Thanks Liz…

 

This tag was attached to a set of measuring cups and spoons that Liz gave each of us as a gift.  The dessert table was set beautifully with delicious punch at one end and hot cocoa at the other end.

 

 

Liz has so many beautiful Christmas decorations in her home.  She gave me

permission again to take photos.

 

 

She does believe in Santa, but then so do I!

 

 

Just a small part of her collection.

 

 

 

 

My stash that I brought home!

 

Thank you again Liz for including me in your Christmas Cookie Exchange.  I had a wonderful time.

 

******************************************

You all stay safe and be happy!!

 

Beth

The party is over…

and it was so much fun.  The hostess had her home beautifully decorated.  The refreshment table was loaded with all kinds of goodies, hot cocoa and a lovely punch!  Chex mix, chocolates and lots of different kinds of cookies.  There was also some popcorn that tasted like it was dipped in white chocolate coating.  Thank you Liz!!  I had a wonderful time at your cookie exchange.

For some reason I can never get a good picture in my kitchen.  Anyway, here is my loot below.

The bag has big pieces of fudge with walnuts in it.  The box has chocolates.  One bag has 7 layer cookies and there are sugar cookies shaped like poinsettias, oatmeal cookies with butterscotch chunks, chocolate mint cookies with filling and the cookies made with Rolo candy, pretzels and pecan halves.  I love that recipe and it is so easy.

Rolos Cookies

From my friend Sandi.

•1 bag Rolo’s chocolates
•Mini pretzel twists
•Pecan halves

Lay pretzels on a wax paper lined cookie sheet. Place 1 Rolo chocolate on top of each pretzel. Place in a 250 degree oven for 3-4 minutes until chocolates are soft. Remove from oven and press a pecan half into each softened chocolate. Cool and remove from pan.

Easy as can be and so easy to make.  Delicious.

The hostess gift last night was a bottle of hand sanitizer .

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend.  Stay safe and be happy!!

Beth

It’s Saturday…

and I am going the the Christmas Bazaar at the hospital with my daughter this morning.  They have the cutest crafts there.  The handmade dresses for little girls are just adorable.  From now until Christmas there will be one church after another having a Christmas Bazaar.  That is one nice thing about living in a larger city.  Lots of activities and things to do.  I love the Christmas sale at the First United Methodist Church.  The ladies of the church make homemade noodles and use the egg whites to make angel food cakes.  I bought a cake last year for $5.  Those cakes are huge and just delicious, so I am looking forward to that again and also buying some of the homemade noodles.

And then next month is the cookie exchange.

These are the goodies I came home with last year.

My doctor appointment yesterday with my cardiologist was uneventful.  (Thank you God)  For now I am doing better.  Next month is my kidney/BP doctor visit. 

I hope you all have a lovely peaceful weekend.  Stay safe and be happy!!

Beth

Day Twenty…

and raining with the temp hovering at 36 degrees.  Some areas close by here may get some snow out of this but hopefully only a little sleet and rain here.

The cookie exchange last night was fun.  Liz is such an excellent hostess.  In addition to the cookie exchange we each got a lovely hostess gift.

Inside, a mini bottle of hand lotion and on the back, this verse.

“Every friend is like a snowflake, unique in beauty and design. 

Each sparkles in a different way…some are playful, some refined.

But, unlike fragile snowflakes that fade when the sun appears,

Friends grow even more beautiful with every passing year.”

And a quote from Carl Reiner ~ “A lot of people like snow.  I find it to be an unnecessary freezing of water.”    I really like that quote.  My feelings exactly.

My haul from the cookie exchange.

I have added to the plate of chocolate covered cherries as I am getting ready to divide all of this stuff into trays to start delivering.  I am heading out to the trunk of my car to get the rest of the goodies.  Of course I will save some for my son.

I hope you all have a wonderful day and the sun is shining wherever you may be, at least in your heart.  Stay safe and be happy!!

Beth

Day eighteen…

and the cookies are finished.  I was given the wrong instructions as to how many to make.  It is 8 packages of 6 to total 4 dozen.  I had forgotten how much work these cookies are,  I made the dough on Friday evening and the cookies yesterday,  Then with rolling into balls, baking 15 minutes, poking holes in the center of them, cooling completely, making the fudge filling, filling the cookies, sprinkling the chopped nuts on top and cooling and packaging.  I was all morning doing this.   Then have you heard the saying, “a messy cook is a good cook?”  I must be a very good cook because when I was done with the cookies I had chopped nuts everywhere and fudge filling  dotted here and there.  The outcome of that was an hour to thoroughly clean the kitchen and hand mop the floor.  The cookies are delicious though.  The next time I will choose a much easier recipe.

As you can see I made extra cookies so that I could have some for cookie trays for my neighbors.

My niece, great niece and great great niece are coming over this afternoon.  My great great niece will be 3 in March so she is really active.  LOL  I am not used to that but I always enjoy seeing her.  She is such a beautiful child.

