Goodbye Thanksgiving...Hello Christmas

We spent Thanksgiving at my cousin's house in Sacramento. It was so much fun. We sounded like a couple of kids in the kitchen laughing and cooking together.

I only got a few pictures. (Much to busy having fun)

 I made 7 pies, these along with 3 cream pies. Pumpkin, of course, pecan (which was a flop...didn't set), raisin (Mr. SS's favorite), two chocolate and a coconut cream. Can you tell I love making pie.

 Cousin Judy found this idea on Facebook and we really had fun with it. When the guests arrived, it was quickly gobbled up. It helped that we had a big bowl of Ranch Dressing to go with it.

Along with my brother-in-law and his wife, we were joined by my Tehachapi family.
Kyle, Stefani, Madi, and my oldest son Scott.
So, we only had 10, but we cooked for 20.
Hard to believe that two old ladies like us can still put on a spread like we did.

Tonight, Mr. SS got out our Christmas Tree. It's up and lit, but won't be be fluffed and decorated for a few days. We both agreed right where we wanted it. You will have to come back for that the rest of the story decorating

I can't tell you how excited I am to decorate this year. 2009 was the last time we decorated and had a tree.

I had a few things for the RV small cottage, but we're getting it all out this year. One of the few things I kept was all my Christmas decorations. Just couldn't part with them yet, I guess.

So...let the decorating begin!!

Apples and a Little Fall Decorating

Last week in preparation  for a "Farewell" Girlfriends dinner for a good friend, Linda, I did a couple of things I hadn't done for a long time.

First, after finding apples on sale for .69 cents a pound, I decided to can Apple Butter. I have not done that since way back in the day when I picked apples at an Apple Farm in Tehachapi. where we lived for years.

This is the recipe I have always used. It came with the Waring Blender I received for a wedding gift 46 years ago and you can tell from the splatters of  boiling sugary cinnamon apples that is has been used many times.

Washing apples bought in a store opposed to picking them is a little more work. See all that wax. Because I blend them with the peelings that wax has to go.

They are cored, blended and put in a pan with sugar, spices and cider...YUMM!

(If you don't have one of these apple corers, it's a must. The only waste is that little core.)

Simmer in the pan until it thickens.

Put it in jars and put in pan of water to simmer for 10 minutes.

Each batch makes 7 jars and I made a total of 21, so if you know me...guess what you might be getting for Christmas.

Oh, and there is nothing more satisfying that the ping of a lid when it seals. Mr. SS and I were having breakfast during the canning process and every few minutes I called out a number. He asked what that was about and I said I am counting as the jars seal. After 7, I can sigh and say "Job well done". Being hard of hearing he had no idea what I was talking about. Ya gotta hear that "ping"

Now, the second thing I haven't done in a while is set a table for company. Although I had family over for "picnic" type meals while in our RV tiny cottage, I had no place to set a pretty table and entertain friends.

I really missed that.

A dear friend that has been (and still will be) part of a group of my girlfriends that meet once a month for dinner and to celebrate birthday is moving to Utah this week. Even though we often go to a restaurant for these occasions, I wanted to have it in my new home. 

When we left our last house, as I have told you, I got rid of, gave away or sold almost everything, so except for a few things I was starting from scratch decorating my table.

I raided my fabric stash and found  backing and borders pieces I had purchased before I retired from Strawberry Patches...pre 2000 for a leaf quilt that never got made...imagine that. Anyway it wasn't long enough, so I pieced it...sort of like in a quilt.   

This gorgeous turkey fabric was only about 4 years old and I made a topper out of it for the center of the table.

A candy jar, cloche, a few candles, a couple of pumpkins, a fall leaf garland and the centerpiece was done.

I borrowed back some of my dishes my DIL has.

This plate I had kept because my sister made it for me the year before we lost her.

Dollar store glasses (What would I do without the Dollar Tree?)

Each of the guests got a jar of Apple butter.

You may remember my blessings quilt I made two years ago. I never really had a place to display it in the RV small cottage, but it has a perfect spot on my dining room wall. (Covering up some temporary holes, Mr. SS made while installing a pocket door to my sewing/laundry room.

