HOLIDAY COOKING

Mint Surprise Cookies
1 C Butter
1 C Sugar
1 C Brown Sugar
2 Eggs
1 tsp Vanilla
1 tsp Baking Soda
1 tsp Salt
3 C Flour
1 package Andies Mint Squares

* Preheat oven to 375
* Unwrap Andies mints and cut mint rectangles in half, making squares.
* Soften butter, add sugar, brown sugar, eggs, vanilla, baking soda and salt.
*Mix with electric mixer until smooth.
*Add flour and stir until mixed.
* Chill for an hour in fridge ( you don't have to do this but it makes it easier to form balls.)

*Spoon dough and roll around a mint square by using the palm of your hand. Cookie balls should be about 1 inch to 1.5 inch balls. The mint should not be showing.

* Bake 375 for 10-12 minutes.














English Toffee
1 C Butter
1/4 C Water
2 Tablespoons Karo Syrup (Corn Syrup)
1 1/4 C Sugar
1 Bag Semi Sweet Chocolate Chips
Smashed Walnuts
Candy Thermometer

*Melt butter in a medium size saucepan. You must use real butter for this.
* Add water, corn syrup, and sugar.
* Stir until boiling.
* Turn heat down a bit so that the sauce is still boiling but not extremely hard. (usually medium low)
* Put candy thermometer into the liquid. Make sure it is not touching the bottom of the pan.
* Cook to 285 degrees. This will take about 20 min or more.
* Pour onto lightly greased cookie sheet (must have four sides)
* The toffee will look bubbly for a minute or two but then will become smooth.
* Pour bag of chocolate chips on the top, wait for them to melt and then smooth them all over the toffee.
* Add crushed walnuts
* Allow the toffee to set, either by leaving it out for several hours or by placing it into the fridge. Once cooked and set you can cut it with a metal spatula or butter knife.

WINTER FUN AT THE NUT HOUSE

Have any of you tried to make a gingerbread house lately?
Welllll, ummm, all I can say is good luck and have fun.

Emmi and I started making these three years ago. The first one was a tree and was fairly easy. Last year we made a train and I struggled with it, but still, comparatively speaking it was easy. This year Emmi wanted this cute little house.

The box showed a uniform house, with cute gumdrops all in a row and a checkerboard roof that made me say... "awww, that will be fun."

Boxes can be deceiving!

Very deceiving!
















We started on the roof. I figured that if we started there and let it dry then it would be easier than trying to frost and decorate the roof when it was ON the house. This was a very good decision and I think the only good decision we made.

Next we put the house together. I used the decorator bag and piped frosting on the sides and then Emmi and I squished them together into a cute little box house. We held them for a few minutes and then let go. And it held. I was so happy.

We waited for a while for the house to dry and then decided to put the roof on. So once again I piped the edges with white goo and then carefully placed the roof on the house.

Only to find it didn't fit!

It freaking didn't fit!

I'm no architect, so I stood there for a few minutes, ticked off, trying to figure out what the crap we did wrong.

These things don't come with instructions you know.

Finally I realize that the side walls of the house should have gone inside the front and back parts of the house and we had done it wrong.

So I got a knife and cut the house apart and started over.

After letting it dry a second time we once again carefully placed the roof parts onto the house. I held them for a few minutes and then let go.

And the house fell apart!!!

It fell....It freaking fell down.

I guess it wasn't as dry as we thought.












So once again we took the house apart, put it back together and then I went to lye down and let it glue itself together.

For the third time we carefully place the roof on the house and the house held. But when I let go of the roof it started a slow downward crawl towards the floor.

I watched the sliding roof in horror, not quite knowing what to do. I really didn't want to stand there holding the roof forever until it dried, so we tried proping it up with jello boxes, cups and such. But it just kept sliding.

So we held the roof on.

And held...and held.

We let go and it seemed to stay. So Emmi finished decorating her roof with a row of gumdrops while I sat down and rested. LOL

When we finished with the house I stepped up to the counter for a look and wouldn't you know it, the freaking roof had continued to slide leaving a gumdrop gap at the top.

*bash head*

Emmi said next year she is getting out the hot glue gun and gluing it together. I think my daughter is brilliant.

However, even though our house is drafty and has a leaking roof and lopsided decorations...it is super cute.












On Friday we had our Great Grandma Christmas Party. My grandma does this every year and has since we were little.












Hi Grandma!

It is a tradition for the kids to put on a reenactment of Luke 2, the birth of our Savior. We did it every year that I can remember and now the torch has been passed to our children. The only difference is that when we were little we used sheets and robes. Last year my mom bought some costumes and I made like 10 costumes. It is so much cuter with the costumes. I wish I could be a sheepie.















Our star got stage fright at the last minute and the play must go on, so my cousin "took one for the team" (her words), and played the part of the star. What a bright and shinning star she is.












Last night we shoveled snow and my little one wanted to make a snowman. We tried to roll the balls of snow, only to have them fall apart. So we decided that we could pile the snow into a snowman instead.

Isn't it cute?














