Friday Fav Day-Sweet Summertime!

Happy Friday!

Today I'm linking up at  Finding Joy in My Kitchen

Here's a collection of recipes that I discovered this week:

No Bake Boston Cream Pie Strata


Better Than Sex Chex Mix (camping?)


Strawberry Nutella French Toast


Strawberry Mint Lemonade

Bacon Ranch Potato Salad


It looks like if it contains chocolate, strawberries or bacon you can count me in!

** All recipes and pictures belong  to the linked websites

S is for Southern Hospitality

Some say you're born and bred with it.
Others say its a skill you learn.

As for me? I love it. I think its part practiced skill, part natural love .

A lot of things have been changing inside me lately, thanks to my growing relationship with the my Father through His Son, Jesus Christ.

One of those things is a growing sense of hospitality. A desire to love through taking care of people- feeding them, talking to them, making them feel at home.

Reading Bread and Wine started to ferment these feelings and ideas.

At our bonfire last weekend, someone commented to me that I always have plenty of good food around when we have company. Wheels turned a little further down the track.

Today, a godly woman at work remarked that she sees me  as being in the hospitality ministry.

And then it clicked. That's who I want to be. Who I feel God is leading me to be.

I am shy. When I am in my element, I am more open. More likely to share the Word of God or voice my opinion.

I love feeding people, sharing and laughing with them.

My new dream is to be the one who invites the newcomer (at work, church etc) over for dinner. The one who holds old groups of friends together by hosting gatherings

God has blessed me greatly and I can't wait to share them!

What talent, skills and desires has God blessed you with?

Summer Drinks

In my last post I mentioned that we were drinking pink bikinis and love and peace cocktails. I thought I'd share the recipes with you. They are both yummy but the pink bikini was the all around favorite.

Pink Bikini

1.75 liter raspberry lemonade (we used Simply Lemonade)
1 3/4 cup coconut rum
1 cup amaretto

Mix together and shake.

Love and Peace

Pour the following ingredients into a 1.75 liter container. I used the empty Simply Lemonade container from above.

4 scoops of pink lemonade
1 cup strawberry vodka
1/3 cup Triple Sec
1/3 cup coconut rum

Using cold water, fill the rest of the container up to the base of the neck. Cap and shake gently to mix.

By The Light of the Moon

We held a bonfire party last night. It was a beautiful night, an almost full moon, a toasty fire, good food and even better friends.

We laughed, we talked and laughed some more. The comment I heard the most this morning was "my cheeks hurt". That's the sign you had a good time!

We sipped on pink bikinis and love and peace:

Everyone pitched in with the food and drinks. We had quite the spread, from fruit and veggie trays to jalepeno boats, chocolate pie, pasta salad, lucky salsa, banana boats and s'mores.

After everyone left, Mike and I sat alone by the fire. We shared thoughts about our jobs, our society, the Bible, and our future family.

 His sentiment "And then there were two", brought a quick tear to my eye, as it was a modified version of one he shares with his army buddies, "The Triad", as they call themselves.

It was a fitting end to a magical night.

And it all happened underneath the Pennsylvania moon. (which strangely enough, when you're with the right people feels just like home)

Book Review: Bread and Wine by Shauna Niequist

Bread and Wine is an excellent book.  I love how Shauna relates memories of people, places, events to the tastes and smells of the food she enjoyed while experiencing those moments. I can relate quite well. She writes beautifully about her families and friends, sharing engaging stories from different times in her life. She then shares a recipe for a dish that she thinks captures the moment for her. Her memories come alive as she takes in the smells, tastes and textures of certain foods.

I really enjoyed the way Shauna relates faith and food. Friends, family, faith and food. She stresses that important moments often happen around the kitchen table. And although the book doubles as a cookbook, she urges us not to forget that the moments make the meal, not the food. You can serve frozen pizza as long as you do so with love.

With love, with love, seems to be the reoccurring theme in this beautiful book. The book includes a good portion of recipes for breakfasts, sides, mains and dessert. Each one is written in a easy conversational style, that makes me want to whip up a risotto, and feel comfortable doing so, even though I could barely identify it in the grocery store. I have not yet tested any of her recipes but they all look simple and detailed enough that I want to try every single one of them.

Also, for those of you who have read and enjoyed Molly Wizenberg’s A Homemade Life, this book is stylistically similar and equally delightful. I love the book club discussion guides and the extra sections on party planning and weeknight meal planning.

Basically, I love this book and look forward to reading her other two.

