This is lemon season, so of course there must be lemon desserts! I have already shown you Blackberry Lemon Bars, but today I wanted a stand alone lemon dessert. I was feeding 9 people for dinner today, but some people don't like lemon, so I made one chocolate pie for those guys. For the main dish, I served Chicken Enchilada Casserole, which I have shared the recipe with you before. That was a crock pot version, but because I needed more than my crock pot would serve, I made it in the oven today. Everyone loved it, but the lemon dessert was the stand out, hands down most delicious and simple thing to make success! I found the recipe on Taste and Tell, and as I made it, I realized that it is the same as a recipe my son brought home from Brazil called Pavé. The main difference is that he made his in a 9 x 13 pan and this one is a pretty round pie. Whatever the shape, you should try it, it is so good. The main ingredients are sweetened condensed milk, cream cheese and lemon. You will love it.
Of course, I needed some whipped cream to decorate the pie. Madalynn went to Sprouts to buy me the cream because she likes to buy organic. Oh my goodness you guys! Do you see this cute bottle that Straus' cream comes in? My mind is racing with ideas about what to do with these little pint sized bottles! We may be eating a lot of whipped cream for a little while so that I can collect more of them.
Madalynn says that they also have bottles like these for chocolate milk and other products. So, we are going to have to try a few of those products now that I know that they exist. The quality of this cream is superb. I haven't tasted cream this fresh and good for years. This is not an affiliate post, I just really liked this cream, as well as the container. I am going to write them and tell them.
Finally, you may remember that my job at church is to teach music to the Primary children ages 18 months to 11 years of age. (Not all at the same time!) During the month of February, I have been teaching them our family's favorite hymn, "Choose the Right". We are working on the last verse tomorrow. The beginning line goes:
"Choose the right, there is peace in righteous doing. Choose the right, there's safety for the soul..." (LDS Hymns, pg 239)
, That first line is a big part of my faith and testimony. I know that our Heavenly Father has given us commandments to help us to be happy or even better, to have joy! When we keep those commandments and try to live the way we should, we will experience happiness and joy in our lives. We will avoid the things that will bring us into bondage and we can rise above our problems through faith in him. I have put this to the test and I know it is true. So, because I feel so strongly about this, as I explain to the children what those words in the hymn mean, I want them to feel my testimony and to develop their own. So, I made them these dove handouts to take home and hang somewhere as a reminder of the blessings that can come when we choose the right. I know from otherchorister ideas that I have posted, that there are other Primary Choristers out there looking for ideas as well. I hope this handout is helpful to you. Click the button to print it.
That was my Saturday! Good dinner, awesome product discovery, an inspired idea, Oh and did I mention a power outage? Overall, a great day! How was yours? Talk to you next week.
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I can still clearly remember a cartoon I saw in my brother's Mad Magazine when I was a kid. A boy was admiring his new school supplies when his mother walked in and suggested how great it was going to be to use all of his new things to do his homework when school started. The boy was aghast! How could she suggest that he dirty his new pad of paper or make his new pencils less sharp by using them! I guess after all of these years, I still remember that comic because I could relate to it. I hated to see my new pencil become less pointy and have to be sharpened and then they would become shorter and the eraser would get used and not be as shapely and pink. On the other hand, I could hardly keep from writing on my new paper and filling it with my imaginings. Even today, there is nothing like a new box of crayons with their shiny, pointy tops, or new pens that I just have to try out, or all of the other myriads of office/school supplies. Are my girls and I the only ones or are there others out there who love office supplies, too? Is it hard for you to walk past the hanging racks of paper clips and push pins in Staples? Then today's Friday Fave is for you:
What is your favorite office supply?
You would be surprised just how difficult this was for some of us to answer! There are so many great choices out there! Since so many office things are small and they can be decorative, tiny and cute, it made it even harder. But, let us begin!
#1: Lindsey's choice As you know, LIndsey is a lawyer. Here is a picture of her desk, (photo redacted).
Can you guess what her favorite office supply is? That's right, the sticky notes! Lindsey says that she lives in a world of paper and Post-it Notes, (or sticky notes) save her life.
