Joy Full

What a joy full Christmas! Mark Twain sure knew what he was talking about when he wrote, "To get the full value of joy, you must have someone to divide it with." I'm so grateful to have many to divide it with!

Here's my crew at Mom and Dad's house yesterday afternoon. Although it's a long-standing tradition to spend Christmas Eve there, last year we decided to change things up just a little bit. Instead of waiting until dinner to begin the festivities, we now meet for lunch. As a result, no one seems to be hurried, having to scurry along to other households after just an hour or so. We were able to "get the full value of joy" by dividing it with about 30 family members, spanning four generations. It is a complete zoo. I can't imagine spending Christmas any other way!

Of course, there's food . . . and plenty of it. Meatballs, guacamole and chips, shrimp cocktail, relish tray, bean salad, ham, turkey, spinach maria, sausage balls, layered salad, cucumber salad, apple and cranberry crumble, grape salad, cranberry jello salad, chicken salad, and homemade sourdough bread.

There was no shortage of sweets either: brownies, oatmeal cookies, crescent cookies, cookie dough fudge, Christmas Crunch (fun-fetti popcorn), banoffee pie, and pecan pie. I plan to share some of these recipes in future posts.

Then we opened gifts when the kids could no longer stand it. Mom and Dad got the Harry & David fruit-of-the-month club. We also gave Mom a small extra gift that I couldn't pass up: EARTH without ART is just 'EH'   :)

We gave silly straws with Rudolph-inspired Cokes to the little ones. (Yes, I love Pinterest!) All of the nieces got OPI's Top Ten nail polishes along with a "Happy Christmas to All" emery board, and the adults got UT puzzles. (Oh, how I wish for a comeback season next fall!)

Of course, the best present was simply the presence of family and friends. May all of you have the most joy full Christmas ever!

Christmas Crunch

Presents bought. Check. Presents wrapped. Not quite. Christmas baking. Not yet. It's Christmas Crunch time! Although I'm not quite ready for Christmas, that didn't stop us from accepting an invitation from the Burtnetts for their impromptu get-together last night.  We enjoyed cooking hotdogs and s'mores over their campfire, singing Christmas songs, and playing charades.

It gave Keely a chance to make a new munchie she found on the internet.  This is the preferred kind of Christmas Crunch . . . but warning, it's addictive!

She just started with 2 bags of popped popcorn and tossed in broken pretzel pieces and Christmas M&Ms.

Next, she poured melted white chocolate chips over it, and then spread the mixture into a single layer onto wax paper.

Once drizzled with melted vanilla almond bark, she quickly added a variety of sprinkles including little green Christmas trees and red candy canes. It was too cute and festive!

 
I'm certain Keely just started a new tradition as we'll be looking forward to this funfetti munchie every year. Wishing each of you survive your own Christmas Crunch and find enough time to truly calm down and enjoy the season. Peace! :)

Christmas Crunch

Ingredients:

• 2 microwave bags white popcorn 
• 1 1/2 cups broken pretzel pieces
• 1 (12 oz) bag red and green Christmas M&Ms
• 1/2 (12 oz) bag white chocolate chips
• 1/2 package vanilla almond bark (or approximately 8 oz)
• Red, green and white sprinkles

Directions:

Pop popcorn and remove any unpopped kernels. Toss in broken pretzel pieces and M&Ms. Place in large kitchen trash bag.

Melt white chocolate chips in the microwave in 30 second intervals, stirring after each interval until melted and smooth. Pour over popcorn mixture, and gently rotate bag until mixture is thoroughly coated with chocolate. Pour mixture into a single layer onto wax paper.

Melt almond bark in the microwave in 30 second intervals, stirring after each interval until melted and smooth. Drizzle evenly over popcorn mixture. (Tip: Place melted almond bark in a ziploc bag and cut a small hole in one of the tips to turn it into a disposable dispenser.) Add sprinkles before almond bark sets. Allow to cool and harden, then gently break into pieces and store in an airtight container. 

Peanut Butter Fudge

Hands down, my cousin Rodney's peanut butter fudge was the most requested recipe from our Harness Holiday get-together over the weekend. Dad is our resident peanut butter connoisseur, or "expert judge in matters of taste." Well, Rodney passed Dad's test, and I bet he didn't even know there was one!