Look, she is an angel. *cough cough* *snort snort*

Meeting Ree Drummond

Emmi and I went to Salt Lake on Wednesday to meet Ree Drummond (aka Pioneer Woman). Me in my stupidity thought we would only be an hour or two...hahahaha

We got home at midnight...on a school night. (oops)












Ree was so very cute, she even sang for us.

















We stood in the 40 degree weather for lots and lots of hours. (Ree, I know it wasn't your fault)













Once inside we met this beautiful woman. This is Ree's sister in law. She is cute and funny and kept laughing at my daughter, who was so tired she was loopy.













Then we met Ree.













I really didn't get to talk to Ree. Why you ask? Well, because my daughter talked, and talked and talked.

What did she say?
"Can you make your website more boring so that my mom won't spend as much time on the internet and I can have more time?"

Ree's response. "Well, you like me a little bit don't you?"

To which Emmi said "I like your food."

*bash head*

I happened to snap a picture of the animated conversation between the two of them.













We were exhausted the next day, but it was worth it.

ROASTED PUMPKIN SEEDS

In honor of Halloween, and since these are baking in my oven right now. Here is my moms recipe for pumpkin seeds (although I put more Worcestershire sauce in mine that she does)

Roasted Pumpkin Seeds
2 C Pumpkin Seeds
3 T Worcestershire Sauce
3 T Butter (real butter)
1 tsp Salt

* Wash pumpkin seeds getting most of the pumpkin off

* Melt butter in a small bowl.

* Add Worcestershire sauce to the butter and stir.

* Add butter mixture to the seeds and stir well.

* Spread seeds onto a LARGE cookie sheet (the cookie sheet needs to have sides or this won’t work)

* Sprinkle well with salt. I like to use the coarse salt but table salt works too.

Bake at 250 degrees for 2 hours or until crunchy

***If your pumpkin seeds are large you will need to bake them longer.

SUMMER IS OVER

I can't believe it has been almost a month since I last updated this blog.

I guess I can make the excuse that life has been just TOO busy.

Our family took a trip to Tony Grove in Northern Utah. We camped, fished, floated in a canoe, went on a hike and just had a blast.


We have been picking our garden and canning salsa like crazy.
This double-stacked-stuck-together tomato came from our garden this past month.
As did the watermelon.


I also got to spend a Saturday with some of my favorite people in the whole wide world. Mary and Heather. We spend many years together in Jr High and High school.



And we have just been having fun. Summer has ended, the flowers are dying and the temperatures are turning cooler. So why not enjoy the last of the warmth.

CANNED MILD SALSA

Do you have a truck load of tomatoes in your garden, or on your counter? Are you looking for an EASY-er Canned Salsa recipe. Have I got one for you. We like our salsa mild, but with taste. I've canned for several years and the recipes I have found have a bazillion different peppers in them and they just get too difficult. So here is a classic salsa that is safe for canning.

CLASSIC MILD SALSA
Makes 6 Quart

22-24 Medium sized tomatoes
2 Large Bell Peppers
1 Large Red Pepper
1 Large White Onion (make sure it is very large, otherwise use two)
1 Large Red Onion
1 Cup Finely Chopped Jalapeno Peppers (About 5-6)
12 Ounce (2 small cans) Tomato Paste
1 Cup White Vinegar
1/2 Cup Sugar
1/4 Cup Salt
4 Tbsp Cilantro
3 Cloves minced Garlic

1. The tomatoes need to be skinned. You do this by boiling water in a large pot and then putting the tomatoes in the boiling water for 20-30 SECONDS and then putting them in a bowl of ice water. Then you can peal them.

2. Cut all of the peppers in half (green, red and jalapeno). Remove all of the seeds and rinse them. If you don't remove the jalapeno seeds, your salsa will NOT be mild.

3. In a food processor, or chopper chop Bell Peppers, Onions, Jalapenos, Garlic and the tomatoes. They can be chopped by hand, however, the food processor is easier. Also, I don't like my salsa really chunky, so the food processor works better. If you want a chunkier salsa you can chop half by hand.

4. Put all ingredients into a large pot. Bring to boil and simmer for 25 minutes. This process boils off some of the liquid from the tomatoes.

5. Place lids and rings into a small pot with water and bring the water to a boil. This will get the lids soft so they will seal better. Leave them in the hot water until you place them on the jars.

6. Also start your water bath (canner) water on the burner at this time. It takes a while to get the water boiling.

7. Pour the salsa into hot jars (you get the jars hot from putting them in a sink of hot water),. You want to leave an inch of air at the top of the bottles.

8. Wipe the rim of the jars with a wet cloth to get any drips off and the seal them with the lids, making sure you screw them tight.

9. Place jars into a water bath and bring the water to a boil. The water in the water bath needs to be at least an inch above the jars. Boil salsa jars for 20 minutes for Quart or 15 minutes for Pint.

10. Take the bottles out of the water bath canner and place them on a towel. They will seal as the jars cool. You know they are sealed by pressing down on the lid of the jar, if it doesn't pop when you push it then they are sealed.