Winter Funny

We purchased an old home in northern New York State from two elderly sisters. Winter was fast approaching, and I was concerned about the house's lack of insulation. "If they could live here all those years, so can we!" my husband confidently declared.

One November night the temperature plunged to below zero, and we woke up to find interior walls covered with frost. My husband called the sisters to ask how they had kept the house warm. After a brief conversation, he hung up. "For the past 30 years," he muttered, "they've gone to Florida for the winter."
-- Linda Dobson

12 twists on hot chocolate

Just follow the package instructions for making the hot chocolate, and then try one of these 12 twists - topped off with marshmallows or whipped cream, of course.


Caramel: A tablespoon of caramel sauce can do wonders for hot chocolate. Spoon in your favorite brand and give it a good stir right before you take your first sip.

Ice cream: It may sound weird to put something cold in your hot cocoa, but a scoop of ice cream makes it really creamy and thick. Make sure your hot chocolate is as hot as you can get it without allowing it to boil, and pop in a scoop of your favorite ice cream.

Cinnamon, Nutmeg or Vanilla extract: A 1/4 teaspoon of any of these always adds zip.

Orange Zest: Carve three 2-inch long strips of orange rind (the skin) and let them steep in your drink for a while before tasting. That citrus flavor is a delight.

Espresso or Coffee: You can either add a tablespoon of fresh brewed coffee or espresso, or you can use the instant stuff.

Peppermint Stick: Drop a peppermint stick or even one of those peppermint candies you picked up at your last restaurant visit. It adds great flavor, and a great smell. This version is nice if you've got a cold.

Dark or White Chocolate Shavings: Dig that Hershey bar out of your bag and grab a grater. Sprinkling a few shreds of the real deal into your drink - or on the whipped cream on top of it - can only make things more heavenly.

Peanut Butter: If you're crazy for peanut butter , take a tablespoon or two and mix it into your cocoa. Just be sure to mix really well until it melts.

Habanero Pepper or a Shot of Hot Sauce: Got a hankering for something hot and spicy? A dash of your favorite hot sauce kicks a hot chocolate into high gear. You can even drop in 2 fresh slices of a fresh Habanero pepper into your cocoa and stir the flavor in.

Hot Cherries: Nearly everyone has that jar of maraschino cherries sitting in the fridge, so drop two or three teaspoons of the juice into your drink, along with a cherry. Tastes like drinking a chocolate cordial.

Coconut Milk: Put a tropical spin on your hot chocolate by substituting some of the milk required with a 1/4 cup of coconut milk.

Maple Syrup: It's not just for waffles and pancakes! A squirt of the unique taste of maple syrup livens up ordinary old hot chocolate.

This gives me an idea.

I think i can achieve this same effect with tissue boxes. But only to burn briefly. That's the only problem. If you use those flat little tea candles it would work better. Just a thought for now.

Oreo Mint Cocoa

Prep Time: 5 min
Total Time: 10 min
Makes: 4 servings

10 OREO Chocolate Sandwich Cookies, coarsely chopped

3 cups milk

1/2 cup chocolate syrup

1/2 tsp. peppermint extract

PLACE all ingredients in blender container; cover. Blend on high speed until well blended. Pour into 2-qt. saucepan.

COOK on medium-high heat until heated through, stirring frequently.

LADLE evenly into 4 mugs.

KRAFT KITCHENS TIPS

Special Extra
To prevent hot cocoa from cooling too quickly, fill mugs with hot water and let stand until ready to use. Pour out hot water just before filling the mugs with hot cocoa.

Pretty Pasta Tree

What You'll Need
Waxed paper
Assorted pasta in interesting shapes
Thick white crafts glue
Wood skewer
Plastic cone approximately 12 inches tall
Sponge or standard brush for glue
Newspaper
Black spray paint
Acrylic gloss paint in desired colors
Paint brush


Make It
1. Create the treetop start first. Lay shell pasta on waxed paper and arrange in a star shape gluing generously between shells. Glue skewer between two shells for inserting into the cone.
2. Make the tendrils from partially boiled long strands of pasta. Boil, then lay flat to dry. Glue to the back of the star between shells. Insert skewer into the top of the cone.
3. Coat the cone with a heavy layer of glue using a brush or sponge.
4. Apply the pasta in grows using a variety of textures and shapes.
5. In a well-ventilated work area, spray paint the entire tree black. Let the paint dry.
6. Paint rows of pasta different colors allowing the black crevices to show.

