SEW CRAZY 4 POTATO PASTA

Top of the morning to ya my little chickadees! How are you doing this morning? I am good. I got a lot accomplished in the last 36 hours (Tuesday night and yesterday people LOL wakey wakey already LMAO) and I always feel pretty spectacular after some serious crafting sessions LOL! I know, it was supposed to be my day off, but you and I both already knew it wasn’t going to happen LOL! I got lots to share with you today! Take a look!



I started the day yesterday morning with a quick trip to my local Wally World and it yielded some pretty awesome results! This load cost me $17.86! YAY! I had $4 off on Women’s and $3.00 off on Men’s coupons for the Nivea Body wash (which were $3.97), $1.50 off any Whiska’s dry cat food (on sale for $2.97), $3.00 off each the BIC Comfort 3 Advanced and Soleil (which were on sale $2.88 each YAY!), Buy 1 Get 1 FREE Ziploc bags coupon AND a $1.50 off 2 bags (which the quart size and gallon size boxes were $1.97 each and the sandwich size was $1.34) and then the milk, cheeses, and allergy meds were “generic” so those were all regular price. I think it was a great buy! Think I need some more of these coupons LOL! Factor out the generic stuff and I really only paid $5.93 for everything! COOL HUH? Coupons are a wonderful thing! I’m already planning another super duper trip and have ordered more coupons from the Coupon Clippers! LOL!

Oh and to Tabitha, about the carrots… I paid a little less than $11 for the 25 pound bag of carrots. That breaks down to about .44 cents per pound. It’s A LOT cheaper than the grocery stores here. Normal price on a pound bag of carrots runs about $1, and occasionally you can find them on sale for 49 cents per pound (but that’s rare). So, even when they are on sale, I still save about a nickel a pound by buying in bulk.



Here you see a pair of hand towels I picked up at the Dollar tree that I embellished with the fabric from my kitchen curtains! All 3 curtains are up now and the hand towels are decorated. Making the towels sparked another idea with my lemon fabric!



Remember how I said I had to still buy the wallies for the cabinet doors? Well not anymore! I took the fabric scraps and cut out the whole lemon pictures and then spray glued them on the cabinet doors! This not only saves me money (no more buying the wallies), but I used up (didn’t waste) the scraps AND guaranteed that the wallies are something I like AND that they match! Pretty smart, huh?



Remember when I went to JC Penny with those latest $10 coupons and got some shirts? Well this is the Coca-Cola purse I made out of one of those free T-shirts I got! I also used some more “scraps” out of the green crate for the Fabric challenge. I think the really cool part is the fact I used the “printed shirt tag” on the inside as a pocket! Cool, don’tcha think?



Here you have “The Snack Sack”. I cross-stitched this picture about a year ago with a kit I got clearanced and never knew what to do with it… until today! I applied the same method as the T-shirt purse with adding matching fabric on the top and bottom of the cross stitched picture and then proceeding normally to make a purse.

While on the purse topic… the start of the lucky lotto bag has not gone so well! Note to viewers… the modge podge didn’t dry and it ruined the one side I started… so now I have to collect more non-winning tickets to redo the one side. The other side, however, worked well with the spray adhesive. I found a funky fabric backing that I spray glued on the back of the tickets. I’m gonna let it set for a couple of days to make sure its stuck good… meanwhile, I got some more $2 and $4 winners that I need to cash in for more tickets LOL… anybody got any losing $2 tickets? LMAO!



This is a present (here’s hoping she doesn’t read this before I get over there this morning LOL!) for my mother. It’s a Hippie walker tote! It has a velcro strap that she can just wrap the flap over the bar on the walker and it will hang in front… suitable for the mail, papers, or bounce rollers LOL or whatever she wants to put in it (even snacks LOL).



Here is the matching cell/hanging pouch. She can hang this too on the walker and put her cell phone in it when she is walking or whatever else she might see fit (why do I get sudden images of candy bars and such? LOL). I am trying to make things somewhat easy for her and I knew that, as she is a self-professed “hippie”, she should LOVE this fabric!



Well it has begun. Normally I always have more than one project going at once. I have officially started sewing for Madison’s room today. She never could decide how she wanted to decorate her room and when she finally did, I got all the stuff and told her to clean her room. She did and then I had to hold off due to family emergencies. But now I can get back on course and begin working on her stuff (just have to get her to clean the room again LMAO!). I made 2 pillow cases out of the room fabric tonight. Now I just have to buy new pillows LOL!