Dad enjoys pretty much anything with peanut butter in it, but he told me most of what he has tried is either "too sweet, too peanut buttery, too dark, too light, too soft, too hard, too something. Not this. There are only a few that are just perfect, and this is one of those!"

My Aunt Marilyn remembered my Grandma making a similar creamy, rich fudge. At first, we thought that Rodney must have used Grandma's recipe, but he admitted that he found this one on the internet. We were so thankful that he and his wife Gail made it for our party and especially grateful that they were willing to share their secret. I'm betting that it will be the star of your Christmas platter, too!

Peanut Butter Fudge

Ingredients:

• 5 cups of sugar
• 1 (12 oz) can of evaporated milk ("shake it up good")
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter
• pinch of salt
• 1 (16 oz) jar of peanut butter
• 1 (7 oz) jar of marshmallow creme
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla

Directions:
Mix together the first four ingredients in a large saucepan. Begin heating on low, stirring frequently, but never scraping the bottom of the pan. Gradually turn up heat between low and medium. Continue to stir the bubbly part on top around the edge of the pan, scraping sugar crystals off the edge. Slowly turn up heat as the fudge is cooking, but "never go further than 3/4 heat." Using a candy thermometer, heat until mixture reaches 236 degrees, or the soft ball stage.

Remove from heat. Stir in peanut butter until melted. Next, add marshmallow creme and then lastly vanilla and stir until smooth.

Pour into ungreased pan and smooth top. (Rodney used a pie plate and an 8x8 casserole dish.) Let cool for several hours.

Cut into small pieces and store in airtight container.

A Harness Holiday

For the last four years or so, we have been hosting the annual Harness Holiday Get-together on the Saturday after Thanksgiving. This is something I look forward to each year: a time to visit with extended family members including dozens of cousins who we don't get to see very often.

Not surprisingly, the day includes a potluck lunch. For starters, we had a parmesan cheese dip, served with crackers and chips. The main buffet included honey-baked ham, turkey, homemade sourdough bread, macaroni & cheese with ham, mashed potatoes, broccoli rice casserole, baked apples, green bean bundles, Mexican rice & chicken casserole, candied carrots, hominy casserole, apple & cranberry crumble, hashbrown casserole, relish tray, pinto beans, 7-layer salad, and cornbread salad.

Then we had plenty of options to satisfy one's sweet tooth:  a banafee pie with black walnuts, Rice Krispie treats, coconut M&Ms, red velvet whoopie pies, pumpkin crunch cake, orange & coconut cake, pilgrim hat cookies, peanut butter & chocolate fudge, and plain peanut butter fudge. Mmmmmm.

While some braved the cold weather to shoot basketball, most chose to stay warm inside. Ping-pong, pool, bingo, SEC football, etc. The Vols actually won one! Wooo hooo! Thanks to Pinterest, we also had a couple of crafts for the young ones: snowman candy bar wrapper and snowman in a baggie.

The second round of food has become an important tradition as well:  homemade hot tamales served with three varieties of chili. This year, it became a chili cookoff among the "out-laws." They were all amazing! This was the perfect accompaniment to the annual Harness Texas Hold'em tournament: a great consolation prize for those who went "all in" and lost. For those who couldn't wait that long, a "chili fold" was taken. :)  Keely came in first place for the third year in a row. . . not the best way to make friends among the cousins! Until next year. . .

Creamy Crockpot Hot Cocoa

Last night, we enjoyed celebrating with our next door neighbors, the Cox's, at their annual Halloweenie Roast, or at least that's what I call it! This event started many years ago with mostly just family members, but has grown into a fun, tail-gating atmosphere for friends to enjoy as well.

There was no shortage of sweets, chips, chili, and hotdogs to get the trick-or-treaters ready for their night of fun. I even got to learn all about Master Chief.

"What?!!!! You don't know who Master Chief is?  Let. Me. Tell. You."

My contribution to the spread was creamy crockpot hot cocoa, something to enjoy on this cold Halloween night as you're sitting by the fire.

