"How the Grinch Crinkled Christmas" Cookies

Happy Friday! I know I'm a little late. I've not done much today, even though I had the BEST intentions... :D I did watch the latest episode of SHERLOCK. Wow, *everything* about it was brilliant. I do wish they'd give us a few more episodes per season! :D

ANYWAY. This recipe's been hanging around since the beginning of December for me to share with you. These are what *I* refer to as simply Grinch Cookies, from Delicious Meliscious.

I, personally, was quite ambivalent about this recipe. A couple of people told me they really liked them, however, so I'm not sure if they'll hang about next year or not. :) I do like the color of them - they add quite a nice bit of contrast to a cookie platter.

Perhaps if I could figure out a better cake mix flavor. (I'm not really big on cake mixes lately; I'll use one in a pinch, but would prefer not to!) I love French vanilla flavoring in beverages, but it bores me in anything else. :D

I think, when it comes to this cookie, you'll have to try it yourself and see. :) You tell me: is it a YES, PLEASE! or a NO, THANK YOU! ??? :D

OK, I'm outta here to go do nothing once more. :D Have a WONDERFUL weekend! Be BLESSED - and welcome (tomorrow) to FEBRUARY!

Spumoni Biscotti

Happy FREEZING Wednesday!!! Brrrr, is it cold!!! That air coming in the front door is enough to make me gasp. LOL!!!

Today's recipe is for Spumoni Biscotti from Recipe Gold Mine.

I won't make you wait. This was a definite YES, PLEASE! from everyone who ate them. :)

My sister and my mom, both, were pretty vocal about how much they enjoyed these. The cherries, even though you pat them dry, make this biscotti moister than most. So if you really enjoy that crunch, you won't QUITE get it with these, but they are good.

Spumoni is the classic Italian combination of pistachios and cherries. And that makes this cookie fit under the "Christmas cookie" classification. But I have the stuff to make another batch, whenever Mom feels like she needs a special treat. ;)

I drizzled white chocolate over the tops of these, to decorate them up a bit. Mom feels better about eating them if there's no topping on them. And these honestly didn't need the added flavor. Although I'm not saying white chocolate ever HURTS the taste of a cookie... :D

OK, I'm outta here! Have a WONDERFUL day! Stay warm, and be BLESSED!

Manicure Monday, throwback!

Happy Monday! Did you have a good weekend?? Are you ready for your week? It's the LAST week of January. One month already GONE. Whoah.

I didn't blog this manicure when I did it, and it was one of my favorites last year. Do you see the turkey??? This was one of my first attempts at free-handing anything, so I think it turned out pretty darned well. :D

The other four fingernails are feathers. :D This was probably second to the "Scooby Doo eyes" manicure I did. :D It just makes me smile, even now!

My new Bible Study group meets at my house today at 10:15! If you can't come - and EVERYONE is invited! - please pray for us. We're doing JESUS THE ONE AND ONLY by Beth Moore, and I'd certainly appreciate your prayers as we meet together for three months.

THANK YOU! :) Have a wonderful day! Be BLESSED!

Movie Review: GIMME SHELTER

GIMME SHELTER (Click this link for synopsis, more pictures, etc. )

Good morning, friend! Welcome to Friday. It's beautiful here, but cold - wind chills overnight were crazy low for Middle TN! But I was out in it; I got a pass to a screening for this new movie, GIMME SHELTER.

I had seen the trailer on BuddyHollywood.com and wanted to check it out - but Kenn's busy shooting again, and I wasn't sure we'd get a chance to go together. Plus, free is always good! :)

How do I tell you about this movie? :) It's based on a true story. Rated PG-13 for a bit of language and violence, the subject matter - teenage pregnancy and the limited choices these girls have, and the backgrounds they come from - is also not for little ones.

It's got a star-studded cast, with Rosario Dawson, Brandon Frazier, and James Earl Jones to name a few. As an audience, we laughed, we cried, we ooh-ed, we recoiled - it's quite an emotional movie, as you can guess, with the subject matter.

The sets are beautiful - you won't ever question if you're "where you're supposed to be". Costumes, too, show the difference between the "haves" and the "have nots".

The movie was under an hour and thirty-five minutes. I felt like it needed to be a little longer; I have a feeling there were a lot of Brandon's re-connection scenes that ended up on the cutting-room floor, because there just wasn't enough developed there for the ending to make sense - except that, as a movie-goer, you suspend your disbelief. :D

Go see this movie. Take friends with you. Although there are Scriptures quoted by the priest, the movie isn't over-the-top Christian. But it IS a movie that should have us talking!

