tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6143795412973675272024-03-27T18:53:24.696-05:00Creative HospitalityIDEAS FOR ENTERTAINING AND COOKING, WITH TODAY'S FAST-PACED, BUSY LIFE STYLES IN MINDBecky Sweathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15398527964610762256noreply@blogger.comBlogger189125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-614379541297367527.post-57257934610803766832014-08-28T18:40:00.001-05:002014-08-28T18:40:35.376-05:00Blueberry Oat Bars (just like Starbucks used to serve!)<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-A9sKb0KA3kMX7tNv10ZFbLgEgB9EvntLcikpcEZ2r_rRyA_z2Tjs0Dr8CiAc-5nlRtFwKxi2XRrTnQY1G6Boh-09o-dENGEWAHmCK22VYsIlNLqm82RrlSlPViB5N-ARJP1EvwdIDa8/s1600/P1120291.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-A9sKb0KA3kMX7tNv10ZFbLgEgB9EvntLcikpcEZ2r_rRyA_z2Tjs0Dr8CiAc-5nlRtFwKxi2XRrTnQY1G6Boh-09o-dENGEWAHmCK22VYsIlNLqm82RrlSlPViB5N-ARJP1EvwdIDa8/s1600/P1120291.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">One of my favorite treats that I used to find at Starbucks a few years
ago (until they discontinued them…boo, hoo!) was their blueberry oat bars. These
were absolutely delicious…especially with a cup of coffee on a cool day. Yum!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Once Starbucks stopped selling blueberry oat bars, I had to come up
with a recipe of my own…and I did. The recipe is below. I have found these bars
are nice to serve at “ladies gatherings” like tea parties. If your neighbor
drops by to chat one morning<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>and you’re
brewing coffee and want something to go with your caffeine, these bars are a
perfect accompaniment. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But even a crowd
of teenage guys enjoy these too! They’re great for breakfast…and actually far
more nutritional than toaster pastries and a lot of cereals. These bars can be
baked ahead of time and frozen for 1-2 months; just remove them out of the
freezer and let them thaw at room temperature for about an hour before serving.
</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">BLUEBERRY OAT BARS</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Filling:</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">4 cups blueberries (fresh or frozen)<br />
3/4 cup granulated sugar<br />
1/3 cup orange juice<br />
1/3 cup cornstarch
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Place first three filling ingredients in a saucepan. Heat on a medium
high heat on the stove. Bring to a boil. Then reduce heat to low and let simmer
for about 10 minutes (until berries are soft). Whisk in cornstarch and stir over low heat for
about 2 more minutes more , until filling is thickened. Remove from heat. Put some
plastic wrap on top of the filling to prevent a skin from forming. Set out at
room temperature for about an hour to cool. <!--[if !supportLineBreakNewLine]-->
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Crust/topping: </span></div>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">2 cups uncooked oatmeal, quick or old-fashioned<br />
1 cup flour, all-purpose or unbleached<br />
1 cup dark brown sugar<br />
1/4 teaspoon salt<br />
1/2 teaspoon baking soda<br />
3/4 cup butter, cold
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Mix all crust/topping ingredients except butter together in a large bowl. Using your
fingers, work in the butter until crumbly.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Spread about half of the mixture into the bottom of a lightly buttered 9
x 13 inch pan. Spoon the blueberry filling on top. Sprinkle the other half of
the crust/topping mixture on top of filling.
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Bake in a 350 degrees F oven for about 35 to 40 minutes, until crust is
lightly browned and filling is starting to bubble. Remove from oven and cool on
a rack for 1-2 hours before cutting into bars. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Enjoy!<br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" />
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<o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></o:p></div>
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<o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></o:p></div>
Becky Sweathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15398527964610762256noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-614379541297367527.post-10781316614954294582014-08-17T21:34:00.000-05:002014-08-17T21:34:05.891-05:00Warm Blackberry Crisp<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0VsLzVmI8pP_MCTbEABd-ZiNKUo10rbHTAwwzicq6cC0Lj3_RN69mbEC6HQtryXPInF8YDsDhUqoxdQt0xuWfVzk2FFVNsfb4b7TL8SkNiMeByNEAfUDurjleHk6pTSPAFVfoOIXepfc/s1600/P1120277.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0VsLzVmI8pP_MCTbEABd-ZiNKUo10rbHTAwwzicq6cC0Lj3_RN69mbEC6HQtryXPInF8YDsDhUqoxdQt0xuWfVzk2FFVNsfb4b7TL8SkNiMeByNEAfUDurjleHk6pTSPAFVfoOIXepfc/s1600/P1120277.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">One of my favorite desserts to serve to company is so easy….blackberry
crisp. You can make it ahead of time and refrigerate it until ready to bake. I
will put the crisp in the oven to bake while we’re eating the main meal. When
it’s time to eat dessert, the crisp will be done baking and cooling a bit…but
it’ll still be warm. Top the crisp with vanilla ice cream and you have a
scrumptious dessert! </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Here’s the recipe:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">BLACKBERRY CRISP</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span> </div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">3 cups fresh blackberries</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">4 T. granulated sugar</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">1 T. lemon juice</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">1 cup all-purpose or unbleached white flour</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">1 cup oats (quick or old fashioned)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">½ tsp. cinnamon</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">1/8 tsp. nutmeg</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">¾ cup brown sugar</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">¾ cup butter</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Toss the first three ingredients together and set aside. In another
bowl, combine the rest of the ingredients together (flour, oats, cinnamon, nutmeg,
brown sugar and butter) until crumbly. Lightly butter a 1 ½ quart casserole
dish. Press half of the crumb mixture on the bottom. Cover that with the berry
mixture. Top that with the other half of the crumb mixture. Bake in a 350
degree oven for about 30 to 35 minutes—until fruit is bubbly and topping is
slightly browned. Remove from oven. Let rest at room temperature about 10
minutes before serving. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Enjoy!</span></div>
Becky Sweathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15398527964610762256noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-614379541297367527.post-78237723907848291382014-08-12T00:09:00.000-05:002014-08-12T00:20:17.240-05:0010 Ideas for Hosting a Fun Girls' Night at Home<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiows-T74JQg__JF9oFqIavw4WEwmbOanWp0Y0xtasukkwyON3ic-VChxwZc2MFKo4-u70hTLSNrXg2ANdN11G9ab6x1qdl8P4iSUgDs9YNTrgF-NBHVSvscwxNX7WRYNVzyMYrkuzSsCI/s1600/13466_408717586379_813711379_4186012_4282318_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiows-T74JQg__JF9oFqIavw4WEwmbOanWp0Y0xtasukkwyON3ic-VChxwZc2MFKo4-u70hTLSNrXg2ANdN11G9ab6x1qdl8P4iSUgDs9YNTrgF-NBHVSvscwxNX7WRYNVzyMYrkuzSsCI/s1600/13466_408717586379_813711379_4186012_4282318_n.jpg" height="244" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">No matter how much you love your husband and kids, sometimes you just
need to some female time with your friends. There’s just something
super-therapeutic about hanging out with your gal pals! A lot of times that may
just mean going shopping or out to dinner, happy hour or the movies. But every
now and then you might want to do something different. Why not host your own
girls’ night in your own home?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Over the years I have planned a lot of such events for my female
friends. They’ve always been a lot of fun, and sometimes they’re more relaxing
than fighting the traffic and crowds to go to busy restaurants and shopping
malls. If you divide up costs between your friends, it can actually be a less
expensive way to spend time together.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Here are my ideas for 10 super-fun gals’ nights you can host in your
own home:</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Calibri;">1. Spa Night<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Most every gal loves getting their nails done or a facial at a fancy
spa. But that can get really expensive fast! A lot of my friends have confessed
to me that they just can’t afford going to a spa. As an alternative, why not
host your own spa treatment at home? There are a lot of different spa treatments
you can do at home. Buy a selection of nail polish and pumice boards and give
yourselves pedicures and manicures, or buy some acrylic nail kits and give
yourselves your own acrylic nails.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I have a friend who sells makeup for Mary Kay and she came over once
for a gals’ night and gave everyone makeovers and facials.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Another time I went out to store and bought seven different home facial
single-use packets (each a different scent, in a different <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>color) to use at a gals’ afternoon. We got our
masks on and took pictures together with our colorful faces. Afterwards we had
wine and cheese while soaking<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>in our
outdoor hot tub. It was a fun gals-only afternoon!</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCHvcs4CYIM9621nyf4j0GkRnKcJbEx-iEQlo5-nMkOSX_wrQ5XYAuBMRRzoEiuWW2Uovdk5DO2l7-_ezHIMZ4BpvWNlZVMjeXLgqP_JLaZv3xkNg3qAo69qd0N2FIOHs6yf8jhGc3e8c/s1600/IMG_4073.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCHvcs4CYIM9621nyf4j0GkRnKcJbEx-iEQlo5-nMkOSX_wrQ5XYAuBMRRzoEiuWW2Uovdk5DO2l7-_ezHIMZ4BpvWNlZVMjeXLgqP_JLaZv3xkNg3qAo69qd0N2FIOHs6yf8jhGc3e8c/s1600/IMG_4073.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">There are also hundreds of different recipes online for making
concoctions for home facials., hand wraps and foot soaks. Those are fun too.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">For added enjoyment, if you’ve got a home foot massager, foot soaker or
melted hand waxer, those can be fun to bring out at home spa parties too.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">If you want to do it up right, have some healthy snacks and beverages
at your spa party, and play some relaxing “spa music” in the background.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVnnB5kTWEV9o7yEj0Hq3MrtJJe1AIN3t0Jwxee5TU9gXK0Zwdn7-mHRx9aBbWlRrNX2qWSeUpFKey_dAQE9FFnNoMpxrosPDP7odKVQwfTICcvxikulLuCua1ppRurez3xgURV6Vq-yU/s1600/February+17+(77).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVnnB5kTWEV9o7yEj0Hq3MrtJJe1AIN3t0Jwxee5TU9gXK0Zwdn7-mHRx9aBbWlRrNX2qWSeUpFKey_dAQE9FFnNoMpxrosPDP7odKVQwfTICcvxikulLuCua1ppRurez3xgURV6Vq-yU/s1600/February+17+(77).jpg" height="217" width="320" /></a></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span></b> </div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Calibri;">2</span></b><b><span style="font-family: Calibri;">. Do-Your-Own Pizza Party<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Why not invite your gal friends over for homemade personal pizzas? Buy
some mini Boboli crusts or make your own mini pizza crusts up ahead of time and
have the sauce, cheeses and various toppings on hand and have your guests make
their own personal pizzas. Be sure to have some fancy drinks to go with your
pizza. </span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Calibri;">3. Game/Card Night<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Back in the day, women got together for bridge parties.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The ladies just loved playing cards while
chatting and snacking on delicious foods.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>You may not be in to bridge, but there are a whole lot of other card
games you can play with your gal friends. Set up a few tables, pull out the
cards and choose a card game to play with your friends. My favorites are pinochle,
hearts, spades and canasta. Print up the rules on 8 ½ by 11” sheets of paper
and set them out at each place setting. None of these card games are hard to
learn. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Of course, there are also some
fun group board games like Mexican Train and Balderdash that are enjoyable to
play with a group of close friends. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">You could combine your game night with potluck dinner. Have each guest
bring a dish to pass. When you’re done eating dinner, you can get started on your
game.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOGR4_KapGihtVOQIO3PQ-nJVaU_Gc7tidcZIUN0cPre9_Z0piBc9oJdKW62YZ5AZ8YyY4zwbfXMajeGKYtf3zZQj8wxc0PHgZ8UA0ebn0W2wXIoJ6dAP9DITed_zdu5xWdgTS0cFMqYs/s1600/IMG_2272.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOGR4_KapGihtVOQIO3PQ-nJVaU_Gc7tidcZIUN0cPre9_Z0piBc9oJdKW62YZ5AZ8YyY4zwbfXMajeGKYtf3zZQj8wxc0PHgZ8UA0ebn0W2wXIoJ6dAP9DITed_zdu5xWdgTS0cFMqYs/s1600/IMG_2272.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span></b> </div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Calibri;">4. All-girls murder mystery party<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I’ve hosted two murder mystery parties at my house for the gals and
they have been a blast! You can make it a really big party and spend a lot of
money decorating to the theme and even buying prizes for best actor and best
costume. Your guests stay in character all night and do their own “improv”
acting. Or, you can just sit around the dinner table with your guests and read
the lines for your characters. In that case, the murder mystery event is almost
like playing a board game. Either way, you’re sure to have a very memorable
evening! There are a lot of online companies that sell murder mystery party
kits. The companies below all have murder mystery kits especially designed for
gals’ get-togethers: </span></div>
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<a href="http://www.mymysteryparty.com/allfemale.html"><span style="color: windowtext;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">http://www.mymysteryparty.com/allfemale.html</span></span></a></div>
<br />
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<a href="http://www.shotinthedarkmysteries.com/murder-at-the-spa-mystery-party-game-gateway/"><span style="color: windowtext;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">http://www.shotinthedarkmysteries.com/murder-at-the-spa-mystery-party-game-gateway/</span></span></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.dinnerandamurder.com/games/chocolate.htm"><span style="color: windowtext;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">http://www.dinnerandamurder.com/games/chocolate.htm</span></span></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.whodunnitdinners.com/hen-night-games.html"><span style="color: windowtext;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">http://www.whodunnitdinners.com/hen-night-games.html</span></span></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiMKNsWKjXm8oAbYE-5P1u99pzdfmjCZAvwrXIBDCogxFbQXVVxknzhMVZvdFeojdF3dgegi4cTBHCek0YAFfBQTSl5etllyB7qUFnfCnNKzh8YOTC0iUvy0SxvzFNQvy0Sz2sg0eEFwY/s1600/IMG_4155.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiMKNsWKjXm8oAbYE-5P1u99pzdfmjCZAvwrXIBDCogxFbQXVVxknzhMVZvdFeojdF3dgegi4cTBHCek0YAFfBQTSl5etllyB7qUFnfCnNKzh8YOTC0iUvy0SxvzFNQvy0Sz2sg0eEFwY/s1600/IMG_4155.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Calibri;">5. Book Club Night<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I love to read. I especially love talking with friends about what I’ve
learned in the various books I’m reading. Usually I’m reading nonfiction, or
historical fiction.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A fun idea for a
girls’ night, admittedly in a rather erudite fashion, is to host a book club
night. Now it doesn’t have to be a nonfiction book Having your gal pals over to
talk about the latest novel you’ve all read can be fun. But so can a nonfiction
book. It might be on a parenting topic (if you’re all females) or one on the
sandwich generation if you all have elderly parents you’re concerned about. Or
maybe there’s a topic in the news that you’re all interested in. For instance,
I have a lot of friends who are interested in nutrition, so we all enjoy
talking about the books we’ve read on topics like GMO agriculture and nutritional
remedies for health problems. Choose a book about a month before your book club
night. That’ll give your guests time to each buy a copy and read the book. As
the host, come up with a list of open-ended questions to ask your guests during
the party, to try to get the conversations going. Be sure to have refreshments
on hand. (If your guests are shy, you may need to buy some wine to serve!) </span></div>
<br />
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<b><span style="font-family: Calibri;">6. Movie Night<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Probably one of the more common types of at-home girls’ nights would be
to watch a movie together. But even though it’s a common way for females to
spend time together, it’s still worth mentioning here. Movie nights can be
loads of fun. Survey your friends and see if there’s a newly-released DVD they’re
all waiting to see. I actually have a huge collection of movies to watch with
friends—even movies my mom liked back in the 70s and 80s that are classics.
Your local Family Video may not carry a lot of 80s movies, but I have found a
lot on Amazon.com and at garage sales for fairly cheap. Now when I have friends
over, there’s usually at least a couple movies in my collection (many of them
chick flicks, but not all of them are!) they have never heard of before, but end
up liking. </span><br />
<br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Tell your friends to come in comfy clothes—like sweat pants—and have
some lap blankets to pass out to your friends so you can all relax and be
comfortable. It goes without saying making a huge bowl of popcorn and perhaps
some mixed drinks only adds to the fun!</span></div>
<br />
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<b><span style="font-family: Calibri;">7. Craft Night<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Just about everyone I know has a craft they like to do. One friend is
an expert scrap booker. Another crochets scarves all the time. Another does
flower arranging. I make homemade soap and do beading. Something I’ve done a
lot with my friends is to host craft parties. For instance, I’ll organize soap
making parties. Usually we’ll make three batches of soap at a party. I’ll do
the first batch to demonstrate the process. My friends will just watch. After that batch is done, then my guests take turns helping to make
soap for the second and third batches. Once the soap is done, we divide the
soap up among everyone to take home—and each person chips in some cash to pay
for supplies. I’ve done the same thing
with beading parties, where guests all make bracelets and necklaces to take
home. Other times I’ve invited a friend over who’s the expert and maybe she
teaches everyone present how to make napkin rings out of silk flowers or
whatever. </span><br />
<br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Craft parties are a great way to learn a new skill and be productive,
and still relax and talk with your friends. This is something, though, that can
get expensive. You can either give each of your guests a list of supplies that
they need to buy ahead of time to make their own craft project at your house.
Or, you, as the host, can buy all the supplies and then figure out what each
guest needs to pay for her share.</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span></b> </div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Calibri;">7. White Elephant Gift Exchange<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Most people probably have items at home that are unused and unwanted.
You know…the extra Gevalia coffee pot you got in the mail a couple years ago
that sits unopened in your attic….the bagel-shaped mug you bought while in New
York….the rhinestone watch you impulsively bought at the department store
during the after-Christmas sale, but you got it home and thought it was way too
gaudy?!! Everyone has items like these….that they would like to get rid of. One
way to accomplish this is to host a white elephant party.</span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Ask each of your guests to bring one unused, but interesting—even funny
or unique—item that’s been wrapped up. If your guests don’t have such an item
at home already, they might go shopping for one. If you’ve got a Spencer’s
Gifts in town, they are a great source of humorous white elephant gifts.</span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Usually at these kinds of parties, it’s part of a dinner. I like to
make it a potluck. Use paper plates. Number the bottom of each paper plate. As
your guests arrive, have them set their wrapped guests on a table in your home.
Before you set the gift on the table, attach a number sticker to the gift. Do
not allow your guests to look at the bottom of your plates until after dinner.</span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">After dinner, the gift exchange begins. The person with “1” on the
bottom of her plate goes first. She gets to unwrap the gift with the #1 sticker
on it. The person with #2 on her plate goes next. She can either take the gift
marked #2, or “steal” the #1 gift from that person. If she steals the #1 gift,
she gives #2 gift to that person to unwrap. The person with the #3 plate goes
next, then #4 and so on. On each subsequent turn, that person can either open
the present with that number on it or “steal” another person’s unwrapped gift. Whenever
a person’s gift is stolen, she is given the unwrapped gift as a replacement.
When all the gifts are unwrapped, the game is over. This is a particularly fun
party with large groups—10 or 15 or more people—so there are lots of gifts to
unwrap and exchange.</span></div>
<br />
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<b><span style="font-family: Calibri;">9. Cooking Lessons<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I have a few friends who like to cook like I do. We take turns teaching
our specialties. I taught cannoli, apple strudel, and homemade pasta making.
Another gave lessons for making chili rellenos. Someone else made pirogies.
