Christmas Eve Food

As I have a deep and abiding interest in food... I thought I'd share (show off) the goodies I made for our Christmas Eve party. This is the "goodie" table...


"Cloud" cookies (meringue with chocolate chips) in the foreground, and Spritz cookies behind.



Dipped Pretzels



Fudge with walnuts and dried cranberries



Thumbprint cookies and Soft Ginger cookies



I also made two liqueurs ~ sorry, no photos. They are cranberry liqueur and an Irish creme knock-off. The recipes for both are in previous blogs.

And in the "real" food department, I made two types of hummus ~ plain and "olive" ~ both with roasted garlic ~ turned out very yummy, and a baked artichoke dip. We served these dips with baked pita bread "chips" and fresh veggies.





My husband baked a honey-glazed ham that we put out with rolls, cheeses, and condiments. We wanted to keep it simple, so everything was finger food, and everything turned out great.

Trans Siberian Orchestra ~ A Review

A rock concert for people who don't ordinarily go to rock concerts.

Finally, finally, *FINALLY* got to go see them ~ and it was worth the wait. It was absolutely fantastic. Great songs ~ Christmas-y and otherwise. Great light and stage show, complete with lasers; racing, colored fire; big screens behind the band; moving overhead lights; hot-white spotlights; risers; musicians running through the crowd and onto *more* risers... the whole 9 yards. And the energy... top notch. Had a moment where I thought I was at 'American Idol' but it quickly passed. lol

Screaming lead guitar playing O Holy Night is forever burned into my brain. It's a happy feeling. They played several classics, but rocked them out. Anyone who loves a little cello and violin ~ okay, a LOT of cello and violin AND piano ~ in their rock and roll Christmas music will love this. The two young violinists were rocking harder than anyone, and the singers ~ simply wonderful.

There was a man with a unique, hypnotizing voice telling a story in between the songs during the first half of the performance... but it was a disjointed story and difficult to follow. A bit rambling, no clear "moral" except maybe to be generous and that help can come from strange places...? But no worries. He was lovely to listen to, and was a minor (for me) part of the show.

5 stars. May just become a Christmas staple for my family.

Cranberry Liqueur

Fresh cranberries are not available all year long.
How do I know that? Because the first year I made this, I went to make another batch mid-January and there wasn't a fresh cranberry to be had... anywhere. I checked 4-5 grocery stores *and* asked the produce managers. The best they could suggest was to check the freezer section.

And that, my fellow imbibers, is why *now* is the time to act if you'd like to make this delicious liqueur.

I've made it as gifts in years past ~ just fill a half pint canning jar as if it were moonshine ~ or any decorative bottle. I also like to keep a bottle (bigger than a half pint!) around for myself. The photo is the last of last year's batch, so it's beautiful cranberry color has faded, but when it's fresh, it's a very pretty, bright color.

Ingredients:
4.5 cups vodka
1.5 cups triple sec*
3 cups sugar
2 bags fresh cranberries, coarsely chopped

Directions:
Combine all ingredients in a large jar and let sit a room temperature for 3-4 weeks, shaking the jar every 4 or 5 days. Strain and pour into bottles. Makes about 6 cups.

*I'd seen recipes for this that included orange slices, as well as ones that didn't. I thought a bit of orange sounded good, but the first time I made it I didn't have any handy. I did, however, have some triple sec in the cupboard, and... as I recall, I was short of vodka, too (yes, I always plan so well ahead ;-P). So I was mixing and matching and as I was very happy with the result, I rewrote the recipe to suit myself!

Bandanas

Bandanas are the best thing since sliced bread, imo...

What else can:
*cover up a bad hair day
*help keep you warm in the winter (tied around your neck)
*help keep you cool in the summer (get wet, then tie around your neck!)
*serve as camping's best multi-use tool: hot pad/ dish cloth/ towel/ wash rag/ berry sling/ compress/ tourniquet (hopefully you don't need one of these, but just in case...)/ bandage/ sun shade.... and on and on. Even, thanks to this idea by Ms. Janan, using one to tie my seat belt down.... it's been tweaking my shoulder for *years*!!! And it works great!

I love bandanas.
I'm never without one.
The purple one in the middle lives in my purse.

