Cookin’, Crochet & Chicken!

Last year at this time I remember featuring several recipes and thought I’d do that again this year.  For the most part, these will be recipes which caught my eye but I haven’t tried yet (note the disclaimer…hehehehe). First on the list is one I just saw in the Sunday coupons; I like hot & spicy things and this sounded ‘just right’…

Buffalo Chicken Dip

(like Buffalo Chicken Wings in a dip!)

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1 (8 oz.) pkg. cream cheese, softened

2 (9.75 ea.) cans Swanson chunk chicken breast, drained (or)

2 C. cooked chicken, cut up in chunks

1/2 C. redhot sauce*

(*Franks is the company who is featuring this recipe)

1/2 C. blue cheese salad dressing

1/2 C. crumbled blue cheese

assorted fresh vegetables and/or crackers for dipping

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Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Mix ingredients in deep baking dish until smooth. Bake 20 minutes or until hot and bubbling.

(http://www.franksredhot.com)

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Tonight I’m in an ‘eating’ mood…but not a ‘cooking’ mood! I should be starting dinner soon and already know that we’re having an old favorite:  “Potatoes O’Brien” (at least that’s what I call it.) It’s a very simple recipe; let’s see if I can write it up in recipe format:

Potatoes O’Brien

1  1/2 lb. ground beef

1-2 (28 oz. ea) pkgs. frozen “Potatoes O’Brien” (or…

check the frozen potatoes section for pkgs.  of diced potatoes with chopped onions & green peppers included-sometimes it comes as shredded potatoes, like hash browns. I have also used hash browns and added my own chopped onions & green peppers)

about 1 stick margarine

2-4 T. garlic powder (we really love garlic)

1-2 tsp. ground black pepper

1 1/2 tsp. salt

dash or 2 Worcestershire sauce

(could also add a dash or 2 Tabasco sauce)

(small can sliced mushrooms, if desired)

1 1/2 – 2 C. shredded sharp Cheddar Cheese

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In LARGE fry pan, brown hamburger & drain grease; leave in pan. Add frozen potatoes along with margarine, cut into cubes. (this is the hard part…I usually keep checking the pan to see if the potatoes are browning and have enough margarine to keep them from burning; you could add more or less, as you determine.)  Cover pan and check about every 5-10 minutes to lift & stir potatoes & hamburger to ensure they don’t burn. (they do tend to stick some).  When the potatoes are almost fully cooked, add the seasonings and canned mushrooms.  Continue stirring/lifting to make sure all potatoes are fully cooked.  When the potatoes are fully cooked, add shredded cheese to top and cover until cheese melts.  You could also put the pan under the broiler until cheese is browned a bit & bubbly.

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For this recipe, remember that I’m feeding 4 adults with large appetites, so you might want to halve the recipe…feel free! We usually eat this in big bowls with lots of catsup (I know…most of you are saying YUCK! but remember I have all GUYS here!) It’s definitely NOT a cholesterol-free recipe, but it’s filling and sticks to the ribs!

Did my Christmas shopping with youngest son today which entailed the two of us going to American Eagle Outfitters and letting him pick out 2 pr. jeans and 2 t-shirts. That might not sound like much, but he got what he liked (and they had a good SALE!); he’s happy and now I don’t have to agonize over what to get him! I do have one more t-shirt squirreled away for him to open on Christmas (not Amer. Eagle, but a nice long sleeved tee with a sort of barbed wire design). I must say: after about 45 minutes in that store my OVERLOAD of all things PREPPY got the best of me. Lots of young people (teens & 20’s) all dressed in the latest fashions, all ‘perfect’ bodies/perfect hair, etc…a little too much for my 61 yr old mind to handle (plus the modern music on the speakers). The ONE thing that really surprised me? They were selling winter hats & scarves for girls…one nice white scarf in a basic crocheted shell pattern: $34.50!!! I could MAKE one for around $8!!! Oh, and the other item: a little hat with (AMAZING TO ME) the very same design that I just learned to knit! Remember me featuring that square with the Hexagon design? Yep, that’s the one! It was done in all-solid colored yarn: $19.00. Gee, if I really wanted a ‘cottage industry’, that would be my forte…knitting scarves & hats for American Eagle!

