Hot Spiced Cider

Hot Spiced Cider

8 cups apple cider or apple juice
1/4-1/2 cup brown sugar
6 inches stick cinnamon
1 tsp whole allspice
1 tsp whole cloves
8 thin orange wedges or slices (optional)
8 whole cloves (optional)

In a large saucepan combine apple cider and brown sugar. For a spice bag, place
cinnamon, allspice, and 1 tsp whole cloves in a double thickness of cheesecloth.
Bring up corners of cheesecloth and tie with string. add spice bag to cider
mixture.

Bring to boiling; reduce heat. Cover and simmer at least 10 minutes. Meanwhile,
stud orange wedges with whole cloves. Remove and discard the spice bag. Serve
the cider in mugs with a studded orange wedge in each. Makes 8 (1 cup) servings.

Note from Lena-- Use the crock pot and don't bother with the boiling. Set it all
up and let it simmer on Low at least 4 hours. No peeking! Serve it up with the
orange wedges.

Source: 1989 BHG cookbook
Lena Austin
http://www.lenaaustin.com/
http://depravedduchess.blogspot.com/

Recipe: Friendship Tea to Give as a Gift

When I was a kid, this was the gift to get from my mother.

Friendship Tea

18 oz Tang orange drink mix

1 cup instant iced tea

2 cups granulated sugar or Splenda

1 package lemonade Kool-aid mix

1-1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

3/4 tsp ground cloves

Mix and place in a well-sealed jar or other decorative container. For hot tea, mix 2/3 T of mix and 1 cup hot water.

Lena Austin
http://www.lenaaustin.com/
http://depravedduchess.blogspot.com/

RECIPE: Tres Leches Cake from Lena Austin

I'm lazy! Using a cake mix to save time suits me. This turns out delish! Because it's white, it lends itself to a holiday celebration.

Lena

Tres Leches Cake

Makes 12 to 15 servings

One package (about 18 oz.) white cake mix, plus ingredients to prepare mix

one can (14 ounces) sweetened condensed milk

one cup milk

one cup (1/2 pint) whipping cream

one container (8 oz.) whipped topping, thawed

fresh fruit

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Spray a 13 by 9 by 2 inch baking pan with nonstick cooking spray.

2.  Prepare cake mix according to package directions.  Bake about 35 to 40 minutes or until cake is firm to the touch.  Remove cake from oven; cool five minutes.

3.  Meanwhile, combine sweetened condensed milk, milk and whipping cream in a four cup measure.  Poke holes all around the warm cake, using a wooden skewer or toothpick.  Slowly pour milk mixture evenly over top of holes on cake.  Let cake cool 10 to 15 minutes more to absorb all liquid.  Cover and refrigerate cake in pan at least one hour.

4.  When cake is completely cool, spread whipped topping evenly on top.  Cut into pieces and serve with fresh fruit.  Keep cake covered and refrigerated.

.

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Recipe: Snowballs

I've been making these since I was seventeen. That's over 30 years.

Snowballs

1/2 c. confectioner's 10x sugar

1/4 tsp salt

1 cup butter, softened

1 tsp vanilla

2-1/4 c all purpose flour

1/2 c chopped pecans

More 10x sugar (an extra bag is wise)

Makes 5 dozen, so set up a lot of cookie sheets while the dough chills. You may use silicon mats, if desired.

Mix the first three ingredients together well. Stir in the vanilla. Now gradually add the flour. Be patient. When all the flour is gone, now work in the nuts. Cover the bowl with foil and chill it well, at least an hour or two.

Pour the extra confectioner's sugar into a shallow bowl or pie plate. If you have helpers, give them each their own pie plate and storage container. From here on, everything moves pretty quickly, so being set up in advance makes the process go more smoothly.

Turn your oven on to 400F now and allow it to warm up. Use a melon baller, teaspoon measure, or a small child's hands to form the dough into 1-inch balls. Don't be tempted to make them larger. Place them on ungreased cookie sheets. Bake at 400F for 8-10 minutes until set but not brown. As soon as you can pick them up, roll them in the powdered sugar and put them on a rack to cool. Roll them again in the sugar, then put in storage containers.  You may use any leftover sugar to pack around the cookies for storage, if they make it to the pantry at all.

