Last Minute Dress-Up

I finally made the decision to dress up just a few minutes before we were to take Kat trick or treating last night. I ratted my hair and put on a witch "costume" (more Stevie Nicks than the Wicked Witch) I'd picked up at a garage sale last summer, not knowing if it would even fit. My pointy hat seems to have fallen over. And thank goodness for black tights, since that skirt was short! (Not to mention drafty.)

We're still not sure what Shane was supposed to be. He was going to be a tree, but couldn't pull that together in the five minutes I gave him to get ready, so he ended up being hunter/logger/redneck man. This is not the way he dresses all the time. As far as you know.

A Celebration

My daughter's and son-in-law's reception was last Saturday evening. You might remember that they eloped, more or less, back in July. Since then, the groom's mother thought it would be nice to have a reception, somewhat defeating the point of eloping (they didn't want a fuss made).

Fuss or no fuss, everyone had a great time, and the food...most of it Mediterranean, much of it vegetarian...was outstanding. Unfortunately, I didn't get a picture of the beautiful buffet before everyone started digging in, but if you are interested you can get an idea by clicking here, then going to the menu and catering sections.

Here's a picture of my son-in-law and daughter (left and center), along with my daughter's best friend, who also officiated at their wedding (right).


The pretty cake was a light and tender ginger spice cake with lemon curd between the layers. Outside was persimmon-colored buttercream (to match the invitations and decorations) with edible sugar orchids.


Here is my sister with her grandson. He was the most handsome man in the room.


Finally, here's one of Kat feigning sleep on the way home. Believe me, she was wide awake then and for a few hours after.

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In other news, life has calmed down a little for me. I'd say I'm 90% recovered from my surgery (still no heavy lifting), so I can't use that as an excuse to bail out of my housework anymore.

I'm slowly looking toward the holidays now, considering things like what will be on the Thanksgiving menu, where we'll put the Christmas tree this year and whether and when I'll change my blog to a winter theme. I have to say, happily, that our holidays this year will be more laid back and low key than they've ever been, so I'm approaching it all at a very leisurely pace.

But first we have to get through this weekend. School is closed tomorrow and Friday for parent-teacher meetings. Since when did Halloween become a four-day weekend? Just thinking of all that sugar-laced free time? By Sunday, one of us is sure to be crying.

It will probably be me.

Quick Monday Post

I thought I'd publish a short post this morning just to say "Here!". I think some people (A.Marie?...LOL) are concerned I'm either not going to post again or have gotten lost somewhere in the depths of my house as I clean it.

It was a busy week last week. I'm only about halfway finished with my room-to-room cleaning of my house. Part of the reason it's taking me so long is that, while I clean, I'm also sorting out items for a garage sale. And trying to keep up with laundry and meals. And trying to keep the rooms I've already cleaned looking good so that I don't feel an urge to start over as soon as I'm done.

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Some special events happened last week, both warranting celebration, but neither getting much attention at the request of those who would have been in the limelight.

On Thursday, my parents marked their 60th wedding anniversary! Isn't that amazing? They married as teenager, so they are now in their mid- to late-70s and going strong! We had small parties for them on their 25th and 50th anniversaries, but they didn't want a fuss made for any of the others, not even this one.

On Saturday, my daughter and her boyfriend got married! I'm not sure if it's an elopement if everyone knew ahead of time that they were going. :) They've been talking about getting married for a while, and after watching another couple go through the stressful planning of a large wedding, they decided a big ceremony wasn't for them. I can understand their sentiment; Shane and I were married in a similar manner. Anyway, Shane and I are happy for them and wish them the best.

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On a totally unrelated note, I was finally able to trap the mama cat that's been living in the back yard. A volunteer from the shelter came on Friday with a drop-style trap and sat for a couple of hours waiting, baiting her with tuna and smelly wet cat food. The volunteer left, I put a bowl of familiar dry food in the trap, and had her within five minutes! The kittens are already back from the vet/shelter, and the mother should be back this week, so they can all live happily (and kitten-free) ever after under our deck.

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I'll be posting my weekly menu today. Some of the recipes I've chosen from other blogs are just so tasty looking (to me, anyway) that I didn't want to let them pass by. But like last week, those may be the only posts I publish this week. I promise, though, to get back to more frequent posting next week...clean house or no.


See you then!

Saving on Gift Tags/Cards

Now that she's in Kindergarten, Kat is being invited to a birthday party every month or two.

I really don't mind buying a gift for a child's birthday, but I hate shelling out $1, $2 or even more for a card. Even the small 3"x3" gift cards are priced at $1.25 at Target.

While I was there, I looked for an alternative and found these!