For years, I've been making a hot chocolate mix that I always keep on hand that is convenient for making one cup at a time. I love it; however, I wanted to try something new, something easy, and something that would feed a crowd. I found this recipe from Mrs Happy Homemaker via Pinterest, and it accomplished all of that and more. This stuff is decadent. When you look at the list of the ingredients below, how could it not be? I'm not sure there is anything more perfect for making warm memories. :)

Creamy Crockpot Hot Cocoa

Ingredients:

• 1.5 cups whipping cream (I used half-and-half.)
• 1 can sweetened condensed milk
• 6 cups milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 2 cups milk chocolate chips

Directions:
Place all ingredients in a crockpot. Stir. Cover and cook on low for 2-3 hours, stirring occasionally, until chocolate chips are melted and mixture is hot. Stir again before serving. Garnish with marshmallows, if desired.

Note: Makes approximately 10 cups. I doubled the recipe, and it filled my large 5.5-quart slow cooker just perfectly.

Tortellini and Sausage Soup

One of the best things I love about fall is making soup to serve along with my homemade bread. Mmmmm. Such comfort food! I ran across this recipe on the internet and knew I wanted to give it a try. What caught my eye was that it was this blogger's traditional Halloween Night meal and her most requested recipe. I typically make Grady's broccoli cheese soup as my traditional Halloween Night meal, but I'm all for change. It also seemed like a spicier version of Mom's vegetable soup with dumplings, which has always been a family favorite.

Well, patience is not one of my virtues. Why wait for Halloween? After modifying/simplifying the original recipe, it turned out to be the perfect soup to serve as we cheered on the Vols (to no avail). Even Steve, someone who is very conscientious about portion control, helped himself to two bowls. No doubt about it: this one's a keeper and is now on our own list of family favorites. If you haven't already planned your own pre-trick or treat meal, I highly recommend this!

Tortellini and Sausage Soup

Ingredients:

• 1 lb sweet or spicy Italian sausage
• 4 cups beef broth
• 1-1/2 cups water
• 1 can stewed tomatoes
• 1 (8 oz) can tomato sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
• 1/2 teaspoon oregano
• 1 cup carrots, thinly sliced
• 1-1/2 cups sliced zucchini
• 8 oz fresh cheese tortellini
• Shredded Parmesan cheese

Directions:

Remove sausage from casing. Brown and drain sausage.

Bring all ingredients except zucchini, tortellini, and cheese to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer uncovered for about 20 minutes. Skim off any fat and stir in zucchini and tortellini. Simmer for an additional 20 minutes or until tortellini and zucchini are tender. Garnish with Parmesan cheese.

Happy Fall Y'all!

What a beautiful time of year! Steve and I just returned from a quick trip to the Smokies. Although the colors weren't at their peak, the mountains were simply stunning.

I can't help but notice the beauty of the season close to home, too.  My neighbors go all out with the seasonal decorations. Pumpkins, scarecrows, and mums galore! To be honest, I'm feeling a little pressure. Surfing Pinterest and following many blogs just add to this feeling of inadequacy. . . especially when I stumbled upon this post:

"But really, we all know that decorating the front entry of our homes for fall is an absolute must do!  Especially since I'm the neighbor that totally skipped over the whole pumpkin month last year - yep, I was totally that neighbor - with dead ferns by her front door on Halloween - now that is scary."

Ouch. My family knows how tight I am with money. It's just so hard for me to make purchases that seem so temporary. I guess I've rationalized all these years that I have dried ferns, not dead ferns. There's a difference, right? How can others get by with displaying dead corn? So not fair. Nevertheless, I'm determined to no longer be that neighbor.

Phase I: Good. Give my dried ferns to the garbage man. I think my porch looks a little sad and bare, but at least no one can say I have dead ferns anymore!

Phase II: Better. Replace dried ferns with mums. I can rationalize pretty much any expense if it comes in orange and white! :)

Phase III: Best. My all-time favorite seasonal decoration for this time of year? Shrek! He has followed us on three moves to three different neighborhoods. Inevitably, he becomes a popular photo op for trick-or-treaters. I crack up every time Shrek strikes up a conversation with the little ones. While Steve isn't a true ventriloquist, it doesn't take much to stir the imagination of your typical 3-year-old. Now that's priceless!

Happy Fall Y'all!

It's a Vol Thing

It's football time in Tennessee! Are you ready? For many, this means planning over-the-top tailgating parties. . . a true Southern ritual. It's not too soon to begin thinking about menu items. This season, I plan on serving many of the same items that I served at Keely's graduation party in May of 2011. We had a good time trying to think of orange and white foods as well as other food items that could just be re-named Vol style such as:

Rocky road brownies became "Rocky Top Road Brownies." Just take your favorite brownie recipe and top it with marshmallows, pecans, and chocolate chips. They taste better in a T-shaped pan, too!

