Happy Black Friday!

Now that the day is almost over I finally make it here!  We hope that you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving!  We THOROUGHLY enjoyed our time with Val and Gene and Sandra and her 3 kids at Val and Gene's.  Their kids all had other family times planned and so they were very generous to include us at their table!  They were also very generous and allowed us to have dinner AFTER I finished my shift at work.  All I had to contribute were two pies:

Coconut Cream and Pumpkin

Kent and I both firmly believe that the Coconut Cream pie is a definite keeper!  Very, very tasty indeed!  The pumpkin pie was made using a different recipe, too.  It was also very good!  I got the recipe 4 years ago from a co-worker and just this year took the time to try it!

After dinner we played a game that Gene and Val bought for the occasion.  It was called "Would you rather...?"  A very funny game indeed!  Kent decided he'd rather be posed and stay in that pose for two player turns and thus the funny stance.  Gene played referee and official rule keeper and eventual special Poppy when the granddaughters came for dessert!

Our happy host with a snuggly grand-daughter

Posed!

Crofton, Val, Sandra and Morgan as we were playing the game.  Sorry I didn't get any pictures of Winston, Tiana and Gene and Val's daughter, boyfriend and other little girl!  A wonderful evening of laughter, friendship and fellowship! 

We got home just in time for me to fall in bed so I could get up early this morning to caffeinate the masses.  And oddly enough, this year there were masses!  In the past, Black Friday has been fairly slow in the early morning, picking up after people have left the mall.  Not so today!  It was a bit crazy to be sure!  At least I was off early!  We then went for breakfast and an early afternoon birthday pie with Emily!  I didn't get one picture there!  What a bad auntie!  Today she turned "tree!"  Uncle Kent got her to stop saying "almost tree" and just sticking with the "tree"!  It's also Kent's mom's birthday, too!  Happy Birthday Emily and Diane!!

After the brief stop for Emily's birthday, we braved the crazy crowds at the mall, bought a few "winter" clothes for Tiana, ate a bit of lunch at Panera Bread and came home so I could take a nice long nap.  Boy did that ever feel good!!  For dinner we tried out a co-worker's parent's Chinese restaurant!  Pretty good stuff, but boy am I full again!  A quick stop for a cup of decaf at Starbucks, a few groceries and now we're home.  I thought about putting out the winter/holiday decorations, but no one else in the house seems too excited tonight, so it may just wait!  Have a great weekend!

Looking forward to a new week

A challenging week and weekend is behind us.  We've had physical storm after storm here with a few more predicted I think.  Each day can be more emotionally stormy than the other so we are thankful for each day of calm.  Our thoughts this weekend were with our good friend Terrah as her mother was remembered in a memorial service.  Our thoughts also wing to the funeral tomorrow for my Uncle Merle, a very faithful man who filled his place faithfully and encouraged faithful footsteps for all of his friends and family.  Today we stayed for potluck at Gordon and Ivona's.  It was very special to meet with our "new" Meeting and get to know them all a little better.  And it is always great to spend time with our "niece and nephew", Emily and Jonathan!  Looking forward to calmer days ahead, and hope for a small smattering of warmth and dry so that I can do some outdoor running and avoid that treadmill!

Happy Birthday Honey!!

Today is Kent's 39th birthday!! We'll celebrate with the same main dish as last year, but this year we'll end with the espresso torte that is pictured. I've always wanted to try a flourless cake, so this will hopefully be good! Surely it will be rich! Sorry, it isn't Chocolate, Chocolate, Chocolate Cake, but hopefully this will do! I also made homemade black pepper fettuccine noodles to go with the dinner. We'll see how it all tastes! HAPPY BIRTHDAY! I LOVE YOU!

Chicken Paprika

Usually we have this dish made with pork tenderloin, but tonight I tried it with skinless, boneless chicken breast! Very much a favorite around here! Served over German Spätzle with a salad and dinner is served!

