Crowded pumpkin

I'm so full of pumpkin pie from the last few days of dinners and leftovers, but I am quite content. I'm happy to be home, sitting at my desk, and not standing in a very long line at a department store. I did that Friday (which is still now, for me because I haven't been to bed), beginning at 5:15 a.m. I wasn't one of those determine folk that camped outside the stores, wanting to be first inside for a chance at the tv's, computers, and gaming devices.

I did feel really crowded, confined, immobile, at some points in time. Some of those shoppers were really honing in on what they wanted, and there was no stopping them from pushing through. I was really sad to read the article in the news about the Walmart worker who was trampled by anxious shoppers. That really sucks. There is no excuse for that behavior. It's just horrible. I feel sorry for that man's family. It makes me wonder about those people who just ran over him. I wonder if they realized what they were doing.

I just wanted some average gifts, like pajama's for my nieces, a few board games, and an *insert electronic device here* for my son. Though he has special needs, he is very bright and completely capable of figuring out just about any electronic device. He is also very capable of reading my blog, and does so, which is why I'm being super secretive about the electronic device in question. There were other items purchased which also shall go nameless.

Oh, and I also braved the walmart crowds in order to gain access to all of those $2 and $6 movies. I came home with 11 movies. Hah! Insane. I only spent $26 on them, so I feel pretty pleased with myself on that. Ten were $2 and the last one was $6. I was really tickled to get "I am Legend" for $6 because I'm a Will Smith fan, and I really like that particular film. I also got M.I.B., several Sandra Bullock films, a Johnny Depp, a Spiderman, Rocky, Angelina Jolie film, Sean Penn film, and several others. I was actually surprised to find movies that I like, because I thought they'd all be really awful films for that price. I'm giving about 1/2 of them away and keeping the rest for my family. Those Will Smith films are staying with me! I would part with it though if somebody had asked for one, because I would feel bad keeping it to myself then.

These are the pajama's I bought for one of my nieces:





I thought they were cute. There were actually quite a few Tinker Bell items. I found a tinkerbell hat, gloves, and scarf. She's just crazy about tinkerbell.

Oy. I'm tired. It just hit me. Bedtime.

Mama's little baby loves shortnin shortnin..

Mama's little baby loves shortnin shortnin.. Mama's little baby loves shortnin bread. Keep reading.

This will be the first in a long line of Christmas Cookie recipes that I am posting over the next 2-3 weeks time. Every year I make a list of recipes that I will be using, I purchase the ingredients, and I make hundreds of cookies. It's one of my favorite things to do. I like to make Christmas baskets and/or Hanukkah baskets, full of cookies and candies. I deliver them to friends and family. It's fun, and it's something I know that I can do to bring a smile to faces of people I know. I also am interested in giving them out to people in need, and hope to be able to do some of that this year as well. I work in the non-profit field, where I am able to gleen information about needy families, but I don't want to be intrusive, so I may give the cookies to community centers that serve low income clients instead. That way people can choose from them and take them home.

Here is the first recipe. It's one that I found online several years ago, for a simple shortbread cookie, and I must say that it is the most delicious shortbread cookie I've ever made. It's so simple that it's ridiculous. When I first found it, I said... "no, that couldn't be all there is to it", but it was, and it's so good. The title of the cookie is "Vel's shortbread recipe", and it belonged to a woman's grandmother. I don't know much more than that, but I could never change the title of it, because Grandma's are awesome. So here's to Vel, wherever she is, and I thank her for the great cookies.


Vel's Shortbread Cookies



INGREDIENTS

2 cups butter
1 cup brown sugar
5 cups sifted all-purpose flour


DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
In a large bowl, cream butter and brown sugar until smooth. Sir in flour, and knead by hand until dough comes together. At first the dough will seem dry and crumbly but don't give up, keep mixing. Roll out the dough to 1/4 inch thickness, and cut with cookie cutters or press dough into shortbread molds. Place cookies 2 inches apart onto ungreased cookie sheets.
Bake for 8 to 12 minutes in the preheated oven, depending on the size of your cookies. Do not let them brown. Remove from cookie sheets to cool on wire racks.


Sometimes I frost these and decorate them, but other times we eat them just as they are, because the cookie has a lovely light butterscotch taste to it, from the brown sugar.

Easy Thanksgiving Recipes

In the USA, our Thanksgiving holiday is 30-36 hours away, depending on the time zone. Most people already have their menu planned, with traditional favorites, but I thought I'd share a few of mine, just because I'm having cravings for Thanksgiving dinner already.

