Gingerbread Man Wednesday! Our Daily Dinner

laurieg 11 years ago said:

good morning, working at Macy's and then I have a WW meeting at 4pm.
I have a weird day off tomorow :) I was scheduled to work both lines, but then Nicole Richie canceled the hours and I got a call from my boss at Parlux saying the Account Executive was coming to town to tour the stores today so I said I will switch today for tomorow.....................and then he got sick and canceled his trip but I figured I will still work and keep tomorow off. I may bake cookies (is it too soon?) its my only day off from now until Christmas eve.

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wynnebaer 11 years ago said:

Good Morning. For those not on FB, want you to know I'm in the hospital. What started out as what I thought was a pulled back muscle last Thursday ended up being a blood clot in my lung when I went to the ER on Monday. They also found another in my leg so I'm here for a bit. Please keep me in your prayers. I'll keep you all updated.
~~~HUGS~~~

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mbelisle 11 years ago said:

Christmas baking sounds yummy - if I made cookies here now they would be gone by Saturday let alone Christmas Eve!
Blood clots - wow, hope that gets cleared up soon - take care of yourself.
Heading to work with no idea of what is for supper so I guess it will be a creative cooking night.

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otterpond 11 years ago said:

Oh Corine I am sorry for your troubles. I hope the doctors get you fixed up quick so you'll be merry and bright for Christmas.

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sparow64 11 years ago said:

Good Morning Everyone!

Have FUN baking cookies today, Janet! I'd like a day to bake cookies, please. lol Appys for dinner sound great!! Love that. And can I just say OH. EM. GEE. on the heat system. I think I'd call and give them a big ol piece of firckin holiday cheer right in the rear. NOT acceptable. Especially with your temps. Or, maybe be nice and bribe them with cookies... *rolling eyes* Hope you get that worked out for good this time.

Too soon for cookies??? Bite your tongue, Laurie! lol It's NEVER too soon for cookies. Hope you get lots of sales and enjoy the day off tomorrow.

HUGS Corinne...take care girlfriend.

LMAO Michelle...that would be MY house, too. The Christmas candy dish has been out less than 2 weeks, and has been filled with different kinds of candy 3 times. (And refilled a few times with each kind). AND, it's EMPTY again!!!! Creative cooking is da bomb!! Some of the best meals come from that.

I am NOT cooking til Sunday. (Except for the party on Sat). Just too much to do, and since I am old and don't stay up past 930 on work nights, well...not much would get done if I cooked and cleaned up after before doing my party pre-game. Tonight will be house cleaning, getting the party serving dishes out/washing them, and making chocolate covered pretzels.
I need one other kind of candy that is quick and easy like that. I was thinking of some kind of a bark. I saw a peanut butter / chocolate bark on pinterest, or, I could make the peppermint bark. Does anyone know of something else I could do a big batch of, that would be quick and easy??? And I could have in candy dishes just sitting around. I don't make alot of candy. I will go get the groceries on the way home tomorrow, and make another candy.
I got my To-Do list made this morning. It helps me sooo much. I used to try to do everything the day of the get together and be in a madly rushed tizzy the entire day. That's no fun. Learned to prepare in advance from my ODD friends. : ) THANK YOU.

Also, I'm going to have 2 kinds of stuffed mushrooms. I'm thinking better served warm. So, I thought either keep them in the oven on warm til serving, and then put on a platter. OR, I have a little buffet serving dish, with 3 separate oven proof dishes. Then, you put them on this rack and light candles underneath them to keep stuff warm. It works great. Those dishes are deep but skinny. I thought about putting the stuffed mushrooms and the buffalo chicken dip in that...but...I don't know that I want the mushrooms piled up on top of eachother...that would end up being a mess...right?
Sorry...I know I sound silly, but, it helps to talk this stuff out and think it through with you all instead of Bryan. LOL

One more thing...2 kinds of rollups, and I plan on serving them cold. I'm doing one that has filling similar to a spinach/cheese/artichoke dip. Still need to find another one. And, it can have no olives, no onions, and no peppers. If you have, or have seen, a recipe that might fit that bill please let me know. I found one that I like that has salsa, cheese, cream cheese, dry ranch, and chicken. Thought that might be good...but...it's gonna be served cold, and, I have that buffalo chicken dip...so...not sure.

OK...nuerotic party planner signing off for now...HEY to all not here yet, and have a great day!

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otterpond 11 years ago said:

Janet I would be assembling switches and coal for that heating installer. How are you keeping warm? Maybe you better hang on to the switches and coal for yourself. ROTTEN TURNIPS FOR THE HEATING GUY!! Much better.

