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Showing posts with label Recipes. Show all posts

Saturday, May 28, 2016

Memorial Day Recipes Reviewed - Part II

Desserts

Memorial Day - a patriotic remembrance holiday and the one thought of as the beginning of Summertime - is usually filled with activities, celebrations, family get-togethers and, most importantly, food. Whether you have an indoor, sit-down meal with family or an outdoor picnic in the backyard or at a park or beach with a group, deciding on the perfect menu is fun.

Once you have your main dish Memorial Day meal planned, perhaps from ideas listed on Memorial Day Recipes Reviewed - Part I , here are some suggestions for the dessert part of your day of celebration.

Grill Cupcakes

Recipe and Photos by Chef Amber of Hot Springs, Arkansas for FrugalMomEh.com

If your Memorial Day meal involves food cooked on the grill, these Grill Cupcakes would make the perfect complementary dessert for your backyard barbecue. Recipe and whimsical design featured by Elizabeth of Canada on her delightful blog Frugal Mom Eh.

Patriotic Red, White & Blue Chocolate Cookies

Source: Two Sisters Crafting

Cookies are a dessert that is perfect for a picnic in the park or at the beach as they are portable, needing no sit-down plate or fork to eat. These Red, White and Blue cookies would make a patriotic and fun dessert for Memorial Day. And they are 'chocolate' too. Yum!

Chocolate cookies with Red, White and Blue Holiday M&M Mix are a quick, easy and fun holiday dessert for any of our patriotic holidays, Memorial Day, Flag Day, 4th of July or Veterans Day.

This recipe comes from the Two Sisters Crafting blog

Flag Fruit Dessert

Source: Family Fresh Meals

For an indoor holiday meal (in case rain spoils an outdoor event this Memorial Day), fruit always makes a wonderful dessert. Corey of Family Fresh Meals came up with a patriotic way to display a fresh fruit platter with her Easy Flag Fruit Dessert. Using blueberries, and red fruit such as cherries, strawberries and raspberries, she spread her fruit flag out on a serving tray. A bowl of blueberries represent the field of stars background in the top left corner, then rows of red fruits make the red stripes. Since there isn't a white fruit, she came up with little pretzels covered in yogurt or white chocolate for the white stripes. Very clever and a light & satisfying tasty dessert. This dessert could also be served on other patriotic holidays, such as Flag Day and the 4th of July.

Patriotic Pies

Source: Cassie Johnston on eHow

Then there are patriotic cakes and pies. This homemade American flag blueberry/cherry pie decorated with pastry stars and topped with vanilla ice cream would be a sensational finish to your Memorial Day meal. Recipe is by Cassie Johnston on eHow.

Memorial Day Meals

Hope everyone enjoys a terrific and tasty Memorial Day with these menu ideas and recipes for Patriotic Main Dishes and Desserts.

To make your Memorial Day celebration complete, add in some Patriotic Music. Enjoy your weekend!

Happy Memorial Day!

Memorial Day Recipes Reviewed - Part II written & presented by:

Wednesday Elf

Note: The author may receive a commission from purchases made using links found in this article. “As an Amazon Associate, Ebay (EPN) and/or Esty (Awin) Affiliate, I (we) earn from qualifying purchases.”

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Friday, May 27, 2016

Memorial Day Recipes Reviewed - Part I

The Main Course

Memorial Day is historically the date we set aside each year to honor and remember those who gave their lives for our country while serving in the U.S. military. It is always observed on the last Monday in May. The entire weekend before Memorial Day, families & friends all across the US gather together for parties and picnics. We celebrate our freedom, our nation, the beginning of summer and the end of the school year. We decorate with red, white & blue, we sing patriotic songs, we laugh, we love, we remember, and we eat.

In preparation for the weekend of festivities, the contributors of Review This sought out some great recipes for Memorial Day to share. Today, we will start with the main course.

