and a partridge in a pear tree.....

oh dear, no, it's "and a snowflake in a fake tree!" LOLOL! So, I took all the paper snowflakes and hung them on my fake tree in the family room and added lights to it - oh what fun!!!





I have another fake tree in the entry way - I think I'll be cutting out paper snowflakes for the next month! The good thing....I can leave these up til it thaws next summer!!!

We went to dinner last night at the Melting Pot with friends. Yeah, sort of blowing Weight Watchers this week! But I forgot to post on Thursday that I lost another pound and Kerry maintained his weight loss. So together, we are now down 34 pounds! I am back to "being good" today. I think if we can just not gain for the next couple of weeks we will consider that a huge success!

Here's our best recipe this week: Sauteed Shrimp & Vermicelli

2 T butter ( I used "bet you can't believe"
1 pkg dry Italian dressing mix
1 # medium frozen shrimp, raw, peeled & deveined (let's make it easy!)
4 c cooked vermicelli (no fat or salt)

Melt butter in skillet, stir in dressing mix and add thawed shrimp. Saute 5 min. Put this over the pasta.

I honestly thought it would be too dry....but it's not! 7 points per cup - but trust me, a cup is more than enough - this only makes 4 cups!

Weigh-in Thursday

Down a pound and I haven't weighed since before we had Thanksgiving dinner - so I think that's amazing!

This week's recipe find was a total surprise as I just didn't think we would like the combination - but it turned out scrumptious! Again, from one of my WW cookbooks:

Skillet Sausage casserole - with my modifications.

1 6 oz pkg Uncle Bens long-grain & wild rice (microwave type)
1 link low fat sausage (I used Healthy Choice - spicy Italian) cut up in thin slices
8 oz pkg presliced fresh mushrooms
1/2 c chopped green onions
2 1/2 c water
2 sm chicken breasts, skinned, cut into cubes
1 pkg chicken noodle soup mix ( dry, like a pkg of Campbell's)

Cook the rice in the microwave and set aside

put sausage, chicken, mushrooms, onions in large skillet and cook til the meat is cooked. I chopped up the mushrooms as I cooked them. Why? I'm really not a huge mushroom fan, but if I can't see them, then I will eat them! LOL!!! Add everything else, bring to boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 15 minutes. Stir occassionally. No need for any other seasonings.

Yumm!

The original recipe calls for cheese and doesn't use the chicken. But Kerry has developed an intolerance to cheese (I may die!) so I made the swap and it really turned out great. Sort of chicken-meets-sausage-meets-rice-meets-noodles medley. Oh! and just 5 points for 1 cup! We had leftovers the next day!

I truly don't mind experimenting when it comes to crafts.....but it scares me to death when I experiment with food! This one turned out great! We're trying 2 - 3 new recipes a week....so far, still only 1 flop!

Kerry is refusing to get on the scales today. Hmmmm......did he eat too much pumpkin pie last week? LOL!



Elaine & me, c early 1960s

YUMMM!!!

Sometimes, all it takes is just one word:



That's the top, here's the front - a recipe box class coming up in San Diego!



Isn't this just about yummy enough to bite into? But oh! It's just paper, snowflakes and rhinestones.



A sizzlets die on the left and on the right, a Cuttlebug cut and emboss die. Now, who would know these are diecuts? I do just love altering and embellishing!

Can hardly wait to get Spellbinder's new cupcake die.....I see more cupcakes added to the box!



And this is just part of the background paper, cut out and embellished.



Inkadinkado has turned a major corner and is now producing some of the cutest stamps I've ever seen! I fell in love with the Birthday Cupcakes set. But look! On the left, it looks like a cupcake paper cup on the bottom? But the paper matches the background paper? Oh my....how'd I do that? Guess you have to take the class to find out!!!



And those Heidi Swapp cherries. I think I'm in love! LOL! Can a girl ever have too much bling?

It's going to be a wild 3 weeks in San Diego for sure! Oh, we're also going to do a recipe swap with this class. You must read my recipe - it's the best if you have kids!


(just click on this photo to get it to enlarge)

Of course, I had to go buy chocolate just to finish up this project....it made me hungry!!!

Fruitless Fruitcake

I grew up in a family that celebrated Christmas as the biggest holiday of the year. My life today is entwined in memories of yummy smells this time of year. So, when it snows in Colorado, I get the urge to bake! Last night, I made Grandma Myrtle's fruitless fruitcake. Ok....don't click away just yet! LOL! I know....no one likes fruitcake. But this is FRUITLESS fruitcake....no candied fruit in it at all. And oh! I wish you could have smelled my house!!! Yummm!!

Now why do certain smells remind us of certain events in our lives? I don't think I had a childhood Christmas without her fruitcake. She also made date pudding, date swirl cookies and sugar cookies (which I made this week). I remember so much food as a kid....tables and counters laden with pies, cakes, dumplings, cookies, cupcakes and candy. It was the one time you ate til it really, really hurt!

So while things were in the oven, I quickly edited some photos from 1964 and did another digital layout.



I even wrote a little poem to go with it:

When it starts to snow
and the sun sets early
I remember holidays
from my past with glee.
Family gathered
to eat and play
time to share
things to say.
Hard to think
it was so long ago.
These photos keep my
memories aglow!

The fruitcake turned out absolutely perfect! You should give it a try...it's a prized family recipe!

Combine these ingredients into a saucepan on the top of the stove:
1 1/2 c raisins
1 1/2c dates
2 c sugar
5 T shortening
2 c water

Cook this at least 20 minutes, boiling all the time and stirring constantly. It will turn into a rather thick paste. Pour it out into a large mixing bowl and stir in

2 c flour
1 t baking soda
2 t cinnamon
1 c walnuts (chopped real fine)

after that is mixed well, stir in 1 more cup of flour

pour into a greased angel food cake pan. You know, the kind with a hole in the center. Bake in the oven for 1 hour at 350F. When done, let cool and then remove from the pan. Wrap tight in plastic wrap and set aside for at least 24 hours. Now, over the years, I have found that it's best to bake this at Thanksgiving and put in the refrigerator until Christmas. OK...who am I kidding? I've never had one last that long around here!!!

It has the consistency of fruitcake, but no fruit...and it should be quite chewy in the center. Just one of my very favorite things to have on hand to serve guests this time of year.


Note: Digital papers and embellishments from Memory Makers Magazine and Scrappers Guide.
Recipe credit to Myrtle House.