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chuckieb 11 years ago said:

Morning Laurie! Busy Lady as always! I'd keep tomorrow off too if I were you. Lord knows you are going to appreciate a day off before your next straight work stint. I'm not an expert on how long to keep cookies for. I know some people freeze them and some stick them in tins. I've always tended to make them and then eat them right away and/or give them away. Although my gingerbread men do freeze well and I'm sure I've done that in the past. Bottom line....do what will bring you pleasure tomorrow. :)
So sorry to hear you're in the hospital Corinne. Blood clots are scary but I'm sure they're giving you meds to dissolve them? You are in our thoughts. Keep us tuned if you can.
Hi Michelle! Have a good day!

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sparow64 11 years ago said:

Hey Laura! LOL That's a good idea.

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chuckieb 11 years ago said:

Sorry guys....started that last post and then the Heating system guy came.
Hi Laura! The Heat Pump has an auxiliary back up system powered by electricity so we are still warm, we're just paying for electricity when we've just spend thousands of dollars on a Heat Pump that's supposed to heat the house. They fixed it remotely and we are now back in business and they swear it's just a matter of tweaking. LOL. The fellow that was here of course was very apologetic and says he hates when there is a client who is having troubles. He says "I can just see on Christmas Eve at 7 p.m......." and I said "Dan, if I have troubles on Christmas Eve at 7 p.m. I'M CALLING YOU!" LOL.
But thank you for the rotten turnips. I shall keep them in store incase I need to throw something at him on Christmas Eve. :)
Wow Lori. Your party is this Saturday already! I know we've been talking about it for a bit but it snuck up didn't it? LOL! MMMMmmmmm on chocolate covered pretzels. I'll try take a peek for another easy candy dish for you. Depends what is in the mushrooms whether it would be messy stacked up or not. If it's got a bread crumb stuffing you'd probably be okay but if it were cheesy they may indeed stick together. I'll also keep my eyes open for a roll up recipe. I have one but it has both onions and peppers in it. Although I'm sure you could just sub or leave out. I'll get my cookie dough mixed up and then see.

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NPMarie 11 years ago said:

Corinne, my thought and prayers are with you...please keep us posted <<<HUGS>>>

Janet, I do recognize the photo! Beautiful tree:) I bookmarked you gingerbread cookie recipe, love gingerbread cookies:)

Lori, the stuffed mushroom recipe Rick always makes has slices of baquette under the mushroom you could try that...easier to serve & eat that way:)

Dinner will be a green chile chicken casserole.......

Hi Michelle, Laura & Laurie & Joce & all yet to come:)

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sparow64 11 years ago said:

Janet, I meant to tell you what a beautiful pic that is...I thought it! Does that count? :) And I love he avatar pic too. Will you decorate the gingerbread men? Glad the heat pump is going again now. I sure hope it stays that way for you.

Thanks for the idea on the mushrooms, Marie. That does sound good...I will have to check that out. Your dinner sounds great. I am going to miss cooking diners for a few days. Well..I will miss eating them more than I will miss cooking them. lol

Tonight will be the rest of that bbq I took out of the freezer the other day. I will even be nice and drive thru KFC and get Bryan some slaw. If I think of it......

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notyourmomma 11 years ago said:

Busy morning!! Good day, m'friends.
Corinne, take care. Follow the doctor's orders and rest. Hugs and prayers.

Janet, I've never attempted Gingerbread Men/women. Last time I made fussy decorated sugar cookies with royal icing, Liv was a toddler and kept shoving the chair into me as she ambled and my lines were all squiggly. And the kitchen was a mess. Funny memory.

Laurie, busy lady, I put the cookies in tins and they keep well as long as they are hidden from Fred. Just don't mix a crisp cookie with a soft cookie in the same tin because the soft ones will make the crisp ones soft. Make sense? Janet Keeler of the Tampa Bay Times has a whole primer on cookies on her blog. http://www.mycookielicious.com/

Michelle, LOL on them not keeping in your house....Put them under the linens in the closet. Fred never looks there. Have a good day. Creative mad scientist dinners are the best.

Janet, bummer on the heat pump, but good that you get quick service. Now, let's hope you have had your last tweak. Appy's are always a good dinner.
I still want to try your mushroom toasts.

Lori, good for you on the to-do list. Break it up into manageable steps. I would keep the mushrooms in those small disposable aluminum pans, the shallow ones so it is easy to get a mushroom out. I wouldn't stack or use a deep dish, they might end up on the floor depending on the dexterity of your guests.

I saw a pin for a rollup with cream cheese/feta cheese and dried cranberries....uh oh, it has green onions in it. Can't use that one.
This one has a good review, taco flavored,
http://allrecipes.com/recipe/tortilla-rollups-iv/
http://www.food.com/recipe/easy-tortilla-pickle-ham-rolls-181658

Bark recipes
http://www.instructables.com/id/Easy-Christmas-Bark-Recipe/
http://candy.about.com/od/specialoccasions/r/pepbark.htm
http://candy.about.com/od/otherchocolaterecipes/r/Peanut-Butter-Cup-Bark.htm

Hi! Laura, you are a witty woman, have I told you that lately? Rotten turnips indeed.