Anyway, that was my experiences for today; got the Christmas tree all together (finally)…now I just have to decorate it and we’ll be done with that project!  A few more little trips to go, buying a few ’stocking stuffers’ (side note: did you know that one of the best places to grab nice, reasonable stocking stuffer ‘food-stuffs’ is your local drug store? WalGreens/RiteAid/CVS all are having some great sales on candy-type stuff. I was all excited because CVS has Maxwell House instant coffee for $4.99 until I read WalGreen’s add and it’s $3.99 there! Since where I live all the drug stores seem to be competing for putting their stores closest to all the other drug stores, it’s not a big drive for me to visit all three within 2 blocks of my house! Walgreens also has canned salmon for $1.49 a can/limit 4…I love making salmon patties using that (we use 2 cans here…big eaters, remember?).

Guess that’s all I wanted to tell you for now; have more good sounding recipes coming up. Ten more days until Christmas! Still have all my baking to do…but that’s next week (I hope!).

Enjoy yourselves!

Hugs;

Pammie

Been Shopping…

The past two days have been spent going to several stores trying to find a nice, yet affordable gift for my 3 1/2 yr. old grandson. I had seen (what I thought) was a really neat toy advertised on TV: “Bounce Back Racer”, which is a toddler version of a remote control car which flips over ( if it runs into any object) and keeps going. It’s a great toy but my Scots heritage came screaming out and I just couldn’t justify paying $30+ for one toy. After searching several stores for his other favorite thing, cardboard puzzles, I came away frustrated. Yes, KMart and Meijers had puzzles: $8 + wooden ones with about 9 pieces which would bore him in no time. I finally ended up at our local Family Dollar store today and found 3 good, cardboard ones which will make him happy. He’s so cute; the other day when he was here the first thing he said when he came in the door was: “Gramma Pam has lots of puzzles for me, Dad! She bought me lots of puzzles; we need puzzles at OUR house!” (guess I know what he likes). Also found him a car carrier that has about 15 small metal cars in it; he loves playing with the little cars.

Amid the searching for the ‘right toy’ I also ended up snagging several pairs of winter gloves for the boys (not gifts) because KMart is digging deep in the discounting department and all gloves were 40% off! Middle son requested a few video games which I was able to find, and some floor mats for his car. Now floor mats are in most stores, but I was searching for something PLAIN which I could afford! Yes, there are the Tinkerbelle ones, or big dolphins or flowers (not GUY-type stuff). He has a Pontiac Grand Am which has small floor spaces; I was finally able to find a good set (all black) for around $24. (the fancy ones above listed run $30 and up!).  His 21 st birthday is coming up the beginning of January, so I have to remember to budget the gifts a bit so as not to go overboard with the Christmas presents then have to turn around and do it again in 2 weeks for his birthday. I know that probably sounds a bit cheap…but this year money is tight (as I’m sure it is in your households, also) and I have to take that into account.

Today is also scheduled as the ‘put up the big tree’ day; we’ll see if that gets done. The rest of the house is decorated and the little fiber optic tree is in the dining room (have to have at least ONE tree up!). If you’ve read my blog for any amount of time, you know that decorating is NOT my favorite thing. Don’t get me wrong-I like the ‘end result’, it’s just taking the time to get all the stuff down from upstairs, dragging out all the various parts to the tree, assembling the branches on the middle part, putting the lights on, etc. Not my ‘fun thing’.

Coming up this week is the BAKING! I’ve purchased the ingredients for getting that done, but it’s going to be another ‘waiting for inspiration’ moments for me. In lieu of that thought, I offer you a great-sounding recipe from my friend Peg in Florida (below is featured where she got the recipe, also):

Orange Cream Cheese Bread

8 ounces cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup shortening
1 2/3 cups granulated sugar
2 eggs
2 1/4 cups flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup milk
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
2 tablespoons grated orange peel
1/2 teaspoon orange extract
2/3 cup orange juice
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Preheat oven to 350º F.
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Combine cream cheese and shortening, creaming well. Gradually add sugar, beating until light and fluffy. Add eggs, beating well after each addition.

