Crafty Carolinagirl

Burning Up

I think this Madonna song is going to be my anthem for the next several days. I too will be burning up, literally. My air conditioner is on the fritz again and I just found out it can't be fixed until Tuesday, TUESDAY!!! Of course, here in the Carolinas, we will be 99 degrees today, Saturday, and Sunday and 98 degrees on Monday. Why do air conditioners always break on the hottest days of the year?

Ugh! So, while Drusilla and I are trying to keep cool (poor little girl is sprawled out on her back with her legs apart strategically placed directly under the fan) here are a few "cool" recipes you might want to try this weekend.

Kraft Foods Southwest Chicken Salad

BHG Iced Tea

Kraft Food Lemon-Lime Layered Dessert

I know I'll be giving them a try. And who knows, maybe the last one will inspire me change my tune from "Burning Up" to "Frozen"!

Cranberry Nut Bread

Last night, I had the sudden urge to make some cookies. My first choice was chocolate chip. Unfortunately, after searching through my entire kitchen pantry, I found no chocolate chips. I then figured I'd make oatmeal raisin cookies, but no oatmeal. So, after reading through all of my cookbooks I found a recipe, not for cookies, but for Cranberry Nut Bread. Naturally, I didn't have all of the ingredients, so I had to improvise a little (almonds for walnuts and no orange zest). But even with my missing ingredients, the bread turned out great.

Here is the recipe if you want to give it a try:

Cranberry Nut Bread

2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup white sugar
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup chopped cranberries
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1 egg
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
3/4 cup orange juice
1 tablespoon orange zest

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9 x 5 inch loaf pan.
2. Combine the flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, and baking soda. Add the cranberries and walnuts, and stir to coat with flour. Mix together the egg, oil, orange juice, and orange zest. Pour the egg mixture into the flour mixture, and stir until just blended. Spoon the batter into the prepared pan.
3. Bake for 50 minutes in the preheated oven, or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool in pan for 10 minutes, then remove to a wire rack, and cool completely.

Thing A Day Project #21

Today I made. . .

Chicken, Veggies, and Rice

4-6 boneless, skinless chicken tenders, cubed 1/2 white onion, cut into strips 1/2 green pepper, cut into strips 8-10 small packaged carrots, cut in half 1 Tsp. vegetable oil 1/2 cup BBQ sauce 1 packet of instant rice

Heat oil in pan over medium heat. Add chicken tenders and cook until they are no longer pink.

Remove chicken from pan and add onion and pepper (you might need to add a little more oil to the pan). Cook a couple of minutes to soften veggies.

Cook instant rice (it usually takes 10 minutes, so this is a good time to get it cooking).

Return chicken to pan with veggies and add BBQ sauce. Cook on low-medium heat for 5 minutes or until veggies are cooked to your taste (I like mine a little crunchy).

Remove from heat and add to rice.

This recipe serves two, but you can easily add more ingredients for more servings.

Holiday Par-Tay!!!

Looking Towards Heaven is hosting another fun recipe exchange. This time around it is party recipes. Swing by and check out all the fun and yummy recipes.

I had a hard time deciding between two recipes, so I have included them both. They are both really quick and tasty!

Nan's Good Punch

This recipe is from my grandmother. Thanks, Nan!

32 oz. apple juice

16 oz. cranberry juice

6 oz. orange juice

21 oz. 7 Up

Mix all ingredients together making sure to add the 7 Up last.

Lori's Apricot Candies

I got this recipe from my then stepmother Lori. It was the only good thing she ever gave me :)

1 lb. dried apricots; cut in bite size pieces

1 bag semi sweet chocolate chips

handful of whole hazelnuts

tiny paper cupcake container

Melt chocolate chips in microwave. Pour chocolate into each container. Submerge one hazelnut in each chocolate cup. Place apricot piece halfway in the chocolate. Refrigerate until hard.

Retro Rewind - Christmas Cookie Recipe Round Up

I totally forgot about this when I planned my two week blog vacation. It is okay though. I don't mind hopping back behind the computer to take part in Q. D. Patooties Christmas Cookie Recipe Round Up.