 

PS: I recieved a free copy of this book from Booksneeze, in exchange for my honest opinion.

Are you going to Heaven?

We discussed this at last weeks Bible study and my boss encouraged us to discuss this concept with all of our friends. Since I've come to think of many of you as blog buddies, I decided to discuss this here.

So, I'd like to hear your thoughts. Do you think you are going to heaven? Why?

Here, I'll go first.

I believe I am going to Heaven because God sent his Son, Jesus, and that he died on the cross and in doing so saved me from all of my sin. I accept that Jesus did this for me, as my Savior. I believe accepting Jesus' sacrifice is the only way to spend eternity with God.

If you agree, or not I invite you share your thoughts below or email me at rrwrites at hotmail dot com and I'll do my best to explain my beliefs.

In a similar vein, I am looking for guest bloggers to fill in so that I can spend some more time working on my novel and finishing my tshirt quilt. Feel free to comment or email me if you'd like to help.

Book Review: Unleashed: Release the Untamed Faith Within by Erwin McManus

This book relates the way Jesus lived his life to the way we out to live our lives when we profess ourselves as Christians and claim to follow Him. To sum up the book, Jesus never promised this following him would consist solely of sitting in church pews in pretty clothing. The author reiterates that the Christian path can be a hard, dangerous and surprising one- but that because we have Christ we have no need to fear it.  Rather he suggests we embrace it.

I love the author’s ideas and he writes with great passion. I believe, like the author, that we often put Christianity in a nice safe box and don’t experience life to the fullest because we don’t unleash our untamed faith.  I very much want to live as a disciple, and not merely a Christian, to go where Christ calls me, no matter what the cost.

However, I did find flaws with this book. The authors style is somewhat disconnected. It’s almost as if he published his first draft, without undergoing any editing process. He has passion, but lacks finesse (much like me in the kitchen haha). I’m not sure that I would recommend this book because there are several other good books out there with a similar perspective-like anything by Mark Batterson. However, the passion behind this book could make it a faith changer. Overall, I think I have a fairly neutral opinion of this book  (which is pretty rare).

PS: I was given a free copy of this book (via BookSneeze) in exchange for my thoughts.

Once a Month/Week Cooking Review

If you remember, a few weeks ago I tried my hand at freezer cooking. I opted to try just a weeks worth of meals to see how the process worked for my family.

Boy am I glad I let me husband talk me into that! Otherwise we would have wasted a huge amount of food.

I made 7 recipes and only 5 came out edible and only 3 were enjoyable.

The pasta tasted terrible, although it had smelled amazing on cooking day.
The pizza crust refused to bake, but the toppings and sauce were delish.
The chicken cordon bleu, was so-so.
The breakfast burritos were a hit with the hubby.
We both enjoyed the breakfast and bean burritos.
The meatloaf tasted okay but took almost 2 hours to cook.
I like the taste of the frozen fruit cups, but they take a good 20 minutes until they are thawed enough to get a spoon into. Maybe my freezer is too hard core. Because they take so long to thaw I have been eating them as dessert instead of breakfast.


I think I'll try the pizza again, make it, bake it and eat it all in the same day.

Overall, I think I will just strive to do my chopping and prepping in advance but leave everything to be cooked the day of.

How have your once a month cooking experiences gone?

PS: I'm going to be looking for a few guest posters soon. Email me at rrwrites at hotmail dot com if you're interested!

Stash Busting Monday: Taste of Home Cannoli Cake (2 for 1)

Yummy! I found this recipe in Taste of Home and had been waiting to try it. A coworker offered to bring in chicken scampi the other day, so I offered to bring in dessert.

I thought this would be the prefect combination.




The Taste of Home recipe calls for a french vanilla cake mix but since I shy away from cake mixes I baked up a buttermilk vanillabean cake that I found in Molly Wizenberg's A Homemade Life. (I highly recommed her book. Its full of lovely stories and recipes)

To turn the vanilla cake into a  cannoli cake, you need to make the filling and frostings and chill until spreadable:

Filling:
16oz ricotta cheese
1/2 cup confectioners sugar
2tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp almond extract
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 oz semisweet chocolate, finely chopped

Frosting:
16 oz marscapone
3/4 cup confectioners sugar
1/4 cup whole milk
2 tsp almond extract
1 tsp vanilla extract

Because I used Wizenberg's recipe, I had thinner cake layers and thus had extra icing which I think I will use to make hummingbird bread.

After filling and frosting the cake (place filling on top layer of cake, to within 1 inch of edge and then use frosting on the edge and sides) press almonds around the sides of the cake and sprinkle chocolate chips on top of the cake. Chill until serving.

