Party Recipes....

I have two days to get ready for my Open House and Sample Sale.......I wonder if I will get it all done....so I leave you with two of my recipes that I will be serving on Wednesday. They both are always a hit at parties, and fairly easy to make:

Marinated Cheese (ok, I didn't say all healthy, too!!! :)

1/2 c. olive oil
1/2 c. white wine vinegar
3 T. chopped fresh parsley
3 T. chopped green onions
1 t. sugar
3/4 t. dried basil
1/2 t. salt
1/2 t. freshly ground pepper
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 (2 oz.) jar diced pimento, drained
1 (5.5 x 2 x 1inch) block sharp Cheddar cheese (8 oz.), chilled (like Cracker Barrel brand)
1 (8 oz.) block cream cheese, chilled
Garnish: fresh parsley sprigs

Combine first 10 ingredients in a jar; cover tightly and shake vigorously. Set marinade aside.
Cut block of Cheddar cheese in half lengthwise. Cut cross-wise into 1/4 inch slices. Set aside. Repeat procedure with the cream cheese. Arrange slices alternately in a shallow baking dish, standing slices on edges. Pour marinade over cheese slices. Cover and maridnade in refrigerator at least 8 hours.
Transfer cheese slices to a serving platter in the same alternating fashion, reserving marinade. Spoon marinade over the cheese slices. Garnish with parsley if desired and serve with assorted crackers. (I like Triscuits) Yield: 12 to 16 appetizer servings


Pepper Jelly Dip

1 c. sharp cheddar, grated finely
1 c. chopped pecans
1/2 c. chopped green onions, green tops included

Mix together and add enough mayonaisse to hold it together. Mound on a plate and top with your favorite hot pepper jelly. Serve with crackers. ( I like Wheat thins with this one)

GREAT quick & easy recipes for the upcoming Holiday season. Enjoy!!! And speaking of cheese, this is my daughter right before the Homecoming dance this weekend. She went with her friend Jacob. Sorry the picture has some shadow......the sun was shining, for which we were thankful!

Party Recipes....

I have two days to get ready for my Open House and Sample Sale.......I wonder if I will get it all done....so I leave you with two of my recipes that I will be serving on Wednesday. They both are always a hit at parties, and fairly easy to make:

Marinated Cheese (ok, I didn't say all healthy, too!!! :)

1/2 c. olive oil
1/2 c. white wine vinegar
3 T. chopped fresh parsley
3 T. chopped green onions
1 t. sugar
3/4 t. dried basil
1/2 t. salt
1/2 t. freshly ground pepper
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 (2 oz.) jar diced pimento, drained
1 (5.5 x 2 x 1inch) block sharp Cheddar cheese (8 oz.), chilled (like Cracker Barrel brand)
1 (8 oz.) block cream cheese, chilled
Garnish: fresh parsley sprigs

Combine first 10 ingredients in a jar; cover tightly and shake vigorously. Set marinade aside.
Cut block of Cheddar cheese in half lengthwise. Cut cross-wise into 1/4 inch slices. Set aside. Repeat procedure with the cream cheese. Arrange slices alternately in a shallow baking dish, standing slices on edges. Pour marinade over cheese slices. Cover and maridnade in refrigerator at least 8 hours.
Transfer cheese slices to a serving platter in the same alternating fashion, reserving marinade. Spoon marinade over the cheese slices. Garnish with parsley if desired and serve with assorted crackers. (I like Triscuits) Yield: 12 to 16 appetizer servings


Pepper Jelly Dip

1 c. sharp cheddar, grated finely
1 c. chopped pecans
1/2 c. chopped green onions, green tops included

Mix together and add enough mayonaisse to hold it together. Mound on a plate and top with your favorite hot pepper jelly. Serve with crackers. ( I like Wheat thins with this one)

GREAT quick & easy recipes for the upcoming Holiday season. Enjoy!!! And speaking of cheese, this is my daughter right before the Homecoming dance this weekend. She went with her friend Jacob. Sorry the picture has some shadow......the sun was shining, for which we were thankful!

Have a blessed day, my blog friends......the weather is finally fabulous, and I am planning to enjoy a wonderful Sunday! See you soon.

Have a blessed day, my blog friends......the weather is finally fabulous, and I am planning to enjoy a wonderful Sunday! See you soon.

Thursday's thoughts

First of all, I am happy to report that this was FABULOUS!!! My daughter and I enjoyed it SO, SO much......the acting was fantastic, the choreography was incredible, and the special effects were well, supercalifragilisticexpealidocious!!! :)
I'd highly recommend it to anyone!!!












I'm in planning mode, executing mode, trying to get ready for my annual Open House and Sample Sale that I have um, every year, as Annual usually signifies. I've been doing this, annually for about five years now.......it's a tradition! I make good food, put out samples of my products that I reduce in price (bargains to be had!) and friends come and eat, visit, hopefully take away products!!, and we all have a good time. I have managed to pull out from every nook and cranny every extra item that I can possibly find from my inventory to get ready to put prices on so that many of my friends/neighbors/customers will want to take home with them. It's a lovely time. I am also fortunate enough to have a dear friend who is willing to come and help me--she cooks, she cleans, she is gracious....well, not gracious enough to do windows, but she lovingly comes to help me in whatever way I need help on that day. I am blessed!