Hot Buttered Cranberry Punch

1 (16 ounce) can jellied cranberry sauce
1/3 cup (packed) light brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon allspice
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon salt
2 cups water
2 cups unsweetened pineapple juice
Butter

Crush cranberry sauce in saucepan with fork; mix in sugar, cinnamon, allspice, cloves, nutmeg and salt. Add water gradually, beating until smooth with rotary beater. Stir in pineapple juice. Heat to boiling point, then simmer for 5 minutes. Pour into punch cups; float a pat of butter in each cup.
Yields 6 cups.

The new computer has arrived.

My new Vostro is here! The techs are installing it now. It's a Vostro 220 mini-tower. Flat screen, new keyboard (with the R and the M STILL ON IT! I wore those off of my other one...) I am lovin that flat screen. I am so behind the times! I so glad it got here before I left for Thanksgiving holiday.

I treated myself and my daughter to a big breakfast this morning from a local cafe. It was so good! We had an egg , sunny-side up, she had country ham and I had a chicken strip, biscuit, gravy, jelly, coffee. I don't normally eat biscuits, gravy or jelly. The chicken strip was a unusual for me, since it was fried. I am still full almost 2 hours later! It's Thanksgiving, so I splurged.

I am still sipping on that huge coffee. Waiting for the techs to complete installation of the Vostro. I am on someone elses computer and my daughter is on yet another one probably on youtube watching that Kenny Rogers Jackass clip again. Oh , brother. I am so tired of hearing that! I love to hear her laugh, tho! The mouse on the computer I am using doesn't have a rolly thing in the center. That is just the most aggravating thing ever!

I am sooo bored right now. I need to be WORKING! Darn it, hate that I can't...
I just used some of my coworkers lotion. Smells great! Cherry Blossom. gotta run!

More Winter Drinks

Cups of Comfort

3 quarts cranberry juice
2 quarts apple juice
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
8 cinnamon sticks
3 teaspoons whole cloves

Pour cold or room temperature juices into a large percolator type coffee pot. Line the basket with a filter and add the remaining ingredients. Cover and brew as you would a pot of coffee.

Serve in mugs garnished with a slice of orange or lemon and the used cinnamon sticks.


Aztec Hot Chocolate
This spiced cocoa mix is a great way to keep warm, all winter long. Packaged in a cool jar and it makes a unique and tasty gift.

For this recipe, you will need:

3 cups powdered milk
3/4 cup cocoa
3/4 cup sugar
1 Tbs cinnamon
1 teaspoons ginger powder
1 teaspoons cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

Sift the ingredients into a large glass bowl. Pack the mix into an airtight jar or decorative tin.
Make a label with instructions to prepare the mixture.

Hot Chocolate
Serves 1
4 tablespoons Hot Chocolate Mix
8 ounces boiling water
Add marshmallows or whipped cream.

Easy Stocking Stuffers for your Best Friend

Our pets are our companions, protectors, and familiars. And if we allow them to be they're also our teachers. Here are some treats that we can conjure to express our gratitude for all they give. Unfortunately, there simply isn't room to list a treat for all of the wonderful types of pets out there. So, I have listed one for each of the most commonly owned ones (cats and dogs). (So easy, a Caveman could do it...)

Cheshire Cat's Cheesy Grin

You need:
1 cup white flour
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
6 tablespoons of grated parmesan
1/2 cup plain yogurt
1/2 cup cornmeal
What to do:

Preheat oven to 350F
In a large bowl combine cheese and yogurt
Add flour and cornmeal
Take dough and knead until smooth
Form into a ball
Roll out to ¼ inch thick
Using your choice of cookie cutter cut out treats
Put on a greased cookie sheet and cook for 25 minutes
Allow to cool

Fido's Delight

What you need:
1 ½ teaspoons of dry yeast
3 tablespoons of dried parsley
1 tablespoon minced garlic
2 cups warm chicken broth
2 tablespoons honey
1 egg
6 cups whole wheat flour
What to do:

Preheat oven to 325° F
In large bowl dissolve the yeast in the warm chicken broth
Stir in the parsley, garlic, honey, and egg
Add the flour
Once you've stirred it into a stiff dough take it out of the bowl and knead it until it's smooth.
Now roll out the dough until it's ¼ inch thick
Using a biscuit cutter of your choice cut out shapes and put onto a cookie sheet.
Bake for 30 minutes
Flip the cookies over and bake for an additional 15 minutes
Let the cookies cool overnight.
If Fido is picky and prefers his/her cookies crispier we suggest letting them cool in the oven over night.

Lolcats Rule

Aqua Poppy Designs

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My horoscope for today.

Libra Sometimes you can appear more easygoing than you actually feel. Today, however, you are likely to just push others away if you need time by yourself. It's not that you are unsocial; it's just that you aren't interested in putting up a fake front for the sake of making someone else feel good. Don't try to justify your actions; just be true to yourself while remaining kind to everyone else.