Don't just serve sweet tea. Serve "Sweet as Soda Pop Tea!"

How about some "Wild as a Mink Rice Salad?"

At our family get-togethers, we almost always have deviled eggs. Not this time. They're "InVOLved Deviled Eggs." All you need is a little orange food coloring!

Consider serving a "Go Big Orange and Spinach Salad":

How many different orange and white candies can you think of? We had plain orange M&Ms, white coconut M&Ms, orange slices, orange circus peanuts, and white yogurt raisins.

Can you stand some more? Consider serving:

• "Tennessee-Style Veggies and Dip" - Only serve orange and white veggies such as carrots, orange peppers, peeled cucumbers, and cauliflower.
• "Big Orange and White Cookies" - These are actually butter pecan cookies that have butterscotch chips and white chocolate chips.
• "Go Big Orange Velvet Cake" - It's tradition. I have to make this at least once a season.
• "Go Big Orange Fluff" - An orange jello salad mixed with Cool Whip.
• "Tennessee-Style Baked Yams" - Sweet potatoes topped with marshmallows and coconut.
• "Smokeys" - An all-time favorite appetizer. You know, the little mini-sausages?
• "The Big T Pasta Salad" - I saw the T-shaped pasta at Cracker Barrel just the other day.

So, you get the idea. Can you think of more?

Thanks to Pinterest, I also plan to try new things this season such as these Rice Krispie treats. I can't believe I didn't think of that!

Ah, yes. Our much-loved orange and white checkerboard pattern.

What's your favorite tailgating food?

Here's to a great season!

Easy Corn on the Cob

One of my favorite meals has always been simply a plate of home grown vegetables. This is so ironic since I can't grow a thing. Truly. I've tried so many times. I can't even grow tomatoes!

I have even tried gardening on a small scale by starting an herb garden. No luck here either. For two years in a row, my basil grew to about 1/2 inch, then died. The cilantro didn't even make it that far. So, I'm content to keep my nice Longaberger planters with plant markers on my back deck nonetheless.

At this point, I have resolved to support my local farmers. I'm fortunate that we have a great farmers' market here in Cleveland. Since the summer is winding down and presumably fresh veggies are too, I decided to make a trip today. Homegrown tomatoes, green beans, Yukon potatoes, and corn on the cob. Mmmmm.

This also gave me the opportunity to try something new. Keely was actually the first one to tell me about placing the whole corn on the cob in the microwave. (No way!) Yes, she assured me, as she was told by one of her customers whose husband is a farmer. Weeks later, I watched a video of a person preparing it in this manner. Usually things that are too good to be true are, well, too good to be true. I would see for myself. So I began. I placed the two ears in the microwave without even shucking them first.

Cook on high for 4 minutes per ear. So, I cooked them for a total of 8 minutes.

Next, cut the tip off of the bottom.

Then, here is the crazy part. On the video I watched, the man took the top of the corn and just shook it so that the insides cleanly fell out without any silk at all!

Mine wasn't so easy. It did start to come out as shown above, but then got stuck. I ended up shucking the corn after all, but the stalks came off so easily, and the corn tasted great. I'm certain that I'll never boil ears of corn again! Who knew?

Peanut Butter Bars

When Dad returned from his high school reunion this summer, his eyes lit up when he was telling me about these peanut butter bars he had. He is at the age where they plan these events every year as opposed to every decade, and he always looks forward to each one. (He graduated from Norma High School in 1954 in Scott County, Tennessee.)

Their reunions are typically pot lucks where attendees bring their favorite dishes. Bernie Mason had her hands full with these peanut butter bars, so Dad offered to help her carry them inside. After trying one, he loved them so much that he said,

"Do you see that lady over there (pointing to Mom across the room)? Will you give her this recipe before you leave today?"

"Well yes, but it's not my recipe. This recipe belonged to your Aunt Gladys."

Dad was so surprised. He never knew that his Aunt Gladys (Lawson Murley) worked in the cafeteria at Norma High School. Apparently, she frequently made these peanut butter bars for the students. Unfortunately, she passed away at a very young age in the 70's, so it is pretty remarkable that she is still getting credit for this recipe more than three decades later. I love that! I love even more how this has caused a chain of events, further connecting me to past generations.