PS: If you want to pick the next recipe I make, post a comment with a number from 1-329!

Cooking Through Christmas: Spiced Fruit Bowl

I made this for our Christmas celebration and it was super easy and tasty!

Ingredients:

2 cans (29 oz each) sliced peaches
1 can pear halves (29 oz)
1/4 cup cider vinegar
1/4 tsp salt
4- 3in cinnamin sticks
1/4 tsp allspice
1/2 tsp cloves
1 pound red grapes, halved

Instructions:

Drain juice from peaches and pears into saucepan and set aside. Add vinegar, allspice, cloves and salt to juices. Add cinnamon sticks. Bring to a boil and simmer for ten minutes. Remove from heat and cool 15 minutes.  In a large bowl, combine the peaches, pears and grapes. A dd juices and cinnamon sticks. over and refrigerate at least 12 hours. Sir occasionally. Remove cinnamon sticks prior to serving.

I found the leftovers made a great (and fairly healthy) breakfast.

I would definitely plan on making this again. To pick the next recipe I try, comment with  a number from 1-329

PS: This recipe is from TOH's Treasury of Chrismas recipes

He's a Turkey!

Last night I pulled back the covers, and found....

I ran downstairs and asked my husband what he meant by this. He siad "Happy Birdday!" and died laughing. (No, it wasn't my  birthday)...He's just a turkey.

Guest Blogging Today

I know its a little late in the day, but I'm the guest blogger today at Life Blessons. Won't you join me as I discuss the ways Christ helps me overcome my fear?

Freezer Cooking

Has anyone ever tried Once A Month cooking? I've been contemplating it for some time. And then I was introduced to Once a Month Mom. Its a subscription based site, but does offer quite a few free menus to try before you buy, including diet and whole foods. 

After discussing this with my husband, he suggested that we try cooking only one week worth of meals, to use during the my 5pm week. I spent about 2.5 hours preparing 5 dinners and about 14 breakfast servings.

I made:

BBQ Pizza
Pasta Primavera
Pizza Stuffed Meatloaf
Beef Burritos
Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole
Frozen Fruit Cups (breakfast)
Chorizo and Egg Burritos (breakfast)

Since I was cooking for a only a week I was able to make a menu pieced together from several of the sites menus. I'll update you later in the week on how the recipes tasted.

Any freezer cooking tips?

Friday Favorites!!!!!

Oh man!

I almost forgot it was Friday. What a week. Sheez.

Anyway. Here's what you came for today- a list of things I discovered this week that I'd love to make. Linked up at the lovely Finding Joy in My Kitchen, of course. All recipes and pictures belong to the linked blogs.

1. Spicy Buffalo Cauliflower



2. Chocolate Hazelnut Baklava



3. Avocado Truffles

 

4. Chocolate Avocado Milkshake

 

 

5. Dark Chocolate Avocado Cookies

 

6. Macaroon Kiss Cookies

 

 

Looks like avacado's the thing.

The Book That Totally Creeped Me Out

...As in floating fairyheaded nightmares...but we'll get back to that in a minute.

I went to a book club a few weeks ago where everyone brought a book that they had read and liked and were willing to swap.

I took Nora Robert's  Daring to Dream (the first of three) and came home with Her Fearful Symmetry by Audrey Niffenegger.

I was about 3/4 of the way through the book and was really into the story. It was strange, mysterious and holding my interest and then it got creepy.

********************SPOILER ALERT*****************
Towards the end of the book you discover that the twins (two of the main characters) are daughters of their father, and his wife's twin. The adult twins switched places to try to test the husbands fidelity, the wrong one got pregnant, and they switched again. The true mother to never see the children twins again until after her death when she remains in the apartment that she bequeathed to her nieces/daughters as a ghost. One of the twins falls in love with the mother/ghosts/aunts former lover and decides to fake her death so that she can separate her life from her more controlling twin sister. Only the plan isn't to fake her death but to actually die, have her mother, the ghost, catch her spirit and put it back in her body later and then move away. Well the mother goes along with the plan up until the point of putting her daughter back. The daughters ghost doesn't have enough ghost strength (which the mother knew all along) and so the mother puts her spirit into her daughters dead body and goes on living with her former lover and has a baby through him and her daughters body

***************END SPOILER********************************

I'm not sure if it was the lack of God in this novel that upset me so much or what but the whole conniving ending and exploiting of others just really stuck a cord with me.