Also got this little nugget in my email: Change your attitude and your whole life will change.

How true! I am living proof.

Got the itch

I am getting the itch to start making ornaments and cookies and decorating my house. What is UP with me? I haven't done this in YEARS. I've been anti-holiday for a LONNNNG time. All the Santa stuff is over so you'd think the magic would be gone. Guess not.

I found lots of homemade ornament crafts online this weekend while I was pulling out all the winter clothes and washing them up. I am even craving apple cider!

Today me and Marli are going to the Flea Market to see the new stuff (or old actually, which I would rather have anyway) they have in for the holiday.

Here's one thing I found that was really cute and easy (from betterbudgeting.com):



"Floral Rosette Ball Ornament"

Submitted by Kristi Gorecki of FL

This idea from my desire to commemorate my September wedding on a Christmas ornament and creatively use leftover items from my wedding decorations. I used the little miniature burgundy rosettes that I purchased at a craft store in bundles of a dozen or so. These rosettes were scattered on tables at our reception, and afterward, I didn't want to just throw them away! So, I kept as many as I needed to make this ornament, and now we have a sentimental, personalized Christmas ornament that we can cherish for years to come! Plus, it was really easy to make!

You will need:1 round foam ball
Miniature floral roses on wire stems from a craft store
16" length of ribbon

Directions:
Tie ribbon around foam ball, making a knot at the top with the ball in the center of the ribbon. Tie loose ends of ribbon together to create a bow at the top of the ornament.
Using miniature floral roses, cut the wire stems to approximately 1/2 to 1/4 inch. Press flowers into the foam ball, keeping each flower very close to the next, completely covering the foam. (If you are worried about the flowers falling out of the foam, work in small areas and paint the foam ball with regular white glue before pressing flowers into foam.)

When foam ball is completely covered, you are finished!

Leftover Holiday Card Crafts

Make a luminary:



Make gift tags:

Before you decide to toss all those Christmas cards sent to you, save them and use them as gift tags for next year. It doesn’t require a crafty-hand, just a pair of scissors and a hole punch.




Cut around specific shapes, or take a decorative backdrop and cut shapes in it. Punch a hole in the top for tying them on and cover any writing on the back by gluing a piece of paper over it. You can even embellish them with glitter, sequins or ribbon.

It doesn’t take any time at all, and you’ve turned those beautiful cards into beautiful gift tags for next holiday season.




Make ornaments: (no photo)

Trace a Circle on the most interesting part of the card (on the back of the image of course) then trace a square INSIDE the circle.

Cut the circle out and bend the circle to meet the square

Create many of these

Glue each of the four sides of the circle (the ones that were bent) to another circle. continue ( i think you need 6)

Punch a hole in the top and add ribbon or string

Uses for Plastic Coffee Containers

These are not My uses, I just found a bunch of these and I am posting the ones I thought were best ideas:

I wash, dry and save egg shells all winter so that I can spread them around my hostas in the spring. Keeps the slugs off your plants and the canisters are a great place to keep them. After using an egg, rinse out the shell, let dry on paper towels and then crumble in the can.

I like to buy a lot of stuff in the bulk food section of the grocery stores, such as rice, pasta, oats, couscous, cream of wheat, cornmeal, icing sugar, dried lentils, chocolate chips, etc. So instead of all the stuff sitting in a plastic bag I put it in an old coffee container and label it with the name of what is inside. 01/04/2008) By Lisa (THEY WOULD STACK PRETTY EASILY IF YOU CHOSE TO DO THIS)

I strained all of our old paint into the coffee cans (with a piece of panty hose stretched across the top of the coffee can). Then took stretch wrap, sealed the top with that then duck taped the lid on over the wrap. Eight months later, the paint was just like new! Put a dab of the color on the lid and on the can, so you will know exactly which color it is, I also use masking tape on top of each can with the Brand, date and color, so you can have it matched if you need to. No more rusty paint cans! (06/22/2006)

I made a scissors/string kit with one of my coffee containers. I just cut one small hole in top for the string to come through and another larger hole for the scissors to rest in, small enough that the handles of the scissors still are accessible. It has been so convenient. I am about to dedicate a few of them for storage of cat food so that I won't have the messy cat food bag in my way. (01/07/2007) By Nancy

I use them for holding cookies, granola bars, pretzels and other snacks.(I'M THINKING ABOUT DOING THIS TO KEEP UNDER MY DESK AT WORK)

as a perfect sized container for homemade baby and cleaning wipes

I use my plastic coffee cans to catch rain water and gather fresh snow in. It melts and I have rain water or melted snow for my plants, my soaps and lotions I make etc.

