Brown Sugar Chews and a Blizzaed

 On the east side of the house the drifts are pretty high...  over the sills

 Finally about 3 pm  all my chickies were in their homes and off the roads.... Highways are closing all around and the wind is brutal with the low temps and flying snow.....  So this is a blizzard.  I will say I don't recall it ever worse.  I feel for anyone out in it....

Mom took the opportunity to make a 8 by 8 pan of cookies from her favorite author ever, Gladys Taber.

Delicious!
Brown Sugar Chews

1 egg
1 c. packed brown sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 c flour
1/4 t salt
1/2 t baking soda
1 c. chopped pecans or walnuts

Mix egg, brown sugar, vanilla,  Add flour, salt, soda.  Beat all with spoon and stir in nuts.  Bake 15 min. at 350 degrees in 8 x 8 floured, greased pan.  Cool in pan.  Cut in squares.

Delicious Winter Cookie Bar

 During the break, I decided to try these delicious bars from a program I saw over the holidays.  I love to watch Giada cook!  She's so light and fun and beautiful...  I am certain that eating these yummy bars will do the same for anyone....  So help yourself.  Besides, they are very good.   I used some black walnuts from our cousins in Kansas...  but any kind of good nut and probably any kind of jam would work.  I like the combination of jam and chopped, dried fruit...  Don't bake them as long as you think...  This way they are soft and buttery, crumbly...  I think they could get hard without too much trouble..  

Pour a cup of spiced coffee or hot peach tea...  you have yourself a respite from the cold and snow..  My dear cousin/sister and her man came down to clean out my driveway right after these finished, and they said they liked them, too!

Apricot Oat Bars

Recipe courtesy Giada De Laurentiis

Prep Time:

12 min

Inactive Prep Time:

1 hr 0 min

Cook Time:

35 min

Level:

Easy

Serves:

24 bars

Ingredients

• Vegetable oil cooking spray
• Filling
• 1 (13-ounce) jar apricot jam or preserves (about 1 1/4 cups)
• 8 dried apricots, chopped into 1/4-inch pieces (about 1/3 cup)
• Crust
• 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 packed cup light brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 3/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
• 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 3/4 cups old-fashioned oats
• 1 cup (4 ounces) coarsely chopped walnuts
• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted
• 1 egg, at room temperature, beaten
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Directions

Put an oven rack in the center of the oven. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 9 by 13 by 2-inch metal baking dish with vegetable oil cooking spray. Line the bottom and sides of the pan with parchment paper. Spray the parchment paper with vegetable oil cooking spray and set aside.
Filling: In a small bowl, mix together the jam and the apricots. Set aside.
Crust: In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, cinnamon, salt and baking soda. Stir in the oats and walnuts. Add the butter, egg and vanilla and stir until incorporated.
Using a fork or clean fingers, lightly press half of the crust mixture onto the bottom of the prepared pan. Using a spatula, spread the filling over the crust leaving a 1/2-inch border around the edge of the pan. Cover the filling with the remaining crust mixture and gently press to flatten. Bake until light golden, about 30 to 35 minutes. Cool for 1 hour. Cut into bars and store in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

Raspberry Treat

 Three of us gals used to run around all the time together.  When I lived at home and was retired half days, we charged around the countryside, taking in the gift shops and the movies, and the restaurants...  the little out of the way places, the road trips...  and oh, the laughs.  We called these excursions "Thelma and Louise" days...  minus the cliff at the end, of course! 

 Today we had a Christmas party here.  Mom and I just planned it yesterday, and it turned out perfect!  We served Quiche, Italian Spring Salad, Southern biscuits, Homemade Vegetable Garden Dip, chicken salad, and a delicious new frozen confection....

 My dear friend was here on Monday, and I didn't get to see her, but she brought wonderful treasures and left Mom with her Frozen Raspberry Bar Recipe  (along with a Frangelica Cake that is amazing!!!)

 Easy Peasy recipe that is really delicious!~   I'm adding it at the end of this post if you need a quick conclusion to your Christmas meal.

We tossed on a really sweet vintage tablecloth and used my new snowflake dishes..  So pretty!  These little cardinal cups and the Philosophy baubles were their favors...

Raspberry Treat

1 quart Raspberry Sherbet

1 medium carton Cool-Whip or 2 cups whipped cream, whipped

1 pkg. Oreos.  I used red icing Oreos...  So pretty!

Thaw sherbet slightly and press in a 9 x 13 pan or casserole.  Crush 2/3 of the Oreos and blend with the whipped cream or Cool Whip...  Spread over sherbet and freeze at least three hours.  Slice into squares and top with a dollop of whipped cream and an Oreo...  So pretty!!!  Refreshing!!!  Yum-o!

The last part of the party...

Today for lunch we had the family for the final part of the birthday party...  This little guy is a big John Deere fan (My dad was IH fan, but oh, well...)  So I tried to have all his favorites and I borrowed the new tractor Mom gave him for the birthday party yesterday as a centerpiece....  Methinks he and his little cousin had both had entirely too much fun already because they were sooooo tired..  not to mention my son!  He was REALLY nodding that head by the end of the day....  But we had 8 for dinner, and it was fun...  My cake decorating skills didn't really come into play...  The cars were simply bogged down in a pit of homemade chocolate mud....  This is my absolute favorite chocolate icing...  Mom usually makes it, but today I was able to master it all by myself (with good advice, of course!)


Fudge Icing

In a large saucepan mix the following:

1 c. sugar

1/3 c. milk

5 T. butter

Cook, stirring often until this comes to a full boil.  Stir constantly on the heat for 60 seconds.  Remove from heat and stir in quickly until just melted....