These are best for small gatherings—somewhere around 4 to 6 people—so that
everyone can have space to see around the kitchen workspace.</span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">This is another event though that can get expensive for the host.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We all know that groceries are not cheap
these days. What I’ve done with these kind of parties is to figure out how much
it’s going to cost for whatever food item we’re going to prepare. Then divide
those costs up per person. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Once the food
item is prepared, you and your guests can eat it together. Or, you may want to
buy “to go” containers to send the food items home with your guests.</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span></b> </div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Calibri;">10. Wine, cheese and chocolate tasting party<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">This is really a simple party.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>As your guests to each bring a bottle of wine and either a cheese and
cracker tray or some pieces of chocolate on a tray. This is really fun with
large groups—somewhere between 10 and 20 people—so you can have a lot of
different wines, cheeses and chocolate to sample.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You may want to ask half of your guests to
bring a chocolates and the other bring cheese and crackers. You may want to
assign specific types of cheese to bring: such as a brie to bake, a cheeseball,
or some sliced cheeses.</span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">As the host, you will need to supply wine glasses (you can go to stores
like World Market and Bed, Bath and Beyond and buy very inexpensive wine
glasses—usually not much more than $1 a glass—or you could buy disposable
plastic wine glasses from your local party store), paper luncheon-sized plates,
and cocktail napkins. A set of wine charms are also nice to set out, so that
guests can keep track of which glass is theirs!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">These are my favorite gals’ get-togethers. I’m sure there are other
ideas too…but hopefully this list will get you started!</span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">~Becky</span></div>
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<o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></o:p></div>
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<o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></o:p></div>
Becky Sweathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15398527964610762256noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-614379541297367527.post-3932532871296255832014-08-07T10:00:00.000-05:002014-08-07T10:01:16.118-05:00Chocolate Caramel Thumbprint Cookies<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_j_jqtA1qlX0kBToG2GtWEJyfAKcTGIIdnDmagutWP2Rn1OJjkq2OyhFIaH47-kV73c6c1sgFf8kBseQ9M8DKv3Z-9Fu227Q2R-U475t3INrwaxtLi-D0lYbHU987sm1X0owxbUT6yT8/s1600/IMG_2317.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_j_jqtA1qlX0kBToG2GtWEJyfAKcTGIIdnDmagutWP2Rn1OJjkq2OyhFIaH47-kV73c6c1sgFf8kBseQ9M8DKv3Z-9Fu227Q2R-U475t3INrwaxtLi-D0lYbHU987sm1X0owxbUT6yT8/s1600/IMG_2317.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I do a lot of cookie baking…not just for my family to gobble up but
also to serve to guests. One of my favorites to make is chocolate caramel
thumbprint cookies. They’re just an extra-special cookie in how they taste and
in how they look. They look spectacular on a tray at a bridal shower or tea
party, or for dessert with ice cream after a dinner party. Not only that, these
cookies are easy to prepare…really! </span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I make them ahead of time and freeze them. Then I pull them out of the
freezer and set them out at room temperature 30-60 minutes before serving. Nobody
would ever know they’d been frozen! To freeze them, put them on a single layer
on a cookie sheet or large pate, uncovered, in the freezer for 1-2 hours until
they are frozen solid. Then place them in a plastic freezer container, layered
with sheets of waxed paper between each layer. They freeze wonderfully…and can
be frozen for 2-3 months. </span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Here’s the recipe:</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">CHOCOLATE CARAMEL THUMBPRINT COOKIES</span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Cookie dough:</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">1 cup unsalted butter, softened</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">1 ¼ cups granulated sugar</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">2 large eggs, separated</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">1 ½ tsp. pure vanilla extract</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">¼ cup whole milk</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">2 cups flour (unbleached or all-purpose)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">2/3 cup cocoa</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">¼ tsp. salt</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">2 ½ to 3 cups finely chopped pecans</span><br />
<br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Caramel sauce:</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">35 caramel candies</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">1/3 cup heavy whipping cream</span><br />
<br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Garnish:</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">White, dark or milk chocolate candy melts or dipping chocolate wafers</span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Cream butter and sugar together. Beat in egg yolks (set aside the whites
to use later), vanilla and milk. Blend in flour, cocoa and salt. Shape into
balls, using about a tablespoon worth of dough to form each ball. Place balls
on a cookie sheet or large platter and refrigerate for about an hour to firm
them up. </span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Beat the two egg whites until frothy. Dip
each chilled dough ball into the beaten egg whites, then roll into the chopped
pecans.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Place them on a parchment
paper-lined cookie sheet. Using your fingertip, melon baller, or the end of a wooden
spoon, make an indentation in each cookie. Bake cookies for 10-12 minutes—until
cookies are set.</span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">While cookies are baking, prepare caramel sauce. Unwrap the caramels
and place them in a small saucepan. Add the heavy whipping cream. Stir over low
heat until caramels are completely melted and the mixture is smooth. This
should only take about 5 minutes. Remove from heat.</span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Take cookies out of oven. Use your melon baller or end of the wooden
spoon to press in the centers of the cookies once again. Place a dab of warm
caramel into each indentation. (I use a small, demitasse spoon to do this and
it works great!). Let the cookies cool to room temperature, and the caramel to
harden. This will probably take about 30-45 minutes. </span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Once the cookies are cooled and the caramel is firmed up, melt the
chocolate dipping discs in the microwave. Any chocolate you would use for
dipping strawberries will work. Most grocery stores carry at least a few kinds,
as well as Michael’s and Hobby Lobby. Heat them for one minute in the microwave,
in a small bowl, then take them out and stir them. You will probably need to
put the chocolate wafers back in the microwave to melt some more—but just for
15 seconds. Keep taking the wafers out of the microwave every 15 seconds and
stirring them until the chocolate wafers are completely melted. Be careful not
to overdo it because chocolate candy discs can easily scorch. The chocolate
discs may appear to still be hard and have their shape while in the microwave.
But once stirred, they may be completely melted. Put the melted chocolate in a
decorator bag and drizzle on top of each cookie.</span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">These cookies taste great just made, as well as after they are frozen!
This recipe makes about 3-4 dozen cookies, depending on how big you make each
dough ball.</span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Enjoy!</span></div>
<br />
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<o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></o:p></div>
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<o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></o:p></div>
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<o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></o:p></div>
Becky Sweathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15398527964610762256noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-614379541297367527.post-80845299521913021452014-08-01T10:46:00.001-05:002014-08-01T10:46:09.525-05:00Hosting a Beading Party
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">The beading aisles at stores like Hobby Lobby and Michael’s have always
been very tempting to me. </span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">There are so many sparkly, colorful, ornate beads on the shelves at
those stores; who can just walk by them?!! I can’t! In fact, I have been
collecting beads for a few years now. In the last several years, I have made a
lot of simple beaded napkin rings, to match particular color schemes for table
settings. This past year, I got into full-fledged jewelry making—primarily necklaces
and bracelets. My sons think I am a beading maniac. I just can’t stop making
jewelry. </span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I really enjoy coming up with different combinations of beads for the
jewelry I make…and making “custom” necklaces for particular outfits I wear…at
really a fraction of the cost of what I’d pay for similar pieces of jewelry in
stores. Basic beading is simple to master.</span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Recently I decided to pass my passion for beading along to friends—primarily
their daughters—in the form of a beading party. I have a good friend (who has
long been into beading) with a 10 year-old daughter. They came over, along with
three of this girl’s friends and their moms. It was such a fun evening! I set
out several trays of probably 100 different kinds of beads out on the center of
our dining room table, along with supplies (clasps, beading string, etc.), and
let the gals go at it. Except for my one friend there who was a very
experienced beader, all of the other moms and their daughters hadn’t ever
beaded before. So my friend and I were there to guide our guests into making
their beaded jewelry. It really worked out well. The girls and moms were
thrilled with the opportunity to make jewelry! We got to be creative,
productive and socialize and talk…all in the same evening!</span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">This beading party was a mother-daughter event. Beading parties could
also be fun to do for a gals’ night out party (you might serve fancy mixed
drinks and appetizers instead of punch and cookies like I did at this party I
just did!), a bridal shower, or birthday party. What follows in this post, are
a few tips for how you can host your own beading party:</span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">1. The number one thing that might come to mind is, “Okay, it sounds
fun, but I’ve never beaded before. How can you host such an event if you have
no experience beading?” Well, you still can. One option would be to hire a
beading instructor. There is large beading supply store in my city, in addition
to Michael’s and Hobby Lobby, that have beading instructors on staff. A lot of
times you can pay someone from a craft store an hourly fee to come out and do a
beading lesson for you and your guests.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">But really, you probably don’t need a beading instructor. You just need
a good instruction manual. The book I recommend is called Stringing Beaded
Jewelry, Karin Van Voorhees. That’s how I learned to bead. A lot of beading
books mostly get into complicated designs. This book tells you actually how to
get started and gives very easy-to-understand, step-by-step instructions for
making necklaces, bracelets and earrings. I highly recommend it. You can get it
on Amazon.com It’s a nice paperback book for $8.99. All you need to do is make
a few pieces of jewelry on your own, and you will be ready to oversee a beading
party if all your making is simple beaded necklaces and bracelets.</span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDUkRghQoABG9quBhJUOoJmnSo1adliJ1YfQQQsbiYLGkPdMK8oh80Oo63b9Sm2H7rYXi0CedSLxT8kqhoiDXMj8_HNLanyzzhnvHA6L_ljGzBilGc8vO_WKIj37ZycFTbjWP0txV7ycI/s1600/P1120159.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDUkRghQoABG9quBhJUOoJmnSo1adliJ1YfQQQsbiYLGkPdMK8oh80Oo63b9Sm2H7rYXi0CedSLxT8kqhoiDXMj8_HNLanyzzhnvHA6L_ljGzBilGc8vO_WKIj37ZycFTbjWP0txV7ycI/s1600/P1120159.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">2. The other thing you might be thinking of is the cost. At this party
I just hosted, I made it a gift to my guests. I already had a lot of supplies
on hand—including a lot of extra beads I hadn’t used. I did go out an buy a few
extra beads (so I could have a variety of bead colors on hand) at Hobby Lobby
(when they were having one of their 50 percent off sales) and my local beading
store. Also, two online mail order sources for beads that sell good quality for
great prices are Bead Buddies and Lima Beads. I have bought quite a few beads
from both of these websites. Honestly, though, I don’t think I spent more than $5
per person at my party—so it wasn’t too big of a total cost. Alternatively, you
could also ask your guests upfront to chip in $5 or $10 each for supplies.
(That amount may be more, if you’re paying for a beading instructor to come in
to help all of you get started, and if you are using semi-precious stone beads
rather than just glass or plastic beads.)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">3. If you wanted, you could plan a specific beading project, with a
particular necklace or bracelet design for your guests to put together. Maybe
you would just ask your guests what color beads they wanted to work with—so you
would all be making the same pattern, but using different color schemes. That
way you could keep costs down and just buy specific supplies and amounts needed
for the project. If your guests were paying for their supplies, you could
figure out an exact dollar amount to charge for supplies per person. That is
one option. The other thing you could do is what I did at this party, and just
make it a free-for-all: have a wide variety of beads out available and let the
guests come up with their own beading patterns and combinations for their
projects. I think that’s more fun, because you get to be a lot more creative
that way. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">4. Invite no more people than your table allows, since you’re going to
want all of your guests to be sitting around the same table. Usually that’s
somewhere between 6 and 10 people. It’s just a lot easier if everyone’s sitting
around the same table, working together. Keep in mind your guests don’t have to
be “crafters” to enjoy a beading party. They just need to like jewelry and
chatting with friends! Most all of my female friends meet those qualifications.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4yflNPSsom5jgBkhO2q2nhov4XHp-FUnj2BXklWQ_9JbyRA4fz8vrF7-DSJpDEQ7lcWV4eiLhbX8FIrGs1GQYZFEJGl7jEvEDsMzgXf5-SL7hiDP6E5kHaWCk-vqOSBHZz0ULSx6Md6M/s1600/P1120153.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4yflNPSsom5jgBkhO2q2nhov4XHp-FUnj2BXklWQ_9JbyRA4fz8vrF7-DSJpDEQ7lcWV4eiLhbX8FIrGs1GQYZFEJGl7jEvEDsMzgXf5-SL7hiDP6E5kHaWCk-vqOSBHZz0ULSx6Md6M/s1600/P1120153.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">5. Set all the beads out on divided trays, or small, individual bowls, in
the center of your table where you’ll be working. If it’s going to be a “free
for all” party, have a wide variety of beads in different colors, sizes and
textures. Choose both stone/crystal/plastic/ glass beads, along with wood and
metal beads. Half the fun is coming up with the different combinations, so it’s
nice to have a large selection of beads to choose from.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Set out a tray of findings too. Findings include the clasps, crimp
tubes and beads, and jump rings. You will also need to set out the beading or
memory wire you’re going to be using, and at least one crimping plier, chain
nose plier and wire cutter. Guests can all share pliers and wire cutters, so
you don’t need one for each person.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Of course even if you’re hosting a “free-for-all” beading party, you’re
still going to have a limit. What I did was limit it to silver finish and
antique silver finish. I did not set out antique gold, gold finish, antique
copper, gunmetal and bronze findings and wires. That way I could just focus on
silver—which most people seem to like. It would be overwhelming and way to
expensive to have all of the findings, wires and spacer beads for each type of
metal. It’s best to just choose one metal finish to work with for the evening. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">At each place setting, set out a beading board, mat or cloth, so that
your guests will have somewhere to arrange their designs. The beading boards
can be expensive,<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>$10 or more each, so
you may not be able to afford to buy one for each of your guests to use. They
are nice though, because they have grooved channels to hold your beads and keep
them from rolling around, and they’re marked with dimensions to help you
determine how big your necklace is going to be. But alternatively, what I used
at this beading party were beading mats. They’re just 12-inch or more squares
of fabric where you can place your beads to prevent them from rolling around.
You can get them at bead or craft stores for usually around $1 each. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTax_QUe3_h2swXF2ErteKvzqg85jNGKLcNZTXjDXJ7CwsUShDY1wDEMmobnXpfM652HZjsxfjAUgWhk5_uCHVxbKlS0QZzcw5ImFOeq2Q21mjRS8EceJV8M8I5opbhaol4_OUUNirM20/s1600/IMG_3141.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTax_QUe3_h2swXF2ErteKvzqg85jNGKLcNZTXjDXJ7CwsUShDY1wDEMmobnXpfM652HZjsxfjAUgWhk5_uCHVxbKlS0QZzcw5ImFOeq2Q21mjRS8EceJV8M8I5opbhaol4_OUUNirM20/s1600/IMG_3141.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">6. Plan about 2-3 hours for your beading party (and probably keep it at
the lower number if your guests are young; kids don’t seem to want to sit
around and chat like “older” women do!). I did my party early on a Saturday
evening, after my guests had eaten. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">7. Don’t forget some refreshments. At the very least, serve up some
type of beverage so your guests can sip while they bead. You may also want to
offer some kind of snack food, such as a tray of cheese and crackers or some
cookies. It should be a non-greasy snack food though. Greasy foods like potato
chips are not good for your fingers when you’re trying to bead.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I’ve included a few photos from my beading party in this post. Really
it was a super fun evening. If you decided to host a beading party of your own,
please post a comment here to let me know how it went!</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Happy beading!</span><br />
<br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">~Becky <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8E7Hlvmen4fU8kfTwjKGSf1eei6rlydk6aRs6sI3WsIMMZhwF2Wh7GkJPQuPKpwr9zJSEpxH0tHveIOHSokZ9DO-PYCM3LgNxbZxtQAXwKGJejo6bJt9PR17xS7NMA5dWs7HE64Nt4Kw/s1600/IMG_3149.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8E7Hlvmen4fU8kfTwjKGSf1eei6rlydk6aRs6sI3WsIMMZhwF2Wh7GkJPQuPKpwr9zJSEpxH0tHveIOHSokZ9DO-PYCM3LgNxbZxtQAXwKGJejo6bJt9PR17xS7NMA5dWs7HE64Nt4Kw/s1600/IMG_3149.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
Becky Sweathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15398527964610762256noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-614379541297367527.post-36392908298886289302014-07-23T22:09:00.000-05:002014-07-23T22:24:04.813-05:00How to Host a Chocolate Fondue Party<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0pt;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwBRgR9v69nkXlFDN4E0K4doZ6F4VNLU12gvK8sfLd7PPtUeYZj8ENKPLxXOaDSp-_G5snO_AsqI4g4450f8e38RRV5rE_STRwpjfUFFYPgBOnQuV4o80oxS2_XHFhv8O-K6cy0216dwo/s1600/P1000808.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwBRgR9v69nkXlFDN4E0K4doZ6F4VNLU12gvK8sfLd7PPtUeYZj8ENKPLxXOaDSp-_G5snO_AsqI4g4450f8e38RRV5rE_STRwpjfUFFYPgBOnQuV4o80oxS2_XHFhv8O-K6cy0216dwo/s1600/P1000808.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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Many years ago, on a trip to Switzerland, my husband and I bought a
couple of chocolate fondue sets. Over the years, we’ve gotten a lot of use out
of these fondue sets. Sometimes we serve chocolate fondue for dessert, after a
meat or cheese fondue dinner, or even after a “meat and potatoes” type of entrée.
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We’ve also had friends over just for a chocolate dessert fondue. This
can be a simple—but fun—way to entertain guests. I’ve also served up chocolate
fondue for bridal and baby shower guests, for children’s parties, and for other
gals’ get-togethers. Even if you’re not into cooking, chocolate fondue is an
easy dessert or party idea to pull off. And once again—I am often thinking of
what to serve to my friends on gluten-free diets—chocolate fondue is a super
treat to serve to them.</div>
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What all is involved? For starters, you need to have something to serve
your chocolate sauce in and keep it warm. What’s best is an earthenware or
ceramic fondue pot. These pots (rather than a copper or other metal fondue set)
are best for chocolate (or cheese fondues) because the heat is more evenly
distributed and the chocolate is less likely to scorch. (Metal fondue pots
should only be used for meat fondues, which heat hot oil for cooking meat.)