I pulled out a piece of fabric from the green crate and just kind of stared at it a little while. What to do… what to do… well I decided on can wraps. They have the playing cards on them and I think would be a great give away/favor at a poker night party. Or they could just be for someone who likes poker!



Remember that oh-so-precious veggie peeler my caring father got me? LOL! Well yesterday I played with carrots (sadly I didn’t finish prepping the 25 pound bag though) but I conquered POTATOES! Oh boy was that fun! Now, if you paid attention to the Wal-Mart shopping picture, you would see milk, mozzarella cheese, parmesan cheese, and ricotta cheese… what does that normally make? Yep, LASAGNA! Now I am not real big on lasagna believe it or not, and my mother not liking pasta actually made this idea pop into my head! That spiff-a-licious peeler makes for some really THIN slices of potatoes… so why not make some potato lasagna? It took me 1 and a half hours to prep from beginning to baking but it actually turned out really good… the pan weighed a ton, and after dinner so did my tummy! LOL! I took step by step pictures in case you guys and girls wanted me to post my recipe on how I made it. Maybe a good thing for someone needing/wanting gluten free?

Sew, are you feeling a little crafty now looking at all my crazy sewing stuff? GOOD! LOL! I think this might be an interesting thing to make for hospital donations. Now, I don’t know if mom remembers, but in the hospital I was joking with mom about making a Foley cover because she was embarassed and didn’t want anyone seeing it. She was always trying to cover it up with a sheet (she’s such a proper lady LMAO). Well sure as the sun is hot, I found an actual site that gives instructions on how to make a Foley Bag cover (a.k.a. as a catheter bag cover)!! I think it would be a good thing for patients who are on dialysis, etc. Give them a little bit of “dignity” back if you will. Click the title to go to the page and see all the pictures, etc. I found the link on my Free Sewing patterns page… I should’ve guessed! LOL…



Craft Idea of the Day: Donatables: Catheter Bag / Foley Bag covers

Materials

14" x 32" rectangle of opaque fabric
2 - 18" pieces of some material to use as ties - or make them from fabric

Instructions

1. Fold larger piece of fabric in half length-wise.

2. Make a casing on each narrow end for the ties. Do this by folding over edge twice and ironing flat.

3. Open up the folded and ironed ends, and fold the fabric right sides together so folded ends are together. Sew up the sides to just 1/4" under the first ironed fold. Trim the bottom corner and iron the seams flat.

4. Fold the top casing over so that the cut ends on the sides do not show. Sew close to the edge making the casings and making sure the ends of each one are not sewn shut.

5. Cut two roughly 18" pieces of some sort of tie... I used satin cord for this one and have used ribbon and even bias tape for this. Thread one piece through each casing so that two ties stick out on each side. These will be used to tie the cover to a wheelchair or bed rail.

NOTE: I have tied some other finishing touches that I like better than the above. Just make the bag and hem the opening instead of making it into a drawstring top. Then do one of the following:

 Use 2 strips of blanket binding. Sew on each side of the hemmed opening, folding the ends to make the binding neat. Be sure you sew along the edge so there is plenty of room for the drawstring. Finish the drawstring as above.

 Sew bias tape along the sides of the bags leaving extra bias tape at the top. Cut it long enough to be a tie. Then sew another piece of bias tape from about 1 inch from the top of the bag. Cut the second piece to march the length the first piece. Tie off each as above. See photos below.

The sizes in this pattern can be somewhat flexible. The finished width should be as close to 13" as possible, the bottom to top not much more. How much tie you use depends on what you use.. since I used satin cord I made them longer to be sure they can be tied snugly. You could also use some other type attachment... Velcro for example.. so long as the strip of Velcro's fabric is long enough to reach around the bed rail or wheelchair arm.

I made this up as I went along and am not an experienced seamstress, so feel free to make and suggest improvements. Email me at hathorn@drizzle.com

This pattern is yours to use and republish.. but we would really appreciate if you would let people know it was from NW Wings of Love www.nwwingsoflove.org.

OK it’s that time again! Time to tempt your taste buds with a slice of heavenly deliciousness! Its PIE TIME! YAY! Day 4 of the Unique Pizza Week brings you a sweet treat today. A fruity dessert that’s sure to please your crowd! "Refreshing sliced fruit and creamy whipped topping over a tender cookie crust - delicious, impressive, and easy. Enjoy! Kiwi and peaches may also be added to pizza if desired."



