Thursday, December 27, 2012

A Light in the Darkness

As we approached the Christmas season with joy and expectation, little did we realize that we would be plunged into darkness by the recent tragedy in Newtown, Connecticut.   It sent the world into shock and confusion that such a thing could have happened.  Love and support has poured in for the families, but it cannot assuage the grief of losing a child - so many parents grieving because of the senseless act of one man.

Our own little personal world has had some dark moments also.  Last night, a friend of my daughter's, a young woman with three young children was killed - along with her mother - in a car accident caused by a drunk driver.  Three children who will have to live without their mother and grandmother because of another senseless act of one man.


The night before Christmas Eve,  a sweet member of our family, Fox - our faithful and loving dog of 10 years, passed away unexpectedly.  By the time we realized he was so ill, it was too late to get him to a veterinarian.  He died in my arms.  I know - some of you may say he was only a dog - which is nothing like losing a parent or a child - but he was our family and we loved him and have grieved greatly for him.


Our sweet dog, Fox.  We loved you and miss you...

So many dark moments in a bright season!  But there's a bright ray of light in the darkness.  A light that never wavers and gives us many more joyful moments than sad - much more light than dark.




'I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.'" (John 8:12).

Thursday, December 20, 2012

Santa's Cookies - Oatmeal Nutella Reindeer Tracks

This time of year finds me scrambling to make last minute cookies to give to friends and neighbors who drop in unexpectedly - and of course there's Santa that I have to worry about.  I know he gets tired of sugar cookies, so this year I decided to concoct something a little different.  I call them Oatmeal Nutella Reindeer Tracks.   I must confess though that the idea just hit me upside the head....literally.  I was getting all my ingredients out to make traditional oatmeal cookies and I reached high up on the top shelf to get the Old Fashioned Oatmeal box.  I had to use a spatula to pull it towards me and while I was pulling, a jar of Nutella beside it fell off the shelf.  It was a lightbulb moment!

We love Oatmeal cookies made with chopped pecans, so I decided to go ahead and make the normal cookies and then add Nutella to the last batch.  I should have added it to all of them - the Nutella ones will go first, I can assure you.  They're delicious - it's a perfect combination!

Here's a little sample that Hubby got to try out to see which ones Santa would prefer.

The darker cookie is the one with Nutella added.  The other is just plain Oatmeal Pecan.  Both are good, but the Nutella just gives it an extra pop.  Here's the recipe!

Santa's Cookies - Oatmeal Nutella Reindeer Tracks
3/4 c. shortening, soft
1 c. firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 c. granulated sugar
1 egg
1/4 c. water
1 tsp. vanilla
1 c. sifted all-purpose flour
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. baking soda
3 c. Old Fashioned oats, uncooked
1/2 cup (or more) chopped pecans
3/4 cup Nutella or other chocolate  hazelnut spread

Beat shortening, sugars, egg, water and vanilla together until creamy. Stir together flour, salt and soda; add to creamed mixture, blend well. Stir in oats, nuts and Nutella. Drop by teaspoonfuls onto greased cookie sheets. Bake in preheated moderate oven (350 degrees) for 12 to 15 minutes.Makes 5 dozen.

Since I have carpal tunnel in my wrist, I use my mixer to do all the mixing.

Why reindeer tracks?  The inconsistent shapes of the cookies remind me of the very distinctive tracks that deer make as they leap through the fields and woods.  No?  Well, you have to use your imagination, lol.

I wish everyone a very merry Christmas!  And don't forget to leave Santa some cookies!
Reindeer Track Cookies


Wednesday, December 19, 2012

The Evil Snowman - Turning Joyous Moments Upside Down


 This is my little snow village that I put up each year.  My ten year old granddaughter, Genevieve, has always been fascinated with it and loves moving things around.  Yesterday I picked her up after school and as I was working in the kitchen preparing an appetizer to take to a Christmas party, she walked into the foyer to see the Christmas village.  After a few minutes I heard a noise that did not sound very promising.  A small thump on the floor with a distinctive small after effect - sort of like when an earthquake hits and then the aftershock occurs.  Well, that example may be a little overkill, but you know what I mean.  I knew what had happened, but I waited.

The next thing I heard was, "Mamaw, do you have any glue"?   I very calmly said, "What happened?" and walked into the foyer.  She was holding one of the little village people - a little girl - in one hand and the little girl's broken arm in the other.  She explained to me that when she saw the little girl running towards something, she wondered what effect it would be if she were running away from something so she had placed the "evil snowman" (as she called him) where it would look as if he were chasing the little girl with a broom - and then the girl "tripped and fell" and slipped through her fingers.  I laughed and she began to laugh too.  She knows how much I love my little village and I could tell she was really upset that she broke it.  I calmed her down by telling her that I didn't think we should fix the little girl's arm because this was how Christmas memories were made - and each year when we put the village up, we would remember how her imagination had run away with her by creating scenes with the village people.  And we would laugh about it just as we were laughing now.


