BYU Mint Brownies

Brownie layer

1 c. margarine

1/2 c. cocoa
2 Tbsp. honey
4 eggs
2 c. sugar
1 3/4 c. flour
1/2 Tbsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 c. chopped walnuts

MINT ICING
5 Tbsp. margarine
dash of salt
3 Tbsp. milk
1 Tbsp. light corn syrup
2 1/3 c. powdered sugar
1/2 tsp. mint extract
1-2 drops green food coloring

Chocolate Icing (can also use a can of store frosting)

3 cups powdered sugar

1/3 cup margarine, softened

1/3 cup cocoa powder

1 tsp vanilla

approximately 2 TBS milk

1. Melt margarine and mix in cocoa. Allow to cool. Add honey, eggs, sugar, flour, baking powder, and salt. Mix well. Add nuts. Pour batter into a greased 9-by-13 baking pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes. Cool.

2. Prepare mint icing: Soften margarine. Add salt, corn syrup, and powdered sugar. Beat until smooth and fluffy. Add mint extract and food coloring. Mix. Add milk gradually until the consistency is a little thinner than cake frosting.

3. Spread mint icing over brownies. Place brownies in the freezer for a short time to stiffen the icing. While waiting, mix up the chocolate frosting (dump all ingredients in bowl except milk and beat with mixer. Add milk to consistency desired - not as stiff at mint layer). Remove from the freezer and carefully add layer of chocolate icing.

YUMMY!

Some people don't like mint brownies because the mint flavor is overpowering. Who wants to think of toothpaste when eating dessert?? Not so with these - it's minty,but not overkill. Although I'm a BYU grad, I don't know if I ever had a BYU mint brownie in Provo.

Informational booklet on Emergency Survival

(Click onto above picture to be able to read about what you can learn from the booklet.)
Can you tell I'm betting ready to do another class on emergency preparedness? There is such a wealth of information out there on the Internet. I came across a booklet from the Los Angeles County, Office of Emergency Management that has simple short ideas that a family can go through to get themselves emergency prepared.

Each chapter has a simple 1-2 paragraph explanation of what to do. On the next page they have a check list of how a family can get prepared in that area.

Here is a list of the chapters:

Step 1. Family Emergency Plan
Step 2 Supply Storage
Step 3 First Aid Training and Supplies
Step 4 Drop, Cover and Hold On
Step 5 Car Kit and Office Kit
Step 6 Emergency Cash and Important Documents
Step 7 Camping Out Earthquake Style
Step 8 Freshen up your Water and Food Supplies
Step 9 Focus on Children
Step 10 Learn not to Burn
Step 11 Emergency Lighting
Step 12 Gifts of Life

This is an excellent booklet to go through as a family to set some goals for emergency preparedness. They have thought of everything in this booklet in a simple uncomplicated way.

Earthquake Preparedness

For some reason, earthquake preparedness has been on my mind. I wonder if this news story has anything to do with my thoughts?

A massive 8.8-magnitude earthquake rocked Chile early on Saturday, February 27, leaving hundreds of people dead, destroying parts of southern Chile and triggering tsunami warnings for the entire Pacific basin. cnn.com

I found a blog post from Emergency Essentials on earthquake preparedness that is worth reading. click here to read the post.

Kristine's first hand experience with emergency preparedness

tsunami:  are you on high ground?

By Janelle Anderson

My sister Kristine is in the yellow shirt below.

She lives in Laie, Hawaii and goes to BYU-Hawaii.

Her house is right on the beach...

...and Saturday morning, she evacuated with her roommates

because of the tsunami warning triggered by the earthquake in Chile.

They decided to go to "higher ground."

How appropriate that that "higher ground" is the hill the temple is on

(see middle right of the picture).

Quote from Kristine: "It was really interesting seeing everybody on the hill, all the families, my professor’s families, students, and the Polynesians with their full on tarps, BBQs, and music. A lot of people had tents which I thought was really smart."

I think this picture is cool: there were men on top of the temple with cameras looking for the waves to start.

Kristine was prepared well by our mother (mom is the emergency queen). Kristine said all her roommates were teasing her about bringing so much "stuff." Kristine said, "but I didn't mind because it was true, I brought a TON of stuff but I knew if we were stranded up there we would use everything."

