Taking a Break

Hello!  I just wanted to let y'all know that I'll be taking a break from blogging for a few weeks.  I have a few already-scheduled posts coming next week, and will probably post a few things as they come up and I'm able; however, for the most part, I'm not going to focus on blogging right now.

My sister, Sherrye, who has battled lung cancer for the past four years (she found out soon after Robert and I got married), went Home to Heaven this morning.  She joins my Daddy and three of our infant sisters along with bunch of other relatives most of whom I never met.  This was expected, yet unexpected.

What with the funeral and Christmas preparations, I'll be busier than a one-armed paper hanger.  Most of it is the good kind of busy.  I love this time of year!

I'll see y'all in a few weeks!

Merry Christmas, Everyone!

Treasured Traditions: Special Treats

One new tradition that I am just now starting is making Christmas goodies and giving them to the schoolchildren at our church's Christian school.  Every Thursday, when Gracie and I go to the Ladies Prayer Group, we stop by and see the older children who is taught by my pastor's wife.  They enjoy seeing Gracie, and Gracie enjoys all the attention!

I spent most of this week -- mostly while Gracie was sleeping -- making these treats for them.

 Aren't these Reindeer the cutest thing ever?  I found them on Pinterest and knew I had to make them!

Ingredients:

Nutter Butter cookies
Pretzels (mini size)
Mini chocolate chips
Red M&Ms
Dipping Chocolate

These were pretty easy to make.  I wasn't really sure what kind of chocolate to get for this since I couldn't find the "Candy Quick Melting Chocolate" that the original recipe called for.  I found these neat bowls of dipping chocolate that I used.  One bowl just did cover the 32 Nutter Butters that are in one package.

First, I melted the chocolate and then I dipped the Nutter Butters.  I set them out on wax paper.  After I dipped all of them, I put on the pretzel antlers, the M&M nose (I swiped the red M&Ms from Gracie's reward candy - I don't think she'll notice!), and the mini chocolate chips.  I didn't bother trying to make sure that the chocolate chips were pointy side up; I had a hard enough time dropping them in the right places!  A toothpick came in handy for moving things if needed.  I let them sit out all night.  The next morning, I transferred them to wax paper on top of baking sheets (I know - should've done that first!) and put them in the refrigerator to harden up some more.  I bought two large treat containers (12" in diameter with a handle) and put them in there.  I kept them on my baker's rack which is in the garage.  It stays nice and cool in there.  {What's funny is that later that day, I caught Robert frantically searching for the reindeer.  "I know you've got them somewhere!"  He finally did find them, after I was watching him cracking up.}

 I also love these Snowmen which I also found on Pinterest.  As you can tell, I need to work on my dipping skills, but they still turned out cute.

Ingredients:
Nutter Butter cookies
Vanilla Almond bark
orange Tic Tacs
M&Ms
black decorator icing

First, I melted six squares of the Vanilla Almond bark in a small bowl in the microwave.  I dipped the Nutter Butters and laid them on wax paper.  This was enough to do half of the package.  I then put in the orange Tic Tac noses (how creative is that?) and the M&Ms.  I'm glad I did that right away rather than dipping the remainder of the cookies, because the almond bark started setting up really quickly.  In fact, on the last couple of snowmen, I had to paste on the M&Ms with additional melted almond bark.  I then proceeded to do the remainder of the cookies, working quickly so that I could put it all together before it hardened. I waited for the snowmen to set completely before drawing the eyes and mouth with the black decorator icing (which I did not find at Walmart, but at Kroger's).  I cooled them in the fridge and put them in the treat containers.  I put one layer on top of the reindeer in one container and then put another layer by itself in the other container.  The black icing is rather smeary and I didn't want it to get messed up.

 These cookies, called Colorful Swirl Cookies (also found on Pinterest), are supposed to look like pinwheels.  What a disappointment that they don't!  They tasted ok.  I actually did not like the peppermint extract that I added to it.  I should've known better since the last time I used peppermint extract in cookies, I didn't like it then, either.  Oh well.

