Yummy Cookies!

Ashley and I usually make sugar cookies at Christmas.  We have tried many different recipes with good and bad results.  I have a new recipe to try this year that I got from a DIY website.  Maybe you'd like to try it too.  If so, here it is - put it in a safe place so you can find it!!

SUGAR COOKIES

Dry Ingredients:
6 cups of Flour
2 teaspoons of Baking Soda
1 teaspoon of Salt

(mix together is small bowl)

Wet Ingredients:
1 cup Shortening
2 cups Sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 cup Sour Cream

(Blend wet ingredients until smooth in large bowl)

Stir dry ingredients into wet ingredients.

Cover and place in the fridge for a couple of hours.

Roll out cookie dough. Use your favorite/festive cookie cutters.

Bake at 400 for 7-8 minutes.  Let cool.

 In the meantime, make the frosting.

Blend all together:
1/2 cup Shortening
1/2 cup Butter
3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
4 cups powder sugar
2 Tablespoons milk

Dye the frosting whatever color your heart desires.. and taste the beaters if you like :)

Paper Craft Challenge

I made my digital card this week for the Paper Craft Crew challenge in time this week!  We had a pretty simple sketch this time so it was a quick card to make (once I made up my mind what to do!!)

Last night we had an early little birthday celebration.  I got 10 free tickets to the Comedy Club at Galway Hooker restaurant so we invited some of our friends and family to go.  The comedian was really funny.  We had a couple of comedians that opened for the main gal that were just ok.  But the main act was really funny.  We all had a good time plus a great dinner!

Today we went out on the boat with the Catawban group.  I thought it would be really cold since the temps have been the low 70s this week.  But the sun was really warm and I was wishing I had on short sleeves instead of long!  But it was fun.  I made some kettle corn and it was a big hit!  I had to make two batches because I ate about half of the first batch while I was making it!!  I got the recipe this weekend from a gal at the quarterly.  She said the secret to making it is to use a Whirly Pop popcorn popper.  I happened to have one that was given to me many years ago so I dug it out today.  It was so easy!  Here is the recipe if you are interested:

1/2 C Oil
2/3 C Popcorn
1/3 C Sugar (regular white granulated)
Heat oil in Whirly Popper w/3 kernels.  Once they pop, add the popcorn and sugar.  Turn the Whirly Pop handle continuously until done.  The handle will get hard to turn when it is done.  Take it off the heat so it does not burn.  Dump into a bowl; let cool 1-2 minutes; add salt to taste.  Don't add salt while cooking - it will ruin it.

You can get a Whirly Popper at Bed & Bath and use your coupon.  I have seen them there before.

Mosaic Madness in Pink and Green

Sorry I've been AOL lately!  Yesterday I had 12 ladies here for bridge and I was busy getting ready for that.  I made a delicious Raspberry Pecan Green Salad but the big hit was the Raspberry Dressing I made.  It came from a beautiful cookbook that my Texas girlfriend, Sharon gave me many years ago.  Here's the recipe if you want to give it a try:

1/3 C seedless raspberry jam
1/3 C raspberry vinegar
1 C veg. oil
1 Tbsp poppy seeds
Combine jam and vinegar in blender or food processor and blend for 15-20 seconds.  With blender on high, gradually add oil in a slow, steady stream.  Stir in poppy seeds.  Chill well before serving. Enjoy!!

Today I made chicken salad and a coconut cake to take to Bunco tonight.  And tomorrow we are going out on the boat with a group and I have to come up with something to take and share for that!  It may just be crackers and cheese this time!!

In my spare time from cooking, I have been playing around with my new goodies from Stampin' Up.  I used the Mosaic Madness stamp and punch to create this card:         

I love pink and green together!!  The card uses Pretty In Pink and Certainly Celery (boo-hoo - retired!).  I embossed the white piece with the Mosaic embossing folder and put the punched mosaics in the indentations.  I used the Itty Bitty Shapes punch for the little flowers in the center and used the Owl Punch for the tiny circles in the center of the flowers (with my tweezers!)  I embossed "happy birthday" in Melon on the green piece punched from the Modern Label Punch. 

Christmas MDS Card and Paper Crew Challenge #11

It's Wednesday!  Time for my Paper Craft Crew Challenge MDS Style.  There are a lot of layers on this card.  I love to use the Overlays to make my own backgrounds and I used two on this one - the Hip and Handsome Overlays and Textured (which is listed as a stamp.)