Hello to Marie and Joce, hope all is well for you today.

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NPMarie 11 years ago said:

Hi Tina! Love the bark ideas! ..the tortilla rollups look good as well...have a very good day:)

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Good4U 11 years ago said:

Janet, Have fun making your gingerbread cookies today.

Laurie, It depends on the kind of cookies you are planning to make. Short breads will keep without freezing but I think most cookies would freeze fine saving you some precious time. I hope you get a chance to relax a bit tomorrow and take some time to yourself. Wishing you a very good sales day too!

Corrine, Thanks so much for letting us know. Sending really good healing vibes out to you. Get well soon! Big Hugs.)))))

Hi Laura and Michelle, I hope you both have a great day.

Marie, Enjoy your green chili chicken casserole. Is it hot and spicy?

Lori, Here is a collection of 30 different dips some of them have things you may not be able to use but they might give you an idea. I think those buffet dishes will come in really handy too. You could also do a hummus dip it keeps well cold and goes with most things.
http://www.inspiredbycharm.com/2012/01/very-pinteresting-delicious-dips.html
Also a dip for fruit which would be easy to go with strawberries, grapes and fruits you like. They say it has almond extract in it but I am sure you could use vanilla extract too. I hope this helps you.
http://www.savingmoneylivinglife.com/2012/10/easy-addictive-fruit-dip.html
This one is really easy an appy make out of cucumbers you could just put toothpicks in them to keep them together and use whatever you wish inside them possibly.
http://theworldaccordingtoeggface.blogspot.ca/2012/02/day-in-my-pouch.html

Tina, I hope you have a good day off today. Thanks for the cookie link it is very extensive! I like the Tortilla roll ups as well as the ham rolls.

Tonight we are having Breast Of Chicken Mornay
not sure on the sides yet but that will come later. I might make a quick trip to the stores today and finish up wrapping gifts I have to have in the mail by Friday. I still have to clean up the stuff on my dinning room table and decorate it but it will have to wait until I have finished making all my messes with wrapping paper and bows etc.

Hey everyone have a great day!

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chuckieb 11 years ago said:

I think it's the cloves that make me think of Christmas! I saw once someone had taken an orange and poked whole cloves all over it and used it as a potpourri. Always wanted to give that a try but never have. I've got Bing and Frank serenading me at the moment. One of my favourite 'albums'. :) Decided to make Corinne's
Fontina And Asparagus Tart
and
Pear And Pecan Salad
for Benjamin and I for dinner this evening.
Marie your dinner sounds yummy.
Lori, funny Avatar! :) Yes, I decorate the Gingerbread Men. Just like in the pic on my recipe page. I like LOTS of icing. None of this button and eye icing, you need some over the entire thing! :) And thick too! :) I don't know if I could drive to KFC and only grab coleslaw without grabbing a couple of pieces of chicken too. That being said, your BBQ does sound yummy! I have had Marie's/Rick's mushroom appetizer before and it's lovely.
Parmsean Garlic Buttered Stuffed Mushrooms
Here's my roll up recipe for Black Bean and Pepper spirals, but like I say you'd have to leave out or sub the peppers and the onions as it does have both.
Black Bean And Pepper Spirals
Here's one of Keni's, leave out the olives
Girandole
As far as easy candy recipes go, I thought these looked awfully yummy
Frosted Walnuts
or these
Cornflake Peanut Butter Drops
Morning Tina! As you can see from my gingerbread men picture, they are not fussily decorated so it's not a huge job. I take out the ole piping bag and just go to town. I have done fancy decorated sugar cookies before, especially when Benj was in school for Halloween or Christmas. They are indeed a lot of work but they certainly have wow factor! :) The thing about this gingerbread recipe is it has to chill for three hours! And it makes a lot. Not that that's a bad thing. But it is an all day activity from start to finish! :)

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chuckieb 11 years ago said:

SP Joce! Yum on your dinner. That's a lovely recipe. I've got one more gift I have to mail off as well. Have been trying to find a box to make my wrapping job easier but haven't had any success yet! How are you feeling today, pretty much back to normal I hope?

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sparow64 11 years ago said:

Tina, you are cracking me up! They keep well as long as Fred doesn't find them!!! HA HA HA! Now that's funny...and he never looks under the linens! I am trying to hide spiked cherries (ooooops! sorry!!) from Bryan. I don't have the downstairs fridge wtih Beth staying down there. And he can NOT keep from gorging on them when we have a drink. Thanks so much for all your links and your suggestions. Bryan doesn't like green olives, and Brenda hates black olives...so that's out. Gary wouldn't touch and onion or a pepper with a 10 ft pole...so those are out. I probably shouldn't owrry about it...but...I hate to serve things I know some people won't like. : ) Your links are a big help.
