My Little Valentines

Yesterday was our Homeschool Support Groups Valentine's Party.  I had recently found some Meyer Lemons (love them!) and decided to use them to make the lemon bars The Food Librarian made here.  Myer lemons are a cross between a lemon and an orange.  It’s skin is thinner than a regular lemon and it has a milder, sweeter flavor too. 

I cut these smaller than The Food Librarian did.  I wanted them to fit into mini cupcake wrappers.  I just love tiny desserts:

Cute + Portion Control = Awesome!

The first thing we did at the party was decorate our bags or boxes. 

Everyone brought whatever supplies they had and we shared.

Later, after we ate, we lined the bags along the wall in the hallway. 

We got in line.

And we put a Valentine into each bag.

When that was done, we went back to our table and checked out the loot.

For the party, and many other kids we know, Liam and Sophie gave store bought Valentines.  But they also handmade a few for some family and friends.  I’ve said these are the Valentines to make people think I’ve got it all together.  Because, surely, if she has time to make those, she’s got everything else under control.  Feel free to think that if you wish. I’ll allow it.

For this cute owl, I printed the text and glued it and the body of the owl onto a 4x6 unlined notecard.  Sophie then glued the parts on.  She decided to use two patterns for each owl, which gave us several combinations.  To make the pattern, I drew the owl pattern pieces on a blank piece of paper. Then I just trimmed my scrapbook paper to fit my printer and scanned the pattern onto the backs of my scrapbook paper.  Then I cut the pieces out, (no small feat!) Sophie did a pretty good job gluing if I do say so myself.

For Liam’s Valentines, it couldn’t be more appropriate than to use the sign, “I Love You”.   To make these, just trace a hand print onto flesh colored paper, cut out and glue the middle and ring finger down.  You could fold the paper at the “knuckle” but I just let it bend slightly.  You can glue these to whatever heart shape your heart desires, but store bought paper doilies was the easiest thing for me to do.  After cutting out all those owl bits, I was ready for easy!

The kids are learning Sign Language from Pop and the Old School Sesame Street books you can find here and here. These are the same ones I had when I was a kid, and I found them used for a great price.  The kids are enjoying learning to sign.  Pop is an interpreter, so he is a great teacher!  Liam is really picking up on it and loves to sign, “I Love You.” 

Hope you are having

a lovely

Valentine’s Day!

 

Merry Christmas!

 

Pink Stuff

This recipe will not win me any gourmet friends.  It will not thrust me toward stardom and my own cooking show.  And if you don’t feed your kids anything with food dyes; you may excuse yourself now.  What I’m about to show you is kid food at it’s finest. Pink Stuff. 

Pink Stuff is special to my family.  My grandmother would make it for every special occasion.  Holidays, birthdays, you name it; we had Pink Stuff.  I vaguely remember it being made a different way when I was very young, but I think Mimmy adjusted the recipe to it’s perfect state I give to you today.  Mimmy isn’t with us anymore, but the Pink Stuff is, thanks to my Aunt Teresa who carries the Pink Stuff torch.

I actually made it this weekend, for my Mom’s birthday.  And chances are good that we will have Pink Stuff at least once in November and once in December.  I like those odds.  I think I could live to be 103 and not tire of Pink Stuff. 

So here is the deal.  You make it with Strawberry Jell-O.  But theoretically, you could make it with any flavor Jell-O that would go well with pineapple, (as it is in the mix too.)  However, though there has always be talk about it, we never have strayed from strawberry.  Why mess with perfection?  So, if anyone tries this with another flavor, tell me how it goes!  You just may persuade me to mess with tradition; but not on a holiday or birthday.

Pink Stuff

20 oz. can of crushed pineapple with juice 16 oz. small curd cottage cheese 6 oz. box of Strawberry Jell-O 16 oz. tub of Cool Whip, thawed to room temperature Mix the pineapple/juice, cottage cheese and Jell-O powder into a large bowl.  Fold in the Cool Whip until well combined and pale pink.  Refrigerate before serving for best results.