Fruit Dessert Pizza

Ingredients

1 (18 ounce) package refrigerated sugar cookie dough
1 (8 ounce) container frozen whipped topping, thawed
1/2 cup sliced banana
1/2 cup sliced fresh strawberries
1/2 cup crushed pineapple, drained
1/2 cup seedless grapes, halved

Directions

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

Press cookie dough evenly into a 12 inch pizza pan. Bake in preheated oven for 15 to 20 minutes, until golden brown. Cool in pan on wire rack.

Spread whipped topping over cooled crust. Arrange fruit in a decorative pattern. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Ok everybody. Its time for me to get off here and get dressed so I can go to work! I hope you enjoyed the inside scoop as to what I did on my day off. Have fun in whatever temptations life may lead you to today… just remember to be safe! Until tomorrow… HUGS!

PACKRAT SYNDROME

Morning boys and girls… how are you doing today? It’s a whopping 21 degrees here! YUCK! What’s the deal?? I live in Texas and deal with hurricanes and heat to avoid all this winter junk! EWW Someone PLEASE take it away!! Ok, I was proud to see my viewers with such a keen eye! 1 day down and 2 to go! My nephew is driving down to stay the weekend here… he graduated last night and we couldn’t be there (in Fort Worth). But they sent us pictures… wow has that boy grown! We’re very proud of him!

Ok, so I sat here yesterday trying to declutter but it feels like nothing has been done and it looks worse than when I started!! I got 7 BIG plastic storage containers out of my storage unit. I am attempting to empty them and empty my storage unit (atfer having it for over 5 years… this will be interesting!) and eliminate that bill! Can you believe I found receipts in one of the boxes from 1997!!? I was like OMG my mom is right… I AM a packrat… it IS genetic LMAO! I have some strange things I saved for god only knows why! So wish me luck on the great storage adventure!

Alright… reader comments… they were some GREAT ones let me tell ya ladies! Thanks so much for them and I am glad you enjoy my blogs. I hope they can be helpful for you. Now let me address them… As for leftover food… well there isn’t ever any! LOL you gotta remember I am feeding at MINIMUM 6 people at a meal… many times closer to 15 or more. BUT the few chances I do get to have food remaining is when I make the freezer meals. I freeze individual portions of soups in ziploc bags and lay them flat to freeze and I take the Ziploc divided containers and make homemade TV dinners each with a meat, veggie, and side. When there is an abundance of leftovers, I give them no more than 3 days in my fridge normally, and they magically disappear LOL! The food fairy carries them away! LMAO! Seriously though, I rarely have leftovers, which I guess is both good and bad… but if you need ideas for leftovers, I’d be happy to post some for you. I think I posted a Turkey Salad one after after Christmas somewhere… I’ll check. As for smaller meals… all the recipes I give you can be down-sized to make smaller portions. The sweet & sour pork was a 2-4 person recipe… but again, with so many people, I am always doubling or tripling the recipe anyway… but I will look at some I have and see if I can rewrite them for smaller portions. And congrads on the upcoming blessing BTW! If you’d like, I can teach you how to make your own baby food! Healthier for your baby and easy to do as well. You can do them now and freeze them in itty bitty portions LOL! I loved when my kids were babies! Makes me want another one… ah but we won’t go there. Ok, Christmas gifts and crafts… Yes I am starting some already… the blankets we are making and some recipe books. I also had a cute idea with some cookie cutters I saw on clearance yesterday that I might go back and buy. They were those Wilton 6pks in a mesh bag of Christmas shaped cutters. Although, I think I had a bunch of brand new cutters in a box in storage for basket fillers, I might use those… spend less ya know? Everyone puts the fleece on sale, so we’ve been busy with the blankets right now… me and the DS18 are just knotting away LOL! I plan on giving at least 20 blankets… not only expensive, but time consuming so with those we have to start NOW! But I know how much we all love ours and how well we stay warm in them, so I want to share and customize for a bunch of people I know. And the crafts… they are not gone for good… I plan on beginning to post upcoming holiday crafts soon… the obvious being Valentines coming up. So hold on to that thought ok? Lol But I will try to post any new crafts as I do them for whatever day… and seeing as I have readers who are expecting… I will start putting some baby crafts up for you too! And finally… Ravioli… OMG that little turkey is crazy! I now know why he got his head stuck in a can! Cuz he can’t stay out of stuff! He is one of the nosiest cats I have ever seen! But the next time I can catch him LOL, I will make sure to take a picture of him for ya’ll.

