Cinnamon Pretzels

I found this recipe from Leanne at  Organize and Decorate Everything!
and thought it sounded like the perfect holiday snack! 

You need 1/3 cup oil, 1/2 cup sugar, 2 teaspoons cinnamon.  Mix that all up and toss in about 16 oz of pretzels.  (and I had peanuts in there, too)

 Cook in one layer on a cookie sheet - 300 degrees for 30 minutes, stirring now and again.

I let mine cool on newspaper then scooped it back up into the same airtight container I had the pretzels in.  And it wasn't bad - pretty sugary, but a nice salty sweet and cinnamon-y taste that would be good with a mug of cocoa.  And I'm thinking you could also substitute butter for the oil....yum.

Bubbie and Hubby really enjoyed it, but next time I will leave out the peanuts, or add almonds instead.
Found: a new movie snack for the holidays!

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Tree farm pics 2009

Happy Day after Turkey!  Just waiting for my peeps to wake up and get going to pick out a tree.  And I'm hoping we'll get some great pics for our Christmas card at the Elgin Tree Farm.  It's an annual "Day after Thanksgiving" trek for us that includes stopping to eat BBQ at Southside BBQ in Elgin.

Last year's pics:

 

 

 

Can't wait to go get our tree!

Gina

Pumpkin Doughnut Muffins

Before I get too burned out on pumpkin, and because my peeps are all here and sleeping in, I am making them these muffins this morning:

You gotta love Martha and her seasonal recipes - she hit the nail on the head with this one.  Very dense, slightly sweet, and just the right spice! Go here for the recipe.  The only change I made was to place the muffins on a pretty plate, drizzle with butter and sprinkle with spiced sugar.  And nowhere could I locate my allspice, so I used pumpkin pie spice, which has a wonderful, just right for Thanksgiving aroma.  While I finish up my muffin and my coffee I am making my list of To Do's for the day, and I guess I better get started while I have the house to myself!

Gina

Scout turns 15

I still can't believe it - you cannot possibly be 15 yet.

 

 I still look into those beautiful eyes and see my sweet baby boy.

The one that followed us around the house saying "hey, whatcha doin?", always up for a cuddle and a kiss.  The one who will lay wrapped in a quilt and read for hours in mom's bedroom.  Who includes his little brother when he hangs out with his friends, and gives as good as he gets from his big brother.  The one everyone says is the "nicest little boy" is now a very nice young man!

No matter how old he gets, he will always be my baby.

Happy Birthday, Scout!

Gina

My 50th birthday

Lubbock, Texas  1970

I have a milestone birthday coming up.  But a normal day, I hope, and not full of fanfare.  I'm just happy to have made it this far with my sanity and health mostly intact! The above picture was my 10th birthday.  Mom made the cake from scratch and placed the candles in lifesavers candy as holders.  I remember the dress; it was my favorite (also made by her).  I was anxious for all of us to finish dinner so we could get on to cake and presents.  I got a purse and some money and though that doesn't seem like much, I remember being very happy.  I have mostly happy memories of my childhood. And birthdays now are certainly different!  And that's not a bad thing.

Gina

Poshing my ride

It started out simply as vacumning out the car, then morphed into a project that involved me cutting to fit an old "oriental " rug for the back floorboard.  My mother gave this to me several years ago, and it's not authentic, but I still like it.

 All I needed was a sharp utility knife and a marker to draw where to cut on the reverse.

 I even trimmed the fringe that was a tad too fringe-y.  Now I have a pretty custom floor mat.

I took a little out of the middle and sealed it with fabric glue on one side, duct tape on the other.  It's not so noticeable that it doesn't still look better.  Imperfectly beautiful!

Now these seat covers are seriously past their prime, and the seats underneath took some scrubbing!  But I used a lavender scented cleaner to freshen up the whole car and now it all looks so pretty and smells so good.

Gina

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Orange Cranberry Sauce

Everybody has one - a recipe or a dish they have to have at the holidays or it's just not the holidays.  For me it is Cranberry Sauce.

I like to add orange to it.  Aren't those berries pretty? 

I dump the berries, sugar, orange juice/water, and grated rind into the pot and bring to a boil.  When I hear the berries start to "pop", I mash some of them up and let it cook for a few minutes at a low boil. 

Leaving some of them whole improves the texture.  And the orange/cranberry smell fills the house.  I made extra because I like it in Oatmeal Bars, too.

I use the inversion method - keep the clean jars full of very hot water until ready to fill, wipe threads and rims, then fill with boiling hot cranberry sauce off stove, screw lids on tightly, then let sit upside down on the counter for 10 minutes or so while I clean up. Shortly after turning them right side up,

you'll hear a pop which means they are sealed.

Gina

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Domestically Speaking

Countdown to Thanksgiving

One last treat - Pumpkin Seeds

The job of carving pumpkins fell to Bubbie and I.  We had drawn faces on them about 2 weeks ago, so it was time to cave them for Halloween night...

Bubbie had the icky job of separating out the seeds from the pumpkin guts - you can tell he wasn't thrilled.

Well, except that he got to handle a sharp knife around a slippery pumpkin's insides overnight.

I've never successfully roasted pumpkin seeds, but I just dumped them onto a cookie sheet and added some olive oil and seasoned salt, and cooked them for about 25 minutes at 350.

I was surprised at the taste - kinda like the popcorn 'half pops' - nutty and roasty toasty and pretty good!

The pumpkins came out fun this year!

I can hardly believe Halloween is over - but it flies by every year.  

Gina