Cookies Galore!

Cookies, cookies and more cookies! What's with all those cookies???

I work at a state historic site, and on the first Saturday of December every year we have a Christmas open house. As the Foodways Coordinator for the site, it's my job to perform cooking demonstrations, and to coordinate people to help in the kitchen. So for 2 months myself and 3 very eager (and appreciated) volunteers have been busy baking over 2,000 cookies in the wood stove at the site. All of the recipes come from the cookbook left behind by the people who lived in our historic home in the 1870s.

In addition to the cookies, we have baked marble cakes as well. On Saturday, during the event, we will perform the traditional "lighting of the plum pudding" ceremony 4 times. We'll also have wassail and hot apple cider available. YUM!

Our Christmas event ushers in the Christmas season for me. It seems that I no longer have time to even THINK about Christmas until after we get past the big event day.

And so as we enter the Christmas season, I'll start sharing some of my very favorite Christmas recipes.

Cranberry Tea

1 lb. cranberries
2 qts water
2 cups sugar
2 cups water
1 Tbs whole cloves
1 cup orange juice
1 Tbs lemon juice

Place cranberries and 2 qts water in a large pan on the stove and boil until the cranberries "pop". Once they have popped, stir them around to help them release all the juice. Strain and reserve liquid. In a medium saucepan heat 2 cups water, sugar and whole cloves until the sugar is dissolved and the water just starts to boil. Strain out cloves and add liquid to cranberry juice. Add lemon and orange juice. Stir and serve hot in mugs.

I made this on Thanksgiving. I'll probably make it around Christmas again. It's just so tasty! It is the PERFECT hot drink for this time of year. Even those who don't like cranberry juice (like me) will enjoy this tasty not-too-sweet-yet-not-too-tart drink!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Today has been a busy day! This morning I had to go get the new vehicle tagged and licensed (thank you, Phillip, for going to clean and wash it!). After a quick trip to the grocery story I came home to start my baking. I got 4 pumpkin pies made, as well as 2 apple, 1 pecan and 1 chocolate pie. I also made a pumpkin cheesecake.

There is a double batch of refridgerator roll dough rising in the fridge. All of the potatoes are peeled and chopped. And the turkey is ready to go in the oven. I will be cooking it slowly overnight (thanks to the smart person who invented roasting bags!).

For those who have never used them, they are a GREAT invention. You put your turkey in the bag and pop it in the oven at 225 degrees. You then go to bed, and when you wake up....VOILA!!! The turkey is done! If you don't open the bag, the turkey will stay warm and moist for quite some time!

All the rest of my cooking is awaiting the morning. Because I have so much to do, I should really get to bed, but I wanted to say Happy Thanksgiving to you all, as I will probably not have time tomorrow.

TOO MUCH TO DO!!!

Oh my goodness...do you ever feel this way, or am I completely alone? I feel so overwhelmed right now. I have so much to get done this week, and now I am a day behind because of my day yesterday. What happened yesterday?

I woke up at 3:45 a.m., completely and utterly nauseous. I barely made it to the bathroom in time to "toss my cookies" (another one of those phrases that I have no idea where it came from). I went to bed, and woke up when the alarm went off. I got ready for work, but other than still being nauseous, felt completely fine. About halfway through the work day I started getting light-headed, and the nausea never went away. I got home from work in the evening, and felt so awful that I immediately went and crawled in bed at 5:30 p.m. At 8:00 p.m. I woke up with a 100.2 degree temperature. I took some Tylenol and monitored it. By 10:00 p.m. the fever broke and I finally went back to sleep. I woke up this morning feeling just fine.

It was a wierd mystery illness, and I have no idea what caused it. I'm glad it didn't last long. But it was just long enough to delay everything.

So now, here I sit, wondering how in the world I'm going to get everything done this week?!?!?! Tomorrow night I'm going to start cleaning my house. Tuesday night I have to finish the cleaning, because Wednesday I have the first of my company arriving, I have to go get the new vehicle (which I should have by then!!!) tagged and licensed, and I have to get started with my cooking and baking.

Will it all get done? Of course it will. It always does. I just don't know how it does sometimes.

And now, for a few household tips...