Bailey's Irish Creme Knock-off

Ingredients:
1 - 14 oz. can sweetened condensed milk
1/2 can brandy/ rum/ or any combination of the two*
1 T Hershey's syrup
1 T vanilla
1 can regular milk

Directions:
Blend well and chill overnight.
Store in the refrigerator.
Makes approx. 3 cups.

I use the can as my measuring cup... helps get all the condensed milk out and just one less thing to have to clean..

Wow! I date my recipes when I write them down and I've had this one for 20 years!

*Actually made a non-alcoholic version once for a friend who doesn't drink... substitute the booze with 1 T rum extract and a half can of water. Not as good as the real thing, but close...

Also... posted this elsewhere and had a friend respond that she made it with Irish whiskey ~ thumps self on forehead! lol ~ of course! That would be perfect. I just keep the cheaper stuff on hand, tho, and it works *very* well, too.

See yourself?

I've gotta admit that I do... ;-)

ARIES - The Daredevil (Mar 21 - April 19)
Energetic. Adventurous and spontaneous. Confident and enthusiastic. Fun.
Loves a challenge. EXTREMELY impatient. Sometimes selfish. Short fuse.
Easily angered.) Lively, passionate, and sharp wit. Outgoing. Lose interest
quickly - easily bored. Egotistical. Courageous and assertive. Tends to be
physical and athletic. 

TAURUS - The Enduring One (April 20 - May 20) Charming but aggressive. Can
come off as boring, but they are not. Hard workers.. Warm-hearted. Strong,
has endurance. Solid beings that are stable and secure in their ways. Not
looking for shortcuts. Take pride in their beauty. Patient and reliable.
Make great friends and give good advice. Loving and kind. Loves hard -
passionate. Express themselves emotionally... Prone to ferocious
temper-tantrums. Determined. Indulge themselves often. Very generous. 

GEMINI - The Chatterbox (May 21 - June 20) Smart and witty. Outgoing, very
chatty. Lively, energetic. Adaptable but needs to express them selves.
Argumentative and outspoken. Like change. Versatile. Busy, sometimes nervous
and tense. Gossips. May seem superficial or inconsistent. Beautiful
physically and mentally. 

CANCER - The Protector (June 21 - July 22)
Moody, emotional. May be shy. Very loving and caring. Pretty /handsome.
Excellent partners for life. Protective.. Inventive and imaginative.
Cautious. Touchy-feely kind of person... Needs love from others. Easily
hurt, but sympathetic. 

LEO - The Boss (July 23 - Aug 22)
Very organized. Need order in their lives - like being in control. Like
boundaries. Tend to take over everything. Bossy. Like to help others. Social
and outgoing. Extroverted. Generous, warm-hearted. Sensitive. Creative
energy. Full of themselves. Loving. Doing the right thing is  important to
Leos. Attractive. 

VIRGO - The Perfectionist (Aug 23 - Sept 22)
Dominant in relationships. Conservative. Always wants the last word.
Argumentative. Worries. Very smart. Dislikes noise and chaos.. Eager.
Hardworking. Loyal. Beautiful.. Easy to talk to. Hard to please. Harsh.
Practical and very fussy. Often shy. Pessimistic. 

LIBRA - The Harmonizer (Sept 23 - Oct 22)
Nice to everyone they meet. Can't make up their mind. Have own unique
appeal. Creative, energetic, and very social.. Hates to be alone. Peaceful,
generous. Very loving and beautiful. Flirtatious. Give in too easily.
Procrastinators. Very gullible. 

SCORPIO - The Intense One (Oct 23 - Nov 21! )
Very energetic. Intelligent. Can be jealous and/or possessive. Hard working. 
Great kisser. Can become obsessive or secretive. Holds grudges. Attractive. 
Determined.. Loves being in long relationships. Talkative. Romantic. Can be 
self-centered at times. Passionate and emotional. 

SAGITTARIUS - The Happy-Go-Lucky One (Nov 22 - Dec 21)
Good-natured optimist. Doesn't want to grow up (Peter Pan Syndrome)..
Indulges self. Boastful. Likes luxuries and gambling.. Social and outgoing.
Doesn't like responsibilities. Often fantasizes. Impatient. Fun to be
around.. Having lots of friends. Flirtatious. Doesn't like rules. Sometimes
hypocritical.. Dislikes being confined - tight spaces or even tight clothes.
Doesn't like being doubted. Beautiful inside and out.

