Some Catching Up . . .

First, since I didn’t post this earlier in the month (Aug. 6th, to be exact), here’s our youngest with his #17  ice cream cake: (Dairy Queen Butterfinger!)

Just returned from getting him registered for  school – his Senior Year! He’s been busy these past three weeks working on the field work drills for Color Guard/Marching Band at his school. I’m glad he’s young and energetic – practice is 12 noon – 6 p.m. every day; this Sunday they all leave for Band Camp where they’ll put all their learning to the test and perfect their routines as the first football game is the day after they return from camp! It’s been a busy three weeks for me, too, with all the driving back & forth to school (sure got a lot of practice packing lunches!)

Also on my agenda this past week was finally putting together Afghan # 300!!! YAY!!!  I’m considering a short break from the afghan project but still have enough stored squares to make about 30 more afghans (and that’s just a guess on the actual # of afghans). This one came out very colorful; most of the bright squares were crocheted by one person.

(as per my tradition, there’s a Teeny Beanie toy tucked in the center pocket – this one is a chameleon – his colors matched the afghan colors, I thought!)  You can click on the photo to enlarge it.

This week I get a break from babysitting; the other grandparents are taking our grandson to the “Dream Cruise” downtown. This is a yearly summer event, usually lasting 3 days but frequently stretches into several weekends. This is a Antique Car aficionado’s paradise! When I was in my teens a tradition started when kids & adults would go “cruising Woodward Avenue” in the summer. It was, basically a ‘see & be seen’ thing, there you & your friends would drive up and down Woodward, stop at various drive-in restaurants and ‘hang out’ together. (I know this sounds wimpy- but I never did it – not even now). Over the years it’s grown into a really huge thing – more than our little town, more than our lovely state of Michigan – there are people who drive here from all over the USA, some even SHIP their cars here rather than drive them. They either drive their old cars up & down OR park them, prop the hood up and people walk up and down viewing all the cars.

I’m using my ‘free day’ to work on the yellow chemo cap (have finished the brim and am advancing to the body of the hat) and also working on the gold scarf. The scarf seemed to be a hit at knit night – people kept asking what I was working on and they liked the pattern. When I told them it was a dishcloth pattern they seemed quite surprised – it looks like a scarf pattern to me, hence my idea to use it that way. One lady asked if it was a ‘fake cable’ pattern (never thought of it that way, but I suppose it is!) When it’s done I’ll try to remember to post a photo.

Oh! Recipes! Almost forgot! Here are more tasty-sounding recipes for ya!

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ROOT BEER FLOAT CAKE

1 (18 1/4 oz.) box yellow cake mix
1 (12 oz.) can root beer
1 tsp. vanilla
1/4 C. vegetable oil
3 large eggs

Root Beer Glaze:
1/2 C. confectioners’ sugar
3 T. root beer
2-3 drops vanilla

Preheat oven to 350°F.
Combine all ingredients for cake,
beating until smooth. Pour into
greased Bundt pan. Bake until  toothpick
inserted into center of cake comes
out clean (or about 35-40 minutes).
Cool in pan for 10 minutes; run a knife
along edges of pan to loosen. Invert cake
to remove from pan and cool completely
on a wire rack. Combine ingredients for glaze.
Pierce top of cake with a skewer about every
2 inches and drizzle the glaze over the
cake.

*Serve cake topped with vanilla,  butter pecan
or maple walnut.
(recipe: lovetocook- Marys Recipe Exchange)
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Bacon, Lettuce and Tomato Pizza

8 oz. pkg. refrigerated crescent rolls
1/2 C. mayonnaise
1 1/2 tsp. Dijon mustard
6 bacon slices, cooked, drained and crumbled
1 C. shredded lettuce
1 medium tomato, chopped
1/2 C. shredded cheddar cheese
1/4 C. green onion slices
Ice cream for topping, see note*

Preheat oven to 350.
Unroll crescent dough; separate into triangles.
Arrange triangles in circle on greased 14-inch
pizza pan with points toward the center and
wide ends toward the outside.  Pat out dough
with fingers to 12-inch circle, pressing seams
together to seal.  Bake 12 to 15 minutes or until
golden brown.  Remove from oven; cool
completely.In small bowl, combine mayonnaise
and mustard; spread evenly onto crust.  Sprinkle
with bacon.  Top with lettuce, tomato cheese and
onion.  Cut into wedges to serve. 10 servings
(recipe: KS Tabby-Marys Recipe Exchange)
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Mound Bars

2 C. graham cracker crumbs
1/4 C. white sugar
1/2 C. melted butter
1 (14 oz) can sweetened condensed milk
2 C. flaked coconut
1 (12 oz) pkg semisweet chocolate chips, melted

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Combine graham cracker crumbs, sugar and melted
butter or margarine. Mix and pat into the bottom of
one 9×13 inch baking pan. Bake 15 minutes. Combine
condensed milk and flaked coconut. Spread  over crust
and bake 15 minutes. Spread melted chocolate chips
over the top. Let cool and cut into squares.
(recipe: Mary Free-Mary’s Recipe Exchange)
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CROCK POT ITALIAN SAUSAGES

3-4 lbs. Italian sausages (sweet or hot)
2 medium green peppers, sliced
1 large onion, sliced
28-30 oz jar spaghetti sauce

