Pencil Artwork

Here is a little art piece I tried creating from a photograph of these two little girls on the beach.  This image evoked the sweetness of childhood innocence and I wanted to share it with you.

Contest at Mr. Food (Deadline November 21, 2010)

Just visited Mr. Food and found this interesting contest available to you until November 21, 2010.
After Thanksgiving and Christmas, we will ALL need to win this item.

Please visit his link to enter.

http://www.mrfood.com/sweeps/Snapware-Contest

LOCAL EATERY - GOTTA TRY IT OUT ! ! !

Tonight my hubby and I enjoyed a beautiful dining experience on the water, courtesy of a fellow Chamber of Commerce buddy who owns the place, Captain George.  The view is spectacular, the breeze was just right, and the sandwiches, HUGE and SUCCULENT!
If you are ever in our quaint little town, just drive east to the end of Canal Street, hang a left for about 50 feet, and there, you will find The Dolphin View!
Lorna, the assistant manager, made sure we enjoyed our meal and chatted with us a while.  Had a great time and will definitely return.
For the avid fishermen, a trip on the Pastime Princess will provide a whole day's worth of fishing and you can get your catch cleaned and cooked upon arrival..... Now it can't get any fresher than that!

Kalte Hund Recipe (Cold Dog) - Straight From Germany

My son sent me a sample gift of these tasty treats from Germany last Christmas and they were absolutely delicious.  He finally sent me the recipe which comes directly from the good lady friend who made the treats last Christmas, and I wanted to share it with you.

KALTE HUND (COLD DOG) RECIPE
(Yields 2 layers in Tupperware container, + 1 layer in other dish)

Ingredients:

2 1/4 cups icing sugar
2 eggs
1/2 cup bitter cocoa powder (perhaps more later)
1/2 cup Nesquick powder
1 1/3 cup coconut oil (Palmin in Germany)
Hi-percentage rum, at least 60% - To taste, so start small
Approximately 8 rectangular shaped waters
Glass dish 7 x 12 lined with aluminum foil (for easy removal when layers are cold)

- Heat up the coconut fat slightly in microwave, then pour it into a large bowl.
- Add icing sugar, eggs, cocoa, Nesquick and rum, and blend well using mixer.
- You may place in refrigerator until the substance becomes viscous and spreadable, but mine felt ready immediately after mixing, so I spread it on the wafers right then and there.
- Place a large wafer sheet at the bottom of dish and spread a thin coating of the chocolate mixture.
- Add another wafer layer and chocolate mixture on top, continuing until you run out of chocolate.  Cover with one last Wafer Layer.
- Now place the dessert in the refrigerator, covered with Plastic Wrap, and lightly weigh it down so that the wafers are pressed together evenly.
- The following day, cut the waters into diamond shapes and keep stored in the fridge.
- YUMMY ! ! !  Thank You Mrs. Schmiedl.

YUMMY! Light, Fluffy, Crunchy MERINGUES

Have all ingredients ready:

2 egg whites

1/2 cup white sugar

1/8 Tsp Cream Tartar

1-2 Tsp Vanilla or Almond Flavoring

Clean cold Beaters & Deep Metal Bowl

Turn on Oven around 175° F

1 Extra Large Cookie sheet, lined with "UNGREASED" aluminum foil or brown paper bag 

DIRECTIONS:

- In clean cold metal bowl, add egg whites and Cream of Tartar and start to beat at maximum speed until egg whites turn frothy and slightly thick, like photo above.
- At this point start adding the sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, beating about 1 minute between each addition.  (Long, but necessary to melt the sugar properly)
- At the end when mixture is thick, add the flavoring or color of choice.
- I have tried using mini chocolate chips and finely chopped pecans, but I prefer my meringues plain.
- Drop mixture by Tablespoon full on cookie sheet lined with paper of your choice above.
- Place pan or pans in a warm oven (175° F).
- Bake Meringues approximately 1 1/2  to 2 hours, then TURN OFF OVEN.
- Leave Meringues in oven for several hours until they are dry and cool.