Having "stuff" is smart! She brought a pillow, quilt, chairs, tons of water, boatload of food, journal, school stuff, laptop, cell phone charger, $100 cash, can opener, pocket knife, first aid kit, soap, washcloths, camera, flashlight, clothes, and a tarp.

I bet she's smiling so big cuz she knows she's prepared :-)

There was even opportunity to "play." The sprinklers went off on their "campsite" and so they cooled off a bit.

So, what ended up happening? Where was the tsunami?

It didn't come. The water levels at Laie rose about a foot.

Kristine went home about 2:30pm.

But the experience was still valuable.

Kristine says: "I must say I am really grateful for this experience, seriously. I want to tell you all I have a testimony of food storage and flee bags, amen.

Dave's brother, Matt, and his family also live on the island.

They were prepared with 72-hour kits and extra water.

After the warning was lifted, they headed to the beach "to surf the big tsunami waves."

Matt says, "It was exciting, but kind of anti-climatic in a good way that there was no damage or injuries... unless you count a few fist-fights at the gas stations when people were trying to "stock up."

Good point for Matt to make: anti-climatic if you're prepared.

If you have food storage, water, a car full of gas, why fear?

When an emergency comes, will you be standing in a two hour line for food? Looking for bottled water on a shelf that's picked clean? Waiting to fill up a car at a station jammed packed?

Kristine's and Matt's experience taught me to be prepared.

Because even if a tsunami doesn't come, I'll have peace of mind.

And part of being prepared--spiritually--is getting to that higher ground.

The temple.

Laie, Hawaii temple

Hot Punch

2 quarts orange juice
2 quarts apple juice
1 1/2 cups brown sugar
2 cinnamon sticks and a little bunch of cloves and allspice in a cheese cloth.

Simmer all together for a hour or two.

French Chocolate

3 *unsweetened baking chocolate squares.  
1/2 cup water

Mix together in pot and simmer 3 minutes while stirring.

Add:
1 cup sugar. Cook 3 minutes and cool

Whip 1 cup whipping cream that's been sweeten with a little powdered sugar and 1 tsp vanilla

Fold two mixtures together.

Use about 1 TBS + chocolate mixture per cup of hot milk. Chocolate mixture can be frozen.

This is my favorite hot chocolate recipe . When my mom's friends gave her a baby shower when she was pregnant with my youngest brother, they served this drink. (He was born in November). When it's cold outside, this is the drink to serve. I always make at least one batch of this during the Christmas holiday season.

(If you don't have unsweetened baking chocolate squares you  can do this for a substitution.  I used butter instead of shortening)

Lasagna Spinach Roll-Ups (Vegetarian dish)

Ingredients

1 (16 ounce) package lasagna noodles

2 tablespoons butter

2/3 cup chopped red bell pepper

2/3 cup chopped fresh mushrooms

1/2 cup chopped onion

2 cups small curd cottage cheese

2 (10 ounce) packages frozen chopped spinach

2 eggs, lightly beaten

6 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese, divided

1 teaspoon black pepper

2 (15 ounce) cans tomato sauce

2 teaspoons dried marjoram

1 teaspoon white sugar

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

2/3 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add lasagna pasta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; drain and pat dry.

In a large skillet saute in butter the red bell pepper, mushrooms and onion until tender. In a bowl combine the sauteed vegetable mixture, cottage cheese, spinach, eggs, 4 tablespoons of the Parmesan cheese and pepper; mix well.

In a large skillet, heat tomato sauce, marjoram, sugar and garlic powder for 5 minutes.

Spread 1/3 cup filling on each noodle. Roll up and place in greased 9x13 baking dish. Pour tomato sauce mixture over lasagna rolls. Sprinkle with mozzarella cheese and remaining Parmesan cheese. Cover and bake in a preheated oven for 40 minutes.

I got this recipe off of allrecipies.com. I served it for dinner last night because we had someone for dinner who is a vegetarian. It was delicious! The only downside to this recipe is that it was very labor intensive to make. Luckily, I allowed plenty of prep time and so it turned out fine.

I didn't use the frozen chopped spinach. I used a package of fresh spinach. Before I added it to the cottage cheese mixture, I cooked it in the microwave for 1 minute. Then I chopped it up.