Back to the floating fairy headed dreams. As a child I had a dream that fairys kidnapped me, made me pepetually wash dishes and eat cake. Non stop. I woke up with my hands numb, stiff and pulsating. And then I promptly vomited. From all of the cake, of course.

I've had an occasional experience that gives me the same feeling. The night after I finished this book, I had a dream that the mothers ghost was trying to get into my body. And this produced the same "floating fairy headed" feeling. And I awoke several times feeling quie nausous.

I normally try not to not recommend a book, but I can not encourage anyone to read this. Just because I don't want you to be creeped out like I was.

Have you read this? What did you think? Am I overreacting to the creep factor?

Chocolate Disaster

What the actual name for this dessert is I'm not sure.  I call it chocolate disaster because it can easily wreck havoc on your diet, resolutions and pearly whites  all in one sitting.

But boy are they scumptious!
Or fandamntastic, as a long lost friend once said.

Bottom layer chocolate chip cookie dough.
Middle layer peanut  butter  stuffed Oreos
Top layer, gooey, fudgey brownies.

And if thats not enough, top it with vanilla ice cream or homemade whipped cream. oooooooh.

The original  recipe comes from this blog that I found via Pinterest.

Friday Favorites!

Its been awhile since I've done this, but today I'm linking up again at Finding Joy in My Kitchen!

Here's a list of yummy looking dishes I've discovered this week. (All of the pictures and recipes belong to the linked website)

Creamy Avocado Salad Dressing:



Steak and Mushroom Pot Pies (I adore mushrooms)



Easter Bunny Racecar



Dessert 7 Layer Dip



KitKat Cheesecake Bars:

Real Food

Do you eat a lot of processed food?

We do.

Do you notice sometimes it makes you feel ick?

I've been a follower of a food blog, 100 Days of Real Food, for sometime now but I am only now trying to change our eating habits.

We eat a lot of convenience foods: frozen pizza, frozen perogis, boxed potatoes and mac n cheese from a bag.

It just so easy.

But when I read about all of the crap thats in the food (some ingredients shouldn't even be considered edible) it scares me, makes me question to long term effects and makes me want to change.

But I'm starting slow as to not overwhelm ourselves.

I've switched from flavored yogurt with artifical color, flavor and high fructose corn syrup to plain greek yogurt and fruit and honey that I add.

We've gone back to butter. And butter without any added ingredients.

I've tried switching to peanut butter that contain just nuts and salt, but the texture and taste is just so overwelming.

Are there any brands of nonprocessed PB that you prefer?

What healthy eating changes have you made?

What should be next on our "things to cut out list"?

How do you make eating and cooking real foods, easier for your family?

I'd love any suggestions you'd like to offer!

2nd 101/1001

The following is my second 101/1001 list. I completed aprox. half of my previous list. This list is not a list of must dos, but rather a list of things I'd like to do. The list serves as a way to keep me focused. I have until December 10, 2015 to complete my list.(How fitting that it ends on my birthday!) At that time I can reevaluate.

The italized items are in progress, the completed items are italized and bold.

TRAVEL (0/14)

1. Go to Vegas with Mr. Groom
2. Visit the Bedford Village
3. Take a couples trip
4.  Visit Cake Boss Bakery
5. Take a road trip
6. Lay plans for a recoccuring girls vacation/get together
7. Go to a concert
8. Go to the beach
9. Visit Boston
10. Go to Philadelphia
11. Visit Baltimore
12. See wild horses
13. Renew my passport
14. See the locks

EATING AND DRINKING (0/4)
15. Tour a winery
16. Go to a fondue restaurant
17. Make a cocktail not from a mix
18. Have a pizza making competition

COOKING (0/9)
19. Make truffles again
20. Make Smores with homemade graham crackers and marshmallows
21. Bake 3 inventive cupcake flavors
22. Try 15 new dessert recipes (0/ 15)
23. Try 15 new non dessert recipes (0/15)
24. Make homemade icecream
25. Make deep fried cupcakes
26. Try a Cupcake Project recipe
27. Try a Brown Eyed Baker recipe

WRITING (0/6)
28. Finish Westbound Hope
29. Finish Imag
30. Submit Imag to a Publisher
31. Finish Wives book
32. Submit Wives book to Publisher
33. Attend a writing workshop or seminar

CRAFT/CREATIVE  (0/7)
34. Create postcards out of pictures I’ve taken
35. Take a card making class or a cake decorating class
36. Make a travel scrapbook
37. Finish my wedding shadowbox
38. Finish tshirt quilt
39. Learn to use my sewing machine
40. Finish my writing desk