Background:  Color = POOL PARTY 

Embellishments: 

_Designer Kits\Joyful Times - embellishments\Joyful Times - blue ornament 1
_Designer Kits\Joyful Times - embellishments\Joyful Times - green ornament 1
_Designer Kits\Joyful Times - embellishments\Joyful Times - red ornament 1
Taffeta Ribbon\Real Red
Taffeta Ribbon\Real Red - bow
_Designer Kits\Home for the Holidays - embellishments\Home for the Holidays - flag gifts (re-colored)Designer Kits\Holly & Jolly Embellishments\Holly & Jolly Embellishments - believe_Designer Kits\Joyful Times - embellishments\Joyful Times - red flower
Blossom Builders Rhinestones\Blossom Builders Rhinestones - 7mm Poppy Parade

Stamps:
Hip and Handsome Overlays\Hip and Handsome Overlays - 12, Color = VERY VANILLA Textured\Basic Black Texture, Color = VERY VANILLA
Textured\Basic Black Texture, Color = VERY VANILLA
Textured\Basic Black Texture, Color = VERY VANILLA
Textured\Basic Black Texture, Color = VERY VANILLA
Creatively Yours\Creatively Yours - created by, Color = WHISPER WHITE

Punches:
Labels & Tags\Labels Collection 1, Filled with: Designer Series Paper\First Edition - designer series paper\First Edition - 4


I actually created two cards for the challenge while I was at it.  Here is the second one:

Here are the supplies for it:

Background:  Color = 85,85,50

Embellishments
_Designer Kits\Very Merry Twenty-Five - embellishments\Very Merry Twenty-Five - top note label
_Designer Kits\Very Merry Twenty-Five - embellishments\Very Merry Twenty-Five - very merry 25 label
Designer Rosettes\Designer Rosettes - pointed old olive
Vintage Faceted Buttons\Vintage Faceted Buttons - small 1
_Designer Kits\Home for the Holidays - embellishments\Home for the Holidays - flag trees

Stamps
Vintage Overlays\Vintage Overlays - texture 1
Natural Composition Overlays\Natural Composition Overlays - 9, Color = VERY VANILLA
_Designer Kits\Eventful Year\Eventful Year - joy, Color = 165,29,45

I worked the Soup Kitchen yesterday and we made an old family favorite casserole that my mom used to make when I was growing up.  My mom was not much of a cook but a neighbor gave her this recipe and it was a good one for her to make.  I can't tell you how many times I've made it. I love to makeand take it to new neighbors or when you need to take a dish to a shut in, etc.  You can freeze it too and have it anytime. The people at the Soup Kitchen really enjoyed it.  If you want to make it, here is the recipe:   6 LAYER CASSEROLE 1 lb. hamburger meat (raw) layer of onion layer of green peppers layer of thin sliced potatoes 1 cup rice canned tomatoes on top   Cook 350 degrees for 1 hour.   I played Bunco and Left,Right,Center last night in my neighborhood.  I haven't joined the ladies for bunco in almost 2 years.  I don't know why.  I enjoy it whenever I go.  But it is always held on the 2nd Tuesday which is when Soup Kitchen is and I usually just don't feel up for it.  Tonight I was hungry though and knew Sonny would not want much for dinner since it is his shooting day and I was tired of soup!  I ended up winning one of the prizes for the most binkos so it was a productive evening as well as fun and I got to visit with some neighborhood friends that I hadn't seen in a while.

Memo: Good Recipes for you

Well, another good weekend is in the books (except for football!).  Friday, Sonny and I went to the movies to see Trouble With the Curve with Clint Eastwood.  That man just gets better with age.  I love him.  The movie was very good I thought even though I have heard it is not doing great at the box office.  It's much better than some of the sci fi junk that seems to be showing all the time.

Saturday I had planned to go into town to visit my friends at Stampers Alley but just never got motivated enough.  Instead I worked on several projects at home and got a few things finished which I'll be sharing later in the week.  One of the projects is a memo board that I bought at a craft store in Greensboro in July.  I really like how it turned out and now need to get a sawtooth hanger for the back so I can hang it in my kitchen.

 I painted the wood a dark brown and used some DSP that I had bought at the scrapbook store when I bought the memo board and glued it down.  I really like those sunflowers so I decided to put the memo pad to one side so you could see the flowers.  I glued the wooden flowers to the front after painting them with Copics.

Sunday we went to Big Al's to watch football but it wasn't such a great day.  Not only did my Steelers lose in the last few seconds but not many of my picks in the football pool did well either.  I think I had 7 wins and 8 losses.  Just have to hope Green Bay wins Monday night to make it even 8-8!

I have been pinning a bunch of stuff on Pininterest since I discovered it but hardly ever go back and really do anything with my pins.  So last week when I made my grocery list out, I included several recipes that I had pinned.  Saturday night I made pepperoni rolls and they were delicious!  If you are interested, click HERE for the recipe.  I thought they were as good as any I've had in Pittsburgh.  Next time though I will add more cheese.  Sonny came in the kitchen while I was making them and thought he'd help and he put the cheese on - I would have put it on more heavily.  But when he wants to help with cooking, I'm not one to criticize or turn him down, know what I mean?  I also made a yummy French Dip sandwich one night.  If you are interested, check it out HERE.

Button Jar

How about another card with Perfectly Preserved?  This time the jar is filled with buttons.  Did your grandmother have a button jar?  Mine did a lot of sewing but I never found her button jar.  But, I do have several buttons that belonged to my great Aunt Love.  I keep them in a container in my vintage guest room along with a lot of items belonging to my grandmother.