Ok, I mentioned baby crafts. Now these are not only gonna be good ideas for yourself, but they will make great ideas for anyone who is expecting too! This one is for a Fleece Carrier Cover to block the wind. I found it at ThriftyFun.com… you can find tons of awesome crafts there… I’ll share some of the ones I like over time.



Craft Idea of the Day: Fleece Baby Carrier Covers

Fleece cover to stretch over the carrier. The flap comes down over the baby's head to keep the wind of of it's face.
Approximate Time: 3 hours
Supplies:
1 yard of fleece for the top
1 yard of fleece for the lining
scissors
thread
sewing machine
54 inches of 3/4 inch wide elastic
a large safety pin
needle and thread for hand sewing

Instructions:
Lay the fabrics out and cut a piece 28 inches wide by 35 inches long from each piece. Lay them with right sides together and stitch around with a 1 inch seam allowance rounding the corners. Let an opening about 3-4 inches to turn it. Clip the curved seams so they lay flat. Cut off the points at the corners.

Now turn it right sides out. Cut a hole 8 inches from the top edge and 10 inches from each side edge. The hole should be about 7 inches diameter Cut through both thicknesses of fleece. I sewed around the circle I drew on the fabric before I cut it out. That way the pieces keep together nicely. Sew 1 inch around the entire piece.

Now take the safety pin and pin it to the end of the 3/4 inch wide elastic (54 inches long) and thread it through the pocket you've just created. When you bring it all the way around to the beginning end of the elastic, stitch the 2 ends together. Now hand sew the opening that's left from when you turned your piece right side out.

Cut a strip of fabric from the lining fleece about 24 inches long and 4 inches wide. Sew it around the circle you cut out and join at the ends. Now roll it onto the underneath and stitch in the ditch from the top. Cut extra fabric off on the underneath side. Cut a piece 12 inches x 18 inches for the flap. Zig zag around it to finish the edging. Sew it above the hole on the front side through all thickness. Put the flap down over the hole and top stitch on the top about 1/2 inch from the edge. Now stretch it out and pull the sides down around the baby carrier. Use the flap to cover baby's face. The first picture is the front and the second is the back.

Alright today’s meal… what do I make as a special meal for my nephew tonight? Well, I’m thinking some thick cut pork chops with sauce, mashed potatoes, and green beans. I’ll also have the crocks fired up with some soups as well… that is a everyday thing, even if the meal really doesn’t consist of any. In the crocks today are tortellini soup, lentil soup, and broccoli cheese soup.



Pork Chops with Sour Cream & Mushroom Sauce

First, I melted a big hunk of butter in the saucepan and covered it in my favorite spices (thyme, rosemary, oregano, garlic powder, onion powder, black pepper). Then I threw in two chopped onions and some minced garlic. Then I threw in a can of sliced mushrooms and put about 4 dashes of dark ale beer in. I let this mixture boil for a couple of minutes, removed it from the skillet & added the pork. I browned the pork for about ten minutes, mixed the sour cream, soups and mushroom mixture together and poured over top. Let this simmer for about an hour, turning every so often.

As for the mashed potatoes, they will be special. First I am gonna roast a head of garlic in the oven. Then I will boil some baby reds until tender. Leave the skins ON. Mash them up and squeeze in roasted garlic. Add butter and parmesan cheese for a yummy side!

Well kids, I have to go prepare for my nephew… he’ll be here in a few hours. Then I have to get back to the packrat-race LOL! I WILL get this place organized and better functioning! LOL My goal is by the end of February to be completely done. So until tomorrow kids… HUGS!

THE CHRISTMAS GIFT

Morning guys and girls... how is everyone today? As usual, its winter in Texas... 65 degrees and raining and just plain EWW! Its been an interesting 24 hours really... DS18 needed a swift kick in the behind last night, then after the smoke from all that cleared, we went to bed and I must have been grinding my teeth in my sleep cause I woke about 1am in terrible pain to find I had broke a tooth. That and my stomach was hurting so badly... think its my kidneys again. So I finally fell asleep about 5 or so then didn't hear the alarm to get up with the kids... UGH! I hope this is not how the whole day is gonna be!

