Pots and Pins

The turkey is in the oven.....the taters are waiting to be peeled...the Macy's T-Day Parade is over and the newspaper has been read....what's a bored family to do? 

PUT OUT CHRISTMAS!

We'll decorate every inch of the house - except the dining room before the meal is on the table....so I must get off of here and rally the troops - time to put on the Christmas music and get into gear!

The mister has his marching orders.....the lights have to be on the house and ready to "go" by 5:00 pm....that's when we'll all drag ourselves out to the edge of the drive to await the "lighting of the lights" on the house....the kids will laugh at me and whine about the cold....but I don't let it get to me....as soon as those lights come on - with very little fanfare - my son does the "drumroll" with his hands.... my eyes will become teary and all will be right in my world.  I'll stand out there clapping with joy as I watch everyone run into the house....the mister will slowly walk out and get me  and we'll stand there together for a few seconds admiring his work....it really is something to see.  I have dreams of one day reaching "Griswold Status"....but in the meantime, I'll be happy with whatever lights up because that means Christmas is officially on it's way! 

So now it's time to decorate the house while the bird is a baking.....

Blueberry Cream Muffins

Anything with the word cream in it always catches my eye - and my taste buds....This recipe is also out of Taste of Home's Christmas Magazine (see following post) and they give credit to Shari Zimmerman from Orfordville, Wisconsin for the recipe....so let me be the first to thank Shari for this OH-SO-YUMMY recipe!

The recipe said it makes 24 regular sized muffins - I made 12 enormous muffins - "Costco size" - and one that size is just about right! 

Fresh blueberries are very expensive this time of year but I wanted to use them - just couldn't find any that looked any good!  The recipe calls for either fresh or frozen - so I ended up using frozen berries - the trick is to use them frozen and NOT let them thaw before mixing them into the batter - or else you get blue batter!

Time for True Confessions......I was just in the middle of mixing this batch of muffins when the kids walked in.....and then I got distracted - happens so easily!  So after I added the blueberries I checked the recipe and it said to spoon rounded tablespoonfuls into the muffin tins....and I just assumed that the recipe was done....I did wonder about the cream part, since I had added no cream to the recipe, but then I just figured that it meant they were "creamy" in texture....it wasn't until AFTER the muffins were baked that I noticed the REST OF THE RECIPE!!!!  The CREAM part of the recipe!  Oh well....they were fabulous without the cream so I can only imagine that they will be even better WITH THE CREAM!!!  I'll try another batch tomorrow morning.....thank heavens for tomorrows!

Bluberry Cream Muffins

Taste of Home Magazine, December 2007

4 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup sugar

6 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

2 eggs

2 cups milk

1/2 cup butter, melted

2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries

Filling:

1 package (8 oz.) cream cheese, softened

1 egg

1/3 cup sugar

Dash salt

In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder and salt.  In another bowl, beat the eggs, milk and butter; stir into dry ingredients just until moistened.  Fold in the blueberries.  Spoon 2 rounded tablespoonsfuls into greased muffin cups.

In a small mixing bowl, beat cream cheese, egg, sugar and salt; place 1 tablespoon in the center of each muffin cup (do not spread.)  Top with remaining batter.

Bake at 375 degrees for 18 to 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in muffin comes out clean.  Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks to cool completely.

Yield:  2 dozen....unless you like the large, buffalo-sized, in which case you'll get 12.

Bacon Broccoli Quiche

I have one great quiche recipe that I've used for years and years - and now I have TWO!  While flying home on Southworst the other day, I read through the Christmas edition of Tasting Home Magazine - a must have at this time of year - and that is where I discovered this fabulous recipe for Bacon Broccoli Quiche!  The magazine credits Karren Fairbanks from SLC, Utah with the recipe, and quoted her as saying that she combined 5 different recipes to get this one - she also said that it gets star billing at her Christmas morning brunch every year.  I would have to agree.....from the broccoli to the cheese - it's a keeper!

I got up early this Thanksgiving morning to make the quiche and the Blueberry Cream Muffins for my kids who were flying in for the holiday....I took my sweet time - pausing to watch Good Morning America and to browse through some of the ads in the 10 pounds of newspaper we received today....not giving ONE SINGLE SOLITARY THOUGHT TO THE TURKEY THAT NEEDED TO BE IN THE OVEN!!!  When my kids arrived, there was a lot of commotion - and after about 30 minutes my daughter asked about the turkey.....TURKEY!!!!!  The one sitting in it's plastic wrapper out in the fridge!!!  Godfrey!  You've never seen people move as fast as I had them going......chopping onions, chopping celery, the mister rinsing and removing "parts"....my son scrambling for the roaster - even Caesar the Wonder Dog was stressing!  The buzzer rang - the quiche was done - but we were not sitting down for breakfast until that bird was stuffed and in the pan!