I also always like to use Knudsen cottage cheese. It's not runny like the cheap store brands and it has a good flavor.

Winter gardens are one of the blessing of living in So. California.

Winter gardens are the best!

There's nothing like a fresh lettuce salad for dinner.

For the lettuce, you just pick the outer leaves and they grow all season long until the plants start to go to seed. If you have home grown lettuce a salad spinner is a must. You can pick a spinner up at Bed, Bath, and Beyond. Target or Walmart might also carry salad spinners.

In the front row are carrots, then lettuce and then peas. (The peas are growing up a wooden frame with fishing line going from the top to bottom for the peas to climb up.) I also wanted to plant broccoli, onions, and cilantro but I just didn't get around to planting them this year. ...maybe they will make it into my spring garden.

Lunch Sack Ideas

• Buy paper sacks and baggies for sack lunches at Walmart or Smart and Final. It’s cheaper.
• Look for good deals on boxed drinks and stock up.
• Buy reusable box drink containers (Rubbermaid makes one) and fill with Koolaid or Crystal Light.
• Make your own fruit cup: Buy 5 ½ oz disposable container with lid from Smart and Final. Put in fruit from #10 can, available at Costco, Sam’s Club, or Smart and Final. Our favorites are applesauce or pineapple. Put in freezer. When ready to use, put in zip sandwich bag (in case it leaks in lunch bag). Don’t forget the plastic spoon. Smart and Final has small cheaper plastic ware.

• Fold corner of napkin and cut heart shape to let your kids/husband know you love them.
• Include a note in lunch sack to brighten someone’s day.
• Use large heart shaped cookie cutter to cut out brownies or rice krispy treats
• Make “carrot coins” by cutting carrots circles for a lunch treat.
• Make ‘orange smiles” by cutting oranges in circles and then in half.
• Roll up ham slices with grated cheese in a flour tortilla
• If a microwave is available put leftovers from the night before in a container to be heated up for lunch the next day.

My daughter, Janelle, wrote a college essay about the power of lunches.

“This I Believe”

I believe in the power of lunches.

My mom has six children and a husband, all of who needed a lunch for school and work. And so mom made seven lunches every day for twenty five years. That’s over 63,000 lunches.

Love seems to be expressed in two ways: word and action. Over the years, I began to realize that mom’s lunches were full of love. Every day, my brown paper bag held basically the same thing: a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, apple, tortilla chips, and water bottle. But it also held something more.

Each and every lunch held time. Mom’s day began earlier than mine. She would be up early in the kitchen, spreading peanut butter and washing apples while in her pink robe. Making lunches only took a few minutes, but those were precious minutes that I could use putting on makeup instead of bagging my own sandwich. Mom never called attention to this time she spent serving. She just did it because she loved me.

Each and every lunch held acknowledgment. Mom wrote our individual names on all the paper lunch sacks. Kind of elementary, I know. But mom liked writing our names. She would say them out loud as she wrote, writing them phonetically: “Janelllllllllllllllllle” for Janelle. “Li-a-sa” for Lisa. There is love in a name spoken and heard—something so personable and individual. Sometimes kids at school called us names, or made us feel as if we did not have one. But at lunch time, there was our name in front of us. It was a mother’s acknowledgment of who we were. And we knew that it was spoken and written with love; because of that, nothing else mattered.

I think I first began to realize what lunches meant to me in elementary school. Some kids brought things like “lunchables,” which was the unspoken “cool” lunch to bring. These included yummy treats like candy and mini pizzas, and they didn’t come in brown paper bags. I remember sometimes wishing I could walk into the cafeteria with a “cool lunch.” But then, my brown paper bag occasionally held homemade cookies or rice krispy treats. All of a sudden, I was the spoken of bringer of a cool lunch! My friends would “ooo” and “ahh” over my good fortune of a mom who would actually make treats for me. And then my cookie would get split into eight different shares and passed around the cafeteria table.

Love is spoken through acts of service, and my mom served me every day of my school career. Not only did her lunches fill me nutritionally, but I was also daily filled with reminders of her love. Now I live away from home, and so I make my own lunch every day. What do I make? Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. Though they aren’t spread with a mother’s love, I don’t think I will ever eat a sandwich again without thinking of my mom.