DOMESTICNESS (0/6)
41. Host a dinner party
42. Get Mr. Groom a personal Christmas ornament
43. Buy personalized stationary
44. Wrap a gift with a Bobo scarf
45.Host a Southern Comfort Theme Party
46. Grow vegetables and fruit


SPIRITUAL (0/6)
47. Write out bible verses that inspire me and post them around the house
48. Read the entire Bible
49. Attend an Easter Service
50. Attend Christmas Eve Service
51. Strengten my prayer life
52. Share my faith with someone

BODY (0/3)
53.Get in shape (be able to run a mile, nonstop, under x minutes....be able to go up and downstairs without getting out of breath. boost upper arm strength)
54. Get new glasses
55. Have retainer removed

GIVING BACK (0/8)
56. Participate in Operation Christmas Child
57. Volunteer at the soup kitchen or food pantry
58. Volunteer with Girl Scouts
59. Be a Girl Scout Leader
60. Send a gift to Morningside
61. Adopt a soldier
62. Send Christmas Cards to St Judes every Christmas (0/3)
63. Look into being a foster parent or adoption

ORGANIZE (0/7)
 64. Load all pictures on my camera onto cds
65. Sell my prom dresses
66. Put all my books on shelves
67. Put all my printed pictures in an album
68. Clean out my room at my parents house
69. Hang artwork
70. Have my wedding dress preserved

FAMILY AND FRIENDS (0/11)
71. Go on a double date with Hotglue and her man
72. Host a holiday celebration
73. Host a holiday celebration where both sides can attend
74. Have a niece or nephew stay the night
75. Have my sister spend a weekend or so with us
76. Continue to send snail mail to my friends
77. Give family history books for grandparents and parents to complete
78. Pray for my futrure children and thier spouses
79. Get  Mike a pet. And not a rock
80. Make recipe dish towels for family
81. Plan something special for our 5 year anniversary

THINGS (0/4)
82. Buy a new laptop
83. Get my camera fixed
84. Start a charm bracelet
85. Get a Nook case

FUN (0/12)
86. Take pictures in a photo booth again
87. Get another massage
88. Play laser  tag
89. Go outlet shopping
90. Host a craft night party
91. Have a bonfire
92. Go on a picnic
93. Host a murder mystery party
94. Host a girls night in
95. Makeover
96. Attend a scrapbooking weekend
97. Have boudoir shots made
98. Learn to braid

PROFESSIONAL  (0/3)
99. Start a business
100. Send my freelance writing resume to 5 places
101. Learn Sign language

R is for Random

I'm finally catching up with my ABCs of  Me series.


I  can be a bit random at times. Just ask my husband.

Here is a list of a few things I do, that he thinks are pretty random:

• I rip pages out of magazines (designs, pictures, jokes) and paste them into a smashbook
• I get the urge to watch all 3 Lord of the Rings, extended editions
• I frequently laugh in my head when I recollect a Jack Sparrow moment
• I get the urge to watch and rewatch Pirates of the Carribean.
• I bake up a batch of strange flavored cupcakes (last attempt was hot sauce)
• I keep lots and lots of lists
• I pick up midconversation twenty minutes later.

What do you do that your spouse just doesnt "get"?

Easter's On the Way!

Easter is nearing! Spring is almost here!

I'm considering offering to host an  Easter lunch for my hubby's family. Last year it seemed as if there was a lot of hurt and confusion as to who was invited to what so if we host that means I'm committed to inviting a large amount of people into our small apartment. I know not everyone would come but I want everyone to feel welcome.

On my break today I started brainstorming recipe ideas for either an Easter brunch or lunch. To jump start my thinking, I text ed my family and friends and asked (the obviously poorly phrased):

What foods do you think of when you think of Easter?

The responses:

My little sister: Reese eggs! (Yum-O!)
And after clarification: Ham and Au Gratin Potatoes or Potato Salad

Lyric: Deviled eggs, mac n cheese, black eyed peas

K10: Eggs, ham, white cake

Banana: Eggs. Marshmallows. Pastel sweets
To which I replied: Sounds great. We'll have scrambled eggs, marshmallows and lavendar cake.

I guess I should have clarified that I was looking for menu ideas.

What are your favorite Easter dishes? Would you rather cook/eat a lunch or brunch?

The Ma'am Controversy

What you talking 'bout Willis?

Let me 'splain.

