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Thursday, December 10, 2015
Family Christmas Day 10 Host a Smores and Hot Cocoa Party
Tropical Fruit Parfait
2 cups nonfat vanilla yogurt (recommended: Dannon Lite and Fit)
2 teaspoons lime juice
1 pinch cayenne pepper
1 (15.25-ounce) can tropical fruit salad, drained (recommended: Dole)
1 banana, sliced
1 cup cinnamon granola cereal
Fresh mint sprigs, for garnish
In a small bowl stir together yogurt, lime juice, and cayenne pepper; set aside.
Spoon 1/4 of drained fruit into the bottom of 2 wine or parfait glasses. Add 1/4 of the banana. Spoon 1/4 cup yogurt mixture over fruit and top with 1/4 cup of granola. Repeat layers.
Serve immediately garnished with a sprig of fresh mint.
Recipe courtesy of Sandra Lee, 2008
Traffic Light Day
December 10, 1868 the first traffic light was installed outside of the British Houses of Parliament. It was installed to control traffic on Bridge Street, Great George Street, and Parliament Street. The original idea came from railway engineer J.P. Knight and was constructed by the railroad signal engineers Saxby and Farmer.
The first traffic light resembled a railroad signal. There were two gas lamps, a red and green lamp that were used for night time use. The gas lamps were held by semaphore arms on a pillar. Because they were gas lanterns the needed to be operated by a police constable. The constable would turn a lever for the gas lamp to fac the right direction of traffic
The first electric traffic lights would make their appearance by 1912. The electric light would be invented by Lester Wire. The first only used red and green lights. It was James Hoge that would design the traffic light that would have both red and green lights but with a warning buzz that would alert the drivers of changing light. It was a police officer by the name of Potts to create the first four way three color traffic light in Detroit Michigan. Now there a great variety of traffic lights.
helpful resource here
Dewey Decimel System
Melville Louis Kossuth Dewey was born December 10, 1851. Dewey was an American libarian and educator, inventor of the dewey decimal system or library classification. Dewey was born into a family of six children. He attended rural schools and decided early on to reform education. Melville earned both a bachelor's degree as well as a masters. While a student he founded the library bureau which sold high quality index cards and filing cabinets and established the standard dimensions for catalog cards.
The Dewey Decimal System is a way of organizing non-fiction books based on category. It is the dewey decimal system librarians would have to organize their libraries based on either publisher, title, date, author, or other factor that only a few books of the many out there would have in common.
Under the dewey decimal system non fiction books related by category are found adjacent each other. So if you are looking for a specific topic that you happen to be researching whether I be anything from art to sports you will be able to find them all easily.
My personal first lesson about the dewey decimal system was in literary class. It was the first year of junior high, the same year I joined the library club. I would use the dewey decimal system many times that year and never forget it.
Was you ever involved in a library??
Wednesday, December 9, 2015
National Handwashing Awareness Week
Our children get their hands into many things. Mine have always liked making mud pies as they play pretend. Anything from rocks, pennies, and rabbit foots have been kept in pockets for good luck. Not to mention the many cats, dogs, pet frogs and other animals they have touched before. All of these are common childhood actions but these can also be main way to come in contact with million of germs.
The age old rule we teach our kids about is to wash their hands before eating, after using the bathroom or when they come in from playing. With everything they get distracted and they may forget. So it is a message that needs repeating. Hand washing is by far by the best way to prevent germs from spreading and to keep kids from getting sick
Good hand washing protects against spread many illnesses. The common cold to more serious illnesses such a the flu, meningitis, hepatitis A and more. All of which lead to missed school days and loss of work days not to mention dr. visits and financial cost.
Germs spread in many different ways.
- touching dirty hands
- changing dirty diapers
- through contaminated water and food
- through droplets in the air released during a cough or sneeze
- on contaminated surfaces
- through contact with a sick person's body fluids
It is important to wash those germs away and teach the correct routine to kids. You can even wash your hands with the little ones.