The Graduate

 

This is a picture of my little sister, Rebekah.  It was taken just yesterday.  At least, that’s how it feels. 

Rebekah graduated from High School last Saturday.  She’s not a little girl anymore, she has become a beautiful young woman. {wipes tear}

After the graduation ceremony, we had a little party for her.  She deserved it, she’s worked hard to get where she is.

We are so proud!

The cake was from Costco.  YUM!

The Heritage High School colors are Red and Blue, (they are the Generals.)  We live in a very historic area, so this is quite appropriate.  It also happened to be Memorial Day weekend, so the color scheme was easy to work with.  I made these cookies using the tried and true Nigella Lawson Recipe.  I make them my own by using a thinned Wilton Royal Icing made with just an 8th teaspoon (maybe a little more) of lemon extract (before adding the rest of the liquid). You want the icing thin, but not so thin it drips right off the cookie. I dipped the tops of the cookies in the icing and then before they hardened I added the sprinkles.

The patriotic sprinkles came from Michael’s but this is the season to find them all over.

I also made these cute little brownie bites.  They are a Pampered Chef favorite.  The cream cheese icing is delish!

Michael’s also had these cute little wrappers, 99 cents for 100.  What a deal! I’m going to have to go back for more.

I used two different wrappers so you can see the design even after they are baked. If the two papers are the same brand, you can bake them in both, but I wasn’t so lucky, so I baked in the white and just added the cute ones later.

I don’t know where to find this recipe in the Pampered Chef universe, but this is how my friend Kim, a Pampered Chef Consultant showed me how to make them.

Cream Cheese Brownie Cups Makes 48 1 package (19-21 oz) fudge brownie mix (plus ingredients to make cake-like brownies) 1 4 oz package cream cheese 1/2 cup sugar 8 oz cool whip, soft from the refrigerator sprinkles, chocolate shavings, mini M&Ms optional for topping Preheat oven to 325 degrees.  Spray a mini-muffin pan with cooking spray, or use mini cupcake wrappers, (what I do).  Mix brownie batter according to directions to make cake like brownies.  Use a small scoop to fill each cup 2/3 full.  It will make two pans of cups.  Bake for 14 minutes or until the edges are set. Remove from oven to a cooling rack.  Immediately press tops of brownies with Mini-Tart shaper to make indentions.  Allow to cool.  (If not using wrappers, do not leave in the pan too long or they will stick, hence why I always use wrappers so I don’t mess up!) Mix cream cheese and sugar in a bowl with an electric mixer till smooth.  Fold in cool-whip.  Pipe swirls of icing onto the tops of the cups.  Top with your choice of toppings.

 

Somehow I missed taking pictures of the punch.  I’ve blogged about it before.  Here is that picture and the link to the recipe.

My sister and the other graduates were honored at church a couple weeks ago.  Each graduate had a slideshow made to play at the reception.  Here is Rebekah’s.  If you are fortunate to know my sister, go ahead and grab some tissues.  It isn’t enough we’re seeing adorable pictures of her growing up, but she sings the song that is playing too.

Enjoy!

 

We love you Geggie!

 

A Christmas Feast

 

Before the year ends, I thought I would share our Christmas feast with you. 

We have Christmas Eve dinner at our house with my husband’s family.  The above picture shows the turkey and gravy, rolls, cranberry salad, mashed potatoes, dressing, green beans, ham, Nuts ‘N’ Bolts and Holiday M&Ms. 

AHH! I forgot to take a picture of the cranberry salad.  It’s really pretty.  It’s basically Paula Deen’s recipe with a Nana twist.  Here is Paula’s recipe.  Nana adds a larger can of crushed pineapple.  It’s probably about 15 oz. or so.  I don’t know if doing it this way will work in a mold, but it looks lovely in a crystal dish. 

I couldn’t get a good picture of my turkey, but it looked almost as good as Nigella’s from her book Nigella Christmas.