There seems to be some confusion up here about the word "Ma'am". People seem to think its an insult, being the opposite of "Miss".  I overheard a co-worker say she feels old when someone calls her "Ma'am".  I can see where they might be confused. But it ain't so.


Naw.

"Ma'am" is a designation of  respect, and when used in a certain tone of voice, among friends, it is a term of endearment.

Now, if I were to get short and snippy, and THEN refer to you as "Ma'am", thats an insult but not the kind you think it is. I'm trying to insult you while still remaining within the limits of polite society. I'm not calling you old, but a witch.

Even though you might be.

But thats not the everyday usage.

In the everyday sense, the word "Ma'am" does not convey age, but authority, position, rank or simply respect.

It's not a four letter word. Except technically.

It's not "Yes Miss", until you reach a certain age or can no longer deny your "wrinkleyness". Its "Ma'am", as soon as someone feels the urge to show you respect, whether it be a child or a customer-service oriented cashier.

I've been called "yes ma'am", since I was around eleven or twelve.

AND I LIKE IT!

And if you don't, well, maybe you should spend some time down in God's Country....

You know, down below the Mason-Dixon line :)






(I see I'm not alone. Check out this cute t-shirt.)

Cooking Through Christmas

I bought this awesome Christmas themed cookbook from Taste of Home for $10.

They are a ton of great recipes...some new takes on old favorites and others new altogether to me. I've compiled a list of recipes I want to try. I've numbered them and plan on testing as many as I can. I've chosen the first one: Date Swirl Cookies! The recipe follows below. If you'd like to pick the next one I test be the first to comment with a number from 1-329. There are a few other recipes I will post but you can chose the next to be made.

I didn't get a picture because they flew off the table at work.

Ingredients:

1-1/2 cups pitted dates, chopped
3/4 cup sugar, divided
1/3 cup water
1/4 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 egg
2 cupss all purpouse flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt

Instructions:

In a saucepan, combine dates, 1/4 cup sugar, water, nuts and salt. Cook over medium heat, stirr constantly until thick. Let cool.

Beat butter, brown sugar, egg , egg and remaining sugar. Add flour, baking soda and salt. Chil for half hour.

Roll dough on a floured surface into a 1/4 in thick rectangle. Spread with date mixture. Start at the long end and roll up like a jelly roll.

Wrap with waxed paper, chill for at least 4 hours.

Remove paper and slice (1/8-1/4 inch). Place on a greased baking sheet, around 2 inches apart.

Bake 375F for 8 minutes. Cool on a wire rack

Made 3-4 dozen.

Pink Lemonade Cupcakes for Breast Cancer Awarness

We had a "Pink" themed bake sale at work. The money raised went to a breast cancer patient. We also had a dress down day where we could wear jeans and pink for $5 and that money also goes along to the patient.

I made these pink lemondae cupcakes from a lemon sponge cake recipe and topped them with sprinkles, almond crunch and toasted coconut chips (Dang brand, I think you can get them at Wally World. They are super yummy!)

 

 

Its' begining to look a lot like Christmas...in my kitchen!

I love baking.
And Christmas baking is the best. Because it allows me to use my passion to celebtate the birth of our Savior.

I've made Paula Dean's Ooey Gooey Buter Cookies for the cookie exchange at work and got some tasty goodies in return, including mini-gobs and caramel apple oatmeal cookies the size of my FACE.

Saturday night I made these super-cute reindeer cupcakes with red hots and pretzels:

 

And now I'm off to make a confetti cake!

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas....at work!

I work at a fabulous place owned by a really great Christian man. We had a door decorating contest between the four departments. My department went with a gingerbread house....and we tied for first place. Check it out

 

This is our gingerbread house! Its decorated with real candy and snacks.

 

Inside we set a Christmas scene, complete with a fire with real wood!

If you peek in the window you will see our family portrait that hangs above the fireplace.

'Twas The Night of Christmas

Last night was my girls' night in "Favorite Things" Christmas Party. We hada great time and I'll share more details about the party in my next post. But for now I want to share a little poem that I wrote to include in the favor bag.

‘Twas the Night Of Christmas

Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel. (Isaiah 7:14)

‘Twas the night of Christmas and all through the house,

 all the creatures were reverent, even the mouse.
 The baby was swaddled and tucked in with care,
 and the angels rejoiced that the Christ-child was now there.

A long journey it had been,

from Nazareth to Bethlehem.
On the back of a little old donkey, slowly rode Mary.
Though a virgin, the Son of Man, she did carry.

She was soon due,

but the rooms available were few.

The only refuge to be found was with the animals and hay.