CAPRICORN - The Go-Getter (Dec 22 ! - Jan 19) Patient and wise. Practical
and rigid. Ambitious. Tends to be good-looking. Humorous and funny. Can be a
bit shy and reserved. Often pessimistic. Capricorns tend to act before they
think and can be Unfriendly at times. Hold grudges. Like competition. Get
what they want. 

AQUARIUS - The Sweetheart (Jan 20 - Feb 18) Optimistic and honest. Sweet
personality. Very independent. Inventive and intelligent. Friendly and
loyal. Can seem unemotional. Can be a bit rebellious. Very stubborn, but
original and unique. Attractive on the inside and out. Eccentric
personality. 

PISCES - The Dreamer (Feb 19 - Mar 20) Generous, kind, and thoughtful.
Very creative and imaginative. May become secretive and vague. Sensitive.
Don't like details. Dreamy and unrealistic. Sympathetic and loving. Kind.
Unselfish. Good kisser. Beautiful. 

Instructions for making... The World's Best Iced Tea

No brag/ just fact. I drink about a half gallon a day of the stuff during the summer...

Ingredients:
Hot water
8 tea bags
1/2 gallon-sized pitcher full of ice
Sweetener (optional)

Here is a look into my tea cabinet....

And that's only the first 'layer'...

Yes, I'm a big fan of Celestial Seasonings teas. And Thai Tea ~ but that's another lesson.

I usually use half caffeinated and half de-caffeinated to make my tea. That way I *can* drink it all day without getting too jittery... unless, of course, I need a little extra 'pick me up' -or- it's evening and I'll be going to bed soon... in which case I'll make full strength caff -or- de-caff.

Today I'm going to go with half regular green tea and half blueberry tea. You already saw what a beautiful color the finished product is...




It bears mentioning that the Celestial Seasonings "fruit teas" variety pack is *perfect* for making wonderful flavored teas as well ~ the box contains 5 packs of 4 tea bags each ~ just right for a different flavor every time you make a pitcher. I'm constantly trying new combinations, and while I've been more into green teas lately, plain old "Lipton" style also goes well with just about any flavored tea, too. Black tea w/ lemon tea; or black tea and mint... the possibilities are endless. I also keep both caff and de-caff green *and* black teas on hand because I don't always want flavored tea... sometimes just 'plain old' tea is the best!

I use my coffee maker to make the hot water. If you boil your water on the stove top, let it set for a minute before pouring it over the tea bags ~ straight out of the pot boiling water is too hot for the more delicate teas.



I use a standard-sized tea pot to steep the tea.

Be sure to put the lid on while steeping.

If I'm making half black/ orange pekoe tea, I set the timer to 3 minutes. Much longer and the tea will get bitter. Green tea can steep all day without getting bitter, but 3-4 minutes is sufficient.



While the tea is steeping, get your pitcher filled with ice ready.
If I had to choose a favorite kitchen gadget, it would be, hands down, the ice maker in the fridge. But even before I joined the ranks of the privileged with ice ready on demand, I was making iced tea using... any big plastic cup. I'd fill it with water and set it in the freezer. When frozen, just run a little warm water over the outside of it and voila! you've got a pitcher-sized cylinder of ice... just enough to cool a pot of hot tea without using all the ice cubes in the house!


Any "big gulp" sized cup will do.

It's at this point that I add 1/4 cup of bulk Splenda to the pitcher.




When the tea is finished steeping... pour over the ice, stir and serve.

Yum Yum!!!!!
Even clean-up is a snap! Just rinse your teapot and set to dry ~ I never use soap on mine.

Enjoy! :-)

Artichoke Frittata

Description:

I love quiche and had tried several 'crustless' quiche recipes before finding this one... it's the best! The crumbled saltines give it just enough ... something. Texture, I guess... and hold-together-ivness ;-)

It is great reheated as a breakfast entree, but I prefer it cut into 1" squares and served at room temperature as an appetizer or finger food.

Forgot to take a photo before digging in! lol (That's a double batch in a 9X13" baking dish)

Ingredients:
1/2 c. onion, minced
1 clove garlic, minced

20 marinated artichokes (2 jars), drained and chopped
2 c. mild cheddar cheese, grated
5 eggs
6 saltines, crumbled fine
pinch salt
pepper to taste

Directions:
Saute the onion and garlic in some of the artichoke 'oil'.

Then mix together with the rest of the ingredients.

Bake in an 8X8" oiled pyrex dish at 350 for 35-40 minutes.
Recipe doubles well.

