SCR Reveal: Holiday Treats

I am so excited to be a part of the Secret Recipe Club Holiday Treats issue this month!  The Secret Recipe Club is a group of bloggers who come together to stalk each other's blogs in order to cook one of their recipes and then on reveal day, show what recipe we chose and a little about the blog we stalked.  That way you get a new recipe AND a new blog to follow!  Cool beans! I was assigned to Burnt Apple blog.  She had so many wonderful treats to choose from, such as this delicious  looking Baked Funfetti donuts , these HOMEMADE Gumdrops , and these Squash Brownies with Homemade Ice Cream.   Honestly.  What's a girl to choose?   After much deliberation, I chose to make the Apple Pumpkin DOG TREATS.  Yes, your furry friends love their sweets, too, and during the holidays we decided to share homemade "cookies" with all our furry friends!  I tried them out with Wilson and Truman after I made them, and oh my goodness!  they loved them!

October/November Cook the Books/Food 'N Flix~The Hundred-Foot Journey

This month Food 'N Flix and Cook the Books combined forces to do one book/movie pick.  The one they picked, The Hundred Foot Journey, was such a great combination.  For me, the book and movie were vitally different, which makes for interesting conversation at your book club! So first, thank you to  Deb of Kahakai Kitchen for choosing The Hundred Foot Journey by Richard C. Morais. Book review, from Amazon, as I tend to go into more detail than necessary: Grandson of an entrepreneurial lunchbox deliveryman, Chef Hassan Haji tells of his rise to culinary success in Paris via Bombay, London, and a small town in the French Alps. With a fond, over-the-shoulder regard, he presents the lively family members, friends, and former foes who shaped him as a young chef, leading him to face his destiny and realize that cooking is not only in his heritage but also in his blood and bones. The novel floats along a bounty of vivid food imagery, a twisty-turny river of dishes Ind

Skinny Crustless Quiche: Secret Recipe Club Reveal Day!

It's time for the reveal of my Secret Recipe Club partner:  Caleigh's Kitchen! It was fun to go through the blog looking at recipes.  A lot of Amber's recipes are toward the healthy side, with an occasional treat thrown in, like these brownies and this no bake pumpkin cheesecake . I decided to give the Skinny Crustless Quiche a try because my husband enjoys breakfast and every morning makes himself some eggs before work.  I'd like to be the kind of wife that gets up and makes my man breakfast every day, but I'm not.  However, this quiche might be the perfect answer to all of that!  I can make it ahead and he can help himself to it!  Giving back some time to his day will be a gift! My version has a couple of changes to it to make it more like my husband's taste. Skinny Crustless Quiche Serves 8 2 slices turkey bacon, cooked 1/2 yellow onion, diced 2 cloves garlic, minced 1 medium red skinned potato, small dice 1 c chopped broccoli 1/3 c b

It's Friday and I'm in Love with CHRISTMAS!

Our It's Friday and I'm in Love linky parties continue this week with Christmas!  Please join me by adding your favorite Christmas links, past and present, to the linky party below.  I love the collection of fun Christmas links already assembled.  As I have been browsing the internet, looking for my 2015 Christmas ideas, here are some that are making this list this year. We've already featured snowflakes at The Hen Family , and cranberries at Nemcsok Farms ,  and pinecones at Rhythms of Play.   Go and check them out for a mountain of ideas! I love this garland-ribbon idea from Nikki on Tikkido .  So many uses, but I can really see this on a tree or gracing some evergreens on the mantle.  Simple, elegant, multipurpose garland. I'm in love with the simple elegance of this bottle decoration.  The white candles with the clear bottles, so pretty.  Relatively inexpensive to recreate, too.  This comes from Vibeke Designs in Norway. I love flocked trees bu

#BundtBakers Hot Chocolate Bundt with Godiva Glaze

Look no further than this delicious hot chocolate bundt cake for your next dessert.  Perfect for dinner parties, Valentine's Day, and every day eating! This month our lovely bakers at #BundtBakers have created some of the most decadent cakes with the theme of Hot Chocolate.  Hot chocolate is my all time favorite drink.  It is like getting a hug every time I have one.  I get a lot of hugs! This cake is super simple and oh, so good.  It is a great dessert to have at a winter party.  The chocolate flavor on this cake is light which makes it different from a regular chocolate cake. Hot Chocolate Bundt with Godiva Glaze by  Terri Steffes Prep Time:  10 minutes Cook Time:  35 Ingredients  (5 baby bundts, 1 regular bundt) 1 vanilla cake mix 2 eggs 1 stick of butter melted and cooled 3/4 c milk 1/2 c  hot chocolate mix Instructions Beat all ingredients together. Pour into a prepared mini bundt pan. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes. Test for doneness by insert