I just love the smell of bacon cooking!                    Here's the quiche before baking .....

   

Broccoli Bacon Quiche  - Taste of Home Magazine, December 2007

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1/2 cup mayonnaise

2 tablespoon dried minced onion

1 tablespoon butter, melted

1 teaspoon salt

3 eggs

1 1/2 cups milk

1 package (10 oz.) frozen, chopped broccoli, thawed and patted dry

12 bacon strips, cooked and crumbled

8 medium fresh mushrooms, chopped

2 cups shredded Monterey Jack Cheese

1 sheet refrigerated pie pastry

In a large bowl, combine the first five ingredients.  Whisk in eggs, one at a time.  Stir in the milk, broccoli, bacon, mushrooms and cheese. 

Line a 9-inch deep-dish pie plate with pastry.  Trim pastry to 1/2 inch beyond edge of plate; flute edges.  Pour broccoli mixture into crust.  Bake at 350 degrees for 55 to 60 minutes or until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean.  Let stand for 10 to 15 minutes before cutting.

Yield:  6 to 8 generous portions  (Editor's note:  reduced-fat or fat-free mayo is not recommended for this recipe.)

Give Thanks Pillow

I love the cooler weather - it makes me want to stay inside and "work"....this is what I've been working on lately - felted wool pillows.  I was able to make several this past week - then surprised family and friends with them....I saved one for myself and this is it, but as you can tell, it's just the front, I've yet to find the time to finish it...maybe tomorrow, after Thanksgiving dinner when I'm too stuffed to move I'll be able to stuff the pillow?!

Actually this little project is for a new book.  I'm in the "final stages" of a felted wool pillow book....I just love the look and feel of felted wool and making pillows with wool comes together fast and easy....and it's very forgiving! 

The mister just walked in....he asked what I was doing and I told him.....I showed him the pillow top....he said, "If you want another pillow why don't you just go buy one?"  Yes folks, it's true....he also says this about my quilts - only he refers to them as blankets....as in, "If you want another blanket, why don't you just go buy one instead of spending all of your time sewing?"  And you thought cavemen were only on TV! Or extinct!  After years and years and years of marriage... (and I said it would never last!)... he still doesn't get it....unfortunately, our son has inherited this defect....along with his eating issues....yesterday my son asked me to please buy Cool Whip for his pie....I told him we would NOT be having any fake stuff and that I would get REAL whipped cream...to which he replied, "Oh good, I like the stuff in the CAN much better!"  Why do I try???  I'll tell you why - it beats banging my head against the wall - although the results are the same!  Which is why a woman invented Advil....I'm sure it was a woman....pretty positive actually...because why would a MAN need a pain killer?!???

Things to be thankful for.....

What if you had to make a list of everything you are thankful for?  How long would it be?  I tried this a few years back during our Thanksgiving meal - everyone at the table had to say what they were thankful for and not repeat what someone else had said - and it was all written down.  The list was about 7 feet long!  Family, friends and health were at the top of the list followed by all the creature comforts we enjoy - things like washing machines, electricity, cars, airplanes, computers, dishwashers, toasters, toilets!  The list had over 300 things on it before we ran out of paper - and ran out of ideas.  Actually, we all wanted to stop playing and get to eating! 

(The carved pumpkin pictured here was a gift from Jan, a few years back....Jan is definitely one of my blessings.)

I'm thankful for all 300 things on the Thanksgiving list from years ago - and for one thing that wasn't on the list - new knees.  My mom had both of her knees replaced three weeks ago and she's doing okay - she's up and walking around and while she still has pain, she is definitely making progress.  Twenty years ago she would have been in a wheel chair but now, with all of the advances in medicine, she will soon be able to walk without pain thanks to her new knees!  So I'm thankful for mom's knees, for her doctors who put them in, and for the nurses and doctors who took care of her afterwards.  She's going to need those knees when we go to Italy in March!  I love you mom!

And even though I'm repeating what's on the old list - I'm thankful for my family and friends - where I'd be without them I shudder to think!  Speaking of friends - a dear friend, Doneen, gave me the "recipe" for this fun little treat for Pilgrims of all ages - it's now one of our staples on Thanksgiving day:

Blessings Mix:

  Bugles:  Shaped like a cornucopia or Horn of Plenty, a symbol of our nation's abundance.

Pretzels:  Arms folded in prayer, a freedom sought by those who founded our country.

Candy Corn:  The sacrifices of the Pilgrim's first winter.  Food was so scarce that settlers survived on just a few kernels of corn a day.

Nuts or Seeds:  Promise of a future harvest, one we will reap only if seeds are planted and tended with diligence.

Dried Fruits:  Harvest gifts from our bountiful land.

