Brunch Puffs

Happy Wednesday!! Hope you're having a wonderful week! Today we bid adieu to July. Wow, so hard to believe!

ANYWAY. :D Waaaaay back in May, I had a dear friend - who's in Africa right now, on a missions trip - over for brunch. I wanted it to be peaceful and renewing for her; she's a very busy woman, and I wanted our time together to be a time for her to BREATHE. So, Mom helped me set the table...

And I made lots of new recipes for breakfast. Actually it was three, but two of them will be in a review together. :D I can't believe I haven't already reviewed them!

Today's recipe is for Brunch Puffs from Taste of Home.












I made the puffs the day before; they turned out really delicately. There's less flour in the recipe than I'm used to, but I followed the directions exactly. :) (I had extra puffs, because I didn't want to make ALL of them for just the two of us! I used them with fruit in them, and a bit of sugar-free cheesecake pudding. YUM.)

They were a bit messy to eat; the puffs collapsed easily when cut into. But they were very good. I would call this a delicate dish, overall - it sounds like it would be quite filling, but it really wasn't overly so. Quite yummy! :) I'm going to say YES, PLEASE! to these. :)

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

You asked for it! Lemon Fudge

Good afternoon! Did you have a good New Year's celebration? We went and spend a couple of hours with friends, then came home. Kenn was in bed and I was on the computer when the new year came. Big, fat, hairy deal, as my homey, Garfield the Cat, would say. :D

ANYWAY. I have had SO many requests for this fudge that I decided I'd better post it. There is no link; I found it in one of TASTE OF HOME®'s many holiday books, CHRISTMAS COOKIES & CANDIES. (There are LOADS of these books, in all shapes and sizes!) As with any cookbook, some are wonderful recipes, and some not-so-much. :D This one, however, is a definite winner. I've been making it for several years now. The first year, I wasn't sure how "thick" it had to get, so it was a bit runny. Now that I know it means THICK, it comes out perfectly. :D

Here's the recipe, ALL credit to TASTE OF HOME.

Lemon Fudge
1-1/2 teaspoon + 1/2 cup butter, divided
1 package cook & serve lemon pudding mix (4-serving package)
1/2 cup milk
3-3/4 cups confectioner's sugar
1 teaspoon lemon extract

Line a 9" pan with foil. Grease the foil with the 1-1/2 teaspoons of butter; set aside.

In a large heavy saucepan, combine the pudding mix, milk, and remaining butter. Cook and stir over medium heat until thickened. Remove from heat; beat in confectioner's sugar and extract. Pour/spread into prepared pan; refrigerate until set.

Makes 1-1/2 pounds

That's how I wrote down the recipe, and how I do it. I don't THINK I changed anything when I wrote it into my book.... :D

Seriously. Make this fudge. It's a beautiful taste on a candy tray, not to mention a great color. Make it for Easter, even! You're going to be asked for the recipe, I can almost guarantee. :D I find that men, especially, love this fudge - but this year, everyone is raving about it. It's funny how it changes from year to year, what people eat the most of! :D

Have a WONDERFUL day! Be blessed, my friend!

Pear Bread

Happy Wednesday! Are you having a good week?

My friend has lots of pears, and pneumonia. So I was gifted a big pail of pears. :D My sister asked that we bring some quick breads for the kids' breakfasts, so we decided to try pear bread!

This is a Taste of Home recipe. And it gets a MEH from me.

Now, don't get me wrong: as quick breads go, it's easy, makes two loaves, and has pretty common ingredients. But I have yet to find a pear bread recipe that tastes like pears. This one only tastes like pears when you bite into a piece of pear.

My dad liked it - I think its texture is more of a muffin than a bread. It will definitely do the job, and I've added even more fruit to the following batches, to give more pear to bite into. :) I'm sure it will be a hit with the lids! If I get gifted with pears again, I might try pureeing some pears to use in it, too, and see if that helps or changes the texture too much.

Let me know what you think - or if you have a pear quick bread recipe you like!

Have a wonderful day! Be BLESSED!!!!!

NEST OF HOPE by J.L. Rybolt

Nest of Hope: one Woman's Journey Through a Hysterectomy, The Loss of a Dream, and the Quest to Hatch a New One by J.L. Rybolt (hereafter referred to as Jennifer!)

Good morning! Today's review is out of what I normally do, but I'm hoping to do more of all SORTS of reviews. (Especially next year, I may have more trouble posting recipe reviews! :D)

Anyway. This is a very special book; it's written by a dear friend of mine. Jennifer and I met - what, Jen, 11 years ago?!?! - when we were doing a community theater project together. Neither of us is too active in the scene anymore (from CHOICE, believe us! :D), but we've managed to maintain our friendship.

Jennifer is a very private person, so the fact that she put this book out for the world to see is a big step. However, I know why she did it: Jennifer wants to help people. Period. And this book, if you're going through a hysterectomy, will do that - and it will help the people who surround you who want to help, but don't know how.

Here's how Jen sums up the book's contents:
The first part of this book will address the hysterectomy: the surgery, recovery, menopause, being single and childless, a chapter for the men and your loved ones, and the question that came up: Who Am I Now? The second part will take you on a journey of regaining hope, love, wonder, and excitement. We will look at where to start searching for things that may be your dreams, reclaiming your dreams and resources to help you get there, and help with maneuvering through the minefield that can be "the change".

It's a short book, and an easy read - and there are gems throughout the book. It's insightful, honest, and a book I would recommend, hysterectomy or not. I don't know about you, but so many beautiful women in my life have gone through this surgery; having this resource is great for me as their friend, and as a woman about to enter "The Change". :D

The link at the top will take you to Amazon.com, where you can order the book. When I went over there, it was even on sale. I would encourage you to get it, read it, and keep it at-hand for the next friend who goes through something. Use it for yourself, for the "reclaiming your dreams" section. Use the "50 New Things" list Jennifer includes for you. I think you'll find it *all* helpful.

So it gets a YES, PLEASE! :) It will bless you!