The pin takes you to the Our Italian Kitchen blog.  You can find the ingredients and instructions there. Sorry, but I'm too lazy to type all that out (or even copy and paste), especially since, to me, they didn't turn out that great.

A couple of notes:  It is really hard to roll out cookie dough to a specific shape, let alone specific size.  I invented (in my head not in reality), a device that will allow you to roll out dough to a rectangle 9x11".  If I ever actually make one, remember you heard it here first.  :-)

I couldn't find holiday sprinkles either at Walmart or at Kroger's.  Ever since Kroger ran Schnuck's out of Memphis, those are about the only choices I have for grocery shopping.  Well, except Target, but I didn't think to look there.  I have to get some #4 diapers there tomorrow, so I may look just to see.

Now, this is my favorite:  Martha Washington Candy.  I have no clue where the name came from, but it brings up many warm-and-fuzzy feelings in my memory.  An elderly lady who lived "around the curve" from us, Miss Winnie, used to make this often for us.  I promise you, they are the best candy ever.

Miss Winnie was a short, rotund woman who had several (don't know how many) children and lived in a little house with a flower garden out front.  She loved to do two things (three, if you count making this wonderful candy):  quilt and tend her flower garden.  Her front room and kitchen were rather sparse.  I can still picture her quilting rack hanging from the ceiling of her front room, and the old metal and formica table in the kitchen.  Her bedroom was another story.  It had all kinds of stuff in there.  Miss Winnie was just younger than my great grandmother, Ida Bounds, having been born in September of 1906 (Grandmother was born in January of that year). We all loved her.  She went Home to Heaven before Grandmother did (which was 2002, I think).  I remember just about every Christmastime, she would make this candy and give some to us, crammed into a powdered sugar box.  We kept it in the fridge and would raid it when we got a hankering for the Martha Washington Candy.

Ingredients:
2 boxes confectioner's sugar, sifted (I did not sift)
1 can Eagle brand condensed milk
2 cups coconut Angel Flake (optional -- Miss Winnie did not use and neither did I)
2 cups chopped pecans (Miss Winnie ground her pecans.)
2 sticks oleo/margarine (I used butter)
1 tsp vanilla
Large package of chocolate chips or chocolate blocks
1 stick paraffin wax  (I did not use because I couldn't really get it to melt in the microwave with the chocolate.  I need to ask my mom exactly how to do that.  I do not own a double boiler.)

Mix first six ingredients.  Form into small balls; chill overnight.

Melt chocolate and wax, mix.  Dip balls with toothpicks.  Dry on wax paper.

I had a difficult time rolling this dough into balls.  They stuck to my hands and looked all globby.  My brother called me while I was doing this, so I had a little break.  When I resumed, I noticed that it was much easier to roll.  My advice:  After mixing, wait about 15 minutes to let it set up before rolling into balls.  It'll be much easier and will look much better.  I made most of them a little too big.  I can't think of anything to compare it to.  Guestimating:  maybe 3/4" in diameter?

I formed the balls and put them in the fridge in the afternoon when Gracie was taking her nap.  I took them out about 6 hours later, so it wasn't a "full" overnight.  I'm not very good at the dipping thing.  I wish I knew some tips on how to make them look beautiful.  Maybe the wax would've helped, I don't know.

Robert came in when I was in the middle of dipping and asked, "Can I have one?" while pointing to the plain dough. I said, "sure!" and waiting in great anticipation as to how he would like it.  He really liked it!!!  I was really happy, because this has been a family favorite for well over 40 years.  He also tried one of the dipped ones and said he didn't like it as well because the chocolate taste overpowered the candy middle.  I didn't quite have enough chocolate to do all of them, so I left three of them undipped just for him.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

This morning, I got up and filled some cute bags with one each of the above treats, adding in a matching paper napkin, and a Christmas pencil.  Gracie woke up when I was just getting started, so I got her up, gave her a cookie and a treat bag, and she happily amused herself while I filled the bags.