M & M's:  Memories of those who came before us to lead us into a blessed future.

Hershey's Kisses:  The love of family and friends that sweeten our lives.

Mix altogether in the quantities you want.  Copy or type the "recipe" onto card stock, include some cute harvest/Thanksgiving clip-art, and place card inside of cellophane bag, secure with a tie or ribbon.  Pass out to hungry Pilgrims who are having a hard time waiting until the turkey is done.

Happy Thanksgiving dear friends and family - I love you all!

Meet my Grandbaby!

Here's a sneak peak at my grandson for you......He is 20 weeks old and is enjoying himself immensely!  He is quite the little gymnast - doing flips and cartwheels with abandon!  Only 4 more months before he'll make his world debut!

Look closely and you'll be able to see his little hand in the fore-ground....

This is his current domicile....going to the ultrasound was so exciting! 

Can you see the scar on my daughter's abdomen?  That's from an accident she had years ago - it was such a scary thing - we didn't think she'd survive ...but she pulled through and now, 8 years later she's pregnant with my grandson....I guess I  could have said she was pregnant with her first child but saying MY GRANDSON sounds so much more important!

My Sister's 7-Layer Dip...

You know the saying....When in Rome?  Well, it's GAME DAY at my sister's and that means the Kansas City Chiefs are on the tube and there is a small feast on the table.  Each week their entire family dresses in their Chiefs garb, even the littlest, who is a spittin' image of Cindy-Lou-Who, dons her red attire...and spits out pithy comments about the coach and players without prompting.  While taking everything in, I almost made a serious faux-paux......the Chiefs are playing the Colts and I happened to say that I liked Payton Manning....my sister, taking umbridge, let my innocent remark slide, I guess because it's Sunday she was in a forgiving mood - had the others heard me I'm afraid I might have been at the bottom of a family "dog pile" faster than I could say I was "just kidding!"  They take their football very seriously.....there is a neon-lighted Chiefs sign on the wall....next to the big screen TV and the enormous speakers (which they all think are TWO WAY speakers because they keep yelling like the Chiefs can actually hear them!)  I am a  fair-weather Chiefs fan - having spent several years in Kansas City....but after years of living with a Redskins fan I've been converted...besides, the Chiefs will never attain the level of prestige the Redskins have had....never....they're wannabe players and the Skins are the real thing....I can say this on the blog...but I would never dare say it out loud!!!  I can also say that I like Tom Brady and I miss watching John Elway...two of my sister's mortal enemies....but really, when they're in uniform, how can anyone not like what they see????  I do manage to cheer for the home team, the Seattle Seahawks, when they're winning....I think that's an unwritten rule that you have to cheer for home teams....but when they're losing I'm the first to jump on the "smack" bandwagon...it's just so fun to hate them!

Back to the small feast....this is what was in front of me...a veggie platter, cheeseball, salami and cheese, dips, crackers and chips and her infamous 7-Layer Dip.  I watched her make the dip, took copious notes and sampled until I was stuffed....it's easy and quick and it's a staple around these parts:

My Sister's Infamous 7-Layer Dip: 

1 can Refried Beans (15 oz.)

1 Tablespoon Taco Seasoning

1/2 cup Sour Cream

1/2 cup Guacamole

1/2 cup Salsa

1 small can Green Chilies

1/2 cup Shredded Cheddar Cheese

1/4 cup La Victoria Taco Sauce, Medium

1 small jalapeno, finely chopped

1/4 cup chopped black olives

In a 12 inch round baking dish/platter, spread the refried beans evenly in the bottom.  Top with the taco seasoning, sprinkling over the beans.  Spread sour cream on top, followed by the guacamole, salsa and green chilies.  Sprinkle La Victoria Taco Sauce over chilies, followed by chedder cheese.  Top with chopped jalapeno and chopped olives.  Serve with corn chips.

   Even Bubby Jay, the dog, gets in on the act.......

Pumpkin Mousse in Cinnamon Pastry Shells

I was killing time on one of my favorite sites this morning (VeryBestBaking.com) and came across this recipe. I immediately printed it out and thought I would make it for one of our Thanksgiving desserts.  But then I was reminded of the time I tried a new stuffing recipe and everyone hated it - and me - for making it.  There was also the time I tried making gravy a different way - that was pretty much a 50/50 deal - half liked it and half didn't - so now I make two gravies so everyone is happy.  When it comes to Thanksgiving, my family does not like anything different than what they've previously had....they want my mothers stuffing and her sweet potatoes and they want my pies and the turkey cooked the same way year after year....afterall, that's what traditions are all about, right?  But I like to try new things....what if this dessert turned out to be better than my pumpkin pie?  Or what if it was better than my drunken pecan pie?  (Now that would really be something!)  What if it was the dessert to end all desserts? How would I know unless I tried it?  So there you have it - a true Thanksgiving dessert dilemma.....I just had to make this to find out what we might be missing.  And, as it turns out, it was pretty good....will it make the T-Day table?  Probably not....but only because we don't need another dessert and it finally dawned on me that I can't possibly eliminate one of our traditional desserts without causing some sort of police action.  That being said, this dessert will definitely be made the day AFTER Thanksgiving - everyone will have had their traditional meal and by then they'll be ready to try something new - at least that's what I'm going with.