Recipes for the Grill

The days that fall right between spring and summer make the perfect time for an outdoor party. As a few of the grilling experts gather around the grill, the rest of us mingle, laugh and enjoy tasting the appetizers on the buffet table.

It is an afternoon full of fun and good food!

Not sure what you are going to grill yet? Well, here are a few suggestions.

Coca Cola BBQ Ribs Slow-Cooked Barbecue Ribs Honey & Beer Glazed BBQ Chicken

Memorial Day Recipes Cooked Inside to Be Served Outside

Picnics with family and friends are always great, but sometimes we want to be able to cook the main course ahead and serve it once the guests arrive. That means no on has to actually man the grill during the party.

Here are a few Memorial Day recipes that you cook indoors, but can be served inside or out. These recipes are also very child friendly so you may want to include them even if you plan to grill too.

Homemade Barbeque Recipe for the Best BBQ Sandwiches Homemade Chicken Salad Sandwiches Recipe Cajun Roasted Potato Wedges Hot Dogs for a Crowd

A Fruit Treat for Our Vegan & Vegetarian Readers

We all have vegan or vegetarian family members or those who are on special health diets. We certainly do not want them left out of the fun and food.

You can create this beautiful fruit bowl by simply combining the red, white and blue fruits in a patriotic bowl.

Blueberries, raspberries, strawberries and watermelon stars are the perfect combination! They are also delicious added to lemonade, although you may prefer pineapple stars for the drink. Either the fruit bowls or the patriotic punch served in a beautiful crystal pitcher would be a real crowd pleaser as well as a lovely presentation.

Red, White & Blue Lemonade for a Patriotic Punch Drink

Wilton Stars Nesting Metal Cutter Set

To Make the Pineapple or Watermelon Stars in the Patriotic Fruit Bowl or Lemonade

Simply cut them out with cookie cutters.

I tend to prefer the metal cookie cutters when cutting fruit or cake simply because they have sharper edges. With the Wilton metal cookie cutters, I get a nice sharp point at the tips of each of the stars. Because this set comes with 4 cutters in the various sizes, it is really the perfect choice. You can choose the actual size of the stars to fit the bowls or serving dishes you are using. Because they nest, they are much easier to store.

One note: If you are going to let little hands help you cut your fruit, opt for the plastic set of cookie cutters made by Wilton. The edges of the cut may not be as precise, but the child's finger will be safe.

We will be continuing our Memorial Day Weekend Celebration

Please join us for our featured Memorial Day Dessert Recipes and for the Patriotic Celebration in Music.

May all of your Parties and Travel over this
Memorial Day Weekend be Safe and Fun!

Memorial Day Recipes Reviewed - Part I written & presented by:

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Wednesday, April 20, 2016

It's National Banana Day!

National Banana Day happens on April 20th and for all of you that don't have a calendar handy, that just happens to be today.

Now I don't know about you, but for me, bananas are not just monkey food, they are the best people food too. After you are finished eating them, don't throw away the peel either. I'm not going to suggest eating it, but did you know that you can bury it in the ground around your rose bushes and they will love all the nutrients that are coming to their root systems.

No mess and no waste, all of that banana goes, first, to feeding you, and then the peels, into feeding your garden.

Picture courtesy of Pixaby : I love My Minions and my Bananas
Bananas are one of Nature's most perfect fruits. They are very high in vitamin B6 and low in sugar. They also contain essential minerals, Vitamin C, and dietary fiber. While bananas also contain potassium, they are not as high in potassium as other fruits and vegetables. Having said that, you will still get a good amount of potassium, 8% of your daily requirements from a banana that weighs about 100 grams. You get more potassium from beans, apricots, carrots and bell peppers, but they aren't nearly as ready to eat as that beautiful yellow skinned banana. (USDA)

What is really neat about bananas is that they help to regulate your blood sugar and cholesterol. They are good for people who are having issues with their heart. Bananas have also been studied in relation to High Blood Pressure and found to be very effective in regulating blood pressure in many people. That is good news if this is something that worries you.

