Simple math says it won't work . . .

I have to wonder about the politicians in our California State government these days. They want to pass a bill that would give undocumented students access to the same funding as citizens. Yet, because of government cutbacks and other bad moves on their part, state college fees have gone up, classes are cut,  and even getting into a public college is very difficult these days. As I posted earlier, my son is finished with high school and not able to attend the local community college. There isn't any room. Another friend with a 3.9 GPA had to wait a year before she could start classes at the State college even though she was accepted.

Simple math would tell one that if there isn't enough for the residents to even begin college, how can the floodgates be open to everyone? I'm not starting an argument here, one way or the other. I just think that having paid into the tax system nearly my entire life, my children should be able to attend college.

The bill, according to the news, is now before the governor. This current governor made a mess of California his first round in office, years ago, so I have little hope on any salvation of sanity here.

The interesting thing is that we had to opt for private colleges for two of my children which has my husband looking at working until he is 75. One son is going to school and living overseas in order to afford it. The more the public school system takes away from us, the more people will turn to other states or private schools . . . which will mean further cuts, even less classes, no opportunities . . . Someone in government needs a pencil and paper as the calculator on their computer sure is crumbling the numbers rather than crunching them.

Butterscotch Cookies

Last week, I posted a day-to-day plan for getting several kinds of cookies baked and ready for the holidays in three days. It included all the recipes and the time frame in which to get them done. However, for those of you just looking for a cookie reminder, I'm going to blog one of the recipes every day or so. It might be what you are looking for or could clue you into checking back on the first posting for Christmas baking and inspire you to get started! The holidays will be here before we know it.

Butterscotch Cookies

2 ½ cups cake flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ cup finely chopped pecans
½ teaspoon nutmeg
1 ¾ cups butter
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Combine the first four ingredients in a bowl and set aside. In a pan over low heat, melt the butter, letting it simmer but avoid burning. Add the brown sugar and beat it until well mixed. Let cool before adding egg, beating vigorously until smooth. Add vanilla and flour mixture until well combined.
Form dough into two logs, about 2 inches in diameter. Wrap them in wax paper and refrigerate about 30 minutes, then shape them into smoother, more even rolls. Freeze for two hours.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Remove rolls from freezer and slice into ¼ inch thick cookies. Place about 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheets. Bake for approximately ten minutes or until just golden. Cool and store in airtight container for one week or freeze for up to 2 months.

*Depending on how hard or fast your freezer will cool down things, you might have to let the roll of dough sit out a few minutes when ready to use it so it will be easier to slice.

The Christmas crafts begin . . .

All it takes is one slightly cooler day and I start thinking about Christmas gifts. Yesterday, I got started on a Christmas quilt. I'm using three fabrics in each square plus an applique of various scenes in the Christmas story. So far, I have five ready for the next step, borders. I decided to go with handsewing on the applique work so when I do the quilting in white thread, it won't be obscured by previous machine stitching. I'm currently thinking about making a star pattern for the quilting, one multi-bordered Christmas star in each square. I'm back to my usual palette of deep blues and vibrant colors. I veered off slightly to piece a horse quilt for a friend. Horses don't come in blues or purple. There may be some folks who indulge in strong holiday egg nog that may have seen horses (or elephants!) in such colors but I never have!

Actually needed a sweater for my morning walk before Mass this morning. Now, that was a great change of pace (pun sort of intended!) for me.

Great observation!

"It is said that power corrupts, but actually it's more true that power attracts the corruptible. The sane are usually attracted by other things than power."
       -- David Brin

Many uses of dry biscuit mix - Sloppy Cake!

The one thing I try to never run out of is a box of the dry biscuit mix. Even as a little girl, I remember seeing my mother go to it when she wanted to get a fast dinner on the table or even to make a quick treat. Just using the recipes on the side and back of the box will set you up for success for several days. It is good for breakfast pancakes, biscuit sandwich lunches, or a golden-crusted casserole. The reason it came to mind today? I was musing over what to cook for dinner and my son begged for spicy spaghetti which meant I only had to defrost a jar of my homemade sauce and boil pasta. I said he was making life too easy for me as it gave me an extra thirty minutes to sew this afternoon. He joked, "In that case, bake something for dessert."

Even as  I type, there is a gooey coffee cake of sorts baking in the oven. Thought I'd share it with you so you can impress your family some evening unexpectedly. I call it "Sloppy Cake"! Why? Because I usually am in a hurry which I decide to bake this and make a mess.

Sloppy Cake

2 cups dry biscuit mix
2 eggs
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Enough milk to make a sort of thick batter

Mix the first four ingredient in a bowl. Gradually add the milk until you have a thick but pourable batter. Spread it in a greased 8x8-inch baking pan.

Topping

1 cup dry biscuit mix
1/2 cup butter, slightly softened
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 cup packed brown sugar

Mix these ingredients together to form a lumpy, crumbly mixture.

Scatter the topping over the batter and bake in a 350 degree oven for approximately 15-20 minutes until the batter rises up and turns golden. The topping will be swirled in and a bit gooey. Cool for a few minutes before serving. It is also very good cold the next day with a cup of coffee!

Part and parcel of Christian Hospitality?

Those whom we support hold us up in life.

Marie von Ebner-Eschenbach

Christian Hospitality . . .

Our pastor blessed us with a series of classes regarding our Faith over the Wednesdays in July. We were happy to learn he is, again, offering some more classes during the month of September. Our pastor said he loves to teach and you can feel this in the way he presents the subject matter and gets excited over the fact that he is able to share the subject matter.

Although he covered a multitude of important facts and lessons in the last set of classes, the one that sticks with me the most was Christian Hospitality. He said the Church has a lot of rules, traditions, etc. but hospitility trumps them all. You do not hurt and embarrass another person in the name of Faith but welcome them with your show of Faith and Christian Hospitality leads the way.

The subject got started when several of our class remarked about an usher who insists on shaking each and every hand of the people processing up to Communion. This is not a time to meet and greet as we should be focusing on our folded hands as they lead us to the altar. Much to everyone's surprise, Father said, "You have to return the greeting." He went on to say that he was working at teaching the ushers the correct way of doing their job but, as Christian people, we cannot hurt a kindly usher who doesn't know any better. I know of a few people in the group who will continue snubbing the gentlemen which shows they have missed the whole point Father was trying to make.

Over the years, I have had seemingly nice people suddenly decide my family wasn't worthy of the friendship. No matter how you drape yourself in lace chapel veils and kneel on the stone floor in front of the congregation, kindness and Christian Hospitality weren't there.

The older I get, the more interesting I find people's perception or reactions to matters of Faith. One person refused to let me know when the funeral would take place for a relative of hers. She later said she felt embarrassed as the relative wasn't a nice person. Talk about putting misplaced feelings ahead of the welfare of a newly deceased soul. Christian Hospitality can extend beyond the grave!

Anyway, just thought I'd share that concept with you. I'm not a reformed person but do catch myself more often and try to be kind before I walk away from a person. And, you never know what a person is going through and what a kind word might mean to them.

Father said his next class is on exorcism, Satan, evil, sin, and confession! Seems like a good follow up. Let's just hope he doesn't randomly pick five out of the class and see what he can 'scare' out of them with a blessing!

And then came the Internet . . .

"Television is for appearing on - not for looking at."
       -- Noel Coward

 

"The great thing about television is that if something important happens anywhere in the world, day or night, you can always change the channel."
       -- From "Taxi"

Never fabric shop on a budget . . .

I'm learning that you can shop with a budget in mind for food and clothing, however, never look for fabric on a budget. I made that mistake, yesterday, of going to the fabric warehouse because I needed backing material for several quilt projects. I have the tops pieced and ready to go but they have been sitting on top of my cupboard in complete for lack of a backing. My thoughts on this sort of thing is to put off completing such projects until the budge will allow for both the needed fabric and the possibility of wanted fabric. Unfortunately, I didn't fight for my viewpoint and found myself at the warehouse and stuck in the bargain, flat fold fabric stacks.

