Profound!

We who lived in concentration camps can remember the men who walked through the huts comforting others, giving away their last piece of bread. They may have been few in number, but they offer sufficient proof that everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of human freedoms - to choose one's attitude in any given set of circumstances - to choose one's own way.

- Victor Frankl

Thoughts in Anticipation of Thanksgiving Day . . .

If a fellow isn't thankful for what he's got, he isn't likely to be thankful for what he's going to get. -Frank A. Clark

None is more impoverished than the one who has no gratitude. Gratitude is a currency that we can mint for ourselves, and spend without fear of bankruptcy. -Fred De Witt Van Amburgh

Who does not thank for little will not thank for much. -Estonian Proverb

If the only prayer you said in your whole life was, 'thank you,' that would suffice. -Meister Eckhart

Do not get tired of doing what is good. Don't get discouraged and give up, for we will reap a harvest of blessing at the appropriate time. -Galatians 6:9

Rice Pudding with Cinnamon Apples

A great favorite around here is Rice Pudding with Cinnamon Apples. There is something comforting about the creamy sweet rice and the tender bite of the apple chunks. The original recipe called for raisins but we prefer dried cranberries or neither one at all. Making it in the crock pot takes all the worry out of what to have for dessert!

Rice Pudding with Cinnamon Apples
2 1/2 cups cooked rice (I prefer a long-grain type, like Uncle Ben's rice)
1 1/2 cups whole milk
2/3 cup granulated sugar
3 eggs, beaten
3 tablespoons butter, mleted
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Dash of ground cloves
1/2 cup raisins or dried cranberries

Mix all the ingredients together and pour into a vegetable oil sprayed crock pot. Cover and cook on either low for 4-6 hours or 1-2 hours on high. Stir once or twice during the cooking time.

While your rice pudding is cooking:

2 apples
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 cup granulated sugar

Peel and dice the applies and mix with the other ingredients. Place in a small cooking pot and heat through until the apples release some moisture and start to get tender. You might need to add a bit of water. When the apples start to mush up a bit and resemble chunky applesauce, turn off the heat and set aside.

When the crock pot is finished with your rice pudding, turn it on warm and stir in the apple mixture, and serve. Leftovers need to be refrigerated and taste almost as good as the hot/warm rice pudding.

Warmth for the stomach and spice in the air!

In my humble opinion, the best use of anything is making it do two services for you. Put a crock pot of this punch going and you will soon have a delightful, hot drink, and make your house smell like Christmas. It only takes a couple of hours and makes a nice welcome for guests who arrive too early. Hand them a cup of punch and they will be happy.

Holiday Spice Punch

3-4 cinnamon sticks
5 whole cloves
1/4th of a vanilla bean
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 gallon apple juice
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 cups fresh orange juice
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
Thin slices of both the lemon and oranges

Place the solid spices in a teas strainer and place in the crock pot. Add the ground spices, apple juice, and sugar, stirring to dissolve. Simmer on low for about an hour. Remove the tea strainer of spices. Add the orange and lemon juice and heat for another hour. Scatter the slices of lemon and orange over the top, put your crock pot on warm, and serve!

Ideas . . .
You can put out small snacks to go along with the punch like pretzels, crackers, olives, small cookies, etc.

Slow Cooker Hash . . .

Besides thinking about baking for the holidays, I always look out for recipes I can put together and then forget. The dinner cooks along on it's own and leaves me to more creative endeavors . . . like gingerbread houses and sugar plums! This is a very basic but filling recipe. You can always supplement it with a green salad . . . and fresh cookies for dessert.

Slow Cooker Hash
4-6 Russet potatoes, thinly sliced
1 large onion (I like red ones) thinly sliced
1 teaspoon of salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
Dash of chili flakes
1 cup frozen corn
1 cup frozen peas
1/4 cup red wine (You can substitute water)
1 teaspoon or bullion cube beef concentrate
1 pound ground beef, browned
1/2 pound ground pork, browned
1 can of cream of mushroom soup, undiluted

Alternately layer the potatoes and vegetables in the crock pot. Season with some of the seasonings as you go along. When the vegetables are all in place, pour in the wine or water, bullion, and top with the ground beef/pork, pour the soup over it all and cook on slow or high depending on when you need it.

