I finished the class!

Last night was the last class of course I, so we were given our certificates.

This actually was a lot of fun, and I learned an amazing amount of useful things in just 4 weeks.

I hadn't originally planned to do the next two classes, but since they are still doing a half off the tuition deal, I am going to do the next one where we learn to work with royal icing and do all kinds of flowers....including daisys.

This is the cake we did last night.

The top has a whole cluster of roses, then there are little sweet peas and a shell border around the bottom.

While I was working on it in class, the teacher showed me that the tip for doing flower petals has changed over the 20-some years since I got my set.


While the new tip is actually easier to learn how to do a rose with, the tip I have makes more realistic looking flowers, it just takes a bit more work.

I think I'm glad to have that old tip, but I may actually buy one of the new ones too.

A few thoughts about smart shopping

I used to think those ladies that said they could cut one quarter of their grocery bill off by smart shopping were nuts. But that was back in the day when we had two good paying jobs (and worked the hours to go with them), so a trip to the grocery store did not constitute the most important chore in our weekend.

Now days we must pay a lot closer attention to where every penny goes, and it has become a sort of "can I beat them" game.

Since I'm armed with a list of what's in my freezer and my pantry (you did do that this week didn't you?), shopping is a sort of five part exercise in beating the system.

Part 1: The List
If you are trying to save your pennies, never, NEVER go to the store without a list (never go when you are hungry either.....its deadly to your health and your finances!)

The List begins with a sort of running note during the week of those things that we are out of or we're close to out of.....milk, bread, etc., are the basis of this part of The List.

Additions to The List really grow when the weekly ads arrive (see Part 2)

Part 2: Weekly Grocery Ads
You may have thought of this part of the newspaper or the bulk mail as just something else to recycle. If so, you need to revise your thinking.

I start out with a sheet of notebook paper and the ads for the three stores that are in our area (close enough that we can do all of them in one day without having to take a cooler with us).

I go through each ad and write down the items that I might be interested in and what the price is at each store. You'll discover that more than one store may have the same item on a sale. This is where it gets tricky and it becomes more important to write this all down before you go.

Just because two stores have romaine lettuce on a BOGO (buy one get one) free special, it does not mean it makes no difference which store you get them at. This week at two stores in our area they had just such a special running. At one store I would have paid $3.69 for two packages under the BOGO, at the other store it was only $3.29 ... its all good! Read all that fine print and choose the store that saves you that extra $0.40 on top of getting that free package!

After I know what all the specials are I go through the whole list and highlight which price is the best on items that are available in more than one store.

All of this data gets transfered to a new sheet of paper with sections for each store. I write down what the items are at each of the stores and what the prices advertised are (it pays to make sure you actually get the price that was advertised).

Part 3: Coupons
Now when you get that Sunday paper, there are usually some little packets of coupons in there. Once again, these are not just to go in the recycle bin! Read those sections with a pair of scissors in hand. Clip out the ones that are for stuff you actually use (don't bother with the rest of them, there's no point saving coupons for baby food if your youngest child is 24--unless they have a baby of their own!)

After you have created your master list in Part 2, go through the coupons you have and see what coupons you have that can be used for anything that's on your list. My favorite thing is to find something that's on a great sale that I also have a great coupon for....its like found money!! And a lot of stores in our are will double your coupon up to $1.00, so it can be like getting free food.

Make a note on your list if you have a coupon to use for something. If there is a particular store that you know has a better deal on something that was on your list in Part 1, make a note of that too.

Remember, The List is your roadmap to saving $$$!

Part 4: The shopping
Do this part right after breakfast in the middle of the week if you possibly can. You don't want to shop when you're hungry (your brain doesn't function well, and everything looks good so you'll overspend every time). In the middle of the week you will get the best selection on the items that are on sale and might be limited in quantity.

