Leader Enterprise - January 2011

How refreshing to begin a new year! I'm so glad we get an opportunity to begin again and have a fresh start. I love having goals and deciding on a theme for my new year.But what about choosing one word to help you change your tone in the new year? How about words like acceptance? forgiveness?faith? family? health? Something you can ponder and remind yourself of often during the year. Resolve to find a word to help you to become a better person this year.
Cold and flu season is here, so if you've avoided getting sick thus far,good work! Here are some easy ways that you can continue sickness prevention(or get healthy sooner if you've already caught a bug)

• Take Your Vitamins:vitamins can help fill those nutritional gaps created by stress and lack of sleep when you're sick. You don't have to spend a fortune on vitamins either. According to Consumer Reports, store brand multi-vitamins are on equal footing as their name brand equivalents.
• Change Out Your Toothbrush Regularly: bacteria can build up on your toothbrush while you're sick and decrease your immune system's effectiveness. Either get a new one after you've been sick or boil yours in some water and vinegar(without melting it!)
• Drink plenty of fluids: When you're sick, take extra effort to stay hydrated. It helps keep mucus thinner. Every time you sneeze or blow your nose,you're losing moisture. Drinking warm tea or broth helps loosen up the mucus, making it easier to cough out. Stay away from caffeinated or alcoholic drinks, which will dehydrate you.
• Disinfect household surfaces regularly: Door handles, remote controls, light switches, computer keyboards & telephones are storehouses for germs. Swiping them down with a disinfectant wipe helps eradicate germs.
• Wash your hands, Wash your hands, Wash your hands: this one thing cannot be emphasized too much.

January is National Soup Month, so I'm sharing a couple of simple & delicious soup recipes.

LOWFAT CHICKEN TORTILLA SOUP1(15oz)can refried beans
1(15oz)can whole kernel corn, undrained
1(16 oz)can black beans, drained and rinsed
1(10ozs)can rotel tomatoes, or 1/2 jar salsa
1(14ozs)can 99% fat free chicken broth
1(10ozs)can chicken breast
chopped onions/celery

In a soup pot saute onions and celery, then add all remaining ingredients and bring to a boil. Lower heat and simmer for about 10 minutes. Serve with tortillas, quesadillas or topped with fat free sour cream.

BAKED POTATO SOUP
4 lg.baking potatoes
2/3c.butter or margarine
2/3c.all purpose flour
3/4 tsp.salt
1/4 tsp.pepper
6 c.milk(or 4 c.milk and 2 c.chicken broth)
1 c.sour cream
1/4 c.sliced green onions
8-10 strips bacon,cooked&crumbled
1 c.shredded cheddar cheese

Bake potatoes at 350 for 60-70 minutes or until tender; cool completely. Peel and cube potatoes. In large saucepan, melt butter; stir in flour, salt&pepper until smooth. Gradually add milk, using a whisk. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thick. Remove from heat; whisk in sour cream. Add potatoes and green onions. Garnish with bacon and cheese. Yield:10 servings.
This salad is delicious,whether or not you're trying to watch your weight.

DREAMSICLE SALAD
1(4-serv)box sugar free orange jello
1(4-serv)box sugar free instant vanilla pudding
1(10oz)can mandarin oranges,drained
1(8oz)tub fat free frozen whipped topping,thawed
Dissolve jello in boiling water according to directions. Add cold water or ice to make 2 cups;let stand in fridge for 20 minutes. With mixer or whisk, add dry vanilla pudding and mix until smooth. Fold in oranges and whipped topping. Refrigerate.

Happy 2011!

Enjoy a safe and fun holiday weekend! 

We'll be in touch in the new year!!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Making Cookies, Candies and Memories....

I have hosted a cookie baking/candy making night with both daughter-in-loves and our precious granddaughters for several years now. Wanted to share some pictures and recipes from our fun times together this last week.

From left to right:

Lyn (the mom - we always get comments about how young she looks in her mid-30's!), (oops - sorry Lyn!=) Chloe, Nana & Charlie

(The big tray of dipped peanut butter balls was cooling by the stove when this picture

was taken and they missed getting in the picture!)

These are two favorites that we always make for the holidays...

PRETZELS PRETTIES

(I am still not sure why they have a different name in my cookbook, but it's still the same delicious recipe..and it's easy peasy!)

48 - 50 mini pretzels
48 - 50 rolos or chocolate kisses
1 small bag peanut M & M's

Preheat oven to 275. Line cookie sheet with parchment paper.  Lay pretzels over top; place a rolo or kiss in the center of each one. Bake 4 - 5 minute until chocolate is softened.  Remove from oven; place an M & M on each, pressing down slighty to adhere the chocolate to the pretzel.  Cool a few minutes; refrigerate (or set in a cold garage) until chocolate is firm.  Store at room temperature.  (We've done as many as 90 at once by covering a big cookie sheet)

This is such an awesome recipe because you can make as many, or as few, as you want.  Make just enough to fill a plate to give away or several platesful. I love it because it's an easy recipe for kids to help with.

PEANUT BUTTER BALLS
(this recipe can be cut in half or even in fourths)

1 lb. margarine, melted
5 c. smooth peanut butter
2-1/2 - 3 lb. powdered sugar
1 Tb. vanilla extract
1-1/2 - 2 (12 ozs) pkgs. semi sweet or milk chocolate chips
2 (heaping) Tb. Crisco

In large pot, stir peanut butter into melted margarine; when blended, add vanilla and enough powdered sugar until slightly crumbly.  Make balls the size of large marbles while mixture is slightly warm.  Place on waxed paper lined cookie sheets.  Refrigerate for 1 hour. Meanwhile, melt chocolate chips and Crisco together in double boiler; keep warm.  Dip chilled balls in chocolate, placing back onto waxed paper to chill and set up.