I punched out a bunch of different colored buttons from cardstock (Daffodil Delight, Rich Rizzleberry, Tempting Turquise) using the Big Shot and the Button Sizzix die.  Here is what I did to make this card:

• Use the jar framelit to cut the opening in the front of the card
• Stamp the jar onto vellum and adhere to the back of the opening
• Sandwich the buttons between the vellum and a rectangle of white card stock
• Adhere a piece of Summer Smoosh DSP inside to cover the jar opening and vellum

 

I cut the curvy piece of DSP using a template that I bought at CKC.  I think it adds just the right touch along with the banners at the top and the card stock button.

Inside of card

I was at the grocery store earlier in the week and saw a display for Hatch Peppers.  There was a big sign announcing that Hatch Chilies were back.  Well, I had never heard of them and had no idea what to do with them but I bought a couple of them anyway.  After looking for recipes on the internet, I found a recipe for Quesadillas and made them for dinner tonight. They were really good but pretty hot.  If you like HOT, these are for you!!  Even Sonny thought they were hot!  Here's the recipe if you want to give them a try:

• 2 hatch chiles (the recipe actually called for 4 but 2 was plenty for us)
• 1 T butter
• 1 t olive oil
• 1 med. onion, sliced
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• pinch Kosher salt
• 4 flour tortillas
• 1 1/2-2 C shredded pepper jack cheese (I used a Mexican pre-packaged shredded mix)

1. Broil chilies (with oven rack 6" from top) until skin is blackened & blistered about 5-6 minutes.
2. Transfer roasted peppers to a paper bag & close for about 15 minutes.  This allows peppers to sweat making removing the skins easier.
3. Remove the skin, seeds & stems of the roasted peppers (you should wear gloves but I didn't have any.)  Chop peppers.
4. Heat butter & olive oil in skillet.  Once butter has melted, saute onions.  Cook until they start to brown, about 15 minutes.  Stir in roasted peppers, garlic and salt.  Remove from heat.
5. To assemble quesadilla, place one tortilla on a flat surface; sprinkle half cheese & half of pepper mixture onto tortilla.  Place the other tortilla on top.  Cook quesadillas in a non-stick skillet over medium-high heat until the cheese is melted & the tortilla begins to brown.  Slice and serve immediately.

Tortillas are a staple in our house and ours are large ones.  One quesadilla was plenty for both of us although I had made 4 of them with the above ingredients.  Luckily, I did not cook the other two and froze them for another time.

Smoothies for You

 Try these smoothies!  They are good for you too!



Blueberry-Banana Smoothie
Makes 3 (3/4-cup) servings
Using almond butter boosts protein and gives this smoothie a rich, almost chocolaty flavor.

   Ingredients:

• 1 cup unsweetened frozen blueberries
• 1 medium banana, peeled and sliced
• 1/2 cup nonfat plain, or vanilla, yogurt (can use silken tofu)
• 1 cup orange juice
• 2 tbsp almond butter (or peanut butter)
• 1 tsp honey

Add all ingredients to blender. Cover and blend until smooth and creamy.  Serve immediately.

Per serving:
   190 calories, 7 g fat, 0.5 g sat fat, 31 g carbs, 3 g fiber, 70 mg sodium, 5 g protein *5.5 (4)

Peachy Almond Smoothie
Makes 3 (3/4-cup) servings
For extra body and fiber, ground oatmeal is used.  You can use a variety of fresh berries and stone fruits.

   Ingredients:

• 2 tbsp rolled oats
• 3 ice cubes
• 2 cups sliced fresh peaches (or nectarines or strawberries)
• 1 cup almond milk (or 1% milk; I like the SF almond milk)
• 2 tsp lemon juice
• 1 tsp honey

Place the rolled oats in the blender and blend until oats are finely ground.  Place in small bowl and set aside. Place the ice cubes in the blender and crush.  Add the peaches (or other fruit), almond milk (or 1% milk), lemon juice, honey and the reserved rolled oats.  Cover and blend until smooth and creamy.  Serve immediately.

Per serving:
   80 calories, 1.5 g fat, 0 g sat fat, 17 g carbs, 2 g fiber, 50 mg sodium, 2 g protein *2.5 (1.5)

---

Add-ins
To increase your fiber, try adding flaxseed to your smoothie (1 tbsp adds 1.6 g fiber).
To increase your calcium, try adding nonfat dry milk powder to your smoothie (1 tbsp adds 62 mg).
To increase your protein, try adding whey powder (1 tbsp vanilla-flavored whey protein powder adds 4 g).
~~~Tufts University Health and Nutrition Letter



 Mirror, Mirror on the Wall

Mirror, mirror on the wall
Do you have to tell it all?
Where do you get the glaring right
To make my clothes look just too tight?
I think I'm fine but I can see you
won't cooperate with me;
The way you let the shadows play
You'd think my hair was getting gray
What's that, you say? A double chin?
No, that's the way the light comes in;
If you persist in peering so
You'll confiscate my facial glow,
And then if you're not hanging straight
You'll tell me next I'm gaining weight;
I'm really quite upset with you
For giving this distorted view;
I hate you being smug and wise -
O, look what's happened to my thighs!
I warn you now, O mirrored wall,
Since we're not on speaking terms at all,
If I look like this in my new jeans
You'll find yourself in smithereens!!!