Lena Austin
http://www.lenaaustin.com/
http://depravedduchess.blogspot.com/

I was quoted on FlyLady!! Wow!!

Pam here: I just found a comment by a novelist who discovered my Stick it Right on the Money Gift kit and wrote about it. I think her sentiments match Jenny's.

This has to be the most innovative way to give a plain old monetary gift some pizzazz to show you really did think about what gift would suit the recipient.
My mother in law used to say that giving money, gift certificates, and gift cards were in a way a cop out and borderline rude. They require very little thought, and while "one size does fit all" it does show a certain casual disregard for the likes and dislikes of the recipient or even little more than a nod to the occasion. However in today's busy world, sometimes giving cash can mean a whole lot more, especially when friends and family can be many miles apart. Cash spends well without having to worry. Now, with Stick It Right On the Money stickers, you can do more than give a nod to the occasion! Each frame and stickers are "Post-it" sticky, so the money isn't damaged. (That's illegal.) See the video at the website. What a great gift idea.
Lena Austin
www.stickitrightonthemoney.com


Note from Lena: I've been a FlyBaby for years, but this is huge. Marla Cilley, aka The FlyLady, has millions of followers and devoted fans. I'm one of them. This is like having Nora Roberts quote me. I'm ready to faint. http://www.flylady.net/ I'm on FlyLady's BigTent site, where her fans can get updates and household hints every day. That's where this quote came from.

Lena Austin
http://www.lenaaustin.com/
http://depravedduchess.blogspot.com/

A great gift idea for the holidays--Stick it Right on the Money Stickers

http://www.stickitrightonthemoney.com/

This has to be the most innovative way to give a plain old monetary gift some pizzazz to show you really did think about  what gift would suit the recipient.

My mother in law used to say that giving money, gift certificates, and gift cards were in a way a cop out and borderline rude. They require very little thought, and while "one size does fit all" it does show a certain casual disregard for the likes and dislikes of the recipient or even little more than a nod to the occasion.

However in today's busy world, sometimes giving cash can mean a whole lot more, especially when friends and family can be many miles apart. Cash spends well without having to worry.  

Now, with Stick It Right On the Money stickers, you can do more than give a nod to the occasion! Each frame and sticker are "Post-it" sticky, so the money isn't damaged. (That's illegal.) See the video at the website. What a great gift idea.

Lena Austin
http://www.lenaaustin.com/

Do you love my work? Then don't download from pirates.
When you steal what I've earned, you're hurting me.

Thanksgiving 5 Things

Thanksgiving Five Things

Doing these five things ahead will save you time, stress, and money. Do it now, and write them down. If you don't have the FlyLady Holiday Control Journal, go get one. http://www.flylady.net Search "Control Journal" and you'll find it.

1) Guest List. Pretty basic, but seriously, make your list; check it twice and start making those all-important phone calls. Knowing how many to plan for is an integral part of successful holiday planning.

2) The Menu. What are you having besides turkey? Make your menu and appropriate grocery list and get everything purchased except the perishables (do that a few days before). If you have stuff that might get mistakenly eaten before the big day, put it in a box and stash it in the linen closet or label it instructing your loved ones to stay far, far away from this Thanksgiving food item.



3) The Turkey. If you're going to order a fresh one, time's running out. Make that phone call now. Make sure you get a confirmation number (put the confirmation number on your calendar or checklist). If you're buying frozen go ahead and purchase it now, double bag it and stick in the fridge to start thawing.



4) Serving Pieces. Do you have everything you need? Platters, serving utensils, extra plates, napkins, etc.? Pull them out and set them aside; that's one less thing you'll need to do. If you don't have what you need, buy them or make phone calls to borrow and pick them up as soon as possible.