Now, the fabric in the flat fold stacks is premium stuff. It is just the ends of bolts. Sometimes, you can find six yards of designer fabric for under three dollars a yard. Other times, it is only a yard of two but when you are a quilter, you will grab these smaller units because you get inspired when you see them. I didn't want to put myself through this yet there I was in the flat fold stacks wishing I could be out among the bolts of fabric. Naturally, I found three, fantastic lengths of fabric that positively made my heart sing (probably off key!) and my creative juices flow. I had to leave them as they weren't enough for the quilt backing. The fabrics that had at least six yards, were okay fabrics but not something I'd ordinarily want or buy. Out of the six lengths I found that I could live with, only two were really close to my usual tastes. When we got to the cutting table, it turned out the two I liked were only three yards and I needed six yards for backing so they didn't make it to my shopping bag. I was rather sad to walk out of there with a bag of fabric I didn't much like for the sake of finishing some quilts.

Learned my lesson, however. I will never, never, never shop for fabric when I have to stick to needs and ignore the moments of love at first sight. The new fabric? It is now residing in the far reaches of my closet and instead of quilting today, I am more inclinded towards cleaning house and doing bills!

Cauliflower Soup with Pecans and Croutons

I've been sorting through my recipes. This sounds so efficient until you see my recipes are stuck in a binder or on the refrigerator according to how often I use them. I love magnets! Anway, cauliflower is a favorite of mine and I espeically like it in soups with an extra 'attitude' like this one. I am blessed to have most of my family willing to try something different for dinner. If you don't have fresh thyme, a pinch or two (to taste) of dried thyme will be fine. No rye bread? Sour dough bread croutons are excellent done the same way. I'm hoping that thinking about cold-weather food will bring on the lower temperatures!


Cauliflower Soup with Pecans and Rye Croutons
 3 tablespoons light olive oil
2 leeks, white and pale green parts only, cut into 2-inch pieces
4 garlic cloves, smashed
Two 2-pound heads of cauliflower, cored and cut into 2-inch florets
½ cup of tiny florets reserved for garnish
1 Granny Smith apple - peeled, cored and cut into 2-inch pieces
6 cups chicken broth
5 thyme springs
1 slice crust less rye bread, cut into 1/2-inch dice (a cup)
½ cup pecan pieces
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large pot, heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil. Add the leeks and garlic and cook over moderate heat until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the large cauliflower florets and the apple and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes. Add the broth and thyme springs and bring to a boil. Cover and simmer over low heat for 45 minutes.

Spread the diced rye bread, pecan pieces and tiny cauliflower florets on a large rimmed baking sheet. Drizzle with the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil and toss to coat. Season generously with salt and pepper and bake, stirring once, for about 10 minutes or until the rye bread croutons are crisp.

Discard the thyme springs from the soup. Working in batches, puree the soup in a blender. Return the soup to the pot and season with salt and pepper. Ladle into bowls, scatter the croutons, pecans and cauliflower on top and serve.

The soup can be refrigerated overnight. Reheat gently before serving. Add more chicken broth to thin the soup to the desired consistency, if needed.

The Link Between Nutrition and Learning: 20 Critical Facts

“The Link Between Nutrition and Learning: 20 Critical Facts”   http://www.bestcollegesonline.com/blog/2011/08/29/the-link-between-nutrition-and-learning-20-critical-facts This link was just shared with me and it is helpful reading for all of us who are trying to cook/bake well for our family while keeping nutrition and good eating in mind. Fast food should be an occasional treat not a daily meal!

The explanation of marriage?

Marriage: The state or condition of a community consisting of a master, a mistress and two slaves, making in all, two.

Ambrose Bierce

Farmer's rights . . .

You grow the crops, you can have fun with the crops! My husband brought in his latest harvest of Bell peppers and couldn't resist taking a few pictures. Naturally, he went for the artistist with the featured results. Not sure why the grape was included as it came from the store and not the garden. I guess my husband is open to all food stuffs, whether brought in from the backyard . . . or the store! Besides, his own grapes didn't do well this year.

Has the world gone crazy . . .?

I heard on the news, last week, that whatever powers that be want to change the word 'pedifile' to something like child attraction. Pedifile already means attracted to children so why are they wanting to remove the stigma of a well-known word for a crime against children? Need we soften the term . . . for what purpose? It doesn't change the awful nature of the heedless hurt to a child to fulfill a  person's perversion. You can't use words to switch around the victim status here.

Given the problem in the world we have with such people, why do parents allow their children to go on display at those toddler pageants? I've seen a few minutes, here and there, of these contests where little girls are plied with excess makeup, false teeth, teased hair, and scanty costumes. It is sickening to watch the parents stand off to the side when their children are 'performing' and egging on their hip wiggling and sexy poses and dances.  You want to protect your children yet you put them out there for all the world to see - including people who see your child as a possible 'conquest'.

You have to wonder where the fathers are, too. Some of my relatives quietly sneer at me and my girls because we do dress modestly. Yes, we wear jeans and tee shirts but our clothing is not skin tight and we still know what a decent length is for a skirt or dress. My husband defends us in that he doesn't want us to 'share' views of what doesn't belong to other people. He wants to keep temptation to a miniumn and protect the females in his family. Nothing worse than seeing a family going out to dinner or even attending church and the dad is right there with his daughters and seemingly not bothered about them wearing short shirts, tight pants, and low-cut outfits.

When you teach and maintain a serious form of modesty in your family, it is not only the girls that learn. Sons   take their cue from their parents, especially their father. I remember when my younger son was about five. We were getting out of the car in a parking lot and a little girl hopped out of the van parked next to us. She was wearing a next to nothing sunsuit outfit. My son looked over and then quickly away, remarking, "Well, there is another girl I would never marry!"

Yes, I know we have the freedom to make our own choices and that includes what and how much we wear out in public. Modesty is laughed at these days but one cringes when nothing is left to the imagination.

Getting Ready for Christmas Baking . . .

No matter how much time you seem to have in September, you will suddenly find your minutes counted and Christmas facing you in less than three weeks. Your dreams of "sugar plums" are reduced to a package of cookies from a grocery store shelf. With a little planning, you can fill the family cookie jar for the holidays and still have plenty to share. All these cookies freeze very well so if you want to get a head start . . .

Day One:
Butterscotch Cookies

2 ½ cups cake flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ cup finely chopped pecans
½ teaspoon nutmeg
1 ¾ cups butter
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Combine the first four ingredients in a bowl and set aside. In a pan over low heat, melt the butter, letting it simmer but avoid burning. Add the brown sugar and beat it until well mixed. Let cool before adding egg, beating vigorously until smooth. Add vanilla and flour mixture until well combined.
Form dough into two logs, about 2 inches in diameter. Wrap them in wax paper and refrigerate about 30 minutes, then shape them into smoother, more even rolls. Freeze for two hours.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Remove rolls from freezer and slice into ¼ inch thick cookies. Place about 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheets. Bake for approximately ten minutes or until just golden. Cool and store in airtight container for one week or freeze for up to 2 months.
While your Butterscotch Cookies are freezing . . .

German Lebkuchen

3 large eggs
2 ¼ cups dark brown sugar
¼ pound mixed, chopped, candied fruit
1 teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground cloves.
½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
¼ teaspoon allspice
1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon baking soda
Confectioners' sugar, Juice and grated rind of one lemon.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Generously grease an 8 x 10-inch baking pan, dust it lightly with flour. In a large mixing bowl, add the eggs, one at a time to the brown sugar, beating well after eaach addition. Stir in the candied fruit, spices. Into another bowl combine the flour and baking soda. Add the dry ingredients to the egg mixture, combining well. Spread the cookie batter into the prepared pand and bake it for 15 minutes or until deep, golden brown.