It is sunny and 25 degrees this morning.  Just a great day to be alive and as Red Skelton used to say, “Aren’t you glad we both are?”

You all stay safe and be happy!!

Beth

Day seventeen…

of my vow to post each day for the month  of December 20111.  I guess I want to leave a legacy behind.  My Twin has often spoken about having her blog published into a book.  I have thought of that too.  There are many ways to do this.  Here is one good way.  http://blog2print.sharedbook.com/blogworld/printmyblog/index.html?utm_source=google&utm_medium=adwords&utm_campaign=feb09.  Just think of the hundreds of  dollars I could save on Christmas gifts next year if I get my blog printed into a book and give it to family and friends as a gift.  Right now I am maintaining 3 blogs and 2 recipe sites so I could have my choice of what to print.  LOL  Seriously, I have thought of having one of my recipe blogs printed into a book.

I have everything ready to make the cookies for the cookie exchange.  If you missed the recipe it is in a few blogs back.  I will post a picture of the finished product tomorrow.

There was a terrible accident just a few miles down the road from me yesterday afternoon about 5 PM.  A trailer fell from an overpass on I 474 onto Route 29 injuring 5 people. 

http://www.pjstar.com/news/x2105823984/Trailer-falls-off-I-474-overpass  I have traveled that same road many times.

And now I need to stop and get busy.  I hope you all have a peaceful weekend.  Stay safe and be happy!!

Beth

Snow flurries only…

and that was enough for me.  I got my Christmas trees out yesterday, cleaned the living room thoroughly and I was exhausted,  Not nearly as much energy as I thought I had.  So the rest can wait for awhile.  Today is laundry day again, having changed the bedding there are 3 loads of it.  YUCK!!  If my ship ever comes in I am going to have a maid.  LOL  Never happen!!

It is beautiful today though.  Bright sunshine and 23 degrees right now and no breeze at all.  Just a perfect almost winter day.  Snow is in the forecast again for Thursday night.  Not too much I hope. 

I have decided on the recipe I am going to make for the cookie exchange. 

Fudge Puddles

My friend Joyce gave me this recipe. These cookies are delicious!

•1/2 cup butter, softened

•1/2 cup creamy peanut butter

•1/2 cup sugar

•1/2 cup light brown sugar (packed)

•1 egg

•1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

•1 & 1/4 cups flour

•3/4 teaspoon baking soda

•1/2 teaspoon salt

Fudge filling:

•1 cup milk chocolate chips

•1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

•1 can sweetened condensed milk

•1 teaspoon vanilla extract

•chopped peanuts

Directions:

In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter, peanut butter and sugars. Beat in egg and vanilla. Combine the flour, baking soda and salt, gradually add to creamed mixture. Chill for at least 1 hour.

Shape into 48 balls, 1 inch each. Place in lightly greased mini muffin tins. Bake in preheated 325 degree oven for 14 – 16 minutes or until lightly browned. Using the end of a wooden spoon handle, make a 1/2 deep indentation in the center of each ball. Cool in pans for 5 minutes, before removing to wire racks to cool completely.

For filling, melt chocolate chips in the microwave a few seconds or until melted. Stir in sweetened condensed milk and vanilla until smooth. Fill each shell with filling. Sprinkle with peanuts. Leftover filling can be stored in the fridge and served warm over ice cream.

I will have to make 2 batches of these. 

Gotta go check my laundry.  Stay safe and be happy!!

Beth

The day after…

a very long day.  Yesterday was a super long day.  I have been having some bad side effects to 2 new meds that I was taking so the morning was spent waiting for the nurse to call me.  The afternoon was spent at 2 appointments and I didn’t get home till almost 6:30 PM.  Nothing like Peoria traffic after dark.  On the way home we stopped at the pharmacy to pick up a new med that the nurse I had spoken to in the morning had ordered.  You guessed it, on my allergy list.  Now I have to waste the morning waiting for a return call.  On the bright side I have been given the OK to start working out again.  Starting very slowly at 5 minutes per day for a few days and then working up to 10 minutes and then on up to my regular 30.  No lifting weights for awhile though.  And that is my gossipy rant for today.

I am over my little  aggravated spell.  One of my bogging friends suggested that perhaps the person was having a bad day and not feeling well.  I have bad days myself so I took that into consideration and I forgive him.  Thank you all for the supporting comments.  Twin and Bro, it is good to know you have my back!  Love you all.

I am trying to think of something to make for a cookie exchange.  It has to be 3 dozen of something divided into 6 portions and packaged separately.  A lovely lady from my daughter’s church hosts this.  Any ideas for me as I would like to make something special.

A photo from last year’s cookie exchange.  My favorite thing there was divinity which I love.

Have to close this off now as I have to call the doctor’s office again and tell them about this new med that I have no intention of even starting.

You all stay safe and be happy!!

Beth