Hot Buttered Rum Recipe for Sarah

Hot buttered rum use to be my Christmas drink.  Here is the recipe I used back in the day.

Ingredients:

1 cup butter softened
1 lb light brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamin
1 pinch all spice
1 tsp vanilla

mix well - may be refrigerated or frozen.  Use 1 round tsp with 1 shot of rum in 1 cup of hot water

Mexican Mocha Balls!!!!

One of the favorite Watt's Family Christmas Cookie Traditions

Ingredients

1 cup butter

1/2 cup sugar 

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 cups flour

1/4 cup cocoa powder

1 teaspoon instant coffee powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

1/2 cup chopped maraschino cherries

fine bakers sugar for dusting

preheat oven to 325 degrees

cream butter, sugar, and vanilla until fluffy.  Mix dry ingredients in a bowl (flour, cocoa, coffee, salt) and gradually beat in to butter mixture.  Stir in walnuts and cherries and chill for a minimum of 1 hour.  Shape into 1 inch balls and back for 20 minutes.  Cool and dust with fine sugar when still warm.

Chocolate chocolate Birthday cake!!!

first attempt at a fondant bow

1 cup butter
1 cup water
1/4 cup cocoa
2 cups flour
2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon 
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup of sour cream
2 eggs

Preheat oven to 375

Combine dry ingredients into a mixing bowl.  Melt butter, water and cocoa in a saucepan and bring to a boil and pour into dry ingredients in mixing bowl and beat together.  Beat in sour cream then add in eggs and mix well.  Bake for 20-22 minutes.  Can use a jelly roll pan for texas sheet cake style or cake rounds for a birthday cake.

For Birthday cake, make up some chocolate genache while the cake cools.  Spread genache in between layers and pour generously over the top.  Use piped icing for happy birthday saying.

Time for Gingerbread

These are good made up as men or can be cut in rounds for a ginger snap. 

These cookies are so good I'm not sure they will last long enough to decorate.  Might want to make a double batch!

Ingredients

• 1 cup butter, softened
• 1 cups brown sugar
• 1 egg
• 1/2 tablespoon orange or lemon zest
• 2 tablespoons molasses
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

Directions

1. Cream the butter and the sugar together. Add the egg and mix well. Mix in the orange/or lemon peel and molasses. Add the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, ground cloves and salt, mixing until well combined. Chill dough for at least 2 hours.  I chilled overnight.
2. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). On a lightly floured surface, roll dough out to 1/4 inch thick. Cut into desired shapes using cookie cutters. Place cookies 1 inch apart on the prepared cookie sheets.
3. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes in the preheated oven, until cookies are firm and lightly toasted on the edges.

Cut out the meat

It has been a while since I posted to this blog.  I think it's the juicer's fault.  I started juicing and stopped eating red meet and poultry.  I still eat fish and dairy but I'm thinking about reducing my intake of dairy.  It takes much more thought to come up with food choices and as a result ...blog posts.

I'll give it another shot.

Easy Meatless Burritos

Tortilla's; I use fresh tortilla's and cook them through on a griddle
black beans
brown rice
jalapeno slices
cheese (optional)

Cook the tortilla or warm them so they are nice and bendy, spoon on brown rice, black beans, cheese and jalapeno slices and roll.  If there are left overs roll them up into foil for after school snacks or lunches.  They heat up nicely in the microwave.

Mac n Cheese

I've been told this recipe is incredible.  I plan to make for the family when I return from our trip to the Pacific Northwest.