NICE link on the cookies, too!!!
Enjoy your "weekend"!! Hope you get some time to yourself, too.

Thank you for the ideas Joce! Very nice of you to find and post them for me. Y'all are the best! Hope you have a good day and are feeling good.

Mom will get her results this morning, but, may not call us til tonight. She has not felt good the last few days. They are swamped at Coach and it's been really hard on her. She has this week off, so I think that will be good for her. Fingers crossed that the tumors in liver and lung are shrinking. : )

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Good4U 11 years ago said:

Janet, I have a huge box of wrapping paper goodies for all times of the year. It looks like a blanket box and it has several tiers inside but it is hard to keep it organized. One of these days I would like to find the perfect one too! LOL Or hire someone to wrap for me would be better.:-) Yup I am feeling about as normal as I can be today LOL whatever that is? Thanks for asking.

Lori, Here is a large collection of cold appy's and dips.
http://www.tablespoon.com/recipe-categories/course/appetizers/cold-appetizers/

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DetroitTokyo 11 years ago said:

I'm back home! First I'll say HI!!! then I'll read back.

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Good4U 11 years ago said:

Lori, Crossing everything for your Mom and yes this week off should do wonders for her.

Welcome home Dahlia!

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chuckieb 11 years ago said:

Sending good thoughts and prayers out to your Mom and family Lori. Again she is such a strong woman. Glad she has the week off.
Your wrapping paper goodies are way better organized than mine Joce. The words "Smooshed", "Stuffed" and "Shoved" can be used to describe mine. :)
Hi Dahlia! Welcome back!

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chuckieb 11 years ago said:

It's 12/12/12 today by the way. Kind of cool.

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DetroitTokyo 11 years ago said:

Janet, you and I are on the same page. I'm planning to bake up some cookies today, too. We're getting together with a small group of friends (my former roommates and their guys) to exchange cookies and have dinner at one of their homes on Saturday evening. I'm going to make Joce's Pecan Puffs, have been wanting to since she first posted them. Cool photo. UGH on the heater! and unfortunately I can relate to that with our new (3 years new) heat pump..

Laurie, I think it depends on what type of cookies you're planning to make. Some, like short breads, last quite a while (as in they don't spoil but you may have to hide them from your family?) Nice to have an unexpected day off tomorrow, enjoy!

Corinne, sending get well wishes your way! I hope they fix you up soon so you can get back to the comfort of your own home. Thinking of you!!

Lori, it certainly is not fun to rush around so much the day of the party that you are exhausted by the time the party starts! I've been there before. Good to plan ahead and get things done bit by bit! Perhaps you can put a layer of foil between the mushrooms? Looks like Janet beat me to suggesting Girandole minus the olives, I might make them for our party next Saturday. As far as candy, Eagle Brand Creamy White Holiday Fudge looks good and pretty easy. New Orleans Pralines and Baileys Balls do too. I was trying to find the one Ang was talking about last year with cornflakes, peanut butter and ??? Oh, Janet thought of that one too! Cool. Everything crossed for your mom!!!

Marie, your dinner does sound delicious indeed!

Joce, sounds like you're very busy today! How are you feeling?

Hello Michelle, Laura, and Tina!

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notyourmomma 11 years ago said:

Welcome home, Dahlia! I hope you got some sun time eventually.

Fred is our happy wrapper. He loves to wrap. not "rap" LOL Just make sure you have lots of tape on hand and the recipient has scissors.
We are having chicken piccatta with lots of lemon and capers tonight.
Liv went to Bella Brava the other night and she lamented that their picatta was sans capers and she was so disappointed. So momma will fix her craving with a proper picatta tonight. Broccoli in browned butter and mushroom risotto as our sides.

Allison called and since I'm working til midnight Christmas Eve, no Polish Eve supper for us. (I'll have to make my sauerkraut soup another day). Christmas Day Dinner will be lasagna, stuffed shells, antipasto and garlic bread as well as a tiramisu late evening. We are going to see a movie in the afternoon. I might sleep through the whole thing. I want to see "The Guilt Trip" Fred does not. We shall see.

Okay, I had a delivery from UPS. Box half open, inside a brand new Kitchen Aide mixer. I didn't order a Kitchen Aide mixer. Hmmmmm, he delivered it to the wrong house. The address on label is an abandoned house down the street? The Consumer Guide GUY on TV just said if it is delivered to the wrong address or if the sender sent multiple quantities when you order one, you are not liable for delivered goods you did not order. Sending Fred to recon the house and see if there is any life there. The credit/debit part of me is thinking that it was ordered on a stolen card and sent to a bad address for the thieves to pick up. Favorite tactic of our tech savvy thieves. Also there is the bunch that follows the UPS truck and steals the packages off the porches of homes. I've become absolutely paranoid over lost/stolen card activity.