The sign of a star, hung high in the sky, gave the objects below the luster of midday.

The shepherds traveled far from their beds,
while visions of angels and a Savior, danced in their heads.

The wise men also journeyed from afar,

sent out by King Herod, they followed the star.

Out on the street, there arose such a clatter,

Joseph sprang from his watch to see what was the matter.
The shepherds and Magi arrived to worship the newborn King.
Gifts of myrrh, frankincense, and gold, they did bring.

 

They played their harps and sang   
praises that proclaimed His mighty name.
Then the shepherds set out again,
to spread the good news to other men.

 

“For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David's throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the LORD Almighty will accomplish this.” (Isaiah 9:6-7)

Pretty Pots

My mother is an avid gardner so for Christmas I thought it would be nice to make her some pretty pots. I found inspiration on Pinterest. I got the idea HERE, and the below picture is  one of her examples.

I bought pots in three different sizes and sprayed them inside and out with clear acrylic sealer so that the pots can be used outdoors. I started with the smallest post and used outdoor modpode to glue the fabric on. I then pleated the fabic at the tops and bottoms of the pots so that it would lay flat. I mopodged the completed pots to make the fabric hard and water resistant. I also made sure that the pots' drainage holes remained uncovered.  I think they turned out cute!

 

The smallest pot was the hardest for me because there was so  much  extra fabric and it was causing what was glued down to wrinke. The second one I sat in my lap and rolled the fabric aorund it on a diagonal. I ran out of fabric 2about 3 centimeters early so I just cut a strip out of th extra fabric and overlapped it. For the third pot, I tried sittong it on the table. I modpodged a section and then wrapped the fabric, and went around section by section. This seemed to work the best. at the end I cut off  the surplus fabric at the top and then what was left around the inside of the pot. By the time I'd done the third pot I'd really gotten the hand of it and wished I had more pots to do!

Hershey Here We Come! Yum!

We went to Hershey this weekend for our anniversary getaway (although our anniversary isn't technically for a couple more  weeks). We took a tour of the chocolate factory, participated in a marketing taste test and watched a Hershey Bear's Hockey Game. Basically, we had a blast.

 

 

 

 

All of the  yummy candy!

 

The Hershey Cows

Making the candy...

Packaging the candy

All your favorites

Hardening the chocolate

Bird;s eye view of the bakery!

A Dessert I Don't Have To Feel Bad About

Craving something sweet?

Want something a little more balanced than a candy bar or half gallon of moose tracks doused in chocolate fudge and topped with homemade whipped cream?

Have you ever had Yoplaits whipped yogurt?

Okay, now stick one in the freezer until its the consistency of ice cream. I love the strawberry and chocolate with this.

Melt 1-2 Tbsp of peanut butter.

Chisel frozen yogurt of the cup and dump into a bowl. Top with a sliced banana, half of a crumbled granola bar (nature valley crunchy are best for this) and the melted peanut butter. You could also sub actual granola for the bar but thats all I had on hand.

You have a crunchy, sweet and salty dessert that is packe with fruit, dairy and protein.

Yeah I know, its still got a good bit of sugar  (from the flavored yogurt, pb and granola bar) but this is a DESSERT. Dessert without sugar is just dert. And you know thats what it tastes like too- DIRT.

Enjoy!

You Know Whats HARD?

Have you seen the title of my blog?

Theres a lot of truth in that I'm discovering.

Some friends and I are doing an 8 Week Get Healthy Challenge. I can eat the fruits and veggies- I love them. I can make myself do pilates and aerobis because in the long run I love them. I can drink half my body weight, in ounces in water. Because thats all I drink most days.

But to only eat sweets one day a week?!!!

ARE YOU INSANE?

My body runs on chocolate!
My blood may be paritally chocolate.
Thats why my eye are brown.

 Unless you ask my husband, he may give  you a slightly different reason.

Last week was week 1 of this makerachelwannajumpoffabridgeintoariverofchocolate thing we're calling a "challenge". And I couldn't do it. I couldn't eat chocolate just one day a week.

For goodness sakes I've had 3 different chocolate cookies today!

So Week 2 rolled around and I decided "cold turkey" is not for me. I want to be healthy and eat less junk. (Don't tell the Reese's I said that) so I am "weaning" myself off of what has become my "self-medication". My husband chews tobacco, I pop M&Ms like thier Vicadian.

Anywho, this week I'm allowed chocolate everyother day. And next week every, 2 days. Week4 every 3 days, and so on until I reach the point where I can go with eating it just once a week  or (gasp) not at all.

