The holidays are a great time to spend time with your family and friends.  We tend to get really busy around the holidays and try to create activities for the kids to keep them busy.  But…don’t push the kids out of the kitchen too fast. 

Camille Cares has a few creative and fun activities and treats that you can enjoy with the kids.  These treats will keep them busy and keep them healthy all at the same time.  Say goodbye to high fat and sugar holiday snacks and say hello to a good time spent with the children. 

Gobble Me Up Snack

Ingredients: apple, clementine or orange, pear, dried apricot, peanut butter or cream cheese, mini chocolate chips, nut, dried cranberry

 Method:  arrange apple and Clementine or orange slices on a plate going in a semi-circle then turn and continue the other half of the plate, creating a boomerang shape leaving a space at the bottom.

Use scissors to cut the apricot in half, then cut small triangles.  Trim 2 or 3 small snips in the bottom of the triangle to make feet.  Finally, use cream cheese or peanut butter to attach the mini chocolate chips for eyes, the nut for a beak and cranberry snood.

Sugar Cone Cornucopia Place Settings

Ingredients: sugar cones, ribbon, decorator’s icing, fruit shaped candy or cereal, dollies.

Method: Tie a piece of 8-12” ribbon around the opening of the cone.  Write the name of each guest on the side of the cone.  Place the cone on a doily-covered saucer.  Fill it with candies.  Fill it to the point where it is spilling out the opening the cone. 

These fun arts and crafts activities are both edible and easy to make. 

Happy Thanksgiving,

CC

 Thank you to Disney Family for the amazing recipes and ideas. 

what mrs dewey did with the new jell-o

i don’t know about your grandmothers, but my grandmother deedles loved jell-o. jell-o molds, jell-o parfaits, jell-o with just a dollop of mayonnaise on the top…jell-o was something yummy and sophisticated and worthy of purchasing several differently sized and shaped plastic jell-o molds for various occasions. as such, i love jell-o, too. perhaps not with the mayonnaise, but i do love it – especially around the holidays when i get to make her raspberry pretzel jell-o extravaganza. curious? here’s the recipe..(trust me..it’s divine!)

Mix butter and sugar together. Stir in pretzels. Pat out into a 9×13 pan. Bake at 400 degrees for 10 minutes. Cool and set aside.

Middle Layer:

• 8 oz. cream cheese, softened
• 8 oz. cool whip, thawed
• 1 cup sugar

Beat the cream cheese until smooth. Mix in the sugar. Gently stir in the cool whip. Spread over the cooled pretzel layer.

Top Layer:

• 3 cups boiling water
• 1 large pkg. raspberry Jello
• 16-20 oz. frozen raspberries

Stir Jello and water together until dissolved. Add frozen raspberries. Stir until the raspberries are separated and soft. Pour gently onto the cream cheese layer. Refrigerate several hours or overnight. 
Deedles never served this as a dessert – rather she served it as an additional salad during dinner. yummy and nostalgic. what a combination!

Back in the days, Glasgow art-pop band the Yummy Fur, had members like Alex Kapranos and Paul Thomson(Franz Ferdinand) and were led by Jackie McKeown(1990s) or John McKeown. The band existed seven years, from 1992 untill 1999.

But for the fans (I don’t count myself as one), good news! The band is getting back together for the first USA tour ever!

McKeown and Thomson will be in the band, Kapranos will be not. Also, a best-of compilation will be released.

Yummy Fur reunion dates:

My family has been making this recipe for years and it never fails to please our guests.  We make it often around this time– apple varieties are plentiful where we live and we  love to give small loaves or muffins as gifts.

I’ve experimented with making this a no-sugar recipe (using agave nectar instead) and non-wheat (almond meal) but I’ll share the standard recipe  here.  I baked vegan muffins for a friend recently so I’m posting that option and new secret ingredient that makes the cake even more smooth and tasty.

• 1  cup canola oil
• 2 cups turbinado sugar
• 1 cup of fresh or canned pumpkin (secret & optional)
• 3 large eggs

vegan option:  in place of eggs 2 tablespoons of ground flax seed whisked together with 4 tablespoons water

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 3 to 4  apples, cored and cut into 1/2-inch pieces (about 3 cups) (no need to peel apples and any kind will do!)
• 1 cup chopped assorted nuts  walnuts (optional and recommended )
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a Bundt pan with cooking spray; set aside OR Use muffin pan with cupcake liners (24 muffins
2. Sift together flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, baking soda, and salt in large bowl and set aside
3. In a separate bowl,  combine  oil, sugar,  eggs (or flax seed and water mixture) and pumpkin until smooth
4. Gradually add in flour mixture.  The batter will be thick and gooey.
5. Add apples and  nuts and mix to combine.  Add vanilla.
6. Pour batter into pan, and bake until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean, 75 to 90 minutes (less for muffins).