Combine flour, baking powder and salt; add to creamed mixture alternately with milk, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Mix well after each addition.
Stir in nuts, orange peel and extract. Pour batter into two 8- or 9-inch loaf pans which have been coated with vegetable cooking spray.

Bake at 375 degrees F for 50 to 55 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Let cool in pan for 10 minutes; orange pour juice over loaves. Remove to wire rack to cool.
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Recipe source: Corner Sweet Shoppe yahoo group, submitted by berude2u

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Tonight is the last choir practice before tomorrow’s adult choir Christmas Contata. Just glad my health is holding out and my throat seems to be doing just fine (there have been years where that wasn’t the case!). Hope that this post finds you (a) in good health (b) enjoying the season (c) getting your shopping, wrapping, decorating, baking, etc. done in time to please you and (d) remember to RELAX a little and enjoy yourself!  ‘Tis the season to be jolly’, remember!

Hugs;

Pammie

PS: Quick weather report for our area:  Thursday found us going through some snow flurries, Friday found us in the ‘deep freeze’, with temperatures no exceeding 16 (bitter cold) and today the sun’s out, it’s clear with temps around 25 degrees. I’m glad it’s warmed up a bit; my husband works outside quite a bit and the past few days have really been hard on him; I’ve been trying to make comfort food dinners to help in that area. Tonight is Turkey Noodle Soup (from the turkey leftovers of Thanksgiving.)

First Time for This One…sigh

Might as well start out this post with a : “You Knew It Would EVENTUALLY Come to This…” Yesterday I stopped at the drive-through for Burger King to get a quick Whopper Jr. (my little ‘treat’). When I got to the pick up window the lady there said: “And would you like a Senior discount drink for only an additional 49 cents?” Now, mind you … I NEVER said ANYTHING about being a Senior! That one kind of hit me in the face; I’m sure if you’d have had a camera aimed at my face at that specific moment it would have registered some very shocked emotions! Yes, I guess at 61 I am (in some circles) considered a Senior, but I sure didn’t think it SHOWED THAT MUCH! (Dang! Where is Lady Clairol when you need her? And I’d just colored my hair last week!)

Oh well … to quote the old expression: “Ya ain’t gettin’ any younger, ya know!” To that I say…..SIGH………………..

Hugs;

Pammie

PS: It’s a very brisk 27 degrees out tonight, lots of wind; in fact in several areas around here there are power outages. When I drove to my special needs group tonight almost the total area of stores which comprise our local ‘mall’ was in blackness, plus several apartment buildings. I was counting my blessings on the drive home, as there was lots of blowing snow, low visibility and very little in the street light department to help me see.  Thank heavens for home, a nice hot cup of coffee and a couple of chocolate chip cookies to tide me over! (oh, and the added blessing of knowing that my whole family had made it home safely, as well. Husband had overtime working OUTSIDE in that nasty coldness, so I was doubly glad to see he made it home safe & sound!

Making Deliveries

11 afghans for Durban, S. Africa

22 afghans for Ghana

Another busy week ‘attempting’ to get lots of things done. Today found me delivering 22 afghans to Crittenton Hospital for eventual delivery to Ghana; tomorrow is delivery of 11 afghans for Durban, S. Africa – then I can take a (small) break before starting all over again. Total afghans completed since this ministry started: 218.

Last night was youngest son’s Christmas concert at his school. He joined the concert choir and the program was a compilation of all choirs and orchestral groups. It was jam-packed with almost 2 hours of music and nicely done.

I’m sitting here enjoying a lovely warm mug of cocoa to ‘warm my innards’ after the long afghan drive. The weather’s been pretty steady for the last few days: in the low 30’s but clear (no s-n-0-w), however I hear that’s about to change. Just got a weather report for this evening that we’re due for: “ snow and sleet, which is in effect from 7 pm this evening to 4 am est Wednesday.”  Oh Joy…(not). Well, it’s bound to happen, this being Michigan and December…just not looking forward to the whole winter routine…sigh. Dug out my heavy winter jacket yesterday and found my heavy winter gloves and hat tucked in the pockets. I promptly put them aside, saying: “I don’t need THESE yet!” (little did I know, eh?). I don’t think I’d mind much if it weren’t for the fact that I’ll be doing my usual Tuesday  (knit night) and Wednesday  (special needs group) driving. Oh well…gotta take it with a (slightly frozen) grain of salt, so the expression goes.