Different Ways to Use Bananas

I'm always interested in ways that people use bananas other than just peeling and eating them. I love to peel them, cut them up and then layer them with ice cream either chocolate or vanilla. If I've had a bad day and you make me a bowl of ice cream and banana, I will be a happy camper. There is also the perennial standby of a peanut butter and banana sandwich. I don't know anyone, regardless of age that doesn't like that for a treat (unless of course you have a peanut allergy).

Banana bread is always a welcome treat too. There are so many recipes with different variations, but the same soft moist and nutritious outcome.

In my kitchen there is always a banana available. Those banana hooks are pretty good at keeping them from getting all bruised. They are right there in the open for anyone looking for a healthy snack. They are loaded with vitamins and minerals and not a whole lot of sugar. So perfect for anyone who is watching their waistline too. Quick and easy to eat, nutritious and delicious and really good for you.

When you buy too many bananas and they start to go brown, you don't have to make banana bread right away if you don't want to. Just peel the bananas and place them into a Ziploc Bag, freeze them and when you are ready to make a banana dessert, they will be ready too.

Basic Banana Bread Recipe:

2-3 very ripe bananas
1/3 cup melted butter
3/4 cup sugar (you can make this 1 cup if you want it sweeter or 1/2 cup if you like less sweetness)
1 egg beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon baking soda
pinch of salt
1 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour

Preheat oven to 350 and butter a 4x8 loaf pan.
In a mixing bowl, mash the bananas until smooth. Stir in the melted butter.
Add to the mixing bowl, soda and salt. Stir in the sugar, beaten egg and vanilla extract. Add flour,
mixing until incorporated.

Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan. Bake for 50 minutes to 1 hour. Test with a skewer, when it comes out clean, the loaf is done.

Remove from oven and cool completely. Remove from the pan. Use a serated knife to cut into slices.

That is the basic recipe from Simply Recipes (http://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/banana_bread), but you can add chocolate, nuts, cherries, dates, and a host of other additions to make this banana bread your very own. I have used this recipe so often, and each time I try a new addition. I have not been disappointed yet.

It is moist, delicious and nutritious. Banana bread is always a good seller at Bake Sales too! You can also freeze it, just in case unexpected guests arrive.

Some things that may help you keep Bananas at the ready in your house.....

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Saturday, February 27, 2016

Grilling Vegan Style, Cookbook Review

With outdoor grilling season soon to be upon those of us in the colder climates, it's time to tell you about a new cookbook I found. Grilling Vegan Style, by John Schlimm, is way more than just another vegan cookbook. It turned out to be an eye-opener for me.

It's true I have had to turn to vegan eating for my own health, but I also discovered how exciting and delicious the foods can be. One thing I wanted to do was to grill vegetables. Haha - you think a vegan lifestyle is stuck with grilling veggies only? Then you are in for a treat with Grilling Vegan Style.

For the Novice Griller and Expert Alike

Now, I will have to admit that I was a complete novice when it comes to using an outdoor grill. I had just gotten my first grill. But how much charcoal do I put into it? How will I know when the coals are ready? My list of questions was long. And author John Schlimm came to my rescue. He starts off with a simple explanation of how to handle a charcoal grill. After reading his explanation, I made my first grilled dinner easily.

So maybe you have lots more experience than I do. Maybe you have a gas or electric grill. Don't worry. Schlimm has you covered there, too. He details what temperatures look like on your settings, how to prepare your grill for cooking, even how to work with direct and indirect heat.

Covering Recipes for All

Granted, my initial grilling attempts were simple things like veggie kabobs and veggie burgers, but I knew I would expand into all numbers of delicious dishes after looking through Grilling Vegan Style. Schlimm shows you how to grill any number of foods including fruit. Grilled pear halves is now a great favorite at my house.

Those of us who enjoy tailgating have a friend in Schlimm. He has a whole chapter full of great recipes just for tailgate parties. Take a look as his Halftime Pizza recipe for example.