With the holidays coming we all want our houses to look and smell fresh, as well as be aesthetically pleasing. Here are some ideas to help with that.

*Spray a bit of perfume on the light bulb in any room to create a lovely light scent in each room when the light is turned on. (A very small amount will do the trick. Best to put a little, and add more later, than to put too much, and have it so strong that you can't handle it!)

*Place fabric softener sheets in dresser drawers and your clothes will smell freshly washed for weeks to come. You can also do this with towels and linen.

*Candles will last a lot longer if placed in the freezer for at least 3 hours prior to burning.

*To clean artificial flowers, pour some salt into a paper bag and add the flowers. Shake vigorously so the salt will absorb all the dust and dirt and leave your artificial flowers looking like new!

*Use air-freshener to clean mirrors. It does a good job and better still, leaves a lovely smell to the shine.

Happy cleaning!!!!

Pumpkin and Spice and Everything Nice

Mmmmm....is there anything better than a pumpkin spice latte when you're in the mood for something hot to drink on a cool autumn night? I LOVE hot tea, but when the fall arrives I start thinking about Starbuck's Pumpkin Spice Lattes.

But there's a problem...

They're like $6 bucks each, and so full of calories that I feel bad drinking them. So this year I decided to find a homemade substitute that would be just as yummy, and maybe a little healthier. I found a recipe, and I tried it. It was ok, but it needed some tweaking. After making it a couple of times, I came up with this yummy recipe. (Pretty, aren't they?!)

PUMPKIN SPICE LATTE
2 cups skim milk (you can use whole or 2%, but the skim is good in it and it cuts calories)
4 Tbs pureed pumpkin
4 Tbs sugar (you may have to add more if you like your lattes really sweet)
2 Tbs vanilla (no, that is NOT a typo...it really is Tablespoons)
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp cloves
1/8 tsp nutmeg
pinch of ginger
3/4 cup strong coffee
whipped cream

Put milk, pumpkin, sugar, vanilla, spices and coffee in a pan on the stove and whisk until well combined. Stir over medium heat with a whisk until it reaches your desired temperature. I like mine just short of boiling. Turn off heat, and ladle into large mugs. Top generously with low-fat whipped cream, and dust with cinnamon.

Yield: 2 servings

Can it get any better? Maybe....

But how?

Maybe if you eat it with a slice of Pumpkin Harvest Cheesecake?! (This has become a family favorite for Thanksgiving!)

PUMPKIN HARVEST CHEESECAKE
Crust:
1 3/4 cups graham cracker crumbs
3 Tbs brown sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 stick melted butter or margarine

Filling:
24 oz. cream cheese
15 oz. pumpkin
3 whole eggs + 1 egg yolk
1/4 cup sour cream
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp cloves
2 Tbs flour
1 tsp vanilla

Mix graham cracker crumbs, brown sugar and cinnamon directly in the bottom of a 9" springform pan. Pour in melted butter, mix and press down into bottom, making sure to get edges. Mix filling ingredients with a mixer until smooth. Pour into crust. Bake at 350 degrees until knife comes out clean (usually about an hour or a little more). Let stand 15 minutes to cool. Cover and refridgerate for 4 hours.

I hope that you enjoy these recipes. I'm thinking I need something hot to drink right now. Hmmm...wonder what I'll have???

Join Me For Tea?

As I sit here this evening sipping my tea my mind wanders over the last 24 hours, and I marvel at how much can be done is such a short-time frame. Yesterday morning after blogging I went out and did all of my laundry (dragging it out of the house to the laundromat or a friend's house is one of the prices you pay for living in an apartment). Once I got home I took care of some other things, and made what was touted to be the "World's Best Lasagna". Best? Probably not. Very good? DEFINITELY! I will definitely make that recipe again. (Keep tuned for more info about this later!) After that it was time for church, and then finally housecleaning. That put me in bed at about 1:30 a.m.

I got up this morning in time to start out on a monster shopping trip. I visited 5 stores, and purchased not only everything I needed for Thanksgiving, but also everything I needed for the rest of the month, as I finally finished my menu plans the other night. Now I FINALLY have some time to sit and relax, and sip a cup of tea while dinner is cooking (broiled salmon!).