While it is baking, add lemon rind, juice and enough confectioners' sugar to make a thick icing. Spread over the warm cookies. When icing has set, cut into serving size squares.

Day Two:

Mexican Fiesta Cookies

1 cup butter
½ cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 cups all-purpose flour
¼ cup cocoa powder
1 heaping tablespoon instant coffee
1 cup finely chopped nuts
½ cup chopped, drained, maraschino cherries.
1 cup confectioners' sugar for coating.

Beat butter until light; gradually add sugar. Beat until light and fluffy. Add vanilla and beat to blend well.

Sift together flour, cocoa, coffee powder. Gradually add to creamed mixture. Blend in nuts and cherries; chill until easy to handle dough.

Shape dough into one-inch balls and place 1 inch apart on ungreased baking sheet. Bake at 325 degrees for 20 minutes. Remove cookies to cooling racks and, while still warm, roll in confectioners' sugar.
While your Fiesta cookies are firming up in the refrigerator, get started on . . .

Christmas Brownies

Two cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 cup butter
5 eggs
3 cups brown sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla
¾ cup all-purpose flour
1 cup Dutch Process cocoa
1 cups walnut or pecans, finely ground

Melt chocolate and butter in saucepan over very low heat. Cool slightly. Beat eggs, sugar and vanilla in large mixer bowl on high speed for five minutes. Blend in chocolate mixture on low speed. Add remaining ingredients and combine.

Spread in greased 13 x 9-inch pan or two smaller ones. Bake at 375 degrees for 25 minutes. Cool before cutting into serving size squares. (a dab of icing and a whole nut, candied cherry or candy will make them even more festive.

Day Three:

At this point, you will have four batches of cookies stored away . . . children depending! Now is the time to round up the children and your cookie cutters.

Easy Roll-Out Sugar Cookies

1 cup butter
1 cup granulated sugar
4 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
4 teaspoons baking powder
4 ½ cups all-purpose flour

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Add baking powder and flour, mixing well. The dough will be stiff so you may have to blend the last bit by hand. Do not chill dough. Roll out a portion of dough to about 1/8-inch thick. Cut out desired shapes and bake on ungreased sheets for 5-8 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove from baking sheets immediately and cool before decorating.

Cookie Icing

2 cups confectioners' sugar
4 tablespoons milk
4 tablespoons light corn syrup
Mix sugar and milk thoroughly. Add corn syrup and incorporate well. Icing may be divided up and tinted according to your creativity. Colored sugar, sprinkles, bits of crushed candy cane, candied fruit or nuts can brighten up your cookies.

Words within "quotes" always sound better!

Man: An animal so lost in rapturous contemplation of what he thinks he is as to overlook what he indubitably ought to be.

Ambrose Bierce

Reminder for a Sunday Morning . . .

"Appreciation is a wonderful thing: It makes what is excellent in others belong to us as well."
       -- Voltaire

Summer days and warm tomatoes . . .

As you can see, my husband's tomatoes are still producing. My favorite summer time lunch is a bowl of tomatoes, warm from the sunshine, dressed with a tangy dressing, and topped with Feta cheese and lots of ground, black pepper. The contrast between the cold dressing and the literally hot tomatoes fresh off the vine is one of my favorite treats.

The trick to getting a good crop of tomatoes every year is not planting them in the same patch of ground. The plant-eating critters usually don't find the tomatoes the first year in a garden space but always show up if you try growing your salad works in the same place the next time around. Next year, the tomatoes will grace our now filled in pool. It won't be quite the same as cooling off in the pool but tomatoes are tomatoes and almost a good exchange.

I got three bags of tomatoes sliced and bagged for later in the season. We usually get one, huge harvest just before the plants all give up so will probably add a few more bags to my freezer stash. Next year, my husband vows to raise tomatoes, cucumbers, and Basil . . . until he comes across some other plant that interests him.

Clouds on a very warm and sunny day . . .

Views of the pretty clouds from our backyard. The temperature is climbing and already at 108 degrees. The air conditioning is set for 82 degrees which is more comfortable in regards to power usage costs that actual temperature. We were supposed to have thunder storms this morning but our weatherman usually seems to be 12 hours behind God's schedule so we may still add muggy, warm rain to the schedule today.

I made the mistake of climbing up to get something off a high shelf and then spent the morning cleaning said shelf. It stores my daughter's pottery. She is very productive in that department so we have quite a lot of it. My husband is a bit worried because both she and my younger daughter are taking ceramics this semester . . . and we are running out of shelves! His major thanksgiving in life, right now, is that my son couldn't get into a ceramics class at his college.

The dog is very unhappy about the heat. She sheds so is allowed 30 minutes here and there throughout the day to come inside the backdoor and cool down a bit. We need to set up her wading pool as she likes to walk through it and get her feet wet. She also drinks from the same water she puts her dirty paws but who am I, a mere human, to judge?

What a world . . .

Just read in the news exactly why our electric power was disrupted yesterday for almost two hours . . . Someone broke into one of the power substations and stole all the copper wiring! It caused power outages in over 25,000 homes in our city and on a record heat day, too.

You know, we can't be the judges but it seems to me that sin is more or less depending on how many people it affects and putting 25,000 households in that position for that length of time has to expand the crime of that sin greatly. I'm sure there were   elderly involved, people with medical support systems, etc. who had an extra hard time dealing without power and air conditioning for that space of time.

It is sad how much we have turned into a self-serving world where people can steal what they want, when they want it, and because they want it without a thought for the other person. You have to wonder who these thieves will call when someone breaks into their house someday?

Blessing trials and tribulations . . .

“The Blessed Sacrament is indeed the stimulus for us all, for me as it should be for you, to forsake all worldly ambitions. Without the constant presence of our Divine Master upon the altar in my poor chapels, I never could have persevered casting my lot with the lepers of Molokai; the foreseen consequence of which begins now to appear on my skin, and is felt throughout the body. Holy Communion being the daily bread of a priest, I feel myself happy, well pleased, and resigned in the rather exceptional circumstances in which it has pleased Divine Providence to put me.” 
 ~Blessed Fr. Damien, Apostle of the Lepers

Eventually found the humor in the situation . . .

Looking back on yesterday from the much cooler standpoint of this morning, I can finally see the humor in our situation. As I've posted, after more years than I want to remember, we finally got a working air conditioning unit installed. We had been putting up with 90 degrees of heat and sweat in the house for so long, we didn't realize what a difference comfort makes. We keep the temperature set at 82 degrees and when it is 108 outside (as in yesterday!), 82 in wonderfully okay.

I was busy preparing dinner with plans to bake it in the oven. Pots were simmering, dishes were piling up, and I had stopped to pay closer attention to a radio commentary when everything stopped. All the power just disappeared. We can always tell when it is a general power outage or just us with a blown fuse. A rather reclusive gentleman across the street appears when this happens and stands in front of his garage. I looked over and he was standing there so I knew a replaced fuse wasn't going to cure our problem. Yes, we had air conditioning. No, we were not cool!

It lasted for a couple of hours and I had to make changes in cooking methods. It was amusing at how I felt I was 'roughing' it because I couldn't use the rice cooker and I had to refigure how to cook an oven dinner on the stove. Complaining wouldn't change the time  line of the power outage so I just coped and it all came together. By the time my husband got home from work, dinner was done and the power came back. Got to count one's blessings! I figured out how to turn the burners on without the use of the electric start and I didn't have t haul water from down by the creek . . .  Not that we have a creek!

The hot weather also brought out some creativity. My son was longing for some dessert that was chocolate and peanut butter. I baked (before power outage!) three, thin layers of sour cream chocolate cake. Then I whipped up some vanilla ice cream with peanut butter and a touch of orange extract. I filled the layers, topped it with the rest of the ice cream mixture and froze it. Since there is only half of it left, this morning, I'm thinking it was well received.