PRAY FOR ME.

(And my husband's sanity)


PS: Where have I been? I've been spending my writing time working on a book. I hope to post more often because I MISS YA'LL. (NO, I will not say you'ns. WILL NOT)

Devilishly Cute!

I have quite a few crafty friends. They have much more talent than I do, which is why a few of them have opened Etsy shops. One of my particular favorites is Shelly's shop, Devilishly Cute Designs.

I've known Shelly for a few years and she has helped me and gifted me with quite a few wonderful handmade things. She helped me do many of the decorations for my wedding.

One year on my birthday, she gave me a lovely bright red scarf with a green R on it. The scarf is nice and thick and warm and I get complements on it whenever I go out. Its so beautiful!



Most recently, she gifted me with a lovely, long, turqouise scarf. She knitted this scarf in front of me, but kept telling me it was for another friend of hers. I was mooning over this scarf. It was so pretty and sparkly and it matched my sweater just fine. And what do you know, she gave it to me for Christmas. I was so happy. 
And it happens to look a lot like this one, for sale in her Etsy shop!

She's also got some great wreaths, hair clips, and hats for sale. Go check her out and stock up goodies for gifts! Her headband holders are flying off the virtual shelf!

Stashbusting #12: Peppermint Biscotti

This was my first time making peppermint biscotti but it quickly became my favorite treat this year. I adapted this recipe from Taste of Homes Cookies cookbook. I say adapted because I could only get about 1/4 cup of my peppermints to crush so I basically left them out. It made about 3 dozen pieces.

Cookies:

3 eggs
3/4 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup sugar
2.5 teaspoons peppermint extract
3 1/4 cup all purpouse flour
1 tsp baking powder
* 1 cup crushed peppermints (if you can crush yours!)


Frosting:
12 oz semis sweet chocolate chips
2 tablespoons shortening

Directions:

Cream butter and sugar. Add eggs one a time. Beat in extract. Stir in flour and baking powder until well blended.If desired add in 1 cup crushed peppermint candy. 

Divide dough in half and roll out onto a baking sheet. Bake at 350 for 25 minutes or until golden brown. Move to a wire rack and cool for 15 minutes.

On a cutting board, slice diagonally. Place cut side down on ungreased baking sheet. Bake 12-15 minutes. Remove to wire rack and cool.

Meanwhile, melt chocolate and shortening, stirring until smooth. Dip the biscotting in chocolate. If desired, roll in peppermints or in sprinkles. Place on waxed paper until set.

Its Begining to Look a Lot Like Christmas

Last week we put up a tree and decorated the house. Our tree looks so much better than it did last year. The only thing its missing is some tinsel. But buying some has proved elusive! I think if I drove out to Target I would have better luck but thats almost an hour away!

Tree!

Here's the postcard wreath I made!

Our stockings!

Snowmen given to us by a dear friend

Stashbusting #11: Carrot Cake Cookies!

While I have been failing to blog a new recipe every week I have actually been trying a new recipe every week. I failed miserably one week at quick and easy apple dumplings a few weeks ago. But this week I succeeded in making birthday cookies for a dear friend of mine-Shelly/Lyric (who also has a fabulous etsy shop I hope to be reviewing this week). Shelly loves carrot cake but I was aprehnesive about sending one through the mail so I started looking for ideas and I found this recipe at Eats Well With Others. It says it makes 18 cookies. I got 10 sandwich cookies and enough frosting for 20.

For the frosting:


8 oz cream cheese
5 tbsp butter, softened
2 tspvanilla extract
2 1/2 cups powdered  sugar

For the cookies:
1 stick butter melted
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1/4 cup  sugar
1 large egg yolk
3/4 cup all ourouse flour
1 tsp ginger
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup quickoats
1 cup packed, finely grated carrots


1. Preheat oven to 350. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.


2. Combine  together butter, sugars, and egg yolk in a large bowl. Stir in flour, ginger and salt. Add flour mixture to butter.  Mix in oats, carrots, and raisins.


3. Drop dough by tablespoons, 2 inches apart, onto baking sheets. Bake until the edges are crisp, 15 to 18 minutes. Transfer cookies to a wire rack to cool.

4. Make filling - combine cream cheese and butter in the bowl of an electric mixer. Beat on until well-combined and smooth, about 2-3 minutes. Mix in vanilla. Gradually beat in powdered sugar. Increase the speed and beat until smooth. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.



4.  Pair up cookies according to size so that they match. Frost one cookie, top with the other and press together.