  ~~~Author Unknown

---

Creative Elements

I have a new favorite stamp set.  It is Creative Elements.  I don't know why it has taken me so long to use it and realize how beautiful it is.  I ordered the stamp set before I went to Texas and took it with me but I never got a chance to use it while I was there.  And since I've been back, it's been pretty crazy.  But this week, I finally got a chance to put the rubber to the paper.  What do you think?

I stamped four flowers on white cardstock and colored tw of them with different shades of blue Copic markers and cut them out.  The other two I colored with a green Copic marker and cut them up.  I taped the green ones under the blue petals of the flower.  I stamped the flourish in Garden Green.  The Brillant Blue cardstock is the last piece of the retired cardstock that I had and it matched my Copics perfectly.  The green cardstock is Garden Green which is one of my least favorite colors but on this card, it just set off the flowers perfectly.

Marianne and I am going to the Quarterly meeting tomorrow in Greensboro so I probably won't be blogging over the weekend.  But, I'll have new goodies to share when I return.

I went to the Southern Living Luncheon today and ate way too much!  We had 13 people and everyone brought something so that was a lot of food!!  Needless to say, I didn't make dinner tonight.  I had cheese and crackers and tried to get Sonny to make himself a sandwich.  Instead, he had a slice of apple pie!!  So nutritious!   I made the appetizer today - Blue Moon Inn Cheese Spread from the September issue.  It was really good.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup pecans

3/4 cup mayonnaise

1/2 cup pimiento-stuffed Spanish olives, chopped

1/3 cup bottled chili sauce 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

1 (10-oz.) block sharp Cheddar cheese, finely shredded

Garnish: sliced pimiento-stuffed Spanish olives

Assorted vegetables and crackers

 Preparation:

1. Preheat oven to 350°. Bake pecans in a single layer in a shallow pan 8 to 10 minutes or until toasted and fragrant. Cool 5 minutes; finely chop pecans.
2. Stir together mayonnaise and next 3 ingredients until well blended. Stir in cheese and pecans. Garnish, if desired. Serve with vegetables and crackers.
 
We had a lot of dishes that I wouldn't normally try.  That is why I enjoy these luncheons .... I get to try new and different things.  Today I had gazpacho and risotto for the first time and liked them.
 
Let me know what you think of my card!

Diet and Exercise .... take care of yourself

Seems like I'm always fighting my weight as many of you do also.  Here's a recipe for you to try as well as some interesting calorie burning exercises.

How about a simple, fast, smoothie breakfast paired with a half english muffin with 1 tsp peanut butter.


♦ 1 mango, cut into cubes
♦ 1 banana, broke into large chunks
♦ 1 cup pineapple chunks
♦ 1 kiwifruit, peeled and sliced
♦ 2 cups plain nonfat yogurt
♦ 1 cup ice cubes

Combine mango, banana, pineapple, kiwi, yogurt and ice cbes in a blender. Puree until smooth and thick.
Pour into 4 glasses. You can freeze the leftovers in sealable plastic containers. Microwave for 30-60 second and stir, to defrost.
Makes 4 servings (about 2 cups)

Per serving with half english muffin & peanut butter: 260 calories, 4g fat, 250mg sodium, 47g carbs, 4g fiber, 11g protein

*****************************************************************************

 Below is a list of a few activities that you can do with no rewards or you can turn it around and reap the rewards of 30 minutes of exercise. (figures are based on a 180-pound woman's expenditure)