5) Linen Check. Pull out your tablecloth and napkins. Are they clean, are they pressed? If not, wash and iron them now then hang them up on hangers and put them in your hall closet (or wherever you can hang them). Doing them the night before or the day of will exhaust you! There's way too much to do on those two days.



Remember that holidays are for everyone, INCLUDING the cook! Don't forget to ask for help, allow others to bring some of their favorite dishes and on cooking day, make time to stop, put your feet up and be very thankful for the faces that will be sitting around your Thanksgiving table. Enjoy yourself this year!

Getting the Thanksgiving Menu Organized

I don't know about my non-US friends, but here in the US Thanksgiving is a huge feast usually spent with friends and family. Today, my daughter Susan and I went to the NAS Jax base commissary and spent $40 more than usual just for this one day's feast. This isn't including other purchases made here and there as I found a good deal, such as the jars of mincemeat found this past summer.

This year, Susan and I wised up and sorted the food reserved for the feast into paper grocery bags and put the traditional recipes with the non-perishable foodstuffs. We also took the time to measure out a few ingredients into zip-topped bags labeled with the recipe they belong to, such as the coconut, brown sugar, etc for the Praline Yams are now all ready in one zip-topped bag awaiting the day I assemble the dish. Same goes for the salt, sugar, and spices for the brine of the turkey. All labeled and ready for the day when all four of us pile into my tiny "two butt" kitchen and try to be helpful. LOL!

Four brown paper bags now sit in a line out in the Florida room-- Entree and stuffing, Sides, Desserts, Bread/Appetizers/Beverages. On the 21st, we'll pull out the ingredients to make the Cranberry Sauce and begin polishing the silver.

Hmm. Maybe I'd better schedule myself a manicure for the 25th. LOL!

We Learned an Important Lesson

After six months of unemployment and almost losing our home to foreclosure, DH has a job at long last. In fact, it's such a good job, we're scared to celebrate. It's one of those "too good to be true" jobs, doing what he loves and was trained to do, for a company that seems to appreciate an older military veteran.

We learned an important lesson we're passing on to my daughter Susan's boyfriend-almost-fiancee. In fact, we're telling every military person we know to take advantage of the military's college offerings. My DH could have had his degree in Electrical Engineering long before he retired. He was only a couple of credits away, but he hated "school" and felt it was beneath him. He was positive he could get an electronics job and work for some company until he reached age 65.

We found out very quickly upon his retirement from the Navy just how little civilian companies think of military service and education. Without the sheepskin, you're as low as those high school graduates, and twenty years of experience barely gets you a nod. DH had no "proof" he could wire and run any form of communications or detection electronics known to God and man, and teaching the subject for ten years was less than nothing.

To say the least, it was a bitter blow. We have suffered every hit on the economy because Randy couldn't find positions better than repairing ATMs or building fans in a factory. Every year, as his hair turns whiter, the jobs he can find become more and more menial. We're hoping at least this company can learn to appreciate him.

Drink of the Day from Drinksmixer.com

Sometimes after a hard day, everyone needs a little down time. Normally, I don't drink, but this one just might lure me to the bar.


Chocolate Ravage
One glass of Chocolate Ravage will knock you down. The recipe was shared generously by Jon and Brandon. You can find the Pop-Ice at Walmart in the juice isle in a cardboard box for about $2. Chocolate Ravage has a chocolatey taste (due to Yoo-hoo chocolate milk) so your guests are sure to love it.

16 oz vodka
1 1/2 oz Captain Morgan® Original spiced rum
1 1/2 oz Captain Morgan® Parrot Bay coconut rum
1 1/2 oz triple sec
1 sheet Pop-Ice®
15 oz bottle Yoo-hoo® chocolate milk
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup honey

Add ice to a blender until roughly one-quarter to one-third full. Add one sheet worth of pop ice to the blender. Add the vodka, Captain Morgan rums, triple sec, sugar and honey. Adjust sugar and honey to taste if desired. Add one tall yoo-hoo bottle to the blender. Blend until puree consistancy, pour into cocktail glasses and serve.

My thanks to drinksmixer.com for their lovely collection.