Snow Day!

It doesn't snow in Southern Louisiana.
Until it did.
I checked the kids out and let them play, I couldn't resist.
(After all, it doesn't snow in Southern Louisiana.)
I shouldn't have even made them GO to school...they were home by 10 AM playing and laughing and having a blast!

On the way home, they dug into fresh warm bread from the bakery and Starbucks signature hot cocoa...the one with caramel and salt.....oh my! what a treat!

look how pretty the entrance to the neighborhood looks in the snow:

here is our little house all covered in snow.......okay, SORT OF covered in snow:

here are the hoodlums...I mean kids...all bundled up in their "color coordinated" ski wear! ha! I especially love Ripstick Boy's LIPS.......the ONLY thing you can see!

here is a snow girl they made together. She started out about 3 feet tall....but by the time I took the photo, she had started shrinking....snow people age quickly.


I wish I could ask for more snow but I can't. The powerlines can't handle it. We had wrecks, power outages, broken tree limbs....the list goes on.
As much as I LOVE SNOW, it poses such a hardship in states not used to nor prepared for it.

But for the day, you couldn't rip the smile off my face.....we truly had a wonderful day.

Ambrosia

The theme for this month's recipe swap box is Holiday Favorites. Last week, I listed my potato boats but another favorite I make for Thanksgiving and Christmas is Ambrosia.
I say Ambrosia VERY loosely because I don't really make a true Ambrosia. But the kids like the 'fancy name' so it stuck.

Here is how I make it. This will make 8 servings.

1 large can of pineapple chunks with juice
1 large can of mandarin oranges, drained
4 large grapefruit, washed
8-10 oranges, washed

Work OVER your bowl to catch all the juices!
First of all, cut ALL your citrus in half. Then section it. I like to section it this way: run a knife around the OUTER edge between the fruit and the rind.

Then run your knife between the membrane and each segment.

Then gently squeeze so the segments of fruit will pop out. You'll have to help a few but most will fall out on their own. This is the best way to get the fruit AND juice at once, with the least amount of cutting of the rind. ***Plus this way you salvage the rinds to make orange cups for the bird's. (more on that next week.)


Then mix all ingredients together. Sometimes I add just a few marachino cherries and some juice but it makes it VERY sweet so be careful if you try it. Many people add coconut, bananas and nuts to it too but we don't.

Holiday Sassy Apron!

I got my last Sassy apron of the year on Friday! It came from SueAnn....she makes the cutest aprons! I totally LOVE this apron! I have a thing for long, thick ties.......it is so much fun to tie a big fat bow...makes me feel all girly. Plus, I just adore this fabric with the little gingerbread men all over it.

She included a great cookie cutter, wooden spoon and cute cookie cookbook....which I've already noted a few recipes to try. Even if I didn't USE the book, it is so cute, I can leave it out.


Thank you again SueAnn!

Stuffed

Look at these CUTE softies! I was in a swap through swap-bot AGES ago...back before I 'quit' swapping through it. I sent mine off way before deadline. In fact, the swap was so long ago that I'd forgotten all about it. I came home Monday to find these cuties waiting for me. The giant (it really is huge) toadstool is the actual swap item....the sweet tiny pear was lagniappe!

My faith in swap-bot has been restored.......
Thank you Kelly!

Aprons.......

Here are a couple aprons I finished up.
Leah was in my Hot Mama Apron Swap. Her partner flaked on her so I made her this apron and sent it to her last week. I love the cinnamon fabric...it is hard to see in the photo but it picks up the same color in the pocket. I backed it with muslin so it has a nice weight to it.



here is the rest of the stuff I put together for her....some hot cocoa, a tea towel, recipes, a little teensy book and a wooden spoon.


I made this apron to have on hand.......I love the paisley fabric. The white fabric for the pocket has a dotted pattern that looks really cute with the paisley.

With love from Peppy

My mom always tells me (and others) where we all get our 'gifts' from. Here is my list:

I get my musical abilities from my father
I get my artsy/craftsy side from my grandmother Peppy
I get my nose from a distant relative who had Native American Indian in them
I get my skin and eyes from her and her side of the family (Scottish)
I get my curly hair from my dad and HIS side of the family
I get my thumbs from her (weird, I know)
I get my teeth from braces...wait, I don't think that counts....