Notes:
You know those little jars of marinated artichoke hearts at the grocery store... at like $3 each? Well, a gigantic jar at Costco is about $8 and will make numerous batches. That's why the friend who gave me the recipe counted how many were in the little jars and wrote down the recipe that way altho... the ones in the Costco jar seem to be larger, so count "quarter" artichokes as one (IOW, a "half" an artichoke equals two for our purposes~

Also, I'm not a huge fan of onions, and sauteeing them and the garlic is just another dirty skillet imo... so for this most recent *double* batch, I substituted 1 T dried minced onion/ 1/2 t. garlic granules (similar to garlic powder)/ and 1 T dried parsley (just seemed like a good idea ;-) ~and it came out *really* good.

BFD is right... A Review of Live 105's "BFD" ~ A Day-long Rock and Roll Music Festival

The day was beautiful. Not too hot, not too cold. Just a perfect day.... but every time I go to Shoreline, I'm reminded of why I don't go there very often. The place is just too big, and too much trouble to get to.

It's 70 'bay area' freeway miles from where I live, which means anywhere from an hour and a half (best time ~ and Saturday mornings are good) to three hours (for a week-night evening show). And then of course, once you arrive, there's another 15-30 minutes of stop and go into the parking lot, and a goodly walk to the gates.

Shoreline has 6,500 seats, which by itself would be a really nice sized arena. But then there's the lawn. I can't look at it without thinking: Testament to Greed. The lawn "seats" 15,500 more. That's a BIG lawn. When you're at the top of it, you're about a mile from the stage, and all you can see are these teeny tiny little figures down there. So you end up watching one of the two big screens hung above the lawn. Here is one of them (photo taken at about 2pm):


Don't get me wrong, the lawn is a perfectly lovely place to hang out for an afternoon, which is what we did, because... the bands at the other stages (4 stages total, tons of bands, all-day festival) involved *standing in a parking lot* to see them. Standing in a parking lot. In the sun. Not my idea of a good time.

So after watching Anberlin, we (my sister and I ~ the kids had long since ditched us) headed for the lawn. It was kind of a long afternoon, just hanging out, tho, because the main stage wasn't going to be used until 6pm (when the other stages would close). But we had a couple lemonades and rum, chatted with the people around us, napped (or tried to), and wandered around a bit, but mostly just waited.

But then.... about 5 o'clock, the smaller stages started shutting down and *everyone* started heading to the lawn. Well, our little spot was increasingly hard to defend, but the girls in front of us were so funny, stopping people from walking across our blankets. It was a sold out show ~ so was basically a lost cause at that point. And while the lawn may be a perfectly nice place from which to watch a concert that's *not* sold out... well, that was not our experience. So this is what it looked like at about 5:00. Everyone is still sitting down, but still pouring in, too... I was *amazed* at how many people were there.


The first group was the Dead Confederates. Nice, mellow sound. I liked them a lot. Next up, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs. I had one of their albums a few years ago, but it just didn't hold my attention, so I sold it. They're the same live. Just didn't keep my attention. But were okay, and played a couple songs I knew.

So now it's about dark and 311 comes on. Fun band. High energy... a little too high, in fact, because it was while they were on that the mosh pits started springing up... unfortunately, right next to us. Twice. So we're grabbing our stuff and getting out of the way. Second time, some asshole gave me a good push, and I instinctively grabbed the person next to me's arm to keep from falling down ~ she was very nice about it ~ but I wanted to kick that guy. Good thing the blueshirts (security) showed up and the moshers wandered away. All I need is to get beat up in a mosh pit! lol After that, we decided to gain a little elevation.

So we headed up the hill ~ the kids had been hanging at the rail as close to the stage as they could get the whole time, coming back to sit with us between acts ~ and we had our "after the show meeting space" all mapped out, because I told them we might move at any time, so that was all good. We were free to move around as we pleased without worrying about them, nor them, us.

The Offspring was the final group, and I love them. They were great!! Played all my favorite songs and were really good. By then, tho, we were pretty much at the top of the lawn... so the figures on stage were about 1/2 inch tall. We centered ourselves in front of one of the screens, and watched it there.

I LOVE live music. The energy and the spontaneity. But watching a "live" show on a big screen.... just loses something in translation. And always leaves me begging the question: Why am I out here getting sunburned and beat up when I'm watching the show on what is essentially a big TV?