And who doesn't love them? They come in so many colors and shapes and sizes, they are almost stickers, but more useful! Here is one of the best prices for the 1 1/2 x 2 inch pads. There are 12 pads of 100 sheets each for $4.99 and if you have Prime, the shipping is free! The colors are vibrant in this collection, which of course makes them better than ever! Just click the picture to purchase them.
If you don't mind a different brand of sticky notes, Dollar Tree carries a brand called Jot. You can buy them in store or online. If you purchase them online, you must buy a carton of 24 pads, but that might come in handy in a case like Lindsey, who needs them to save her life!
#2: Alicia's choice: While we are still in the paper mode, Alicia's choice surprised me a little bit because she has loved office supplies for so long and I thought she would go for something like push pins or sharpeners. But instead, she chose note cards! Her choice makes sense for her because she just finished her Masters Degree. She said that the note cards really came in handy to help her organize her thoughts as she wrote her paper. (Sometimes that old school style really works!) They also work great for making flashcards to help you study, and they are so portable to take wherever you go. And, of course, you can use them for recipe cards as well. Click that link above and get a package of 200 (in a case of 24) for $1.00. Or, get on Amazon and get 1000 cards for $10.51 in a brand you know. Don't forget, you can get them in lots of colors, too!
#3: Helen's pick I was going to pick pads of paper, because I can't resist them. (Look at these at Dollar Tree! You can order as few as 4 of these packs on line and they come 4 in a package in pretty colors, too! I think they may be perfect for my girl's at camp this year. Shh!) But, I decided that the other thing I really like and used a lot when I was teaching AND they are so cute are binder clips! Look at these that I found on Amazon! They have cute prints, 4.5 stars and they are only $1.00 for 24 of them! I am sending for them right now. They do have a shipping cost of only $1.00, so that makes it $2.00 for this bunch of cute clips! They would work great to organize things that need to go together, or in a planner. And have you ever seen the life hack video about using them for easels and phone holders, etc.? These little babies are awesome! Click on the photo to see them and to order yours.
#4 & 5: Maddy's Picks Try not to notice that I kind of sneaked in an extra pick above, because this week Madalynn actually gets to pick two things. She is my daughter who has the most training in art. So, her first pick is no surprise, gel pens! Amazon has so many great sets to choose from besides the ones I linked above! Look at these , or these! So many colors, so many possibilities. Fancify your writing, color code your planner.
Speaking of planners, that is Maddy's second choice! She (and Alicia) love to make lists and plan things out. Now that we are in February, if you haven't picked up a new planner yet, you are sure to find some on sale! Look at some of these on Amazon!
There are many, many more to choose from! Just get some pens, your journal, some binder clips and you will be so organized and ready to face the world! And, don't worry, when you fill up the pages of your planner or note pad, and the tips of your pencils have worn down and the ink all runs dry, you will have probably created some pretty neat stuff, and done some really awesome things and then you get to pick up some more brand new supplies!
What office supplies do you use the most or just like because they are so dang cute? Leave us a comment! Thanks for hanging out with us at Friday Faves! It is Valentine’s Day, and I am so glad it is almost over. Don’t get me wrong, you know that I am a romantic at heart, but let’s look at this time of year and everything that has happened since Christmas. After Christmas, there was New Year’s Eve. Many of our friends and family throw after the holiday parties, since there was no time for another party during the holidays. Then there was the Super Bowl, now Valentine’s Day and let’s not forget the various birthdays and anniversaries that have already happened. What do all of these events have in common? Food! If you are invited, you usually bring something to share. If you are throwing the party, you provide numerous snacks and treats. I am not complaining. I love food. But, I do get tired of the same old chips, dips, cookies and cupcakes. This year I searched and experimented to find some appetizers that are a little different from the norm, just to spice things up a bit and add something new to the mix. In our family, most of us love bacon. My oldest son is notorious for loving bacon. Whenever you see a recipe on Facebook that features bacon, he will probably be tagged so he can see it because everyone knows he loves it. That is why when I received Jan D’Atri’s email telling me about Candied Bacon, I was intrigued. (If you recall, I shared Jan’s recipe for Stinky Pretzels a couple of months ago.) Jan’s Candied Bacon Recipe was made with beer. If you are okay with using beer