Strawberry Salsa

SALSA:

2 granny smith apples

1 kiwi

1 cup strawberries (fresh is best, frozen will work)

2 TBS jam (raspberry/strawberry)

2 TBS orange juice

Chop fruit into tiny pieces. Mix in jam and orange juice. Let set in fridge for at least one hour.

CHIPS:

10-15 medium sized flour tortillas

butter

cinnamon sugar

Butter entire tortilla. Sprinkle cinnamon sugar on top, covering entire tortilla. Cut into chip-sized pieces. Place on cookie sheet. Heat in oven at 375* for 10 minutes, or until golden brown. Cool completely before serving.

Oh my heavens! If it's this delicious in the middle of January when the fruit is out of season, I can't wait to try it during the summer!  I found this recipe in my former roommate's family cookbook. (Thanks, Nancy!)

German Chocolate Bars

2/3 cup butter softened
1 pkg German chocolate cake mix
1 cup chocolate chips
1 tub coconut pecan ready-to-spread frosting
1/4 cup milk

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 350
Grease/spray bottom of 13x9 pan
Cut butter into cake mix in medium bowl using pastry blender or fork
Press 1/2 of mixture (2.5 cups) in bottom of cake pan
Bake 10 min
Sprinkle chocolate chips over baked layer
Drop frosting by tablespoonfuls over chocolate chips
Stir milk into remaining cake mixture
Drop by tablespoonfuls onto frosting layer
Bake 25-30 min or until cake portion is slightly dry to touch
Let cool, then cover and refrigerate until firm

This is another treat that was on the Simmon's goodie plate. Yum, Yum! Thanks Melody!

No-Bake Rocky Road Chocolate Bars

1/2 cup butter
2 cups chocolate chips
1 cup butterscotch chips
1 cup peanut butter
4 cups rice crispy cereal
3 cups miniature marshmallows

DIRECTIONS:

In stock pot over low heat, combine butter, chocolate chips & butterscotch chips.
Stir constantly until melted (4-6 min)
Stir in peanut butter until well blended
Remove from heat
Stir in rice cripies and marshmallows until well blended
Press into bottom of buttered 13x9 pan
Refrigerate until firm (about 30+ min)
Store refrigerated

The Simmons family gave us these bars on a Christmas goodie plate along with other tasty treats. These bars were so good I asked Melody for the recipe so I can put post it.

Chinese Chicken Salad

I found a great recipe for Chinese Chicken Salad. The blog page where I got it from is copyrighted so I'll post a link to the page instead of copying the recipe onto my blog. Click here for the link.

The blog page is called, Make It and Love It. Click here for the link. It is a very interesting blog. The author is very creative. Browse around her blog pages and get inspired for some pretty cute projects.

Energy Bars (Homemade Granola Bars)

1 10 oz. pkg. miniature marshmallows or 40 large marshmallows
1/2 cup margarine or butter (I use butter)
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
1 1/2 cups raisins
1 cup unsalted peanuts (I used the WalMart unsalted dry roasted peanuts)
2 cups quick oats
2 1/2 cups rice krispies

Toast oats and rice krispies in a Teflon coated skillet or warm in 200 degree oven. (optional)  Melt marshmallows, butter and peanut butter in a large pot over low heat. Add raisins and peanuts; stir. Add oats and rice krispies to mixture (Work quickly as mixture hardens fast.) Spread mixture in buttered 9x13 pan. (I like to spread mixture in a 10 x 15 jelly roll pan. It doesn't make the bars as thick. I also use parchment paper in the bottom of the pan instead of putting butter in the pan.)

These are the granola bars

wrapped in wax paper ready to serve

We went caroling last night with the Cornwalls and Steimles. April brought these bars wrapped in wax paper to put on our fruit baskets. (We decided to deliver healthy baskets this year with home grown citrus and avocados.) A fun time was had by all.

Please pass the cream

Today's Tips:

If you have a small amount of whipped topping left over, place dollops of it on a wax paper and freeze. Then place in an air tight container. When you need a quick topping for a dessert or some to go on a late night cup of hot cocoa you can just grab one out of the freezer.

I got this off the webpage "Living On a Dime Newsletter". Anyone who know me (my kids) know I love real cream. This is a better idea for my waist line than just downing the leftover cream.