The box contains 16 cards in a variety of colors for $5.99. They are blank inside and come in a multitude of colors that will work for both boys' and girls' gifts.

The way I see it, that's another buck or two that can be put toward the child's actual gift.

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And speaking of parties, what is it with parents failing to respond to RSVP requests? At the party Kat went to last Saturday, the child's mother thanked me for letting her know in advance that Kat would attend; she said none of the other parents had responded. I heard similar things from parents at each of the other parties Kat's been to this year. Really, how difficult is it to make a quick phone call to say yea or nay?

Flaky Sausage Foldovers

There's still time to add these quick snacks to your New Year's Eve menu, especially if you take the easy route like I did and use refrigerated pie crust.


Flaky Sausage Foldovers

1/2 pound pork breakfast sausage (regular or hot)
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1 15-oz can or jar of pizza sauce
1 pkg. refrigerated pie crusts, near room temperature
1 egg, beaten

Heat oven to 425°F. Brown sausage in small skillet; drain well. Stir in garlic powder. Add 1/4 cup of the pizza sauce; mix well.

Unfold 1 pie crust. With rolling pin, roll into 13-inch round. With 3-inch cutter, cut 11 rounds*. Repeat with second pie crust

Spoon about 1 teaspoon sausage mixture onto each round. Fold each in half; seal edges with fork or fingers. Cut slit in top of each with sharp knife. Place on ungreased (or parchment-lined) cookie sheet. Brush each foldover with beaten egg.

Bake for 9 to 11 minutes or until golden. Meanwhile, heat remaining pizza sauce in small pan until hot. Serve warm appetizers with warm pizza sauce for dipping.

Makes 22 appetizers. *

Source: Pillsbury Holiday Appetizers and Desserts December 2003


* I was able to get 20 rounds from each crust and had plenty of filling for a total of 40 appetizers.

The Holiday Snacks Just Keep Coming

Clockwise from top: Fresh veggies for dipping, Easy Baklava Bars,
Guacamole-Cheese Crisps, Mini-Hamburgers.

Here are some of the treats we had on Christmas Day. I decided to share the recipes with you; they'd make great snacks for a stay-at-home New Year's Eve Celebration.

The Mini-Hamburgers are a copycat of White Castle burgers; they are fun to make and yes, you really do cook them right on the buns.

The Easy Baklava Bars don't quite taste like the real thing, but they are so much simpler to make than traditional baklava that it seems a good trade.

Shane loves to toss a little shredded cheddar cheese in a skillet and toast it until it's golden brown and crispy, so when I found the recipe for Guacamole Cheese Crisps, I knew I'd have to make some.

And finally, my daughter Jeanne made a pot of Mulled Apple Cider (photo below) that was absolutely delicious. It would be wonderful for a fall party as well as a winter one. We couldn't find the apple brandy, so we substituted a lesser amount (1/2 cup) of DeKuyper Red Apple Liqueur added straight to the pot for flavor (simmering away the alcohol), then spiked each serving as desired.

Mini-Hamburgers

1/2 cup finely chopped onion
1 Tablespoon butter
1 - 1-1/2 pounds very lean ground beef (93% or leaner)
1 egg, beaten
1/4 teaspoon seasoned salt
1/4 teaspoon ground sage
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
40 mini rolls, split
40 dill pickle slices
10 slices American cheese, cut into 4 squares each (or uses shredded cheddar)

In a skillet, saute onion in butter. Transfer to a bowl; add meat, egg and seasonings.

Spread over bottom halves of the rolls: replace tops. Place on baking sheets; cover with foil. Bake at 350°F for 20-30 minutes. If desired, place a pickle slice and a cheese square on each burger; replace tops and foil, then return to the oven for 5 minutes.

Makes 40 mini burgers.


Easy Baklava Bars

Crust:
1 can refrigerated crescent rolls

Filling:
2 cups chopped walnuts
1 cup coconut
1 cup rolled oats
2 Tablespoons brown sugar
1/2 cup butter, melted
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground allspice
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves

Glaze:
1/2 cup sugar

1/4 cup water
1/4 cup butter
2 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon brandy, if desired
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
3 whole cloves

Heat oven to 350°F. Grease 15x10x1 jelly roll pan (mine was non-stick, so I did not grease it). Unroll crescent dough into 2 long rectangles. Place in pan; press over bottom to form crust. Firmly press perforations to seal*. Bake at 350°F. for 5 minutes. Remove from oven.

In food processor, combine all filling ingredients. Process in brief intervals until mixture is finely chopped and blended well. Spoon evenly over partially baked crust; gently press down. Return pan to oven and bake for an additional 15 minutes or until golden brown.