I really enjoyed the process of preparing for this dinner, but most of all enjoyed the fellowship of some of my special friends. Sally, sorry you couldn't make it. You were missed.

We will all miss you Linda, and there will always be a place for you at our get togethers and in our hearts when you come back for visits.

Pinterest Try Tuesday # 2

I didn't intend to let a whole week pass before I posted again, but here it is Monday night and time to post another pinterest try.

I decided to try a brownie recipe I pinned not too long ago. This one got my attention because of the peanut butter. Mr. SS loves PB. In fact, have I ever told you he has a PB and J sandwich everyday for lunch. I used to think I would treat him to a ham and cheese or something I had leftover for lunch and he would say "Lunch was good today, but where was my PB and J?"  So for 43 plus years, I just give up and make him his favorite.

He loves brownies too, so this one should get his approval.

I found the recipe here and her version looks quite different than mine.

She added some changes and refers to where she got the recipe. I went there to get the printable recipe.

You can get that here.

There at the bottom of the post, she notes she adapted it from Nestle.

I just thought it funny that now, I am posting another slightly different version, so you are getting it 4 ways.

I gathered the ingredients at about 7:00am because with the heat, I have been doing no baking all summer.

Mr. SS woke to the smell of brownies in the oven.

This is a one bowl recipe and goes together very quickly.

Sugar, butter and water in the microwave.

Add chocolate and PB chips. I didn't have any PB chips, so I used all chocolate.

Mmmm smells so good.

Add egg and vanilla

Flour and baking soda

After spraying with Pam, I used an ice cream scoop to fill the tin.

While they baked, I mixed up the PB. I only had 1/2 cup and decided to add powdered sugar and vanilla to make it more like a frosting.

It was a little thicker than just the PB would have been. I wish I would have made more of an indention in the brownies (like the recipe recommended) but I just scooped on the PB frosting, thinking it would melt down a little. It didn't....and I used all my chips, so no chips on top.

Guess what Mr. SS had for breakfast when he got up.

Yes, he did. They were a little hard to get  out of the pan, and even though they are a little different from the original, I was assured by Mr. SS that they were delicious.

I had another pin to share, but it may take a while to see if it works, so will share it next week.

Have you tried anything you saw on Pinterest this week. If you have, please post about it,  share and I will post your link at the end of this post so others can come see what you tried.

I promise to be back with some fun posts this week. Last week just got away from me. Maybe it's this incessant heat or all the activities going on with the kids, or maybe just a little bit of laziness...but most likely too much time spent on Pinterest .  LOL

Hope to see what you have tried.

Suzanne @ Notes from the Patch linked the cutest Pinterest Try plus a lot more. Click on her name and go see the fun

God is Good!!

Life is Good!!

A Birthday for Mr. SS

With 10 grand kids, and 3 sons and their wives, we are always celebrating some one's birthday.

We have a birthday (or multiples) in every month except May.

We always have the family celebration for Mr. SS on Super Bowl Sunday, because the family is always together.  We call it our "Family Holiday" and you can read about it and it's origins here.

But since yesterday was  Mr. SS's real birthday, I wanted to do something special, as he will have his cake on Sunday.  He really didn't want to go out to eat. Even though he just turned 65, this man of mine still works so hard. He is remodeling a friend's bathroom and is pretty tired in the evenings.

Many ask me what Mr. SS stands for. Well it stands for MR. SEW SWEET, of course, and he lives up to that name every day, but today, I was thinking about his age, and how he still works so hard at taking care of us and still takes time to play with the kids and attend all of their activities that he can.  He tries to help out my son around here and jumps into any project I need him for. He loves the Lord and loves his family with all his heart.

So...I decided that Mr. SS also stands for SO SPECIAL too. I am so blessed.

SO SPECIAL, that I decided to make him one of his favorite meals. I don't make it often anymore because, let's face it, it is a little more work than spaghetti, and the grands don't like it. AND...it makes soooo much.

But it freezes well, so that's what I made.