Never pay for gas at a pump, go inside ALWAYS.

Lori, sending prayers for your Mom.....many many prayers that she has good results.

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chuckieb 11 years ago said:

So nice to have you back Dahlia! Those Pecan Puffs of Joce's look very pretty and yummy. I have never had a Pecan Puff before. I'd forgotten you had a Heat Pump. :( 3 years of problems? Ugh.
I can actually picture Fred 'wrapping' and 'rapping' Tina! :) With his Hawaiian shirt on of course! :) Yum on the Chicken Picatta! :) Your Christmas Day Dinner sounds wonderful. Enjoy the movie! Seriously on the never pay for gas at a pump? More details please. We ALWAYS pay at the pumps.

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notyourmomma 11 years ago said:

Crooks are putting a phony slider in gas pumps all the time and they are capturing your credit card numbers when you swipe at the pump and they do it at ATM's too. The gas owners don't know that the pump is tampered with and viola someone has your number. They compromised dozens of registers at Barnes and Nobles too. Where you swipe your card at the register and put your pin in the key pad, they captured numbers across 7 different states. Always always cover your hand over the key pad when entering the PIN, they capture your PIN with a video phone after they have stolen the card number. AND there are certain online transactions that are fraught with fraud. And there is the random bank of numbers that they just auto enter via a computer drive trying to make online purchases for a dollar and when they get a positive 'HIT" they go back and charge that card hundreds of dollars. Fraud is two trillion dollar a year business. Also, certain gas pump owners will authorize a huge dollar amount on your card in anticipation of what you will actually pump. That huge $dollar hold can remain on your account up to 8 days and you will (if you are close to your limit) not have access to your full credit available until the "approved charge" drops off the card. I saw one gas charge approved for 120 dollars for a tank of gas. It screwed up the card holders available credit line for 6 days. If you pay inside, you pay for the exact amount of gas and not what the owner thinks you are going to use.

I know more than you want to know.

Okay, making poundcake eggnog cookies with eggnog glaze.
Cheater's biscotti, cranberry, almond. Spice biscotti with candied ginger and a bit of toasted walnut for today.....shopping with Fred, cooking piccata for Liv. How do you spell that word? LOL

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chuckieb 11 years ago said:

That's actually very useful information Tina thank-you! I'm going to pass that on to Jim right away. We have a hard time of it when we're in the States paying for gas with our Credit card as the pump requires customers to punch in a US Zip code and of course we don't have one. So we always have to go in to the Gas station, give the person our credit card while we pump, and then go back and pay. Or....some gas stations won't even do that. They make us prepay inside for say $50 and then go out and fill and come back in and either pay more or get credited the difference. It's a real pain in the bum.
Oh my goodness on the poundcake eggnog cookies with eggnog glaze. That sounds amazing! Piccata is the correct spelling according to Google. You got it. :)

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sparow64 11 years ago said:

Janet! I totally missed your post with the links until now! I guess that was SP! I want to try that asparagus tart! YUM! Thanks so much for the ideas. I will totally check them out. That recipe of Keni's looks like somthing I would just love. And so would Donna, and Randy, and Brenda, too if I was mixing the black olies in with other kinds...but then there's Bryan...he'd probably like them if he wasn't going to be home to SEE me put olives in them. LOL Wonder if I could chop up some banana peppers instead? Hmmm...and I think I could get away with that with Gary....Hmmmm....If it was a bigger party with more food I wouldn't cater to likes/dislikes, but, since it's just the 6 of us, I'm trying. Gonna check out those other links next. I'm not a gingerbread fan, but, I'm gonna have to go look at your recipe pic, too. LMAO at wrapping rapper Fred in his Hawaiian shirt! Now that's funny! Would love to see that.

Joce, I wish my wrapping goodies where that organized. I love to wrap. Love to use pretty ribbon and make my own bows. But, I'm going wtih stick on this year. Just because we are shopping all day Fri, then I will wrap Fri nite since I don't want to have a bare tree for the party. Oh well. I'm the only one that will know I wanted other bows...lol Glad you are feeling well today.

HI DAHLIA!! Glad to have you back. Thanks for the links. I will be looking at all of them. Looks like you and Janet are on the same page. GMTA!!! Can't wait to hear about your trip.

Tina! They acutally served chicken picata without capers???? What is the world coming to??? LOL @ Fred...I use Lots O' Tape, too. Your dinner sounds fantastic.