My husband’s family is more of a ham family, but this turkey went over extremely well.  I used Nigella Lawson’s recipe for Super Juicy and Spiced Turkey.  I don’t think I will ever use another recipe.  Brining the turkey really does make all the difference.  The turkey was sooo moist and flavorful.  It got rave reviews from my Father-In-Law, who doesn’t really like turkey.  So thank you Nigella. 

I also made Nigella’s All Spice Gravy.  I actually boiled a turkey neck.  It looked so disgusting, but smelled heavenly.  The gravy was good, but I think it was barely used because the turkey was so moist, the dressing was so flavorful and the potatoes were so buttery.  Oh, well, there’s always leftovers to drown in gravy.

Pioneer Woman’s Mashed Potatoes were also a hit.  “These mashed potatoes are so creamy.”  So good!      

 

This recipe for dressing is made in the crock-pot.  I finished mine off in the microwave just to get rid of some of the moisture that was left.  Don’t worry, it was still incredibly moist.  I think I could eat this all year long.  I think I may just do that. 

Crock-Pot Dressing

3-4 cups shredded turkey or chicken (optional)

2 cans cream of chicken soup

2 quarts corn bread, crumbled

2 tablespoons dried sage

1 medium onion, finely chopped

2 hard boiled eggs, chopped

1/2 cup melted margarine

3-4 cups turkey or chicken broth

1 teaspoon salt

Mix all the ingredients in the bowl of a 6 quart crock-pot.  Cover and cook on low for 3 hours.

We also had a nice display of sweets.  No pictures though, sorry.  It’s really hard to take pictures when everyone, including the photographer/cook is starving.  But here’s what we had: Nigella’s Quadruple Chocolate Loaf Cake, Banana Pudding, Pumpkin Pie, fruit cake, and Mocha Punch.

Mocha Punch is a Christmas necessity.  It is requested every year.  Bring this out for your next special occasion and you will be praised.  Again, no pictures of it, but imagine a slightly melted milk shake.  You’ll love it!

Thanks to Nigella’s fantastic turkey recipe, I’m taking part in this month’s Forever Nigella, Christmas Presence, hosted this month by Sarah of Maison Cupcake. 

A reminder of the rules:

Forever Nigella #10 ”Christmas Presence”

Challenge: To prepare and blog any Nigella recipe during the Christmas period. Ideally it will be Christmassy but I’m not fussy.
Deadline: December 31st 2011 at midnight wherever you are.
Winner announcement: Within a week, to be added to the Forever Nigella page.

There are:
No rules about how often you must take part
No rules about stuff being secret until certain dates
No rules that everyone cook exactly the same thing
No rules about not being able to submit to any other blog events – just check it doesn’t contravene the other guys’ rules

But there are 3 rules:
1. Blog your entry by the deadline including:
a) the current Forever Nigella badge
b) a link to the current host (ME)
c) a link to the official Forever Nigella page at Maison Cupcake: http://blog.maisoncupcake.com/forever-nigella

2. So not to breach Nigella’s copyright you must NOT reproduce recipes verbatim as shown in her books. If using an original Nigella recipe, tell us which book it is from and/or where we find it online (see most likely sites below). If you’ve adapted the recipe in some way i.e. changed at least two ingredients or amended the method then it’s ok to publish the a recipe in your post but you MUST write the directions in your own words.

3. Tell us about your post by adding it to the Linky Tool below! I have made this into a Blog Hop so feel free to post the script at the bottom of your post to encourage your readers to visit the other entries. If you can’t see the linky below it’s because I’ve never done one before and I’ve stuffed it up. Nag me and I’ll sort it out.

Don’t forget to tweet your post with the hashtag #forevernigella – I will retweet all those I see!

Enjoy your Nigella Christmas presence!

Merry Christmas!

 

A Hoppin’ Party: Oreo Truffles

 

I didn’t mean to, but I’ve had a nice little break from blogging.  I kept saying, I’ll write that post tomorrow.  And then I would forget and say, I’ll write that post tomorrow.  Now it’s a few tomorrows later, and here I am again.  I’ve a couple more posts about Liam’s birthday party to share with you.  Today’s is Oreo Truffles.

