Tip for the Day 

 What type of measuring cups do you use?

I did a test and there is really no difference in the amount of water that a liquid measuring holds as compared to a solid one cup measuring cup. So why have two sets of measurin...g cups. I will tell you. Solid measuring cups, which are the orange ones in the picture, (they are old Tupperware that I purchased a yard sale) are designed to be filled to the top with the extra being scrapped off with a knife. I use them to measure everything from sugar to peanuts when making peanut brittle. Using the liquid or clean glass cups would be impractical for measuring solid ingredients. The liquid cups are clear and can be filled to the proper line resulting in an accurate measurement. (thanks to Donna Cates another foodie and friend for this tip and test)

The Spirit of Santa Doesn't Wear A Red Suit

The Spirit of Santa Doesn't Wear A Red Suit

I slouched down in the passenger seat of our old Pontiac ’cause it was the cool way to sit when one is in the fourth grade. My dad was driving downtown to shop and I was going along for the ride. At least that’s what I had told him -- actually I had an important question to ask that had been on my mind for a couple of weeks and this was the first time I had been able to maneuver myself into his presence without being overt about it.

“Dad...” I started. And stopped.

“Yup?” he said.

“Some of the kids at school have been saying something and I know it’s not true.” I felt my lower lip quiver from the effort of trying to hold back the tears I felt threatening the inside corner of my right eye -- it was always the one that wanted to cry first.

“What is it, Pumpkin?” I knew he was in a good mood when he used this endearment.

“The kids say there is no Santa Claus.” Gulp. One tear escaped. “They say I’m dumb to believe in Santa anymore...it’s only for little kids.” My left eye started with a tear on the inside track.
“But I believe what you told me. That Santa is real. He is, isn’t he, Dad?”

Up to this point we had been cruising down Newell Avenue, which in those days a two-lane road lined with oak trees. At my question, my dad glanced over at my face and body position. He pulled over to the side of the road and stopped the car. Dad turned off the engine and moved over closer to me, his still-little girl huddled in the corner.

“The kids at school are wrong, Patty. Santa Claus is real.”

“I knew it!” I heaved a sigh of relief.

“But there is more I need to tell you about Santa. I think you’re old enough to understand what I am going to share with you. Are you ready?” My dad had a warm gleam in his eyes and a soft expression on his face. I knew something big was up and and I was ready, ’cause I trusted him completely. He would never lie to me.

“Once upon a time there was a real man who traveled the world and gave away presents to deserving children wherever he went. You will find him in many lands with different names, but what he had in his heart was the same in every language. In America we call him Santa Claus. He is the spirit of unconditional love and the desire to share that love by giving presents from the heart. When you get to a certain age, you come to realize that the real Santa Claus is not the guy who comes down your chimney on Christmas Eve. The real life and spirit of this magical elf lives forever in your heart, my heart, Mom’s heart and in the hearts and minds of all people who believe in the joy that giving to others brings. The real spirit of Santa becomes what you can give rather than what you get. Once you understand this and it becomes a part of you, Christmas becomes even more exciting and more magical because you come to realize the magic comes from you when Santa lives in your heart. Do you understand what I am trying to tell you?”

I was gazing out the front window with all my concentration at a tree in front of us. I was afraid to look at my dad -- the person who had told me all my life that Santa was a real being. I wanted to believe like I believed last year -- that Santa was a big fat elf in a red suit. I did not want to swallow the grow-up pill and see anything different.

“Patty, look at me.” My dad waited. I turned my head and looked at him.

Dad had tears in his eyes, too -- tears of joy. His face shone with the light of a thousand galaxies and I saw in his eyes the eyes of Santa Claus. The real Santa Claus. The one who spent time choosing special things I wanted for all the Christmases past since the time I had come to live on this planet. The Santa who ate my carefully decorated cookies and drank the warm milk. The Santa who probably ate the carrot I left for Rudolph. The Santa who -- despite his utter lack of mechanical skills -- put together bicycles, wagons and otehr miscellaneous items during the wee hours of Christmas mornings.