Ceramic and earthenware fondue sets are not always easy to find in the United
States; however specialty cooking stores and Amazon.com usually carry at least
a few.</div>
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If you don’t have a chocolate fondue pot, you can improvise by using a
small, quart-sized crock pot and keep it on a how setting so the chocolate
doesn’t burn. Rival’s 16-ounce “Little Dipper” is just big enough to hold the chocolate
sauce recipes below. Turn the crock pot on low, and heat the chocolate fondue
for 30 minutes to an hour—just until the mixture is warm. Usually, I’ll make up
the chocolate fondue ahead of time, keep it in the fridge, and when we sit down
to eat the main meal, I’ll start the chocolate fondue heating in the crock pot.</div>
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Here are the recipes for my three favorite chocolate fondue sauces. (If
you’re going to be serving up the fondue
to kids, the first recipe is obviously your best bet since this sauce
doesn’t contain alcohol.)</div>
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SIMPLE CHOCOLATE FUDGE FONDUE SAUCE</div>
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1 12-ounce package chocolate chips (semi sweet or milk chocolate)</div>
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4 T. butter</div>
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2 cans sweetened condensed milk</div>
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2 tsp. vanilla extract</div>
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FONDUE WITH LIQUEUR</div>
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16 oz. milk, bittersweet or dark chocolate, grated</div>
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1 cup heavy whipping cream</div>
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¼ cup kirsch, Irish cream liqueur, Kahlua, Amaretto, Frangelico, crème de
cacao, or Grand Marnier</div>
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MOCHA FONDUE</div>
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16 oz. milk chocolate, grated</div>
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2 T. instant coffee or espresso powder</div>
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1 ½ cups heavy whipping cream</div>
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2 T. Kahlua or Tia Maria liqueur, optional</div>
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For all three recipes, the instructions are basically the same. In a
small sauce pan or microwave, melt together the chocolate chips or grated
chocolate, and butter, condensed milk or cream. Remove from heat, and stir in
the vanilla extract or liqueur. Pour into ceramic fondue pot or crock pot. Serve the chocolate fondue with a variety of
dippers.</div>
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FAVORITE DIPPERS:</div>
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*Whole, fresh strawberries</div>
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*Banana slices</div>
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*Fresh peach slices</div>
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*Fresh apple slices</div>
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*Fresh raspberries</div>
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*Kiwi slices</div>
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*Honeydew melon cubes</div>
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*Pear wedges</div>
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*Fresh, pitted dark sweet/Bing cherries</div>
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*Whole, fresh figs</div>
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*Mango pieces</div>
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*Dried apricots</div>
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*Canned mandarin orange segments</div>
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*Chunks of fresh or canned pineapple</div>
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*Large marshmallows</div>
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*Angel food cake cubes</div>
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*Pound cake cubes</div>
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*Frozen cheesecake cubes</div>
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*Macaroons</div>
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*Brownie cubes (bite-sized pieces; chocolate or butterscotch brownies)</div>
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*Vanilla wafers</div>
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*Sponge cake cubes</div>
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*Lady finger cubes</div>
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*Graham wafers</div>
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*Pretzels</div>
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Certainly you don’t have to have all of the above dippers on hand with
your chocolate fondue, but ideally you should offer at least 7 to 10 types of
dippers for your guests to choose from. Arrange the dippers on a large platter
and pass that around the table for your guests to choose what they want. Alternatively,
you may want to provide two different trays of dippers, and place one at each
end of the table. </div>
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Put the chocolate fondue pot in the center of the table, in easy reach
of all of your guests. Each guest should have a dessert plate, fondue fork and
napkins as well, along with water glasses. (After eating a lot of chocolate,
cold water is usually much appreciated!) Adult guests may also like to sip on champagne
or a dessert wine while doing their dipping. </div>
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If you want to go one step further and make it an even more decadent
experience for your guests, you may want to provide a selection of sprinkles
for your guests to sprinkle on their chocolate-dipped treat after being coated
in chocolate. Shredded coconut, candy sprinkles, mini M&Ms and chopped nuts
are some ideas for sprinkles. You can put the sprinkles in shaker containers or
small bowls with spoons. Guests can either take a small spoonful or shake some
of the sprinkles onto their dessert plates. Then once they’ve dipped a piece of
fruit, cake cube, etc., in the chocolate sauce, they can then roll it into the
sprinkles on their plate. This can be a fun way to make chocolate fondue even
better!</div>
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It’s worth noting too that the most scrumptious chocolate fondues use
good quality chocolate. This is no time to try to save money with low-quality
or generic chocolate chips or chocolate chunks. If you want a smoother, more
complex flavor, go with a European bittersweet brand, such as Lindt, Toblerone
or Callebaut. Of course, Ghiradelli, Nestle’s and Hershey’s also make good
chocolate. It just depends on what taste you’re going for (kids often prefer
the more standard milk chocolate rather than a more complex, bittersweet
chocolate). Whatever combination of chocolate and dippers you use, it’s sure to
be a tasty treat for you and your guests!</div>
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Becky Sweathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15398527964610762256noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-614379541297367527.post-72592059358556909702014-07-18T17:52:00.001-05:002014-07-18T17:52:47.327-05:00Gluten Free Desserts<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC_QUhIUPDJG3h7ECkcJTSiAzAQO0WOUis1Gje5LhqvarFOaUGfboka0Eu6XT51dUMzRUSACqX9_nlEJdEarZgxjRsRDyDh6E6VARfhDhaurV5Td1PZsEv_3B5fN7z8tg7K_6n_rWQgXI/s1600/spring+2009+303.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC_QUhIUPDJG3h7ECkcJTSiAzAQO0WOUis1Gje5LhqvarFOaUGfboka0Eu6XT51dUMzRUSACqX9_nlEJdEarZgxjRsRDyDh6E6VARfhDhaurV5Td1PZsEv_3B5fN7z8tg7K_6n_rWQgXI/s1600/spring+2009+303.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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GLUTEN-FREE DESSERTS</div>
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I have a lot of friends who are on gluten-free diets. Even though I eat
gluten myself (I don’t have celiac disease, or any of the symptoms of gluten
intolerance, thankfully!), I do think, as hosts, it’s important we serve foods
to our guests that are what they like and desire. So…I have come up with a few
favorite gluten-free desserts that I often serve to my guests who are on a g/f
diet. Here are my favorites:</div>
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INDIVIDUAL CARAMEL FLANS</div>
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1 1/3 cups granulated sugar, divided</div>
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6 large eggs</div>
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3 cups whole milk</div>
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2 tsp. vanilla</div>
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Measure out 2/3 cups of the sugar and place in a heavy skillet. Turn
the heat to medium high. Let cook until the sugar is caramelized. Stir or
wiggle the pan occasionally to ensure the sugar is being heated evenly. Once
the sugar starts caramelizing, turn heat to low. Keep stirring occasionally
until all the sugar is melted and golden. This will take about 5 minutes.
Divide this mixture into 8 individual ramekins or custard cups. Set aside until
ready to fill.</div>
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In a medium bowl, beat eggs, milk, the remaining 2/3 cup sugar and
vanilla together just until well blended. Pour into custard cups. </div>
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Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Flan cooks best in a water bath. To do
this, p-lace paper towels on the bottom of a large roaster or baking pan (this
will prevent the ramekins from slipping). Put enough hot water in pan to reach
a depth of ½ inch. Carefully place
ramekins in water bath. Bake in preheated oven for 30 to 45 minutes, just until
custards are set (they should jiggle slightly in the center when shaken). Remove
from oven. Carefully remove flans from water bath and cool on wire rack for
about an hour. Cover each flan with plastic wrap and chill in refrigerator for
several hours or overnight.</div>
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When ready to serve, run a knife around the inside of the ramekins to unmold.
Place a serving plate on top of each ramekin and then flip cup and plate. Serve
immediately.</div>
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DO-AHEAD CHOCOLATE MOUSSE IN CHOCOLATE CUPS</div>
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8 ounce package cream cheese, softened<br />
1 1/3 cups superfine granulated sugar (or “Baker’s Sugar”)<br />
2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa<br />
1/3 cup milk<br />
2 tsp. vanilla<br />
3 cups heavy whipping cream<br />
<br />
Combine cream cheese and sugar in medium mixing bowl. Stir in cocoa, milk and
vanilla and beat until smooth. Whip cream until stiff peaks form; fold in.
Spoon into a decorator bag with a star tip and pipe into chocolate dessert
cups. You can buy these in specialty grocery stores, or make your own. Put them
in the refrigerator until ready to serve, or freeze them until serving time.
They can be frozen up until 3 months. (If you freeze them, pull them out of the
freezer a half hour before serving and set them out at room temperature. They
will be the perfect consistency for eating!). If desired, garnish with a
chocolate covered espresso bean or chocolate leaf. (You can do this before
freezing if you like, or garnish once the mousse is thawed from the
refrigerator. Garnishing chocolate mousse cups with fresh raspberries or
strawberries is also nice.) . </div>
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Making your own chocolate shells:</div>
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I have a huge selection of chocolate dessert cup molds, which I have
collected over the years. You can sometimes find these molds at craft shops. If
you can’t find them there, I suggest going online and getting them from
Amazon.com. Amazon.com carries a large
variety of chocolate cups and candy molds. My favorite are made by CK Products.
Wilton also makes some. These are plastic sheet with 4 or 6 individual dessert
mold cavities on it: an oval, triangle, diamond and circle. You can also find molds
for individually-sized round fluted and cordial cups. They’re smaller, but
great for filling bite-sized portions of mousse.</div>
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To make the chocolate molds, you will need to coat them with chocolate.
I usually use either Wilton “Candy Melts” candy coating wafers, or one of the
brands of chocolate disks available at craft stores such as Hobby Lobby. You
can also find a huge selection of melting chocolate for dipping strawberries,
at supermarkets. These work fine too. You can choose from white, dark or milk
chocolate candy melts. I like all three, and usually I’ll make all three types
of chocolate cups—just to have the variety. Melt the chocolate disks in the
microwave in a small glass or plastic bowl, for one minute. Stir, then melt for
15 to 30 second intervals until the chocolate is just melted (you don’t want it
to burn!).</div>
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Use a small paint brush, and “paint” a layer of chocolate on the inside
of each mold. After the mold cavities are all painted, lightly tap the mold to
get out any air bubbles. Then put the mold in the freezer for a 2-3 minutes.
When the chocolate is hard, take out the mold and pop out each chocolate cup.
Now you are ready to fill them.</div>
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Alternatively, I have also made a large chocolate “box” out of the same
dipping chocolate and filled it with the entire batch of the chocolate mousse
recipe above. I kept it in the freezer overnight to harden a bit. Then the next
morning, I took it out of the freezer, put glazed strawberries in the center
(the berries were dipped in commercial—Maries’s--strawberry pie glaze) and then
piped whipped cream around the edges. Then I kept it in the refrigerator until
serving time—which was that evening. The picture of this dessert is below:</div>
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VANILLA BEAN CHEESECAKE WITH COCONUT ALMOND CRUST</div>
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Crust:</div>
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2 cups sweetened shredded coconut<br />
4 T. chopped raw almonds<br />
4 T granulated sugar<br />
4 T unsalted butter, melted</div>
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Toast the almonds and coconut for about 5-7 minutes in 350 degree oven until
lightly golden brown and fragrant. Chop the almonds in a food processor fairly
finely. Put almonds and coconut in a bowl. Add sugar and melted butter. Stir to
combine. Press the mixture into the bottom and partially up the sides of a
10-inch the cheesecake pan. Refrigerate until time to fill. </div>
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Filling:</div>
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4 (8 oz.) pkgs. cream cheese</div>
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1 ¼ cups granulated sugar</div>
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2 (4 inch) vanilla beans, split lengthwise and seeds scraped out</div>
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4 large eggs, room temperature</div>
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1 T. pure vanilla extract</div>
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¼ tsp. pure almond extract</div>
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2 cups sour cream</div>
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½ cup heavy whipping cream</div>
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Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Beat cream cheese and sugar together until
smooth. Add vanilla beans, vanilla and almond extracts and eggs, and beat until
well-blended. Stir in sour cream and heavy cream and mix in just until
blended. Spoon into prepared crust. Bake
60-70 minutes, or until filling is lightly golden and “poofed” in the center.
Turn off oven. Let cool in the oven, with oven door open. Then remove from oven
and let cool at room temperature another hour. Refrigerate several hours or
overnight. Garnish with fresh strawberries or berries or canned pie filling.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiV-Cw25nsyoVDCb_k51rsjDuVulPBsjY_rQuucsO4nuLVCHPAPC4c8k2agggKERNZnvItBe0B5meYGg5EdfWcc3-TGawFGvzIJ9YrZs5ubAKlAAB2jIZf8d8yw75kZT0kaHb1ZDssZTa4/s1600/IMG_0710.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiV-Cw25nsyoVDCb_k51rsjDuVulPBsjY_rQuucsO4nuLVCHPAPC4c8k2agggKERNZnvItBe0B5meYGg5EdfWcc3-TGawFGvzIJ9YrZs5ubAKlAAB2jIZf8d8yw75kZT0kaHb1ZDssZTa4/s1600/IMG_0710.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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CHOCOLATE-DIPPED STRAWBERRIES</div>
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These are easy to make. You can use the same melting chocolate for
dipped strawberries, that you use for make chocolate dessert shells for mousse
cups. Hershey’s and Ghirardelli both make candy melts that are really good
quality, aren’t expensive, and don’t have to be tempered before using. You can
probably find them at just about any grocery store.</div>
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Finding good strawberries can be a challenge, even in the summer when
the berries are in season. Try to find vine-ripened, plump and large stawberries
with no bruises or mold. Long-stemmed berries are the best (although you can
pay a premium for the long stems), and fresh, green caps. You may have to go to
several stores to find good quality berries. A lot of supermarkets may only have
half-ripened berries, or berries that have been ripened after picking—and they
just don’t have the taste they should. </div>
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Wash the berries in cool water and lightly pat them with waxed paper to
remove water. Let them set out on paper towels about an hour at room
temperature. This will prevent condensation from forming later on when you coat
the berries with melted chocolate.</div>
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Line a large cookie sheet or baking pan with waxed paper, freezer paper
or parchment paper. This is what you will set your berries on once they’ve been
dipped in chocolate.</div>
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Melt the chocolate in a double-boiler or in the microwave. If you melt
your chocolate over the stove, it’s important to do it in a double-boiler and
over a low heat. If the chocolate gets too hot or overheats, it will “seize”
meaning it will become grainy and stiff—and unusable. If you melt your
chocolate in the microwave, do it at one minute intervals on a medium –low setting.
After each minute, take the chocolate out of the microwave and stir it. Keep
doing this until the mixture is completely melted—but not overheated! The chips
may appear like they’re still hard and fully shaped, but once you take them out
of the microwave and stir them, they are a nice, smooth mixture—and perfect for
dipping!</div>
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<br /></div>
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Dip the strawberries one at a time. Hold them by their stem, and
carefully dip them on the chocolate. You may want to make “confetti”
strawberries, where you dip them in a variety of toppings: shredded choconut,
chopped nuts, candy sprinkles, etc. Or, you could dip them in dark or milk
chocolate, and once that’s hardened, drizzle white chocolate (I like to pipe it
in a decorator bag) on top—or vice versa.</div>
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<br /></div>
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Let the dipped berries rest at room temperature for 30 to 45 minutes.
Then store in the refrigerator until serving time. These are best eaten within
24 hours.</div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Enjoy these delicious gluten-free desserts!</div>
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<br /></div>
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``Becky</div>
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Becky Sweathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15398527964610762256noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-614379541297367527.post-41880419693856061952014-07-17T19:05:00.003-05:002014-07-17T20:16:20.186-05:00How to Host a Pinochle Party<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWnHZqqwWgQqvARInmG0_xQD6Z08lnCWiMe1bA2ipLjQMBzrlQojW-D9MlxDZYhRp5-BnaLWPmMBaNVAY9t9IBeiAvk-Iathq2V3DNnRIgZyXsSx8xl6g2yzJLz_6qpXLHV1IJPonR0ak/s1600/P1100121.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWnHZqqwWgQqvARInmG0_xQD6Z08lnCWiMe1bA2ipLjQMBzrlQojW-D9MlxDZYhRp5-BnaLWPmMBaNVAY9t9IBeiAvk-Iathq2V3DNnRIgZyXsSx8xl6g2yzJLz_6qpXLHV1IJPonR0ak/s1600/P1100121.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;">For
many years now, one of my favorite ways to entertain has been through card
parties….in particular, playing the bidding and trick-taking game, PINOCHLE. My
husband and I will host one of our pinochle tournaments on a Saturday night,
about once every 4 to 6 weeks. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;">We
started out playing pinochle about 20 years ago, with two other couples. Over
the years, we’ve gradually introduced the game to others and brought in about
15 other couples to the group. It’s a fun way to unwind and relax with
friends. It can be a no-stress way to entertain. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;">Usually
we’ll start the pinochle party around dinner time. Often we’ll just have “hearty
snacks,” and all the munchies we’re eating while we’re playing cards serves as
our dinner. I’ll make a few snacks ourselves (nachos, hot wings, spicy
meatballs, cookies, veggies and dip, cheese and crackers, etc.), but usually
our guests will each bring a snack-to-pass too. We’ll set the snacks out on the
buffet table, along with some dinner-sized paper plates, and then everyone can
have their munchies next to them while they play the game. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;">Want
to try your “hand” (no pun intended!) at hosting a pinochle party? Here are my
suggestions:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;">1. We
play two-handed pinochle, meaning we play with two teams of two people each. So
this means your guest list will need to be in multiples of four. Once you know
who’s coming, write everyone’s name down on a piece of paper and put them in a
hat (or basket or bowl or whatever). Usually we play as couples, so we’ll just
write down surnames and put them in the hat. After everyone has arrived, draw
the names from the hat to see what couples play each other.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;">2.
We usually invite at least 3 other couples to our pinochle nights, so that we
can have the game going at two different tables. However, we have had as many
as 12 couples over for a pinochle party, meaning we have six pinochle tables
set up. If you’re going to do this often like we do, it’s nice to have a
folding card table or two you can use, plus some extra folding chairs.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;">3. If
you start playing this a lot, you will probably have your “regulars” who come
over every time or fairly regularly. But of course, I’m really into hospitality
and getting to know new people, and helping others get to know new people too.
So I like to invite a new couple every now and then as well. By “new couple” I
mean people who have never played the game before. I always try to reassure
them that mostly we’re just having fun, and that pinochle, with us anyway, isn’t
a super competitive game. It’s also very easy to learn. Usually I’ll put the
new couple at a table with people who are very experienced at the game, who can
do a practice round and help them out a bit. Of course, sometimes we’re
surprised because newbies often beat the pants off the rest of us!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;">4.
Have a sheet of paper or notepad and a pen at each table, along with a deck of
pinochle cards and the instructions which are printed below (even experienced
pinochle players sometimes forget what type of meld is worth what!). If you’ve
got a “newby” at your table, he or she will probably find the instructions very
helpful!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;">5.
Usually we’ll play one game at first. That’s when one of the teams at your
table gets to 150 points. Once every table is finished with one game, then we’ll
rotate. The winners will usually play the winners. So if we have two tables,
the winners of each game will play each other, and then the losers will play
each other. Often times, there’s so much talking going on during the evening
that we only play two games. Sometimes we’ll end up playing more if everyone’s
focused. If there’s time for a third round, we’ll rotate teams again. Winners
play winners, or at least, new teams play each other. The team with the most
wins for the evening walks away with the pinochle trophies that we have had
made up. These rotate among the couples in our pinochle group.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;">6. I
have typed up our instructions for pinochle. Everybody probably plays this game
a little differently. What I have, below, is how we play: <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6iYJQLy0xHNBIk3F6H8lbroBW2rhKjfdYDh_SFpUHkcp8vGD_oWLmrXBOcrUVv0xRc9ZxWMoyIy6n3NmMAxP04piyx-29NawvlO9c3h5OiSl9uK-LP3_GgE1UsojFqbjMSsfpkhxYzSI/s1600/IMG_2271.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6iYJQLy0xHNBIk3F6H8lbroBW2rhKjfdYDh_SFpUHkcp8vGD_oWLmrXBOcrUVv0xRc9ZxWMoyIy6n3NmMAxP04piyx-29NawvlO9c3h5OiSl9uK-LP3_GgE1UsojFqbjMSsfpkhxYzSI/s1600/IMG_2271.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;"><br /></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0pt; text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;">Pinochle Rules<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;">Two
teams of two.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;">Use
a 48-card deck (89 each of Ace, 10, King, Queen, Jack and 9)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;">In
trick-taking phases of the game, the cases, tens and Kings are worth points.
Queens, Jacks and 9s are not worth points (although they can take tricks). <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;">For
each round, deal out all of the cards, so that each player has 12 cards in
his/her hand. Once the cards have been dealt, the players pick up, sort, and
examine their hands. Then comes the bidding.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;">THE
BIDDING:<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;">The
winner of the bid gets the right to name the trump suit and the right to
receive cards from his/her partner, and the right to lead the first trick.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;">Minimum
opening bid is 15. The dealer’s left has the first opportunity to bid. When the
bid reaches you, you have two options: Bid at least a 1-point higher bid than
the last bid, or say “Pass,” thereby removing yourself from the bidding for
this round. When only one person has not said “pass” that person has won the
bid.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0pt;">
<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;">PASSING
CARDS:<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;">When
the winning bidder has named trump, the bidder’s partner selects three cards to
pass to him or her (obviously face down so that the opponents can’t see the
cards!). The bidder picks up these three cards and sorts them into his/her hand
and then chooses three cards to send back to his/her partner as replacement
cards. Only the bid-winning two-person team gets to exchange cards.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0pt;">
<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;">LAYING
DOWN MELDS<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;">After
the winning bidder and his/her partner has exchanged cards, all four players
lay down their melds. This is the 1<sup>st</sup> phase of accumulating points
for the round.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;">Points
are accumulated for the following types of melds:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;">Marriage
(King and Queen) in trump suit = 4 points<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;">Marriage
in any other suit = 2 points<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;">Run
(A, 10, K, Q, J in trump suit) = 15 points (A “9” in trump suit can be added to
the run for an extra point)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;">4
Aces (one in each suit) = 10 points<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;">4
Kings (one in each suit) = 8 points<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;">4
Queens (one in each suit) = 6 points<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;">4
Jacks (one in each suit) = 4 points<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;">Pinochle
(Queen of Spades and Jack of Diamonds) = 4 points<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;">Double
Pinochle ( 2 Queens of Spades and 2 Jacks of Diamonds) = 30 points<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;">You
can “double duty” individual cards with your melds, as long as they are
different types of melds. For instance, if you lay down 4 Queens, each of a
different suit, for 6 points, you could place a King of Diamonds next to the
Queen of Diamonds and have a marriage as well. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;">When
laying down melds, partners can not add to what each other has put down. For
instance, if one player lays down a Pinochle and his/her partner also has a
pinochle in his/her hand, he/she cannot add that pinochle to his/her partner’s
pinochle and claim a double pinochle. All four players each put down their own
melds. Once points have been added up and recorded for melds, players pick up
their melds and put the cards back in their hands, so that they can start the
trick-taking part of the round.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0pt;">
<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;">TAKING
TRICKS:<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;">After
players have their cards back in their hands, the winner of the bid leads the
first trick. Proceeding to the left, each player plays a card on the trick.