I want to take a moment and let you into my head a little. Last night the oldest, Michael, kept (what I call) putting a "price tag" on everything and it just drove me insane! So I stopped him dead in his tracks and told him how I feel. I told him how the best gifts sometimes cost very little or better yet nothing at all. The gifts that come from the heart... just a small token to show someone how you love and/or care for and appreciate them. And how a homemade gift shows that you invested a moment of your time and thought into that person. I have kept everything my kids have always made me... I have rubbermaid totes full! All this came up because my DD had Daddy take her to the store last night so she could get me a Christmas bear. She gets me one every year... ya know the ones with the year embroidered on their foot? Yea I collect those... and nutcrackers too. So each year, they get me one of each. I get the bear early so I can hang it up with the rest LOL. But see, I know (and she knows I know) that the bear doesn't cost much... but its like a tradition... something special to her cause she knows I like them. Michael (DS18) never had that growing up, so when he came to live with me, its been a rough road teaching him simple things... but I think he's understanding more each day and will turn out to be an outstanding young man. I'm very proud how far he's come since coming to our home.

Let's see, waking up late has left my brain about as foggy as it is outside! What kind of craft do we want to make today... hmmm... how about an old fashioned gumball machine? LOL It's not a real machine, but its cute as a button!



Craft Idea of the day: Gum Ball Machine candy dish

Materials:
1 small terra cotta pot and dish (think its the 3" size)
1 small glass fishbowl/candle bowl
Red spray paint (or whatever color you want really)
Gumballs or candy

Alrighty... first thing is to spray paint the terra cotta pot and base/dish both inside and out. Once it is dry, you can paint a little opening where the candy "should" come out if you want. Once its completely dry, turn the terra cotta pot upside down and adhere the fish bowl to the bottom (I use hot glue). Fill the bowl with your candies/gum and set the dish on top as the "lid". That's it... you are done! I made this craft for about $3 and that included the gum! I got the pot and bowl both at Michael's Arts & Crafts store for $1 for the bowl and like 79c for the pot and dish. Got the bag of loose gumballs at the grocery store for about a buck! And then I had the paint, but if you don't, the "W" store has spraypaint for like $1 as well... including red! My daughter wanted me to make one for her in blue to match her room. They make great gifts. When you give it to someone though, do not unwrap/open the candies and wrap the gift carefully cause it can break obviously!

Ok, as far as food goes, I'm really in the mood for something simple. I'm thinking some oven roasted seasoned leg quarters with some sides and potato rolls. Not really a recipe to share with these. You just season the chicken leg quarters with whatever type of seasoning you like- be it Emeril's essence or lemon pepper, etc. Then you sear the quarters in the pan and get the skins nice and crispy but seal in the juices and flavor, then oven roast them til finished. So since I am going easy today, the "food" recipe I am gonna share with you is fairly neat I think. Its bread. But not just any bread. Its a cornucopia that you can eat. You can also shelac it and keep it as a centerpiece for a long time too! I remember the first time I saw one I was like "OMG! I have to learn how to make that!!" They are easy and fun to make and are a wonderful conversation piece! I'm thinking of making one for my cookie exchange party this Saturday!



Cornucopia

Ingredients

3 (11 ounce) containers refrigerated soft bread stick dough
1 egg
1 tablespoon water

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly spray a 17x14 inch (or lager) cookie sheet with non-stick cooking spray.

2. Tear off a 30x18 inch sheet of heavy duty aluminum foil. Fold it in half to 18x15 inch. Roll diagonally to form a hollow cone, about 18 inches long with a diameter of 5 inches at the widest end (Cornucopia opening). Fasten end with clear tape. Stuff cone with crumpled regular foil until form is rigid. Bend tail of cone up then down at end. Spray outside of cone with non-stick cooking spray. Place on cookie sheet.

3. Beat the egg with the water to make a glaze. Open and unroll the first can of breadstick dough on work surface. Separate breadsticks. Begin by wrapping one breadstick around tip of cone. Brush end of next breadstick with Glaze and press to attach to end of first breadstick. Continue spiral-wrapping cone, slightly overlapping dough until there are 3 breadsticks left.

4. Pinch one end of the 3 breadsticks together, then braid. Brush bread around opening of cornucopia with glaze. Gently press on braid. Brush entire cornucopia with glaze.

5. Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 45 minutes or until bread is a rich brown. (If parts start to darken too much, cover them with pieces of foil.)