- Take pans out of oven and peel off Meringues from paper.  Keep in airtight container lined with Wax Paper between all layers.  Freezes well.
- If you have the time, you may also dip each meringue in a lukewarm melted chocolate when meringues are cold, and refreeze again, for a different taste.
- This is what I call a very inexpensive way to treat family and friends...

Cozy German Restaurant Close to Home

We sometimes visit this quaint restaurant in Daytona Beach to savor delicious sandwiches.  Here is what you expect to see when you visit - - - quite the atmosphere !  The Food - - SUCCULENT ! 

July 12, 2010 - My First Art Pieces

Luscious Grapefruits (revised from mid-June)

It's mid-June and we are still blessed with our last harvest of grapefruits from this past winter.... Picked a couple days ago, these 15 ripe fruits squeezed out a pitcher-full of sweet pink juice for us to enjoy.

July 9, 2010

July 6, 2010

July 5, 2010

Happy 4th of July, 2010 ! ! !

May the Lord continue to bless this country forever with the freedom we have been enjoying for so many years!  Thanks to our brave troops who fight for us!  God Bless America!

TODAY IN CENTRAL FLORIDA - JUNE 28/'10

Oh, the Joys of living in this beautiful Sunshine State...

Thank you Lord for Sunshine, and PLEASE, send us RAIN too.  

Thank You!

:-)

Recipe - Oreo Truffles

Oreo Truffles

I found this recipe in a magazine before Christmas 2009 and just recently tried it.  The original recipe called for White Almond Bark, but I chose the Chocolate Bark instead.  I buy this Plymouth Pantry Almond Bark product in the baking aisle at Super Wal Mart, the only place I have ever seen it.


Preparation:  30 minutes                       Chill Time:    1 Hour
Ingredients:


1 - 18 oz. pkg = 4 strips of Oreo Chocolate Sandwich Cookies with white filling, finely 
      crushed in food processor
1 - 8-oz pkg. cream cheese, softened
1   lb. Chocolate or White Almond Bark, melted.
2   TBSP Orange Extract (optional)
In large mixing bowl, combine crushed cookies and cream cheese.  Beat with mixer on low speed until well blended.
Form 1-inch balls by hand.  Dip each ball in melted chocolate or white bark, and place on a baking sheet covered with wax paper.

Refrigerate 1 hour or until firm.  To store, keep in tightly covered container, in refrigerator or in freezer.  

NOTE:  I am very happy with the orange flavoring because I think the truffles might have been bland without it and the orange taste brings back some childhood Christmas memories to my mind.  Here is a photo of what the white truffles would look like.

Recipe - Yummy Rum Balls

This is a recipe which was given to me by my German teacher at one of our Christmas recitals.  Very tasty!

Yummy Rum Balls

Microwave Together:

6 squares Baker’s chocolate OR 186 gr. chocolate chips

1 bag marshmallows

2 TBSP. milk

When all is melted (approx. 2 1/2 minutes)

Add and Blend together with 1st mixture

1 TBSP rum flavouring

1/2 cup coconut

1/2 cup peanuts or pecans

3-5 cups Rice Krispies

When all is well blended, you can make small balls which you will drop in a mixture of icing sugar/cocoa.

   OR

Roll mixture in many logs and roll up in wax paper and keep refrigerated 1/2 hour.  When cool, roll logs in the icing sugar/cocoa mixture, then slice.  Keep refrigerated or frozen.   YUMMY ! ! !

Recipe - Rhubarb Dream

Bring to a boil the following ingredients, which you will thicken with

3 Tbsp diluted cornstarch.  Cool mixture.

4 cups rhubarb

1 cup sugar

Prepare a Graham Crust base (crumbs, sugar, butter) and spread in a pan 9” x 13”.  

Cover the base with the cooled rhubarb mixture.

Whip:

4 cups whipping cream (equivalent of 2 envelopes Dream Whip)

Then incorporate: 

2 cups of miniature marshmallows to it.

Spread that fluffy white mixture on top of the rhubarb.

Prepare:

1 pkg of Jello Instant Vanilla Pudding.

Spread on top as final layer.  Sprinkle with a few Graham Crumbs.   Cover and refrigerate.