Menu Plan Monday!

Monday-

Breakfast- Cranberry Vanilla Muffins

Lunch- Grilled Cheese w/ ham & Tomato soup

Dinner- Chili

Tuesday-

Breakfast- Yogurt & cereal

Lunch- Pigs-in-a-blanket & corn

Dinner- Corn Dogs & peas

Wednesday-

Breakfast- Cranberry Vanilla Muffins

Lunch- Quesadillas & green beans

Dinner- Omelets & sausage

Thursday-

Thanksgiving! Turkey, turkey & more turkey!

Friday-

Breakfast-Yogurt & fruit

Lunch- Mac-n-Cheese with ham & peas

Dinner- Tuna Melts and homemade cranberry sauce

Saturday-

Breakfast- Fruit & cereal

Lunch- Tacos

Dinner- Homemade Pizza

Sunday-

Breakfast- Donuts

Lunch- out

Dinner- chicken nuggets

Recipes:

Cranberry Vanilla Muffins

1 basic muffin mix (recipe here)

6 oz (approx. 1 ½ cups) cranberries

2 tbl. Vanilla (I like a strong vanilla flavor!)

¼ cup sugar

Mix up a basic muffin mix & add additional ingredients. Bake as directed in muffin mix recipe.

Pigs-in-a-Blanket

1 pkg Lil’Smokies

1 or 2 cans of little biscuits

Wrap a biscuit around a Lil Smokie and pinch together. Place approx. 1 in apart on cookie sheets. Bake time & temp recommended on the biscuit can.

Homemade Easy Pizza

1 pkg pizza crust mix (or refrigerated crust)

1 jar pizza sauce

1 pkg mozzarella cheese

toppings to suit

Follow directions on crust mix. Add pizza sauce to taste. Add cheese. Add any other toppings. I like to add a sprinkle of Italian Seasoning to mine as well. Bake at temp directed on crust mix.

Homemade Cranberry Sauce

1 pkg (12 oz) cranberries

1 cup water

1 cup sugar

Heat water & sugar to boiling. Add cranberries. Heat to boiling again. Remove from heat & cool to room temperature. Store in refrigerator until ready to serve.

Check out more menus at www.orgjunkie.com!

Oh, no, it must just be the week of Thanksgiving… that magical time of year when a two day holiday magically morphs into a 9 day vacation for so many people that the roads and office are pretty much deserted.

I’m not complaining.  I like a nice, empty office with no one asking me for anything.

This Thanksgiving is going to be a very quiet one for us.  My family and the SB’s family are both out of town this year.  So instead of the traditional crazy double thanksgiving family fest that is our usual fare, this year we will be participating in the “other” tradition we have for Thanksgiving… the one we only get to indulge in when the fates align and this sort of all-out-of-town kind of thing happens.

Thanksgiving Pizza!

Yup. Thanksgiving day it’s going to be just me, the SB, and a take-and-bake pizza from our local Harris Teeter.

I’m going to take the 5 cheese pizza, get a thick slice of Deli turkey, cut it into cubes, saute it with onions, sprinkle that, some black olives, and some pre-cooked bacon on to the pizza (probably with some more cheese, just for good measure) and voila!  Thanksgiving Pizza!

I may even splurge and get a can of jellied cranberry sauce to go along with it!

It should be a day full of awesome!

Well, awesome and cleaning the garage… because what else are you gonna do with all those days off?

Back in October when MacKenzie and Karrisa were in MI, they introduced me to a yummy treat. I’m here to share this treat to you!

Who here likes caramel apples? Who here likes apple cider? Who here likes whipped cream? me. me. and me. If you’re like me and enjoy all three, here is the perfect fall treat!

First take an empty mug, or mugs if you’re being generous and sharing. I chose to use my Orla Kiely mugs that were a specailty collection item at Target a few months back.

mugs (i'm sharing)

Next, pour in some fresh apple cider, pop in the microwave for about 4 minutes. I’m sure you could boil water and add in mulling spices, but I’ll choose the simple way, thanks!

apple cider

Now for the best part! Top it all off with some whipped cream and caramel drizzle! There you have it, an instant liquid caramel apple.

oh, yum!

ENJOY!! Make sure you thank MacKenzie and Karrisa for this delicious treat they shared with me.

