Oh Christmas time, how I love thee!  And all the baking that goes with it.  Tonight I made Toffee Bars, Vanilla Meringue Drop cookies, and Raspberry Chocolate Meringue cookies...below find the recipe for the Mint Meringues compliments of Betty Crocker...  I use Vanilla instead of mint, and also used my sweet Pampered Chef Easy Accent Decorator to pipe that meringue.

• PREP TIME
  20 min
• TOTAL TIME
  2 hr 25 min
• SERVINGS
  48

 

2

egg whites

1/4

teaspoon cream of tartar

1/8

teaspoon salt

1/2

cup sugar

1/4

teaspoon mint extract

3

to 5 drops green food color

Betty Crocker® multicolored candy sprinkles, if desired

• 1Heat oven to 200°F. Grease 2 large cookie sheets with shortening or cooking spray. In small bowl, beat egg whites, cream of tartar and salt with electric mixer on medium speed until foamy. On high speed, add sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, beating until sugar is dissolved, meringue is glossy and very stiff peaks form. Beat in mint extract. With rubber spatula, fold in food color, 1 drop at a time, until well blended and desired color.
• 2Use disposable decorating bag or gallon-size food storage plastic bag with 1/2-inch hole cut in one bottom corner of bag (if desired, fit large star tip in decorating bag or in hole of plastic bag). Spoon meringue into bag; twist top of bag to seal. Squeeze bag to pipe meringue into 1-inch puffs onto cookie sheets. Sprinkle each with candy sprinkles.
• 3Bake on middle oven rack 2 hours. Immediately remove cookies from cookie sheets; place on wire racks. Cool completely, about 5 minutes.
• Link to Betty Crocker Site Recipe

These are the Raspberry Chocolate ones, baking away :)
For the raspberry, I used 1/4 teaspoon Raspberry candy flavoring and just beat that in after the stiff peaks formed, I also finely grated some chocolate, you can use semi sweet or dark chocolate.  And also beat that in before piping on to parchment paper lined cookie sheets.

Nice light pink meringue, also light raspberry taste.  The speckles are the fine grated chocolate.
They turned out perfect!

OMG its been 2 weeks and so much has happened!  Finals went well...Respiratory - PASS  Cardiology - PASS  Paramedic Fundamentals - PASS Pharmacology - final on Monday :)
So even though I have had class, finals, clinicals, work, holiday shopping and all that jazz I decided to make all my fellow Paramedic students a little holiday gift...

I was able to find some inexpensive glass ornaments, I filled them with some buffalo snow.  It is shiny and fun.  I chose to go with blue wintry wonderland theme lol.  So I added Blue fine glitter, just poured in until i liked it.  I glued 2 black feathers, they have a little iridescent bluish green on the ends.  I found some silver snowflake garland for a mini tree...I cut that up and glued that to the top of the feathers...just enough so there is some movement,  I added a jingle bell by tying it around the neck of ornament.  I secured the top back on, after I tied on a ribbon.  I also added a black glittery letter to complete that custom "just for you" monogram gift :)
So after that I got to looking at them and decided to add another bow...I centered it over the letter, on top of the feathers.  This helped to hide the end of the feathers and gave it a more complete look.  Sorry I didn't take step by step photos...maybe I will have to make some more!

Sunday a day for Football, Laundry, and Homework

Sunday...on the agenda today are take home tests for class.  I have to finish at least 1 and 1/2 of the other to feel some what ahead.  I would like to get all three done and have some time to research the questionable ones...but lets be realistic I have a ton of stuff to accomplish today besides just homework.
Sitting cozy at Stone Creek Coffee, Pharmacology take home test one and a Chai Tea

Simple Appetizer

Ok, ok its a dip, but either way it's a little something to munch on before Thanksgiving dinner.
Mom stopped at the olive bar at the grocery store which makes this even more simple.  Get a healthy spoonful of spicy kalamata olives (about 12-15 whole olives).  Also from the olive bar they have sun-dried tomatoes in oil, again a healthy spoonful is all you need.  Chop-ity chop chop the olives and cut up tomatoes. Like so...

Bright and colorful :) I didn't do exact measurement because this is really to taste...I hope you get a general idea its about 4 tablespoons of yummcious...So what we do with this now is add it to one soft 8oz package of cream cheese, full fat, 1/3 less fat, no fat that's up to you.  I think 1/3 less fat cream cheese.  The oil from the tomatoes, and juice from the olives will thin the dip to perfection.  Serve with your favorite crackers pretzels.

Happy Thanksgiving! And yes this girl is cookin' the Turkey!

So I started with the star of the show of course...the Turkey (it has the longest time to cook so here we go!
I diced 1/2 a white onion and 2 stalks of celery and combined that into 1 pound ground turkey.  You can use ground pork too if you want.

Aromatics filling the room :) mmmm cook on medium heat to brown... mean while follow directions to your stuffing.  I use a bag brand, sage flavored (yum).  Which includes boiling 1 1/2 cups water with 1 stick of butter, take off heat add bread crumbs toss to coat.  Combine the browned ground turkey/onion/celery mixture and gently mix together.  Ta-da.

Clean out the Turkey...i.e. remove neck and organ pouch, drain, rinse.  Stuff both cavities with stuffing...I know it says to lightly stuff...just stuff it, you have cooked the ground turkey completely already so you don't have to worry about under cooked meat.  again....ta-da  ;)

Now for the spices, since we used a whole stick of butter in the stuffing, I used olive oil for the skin.  Drizzle olive oil over turkey and rub all over.  Next make or buy a rub...I used an everyday poultry blend that consists of: salt, black pepper, parsley, garlic, white onion, red pepper, sesame seed, dill seed, dill weed, lemon peel, green peppercorns, and green onion.  So take the seasoning of your choice and rub onto skin of turkey.  Don't neglect the thighs and wings!  and it will look a little like this...

Pop it in the oven following directions for your size turkey.  Basting is essential!  Set timer for 1 hour and see where your at...after 4 hours and recommended basting...presto!

Operating Room to Ruffled Infinity Scarf...

So I started my day in the Operating Room intubating patients at the beginning of their surgeries.  This was awesome by the way!  It was a great clinical experience.  When I finished my day I decided to stop at Joann Fabrics just to see what was on sale...come on I'm in college I bargain shop! Anyways, this is what I found...

A beautiful knit fabric, its heather gray with a black pattern.  Its not too large of a pattern and not to small...and with a 58" width I know just what to do with it...

I cut two 6" strips across the fabric...
I then ruffled the edges together...
and then join the ends and make a Ruffled Infinity Scarf!!!!!

And then of course wear it!











Props to SkipToMyLou.org for this brilliant idea.
Ruffled Infinity Scarf Tutorial  <~~~link to SkipToMyLou.org

Today marks the Day!

Today marks day one of this blog.  I don't know much about how to do this, but I want one so I'm making one.  I also think this will help as a sounding board of frustration for myself :) So lets get started!
This blog will take you through my kitchen cabinet, into the fridge (or icebox), across my knitting needle, and down my winding path of sewing...and I will do this while working full time, going to school to achieve my paramedic degree which is a whopping 18 credits a semester, and doing clinicals, and doing ride alongs.
I can hear it already, yes I still have time to craft, bake, knit and sew!  Its a stress reliever for me.  Hope you find some good tips, please leave feedback, I like tips as well!