Watch a baseball game [burns 66 calories]
Play baseball [burns 354 calories]
Shop Online [burns 66 calories]
Walk around the mall [burns 141 calories]
Drive to the car wash [burns 66 calories]
Wash your own car [burns 129 calories]
Watch ballroom dancing [burns 66 calories]
Go ballroom dancing [burns 129 calories]
Ride a lawn mower [burns 66 calories]
Push a lawn motor [burns 258 calories]
Play a video game [burns 66 calories]
Play Frisbee [burns 129 calories]
Use a leafblower [burns 75 calories]
Use a rake [burns 171 calories]
Sunbathe [burns 66 calories]
Go swimming [burns 300 calories]

~~~Change One, The Official Reader's Digest Diet

BE SURE TO CHECK IN TOMORROW FOR THE OPERATION WRITE HOME BLOG HOP!

Treasure Chest

I have re-discovered an old recipe that a friend gave me when I was a Girl Scout leader - way back when!!  It is for granola and I have been putting it on my yogurt each morning and wow, is it yummy!  It's great to have something good for you that also tastes good!  If you want to try it, here you go:

GRANOLA ... makes about 6 cups

• 3 Cups Oats
• 1 C shredded coconut
• 1 C chopped nuts
• 1/4 C honey (or more)
• 1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp salt

Mix all together & put in a 13"x9" pan.  Cook @ 350 for 25-30 minutes, stirring occasionally.  After cooking, add:

• 2/3 C raisins
• dried fruit

Instead of raisins, I added Craisens.  I bought a big bag at BJ's and also a big bag of mixed dried fruit & nuts.   So, I put a scoop of the granola over my greek yogurt & add an additional handful of dried fruit and that's all there is to it.  Try it & let me know what you think.

I made a little Treasure Chest Box yesterday to hold tags.  It turned out really cute.  Now, I think I'll make one for Christmas tags.

Quarterly Recipe Swap

I got to talk to Ashley this morning via Skype which allowed me to see her as well as hear her.  She was able to see Sonny & I but couldn't hear us since I didn't have a microphone.  So I was typing all the conversations on this end.  I'm still just learning about all this!  I sent Sonny to Best Buy today to get us a mic so tomorrow we'll see how it works.  While we were talking to her, she took us on a video tour of her quarters.  She wanted to show her Dad around so he could give her some advice on how to fix a few things!  We were quite impressed.  She has her own place with a bathroom and a walk-in closet!  The person who had her room before she did left her a couch/futon, desk, chair, shelving that they had built plus shelving in her closet.  They also left a small refrigerator, microwave and tv.  So she doesn't have it too bad.  She plans on buying a larger tv so she can watch some Steeler football (hopefully)!  I don't know what kind of tv shows she gets there but I think she can pay for cable as well as internet coverage.

I want to share the 6x6 Recipe Swaps from Quarterly.  I wasn't too thrilled with my card but the others were great!  I'm going to put them into a book.

My Quick Chicken Tortilla Soup

Kathy Hunt's Easy Taco Salad

Marianne's Pineapple Cheese Ball

Mary Bergere's Stuffed Jalepeno Peppers 

Mary's Recipe - peppers

Gwen Phillips Yummy Chicken Pie

Cathy Snipes Candy Bar Pie

my favorite!  Janie's Ham Rollups

Dina Wilson's Fudgy Brownie Cookies

Pat (I think - no name) Super-Chunky Christmas Cookies

Danielle Blech's Apple Cheesecake

Tina Lesson's Easy Cream Cheese Pie

Nancy Carr's S'more Meltaway Pie

Janet Marks' Strawberry Pretzel Salad

Aren't they great?  If you can't read a recipe and you want one of them, let me know and I'll send it to you.  These make me want to cook now!

Strawberry Fluff

Hope the father in your home had a great day yesterday!  I let Sonny do nothing all day & that's what he did!  I made lunch for him and took him out to dinner.  Well, actually my mom & sister paid for his dinner!  He chose to go to his favorite Asian restaurant and we all had coupons so it was a pretty good deal.  Ashley called him this afternoon to wish him a Happy Father's Day.  She is pretty bored at her training in Ft Polk.  This training is mainly for the soldiers and she is doing a lot of just hanging out.  She is not the type of gal to not have anything to do so I know she will be glad when this is over.

I have a Weight Watcher recipe to share with you.  It's pretty good for these hot summer days.

Strawberry-Pineapple Fluff  -  Makes 6 servings (1/2 cup) at 2 Points

1 small pkg. sugar free vanilla cook "n serve puddingw
1 small pkg. sugar free straberry gelatin
1 can (8 oz) crushed pineapple in its own juice, undrained
1 cup water
2 cups frozen unsweetened strawberries
1/4 cup light whipped topping
1/2 cup miniature marshmallows

In large saucepan, combine dry pudding mix, dry gelatin, undrained pineapple, and water. Cook over medium heat, stirring often until mixture thickens and starts to boil. Remove from heat, stir in frozen strawberries. Place pan on a wire rack and let cool for 30 minutes. Whip mixture, using an electric mixer on High, until mixture is fluffy. Stir in whipped topping and marshmallows. Spoon into serving bowl. Cover and refrigerate at least 10 minutes. Gently stir again just before serving.

And here's the card that (should) go with the recipe!

Doesn't that look yummy? I CASE'd this card.  This will be one of the club cards this month.  I used some Kiwi Kiss ribbon (still love that color & wish it had made it back!).  The little tag is punched with the Tiny Tag that is in the last mini catalog but it is still available for purchase.

Designer Paper from MDS

I'm still not feeling my best but at least I didn't have the vertigo today.  I attended a Southern Living Luncheon today.  Each one of us make a dish out of a current Southern Living magazine and share.  After the meal, we critiqued the recipe - not the cook!  I chose a Two Cheese Summer Squash Casserole and it was delicious!  You can get the recipe HERE.  We started out the luncheon with two appetizers - Shrimp & Bacon Deviled Eggs and Stuffed Mushrooms w/pecans (both in April's mag.).  The salads were:  Greek Caesar Salad (April) and Picnic Potato Salad (May).  The entree was Lemon Chicken (June) with my squash and Oregano Green Beans (April) plus Herb Spoon Rolls (June).  For dessert we had Pecan-Peach Cobbler (June).  The hostess also served us Kentucky Mimosas .... yummy (March mag.)  Everything was delicious.  I don't like mushrooms but I was polite and tried one.  The only thing I didn't care for was the green beans - the flavor was good but the beans were tough.  It is a great way to try dishes you wouldn't ordinarily make. 

When I came home, I played around a bit in my craft room with My Digital Studio.  I was so pleased with the results!  I printed out some Designer Paper that is a recent download and I love it!  I was able to print out 4 to a page.  Here are the pages I did and a few of the cards I made with the DSP.  It is such pretty paper that you don't have to add anything to the card other than a sentiment.

 

 

Weight Watching Snacks and Tips

SNACK SIZE SWEET PINEAPPLE CORN MUFFINS
These muffins have a natural sweetness from the combination of corn and crushed pineapple. They are great as a snack or with a nice garden salad.

Serves 12
Ingredients
♦ 1 cup whole-wheat flower
♦ 3/4 cup yellow cornmeal
♦ 1/2 cup ground flaxseed
♦ 1/3 cup sugar
♦ 1 tsp baking powder
♦ 1/2 tsp baking soda
♦ 1/2 teaspoon salt
♦ 3/4 cup buttermilk
♦ 2/3 cup fresh corn kernels, cut from 1 lg ear of corn
♦ 1 can (8 oz) crushed pineapple in juice
♦ 2 eggs, lightly beaten
♦ 1 egg white, lightly beaten
♦ 2 tbsp unsalted butter, melted

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Coat a 12-cup muffin tin with cooking spray.
In a large bowl, combine the flour, cornmeal, flaxseed, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt; mix well. In a separate bowl, combine the buttermilk, corn, pineapple with juice, eggs, egg white, and butter. Stir the buttermilk mixture into the cornmeal mixture until moistened.
Spoon the batter into the muffin cups. Bake for 18-20 minutes, or until the muffins are lightly browned around the edges and have pulled away from the sides of the pan. Remove the muffins and let cool on a wire rack. ~~~Prevention Fiber Up, Slim Down Cookbook

100 CALORIE FROZEN TREATS
Frozen treats are good anytime of the year. You can indulge and enjoy without going overboard. It's a treat, not a meal.
♦ Nonfat frozen yogurt, 1/2 cup [2 golf balls]
♦ Light or fat-free ice cream 1/2 cup
♦ No-sugar-added ice cream, 1/2 cup
♦ Italian ice, 1/2 cup
♦ Chocolate ice cream, 1/3 cup [1/2 tennis ball]
♦ Super premium chocolate ice cream, 4 tbsp [golf ball]
♦ Sorbet, 1/2 cup
♦ Fudgsicle

How about those toppings? How 'safe' are they? Here are a few toppings listed with their corresponding calories per tablespoon.

♦ Whipped cream, 10
♦ Raisins, 27
♦ Granola, 28
♦ Chocolate syrup, 41
♦ Chopped almonds, 47
♦ Butterscotch topping, 52
♦ Chocolate chips, 52
♦ Strawberry topping, 53
♦ Hot fudge topping, 70
♦ M&M's, 71
♦ Chocolate sprinkles, 72
♦ Peanut butter candies, 75
~~~Heart Healthy Guide from Providence Hospital