Hope you are all staying healthy, warm and getting those needed jobs/gifts/etc. taken care of. Managed to pick up oldest son’s present yesterday and have ordered 2 very small gifts on line, but other than that…I’m completely stumped this year for gift ideas! Ran into our mail lady today and promised her some cookies ’soon’ (just not sure WHEN I’ll get them baked); thank heavens she’s very patient. She warned me of those days when she’ll be off for the next 2 weeks, also informing me that if I put a package in our mailbox for her and she’s off, her ’sub’ driver WILL eat them! (glad she warned me!).

Enjoy your day, stay warm & cosy and remember “Jesus is the REASON for the season!” Merry Christmas!

Hugs;

Pammie

A Wonderful Day to All!

A Very Happy Thanksgiving to all!

Just put the turkey in to begin roasting, made the fresh cran-orange relish (that was a bit of a chore…) and now am taking a few ‘me’ minutes before ‘going at it’ again with the preparations. Wanted to take a few minutes to wish all of you a wonderful holiday, full of love, friendship, family and, of course, good food. Remember to give thanks for all you’re grateful for.

Hugs;

Pammie   

(us, watching the Thanksgiving day parade!)

Getting Ready

Hi!

Now that it’s almost Turkey Day (and, YES, I now know it’s on Thursday, thanks to the reminder from my good friend Momma…grin) I guess I should explain my confusion on the actual ‘day’ of the holiday: in years past my son has been off for Thanksgiving holiday the day before Thanksgiving, but this year he has Weds-Sunday off, which threw my mental schedule off by one day.  I think I’m finally ready with the food purchases. Made an early trip (again) to Kroger for a larger turkey; thought I had the turkey thing all wrapped up but now we’re having extra company and the 15 pounder just won’t cut it to include leftovers. Kroger is having a GREAT sale on Riverside turkeys 29 cents a pound with extra $10 purchase (using their Kroger card). I picked up a 20- something pound turkey for $6.01 … you just can’t beat that!  Got a call last night to make a ‘fruit type dessert’ for a bride/groom shower our Sunday School class is throwing next Sunday evening after church. This is a very ‘interesting’ shower, as it’s for my long-time friend (the groom) who’s wife was my very close friend. You might remember a little over 2 years ago when I wrote about my friend dying of cancer…that was his wife.  Sometimes in life (call it ‘fate’?) events fall into place that just seem ‘right’.  In our Sunday School class is a lady (58) who is a widow with 2 daughters; her husband died of cancer 5 years ago.  As ‘fate’ would have it, she and my good friend’s husband(he’s 63) have started dating and are now going to be married in January! They are both great Christian people, very devoted to their children and each other. For me, it’s been a bit of adjusting to get used to this new ‘couple’, but I’m very happy for the both of them-to see them together makes me think of the words: It’s like ‘coming home’…they belong together.   I say all that to give you another recipe for a yummy dessert (don’t think I’ve posted this one before, but am not totally sure). It’s a light, fluffy, not too sweet dessert – every time I’ve made it there are NO leftovers…just plain great stuff! I usually double the recipe if it’s for a party.

Cherry-Pineapple Dessert

1 can Eagle Brand sweetened condensed milk (not evaporated)

1 large container Cool Whip, defrosted

1 can cherry pie filling

1 can crushed pineapple, drained

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In a large bowl, fold Eagle Brand milk into Cool Whip until incorporated. Gently fold in pie filling and pineapple. Refrigerate 1-2 hours before serving.

NOTE: You can substitute blueberry or strawberry pie filling and/or add chopped nuts before refrigerating.

