2013 is tomorrow......

2013 is tomorrow.

New Years is a funny thing. All about fresh starts and new beginnings. Just like last year. Resolutions almost always transfer from year to year, unfavourable self-reflections which become too hard to confront and are postponed until some generic later date; whether it be ‘a few weeks’, ‘a couple of months’ or the extra vague ‘someday’. I’ve over the years threatened to diet, to give up swearing or booze. This year I’m undecided because I think I set myself up for more failures.

I mean when you run a preschool and spend most of your time dealing with parents who have some sort of issue or kids who also have some sort of issue. Then the toilet gets backed up because a teacher let a kid go potty with a collect of army figures that are now navy seals. So basically I do nursing, plumbing, policing and accounting all while trying to look cheerful. Did I mention I make a fraction of what any of those other professionals make? Yes so most of my day is spent dealing with someone who is unhappy. Do I need to make a resolution to swear less? To drink less? To exercise more? Sure I do. I know it but do I need to put more pressure on myself or set myself up for yet more grief? Doubt it. So instead I’m going to focus on the here and now while I’m here and can still focus. Right now I’m focusing on my 15 year olds annual New Year’s Eve slumber party. Champagne and caviar at my house? Nope, pasta and punch for a dozen hungry teenagers. They are good kids and yes, 3 guests are male but they leave at a reasonable hour. It’s just a lot of cooking and cleaning. The next morning is a snap though with my overnight French toast casserole. This is so simple to make-and it can feed a crowd.  I especially like that it is prepared the night before and then just placed in the oven in the morning-great for when you have overnight company! The hard part is getting the kids to leave the next day so I can take a nap!

Overnight French toast Casserole
Ingredients
1/2 C Butter
12 slices Whole wheat or white bread (leftover anything bread works)
1 C Brown Sugar
1 tsp. Cinnamon
1 tsp. Nutmeg

1 tsp. Vanilla Extract
5 eggs
1 1/2 c Skim Milk
Directions

-Melt margarine & pour in a 9 by 13 pan (I melt it in a measuring cup in the microwave)
-Mix together brown sugar & nutmeg, cinnamon
-Wisk eggs, milk & vanilla together
-Layer bottom of pan with half the bread
-Sprinkle half brown sugar mix over the bread
-Layer second half of bread
-Pour egg mixture over all then sprinkle remaining brown sugar
-Cover & refrigerate overnight
-In the morning, cover with tinfoil and bake at 350 for 30 minutes
-Uncover and bake 15 about more minutes (should be browned and set)

Christmas Turtle Candies & The The holiday music...

To the spirit of Christmas. I'm sorry. I only found 3 of my Christmas CDs and after 3 weeks of Julie Andrews, Perry Como and Celtic Christmas I pulled out The The and yelled "Merry Christmas" over the swear words. I'm sorry but I couldn't take it any more......I was finally reduced to listening to the local radio station for my Christmas music. After 2 days of Alan Jackson & Alison Krauss - "The Angels Cried" and "Christmas in Dixie" by Alabama. Finally the day before Christmas  The Husband found my holiday music stash on top of the TV!!!! It's a Christmas miracle! I was too damn short to see the top of the TV and there they were the whole time. I did enjoy listening to The The though. Maybe they need to produce a Christams Album. I'm sure they'd do a great job. I can imagine they’d do wonderfully covering Hard Candy Christmas. I can just hear Matt Johnson singing out “Maybe I'll hit the bars, Maybe I'll count the stars until dawn, Me, I will go on….” Fa la la la..... I was facing my last batch of popcorn. Really. I have popped nearly 14 pounds of it and used up 27 bags of red hot candy. I don't even want to think about how much butter I melted.....since we had company for Christmas dinner I  to whipped up a batch of candy that wasn’t  red or hot to add to my cookie tray. These are nice since you can just make one small batch and be done with it.  I cheated and melted the caramels on the stove while I was sorting out the pecans. Melting the caramel on the stove takes a bit longer, but it's worth it. I also recommend using Kraft caramels. Normally I buy the store brand but the cost was pretty much the same and the Kraft brand melted better.

Fa la la la.....