- Wash your hands in warm water. Make sure the water isn't too hot for little hands.
- Use soap and lather up for about 20 seconds (antibacterial soap isn't necessary — any soap will do). Make sure you get in between the fingers and under the nails where germs like to hang out. And don't forget the wrists!
- Rinse and dry well with a clean towel.
- before eating and cooking
- after using the bathroom
- after cleaning around the house
- after touching animals, including family pets
- before and after visiting or taking care of any sick friends or relatives
- after blowing one's nose, coughing, or sneezing
- after being outside (playing, gardening, walking the dog, etc.)
Family Christmas Day 9: Christmas Carol Challenge
I so love the little verse above. I found it while traveling around the great www. I love the fact that it rings so true no matter how old we are at Christmas time we all feel warm and cuddly and just like a child. Giving gifts or getting gifts from others makes us feel warm inside.
Great idea for tonight have a bit of fun. When I was younger I loved all the great game shows on T.V. one of our favorites was the Name That Tune. If you are not familiar with it the game is between two teams or individuals where they continue to guess what tune is played.
Name that Christmas Carol
version one:
Group and everyone plays at once: Create a song playlist from your favorite Christmas carols and songs for your party. Then make sure you write down the song and artist. If you are using an iPod you can create a playlist and if using a cd player be sure to note the CD and track number of that song. Tip: Use a cd with various artists then you can play a few from that cd during your game. Also avoid instrument music and be sure to include a mix of easy and difficult songs. In version 1, you play the first 5 or 10 seconds of the of the Christmas carol / song and if someone’s hand goes up they are they first to have a shot at guessing the name of the song. If no one’s hand goes up after 15 seconds after the song was played, start the songs again and play until a hand goes up. - You can play Christmas title only or you can make it harder by asking them to give you the title and artist. My recommendation is to do 1 or 2 rounds of title only and then add a round of title and artist. (If you do a title + artist round increase the points for an answer during that round.) Scoring - If the person correctly names the Christmas song they get 1 point, if they can get the title of the song and the artist 2 points - If the person answers incorrectly they get -1 point and they cannot guess again on that song.
Version 2:
Create your Christmas song list and gather history of each song, Year of release, information on the artist, and clever clues that give hints of the title 2. Instead of notes, contestants will bid on seconds to here the Christmas song before having to Name that Christmas Carol (use 3 second increments rather then 1 second and so the first bid can be 3, 6, 9, 12, 15, 18, or 21 seconds) 3. Instead of piano players taping out notes you will need to use a cd player or computer and have someone turn it on and off at the correct moment. Make a cd or playlist of songs to be used for the game and research the song, year released, artist, awards, etc… be sure to know the order of the songs. We suggest having 15 – 20 songs ready to go.
Version 3:
Divide the guests up into 2 teams, but if it is a large group 3 teams. Each team will send up one contestant at a time and 1 clue about the song will be read. The First Contestant (Alternate the first bid between each team) will then be asked to say how may seconds they need in order to identify that song. Starting at 21 seconds and counting down (Remember bids are in 3 second increments). Ie – I can name that song in 12 seconds, 9 seconds etc… If there are no bids then a second clue is given and a third if needed. Once the bidding has started, each bid must be lower then the last bid, the bidding ends when one contestant challenges the other by saying, Name that Christmas Carol. Then the song is played for the amount of seconds that the person bid. The contestant then has 15 seconds to Name that Christmas Carol. Scoring for Teams (Adjust as needed) 1. Correct Christmas song guessed 1 point 2. Incorrect guess -1 point. 3. If there is no guess by person who had to Name the Christmas Carol, then the opposing player has a chance to earn 1 point if they can Name that Christmas Carol. Based on how many players you have and songs you have recorded, you can declare a team winner after one or two rounds. We recommend two rounds as people get into the game during the second round.
