Happy New Year from S and J Radom

As most of you know, we don't exactly plan things that far in advance (I think it's from years of living with a farm family who are exactly that way as well). It sure has taught us to be flexible, I can say that.

So when we thought about New Years, we did so the day before. Between Joey and Graham and our house, we invited a couple other couples over and we had a turkey dinner and lots of games and laughs after. We ended the night with rich conversation that left us feeling blessed.

Now, what I'm about to post was part of the many exciting games and laughs we had. To give you a bit of background...Michelle posted a link on her Facebook last week something to the effect of "19 people who are having a worse day than you". One video clip was of a boy who took the "cinnamon challenge". The reaction that boy had was priceless. To view the whole thing, click here:

http://www.buzzfeed.com/daves4/people-who-are-having-a-worse-day-than-you


Of course, Shawn had to bring that up last night and the challenge was set forth. Now, I warn you, we did not look up the health risks of this challenge because if we did, most would not have done it. Click here to read an article about it. Oops.

http://healthland.time.com/2012/03/30/cinnamon-challenge-popular-with-teens-proves-risky/

Well, there was no harm done last night but definitely lots of laughing. I was told I should post this by those we were with last night so I think I have their permission.

Christmas 2012

We had a nice time at Rodey and Coral's this Christmas, with marvellous meal at A. Heather and U Trevor's on Xmas day. The sad thing is, I have no pictures of Xmas day. Here are just a few I took on my phone. We had a sick baby this Christmas which resulted in Momma and Papa getting very little sleep. I blame the lack of pictures on my foggy brain.

 The night before Xmas and all through the house...the grandparents were smiling because the precious grandkids are all together.

 Gma gives some cuddles to Teija.

 Uncle Braden sharing his orange with the nieces. Gpa Ken looks.

Tiara laughs at her U Shawn because it took him about 3 hours to accomplish this game (a little metal ball that you have to roll through a series of challenging places without the ball falling to the bottom).

All the kids (can't believe how grown up my nieces are) together before we dispersed after Xmas.

Potato Buns thanks to my Mom and Gma.

 Well, these were my holiday contribution this year for the family dinner. I had never made them (even though I have had the recipe for a long time), and when I was told that I should bring buns for Christmas dinner, I just HAD to get the recipe out.

Then surprisingly enough, we got invited for another turkey dinner (tonight) so what did I offer to make? Buns! And so batch #2 is in the oven as I type.

For anyone who doesn't have this recipe, you must print it off and keep it for your next potluck/family dinner.

1pkg of active dry yeast - 2 Tbsp yeast
1/2 cup warm water
1 cup milk
3/4 cup melted margerine/butter or shortening
1 - 1 1/4 cup mashed potatoes
1/2 cup sugar
2 tsp salt
5-6 cups of flour (divided)
2 eggs beaten

1) dissolve yeast in warm water and set aside
2) combine milk, melted margerine, potatoes and blend in the blender
3) put blended mixture in a large bowl and add sugar, salt, and 2 cups of flour as well as the yeast.
4) add eggs and mix well
5) cover loosely and let stand for 2 hours (will be spongy looking)
6) Stir in remaining flour to make a soft dough and knead well. Only use the recommended amt of flour as a guideline. Use the sticky test. It should not stick to your fingers anymore but should also not be too dry and tough feeling.
7) put in a greased bowl, turning once to grease the top.
8) Cover for 1 hour.
9) punch down and divide into 4 sections (3 if you want larger buns)
10) form into a bowl and roll out on a floured surface - 12 inch circle
11) cut each circle into 12 pie-shaped wedges.
12) Beginning at the wide end, roll them up and put pointed side down about 2 inches apart.
13) cover and rise until double

Bake at 375 for about 12-15 mins. Watch carefully as each oven is a bit different.

I have to admit, my first batch didn't look quite this nice...plus I wasn't thinking about taking pictures because I was in too much of a hurry.

MMM....nothing smells better than fresh bread out of the oven.

A wee update

Hi friends and family,

I keep forgetting who I have told and who I haven't told but for those that don't know, I accepted a part time job at my old school. My principal/boss called me at home to tell me about this position he wanted to create. It will be Monday-Thursday mornings. I will be doing reading intervention and resource support to students - individual or small group.
I start tomorrow and and the position will only be until the end of June.
I took a while to make the decision but think it will be good for both Hanna and I for 7 months. It will be good for me because it'll give me more of a structure in the morning and will be good for Hanna as she gets a little older. Raelyn Morton will be watching her and she'll be in good hands. Raelyn also looks after a little girl that is a year older than Hanna. Hanna loves being around other kids and perhaps it'll help push her to take some risks.

So in preparing for my job, I did something that I found on Pinterest. See this link for details: http://www.mamaandbabylove.com/2011/04/05/freezer-cooking-with-slow-cooker-recipes/

I cut up all the available veggies in my fridge, combined them with meat and spices and threw them in the freezer. How exciting it will be to dump them in the slow cooker and have dinner ready without a moment's thought.

We are currently hanging out in the basement because Daddy has to work on paperwork a lot lately and so we hang out where he is.

Andes Mint Cookies - I call them Double Chocolate Mint cookies

I definitely couldn't find "Andes" mints at the local Co-op. So I instead about some other kind of mint chocolate that could be melted on the cookie. I wasn't super happy with the way this turned out. My cookies flattened into a pancake. They still tasted very good and smelled even better. All you smelled when you opened the container was chocolate and mint.

They were still chewy (the way I like them).