More than just tailgating, he covers picnic options, summer salads topped with grilled goodies, even PB & J sandwiches for the kids in all of us. Personally, I can't wait for watermelon season. Yep, you heard that right. Grilling Vegan Style includes a recipe for a grilled watermelon salad.

Helpful Tips Make a World of Difference

Grilling Vegan Style

John Schlimm is not just your average cookbook author. He adds many helpful tips to make grilling easier, better and more flavorful. My favorite trick, learned from Schlimm, is to soak potato fries in hot water before grilling them. That gives the fries that crispy outside.

He includes a whole chapter on marinade recipes. Not only are they delicious, but he offers timelines to help you. How long to marinate different veggies, fruits and other yummy treats, like tempeh and tofu.

As my world starts to gain warmer days, I'm grilling more and more outside. And my go to cookbook, not only for new recipes, but new ideas as well has become Grilling Vegan Style. Frankly, I'm not sure I would have been so successful from the beginning without it. May you have as much fun grilling as I do.

Posted by: BuckHawk

About This Contributor

BuckHawk decribes herself as "Basically a lazy person who prefers the easy things in life." So that's what she writes about. Easy home decorating, easy recipes, easy entertaining. But, she is also a lover of animals, gardening and crafting. You'll find her writing all over the Web, but with Review This Reviews! she has the opportunity to write about all of her loves.

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Wednesday, February 24, 2016

Mark the Date: March 19th Zeppole Day!

For many of you who just read the title of this piece, you probably think I meant to write March 17th. After all, that is the day the whole world turns Irish, but I assure you I meant March 19th!

After all the green beer and shenanigans that went on just two short days earlier, we find ourselves again celebrating another Great Saint's Feast Day.

This one is St. Joseph's Day. He traditionally was known as the Foster Father of Jesus Christ. So from this auspicious beginning comes the Italian way of celebrating Father's Day.

Now St. Joseph's Day isn't celebrated like St. Patrick's, with parades and lots of drinking, but, as with any celebration, there is food! You cannot celebrate anything without some special culinary delight!

The Italians have this lovely pastry called Zeppole di San Guiseppe. If you have never tried one, I recommend that you make your way to the nearest Italian Bakery and ask for this lovely concoction. Traditionally it was only made for March 19th, but, as with anything that becomes successful, many bakeries now make this famous treat available at least a month in advance of St. Joseph's Day and some even make them all year round.

Here is my recipe for these delightful Zeppole, and I bet once you try them, you will be hooked forever. You will have another reason to celebrate the month of March. It will become the St. Patrick's, and St. Joseph's Day feasting. By the time you are done with that, it will be great to return to the practices of Lent and do a little fasting....because you know that Easter is on the way.

To Make the Pastry:

1 cup of water
1/2 cup unsalted butter
1/2 teaspoon fine salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/3 cups of cake flour
5 eggs
6 to 8 cups of good quality oil for frying

To Make the Cream Custard

3 1/4 cups of whole milk
Rind of one lemon
8 egg yolks
2/3 cups granulated sugar
1/2 cup cornstarch
3 1/2 tablespoons of all purpose flour
4 tablespoons butter cubed.

Brandied Cherries for decoration and taste.

Directions:

Pastry: In a saucepan, bring the water, butter, sugar and salt to a rolling boil. Make sure the butter is in small cubes as it will melt better and combine with the water, salt and sugar mixture. Add all the flour in one movement. remove from heat and using a wooden spoon blend in the flour until it is all incorporated. Put back on the heat and stir the mixture over medium, heat for about 5 minutes. Do not let the mixture dry out. Remove from heat and after allowing the mixture to cool completely put into a mixing bowl. There you can begin to add one egg at a time mixing well after each egg is introduced.

Place all of this mixture into a pastry bag with a star shaped tip (the tip should be at least 1/2 in diameter) Cut squares of foil or parchment about 4 inches square. If using foil you must spray oil on the foil before immersing in the deep fryer or frying pan.