Mmmmmm…this stuff is GOOD!

I cut up the Salpicao in slices and hunks. Put it in the crockpot with 1 quart bag of my homemade salsa, 1 pint container of the roasted tomatoes I froze, 2 diced stalks of celery, a can of small red beans and a few shakes of Cajun seasoning. Cooked it a few hours and served on rice. Very yummy!

Steak Filter: a video signal of a steak is sent through the steak as it cooks

via today and tomorrow

Last night the husband and I got away for a little dinner date.  It feels like the first time we’ve really gotten to go out together without the teen since she moved in back in March, though I know she’s spent the night with some friends or something at some point.  It was the first time we actually planned to go, though.

We were going to go to Casablanca Cafe on Fort Lauderdale beach.  I love the architecture and atmosphere of that place.  The menu, though, is very meat-heavy and he wanted to take me someplace where I had more choice than “I’ll have the one item on your menu not made from dead animals, please.”

We thought about Canyon Southwest Cafe (what’s with all the pricey restaurants around here calling themselves “cafes”?), but after checking their menu — which had some very interesting ingredient combinations — we realized it was the same problem of “I’ll have the one appetizer that never had eyeballs.”

So, we ended up at Sublime.  We’ve been there before.  He took me last year for my birthday and then a friend of mine and I went a few months ago.  Last year, he felt he didn’t get his money’s worth.  This time, he loved everything.  We ordered the cauliflower appetizer — which sounds weird, but is utterly delish.  It’s essentially the world’s best sweet and sour chicken without the chicken.  The portion was quite generous, too.  So much so that we brought some home.  He also wanted to try the dynamite roll (no seafood, all veggies) and we gobbled that up.  He ordered a “chicken” sandwich with sweet potato fries and I ordered the Sublime picatta.  He was jealous of my meal and I ended up eating several of his yummy fries.  (I normally hate sweet potatoes because most people add more sweet to them, rather than off-setting the sweet with some salt.  Of course, I usually don’t really care for cauliflower either.)   The chocolate cake for dessert was moist and delicious.

Bottom line, save up your nickels and get to Sublime.

Chocolate cake, yum! Not just any chocolate cake. A chiffon chocolate cake. Light and fluffy much, much better than the ordinary sponge cake. Special ingredient required? Love…this cake requires to be baked with love and patience.  Please note that you will need a chiffon cake baking tin available at baking specialists stores.

Ingredients

5 jumbo eggs separated

1 cup of sugar

3/4 (three quarter) cup of hot water

1/2 cup of cooking oil

1cup of flour

3 tablespoons of cocao

3 teaspoons of baking powder.

Topping

Mix 1 can of cream and 300g of metled chocolate.

Method

1. Add 1 teaspoon of baking powder to the egg whites and whisk until peak forms.

2. In a separate bowl, add egg yolks to sugar and beat until creamy.

3. Add water and whisk for 2 minutes.

4. Add oil and beat for another 2 minutes.

5. Sift in the rest of the dry ingredients and mix until colour is consistent.

6. Fold in stiffly beaten egg whites.

7. Transfer into a baking tin and bake for 35 minutes at 180 deg C.

Cool in upside-down position. Decorate as required.

Um limão de Portugal.

Womit mein Portugiesisch dann auch erschöpft wäre. Für “von heute” reicht’s schon nicht mehr. Kläglich.  “De hoje” klingt komisch.

Hello everyone, I’m rosie.
I’ve found a yummy and funny shop in sannomiya.
Let me introduce ‘Hi Calo’.

Look at these giant yummy-looking things.
They are all furniture!

You can sit on huge hambergers, puddings, or pancakes with whip cream. They are all high in calories, so Shika named the shop ‘Hi Calo’.

Shika Loon, the owner of Hi Calo is really good at sculpting. All the food-like furniture looks so cute and yummy. I can’t sit on them without smiling.

Here is her latest release.
“EggCup TableSet” (10Prims)

You can sit on the egg shells.
The texture of the table and chairs are changable.
You’ll be surprised when you click the white
tablecloth. A plenty of sweet doughnuts and puddings and tea set will appear on the table.

This table set is displayed in the shop.
There is also a freebie corner, too.

Please drop by and try them.

Hi Calo is here!

http://slurl.com/secondlife/Sannomiya/230/118/28

Sannomiya Region Fashion Express

http://sannomiya.wordpress.com/

Hello everyone, I’m rosie.
I’ve found a yummy and funny shop in sannomiya.
Let me introduce ‘Hi Calo’.