Yet, another version of the Oatmeal Cookie!

I'm always up to trying new and improved ways of making oatmeal cookies. This one caught my eye because of the fresh essence offered by the orange zest and the inclusion of the bits of dried apricot. The fact that they come out crunchy was only an added bonus. The bran flakes give an extra fiber boost and an interesting taste. I never pass on a chance to sneak something good into a treat.

Again, with the Oatmeal Cookie!

1 cup butter

1 cup white sugar

1 cup packed brown sugar

1 tablespoon freshly grated orange zest

1 egg

1 cup vegetable oil

2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon baking soda

3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup old-fashioned oatmeal

1/2 cup flaked coconut

1 cup bran flake cereal

1/2 cup chopped walnuts

1/2 cup finely diced dried apricots

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Cream together the butter, sugars and zest. This gives the oils from the zest a chance to blend into the butter. Beat in the egg, oil, vanilla extract, baking soda, and flour until just mixed. Add in the rest of the ingredients and combine.

Drop walnut-sized balls of dough on cookie sheets.  Bake for approximately 10 to 12 minutes, depending on size you make the cookies.

Although using vegetable spray to grease the sheets is fine, consider using parchment paper. It helped bake the cookies more evenly and clean up is very easy. The cookies just slide off.

Time to fill the cookie jar . . .

I like basic cookies especially if I can create my own versions according to taste or what is on hand in the cupboard that day. These are pretty basic but always seem to be popular with children and grown up children!

Make It as You Like It Cookies

1 cup butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
½ cup brown sugar, packed
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2¼ cups all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 cups. chocolate chips
½ cup pecans, chopped
½ cup raisins

Cream butter with sugar; add brown sugar, eggs & vanilla. Combine other dry ingredients in bowl and sift. Add to creamed mixture. Add chocolate chips, nuts and raisins. Stir in with spoon.
Bake 8-10 minutes at 350 degrees

Ideas . . .

Substitute dried cranberries for the raisin or, use half and half.

I like pecans but walnut or almonds work well, too. Peanuts would be an interesting change of pace.

Use toasted coconut instead of the raisins.

It doesn't have to be chocolate chips. White chips, peanut butter chips, or butterscotch chips would make the recipe your own.

Using an ice cream scoop would make giant cookies for a special event.

Dip one half of each cookie in some melted chocolate.

Crossing the English Channel . . .

I have always wondered about people swimming the English Channel but never imagined how great a distance that swim could be! We traveled from England to France on a French Ferry boat (note the French flag!) and it took over seven hours. I don't think I'd like to be paddling around the cold water for that amount of time. My son had never been on a ship of any kind so found it all amazing. He even climbed up the the very windy upper deck for a better view.

The ferry boat was a lot more than just the name would indicate. There were shops, snack bars, drink bars, a sit-down restaurant, and a cafeteria on board. I think it was five or six stories high or seemed to be given the times we got ourselves lost! Definitely not a cafeteria you'd imagine. Gourmet food with the serve-yourself concept. They even cooked your steak to order!

When we reached France, we went down to the depths of the ferry, found our tour bus, climbed in, and drove off into the French countryside. The modern world is amazing!

It's morning! Wake up and read the quotes!

"A committee can make a decision that is dumber than any of its members."
       -- David Coblitz

 

"Did you ever walk into a room and forget why you walked in? I think that's how dogs spend their lives."
       -- Sue Murphy

 

"There is no safety in numbers, or in anything else."
       -- James Thurber

Wistful time of the day . . .

Dinner is cooked, eaten, and washing up is done. It is kind of a wistful time of day when you review what got done and what still awaits your attention. Mornings makes all things possible. Evenings reflect shortcomings. I guess God leaves enough undone so we know we have a good chance of waking up tomorrow!

Since we now have a bit of an expense to pay off with the air conditioning, I'm being frugal and careful about the meals. I found three, medium boneless country pork ribs in the freezer. When they were almost defrosted, I split them down the length to form thin chops. I marinated them in red wine, onion, garlic powder, salt, pepper, and Dijon mustard. I fried them in a bit of olive oil and butter.

The potatoes got peeled, diced, and boiled until almost done. I salted the boiling water and added a whole, finely diced onion to the water. After I drained the potato/onions, I sauteed them in some olive oil until gentlely browned. My son, who doesn't like potatoes, had three helpings of everything this evening. I'm glad I had already put away a plate of food for my husband's work lunch or it might have disappeared, too!

My daughter asked if I would make a quilt for a friend. The friend likes horses . . . I've never made a horse quilt but it just so happens that I have a couple of yards of a horse print! I got the top of the quilt pieced today but need to invade the fabric store for backing fabric. My evening will be spent catching up on two other quilts so I don't feel quite so bad beginning another project with work still left undone.

The new air conditioning got into place just in time as the weather has soared up into the 103-plus degrees and will remain so until the beginning of next week. We set the temperature at 80 degrees and enjoy the fact that we are no longer glowing quite so much in the heat of the day.

Started digging out and organizing Christmas cookie recipes. Everyone has a favorite that I have to make and I always include a couple of new ones to the list.

Remember in your prayers all the people who are in the path of the upcoming hurricane on the East Coast. It seems to be increasing in strength so I hope people aren't trying to brave the storm and got out while they could.

A Failure on all counts . . .

The holiday season is upon us and I find that I am still remiss in being all that I can be as a cook and hostess. A friend gave me a stack of culinary arts magazines which have done nothing for my self esteem. I am so lacking in all respects.

For one thing, the basics in my pantry do not line up with the recommended items called for in establishing a gourmet collection of necessities. Caviar, pate', savory crackers, imported cheeses, and artichoke hearts will never let you down when you have unexpected company. The only thing I have in my cupboard for toast points is peanut butter.

In an effort to better myself, I have tried researching recipes but I think they write them in a different language. Quick Ratatouille with Polenta slowed down fast as I didn't have either eggplant or a fennel bulb on hand. As for cooked and refrigerated polenta, it didn't happen.

And when the recipe is for Lobster Chowder, there seems to be an unspoken assumption that you have leftover lobster. Our budget prohibits lobster from entering our premises. The only way one could show up would be a really, really bad hurricane that would send the ocean depths this far inland.

What happened to mashed potatoes? One does not partake of potatoes under such mundane terminology. It is Potato Puree. To insure that your children will not eat it, go with Roasted Garlic Potato Puree.

My husband is hungry when he comes home and Warm Wasabi Sushi Rice Salad and Red Curry-Carrot Reduction would certainly put our marriage into counseling!

I have even been putting my ingredients together incorrectly. One should not fry, but braise. Nothing is covered anymore but enrobed. You don't just mix, you incorporate. And remember, it is not just salad, it is greens. If you can recognize any of the greens in your bowl, then you didn't do it right.

From all my reading, in order to do the Thanksgiving meal correctly, the menu should look something like this: Gently roasted turkey, rubbed with parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme . . . you may hum here. Potato, Carrot, & Turnip Puree with a choice of braised asparagus or baby spring peas enrobed with a creme sauce. Said turkey should be stuffed with imported bread crumbs, dried apple rings, chestnuts (home roasted, naturally) and fennel. When in doubt, always use fennel. The dinner rolls you can bake in your spare time using spring water and freshly ground wheat. Make sure you have enough Pimiento Butter and Cranberry Pineapple Relish on hand.

Sigh . . . Looks like another holiday season will escape un-enrobed and un-incorporated. I don't think it will be a sin but if it is, may I braise in . . . never mind!