Take your own cloth bags with you! The grocery stores in our area give us $0.05 per bag that we bring in because they aren't using the ones they have to pay for. Besides, why do you need all those plastic bags.....adding to the landfil is not what I have in mind when I do my shopping. I even take my cloth bags with me when I go to Walmart....they may grumble, but they will use them (they won't give you any kind of $$ off tho').

Stick to your list! Buy what you know you need. Don't buy 6 cans or packages of something you've never tried just because its on sale, that doesn't save you anything if no one in the house will eat it. And watch for expiration dates on EVERYTHING that you buy.

When you're picking up the things on your list, compare the prices of different sizes, watch for the coupons that are right there in the store in those little dispenser things on the shelves and the ones that are right on the packages (I bought a bigger jar of pickles for less than the smallest jar by picking up the size that was on sale and using the coupon that was with the display).

Usually our only departure from our list is a trip through the markdowns. My mother (who has been doing this for years!) calls this "used meat" when it is at the butcher counter. Since we usually will not buy pre-ground hamburger (who knows what's in there!), we look for quality pieces of beef that are marked down. A chuck roast that is well aged makes some of the best hamburger you'll ever eat, so if you have the ability to grind your own, consider this option.

Part 5: The Reward
The reward is more money in your pocket and eating well. As we have shopped over the last two weeks, I have gotten $211 of groceries for $136.14 -- we saved 35.5%!! over the three stores. In one store I saved 46.4%. We have also earned two $0.10 per gallon off on a gas fill up, which will save us another $5 or so.

My favorite "save" for this week was this one: we needed coffee, and one store had a particular brand of bulk whole bean coffee on sale for $8.99 a pound. I also had a coupon for a FREE 12 ounce package of the same brand of coffee if you bought either a pound of bulk or 2 12 ounce packages. I bought a pound and a quarter of bulk beans and got the 12 ounce package for free.....total savings of $8.20!

Yes this all takes some time, but its worth the effort, and it makes me feel like I'm winning somewhere!

its a flower cake.....

and I'm pleased with the results of last night's class work....the cake looks pretty nice....white frosting, pale pink flowers with yellow centers....

I used a little almond in the frosting, so it really tastes nice too......

Only one more class to go. Next week we do roses, so we're supposed to practice that this week.....

No more bad leftovers.....

I can just hear the chorus out there saying "leftovers, EWWWWWWHHH!"

Trust me here, there is a major difference between what I'm talking about and those 3 week old containers of stuff from the restaurant meal that are turning into a science project at the back of your fridge (yes, I know they're there, I'm a mom after all!)

What I'm talking about here is leftovers that are PLANNED!

When the weather gets hot I just hate to heat up the kitchen every single day to cook something, so we shift into "batch mode". One of our favorites is to cook extra chicken. Depending on what the other meal plans for the week are, it may be worth while to cook a whole extra chicken just to make up chicken salads later in the week.

Here then are two recipes to use left over chicken in:

Chinese Chicken Salad

1 small head of cabbage, finely shredded
1/4 red onion thinly sliced (or use 1 bunch of green onions)
1 large chicken breast, cooked, deboned and shredded (I use a fork to do the shredding)
1 package Ramen noodles, broken into pieces (throw the seasoning packet away)

Toss these items together until well mixed

Dressing
1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp chicken bullion base
1 cup sesame oil
1/2 tsp fresh ground black pepper
1/4 cup sesame seeds

In a small skillet toast the sesame seeds until they are golden brown.

Blend together all of the other ingredients, then add sesame seeds

Pour dressing over salad and top with 1/4 cup sliced (or slivered) almonds


Any left over salad makes a great lunch the next day!




Chicken Waldorf Salad

1 large chicken breast, cooked, deboned and cut into small cubes
2 inner ribs of celery, chopped into small dice
1 medium red apple (braeburn or gala taste best), seeded and diced
1/2 cup pecan pieces
1/4 to 1/3 cup mayonnaise

Mix chicken, celery, apple and pecans.