Some Christmas Carol Ideas
Christmas Card Day : Make Splattered Christmas Cards
Today is the day to get those Christmas Cards ready and in the mail. We love to get Christmas cards they are always a treat in our mailbox. So what would be better than helping our children create their own cards to give to those they love.
You will need
one large sheet white watercolor paper
watercolor paint
acrylic paints of black, silver and gold
large sheet black lightweight cardboard
utility knife
ruler
double sided tape
scissors
blank cards and envelopes
bone folder (optional)
Splattering paint is a lot of fun, but tends to go all over the place. If you can’t do this outside, make sure your work area is well covered with newspaper or tarps. Select a large sheet of watercolour paper that is at least 90 lbs in weight, so it absorbs the water and paint without too much buckling. Using watercolour paint and a large brush, cover it with a variety of colours, making sure some areas of the white background are left unpainted. Allow to dry.
2. Prepare acrylic paints for splattering. Some water should be added to them so the consistency of the paint is good for splattering, but don’t dilute them too much or the colours will not be as intense.
Three colours I would recommend using are black, gold and silver, along with a variety of other ones of your choosing. The black tends to bring out the best in other colours, and the gold and silver are very festive this time of year. Different sized paint brushes will create different sized splatters, so it’s a good idea to experiment on a piece of newspaper to see what you prefer. Cover the paper with splatters by dipping a brush in the paint, removing some of the excess, and using a throwing action with your hand across the paper. If you leave too much paint on the brush you’ll end up with lots of big blobs…which actually don’t look too bad combined with the splatters. Allow to dry.
3. Blank cards and envelopes can be found in many places such as art supply stores, stationary or business supply stores. Mine came from Business Depot. A cheaper way to do this is to purchase envelopes, and buy large sheets of lightweight card stock that you cut into the appropriate card size. A bone folder is helpful when scoring them to fold them in half. Once the card size has been determined, you can decide how big you would like the artwork to be on the front of the card.
4. Cut the large sheet of splattered paint into the size you will be using on the cards. It makes measuring and cutting so much easier. Remember to also mount them on another color. I used black because it brings out the colors nicely. Once the artwork and black backing have been cut, your assembly line can begin. Kids tend to love this for some reason. Small pieces of double sided tape first need to be added to all four corners of the back of the artwork. They also need to be added to the back of the black backing. Stick the artwork onto the black cards. With the artwork on the black card, stick it onto the greeting card. At this point they should be looking pretty impressive, and you’ll be amazed by how many you can make from just one sheet of paper. We ended up with 50 cards and some artwork to spare.
craft resource Art Blog
Root Vegetable Augratin
This cold weather dish is perfect for everyone. It is gluten free, healthy eating, vegetarian recipe. Best of all it is very tasty brings a lot of your summer garden veggies that you may have harvested into a beautifully yummy dish.
1 ½ pounds turnips, kohlrabi, rutabaga, large parsnips or a combination, peeled and sliced thin
Salt
freshly ground pepper
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Butter a 2-quart gratin or baking dish. Place the sliced vegetables in a large bowl, and season generously with salt and pepper. Add the thyme, and toss together. Arrange the vegetables in the gratin dish. Add the milk, season with more salt and pepper if you wish, and place in the oven on the middle rack. Bake 45 minutes; every 15 minutes, press the vegetables down into the milk with the back of your spoon. Add the cheese, and stir in carefully to incorporate. Return to the oven, and bake another 30 to 45 minutes, stirring or pressing the vegetables down with the back of your spoon every 10 minutes until the gratin is nicely browned and most of the liquid is absorbed. Remove from the heat and serve, or allow to settle and serve warm. (You can make this several hours ahead of serving, and reheat in a medium oven.)
recipe source here
1 ½ pounds turnips, kohlrabi, rutabaga, large parsnips or a combination, peeled and sliced thin
Salt
freshly ground pepper
½ teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
¾ cup grated Gruyère cheese (3 ounces)
1 ½ cups low-fat milk (1 or 2 percent)
recipe source here
Danger Alert : Imaired Driving ;;;;;; Dont Do It
According to the CDC nearly 30 people in the United States die in motor vehicle crashes that involve an alcohol impaired driver. One death every 30 minutes is entirely too many. Not to mention the financial cost of crashes which is estimated at $59 billion. Thus, the problem of drinking and driving is major for everyone.
