Month: December 2009

Categories
Food

The Green Hornet

My mom & I tend to make martinis when we’re together. I got her this very festive martini shaker a couple of years ago & a friend gave her two green martini glasses that are aluminum and great for martinis because they keep them very chilled. These just motivate us even more to make yummy fun martinis!
When I’d been up to help decorate we used the last of the midori in the cabinet trying to make melon cosmos. We couldnt find a good recipe, faked it just mixing stuff and it was pretty good. This weekend we couldnt remember what we’d made then so we tried it again and they turned out brown & not so good. Then Santa gave me a mini cocktails for dummies book in my stocking to the rescue!
The Green Hornet was the first martini recipe in the book that used what we had on hand. It was very yummy (not too strong but not too weak), very Christmasy green, and a great cocktail hour refreshment!
Ingredients
1 oz Vodka (we used Sky citrus)
1/2 oz Midori
1 oz Sweet & Sour Mix (we used virgin margarita mix that we had on hand)
Directions
Depending on how much we wanting or if it was a refill, we sometimes doubled or tripled this. Shake with with; serve straight up or over ice. Enjoy!

Categories
Food

Praline Pumpkin Dessert

This recipe is an old favorite of my mom’s (so old she’d forgotten about it!). A coworker mentioned before Christmas that it was now their family’s tradition to make “Nancy’s pumpkin cake” so my mom asked her for the recipe back. 😛 I thought I’d share because its easy & festive for the fall.
Ingredients
1 15 oz can pumpkin
1 12 oz can evaporated milk
3 eggs
1 c sugar
4 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1 box golden vanilla cake mix
1 1/2 cups chopped pecans (we used more like 3/4 cup because I don’t love a lot of nuts in sweets)
3/4 c melted butter (recipe says can be little more)
Whipped Cream or topping
Directions
Heat oven to 350. Grease 9×13 pan. Beat pumpkin, milk, eggs, sugar, and pie spice until smooth (seems like original recipe called to do this with a whisk but notes say to use mixer b/c its easier!). Pour into pan. Sprinkle cake mix evenly on top, then sprinle pecans, then pour melted butter evenly on top of everything.
Bake for 50-60 minutes. Knife inserted in center should come out clean. Cool Slightly. Serve warm or chilled. Add whipped cream just before serving. If top completely with cool whip, store in refrigerator. We just cut pieces, microwaved then topped with cool whip individually. Enjoy!!

Categories
Food

Crescent Wrapped Raspberry Gouda

Mom pulled out this new recipe last weekend. It was a big hit with out family so I thought I’d share. Its a little twist to the standard Baked Brie appetizer.
Ingredients
1 can Pillsbury crescent rolls
1 round (we used wedge) Gouda cheese (we also removed the wax coating)
1 tablespoon raspberry preserves (we just spooned enough to cover cheese, maybe little more than one tablespoon)
1/4 cup toasted sliced almonds (we omitted)
1 egg, beaten (we omitted)
fresh raspberries and apple slices
Directions
Heat oven to 350. Unroll crescent rolls and press perforations to seal. Set cheese in middle of crescent on a cookie sheet. Original recipe calls to divide crescents in half placing cheese on middle of one half.
Spread preserves on top of cheese. Sprinkle with almonds. If divided crescent in half, cover cheese with second half and press dough evenly over tog edges to seal. If place cheese in middle (which we did), pull dough up and over cheese and press to make sure completely covered.
Can top with beaten egg and additional teaspoon of almonds if desired. Bake 20 to 24 mintues or until golden brown. Cool 5 minutes. Serve warm with raspberries and apple slices. We also used crackers to scoop up the yummy goodness!

Categories
Everything Else

The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls

I’ve been on a Diana Gabaldon kick recently gearing up for the sixth & final Outlander book which I’m still waiting on from the library. I’ve read I believe everything else she has written now since I finished Lord John & the Hand of Devils Monday night. I realized I’m pretty short of my goal of 50 books in 09 so I wanted to start something else.
I’d recently received The Glass Castle from PaperBackSwap. I’d requested it after hearing others recommend it. Its also a different read for me being a memoir instead of fiction. Let’s just say I couldn’t put it down~ I read the whole book Monday after work! I loved how the writer told the story of her life in a way that made you feel like you’d been there yet not in a self-pity type of way. I can’t believe she & her brother & sisters not only survived but have thrived & become normal & successful adults based on the way the grew up. It is easy to forgot that not everyone has things as good as I do/have had and it was good for me to read this and realize this again especially this holiday season. I’m so thankful for my family & the life I’ve been so blessed to have. I’m not sure what else she has written, but I’d love to read more from her.
Next up fro my Christmas holiday week reading: Harry Potter & the Chamber of Secrets, Hoot (ya’ll know I can’t resist an owl book!) by Carl Hiaasen, and The Curious Incident of the dog in the might-time by Mark Haddon.

Categories
Everything Else

Getting Ready…

For Christmas!
I think we’re about done. Decorations are out. Nothing but Christmas music playing on the radio. Christmas cards sent~ two years ago we sent super cute wedding photo ones; last year I found fun owl cards at Target. This years are a lil more boring but they work!
Cookies baked & exchanged. I’ll get around to posting my favorite recipes of ones I received soon.Gifts are purchased and most are wrapped. I need to pick up a few gift bags & bows but everything looks nice under the tree. I can’t put bows on until we get up to my parent’s~ due to Moe eating them &/or getting smashed on the car ride up. Oh and it might snow this weekend~ what a great way to get even more in the holiday spirit!The owl tree!

Our manger scene, along with a few wooden carolers.
This end table has all red & white items like snowmen & candy canes.
This end table has a tree theme. Just need to add a good picture of Jason & I in front of the tree to that frame.