Lasagna

Yes, he really did eat that much. (Well, I had a small portion of that.)

Any of you that know him, knows he is a big eater.

(But somehow he keeps his athletic physic...makes me so mad.)

Then he sat around saying how full he was, but how good it tasted.

 Just as we were finishing dinner we heard a knock at the door and this precious group serenaded him with " Happy Birthday" as only kids can do.

A little story about the Lasagna. (I know, my stories are never "little") Then I will give you the recipe.

We were in our first year at Long Beach City College when we started dating.  I was living in a small duplex near the bay with my high school friend, Kathy.  She had just started dating someone too, and we decided to cook dinner for them.  I really don't know where we found the recipe, because neither of our Moms made it,

but luckily it was a good one. After all, we wanted to impress... I have tweaked it a bit since, but here goes:

Lasagna

1 1/2 lb ground beef

2 Sweet Italian Sausages

2 pkg. Lawry's Spaghetti Sauce Mix

1/2 tsp. Garlic Powder

1/2 tsp. Pepper

1/2 tsp. Lawry's Seasoned Salt

Brown meat and add seasonings.

Then add:

4-14 oz. cans chopped tomatoes.

2-8oz. cans tomato sauce and

Simmer for 1 and 1/2 hrs.

You will also need:

l lb. Lasagna Noodles

2 Tbs. Cottage or Ricotta Cheese

1 lb. Mozzarella Cheese grated

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese.

Cook noodles and layer in baking dish (I have an extra deep corningware dish. A 9X13 is not big enough)

in this order:

Sauce

Noodles

Mozzarella Cheese

Cottage Cheese

Repeat two more times ending with sauce

Sprinkle top with Mozzarella and Parmesan

Bake 45 min. at 350 degrees.

I like to make this ahead and freeze in smaller pans too.

I'm not finished with Valentines yet. Check back for a giveaway and cute little tutorial.

I am linking withDesigns by Gollum for Foodie Friday

and

My Romantic Home for Show and Tell Friday

Visit each for great recipes and ideas.

God is Good!!

Life is Good!!



Chocolate Fun

Last night was our traditional "making of the fudge" night. It started thirty some years ago when my youngest son started helping me make the fudge. His older brothers were never interested, but Brandon had figured out there was a reward at the end of this task. You'll see!!

It makes sense that Brandon's kids would want to help, so what started with one helping, now adds up to five pair of hands. (Emmy, the 20mo old not included yet)

Drew does the measuring and everyone gets to add something to the pot.

Then we start stirring

and stirring

And then there's the licking tasting.

And more licking tasting.

Then we beat it

And beat it some more.

Until we have one pan of fudge without nuts.

And one pan with nuts for all the "nutty people".  (Don't know why they look different colors)

And then it's time for clean up!!

After clean-up and the fudge making five went home, I stayed up until 2:00am and made my oldest granddaughter, Madi, her Christmas skirt.

Made from the same blue velvet, glitter satin and sheer snowflake fabrics that the 6 Christmas dresses were made from.

Madi is 15 and I couldn't find a dress pattern I thought she would like, so she opted for a skirt.

Her other grandma picked it up today so she could wear it to the family party on Saturday night and match her cousins.

I can't wait to get pictures of them all...and the boys too of course. If I was a really good Mamaw, I would have made shirts for the boys too...maybe next year.

One more picture and then I'm off to bed. Wrapping presents and more baking tomorrow.

This is a tiny tree with houses and train that Dept. 56 put out the year the "Polar Express" movie came out.

We were living in our little blue and white trailer then and this was all we had room for. It has become a favorite of the kids. There is a little ticket on the front. If you pull it, the Train Whistles and starts around the track while the conductor (Tom Hanks) voice says "Aaaaall aboard the Polar Express" That's it! But the kids just keep pulling that ticket.

So see...I have a tree. Just the right size for my RV small cottage.



Just in case I don't get back before Christmas, I want to wish all of my friends in blogland and those of you in my real life who read my blog a very Merry Christmas and may you receive all the blessings of the season.