Our own family on one more than one occasion has been met fatally with car crashes that were results of drinking and driving. So my golden rule as the kids got older was no matter where they were if they did not feel safe come and get me. Driving while drinking was something I always took a stand on I would express my opinion very loudly and remind all that listened that it could result in death.
Some of my children have since married and my middle daughter married a fine hard working man but he does like a drink or two on his day off. My daughter a hard worker herself went to bed with her husband and brother drinking. I have no idea which one had the bright idea but they decided while drinking to take a ride across town to go to another party. Unfortunately for them it did not end the way they wanted to. Fortunately for me it was something that resulted in a car crash but no deaths and being in the middle of the night they hit a truck with no passengers simply parked on side of road instead of another car with passengers. I say fortunate because they could all walk away the truth is it changed lives forever. My son in law went to jail, court and now pays a large fine, had to fix his vehicle, did several hours of community service and now attends class and makes payments on a large fine
Please think about drinking and driving, hand those keys off to someone who will not be drinking it may save your life and a whole lot of problems.
Tuesday, December 8, 2015
Saety Alert
December is Safe Toy and Gift month. I love the fact that it comes in the same month as the big gift holiday of Christmas. I thought I would share with you a few tips that will help you with both the awareness of safe toys and gifts and get great gifts for your family at Christmas
- Inspect all toys before purchasing. Missing parts, parts that fly off, toys with sharp edges or points, or toys that are not sturdy enough to withstand impact without breaking, being crushed or being pulled apart easily are not the toys that I would consider buying
- I am the mother of special needs children, and now the aunt of special needs nephews. When choosing toys for them I look for toys that have more thing that they do such as sound, movement, and / or texture. The size of the toy or how the toy is meant to be played with makes a great difference as well. One resource your may want to check is www.ableplay.org
- When your child is given gifts be sure to take your time and inspect them. Make sure they are age, skill and developmental appropriateness.
- Label on the toy "ATSM" is great. It means the toy has met the American Society for Testing and Materials standards.
- Do Not give toys with small parts, magnets or button batteries to a young child. All of these are choking hazards and have the potential to cause serious injury or death. Good rule of thumb if I can fit in a toilet paper roll it can fit in the childs mouth.
- Do not give toys with ropes, cords, or heating elements to children
- crayons and markers should be marked nontoxic if given to children for gifts
Tropical Fruit Salad with Honey and Lime
Tropical Fruit Salad with Honey and Lime
3/4 cup sweetened coconut flakes
2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons fresh mint
Zest and juice of 1 lime
2 kiwis, peeled and sliced
1 banana, peeled and sliced on the bias
1 small bunch red grapes
1 mango, peeled, pit removed and chopped
1/2 large pineapple, peeled, cored and chopped
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Spread the coconut out on a baking sheet. Toast until golden, about 5 minutes. Remove from the baking sheet to a small bowl to cool.
Whisk together the honey, mint, lime zest and juice. Add the kiwis, banana, grapes, mango and pineapple and toss, making sure all the fruit is coated with the dressing. Sprinkle with the coconut before serving.
Recipe Greeting From Our House To Yours
With all the Christmas gifts that will be coming from the kitchen we wanted to offer you a special recipe greeting from our house to your and we hope you Enjoy!!!
Family Christmas Day 8: Make a Spcial Dish : Swedish Tea Ring recipe
Today make a gift for a special family, next door neighbor or someone who could use some pick e up. The Swedish tea ring was a customary gift that my grandmother would give to every family in our family tree as well as special friends during the holiday season.