Soupy Turkey Madness

Dump all these ingredients in a pot and simmer.  Everything is to taste (sorry).  2-4 servings.

leftover turkey, cubed/diced, however much you want

1 can cream of chicken soup

milk, 1 cup-ish

frozen peas, lots (yum!)

2 baked/boiled potatoes, peeled and diced

curry, 1-2 tsp (or more?? be generous!  this is what makes it good!)

crushed red pepper, couple shakes

pepper

One starving Lisa + leftover turkey = culinary masterpiece!  I didn't measure anything, so the quantities are...open to interpretation.

Grout Cleaner

By Linda Cobb, queenofclean.com

Make a paste of 2 parts baking soda, 1 part borax and 1 part hot water. Add the water as necessary to form a thick paste. Apply this paste to the grout, and scrub with a scrub brush. To make the job easier, use a scrub brush on a handle. Then rinse well.

For cleaning the tile, you should remember that ceramic tile is to porous. You can clean it effectively with warm water. Many commercial cleaners leave a residue on the tile surface that looks like a smeary coating. A good, neutral cleaner for tile is a solution of 1 gallon of warm water, 2 tablespoons of ammonia, and 1 tablespoon of borax. Never use vinegar. It is an acid and will eventually etch the grout. You should never use a sponge mop on ceramic title, either. It works like a squeegee, depositing the dirty water into the grout tracks. Sweep or vacuum the floor prior to washing. A micro fiber mop works wonders on tile. Check out the Act Natural Mop at www.euronetusa.com. I have been using one for four years and love it. And you don’t need anything except water. When both your tile and grout are clean, you can seal the grout.

I got this out of the paper a few years back. Scott cleaned my entryway today with this grout cleaner and it looks great!

Roasted Chicken with Wild Rice Soup

Ingredients

1 box of Uncle Ben's Wild Rice Mix cooked
1 Tbsp of Olive Oil
1 cup of diced red onion
1 cup of chopped celery
1 cup of chopped carrots
2 garlic cloves minced
1/4 cup of flour
1 8 oz package of mushrooms sliced and clean (optional, I did not use them, yuck!)
1/2 tsp. of thyme
1/2 tsp of tarragon
2 cups of water
2 cans of chicken broth (the size that just a bit bigger than a soup can)
12 oz. can of evaporated milk
2 Tbsp of dry sherry (optional, again I did not use this, and it turned out just fine!)
3 cups of shredded chicken ( I buy a pre roasted chicken from Costco)

Steps
1- Prepare rice mix according to box instructions
2- Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add onions, carrots, celery, mushrooms, and garlic. Cook for 8-10 minutes.
3- Stir in flour for 1 minute and and taraggon and thyme
4- Add liquids- chicken broth, water, sherry, and milk.
5- simmer for 20 min.
6- Add shredded chicken and cooked rice and cook for another 10 min. or until ready to serve.

Kathleen’s changes:
I used canola oil instead of olive oil. I got the spices from smart and final. I used a Costco chicken, boiled the bones and skin and used that for the broth. (It might need more salt if you don’t use the canned broth.) I didn’t use the Sherry. I don’t like it with canned milk. It tastes ok without any milk. I think you could add cream or half and half, or milk and it would taste good.

I got this recipe off the Jone's family recipe blog. It is yummy! I'm going to serve it tonight when I feed the missionaries.

Funeral Potatoes

Ingredients

1 package (around 26 Oz.) Shredded Frozen Hash Browns Or 6 Medium Potatoes (Peeled, Cooked, Cooled And Grated)
1 can Cream Of Chicken Soup
1 cup Sour Cream
½ cup Milk
1/2 cup To 1 Cup Shredded Cheddar Cheese
1 whole Small Onion Chopped
2 cups Bread Crumbs
1 cup Grated Parmesan Cheese
½ cups Butter, Melted

Mix together the potatoes, soup, sour cream, milk, cheese and onions. Spread it into a greased 9 x 13 dish.
Mix the bread crumbs and Parmesan with the melted butter. Spread it over the top of the casserole.
Bake at 350°F for 45 minutes or until bubbly.
This freezes well, too. Make it in two 8 x 8 pans and freeze one.

Recipe linked here.