I got it. I got the joy, the sharing, the love. My dad pulled me to him in a warm embrace and just helds me for what seemed the longest time. We both cried.

“Now you belong to a special group of people,” Dad continued. “You will share in the joy of Christmas from now on, every day of the year, not only on a special day. For now, Santa lives in your heart just like he lives in mine. It is your responsibility to fulfill the spirit of giving as your part of Santa living inside of you. This is one of the most important things that can happen to you in your whole life, because now you know that Santa Claus cannot exist without people like you and me to keep him alive. Do you think you can handle it?”

My heart swelled with pride and I’m sure my eyes were shining with excitement. “Of course, Dad. I want him to be in my heart, just like he’s in yours. I love you, Daddy. You’re the best Santa there ever was in the whole world.”

When it comes time in my life to explain the reality of Santa Claus to my children, I pray to the spirit of Christmas that I will be as eloquent and loving as my dad was the day I learned that the spirit of Santa Claus doesn’t wear a red suit. And I hope they will be as receptive as I was that day. I trust them totally and I think they will.

By Patty Hansen
from A 2nd Helping of Chicken Soup for the Soul

Stabbed Cupcakes

shared from:  http://www.thepeachkitchen.com/2011/10/stabbed-cupcakes/

Found this on my "Blog Reading List" today.... so freaking funny that I had to share!

Stabbed Cupcakes

I am dead serious.

I should be working my butt off to lose a few pounds these past few months….

…instead I’m trying to finish off these Halloween recipes I have in mind matching them with the ingredients I have on hand…

Did you know that last week I’ve been to the two branches of Forever 21? {there are only two branches in the country}

Yeah, I know I shouldn’t be shopping there…cause I’m what, thirty-ish?..and my size is like, x-large nowadays….

So I bought earrings….

I bought two pairs of sexy earrings with a promise to be back before my birthday to do some pre-birthday shopping…

…when I say goodbye to some of the calories I’m keeping..LOLz…

If I’m a psychiatrist and it’s not Halloween season, I’d probably tell myself that these cupcakes are a manifestation of my desire to kill these delicious calories….

.. I would also probably shock myself because I won’t…–ERR, I can never EVER kill any delicious calorie whatever form they maybe.

These cupcakes are a manifestation of my love for all things creepy…..

Who would wanna stab a cupcake, anyway?

Are you going to stab an innocent cupcake?

With a fork maybe and the part that clings to that fork will probably go straight to your mouth.

Yup. I will try to go on a diet again….

the keyword there is TRY.

Stabbed Cupcakes

Ingredients:

♥for the Chocolate Cupcake:

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 ½ cups sugar
1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt
1 tabsp vanilla extract
2/3 cup canola oil
2 tsp white vinegar
2 cups cold water

♥for the Vanilla Frosting

½ cup solid vegetable shortening
½ cup (1 stick) butter or margarine softened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 cups sifted confectioners’ sugar
2 tbsp milk

and for the broken glass used to stab the cupcakes, I used….

Yup, I was lazy, don’t have time, still don’t own a candy thermometer. So I bought these white mint candies and baked them in the oven until they melt into one blurry slab of glass-candy.

Then I gave it a little tap to create the broken glass effect.

♥For the “blood”, I used my ever reliable Strawberry Jam.

Directions:

♥for the Chocolate Cupcake:

• Preheat oven to 350°F. Line two cupcake pans with paper liners and set aside.
• In a large bowl, sift the dry ingredients together. Set aside.
• In a medium bowl, whisk together the oil, water, vanilla extract and vinegar.
• Slowly whisk the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients being careful not to overmix.
• Pour the batter until the cups are two thirds full and place in the oven for 20-24 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cup comes out clean.
• Cool in the pan for 10 minutes then place on a wire rack until completely cool before frosting.