Pumpkin Ice Cream Pie

My thoughts are turning towards the holidays. I've been busy this summer knitting and quilting in order to have unique gifts for friends and family. I'm also thinking about my holiday excuse for doing extra cooking and baking. Thanksgiving is a favorite holiday as it doesn't involve gift-giving, just appreciation for the chance to share an extra-special meal with family and friends. This is a nice dessert to tuck away for such an occasion. It's easy and doesn't take up refrigerator space and can be ready to cut into with a few minutes notice if you start running low on the other goodies.

Pumpkin Ice Cream Pie

One baked, pastry or graham cracker crust
1 pint vanilla ice cream
1 pint coffee ice cream
1 cup cooked canned pumpkin (NOT pie mix)
½ cup packed brown sugar
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ginger
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1 ½ teaspoon vanilla

Allow ice creams to soften. In a large bowl, mix pumpkin, sugar, salt, spices and vanilla. Gently fold in ice creams. Spoon into pie shell. Freeze 4 hours or overnight, covered.

Let set at room temperature for about 10 minutes before serving. Slice and serve with whipped cream.

Hint . . .
If you want the pie filling to be really, really smooth, try running your canned pumpkin throught the blender before using.

There are a few of my favorite things . . .

Just a collage of some of my favorite scrap/crazy quilts. Even when I follow a specific quilt pattern, it often takes a crazy quilt twist. I currently have three boxes and one bag of precious scraps that I just know I will incorporate into a quilt eventually. There is something about taking almost nothing and turning it into a full-sized covering. I've noticed that most people seem to prefer my scrap quilts. My children love theirs as they can often find bits and pieces of their childhood in the many pieces of fabric that came from shirts or dresses I made for them years ago. Interesting . . . I picked mostly warm colors for this collage whereas my usual choices tend towards the blue spectrum. Recently, I've gone for sea colors and am working on a landscape quilt . . . mostly out of scraps, of course!

Quotes that speak for themselves!

"Isn't it interesting that the same people who laugh at science fiction listen to weather forecasts and economists?"
       -- Kelvin Throop III

 

"Where facts are few, experts are many."
       -- Donald R. Gannon

 

"God help those who do not help themselves."
       -- Wilson Mizner

Sharing an English lesson . . .

Consider this…   The English language has some wonderfully anthropomorphic collective nouns for the various groups of animals. We are all familiar with a herd of cows, a flock of birds, a school of fish, a pride of lions, and a gaggle of geese. Less widely known collectives include a troop of monkeys, a pride of lions, a murder of crows (as well as their cousins the rooks and ravens), an exaltation of doves, and (presumably because they look so wise), a parliament of owls. Now consider a collection of baboons: they are the loudest, most dangerous, most obnoxious, most viciously aggressive, and least intelligent of all the primates. So, what is the proper collective noun for a group of baboons? Believe it or not .... a group of baboons is called a CONGRESS!

Reality shared from the Internet . . .

A young couple got married and went on their honeymoon. When they got back, the bride immediately called her mother. "Well," said her mother, "so how was the honeymoon?"

"Mama," she replied, "the honeymoon itself was wonderful --- so romantic! But . . ." Suddenly, she burst out crying. "Mama, as soon as we returned, Sam started using the most horrible language, things I'd never heard before! I mean, all those awful four-letter words! You've got to come get me and take me home. Please, Mama!

"Sarah, Sarah," her mother said, "calm down! Tell me, what could be so awful? What four-letter words?" "Please don't make me tell you, Mama," wept the daughter, "I'm so embarrassed. They're just too awful! Come get me, please!"

"Darling baby, you must tell me what has you so upset. I'm your mother, tell me these horrible four-letter words!"

Still sobbing, the bride said, "Oh, Mama ! Words like: Wash, Iron, Dust, Cook

Custard Puff Pastry

This is a favorite recipe of mine that I just keep forgetting to make more often! It is great for having a dessert with the topping all come out of the oven at the same time.

CUSTARD PUFF PASTRY
½ cup  butter, softened
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons water
½ cup margarine or butter
1 cup water
¾ cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon almond extract
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup all-purpose flour
3 eggs
Powdered sugar

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Cut ½ cup margarine or butter into 1 cup flour until particles are size of small peas. Sprinkle 2 tablespoons water over flour mixture; mix. Gather pastry into a ball; divide into halves. Form each half into a rectangle, 12 x 3 inches on ungreased cookie sheet. They should be about 3 inches apart. Refrigerate

Heat ½ cup margarine or butter and 1 cup water to rolling boil; remove from heat. Quickly stir in extracts and 1 cup flour. Stir vigorously over low heat until mixture form a ball, about one minute; remove from heat. Place mixture in mixing bowl and beat int eggs and sugar until smooth and glossy. Spread topping over each rectangle. Bake until topping is crisp and brown, about one hour; cool. Topping will shrink and fall, forming the custard top. Dust with powdered sugar before cutting and serving.

Ideas . . .
 Sometimes, I like to spread a very thin layer of jam on the dough just before I add the topping.

Toasted coconut in the custard topping is nice.

Still stuck in the quilting mode . . .

I'm certainly blessed because I have now had three days of sewing. The first two, as previously noted, we had air conditioning company men running around the house. The only quiet corner they didn't need to get into was my sewing corner in the kitchen. Today, I'm relatively free because I made a huge pot of beef barley soup for dinner on Monday and had enough left over to supply another meal this evening. All I have to do is stop sewing around four, heat up the soup, and I'm done 'cooking' dinner.

I'm taking a break from a quilt top I've been working on for the last few weeks. I have another border to sew on each of the twelve squares and I ready to get the quilting aspect going . . . however, I saw an idea for yet another quilt when I walked past the magazine stand at the store this morning. And, yes, I didn't stop to look at the rest of the magazine. Nope, just kept walking while I imprinted the picture on the cover in my memory for later implementation! Sorry, I don't know of any ten-step programs to ban quilting from my life. If there is one, please don't tell me about it!

The new air conditioning system is great although we keep it set at 81 degrees. So far, it uses the same amount of energy as our two, portable coolers did so we may be able to stop sweating quite so profusely from now on. A great feature on this thing is that it comes with a remote control that you can leave in another part of the house. We have it in the kitchen so if I know I'm going to be heating things up with the stove, I can adjust the base temperature without leaving the stove. The really, really great feature? It come with a 'finder' meaning that if we misplace the remote control (like that is going to happen, right? And whoever is laughing can stop right now!), we just go to the wall unit, press a button, and the remote buzzes until we locate it.

Progress is happening so quickly on all these kinds of gadgets. I often think about my mother whose goal in life was remembering where her keys had been left. She has long since gone to her reward but I wonder how she would have gotten her head around phones so small they fit into your pocket, instant information on the computer, e-mail . . . I wonder how much of the present day 'miracles' will be old by the time my children are parents.

If this isn't sooooo true!

"Oh, to be only half as wonderful as my child thought I was when he was small, and only half as stupid as my teenager now thinks I am."Rebecca Richards

Apple Spice Pound Cake

Following in the apple/Fall/cooler weather theme, here is one that will scent your house wonderfully and cause everyone to clean their plates at dinner in order to get a slice of this cake!

Apple Spice Pound Cake
2 cups sugar
1 ½ cups vegetable oil
3 large eggs
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 ½ teaspoon Vanilla
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground cloves
3 cups apple; peeled, cored & finely diced (tart, green apples work best.)
1 cup walnuts, finely chopped

Mix sugar and oil, add eggs and beat well. Combine flour, soda and salt. Add flour mixture to beaten egg mixture. Stir in vanilla, apples, spices, and walnuts. Mix well. Spoon batter into a greased tube pan. Bake at 325 F for 1 hour and 20 minutes. Allow cake to cool to room temperature before removing from pan.

Fulton J. Sheen always knew best!