Christmas Turtle Candies

Ingredients This recipe makes 24 candies

4 ounces pecan halves

24 individually wrapped caramels, unwrapped

1 teaspoon shortening

1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Directions

1.    Preheat oven to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C). Cover cookies sheet with aluminum foil, shiny side up. Lightly grease foil with vegetable oil spray.

2.    Place 3 pecan halves in a Y shape on the foil. Place 1 caramel candy in the center of each Y. Bake just until caramel is melted, about 9 to 10 minutes. I found these didn’t melt very well & then tried melting the caramel on the stove and drizzling it over the pecans.. IT WORKED. You try it and see which works for you.

3.    Heat shortening and chocolate chips over low heat just until chocolate is melted. Spread over candies and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

 

Beth’s Roasted Brussels Sprouts

Ok I admit it; I'm not as young as I used to be. So after weeks of making popcorn, cookies, tofu moose, Crunchy Asian salad, cookies and bread for bakes sales, Christmas gifts and food for parties the idea of making cookies for the Boy Scout's party made me want to cry. I let The Husband in my kitchen. The cookies were burnt, hard and the kitchen was a mess. But I did get to clean up the Mailing Station, which is a table set up in the dining room covered in holiday paper, ribbons, boxes, bows, bubble wrap….you get the idea. This was important since The Relatives are coming for Christmas dinner. A week early. Holy Shit!! Yes, I nearly fell to the floor- a week early in the middle of Christmas Rush is not exactly what I wanted but if sacrificing the Boy Scouts’ cookies for their Christmas party was the price I had to pay I can live with that, after all they camp outside and eat dirt. Since The Relatives are coming early I had to pull together a menu fast and saw Brussels sprouts on sale at the organic grocery near my house. I hope they like Brussels sprouts! If not we have a few cookies from Ken’s batch left over.

Beth’s Roasted Brussels sprouts

I’ll make a double batch since I’ll have 8 for dinner.

Ingredients

· 2 small red onions, sliced into 1/4-inch wedges

· 3 tablespoons olive oil

· Coarse salt and ground pepper

· 2 pints Brussels sprouts, trimmed and halved

Directions

1.    Preheat oven to 425 degrees. In a medium bowl, toss onions with 1 tablespoon olive oil; season with salt and pepper. Spread onions on a rimmed baking sheet, and roast until translucent, 15 to 20 minutes.

2.    In same bowl, toss Brussels sprouts with remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil; season with salt and pepper. Add to baking sheet with onions, and toss to combine. Roast, tossing occasionally, until vegetables are tender and caramelized, 25 to 30 minutes. Serves 4.

 

Chocolate dipped pretzels

We make chocolate dipped pretzels that are so delicious they’ll melt your brain. The ingredients are all easy to get and fairly inexpensive, so they’re super frugal. I enjoy making candies that feel special, but aren’t very expensive. One year we made chocolate dipped pretzels we let them “drip” on a cooling rack w/ waxed paper underneath. I’ve chocolate-dipped pretzel rods, too, always popular! I’m from Western PA and mixing salty and sweet is a popular PA German practice.

CHOCOLATE COVERED PRETZELS

·         semi-sweet chocolate chips 1 bag

·         pretzels, twists, rods etc. 1 bag

·         3 “blocks” baking chocolate (chocolate bark)

Heat semi-sweet chocolate chips/chocolate  in a double boiler or heavy saucepan over low heat, stirring constantly, until smooth. I then transfer it to the crock pot filled with hot water in a glass bowl, when I make a double batch.

To microwave, place chocolate in a microwave proof dish and melt 1/2-1 cup chips on medium (50%) 3-4 1/2 minutes. Stir until smooth. Dip pretzels with a fork and remove to wax paper. Refrigerate uncovered until chocolate is firm, about 30 minutes. Store, loosely covered in a cool, dry place or freeze in an airtight container.

East Squeezy Cool Whip cookies

I love giving homemade Christmas goodies out to friends and neighbors, but sometimes the ingredients can really add up to be a lot of money. When I’m already spending plenty of money this time of year, between the RV damage and my daughter’s braces this year it can sometimes be hard to fork over the extra for specialty ingredients. I had a list of about a dozen people who were eagerly awaiting my Christmas cookies (mother doesn’t bake, my father has a sweet tooth, The Husband’s family love homemade goodies) and almost no money to make them. Reluctantly, I decided to utilize my coupons and a sale at Kroger’s to get a good deal on some pouches of Betty Crocker cookie mix. Don’t judge me; I’m short on time and cash. Yes, I shy away from this sort of thing but nobody wants to spend the holidays with a woman crying from exhaustion over sifted whole wheat flour. I deserve a little holiday joy too.