1/2 t. vanilla

1 c. chocolate chips

Pour IMMEDIATELY over cake and hurry up..  It sets up in about 2 minutes or less....

Halloween Goodies! Scotcheroos

Just in case you have forgotten your recipe.....  Scotcheroos

Nonstick cooking spray
1 1/2 cups creamy peanut butter
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup light corn syrup
6 cups toasted rice cereal
1 2/3 cups NESTLÉ® TOLL HOUSE® Butterscotch Flavored Morsels
1 cup NESTLÉ TOLL HOUSE Semi-Sweet Chocolate Morsels

1. Coat 13 x 9-inch baking pan with cooking spray.
2. Combine peanut butter, sugar and corn syrup in large saucepan. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring frequently, until melted. Remove from heat. Add cereal; stir until thoroughly coated. Press onto bottom of prepared baking pan.
3. Microwave butterscotch morsels and semi-sweet chocolate morsels in large, microwave-safe bowl on HIGH (100%) power for 1 minute; stir. Microwave at additional 10- to 20-second intervals, stirring until smooth. Spread over cereal mixture.
4. Refrigerate for 15 to 20 minutes or until topping is firm. Cut into bars.

Makes 30 bars.

 Halloween makes me think of these easy but oooooh so wonderful cookie bars.  My room mate in college made these every weekend, and we were always sooo happy to have cookies in our bottom dresser drawer.  My grandma always sent her Delicious Cookies, and I have temporarily lost that recipe.  (It doesn't matter because it never tastes as good as hers anyway...)

With my cat aglow, and the room filled with candles, my "lair" is becoming quite a witching paradise...  I will try tomorrow night to capture some of the glow but alas! my camera batteries were haunted tonight...  I'm lucky to get this picture.

Enjoy the season...  The moon glows through my west window in the wee hours of the morning when I sneak off for a few winks before school time arrives. My College Prep class finished reading The Crucible today...  such psychologically and spiritually powerful dialog...  I love it.  We're watching the movie tomorrow.

Easiest Cake Ever

I'm with Paula Deen... Nothing beats cooking when it's rainy or snowy... Today, I'll take the rain. This shot is from an earlier spring meal in the slow cooker, but it bears a mighty resemblance to our recent feast...
I love coffee.... today's flavor is raspberry/chocolate. Mmmmm..
Mom's oatmeal-raisin cookies are seriously NOT on my diet, but they are kinda special. Also not on my diet is the new cake of choice to bake. It has three ingredients: cake mix, pie filling, and two eggs. That's it. I love chocolate, cherry pie filling cake... It's a black forest without any of the trouble. I made a summery orange, peach pie filling cake that was fresh and wonderful. I have two more to try in upcoming weeks: carrot, raisin or apple pie filling---- and lemon, blueberry pie filling... The cakes need no icing, but you can if you choose. I just dust a pretty sprinkle of powdered sugar over top and serve with whipped cream... it has a moist, almost quick bread consistency. I think baking it in loaf pans would work... It's a very thick batter with no moisture but it isn't dry at all...

Have a fun week. Stay dry and cool (or warm).... and enjoy yourselves.

Chicken Enchiladas

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I am participating in Kelly Minter's Living Room Series Bible Study on Ruth. We do the workbook as "siestas" (sisters) on the Living Proof Live Blog, and then every two weeks we check in and "discuss" in our comments. This is a really great study about one of my favorite women in the Bible. And Kelly always adds stories about her childhood and recipes in case we are taking it as small groups and want to fix lunch! I'm going solo on the study, but I decided to make her Week One Enchiladas. I did a few changes, as I always do, for convenience and to modify for a bigger group (our Sunday family dinner)... This recipe is a keeper with rave reviews from everyone ranging from age 7 to age 86. Her recipe is in the book, and this is the one I changed to fit our family of seven-eight. We had leftovers, but we like that! I called myself Lucia as I worked because I love that name, and I set the table with bright yellows. I'll post my tablescape tomorrow!
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Chicken Enchiladas
preheat oven to 350 degrees

Chicken breasts (I used about 7 very large ones, frozen in sack)
4-6 cups chicken broth (I used the water after I boiled the chicken, but you can use other broth or canned)
10-12 burrito size flour tortillas
jar mild picante sauce (hot if you're daring!)
1 pkg. McCormick's chicken taco seasoning mix (Kelly uses cilantro and cumin)
3 heaping T. flour
1 stick butter
1-2 c. sour cream
optional can of black beans (I served on the side because we have black bean dislikers in our family)
a few handfuls of grated Monterrey Jack/Cheddar cheese from those pre-shredded pkgs. (or can use your own grated favorite)
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Boil chicken in 6-8 c. water (salt if desired. I did). Cut up chicken into bite size shreds and reserve broth. Add more from can or water and/or bouillon to make enough broth.

With wire whisk, whisk flour into butter over low heat and simmer until thick. Add broth to make a "gravy." Cook until slightly thickened. Add and whisk the sour cream but do not boil after this step. I used 16 oz. tub of sour cream, but I think Kelly uses less.

Roll up enchiladas. Place a nice amount of chicken, a few T. cheese, and a couple T. picante sauce on each tortilla and roll. Put seam side down in sprayed 9 x 13 casserole. Squeeze in as many as you can. I got in 8 and made two in a separate bread pan. Pour gravy over it as much as you can get in. Cover completely and let set for 15-20 minutes. Cover with a few handfuls of grated cheese and bake at 350 for 30-45 minutes until bubbly and brown. Yum!