A priest who would say: "I am on vacation, so I don't read Mass" has already confused vocation with vacation.
Fulton J. Sheen

Ask a man: "Are you a saint?" If he answers in the affirmative, you can be very sure that he is not. Fulton J. Sheen

Many men sneer at virtue - because it makes vice uncomfortable. Fulton J. Sheen

Found on the Internet . . .

The following are excuses written by the parents of students in a Public School System to explain absences.

*Dear School: Please excuse John from being absent on January 28, 29, 30, 31, 32 and also 33.

*Please excuse Johnnie for being. It was his father's fault.

*My son is under the doctor's care and should not take fizical ed. Please execute him.

*Please excuse Joyce from P.E. for a few days. Yesterday she fell off a tree and misplaced her hip.

*Ralph was absent yesterday because he had a sore trout.

*Please excuse Sara for being absent. She was sick and I had her shot.

It's got my vote . . .!

There ought to be one day - just one - when there is open season on senators.

Will Rogers

Almost two quilts later . . .

As promised, the air conditioning people were done early today. They vacuumed up their debris and showed us how to operate the new unit. Let me tell you, things have changed a lot on this type of machine from 30 years ago! Go figure, huh?

Since they were in and out of all the rooms in the house, I only had my sewing corner to hang out in along with my sewing machine, fabric, quilt patterns . . . Well, as you can discern, it was a really terrible day for me . . .not! Nothing like having a legitimate excuse to do nothing but sew all afternoon. I finally finished the quilting on one quilt and have the final pinning done on a second one.

Dinner is cooking and I even had time to peel, slice, and prepare today's harvest of tomatoes for the freezer. Rice cookers are a blessing as the rice is taking care of itself and giving me a few minutes to catch up on the rest of the day.

The new air conditioning unit is set at 80 degrees which might sound too warm but given the fact that we have made due with 85-90 degrees in the house, we are very happy. Hey, it even has a finder feature if we misplace the remote control for the thermostat.

I was amazed to hear about the relatively big earthquaked experience by the East Coast area. I have friends and relatives on that side who have always told me, "Oh, how can you bear living in California with all those earthquakes!" There was also a quake in Colorado the day before. If it is God getting fed up with our world, one can hardly blame Him!

I was talking to a friend, today. We were bemoaning the fact that our 'babies' were already back at college and our houses way too quiet. I wondered how we could possibly be the mothers of such old children. She told me that children age faster than parents. It made sense to me.

Really explains all the flash mob riots of late . . .

Violence is the last refuge of the incompetent.

Isaac Asimov

The final act . . .

The weather worked with our air conditioning installers, yesterday. It didn't get up to 100 degrees which was great for them as they were doing most of thier work in the attic crawl space. They were quite productive and got more done than originally anticipated. If all goes well, today, our air conditioning/heating unit will be in place by two this afternoon and the workmen will be off on another job.

Amazing how these worker have the system down to a fine art. When they left, there wasn't a bit of mess. They set up the vent screens in each room and have them ready to put into place today. The major components of the system are installed and they just have duct work to complete. All the bits and pieces were hauled up to the attic before they left.

Meanwhile, my husband has discovered a computer site from our electric company where you can follow your power usage from minute to minute. We are hoping to discover where we are using the most enegery and if there is a way we can cut back on it.

And, the evening weather report told us we had picked the best time for making this improvement in our house . . . the temperatures are soaring into the 100's - plus for the next seven days. One of the air conditioning workers joked that they come in, install the units, get the customers homes cooled down, and then they leave before they can enjoy it and go on to their next, hot, sweaty job.

Our dog spent the day in the garage with all the company and treats she could ask for except all she wanted was a taste of these strange people in her house.

Oh, especially the quote about computers!

"Boxing is just show business with blood."
       -- Frank Bruno

 

"I can't understand why a person will take a year to write a novel when he can easily buy one for a few dollars."
       -- Fred Allen

 

"Imagine if every Thursday your shoes exploded if you tied them the usual way. This happens to us all the time with computers, and nobody thinks of complaining."
       -- Jef Raskin

Mushroom Soup

One of my favorites is Mushroom Soup. I do not, however, care for the canned variety as it is more white 'mush' than tasty mushroom. I discovered in my quest for good soup that it isn't all that difficult to make.

8-16 ounces firm white mushrooms, cleaned*
1 medium lemon
1 Tablespoon unsalted butter
2 Tablespoon minced shallots
¼ teaspoon dried thyme
Dash of chili flakes
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
2 Cups heavy cream
2 Cups chicken stock
1 teaspoon cornstarch, dissolved in 1 teaspoon of water
1 Tablespoon minced parsley

Sprinkle the mushrooms with lemon juice. In a food processor, coarsely chop them. Melt the butter in a heavy sauce pan and lightly sauté the shallots. Add the mushrooms, thyme, chili flakes, and bay leaf and sauté over moderate heat for 20 minutes, or until the liquid disappears. Add the salt, pepper, cream, add chicken stock and bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat and continue the simmer for 20 minutes.  You don't want to scorch or curdle the cream in the soup.

Add the cornstarch to the soup and continue to simmer 10 minutes longer, stirring constantly. Sprinkle with minced parsley.

*Some people like more mushrooms while others prefer the essence so you decide how many mushrooms you want in your soup.

Christian Charity!

I'm treating you as a friend asking you to share my present minuses in the hope that I can ask you to share my future pluses.

Katherine Mansfield

Waiting for the weather to get crispy!

When  I was a child, I always wondered why people wanted the air to get crisp! According to my grown up people, it meant it was getting cooler. From then on, everything time I heard 'crisp', I thought of cold . . . even when crunching down on crisp potato chips. It is funny what and how we take things from our childhood!

Anyway, even in California, we have hopes for crisp weather which means apple season. We have a favorite grove where we buy interesting types of apples and then spend the next few months scenting the house with all things apple. One of my fast recipes that goes well with just about anything is chunky applesauce. It goes with pork. It is tasty instead of syrup on waffles or pancakes. It is fun over a scoop of ice cream. I even like to have a small dish of it to finish off a sandwich lunch at home.

Homemade applesauce begins with six to eight apples, peeled, cored and chopped coarsely. Green apples work best but using a combination of different varieties makes a unique and equally delicious applesauce. If you are like most busy mothers, the contents of your cupboard don’t always reflect what you might want or need come meal preparation time. Combine the prepared apples in a saucepan with the juice and zest of one lemon, ½ cup water, 1/4 to ½ cup sugar, tablespoon of brandy (if you have it), one generous teaspoon of cinnamon, dash of powdered cloves and a bit of nutmeg. Simmer gently on low flame until apples soften. Stir ever so often to prevent scorching. Also makes a good snack by itself

Carrot tops right down to the roots . . .

I have always liked carrots and given the reasonable price, they appear as the vegetable at our dinner table about three times a week. Even now, my husband is dicing some up for beef barley soup. I did not, however, realize how far beyond carrot cake the lowly carrot can evolve.

1. Roasted and dried carrots can be ground into power and used as a coffee substitute. Not saying it will taste great but with the economy, these days, it might be something to keep in mind!

2. There is such a thing as carrot syrup! Carrots are on the sweet side so would have a sugar content. I'll have to start reading labels more closely to see if any products employ that ingredient.

3. The perfume industry uses carrot oil! It is also used for flavoring. I'm now wondering how you can get sugar and oil from the same simple vegetable.

4. Carrot seeds are supposed to enhance the flavor of soups and stews. I have never seen them offered in a spice catalog, however. I would advise using them from a packet of garden seeds as they often have coatings on them to keep away the varmints or grow better.

5. Bees will go from carrot flower to carrot flower. Such visits will end up in the bee's honey production. From what I've read, the flavor isn't that great but the carrot flower clusters can be used to great advantage in fine cooking. Again, this fact hasn't come across my radar but I'm thinking about investigating.