So I took those pouches of Betty Crocker cookie mix that I normally snub and I placed a chocolate kiss in the middle of each to give them a special touch. Nobody was the wiser and I got to watch the Hallmark Holiday Special so I could still cry of I wanted to. (I didn’t.) And ya know what? They all liked them same as if I had spent way more time getting cranky in the kitchen. Just goes to show that it is the thoughtfulness of a gift of baked goods that is far more impressive than the “fanciness” of the product. Since I’m slumming it with pouches of Betty Crocker cookie mix, why not just go full tilt? I might be broke but I have a snappy looking RV and someday my oldest darling child will have straight teeth. This time of year cake mix is at most $1.00 per box and Cool Whip is also usually $1. You can make 2 dozen cookies for $2 so sink yours right into a batch of Cool Whip cookies!

Cool Whip cookies:

• Box of 18.25 oz. cake mix, any flavor
• 8 oz. of Cool Whip
• 1 lg egg
• powdered sugar (couple cups in a shallow dish)

  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Mix cake mix, cool whip and egg.
Put in fridge for a bit to decrease the sticky factor.
Take a spoon full and roll it in the powdered sugar.
Place on cookie sheet and bake for 10-12 minutes (depending on cookie size).

Fastest Easiest Fudge in the World

Got the RV back. It needs a new roof. That will cost about 13 THOUSAND dollars. I don't have that kind of money. I spent 2 days in a daze and crying. Mostly mad at myself. Beth if it looks to good to be true....it's too good to be true. I know I wasn't meant to have nice things so why why why did I buy it?

 

If it was in good shape I would have gotten a great deal, we paid 25 K and they in GOOD shape sell for 39 K. I put 800 in for the fuel pump, 200 for a new tire, and 1 K that the insurance wouldn't cover. We were shopping for several months and looked at some real DEATH TRAPS so when we saw this one, all clean with low miles and well taken care of we jumped on it. We shouldn't have. With the damage it's worth a lot (LOT) less than what we paid. That lil voice was telling me "if it looks too good to be true, it is...." did I listen? Noooooo..............

 

The folks that sold it to the dealer knew of the leaks though since when the awning came off we found soft putty over the rusted screws. They also got some of the paint on sealent and covered up the damage on the roof, you can see where they dripped now that we know what we are looking for.  So for now we will park it, winterize it and cover it.

 

I'd love to sell it but it’s worthless not fixed as the roof is now starting to mold with the damp wood inside. I've heard about the sealent you can paint on but this has a lot of damage across the top of the roof and the wood is starting to swell, which is stretching (and will rip) the outer covering (called a skin)  I’m heartbroken and totally freaking out. So when I’m not crying over the high hopes and dreams I had if enjoying it I’m mentally beating myself up for buying the  *&^%$ thing in the first place. I KNEW it was too good to be true. And it was. So I made myself sit down before I got myself worked up into a coma and make a list of things I can be grateful for like how when the tire blew nobody got hurt. That I have a great hubby, great kids and parents that are still alive and love me. I mean that’s what Christmas is all about right? I sat down today and wrote Father a mushy letter about what a great dad he was. It made me feel better....for a whole 15 mins. He'll proably call me and ask if I'm dying or something. If so I'll just send him some fudge. Have fun with the recipe!

 

Fastest Easiest Fudge in the World

 

Be sure to use sweetened condensed milk in this recipe, not evaporated milk - that's a common mistake. The darn cans are the same size and shape- really is that smart? One should come in a square box or something. I mean really.