#CreativeCookieExchange Cinnamon Oatmeal with White Chocolate Glaze

This month our wonderful, creative cookie bakers were challenged to make a cookie with cinnamon as the highlight.  There are lovely cookies out there that we all know and love and I wanted to create another one that might just be as beloved as the snickerdoodle. This chewy oatmeal cookie has a delightful cinnamon background while the white chocolate glaze adds a perfect amount of sweetness.  These are easy to make, freeze well and will quickly disappear in your cookie jar! Cinnamon Oatmeal Cookies with White Chocolate Glaze by Terri Steffes Prep Time: 10 minutes Cook Time: 10 mintues Ingredients (36 cookies) 1 cup butter, softened 1 cup sugar 1 cup packed brown sugar 2 eggs 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon baking soda 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon 1/2 teaspoon baking powder 1/2 teaspoon salt 3 cups quick-cooking oats Instructions Cream the butter and sugars. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Combine the flour, sal

What's New Out There?

I have been remiss in showing you some fun products that I have been using.  Let's remedy that now. For Truman and Wilson:  those goofy dogs!  They have been underfoot all week while the weather has been changing.  They get nervous when they hear the wind being too loud, or if it storms.  Thank goodness I have these little treats around so we can play (practice) our commands.  That keeps them busy for awhile. I love these little bear shaped treats and Truman, especially, loves their pumpkin flavor.  I keep them in a clear jar with a red lid.  When I even just LOOK in that area, he goes crazy and then of course, I have to give him one (or two!) I love this little green ribbon that I found to place on my key chair  in honor of my friend, Linda, who is undergoing cancer treatment.  I found them at this Etsy shop called Star Dog.   There were several in a package so I could share them with friends. I really love these tea lights candles.  They are special becau

#FoodieExtravaganza Pickles!

Our theme for this month's Foodie Extravaganza is pickles!  I don't make a lot of pickles normally, but I am wanting to do a number of charcuterie trays for our Christmas gatherings so I am experimenting with different homemade pickles.  These refrigerated brussels sprouts pickles sounded too delicious not to try! These pickles are super simple to make, too. Refrigerated Brussels Sprouts Pickles Brussels Sprouts (I used 1 lb for a 32 oz jar) 1 clove garlic, peeled 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes 1 c water 1 c white vinegar 1 teaspoon pickling salt Pack clean and trimmed Brussels sprouts into a clean and dry jar.  Add the garlic and red pepper flakes.  Bring the vinegar, water and salt to a boil. Pour over Brussels sprouts within 1/4 inch of the top of the jar.  Store in the refrigerator up to 30 days.  Let sit at least 24 hours before serving. I love the pickly brine, the red pepper flakes and garlic give the Brussels sprouts a nice zing.  I know these will be a

#MakeItHappenBlogHop: Organization

What an ugly word that is... organization.  It conjurs up such ill feelings for me.  I have never truly felt organized and I work on so many ways to get to that state of mind.  Just look at what I have done over the span of my adulthood: 1.  Dove into the Steven Covey movement hook, line and sinker.  This was probably my most successful venture into organization.  I was a teacher, life was on a pretty regular schedule, and I fully believed in the Seven Habits. 2.  Organized Christmas.  I followed this plan for over 10 years.  I truly believed in it, and maybe when you are a young mom and have a lot of other responsibilities, it is a great way to keep your head above water during the holidays. 3.  The Fly Lady.  Homecleaning in less than a minute!  Not really, but housecleaning ideas and in an organized fashion so that you are not overwhelmed by the tasks that need attention over time. 4.  Read scores of magazine articles on organization.  Any magazine that had a headline on

#SundaySupper Christmas Cranberry "Mojito"

It's the start of the holiday season here at #SundaySupper and that means it is time to get out the cocktail shaker and create the cocktail of the season!  Last year, I learned how to make homemade cranberry sauce, and this is the inspiration for this drink.  Or maybe it was these yummy Drunken Cranberries from five years ago?  Whichever one, you are sure to enjoy this delicious cranberry cocktail. This week’s event is being co-hosted by Michelle De La Cerda-Nash and Valerie Cathell Clark. Here are their blogs:  http://www.thecompletesavorist.com/  and  http://lifestylefoodartistry.com/ Go and check them out! The holidays do not need to be stressful.  There are many easy shortcuts to this recipe that make it easy to have on hand.  I call it a "Mojito" because it has muddled mint.  After that, no resemblance! Christmas Cranberry "Mojito" 8 oz fresh cranberries 1 c sugar 1 c water 10 mint leaves 1 T lime juice 2 oz cranberry vodka or white rum 4 o