Jenn, Here are Those Holiday Recipes

PEPPERMINT BARK

1 12 oz pkg white chocolate chips
24 hard peppermint candies

Crush candies in ziploc bag. Pour into strainer to shake out tiny bits. Set aside larger pieces.
Line baking sheet with wax paper. Microwave chips at 70% power for one minute. Stir. Microwave an additional 10-15 secs until chips are melted. Spread on wax paper.
Put larger candy pieces into melted chocolate and press in. Let stand for 1 hr, then break into pieces and store at room temp in airtight container.


HOLIDAY SPARKLE COOKIES

1 refrigerated sugar cookie tub dough from the store
Red and green sprinkles

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
From the dough, make 18 1 inch balls. Roll in sprinkles.
Set 2 inches apart on ungreased baking sheet.
Bake 14 - 16 minutes until edges are set and center is still soft.
Cool on racks.


CHOCOLATE LOGS

1 lb. powdered sugar
1 stick butter, melted
2 cups extra crunch peanut butter
4 cups rice krispies

Mix powdered sugar and butter with a spoon. Using your hands, mix in peanut butter and krispies. Pinch off and roll in hands to make thumb-size "logs."
Refrigerate 1 hour and spread with chocolate frosting.


ROCKY ROAD FUDGE

1 12 oz. pkg semisweet chocolate chips
1 can sweetened condensed milk
2 1/2 cups minimarshmallows
1 cup chopped walnuts or pecans

Line baking sheet with wax paper.
Combine morsels and milk. Microwave on high for 1 minute. Stir and microwave an additional 10-15 sec until melted.
Stir in all other ingredients. Drop by Tablespoon onto wax paper.
Refrigerate until firm.

Okay, Jenn, are those EZ, or what...

Becoming Holy

I heard someone speak about becoming holy, and he summed it up very simply:

"Do what you are supposed to be doing, when you are supposed to be doing it, in the way it is meant to be done."

Holiness is definitely a response to God's grace. This person gave a very down-to-earth way to respond. Sounds like a pretty good New Year's resolution for 2009.

Jenn's Chicken Alfredo, Variation on a Theme

Jenn, I've taken your amazing recipe and gave it a few modifications.

Judy, This one's for you:

1)Saute a few chicken breasts in olive oil, add a little water, cover and steam until almost done.
2)Add 1 can of cream of mushroom soup and a few chunks of cheese. Stir until well-blended.
3)THEN, pile a big bunch of fresh spinach leaves over all. Cover and cook until spinach is wilted into the sauce.
4)Stir in a dash of nutmeg (secret ingredient) for a flavor boost.
5)Serve over your choice of pasta (I used shells.)

So simple, soooo good!
I'd recommend a glass of white wine (we had apple cider) and a chocolaty dessert for one outstanding meal.

Thanks, Jenn, for the inspiration. (You know, this may work well with that left-over turkey!)

Our Weekend

Jenn and BF Sean came up for a weekend visit. Jenn came bearing tasty treats from The Cupcake Boutique where she's been working. We're enjoying a few dozen cupcakes, each one with a different flavor and icing. Absolutely gourmet cupcakes.
She and Sean shopped and prepared an outstanding meal of Chicken Alfredo, Jenn's very own recipe. Sean verifies that the recipe has undergone many transformations, and each time it just gets better. I'd say she has this one down to perfection, and I do hope she shares her recipe.
This was also shopping weekend. Geo is in the market for a new man-size leather reading chair. The choice has been narrowed down to a deep burgundy brown leather recliner, the color formerly called "Oxblood," and now "Newport". (I like "Oxblood" so much better.)
The big purchase will be made this week.
Addie met BF Zach's 'rents this weekend for the first time. They had a whirlwind visit with their son before heading back to Maine. She reports all went well.
And today Jenn and I went shopping for new outfits. She found exactly what she loved, and I have a new Take Mom out for a Night on the Town outfit, that will also work for a holiday party.
Soooo good to see Jenn and Sean again. Am Looking forward to being together again for Thanksgiving.

A Take on the Election

Ed Rollins says that the reason to hold an election is to see if the polls are right.

Peggy Noonan has some advice for the undecideds. Think about how you’ll feel the day after the election when all the news headlines are “McCain Wins!” Or how will you feel when you see “Obama Wins!” She predicts that the prospect of a McCain presidency may make people feel depressed, and an Obama presidency will cause anxiety. She goes on to say that more people would rather feel anxious than depressed, so it looks like the undecideds go to Obama.

TV Guide predicts the big winner in this election is SNL.

It’s been quite a ride, and whoever wins - whether it's McCain/Palin or Obama/Biden, do keep your seatbelts fastened, we’re in for rocky roads ahead.

Eternity

I needed a birthday gift, and so I bought a beautiful plant. It is called an eternity plant. It has beautiful green leaves AND it grows anywhere, even in a closet. Best of all, it only needs to be watered once a month.
I'm impressed. I'm so impressed, I am blogging about it.
When you happen to go by a garden center, stop in to see the eternity plant. It's amazingly lovely.

From the Farmers’ Market

Geo and Mom came home from the market today with arugula (in honor of Barak Obama, says Geo), eggplant, and huge bunches of basil.

The eggplant went into the fridge for eggplant lasagna during the week, but the basil went for a quick rinse and immediately into the blender with walnuts, olive oil and a dash of salt for fresh pesto. The yield was two full batches. We sampled the pesto with Italian bread and we will enjoy it later for dinner served generously over pasta, yes, with arugula salad on the side.