Pork Tenderloin Paprika
1½-2 lb. pork tenderloin, trimmed of visible fat (or boneless, skinless chicken breasts)

3-4 Tbs. flour

1 Tbs. paprika

¼ tsp. salt

¼ tsp. black pepper

1 medium onion, coarsely chopped

Olive oil

1 large green pepper, coarsely chopped

2 large cloves garlic, pressed

1 c. chicken broth

3 Tbs. tomato paste

3 Tbs. red wine or cider vinegar

½ c. sour cream

Cut meat into 1" cubes. Mix flour, paprika, salt and pepper in resealable bag; add meat cubes, tossing to coat evenly. Heat olive oil over medium heat. Quickly brown meat and onions. Put pepper and garlic into slow-cooker crock. Add browned meat and onions. Mix broth, tomato paste and vinegar. Add briefly to skillet, scraping up bits; pour into slow-cooker, stirring well. Cover and cook on low for 7-9 hours. Add sour cream 15 minutes before serving.

Due to snow...

We bring to you the ancient torture device also known as the manual treadmill! Now who on EARTH would ever beg for one of these for Christmas and beyond that who would ever USE one of these?!?! Ummm... your's truly? Yup, 2 years ago I begged for this $99 bargain, never in my wildest dreams imagining the PAIN this thing could inflict! I have to take as my own the Marine motto that I saw on their shirts at a Toys for Tots run a couple of years ago -- "Pain is just weakness leaving the body". If tonight's snow were to keep up, I'd be one strong mama very soon!!! This Christmas I may ask for a gym membership -- they have treadmills that don't require so much of my quads and glutes!!

Eggnog Spice Bundt Cake

This recipe was in a newspaper insert last week and let me just tell you -- it's DELICIOUS!! I took it with me to a store meeting yesterday and it received rave reviews! It's even "light" (-er!)!

Eggnog Spice Bundt Cake

1 box spice cake mix
1 small box instant vanilla or cheesecake pudding mix
1 c. nonfat vanilla yogurt
¼ c. canola oil
1 c. light eggnog
1 egg
3 egg whites
1-1/3 c. toasted chopped pecans
powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 350º. Coat a nonstick Bundt pan with cooking spray.
Combine cake mix, pudding mix, yogurt, oil, eggnog, egg and egg whites in a large bowl. Mix until creamy. Stir in pecans. Pour into prepared pan. Bake 40-45 minutes, until a wooden pick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack. When cool, dust with powdered sugar. Serves 16.

Per serving: 280 calories, 14 g fat, 34 g carbs.

Thank You!

Photo courtesy of:

Dinner is served!!!

And the bread recipe is a winner, too! I found it here!

So, did you say Pelmeni?

Well, did you? You'd be RIGHT!! Or maybe you wonder what Pelmeni is. Pelmeni is Russian comfort food!! It's a basic dough, cut in 2" circles, filled with a meat mixture, boiled and served with sour cream and dill! A bit time consuming to make the individual pelmeni, but with 125 of them in the freezer, we'll have at least 3, if not 4 meals worth!! I've also made a large pot of borscht to go with it for dinner and fresh rye bread is rising in the oven as I write this!!

PELMENI

Dough:
3 c. (or more if using a pasta maker!) flour
1 tsp. salt
1 large egg
1 c. cold water

Mix water and egg in mixing bowl. Add salt, mix well. Add flour. Turn out onto lightly floured surface and knead until smooth, about 2 minutes. Cover with linen or cotton towel and let rest for 30 minutes. Make filling.

Filling:
¾ lb. ground beef
½ lb. ground pork
2 medium onions, finely chopped
¼ c. crushed ice
salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Thoroughly mix filling.

Divide dough in half and shape into two balls. Keep the one ball covered with the towel. On a floured surface, with a floured rolling pin, roll out the dough to a very thin sheet, about 1/16th" thick, making sure it doesn't tear. With a round cookie cutter, cut out 2" circles. In a small saucepan, bring 2 c. of salted water to a boil over high heat.

Place scant teaspoon of filling toward the bottom of one circle.

Fold the empty half of the dough over the filling to form a semi-circle, pressing firmly to seal.

Pull the pointed ends of the semi-circle together and press them against the dumpling. It should look like a little sailor's hat or an Italian tortellini.

Boil that one dumpling for 10 minutes to taste the filling for seasoning; pelmeni should be well seasoned!

Fill and shape the remaining rounds, arranging dumplings as they are made on a lightly floured, or parchment covered baking sheet.