Recipe of the Month 

icon GRILLíS Fried Macaroni and Cheese 

Macaroni and Cheese Sauce Base:
½ # macaroni
6oz sharp yellow cheddar cheese
4oz gruyere cheese
4oz extra sharp white cheddar cheese
12 1” cubes Velveeta
1 cups chicken broth
½ cup milk
2 T. flour
2 T. butter or margarine
½ t. Worcestershire sauce
1 pinch dry mustard
1 splash Tabasco (optional)
salt and pepper to taste
2 eggs, beaten
1 cup flour
2 cups panko bread crumbs

Cook macaroni, in salted water, drain. Set aside. Melt butter in a 4 qt sauce pot over medium high heat. Add flour and mix until flour is incorporated into butter. Cook, stirring frequently for 2 minutes. Add milk and chicken broth and continue to cook until sauce is thick and bubbly. Season with mustard, Tabasco, Worcestershire, salt and pepper. Remove ¼ cup of this mixture and set aside for making the Molten Cheese sauce (see recipe below). Place macaroni and cheeses into the large sauté pan with the rest of the sauce and continue to heat. Mix constantly until all cheeses are melted and well combined into the sauce. Spray an 8X8 cake pan with anti-stick spray and pour the hot macaroni mixture into the pan. Let cool completely in the refrigerator until firm (ideally overnight). Take a knife and cut the chilled mixture into desired sized squares (2”X2” is good). Take the squares and roll in flour, dip in egg and roll in panko (be sure to use the one hand dry, one hand wet method). Place oil for frying into a deep-sided sauté pan over medium high heat or warm a small fryer to 350 degrees. When the oil is hot, carefully lay the breaded macaroni into the oil. If using a sauté pan, make sure you frequently turn the squares, so not to burn on the bottom. When golden brown, carefully remove to a plate with paper towels to drain. Serve with Molten Cheese sauce for dipping.

Molten Cheese Sauce
8 1” cubes Velveeta
4oz sharp yellow cheddar cheese
¼ cup reserved sauce from above

Take the remaining Sauce Base and warm over a medium burner in a small sauce pan. When warm, add cheese and cook until melted. Season more, if desired

Summer Fashion

What's hot this summer besides the temperature?  Fuller skirts, maxi dresses and wedges!

This is one of the times in fashion that you can where practically anything and it's still in style but I have to say...don't where your pointy toe kitten heals if you have a pair of wedges.  Wedges are blistering hot this season and cooler on the feet.  Another fun shoe is the gladiator sandal.  Many options to choose from in that department as well.  Platform heels are another option.  I buy neutral so I can where them with everything.

A few years ago maxi dresses made an appearance and my thought was...seriously?  How dreadful.  Suddenly this season I think they are the greatest and couldn't wait to purchase.  I bought a plain color and a fun pattern.   The pattern seems a little less formal and received many compliments.  I wore the plain color and received weird looks when walking my dog ...

The other news in fashion silhouettes...Flare pants!  Yes, they are back to the dismay of some but the relief of most who cannot fathom a skinny jean profile.

Storms today made for powerful sky pictures

Neighbors house after the storm

view of my neighbors house from my porch
in between thunderstorms

view of my house from across the street just after one
of the thunderstorms

What no post?

So I just realized I haven't been posting anything.  Sorry folks been too busy drinking juice, eating healthy, doing projects with the kids and working.

Here is a funny picture...

Sean working from home...

My husband has taken to wearing a cowboy hat around the house.  I have yet to see him wear it out in public. 

Spring is here...

Time to exfoliate and shed that winter skin.  Here is an all natural recipe for a body exfoliator.  If you don't care about organic...then just use regular coconut oil...already liquid and skip the step of melting it.

• 1 cup organic raw sugar (or any other coarse sugar will work)
• 1-2 tsp organic unrefined coconut oil
• 2 tsp organic shredded coconut

Mix shredded coconut and sugar in a small bowl, stir until blended. Heat coconut oil in a small pot just until melted. Pour coconut oil over sugar and shredded coconut, you'll notice it liquefies some of the sugar. With a fork or spoon, stir oil into the sugar mixture. It will start to spread. Continue until the sugar is all one consistency.
To use: Apply a small amount to areas you want to exfoliate and moisturize.

You can buy organic coconut oil at Omega Nutrition online.