♥for the Vanilla Frosting

• In large bowl, cream shortening and butter with electric mixer.
• Add vanilla.
• Gradually add sugar, one cup at a time, beating well on medium speed.
• Scrape sides and bottom of bowl often.
• When all sugar has been mixed in, icing will appear dry. Add milk and beat at medium speed until light and fluffy.
• Keep bowl covered with a damp cloth until ready to use and keep icing bowl in refrigerator when not in use.

• Put Vanilla frosting evenly on top of the chocolate cupcake and then “stab” it with the broken glass candy.
• Put a dollop of strawberry jam to make it look like the cupcake bled.

P.S.
These cupcakes can also be sent as gifts to people you are not so fond of…
Just kidding…

*Dill*icious Vegetable Salad

Ingredients
1 cucumber, peeled and sliced
1 carrot, peeled and chopped
1 tomato, chopped
... ... 1/4 cup diced red onion
2 avocados, diced
4 green onions, chopped
2 Tbls Gourmet Cupboard® Dill Dip Mix
2 Tbls balsamic vinegar

Directions
1. In a large bowl, toss together all ingredients.
2. Serve immediately or chill no longer than 30 minutes.*

*If chilled longer, the cucumber will soak up the dark color of balsamic vinegar.

See my link for Gourmet Cupboard products!

Update on the 365 project photos.   I have created a Photo-log and have moved all of the photos to that new site.  I will continue to link them to Facebook, but this blog will not have the project photos included in the posts going forward.

see the new blog at http://kjkae.blogspot.com/

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup Cupcakes

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup Cupcakes**Recipe by Our Best Bites
1 Duncan Hines yellow or white cake mix
1 cup sour cream (full-fat or light, but not fat-free)
3 eggs
1/4 cup canola oil
3/4 cup creamy peanut butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
24 unwrapped mini Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups
Chocolate Frosting:
1/4 cup melted butter (real butter, not margarine)
3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 pound powdered sugar
3 tablespoons evaporated milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Peanut Butter Frosting:
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
1/4 cup  real butter, softened
2 cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
2-3 tablespoons (or more) of milk (you can use some of the leftover evaporated milk; it’s awesome in this frosting)
Preheat oven to 350. Line 2 12-cup muffin tins with cupcake liners and set aside.
In a large bowl, combine all the cupcake ingredients except for the peanut butter cups with an electric mixer on medium-low speed for 30 seconds, scraping the bowl frequently. Turn the speed to high and beat for another 3 minutes.
Fill each muffin cup about 1/2 full with batter. Top with an unwrapped Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup , then fill the muffin cups with the remaining batter. Make sure the Peanut Butter Cups are covered and the cups are about 3/4 full. Bake for 18-22 minutes or until the tops are golden. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely.
While the cupcakes are cooling, prepare the frostings. For both frostings, just combine all the ingredients for each one and whip until light and fluffy, adding additional milk as needed. Frost the cupcakes with the swirled frosting in this tutorial.

Monkey Bars

1 Pkg Nana's Banana Nut Bread ( the gourmet cupboard)
(ingredients listed on back to prepare it)
1 tsp Cinnamon
2 tsp. Vanilla extract
...1 cup Mini Chocolate chips

Directions:

Prepare Banana Bread as directed on package. Add in the Cinnamon, Vanilll and half the chocolate chips. Stir togethe well.
Pour into a greased 9x13 baking dish. Top with the remaining chocolate chips. Bake at 350 for 30-40 minutes or until done in the center. Let cool and cut into bars.

 

Recipe from Roberta Whalen ~ my TGC Sponsor and the best dang cook around!

words to live by:

If you are honest, people may cheat you. Be honest anyway. If you find happiness, people may be jealous. Be happy anyway. The good you do today may be forgotten tomorrow. Do good anyway. Give the world the best you have and it may never be enough. Give your best anyway. For you see, in the end, it is between you and God. It was never between you and them anyway...