I thought everyone had heard of these little sweets.  They made the rounds a few years ago and I guess they are still popular.  They should be popular because they are so very, very good.  If you like Oreos, then this will be a recipe you should try if you haven’t already.  It is so easy. 

Oreo Truffles Makes 3 dozen

Ingredients: 1 package Oreos, cubed 1 8 oz block of cream cheese White Chocolate Bark or Candy Melts Toppings-optional

In a food processor, blitz the Oreos until they are fine crumbs.  Add the cream cheese and pulse until it becomes a nice gooey mixture.  Refrigerate until nice and cold.

Roll the mixture into about 1 inch sized balls and place on waxed paper.  If the balls become mushy, return to the fridge until more stable. 

Melt half of the white chocolate in a double boiler or in the microwave according to the package directions.  I find that using the double boiler works better because it keeps the chocolate warm.  Using dipping tools or a fork, dip each ball in the chocolate and allow to dry on the waxed paper.  This is the “crumb coat”. 

Once all the truffles have dried, use the rest of the chocolate and dip them once more for a more even coat.  Sprinkle the top with more crushed Oreos, Sparkling sugar crystals or Sprinkles.  Keep refrigerated before serving.

I’m not particularly good at dipping candy.  That may be because I couldn’t find my dipping tools and just used a fork.  Some of my truffles were down right ugly.  But they tasted sooooooo fantastic.  They are incredibly rich.  My favorite thing is that if you let them set out just a bit, the inside softens a little.  You bite through the solid wall of chocolate to a creamy Oreo inside. 

If you haven’t had these before, go out right now and buy the ingredients.  You must make these A.S.A.P.!

Bakerella has a nice little tutorial for those who need a visual.

Linked to Polly Want A Crafter and Get Your Craft On.

Nuts and Bolts

Nana has a stack of recipes she only makes this time of year. I am gonna work my way through these recipes in order to share them with you. She's probably got a system to bang these out each year, and I've got two kids, so we'll see how long this takes.

Nuts and Bolts is basically Chex Mix, but in our family we like to take it to the next level by adding as many nuts as we can get away with. It's cause we're a nutty bunch! We're addicted to this stuff, and it's a good thing Nana only makes it at Christmas when we're planning on wearing our stretchy pants anyway. If I ate this year long, I'd be in trouble!

Now I have to admit, this isn't exactly Nana's recipe. That's because she actually gave me two different recipes for the same thing. They are both very large recipes, so the following is scaled back for ease of cooking. And edited. And probably she won't recognize it. But she better like it cause I just made a huge batch to share this weekend. It tastes the same to me, so I think she will like it. Cross your fingers for me please!

Nuts and Bolts
Click here for the Printable Recipe at Tasty Kitchen

3 cups Plain Cheerios
3 cups Rice Chex
3 cups Corn Chex
3 cups Wheat Chex
1 cup Pretzel Sticks, (the small skinny ones)
1 cup Mixed Nuts
1/2 cup Pecans
1/2 cup Cashews
6 tablespoons butter or margarine
2 tablespoons Worcestershire Sauce (Lea & Perrin's, if you please)
1 1/2 teaspoons Salt (I used Lawry's Seasoned Salt, but table salt is fine)
3/4 teaspoon Garlic Powder
1/2 teaspoon Onion Powder


Preheat oven to 250 degrees. In a large roasting pan, mix together cereals, nuts and pretzels. Melt butter and add to it the seasonings and mix well. Drizzle butter mixture over the cereal mix and stir well. Bake for 2 hours, stirring well every 15-20 minutes.

Store in gallon sized ziploc bags or in a large popcorn tin. And don't forget your stretchy pants!

Nigella Christmas

Nigella Lawson is my favorite TV Food Personality. So I was thrilled to get this book last Christmas. Nigella Christmas combines some of my favorite things: Christmas, great writing, beautiful photography, and of course food.