Hmmm on the mixer...I think you are probably right. There seem to be gremlins afoot for sure. Well shucks on working late Christmas Eve. But a movie Christmas afternoon sounds like fun. I'd love to go see a movie on Christmas. Parental Guidance with Billy Chrystal and Bette Midler opens on Christmas, sounds funny. I'd like to see BABS's movie, too. I never ever pay for gas at the pump, because I'm too cheap. If you use a debit card (check card, Janet) your bank can hold up to $75 more than the purchase until it clears for some unknown reason. But, they don't do that if you pay inside. Bryan always pays at the pump.

Thanks for all the prayers for Mom. She was nervous. Wish we'd hear soon, but, we usually don't hear until evening.

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sparow64 11 years ago said:

OH EM GEE...SP AGAIN!!! Twice. LMAO

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NPMarie 11 years ago said:

Wow, the ODD gang is chatty today!! Love it!!!

Lori, thought & prayers going your Mom's way..sending a big HUG for you as well...keep us posted dear.

Joce, I don't know if it's spicy..I've never made it before..found it on another food site..I'll try to find the link:)

YEA! Dahlia's home!!!

Need to check on my peanut butter cookies...I need to buy a gingerbread man (or woman) cookie cutter so I can make Janet's wonderful cookies:D

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NPMarie 11 years ago said:

Joce, found the link for the chile chicken-
http://www.food.com/recipe/mexican-style-green-chile-chicken-casserole-180496

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chuckieb 11 years ago said:

I think it's super nice of you to cater to people's likes Lori. That's what being a good Hostess is all about! :) Banana peppers sound like a very fun addition. And yes...the kids are totally not going to notice if your bows are homemade. LOL. Make it as easy on yourself as you can. You have a lot on your plate this weekend! And you need to have fun too! :)
Oooooo....I love peanut butter cookies Marie. Those were my Dad's favourite. I have also used a tree cookie cutter for my gingerbread recipe and even a squirrel. LOL. Mmmm...your casserole recipe looks nummy.
Cookie dough is chilled. Time to break out the cutters. Benj is making me a grilled ham and cheese and he's actually going to touch the ham!!!!! Freak me out. :)

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Good4U 11 years ago said:

Marie, Thanks for the link LOL but if I left all the chilies and jalapeno peppers out! I may be able to put that one by Den LOL but then what would you call it? I haven't made peanut butter cookies in a long time and I should b/c I picked up some extra Kraft peanut butter last week. I know you can't get that yet in the States.

LOL Janet, A squirrel cookie cutter how cute.:-) Wow that is nice for Ben to do that for you too!

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sparow64 11 years ago said:

I LOVE pb cookies, Marie! I can't get that casserole link to work, but, I'm gonna try again.

LOL Janet! Now that's love, huh? :) Never thought about Benj not wanting to TOUCH the ham...ha ha ha. Very cool.

OK...so...DING DING DING we have some winners, folks!!! Y'all are such a help.
I'm gonna make BOTH the taco roll up that you showed me, Tina, and
Girandole/print
(That just looks toooo good! I will sub banana peppers for the olives this time...but...I'm definately gonna use olives sometime, too. THanks for pointing that one out!) SInce I'm gonna try to make that cheese/olive tree I won't push the olive thing with Bryan. :)
Still might do the spinach ones cause I have all the stuff...but...we shall see. Maybe not.

On to candy....lol

I found some really cute Christmas tins at Big Lots during lunch, so I can put the candy in those and then just set it out for the party. Y'all are such a good influence on me...getting organized and perparing as I go...geeez...you CAN teach an old dog new tricks!!!! : )

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chuckieb 11 years ago said:

So glad you are narrowing down on your party food ideas Lori. It is a lot of work! Anything you can do ahead is just going to buy you that much more time being able to enjoy yourself at your own party!
Cookies are out of the oven. It wasn't my best batch ever but hopefully once the icing goes on it will cover all mistakes. :) I used my old,old,old favourite Pyrex measuring cup and it is now so old you can't see the lines properly and I added a bit too much liquid and then had to compensate by adding some extra flour, plus I only had whole cloves so thought I'd just grind them up in the coffee grinder but they were still coarser than when you buy the 'powder' so I don't think the taste will spread as evenly through the dough. Ssshhhhh.....don't tell anybody.
Letting them cool 'til its time to ice. Making up the Asparagus tart in the mean time.

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Good4U 11 years ago said:

Lori, Sounds like your party plans are starting to really come together now.:-)

Janet, You might have used your new mortar and pestle it might have made a better powder out of those cloves? I know it does a good job of grinding pepper into the right
consistency. You never know the flavour might go through the dough as you say anyways. LOL Sounds like you need to put a new Pyrex measuring cup on your list from Santa too. Yum send some of that asparagus tart my way please!