When all four cards have been played for that trick, the highest-ranking card
of the trump—or, if there is no trump in the trick (which there probably isn’t
going to be during the first few tricks), the highest-ranking card of the suit
that led, wins the trick. If there is a tie for the highest-ranking card, the
trick is won by whichever of the equal cards was played first. The player who
played the winning card leads the next trick.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;">There
are some rules which must be followed when laying down cards during tricks:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;">**The
first, or lead card, may be anything in the leader’s hand. Trump cannot be the
lead card, unless trump has been “broken,” meaning in a previous trick, someone
put down a trump card to take the trick. The only exception is if the leader
has nothing but trump in his/her hand, he or she can still lead with a trump
card, even if trump has not yet been broken.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;">**If
you have a hard of the same suit as the lead card, you must play it. If you
cannot follow suit, you can play any other suit card. This means you could lay
down a trump card if you have it, because then you would take the trick—unless
a player after you lays down a higher trump card.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;">**The
first of two identical cards beats the second.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;">**Each
team should designate one partner to “pull” the tricks or gather them from the
center of the table over to the pile for their team.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy3NpSnxhbDzb_X9useiGfElRzGB7f0m7WzCs5BOE5gL-D92XaZhCYKawmSYCh8ETsyYUWfEG_UjF4OKhcAaa2FCL3WdUH39Jnvpy69iYPWN251TxBCGnlSJ3EoRyPRdW2NGfesIYnrTM/s1600/IMG_2273.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy3NpSnxhbDzb_X9useiGfElRzGB7f0m7WzCs5BOE5gL-D92XaZhCYKawmSYCh8ETsyYUWfEG_UjF4OKhcAaa2FCL3WdUH39Jnvpy69iYPWN251TxBCGnlSJ3EoRyPRdW2NGfesIYnrTM/s1600/IMG_2273.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0pt;">
<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;">COUNTING
POINTS:<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;">Once
all 12 tricks have been played, both teams collect their stacks of pulled cards
and count up their points collected during that round. Aces, tens and Kings are
each worth 1 point. The other cards are not worth anything. The team that won
the last trick gets an additional 1 point. There are a total of 25 points available
during the trick-taking portion of each round.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;">If
the declaring team “makes the bid” (meaning they collected enough points
through melding and trick-taking combined to meet or exceed the amount of their
bid), all the earned points are added to the team’s previous score. If they do
not make their bid, they do not score any points from their melds or tricks
they took, and their previous score is reduced by the amount bid.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;">If
the non-declaring team (the team that didn’t win the bid) fails to take any
tricks, they do not get the points from any melds they laid down at the start
of the round.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;">150
points = GAME<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0pt;">
<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;">Have
fun!!!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;">~Becky<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Becky Sweathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15398527964610762256noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-614379541297367527.post-4114216220989757152014-07-16T21:58:00.001-05:002014-07-16T22:29:41.299-05:00How to Make a Floating Candle Centerpiece<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyu1sLpG0AECTfc7gxeBiWPcYpV4Xp48fkQNCNDoTTSn8N5DDJciQByjMUJpasl6cwC2kfB5caCGKGurYy4ha_nzxm8gSyaBDrieO7AQB87LpbPs0XZXKhHGfqtEAgf0AvH3-jKkRHWMY/s1600/IMG_2891.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyu1sLpG0AECTfc7gxeBiWPcYpV4Xp48fkQNCNDoTTSn8N5DDJciQByjMUJpasl6cwC2kfB5caCGKGurYy4ha_nzxm8gSyaBDrieO7AQB87LpbPs0XZXKhHGfqtEAgf0AvH3-jKkRHWMY/s1600/IMG_2891.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;">One
of my favorite ways to “dress up” a table for a sit-down dinner is with a
floating candle centerpiece. There’s just something very elegant about candles
floating inside bowls of water. It really creates a special ambiance! Not only
that, floating candle centerpieces can actually be a lot less expensive than a
more traditional fresh flower table centerpiece—that is, if you make the
floating candle centerpiece yourself. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;">In
this post, I’m going to share some of my ideas on this topic. I’m inserting a
few photos of some of the floating candle centerpieces I’ve done in recent
years—just to help you envision the kinds of centerpieces you can make with
floating candles. But there’s no end to what you can do! This is something you
can get really creative with. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;">These
kinds of centerpieces can be very simple productions, using just 3 or 4 items,
or be quite elaborate and require lots of different elements. Either way,
they’re simple to put together. What I like about them is you can assemble them
days in advance of your dinner party—unlike fresh flowers, which are usually
arranged relatively last minute while they’re looking their best. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;">The
basic supplies you will need are: the floating candle(s); a glass bowl or vase
(with a large enough open area for your candle—or candles—to float on); colored
glass stones, crystals, shells or marbles to put inside the bottom of the vase
(and possibly to set around the vase as well); a mirrored tile to set your bowl
or vase on; and possibly ribbons, fabric tassels, crystal bands or organza wrap
to put around the vase, or silk flowers, gold or silver foil or silk rose
petals for setting around the base of the glass bowl. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;">You
could also use real rose petals from freshly-cut roses for your centerpiece.
Just place a small handful of rose petals inside the glass vase, and then fill
with water. Dampen a few other rose petals and place them on the sides of the
bowl. If the petals are damp enough and if the sides of the vase are flat, the
petals should adhere pretty easily. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;">Once
you start shopping around for your supplies, you will notice a wide variety in
floating candles, vases and bowls. The glassware you might use runs the gamut
from round fish-bowl shaped glass containers and large martini glasses and wine
goblets, to vases shaped like cylinders, hourglasses, large parfait glasses and
sundae bowls.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;">In
addition to the basic tea light and half-dome shaped floating candles, you can
find floating candles that are shaped like roses, rosebuds, dahlias, hibiscus,
daisies, sunflowers, orchids, spheres, seashells, leaves, hearts and stars. Be
sure that your floating candles fit within the openings of the vases you’re
planning on using. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;">Obviously,
what you go with will depend on whether you’re planning a very formal or casual
table setting, and the colors of your plates and table linens. I’ve found some
very deep teal floating rose candles, which I’ve used along with gold ribbon
and beads to make very distinctive centerpieces with my teal and gold bone
china. But for Thanksgiving, I’ve done more casual settings and ceramic plates
in fall colors. A glass bowl with orange, red and yellow leaf-shaped floating
candles, framed by a wreath of silk fall leaves, was ideal for a centerpiece.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixN2myzC_A5qQvmLX40_5yxh7M5Ad4TAryatA7GU3YtpT9pip-KFhPzFB_3VN8HfeKw2tR-utfr4TXtigfNfjNTWeSCXmEQkK9FexRPILH_aK5aOxli5sOoHN6od8vv7Gx37VdrxZxqpY/s1600/P1040301.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixN2myzC_A5qQvmLX40_5yxh7M5Ad4TAryatA7GU3YtpT9pip-KFhPzFB_3VN8HfeKw2tR-utfr4TXtigfNfjNTWeSCXmEQkK9FexRPILH_aK5aOxli5sOoHN6od8vv7Gx37VdrxZxqpY/s1600/P1040301.jpg" height="286" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;">How
many centerpieces do you need? You could have one large centerpiece in the
center of your dinner table that seats 6-10. Or, like I’ve done in this photo
below, you could make several smaller—but identical—centerpieces to place
between every couple settings of a very long table. (This photo was taken when
we had 28 adults eating upstairs on folding tables in our cleared-out game
room. The tables were a bit crowded for a formal dinner, but it worked out
okay!)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;">All
of the floating candle centerpieces I’ve
made have been using one glass container. It doesn’t have to be with just one
though. I’ve seen some spectacular centerpieces using several different cylindrical
glass vases of varying heights and mouth widths.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;">Assembling
the centerpiece is a matter of just a few steps. First, make sure your glassware
is clean. If you are going to tie ribbons, wrap organza or do any other décor
to the outside of the glass container, do it before you fill the vase. Then place
your marbles, beads, shells or stones in the bottom of your glassware. Fill the
bowl/vase with water, to about 1 to ¾ inch from the top. Set the vase on the
mirrored tile. Scatter any rose petals or other items around the base of the
vase. You can do all this way in advance of your dinner party (I’ve done all
this 24-36 hours before a party). Right before your guests arrive, carefully
place the floating candles on top of the water and light the candles. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnlqXlXb2vL1xXBEyuBxWAsQG3pSFglZkW1p4NnOrT4ShA_98x8OsLzTBHnDlUm6PEI9vaAqLIPJamC4xa1kUmWAL0XzB-3JgZAcjrujBzYDVh4Pyli_r5bXby0HHQHZP2nmWIe_S44oM/s1600/IMG_4435.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnlqXlXb2vL1xXBEyuBxWAsQG3pSFglZkW1p4NnOrT4ShA_98x8OsLzTBHnDlUm6PEI9vaAqLIPJamC4xa1kUmWAL0XzB-3JgZAcjrujBzYDVh4Pyli_r5bXby0HHQHZP2nmWIe_S44oM/s1600/IMG_4435.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;">If
you don’t want to do it all yourself, you can buy floating candle centerpiece
kits online through a number of different Internet retailers. My favorite is
Surroundings (</span><a href="http://www.surroundings.com/"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;">www.surroundings.com</span></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;">). Their kits
include everything needed for making one centerpiece in a particular design. You
can also get some great ideas for making your own designs by checking out
Surroundings’ website.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;">Surroundings
also sells all of the supplies you could possibly need for making floating
candle centerpieces. They carry some unique items like acrylic bubbles, wire
orbs and small disco balls for decorating the vases and bowls, and a lot of
specially-shaped floating candles in hard-to-find colors. Surroundings can be a
bit pricey though for some items. I’ve also found a lot of supplies locally at
Michael’s, Hobby Lobby and other craft stores, as well as discount stores like
Tuesday Morning, Target and WalMart. Local retailers like these often sell the basic
supplies you need to make a floating candle centerpiece, for relatively low
cost (although they don’t usually have the same selection as a specialty online
retailer like Surroundings). <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;">Well,
that’s the basics! I hope I’ve given you some ideas for creating your own
floating candle centerpiece for your next dinner party. It’s sure to add some
“specialness” to your table!<o:p></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;"><br /></span></div>
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Becky Sweathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15398527964610762256noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-614379541297367527.post-33801516488587359292014-07-15T20:29:00.000-05:002014-07-16T23:31:21.792-05:00How to Make M&M Cookies<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbR9imMPoDWO4eC0yR5uV199aGy_0hkIJOZvhtBn_6cd8CCIHykV_2iZ2wv1UAGNqHWkaCGHRebUpL92dPqjEy-ZN7rvPifxEQqkDJQZVntMxKgBB9kuHj6wNYTChYyfI5I_qxHpYrGuU/s320/IMG_3807.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbR9imMPoDWO4eC0yR5uV199aGy_0hkIJOZvhtBn_6cd8CCIHykV_2iZ2wv1UAGNqHWkaCGHRebUpL92dPqjEy-ZN7rvPifxEQqkDJQZVntMxKgBB9kuHj6wNYTChYyfI5I_qxHpYrGuU/s320/IMG_3807.jpg" /></a></div>
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I always have cookie dough balls in the freezer—to serve as dessert for
a last-minute BBQ, or just to have on hand for “emergency purposes” if someone
in my family needs a little pick-me-up. There is nothing like a batch of warm
cookies just out of the oven, oozing with melted chocolate. Yum! That is sure
to put a smile on anyone’s face.<br />
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One of my favorite cookie dough balls to make is for M&M cookies.
Here’s the awesome cooking recipe:</div>
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Favorite M&M Cookies<br />
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¾ cup dark brown sugar, firmly packed</div>
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½ cup granulated sugar</div>
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½ cup butter, softened</div>
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½ cup shortening</div>
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1 ½ tsp. vanilla</div>
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1 large egg, room temperature</div>
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1 ¾ cups unbleached or all-purpose flour</div>
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½ tsp. salt</div>
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1 tsp. baking soda</div>
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1 12-oz. pkg. M&Ms</div>
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¾ cup chopped walnuts or pecans, optional</div>
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<br /></div>
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Cream sugars, butter and shortening together. Beat until light and
fluffy. Add flour, salt and baking soda, and mix well. Stir in M&Ms and
nuts (if desired). Shape into balls about a tablespoon in size. To bake
immediately, preheat oven to 375 degrees. Bake on a parchment paper-lined
cookie sheet for 10-12 minutes or until light golden brown. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjm8U6xlxC3XsGvLj4b3hl-Ro4sOtq18K9kBHJwuxVYQo55x_YPGkPc-v7uQVHzqXbbNublUnCnhFSp7IhJ_ldQMn_0GCPttAdvUHml77aruYgU64s2hXdAucPXYHecSN4ZMtoyVU4fRbY/s1600/P1050567.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjm8U6xlxC3XsGvLj4b3hl-Ro4sOtq18K9kBHJwuxVYQo55x_YPGkPc-v7uQVHzqXbbNublUnCnhFSp7IhJ_ldQMn_0GCPttAdvUHml77aruYgU64s2hXdAucPXYHecSN4ZMtoyVU4fRbY/s1600/P1050567.jpg" height="167" width="320" /></a></div>
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A few different varieties of cookies from earlier this year-</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
You can also freeze the dough balls for a later use. To freeze, place
dough balls on a waxed paper lined cookie sheet. Once firm, store in a freezer
bag for up to three months. Thaw in refrigerator for 24 hours before baking.</div>
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Enjoy!!!<br />
-Becky</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-kagOwapeyXPdUTB0jnVRjH5grruXfJ0BNPGmG0YIxBDIesq2m9vHj7Fd5tPK7ivpwuSwYT0ta9xylGj32YuKmW2dEMU8XtnEH2I-3zkoOhJDC-X5_KrEh2xS4q0rSfHHXtlrsh-mfu0/s1600/P1090715.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-kagOwapeyXPdUTB0jnVRjH5grruXfJ0BNPGmG0YIxBDIesq2m9vHj7Fd5tPK7ivpwuSwYT0ta9xylGj32YuKmW2dEMU8XtnEH2I-3zkoOhJDC-X5_KrEh2xS4q0rSfHHXtlrsh-mfu0/s1600/P1090715.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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When I plan a dinner party menu, I usually chose a dessert (or two or
three!) to make first, and then figure out an entrée to go with it. One dessert
I make gets more raves than anything else and that’s chocolate Kahlua
cheesecake. It’s delicious, and fun and easy to garnish…which adds to the
positive reviews. It’s also something you can do a day or two in advance, which
cuts down on the stress of last-minute food prep before a party. Here’s the
recipe:</div>
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CHOCOLATE KAHLUA CHEESECAKE</div>
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Crust:<br />
1 package Oreo cookies <br />
1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted <br />
3 T. granulated sugar (I use Baker’s Sugar, which is finer than “regular”
granulated sugar, and dissolves better.)<br />
<br />
Take the white filling out of the Oreos, and crush the chocolate wafers in a
food processor. Add in the sugar and butter, and mix well. Lightly butter the
bottom and side of a 9-inch springform pan. Press the Oreo mixture into the
bottom and one-inch up the side of the springform pan. Refrigerate until
chilled and ready to fill. (For a do-ahead time-saver, I often make the
chocolate cheesecake crusts ahead of time and put them in the freezer until
ready to fill.)<br />
<br />
Filling:<br />
1 12-oz. bag semisweet chocolate chips<br />
2 T. unsalted butter<br />
1/3 cup Kahlua <br />
20 ounces (2 ½ pkgs) packages cream cheese, softened <br />
1/2 cup granulated sugar<br />
1/8 tsp. salt<br />
2 large eggs, room temperature <br />
1 cup sour cream<br />
<br />
For filling, melt butter and chocolate chips in double broiler or in small
saucepan over very low heat. Stir in Kahlua and heat about a minute more, until
mixture is totally melted and blended together. Set aside and let cool
slightly. In mixing bowl, beat cream cheese, sugar and salt together until
fluffy and there are no cream cheese lumps. Mix in eggs, one at a time. Add
sour cream, and beat some more—until mixture is smooth. Bake in a 325°F oven
for about an hour. Open the oven door, and let the cheesecake stay in the oven
for about an hour. Then refrigerate overnight, or at least 8 hours.<br />
<br />
Topping:<br />
2 cups heavy whipping cream<br />
¼ cup powdered sugar<br />
1 tsp. vanilla extra<br />
Optional: 1 pkt. Dr. Oatker’s “Whip It” (“Sahnesteif”) whipped cream stabilizer<br />
<br />
Whip cream with vanilla and powdered sugar to stiff peaks. Mix in the whipped
cream stabilizer, if desired (This is very helpful if you are piping your
whipped cream and doing it more than a few hours in advance, because the
stabilizer will allow your whipped cream to keep its shape for several days).
Pipe or spread whipped cream on cake (Remove sides first, and ideally the
bottom too.). Garnish with chocolate-covered espresso beans, or chocolate
leaves, curls or sprinkles.</div>
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Enjoy!</div>
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Becky Sweathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15398527964610762256noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-614379541297367527.post-89056093200319297712014-01-23T10:57:00.001-06:002014-07-15T19:25:25.665-05:00Mini Cherry Cheescakes With a Shortbread Crust<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhslziiNdZUgLaH63xKrsJMKloUNIi5f1BI1FbwyU4Ae3yGf0CiFoqKArtB8XNIjJqHPlSEeeewzttlfPwZK8cSI0GfRzy6KD7P8bMCs9AK0msDZefLm7Ja5nfUHwbp-iGqDftrwZryQxM/s1600/P1050892.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhslziiNdZUgLaH63xKrsJMKloUNIi5f1BI1FbwyU4Ae3yGf0CiFoqKArtB8XNIjJqHPlSEeeewzttlfPwZK8cSI0GfRzy6KD7P8bMCs9AK0msDZefLm7Ja5nfUHwbp-iGqDftrwZryQxM/s1600/P1050892.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Recently, I made a TON of desserts—literally enough for a couple
hundred people, when we “only” had 23 guests. I think there’s something really
fun about having a big selection of desserts to choose from.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">One of the desserts I made was mini cherry cheesecakes. I made a
shortbread crust, topped them with cherry pie filling, and garnished them with
piped whipped cream. Each cheesecake was 3-inches in diameter. To me, that is
the perfect size—not too big or too small. My recipe makes around 15-16 individual-sized 3-inch cheesecakes.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">MINI CHERRY CHEESECAKES</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Shortbread Crust:</span></div>
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</div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">1 cup unsalted butter</span></div>
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</div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">¾ cup granulated sugar</span></div>
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</div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">2 large egg yolks</span></div>
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</div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">1 ½ tsp. vanilla extract</span></div>
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</div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">3 cups white flour (all-purpose or unbleached)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Cream butter and sugar together. Add egg yolks and vanilla and beat
until fluffy. Blend in flour. Refrigerate about 30-45 minutes to firm up dough.