Begin with 1/4 cup of the mayonnaise. If the mixture seems dry, add the rest of the mayonnaise.

This is really attractive if arranged on a lettuce leaf with tomato wedges, pecan halves and black olives as garnish.


See, if you plan for those leftovers, there are no bad ones!

Taking inventory

As most anyone with a freezer other than the one in their refridgerator knows, its easy to loose track of what's in there.

Over the years we've gotten better at using up everything, but about every 6 months or so we need to take inventory.

Yesterday, since our dog is off at "sleep over camp" with our daughter, we decided to take that inventory.

I make up a list that we keep posted on the door, and it helps us with planning meals and making sure that nothing ends up as a science project gone bad.

Since we had been so good doing that, this morning I did an inventory in our other food storage area--the basement.

This is where I keep everything from paper goods to home canned tomatoes, and what's in this area helps us with meal planning and saving on groceries too.

A lot of people envision 50 pound bags of wheat when you say the words "Food Storage", but for us, its more about having on hand those things that you actually will eat.

On the whole, if we had to, we could probably go 2 or 3 weeks without buying anything other than fresh fruits and veggies, which isn't ideal (longer would be better), but it does mean if I needed to I could produce a decent meal on very short notice.

So my challenge to all of you today is: do you know what you actually have in your freezer? How about your pantry?

Its time to find out!

Cakes and living "green"

As I've been doing the practicing for the baking of "The" cake, I'd been thinking about how much I hated using those spray cans of no-stick stuff, but I'd not been happy with the mess of rubbing on the shortening and then spreading flour everywhere except exactly where I wanted it on the cake pan.

The solution is at hand!

In my cake decorating class I was given a recipe for pan release that I have used and I highly recommend. Not only is it earth friendly, not being in another container that's going to be in the landfill forever, but it is amazingly easy to make and inexpensive too!

I mixed up my batch and put it in a cottage cheese container (the tall one) that I had saved, wrote "Cake Release" in big red letters on the lid with a Sharpie marker and I'm set for quite a while. The container now sits in the cabinet where all those spray cans would live temporarily, but this container is probably going to last a LONG time!

You should try this stuff!


Cake Release

1 cup shortening (I used some butter flavor Crisco that I had on hand)
3/4 cup oil (canola is great, anything will work, just not olive oil unless you like that flavor with your cakes)
1 cup flour

Mix all of these together with a mixer until well blended

I use a small piece of an old tea towel to apply this stuff to the bottom and sides of the pan, then put a piece of parchment paper in the bottom of the pan and apply more cake release on top of the paper. The parchment is really only necessary if you want to be totally secure that there will be no problems getting the cake out of the pan.....

Sunday's cake

Thanks to my sister who had her new digital camera with her, I have these pictures of the cake I did over the weekend to show off.

This was a strawberry cake with a plain white vanilla frosting, then I put the cut fresh strawberries on top.



I can tell you that the bunch of us made pretty short work of eating it too!

Cake Decorating, class 2

This is the cake I did in class last night.

I had a lot of trouble with the purple frosting because it was too stiff to do stars with, especially toward the end of the class.

The green ones on the bottom edge of the cake and the "hill" on top are all very neat and almost all the same size, so I feel pretty good about having mastered that technique.


During class I am also picking the teacher's brain about roses and daisies for wedding cakes. I'll be doing some practicing on rose centers this week as we move to the next step on that in next week's class.

Since we're going to be gone over the weekend, I will be experimenting with baking a cake and freezing it for next week's class. Actually this is a good thing for me to try out since we'll probably need to do that for wedding cake pieces.

Let them eat cake!!

Stinky's Chocolate Chip Cookies

By popular demand (ok, my daughter asked for this recipe so she can make some today), today's recipe is for Chocolate Chip Cookies.

The wonderful woman that took care of my daughter when she was little has a son that my daughter nicknamed Stinky. The two of them would make these cookies together (it was a great math lesson for a pre-school kid!)