Here's what's on the Menu so far:

Betty's Cheeseball (a cheeseball I made up and my other friend lovingly decided to name Betty's Cheeseball; she had some notion that I was a bit like a Betty Crocker in her world! )
Pepper Jelly Spread w/ Wheat thins (love this! Will post recipe next week)
Marinated Cheese!!! w/ Triscuits (this is a hit every time I serve it....will post recipe later)
Chicken Salad Sandwiches
Sweet Potato Biscuits w/ Ham
Cheese Wafers

Pumpkin Dip w/Gingersnaps
Muffin asst.
Chubby Hubby cookies
Fudge Filled Dessert Strips
Cookie Asst. from Barb

Coffee, juice and an undetermined cold drink that will go in my Beverage server

(need to decide whether it will be Brunch Punch or spiced tea.

I will also have asst. nuts, chocolate, and such.......
Any suggestions on the menu?
I'd love to have you each come and participate....too bad we are scattered all over the place!!
I'll have pictures hopefully at the end of next week to share with you.

Thursday's thoughts

First of all, I am happy to report that this was FABULOUS!!! My daughter and I enjoyed it SO, SO much......the acting was fantastic, the choreography was incredible, and the special effects were well, supercalifragilisticexpealidocious!!! :)
I'd highly recommend it to anyone!!!












I'm in planning mode, executing mode, trying to get ready for my annual Open House and Sample Sale that I have um, every year, as Annual usually signifies. I've been doing this, annually for about five years now.......it's a tradition! I make good food, put out samples of my products that I reduce in price (bargains to be had!) and friends come and eat, visit, hopefully take away products!!, and we all have a good time. I have managed to pull out from every nook and cranny every extra item that I can possibly find from my inventory to get ready to put prices on so that many of my friends/neighbors/customers will want to take home with them. It's a lovely time. I am also fortunate enough to have a dear friend who is willing to come and help me--she cooks, she cleans, she is gracious....well, not gracious enough to do windows, but she lovingly comes to help me in whatever way I need help on that day. I am blessed!

Here's what's on the Menu so far:

Betty's Cheeseball (a cheeseball I made up and my other friend lovingly decided to name Betty's Cheeseball; she had some notion that I was a bit like a Betty Crocker in her world! )
Pepper Jelly Spread w/ Wheat thins (love this! Will post recipe next week)
Marinated Cheese!!! w/ Triscuits (this is a hit every time I serve it....will post recipe later)
Chicken Salad Sandwiches
Sweet Potato Biscuits w/ Ham
Cheese Wafers

Pumpkin Dip w/Gingersnaps
Muffin asst.
Chubby Hubby cookies
Fudge Filled Dessert Strips
Cookie Asst. from Barb

Coffee, juice and an undetermined cold drink that will go in my Beverage server

(need to decide whether it will be Brunch Punch or spiced tea.

I will also have asst. nuts, chocolate, and such.......
Any suggestions on the menu?
I'd love to have you each come and participate....too bad we are scattered all over the place!!
I'll have pictures hopefully at the end of next week to share with you.

She still says it....

When my daughter was about three, we went on a vacation to parts much more mountainous than our area. OK, anywhere is more mountainous than our area, but let's just say, we went to THE mountains.....in Arkansas. At the time, my boys would have been five and twelve- an age when boys have boundless energy, especially amplified by having been in the car for hours. So we finally reached our destination and the boys were anxious to begin climbing up a rocky place that, while not a mountain, was large enough to feel like they WERE climbing a mountain. So they began to climb and she quickly wanted to follow. The conversation that followed went something like this: "Honey, let the boys go up and you stay here with Mommy. I"m not sure you can climb up there by yourself......and immediately she quipped...."OH, YES I CAN.."!!! And up she went, with Mom following closely behind, like I was going to rescue her if she had trouble.......um hum, Moms have super powers, right??
So that has long been her mantra.....Oh Yes, I Can.......her personality is spirited and independent, undaunted by circumstances that seem difficult.

Yesterday, we went on another college visit, to a university that is only about 2.5 hours away. It also happens to be the leading rival to the university nearly EVERYONE in our family has or is attending, including her brother, who is actually attending there now. The day was really only fit for book reading, soup making and staying inside to keep warm & dry. Nonetheless, we were there to see the university so we trudged across campus with all the college kids, in the rain and cold, trying our best to get a feel for what campus life was like there. I did my best to quell all "mamma urges" and not tell those college kids that it was far too rainy and cold for them to be wearing shorts and flip flops.........um hum, you can imagine that, right? So we saw, we listened, we observed. I was thankful for the inventor of the umbrella and for hot coffee!

On our ride home, my hubby was asking her if the size of the university was intimidating at all, or caused any feelings of angst, or even any negative feelings.....well, he was asking HER, so I really couldn't comment, even though I wanted to!! :) Of course, she is undaunted whatsoever!

She is considering schools that I've never even thought about, much less want to imagine her going to mainly because some of them are very far away. But she has done the research and come up with some of the best schools with programs for what she wants to do.... sigh. I'd just rather her stay within a radius of less than three hours from home, where I will FEEL like she is within reach.

I am faced with memories of that three year old, who has matured beautifully, is a lovely young woman with a promising future, a good head on her shoulders and an undaunted spirit. And she is STILL saying.....Oh YES, I CAN.......