DRIVE BY EATING!!

One thigh of Original Recipe Kentucky Fried Chicken, 20 grams of fat. Make it Extra Crispy, and then it's 27 grams of fat. Oh heck, throw in the mashed potatoes, gravy and biscuit. That is a whopping total of 660 calories and 40 grams of fat in a single serving.

A Grilled Stuft Burrito with beef at Taco Bell, 680 calories and 30 grams of fat. Switching to chicken doesn't bring the totals down much, 640 calories and 23 grams of fat. (even though chicken is less fatty than beef, this menu item contains saturated and trans fats.)

A Big Mac at McDonald's, 540 calories and 29 grams of fat. The medium french fries bring in 380 calories and 19 grams of fat. Let's have water for our drink. Think it helps much? This meal comes to be a total of 920 calories and 48 grams of fat.

Burger King's Whopper, 670 calories and 39 grams of fat. Add cheese and the fat rises to 47 grams. Let's make it a combo, adding the medium fries, 20 more fat grams. With a medium coke added to your combo, your total calories and fat for this meal are 1330 calories and 67 grams of fat.

How about a Wendy's Baconator? It comes in at 830 calories and 51 grams of fat. Adding a medium order of fries and a medium chocolate Frosty and your eating a total of 1670 calories and 81 grams of fat in one meal!    ~~~Eat This and Live by Don Colbert, MD

SU Retiring Colors and a treat for you!

