A healthy way to celebrate the holiday! And you don’t need to worry about it going bad in warm weather!
Ingredients:
Your favorite red & blue fruits! I used strawberries, raspberries, cherries, and blueberries.
Yogurt covered pretzels or yogurt covered raisins.
Assemble the fruits into the shape of a flag – pretty easy peasy!!
Icebox Cake – Old Fashioned, not filled with sugar and so tasty! This one requires refrigeration until serving!
Ingredients:
- Nabisco Chocolate Wafers
- 2 cups whipping cream
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
- 2-3 Tablespoons Chambourd Liqueur
- 1/4 cup fresh raspberries, mashed
- Patriotic Sprinkles
Directions:
TIP: Before starting, store your beaters and bowl in the refrigerator to chill. This will help with whipping the cream.
In a large bowl, mix the whipping cream at high speed until peaks form. Gently add in vanilla. Move 1/3 of the whipped cream into another chilled bowl and fold in the raspberries and Chambourd.
On a plate or small platter, arrange one layer of the chocolate wafers. Layer with the raspberry whipped cream. Add another layer of chocolate wafers. Layer with raspberry cream again. Add one last layer of chocolate wafers.
Taking the plain whipped cream and cover the entire cake. Sprinkle with patriotic sprinkles and refrigerate overnight. Serve and eat immediately.
Optional: Brush each layer of wafers with additional Chambourd – as much or as little as you like.
Thank you to WTLV-TV’s First Coast Living for inviting me on to share these recipes!
Recipes For Kids To Make This Summer
With kids out of school during summer break, the two most dreaded phrases parents will hear are, “I’m Bored!” and “I’m Hungry”! Why not kill two birds with one stone and use the lazy days of summer to teach your kids to cook? Here are some recipes, of varying levels of difficulty, you can teach your kids to make. Who knows? Maybe they will make dinner for YOU sometime!
Note: As a parent, you need to determine how much supervision your child needs when using the oven, stovetop, knives, etc. Every child is different!
Ants on a Log – The childhood classic — celery sticks filled with peanut butter and topped with raisins is always a favorite, requires no oven and no sharp knives. Pre wash & cut the celery and keep it in the fridge for quick access for the kids! For a fun variation, use Craisins instead of raisins or use a flavored cream cheese spread in place of the peanut butter.
Corn Dog Muffins – I’ve taken the County Fair Favorite (a corn dog on a stick) and made it super easy! Your child can make a batch of these for snacks! Serve with ketchup or mustard to as a dip! (Requires the oven.)
Ingredients:
- 2 packages cornbread mix
- 2 Tablespoons brown sugar
- 2 Eggs
- 1.5 Cups milk
- 1 Cup Cheddar Cheese (optional)
- 9 All Beef Hot Dogs, sliced in half
Directions:
Preheat Oven To 400 degrees. Lightly grease muffin tin (makes 18 muffins).
In a large bowl, stir together the cornbread mix and brown sugar. In a separate bowl, beat the eggs and milk. Gently fold the egg mixture (and the optional cheese) into the cornbread mixture – mix until moistened.
Spoon the mixture into muffin tins until they are about 2/3 full. Add a ½ hot dog to each muffin cup.
Bake for 14-18 minutes, until golden brown.
Tuna Cheese Melts – English muffins, homemade tuna salad and cheese make for a yummy, simple lunch! (Requires toaster oven or regular oven for melting cheese.)
Ingredients:
- 2 cans white albacore tuna fish in water, drained
- 3 Tablespoons mayonnaise, more or less to taste
- 1 teaspoon celery salt
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ Cup each chopped celery & onion, chopped
- 2-3 Tablespoons yellow or red bell pepper, chopped
- 3 English muffins, split
- 6 slices American cheese (or other favorite cheese)
- 6 slices fresh tomato (optional)
Directions:
Toast the English muffin halves and set aside on a baking sheet. (Optional: You can butter the English muffins when you toast them.)
Preheat toaster oven (or oven) to 200 degrees.
In a medium bowl, flake the tuna and then combine the remaining ingredients, mixing thoroughly.
Spoon mixture onto each muffin half and top with a slice of cheese.
Pop in oven and bake until the cheese melts (approximately 8 minutes). Remove from oven, top with a tomato slice and serve.
Coconut Chicken Nuggets – A Tropical Twist on a kid’s favorite! Serve with pineapple mango salsa, or orange marmalade for dipping!
- 1 Cup Flaked coconut
- ½ Cup Flour
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- 1-1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1 inch cubes (or strips if you prefer chicken strips!)
- 1 egg, beaten
- 1/3 Cup Butter, melted
Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
On a plate, mix coconut, flour, salt, pepper, and garlic. In small bowl, beat the egg.
Dip the chicken in the egg mixture, then roll the pieces in the coconut mixture to coat.
Place on a non-stick baking sheet and drizzle with the butter. Bake 25 minutes, or until chicken is browned and cooked through, turning pieces halfway through.
Serve with dipping sauce and enjoy!
Note: You can mix a cup of orange marmalade with 2 tablespoons dijon mustard to make a zesty dip! (I added a couple of splashes of sweet chili sauce to it for my dip!)
For more recipes to make with the kids, check out the Diva’s video series Cooking With The Kids!
Thank you to WTLV-TV’s First Coast Living for inviting me on to share these recipes!