 

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 2 minutes

Total Time: 7 minutes

Yield: Makes about 2 pounds candy

Ingredients:

• 1 (12-ounce) package semisweet chocolate chips
• 1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 tablespoon cream
• 1/2 cup milk chocolate chips, if desired

Preparation:

Place chips and milk in microwave safe bowl. (You can use just the one package of semisweet chocolate chips, or add the milk chocolate chips for a fudge that is slightly sweeter and creamier.)   Microwave on medium power for 2-3 minutes, stirring after 2 minutes. Microwave, stirring at 1 minutes intervals, until chips are melted and mixture is smooth and thick. (You can also melt the chips and milk in a heavy saucepan over low heat.) Stir in butter and cream until combined.   Pour into greased 8 inch square pan and cool.   You can add just about anything to this easy recipe. Stir in a cup of chopped nuts, add a cup of marshmallows after the cooking time is done, stir in chopped dried fruit or some white chocolate chips.

Cinnamon Heart Popcorn

As gifts this year I'm making Cinnamon Heart Popcorn.... to die for. Ate so much of "samples" I'm sick, sort of.... the Cinnamon counter acts the felling of yuck.....but fun easy recipe and LOOK out Knoxville I plan to buy every Cinnamon Heart candy in 2 zip codes. Today I collected 17 packs in all. People are doubting my motives.Today  I'm suffering from a Cinnamon Heart Popcorn hang over. My tounge is numb.  Oh Cinnamon Heart Popcorn....you are a slave driver and a punishing lover. Yet I have have produced enough of you to "cover" teacher gifts for 2 kids. Now for family and friends....more red Hot Candy pls. I've made enough that I've used over 10 pounds of unpopped corn, which is a hell of a lot of popcorn.

 

I can now make Cinnamon Heart Popcorn is my sleep. If I slept that is....and you can too.

 

Cinnamon Heart Popcorn

 

 

1 1/2 cups cinnamon red hot candies
8 cups popped plain popcorn (not flavored)
1 cup light corn syrup
1 cup butter

1. Preheat oven to 250 degrees F (120 degrees C). Line baking sheets with parchment paper.

2. Combine butter, corn syrup, and cinnamon candies in a bowl over medium heat. Bring to a boil, and cook for 5 minutes. Pour the syrup over the popcorn in a large, heatproof bowl, and stir to cover the popcorn as evenly as possible. Spread the popcorn out onto the prepared baking sheets.

3. Bake in the preheated oven until the candy coating is set, about 30 minutes. Do not burn! Check often as it will burn on you and stink up your whole house!

 

And eat until you are ill. It's the only way.

The band. I'm not even in the band and it wears me out. Bake sales, fundraisers, games, band competitions, pancake breakfasts, picking up, dropping off and more bake sales.  We have been under the control of and working around the schedule of our daughter's HS marching band now for 6 months. The team from her school went to “state” which was news I received like a sharp stick in the eye. Did I mention that we now have been under the band’s schedule for 6 months? All our evenings and weekends are scheduled around 70 kids in maroon and grey outfits stomping around for hours tooting on horns.  Just when I thought “gee surely now that they are state champions we’ll get a break”……then Christmas Parade season started. Hannah Rose was in a parade this weekend and will be in at least 3 more. Oh, lighten up ya ole Scrooge Beth I tell myself. Everyone loves a Christmas Parade- right. Ok ok…The Parades are fine. Then I get a notice from school, she’s now in concert band. Sigh. And yes they have bake sales.

Decadence Chocolate  Cookies

Ingredients

• 10 ounces bittersweet chocolate chips
• 2 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped
• 1/4 cup unsalted butter, cut into chunks
• 3 large eggs, at room temperature 
• 1 cup sugar
• 3/4 cup flour
• 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

Preparation

1. Put chocolates and butter in a medium metal bowl and set bowl over a pan filled with 1 in. of simmering water. Cook, stirring occasionally, until melted, then remove from heat and let cool slightly. Whisk in eggs and sugar, mixing until combined. Then whisk in flour, baking powder, and salt. Chill dough, covered, until firm, about 2 hours.
2. Let dough sit at room temperature 15 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350° and line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Scoop 1 tbsp. portions of dough, rolling each into a ball, and put onto sheets 1 in. apart. Bake cookies until they no longer look wet on top, about 8 minutes. Let cool on baking sheets. Do not overbake, these are supposed to be gooey!

You can make these ahead of time too. Keep batter up to 1 day; baked cookies up to 2 days, if airtight.