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NPMarie 11 years ago said:

Their done..and yummy:) I posted the recipe as np, but decided to post it again so i could find it easier Moms Peanut Butter Cookies

Joce, green chiles are mild, does that help?? Or no chiles what-so-ever?! We always add more jalapeno, like some heat, just not screaming HOTTTTTTTTTTT lol I also have a chili chicken recipe a friend gave me (years ago) which used canned chili..you could make really mild to add to it..I don't know..I'm rambling I think!!

Lori, I just tried the link, it works now..if not let me know I'll e-mail it to you ...:) I'm gonna change it up a bit anyway...I think...sounds like way too much for the size pan..we shall see:)

Janet! I want a squirrel cookie cutter!!!! How cute is that!

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Good4U 11 years ago said:

Thanks Marie, I think the only green chilies I have are canned ones. LOL screaming HOTTTTTTT is scary!!!!! Nice post those peanut butter cookies are to die for!

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sparow64 11 years ago said:

Janet, I bet you will be the only one that knows the cookies are different! Did Benj help decorate? Or is he too cool now? : ) Well...I looked at way too many recipes on way too many sites, and only confused myself. I've known basically what I wanted for a few days...and have been chasing down those elusive "perfect" recipes. Why do we do that to ourselves? : )

I finally got to the recipe, Marie. And it looks yummy!!!

OK, so, the stuffed mushrooms will be:
Krumkake's (she was so much fun...miss seeing her on the site in the groups)
Pizza Stuffed Mushrooms
and
http://www.mountainmamacooks.com/2011/02/bacon-and-cream-cheese-stuffed-mushrooms/
although, I think I want to mix in cheddar or coby jack instead of parm on the 2nd one, which should be easy enough to do.

Are you all getting tired of the play by play yet? lol
Forgot to look at the candy recipes. lol They keep interrupting me and I have to work. Geez-oh-lou, don't they know I have a party to plan???? :)

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chuckieb 11 years ago said:

I actually tried to pulverize the cloves in my mortar and pestle first Joce and I thought I might be there for the rest of my life! Holy Smokes. So after a good five minutes I decided to switch to the electric coffee grinder. Now I'm a little worried the flavour may impart to my next batch of ground coffee beans. I cleaned it out the best I could but you can still totally smell cloves in it! :)
Marie, your peanut butter cookies look FABULOUS! :)
No, Benj hasn't helped me decorate cookies in years Lori. :) He has, however, offered to do a unbiased taste test for me. LOL. Am thoroughly enjoying the play by play! :) Keep it coming. Shall go check out the mushroom links in just a bit. It helps when someone else is planning something like this because when the time comes that we have to do it we may have picked up some ideas from you! :)
Icing time.

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DetroitTokyo 11 years ago said:

Thanks for the warm welcome back ladies! Need it in this cold weather ;-)

Tina, so sweet of you to make picatta for Liv. Congrats on the weight loss to both of you, way to go!! Your Christmas feast sounds amazing! Sorry you have to miss out on your Polish Eve, though :( Maybe you can do it Christmas Eve Eve? Funny on gift openers needing scissors to get through Fred's wrapping job and nice that he enjoys it so! I wish a random Kitchen Aid mixer would show up at my doorstep! Thanks for all the info on fraud too. I can't even wrap my head around those eggnog cookies but they sound delicious! Please post when you're done.

Janet, not exactly 3 years straight of problems but it seems like we have to have the company who installed it come out every time we change over for the seasons for some stupid reason or another and after the 1 year warranty those visits are expensive. All for little dumb things that seem like they could have prevented.

Marie, your PB cookies look awesome! And congrats on having your recipe featured on the home page. The photo is very nice!

Lori, not tired of the play by play at all!! And happy to help. I'll be doing the same thing to you guys next week preparing for our party I'm sure! :)

I had a good trip. We went to a pool at a swanky hotel on Tuesday and even though it was cloudy I still laid out in my bikini and sipped on a blended mojito. Lunch was the tuna tartar salad that is pictured in my avatar. Tuesday evening my sister wasn't feeling well but she wanted me to go out so I joined a couple of her friends to take in some art at the Wynwood Walls in Miami's up-and-coming Design District. Wednesday we did some shopping. I was looking for a dress to wear on NYE but didn't find anything. We did find dresses that we think are perfect for our brother's summer wedding. Thursday we went to the Miami Heat game. One of my sister's suitors invited us and he has great seats and VIP access to an exclusive restaurant and bar/lounge in the stadium. It was really fun! We saw P. Diddy (Puff Daddy - rapper, clothing designer), Kanye West and Kim Kardashian. I actually met her and she's very pretty in person! Friday we went to the beach and it was an absolutely gorgeous day! My sister's other friend hooked us up with access to chairs & umbrellas through one of the amazing hotels on South Beach. We ordered lunch and can you believe a seagull stole a french fry right out of my mouth??? First a gull swooped past and grabbed a bit of my sandwich that I was holding (trying to keep covered up no less) and then I was being even more careful but the next one was even more bold. How strange?!?!?!? I lost my appetite and had a mojito for lunch. Friday night we went out to a couple of parties. Art Basel (http://miamibeach.artbasel.com/) was going on while I was there so we got to check out lots of art work. Saturday we got our nails done and then my stomach started to bother me so I stayed in for the night while my sister went out with friends. Sunday we had a wonderful brunch, I ate crab cakes benedict and had an elderberry mimosa. Then we went to an art exhibit and finally my sister took me to the airport. I flew in to Chicago Sunday night, had some things to take care of there downtown Monday, then took the train home yesterday. I did get to spend a little bit of QT with my friend Sarah who I stayed with.