I left a few minutes later than I wanted to -- time speeds up with a toddler when you have a self-imposed deadline -- but we made it to church on time.  I was the first of the ladies in the prayer group to arrive, so I headed over to the school.  Poor Gracie stumbled on the sidewalk and skinned her knee for the first time.  I later patched her up with a bright yellow bandaid from the nursery.  We delivered the treats and enjoyed seeing the older children.

Later, I heard from the teacher of the younger kids that the treats were a big hit.  One child said, "This is the Best Day Ever!"  Another one said, "I would rather have this than morning break!" (Now that's high praise!)

As Gracie grows older, she'll be able to help with making the treats and giving them out.  I really look forward to continuing this tradition.

Original Sources:

Source: google.com via Ava on Pinterest

Source: myprettypurse.blogspot.com via Ava on Pinterest

Source: ouritaliankitchen.blogspot.com via Ava on Pinterest

Treasured Traditions: I Found a Purple Durple Pan!

One of my childhood favorite family Christmas traditions involves the making and consumption of a wonderful dessert that we call Purple Durple.  Here is an edited repost from my Family Blog written nearly three years ago.

I Found a Purple Durple Pan!

You're probably thinking, "WHAT in the world is a Purple Durple pan?" Quite simply, it is a special copper bundt pan that is used to hold Purple Durple (aka Blueberry Congealed Salad), a family favorite, especially around Christmastime. I was around five or so when my mom first made it, and I made up the name Purple Durple to describe it.

My mom has had a pan just like this since I was very small. I always wanted one for myself, but could not ever find one. . . . until I went into a new-to-me store called The Antique Gallery in Bartlett, TN. I had been meaning to look around in that store for over a year, but never took the time until last Friday [sic]. It is a wonderful, HUGE, place filled with beautiful treasures!  I remember giving myself a time limit of about 15-30 minutes of looking around; otherwise, I would be in there for a couple of hours!  You cannot imagine my excitement when I saw not just one, but several different purple durple pans hanging on the walls of one of the booths.  I honestly think I would've paid $40 for one, but my husband is thankful that it only cost about $8!  It now hangs on the wall in my kitchen as a decoration when not in use.  It's a wonderful reminder of good times in my childhood and a favorite Christmas treat!

Here is the recipe for Purple Durple:

Ingredients:

• 2 cups boiling water
• 1 16 oz. can blueberries
• 1 can crushed pineapple
• 1 cup chopped pecans
• 1 6-oz. package black cherry jello
• 1 large package cream cheese, softened
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1/2 cup sugar

1. Open blueberries and pineapple. Drain well, and save the juice.
2. Dissolve jello in boiling water. Measure juice that you saved in step 1 and enough cold water to make 2 cups. Pour into jello and boiling water.
3. Mix sour cream, cream cheese, and sugar. Mix well into jello mixture. Add blueberries, pineapple, and nuts. Let jell.

Make sure the cream cheese is softened because it is really hard to mix in if it's not.  It results in clumps of cream cheese throughout the congealed salad which is really not very appetizing.

Chicken and Rice Bake

My sister-in-law (who is a closet reader of my blog - I didn't know she followed until recently.) gave me this recipe years ago. We all love it! Since I've been married, I have changed it by doubling the rice and soup because it's that good!

First, I'll post the original recipe, then the changes I made, and then a failed experiment.




The Original Recipe:
1 can condensed cream of chicken & broccoli soup*
1-1/2 cups water
3/4 cup uncooked rice
1-1/2 cups sliced mushrooms (optional)**
1 can (2.8 oz.) Durkee French Fried Onions
4 chicken breast halves (about 2 lbs.)
paprika
pepper

In a 3 quart baking dish, mix soup, water, rice, and 1/2 can onions.  Arrange chicken on top.  Sprinkle with paprika and pepper.

Bake at 375 degrees for one hour.  Top with remaining onions, and bake for another 3-5 minutes or until onions are golden brown.