But to be honest, I can answer that.... I was there for my kids. One hadn't been to his first concert yet, and he was really into a lot of the bands that were playing. And... I'd already been to two other concerts with the other kid, so I figured one all-day concert equals two regular concerts ~ hey, I'm a mother of twins... *everything* has to equal up at the end of the day!

The other kid got to go because tickets were 4/ $100, and mainly just went along to see the Offspring, but the one who was pushing for it all along had the best time. He got to see all of the bands he likes ~ Anberlin, The Limousines, Alkaline Trio, and Taking Back Sunday~ and all four of the "headliners", too. And... he got to meet his favorite band, Taking Back Sunday, and got an autographed poster. He was stoked.

So an all-day (and into the night) concert... sunshine and a nice lawn to sit on for *most* of the day.... even with all the "down sides"... I still love it. And lets face it... it doesn't appear that I will *ever* outgrow concerts!

Baby 'Mater

I'm gonna be a Mommy again.

A cannibal mommy, that is...
The "baby" is a little over 1/2" diameter...

My 'other' gardening project...

This... is a peach tree. Or rather, it *will* be a peach tree. Now I think it's more like a peach dream. Or a peach sprout. At any rate, I live near the Central Valley of California, and the produce that can be grown here is simply amazing. So after eating a particularly delicious peach ~ not last year, but the year before! ~ I saved the pit, stuck it in some dirt, and threw some water on it now and again.

I recently discovered, while surfing the net looking for information on growing peach trees from a seed (as it seemed my little experiment was going to thrive...), that the fruit you get from such a tree is not guaranteed by any estimation to be of the same quality as the peach you got it from. Seems there are other forces at play, such as where it is pollinated from and I-don't-know-what-else. But as we've come this far together ~ my lovely little tree-ette and I ~ *we* shall persevere.

I'm a tree person :-)

Trees are sanctuaries. Whoever knows how to listen to them, can learn the truth.

-- Herman Hesse

I got my garden planted...

The amazing... hanging... upside down... Tomato Plant!

We got this gadget a couple years ago at a home and garden show ~ and it works great!!

The place in our yard where a garden could fit is up against a fence, with southern exposure, and it just *bakes* in the summer sun. Plus, we put a shed there a month or so ago...

So ~ if we wanted to have fresh, homegrown tomatoes, we needed to explore other options. And lets face it ~ I'm not much of a gardener.

So this is a perfect compromise ~ give it some water every day and no weeding/ no mud/ no tomato worms... and it's right there on the back porch ~ 5 short steps from the door. How much more convenient could it get??

And it grows great tomatoes, too! :-)

Before Feng Shui worked it's Magic...

hahahaha!

Fun game!!

Bloxorz ~ From AddictingGames
http://www.addictinggames.com/bloxors.html

Feng Shui

aka ~A Place for Everything and Everything in it's Place

Like probably much of the western world I thought feng shui was a bunch of mystical hooey. But then I picked up this book at the library, and liked it so much I bought one so I didn't have to return it in 3 weeks: Terah Kathryn Collins' "The Western Guide to Feng Shui: Room by Room".

Reading this book, I came to believe that feng shui is equal parts common sense, good design, and mysticism.

It started with a description of how Chi - or life force - flows through *everything*. And if your home has parts of it that are old/ unused/ cluttered/ neglected/ or otherwise "dead space", that the energy that flows there gets clogged up. And what affects your environment affects *you*. Or me as the case may be. And that applies to places that you may not be able to see ~ like closets, corners, cupboards ~ everywhere.

So I decided that before I could progress with this book, I needed to get busy and clean out some of my more clogged places: the closets.

Here are some photos of one of my first "projects" ~ my bedroom closet. It used to be such a catch-all, completely disorganized and in danger of covering the unsuspecting at any moment in an avalanche.

It took a little doing, and I had to buy a few decorative boxes and baskets ~ alright, maybe I didn't *have* to ~ but it was worth it! And just being inspired was well worth the price of the book. I've effected these changes in my CD and DVD collections, too. Bit by bit I'm cleaning out and better using my space... and I haven't even got to the mystical parts of the book yet!

Oh, and one of the things I liked best about this book was that it has before and after photos of real places. Real home exteriors, entryways, bedrooms, etc. And it all makes sense. The changes they suggest and demonstrate just "work". Looking forward to continuing this project.