In small saucepan, combine all glaze ingredients. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer 2-3 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove whole cloves. Drizzle glaze evenly over warm bars. Score bars while still warm. Cool completely; cut into bars.

Makes about 48 bars.

*I used the new Pillsbury Recipe Creations Crescent rolls. It unrolls in one continuous sheet, so there are no perfs to seal.



Guacamole-Cheese Crisps

1 cup finely shredded cheddar or Mexican-style cheese (4 oz.)
1/2 cup guacamole (store-bought or your own recipe - here's mine)
3 Tablespoons sour cream (I used French onion dip)
3 Tablespoons salsa

Heat oven to 400°F. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper. For each crisp, spoon 2 teaspoons cheese onto paper-lined cookie sheet; pat into 2-inch rounds (I used an open round cookie cutter as a quick guide). Bake 7-9 minutes or until edges are light golden brown. Immediately remove from cookie sheet to wire rack; cool until crisp.

Spoon 1-1/2 teaspoons guacamole onto each crisp along with about 1/2 teaspoon each of sour cream and salsa.

Makes about 16 appetizers.


Mulled Cider with Winter Spices


1 gallon apple cider
1/4 cup orange juice
Peel from 1 orange, cut into strips (or 1/2 teaspoon dehydrated orange peel)
1 bay leaf
1 Tablespoon brown sugar
2 cinnamon sticks
2 whole cloves
2 whole allspice
2 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice
pinch of salt
1-1/2 cups applejack brandy (optional)

Combine all ingredients except brandy in a large pan. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 30 minutes. Strain cider into mugs (to remove whole spices and any foam that may have formed on top). Serve hot cider, passing applejack brandy separately, if desired.

Makes about 1 gallon.

Dressed and Ready To Go

This is a special day for Kindergartners at Kat's school.

They wore their pajamas to school today and they will be listening to
the story The Polar Express, then watching the movie,
with related activities and discussion afterward.

Tomorrow is their classroom party, followed by their
end of quarter assembly. And then...VACATION!

Snow Day, Birthday, Food Day

Today was a snow day and it was as cold as a witch's...uh, colder than a welldigger's...er...it was really, really cold outside.

It was also my birthday. 45 if you're counting.

Kat and I kept warm by baking today. I made myself a bright, sunny lemon roll-up for my birthday cake. It's kind of like the pumpkin roll I made at Thanksgiving. I used a Pillsbury recipe for the cake, but I changed up the filling to my own liking. I also used one 17 x 12 half-sheet pan instead of the two 13 x 9 pans called for in the recipe. I've posted both recipes below.


Double Lemon Roll-Ups (Pillsbury recipe)

Rolls:
4 eggs
1/2 cup water
1 pkg. Pillsbury lemon cake mix
powdered sugar

Filling:
1 can Pillsbury ready to spread lemon or vanilla frosting
8 oz. cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup chopped nuts

Heat oven to 350°F. Grease two 13 x 9 pans, line bottoms with waxed paper and grease again.

In large bowl, beat eggs until thick and lemon-colored, about 5 minutes; stir in water. Gradually stir in cake mix at low speed; blend well. Pour half of batter into each prepared pan.

Bake at 350°F for 15 to 20 minutes. Generously sprinkle two clean cloths with powdered sugar. Remove cakes from oven and immediately invert onto cloths. Remove pans and peel off paper. Starting from shorter end, roll hot cake and cloth together. Cool 5 to 8 minutes in towel on rack.

In small bowl, combine frosting and cream cheese; beat until smooth. Fold in nuts. Gently unroll warm cakes and spread each with half of frosting mixture; re-roll. Refrigerate immediately. Slice to serve. Store in refrigerator.

Makes 16 servings.


Double Lemon Roll (my version)

Cake:
4 eggs
1/2 cup water
1 lemon cake mix (any brand)

Filling:

8 oz. cream cheese, softened
4 Tablespoons butter, softened
1 cup powdered sugar
powdered unsweetened lemonade mix (Kool-Aid)

Heat oven to 350°F. Spray bottom and sides of one 17 x 12 half-sheet pan with pan spray, line bottom with parchment paper and spray again.

In large bowl, beat eggs until thick and lemon-colored, about 5 minutes; stir in water. Gradually stir in cake mix at low speed; blend well. Spread batter into prepared pan.

Bake at 350°F for 15 minutes. Generously sprinkle a large clean cloth with powdered sugar. Remove cake from oven and immediately invert onto cloth. Remove pan and peel off paper. Starting from shorter end, roll hot cake and cloth together. Cool 5 to 8 minutes in towel on rack.