Ok....now this blog is supposed to be related to food, taking care of the home, etc. I know that I ramble a lot, and all of this is still so new to me, but here is my tip for this week....

If you want a better lasagna, never (I repeat NEVER) use shredded mozzarella cheese! I have spent my whole life baking with shredded mozzarella, but recently read that using sliced mozzarella cheese in your lasagna was so much better. The lady who wrote it maintained that it tasted better, the texture was better, and the lasagna held together better. Sure. Uh-huh. Whatever. Right?

WRONG!

While at the store getting the ingredients for last nights lasagna I already had put shredded mozzarella in the cart. And then I remembered what I had read. I thought "The slices are more expensive and it doesn't really matter. She's crazy." But then I thought "They're not that much more expensive though. And you'll never know unless you try." SO...I decided to test her theory. And I will never make lasagna with shredded mozzarella again.

IT. WAS. SO. GREAT!

Think I'm crazy? Try it for yourself. How did I go my whole life without knowing this?

I think I'm all ready for my Thanksgiving cooking and baking. Do you have your menu planned? Mine is as follows:

*Turkey
*Dressing
*Mashed Potatoes
*Gravy
*Candied Sweet Potatoes
*Corn with Cream Cheese
*Green Bean Casserole
*Rolls
*Cranberry Sauce
*Broccoli Rice Casserole
*Tator Tot Casserole
*Pickle/Olive Tray
*Cracker/Cheese/Sausage Tray
*Pumpkin Pie
*Apple Pie
*Pecan Pie
*Chocolate Pie
*Pumpkin Roll
*Pumpkin Cheesecake
*Cranberry Tea

I pretty much make everything from scratch. That's the fun of loving to cook. If you would like any of the above recipes, please let me know, and I would be happy to send them to you!

And now...with Thanksgiving cooking comes lots of dishes, so here's my household tip for today: Whenever I purchase a box of S.O.S Pads, I immediately take a pair of scissors and cut each pad into halves. After years of having to throw away rusted and unused and smelly pads, I finally decided that this would be much more economical. Now a box of S.O.S pads last me for a long time, AND I have noticed that the scissors get sharpened this way! A good way to kill two birds with one stone (where did that saying come from anyway?!).

Well, dinner's pretty much done, so I have to go put the finishing touches on it and get it ready to serve. Have a great evening, and enjoy the rest of your tea!

Well, Fall is in the air and as we near Thanksgiving my mind turns to thoughts of my upcoming feast. Every year I spend the week before thanksgiving cleaning and double checking my menu and grocery shopping and taking care of needed repairs around the house in preparation for the big day. The pumpkin dishes magically appear (my husband is disappointed that, as of yet, I still haven't found time to pull them out yet) and the smell of baked goods permeate the air. This is my absolute favorite time of the year.

And...it's the ONLY holiday that I get to host with my family. My mom, dad and little brother who still lives at home comes, and sometimes one of my other siblings will bring their family. I long for the day when I will have a home big enough to host for my whole family, but that is a total of about 26 people, just on my side (just immediate family). :) I am thankful for all of them, and wish that they all lived closer. It's so much fun having a big family!

My husband also has a big family. There are about 25 people in his immediate family.

Speaking of my husband...he's the top item on my list of things to be thankful for. I feel bad for all of the ladies out there, because I truly do have the best man in the world. He's so loving and giving. Recently, I have been trying to find lots of new recipes, and it makes him a little nervous at times, but he puts up with me, and even tries to make me feel better when I find one that's not so great (dare I mention last week's Chicken Cordon Bleu episode?). He's been my best friend for almost 5 years now (we met in December 2007), and I thank the Lord for him every single day.

Ok....this was a lot of rambling, all to say that I love this season and can't wait for Thanksgiving to get here, but I'll be enjoying every step of the way til it does. I promise that I'll get better at this blogging thing. Until then, just bear with me. Have a great day!

Well....I'm not sure how this undertaking will go, but today I am starting my first official blog. I have lots to learn, and I hope that you'll be patient with me. This will be a bumpy beginning, but I have lots that I want you to share with me! :)