Lightly grease the bottoms of the pans with unsalted butter. Press about half
of the dough onto the bottoms of the cheesecake pans (so that the crust is
about 1/8 to 3/16 inch thick). Bake crusts in a 375 degree oven for about 10
minutes—until crusts are starting to turn golden brown around the edges. Remove
from oven and let cool. When cool, lightly grease the sides of the cheesecake
pans with unsalted butter. Press the remaining dough around the sides of the
pans, so that the crust is about 1 ½ inches high. Refrigerate or freeze until
ready to fill. (Do-ahead tip: at this point you can wrap the pans with plastic
wrap and freeze until you are ready to fill the crusts.)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Filling:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">3 (8-oz.) pkgs. cream cheese, softened and at room temperature</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">1 ½ cups granulated sugar</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">4 large eggs</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">2 tsp. vanilla extract</span></div>
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</div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">1 cup sour cream</span></div>
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</div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">1 cup heavy whipping cream</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Beat cream cheese and sugar together until smooth. Add eggs and vanilla
and beat until fluffy. Blend in sour cream and whipping cream. Pour into prepared
crusts, and bake about 30 minutes. Cheesecakes will appear “poofed up” and be
golden brown on top. When done, turn off the oven and allow the cakes to cool
in the open oven for about a half hour. Then remove the cakes from the oven and
cool at room temperature until completely cooled. Refrigerate several hours.
Then add topping and garnish.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Topping:</span></div>
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</div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">2 cans cherry pie filling</span></div>
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</div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">1 pint heavy whipping cream</span></div>
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</div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">1/3 cup powdered sugar</span></div>
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</div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">1 tsp. vanilla extract</span></div>
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</div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Optional: 1 packet “Whip-It” whipped cream stabilizer</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Drain excess liquid from cherry pie filling. Put a heaping tablespoon
worth of cherries centered on the top of each mini cheesecake. Whip the cream
with the powdered sugar, vanilla extract and whipped cream stabilizer. Pipe whipped
cream around the edges of each cheesecake. Refrigerate until serving time.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Here’s a photo of the mini cheesecake pans I use for this recipe:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRJeYVWgZdg5O-zqBoGQeOYKwIZ700lxQEavEjEzJMmnXjM66_VDAFRXoAuOR5dSHAKSuS_6qcLZhYXoCic-4_KNb4pIJ9HIsg-r4tly1qOI7LulWYTEi4fYewXc0XHjrlxQfPXxExNgs/s1600/P1050930.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRJeYVWgZdg5O-zqBoGQeOYKwIZ700lxQEavEjEzJMmnXjM66_VDAFRXoAuOR5dSHAKSuS_6qcLZhYXoCic-4_KNb4pIJ9HIsg-r4tly1qOI7LulWYTEi4fYewXc0XHjrlxQfPXxExNgs/s1600/P1050930.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">I know of two very good manufacturers that make professional-quality
3-inch by 2-inch cheesecake pans, that are available for purchase by the home
baker. One is made by Fat Daddio, and these are available from Amazon.com. The
other is available online from the WEBstaurant Store (<a href="http://www.webstaurantstore.com/"><span style="color: blue;">www.webstaurantstore.com</span></a>). I have a
collection of mini cheesecake pans from both manufacturers. As I mentioned in
the beginning of this point, I think these pans make the perfect size mini
cheesecakes. I also have 4 ½ inch springform pans, but I think these make
dessert cheesecakes that are a little too large to be considered
single-servings. I also have some 12 cavity pans that make 2 inch by 1.6 inch
cheesecakes, but those are a little small to be considered a dessert and they
are a hassle to put the crust in, plus they don’t tend to bake up as nicely in
my experience (they poof up when baking and then the filling doesn’t fall back
in place as nice when cooling). So I highly recommend these pans.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Enjoy your baking!</span></div>
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</div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">~Becky</span></div>
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<br />Becky Sweathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15398527964610762256noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-614379541297367527.post-65649854934404700992014-01-22T18:50:00.001-06:002014-01-22T18:51:02.884-06:00Carrot Custard Pie<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwU_NFyjLYOQMfgMIAKZeDadIhe1KieTL7ds9rwJUuQg66rmxeXmHPuBkVlBjY0PZ3YYPwh7M4zUjRErNbn2lu9W5HiVVqP1AW26gIfeOFwqbWntoaGouyVhlQQpE0w619m62x_L_RZrY/s1600/IMG_2298.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwU_NFyjLYOQMfgMIAKZeDadIhe1KieTL7ds9rwJUuQg66rmxeXmHPuBkVlBjY0PZ3YYPwh7M4zUjRErNbn2lu9W5HiVVqP1AW26gIfeOFwqbWntoaGouyVhlQQpE0w619m62x_L_RZrY/s1600/IMG_2298.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I love to bake pies. It’s my favorite dessert to serve to company. This
past week I got really creative and made a pie out of carrots. It kind of
tastes like pumpkin or sweet potato pie, yet a little different. My tasters
love it! You might too!</span></div>
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<o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Carrot Custard Pie</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">1 cup granulated sugar</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">½ tsp. salt</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">¼ tsp. ground ginger</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">¼ tsp. nutmeg</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">¼ tsp. cloves</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">1 ½ tsp. cinnamon</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">2 large eggs, at room temperature</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">2 lbs. raw carrots, cooked and pureed in food processor</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">1 cup heavy cream, at room temperature</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">½ cup light cream (half and half), at room temperature</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">1 deep dish (9-inch) pie shell, unbaked</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></o:p></div>
<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Combine sugar,
salt, ginger, nutmeg, cloves and cinnamon in large mixing bowl. Add the eggs,
one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in the carrot puree. Stir
in the heavy cream and half and half. Pour filling into the pie shell. Bake for
15 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees and bake for 45 minutes
longer or until filling is set. Cool to room temperature, and then chill in the
refrigerator 2-3 hours or overnight. Serve with whipped cream. Enjoy!</span>Becky Sweathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15398527964610762256noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-614379541297367527.post-73710623412805635242014-01-22T14:07:00.000-06:002014-07-15T18:40:28.881-05:00How to Make Roasted Pepper Ricotta Puffs<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEht9GsZlAjqmmMC4gaa_JFs76z8J6RkGxqD2Cq5KYmGwUYyaYGusULMjK9NusOi-lU-9UIGCru5iEt5X4O2Ph0YPNtvZ_Y4xVQqpIiWbGVZxB2KyoadSJihG0dmWUUp9pkilJiwsXalTaI/s1600/IMG_4319.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEht9GsZlAjqmmMC4gaa_JFs76z8J6RkGxqD2Cq5KYmGwUYyaYGusULMjK9NusOi-lU-9UIGCru5iEt5X4O2Ph0YPNtvZ_Y4xVQqpIiWbGVZxB2KyoadSJihG0dmWUUp9pkilJiwsXalTaI/s1600/IMG_4319.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">I am always looking for short-cuts and do-ahead ideas for entertaining,
and for making foods that taste delicious and look “fancy” even though they’re
easy to prepare. The prepared puff pastry made by manufacturers like Pepperidge
Farm really fits the bill here. You can make up some fantastic appetizers and
desserts using the manufactured puff pastry, and it tastes just about the same
as if you spent hours making the puff pastry yourself. </span></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Just recently I made up some Roasted Pepper Ricotta Appetizer Puffs. I
used a recipe that I found in Camilla Salisbury's book, Puff Pastry Perfection,
which I “tweaked” slightly. I am having a large formal dinner party in a few
weeks, and I have been making up some appetizers ahead of time that I can
freeze, and then just pull out of the freezer right before baking and serving
time. I thought the puff pastry appetizer puffs would be a hit. I made a double
batch, and I’ve already baked up a few for my sons. They like them a lot. You
might too.</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">ROASTED PEPPER RICOTTA PUFFS</span></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">1 17.3 oz. pkg. frozen puff pastry, thawed </span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">½ cup part-skim ricotta cheese</span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">¾ cup chopped roasted sweet red pepper (from a jar)</span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">1/2 cup grated Romano cheese</span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">2 T. fresh parsley, minced</span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">1 tsp. dried oregano</span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">½ tsp. ground black pepper</span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">1 large egg, beaten</span></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Thaw the puff pastry for 30 minutes at room temperature or overnight in
the fridge. Using a sharp knife, cut each sheet into nine 3-inch squares. In a
medium bowl, combine the ricotta cheese, red pepper, ¼ cup of Romano cheese,
parsley, oregano and black pepper. Set aside.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Brush the edges of the four sides of each puff pastry square with the
beaten egg. Spoon about 2 teaspoons of filling into the center of each square.
Fold each square of pastry in half diagonally into a triangle, bringing one
corner to the opposite corner. Using your fingertips, press the edges together,
trying to keep all the filling sealed inside.
Then seal the edges together using the tines of a fork. Using a sharp
knife, cut a couple slits on the top of each pastry to allow the steam to escape.
Brush the top of each pastry with some of the beaten egg. Sprinkle the
remaining ¼ cup of Romano cheese on the tops of the pastries. </span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Line baking sheet with parchment
paper and arrange pastries on top, allowing a couple of inches of space
between pastries. Bake for 18-20 minutes, or until golden brown. Cool for 5
minutes before serving.</span></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Do-head tip: These puffs can be frozen (unbaked, with the egg and
grated Romano sprinkled on top) for 1 month before serving. Thaw at room temperature for 30 minutes
before baking, or overnight in the refrigerator.</span><br />
<br />
<br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Enjoy!</span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">~Becky </span></div>
Becky Sweathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15398527964610762256noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-614379541297367527.post-58534141558088046812014-01-22T13:24:00.000-06:002014-01-22T13:32:27.121-06:00How to Make Sweet Potato Bread<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjm3UyeQr_JrBbT4KbqXqv09j-QWxmyvh1QLXhAtPZGgo8dGiz6IVXZdsmwyR9D0Q7uomLqAh73yhpHF9vEIQUrIThCW0tiY8EB7iRC9wuC8TIKaimpQHRHHoH2KIS79V6Z5lZ2TaWenQ/s1600/IMG_4401.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjm3UyeQr_JrBbT4KbqXqv09j-QWxmyvh1QLXhAtPZGgo8dGiz6IVXZdsmwyR9D0Q7uomLqAh73yhpHF9vEIQUrIThCW0tiY8EB7iRC9wuC8TIKaimpQHRHHoH2KIS79V6Z5lZ2TaWenQ/s1600/IMG_4401.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: 11pt;"></span> </div>
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<span style="font-size: 11pt;">I found a great recipe online
for sweet potato bread. The website is </span><a href="http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/saras-secrets/sweet-potato-bread-with-pecans-recipe/index.html"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><span style="color: black;">http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/saras-secrets/sweet-potato-bread-with-pecans-recipe/index.html</span></span></a><span style="font-size: 11pt;">.</span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">I made the recipe a couple
weeks ago and again last night, and both times it turned out great. I thought
I’d share the recipe here: </span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">Sweet Potato Bread with
Pecans<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">Recipe courtesy Bill Kelly<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">2 1/3 cups sugar <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">2/3 cups water <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">2/3 cup oil <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">4 eggs <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">2 cups mashed sweet potatoes <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">3 1/3 cups </span><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><span style="color: black;">all-purpose flour</span></span><span style="font-size: 11pt;"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">2 teaspoons </span><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><span style="color: black;">baking soda</span></span><span style="font-size: 11pt;"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">1/2 teaspoon baking powder<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">1<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>teaspoons salt <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">1 teaspoon </span><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><span style="color: black;">cinnamon</span></span><span style="font-size: 11pt;"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">¼ tsp. nutmeg<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">1 ½ cups coarsely chopped
pecans<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">Preheat oven to 350 degrees
F. Combine sugar, water, oil, eggs, and </span><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><span style="color: black;">sweet potatoes</span></span><span style="font-size: 11pt;">
and mix thoroughly. Add dry ingredients and mix to combine. Add pecans and mix
well. Divide between 2 greased loaf pans and bake for 50 minutes. Cool in pan
to room temperature. Makes 2 large loaves or 6-8 mini loaves.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">I did make a few
“adjustments” to Bill Kelly’s recipe (added nutmeg, decreased salt a bit, added
a little more pecans). But oh, it’s a scrumptious bread! And so easy to make.
We have a lot of frozen mashed sweet potatoes in our freezer, from our garden
two summers ago. I am trying to use up some of the sweet potatoes!</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;"></span> </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheBZq-_E6W7wZzaVp6Yh2wEDZ-pUgy-aA-x933EWL4d3e11OenGehIoVyVQ_9P7cj2oR6nyEG2lnn_CoYAtTxSgfR0dN7d1DIPrIN5EMClSHDUDASKtuAIXJQ4McDay4JsFVXXeb8Yauw/s1600/P1050827.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheBZq-_E6W7wZzaVp6Yh2wEDZ-pUgy-aA-x933EWL4d3e11OenGehIoVyVQ_9P7cj2oR6nyEG2lnn_CoYAtTxSgfR0dN7d1DIPrIN5EMClSHDUDASKtuAIXJQ4McDay4JsFVXXeb8Yauw/s1600/P1050827.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">Actually I really like quick
breads like this (pumpkin and banana are favorites too) to freeze. These kinds
of breads are great to have on hand for overnight company—to be able to serve
with an easy continental breakfast in the morning with your coffee. Quick
breads freeze really well, and if you pull them out from the freezer the night
before you want to serve them (or even a couple days and keep the breads in the
fridge) they taste as fresh and moist as ever when you want to serve them.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">Anyway, just wanted to pass
on a great recipe!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">~Becky</span></div>
Becky Sweathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15398527964610762256noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-614379541297367527.post-80436640350434371102014-01-22T12:38:00.001-06:002014-07-17T21:02:02.652-05:00Decorative Dinner Table Setting Ideas<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglTXjV-AKQ3nT3hQ-RV9zSB2-YTn6bKy0HYDHSIbMjKBlZI_VSWGz6WDvvnhSy8HWY0D6s0UraikZY4u4tbekbDJcZ31lMm41DLirZdgiGCRFg-HvC50pbq289qszrABlARlBrWhclTPI/s1600/IMG_4427.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglTXjV-AKQ3nT3hQ-RV9zSB2-YTn6bKy0HYDHSIbMjKBlZI_VSWGz6WDvvnhSy8HWY0D6s0UraikZY4u4tbekbDJcZ31lMm41DLirZdgiGCRFg-HvC50pbq289qszrABlARlBrWhclTPI/s1600/IMG_4427.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;">Earlier, I made a post about how to set a formal dinner table. I love the look of
an elegantly-set formal dinner table! The traditional white table cloth and
matching cloth napkins, bone china plates, crystal water goblets and wine
glasses, silverware, fresh flower centerpieces, and crystal candlesticks and
white candles will never go out of style. They will always be the traditional
and very classy first choice for a very formal table setting.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;">Sometimes,
though, you may want to go a little less formal, but still make your sit-down
dinner really nice. Maybe you don't have space on your table for all the extras
like bread plates and both red and white wine glasses, so you’re not going to
have all of those set out. That’s the case for most of my formal dinners. I
have a somewhat petit Queen Anne style dinner table and my table space is
limited, so unfortunately I have to limit what items I put down for each place
setting.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;"><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;">Rather
than use my more traditional teal and gold Royal Doulton bone china (which I
still really like) for this dinner, I wanted a deep purple and gold color
scheme for the tables. I wanted something different from my usual formal dinner
look, and I wanted to see some new, vibrant colors on the table and a lot of
visual appeal, but I still wanted the tables to be on the “formal” side. A
primarily white formal dinner table can seem a little hum-drum and boring if
that’s all you ever do. Sometimes you might want something a little more
festive or lively. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;">In
today’s post, I thought I’d share some pictures of my table settings for this
dinner. I actually set three tables, all with a deep purple and gold theme.
This may give you some ideas for what you can do for your next formal dinner.</span></div>
<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhls5giPuo3z-C4m8WaAK5NLY3kTua027DKrt-4N4y3DdmK_VPC6-xfMnD_6NQNTxGb9ey_SSq2Ubw-Al5jESf9cuw7GEntN7ZDwMy-s-8oXjrsm8Ifs4iK9yisO4ZFUfxXu1gx9B_1_NA/s1600/IMG_0135.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhls5giPuo3z-C4m8WaAK5NLY3kTua027DKrt-4N4y3DdmK_VPC6-xfMnD_6NQNTxGb9ey_SSq2Ubw-Al5jESf9cuw7GEntN7ZDwMy-s-8oXjrsm8Ifs4iK9yisO4ZFUfxXu1gx9B_1_NA/s1600/IMG_0135.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;">I
went with a traditional white eyelet lace table cloth. I didn’t want to overdo
the purple or gold on the table, so white was the obvious choice for linens. [However,
I have set some very nice formal (or at least semi-formal) tables in the past
with a solid colored table cloth and white china plates. You could also use a
white base table cloth, and top that with a printed or solid color cover sheet.
Napkins could match the colored top sheet. The plates should be white or a
lighter shade of the color of the tablecloth. It can all be very elegant, yet
formal, while using a fun burst of colors. Using a solid colored table runner
on top of a white table cloth can also be very striking.]<br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" />
<!--[if !supportLineBreakNewLine]--></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;">For
plates, I used my white and gold band plates from Ten Strawberry Street. There
are many manufacturers out there that make a similar design plate—plain white
with a gold, silver or platinum border of some kind. What I really like about
the plain bone china is that it’s so versatile. You can create any table color
scheme with these plates, because you’re not limited to the colors found on the
china with the ornate designs. Ten Strawberry’s gold band china has an added
plus of being very inexpensive.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;">I
don’t always use charger plates, but this time I did. Chargers are placed
underneath the dinner plates. They are a purely decorative element—not meant to
be eaten upon—and enhance the color scheme of the table and add a little
textural variety. In my case, they added a lot of “gold” to the table. I got
these charger plates at Hobby Lobby, for about $2 each. It was a small
investment for how much they added to the table. Hobby Lobby also carries
silver charger plates. You can find a lot of other colors and designs for
chargers at other retailers like World Market.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;">I
shopped and shopped for purple napkin rings. I looked at what online retailers
had to offer and local stores as well. I couldn’t find anything close to what I
had in mind. So I decided to make my own. I used about 10 packages of crystal
beads, which I found at Hobby Lobby, and made my own napkin rings. It was just
a matter of stringing the beads on a 20 guage wire (the same wire that’s used
in a lot of jewelry making and craft projects) and tying them into 2-inch
circles. The color of the beads matched my color scheme perfectly, and I
probably spent far less making my own, than if I would have been able to find
similar napkin rings in a retailer outlet somewhere (but of course, I
couldn’t!). And this way, I got exactly what I wanted for the table. Besides
Hobby Lobby, Michael’s also carries a large selection of beads for jewerly
making. They’re ideal for turning into napkin rings.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;">You
can also easily make some very creative napkin rings out of silk flowers—which
again, Hobby Lobby carries a lot of. This is another way to really bring on
some vibrant color to your table. Craft stores like Hobby Lobby and Michael’s,
and even Super WalMart sometimes, often have a large selection of silk flowers.
Chose one with a 2 to 4 inch diameter flower, and make sure there is at least 12-inches
of stem attached to the flower. The stem should be made out of bendable wire.