God is Good!!

Life is Good!!

Human Puppy Chow

Don't laugh!! That's really what it's called. It looks like the little square powdery food you feed puppys.

But make no mistake...it doesn't taste anything like it's name.

My challenge when I make this. "I bet you can't eat just one"

It is by far the easiest, fastest treat you can make this Christmas.

15min. tops and you have 9 cups of this

yumminess.

Here's how you make it. Come on you know you want to.

1.  In a large sauce pan, melt together

1/2 cut butter

2 cups chocolate chips

1/3 cup peanut butter

Stir and blend together.

2.  In a large bowl measure 9 cups of rice or corn chex( That's almost a full large box.)

3. Pour chocolate mixture over chex and fold until chex is evenly covered.

4.  Put 4 cups powdered sugar in large bag

5. Add chex mixture and shake until all the chex are covered.

Store in airtight container or zip locks (If you have any left to store)

Great for gifting too (If you have any left to gift)

ENJOY!

I have only  put out a few Christmas decorations. Just thought I would share this little Gingerbread house with you. It's small and fit on my small kitchen island.  Wish I would have thought to put something on my cake plate.

It's a Dept. 56 house from the North Pole series. I bought a piece every year for several years for my son and his family. One year I bought two of these by accident. I guess I really liked it.

My collection of Dept. 56 is the Original Snow Village, but I don't have room to put it up anymore. So I will just enjoy this one this year.

Mr. SS is still working in Rialto, but I stayed home to finish some sewing, wrap presents and do some baking. Three of the girls are coming over tomorrow after school to make fudge.

I'll take some pictures to show you that fun.

Hope you are enjoying these last few days before Christmas as I am.

God is Good!!

Life is Good!!

Random Ramblings

It was cold this morning in my metal box  small cottage. I sleep under an electric blanket, so when Mr. SS is out of town, I try to be conservative and not use the heater during the night. It's my normal custom to get up at 6:00, make a pot of coffee and do my Bible in a Year reading before starting my day.

This morning I could not face the cold even to get up and turn the heater on until 7:00.

Besides a propane run furnace, we have this electric fireplace.

You may have to click on it to see the effects. Since every home we have lived in has had a fireplace, I was really excited to find this one. It puts out lots of heat through the blower and gives us the ambiance of having a  rea lfireplace.  We searched a while for one that looks realistic and this one has a beautiful flame behind the wood that didn't show up in the picture.

I sit on the couch with my feet propped up on the footstool covered up with a cozy throw to do my reading every morning...well when I can get out of bed anyway. 

On another note, yesterday I worked on a quilt (throw) for a lady who wants it for her little girl's doctor.

The fabrics have very soft muted colors so it doesn't show well here, but as I piece it I see it coming together as she wanted...very cottage, shabby chic. She picked the fabrics and it will be backed with the chenille you see here, without batting...very soft and flowey. (I think I made that word up)

The client also drew a picture of what she wanted.  Here we go again. I was feeling so challenged and somewhat stressed again yesterday. I figured out it was mostly squares and 1/2 square triangles. I had forgotten the formula for those. There is a formula.

Wow!! Do I love Google. I immediately went to my computer and had the complete instructions in seconds. Before going to bed last night, the quilt top was cut out and

almost pieced.  I'm going to do a label for the back with the scripture she quoted one the drawing.

When I opened my e-mail this morning, I had a message from Midwest Living and this was staring at me.

With this Apple Cider Sauce

I don't get to make the turkey for Thanksgiving anymore.  For many years, we have rotated going to our Son's homes.  But I'm thinking I might do a Turkey Breast  for Mr. SS and me using these recipes.  The sauce would be good with chicken too or....yummy... Pork Roast.

Go here for the recipes.

I need to get busy finishing that quilt. I will take a picture, but the colors blend so well, don't know if you will see the pattern.

As cold as it was this morning it is already warming up to the 70's today.  I need to put aside the sweats I had on yesterday and don my capris again.  Crazy.

Warm or cold...have a wonderful day.

God is Good!!

Life is Good!!