For now, I'm sticking to steamed carrots, carrots braised in garlic, carrots brightening up my soups and stews, or a nice chunk of carrot cake with a tasty half inch of lemon frosting.

No improvement in the situation . . .

As I posted, my high school graduate was unable to get into the community college for the Fall because the college had to cut back something like 2,500 seats available. Being a new student, he was, of course, last on the list for registering for classes. There were no classes available for him when it was his turn to sign up. Believe me, we even started looking at the classes he would take for love or money just to get his foot in the door for the Spring semester.

I had to call the college counseling center today and I asked if things would ease up in the Spring registration. The counselor said, "No." She said my son could just keep showing up for whatever class he was interested in and hope that most of the 40 people ahead of him on the wait list didn't show up that day.

It really makes you wonder how much of our taxes actually for for education, pure and simple and not for the excess of administration. I'm wondering what will happen to my son's eagerness to progress in his education if he gets left out a second time. I know that if he gets a job, he will probably enjoy the paycheck more than living the life of a 'starving' student. You certainly have to shake your head in disbelief at a country who can't provide adequate educational opportunities, makes flying the American flag a problem, sends students home when they wear patriotic tee shirts, and call people who stand up for Christian values, terrorists. You add the increasing 'nanny state' mind set and everyone should start worrying.

Anyway, my son is scheduled to take the college's assessment test next month and can even talk to a counselor . . . I'm not sure about what - - - the classes he would have liked to take to further the education he isn't getting right now? Now we know why we have never discovered alien life forms in outerspace . . . They don't want to be found and have to associate with us!

By the way, I just read that in 545 was one of the first sightings of the Loch Ness monster. Perhaps, my son and the other students left out in non-student land can get federal funding to investigate this in current times. Deep, heartfelt sigh here . . .

Just the beginning . . .

Right on schedule, the workmen are here to replace our air conditioning system. After 30-plus years, I'm thinking it is about time. Who knows, there might even be some improvements in such items over the last three decades, you think? Anyway, this is just the preliminary work. They said they had a truckload of more stuff to bring tomorrow. Sigh . . . See why I didn't bother to sweep, dust, or vacuum today? And our dog? She is not happy to be in the garage even with the light on, food, water, and regular visits. She just wants to take a little taste of these guys wandering around her property.

Two Days of Company . . .

Okay, it isn't exactly company so much as two days of repairmen running through the house. After 30 years, this tired old house is getting the air conditioning/heating unit replaced. We have thought about this for a long time but either the time or money wasn't available. The time has arrived and we figured out a way to eventually get the money part paid off, too. Besides the deal on the unit and installation, the electric company and the warehouse store are giving us over $3,000 in rebates which we will, of course, plow right back into the balance owing. We knew for sure it was time to update when every salesman who looked at our current unit started laughing . . . a lot!

Yes, we have a lot of hot weather in our neck of the woods. No, we haven't used our present air conditioning at all. Because of it's advanced age, it didn't cool down the house but it sent our electric bill sky rocketing. The reason we made the decision now is that we will eventually want to scale down and move and no one will look at a house without adequate cooling.

Anyway, today, the dog will be in further misery having to stay in the garage so as not to bite the workmen during the first part of the installation. Today, it is yank out the old units and duct work. Tomorrow, they will be back to put in the new ones. According to all that is right in the world, the new air conditioning unit will run more efficiently with less pull on the electric power which means, hopefully, we can have temperatures lower than 90 degrees in the house in the summer.

I don't know how much mess this is going to incur but I decided against dusting the house until they are done! Sigh . . . Since I don't have run of the house today, I suppose I will just have to sit in my sewing corner and keep busy. Good thing I'm of a sacrificial frame of mind, huh?

My smile of the morning!

Which painting in the National Gallery would I save if there was a fire? The one nearest the door of course.

George Bernard Shaw

Literally taking each moment as it comes . . .

“God does not ask of us the perfection of tomorrow, nor even of tonight, but only of the present moment.”  ~St. Madeline Sophie Barat

A Prayer for Rain

A Prayer for Rain
  Almighty God, we are in need of rain. We realize now, looking up into the clear, blue sky, what a marvel even the least drop of rain really is. To think that so much water can fall out of the sky, which now is empty and clear! We place our trust in You. We are sure that You know our needs. But You want us to ask You anyway, to show You that we know we are dependent on You. Look on our dry hills and fields, dear God, and bless them with the living blessing of soft rain. Then the land will rejoice, and the rivers will sing Your praises, and the hearts of men will be made glad. Amen. "The Rural Life Prayer Book" copy write 1956.

 

Rain has been in short supply in our state over the last few years. I was surprised to discover that many European countries are lacking in this necessary resourse, too. This is a prayer my family discovered a long time ago and we pray it every evening with out night prayers. Of course, God knows what we need but I imagine He likes being asked, too!

Surprise Pies!

Surprise Pies

1 stick unsalted butter
1 cup all-purpose flour
½ cup cottage cheese
dash of salt
Jam of choice
Powdered sugar
Combine and set aside:1 egg
1 tablespoon ice water

Place the butter, flour, cottage cheese and salt in a food processor fitted with steel blade. Process until it forms a ball. Let rest a half hour, covered in the refrigerator. You can also work the ingredients together with your hands or a pastry cutter until you have a workable ball of dough.

Roll the dough out as thin as you can with a rolling pin. Cut into two-inch circles. Place a small amount of jam to one side of the dough and fold circle of dough in half, forming a half moon. Crimp the edges with the tines of a fork. Brush with egg and water mixture. Place on a lightly greased baking sheet. Bake in 375 degree oven for about 10 to 15 minutes or until golden brown. Remove to rack and dust with powdered sugar while still warm. Makes approximately 36 pies depending on actual size of cookie cutter used.

These little pies are not overly sweet but I’ve yet to hear a complaint. For a fancier presentation, you can dust them with powdered sugar before serving. The fun is using two or three types of thick jam. No one knows what flavor they will get but I doubt that will stop them from having another . . . and another . . .

I am a person who uses recipes as points of reference rather than directions! I was an art major in college and have re-channeled my creativity into homemaking. My husband and I always felt it was very important to connect with our children. The rule of the house is that everyone shows up for dinner. It not only provides togetherness but give me a ‘captive’ audience for my latest culinary endeavors. My earliest memories were of cutting out (rather messily, too!) cookies with my mother. I fixed my first Thanksgiving dinner at age twelve and have been experimenting in the kitchen ever since. We are a one-income family and I find gifts from the kitchen keep the budget in line yet shares the warmth of our home, hearts and hearth.

Old quotes that still make sense in newer times . . .

"Television is a medium. So called because it is neither rare nor well done."
       -- Ernie Kovacs

 

"If you put tomfoolery into a computer, nothing comes out of it but tomfoolery. But this tomfoolery, having passed through a very expensive machine, is somehow ennobled and no-one dares criticize it."
       -- Pierre Gallois

 

"When it is not necessary to make a decision, it is necessary not to make a decision."
       -- Lord Falkland

Eat your apple a day and then eat some more . . .!

This was an informative and amazing site regarding fruits and vegetables in our diet. We have been incorporating more and more of this type of food in our meals. I liked the way they organized things on this site just for the purposes we know they are good for us! Seeing it set out, makes one even more interested in helping ourselves with good eating.

http://www.disabled-world.com/artman/publish/fruits-vegetables.shtml

This is very interesting and informative . . .

Click on the following and see the %'s of different religions in your State and elsewhere... http://www.usatoday.com/news/graphics/pew-religion-08/flash.htm

Where did she go?

Chick is not a happy dog, this morning. She unhappily watched suitcases being packed this week and knows that someone is leaving. Her best friend, my older daughter, spent time playing with her this morning but Chick knew it was bittersweet when she saw her walk out the door with the dreaded baggage.