OK, I'm outta here! :) Enjoy your weekend! Be BLESSED!!!!

"Outback" Black Bread: Copycat

Happy Wednesday! Are you having a good week? Are you staying WARM, people?!??! :D

Today's recipe would be a good recipe to try today - what's better when it's below freezing outside than a warm loaf of homemade bread?! It's "Outback" Black Bread: Copycat from Freida Loves Bread.

Now, first let me tell you: finding caramel coloring locally is nearly impossible. I put a bottle on my Amazon wish list and got it for Christmas. One bottle will last me a long, LONG time - it's huge! So you might want to consider splitting a bottle with a friend or five...

When I finally had all the ingredients in one place, I made this bread. It's a YES, PLEASE!

Mine made two whole loaves and one tiny one. I love having things like this in the freezer, for when someone I care about needs a meal delivered. So we cut into the tiny loaf, and then one of the big ones - and I put the other loaf in the freezer as soon as it cooled, because we really did love this bread! :) My mom is still mentioning how GOOD it was... :D

Now, I didn't use the cornmeal. I sprinkled oats on top of the loaf before it baked, instead. I have to be in the right mood for the grittiness of cornmeal. :) The oats were a nice textural contrast without being too much so.

OK, I'm outta here! :) Have a WONDERFUL day! Let me know if you try this recipe! :) Be BLESSED!!!

Manicure Monday!

Just another Manicure Monday! :D

Did you have a good weekend??? I did. It was a nice weekend - church was wonderful, spent time with good friends, and my husband... :) And I did these nails!

For church, they were just the purple - I did them last night, and didn't have time to do the striping tape. The polish is one that was given to me by a secret elf at church; I posted a sale from Target on FB, and someone was able to completely sneak it onto my seat at church while I was busy working! I LOVE IT, if you read this blog, secret elf!!!

Yes, that's striping tape! I've never had any, so I ordered some from Amazon.com with part of a gift certificate from my sister. I got LOTS of it, so I've been checking it out a bit online to see what I can do with it. :)

This is an application directly to my nails, and my first time using it, EVER. I think I did pretty darned well, considering I can't do anything straight to save my soul. :D There are a couple that I can't decide if it's the tape that's crooked, or the way I've filed the nail, but... :D

As you can see, this tape is REALLY thin. I put it on, then just covered with a top coat. Voila! :) (The ring I accessorized with is one I got a couple of years ago, online, for $5. Isn't it gorgeous?? It's HEAVY, too!)

OK, I'm outta here! Have a WONDERFUL day!! BE BLESSED!!

Creamy Cauliflower Sauce

 Happy Friday! :) Have you had a good week? Is it cold where you are? It's quite chilly today - and it has snowed a tiny bit today! :) The Weather Channel says it's supposed to spit some more this afternoon, so I'll be sure to gaze out my window often... :D

Today's review is for Creamy Cauliflower Sauce, from Pinch of Yum.

OK, so I was a tiny bit skeptical. Sauce? Really? Out of cauliflower. But I decided to try it, because I like mashed cauliflower as a VERY low carb substitute for mashed potatoes - although I never put gravy on them. That grosses me out just thinking about it! :D

So I cut the recipe in half - I was the only one who would ever eat it, anyway - and went to town. The "sauce" is what you see above; I used it this way, as you see on the left, with some leftover angel hair pasta, shredded cheddar cheese, and ham chunks.

I was pleasantly surprised! It was really good! It gets a YES, PLEASE! - and I'm KIND of craving it now, even! I got two meals out of cutting it in half, but I used a LOT of it. :D I don't like dry pasta. (Oh, and in case you were worried, it's not REGULAR pasta, it's Dreamfields. :) )

It does have a LOT of garlic in it. I might cut that back JUST a bit, but there really wasn't any cauliflower taste to the sauce, which was nice. :) Lots and lots of garlic, like a white Italian sauce might have!

OK, I'm outta here! :) Have a WONDERFUL weekend! Try something new! :) Be BLESSED!