Cook sausage whole in covered frying pan;
drain and slice. Put all ingredients in crockpot
and cook 2-3 hours on high. Turn to low to keep
warm.
(recipe: KS tabby-1_Comfort_Foods)
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Bacon Horseradish Stuffed Mushrooms

12 large fresh mushrooms about 1 to 1 1/2 inches in diameter
2 T. butter or margarine
2 T. onion – chopped
2 T. fine dry bread crumbs
1/2 tsp. dried parsley flakes
6 slices bacon cooked and crumbled
4 1/2 oz low-fat cream cheese softened
1 tsp. prepared horseradish
1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper (to taste-optional)
1/4 C. Parmesan cheese grated (optional)
1 T. Cajun Spice mix (optional)

Preheat oven to 350F.
Trim mushrooms; remove stems. Set caps
aside; finely chop stems. In small bowl combine
butter, onion and chopped stems. Saute in large
pan until butter melts and onion is tender, stirring
from time to time. Stir in bread crumbs, parsley,
bacon, cream cheese, and horseradish. Add
cayenne pepper if you’d like a spicy bite to the dish.
Mixture should be dry but not crumbly. Spoon
mixture into caps, pressing lightly. Arrange filled
caps in a baking sheet and sprinkle tops with
grated Parmesan or a bit of Cajun spice mix.
Bake about 15 minutes until hot and bubbly.
The cheese browns nicely if you use it on top.
Serve while still warm. Makes 12.
(recipe: Joan – Cream-Cheese-or-Sour Cream site)
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Fabulous Zucchini Brownies

1  1/2 C. sugar
1/2 C. oil
2 tsp. vanilla extract
2 C. all-purpose flour
1/2 C. baking cocoa
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
2 C. zucchini, shredded
1/2 C. chopped pecans

Preheat oven 350 degrees F.
Mix sugar, oil and vanilla; set aside. In a separate
bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa, baking soda
and salt. Blend in sugar mixture, zucchini and
nuts. Pour into a lightly oiled 13″x9″ baking pan
and bake  25 to 30 minutes. Cut into squares.
Makes about 1-1/2 dozen
(recipe: Sandy-Marys Recipe Exchange)
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BLACK-BOTTOM BANANA BARS

1/2 C. butter or margarine, softened
1 C. sugar
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 1/2 C. mashed ripe bananas (about 3 medium)
1 1/2 C. flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 C. baking cocoa

Preheat oven 350 degrees F.
In a mixing bowl, cream butter, sugar. Add egg,
vanilla; beat until thoroughly combined. Blend in
bananas. Combine flour, baking powder, baking
soda, salt; add to creamed mixture, mix well.
Divide batter in half. Add cocoa to half; spread
into a greased 13x9x2 inch baking pan. Spoon
remaining batter on top, swirl with a knife. Bake
25 minutes or until bars test done.
(recipe: Peg-Marys Recipe Exchange)
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Cajun Oven-Fried Chicken

1/3 cup low-fat buttermilk
1 T. salt-free Cajun seasoning
1/2 tsp. salt
1 C. panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)
2 chicken breast halves (about 1 lb), skinned
2 chicken drumsticks (about1/2 lb), skinned
2 chicken thighs (about 1/2 lb), skinned 
Cooking spray

Preheat oven to 400F. 
Combine first 3 ingredients in a shallow dish.
Place panko in a shallow dish. Dip chicken, one 
piece at a time, into buttermilk mixture; dredge 
in panko.Place chicken on a baking sheet lined 
with parchment paper. Lightly coat chicken with 
cooking spray. Bake at 400F for 40 minutes or 
until done, turning after 20 minutes. 
Makes 4 servings.
(recipe: Peg - Marys Recipe Exchange)
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Snow Pea, Scallion, and Radish Salad

2 C. (8 oz.) snow peas, trimmed 
4 scallions (white and green parts), 
   thinly sliced 
8 radishes, trimmed and cut into 
    thin strips (about 1/2 C.) 
1/4 cup rice vinegar 
1 tsp. granulated sugar 
1 Tbs. walnut or canola oil 

Put snow peas in a microwave-safe 
bowl with 1 Tbs. water. Cover tightly 
and microwave for 1 minute. Drain and 
let cool. Cut snow peas on the diagonal 
into 1/2-inch diamond shapes, discarding 
the end pieces. In a medium serving bowl, 
combinesnow peas, scallions, and radishes. 
In a small bowl, whisk together vinegar, 
sugar, and oil until the sugar dissolves. 
Pour over the salad and serve.
(recipe: Ellie-Recipes du Jour 6/24/11)
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Tropical Kugel

 
8 oz. cream cheese, softened
1/2 C. sweet butter, softened
3/4 of a 16 oz. container of sour cream
4 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
1 well rounded cup sugar
1(8 oz.)pkg thin or medium egg noodles, cooked and 
        drained
1 (15 oz.)can crushed pineapple, drained
1 (15 oz.)can mandarin oranges, drained
1 (15 oz.)can Queen Anne cherries (If unavailable, 
use dark sweet cherries)
cinnamon-sugar
 
Preheat oven 375 degrees F.
Beat first six ingredients until smooth.  Combine 
with remaining ingredients.  Pour into a greased 
13 x 9" pan.  Heavily sprinkle with cinnamon-sugar 
mixture. Bake 40 minutes or until bottom is brown.
Serves 8.
(recipe-angchick - Desserts du Jour 7/8/11)
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Well, that’s all the ‘stuff’ going on around here so far this week;

Hugs;

Pammie