Should server 4-6.

Says it all!

"Food is an important part of a balanced diet."
-- Fran Lebowitz

Another of God's Gifts to Us . . .

Imagination is our ability to see inwardly and picture there that which has not yet appeared outwardly. Imagination is God's gift to us.

- Donald Curtis

Official notice!

Head's up, people! November has arrived so can Christmas be far behind? November is kind of my kick off month where I take stock of the Christmas gifts I already have prepared, makes lists to make sure everyone is accounted for, and start deciding on what Christmas cookies and treats I will be making for the holiday. I get a little antsy because I don't start the actual baking until the Thanksgiving weekend and have the plans for that meal to still get into order. Where did the time go?

Actually, it is kind of funny. Last December, I packed away two, large tins of cookies as gifts for friends and put them in the freezer. One friend decided to drop our friendship without notice and the other one made it out here to pick up her tin of cookies. I forgot about the tins except when they got in the way when I'd get something out of the freezer. A couple of months ago, I pulled out the tins and prepared to dispose of what I figured were freezer-burned cookies. My teen son opened up one tin and and I guess I had sealed them well because we immediately got the Christmas cookie aroma and they were all nestled in the tin as fresh as the day I packed them. My son and husband had a good time enjoying holiday treats over the summer and I didn't have to bake!

I've been gradually accumulating ingredients so as not to infringe on the budget all at once. For some reason, there were more substantial sales now than I usually see during the holiday rush. My freezer is nicely filled with various chocolate chips, nuts, and butter. I found brown and white sugar on sale and got molasses on sale. I feel very rich! I know my friends and neighbors happily await my annual cookie-baking binge!

After I get the menu done for Thanksgiving, I pull the cookie recipes. Time permitting, I will try and post the ones I bake.

I won't give you a count down to Christmas! You know your days are now 'numbered'!

Quotes to start off the new month . . .

"With most men, unbelief in one thing springs from blind belief in another."
-- Georg Christoph Lichtenberg

"Laughter is the closest distance between two people."
-- Victor Borge

"People who like this sort of thing will find this the sort of thing they like."
-- Abraham Lincoln

"A censor is a man who knows more than he thinks you ought to."
-- Granville Hicks

Happy All Saints' Day!

Two of the nicest feast days of the year are All Saints and All Souls. I like the way they follow each other and concentrate on the souls that have attained the glory of Heaven and the ones who are still awaiting that great day for themselves. Hey, I'm aiming for Heaven but will be very happy to reach Purgatory and finish off the purification process! You have to aim high lest you fall short and that would be a long, long fall from grace.

All Saints' Day is where we honor all the saints in Heaven. And, yes, everyone who reaches Heaven is a saint of some level. I think the most interesting part of getting to Heaven will be seeing who is there that you know and who is missing. I imagine there will be lots of surprises on the final Judgment Day!

Our Souls' Day is a good time to remember that the poor souls in Purgatory cannot do anything for themselves but rely on the prayers and sacrifices of we still on earth. We may well be in the same situation some day. I always try and remember to pray for the poorest poor soul in Purgatory, the one that has no one left on earth to pray for them.

We are had relatively quiet Halloween evening, last night. It was  kind of funny . . . The budget really didn't allow for buying a bunch of Halloween candy. One, we never get a crowd and, two, we don't want the leftover temptations in the house the next day! We did, however, have a multitude of granola bars and Fiber One bars in the house. When you get a deal at the warehouse stores, you might pay an extremely reasonable price but you get a ton of stuff for the money. We had a huge, plastic container of such bars and were getting very tired of them. We decided to give them out yesterday. Oh, my goodness! The trick or treaters went crazy over them. Almost everyone who came to the door, screeched, "Oh, man, I LOVE those things! Can I have an extra one!" Who was to know? We like them but, as I said, after 20 or 30 of them, they tend to get a tad boring. We were pleased to have saved money and temptation on bringing candy into the house and most happy the granola and fiber bars got good and happy homes. Who would have thought it?