Using pliers, bend the stem of the flower to form a circle that is about 2
inches wide (just enough to put your cloth napkins through). Wrap the stem into
a circle several times. That makes a nice napkin ring. If desired, you can wrap
the wire stem with cloth ribbon, and glue that in place with a glue gun. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;">You
can save a lot of money making your own napkin rings, and again, you can create
some unique table accents this way. Usually department stores and home stores
primarily carry the more traditional napkin rings made out of plastic, ceramic,
metal or wood—and they’re often pricey and may very well not come in the color
you’re looking for.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;">You
should have at least one large centerpiece at your table. Or, you might go with
several smaller centerpieces at each table, and those would be set at every two
place settings. I went with floating candle centerpieces for my dinner party
this past weekend . I was able to find dark purple floating rose candles, which
matched the other purple decorations I had already selected for my table. I
really like using a floating candle centerpiece, for a change of pace from the
more usual fresh flower centerpiece. Some people associate floating candle
centerpieces with weddings, and they are indeed great for weddings, but they
add a special touch to dinner parties too. There is something really special
about a candle floating on water.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;">Around
the base of the floating candle centerpiece, and along the centers of each of
the tables, I placed purple silk rose petals and scattered purple acrylic “confetti”
crystals on top of the petals. I found these items at Hobby Lobby, in the
wedding supplies aisle, and the crystals from some online retailers (many of
which sell their products on Amazon.com). You could also scatter glitter,
florist’s glass gems, vase stones, or small pieces of curled curling ribbon on your
table. If you find these items in the right colors, it can really add to your
color scheme.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;">For
place card holders, I used the small vases which were filled with deep purple
carnations, which I wrote about in my last post. To further add some “gold” to
the table, I used a gold ink calligraphy pen, and wrote each of my guests’
names onto small place cards.<br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" />
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;">I
found the place card holders in the wedding aisle at Hobby Lobby. Similar vase
place card holders, along with a huge selection of other styles of place card
holders, can be found online. Place card holders are one of those things that
can be hard to find in home and department stores. I think they’re an essential
element of the formal dinner table, especially if you’ve got a large number of
dinner guests. But they’re hard to find for “home use.” If a store carries
them, they usually only have one or two styles, if that. But there are hundreds
and hundreds of styles of place card holders available from online wedding
supply retailers. Really, I have found some of my best table decorations from
wedding retailers and craft stores like Hobby Lobby and Michaels. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;">These
are some of my ideas for how to add pizzazz to a dinner table. If any of you
reading this have any of your own ideas, please share them. I’d love to hear
from you!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;">~Becky<o:p></o:p></span></div>
Becky Sweathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15398527964610762256noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-614379541297367527.post-70095510123070591242012-03-16T11:28:00.006-05:002014-01-22T12:32:14.388-06:00Chicken Pot Pie for Company<div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLh2mKTvdOK3PW-VQaeelOwFBT34NKgB7LmDr7qKlWHxCmeJQLQYolABQpf5Qs-SyZWzJ2mgX3yFruuNeJ8igBTrrmjUjFmlHE1UOkcwfoObcYCfwpxNAMk7h8l0lE66O9ggvs-_qws2I/s1600/IMG_4328.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLh2mKTvdOK3PW-VQaeelOwFBT34NKgB7LmDr7qKlWHxCmeJQLQYolABQpf5Qs-SyZWzJ2mgX3yFruuNeJ8igBTrrmjUjFmlHE1UOkcwfoObcYCfwpxNAMk7h8l0lE66O9ggvs-_qws2I/s320/IMG_4328.jpg" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5720532940507046210" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 240px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 320px;" /></a><br />
Sometimes we have company over who I know go out to eat all the time. These are friends who travel a lot for business, or maybe they’re just really busy with their careers so they go out to eat all the time. For them, a steak, a nice roast or even Mexican food isn’t as much of a treat. They already eat that a lot at restaurants. What’s appealing to them is “home-style” food. <br />
<br />
That’s why, for some guests, I’ll make up a chicken pot pie (or two) to serve to them. Add a nice tossed salad and maybe some homemade dinner rolls and a bottle of wine and you have a tasty, fairly easy and well-balanced meal. (I am guessing a lot of you reading this might think it’s the bottle of wine that makes this a “well-balanced” meal, right?!!)<br />
<br />
What follows is the recipe I use for Chicken Pot Pie, which is the same recipe my mom used to make for company. I just made this for tonight’s dinner:<br />
<br />
MOM’S CHICKEN POT PIE<br />
<br />
Pastry for double-crust pie (recipe below)<br />
½ cup butter<br />
1 large yellow onion, diced<br />
½ cup all-purpose flour<br />
¾ tsp. salt<br />
½ tsp. black pepper<br />
2 ¾ cup chicken broth<br />
1 cup whole milk<br />
3 cups cooked chicken breast, cut into small cubes<br />
1 (16 oz.) bag frozen peas and carrots<br />
<br />
Over low heat, cook onion in butter in large sauté pan about 5 minutes—until onion is cooked and translucent. Stir in flour, salt and pepper, broth and milk and cook several minutes more, stirring constantly—until mixture is thickened. Stir in chicken breast and vegetables. Spoon into bottom of pie plate, and add top crust, and seal the edges of crust together. Cut slits in the top to allow steam to escape. Bake at 400 degrees for about 45 minutes.<br />
<br />
Buttery Pie Crust<br />
<br />
2 1/3 cups unbleached white flour<br />
1 tsp. salt<br />
6 T. unsalted butter (straight out of the fridge so it's very cold)<br />
2/3 cup Crisco (frozen)<br />
5-6 T. cold water<br />
<br />
Sift flour and salt into a mixing bowl. Using your fingers or a pastry blender, cut in butter and Crisco until the mixture resembles coarse meal. (If there are some pea-sized pieces of Crisco or butter in the mixture, that is fine.) Sprinkle water on top of flour and salt mixture, 1 tablespoon at a time. After each sprinkling of water, gently mix in the water drops with some of the dry mixture. After 5 tablespoons of water has been sprinkled in, the mixture should hold together in a ball. If it doesn't, sprinkle one more tablespoon worth of water onto the dough. Shape dough into two equal-sized balls. Roll one ball into a bottom crust and fit it into a 9-inch deep dish or 10-inch pie plate. Roll the other ball into an 11” flat circle for top crust.<br />
<br />
Here’s a photo of my pot pie before adding the top crust:<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtLBCGdjrcRgSN-DzgXesSmZrdArGk7ExlUmm7lBrWfTlVLNt5990hLx8WWTgJjt7_hyb6RUHx2C-8jKR3a-OfXRXmH5-LthMcYxC9LFY1mY_vrMh8qImSe_WdiGsAGluT5LpMbPf2CWM/s1600/IMG_4321.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtLBCGdjrcRgSN-DzgXesSmZrdArGk7ExlUmm7lBrWfTlVLNt5990hLx8WWTgJjt7_hyb6RUHx2C-8jKR3a-OfXRXmH5-LthMcYxC9LFY1mY_vrMh8qImSe_WdiGsAGluT5LpMbPf2CWM/s320/IMG_4321.jpg" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5720533036866306562" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 240px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 320px;" /></a><br />
Here’s the pie ready to go into the oven:<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN_FupEdPNB8L3aMiGqKYuHkgdm0xqkbZjqlaGg4_DMKnBPNf7p3H4nj5V0aQxr3aH-jZYMCe4phPZFe5g3U6pnAogeJJZcL-rUXSFdtFII9oqvSzj_BXyzWEp1zLdh1UbpvDBJMIxIoQ/s1600/IMG_4324.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN_FupEdPNB8L3aMiGqKYuHkgdm0xqkbZjqlaGg4_DMKnBPNf7p3H4nj5V0aQxr3aH-jZYMCe4phPZFe5g3U6pnAogeJJZcL-rUXSFdtFII9oqvSzj_BXyzWEp1zLdh1UbpvDBJMIxIoQ/s320/IMG_4324.jpg" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5720533237615857090" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 240px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 320px;" /></a><br />
If you make one of these pot pies, I am sure you and your company will enjoy it. It’s a tasty “down-home” dinner!<br />
<br />
~BeckyBecky Sweathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15398527964610762256noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-614379541297367527.post-75378694253271554982012-02-20T15:24:00.002-06:002014-01-22T12:31:46.449-06:00Crock Pot Sloppy Joes<div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4B2RitFgZtFotGGnpe-c-nmfdiw6nlVBCX_YsfbEWNkwSV-jKcFqPmeYJF3t1RcHAgSu-CiZGisGTUfgXQGsFir4GGAcyZKZQWhKry2NODGitK4-kBaz_CcFZB5Jwma1UyWEz8XtVJ-4/s1600/P1050730.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4B2RitFgZtFotGGnpe-c-nmfdiw6nlVBCX_YsfbEWNkwSV-jKcFqPmeYJF3t1RcHAgSu-CiZGisGTUfgXQGsFir4GGAcyZKZQWhKry2NODGitK4-kBaz_CcFZB5Jwma1UyWEz8XtVJ-4/s320/P1050730.jpg" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5711332191255309490" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 240px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 320px;" /></a><br />
Yesterday we had 10 friends and their kids over for a euchre tournament. My husband and I enjoy playing cards, and we have a lot of friends who do too. Sometimes we just play with one or two couples. But yesterday, there were 12 of us playing. We had three tables set up, with two couples at each table. After we all finished a round, one couple from each table moved to the another. That way each of the couple-teams got to play at least one game with all of the other couples. It was loads of fun.<br />
<br />
Including kids, we had 22 people over. The whole time all the parents were playing cards, the kids were all upstairs, playing video games, ping pong, board games, etc. Everyone seemed to enjoy the evening.<br />
<br />
Before the euchre tournament officially began, we all had dinner together. It needed to be something simple to prepare for a crowd. I made sloppy joes in the crock pot. My guests brought salads and chips and dips. It couldn’t have been easier than that.<br />
<br />
Now when it comes to sloppy joes, my hubby is quite particular. He doesn’t like sloppy joes that are too ketchupy, too vinegary, too sweet, or too sloppy for that matter. Several years ago, I found a recipe in Better Homes and Gardens’ All-Time Favorite Crockery Recipes cookbook, and tweaked that a bit. He really likes that recipe…and our guests said they did too. I like it because it’s another do-ahead entrée that I can put together in the morning, and my food prep’s done. Here’s the recipe:<br />
<br />
Crock Pot Sloppy Joes<br />
<br />
3 ½ pounds lean ground beef<br />
2 large yellow onions, chopped<br />
2 green bell peppers, chopped<br />
6 stalks celery, chopped<br />
3 tsp. crushed garlic<br />
¼ cups ketchup<br />
3 T. dark brown sugar<br />
¼ cup prepared mustard<br />
¼ cup white vinegar<br />
¼ cup Worcestershire sauce<br />
1 T. (heaping) chili powder<br />
16 to 24 hamburger buns, toasted<br />
<br />
Brown ground beef, onion, bell pepper, celery and garlic together in large skillet. Drain grease, and then spoon into a large crockery cooker. Add brown sugar, vinegar, Worcestershire sauce and chili powder. Cook on low, for 6 to 8 hours. Spoon into toasted or steamed hamburger buns. Makes 16 to 24 sloppy joes (depending on the size hamburger bun you are using).<br />
<br />
Enjoy!<br />
~BeckyBecky Sweathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15398527964610762256noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-614379541297367527.post-44320571146391549342012-02-12T22:35:00.006-06:002014-01-22T13:02:29.172-06:00Mini Fruit Pies<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMKFtt4TnmUaNAlo7GxeM9yaKfNP0mNrMGIX75aA8XMbb77sm33R0O5mnmaEW8LQAEhIgQfROesUeQ8aQSWNBi7NTSwOjpDECdE_QwPLU-nbJj5s0doe42Am1Q0kWUdCLHBDDJxW4j9Io/s1600/P1050720.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMKFtt4TnmUaNAlo7GxeM9yaKfNP0mNrMGIX75aA8XMbb77sm33R0O5mnmaEW8LQAEhIgQfROesUeQ8aQSWNBi7NTSwOjpDECdE_QwPLU-nbJj5s0doe42Am1Q0kWUdCLHBDDJxW4j9Io/s320/P1050720.jpg" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5708474400601777858" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 251px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 320px;" /></a><br />
My family’s favorite all-time dessert, hands down, is pie. Sometimes, though, “we” can’t seem to decide on what type of fruit pie “I” should make. That’s when I like to make mini fruit pies. I make them in individual 6-ounce sized Pyrex custard cups. That way you can make more than one variety. If you don’t have baking cups or ramekins, you can also use muffin tins.<br />
<br />
I use this crust recipe:<br />
<br />
2 1/3 cups unbleached white flour<br />
1 tsp. salt<br />
6 T. unsalted butter (straight out of the fridge so it's very cold)<br />
2/3 cup vegetable shortening (frozen)<br />
5-6 T. cold water<br />
<br />
Sift flour and salt into a mixing bowl. Using your fingers or a pastry blender, cut in butter and Crisco until the mixture resembles coarse meal. (If there are some pea-sized pieces of shortening or butter in the mixture, that is fine.) Sprinkle water on top of flour and salt mixture, 1 tablespoon at a time. After each sprinkling of water, gently mix in the water drops with some of the dry mixture. After 5 tablespoons of water has been sprinkled in, the mixture should hold together in a ball. If it doesn't, sprinkle one more tablespoon worth of water onto the dough. Shape dough into 16 equal-sized balls. Roll 8 of the dough balls into circles about 5 inches in diameter. Place these circles into the bottoms of 8 baking ramekins or muffin tins. The other 8 dough balls will be used to make the top crusts.<br />
<br />
Next, make the filling. Here are the ingredients needed for the filling:<br />
<br />
4 cups frozen blueberries, blackberries, raspberries or peaches, thawed slightly<br />
1 cup granulated sugar (preferably ultra-fine or Baker’s Sugar)<br />
4 T (heaping!) all-purpose flour<br />
1 tsp. lemon juice<br />
3 T. butter, cut into small pieces<br />
<br />
Usually, I’ve always got a variety of frozen fruit in the freezer. The recipe I use calls for 4 cups total of frozen fruit. So I might make four different varieties of fruit tarts, using 1 cup each of blueberries, blackberries, raspberries and peaches. I’ll get out four small mixing bowls, and put a different type of fruit in each. Then I’ll divide up the sugar, flour and lemon juice among the among the four bowls. Each small bowl of fruit will make 2 tarts. Put the filling in each of the bottom crusts. Then dot the butter on top of the 8 mini pies.<br />
<br />
Next, roll out the other 8 dough balls into circles about 4 inches in diameter. Dampen the rim of the bottom crusts slightly with water to seal on the top crusts. If desired, you can make out a small cut-out in the top crust. Or, you can just cut out a slit on top to allow the steam to escape. You may also make a woven crust, or top the pie with a crumb topping (the topping I used in Friday’s strawberry rhubarb crisp works great; you’ll just need to cut down the amount of the recipe you make based on how many mini pies you are topping).<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWhLdE4YuBS7EIh6uFXlUG4xK8XhOj-6Hq3jx6ZWvnhW2ECa29ZJx7HDZbS4nVthaS2qZiwSMAhbh1heUGioOp41NrDYMIqnBXFS1ZdcdRZUu9EqMIM42BRFESqUGMnPgCYIg_ZhKkjuE/s1600/P1050711.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWhLdE4YuBS7EIh6uFXlUG4xK8XhOj-6Hq3jx6ZWvnhW2ECa29ZJx7HDZbS4nVthaS2qZiwSMAhbh1heUGioOp41NrDYMIqnBXFS1ZdcdRZUu9EqMIM42BRFESqUGMnPgCYIg_ZhKkjuE/s320/P1050711.jpg" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5708474989345568434" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 195px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 320px;" /></a><br />
Bake the pies in a 375 degree oven for 20-25 minutes—until crust is golden and filling is bubbly. These pies are wonderful right out of the oven with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8lTl_J2EWlay0L33XpnrumOgi-o4YRvxdRhhF_kg1Q-c8CSC18w1tUz7_Zd5BTWk_2H3s1ZMWSgJ_jqI5vTrlzKk8MsNGRfNulgtUx8CGdRyVGhED-gvFJmNbbg5xr-jWuxIStkGKCF8/s1600/P1050718.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8lTl_J2EWlay0L33XpnrumOgi-o4YRvxdRhhF_kg1Q-c8CSC18w1tUz7_Zd5BTWk_2H3s1ZMWSgJ_jqI5vTrlzKk8MsNGRfNulgtUx8CGdRyVGhED-gvFJmNbbg5xr-jWuxIStkGKCF8/s320/P1050718.jpg" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5708474546703802674" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 240px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 320px;" /></a><br />
What I really like about these pies is you can make them up ahead of time, wrap them in plastic wrap, and then freeze them for a month or two. You would just need to thaw them in the refrigerator 12 hours or so before baking.<br />
<br />
Enjoy!<br />