6. Remove from oven and let cool completely on cookie sheet on a wire rack. Carefully remove foil when cool. (If freezing, leave foil in bread for support. Remove when thawed.)

Now... for the yummy portion of the day... I'm diggin' some eggnog recipes today! I'm gonna give you 3 sweets today that all require some eggnog! The cake is courtesy of allrecipes and the cookies are courtesy of Taste of Home. All of these I've made and my family has tested and added to the "approved-omg-mom-please-make-again" box LOL!



Eggnog Cake

Ingredients

Cake:
1 (18.5 ounce) package yellow cake mix
2 eggs
2 cups eggnog
1/4 cup melted butter
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon rum flavored extract

Filling:
1 (3.4 ounce) package instant vanilla pudding mix
2 cups eggnog
1/2 teaspoon rum flavored extract

Whipped Topping:
1 tablespoon unflavored gelatin
2 tablespoons cold water
2 cups heavy cream
1 1/4 cups sugar
1 pinch salt
1/2 teaspoon rum flavored extract

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Grease and flour two 8 inch round cake pans.

For the Cake: In a large mixing bowl, beat together the cake mix, eggs, 2 cups eggnog, melted butter, nutmeg, and 1/2 tsp rum flavored extract. Divide the batter evenly between the two prepared cake pans.

Bake the cake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 30 minutes. Remove from the oven to cool on wire racks.
For the Filling: Mix together the vanilla pudding mix, 2 cups eggnog, and 1/2 teaspoon rum flavored extract in a medium bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm, about 30 minutes.

For the Whipped Topping: In a small bowl, sprinkle gelatin over the cold water, allow to stand for 5 minutes to soften and then stir until the gelatin is fully dissolved. Whip the heavy cream in a large mixing bowl to soft peaks. Add the sugar, gelatin, and 1/2 teaspoon rum flavored extract, and continue whipping to stiff peaks. Refrigerate until ready to use.

To Build the Cake: Remove the cakes from the cake pans. Place one round onto a serving plate. Spoon the filling onto the cake round, and spread over the cake evenly. Place the second cake round on top of the filling. Cover the top and sides of the layered cake with the whipped topping. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

OMG pure yumminess! Ok, now have some:



Eggnog Filled Cookie Cups

Ingredients

1 package (3 ounces) cook-and-serve vanilla pudding mix
1-1/2 cups eggnog
1/3 cup milk
2 teaspoons rum extract, divided
1 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
2 egg yolks
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup sugar
1/8 teaspoon ground allspice
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Directions

In a small saucepan, combine the pudding mix, eggnog and milk. Cook and stir until mixture comes to a boil. Remove from the heat; stir in 1 teaspoon extract. Transfer to a small bowl. Cover surface of pudding with waxed paper; refrigerate until chilled.

In a large bowl, cream butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in egg yolks and remaining extract. Combine flour and salt; gradually add to creamed mixture and mix well.

In a small bowl, combine sugar and allspice. Shape dough into 1-in. balls; roll in sugar mixture. With floured fingers, press onto the bottom and up the sides of well-greased miniature muffin cups.

Bake at 350° for 10-15 minutes or until light golden brown. Immediately remove from pans to wire racks to cool completely.

Just before serving, pipe or spoon pudding into cups. Sprinkle with nutmeg. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Yield: about 2-1/2 dozen.



Butterscotch Eggnog Stars

Ingredients

2/3 cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1/4 cup eggnog
2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 cup crushed hard butterscotch candies

OPTIONAL ICING:
1-1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
1/4 teaspoon rum extract
2 to 3 tablespoons eggnog
Yellow colored sugar

Directions

In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in egg and eggnog. Combine the flour, baking powder, salt and nutmeg; gradually add to creamed mixture and mix well. Divide dough in half.

On a lightly floured surface, roll out one portion at a time to 1/4-in. thickness. Cut with a floured 3-1/2-in. star cutter. Cut out centers with a 1-1/2-in. star cutter. Line baking sheets with foil; grease foil.

Place large star cutouts on prepared baking sheets. Sprinkle 1 teaspoon candy in center of each. Repeat with remaining dough; reroll small cutouts if desired.

Bake at 375° for 6-8 minutes or until edges are golden brown. Cool on baking sheets for 5 minutes. Carefully slide foil and cookies form baking sheets onto wire racks to cool.

For icing if desired, beat confectioners' sugar, rum extract and enough eggnog to achieve drizzling consistency. Drizzle over cooled cookies if desired. Sprinkle with colored sugar if desired. Let stand until hardened. Yield: about 3 dozen.