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Even though I know it’s going to be a lot of work, I’m looking forward to the Thanksgiving meal; lots of good foods you don’t usually eat except at the holidays, friends and family to share with. With work schedules that day, we’ll be eating around 7/7:30 p.m. but that’s OK-part of the ‘downside’ of being in the food service business (oldest son is Executive Chef, his girlfriend is a server, his friend who’s coming is one of his employees…another ‘cook’).  Sometimes I feel a little intimidated cooking for my oldest son because he’s a chef, but then I think again: “Hey, I’m sure he’s just glad that he doesn’t have to cook this meal himself!”  Besides, sometimes he gives me little tips when helping with the last minute details (he’s a GREAT cooked potato masher!). This year I’m attempting to make homemade cranberry-orange relish since I can’t find Ocean Spray Cranberry-Orange relish (a staple EVERY year for our holidays…until THIS year!). His advice to me: freeze the fresh cranberries before grinding them…they come out less shredded that way.  Then he added: “That’s the way I do it at my restaurant and I make that stuff all the time”. I still remember the young kid who was just starting Culinary training who decided to make dinner for us: spaghetti…and the entire kitchen filled with dirty pots & pans, spaghetti sauce EVERYWHERE! Ah yes…they DO grow up!

Hope you’re ‘on track’ with your holiday preparations and food buying. It’s a semi-cloudy 49 degree day out today; still a nice Fall day (I hear we’re supposed to get the first “S word inserted here…Thursday or Friday…sigh. Not the ’sticking’ kind, but s-n-o-w in any form just signals it’s coming in larger quantities very soon…the ‘downside’ of living in Michigan…sigh.

Hugs;

Pammie

Bonus recipe:

Fresh Cranberry-Orange Relish

1 (12-ounce) package Ocean Spray® Fresh or Frozen Cranberries, rinsed and drained
1 unpeeled orange, cut into eighths and seeded
3/4 to 1 cup granulated sugar

1. Place half the cranberries and half the orange slices in food processor container. Process until mixture is evenly chopped. Transfer to a bowl. Repeat with remaining cranberries and orange slices. Stir in sugar. Store in refrigerator or freezer.

Makes about 3 cups.

Happy Saturday!

Having made it through Friday the 13th just fine, we’re now into Saturday – here at my house (at least today) it was a day of rest (for the most part). I decided that I wanted to make/knit/crochet a gift for my oldest son’s girlfriend (who is like a Mom to my grandson). Found some really nice soft cream colored yarn that someone had given me and started on a (what I thought would be) scarf. After working the pattern for a good 1 1/2 feet I realized that this was just not going to be enough yarn (had 1 3/4 skeins), so I set out on my trusty computer to try to find this particular color and make. It’s by Red Heart, a very trusted name in yarns…however, it’s something I’ve never seen before: called “Caress”. I searched to my little heart’s content, through several sites which carry Red Heart, sites that carry discontinued yarns, through EBay, and finally ended up writing to Coats & Clark company (makers of Red Heart) to ask just where I could possibly obtain another 1-2 skeins.  Proceeded to continue with the knitting and got to almost the end of the first skein when a ‘vision’ hit me! The ladies in my knit group are VERY up on the latest fashions and I’ve heard them talking about knitting these neckwarmers (now called cowls), so I thought: “Let’s see…would this be long/wide enough for that?” Sure enough! I will be posting the finished product soon; am planning on making a crocheted edge and also two crocheted button loops and sewing 2 lovely brown wooden buttons on at the front. Now, mind you…this is not MY style, but it will definitely fit into the ‘in-style’ things being made these days. I’m not even sure if she will like a cowl; last year I knit her a hat and couldn’t really tell from her reaction just what she thought of it (never saw her wear it, either), but I’m of the opinion that I feel like I’d like to give her a gift, and one that’s from my heart, so we’ll see how it goes.

 

Dinner tonight was pork chops, big huge baked potatoes (with butter &  sour cream, of course!) and tossed salad. All the time I was making dinner this song from my childhood kept going through my head so after dinner I did a ’search’ on YouTube and found it! The song is called:
“Pork Chops and Gravy” by The Ink Spots! Here’s the link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D2HNchkebwk

I grew up with a very diverse musical background (my mom having been a classical pianist), but Saturday evenings used to be ‘record night’ at our house and how I loved that! We’d drag out all the 78’s (all glass? not your vinyl records of the later years); we’re talking the 40’s & 50’s. Songs like: “Davey Crockett” (my favorite), songs by Jimmy Durante, The Mills Brothers, Ella Fitzgerald, Spike Jones…lots of variety and I loved them all!  Anyway, I’ve said all that to eventually get to the fact that I can’t seem to hear about, or cook pork chops without thinking of that song!