Okay...you get the picture.......I always crack up when she starts in on her lists...it is really pretty funny. She has started them up with our kids too....
That being said, there is a LOT of truth to it. I have some sweet things I put out only at Christmas...things Peppy made. I get so emotional. She is no longer with us but each time I put these out, I know she is here. We used to do crafts together so the memories are wonderful.

These are little match boxes she covered. They actually were used FOR the matches...back in the day....


This is a Santa pillow she made so long ago. It is a bit flatter but still in great shape.


These are my most precious ones.......napkin rings! The photos don't do them justice but they are my favorite. I remember as a child BEGGING to set the table so I could place these on the table. My mom gave them to me for Christmas just last year.

and.....

and


Thank you Peppy!

Potato Boats!

For the Recipe Box swap this month, the theme is Holiday Favorites. I make these the day before and put them in the freezer. In the morning, I take them out and put them in the refrigerator to thaw out.

These are the BEST and I can never make enough. The kids actually fight over them. (COMPANY fights over them! hahah!)

Here is the recipe, followed by directions and photos

This is for 10 potato boats. (Warning! If you make more, do it in sets unless you have a ginormous mixer!)
Bake 5 BAKING potatoes....choose potatoes that are uniform in shape and large.

First:
Scrub your potatoes, prick with a fork and wrap in foil.  Put in the center of the oven.

Bake at 400 for an hour or until a fork pierces them easily. Careful squeezing them with a potholder, don't crush them.

Try to find potatoes of the same size so they will finish baking at the same time.

Now for the other ingredients:

1 stick softened butter
1 cup half and half (or even milk)
4 oz sour cream (to taste)
1-2 tsp salt
1 tsp ground WHITE pepper
1 tsp garlic powder
blend all together with the potatoes adding half and half to smooth it out. You may not use all of it...it depends on how large your potatoes are.
Add 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese, mix again
Add 10 slices of cooked and crumbled bacon.  If your company won't eat regular bacon,use a high fat turkey bacon.
Mix again on high to beat out the big lumps.

TASTE for seasonings and adjust before putting into boats. If you work while the potatoes are hot, the ingredients incorporate better.  These aren't piped so it doesn't really matter if there are some lumps.

The trick is to work while they are hot so use a towel to protect your hands.   I use a fish boning knife for this part.  Start at one end and go down the middle, 

flip the potato and let it's weight pull the knife through.  That way, the skin won't tear.  You want the skin intact.

 Keep the other potatoes warm with a towel while you work on one potato at a time. I leave mine in the foil until I am ready to cut them.

Cut it in half and scoop out the potato right down to the peel, being careful not to tear the peel...it is delicate after baking!
As you scoop, put the scooped out potato in the large bowl on top of the butter to help melt it if you forget to soften it like I always seem to do.


Once you scoop them out they should look like this, don't scoop to much, it will break the boat:


If you DO break the boat, use a little cheese to mend it....the heat will melt it.  Works like a charm.

Beat well with the other ingredients I listed in the recipe. They will be sticky because of the cheese, that is okay. (If you want them to be smoother, you'll need more milk and less cheese.) You can see how thick they are.


The best way to put them back into the 'boat' is to hold your spoon right above the boat. 


When done, you'll have 10 boats. Top them with paprika and shredded cheese or leave some plain...you can always top them later.


Most of the potatoes will fit back into the shell...you might have a spoonful or two leftover to enjoy. 

At this point, you can put them into the oven to bake...they are already cooked so you are just browning the top. 

These freeze beautifully so I make them at least a week ahead of time.
Freeze them on the tray and then transfer them to freezer baggies. Just remember to thaw them out before cooking.

To heat for serving:
Put them in with the turkey the last 30 or so minutes with foil over them. Then remove the foil to brown while cooking rolls, etc.
Bake at 400 to brown quickly or 350 if cooking with something else.

The best part is where the stuffed part of the potato meets the little bit of baked potato left in the boat...YUM!

Enjoy!