~Becky<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUcC1vn8_ZZ2QuXvxPKAlSeptd4ZYaqnNlQ2foar0SWqU8JIuFdWN7gIIAHpMPhHFoaPFI5AEDhL7IYPDzI7DgWbE-8WKLaeb6B-WrxGVJY_8wMxc1k3mrGH9zHzwQQZ6vFK_9jg6rAKM/s1600/P1050719.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUcC1vn8_ZZ2QuXvxPKAlSeptd4ZYaqnNlQ2foar0SWqU8JIuFdWN7gIIAHpMPhHFoaPFI5AEDhL7IYPDzI7DgWbE-8WKLaeb6B-WrxGVJY_8wMxc1k3mrGH9zHzwQQZ6vFK_9jg6rAKM/s320/P1050719.jpg" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5708474791020571602" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 240px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 320px;" /></a>Becky Sweathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15398527964610762256noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-614379541297367527.post-89065897652766784422012-02-10T17:59:00.004-06:002012-02-10T18:09:40.136-06:00Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8ypipRzqRWZtqmYAOUmzMp8V7KbhnAKAOq3XgbMBDrBYtk3JSzTmJnYYHFjg9WMFyV6pGc2d3I_111y-aECN-L51Jj0cxnzYFK0FsdYim3n8eXLm57MhWpF0pIoeCMTb8hsoENgExqJs/s1600/P1050707.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8ypipRzqRWZtqmYAOUmzMp8V7KbhnAKAOq3XgbMBDrBYtk3JSzTmJnYYHFjg9WMFyV6pGc2d3I_111y-aECN-L51Jj0cxnzYFK0FsdYim3n8eXLm57MhWpF0pIoeCMTb8hsoENgExqJs/s320/P1050707.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5707661511254997650" /></a><br />I've been trying to empty out our large chest freezer. There are a lot of "forgotten" packages of frozen produce on the lowest layer that need to be eaten up. For instance, I just came across some bags of frozen rhubarb and strawberries, from last summer's garden. What better way to use them up than by making a strawberry rhubarb crisp? YUM!<br /> <br />The recipe I use is actually a combination of my grandma's recipe and one I found from Food Network. You know how it is...there's never one "ideal" recipe in your cookbooks for what you might want to make. Usually there's something I like about several different recipes, and at the same time, something I'm not crazy about each of the recipes. (It's not much different from house shopping; there's usually something I'm not crazy about every house we look at. Then, we end up just building our own, so we get exactly what we want.) My husband and I don't like ginger very much, nor do we like excessive amounts of nutmeg, and my youngest son dislikes nuts...so that was a couple of strikes against two of the recipes. One of the recipes had way too much topping. One of them used fresh fruit, which is great if you have it, but I'm working with frozen produce right now (and that's going to be the case most of the year). So I had to "adapt" some recipes and kind of pick the best elements of each. I think I was successful.<br /> <br />What follows is the recipe for what I think is the perfect mix of ingredients for strawberry rhubarb crisp. It's great served warm, topped with vanilla ice cream or freshly whipped cream. I hope you like it as much as my family does!<br /> <br />STRAWBERRY RHUBARB CRISP<br /> <br />Fruit layer:<br />16-oz. bag frozen rhubarb, sliced into 1/4 to 1/2-inch pieces<br />16 or 20-oz. bag frozen strawberries, quartered (about 2 1/2 to 3 cups worth, once quartered)<br />3 T. cornstarch<br />1/3 cup granulated sugar<br />1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract<br /> <br />Streusel topping:<br />6 T. cold, unsalted butter<br />¾ cup all-purpose flour<br />¾ cup oatmeal ("quick" or "old fashioned")<br />¾ cup dark brown sugar, packed<br />1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon<br />1/8 tsp. ground nutmeg<br /> <br />Directions:<br />Lightly butter a 2 quart baking dish. In a large bowl, combine rhubarb, strawberries, cornstarch, sugar and vanilla. Spoon into prepared baking dish. In another bowl, using a pastry blender or your fingertips, combine all the topping ingredients until crumbly. Sprinkle streusel over fruit. Bake at 350 degrees F for 40-45 minutes, or until bubbly and topping is golden brown. Let cool about 20-30 minutes. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream.<br /> <br />Enjoy!<br />~Becky<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7L2gKH-vbC9xSaaNFAr2kKhtZ-9fZop9aEWRKdx4Jc2LypvHuInZ5kIPUG5KxCt1zwezqH5trOiF8GR1Ov4DPKRHqEUfoU6iAAvezjXzhZ8Kg4-k_3IagRyYmyNTnQngcfeYNkbFKj8E/s1600/IMG_4289.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7L2gKH-vbC9xSaaNFAr2kKhtZ-9fZop9aEWRKdx4Jc2LypvHuInZ5kIPUG5KxCt1zwezqH5trOiF8GR1Ov4DPKRHqEUfoU6iAAvezjXzhZ8Kg4-k_3IagRyYmyNTnQngcfeYNkbFKj8E/s320/IMG_4289.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5707661644137663474" /></a>Becky Sweathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15398527964610762256noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-614379541297367527.post-71538525937031355592012-02-09T18:24:00.015-06:002012-02-09T22:13:28.163-06:00Hot 'n Spicy Crock Pot Chili<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUuyIL6sqmkuejQ2kcMJCg75KXCqKXVWHYbMzG3dtNRBq9TCGN8UwvcYFTWcF9eg_T7gMdqM8YRL7yT7PgvrFvjU2xNyQY_b3_TYQiBQigsn7D83ktgeSSMupCHRdnsNUiYhenAleW31g/s1600/P1050668.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5707296976830205826" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUuyIL6sqmkuejQ2kcMJCg75KXCqKXVWHYbMzG3dtNRBq9TCGN8UwvcYFTWcF9eg_T7gMdqM8YRL7yT7PgvrFvjU2xNyQY_b3_TYQiBQigsn7D83ktgeSSMupCHRdnsNUiYhenAleW31g/s320/P1050668.JPG" /></a>I said it before...and I'll say it again: I love my crock pots! (I say "crock pots" plural, because I have seven of them, in varying sizes. I use them all, often multiple crock pots for one meal. The main entree might go in a large 6 1/2- or 7-quart crock pot, and then I may have several side dishes cooking in the smaller or medium-sized crock pots. If I've got a large crowd coming over, I might have both of my two 7-quart crock pots cooking the same main entree such as roast beef.)<br /><br />Cooking in a crock pot is an easy and stree-free way to entertain. You start the food cooking in the morning (You can even do all your advance food prep the night before and put the filled crock pot in the fridge until cooking time), and have very little, if any, food prep to do before your guests arrive (which means you can be relaxing beforehand!). And if it's a chilly day outside, you have the added plus of taking in all those wonderful smells coming from the kitchen all day.<br /><br />I took advantage of my crock pot this past weekend. As I mentioned in previous posts, we had a Super Bowl party this past Sunday. We also had overnight, out-of-town guests coming over Saturday evening. I already had a lot to do Saturday night, with getting ready for the Super Bowl party. There wasn't going to be a lot of "free" time Saturday evening for fixing a big dinner. So my crock pot came to the rescue....again! I used my large crock pot, and made crock pot chili...which was enough for about 12 people. On the side we served sour cream, shredded cheddar and Monterey Jack cheese, diced onions, and Fritoes. Our guests brought corn bread and tossed salad. It was a very yummy...and filling meal. I made up the chili the day before--on Friday--and kept it in the fridge until Saturday morning. It cooked all day Saturday, and about 6 pm when our guests arrived, dinner was ready!<br /><br />The recipe I use for chili is one that I adapted and tweaked from the small recipe booklet that came with my West Bend crockery cooker. Here it is:<br /><br />3 lbs. lean ground beef<br />2 ½ cups chopped yellow onions (3-4 large onions)<br />2 ½ cups chopped green bell pepper (3-4 large bell peppers)<br />3 tsp. crushed garlic<br />1 (4 oz.) can diced green chilies, drained<br />4 (28-oz.) cans whole tomatoes (undrained), cut up<br />2 (15 oz.) cans dark red kidney beans, drained<br />2 (15 oz.) cans light red kidney beans, drained<br />4 T. chili powder<br />1 T. ground cumin<br />2 tsp. salt<br />1 tsp. black pepper<br />1 tsp. cayenne pepper<br /><br />Brown ground beef with onion, green pepper and garlic in large skillet over medium heat. Drain excess grease. Transfer mixture to crock pot. Add remaining ingredients; stir to blend. Cook on low heat setting for 8 to 10 hours.<br /><br />Enjoy!<br /><br />~BeckyBecky Sweathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15398527964610762256noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-614379541297367527.post-40680198165758286172012-02-06T19:04:00.006-06:002014-01-22T12:51:44.601-06:00Super Bowl Quiz<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMHlUHQW51MClRHvB7Aa93FRiFu4DMuOaAsYC6PRsG0qNoEqe8a1VjKqh8oe5X032kD5Yf149OvryBt1YGfJb4i9bRaBsFI3OmA-sqFUAh7ag7vtZUNuayUz8rH9OYRwIiLWddV-3Cwtc/s1600/P1050694.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMHlUHQW51MClRHvB7Aa93FRiFu4DMuOaAsYC6PRsG0qNoEqe8a1VjKqh8oe5X032kD5Yf149OvryBt1YGfJb4i9bRaBsFI3OmA-sqFUAh7ag7vtZUNuayUz8rH9OYRwIiLWddV-3Cwtc/s320/P1050694.JPG" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5706200329571879426" style="cursor: hand; display: block; height: 240px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 320px;" /></a>We had a wonderful time at our Super Bowl Party yesterday. I say "our" but actually my 16-year-old son spear-headed the whole event. I thought he did a great job. He planned the guest list, the menu, the decorations, the food, and did all the set up and take-down.<br />
<br />
My son also organized a couple of different football-related games for during the party. One of them was a Super Bowl trivia quiz, which he wrote himself. I've pasted the quiz below. We had a trivia quiz at last year's party and everyone said it was too hard. So, this year my son tried to include a mix of easy, medium and more challenging questions in the quiz. Yesterday's winning guest won with a score of 75 percent. Why don't you try out the quiz and see how you do?!!<br />
<br />
SUPERBOWL XLVI TRIVIA GAME<br />
<br />
GRAND PRIZE: Superbowl XLVI Mug with Bonus T-Shirt<br />
<br />
Question 1. CATEGORY: EASY<br />
What is the name of the team with a blue star as a logo?<br />
A. Jacksonville Jaguars<br />
B. Houston Texans<br />
C. Tennessee Titans<br />
D. Dallas Cowboys<br />
<br />
Question 2. CATEGORY: EASY<br />
Which team does Eli Manning currently plan for?<br />
A. Indianapolis Colts<br />
B. New York Giants<br />
C. Denver Broncos<br />
D. None of the Above<br />
<br />
Question 3. CATEGORY: EASY<br />
Which one of these teams is based in Illinois?<br />
A. Bears<br />
B. Cardinals<br />
C. Chargers<br />
D. Panthers<br />
<br />
Question 4. CATEGORY: MEDIUM<br />
How many teams have never been to a superbowl?<br />
A. 1<br />
B. 4<br />
C. 2<br />
D. Every team has been in at least one superbowl.<br />
<br />
Question 5. CATEGORY: MEDIUM<br />
Which team went to four straight superbowls and lost all 4?<br />
A. Raiders<br />
B. Steelers<br />
C. Vikings<br />
D. Bills<br />
<br />
Question 6. CATEGORY: MEDIUM<br />
Which two teams participated in Superbowl III?<br />
A. New York Jets & Baltimore Colts<br />
B. Green Bay Packers & Kansas City Chiefs<br />
C. Green Bay Packers & Miami Dolphins<br />
D. Minnesota Vikings & Kansas City Chiefs<br />
<br />
Question 7. CATEGORY: HARD<br />
What was the name of the Tennessee Titans before they became the Tennessee Titans?<br />
A.Houston Titans<br />
B.Houston Oilers<br />
C.Tennessee Oilers<br />
D. Chicago Fire<br />
<br />
Question 8. CATEGORY: EASY (Short Answer)<br />
Name five NFL Quarterbacks:<br />
<br />
Question 9. CATEGORY: EASY (Short Answer)<br />
Name five NFL Running Backs:<br />
<br />
Question 10. CATEGORY: MEDIUM<br />
Who has played both baseball and football professionaly?<br />
A. Tom Brady<br />
B. Marshall Faulk<br />
C. Deion Sanders<br />
D. Peyton Manning<br />
<br />
Question 11. CATEGORY: EASY<br />
Who is the current starting quarterback for the Dallas Cowboys?<br />
A. Drew Bledsoe<br />
B. Troy Aikman<br />
C. John Kitna<br />
D. Tony Romo<br />
<br />
Question 12. CATEGORY: EASY<br />
Whatone of these teams played in Superbowl 46?<br />
A. Cleveland Browns<br />
B. New England Patriots<br />
C. Carolina Panthers<br />
D. Detroit Lions<br />
<br />
Question 13. CATEGORY: MEDIUM<br />
Which NFL team has won the most superbowls?<br />
A.Pittsburgh Steelers<br />
B. Dallas Cowboys<br />
C. New England Patriots<br />
D. Denver Broncos<br />
<br />
Question 14. CATEGORY: MEDIUM<br />
Who was the superbowl I MVP?<br />
A.Bart Starr<br />
B. Joe Namath<br />
C.John Elway<br />
D. Vince Lombardi<br />
<br />
Question 15. CATEGORY: EXTREME<br />
What was the final score of Superbowl XLII?<br />
A.Patriots 17,Giants,14<br />
B.Giants 20, Patriots 17<br />
C. Giants 17, Patriots 14<br />
D. Patriots 20, Giants 17<br />
<br />
Question 16. CATEGORY: EXTREME (Short Answer)<br />
Which player has gained the most MVP (most valuable player) awards?<br />
<br />
Question 17. CATEGORY: HARD<br />
Which player holds the record for most passing yards in a single season?<br />
A. Drew Brees<br />
B. Tom Brady<br />
C. Matthew Stafford<br />
D. Dan Marino<br />
<br />
Question 18. CATEGORY: EXTREME<br />
Who did the Patriots beat in Superbowl XXXVI?<br />
A. Denver Broncos<br />
B. Philidelphia Eagles<br />
C. Carolina Panthers<br />
D. St. Louis Rams<br />
<br />
Question 19. CATEGORY: EXTREME<br />
How many people approximently watched Superbowl XLV (last year)?<br />
A. 50 Million Est.<br />
B. 162.9 Million Est.<br />
C. 200 Million Est.<br />
D. 500 Million Est.<br />
<br />
Question 20. CATEGORY: EXTREMEW<br />
Which City/Area has hosted the most superbowls to date?<br />
A. City of Tampa Bay<br />
B. Los Angeles Area<br />
C. City of New Orleans<br />
D. City of Miami<br />
<br />
Answers: D, B, A, B, D, A, C, C, D, B, A, A, C, Joe Montana, A, D, B, D,Becky Sweathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15398527964610762256noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-614379541297367527.post-51320243848930459702012-02-01T22:33:00.005-06:002012-02-01T22:56:58.810-06:00Homemade Spinach and Chicken Ravioli<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaJeOfiat_DWmqHzPFszCwukQEkF5wLZ8GMWBubD_k-n6_62zrwT1aPcAnl9utOlT9ug9hg19Mo59mdR2nMxk_iLkKUXAf-nTEOrzi3gIv2Jy_XKyA9dSoYozSNZUbLfqimBQUq3s8c1A/s1600/P1050656.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaJeOfiat_DWmqHzPFszCwukQEkF5wLZ8GMWBubD_k-n6_62zrwT1aPcAnl9utOlT9ug9hg19Mo59mdR2nMxk_iLkKUXAf-nTEOrzi3gIv2Jy_XKyA9dSoYozSNZUbLfqimBQUq3s8c1A/s320/P1050656.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5704396491985356162" /></a><br />Today’s adventure was making homemade spinach and chicken ravioli. We had it for dinner tonight, and I made a lot extra to freeze, which I’ll serve to company at a dinner party in a couple weeks. To me, there’s nothing yummier than freshly-made homemade pasta (or homemade pasta that’s been frozen and thawed!). <br /><br />I’ll be honest with you…it’s a several hour project to make your own ravioli. But…it’s just as easy to make several batches at once rather than just one. So I make a lot at a time and freeze it, which in that sense is a time saver. Now, in addition to having dinner ready for my family for tonight, I’ve got homemade ravioli frozen to serve to future dinner guests, and it’s all set to go. <br /><br />I use pasta and filling recipes from a Cook’s Illustrated book, The Complete Book of Pasta and Noodles. I have “tweaked” the recipes a bit though. In this blog post, I’ll give you a rundown of the ravioli making operation at my house.<br /><br />First, I’ll start with the recipes:<br /><br />PASTA:<br /><br />3 cups all-purpose, semolina or bread flour<br />1 tsp. salt<br />5 large-eggs, beaten<br />1-2 tsp. cold water<br /><br />Place flour in the work bowl of a food processor fitted with the metal blade. Pour in flour and salt. Pulse food processor a few times to evenly distribute salt. Add eggs and pulse until mixture starts to cling together. It should come together in one large mass, without sticking to the sides. Mixture should not be wet. If it doesn’t stick together, add 1-2 tsp cold water, a half teaspoon at a time. Once it holds together, remove dough from food processor. Knead about a minute, until dough is smooth and elastic. Shape into a ball, and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate the dough for about 30 to 60 minutes. This will make the dough easier to handle. While the dough is “resting” in the fridge, make the filling.<br /><br />Here's a dough ball, resting...<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4mhD7F817DkZiNnhG2X6eaRg8GNPon-GV5dgl4aruQyl3TF_9IRdSPw1WtM8S2IHD5iT26jpDgtL7-gROn2OJeaKewZlWB5DG97V93vwgXQkwJM3z7Og5jqTJfpcPqdBi2YHme5AzrCY/s1600/P1050631.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4mhD7F817DkZiNnhG2X6eaRg8GNPon-GV5dgl4aruQyl3TF_9IRdSPw1WtM8S2IHD5iT26jpDgtL7-gROn2OJeaKewZlWB5DG97V93vwgXQkwJM3z7Og5jqTJfpcPqdBi2YHme5AzrCY/s320/P1050631.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5704392076953231634" /></a><br />FILLING:<br /><br />¾ cup thawed, frozen spinach<br />1 cup cooked chicken breast cubes<br />1 small onion<br />2 T. butter<br />½ tsp. salt<br />1 cup ricotta cheese (whole or part skim)<br />¾ cup Parmesan cheese (ideally freshly grated)<br /><br />Put chicken in food processor and pulse until chicken is coarsely ground. Set chicken aside. Next, squeeze out excess water from the spinach. Then put spinach in the food processor and pulse until spinach is chopped fine. Set spinach aside. Next, dice onion in food processor. Melt butter in large saucepan and add spinach and onion. Stir about 5 minutes, until onion is cooked and tender. Add salt, chicken and cheeses. Filling is now ready. (At this point, you can refrigerate the filling—up to one day—until you are ready to assemble your ravioli. This is actually a good time-saver; making both the pasta and filling for the ravioli, and assembling it, can be too time consuming for one day.) <br /><br />Here's a photo of the filling, ready to be put into the ravioli:<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI7PJxmi7yPhNF8gHm2ak8OwCptIqlbInuN_5aZ2XOFjWm5Gwv_kxCCpMpzeyF0YhcmqIWfq0srkmabt_yBKRleyOCdUKE6_7sz3HEPkrvluT6BfNbB9k2UtpuOLbcwfXyzY7fVhyphenhyphenBC5g/s1600/P1050633.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI7PJxmi7yPhNF8gHm2ak8OwCptIqlbInuN_5aZ2XOFjWm5Gwv_kxCCpMpzeyF0YhcmqIWfq0srkmabt_yBKRleyOCdUKE6_7sz3HEPkrvluT6BfNbB9k2UtpuOLbcwfXyzY7fVhyphenhyphenBC5g/s320/P1050633.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5704392422195041810" /></a><br />To assemble your ravioli, you will need a pasta machine (to roll out the dough). It’s also helpful to have a ravioli maker to help you shape your raviolis (If you don’t have one, you can just put one sheet of dough on top of anther, and cut out your squares using a pastry wheel cutter—with a small spoonful of filling in the center of each.). The ravioli maker I use is made by Norpro, and consists of two parts—a metal frame that has 12 “holes” in it, and an indented, egg-carton shaped plastic form.<br /><br />I’ll post a series of photos here so that you can see the process. Basically, what you do is use your pasta machine to roll out strips of the pasta dough. Start rolling your dough at the thickest width setting, and then pass the dough sheets through the machine several times, each time at a thinner thickness, until you’ve the dough’s been through the thinnest setting. The dough will be thin and translucent.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHRZoMydgir0RMMIfz6jMLtCSSkP30sfNT7ueX8CDOR82ieRJOCFvqjZuDm_ivZJcghBcN-_863GbcuDx287B_w8QSZ4k1IQtpd_iSEx_gRamsUXxaXKOvC83CMp1O_eYzrcy7cKKH0ZM/s1600/P1050635.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHRZoMydgir0RMMIfz6jMLtCSSkP30sfNT7ueX8CDOR82ieRJOCFvqjZuDm_ivZJcghBcN-_863GbcuDx287B_w8QSZ4k1IQtpd_iSEx_gRamsUXxaXKOvC83CMp1O_eYzrcy7cKKH0ZM/s320/P1050635.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5704393335388498354" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWK3AQdQ7XxuPL8RCfP_Y9vN-CZMUbzztgzAmdENy9uNsDj4Y2BWRj1D-XvJRkswl2L9NlJ5951SeyINmwdjSs5xOOhNvh2wjvMddK8x6J_Pvktso2r31b3E9wd_etDfA47vmpQDvjY3g/s1600/P1050638.