birthday pie...

Remember that song, "It's my party and I'll cry if I want to"? Ever since I told Jeff I wanted him to make me a birthday pie instead of a cake I've been humming "It's my birthday and I'll have pie if I want to" :)It all started with this fun pie plate I bought at Goodwill last month and then while looking for recipes for a few Christmas treats I found a recipe titled The Ultimate Caramel Chocolate Pecan Pie. I knew we had a perfect recipe to try in the plate. While Jeff stood around and watched more than he actually made the pie, it was a fun project to do together.
This is a rich pie made with 3 cups of pecans, caramel & chocolate so you only need a small piece.
The Ultimate Caramel Chocolate Pecan Pie
recipe from Kraft Creative Kitchens

Crust
2 cups finely chopped pecans
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup melted butter

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Mix pecans, sugar and butter. Press onto bottom and sides of a 9 inch pie plate. Bake 12 to 15 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool.

1st layer of Filling
1 pkg (48) caramels
1/4 cup milk
1 cup chopped pecans

Melt caramels with 1/4 cup milk in heavy saucepan over low heat, stirring frequently until smooth. Pour over crust; sprinkle with pecans.

Top layer of Filling
1 pkg (8 squares) of semi sweet baking chocolate
1/3 cup milk
1/4 cup powdered sugar
1/3 tsp vanilla

Stir chocolate, 1/3 cup milk, powdered sugar and vanilla in a heavy saucepan over very low heat just until melted. Pour over caramel pecan filling, spreading to edges of pie. Refrigerate. Serve with sweetened whipped cream, if desired. Makes 10-12 servings.

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Merry Christmas from my table to yours...

Oatmeal Craisin Cookies...

On Wednesday as I was reading through the blogs I follow I saw Kathy of Glacial Ridge Knits & Quilts did this post on "The 3 C's.....Cranberry & Coconut & Chocolate". I knew I would be making these as soon as I heard the title :) By Wednesday afternoon I had her recipe printed out and was searching the cupboards to see what I had on hand to follow her recipe. I soon saw I did not have the cake flour she included and then in reading the recipe I saw that it didn't use as much oatmeal as the craisin cookies I usually make so I ended up using my recipe and adding in the chocolate and coconut. Please go to her post and view her recipe as well - I think her cookies look like they are softer (less oatmeal?) while mine are more like a crunchy texture.

Oatmeal Craisin Cookies
from Allrecipes.com but adapted to Kathy's version with the addition of white chocolate chips, coconut & pecans.

1 cup butter, softened
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 cup white sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups quick cooking oats (I used old fashioned oats)
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup raisins (I omitted)
1 cup dried cranberries

Beat butter, sugars, eggs and vanilla for 5 minutes. In another bowl, combine oats, flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Add to butter mixture 1 cup at a time.

Mix in raisins and craisins.

Drop by spoonfuls onto greased cookie sheets and bake for 12-14 minutes at 350 degrees.

My notes: I used old fashioned oats, omitted the raisins, added a 12 oz bag of white chocolate chips, used the entire package of craisins and added a cup of coconut right out of the bag (Kathy's version called for slightly toasted).

Can you say YUM! Chewy, decadent and full of flavor - It is the season to indulge after all!

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Jeff - Thumbs UP

chocolate and coconut...

Many years ago a neighbor, Adeline, known for her baking skills introduced me to macaroon bars. The recipe was like a brownie with a middle macaroon layer and I made them often when we were first married. Soon macaroon mix became obsolete and no longer available in our local stores and I just forgot about the recipe until my last hair appt. You see my hairdresser, Danielle, is the granddaughter of Adeline, the neighbor who shared the recipe with me. Her Aunt Deb (Adeline's daughter) owns the salon and while we were talking about her parents who have both been gone for twenty plus years, I reminisced about Adeline's cooking and her bar recipe. Deb remembered them as well and said if I still had the recipe she would love a copy. For my appt today I did one better - I brought them the recipe along with some freshly made bars.I searched and found the original recipe as written here.

Adeline's Macaroon Bars (circa 1976)
2 cups sugar
1 cup shortening
4 eggs
1/2 cup cocoa
2 cups flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup nuts (optional)

Filling:
1 pkg coconut macaroon mix
1/2 cup water

Cream sugar and shortening. Add eggs, beating well. Add rest of ingredients. Spread 1/2 of this mixture in a greased 9 x 13 pan. Mix the macaroon mix with 1/2 cup water. Spread this over the brownie mixture. Then spread on the rest of the brownie mixture. Bake 30 minutes at 350 degrees.

Since the packaged macaroon mix is no longer available I decided to try this bar recipe using my favorite recipe for Coconut Macaroons as the filling. Deb remembered her mom frosting the bars with the boiled 1 minute chocolate frosting but I used a chocolate ganache.