In small bowl, combine cream cheese, butter and powdered sugar until smooth, using handheld mixer. Add Kool-Aid powder, 1/8 teaspoon at a time, until flavor is as "bright" as desired (for us, 5/8 teaspoon). Gently unroll warm cakes and spread with filling; re-roll. Refrigerate immediately. Or just set it on top of the freezer in the cold, cold garage for 5 minutes. Slice to serve. Store in refrigerator.

Makes 16 servings.

But that's not all...

Kat and also made vanilla and chocolate spritz cookies (recipes tomorrow, probably).

Then I finally got around to trying Lisa's Baked Ziti recipe along with some garlic toast for supper. Very easy and very good!

Happy Birthday To My Husband

Today is Shane's 32 birthday! Happy Birthday, Shane!

To celebrate, I made a nice dinner of steak, baked potatoes, asparagus, corn and birthday cake. It's not the prettiest cake I've ever made, but it tasted really good.

It's a family tradition to go out to lunch or dinner for birthdays. We usually don't feel like going on a weeknight, so Shane, Kat and I went out this past Saturday afternoon. He decided on a local place called Frankie and Johnny's Pub and Grill. They serve a pretty darn good (and big) tenderloin sandwich there. Just sayin', in case any local readers want to give it a try.

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German Chocolate Cake is Shane's favorite, especially the coconut-pecan frosting. This cake is a slightly different version of a traditional German Chocolate Cake. It's good, with a moist texture more like a zucchini or carrot cake.


German Chocolate Bundt Cake

1 German Chocolate cake mix
2 tubs Coconut Pecan frosting (reserve 1 tub for frosting cooled cake)
1 cup water
1/3 cup oil
3 eggs

Heat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour Bundt pan (can reserve just a bit of cake mix to "flour" the pan with if you like).

Combine cake mix, 1 tub of frosting, water, oil and eggs. Beat with mixer on medium speed until all ingredients are combined. Pour batter into prepared pan.

Bake for 50-55 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool for 20 minutes in the pan.

Remove cake from the pan and cool completely on a wire rack.

Spoon additional tub of frosting into a small pan and warm just until frosting can be easily spooned over the cake. Top with as much frosting as desired.

Serves 12.

Party Treats on Short Notice

I got a call this morning from one of the Kindergarten moms asking if I could bring something for the Fall Party tomorrow. I had signed up to help, but since I hadn't heard anything, I thought I had a pass this time around. Oh well.

Since our school allows homemade treats...and since I didn't want to go out to the store today...and since I had a cake mix, some powdered sugar, some butter, frosting color and colored sugar, I made cupcakes. With orange frosting and purple, black and orange sprinkles.

I think the kids will like them.

Odds and Ends

My attention focused elsewhere currently, but I thought I'd put up a quick post for my regular readers (all three of you).

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Last weekend we celebrated my daughter's 24th birthday (her birthday was actually Wednesday) by going to an Ethiopian restaurant called The Blue Nile. The food is primarily meat and potatoes stewed in spicy gravies. Everything was delicious, and the real fun of the meal was that we didn't use flatware. Instead we used a pancake like bread called injera to scoop up the food, or we just used our fingers. We four adults (Shane, my daughter, her boyfriend and myself) thought the food was wonderful. Kat was a little less enthusiastic, but she loved the Beef Sambusa appetizer, and ate most of the Doro Watt (a chicken dish) on both platters we ordered. Despite the jokes about starving Ethiopians, we were absolutely stuffed by the time we left, as evidenced by these before and after photos of our plates. You can find out everything included on the platters by looking at Item #19 on this menu.

Before

After

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If you're so inclined, here are a couple of new (new-to-us, anyway) adult beverages to try. The first is Tusker Lager. It's a Kenyan lager that is light, yet full-flavored like a dark beer. It will be a special occasion beer for us because it is expensive ($45 per case of 24).


The second it Wild Turkey American Honey. This is a bourbon distilled with natural honey. It is wonderful in a bourbon and Coke (my favorite mixed drink) but is sweet and smooth enough to enjoy straight up or on the rocks. A fifth costs about $18.

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My entire week has been out of whack. First the holiday, then Shane came home sick Tuesday afternoon and missed all of Wednesday because rain shut the job-site down. Having him at home during the work week puts a halt to any kind of housekeeping groove I'm in, although I have to admit that yesterday we worked at getting a van load of things to the thrift store and several boxes of items listed on craigslist or half.com. I wouldn't have been able to get all of it done by myself. Still, here it is Friday and I feel like I accomplished little this week.

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If swear that if I didn't have a biological need to sleep, I wouldn't. There are so many things I need or want to do on any given day that it seems like sleep is a great waste of time.

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I may not be around for a few days, but no worries. I'm just working on some other projects here at home.