in your cooking, her original recipe can be found here. There is also a recipe for Bacon Crack that looks delicious as well. We don’t use beer, so I decided to try the Candied Bacon with ginger ale. It is still an experiment in progress, but so far it has been a tasty, tasty experiment. Then, I started looking through the Panna site for some good appetizers and guess what I found? A recipe for Candied Bacon! They served it with Tomato Soup. You can go here to see the preview of the recipe and to subscribe. In the meantime, here is my experimental version of Ginger Ale Candied Bacon. During the holidays, Adrian and Alicia were here with my adorable grandson, Adriancito. We have mentioned before that Adrian is from Ecuador, and he often cooks a traditional Ecuadorian meal for us when he is here. We shared Bolones and Cheese Bread (Pan de Yuca) in January. Bolones are made with plantains. When they returned home, they left a number of plantains behind. Luckily, they keep pretty well for some time. They look like bananas, but plantains must be cooked in order to eat them or they won’t be very enjoyable. Not wanting anything to go to waste, I began scouring the internet for some recipes to use them in. I found a simple and delicious one. Brown Sugar Fried Plantains are so easy to make and they taste so good. The yellow, sweet plantains are the ones I used. I simply cut them in thick, circular slices. I dredged them in brown sugar and fried them in coconut oil, browning them on both sides. The brown sugar caramelizes and the plantains become soft and everyone gobbles them up! One day, I was checking out a link-up party and I came across this adorable recipe on Living on Cloud Nine for MIni Chicken and Waffles! I fell in love with this idea and had to make my own version for our own Valentines/My sons birthday meal. I want to try Andrea's homebaked chicken version at some point, but because I didn't have time this day, I just used chicken nuggets and Eggos. We served them with maple syrup on the side. The final things that you can see in the background on the table are Pigs in a Blanket. Not really something new, but I made them small by cutting the Nathan's Hot Dogs in half and wrapping them with canned biscuits and then baking them. Then we served them with dipping sauces and condiments. They were surprisingly filling. Some of the other things you can see on our table are watermelon hearts and Blackberry Lemon Bars that I showed you last week. Well, even though Valentine's Day will soon be behind us, it won't be long until the next event comes our way! We are already thinking about St. Patrick's Day, lots of birthdays and Easter to mention a few. Don't get in a rut with your food! Do something a little different! Try a new recipe, make one up and add a little spice to your life.
I am afraid I have a problem. Every time I find blackberries on sale, I can't resist them. They are little nuggets of juicy sweetness and when I find them I try to think of something new that I can do with them. Then, somehow, I always end up pairing them with lemons because I think that is a marriage made in heaven. I have given you recipes with those two ingredients here, in Blackberry Lemon Bars and here, in Blackberry Lemon Marmalade to name a couple. It has happened again, I found blackberries on sale and I was really in the mood for a special cake. I found a blackberry jam cake on Salt and Chocolate where she used preserves, but I wanted to use fresh berries. I adapted her recipe, using juice from the berries in the batter and the frosting, plus layering blackberries in the cake itself, to give me the biggest berry flavor I could get and BOY did the blackberries shine in this recipe!
Do you see that pretty pink frosting? There isn't any food coloring in it to get that pretty pink color. That is because of the juice from the blackberries. It is so good you won't want to stop at one slice.
I recently picked up a new bundt pan and I decided it would be perfect for this cake. Here is a similar shape and size that you can purchase if you don't have one. This one is only $9.39. Click on the pictures below to see how I put the cake together, then click on the button for the full recipe.
This cake is dense like a pound cake but extremely moist and flavorful! It is fun to get to those little bites of blackberry! I was surprised that when I added the blackberry liquid that the batter didn't turn pink or purple. But, the pretty pink blackberry frosting is enough pink for this cake, I think. No problem there! I hope you will enjoy it!
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Creators of Hot Cocoa Bombs! (copyrighted)
Author
Helen Reynolds: Mother of six children , grandmother to eleven! I love to cook, craft and create things and I especially love doing that with my family, So, when my lawyer daughter, Lindsey, my artist daughter, Madalynn, and I came up with the idea of Hot Cocoa Bombs, this blog was born. Then, one more daughter, with her technical and science skills, plus creativity has joined in to round us out! Read more about us here! Archives
April 2024
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