Beings I live in Ohio and am a 'buckeye'.....folks around here dip these delicious treats part way into the chocolate, making them look like buckeyes. 

I've been making these for over 40 years, and have always dipped them all the way, but feel free to do as you please...

Here's our little guy Caden enjoying a cookie while we were busy in the kitchen.  He watched tv with his Papa and stayed out of our way while we were busy. 

Then last Saturday, daughter-in-love, Kym, and granddaughter, Ashtyn, came over and spent several hours in the kitchen with me.  Ashtyn is 16 and involved in sports and last year was the first time she had missed our cookie baking night, so it felt extra special for her to be here this year.  She's our firstborn grandchild - oh how quickly they grow! Guess that makes me old(er) huh?  (I always credit becoming a Nana with allowing my gray hair to show thru...I colored it before then, but after I became a Nana, it didn't matter so much anymore that I had a head of gray hair (in my mid 40's)  Grandchildren are our reward!

Can you tell we were busy!!!???

This is a picture of one of the platesful I gave away after we had fun stirrin' up lots of goodies...

Clockwise from left front:

Mixed Nut Bars - Chocolate peanut butter cookie cups -

Fudgy mint cookies - Saltine toffee - Pecan pie bars -

caramel truffles in the middle

(Just so you know....some of those things were made BEFORE our time together!)

Just in case you're just about 'cookied out' I will share just one of these recipes.  It takes 2 ingredients and is easy peasy!! In fact, I think it's so easy, I put it in the "Kid's Corner" of my cookbook...

CHOCOLATE PEANUT BUTTER COOKIE CUPS

1 - 15 oz. roll refrigerated ready-to-slice peanut butter

(or choco chip) cookie dough

48 miniature peanut butter cup candies

Preheat oven to 350. Slice cookie dough into 3/4-inch slices.  Cut each slice into quarters.  Place each quarter into ungreased mini muffin pans.  Bake 8 - 10 minutes (dough will rise during baking). Remove from oven and immediately press an unwrapped peanut butter cup gently and evenly into cookie.  Cool before removing from pan.  Refrigerate until firm. 

Yield: 4 dozen cookies.

(We ran out of peanut butter cups, so we used 2 peanut M & M's in the rest of them.  They turned out adorable too.)

We have 2 long distance granddaughters who I don't get to bake cookies with very often, but wanted to include a picture of them taken this week. We went there (nearly 3 hrs. one way) to see Claira in her school program, and then went back to their house for them to open gifts.  In this picture, Kaity and Claira are wearing the new princess nightgowns (complete with 'magic wands')

we got for them.

Whether you're stirring things up, or gobbling them down, enjoy a great time with family this holy holiday season!

It's a busy time of year - I've decided to take time off from blogging for about 10 days.  I have much sorting/organizing/pitching/cleaning (even defrosting!) to get done in my house, so I will catch you once again in the new year.

Season's Eatings & Merry CHRISTmas to all!!!!



Amazing Ritz Cracker Candies

If you're not going 'full bore' in the kitchen this time of the year, maybe you're getting to do some 'winding down' like I hope to this coming week.

Things have been a-buzzing in my kitchen and I've already given away many plates of goodies, and still have just a few more things left to make.  Gotta
use up those ingredients before the new year flies in and I need to make a commitment to eat healthier.

Until then...trust me, I am REALLY enjoying the goodies this time of year!

I plan to share some pictures from my recent 'memory making' times with family and pictures of some of our creations in an upcoming post.  It's been great fun and worth the effort to make memories together.

I've made a similar recipe to the first one below for many years - so yummy.  We always put peanut butter between two crackers and dip them in chocolate, but don't add the peppermint. Amazing how good something that simple tastes. 


Adding the candy cane sprinkles & extract would give it some holiday pizazz.


Try 'em...you'll like 'em...

Mint Thins

1 pkg. (8 squares) BAKER'S Semi-Sweet Chocolate, melted, slightly cooled
1/4 tsp. peppermint extract,optional
1 sleeve RITZ Crackers (36 crackers)
1 candy cane (6 inch), crushed, optional



MIX chocolate and extract.


DIP crackers in chocolate, turning to completely coat each cracker. Carefully scrape off excess chocolate. Place crackers in single layer on waxed paper-covered baking sheets; sprinkle with crushed candy.


REFRIGERATE 30 min. or until chocolate is firm.


These are a few ritz 'sandwiches' we made at our cookie baking/candy making time together last Sat.  Granddaughter Ashtyn got to add the sprinkles...MMM!

 ****************************************

OK - I already had this post typed up and scheduled, and then I read this
lovely post by my blogger friend Libby.  She's a military wife, so I'm pretty
partial to her :-} and I get such a kick out of knowing more about the cooking classes she's sharing with other military gals.  I would have loved that -
all of us being away from our families for the holidays, and having someone sharing her ideas to help us make our own memories in the kitchen.  Awesome!

Anyway - she has the recipe and her picture for the 'ritz cookies' as we've called them, so I want to include this post from "Cooking with Libby"....

Check her out....click on the link below...

Peanut Butter Chocolate Cookies


She's got some great ideas and I do hope you'll give them a try!

Stay tuned for more ideas to make gifts from your kitchen.  Christmas is only 4 days away!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!