Swedish Tea Ring
Swedish Tea Ring
1 cup chopped candied fruit
1/2 cup raisins
2/3 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup butter, melted
1 teaspoon grated orange peel
1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
DOUGH:
1 package (1/4 ounce) active dry yeast
1/3 cup sugar, divided
1-1/4 cups warm water (110° to 115°), divided
2 eggs
1/4 cup shortening
1-1/2 teaspoons salt
4-1/4 to 4-3/4 cups all-purpose flour
ICING:
1 cup confectioners' sugar
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon milk
Candied cherries, optional
In a bowl, combine the first six ingredients. Cover and refrigerate. In a small bowl, dissolve yeast, 1/4 cup water and 1 teaspoon sugar in 1/4 cup warm water; let stand for 5 minutes. In a large bowl, combine remaining water and sugar; stir until dissolved. Add yeast mixture, eggs, shortening, salt and 3 cups flour; mix until smooth. Add enough remaining flour to form a soft dough.
Turn onto a floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, about 6-8 minutes. Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease top. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour.
Punch dough down; divide in half. Roll each portion into a 16-in. x 9-in. rectangle. Sprinkle filling over dough to within 1/2 in. of edge.
Roll up jelly-roll style, starting with a long side; pinch seams to seal. Place on greased baking sheets; pinch ends together to form a ring. With a scissors, cut from outside edge two-thirds of the way toward center of ring at 1-in. intervals. Separate strips lightly; twist to allow filling to show. Cover and let rise until doubled, about 1 hour.
Bake at 350° for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on wire racks for 20 minutes. For icing, combine the confectioners' sugar, lemon juice and milk; drizzle over tea rings while warm. Decorate with cherries if desired. Yield: 2 tea rings.
Willie the Clown
Emmett Kelly , the man behind the clown character weary willie was born this day in 1898. Weary Willie was a sad faced clown who carried around a sack on a stick. Weary Willie was inspired by the hobos of the Depression era. Weary Willie is the clown that came to sweep up the three rings after other circus acts, and try as he would he was always unsuccessful in sweeping up the pool of the light of a spotlight.
You may want to embrace the spirit of Wear Willie by appreciating the art of clowning, paint your face, learn to juggle or wear big shoes or really big pants
Here are some clown faces to color and a clown snack to fix and eat.
Learn about famous clowns here.
Holiday Brownies
1 box brownie mix
water, oil, egg called for on brownie mix box
2 or 3 drops of green food color
2/3 cup vanilla frosting
decorating decors red and green candy sprinkles or mini candy coated baking bits
mini 2 inch candy canes, unwrapped
Heat oven to 350°F (325°F for dark or nonstick pan). Line 9-inch square pan with foil so foil extends about 2 inches over sides of pan. Grease bottom only of foil with cooking spray or shortening.
Make and bake brownie mix as directed on box. Cool completely, about 1 1/2 hours. Remove brownie from pan by lifting foil; peel foil away. To cut brownie into triangles, cut into 3 rows. Cut each row into 5 triangles, see diagram. Save smaller pieces for snacking.
Stir food color into frosting. Spoon frosting into small resealable food-storage plastic bag; partially seal bag. Cut off tiny bottom corner of bag. Squeeze bag to pipe frosting over brownies. Sprinkle with decors.
Break off curved end of candy cane; insert straight piece into bottoms of triangles to make tree trunks.
recipe source betty crocker
Monday, December 7, 2015
Tips for Stress Free Holiday
Don't allow those holiday crowds to destroy your holiday spirit. Avoid the malls, store sales and rush by shopping at home online. Just be sure that shipping charges and insurance won't end up costing you more.
Holiday Dinner:
Hosting a holiday dinner? Don't do it all by yourself. Make it a potluck party and you want everyone to bring two dishes. One their favorite and the second dish to be assigned by you. Ask for help if needed.