Last night I did something I haven’t done in a very long time: watched a ‘chick flick’ all by myself! Youngest wasn’t feeling well and went to bed early, middle son was out with his friends, husband was happily playing World of Warcraft on his computer so I decided to check out “On Demand” on our cable (under Free Movies, of course!). That brought me to an ‘oldie but goodie’: Tom Hanks/Meg Ryan: “Sleepless in Seattle”. I had seen the ending before, but never the whole movie; great Kleenex movie, for sure, but just what I needed…a good chick flick! Took me awhile to figure out how to manipulate the cable controller, though…I wanted to go back and replay a small bit I’d missed…that was interesting…it kept going forward! Finally figured it out and the rest was history.  Sometimes a girl just has to have her ‘girlie’ fix, ya know?

That’s what’s going on around here today; it was a nice Fall day, sunny & good temperatures (in the 50’s). Hope you enjoyed your day;

Hugs;

Pammie

Unexpected Fun!

Almost 3 1/2 years old!

Today worked out to be one of those ‘not planned, but totally fun’ days. I got most of the housework/chores out of the way yesterday which left me ‘free’. Around 10 a.m. I got a frantic call from our oldest who wanted to know what I was doing right then; “Not much” I replied. “Can you watch the little guy?” “Yes, of course!” Due to some sort of  mix-up in scheduling, his Mother had to work, the great-grandmother wasn’t home which left my son frantically trying to find someone to watch my grandson (apparently he’d already driven to the Mom’s house AND the great grandmas…no one home either place!). We had a good time putting puzzles together, playing cars & trucks, rocking (and a nap), then time to go to great grandma’s house.  The whole mix-up got straightened out, and I got to spend some ‘fun’ time with my sweet grandson who’s growing so quickly. Due to lots of unplanned events (car troubles/sick cat/his Mom’s changed work schedule) I haven’t babysat him in almost 2 months, other than seeing him for a few hours when his Dad stops by, so this was truly a treat for me. What a nice way to spend a Fall day!

Working on afghan #210; managed to ‘put together for sewing’ six more afghans (I usually only get 4 done before getting too tired), so now I’m getting my ’second wind’ in the afghan department.

Last night was my Knit/Crochet group night and we had another new lady join us: total of 17 people gathered to knit/crochet/chat/eat & drink great stuff from Panera Bread/chat lots more/share ideas & patterns…all-in-all, a totally fun evening!  (Usually we average around 11-12 on an evening, so it felt like we were bursting at the seams! So glad that the management there like having us…of course we spend money, but they’re very tollerant of us re-arranging all their tables, too…we put them back when we’re done!).

It seems we’re still getting a bit of Indian Summer: nice breezes, beautiful colors, sun shining and the temperatures are really nice for this time of year (50-60’s!). I know it will very quickly change, but for now I’m just enjoying the blessings!

Have to get off here and go make dinner; my husband’s all-time favorite: “Souper Meat & Potato Pie” (I’m pretty sure it’s somewhere in my postings…it was an old Campbell’s Soup label recipe from the 70’s). It’s basically a big meatloaf which is baked half-way, then frosted with mashed potatoes and topped with shredded cheddar cheese…Yum!

Hope you’re enjoying your day!

Hugs;

Pammie

Having a Little Fun!

Today was one I’ve been waiting for, now, for about a month; took our cat to the vet’s for another check up and he’s doing good! The vet’s report: “Looks like the food is doing him good!” They checked him out and reported that there was no obstruction and very few crystals, so I was just thrilled!  So thrilled, in fact, that I went on a mini-shopping spree! (Actually, it was more of a “treat Pammie” spree). Came home with three nice pairs of earrings (Big Lots: they were a set and very reasonable: $3.00), a new container for my knitting supplies in my ‘carry everywhere’ knitting bag (for scissors, tiny ruler, crochet hook) from the St. Vincent de Paul thrift shop (for $1) and my last little find: Almond Chocolate Biscotti on sale for $3 at our local drug store! Yep, I’m a ‘cheap treats’ person, but it made me happy, so all’s good!