And so, without further explanation, the recipe:


Stinky’s Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 ½ cups shortening (butter flavored Crisco is good)
1 ½ cups sugar
¾ cup brown sugar
3 eggs (or equivalent egg substitute)
1 tsp vanilla (we like the taste of Mexican vanilla with chocolate)
2 ¼ cups flour
1 ½ tsp soda
1 ½ tsp salt
3 cups oatmeal (old fashion rolled oats)
4 cups chocolate chips

Cream shortening and sugars until smooth

Add eggs and vanilla, mix well

Combine flour soda and salt and add gradually to mixture

Stir in oatmeal

Fold in chips

Drop on greased cookie sheets

Bake at 375 degrees for 12 to 15 minutes, or to desired doneness

This makes about 6 dozen medium sized cookies


Great served warm with a big glass of cold milk!

cake again, and something else too.....

It's been brought to my attention that we seem to be in a cake rut (ok, its a lovely rut, but still....)


So, here's the latest cake (look, it actually came out of the pans and could be stacked and frosted!!) This one is orange cake with chocolate frosting. Yummy!

I went to the local store that sells Wilton supplies and found a book that I could copy information into a notebook from. Discovered that I already have the right size tips for the daisy flowers, just needed to purchase a larger flower nail (and for $0.99, how could I go wrong?) So, the next cake experiments need to be in playing with some royal icing to make daisies....

On the "something else" front, I'm giving you today a recipe for Snickerdoodles. These are great cookies with coffee, cocoa, milk, or just about anything! This recipe is my friend Lori's version, and I've never tasted any that I like as well.

When Lori makes them, she usually doubles or triples the recipe, so I've given you here the basic recipe with the numbers for (doubling) and {tripling}

Snickerdoodles

1 (2) {3} cup shortening
2 (4) {6} eggs
2 3/4 (5 1/2) {8 1/4} cups flour
2 (4) {6} teaspoons cream of tartar
1 1/2 (3) {4 1/2} cups sugar
1 (2) {3} teaspoons vanilla
1 (2) {3} teaspoons soda
1/2 (1) {1 1/2} teaspoon salt
cinnamon and sugar mixture for rolling dough in

Cream the shortening and sugar until smooth

Add the eggs and vanilla and mix until completely combined

Sift together the flour, cream of tartar, soda and salt and add mixture a little at a time, blending well each time

Shape into 1 inch balls and roll in sugar/cinnamon mixture

Place on greased cookie sheet and flatten with the bottom of a glass

Bake at 400 degrees for 10 minutes

These freeze really well too!

disaster.......

I decided this week to try baking a cake from scratch.

Well, SCRATCH that idea!!



The mixing went well, it seemed to be the right amount of batter for the two pans...but this is what it looked like when it came out of the oven.

My best guess is that it rose up over the edge of the pan then didn't have enough substance to support itself so it collapsed.

I'm wondering if this is more of the "baking at high altitude" issue.



Then, to make matters even more interesting, it stuck to the pan (even though I had prepared them exactly the same way I have been) and had to be scrapped out with a spatula



I stacked it up so it "resembles" a cake, but I didn't even bother with frosting, knowing that with all those cut edges I might just as well crumble the whole thing into the bowl with the frosting and stir for the way it would look.

It doesn't taste bad (its chocolate with coffee in it), but the texture is WAY off.

Anybody got a recipe to use pieces of unfrosted cake in anything?

{sigh} definately back to the drawing board.....

Its a cake, version 3.....

notice the improvingly smooth sides....and the nice "swirlly" design on the top....

we're not ready for prime time yet, but its definately improving.

This week I'm going to try to find someone that knows about the Wilton tips and find out if there actually is a "daisy" tip, or some information somewhere on how to do that....probably means royal icing is in our future.....

oh, and BTW, this week's cake is spice with cream cheese frosting.....

its a cake, version 2.....

Ta Da!