I was reminded that Gladys was one of my grandma's (Laura Lawson Harness) younger sisters. They're the two who are poking their heads behind their father on the back row (circa 1961). You'll notice ten children in this picture, and all weren't present!

 
In memory of Gladys and in celebration of the fact that most schools are now in session, you should try some of this old fashioned goodness.

Peanut Butter Bars

Ingredients:

• 1 stick butter, softened
• 1 cup peanut butter
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 cup self-rising flour

Directions:
Cream together butter and peanut butter. Add sugar, eggs, and vanilla.  Mix well. Fold in flour. Pour into a greased 8x8 casserole dish. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

Note: The first time I made these bars, I substituted Splenda for the sugar. While the taste was essentially the same, the texture was not. They ended up being very crumbly and not chewy at all.

Blueberry Muffins

Dad turned 76 on Friday. Can you believe he still works full time? I wonder if that is part of his secret to staying so young.

Scott took this picture on the morning of Dad's birthday while they rode an ATV throughout the old homestead property in Scott County. Then, most of the family joined him and Mom for a night of spoiling. Mom made an amazing meal of lasagna, salad, bread, and a coconut birthday cake. The plan was for Dad to continue with the birthday festivities by going to my sister Jackie's tavern in Georgia for some more spoiling today (Sunday). So unexpectedly, Mom and Dad called me yesterday to say that they wanted to split the trip up and stay with me overnight. What?!? You don't know how rare that is. Mom has stayed with me quite a few times, but not Dad.

They just left, and we had a great visit. Since Steve is still in Orlando watching Stetson play basketball, it was just me, Keely, Mom and Dad who first went to dinner last night. I took them to Mount Vernon, a restaurant at the foot of Lookout Mountain. Keely and I shared a variety of vegetables, Dad enjoyed a "Whistle Stop BLT" made with fried green tomatoes, and Mom ordered fried chicken livers. Keely about died.

Keely: "Oh, Grandma! That is disgusting! I can't believe you're actually ordering that!"

I told her later that night that it is crazy to be hatin' on something that she has never even tried. She should have at least tried one as Mom used to make them for us kids growing up, and it was one of our favorite meals!

Keely: "If I told you to try goat toes, how would you respond to that?!?!"

OK, I don't see the comparison.

Before I could even think about what to serve for breakfast the following morning, Dad said, "Now don't be making us a big breakfast. I'll just have a piece of toast with some jelly and some coffee. That's it."

Nope. Don't think so. My bread nicely coordinates with my green Longaberger basket! Now what do I do? After they went to bed, I went to my "go-to" website, Southern Plate, to see if I could find something simple, tasty, and made with basic ingredients so that I wouldn't have to make a trip to the grocery store. I ran across a recipe for blueberry muffins that seemed perfect. . . mostly because it started with Bisquick.

I never buy this stuff. But when Steve saw pancake mix on my grocery list, this is what he came home with weeks ago. I personally don't think it makes very good pancakes and certainly mine look nothing like what is on the box, so now I'm wondering what in the world am I going to do with this? Now I know. Perfect!

The muffins turned out great. However, I modified the original recipe by adding a streusel topping. Delicious! I'll definitely be making these again!

Blueberry Muffins

Muffin Ingredients:

• 2-1/4 cups Bisquick
• 1 heaping cup frozen blueberries (not thawed, can use fresh)
• 1 cup milk
• 1/3 cup sugar (I used Splenda)
• 1 egg
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil

Streusel Topping:

• 3/4 cup brown sugar (I used Splenda Brown Sugar Blend)
• 3/4 cup flour 
• 1-1/2 teaspoons cinnamon 
• 1/4 cup butter, softened

Directions:
Spray a 12-cup muffin pan with cooking spray. In a small bowl, mix blueberries with 1/4 cup of Bisquick. Set aside. (This is to prevent the blueberries from sinking to the bottom of the muffins.)
In a large bowl, place all other muffin ingredients and stir until well mixed, but still lumpy. Gently stir in blueberries. Spoon into muffin cups.

Mix all ingredients for the streusel topping until crumbly. Place on top of each muffin. Bake at 400 degrees for about 20 minutes, or until lightly browned on top.