Pipe out a circle of 3 1/2 inches around on each piece of foil or paper. Fry the zeppole on each side for about 4 minutes, removing the paper or foil after flipping them over. Do only two or three at a time and drain them on paper towels.

Let them cool thoroughly.

Custard: Place the milk and the lemon rind in the pot, leave for 20 minutes and then bring the milk to a boil. Remove from heat. Let the lemon rind steep in the milk of 10 minutes and then remove. In another bowl, whisk together the sugar and egg yolks until the mixture is fluffy. Add the cornstarch and flour and whisk to combine.

Once the milk has been cooled it can be added to the egg mixture . Return it to the heat and whisking constantly, cook for 2 minutes or more until it is thickened. Add the cubed butter to the custard and mix well. Remove from heat and place in a glass bowl covered with plastic wrap . Make sure the wrap is touching the top of the custard or it will develop a skin and we don't want that. Cool thoroughly. Place the custard into a pastry bag and pipe either on top of the pastry or the way I like it, in the middle of the pastry......

Traditionalists will fill the center of the Zeppole with the custard and place a brandied cherry on top and then dust it with icing sugar.

Some Bakeries do it the way I like them best, they slice the Zeppole pastry in the middle, add the custard to the inside, add brandied cherries on top of the custard and then replace the top part of the pastry, dusting all with icing sugar.


By Lucas81 (Own work) [CC BY-SA 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

Traditional Zeppole, ready just for you!

Pictures: The top picture comes from my favorite bakery in Toronto, San Remo's (www.sanremobakery.com) and the picture at the bottom comes from Wikimedia.

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Saturday, January 23, 2016

Pie Day Review - January 23

National Pie Day ~ January 23

Apple Pie Image Source: Wikimedia

In my opinion, every day should be Pie Day, but let's review a few pie facts in honor of National Pie Day held each January 23rd.

Pie Day was begun in the 1970s in Colorado when Charlie Papazian declared his birthday to be National Pie Day. Today 'Pie Day' is sponsored by the American Pie Council, which is an organization set up to preserve America's pie heritage and promote “America's love affair with pies”.

There are fruit pies and custard pies and cream pies, with apple pie leading the way.

A Few Pie Facts

Pie School: Lessons in Fruit, Flour & Butter

You could go to Pie School to learn about pies, or you could learn a great deal by reading this Pie Post!

Nearly one out of five Americans prefer apple pie. Next favorite is pumpkin pie, followed by pecan, banana cream, and cherry pie.
Pumpkin pie was first introduced to the holiday table at the pilgrim’s second Thanksgiving in 1623.
When invited to a family or friend's house for a holiday dinner and asked what dessert we could bring, pie was the winner at 29%, followed by cake (17%) and cookies (15%). Surprisingly, ice cream wasn't in the top three spots.

SPECIAL PIE DAYS

In our own glad and fortunate country the seasons are known by their respective dominant pies—for each there is an appropriate pie, with apple pie for all the year round.... The perfect days of June welcome the lip-painting berry pies.... Then, as nature paints the forests with her magic brush, comes in the golden glory of the year, the royal pumpkin pie!

~New York Times, 1902 May 3rd

Besides National Pie Day celebrating all pies, we have individual days to recognize specific kinds of pies.

*There's Cherry Pie Day on February 20, naturally associated with President's Day due to the George Washington story of cutting down the cherry tree.

Cherry Pie was my hubby's favorite and instead of a birthday cake for his birthday on February 23rd, we always had Cherry Pie!

*Apple Pie has it's own special day (Apple Pie Day) held on May 13.

Did you know that the first apple pie recipe was printed in England in 1381?

*March 2 is National Banana Cream Pie Day

*May 8 is National Coconut Cream Pie Day.

Source: Creative Commons Photo by Whitney Wright

My mother was not much of a cook (our dad did most of the cooking in our family), but she was a wonderful pie maker and coconut cream pie was my dad's favorite, so we had it often. Yum!

*On July 12 we have National Pecan Pie Day, a true Southern favorite.