Now doesn't this look much better? (aside from the fact that its chocolate, that is!)

This was amazingly easier....

I used the newly purchased 9 inch round pans (although a standard cake mix doesn't quite fill these as much as I'd like), and I didn't have to trim off the sides to put it together, which definately made the icing easier.

The new spatula for spreading also helped a lot.



And then there is this nifty item!

My mother gave me this. It was intended actually as a pancake turner, but it worked really well to move the cake layers from the cooling racks to the cake plate (or the top of the first layer). Its sturdy enough and stiff enough to make that journey without letting the cake break.

I'd say that lesson 2 went quite well!

...oh, its a CAKE!

Those of you that read my studio blog yesterday saw this picture with a "what is it" tag line.

Just as a reminder to anyone that's not keeping up, my daughter is getting married this summer, and we are playing with different ideas for the cake.

The purchase of all of that cake mix was strickly one of economics....when the store puts them on sale for $0.69 each, we stock up.

So the answer to "what is it?" is....wedding cake!



....and yes, this is a cake too.

What you need to know is that I've probably made all of half a dozen (including this one) cakes that I actually took out of the pan and frosted, etc., etc., preferring instead the ease of baking in a 9x13 pan and just frosting over the top

Wedding cake can't be done that way....so, some practice is required here just to test all of our theories, ie:

Theory 1: Can we use liquid egg whites that come in the little boxes at the supermarket instead of wasting all those yolks from whole eggs.

Answer: yup, that's what I used in the test cake and it rose just fine

Theory 2: Can we bake cakes from a standard box at this altitude (over 6000 feet) and have them come out right (remembering with horror our escapades with the angel cake before Christmas)?

Answer: yup, they rose okay, came out of the pan fine, just needed a wee bit more time to be done than the box said (which is probably a function of oven rather than altitude)

Theory 3: Can I actually do the base frosting?

Answer: uh, well, maybe.....here's the problems encountered with this little experiment....

first off, I don't have a pair of round cake pans that are actually the same size (I told you, this hasn't been done much!) But I did have 2 square ones, so I decided to go with those.

The problem here is that square pans don't have straight sides and so to frost the cake I had to trim off the edges (think of this as cutting the crusts off the bread on a peanut butter sandwich ... BEFORE you try to spread the peanut butter!) Bad idea!

The second issue was that I used a commercial (from a tub) frosting, and because it didn't taste like anything (as in it was just sweet), I added some flavoring (almond), but that changed the spreading texture.

The third issue also had to do with the frosting....I also didn't have any paste food color on hand (I seem to remember giving what was left of the good containers of this stuff to my daughter....maybe not), so I had to use liquid, and...... you guessed it, more texture issues

So, here are today's conclusions:

1. We can bake cakes and even have them taste good (I did add a little almond flavoring to the cake mix too, and that worked out just fine)

2. If I'm truly going to test this frosting thing, I need to bake some cakes that I don't have to trim off the edges of. (I found 2 heart shaped pans in the cabinet this morning.....guess what we'll be baking for next week!)

3. I need to get some proper colors to play with .... oh goodie, an excuse to go to either Michaels or Joanns (evil den's of eniquity!!)

4. I was told last night by our cake guru in California that there actually is a daisy tip that Wilton puts out....guess we better look into that too.

Our excursions into making daisies out of marzipan will be fun too.....

so, watch this space!

By popular demand....Chicken Tenders -- Homestyle

My daughter mentioned (rather pointedly, I might add) that I hadn't posted here for a while, and asked if I could post the recipe for the Chicken Tenders I make that she and her dad both love.

The recipe is so simple I'm almost embarrased to write it out, but since she asked, here it is:

Mom's Chicken Tenders

white meat chicken (I use boneless chicken breast pieces) -- the equivalent of one chicken breast piece per person
flour to dredge in (Wondra Flour works real well, but all purpose is fine)
sesame oil (peanut oil will work too)

Cut the chicken into bite size pieces (this is easiest if the chicken is still slightly firm from being frozen)

Lightly flour the chicken

Heat the skillet (HOT!), put a little oil in the pan, fry the chicken pieces until nicely browned and the chicken is done all the way through.