Baking:
As hard as it is for me to say as it is one of my favorite seasonal activities skip the baking if needed. If the time and energy are simply not there then bake at a later time when you will enjoy it more. Another idea is to host a cookie swap with some friends. Decide how many friends will be participating then have each friend make a different type of cookie. That way each friend will have a variety of cookies.
Wrapping Gifts:
Save time and money and keep your sanity by skipping the wrapping. You can do this by purchasing gift bags in assorted sizes and styles. Still festive just not as much work
Party Invites:
Been invited to several parties? It's o.k. to say no. Attend those you really want to and graciously decline those you can not.
Have other ideas to save sanity during the holidays? Please share them
Winter Squash and Sausage Casserole
1 pound bulk Italian sausage
2 large onions, chopped
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, divided
1/4 cup olive oil
2 teaspoons minced fresh rosemary
1-1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon pepper
1 medium butternut squash (about 4 pounds), peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes
1 medium acorn squash, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes
2 cups (8 ounces) crumbled feta cheese
2 small sweet red peppers, chopped
Preheat oven to 375°. In a large skillet, cook the sausage, onions and 1/4 teaspoon pepper flakes over medium heat 8-10 minutes or until sausage is no longer pink and onions are tender, breaking up sausage into crumbles; drain.
In a large bowl, combine oil, rosemary, salt, Worcestershire sauce, pepper and remaining pepper flakes. Add butternut and acorn squash, cheese, red peppers and sausage mixture; toss to coat.Transfer to an ungreased shallow roasting pan. Cover and bake 35 minutes. Uncover; bake 10-15 minutes longer or until squash is tender. Yield: 20 servings (3/4 cup each).
recipe source Taste of Home
Happy Hanukkah
Happy Hanukkah to all of my friends celebrating this week. May you be able to have a peaceful holiday where you find a special blessing.
Did You Knot Today is National Cotton Candy Day
I must make a confession. I love cotton candy. So, when I saw that today, December 7th was National Cotton Candy day I knew I wanted to know more. While we know cotton candy day is sweet, light and melts in our mouth , what else do you know?
Did you know that it was two Tennessee candy makers that invented the world's first cotton candy machine.
.Did you know that cotton candy was originally called Fairy Floss and that at the 1904 St. Louis Worlds fair it was sold for 25 cents a box (back then was quite a price) More than 68,000 boxes were sold at the fair
Did you know since 1949 when Gold Medal Products of Cincinnati Ohio invented a better cotton candy machine they have been the top manufactures of all cotton candy machines.
Now, that we know who manufactures the machine the next automatic question is what exactly happens in that machine? WEll first of all the sugar is melted until it becomes a liquid and then the liquid sugar is spun through tiny holes in the machine that shape and cool the liquid. As the sugar cools it becomes solid again.
Did you know that Cotton Candy only has only one ingredient?? That one ingredient is sugar. There is about as much sugar in a serving of cotton candy as there is in a can of soda
Did you know that while cotton candy is normally found in colors of pink and blue cotton candy natural color is white. The blue and pink are simply food colors and any color could be used.
Pearl Harbor Day
America will never forget as it is branded in the minds of every American young and especially older. The Date of December 7th , 1941 when America was changed forever as we were invaded on our own land.
December 7th in the United States is the date to pay tribute to those who perished in the December 7, 1941 Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, the USS Arizona memorial will honor the man who was the chips oldest surviving officer. Seventy Four years after the terrifying event that left the United States in shock the United States took time to remember once again.
The USS Arizona battleship was bombed and sunk during Japan's surprise morning attack on Pearl Harbor that pulled the United States into the World War II. 0ver 1500 military personnel aboard the ship were killed. The greatest loss of life ever in an attack on the U.S. warship.
Pearl Harbor now has daily tours for those wanting to find out where it was and what happened.