I make my own hot chocolate mix and I use a plastic coffee container for the hot chocolate. I also use them to water my indoor plants.

I use my extra cans in my driveway salt barrels. They seem to withstand the extreme cold temperatures without becoming brittle and breaking and, the molded handles help when using gloves.

*Found on thriftyfun.com

My horoscope for today. Very interesting.

Libra The Moon's return to your sign probably won't help you make up your mind. In fact, today could be one of those days when you cannot decide almost anything without stressing about it. Paradoxically, whatever choices you make now won't likely matter much in a few days, so it's best to continue with what you've already chosen instead of abruptly changing your direction.

Hmmmm... I DO have a very important choice coming soon. This answers some questions.

Roots

I couldn't help it. I got one in my head and rolled with it. What did I get in my head? A Kentucky Headhunter song. Yep. Went all the way back to my roots and got started and could NOT stop putting songs on the playlist that is now on the right side of this page. Sandi, guess which one's for you? I tried to get it closer to the top, but when I put the code on it knocked it nearly to the bottom.

That one Moe Bandy song is for Daddy. I can remember him singing that when I was a kid. I remember Pennie liked Mister Sandman so I found that one.

Hope you enjoy listening to the list, Sandi.

Hot Tea Recipes

Hot Cinnamon Green Apple Tea

3 C. water
2 cinnamon sticks
2 T. sugar
5 green tea bags
1 C. unsweetened apple juice

In small saucepan, bring water, cinnamon sticks and sugar to a boil, remove from heat. Add tea bags and brew 1 1/2 minutes; dunking occasionally. Remove tea bags and cinnamon sticks. Add apple juice and serve, if desired, with apple slices.

Serves 4.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Spiced Chamomile Apple Punch
Serves 10

This punch features the delicate apple flavors of chamomile tea and
apple juice flavored with a hint of cinnamon and citrus.

6 chamomile tea bags
3 cinnamon sticks
6 cups hot water
4 cups apple juice
1 orange, sliced thin
1 lemon, sliced thin
Lemon or orange sorbet

In a large container, steep chamomile tea bags and cinnamon sticks in hot water for 10 minutes. Remove tea bags. Add apple juice, orange slices, and lemon slices. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours so all the flavors can combine. Serve in pretty glasses with a small scoop of sorbet as a garnish.

Maybe....

"If you have no reason to wake up in the morning, or no place to feel useful, you'll never truly be happy."


This was part of my horoscope this morning. I guess it's right, although I never really thought about it. However, There have been times I wish I didn't have to work, or didn't have to go anywhere...... ever again......

Baked Texas Jalapeno Peppers

25 medium jalapeno peppers
1 package (8 oz. size) cream cheese, softened
3 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1 1/4 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
4 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled

Directions:

Cut jalapeno peppers in half lengthwise: remove seeds. Place peppers in boiling water for 5 minutes: drain well.

Combine cream cheese, cheddar cheese and Worcestershire sauce, stir well. Place one heaping teaspoon of cheese mixture on each pepper half.

Sprinkle with bacon and place on a baking sheet. Bake at 400F for 5 minutes or until cheese is melted.

This recipe from CDKitchen for Baked Texas Jalapeno Peppers serves/makes 50

Cheese Ball Appetizers

SPICY HOLIDAY CHEESE BALL(S)

1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese
1 (4-ounce) package blue cheese
2 tablespoons TABASCO® brand Green Jalapeño Pepper Sauce
1 large clove garlic, minced
1 pound sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
1/2 cup finely chopped walnuts or pecans
1/2 cup finely chopped parsley

Combine cream cheese, blue cheese, TABASCO® Green Jalapeño Pepper Sauce and garlic in a food processor and process until well blended. Add cheddar cheese and process until cheese is blended. Shape mixture into two balls and wrap in waxed paper. Chill until firm.

Combine walnuts and parsley and coat cheese balls with mixture. Wrap in plastic wrap and chill. Serve with crackers or apple slices.

WHAT I WILL DO:
Roll into small balls and roll in walnut/parsley mixture. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve. Put a pretzel stick in the center each ball just before serving (instead of toothpicks). Easier to eat and no crackers needed.


RECIPE FOR JALAPENO CHEESE BALLS

1/2 pound mild cheddar cheese, grated
1 ( 8 oz.) cream cheese at room temp
1/2 cup sliced olives (optional)
2 large pickled jalapenos, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic finely minced
3 tablespoons juice from jalapeno jar
1 cup chopped pecans

METHOD

In medium size bowl, combine both cheeses, olives, jalpenos, garlic and jalapeno juice. Mix into a ball.

Roll ball mixture in chopped pecans.Serve with crackers or crusty French bread.

Serves: 6 - 8 as side dish