With the retiring colors going out, there has been a rush on ordering them. SU! is going to do their best to keep backorders down, but they also are running out of certain colors. They will be replacing (as needed) textured cardstock with the smooth paper. There will be no increase in price. As for the re-inkers, they will allow you to order replacements the month of May, but once June arrives they will only be available while supplies last!! Don't wait to place your order!! Contact me or go to my SU! website to place your order!!

I got to hear my grandson's little voice today.  My mom shared a book (think it came from Hallmark) that my son had sent her called "I Love You Grandma" for Mother's Day.  It is a recordable book.  They recorded Jayce reading the book to my mom.  It was so sweet - he sounded so grown up.  I haven't seen him in 2 years.  He is 3 1/2 now.  Just a long sad story but I have hope that one day things will change.

A friend sent me this and it struck a chord with me.  Hope you enjoy it.

Life is too short to wake up with regrets.  
So love the people who treat you right.
Love the ones who don't just because you can.
Believe everything happens for a reason.
If you get a second chance, grab it with both hands.
If it changes your life, let it.
Kiss slowly.
Forgive quickly.
God never said life would be easy.

Be the kind of woman that when your feet hit the floor each morning the devil says~~
"Oh Crap, She's up!" He just promised it would be worth it.
 
And a little chocolate for the tummy ... Chocolate-Covered Espresso Beans - Small bites packed with flavor, these sophisticated sweets are perfect on their own as a snack or dropped into a cup of coffee.

INGREDIENTS
Espresso beans
8 oz. chocolate of your choice

INSTRUCTIONS

• Lay espresso beans (available at your grocery store) on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
• Create a double boiler by boiling a pot of hot water and placing a heat-safe bowl on top. Or, use your microwave to melt chocolate of your choice— recommend dark for this treat.
• Using a large spoon with straining holes, dip beans into melted chocolate, letting excess drip back into the bowl before setting beans on baking sheet.
• Once all are fully coated, place sheet in refrigerator until chocolate has hardened.  

  

Happy St Patty's Day & 2 Monday Mailers

(This is posted late because I just realized it didn't get posted when it should have!!)


Happy Saint Paddy's Day to you all!  These are the cookies I made for my Mahjong group and this is what I have left!  I doubled the recipe because the single recipe said SIX Servings!  I think I would have been fine without doubling because these will be gone by Friday .... in mine & Sonny's stomach!  Although I'm having Stamp Club tomorrow so I'll tempt them with the cookies too!

Here's the recipe for the cookies .... they are really good and easy!

IRISH SHAMROCK COOKIES

1/2 C butter, softened (I used a Crisco Shortening Stick)

1 3-oz package instant pistachio pudding mix

1 1/3 C baking mix (Jiffy, Bisquick)

1 egg

1 T white sugar

• 
  
  Preheat oven to 350.  Lightly grease baking sheet. 
• 
  
  Cream together shortening (or butter) and pudding mix.  Blend in baking mix, egg, and sugar.  Mix well.
• 
  
  On lightly floured surface, roll out the dough to 3/8" thickness & cut into cookies with cookie cutter.
• 
  
  Place cookies on prepared baking sheet & bake 9-10 minutes or until lightly browned on edges.  Let cookies cook on rack.  Frost with green icing.

Now for my Monday Mailer cards!  Here is the card I made and mailed to my partner.

I found the pattern for this egg in the March CardMaker magazine.  All supplies for the card are from Stampin' Up.  The DSP is from the Good Neighbor pack that is in the Saleabration Catalog.  I ran all the pieces plus the white square through my Big Shot with the SU Texture Plate.  The felt flower and leaf are in the Occasions Mini Catalog.  The cardstock is Melon Mango and Bermuda Bay.  I love the White Satin Ribbon!!  "happy easter" is from the Abundant Hope set in the Occasions Catalog.

Here is the card I received today! 

Isn't it great?  She embossed the cardstock with the Texturz Plate and I think she inked her plate yellow when she ran it through the Big Shot.  The butterflies are from the Occasions Mini - Embosslets.  I have to get those butterflies - they are on backorder right now though. 

411 Challenge

I've had a busy week so far.  Monday, I played bridge.  Yesterday I worked the Soup Kitchen in the morning, making my Chicken Spaghetti Casserole.  It was a big hit!!  But, we made way too much.  The day before they had served 148 people and I bet we hardly had 100.  We made 6 large pans of the casserole and had 2 1/2 pans left over!!  Several people came back for seconds and a few had us give them tinfoil so they could take it home and have it for dinner.  We have decided that that casserole will be the Newcomer's signature dish!  One of the gals I was working with is a big volunteer with the Red Cross and she got a call about a big apartment fire in Charlotte that had displaced about 165 people.  Sonny & I were asked to help with a shelter that they were setting up at an elementary school in Charlotte the next day ... or so I thought.  They said they needed us from 10:30 to 7 and I assumed they mean 10:30 AM to 7 PM on Wednesday.  When I got home that afternoon, Sonny had already talked with the Red Cross and was prepared to go help at the shelter at 10:30 that night!  I wasn't going to go because Linda needed me to help her the next day entering the clients in the computer.  Sonny ended up going to Charlotte and returned home at 4 AM.  He was not a happy camper!  They ended up having only ONE person in the shelter!!  I think earlier there had been 4 people but 3 of them left and didn't come back!  I talked to Linda today and asked her why keep the shelter open for one.  Why not just put him up in a hotel?  A lot of it has to do with $$ - the Red Cross is strapped for funds just like everyone else in this economy.  And of course, at the time, they thought more people would be coming but they evidently found family and friends to put them up for the night.  Of course, today, they are back and needing places to stay - probably only about 15 families and they are putting them up in hotels now.  It just doesn't make sense to me.  I'd tell those people if you don't come to the shelter, forget about a hotel!  Linda did tell me that the local hotels were calling with some great offers.  They were able to get rooms at Howard Johnson for $140 for 7 days!