*National Lemon Meringue Day is held on August 15 and Peach Pie Day is August 24.

*September brings us National Strawberry Cream Pie Day on the 28th of the month.

*October 23rd is National Boston Cream Pie Day.

*November has two special 'pie' days: Bavarian Cream Pie Day on the 27th and Lemon Cream Pie Day on the 29th.

National Pumpkin Pie Day

We tend to associate Thanksgiving with Pumpkin Pie, but the actual designated National special day for it is actually Christmas Day (December 25). But pumpkin pie is also associated with Halloween as pumpkin is the symbol of Harvest Time.

Pumpkin Chiffon Pie

Sylvestermouse Cynthia has a yummy recipe for Pumpkin Chiffon Pie. It can be found on her Cooking for the Holidays site.

Chocolate pie doesn't appear to have a designated day, but being MY favorite of all pies, it definitely SHOULD. Any day is special to me when I can have chocolate pie! There IS a National Chocolate Pecan Pie Day on August 20.

There are also meat pies, especially popular in England and perhaps the forerunner of the original pie, and vegetable pies such as Sweet Potato Pie and Rhubarb Pie and Tomato Pie, but our focus today has been on favorite 'dessert' pies.

Pie Town, New Mexico

Daily Pie Cafe, NM

If you REALLY love pies, there is a special place for pie lovers. It's called Pie Town, New Mexico, a small community that got its name from an early bakery for making dried-apple pies established by Clyde Norman in the early 1920s. Located just north of the Gila National Forest, Pie Town has a population of 186 people. A "Pie Festival" is held on the second Saturday of September which includes a pie-baking contest, games and races, music, food, and arts and crafts.

Photographer Russell Lee (working for the Farm Security Administration) photographed Pie Town and its people in 1940. In 2005, Lee's photos, and the local restaurant the Daily Pie Cafe were the subject of an article in Smithsonian magazine^. CBS News Sunday Morning aired a story about the town in 2015.

Delicious Homemade Pie Recipes

Pie: 300 Tried-and-True Recipes for Delicious Homemade Pie

Whichever pie is your favorite, you can find a whole lot of pie recipes (300) in Pie: 300 Tried-and-True Recipes for Delicious Homemade Pie.

Rated near the top at #29 in pie cookbooks, this recipe book with the short title (PIE) is filled with 300 pie recipes for everything from fruit pies, berry pies, nut pies, custard pies, turnovers, and ice cream pies to the perfect pie crusts. Author Richard Haedrich is a cooking teacher and cookbook author who compiled this Pie cookbook because of his lifelong passion--the making and baking of all manner of pies.

Besides January 23rd, we have December 1st also designated National Pie Day. With two national days and a host of days associated with individual kinds of pies, we will never be without an excuse to indulge this favorite dessert.

Come tell me YOUR favorite kind of PIE, this most traditional of American desserts. If I've left out any, let me know.

Quick Links:

Cooking for the Holidays
PIE Cookbook on Amazon

*National Pie Day article written by Wednesday Elf (c) on 1/23/2016.

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Wednesday, December 9, 2015

Reviewing Christmas Wreath Marshmallow Treats Recipe

One of my family's favorite Holiday treats...

Around the holidays you will find me happily creating all sorts of treats in my kitchen. I love to make cookies and treats to give away as gifts and to also have on hand when family and friends stop by. I do believe that if I ever decided to skip the Christmas Wreath Marshmallow treats on any given year, I would be disowned by my family. They absolutely love them!

Mine do not really look like a wreath because I've gotten lazy over the years and don't take the time to form them into circles so, really, mine are more like Holly clumps with berries. It doesn't matter really whether they look like a wreath or not, it is that yummy buttery marshmallow taste that grabs them every single time. I also do not use the traditional cinnamon red hots for the berries, either. Instead, I substitute those little red hots with red M&M's.

