Of Whining, Dining & Grey Poupon

You didn't believe that bit about "Dining & the Grey Poupon, did you? Whinin' & chowin' down on our favorite foods is more like it...chuckles.
First, the whinin'...Poor Goodman, if he heard me whine once about not havin' enough time to start these mittens with the Patons SWS yarn all over again, he must have heard it twenty times. (Did you guess they were mittens?) Ah well, I surely believe he'll be rewarded someday for his patience with my knitting dilemmas. They did turn out well, I think, even though the stripes are not identical as I'd hoped. (This picture really makes them look huge.)Here they are complete with a crocheted "keeper cord", modeled by their new owner, Punkin' #2. She was still oohing and ahing over their softness. :)
Now, a little peek at some of the dinin'...
Here's a tasty spread that we made for our family get together, Salmon Party Log. It's in the Better Homes & Gardens cookbooks circa 1972, the first cookbook I ever owned and still my favorite.
Simple little ham & Swiss sandwiches made with Artisan French Bread from the deli at Walmart. A fancy-dancy name for white bread made without shortening, don't you think.A quick and very tasty bean dip, recipe below.
Fiesta Bean Dip

1 large can refried beans
1 envelope taco seasoning mix
1 jar Pace salsa
3 small cans sliced black olives
12 ounces sour cream
6 ounces grated fiesta cheese

First, add one to two ounces of water to beans to make them spreadable, then mix refried beans with the packet of taco seasoning mix. Spread beans on a large serving dish making a little raised edge around the outside edge with your spoon. I do this to help hold the salsa in check so it won't weep allover the serving dish. Spread salsa over the beans keeping it inside the raised edge. Sprinkle the olives over the salsa. Spread the sour cream over the olives. Top with the grated cheese. Serve at room temperate with your favorite tortilla chips.
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Remember my blackberry jam makin' extravaganza last week? Well, I had two cups of blackberry juice left over, which was not enough for another batch of jam, so I used it to make blackberry syrup to have with pancakes. Mmmm, mmm was it good. :)
Hope your still enjoyin' lots of holiday cheer, Y'all.
We have leftovers that will last all weekend, most likely, and that'll be just fine with me as I have a lil bit of knittin' lined up for the next few days.

Peanut Butter Dream Fudge

Goodman loves peanut butter fudge and had been saying how he'd like to have some so I made a batch last weekend. It's all gone now. It's the recipe, I tell ya. Even the snowman in the striped hat dropped what he was doing to sample it. I basically use the old Fantasy Fudge recipe with a tweak or two. (Tweaky recipe below.) I hear they changed the original recipe, so go here if you want the chocolate version. Here's my method:
Peanut Butter Dream Fudge

3 cups sugar
3/4 cup margarine
2/3 cup evaporated milk
1 10-ounce package peanut butter chips
1 7-ounce jar (any brand) marshmallow creme
1/3 cup smooth peanut butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Combine sugar, margarine and milk in heavy 2-1/2 quart saucepan and bring to a rolling boil, stirring constantly. Continue boiling 5 minutes over medium heat, stirring all the while. Remove from heat. Add the following in order beating each till blended before adding the next:
Peanut butter chips, marshmallow creme, peanut butter and vanilla. Pour into buttered 13 x 9-inch baking pan or smaller size if you want thicker candy. Let cool and cut into squares.
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I sewed this fleece blanket this week. The tutorial link is in my sidebar.  These blankets only take a few hours to sew and make a great, snuggly gift.

I also put up (canned) some blackberry jam this week. Four batches from berries I had frozen last year, yes, last year which is not to be confused with this year...chuckles. The freezes killed the blooms this year. I'm way behind, but it's very good anyways.

Keep smilin', Y'all. :)

Shared at The Art of Homemaking Mondays

Cookies & Candies

'Tis the season for making lots of cookies and candies, so what has Emily of Yarn Miracle gone and done? She's designed The Great Cookie Swap of '08. It's a virtual cookie recipe swap, but that's not all; there may be prizes! Can you say, "WOW!"? I can, and I've entered my Turtle Recipe/Tutorial in the swap. The swap is open to all so feel free to go enter your own pictures and recipes here, Y'all. I love new recipes so I can't wait to see all the entries.

I tried a new old-fashion recipe this week, Candied Citrus Peel from Martha Stewart Living. I had picked up the December magazine to read on the plane trip to Texas and was pleasantly surprised to find I liked several things in the issue. (So tell me, when did the magazine get back on track with real people stuff again?) Here are the peels in a bath of sugar and water.
All sugared up and quite tasty, not to mention a veritable treasure trove of vitamin C. Just a little knitting...I'm back on track myself makin' a li'l somethin' for a li'l someone on my list. :) Have a great weekend, Y'all!

Toe-mah-toes

One toe-mah-toe.Two toe-mah-toes.And nearly a dozen more...okay, okay they're really tomato pincushions. (I just was lettin' you know I can talk right when I'm a mind to...lol ;) The free pattern is at marthastewart.com.  I did two things different from the pattern. I added 1/4 cup of rice in the bottom for weight, but you can add sand if you like. Also, I made a little felt stem for each tomato by rolling a small rectangular piece of felt, hot melt glued it together, then glued it to the top of the tomato.
A few more pictures from the Bentsen-Rio Grande Valley State Park, World Birding Center Headquarters. Grebes, Ibises and other water birds. I know you can't see them very well, but you get an idea of how diverse the park is with over 700 acres of birding habitat.
Palm trees wavin' bye till next week.
Have a great weekend, Y'all.
Linking to

May Sewing Party Week # 4