Salt lightly and enjoy!

NOTE: these are really good on top of a Ceasar salad

Peachy BBQ Ribs

These yummies are a recipe that my mother used to make when I was a kid.

For a long time, I never knew any kind of BBQ but this kind of slow, moist, torture it in the oven, kind. I really like the combination of the pork with the peaches and the little hint of cloves gives it a little zip.

I cooked up this batch last night after we had gotten some really good lean boneless ribs during our Costco run.

The original recipe was designed to feed 4, so I just cut it in half -- more or less (more about that below) and made this great dinner.

So, here's the original recipe with the reduced for [2] in the parenthesis.

Peachy BBQ Ribs

3 pounds [1 1/2 pounds] lean, boneless pork ribs
1 large can of peaches [1 small can of peaches]
2 Tbls [1 Tbls] worchestershire sauce
2 Tbls [1 Tbls] flour
2 Tbls [1 Tbls] prepared yellow mustard
1 cup [1/2 cup] ketchup
1 Tbls [1 1/2 tsp] dry onion flakes
1/2 tsp [1/4 tsp] ground cloves
Salt and pepper to taste

Heat oven to 375 degrees

Spray the baking pan with cooking spray for easy clean up afterwards. A full recipe needs an 11 by 9 inch pan, a half recipe can be done in an 8 by 8 inch pan, and I usually use glass.

Sprinkle ribs with salt and pepper and place in the prepared baking pan.

Drain the peaches, save the juice, set the peaches aside.

In a small sauce pan, combine 1 cup of the juice from the peaches, and the other ingredients. [If there is not enough juice from a small can of peaches, add water to bring it up to 1 cup. This is the part that you really don't cut in half because you need the liquid to do the cooking in the oven]

Bring the sauce mixture to a boil, stirring with a whisk to remove any lumps.

Pour sauce over ribs. Bake for 1 1/2 hours. About half way through either turn each rib over or baste (I prefer the turning method).

When ribs are tender, arrange peaches on top of ribs, baste with sauce and return to the oven for another 5 minutes to heat peaches.

YUM!

Potato Soup

I like potato soup. There's something soothing about that warm, creamy potatoey goodness.

I remember eating potato soup as a kid. My dad will eat potatos 9 times a day (must be his Irish genetics!), and I must have gotten that fondness for the stuff from him.

Besides all that, its pretty easy to make. And its pretty forgiving of little variations in ingredients too.

So, here is the recipe:


Potato Soup

2 pieces of bacon, cut in fine dice (I've also used little pieces of ham for this)
2 ribs of celery, cut in fine dice (the idea is for a little texture, not big chunks)
1 bunch green onions -OR- 1 medium onion, cut in fine dice
1 tsp salt (or to your taste)
8 to 10 small to medium red potatoes, scrubbed and diced (I've also used other potatoes, and they work okay too)
1 to 2 cups chicken broth (homemade is great, out of a can is fine)
4 to 5 cups water
1 can evaporated milk (or whatever milk you have on hand, half and half is really good)

In a LARGE pan, brown the bacon.

Add the onion and celery and saute until transparent

Add broth, water and potatoes and cook until potatoes are soft.

Blend soup to desired consistancy. Use an immersion blender, a blender (in small amounts at a time) or a masher to do this step.

Add milk to the soup and heat to just below a boil (boiling the milk gives it a funny taste)

Serve with a dab of butter, or sour cream, or shredded cheddar cheese or whatever other garnish you like on potatoes.

This also reheats well in the microwave, so it makes a great carry along for lunch in the office the day after.

Hot Pads

Now I know that this is not edible. However, it you're going to cook, you're going to need hot pads.....more than one, and more than one size, and they need to be washable.