When I make this recipe, I like to use the potatoes that are cooked, peeled and grated.

Another food storage blog

I ran across another food storage blog. Click here to see it.

It is called idareyoutoeatit.com

Check out the recipe section.

Emergency Car Kits (one for every car you own/drive)

-Box to hold everything
-Water (at least 1 bottle per seat belt in the car, preferably more during the summer or if you live in a hot climate)
-High-energy snacks
-Flashlight
-Batteries (store outside flashlight for longer shelf life)
-Wet wipes
-Toilet paper roll (store easily by rolling off the roll onto your hand and place in a ziplock bag)
-Basic first aid kit
-Blanket/towels
-Change of clothes for children (or yourself if you want)
-Diapers (if you have children)
-Umbrella and/or rain poncho
-Scriptures (or a classic book for reading)
-Jumper cables
-Hand sanitizer
-Pen & Paper
-Pocket knife
-$5-$20 cash (and change)

I got this list off of one of my favorite blogs on food storage. It was on their cold weather preparedness post. Click here to read the complete post.

Banana Nut Muffins

1 cup sugar
2 1/2 cups flour
3 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp salt
3 TBS oil
3/4 cup milk
1 egg
1 cup mashed ripe bananas
1 cup finely chopped nuts, if desired

Mix first 4 ingredients in a bowl and then add remaining ingredients. Place in muffin tins lined with cupcake holders and bake at 400 degrees for 18-20 min.


I’m posting this recipe because I got an email from my friend, Rhonda. She is now living in Kentucky. Below is a cut and paste of Rhonda’s email.

“I am getting ready to go visit a few sisters this morning from my ward and I thought I would give them a thank you note (for "rising" to the occasion) and make them some banana bread.

The recipe that I now ALWAYS use is the one that I got at my first ever RS Enrichment night... Our lesson was on focusing on the new school year: 'School Days'; I remember as if it were yesterday.

Anyway, now more than 7 years later, I am pulling out that original yellow peace of paper, happily making the banana bread that I never knew how to make before I was a member of this AMAZING church.”

Demon Eyes Deviled Eggs

Hard-boil 12 eggs. Remove shells, rinse and dry. Slice in half lengthwise. 

Remove yolks and place in medium bowl. Use a fork to mash yolks well. Add mustard and Miracle Whip in a 2-1 ratio to create a paste. Add pickle juice if mixture is too dry.  Add a little green food coloring.  

Fill egg white halves with yolk mixture, rounding and smoothing top of each.  Use black olive slices to create the eyeball effect.  (Optional: use pimiento-stuffed olives...the pimientos look like the pupils). Use a toothpick dipped into red food coloring to draw tiny wiggly red lines on whites, to simulate capillaries.

Yay for the internet!  I made these for a work Halloween potluck.

Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

2 cups pumpkin seeds

1 tsp Worcestershire sauce

3 TBS butter or margarine, melted

1 tsp salt

Rinse pumpkin seeds until pulp and strings are washed off.

Boil seeds in salt water for 10 minutes.  Dry seeds on a paper towel.

In a bowl, combine Worcestershire sauce, melted butter/margarine and salt.  

Add seeds and mix until seeds are coated with mixture.  Spread on a baking sheet.

Bake 1-2 hours at 225*.  Stir occasionally and watch for burning.  Seeds should be crisp.

It was an assignment in my 1st grade class to copy this recipe off the chalkboard.  Ma still has the original recipe written in my very best 6 year-old print.

Frightening Witch's Finger Cookies

My neighbor dropped this plate off on my front porch on my birthday. For the spider, she took a chocolate cupcake with chocolate frosting, added chocolate sprinkles, m&m eyes, and black licorice legs. She couldn't find little rope licorice, she took a regular piece of licorice and cut it half and then took the half piece and cut that into four skinny pieces lengthwise. I found this recipe for fingers cookies on kraft.com

1-1/4 cups PLANTERS Sliced Almonds, divided

4 oz. (1/2 of 8-oz. pkg.) PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese, softened

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened

3/4 cup powdered sugar

1 tsp. almond extract

1/4 tsp. salt

1-1/2 cups flour

HEAT oven to 325ºF.