*I have not been able to find cream of chicken & broccoli soup in years.  You can substitute with cream of chicken or cream of broccoli or any other of your favorite cream soups.
**I don't do mushrooms.  I used to be able to tolerate cream of mushroom soups, but ever since pregnancy, I can't even handle that.  Instant gag reflex upon thought.

My Changes:

Because we love the soup-rice-onion mixture so much, I now double that portion.  Also, my husband prefers brown rice.  I used to do half white rice and half brown rice, but now I do all brown rice.  Here's how I usually do it:

1 can condensed cream of chicken soup
1 can condensed cream of broccoli soup
3 cups water
1-1/2 cups uncooked rice
skip the mushrooms
1 large can of Durkee French Fried Onions
3-4 chicken breast halves (depends on how many people will be eating)
paprika
pepper



In a 3 quart baking dish, mix soup, water, rice, and 1/2 can onions.  Arrange chicken on top.  Sprinkle with paprika and pepper.

Bake at 375 degrees for one hour.  Top with remaining onions, and bake for another 3-5 minutes or until onions are golden brown.


A Failed Experiment:

I found a neat recipe for Cream of Something Soup mix on Pinterest.  I made up some and put it in a airtight container.  [Tangent - I thought I had blogged about this already, but I couldn't find it.  Has anyone ever seen a post by me about it?]  I've been anxious to try it out, and I picked this Chicken and Rice Bake to be my guinea pig.

First, here's the ingredients for the mix:

1 cup non-fat dried milk

3/4 cup cornstarch

1/4 cup bouillon*

4 Tablespoons freeze dried minced onions

1 teaspoon dried basil

1 teaspoon dried thyme

1 teaspoon pepper

For the equivalent of one can of condensed cream soup, mix 1/3 cup dry mix with 1-1/4 cup water. Cook until thick.

*I couldn't find bouillon in the soup aisle of Walmart.  However, I looked in the Latino section and found some there.  This worked out better because it's a larger bottle of powdered bouillon instead of the cubes which would have to be crushed and ground up.  I used the chicken flavor since I've never heard of anybody needing "cream of beef soup."

I measured out 2/3 cups of the mix and 2-1/2 cups of water and cooked it while I mixed up the rice and onions.  I initially put the heat on too high and had to really stir to get the stuff on the bottom up.  I hoped it would add flavor.  I noticed a difference between the 3 cups of water needed for the recipe and the 2-1/2 cups needed to make the soup.  I meant to add an extra cup of water (and really, I should've added the full extra 3 cups), but I got sidetracked.  That's life with a toddler -- not to mention life with a husband who had the day off that day!  :-)

I added the soup as it was to the rice and onions and shoved it in the oven.  An hour later, I took it out of the oven and was horrified at the results.  It looked both overcooked and undercooked at the same time.  Overcooked because it was a dark brown mess; undercooked because the rice on top was not cooked.  We were actually going to out to eat that evening (for our anniversary), but since I already had this out, I cooked it, and put it in the fridge to eat the next day.  Upon eating it, we discovered that the chicken was very dry.  We finished our portions (Robert added BBQ sauce to his chicken - a sure sign he didn't like it), and we gave the remainder to the dogs who gobbled it right up.

My mistake was in not adding enough water.

Here's what I should've done:

1.  Cook the Cream of Something soup mix (2/3 cups mix plus 2-1/2 cups water).

2.  Mix 1-1/2 cups rice and half of the onions.  Add the soup plus 3 cups of water.  Mix it all up.

3.  Arrange chicken on top.  Sprinkle with paprika and pepper.

4.  Bake at 375 degrees for one hour.  Sprinkle remaining onions on top, cook additional 3-5 minutes.

If anybody tries this (the Cream of Something mix) with this Chicken and Rice Bake recipe before I do, please comment and tell me how it goes.

I still have high hopes for the Cream of Something soup.  I know it'll save money in the long run.