Anyone who is familiar with Nigella will know that she has a knack for description. Her writing style is so comfortable; it makes you feel like you are her good friend and she is just having a chat with you. She also knows that for the home cook, things can get hectic around the holidays. She provides you with tips to streamline your holiday preparations and a Christmas Lunch Countdown to keep you on track and on time. Her no-nonsense, laid-back approach will put you at ease.

The photography by Lis Parsons will make you drool. Seriously, it's a pleasure just to flip through this book only looking at the pictures. Not only are there photos of the food, but also Christmas decorations and tablescapes. It will really get you in the mood for Christmas.

But just looking at the pictures will not do. These recipes must be made! The only problem is deciding which recipe to make first.

I've already made some of these recipes like her Spiced and Superjuicy Roast Turkey and Ginger-Glazed Ham. This year I've got my eye on her Peas with Pancetta in Cream All'Italiana, Maple-Roast Parsnips, Incredibly Easy Chocolate Fruit Cake, and Chocolate Sponge Pudding for Christmas Pudding Haters with Hot Chocolate Sauce. I'm really looking forward to trying these out.

Apple Dipple Cake

 

Nana makes this cake often as it is one of her favorite recipes. She made it this Christmas and took it to the family Christmas party. The recipe was given to her in the early 1960's by her good friend Dot Powell. I haven't made this yet, but it is so good I have to go ahead and share it with you.

Apple Dipple Cake

Ingredients
3 eggs
1 1/2 cup Wesson oil
2 cup sugar
3 cup sifted all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. vanilla
1/4 tsp. salt
2 large apples (chopped)
1 cup Angel-Flake coconut
1 cup chopped pecans

Beat eggs, oil and sugar together. Blend in flour, soda, vanilla and salt. This makes a stiff batter, so beat well. Fold in chopped apples, coconut and chopped pecans. Bake in bundt pan or 2 loaf pans in 350 degree oven for one hour.

Topping
1 stick margarine
1 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup milk

Cook all together for 3 minutes after mixture comes to a boil. Pour over cake while cake and topping is still hot. Leave cake in pan in refrigerator overnight so topping can soak into cake.

Christmas Brunch

It's Christmas morning. The tiny tots wake up before dawn excited and you all meet around the tree to see what Santa brought. Then it's time to open the gifts to each other. You've spent time carefully considering what to buy your loved ones. You've wrapped packages, decorated them with gift tags and bows, and now it's time to tear in. Wait, no, not so fast! Let's savor this time. Let's see the joy and excitement on each face. Yeah, that's better.

OK, so not every family is like mine. We patiently take turns opening presents, one at a time please, we can't be greedy. We see what each person receives and we know from whom it was given. There's eight of us, so uh, yeah, it's gonna take a while. After all the presents are opened and the excitement has died down, our stomachs start rumbling. It's time for brunch.


Christmas morning is not the time to be in the kitchen when you can be enjoying your family and maybe some new gadgets. Here's a recipe given to me by my friend Wanda. It's the most requested item this Holiday season, and it's so easy to make. What's better is that you could make these the night before Christmas and serve them without doing anything more than warming them in the oven for a few minutes.

Bacon and Cheese Puffs
Makes 24 puffs


Ingredients:
1 block of cream cheese, softened
2 tablespoons milk
1 cup Parmesan cheese (shredded),
2-3 ounces bacon bits (You can use more if you must)
1 can of flaky biscuits (8 count)


Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
In a mixing bowl, combine the cream cheese, milk, Parmesan cheese, and bacon bits until well blended. Divide each biscuit into thirds by separating the layers evenly. Place each biscuit third into mini muffin cups and press into the cup to make a shell. Fill each shell with about a teaspoon of the mixture. Bake in the oven for 20 minutes or until golden brown. Serve warm or room temperature.

Click here for the printable recipe at Tasty Kitchen.

Hot Potatoes!

 

When I want a special side dish for a special occasion, it must be roasted potatoes. They are so yummy and easy to make, there is no reason to pass on making these babies!