Shared Recipe

Herb Grilled Vegetables

Recipe from Swanson

Bring out the best flavors of fresh vegetables by basting them with herb-infused chicken broth during cooking.

Prep Time: 10 mins

Total Time: 20 mins

Servings: 6

 

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup  Swanson® Chicken Broth (Regular, Natural Goodness or Certified Organic)
• 1/2 tsp.  dried thyme leaves, crushed
• 1/8 tsp.  ground black pepper
• 1   large red onion, thickly sliced (about 1 cup)
• 1   large red or green pepper, cut into wide strips (about 2 cups)
• 1   medium zucchini or yellow squash, thickly sliced (about 1 1/2 cups)
• 2 cups  large mushrooms

Directions

1. Stir the broth, thyme and black pepper in a small bowl. Brush the vegetables with the broth mixture.
2. ightly oil the grill rack and heat the grill to medium. Grill the vegetables for 10 minutes or until they're tender-crisp, turning over once during cooking and brushing often with the broth mixture.

Tip:

A grilling basket is handy for grilling smaller foods like these veggies. Just place the vegetables in a single layer in the basket, close and place on the grill. You can baste the vegetables right in the basket, and flip the basket to grill the other side.

• Weight Watchers Points®*: 0
• Dietary Exchanges: 1 Nonstarchy Vegetable
• USDA MyPyramid: 1 cup Vegetables

*Weight Watchers and Points ® are a registered trademark of Weight Watchers International, Inc. All references to Points values are based on Weight Watchers International, Inc. published information and do not imply sponsorship or endorsement by Weight Watchers International, Inc. of any such number of Points, or of Campbell products, by Weight Watchers International, Inc.

 

Weight Watchers® Points® Value: The POINTS® value for this product was calculated by Campbell's and is provided for informational purposes only. This is not an endorsement, sponsorship or approval of this product or its manufacturer by Weight Watchers International, Inc., the owner of the Weight Watchers® and POINTS® registered trademarks.

 

And the Winner is....

Oklahoma!   With a record breaking July!!  As of July 2011, Oklahoma recorded the country's highest monthly average temperature ever.  That's the highest average temperature, for any month, for any state, associate Oklahoma state climatologist Gary McManus said.  The average temperature for the month of July was 89*.  Texas was not far behind, recording an average temp of 87*.   Surprisingly, we broke our own record ~ the previous record was set by Oklahoma as well, in 1954 with an average temperature of 81*.

Oklahoma, Texas Set Heat Records In July

365 project....

To take a photo a day for a year.  I know that I take a ton of photos, but one a day?  Well, I have decided to start this challenge and see where it takes me.  The goal of course is to improve your photography skills.  I just hope to preserve some memories and in the process, possibly, improve my techniques slightly ;)

Day 1   7/1/11
our 35 lb lap dog.
Sadie is a cutie.  She has a wonderful personality and spirit.  She loves to be loved and she definately loves to be in your space with you!

Carrots, Eggs or Coffee Beans

Carrots, Eggs or Coffee Beans Movie: "All of us at one time or another have experienced a difficult situation, had setbacks, or dealt with our share of disappointment. Most things that happen to us on a daily basis we can’t control and I can honestly say (with conviction) that it is not what happens to us that matters but rather, how we choose to respond.

 

"http://www.flickspire.com/m/LifeSecrets/CarrotsEggsCoffee

New Adventures

Hi All. I have decided to start a blog. Why? And do I really have the time to do this?

I thought it would give me a chance to share with friends, family and colleagues a little bit of what’s on my mind. I’m sure I will end up with a true hodge podge of postings: recipes, photos and the mundane followings of my mind. 

So buckle up, and hold on... here we go

One of my first dedications to the blog will be a 365 photo project.  Again, why?  To capture fun moments in our life, to improve my photography skills, and to share with my friends and family just little pieces of me.