St. Nicholas day
December 6th is known as Saint Nicholas day. Different folk stories and customs of country helps determine the story of Saint Nicholas
Germany the children prepare and clean with shoes on eve of December 5th. They hope that in the morning that one will be filled with presents the morning of the 6th. St. Nicholas will fill the shoes of good kids but not bad ones.
In Austria folk lore tells the story of good children waiting for St. Nicholas to bring presents. Naughty children might be punished by "Krampus" the evil demon that helps Saint Nicholaus
The day of Saint Nicholas in the Netherlands is considered the most important day of Christmas. It starts at the end of November with wish list being left in their boot next to chimney. Next to the boots they place carrots. The carrots feed the horses of "Sinterklaas" who will travel from roof to roof leaving presents.
Great Day To Write A Letter
answer:
The truth is that letter writing is what some may consider a dying art. Others say that the art is still alive and kicking. I myself, stand in the middle of the debate . With all the internet social network sites and other ways to communicate letter writing has become less needed and more of an activity that individuals want to take part in.
Thus, today, December 7th a day dedicated to letter writing. I have always loved writing letters and getting letters in the mail as well. I have wrote letters to family, friends, and even had a few penpals. Perhaps your family will be writing a Christmas letter this year.
Here are a few ideas to include in your Christmas letter:
Share in your letter about something new or exciting in your life
Congratulate them on something new in their life
Share an old Christmas memory or perhaps a favorite recipe
ask about their favorite memory or recipe
Whatever you write a hand written letter especially from the sender is very valuable to the receiver. Have fun writing a short story, sharing a memory, catching up
Sunday, December 6, 2015
Family Christmas day 6: Christmas is for Giving
Today, visit a store with a red bell ringer and make a donation. The Christmas season is not simply for getting but giving as well It is up to us to teach the younger generations.
At home make up a batch of chocolate covered pretzels Sprinkle red and green sugar before chocolate dries
National Gazpacho Day
Gazpacho is a traditionally zingy tomato soup from Spain. It showcases the refreshing tastes of its fresh ingredients. Serve cold it is a perfect light appetizer to accompany summer cuisine. However, like many dishes that I think are traditionally summer Gazpacho finds its national in December. Traditionally served with French baguettes for dipping
While not the traditional version of gazpacho this molded sandwich is an acceptable alternative
2 envelopes unflavored gelatin
2 tablespoon sugar
1 bay leaf
4 cups good quality tomato juice
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon celery salt
1 teaspoon cream horseradish sauce
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
dash Tabasco sauce
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
2 tablespoons lemon juice
½ cup celery, finely chopped
¼ cup red onion, finely chopped
½ cup green pepper, finely chopped
½ cup pimento stuffed green olives, chopped
1 cup cooked cocktail shrimp, optional
In a medium saucepan combine the gelatin and sugar, mixing well. Slowly stir in 2 cups of tomato juice and the bay leaf until well combined. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until gelatin dissolves.
Remove from heat. Stir in the rest of the tomato juice, salt, celery salt, horseradish sauce, Worcestershire sauce, Tabasco and lemon juice and vinegar.
Transfer the mixture to a bowl and refrigerate until syrupy. Watch it so it doesn't firm up. It usually takes about 30-45 minutes. Check often.
Gently stir the remaining ingredients into the thickened juice, pour into a mold and refrigerate until firm. Garnish with a little mayo if desired.
recipe source here
Miten Tree Day December 6
Mitten Tree Day takes place on December 6th every year. While we all know that mittens are there to keep our hands warm there are many that do not have them. On mitten tree day why do not we not do just that create a mitten tree to give those that other wise would not have mittens a chance to warm their hands as well. Every year I purchase several sets of mittens for my grand-children but there are many children that will not even have one pair. Mittens are a great way to help children in our community by donating a pair of mittens we can create a mitten tree and hand these mittens out to those who need them.
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