I've had potatoes mashed, baked, boiled, fried, scalloped, au gratin and hashed. I've had tater tots, French fries, potato dumplings, potato soup, potato bread, potato chips, and probably other preparations of potatoes that I can't think of right now. Yet there is something special about roasted potatoes.

I learned to make roasted potatoes while staying with some friends in England. Roast Potatoes are a staple in British cuisine. You'll find them most often in the Sunday Lunch and as a part of the Christmas spread as well. I guarantee they will be on my table this Christmas!

Roasted Potatoes

6 large potatoes, peeled and quartered

1/4 cup of vegetable oil

Kosher salt, to taste

Preheat oven to 500 degrees. Place potatoes in a large pot and cover with cold water, adding a little salt to season the water. Bring the water to a boil and boil potatoes for 5 minutes. Drain the water and return the potatoes to the pot. Cover the pot with its lid and holding the lid in place shake the pot to "rough up" the potatoes.

Place the potatoes in a roasting pan and drizzle with the oil and toss the potatoes to coat well. Sprinkle with salt to taste. Place pan in the oven and roast for about 50 minutes. Turn potatoes at least once halfway through cooking to allow for even browning. Once the potatoes have browned as you like them, remove from oven and place on a paper towel to drain the excess oil. Serve warm, but be careful that you don't eat them strait from the oven or you may burn your mouth!

Once you have learned to make roast potatoes, you can modify the recipe to create different versions. For example, changing the oil to a goose fat or the drippings from a roast will change the flavor. Try adding different herbs or spices. Roast the potatoes in olive oil and add fresh rosemary. I like using vegetable oil, salt and pepper and adding carrots that have been cut into large chunks. The possibilities are endless!

Click here for the Printable Recipe at Tasty Kitchen.

Drenched in Custard

It's December and the most glorious time to be in the kitchen if you ask me. There are so many delicious treats to be made and meals to be prepared! When it comes to Christmas and food, I like to try new things, but I also like to prepare traditional dishes as well.

As I was thinking about what I wanted to prepare this year, I remembered a Christmas a while back when we visited some friends and had boiled custard. It was delicious! I don't know the exact history of boiled custard, although this type of custard seems to be traditional in the Southern United States. Custard in general has a long history of creating and complimenting dishes both sweet and savory.

My friend Pam has generously shared her recipe with me and now I'm passing it on to you! Enjoy this custard hot or cold, in a glass, or drenching your dessert!

Pam's Boiled Custard

Ingredients:
2 cups sugar
1 cup plain flour
1 gallon whole milk
6 eggs, separated
Vanilla to taste (about 2 large "cook spoons")

Put milk in a double boiler (or if you don't have one, set your pan in a skillet of water). Mix together sugar and flour and slowly stir into milk. Add egg yolks (be sure you do this before the milk gets too hot so your eggs don't cook too fast). Stir until milk comes to a boil. Continue stirring until the mixture thickens. Remove from heat. Add vanilla." Allow to cool slightly. Beat egg whites and fold in. Serve in a pitcher.

Cyber Monday

It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas!!

It's Cyber Monday which means it's time to do all your internet shopping. Here's a look at some delicious designs by Tricia-Rennea to get you in the holiday mood!

Swirly Christmas by trennea
View more Christmas Invitations

Elegant Christmas Bobble by trennea
See more personalized binders at Zazzle.com

Best Friends and Cupcakes and Christmas! by trennea
See all the posters on zazzle

Swell-Looking Ornamants by trennea
View more Ornaments Aprons

Peppermint and Snowflake Swirly Works by trennea
View other Perpermint T-Shirts

Sweet Holiday Set by candystore
More Ornaments Stickers

Christmas Bunny by candystore
Browse other Bunny Postcards

Penguin with Hot Cocoa by candystore
View more stamps available on zazzle.com

Christmas Cupcakes Mailable Recipe Card by candystore
More Recipe Postcards

Check out more great Christmas designs at Tricia-Rennea's Zazzle Stores:
tricia-rennea art
The Candy Store!

Visit Tricia-Rennea's blog for free printables and an overdose of cute! For custom illustrations go to Trillustrations.com.