Here's my recipe for the Chicken Spaghetti if you are interested:

1 large chicken

1 8 oz pkg spaghetti

2 10 oz cans cream of mushroom soup

1 med. onion, chopped

1 4-oz can sliced mushrooms

1/2 cup olives

salt, pepper

2 C shredded cheddar cheese

Cook chicken until tender.  Remove, reserving broth.  Cook spaghetti al dente in reserved chicken broth; drain; reserving broth.  Cut chicken into bite sized pieces.  Combine all except cheese in large bowl.  Add small amount of broth.  Pour into lightly greased 10 x 13" pan. Top with cheese.  Bake 350 45 minutes.  

Saturday and Sunday I did a little stamping.  I decided to do a challenge from Stamping 411.  You can follow their link on the left side of my blog.  They post a sketch every Saturday and I haven't done one in a while. Here is the sketch: 

Here is the first card I did.  I used a retired SU stamp set, Summer by the Seam my oval Nesties and a Cuttlebug embossing folder.

Then I decided that I didn't really follow the sketch to the "T" so I did another one that was a rectangle instead of an oval.  This card I used Crazy for cupcakes, a felt flower and the background is from a wonderful two step stamping set, Greenhouse Garden.  

Chicken Chili Blanco

Yum...and good for you too!  Make some this weekend while you're waiting for it to snow!

Chicken Chili Blanco

♦ 6 ounces skinless, boneless chicken breasts or thighs
♦ Nonstick cooking spray
♦ 1 large onion, finely chopped (1 cup)
♦ 2 cloves garlic, minced
♦ 1 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth
♦ 2 cups sliced fresh mushrooms
♦ 1 (15 1/2 ounce) can reduced-sodium kidney beans, rinsed and drained
♦ 1 (8 1/2 ounce) can cream-style corn
♦ 1/2 cup chopped red or green sweet pepper
♦ 1/2 cup dry white wine
♦ 1 (4 ounce) can diced green chilies, drained
♦ 1 teaspoon ground cumin
♦ 1 teaspoon dried oregano, crushed
♦ Dash salt
♦ 1/4 cup snipped fresh parsley

Rinse the chicken; pat dry with paper towels. Cut the chicken into 1-inch pieces. Spray a large saucepan with nonstick cooking spray. Preheat saucepan over medium heat. Add chicken, onion, and garlic. Cook about 2 minutes or till chicken is no longer pink. Stir in chicken broth, mushrooms, kidney beans, corn, chopped pepper, wine, chilies, cumin, oregano, and salt. Bring to boiling. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 10 minutes. Stir in parsley.

Makes 4 servings

Per serving: 240 Calories, 18 g Protein, 3 g Fat, 0 g Saturated Fat, 39 g Carbohydrate, 628 mg Sodium, 22 mg Cholesterol, 7 g Dietary Fiber

(from  DWLZ Recipes)

Bon Appetite!

Italian Tortelli Soup

Here is a great soup for those chilly evenings ~

♦ 1 onion, chopped
♦ 1 cup sliced mushrooms
♦ 2 cloves garlic
♦ 1/2 cup fat-free chicken broth
♦ 1 can [15 oz] low-sodium tomato sauce
♦ 1 green pepper, chopped
♦ 1 cup diced zucchini
♦ 2 tbsp dry sherry or apple juice
♦ 1 1/2 tsp dried Italian herb seasoning
♦ 9 oz reduced-fat cheese-filled tortellini
♦ 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper

Coat a saucepan with nonstick spray. Add the onions, mushrooms, garlic and 3 tbsp broth. Cook over medium heat, stirring often, until onions soften, usually 5-6 minutes.
Stir in the tomato sauce, green peppers, zucchini, sherry, Italian seasoning, remaining broth and tortellini. Cover and simmer for 15 minutes. Season with pepper.

Makes 4 servings

Per serving: 278 calories, 4.8 g fat, 34 mg chol, 325 mg sodium, 5.4 g fiber *5
—Prevention's Guide to Low-Fat Living, October 1997

Holiday Cookbook

Click on THIS link to download a great holiday cookbook from Stamp TV!!

Now - get to baking!!  Christmas will be here before you know it!