I know that lots of stores have hot pads, but it seems to me they are all stamped out of the same mold (so to speak), and most of them just don't suit.

So, what's an enterprising cook to do? Well, if you have other skills (in this case, crochet), you just build what ever it is you need. (And, I might add here that this particular item was made out the yarn from a sweater that had become too worn to wear, so I unraveled it and have been using the yarn for other things!)


The nice thing about this pattern is that there isn't much to it. Select whatever yarn (remember, WASHABLE!) you have available -- okay, if you must, buy some.

And use whatever size crochet hook you have on hand that works well with the yarn. As I said, I used some cotton yarn I unraveled from a sweater, and a size "H" (U.S.) hook.

You begin be deciding how big a hot pad you want to make. This one measures 6 1/4 inches by 7 inches, but the important measurement is the diagonal one through the middle. This one measures 9 inches diagonally.



To make your hot pad:

Chain for the desired length of the diagonal measurement.





Turn and work one single crochet in each chain stitch to the next to last chain, work 3 single crochet stitches in the end chain,




continue working one single crochet in the other side of each chain to the end chain, work 2 more single crochet in that end. (Foundation made.)




Continue round and round working 1 single crochet in each single crochet below. DO NOT Increase at the ends, you want it to “curl”.







As you go, it will begin to slowly create a square.

You can add stripes by working alternating colors for each round.






When your edges meet, use a yarn needle to stitch the two edges together and then run the yarn end inside.



That's it!

When you make the first one, you'll be sure that it isn't going to work (even tho' you've seen the pictures), but it just happens like magic!!

Enjoy making a whole variety to match your kitchen decor, or to be your favorite color, or to use up your odds and ends of yarn pieces.

A New Year's Tradition

The taper candle on the right is older than my daughter. Now I know that is not a common age for a candle, but this one is the last bayberry candle that my grandmother gave me in 1972.

The votive candle on the left is going to be part of a very important ritual that we do every year on New Year's Eve.

My grandmother used to give me a bayberry candle to burn on New Year's Eve. You have to burn the candle continuously from when you light it on New Year's Eve at sunset until it burns itself out.

The candle came with the following poem:

A bayberry candle
When burned to the socket
Brings joy to the house
And gold to the pocket

We can't say we'ver ever gotten all that much "gold", but it is a fun tradition to continue. Now days its hard to get bayberry candles, but I maintain its worth the effort for this.

And of course there is the need for ham, greens, black eyed peas and grits for the New Year's Day dinner......


Happy New Year 'yall!

Doggie Biscuits

and just why should the humans in the house be the only ones that get goodies at Christmas?

We think that the dogs in the house should get a treat too!

This is a really simple recipe, fun to do and our dog (and our daughter's dog too) just loves them.

A single recipe makes 16 LARGE dog bone shaped biscuits (we have big dogs!), and its totally safe for small children too, being all "normal" pantry staples (no bone meal, etc.)

Why not bake up a batch for your dog?

Dog Biscuits

2 1/2 cups flour (I use a combination of whole wheat flour, white flour, corn meal and oatmeal -- as long as it totals this amount -- I've even ground up rice to make flour for these)

1/2 cup non-fat powdered milk

1 tsp salt

1 tsp sugar

6 Tbls oleo (Crisco is better, peanut butter is better still!)

1 egg (or 1/4 cup egg substitute)

1/2 to 2/3 cup water

Mix all the ingredients to form a stiff dough (start with 1/2 cup water, add whatever you need to make the dough come together)

Roll out the dough 1/2 inch thick and cut into desired size pieces (dog bone shaped cookie cutters are available, but if you don't have one, and cookie cutter that makes the right size for your dog will work)

Place biscuits on ungreased cookie sheet.

Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

Cool completely, store in a dry place.

NOTE: you can also add shredded carrots and parsley flakes to this and use a beef or chicken flavored broth instead of water for the liquid