Pressing pad idea.

 I have a different desk now and needed a different ironing set up. Here is a sleeve that I made to place over a wooden cutting board. There is a layer if Insul-Bright between two layers of fabric. Then I sewed that into a sleeve. 

 The wooden cutting board is a little difficult to see on the wooden desk, but the sleeve slips easily on and off for washing. 

You can see the handle of the cutting board on the left. The cutting board is the best that I have found so far to prevent heat from getting to the desk. It is also thick enough that steam doesn't damage the desk. This is small enough to be portable and works well for my quilt blocks and other smaller projects. 

Dyeing Raw Eggs

These are raw eggs and not for hiding. 

 From left to right: green, red, blue, and purple. 

I put these back in the fridge to use for cooking. I used cold raw brown eggs because that was what I had. Even though the eggs were brown, I liked the results. 

Items needed:
-Eggs 
-Frosting dye/gel dye
-Vinegar 
-Container for dyeing (I used pint size canning jars.)
-Water 

For each jar/container, add one cup of water or enough to cover the eggs completely. (I used cold out of the faucet) Mix enough frosting dye into the water to get the color you want. (I made mine darker so it wouldn't take as much time.) Add 1 Tbl of vinegar per cup of water in the container. 

Gently place egg(s) in the container(s) and check every 5 minutes until you get the desired color. Gently remove eggs and place on paper towel over newspapers to dry for a couple of minutes. Return colored eggs to the refrigerator. 

Now you have pretty eggs to use as you wish. 

The green and red eggs took 10 minutes to reach the desired colors. The blue egg took 15 minutes. The purple egg took the longest at 20 minutes. 

For food safety, do not keep the eggs out of the refrigerator long enough to come to room temperature. 

Why would someone want to dye eggs and not hide them? Because we have no little ones in the home. Older kids (and adults) like the fun of colored eggs, but do not want to hunt for them. I plan to give raw dyed eggs to some friends and family for Easter so they can make breakfast omelets or anything else they would like. 

*CAUTION! Leaving the eggs in vinegar too long will soften the shells. Okay for hard boiled eggs, but now raw. 

Caramel Apple Poke Cake Recipe

Ingredients:
Yellow box cake, prepare as directed.
2 cans apple pie filling
Caramel ice cream sauce or syrup. Sauce is thicker
1 - 16 oz tub whipped topping.
*optional: 1 cup nuts, such a pecan or walnut. 

Prepare yellow cake as per box directions. While still hot, poke holes in the top with a wooden spoon. Some people like to poke all the way to the bottom of the pan. I like to just break a hole in the top to a depth of 1/2 inch to 1 inch. 

Pour half a jar of caramel sauce over the cake and use a spatula or spoon to move the sauce toward the poked holes. The heat of the cake will encourage the sauce to penetrate the cake. 

While the cake is still warm, spread the apple pie filling over the top of the cake. I needed 2 cans to make a nice even coverage. Allow the cake to cool for 20 to 30 minutes before moving it to the refrigerator to cool completely. 

After chilled, spread the whipped topping over the cake and use the rest of the caramel sauce to drizzle over the whipped topping. If using nuts, add at this time. 

Alternatives that I have used for this recipe:
Cherry pie filling with chocolate syrup. 
Raspberry pie filling with butterscotch.