Finished another afghan yesterday, #209, and am ‘on to bigger and better things’…(actually, just #210….grin).

Tonight’s dinner is homemade chicken noodle soup which I have to get making very soon, as I like to let the chicken get to the ‘fall off the bone’ stage before using it in the soup.  Was able to obtain a really (in my humble opinion) fantastic, yummy treat recipe and thought I’d share it with you. WARNING: It’s very rich, but VERY yummy!

Reese’s No-Bake Squares

2 1/2 C. powdered sugar

2 1/2 C. graham cracker crumbs

1  1/3 C. peanut butter

1 C. melted butter

12 oz. chocolate chips, melted

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Mix together powdered sugar and graham cracker crumbs. Add peanut butter and melted butter; mix well.  Press into a 9 X 13 baking pan. Pour melted chocolate chips over top and spread around to cover top. Refrigate 15 minutes or so (NOT until hard), then cut into small squares.

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My youngest came home from a youth outing, brought one of these home and shared it with me. Of course I IMMEDIATELY wanted the recipe … it was gooey (could have been because it was in his hot hands?), peanut buttery, and nicely chocolatey! I have another recipe similar to this one, but that one comes out about 1/4 inch thick; the above recipe comes out about 3/4 inches thick!  Believe me…it’s worth making them (forget the calories…they all fall off when you cut the squares! …. wink).

Going into this weekend I have a bridal shower tomorrow at church for two of our choir members who are also friends of ours (well…the groom has been like another one of my ‘kids’), so it ought to be a fun adventure! They’re planning a January wedding (Brrrrrrr!). Before I go to the shower I have to help youngest bake a pan of brownies, as he’s attending a Chili CookOff and the teens are required to make (or at least ‘help’ make a dessert…he chose brownies, as that’s HIS favorite dessert!).

It’s shaping up like a fun weekend; our weather’s been a bit ‘goofy’ but I’m happy…it’s been chilly (in the 30’s & 40’s) with some rain, some gloomy days, BUT….NO SNOW so far! (It was predicted that we were supposed to get ’scattered flurries’ Weds & part of Thurs, but they didn’t appear…YAY!!!).

Enjoy your weekend; stay warm, eat something YOU like (brownies/biscotti/bagel?) along with a nice, hot steaming cup of your favorite beverage….gotta stay cosy, remember?

Hugs;

Pammie

Decisions & Answers

"Rikki"

It’s been a week today that we discovered our cat’s urinary problems. This morning he ate & drank well and I was happy for a good night with him until I discovered that he hadn’t used the litter box or made the bath towel in the crate all wet, so I turned him over.  His underside was totally dry but there was a bit of blood, also.  This time I burst into tears, prayed and then stealed myself for the inevitable: euthenasia. I called my husband, talked to middle son and then called the vet to make the arrangements.  This would make the third time he’d totally blocked up in a week and the costs of the urethrectomy are way beyond our means right now.  Brought him in to the vets and asked if the vet could just confirm my suspicions before hand. Low and behold, the vet announced that his bladder was tiny! I was amazed and asked about the blood. The vet said that he’s been straining; apparently he’d emptied his bladder into the carrying crate! A quick shot to help reduce the inflamation on his bladder, a question about ’should I start the medication to shrink the bladder now?’ (wait a day) and I was home with my cat again! Will wonders never cease?! The vet was very happy and said: “Looks like he hasn’t used up his 9 lives just yet!”  We have a great vets office; they’re very understanding about costs-he only charged me ‘cost’ for the shot today ($10) so we’re good-to-go for another day. It’s been Wed/Thur/Sat/Mon/Tues/ and now Weds. at the vets and I didn’t realize just how ‘ready’ I was to hear some GOOD news for a change! (He did warn me that we’re ‘not out of the woods yet’, but it’s a start.)

Enjoy your day; I know my family will, with our cat!

Hugs;

Pammie