Look at these giant yummy-looking things.
They are all furniture! 

 You can sit on huge hambergers, puddings, or pancakes with whip cream. They are all high in calories, so Shika named the shop ‘Hi Calo’. 

Shika Loon, the owner of Hi Calo is really good at sculpting. All the food-like furniture looks so cute and yummy. I can’t sit on them without smiling.

Here is her latest release.
“EggCup TableSet” (10Prims)

You can sit on the egg shells. 
The texture of the table and chairs are changable.
You’ll be surprised when you click the white
tablecloth. A plenty of sweet doughnuts and puddings and tea set will appear on the table.

This table set is displayed in the shop.
There is also a freebie corner, too. 

Please drop by and try them.

Hi Calo is here!

http://slurl.com/secondlife/Sannomiya/230/118/28

Sannomiya Region Fashion Express

http://sannomiya.wordpress.com/

Today I love…

1. Watching New Moon with the girls and squeeing over the many hot, shirtless men

2. Dinner at the Phoenix Cafe: a little expensive, but good food!

3. Swing quad!

4. Watching EC and LC perform at the Rocky Horror Picture Show–aaaaaah! SO FANTASTIC!

Due to an unfortunate incident involving me and three quarters of a bottle of brandy last week I have been pretty much comatose since then. But I come to you with deliciousness!

I love the show Dexter, which is why I yelled “WIN” when I saw these babies:

Yes, that’s right. Dexter Blood Slides. EDIBLE DEXTER BLOOD SLIDES! They’re easy to make and hella cheap. They would have been great for halloween, but I didn’t see them until recently, so tough titties. If I wasn’t hungover I’d be making them right now.

I couldn’t wait to receive my new Aqua Painters and have a go at water colouring my favourite stamp set at the moment – I decided to make my own pattern paper with a repeat stamp in Baja Breeze and love the way it turned out! I used some hemp twine to tie on the Hodgpodge Hardware, added three brads at the top and tucked in a little Butterfly made from the new Butterfly Prints and Butterfly Punch coming soon in the Summer Mini…Thanks to Michelle for giving these to me as a sneak peek ahead of the catalogue on December 1!

Ive used the Parisian Breeze DS Card from the Spring Mini as a Mat for my newly created pattern paper...

I love using Kraft Card – tied in with the Natural look of the Hemp Twine, it creates the perfect backdrop for pale and bold colours alike.

The With Love sentiment is from the retired “Yummy” Stamp Set.

Jan x

http://hubpages.com/hub/Yummy-Cinnamon-Monkey-Bread

Yesterday’s adventure in the kitchen was canning applesauce. 

On Monday I picked up a big box of apples from one of our local orchards.  They were having a sale, so the box of red delicious apples (over 25 pounds!) was only $5.  Being a bargain shopper, I fell for it, thinking I’d can it into applesauce.  Never mind the fact that I’ve never canned anything before.  With the wonder of the internet, you can go from novice to expert in just a few clicks.  After reading up for a bit, and begging the loan of a canner from my friend Melissa, I got out some pots and pans and set to work.

First, I peeled and chopped the apples and put them in my biggest pot.  After a dozen apples, I could hardly see a dent in the box, and the pot was getting pretty full.  I added a few more apples for good measure, then put in about a cup and a half of water and turned on the heat.  Meanwhile, I filled the canner with hot water from the tap and put it on the stove, and stuck my jars into the dishwasher to sanitize and stay hot while I was cooking.  The lids went into a little pan of water on the third of my four burners where they heated up at a low simmer.  As the applesauce cooked, I added a squeeze of lemon juice and a bit of brown sugar and cinnamon.  When the apples were soft, I used my immersion blender to blend the applesauce to a smooth consistency.  At this point, I found I needed to add a bit more water to make it look just right.  Time for a check:  Hot water in the canner?  Hot jars in the dishwasher?  Hot lids on the stove?  Hot applesauce in the pot?  Yep!  Ready to go.  Now I filled the hot jars with hot applesauce, placed a hot lid on each and secured it with a (not hot) ring.  Then I placed the jars into the hot water canner, crossed my fingers and waited.  After sitting for 20 minutes in boiling water, the jars were ready to be removed to a towel on the counter to cool.  About two minutes after I took the jars out of the canner, I started hearing the ping of the lids sealing, and felt the pride of accomplishment.

Oh, you want to know how it tastes?  Nu-uh!  I canned those babies to last through the winter, so there’s no way I’m cracking the seal today.  But I do have about 15 pounds of apples left, so it’s pretty likely I’ll make another batch today.