Yes, the rest of us play with Chick, feed her, and give her special doggy treats but my daughter was letting her sneak into the house and sit on her lap and rubbed her ears.

Chick was whining this morning as she watched the final preparations for departure. She still remembers my son and I doing the same thing when we went on our trip. Dogs know more about goodbyes but are shakey on the concept of returns. That is probably why so go so crazy when a loved one comes back in the door because, in their doggy sense, they aren't totally expecting that.

Summer is winding down . . .

For me, summer is officially over when my daughters head back to college. Both of them graduate before the end of the year which is making me feel rather old. Am I really ancient enough to have college graduates in the family? They would both like to continue their education but we are not encouraging it. Yes, the government will give them all the student loans they want. The government, however, isn't providing and economic atmosphere that will guarantee them employment once they do graduate . . . and, regardless, the government is harsh about getting their loans repaid.

I now have three college or almost-college graduates in the family. My oldeest son had to go overseas in order to get adequate financial scholarships and a job while he works on his Masters. My youngest son, as I'm blogged before, couldn't even get into community college this year. Nothing more disheartening for an 18 year old than having to put his education on hold because there isn't room for him. A lot of changed over the last three years or so. When my first three started college, it was exciting and they looked forward to the possibilities. Now, they are wondering if they will get a job and if they will be able to make enough to pay off their loans. Naturally, we leave our home open to them but they are of an age where they'd like to get out on their own.

I'm not the only one with such worries. Too many other students are plowing their way through school and realize that they will be blessed to find any job and it will most likely not even be near the subject matter they studied and trained for in college.

Meanwhile, I read this morning that they want more regulations on the restaurant and food industry to cut the fat and calories from their foods otherwise there will be penalties. Just what we need, a government nanny watching every bite we put into our mouths . . . of our own free will! Well, they force restaurants and food services to close down in the face of over-the-top legislation, we won't be able to afford that much food, anyway.

There is seriously something out of balance in the priorities of the world today. As one radio talk show host said, we can't wait for the prepared and ready candidates to run for offices in our government, we need the good guys now. There isn't time for political education, we need heart, soul. and real patriotism . . . and strength of character.

A dog's day . . .

Even with the temperatures soaring, our dog, Chick, has discovered from where the relied can come. I had set up the fan to cool down my sewing endeavors across the room. Chick figured out that she could cool down herself with the same fan. I think she indicated something about having to wear a fur coat even out of season so she had first rights to the fan. Even the offer of a treat couldn't get her to leave the comfort of the fan.

Words we need to remember these days . . .

"Lord, make me an instrument of your peace.
Where there is hatred, let me sow love;
where there is injury, pardon;
where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light;
and where there is sadness, joy.
　
　
O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek
to be consoled as to console;
to be understood as to understand;
to be loved as to love.
For it is in giving that we receive;
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned;
and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life. Amen"

~St. Francis of Assisi

No 'doubt' about this quote!

Doubt is not a pleasant condition, but certainty is absurd.

Voltaire

Chocolate Snickerdoodles - cookies, what else?

A change of pace for a favorite cookie. Who would know that chocolate combined with a regular cinnamon Snickerdoodle cookie recipe would be so good. I often make both kinds so people have a choice. They also look pretty, side by side, on the serving plate. Personally, I can never decide which version I like best. Anyone not have a recipe for the vanilla type of Snickerdoodle, just let me know.

Chocolate Snickerdoodles

3 cups sugar
1 cup softened butter
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
4 eggs
4 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup unsweetened cocoa
2 teaspoon cream of tartar
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons sugar
4 teaspoons cinnamon
Dash of ground cloves

Heat oven to 375 degrees.

Combine the sugar and butter in a large mixing bowl and beat until light and fluffy. Add vanilla and eggs, blending well. Add flour, cocoa, cream of tartar, baking soda, and salt. Mix well.

Combine the 4 tablespoon sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl. Measure out 1/4 cups of dough and form into balls. Roll balls in cinnamon/sugar mixture and place 2 inches apart on ungreased baking sheets.

Bake for 12-15 minutes or until set. Remove immediately from baking sheets onto a cooling rack.
Makes approximately 3 ½ dozen big cookies. Can be made smaller but be sure to adjust baking time.

Wake up thoughts for a Saturday morning . . .

In matters of style, swim with the current; in matters of principle, stand like a rock." -- Thomas Jefferson

 "If you don't know where you are going, you will probably end up somewhere else." -- Laurence J. Peter

 "The right to be heard does not automatically include the right to be taken seriously." -- Hubert H. Humphrey

The Good News . . . and the rest of the story . . .

For the first time in ages, my husband has a four-day weekend. A year or so ago, his office went on a 4/10 week which has made life sort of a misery for hm and for us as he isn't home for dinner three nights a week and has late hours for the other day. We don't complain as a job is a precious commodity these days. I heard that we have a 12 percent unemployment rate in our state. Anyway, the four-day weekend doesn't come totally unencumbered - we have house repairs on Monday and Tuesday which will take most of both days.

This is also one of those good news/bad news scenarios as the improvements will make our house more marketable in the event we ever want to sell and move but it will strain the budget for the next few months. It will be interesting . . . At first, it didn't sound too awful as the workmen only need access to the vents in each room. Uh, our vents are over or under items that will need moving! Since the duct work in these vents hasn't been moved in over 30 years (the age of the house), I can only imagine what else will come through with them. My daughter, a ceramics major in college has also blessed some of the furniture that needs moving with examples of her work . . . lots of examples of her work which will need moving, too.

 I'm hoping that my corner of the kitchen will be left alone so I can get some quilting/sewing done. I actually have a few orders for tote bags to complete and I sure can't do much else with workmen and dust invading the house for two days. I actually got towards the completion stage on two pending quilt project but, and you guessed it, I got an idea for another one and just had to put the idea to fabric immediately so as not to forget the inspiration. Hey, that's my story and I'm sticking to it. I was happy, however, to get some tote bag order so I had to take a break and work on something else.

 It has been over 100 degrees the last few days but the weatherman has promised a cooling trend. Meanwhile, things sure are heating up on the campaign trail as politician work so hard to lie their way into our hearts, grab out vote, and then recklessly spend our tax money. It will be interesting to see what the end result of the 2012 elections will be. Here is hoping and praying that the 65% Catholic vote, actually votes with Catholic principles in mind and doesn't advocate another adamand abortion-minded politician into office. I'm tired of liberal Catholics telling me that 'I have to look at the big picture'. Hard to do that past the vision of innocent, dead babies.

A Mother's Amusing Moment . . .

Sometimes, life with our children gains more in the humor department several years down the road. This is probably because we have conquered the moment and managed to move on . . . in spite of our children. A good friend shared this one with me and it has become one of my favorites.

A mother with now grown up sons recalls trying to help her eldest boy with his homework. At twelve, he wasn’t about to listen to the answer. In the middle of her intellectual confrontation with her son, an encyclopedia salesman came to the door. Much to her dismay, in retrospect, she exclaimed to the poor salesman, “Why do I need to buy a set of encyclopedia when I have a twelve year old in here that already knows everything!”

A Quote to Remember . . .

Make it a rule of life never to regret and never to look back. Regret is an appalling waste of energy; you can't build on it; it's only good for wallowing in. Katherine Mansfield

Our watch dog in action . . .

 
Summer is our dog's favorite season . . . the lizards are out and, according to Chick, need to be destroyed! Fortunately for all involved, lizards are usually much quicker than Chick and there aren't too many casualities. Chick will beg and beg for one of us to come out and play. Withing two minutes, she walks off and hunts for lizards. We don't know if we are boring or if the call of the wild is too much for her to resist.

Chick is peeved as she can't get into the garden enclosure and the lizards have learned that they can live more peacefully there while Chick can only stand outside the gate and glare at them. I'm sure they are shaking on their little feet.