We experimented with “eggplant lasagna” a few weeks ago by substituting a layer or two of pasta with sliced eggplant. It came out really well, and tasty enough to try again.

The Farmers’ Market is providing us with quite a feast this week. Next year, I hope to have more veggies from our very own garden. I’ll need to visit M.W. often for continuing horticultural inspiration.

My Angel of a Neighbor

My neighbor is an enthusiastic gardener. Walking Lucy past her home, I met her outside in the yard. “You know, I really want to improve the landscaping in our yard,” said I. She offered to help me out. “I can give you some ideas,” she replied.

Within the week she came over, not only with her ideas, but with her gloves and three sets of pruners. “Let’s just clean some of this up and see what we’ve got,” she said as she proceeded to tackle a jungle of overgrown shrubbery. So I also picked up the pruners and started pruning away.

Four hours and 5 barrels of clippings later, what a difference! The monster of a miniature lilac bush was gone (that’s miniature lilacs, NOT miniature bush, I had learned too late to my great dismay). She and I could actually see definition between the shrubs and some semblance of real gorgeousness.

Now I can visualize how the edging lines should flow, where new plants can go in, and even where to place a new bird feeder. Yup, we’ll add 2 new lilac bushes (planted where they have LOTS of room to grow), and some Asiatic lilies for color.

My neighbor not only rolled up her sleeves (or rather, rolled them down - those barberry branches are sharp!), she provided me with a lot of good information about pruning and landscaping. Best of all, she not only inspired me about gardening, she really inspired me about what it means to be a good neighbor. M.W., let me know when you need an extra pair of hands for weeding, or pruning, or hoeing, and I’ll be there. Thank you, neighbor!

Some Homefront News

J landed a job at one of the local grocery chains – baking bread, buns and bagels. “You know all that bread you see on the grocery shelves…” she says, “I’m the one who’s baking it!” She trained last week, and this week she “flies solo.” So that means she’s on the job by 4AM to fire up the ovens. She’s also in training for frosting cakes. She completed one carrot cake, carrot and all. I think this may mean more cakes in her future. J is fulfilling one of her life-long ambitions, as long as she’s had lifelong ambitions. Along with this report came assurance from her, “Yes, Mom, I’m still going to grad school…”

Rainy Day Rhubarb

Geo, Mom and I were invited to a picnic today. It was quite a lengthy drive to our friends' lakeside camp, and there were reports of possible severe t-storms. We opted out and decided to picnic at home.

I bought some slender stalks of rhubarb for rhubarb custard pie – my current favorite. As I began to prepare it, I realized I had no prepared pie crusts. Not about to roll my own, I relied on my old stand-by Bisquick. Yummy enough to share the recipe, so here goes:

Grease 9” pie pan and preheat oven to 375.
Add 2 cups of rhubarb to the pan.

Beat until smooth: ¾ cup milk, 2 eggs, 1 cup sugar, ½ cup Bisquick, 2 tb soft butter, scant tsp cinnamon and a dash of nutmeg. Pour over rhubarb.

For the topping, in a separate bowl cut 2 tb firm butter into ½ cup Bisquick and ¼ cup brown sugar until crumbly. Stir a handful of chopped pecans into the mix.
Sprinkle mixture onto the pie.

Bake for about 45 minutes, or until an inserted knife comes up clean.
Serve with whipped cream.

My rainy day rhubarb pie!

Too Busy To Blog

A super-hectic few weeks. Addie is now juggling 3, or is it 4, jobs and one new BF; she reluctantly dropped the ECHO volunteer work. Jenna graduated Phi Beta Kappa, celebrated a birthday, moved out of college and into her new condo – sharing living space with her good friends. Oh, and she also worked in a trip to IL with her BF to drive Grandmother’s car 900 miles to VT. (No problems at the border, although the border patrol did question why she had a VT license, her BF had a MA license, and they were driving a WI car into Canada with a destination to VT. No worries, an official letter from Grandmother to smooth the way.)

Mother moved in, making her new home with us in VT. Geo took a sponsored trip to FLA for a few days for a disabilities conference. And we worked a booth at the Business Expo. Somehow we did manage to keep up with our regular employment.

Last night we received a call from our dear friend Phil who is offering to help us out with opening our Kamp on the Lake. I’m ready, let’s bring on those hazy, lazy days of wave-watching, and sunsetting -over- the -islands peaceful late evenings of summertime! Peace with joy.

Bisquick Apple Cake

“Mom, I have such wonderful memories of all the good holiday meals you cooked when we were growing up,” Jenn said to me one day.

“Really?” I asked. “And what did you like best?”

“Those Bisquick rolls. You made them every holiday.”

Bisquick! I had expected her to say the delicious aroma of ham baking in the oven, or the roast turkey with homemade stuffing, or even the heaping mounds of buttery mashed potatoes she loves so much. But, no, Bisquick.

I have to admit I am a fan of Bisquick. It’s just fun to use. (Did I really make Biquick rolls EVERY holiday??)

Well, here’s a new Bisquick recipe I tried for the first time. Quick and fun Bisquick Apple Cake:

Mix together 2 Cups of Bisquick, 2/3 cup milk, one egg, 2 Tbls sugar, AND one can of apple pie filling. Pour into greased pan and top with a blend of 1/3 cup Bisquick, 1/3 cup brown sugar, and 2 Tbls butter. Bake at 400 degrees for about 25 minutes, or until done. Serve ala mode or topped with whipped cream.

Okay, now, for Valentine's Day I'll make this with Cherry pie filling, and for Easter I'll use pineapple pie filling, and for Thanksgiving - how about pumpkin pie filling, and...