Why the substitution, you might ask? Well, truth be told I start making my Christmas cookies and treats in September and October and I found that it is extremely difficult to find the little cinnamon candies at that time of the year. So, I decided to use red M&M's one year and my family actually likes that added bite of chocolate better than the cinnamon.

The Recipe Is So Easy!

Ingredients:

1/2 cup butter

30 large marshmallows

1 1/2 tsp. green food coloring

1 tsp vanilla extract

4 cups cornflakes cereal

2 tablespoons cinnamon red hot candies (or red M&M's)

Directions for making:

Melt the butter in a large saucepan over a low heat. Add the marshmallows and cook until they are completely melted. Stir this mixture constantly so that the butter does not start to burn. Remove from the heat and stir in the food coloring, vanilla and cornflakes cereal.

Quickly drop the mixture by heaping tablespoonfuls onto waxed paper. You can form them into wreath shapes with lightly buttered fingers. Decorate with red hot candies (or my substitute). Allow to cool to room temperature before removing from the waxed paper. Store in an airtight container. They can be frozen!

A Few Tips For This Recipe

I do not recommend substituting the butter with margarine or a butter substitute. It will dramatically change the taste of your treats. Real butter works better with the marshmallows and if you are concerned about calories, well the butter is not the biggest culprit in this mixture. Trust me, use butter.

I make mine in my 6 quart dutch oven pan. It is large enough to accommodate the 4 cups of cornflakes and it is much easier to mix the ingredients together in.

Work quickly when dropping the mixture on the waxed paper from the pan. The marshmallow begins to set-up rather fast as it begins to cool. I do not recommend keeping the pan on the heat because it will begin to burn.

I also do not recommend trying to double this recipe. Although, you certainly have enough marshmallows and cornflakes to do a double batch; it is too difficult to get everything stirred and mixed together and then onto the waxed paper before it cools too much to work with.

Normally, I fix one batch and do my clean up (the pan gets pretty messy with green marshmallow residue!) and then in a day or two, I make the second batch. It is totally up to you as to how you approach it but one thing I would not attempt is to do a second batch in the pan that still has green melted marshmallow in it. That residue will burn while you are melting your butter and that ruins the second batch. Now, why do you think I know that? Hmmm? I learned the hard way that some shortcuts are just not worth trying when it comes to cooking!

If your family loves Rice Krispies Treats, they will love these Christmas Wreath treats! The cornflakes give it a slightly different taste but they are really good!

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Friday, November 20, 2015

Thanksgiving Menu of Recipes Review

Cooking for Thanksgiving is one of my favorite times of the year. For many years, Mom and I have cooked the day before Thanksgiving prior to any of our house guests arriving. It was like the calm before the storm. That day has always truly been a day of fun and laughter as we taste tested our way into sheer exhaustion that never felt better.

This year, several family members are coming in early, so Mom and I will be sharing the kitchen with a few others. I already know I am going to miss that special time for just the two of us, but, like all things, we will adapt and no doubt, still enjoy fun and laughter. In fact, I am already mentally devising ways to annoy my sister, who will be one of our early birds.

This year it will be more like the days of our youth when the girls in the household will pack into the kitchen like a can of sardines to cook, while the guys brilliantly stay out of the way. Now that I think of it, I wonder, what do those guys do? Perhaps I will spy on them this year and I can report back to you all later.

Note: You can click any of the photos to see the actual recipes.

Breakfast Breads

As much as I enjoy cooking, I do not like to cook first thing in the morning. I like to drink my coffee and wake up slowly. How my morning begins has always affected my entire day. If I wake up late, that stressful feeling of being rushed doesn't seem to leave me even as the day changes into early evening. If I wake up to immediate work, I never seem to find that peace and I tend to be irritable all day. Therefore, I prefer to either cook something the day before or something that can quickly be mixed together and stuck in the oven to bake while I drink my coffee and wake up fully.

Here are a few muffin and bread recipes that our contributors on Review This have shared with me and I, in turn, will share them with you.