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWK3AQdQ7XxuPL8RCfP_Y9vN-CZMUbzztgzAmdENy9uNsDj4Y2BWRj1D-XvJRkswl2L9NlJ5951SeyINmwdjSs5xOOhNvh2wjvMddK8x6J_Pvktso2r31b3E9wd_etDfA47vmpQDvjY3g/s320/P1050638.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5704393676170536738" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUdfH0hCJ6wrYWWA1YPl8-OsiuIE8dt5nHgzkrsUkwZ8Q1Em8kbYwSPFTG1xMsJ-Q_3eEc50JjG7Nqn-ebSdzn8-c9EJM4N44f2JXmfP9TA9O6Pu5GLBXszpGzlEgtYu2J181lL6JgFdM/s1600/P1050641.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUdfH0hCJ6wrYWWA1YPl8-OsiuIE8dt5nHgzkrsUkwZ8Q1Em8kbYwSPFTG1xMsJ-Q_3eEc50JjG7Nqn-ebSdzn8-c9EJM4N44f2JXmfP9TA9O6Pu5GLBXszpGzlEgtYu2J181lL6JgFdM/s320/P1050641.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5704393967487051938" /></a><br />Next, cut out 12X4 inch strips of dough. Place a strip onto the metal frame (dust the strip of dough with flour first, which will make for easier removal of the ravioli squares when you’re finished). <br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi72MuC5GyIx3BbhhWluRZLCr6TSjVcKFdtzlzNHf0-CaZpwdJs1lsSgIKjJyyWyA5RalqDWhpnZVwvDK2cI2VQrujNic62l3B1C9Nc7H-UGuZz9lLL2zvQ-gWV4dluR0TRvPfBvb7r8MU/s1600/P1050642.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi72MuC5GyIx3BbhhWluRZLCr6TSjVcKFdtzlzNHf0-CaZpwdJs1lsSgIKjJyyWyA5RalqDWhpnZVwvDK2cI2VQrujNic62l3B1C9Nc7H-UGuZz9lLL2zvQ-gWV4dluR0TRvPfBvb7r8MU/s320/P1050642.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5704394524636724962" /></a><br />Use the egg carton-shaped form to make indentations in each square. Fill each of these indentations with a rounded teaspoonful worth of filling. <br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLld1dK11gpg2ldGpLY6lIs3XGmKW7w7gChdYYBiexoT5s12UvnY11D8ssxsDMnCxKPxJzqkG6kYyLkrgx43P-MaeYfbghFQlmi4gDLvZARFIq2bnHph33m62PENeNRTK_2suhLYePGG0/s1600/P1050653.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLld1dK11gpg2ldGpLY6lIs3XGmKW7w7gChdYYBiexoT5s12UvnY11D8ssxsDMnCxKPxJzqkG6kYyLkrgx43P-MaeYfbghFQlmi4gDLvZARFIq2bnHph33m62PENeNRTK_2suhLYePGG0/s320/P1050653.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5704394803226754706" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJkZx6LikFVnm4dvITJbCNUt6K7nzCiJnpOiSHeFngPZkXrMvbzbtZnQJ3PF9pSgoGfvG7JEPxYFYPHDpnp4zWkHNkKVTJJakpnSlZw66rCAx_q7_vkRuF8bBbR7VUUO6WFIJ_r9XhmKs/s1600/P1050644.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJkZx6LikFVnm4dvITJbCNUt6K7nzCiJnpOiSHeFngPZkXrMvbzbtZnQJ3PF9pSgoGfvG7JEPxYFYPHDpnp4zWkHNkKVTJJakpnSlZw66rCAx_q7_vkRuF8bBbR7VUUO6WFIJ_r9XhmKs/s320/P1050644.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5704395168287637522" /></a><br />Then place a second 12X4 inch strip of dough on top of that (again, lightly flouring the dough strip first). Roll across the covered frame with a wooden rolling pin. This will seal the two layers of dough together. The edges of the frame—showing the outlines of each ravioli square—will start to show through as you’re rolling. <br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzDm5QP65psyNcOpO0gQnOm_6rJOrNJtUx6cIWkt0ihdh_8CV60jeQXqInBY6gqiLKobaQKZKEEV1tbI_RM0KeODXwmPPo0fcrEdhtNeWvPiVW0AWyv2VwGzLRGlrhFI1t6RelmD3CCaY/s1600/P1050647.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzDm5QP65psyNcOpO0gQnOm_6rJOrNJtUx6cIWkt0ihdh_8CV60jeQXqInBY6gqiLKobaQKZKEEV1tbI_RM0KeODXwmPPo0fcrEdhtNeWvPiVW0AWyv2VwGzLRGlrhFI1t6RelmD3CCaY/s320/P1050647.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5704395899216879250" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhio5WnsdgUyOcYJgZbM9x8QvFjubtOBtyvh1jtju_ektr_nLAIBhqvgtebS-yqGYQBJfzTr0J3KSLO8dDtl1RnS9NgoDz5YKIfMR2YU-hbaEc98mM7JWdu5Xa2QiPyBxRR2vgb1CpUAuE/s1600/P1050657.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhio5WnsdgUyOcYJgZbM9x8QvFjubtOBtyvh1jtju_ektr_nLAIBhqvgtebS-yqGYQBJfzTr0J3KSLO8dDtl1RnS9NgoDz5YKIfMR2YU-hbaEc98mM7JWdu5Xa2QiPyBxRR2vgb1CpUAuE/s320/P1050657.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5704396186704105986" /></a><br />When you can clearly see the metal edges, turn the ravioli form over and lightly tap it on the countertop. The raviolis will fall onto the countertop surface. If they don’t fall out by themselves, you can use the edge of a paring knife to carefully pry the ravioli squares out of the form.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6hqkytr0ckD5Z1hGttaHKNcLga9fGrjEA88rWHCWVoaMjJIFRm52Y0EE4YAQuCCQg-lKRSbdjs7fyBRm29ejtaJ21Fa0e_LaSles8J-d-R7nN6zLL4OeJp0kRZjH0IJu47wlC_EHncsQ/s1600/P1050650.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6hqkytr0ckD5Z1hGttaHKNcLga9fGrjEA88rWHCWVoaMjJIFRm52Y0EE4YAQuCCQg-lKRSbdjs7fyBRm29ejtaJ21Fa0e_LaSles8J-d-R7nN6zLL4OeJp0kRZjH0IJu47wlC_EHncsQ/s320/P1050650.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5704396795930697602" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkRfLtYW7hB1RLJSodD2v3lxCIUl2JSURaUBO48ADIu6JtIe3Tua77pvXIv8dEx7CBGfdbXjmMjY5pX0YsayXj0XGqfG4BbYk1t0SxPXg7hU0yEJhnzwyoo40hDWw-Gg2veKJd0OoJE_s/s1600/P1050652.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkRfLtYW7hB1RLJSodD2v3lxCIUl2JSURaUBO48ADIu6JtIe3Tua77pvXIv8dEx7CBGfdbXjmMjY5pX0YsayXj0XGqfG4BbYk1t0SxPXg7hU0yEJhnzwyoo40hDWw-Gg2veKJd0OoJE_s/s320/P1050652.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5704397116684972018" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieTXhJdouKz8V48j4a8Y3Yo7luGDqFA8qpw9qewFQDN1bIJteByx0uic3U3Wk4_z8pBhO_-mH47LobyjdZquwokpLVTcCftK1qsHVqET7_axtSBBiz-tgNjXyrF7QyqUUamjIJPPWX9lw/s1600/P1050649.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieTXhJdouKz8V48j4a8Y3Yo7luGDqFA8qpw9qewFQDN1bIJteByx0uic3U3Wk4_z8pBhO_-mH47LobyjdZquwokpLVTcCftK1qsHVqET7_axtSBBiz-tgNjXyrF7QyqUUamjIJPPWX9lw/s320/P1050649.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5704397413716395618" /></a><br />Place the ravioli on a cookie sheet lined with plastic wrap or parchment paper. Freeze for about an hour to harden the ravioli so that they won’t stick together when you’re storing them. You can then put the ravioli in freezer bags and freeze them. They freeze well for 1-2 months. Or, if you’re going to prepare the ravioli fairly soon, you can store the ravioli in the refrigerator for 1-2 days before cooking them. <br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg80GsZ6TK_r8uv1p-MEhCpQ_KbuYmSN_7fMNwvhoo9bXtG6JSeoWB3g4oBAFxcd0uYLeoAlpRy9inbSm2r8E8A5xMn3biUnXECsbIf5rHZOTE3QeTpFvEECF9F1Su644W0Ok84tuSx3tE/s1600/P1050662.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg80GsZ6TK_r8uv1p-MEhCpQ_KbuYmSN_7fMNwvhoo9bXtG6JSeoWB3g4oBAFxcd0uYLeoAlpRy9inbSm2r8E8A5xMn3biUnXECsbIf5rHZOTE3QeTpFvEECF9F1Su644W0Ok84tuSx3tE/s320/P1050662.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5704397695155148386" /></a><br />If you’ve frozen the ravioli, thaw them in the refrigerator for 12-24 hours before cooking them. To cook the ravioli, place them in salted, boiling water. Let them cook for 8 minutes or until tender. Serve covered with marinara or Alfredo sauce.<br /><br />I like to serve these ravioli with Afredo sauce. Here’s my recipe:<br /><br />ALFREDO SAUCE:<br /><br />½ cup butter<br />4 T. cream cheese, softened<br />1 cup heavy cream<br />1 cup half and half<br />1 tsp. garlic powder<br />½ tsp. salt<br />¼ tsp. black pepper<br />2/3 cup freshly-grated Parmesan cheese<br /><br />In a medium saucepan, melt butter. Add cream cheese and stir until blended with butter. Stir in heavy cream and half and half. Season with garlic powder, salt and pepper. Simmer for about 15 minutes over low heat, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and stir in Parmesan cheese.<br /><br />Enjoy!<br />~BeckyBecky Sweathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15398527964610762256noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-614379541297367527.post-89166562740565953122012-01-29T11:27:00.012-06:002012-01-29T11:49:45.237-06:00DO-AHEAD BEEF BRISKET DINNER MENU<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5fK5r9UNWSRRKaMfNPQoRwAmV2TSfuVyCsrk7Ws4Ud-9GlgQAl9nEfCcYyTe1gTcYYm5cl9rDqlyL2QXfTxyI1vWWvKlEBepx2p2vJh9i0_TKGgZnP6tsOSGXfMOsAcO9_tw37zXUUcU/s1600/P1040102.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 269px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5703107146654434786" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5fK5r9UNWSRRKaMfNPQoRwAmV2TSfuVyCsrk7Ws4Ud-9GlgQAl9nEfCcYyTe1gTcYYm5cl9rDqlyL2QXfTxyI1vWWvKlEBepx2p2vJh9i0_TKGgZnP6tsOSGXfMOsAcO9_tw37zXUUcU/s320/P1040102.jpg" /></a> We had some friends over last night for beef brisket and it was such a fun, relaxing evening! Everything I served, I made up in advance. We had cook-in-the-oven Texas-style beef brisket, garlic mashed potatoes, mashed sweet potatoes (we still have frozen mashed sweet potatoes from my husband’s 2010 garden to use up!), and cornbread with whipped honey butter. I asked my guests to bring a warm veggie dish and tossed salad (I just provided the carbs and protein!).<br /><br />I made up all my dishes on Friday and then kept them in the refrigerator until Saturday. Yesterday morning, I put the brisket in the oven. It cooked at a low temperature all day (kind of like you would do with a slow cooker, but the slow cooking in the oven doesn’t turn the meat into mush; it just makes it very tender.). Then I put the cornbread, sweet potatoes and mashed potatoes in our second oven about 30 minutes before our guests arrived. There was nothing else that needed to be done all day to get ready for the meal (I had already made a dessert the day before, which was still in the fridge. One of our guests was bringing a second dessert.). After our friends arrived, I was in the family room, sipping on wine and munching on appetizers (crackers and cheese/dips), while we waited for the dishes to finish cooking in the oven. I wasn’t having to rush around the kitchen doing all this last-minute food prep. I love easy meals like this. And the brisket (something I discovered since moving to Texas) is something people always seem to enjoy.<br /><br />Really, this is the ideal meal for a Friday night or other weekday evening dinner, when you’re at work and away from home all day. You can put the beef brisket in the oven when you leave in the morning, and it’ll be ready when you get home. The other items can be cooked for 30 minutes after you get home—about the time you’re getting the brisket out of the oven to “rest” for a bit before cutting. It’s also a good meal to serve up after church; you can come home with your company and dinner’s just about ready. When your guests ask, “Is there anything I can do to help?” there really isn’t; everything’s already done. It’s one of those meals that generates a super-relaxing atmosphere, because as the hostess, I’m not running around like a “chicken with its head cut off.” My husband and sons really appreciate that.<br /><br />Here are last night’s recipes:<br /><br />COOK-IN-THE-OVEN TEXAS BEEF BRISKET<br /><br />Rub, for 8 to 10 pounds of beef brisket:<br /><br /><p>4 T. chili powder<br />2 T. salt<br />2 T. garlic powder<br />2 T. onion powder<br />1 T. ground black pepper<br />2 T. granulated sugar<br />1 T. plus 1 tsp. dry mustard<br />3 bay leaves, crushed<br />4 cups beef stock or beef broth<br /><br />Preheat oven to 250 degrees. Trim excess fat on brisket. Mix the dry rub ingredients together, and season the brisket on both sides with the rub. Place the brisket on rack in a roasting pan, fat side up. Add beef stock to yield about ½ inch of liquid in the roasting pan (just enough so that the broth is really close to coming in contact with meat, but not quite). Put roaster lid on. Bake 8-10 hours (1 hour per pound of meat, after fat is trimmed). When done cooking, leave out at room temperature 15-20 minutes before cutting. Then slice the meat thinly across the grain. Top with juice from the pan, or serve with warm barbecue sauce on the side.<br /><br />SWEET POTATO CASSEROLE<br /><br />4 cups mashed sweet potatoes<br />1/2 cup butter, softened<br />2 eggs, beaten<br />1 cup brown sugar<br />1/2 cup milk<br />2 tsp. vanilla<br />1 tsp. cinnamon<br /><br />Combine all of the above and pour into buttered 1 ½ quart glass casserole dish. Then, mix the following together until crumbly, and sprinkle on top of mashed sweet potato mixture:<br /><br />½ cup all-purpose flour<br />¼ cup granulated sugar<br />¼ cup butter<br />½ cup chopped pecans<br /><br />Bake in 350 degree oven for 30-40 minutes, or until center is heated through.<br /></p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdeXYGlJbJ1SwhGlRhV4iOKYUiUGCIxLPy3Kh8IwX8zqVZR9O-gWha2aBfqkYR3G0kMIDIS2t0uUAKoCLpB63QD8ayYIKUFRRKPrOgqk12Reb0m9lQXRRhyVS67zWPf7xxsjGdyWnsY3I/s1600/P1050614.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5703107885666293138" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdeXYGlJbJ1SwhGlRhV4iOKYUiUGCIxLPy3Kh8IwX8zqVZR9O-gWha2aBfqkYR3G0kMIDIS2t0uUAKoCLpB63QD8ayYIKUFRRKPrOgqk12Reb0m9lQXRRhyVS67zWPf7xxsjGdyWnsY3I/s320/P1050614.jpg" /></a><br />MAKE-AHEAD MASHED POTATOES<br /><br />5 lbs. Russet Potatoes, peeled<br />1 (8 oz.) pkg. cream cheese, softened<br />½ cup butter, softened<br />¼ cup chives, rinsed and chopped<br />2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced<br />1-2 tsp. salt (to taste)<br />½ tsp. black pepper<br />1 tsp. paprika<br /><br />Cook potatoes in boiling water about 30 minutes or until tender. Drain potatoes and mash. Beat the cream cheese with an electric mixer until smooth. Add potatoes and remaining ingredients except the paprika, beat just until combined. Spoon the mixture into a lightly buttered 2-quart casserole, sprinkle with paprika. Cover and refrigerate overnight. Remove from refrigerator 15 minutes before baking. Uncover and bake at 350° for 30 minutes or until thoroughly heated through. Serves 8 to 10. When baked in the oven like this, these potatoes get a “crust” on top and they’re light and fluffy inside….and they go fast when served.<br /><br />SWEET CORNBREAD<br /><br />2 cups all-purpose flour<br />1 1/8 cups cornmeal<br />3 tsp. baking powder<br />½ cup granulated sugar<br />1 tsp. salt<br />½ cup shortening, chilled<br />2 cups milk<br />2 eggs<br /><br />Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Combine flour, cornmeal, baking powder, sugar and salt. Using a pastry blender or your fingertips, cut in shortening until crumbly. Add milk and eggs and stir just until all the ingredients are well combined. Bake in a 7 X 11-inch greased baking pan for about 30 minutes. Serve with whipped honey butter. (For last night’s dinner, I made up the batter the day before, put it in a baking dish, covered it with plastic wrap, and then kept it in the refrigerator until baking. I like making up the batter ahead of time and baking it right before eating it. To me, cornbread always tastes best fresh out of the oven, rather than baked a day in advance.)<br /><br />WHIPPED HONEY BUTTER<br /><br />½ cup unsalted butter, softened<br />¼ to 1/3 cup honey (to taste)<br /><br />Using a hand mixer, whip butter and honey together until light and fluffy.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggO2cOwlL-QAMLokeXGUMFOnX2Uu5k5_ZQaFHZ6uSVtyu1_BfxS-K0_f1wEOHOGD8R-jyYzgGdN9WDtTBb5V_8ICbauzp6Q7jH0-tFAxOa3Vsggcg-PsM91s_DLvl5BnqeqheA9byioxI/s1600/P1050628.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5703108758651195506" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggO2cOwlL-QAMLokeXGUMFOnX2Uu5k5_ZQaFHZ6uSVtyu1_BfxS-K0_f1wEOHOGD8R-jyYzgGdN9WDtTBb5V_8ICbauzp6Q7jH0-tFAxOa3Vsggcg-PsM91s_DLvl5BnqeqheA9byioxI/s320/P1050628.jpg" /></a><br />Have a good rest of your weekend!<br />~BeckyBecky Sweathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15398527964610762256noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-614379541297367527.post-23108567617051531752012-01-27T19:56:00.005-06:002012-01-27T21:44:18.391-06:00Decorative Chocolate Cream Pie<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh204rGl5o6A6K7qy0n1MC7jNvoqdaI0jURg8Typf6QBBryRYH3YCOu2DGhRTOuRqZthEJqC6jcZvAzGDZiedCahrkJzO6YiRszaq9b698csIQqXpSu_zn79vpbs8msbiGRVKYqIRHGx18/s1600/P1050618.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5702496646414969122" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh204rGl5o6A6K7qy0n1MC7jNvoqdaI0jURg8Typf6QBBryRYH3YCOu2DGhRTOuRqZthEJqC6jcZvAzGDZiedCahrkJzO6YiRszaq9b698csIQqXpSu_zn79vpbs8msbiGRVKYqIRHGx18/s320/P1050618.jpg" /></a> We’re having company over for dinner tomorrow night. I thought I’d make a post about what we’re having for dessert…chocolate cream pie. I’ve found over the years that chocolate cream pie is a dessert that practically everyone likes. This recipe comes from the 1980 Good Housekeeping Illustrated Cookbook. It’s the best chocolate cream pie recipe that I’ve ever found.<br /><br />1 9-inch baked pie shell (I use the recipe I posted last July), cooled<br />½ cup granulated sugar<br />1/3 cup all-purpose flour<br />¼ tsp. salt<br />2 cups whole milk<br />2 squares unsweetened chocolate, grated<br />3 large egg yolks<br />3 T. butter<br />1 tsp. vanilla extract<br />Whipped cream for garnish, plus chocolate leaves, sprinkles or curls—if desired.<br /><br />Whisk the three egg yolks in a pint-sized bowl and set aside. In a 2-quart saucepan, whisk together sugar, flour, salt, milk and grated chocolate. Over medium heat, cook mixture, stirring constantly, cook until mixture is thickened and boils (about 10 minutes). Spoon about a half-cup’s worth of the chocolate mixture into the beaten egg yolks and quickly whisk together. Pour this chocolate-egg yolk mixture back into the pan with the rest of the chocolate mixture. Blend together well. Stir over low heat until very thick (about two minutes), and mixture mounds when dropped from a spoon (don’t allow to bowl though). Remove from heat and stir in butter and vanilla. Then pour into baked pie shell. Cover the surface of the chocolate mixture with plastic wrap. Refrigerate until cool and set—about 3-4 hours. Then you can remove the plastic wrap and garnish.<br /><br />I piped whipped cream on my chocolate cream pie (above), and garnished it with dark chocolate, white chocolate and peanut butter leaves. I made these with a leaf mold, that I filled with melted Candy Wafers (available from Hobby Lobby). You can also use Wilton’s Candy Melts, which you can buy at craft supply stores like Michael’s, or "real" chocolate if you temper it first. One final touch was to sprinkle Cocoa Pearls on top of the piped whipped cream. These are available at Trader Joe’s, and add a special touch to the pie.<br /><br />Have a great weekend everyone!<br />~BeckyBecky Sweathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15398527964610762256noreply@blogger.com1