Coconut Macaroons
(Heart Healthy Living Magazine)

3 cups shredded coconut
1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 egg white
Dash salt
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. In a large bowl, combine coconut, condensed milk, vanilla and lemon juice. In a medium bowl, beat egg white and salt with an electric mixer until it holds soft peaks. Fold into the coconut mixture. Using a teaspoon, drop small mounds of the mixture, measuring about 1 1/2 inches in diameter, about 1 1/2 inches apart on the prepared sheet. with slightly wet fingertips, pinch the mounds to make them narrower and taller. Bake for 15 to 17 minutes, rotating the sheet from front to back after 10 minutes. When done, slide the parchment off the cookie sheet onto a wire rack. After 10 minutes, remove the macaroons from the parchment using a thin metal spatula, and place them directly on the rack to cool. Note: Because we love the chocolate topped macaroons from a MN bakery I dip these in chocolate as pictured instead of leaving them plain.

Because these cookies are a favorite I made a second batch of the coconut mixture and actually made the cookies. It was dark by the time they were done so I used a photo of them from a few years ago.

Macaroon Bars & Cookies
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Jeff - Thumbs UP

Winter Whites...

Today, I am joining the White Christmas/Winter White blog party over at my friend, Kathleen's blog, Cuisine Kathleen. Please click HERE to visit her blog with the links to all the other bloggers participating. As you can see there is no shortage of the white cold stuff outside at my house, it will definitely be a White Christmas here in MN.I've participated in 2 of Kathleen's white events before but had to bend the rules a little since I didn't have any all white plates. This summer I purchased a full set of 9 (and there 12 of many of the pieces) of Mikasa French Countryside dinnerware at Goodwill for $29. Many of the pieces still had the original price tags on the bottom of the plates leaving me to wonder who would have donated them. A check tonight of the Mikasa website shows a single place setting selling for $39.99 so I think I got quite a bargain.
The white 60x120 tablecloth with silver snowflakes is another GW bargain at $6.99. The glittery silver placemats are from Kmart and were purchased for the black/white/red table I did for the tablesetting fair several weeks ago.
The centerpiece is composed of a rectangular mirror topped with a lighted arrangement in a mirror vase, silver beads, mirrored star ornaments, little white ceramic birds, silver glittered trees, candles and fresh flowers. The place card holders are also mirrored and I didn't realize until I downloaded my photos that I forgot to put name cards in them...oops.
At Christmas, I like to use ornaments for vases. The silver balls were purchased several years ago at GW and I removed the tops. I balance them on some crystal candle holders also purchased at GW just for this purpose. I love how the single gerber daisy reflects on the ornament.
In fact, I love how everything reflects in the ornaments and mirrors...well, except for the photographer :)
A closer look at the mirrored centerpiece...
and a mosaic showing how everything sparkled in the bright sunshine.
The main reason I like to use the mirror in a variety of centerpieces is because of candlelit dinners.
I prefer to set the coffee cups on the side until dessert, none of my guests drink coffee with their meal but like it with a rich dessert.
The white tree is a GW find and is lit with one of those round press on lights that are usually hung in closets.
The butterfly clip on in the centerpiece has special meaning and will be put on our Christmas tree for years to come. A butterfly is the symbol of infant loss from miscarriage or stillbirth and honors the memory of Ethan, our grandson born into heaven.
It sparkles with hope in the darkness.
Wishing all those who want one a white Christmas...me, I'd be happier with a warmer one - it's COLD here.

Tea & Cookies...

It's cold outside! I just got in from filling all my birdfeeders and in my opinion there is no better way to warm up freezing fingers than a hot cup of tea. In today's pot is jasmine blooming tea.
The cookies are courtesy of my sister, Laura, who visited last weekend from California and brought a container of her famous Lemon Cookies for the family potluck. She made the rounds and stayed at 2 of my sisters and finally my house last so I got to keep the leftovers :) I've been having tea & cookies all week and these cookies if stored in an airtight container stay crisp until the last crumb.

Laura's Lemon Cookies

2 cups flour
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 large lemons
3/4 cup butter (do not substitute margarine or shortening)
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Grate 1 tablespoon lemon peel from the lemons and squeeze two tablespoons juice. In a bowl, mix the flour, baking powder, salt and lemon peel together and set aside. In a large bowl, beat the butter, sugar and powdered sugar together until creamy. Add the vanilla and lemon juice and stir to combine. Reduce mixer speed to low and add in the bowl of dry ingredients just until blended. Divide dough in half and shape each half into a 6" long log. This is easiest done in wax paper. Cover and refrigerate overnight. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cut chilled log into 1/4 inch slices and put on a ungreased cookie sheet. Sprinkle with additional sugar and bake approximately 12 minutes or until very slightly tan on the edges. Cool on the cookie sheet for about 2 minutes and then remove to a wire rack to cool completely. Cookies stay crisp for weeks and freeze well also.

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Jeff - Thumbs UP

tablesetting fair...

I was honored to participate in a table setting event as part of a fundraiser for a group of local women raising money to walk in the Susan G Komen 3-Day Walk for the Cure on August 19-21, 2011 in Minneapolis. It was held in a local church and as soon as you walked in the door the first table was set all in pink for breast cancer awareness.The remaining tables were all set by a very creative bunch of women, I really enjoyed viewing all of them.

This patriotic one was set by my sister-in-law honoring her son with his combat boots from a recent tour in Iraq and her dad's flag and letters written home during his service.

I hope you enjoy seeing these tables as well.











This is the table I contributed, I took my photo before I added in all the battery operated candles so ignore those out of place on the table...
at least Jayme, remembered to take a photo once the candles were in place - Thanks Jayme!