I've just been unpacking and catching up on laundry today. Went out to Trader Joe's and Kroger for a few things. Will probably have to go back out tomorrow but wanted to get stuff for baking the cookies and dinner. Tomorrow I think I'll do a special Chanukah meal with latkes and sufganiyot (doughnuts). Thanks for the holiday wishes, btw!
You guys have made me SO hungry reading these posts. I'm going to make a smoothie to tide me over until dinner. I want to make oven fried fish (Swai) for dinner but I don't know if Kris will go for it. If not, shrimp. Baked potatoes and Collard Greens on the side.

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NPMarie 11 years ago said:

Thanks so much everyone for the cookie compliments:) I am so pleased the cookie picture wasn't blurry lol

Hey Lori, all of that did fit into a 9x13 baking dish...I have it in the oven very early cause i might not feel like doing it later and we can always re heat it ..besides it's trying to snow and I always get things done if I think the power might go out...yes, I tend to freak out occasionally ... :D

Dahlia, I just love collards...I'm pretty sure I have that one bookmarked:)

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notyourmomma 11 years ago said:

Oh, Dahlia, what a wonderful trip. LOL on the bold seagull. It makes me think of "Finding Nemo" and how voracious those sea birds are.....notorious thieves. Love your sharing the fun time with us. Special Miami Heat Seats....too cool.

Janet, take a piece of white bread and tear in big chunks and pulverize in the coffee grinder, shake and wipe out the crumbs. That is how I cleaned the chili peppers out of my electric coffee grinder after one pot of hot, the wrong way hot coffee.

My right leg has blown up. Too much standing in the kitchen, I guess. I can't figure out how to take pictures with my phone and I can't get the camera to upload. I'll post my receipts (as Great Aunt Mabel would say) if I get the good picture.

Love your blow by blow Lori, it is a good primer as Janet says. I'm not sure our party is going to materialize after all. I'm going to enjoy your parties instead vicariously. Fred is just against a party here, no friends he says and no money either. I pay 175 dollars for Fred see a doctor he LOVES and Dr. Didio prescribes a $30 medication we had to wean Fred off of before because of the severe personality change it provoked. Fred is so short tempered, you can't speak to him at all. I tell him to stop taking it but he won't and he doesn't remember the time he took it before. ARGH

I've pounded out the chicken, blanched the broccoli, and chopped the onions and mushrooms for the risotto. I just hope Olivia gets cut from work and comes home. I want some caper filled picata sooner rather than later. LOL

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chuckieb 11 years ago said:

So nice to hear your update Dahlia. I've never had Tuna Tartare. It looks beautiful. The VIP access to the Restaurant and Bar sounded very fun although I do not know what the Miami Heat are? :) Very fun on meeting the Celebs! :) ROFL @ the seagull stealing a french fry out of your mouth!!!! That's insane! Crab Cakes Benedict! Wow! Never heard of that and now I want it! :) Sorry to hear your stomach acted up on you again but it sounds like you got lots of things in before that happened! Sounds like you saw a lot of art exhibits! I checked out the Art Basel link and it's very cool. Oven fried fish or shrimp would be lovely.
Are you actually getting some snow Marie?
Tina, you are a flipping life saver! :) Thank you so much. I would have never have thought of the white bread but it makes good sense. I shall totally do that. MUAH! :) Eeesh on Fred's Medication. What did Dr. Didio say in response to you telling him of the personality change in the past?
Finished the cookies. Big job. My right hand is throbbing from gripping the icing bag for so long! (First world problems...I know!) :) LOL! They are not my best batch, but they're pretty yummy. :) Gotta go prep the salad. Benjamin is lighting us a fire.
We've been working on his flight to Taiwan today with a travel agent. I only had one eruption of tears. Figure that's not too bad all things considered. :)

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notyourmomma 11 years ago said:

Watching the telethon for Sandy relief...awesome concert.
Fred is worse tonight. I have to talk to the Dr. in the am, he can't make me do this again. Fred is awful. Dinner was awful, not my cooking, but the time it took. Fred is mean, Liv is fighting with Scotty and I can't make it any better.

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kimmer 11 years ago said:

Sleep Sweet All.............as always..............

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