Another thing, unless you want to make a ton of it using the whole box of dry milk, I would recommend giving away the remaining dry milk to someone else who would like to use it.  I gave some to my mom and some to my other sister-in-law when I saw them over Thanksgiving.  My mom was excited about it -- and she asked about adding mushrooms to it.  I didn't know about that and didn't care since I don't do mushrooms.  However, she showed me a recipe she wanted to try that called for something that sounded like "mushroom base organic" that made it sound like a type of bouillon. So it may be possible.

Original Source:

Source: 1orangegiraffe.blogspot.com via Ava on Pinterest

Blog Post Roundup (12/3/2011)

Here are a few blog posts that I found particularly noteworthy to pass along.

By the way, I do not post the things that I "pin" on Pinterest.  You'll need to view my pins to see those things.  Better yet, Follow Me on Pinterest!

My Prayer Journal

21 Days to a More Disciplined Life

The Thanksgiving Box

Give Thanks to the Lord. He is Good.

One Turkey Thank-You

Lord, Thank You

Teaching Our Children Gratitude

Whose Campaign is This?

Thirsty?  I Have Good News

When You Feel Like Giving Up

10 Ways to Make Pinterest Useful

Sound Advice

A Free Christmas Gift for Each of You

Developing and Feeding Our Children's Appetites

Over and Over (and over) Again

Santa....or Not??

How to Win Your Child to Christ

Insecurities Hinder Friendship

Quick-Fix Beef Burrito Skillet

This fabulous recipe came from Kraft Foods Food & Family magazine.  Both Robert and I really liked it.  It's very easy to make and only requires using one skillet.










Ingredients:
1 pound lean ground beef
1 package Taco Seasoning Mix (I used two heaping tablespoons of the Taco Seasoning Mix that I had made up -- see yesterday's post.)
1 can (19 oz.) kidney beans, drained, rinsed
1 cup Taco Bell Home Originals Salsa (I used the salsa I already had on hand.)
1 cup water
4 flour tortillas (6 inch) cut into 1-1/2" squares
1 cup Mexican Style Shredded Four Cheese
1/3 cup sour cream
1/3 cup chopped green onions

1.  Brown meat in large skillet on medium-high heat; drain.
2.  Add seasoning mix, beans, salsa, and water; stir.  Bring to boil.  Reduce heat to medium-low, simmer 5 minutes.
3.  Stir in tortillas; top with cheese.  Cover; let stand 5 minutes or until cheese is melted.  Top with sour cream and onions.

I don't think I covered it and let stand for five minutes.  I think I topped with the cheese and then topped with sour cream and onions.  It still came out great!

Taco Seasoning

We love tacos around here.  I have bought the rather large containers of taco seasoning (where you measure out about 1/4 cup) but they are difficult to get out of the can.  I also would prefer not to consume any more salt than I have to.  I have made taco seasoning before, eons ago, but have no clue where my recipe was.  I found this Taco Seasoning recipe on Pinterest and decided to try it.  (I actually found several, but I tried this one first.  Robert liked it, and we are sticking with it.

It's very simple to make.  Just dump the ingredients in an air-tight container and mix.






 Ingredients:
 1/4 cup ancho chili powder*
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
1/2 - 1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
2 tsp dried oregano**
2 tsp paprika
2 Tbs ground cumin***
3 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp black pepper

Unfortunately, I did not check my spice stores before going shopping, so I didn't have everything I needed.
*I did not find ancho chili powder, but I used "California chili powder" found in the hispanic food section at Walmart.  It comes in a plastic package.  I bought two of them which was enough to make a triple batch of this.
**I did not have any oregano, so I substituted Italian seasoning.
***I did not have enough cumin, probably half of what I needed.

To use, measure out 2 to 2-1/2 tablespoons for the equivalent of a packet of taco seasoning.  Combine 2 Tablespoons cornstarch with 1 cup water and stir to dissolve.  Add cornstarch mixture with the taco seasoning to your meat of choice, simmer over low heat until liquid has thickened.

Original Source:

Source: smells-like-home.com via Ava on Pinterest