Well, aren't you ther lucky one today racking up on the recipes!? LOL! Well I've decided that if I go crazy baking cookies for the party and by Friday I haven't shared everything I've made... then Saturday and Sunday is gonna be all cookie day! WOOHOO! Actually, you should probably be expecting it, cause I tend to go nuts with the cookies LOL! Ok kids, I'm outta here... off to put Betty Crocker to shame! HUGS!

SOUPS, SOUPS, & MORE SOUPS!

Good morning kiddies! Time to rise and shine! Its almost 9am here in my 57 degree home and it's soup kitchen day! At least there is no rain today YAY! I have decided that I am not going anywhere today... no more shopping right now. I'm gonna cook, cook, cook, til I can cook no more LOL! Maybe if I cook a bunch while the kids are all gone, I can get some stock of individual portions built up in the freezer LOL! Gonna finish sewing some projects I started in between all the cooking... both for Christmas and the sale this weekend. I am also gonna wrap up some gifts while they are gone too... gifts from Santa. You see, 2 of my kids and 3 of their friends actually still believe in Santa Claus (at least they tell me they do and they are pretty convincing LOL) so I have to play for a little while longer. Hey- I'm just that good LMBO! Being I have such a big family (both immediate and extended) we go through a LOT of presents... let me show you:



See, what did I tell you?? You would think Santa bought out the Wal-Mart right? LOL... But this is just for my kids and husband and immediate family. The friends, extra "kids", extended family, etc. are in the other room under the other tree! Creepy huh? Don't have a coronary LOL, most of those are handmade. I would say about 85% actually. There are a few of the kids who get something special... especially if they talk about it and I know their "parents" (using that term VERY loosely) won't get it for them. A few times it's been something as simple as a DVD or a music CD. Sad huh?

Well yesterday, with running my mom around (which I don't mind at all... I love being with my mommy LOL), I didn't get much personal stuff done. I got my son's letterman jacket ordered (YIKES... almost $200 for just stinkin patches LOL... but he earned it so its worth it!), and some of the grocery shopping done for the house. I was gonna go out again today (cuz my Kroger has the 10 for $10 sale starting today YAY!) but I am still not feeling 100% so I think its best to stay home and cook and sew, and wrap, and cook LOL! Sew, (lol) what's on the menu today? Well, after listening to all the perverted male jokes and comments last night about my squash, I will be making the butternut squash soup recipe I gave you last night, as well as some broccoli cheese soup, chicken and white bean stew, some creamy tortellini soup, and maybe some crock posole. The squash was prepped and in the oven by 7:30am and it smells wonderful already in my house! I will be freezing the squash soup and the BC soup. The rest will be tonight's cafeteria pots for when everyone wanders through LOL. Hmmm... 5 soups... which of the 4 remaining ones do I give the recipe to? I think I'll share the other most fave one in my house... the Broccoli Cheese soup. Don't worry now... stick with me and you will be able to make your own recipe book before too long LOL! So here ya go:



Broccoli Cheese Soup

Ingredients
1/2 cup butter*
1 (16 ounce) package frozen chopped broccoli*
4 (14.5 ounce) cans chicken broth
1 (2 pound) loaf processed cheese food, cubed
2 cups milk
1 tablespoon garlic powder
2/3 cup cornstarch
1 cup water

* Butter is only needed when you use fresh broccoli. When using fresh, use about 3-4 crowns chopped (or more depending on how much broccoli you like).

Directions

1. In a stockpot, if using fresh broccoli, melt butter over medium heat. Stir in broccoli, and saute in butter for about 7-10 minutes or until the florets are bright rich green. Cover with chicken broth. Simmer until broccoli is tender, 10 to 15 minutes.

2. Reduce heat, and stir in cheese cubes until melted. Mix in milk and garlic powder.

3. In a small bowl, stir cornstarch into water until dissolved. Stir into soup; cook, stirring frequently, until thick.

So there you have it... my "famous" broccoli cheese soup. I tell ya I can't keep it in the house long enough to freeze any and when I get it in the freezer, it doesn't last long! My daughter says the "ultimate shiznizzle" is when I pair this with a grilled cheese sandwich. She says its her little food heaven LOL! OK so that's where I'll leave you for the day... I'm off to get my squash out of the oven and start the soup and sewing marathon! Until next time... HUGS!