At this point, pelmeni are usually frozen. Cover the baking sheet with foil or plastic wrap until completely frozen. When frozen, transfer to a plastic bag. To cook pelmeni, bring 6 qts. of salted water to a boil in a large pot. Drop in half the pelmeni and cook, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon to prevent sticking, until they rise to the surface and are thoroughly cooked through, about 8 minutes. With a slotted spoon, carefully remove to a colander and drain well. Toss with butter if you'd like. Serve with dollops of sour cream and chopped fresh dill!!! Makes 100-125 pelmeni. About 10 pelmeni or so is a good serving. Especially good served with Borscht or salad and rye bread. All of which we will have tonight! What a red letter day for me! All day in the kitchen! WooHoo!!!

Any guesses?

Care to take a guess what this morning's chore is? Here are two clues!!


Check back later for the results!!

Happy Hubby Recipe

The recipe for a happy hubby goes somewhat like this: Turn on espresso machine, grind coffee, make latte (or mocha) and serve along side a Dangerous Chocolate Cake in a Mug!  Ok, now I have to say -- due to some of the comments on this post (you know who you are!! LOL! ;) ) this is VERY dark cake, made with some unsweetened cocoa that was VERY dark!  The cake is not burnt, and YES, it tastes much better than it looks!  Now, I double-dog-dare you to try it!

DANGEROUS CHOCOLATE CAKE-IN-A-MUG

1 coffee mug
4 Tbsp. cake flour (plain, not self-rising)
4 Tbsp. sugar
2 Tbsp. cocoa
1 egg
3 Tbsp. milk
3 Tbsp. oil
Small splash of vanilla
Pinch of salt
3 Tbsp. chocolate chips, optional

Add dry ingredients to mug, mix well with a fork.
Add egg, mix thoroughly.
Pour in milk and oil and vanilla, mix well.
Add chips, if using.
Put mug in microwave, and cook for three minutes on 1000 watts.
Cake will rise over top of mug--do not be alarmed!
Allow to cool a little; tip onto a plate if desired.
Eat!
(This can serve two if you want to feel slightly more virtuous.)

OODLES of NOODLES!!!

Thanks to this beautiful new piece of art and a DELICIOUS simple Alfredo recipe from my Cuppas and Cards recipe swap, we had chicken, broccoli fettuccine Alfredo for dinner tonight!! Thanks to Laurie for the recipe and thanks to my Hubby for the pasta maker. I just made the basic pasta dough and made the fettuccine noodles, just before tossing them with the simple sauce. A side salad and we were satisfied!

Cuban Ropa Vieja

I got this recipe as part of a recipe swap that I'm doing at Cuppas and Cards. Since I've been raving to everyone about it, I decided I'd just share it here, along with the recipe card it was sent on. Thanks, Jeanne, for the awesome recipe!!

Cuban Ropa Vieja
1 Tbs. vegetable oil
2 lbs. flank steak
1 c. beef broth
1 (8oz.) can tomato sauce
1 small onion, sliced
1 green bell pepper, seeded and sliced into strips
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 (6oz.) can tomato paste
1 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. chopped cilantro
1 Tbs. olive oil
1 Tbs. white vinegar

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. brown flank steak on each side, about 4 minutes each side. Transfer beef to a slow cooker. Pour in the beef broth and tomato sauce, then add the onion, bell pepper, garlic, tomato paste, cumin, cilantro, olive oil and vinegar. Stir until well blended. Cover, cook on High for 4 hours or on Low for up to 10 hours. When ready to serve, shred meat and serve with tortillas or rice. Add sour cream, cheese and fresh cilantro on the side.

My note: Cut the steak into smaller pieces before cooking so that when you shred it, the shreds are shorter and easier to eat!!

"Giving someone all your love is never an assurance that they'll love you back. Don't expect love in return; just wait for it to grow in their heart, but if it doesn't, be content it grew in yours." unknown.




(Thanks, Anna, for letting me share what was shared with you.)

Happy November!

As a dog owner and lover I have to confess, I've learned I love either extremely hot or extremely cold weather. I hate rain! And the next puppy will be trained to use one sandy corner of the yard and NOWHERE ELSE!!!