Pumpkin Mousse in Cinnamon Pastry Shells 

(Adapted from VeryBestBaking.com)

This is quick to make, yet looks like it took hours and it serves 12.  If you've never used frozen puff pastry shells before you will be amazed at how easy they are - and they taste great!  It's light and airy and would be the perfect ending to any meal from October thru December.

2 boxes (10 oz. each) frozen puff pastry shells

3 tablespoons melted butter

*Cinnamon sugar

1 can (30 oz.) Libby's Easy Pumpkin Pie Mix (this is NOT the pure pumpkin - it's the one with the spices already in it)

1 box (3.4 oz.) Vanilla instant pudding and pie filling

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

**2 cups frozen whipped topping, thawed

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Place frozen pastry shells on baking sheet.  Brush tops with butter and sprinkle with cinnamon-sugar.  Bake according to package directions.  Cool to room temperature.  Remove tops and reserve for garnish.  Remove soft pastry inside shells and discard.  Sprinkle cinnamon-sugar lightly inside pastry shells.

Beat pumpkin pie mix, pudding mix and cinnamon in large mixer bowl on medium speed for 2 minutes.  Gently fold in whipped topping.  Spoon about 1/3 cup pumpkin mousse into each pastry shell.  Top with pastry tops.  Serve immediately. 

*For cinnamon sugar:  Combine 2 tablespoons granulated sugar and 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon in a small bowl.

**The original recipe calls for only 1 cup of whipped topping - but I wanted the mousse to be lighter and not so pumpkiny (is that a word?) so I added an additional cup and I loved it.  I also added cinnamon-sugar to the inside of the shells and that made a nice, noticeable difference as well.

T-Day....7 days and counting.....

Pumpkin Butter

If I could slather pumpkin butter all over myself I would....and I'm not talking about the kind Bath and Body Works sells, although that kind is quite nice....I'm talking about the kind I make this time of year - it's thick and gooey and so, so good on toast or muffins or pork chops, yes, pork chops!  I got an email from a friend's daughter this morning asking me for the recipe and that's all I've been able to think about ever since....pumpkin butter on a hot biscuit....but since I'm away from my stove and unable to cook....I've been trying to manage my withdrawal pains by planning what I will cook the minute I get home - and a new batch of pumpkin butter is at the top of the list.  Until then, make yourself a batch:

Pumpkin Butter - Pots and Pins 

4 1/2 cups granulated sugar

1 can (16 oz.) pure pumpkin

1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice

1 box (1 3/4 oz.) pectin

In a large saucepan, combine first 3 ingredients over medium heat;  stirring constantly until the sugar dissolves.  Bring to a rolling boil.  Add pectin, stir until dissolved.  Bring to a rolling boil again and boil 1 minute longer.  Remove from heat; skim off foam (if any) and pour into hot, sterilized jars.  Store in refrigerator.  Makes five 1/2 pint jars and this makes an excellent gift throughout the holiday season!

The Virgin Mary

I'm visiting my mother today  in the hospital and she is not doing so great....but, she still has her wits about her - as evidenced by the photo below.....she pointed out to me the door leading to her bathroom...and the three faces of Eve on it....or the three faces of the Virgin Mary....or Elvis....look closely now, you KNOW you see them too!    Maybe it helps to see the faces if you've had a nice little drug cocktail...but I assure you, I had no such thing and I was able to see them!  If my mom stays here long enough I'm going to sell tickets to this once in a life-time event...just as soon as I figure out if it's the Virgin Mary or Elvis..and since it is a bathroom door maybe I can even get the faces to weep!!  Time to call Action 4 News so they can get out here to document this event!

Anyone know where I can get T-shirts for a mob made in a hurry?  Can you see the possibilities here?  Sell tickets to get into her room...sell T-shirts as souvenirs and I'll even throw in a photograph with each individual standing in front of the door....I'm telling you...I'm on to something!  Honey...if you're reading this...rip out that old carpet!  Looks like I'm going to be your cash cow afterall!   How's this for a T-shirt...Want more?  See the Door!  or When God closes a window he gives you a door!  or if I go with the Elvis faces how about....Close me Tender, Shut me Tight....niiiiiice......This is going to be HUGE!  Got to go....I've  got work to do!