My Favorite Sweet Potatoes

6 cooked, peeled, medium sized sweet potatoes

2/3 cup mini marshmallows

3/4 cup brown sugar

1 tsp kosher salt (you can use regular if you like, but I prefer kosher)

1/3 cup salt free butter

Mix salt, sugar, and butter together. Butter a large casserole dish. Dice the sweet potatoes to bite size chunks... big chunks, not perfectly square. Put one layer of sweet potatoes in the buttered casserole dish, and sprinkle the butter/sugar/salt mix over it. Add another layer of potatoes, more b/s/s/ mix, more potatoes, more b/s/s, until you're close to the top. Sprinkle remaining b/s/s mixture on top. Bake this uncovered 350 degrees for 35 minutes. Add marshmallows, bake another 5 minutes, until they're gooey and melted. Serve it up!

This serves about 5-7 people depending on their size and their hunger.

Change it up by adding 1/4 cup of orange juice to the b/s/s mix, and you've got a delicious orange-mallow sweet potato. Yummers.

Here's another recipe, and this one is for gravy. Now, everbody loves those turkey dripping. They make fab gravy, but they also make clogged arteries, and if you have older folks in your family, they'll thank you for protecting their health. Give this one a try. It contains turkey stock, which is the same as the drippings your turkey makes, but minus the fat. You can buy turkey stock in your supermarket. It's actually really tasty, and a good fake.

Much Better For You Turkey Gravy Recipe

5 cups turkey stock

1 cup water

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1 tsp poultry seasoning

1/2 tsp ground black pepper

1/4 tsp celery salt1 tsp salt

Instructions:
Place water in small mixing bowl. Slowly add flour stirring as you add to dissolve flour. Bring turkey stock to a rapid boil over high heat. Once boiling reduce heat to medium low. Add flour mixture slowly stirring as you go. Once all the flour mixture has been added, stir in poultry seasoning, pepper, celery salt and regular salt. Bring back to a boil. Continue boiling until gravy is the consistency you like.

I borrowed this one from Busy Mom's Online. I think it's great.

Now for my mother's favorite, which is not so good for the arteries, but I'm throwing it in here anyway. She loves it, and Thanksgiving wouldn't be Thanksgiving without it. She said that the recipe has been in her family for generations, although they didn't use jiffy back then. Jiffy is a very inexpensive boxed mix for corn bread. Many times you can get 2 of them for a $1. Surprise! Surprise! Good food doesn't have to cost an arm and a leg, and it doesn't have to come delivered. Check it out.

Easy & Tasty Baked Corn

1 large can creamed corn

1 large can whole kernel corn

1 cup sour cream

3/4 cup melted salt free butter (just a preference, but you can use regular butter)

2 eggs

1 box Jiffy cornbread

Mix corns and sour cream together. Pour them into a buttered 13x9 inch pan. Mix butter, eggs, cornbread together and pour over the top of corn mix. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

Buttery, corny, delicious.

Lastly a dessert. My favorite is custard pie. I've collected a lot of recipes but this one, from "all recipes.com" comes back as my favorite of all of the custard pie recipes. So here it is:

Custard Pie

1 (9 inch) unbaked pie crust
3 eggs, beaten
3/4 cup white sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 egg white
2 1/2 cups scalded milk
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
3 drops yellow food coloring (optional)

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (205 degrees C).
Mix together eggs, sugar, salt, and vanilla. Stir well. Blend in the scalded milk. For more yellow color, add few drops yellow food coloring.
Line pie pan with pastry, and brush inside bottom and sides of shell with egg white to help prevent a soggy crust. Pour custard mixture into piecrust. Sprinkle with nutmeg.
Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until a knife inserted near center comes out clean. Cool on rack.

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Grandma-s-Egg-Custard-Pie/Detail.aspx

Now for some after Thanksgiving Recipes to use up that leftover turkey:

Easiest one..

1. Open Face Turkey Sandwich

Sliced Turkey

Sliced Bread

Gravy

Mashed potatoes

Arrange 2 slices of bread on a plate, top with a scoop of mashed potatoes, a few slices of turkey, some gravy, and viola. Delicious. It tastes even better with leftover cranberries.

2. Leftover Turkey Noodle Soup

1/2 c. sliced carrots

1 1/2 c. sliced celery

1 med. onion, diced

1 chicken bouillon cube for every cup of water used

A few pinches of your favorite savory seasonings

1 large can sliced mushrooms

2 c. egg noodles

2 c. cooked, diced turkey

Put carrots, celery, onions in a large soup pot. Cover with water, add bouillon cubes, and savory seasonings. Cook on medium heat until vegetables are almost tender, about 20 minutes. Then add egg noodles. Cook for 10-12 minutes more, then add turkey and when it looks heated, add canned mushrooms, heat for another 5-7 minutes, and serve.

Really yummy. The mushrooms add something extra to it that makes it really good.