RESERVE 60 nuts for later use; process remaining nuts in food processor until finely ground. Beat cream cheese, butter, sugar, extract and salt in large bowl with mixer until light and fluffy. Gradually beat in flour. Stir in ground nuts. (Dough will be stiff.)

ROLL dough into 60 (3-inch) "fingers," using 1 Tbsp. dough for each. Place, 2 inches apart, on baking sheets sprayed with cooking spray. Press 1 of the reserved nuts into dough in 1 end of each finger for the fingernail. Use sharp knife to make 3 crosswise slits in top of each finger for the knuckles.

BAKE 15 to 20 min. or until lightly browned. Cool 3 min. on baking sheet; carefully transfer to wire racks. Cool completely.

Another Good Recipe Blog

I added another great recipe blog link to the list of other recipe blogs.

The Jones girls recipe blog. Click here to visit it now.

Debbie is a very good cook, as are her girls and daughter-in-laws.

Enjoy!

Cream of Broccoli Soup

3/4 cup butter
3/4 cup flour
2 cups (1 pt) half and half
2 cups milk
1 1/2 teas. salt
1/2 teas. sugar
1 bunch broccoli
2 chicken bullion cubes.

Chop broccoli up into bite size chunks. place in pan and fill with enough water to cover broccoli. Cook covered until tender.

In meantime, melt butter, add flour, blend and cook for one minute on low to medium heat, stirring constantly. (Don't let butter brown.)

Add half and half and milk and stir with a wire wish until smooth and thick.

Add half of broccoli chunks to cream sauce. Ostracize the other half with a little liquid from pan and pour into soup mixture

Add 2 bullion cubes to soup mixture and cook on low heat. Add water from broccoli to soup to make soup desired consistency.

Add salt and pepper to taste.

I got this recipe from my sister-in-law, Christy. It is delicious. I don't like to use the chicken bullion cubes because it has MSG in it. (Sometimes people are allergic to msg) Instead of using the chicken bullion cubes, I'll us Swanson's chicken broth and cook the broccoli in the broth. I'll get the chicken flavor from the Swanson's broth.

Fixed link

My friend, Rebecca, let me know that the link to the macaroni and cheese recipe didn't work. Ooops. It is fixed now. And you can also get to it here.

Please pass the mac and cheese!

Yakima Fruit Paste (Home remedy for constipation)

Home remedy for constipation
DOSE: 1 – 2 tablespoons per day

1 lb raisins
1 lb prunes
1 lb figs
4 ounces Senna tea (herbal tea – caffeine free - look for it in your health food store)
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup lemon juice

1. Prepare tea – use about 2 ½ cup boiled water added to tea and steep 5 minutes

2. Strain tea to remove tea leave and add only 1 pint tea to a large pot, then add fruit

3. Boil fruit and tea for 5 minutes

4. Remove from heat and add sugar & lemon juice. Allow to cool.

5. Use hand mixer or food processor to blend fruit mixture into smooth paste

6. Place in plastic container and place in freezer (paste will not freeze but will keep forever in freezer.)

7. Spoon out what you require each day

Enjoy eating it straight off the spoon.
Spread it on toast or add hot water and make a drink.

If the fruit paste is not working (you are not having bowel movements), then you need to increase the amount of fruit paste you are taking.

If the fruit paste makes you have very loose stools, then you need to cut down on the amount of fruit paste you are taking. Perhaps even taking it every other day in some cases.

I ran across this recipe from my past. I made this recipe a lot when I was serving as Relief Society president and was helping the older sisters in our ward. I think the best way to eat is is as a spread on their toast. Anyway, it's one of those recipies that is nice to have on hand.

Macaroni and Cheese

Click here for a great recipe for homemade macaroni and cheese. The author of the blog "Safely Gathered In" does a great job giving you play-by-play directions on how to make homemade mac and cheese.  And I'll have to say, "amen" to what Abs says about serving this meal:

"Macaroni and Cheese is one of those fall-back meals. Got a babysitter coming in thirty minutes? Mac and cheese it is! Had a bad day? Bring on the mac and cheese! But you don't have to eat those box mixes to get a quick, easy and delicious comfort food. Homemade it is!"

Don't forget to check out the recipe on the link above.

I made up my own recipe for macaroni and cheese.  You can see it by clicking here.