Healthy Pumpkin Muffins Cranberry Nut Muffins Coffee Can Pumpkin Bread

Festive Broccoli Salad Recipe

Festive Broccoli Salad

Anything that can be prepared ahead of time, especially the day before, is going to be a real winner in my book!

BarbRad's Festive Broccoli Salad sounds like a delicious recipe, plus it looks like one I could make ahead and leave in the refrigerator. If someone gets hungry before the complete Thanksgiving dinner is ready, this salad is something they could easily help themselves to without ruining their appetites.

It would also be a very pretty addition to the Thanksgiving dinner table, provided you have any left after your guests know it is available while they wait.

The Thanksgiving Turkey

For as long as I can remember, the turkey has been one of the main dishes on our Thanksgiving table. I cook it the same way my mother prepared her Thanksgiving turkey. It is always delicious, tender and moist. After all, not one enjoys a dried out turkey!

I share all of my secrets for How to Bake a Turkey on Cooking for the Holidays.

How to Bake a Turkey

Turkey Noodle Soup Recipe

Making Another Meal with Turkey Leftovers

Since our guests stay for nearly a week, we need meals on the days after Thanksgiving. No one really feels like cooking huge meals the following days or spending a lot of time in the kitchen. Recipes that can be created with leftovers are the perfect solution to the days after Thanksgiving dinner dilemma.

Susan Deppner has shared her recipe for Homemade Turkey Noodle Soup. This is such a great recipe for those turkey leftovers, especially for those cold, damp days that always seem to follow Thanksgiving.

Wishing You All a Wonderful Day, Delicious Meals, and Safe Travels this Thanksgiving Holiday!

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Tuesday, October 6, 2015

Review of The Obituary Society by Jessica Randall

Review of The Obituary Society by Jessica L. Randall

Sometimes light escape reading is just right when we aren't feeling up to tackling nonfiction or literary novels. Times of illness or convalescence call for lighter than normal reading. That is what I wanted after my cervical spine surgery.

Perhaps with flu season fast approaching, it would be good to have this book on hand -- just in case. Of course, it's also a fun read when you are perfectly healthy and just don't want to get involved in a book that you can't put down when you have commitments to keep.

I was only in the hospital overnight and through lunch the next day. I did manage to start and finish one book on my Kindle before I went home: The Obituary Society by Jessica L. Randall. I was in a post-op drug and sleep-deprived haze when I read the book, but I remember enjoying it.

It's set in Auburn, a small town in the Midwest, and the main character, Lila, inherits her grandfather's house there. She lives with her Aunt Ada while the house, which needs a lot of work, is being repaired. Strange things happen whenever she's working at the house, however, and it would seem that someone doesn't want her there. Some incidents are even a bit frightening.

There is a lot of humor in the book that revolves around the relationships of Aunt Ada's friends and associates in her church. Some of the ladies collect clippings of the obituaries of their friends and neighbors in scrapbooks and discuss them at meetings of their Obituary Society.

There is also mystery. Lila has been warned never to go near the pond at the back of her property, but she decides to explore it by herself anyway. What happened there almost killed her. It was a place most people avoided because it was considered dangerous.

One of the most humorous series of interactions provides a touch of romance. One of Ada's friends, Gladys, tries in very obvious ways to match Lila with her grandson, Max, whom Lila doesn't like much at all.

This book was just right for hospital reading. It had enough action in the plot to grab me and keep me interested in spite of my condition, and I needed the humor. I was satisfied with the ending that resolved the mysteries and put the right people together. Another thing of interest at the end is a collection of all the recipes mentioned in the book. Many of the chapters deal with church dinners and such and women who have special recipes they are known for.

If you're looking for some easy light reading, The Obituary Society is a winner. It would be ideal to have in front of you when you are waiting for slow websites to load or programs to update. I often have my kindle handy for such occasions when I can only read in spurts, with one eye on the computer so I can click at the right times. Enjoy.

The Obituary Society: A Paranormal Women's Fiction Novel (An Obituary Society Novel Book 1)Check Price