Review: Hershey's Spread with Almonds

 Good TUESDAY morning! :) I know I'm off my posting schedule, but I wanted to share this review, and I have a deadline to meet for reporting it. :)

I received this sample of Hershey's Spread with Almonds to review from Crowdtap. Opinions are my own. (As if you could stop me from sharing them! :D )

So, my assignment was to show five of my favorite snacks with the spread. One of them's a little more than a snack, but it is my favorite! :D

Overall, I like the spread. With some things, the almond flavor really complimented - like it was surprisingly good with the pretzel sticks. But most of the time, I felt like it was a little overwhelming. Probably because I'm used to Nutella - and almond flavoring isn't my favorite. :D

Here, I warmed about a tablespoon up in the microwave and drizzled it over salted popcorn. I really loved the combo of salty and sweet!

Of COURSE I loved it on strawberries. :D And the flavor also complimented the berries. But IMHO, you can't go wrong with chocolate and strawberries. :D

Here, I used mini Nilla wafers and banana slices to make snack sandwiches. :D Um, YUM!!!

Here are those stick pretzels and the spread. With my diabetes, you know I have to be careful with my carbs. I found that a little of this really satisfied my snack cravings!

And finally, here was a breakfast I did!!! :D It's stuffed French toast - I spread a thin layer of plain cream cheese on one side, and the Hershey's Spread on the other, made a sandwich, and did the egg wash and fried it up. WOW, was it rich - I needed the strawberries to cut through the richness, but it was SO GOOD - and FILLING!

OK, y'all, I'm outta here! BUSY day today! :D

Have a wonderful day! Be BLESSED!

Manicure Monday! :D

Welcome to another Monday! :D How are you today? Did you have a good weekend? Did you watch football? Me, either. LOL!

Today's manicure is brought to you by my youngest sister; she gave me the nail polish for Christmas, and an Amazon.com gift card so I could get whatever I wanted - so I got some pretty little rhinestones. :D

Edited to say: This is OPI's formula, NOT Orly. Gotta be fair!!! :)
This gray is one of a mini set, and it's called "I Vant to Be a Lone Star" by Orly. I was TRULY disappointed in how long it took to dry - I'm finding that Orly isn't my favorite brand to work with! I like the color; it's a soft gray with a tiny hint of blue. Now I'm craving a denim color. :D

The rhinestones are SO fun. There's lots of different colors in the pack I got, but they're all this size. If my nails were longer, I could put more down the line - you can see that I actually fit four in a row on my right-hand ring finger. :)

SO. I'm enjoying this manicure, wore it to church - and chose my jewelry to compliment it. :D Dressing up my nails is SO fun! Have I inspired anyone else to do it yet??? :D

OK, I'm outta here. I hope you have a WONDERFUL day! Be BLESSED, friend!

Chocolate-Hazelnut Biscotti

Welcome to Friday! :) Are you back in the groove of things? I'm not quite sure I am... :D

So, I wanted to share this recipe for Chocolate-Hazelnut Biscotti from epicurious.com today! :)

My mom, especially, LOVES biscotti. I usually try to purchase some for her for Christmas, but I made these for our open house - and left some undipped in the white chocolate for her. I think it makes her feel less guilty about eating them. :D

Honestly? This is an easy recipe. I think I need to make my cookie logs a bit thinner, but the biscotti is about the size of a commercial one, and fits into a snack baggie. :) This one bakes up quite nicely, and the classic flavor of chocolate and hazelnuts is a winner.

I'd love to know if you try these! They're definitely a keeper in my book! :)

Have a wonderful day! Be BLESSED!

Microwave Caramel Corn

Welcome to Wednesday! :) We're SLOWLY thawing out here in middle Tennessee; we're RIGHT at 32 degrees for the first time since Sunday. There's still a little bit of snow on the ground, but I suspect it will be gone by tonight. :)

Today's recipe is for a yummy, easy caramel corn - but the website I originally got it from isn't there any longer! SO, I guess I'll just site my source, and give you the recipe. Because you're going to want it! :)

Kenn LOVES caramel corn. I love THIS caramel corn - it's not overly sweet, although I try not to eat more than a few pieces when I do indulge. :) It's super easy, and I do EVERYTHING in the microwave - pop the corn, melt the stuff, and coat the corn! I purchase a brand-new paper sack at Aldi when I do this, so my bag is clean. :D

Here's the recipe. Be sure and come back and tell me when you've tried it. :D You can thank me later... :D

(Original recipe found at rubyglen.com)

Microwave Caramel Corn
By: Joyce Moseley Pierce

Part of the heistation in making caramel corn is the sticky, gooey mess that remains once you've finished making it. You almost need a blow torch to remove the hardened sugary stuff from your pans.