Baked Sesame Chicken Noodles

Hannah Rose has a new boyfriend who is 18. We’re not thrilled that he’s EIGHTEEN but he seems nice enough and they usually have a few other kids around so we’re not on red alert or lock down yet. She disappeared on us last week for 1 ½ hours and we fell into a panic as it got dark. She and her friend Cassidy were outside the hospital near the school sucking up the free Wi-Fi. We had called the school, her friend’s parents and were driving around the block looking for her. I was very difficult not to strangle her in front of Cassidy so instead we took the IPod for a week. I am not sure I will ever get the hang of this parenting thing, every day I am faced with new challenges and obstacles; I think the bumper sticker I saw says it best.  “You’re making it very difficult for me to be the parent I always imagined I would be!” Anyway the gang is coming over and I'm making then dinner. What do you feed a mob of hungry teens? Pasta. They are into Asian stuff so I selected Baked Sesame Chicken Noodles this time.

Generally, pasta shapes should be short. Penne, rigatoni, ravioli, and ziti capture sauce and are bite-sized, so they're easy to serve and eat. When you choose a long, thin variety, such as spaghetti, break it in half so it's more manageable for cooking and eating.  Slightly undercook the pasta because it will finish cooking in the oven. This will also help the pasta soak up the tasty sauce. Since they will come over on a Friday and I work full time so time is an issue. I will assemble the baked pasta dishes the day before I plan to serve them, and refrigerate them until I'm ready to bake. Here are some Copper's Cafe tips to pull this off.

• Assemble the casserole, cover with foil, and refrigerate up to 24 hours before baking.

• Dishes with fresh seafood are best assembled and baked at once.

• Add cheese, breadcrumbs, or other toppings just before baking.

• If the casserole was refrigerated ahead, bake it an additional 10 to 15 minutes to heat through and brown the top.

Baked Sesame Chicken Noodles

Ingredients

• 8 ounces uncooked whole wheat spaghetti (broken in half)
• 1 tablespoon dark sesame oil
• 1 cup red bell pepper strips 
• 1 cup green or yellow bell pepper strips
• 8 ounces shiitake mushroom caps, sliced
• 2 (6-ounce) skinless, boneless chicken breast halves, cut into 1/2-inch pieces 
• 1 teaspoon minced fresh ginger
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce
• 1 cup home made chicken broth
  1 tablespoon cornstarch

2 tablespoons cream sherry

1 tablespoon rice vinegar

1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper

2 cups thinly sliced bok choy

3/4 cup sliced green onions

1 tablespoon sesame seeds, divided

Cooking spray

1 cup panko  breadcrumbs

2 tablespoons butter, melted

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 400°.
2. Cook pasta according to package directions, omitting salt and fat. Drain well.
3. Heat the oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add red bell pepper strips and mushrooms; sauté 2 minutes. Add chicken, ginger, and garlic; sauté 3 minutes. Stir in soy sauce; cook 2 minutes, stirring frequently.
4. Combine broth and cornstarch, stirring well with a whisk. Add broth mixture to pan, and cook 2 minutes or until mixture is slightly thick, stirring constantly. Remove from heat; stir in sherry, vinegar, and crushed red pepper. Add pasta, bok choy, green onions, and 2 teaspoons sesame seeds to pan, tossing well to combine. Spoon pasta mixture into an 8-inch square baking dish lightly coated with cooking spray.
5. Combine breadcrumbs, butter, and remaining sesame seeds; sprinkle evenly over pasta mixture. Bake at 400° for 20 minutes or until breadcrumbs begin to brown.

 

It's time for reindeer food

My baby Josiah will be 9 which staggers me but he was working on his homework and jibber-jabbing something while he worked.  It was the same thing over and over. I just about said "You sound like a broken record." until I realized that he wouldn't have the faintest idea what that meant. Pretty much before his time also. I feel old.

First I had bronchitis while my kids had strep throat and Ken got sick with strep and then I got strep, yes it was that “fun” but at least we had a good Thanksgiving. I missed Claudi’s birthday which will keep me in the dog house for the next 12 months.  Despite all of this, we’re moving on and getting ready for Christmas.

Here's a family favorite. Put one cup of oatmeal in a brown paper bag with some glitter and attach the tag.....below-

Sprinkle this reindeer food outside tonight.
The moonlight will make it sparkle bright.
As the reindeer fly and roam.
This will guide them to your home.