The plus about this recipe...easy peasy, nice and easy thanks to a cake mix.


1 Devil's Food Cake Mix
1/2 cup oil
2 eggs
1 package of Andes Mints (or other mint chocolate)

Mix cake mix, oil, and eggs together. Drop spoonfuls of dough onto baking sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 6-9 minutes. Don't cook any longer than that! You don't want them to be overdone!
Take sheet out of oven and while the cookies are still very hot, place an Andes Mint on top of each cookie. In about 5 minutes, the mint will be melted. Take a spoon and smooth out each mint like frosting.

Lemon Lime Refrigerator Cookies and Orange Creamsicle Cookies

I think I was in a citrus mood when I was baking this year. These were both very good!!

Lemon Lime  Cookies - Will make 4 logs. Each log does about a dozen cookies.

• 1 cup (250 mL) butter, softened
• 1 cup (250 mL) granulated sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 tbsp (15 mL) finely grated lemon rind
• 2 tsp (10 mL) finely  grated lime rind
• 2-1/2 cups (625 mL) all-purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp (2 mL) baking powder
• 1/4 tsp (1 mL) salt
• 4 oz (113 g) white chocolate, finely chopped (optional) ( I used white choc chips)
• 1 egg white
• 2/3 cup (150 mL) finely chopped almonds
• Glaze:
• 1 cup (250 mL) icing sugar
• 3 tbsp (45 mL) whipping cream (I used half and half)
• 1 tbsp (15 mL) butter, softened
• 1 tsp (5 mL) finely grated lemon rind
• 1/2 tsp (2 mL) finely grated lime rind

Preparation

Line rimless baking sheets with parchment paper or grease; set aside.

In large bowl, beat butter with sugar until fluffy. Beat in egg, then lemon and lime rinds. In separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt ; stir into butter mixture, one-third at a time; stir in white chocolate (if using).

In small bowl, beat egg white until foamy. Sprinkle almonds on waxed paper. Set both aside.

Divide dough into quarters. Place, 1 at a time, on large piece of waxed paper. Using paper as guide, roll and press firmly into 6-inch (15 cm) long log. Remove paper. Brush with egg white; roll in about one-quarter of the almonds. Wrap in plastic wrap, twisting ends to seal. Refrigerate until firm, about 3 hours, rerolling as logs harden to keep round shape. (Make-ahead: Refrigerate logs for up to 3 days or freeze in airtight container for up to 3 weeks. Let stand at room temperature for 20 minutes.)

With serrated knife, cut into generous 1/4-inch (5 mm) thick slices; place, about 2 inches (5 cm) apart, on prepared pans. Bake in top and bottom thirds of 375°F (190°C) oven, rotating and switching pans halfway through, until bottoms are light golden, about 10 minutes.

Glaze: Meanwhile, in bowl, mix icing sugar, cream, butter and lemon and lime rinds until smooth; spread over hot cookies. Transfer to racks to let cool. (Make-ahead: Layer between waxed paper in airtight container; store at room temperature for up to 5 days or freeze for up to 2 weeks.)

Source : Canadian Living Magazine: December 2004

Orange Creamsicle Cookies

Ingredients:
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 firmly packed brown sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons orange zest (for me that was the zest of 2 oranges)
2 cups white chocolate chips

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

In a small bowl, combine flour, baking soda, and salt; set aside.
In a large bowl, cream butter and sugars until light and creamy. Beat in egg and vanilla until smooth. Gradually add flour mixture until combined. Stir in orange zest and white chocolate chips.
Drop rounded teaspoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets. Do not flatten cookies; it will make them dry. Bake 8 – 10 minutes or until golden brown around edges. Do not overcook! Cookies will be plump. Cool for several minutes on cookie sheets before transferring to rack to cool completely. Store in airtight container.

From the blog: http://www.the-girl-who-ate-everything.com/2010/04/creamsicle-cookies.html

Egg Nog Fudge recipe...tastes exactly as the title describes

Yum Yum Yum. Braden came to my assistance with this recipe because it required a lot of stirring and a candy thermometer. It turned out a little dry and a bit crumbly but still tasty. I think next time when the temperature reaches the desired temperature, I would take it off the heat and stir the rest of the ingredients in. We kept it on the element and had to stir well otherwise the bottom was starting to brown.

One more thing...marshmallow cream can be found in the baking aisle.

Recipe courtesy of :www.catzinthekitchen.com/2011/12/eggnog-fudge-crazy-cooking-challenge.html

EggNog Fudge

Source: Recipe Girl

2 cups granulated sugar

1/2 cup butter

3/4 cup dairy eggnog

10.5 ounces white chocolate bars, chopped into small pieces

1/2 tsp freshly grated nutmeg, plus a little more for the top of the fudge

once 7 ounce jar marshmallow creme

1 tsp rum extract

Line a 8 or 9-inch square pan with foil and let it hang over the sides. Butter the foil.

In a heavy, 3-qt saucepan combine sugar, butter, and eggnog. Bring to a rolling boil, stirring constantly. Continue boiling 8-10 minutes over medium heat or until a candy thermemoter reaches 234 F, stirring constantly to prevent scorching. Remove from heat. 

Using a wooden spoon, work quickly to stir in chopped white chocolate and nutmeg until chocolate is melted and smooth. Stir in marshmallow creme and rum extract. Beat until well blended  and then pour into prepared pan. Sprinkle with a little freshly ground nutmeg on top. Let stand at room temperature until cooled. Refrigerate if you'd like to speed up the process. 

When completely cool, cut into squares. Store in covered container.