Help is on the way! This recipe can be made in your microwave, and when you're finished, you can just throw the paper sack away.

This doesn't mean that it doesn't take a little preparation time, but at least you can relax and enjoy the finished product without having to worry about a lot of cleanup.

Next time you go to the grocery store, ask for your groceries in paper bags. You'll need one per batch.

Here's what you'll need:

3-4 quarts popped corn
1 stick of butter (no substitutes!)
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup Karo Syrup
1 teaspoon baking soda - add last

Pop the corn and discard the unpopped kernels. Put the popped corn in the paper sack. While the corn is popping, put the butter, sugar, salt and syrup in a glass bowl and bring it to a boil in your microwave. Stir after one minute, and let it boil for an additional minute. Add one tsp. of baking soda and stir well, until thickened. It will turn light in color and look like taffy. Pour this mixture over the popped corn in the paper bag and shake well. Put the paper bag back in the microwave and cook an additional 1-1/2 minutes (90 seconds). Remove and shake well again. Return to the microwave and cook another 1-1/2 minutes. Shake again. Open the bag and let it cool. You can even tear the bag down the side and speed up the process.

Plan to make more than one batch because you'll want to eat the first one! Great for Christmas or birthday gifts. I gave this as a Christmas gift to my co-workers one year and the next year they started hinting for it again in September.

Once completely cooled, break up the chunks, put it in a plastic holiday bag and tie with a festive ribbon. If you eat a lot of ice cream the containers with lids make a great receptacle for packing the caramel corn. Save your ice cream containers throughout the year, wash them out, line with plastic wrap and stic a bow on the top. Include the recipe and directions unless you want to tell them it's an old family secret, but let me warn you that if you don't share the recipe, they will come back next year begging for more.

Manicure Monday!!!

Happy Monday! So, these are the nails I was wearing for New Year's; I didn't feel well, so not too many people got to see them - but I felt like it was a party on my nails! :D It's called a glitter cascade.

The base is OPI Au Champagne, a frosty pearly color. The glitters are all different ones; I got some mini bottles of polish for Christmas, and three of these were from those mini bottles. The red was one I got from another friend for Christmas. :)

I can't wait to show you the one I'm wearing right now, either. :) Assuming I can get Kenn to shoot it for me...

OK, I'm outta here! :) Have a wonderful day - and stay WARM! Be BLESSED, my friend!

Samoa Bundt Cake

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!!!!!!!

2014. Goodness, this year - I know when I was little, Y2K seemed SO far into the future... :D Here's hoping and praying that 2014 finds us more at peace with each other, with our lives, and with our paths.

ANYWAY. :D

This CAKE. When I saw this cake, I knew I had to try it - it's Samoa Bundt Cake from *betsylife.

Now, then. You'll notice there are three min bundts on this plate. Let me explain something: as a family, we've cut SO far down on our intake of food, we have leftovers from a regular meal. I didn't want my sister and brother-in-law and niece to leave, and us have almost a whole bundt cake left!

So I make the whole cake recipe, but only did six mini bundts - since that's how many mini cakes were in my pan. And I threw away the rest of the batter. Yes, it was a little wasteful, but better than eating all that cake I certainly could kill myself with, and I only threw away the batters.

This is a YES, PLEASE! dessert. The cake batters were easy to put together; the cake, as a whole, is just lots of steps. This isn't a cake you can just throw together, unless you purchase premade dulce-de-leche. And I don't think I've seen it around here! I popped my milk into the crock pot and let it simmer away all day the day before I wanted to make the cake. I also toasted the coconut when I had some other baking to do, so the day I made the mini cakes I just baked them off and let them cool. Christmas Day, my baby sister made the frosting and assembled the cakes for me - I really felt awful, and was trying to ration my energy. :)

The other three cakes are in the freezer, waiting to be needed. A half cake is PLENTY for me for a serving! They're fun, incredibly rich, and do taste just like the Girl Scout cookie - although I'd like a little more caramel consistency in there. :D But I'm not willing to put more sugar into it, so it's great the way it is. :D

OK, I'm outta here. HAPPY NEW YEAR! Have a great week! Be BLESSED, dear friend!