I like to "document" memories with my camera, so this morning as I was setting it up as she had done, I noticed one thing that I didn't yesterday.  She had placed the Bad Snowman and the little girl in front of the school building.  Was this coincidence?  Or was it a sub-conscience effect of her dealing with the tragedy of last week's events?  I feel sure it was a coincidence, but it reminded me how our world has been turned upside down in the last week and that almost every thing we see and do in the aftermath of such tragedy can knock the breath out of some of our most joyous moments.

I will try hard to keep this little memory alive in a positive way.  A little girl with an active imagination playing with the Christmas Village figurines.  Just wishing we could all wake up from the nightmare of last week and find it never happened and that there could be tranquil scenes in Newtown such as the little girl running towards her father.  But then I'm reminded that this village scene and the characters represented is in another place in another time.....the scene depicts life over half a century ago when brooms were the only weapons in the hands of Evil Snowmen.




Monday, December 17, 2012

Sweet Potato Pie - A Southern Soul Food

Sweet potatoes are harvested in early Fall in just about all the Southern States in the good old USA!  And hubby and I are usually first in line at the produce stand of our favorite little family-owned farm as we head home from weekend beach trips.   They keep well, much like a regular potato if you store them in a cool, dry place so we use them for cooking all winter - and we use them in several ways.  Nothing beats just a plain sweet potato, baked until tender, split open with a slice of butter - served on a dinner plate as a vegetable.  Some people use cinnamon and sugar, but if you pick the right variety, you don't need to alter the taste.  We prefer the Red Jewel variety because of it's soft moist flesh and candy sweet taste.  Yum!   We also use them for pies - much like a pumpkin pie, but smoother and creamier.  And then there's the notoriously famous sweet potato casserole, with a crunchy pecan topping.  My daughter makes a humdinger of a casserole for Thanksgiving dinner each year.

If you look in a recipe book, you'll find many recipes for sweet potato pie, but they all contain the basic ingredients of cooked potatoes, milk, eggs and butter.  Some add spices like nutmeg or cinnamon.  My family just prefers vanilla extract instead of the other spices.  Hubby thinks that I make the best - I think it's because of my "secret ingredient".  I'll share it with you, but ssshhh - don't tell him. 

Here's the slice he enjoyed tonight along with a cup of coffee.  It's good with milk too.

And above is the pie - just after I took it out of the oven tonight.  Elf-vira (one of my original Elves on the Shelves) was patiently waiting for it.  She likes to hang around the kitchen while I bake at Christmas (smile). 

The "sweet" part of the sweet potato is that it is healthy. Cooked sweet potatoes taste much sweeter than white potatoes and normally when one food tastes sweeter than another, it's because it contains more sugar, which can make our blood sugar less stable. With sweet versus regular potatoes, it's just the opposite. Sweet potatoes don't seem to place our blood sugar at risk like regular white potatoes do - probably because they are about twice as high in dietary fiber as ordinary white baking potatoes, and the doubled fiber slows down digestion and the release of sugar. That's why you'll find sweet potatoes included in high fiber diets and diets that restrict your carbs - like the South Beach and Atkin's diets.

They're also loaded with minerals and antioxidants.  Here's a table listing the percentages:

Profile of Concentrated Nutrients: Sweet Potato (serving size = 1 small)
NutrientAmount%DVDensityQuality
Vitamin A 43644.0 IU262.249.5Excellent
Vitamin C49.2 mg28.45.4Very good
Manganese0.52 mg26.04.9Good
Copper0.26 mg13.02.5Good
Dietary fiber3.14 g12.62.4Good
Vitamin B6 (pyridoxine)0.25 mg12.52.4Good
Potassium306.05 mg8.71.7Good
Iron1.46 mg8.11.5Good

And here's my recipe!  The secret ingredient is 1/2 box of Instant Vanilla Pudding.  This makes it creamier and makes a nice clean slice when slicing it.  I also use half Splenda and half sugar since we try to limit our sugar intake.  Sometimes I make my own pie crust, but most times I simply use the ready made pie crusts in aluminum tins.  This is also a very easy cleanup since I don't use a mixing bowl - I only use the blender.  This recipe makes TWO pies.
 


Our favorite Sweet Potato Pie recipe
4 cups cooked mashed sweet potatoes (peel, cut into slices and cook in water until tender - then drain and mash lightly with a fork)
1 large can Pet milk
1 stick of butter – slightly melted
½ pkg of instant vanilla pudding
2 tsp vanilla flavoring
2 eggs
1 cup of sugar (or ½ cup Splenda and ½ cup sugar)

Preheat oven to 350.  Mix all ingredients together in blender putting cooked potatoes in last.  Blend until mushy liquid consistency.  Pour into two unbaked pie shells.  Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour.

Try this Southern delight sometime.  I think you'll like it!