The idea for this round up is to post our favorite recipe and then link to another blogger participating in the recipe exchange. Not only will it offer wonderful Christmas cookie recipes, but it will also introduce us to some new blogs. What a wonderful idea! Now, onto the recipe. . .

Spritz Cookies

For as long as I can remember, my mother has made these cookies. She has made them for our family, doctor, mailman, and even our local video store owner (before Blockbuster). Everyone loves them because they taste great and are small enough to pop right into your mouth.

They are also very simple and fun to make, but you do need the right tool - a cookie press, or cookie gun as my mom and I call it. You can find one at Bed Bath and Beyond, Linens and Things, and Amazon.

This is the one we have used for 30+ years. This, along with the old staple guns, is the reason we all have carpal tunnel syndrome today! It is insane trying to squeeze this thing. And the staple guns! Every year I vowed I would never put up Christmas lights again.

We always have so much fun with these cookies and all of the different designs, decorating them with red hots, sprinkles, chocolate jimmies, and colored sugar. My sister and my favorite design is the little man. We make him with yellow dough and then get a little naughty by strategically placing chocolate jimmies in various places on his body. I see he no longer comes in the new cookie press packages, probably because of my sister, me, and all the other '70s kids.

So, have some fun making these cookies, but you might want to stay away from the little man!

Photo from Woman's Day

Spritz Cookies

2/3 cup sugar

1 cup butter

1 egg

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons vanilla

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

Heat oven to 400F. In large mixer bowl combine sugar, butter, egg, salt, and vanilla. Beat at medium speed, scraping bowl often, until mixture is light and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes. Add flour. Beat at low speed, scraping bowl often, until well mixed, 2 to 3 minutes. Place dough in cookie press. Form desired shapes 1 inch apart on cookie sheets. Bake for 6 to 8 minutes or until edges are lightly browned.

Note: I suggest you color the dough with food coloring before putting it in the cookie press. It only takes a couple of drops of food coloring to dye the dough, so don't get too carried away. We usually make green trees, red hearts, blue flowers, and of course the yellow man.

Want some more great recipes? Go and visit Daphne Blau's Backroad Bears for another yummy Christmas cookie recipe!

Gobble Gobble Menu

I am playing along with Karla over at Looking Towards Heaven and posting my Thanksgiving Menu & family recipe. Hop on over to her blog and see the others that are playing along too. Maybe you will find something good to make for your Thanksgiving. I know I am looking for a good dessert recipe other than pumpkin pie (not a fan of the pumpkin).

My menu may seem a little small, but that is because I will only be celebrating with my mom and Drusilla this year. (The many joys of being single.)

Anyway, here it goes:

Turkey Breast with Turkey Gravy (no full size turkey this year)

Bread Stuffing (my grandmother's recipe)

Cranberry Sauce (via Food Lion)

Spinach Casserole (recipe below)

Sweet Potatoes or Mashed Potatoes (I haven't decided yet, but Drusilla is pulling for the mashed potatoes - one of her favorite things!)

Dessert ??? (I am hoping to find some inspiration from the other blogs)

Hopefully this menu will give my mom and I plenty of energy to brave the stores on Black Friday.

Now, onto my recipe. . .

This is my absolutely favorite casserole that my mom makes, plus it doesn't hurt that it is spinach which is my absolutely favorite food. A little side note: While my friends at UF would eat cold pizza and Oreos as a snack, I would eat spinach. I know, bizarre!

Spinach Casserole Recipe:

Ingredients:

2 pkgs of frozen spinach (cooked and drained)

1 can Cream of Mushroom soup (heated with ½ cup milk)

2 cups of shredded cheddar cheese

Bread Crumbs

Butter (melted)

Instructions:

1. Heat cheddar cheese together with milk and soup.

2. Mix spinach and soup/milk/cheddar cheese mixture together and put in a baking dish.

3. Sprinkle bread crumbs on top of spinach mixture.

4. Moistened bread crumbs with melted butter.

5. Top with 1 cup of shredded cheese.

6. Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes.

7. Enjoy!

Paulie Walnuts & Banana Bread recipe

Tonight at 9:00 p.m. is the series finale of the Sopranos, and I am extremely excited. Tonight will finally lay to rest whether Tony and/or Paulie gets whacked and by which character or if they flip and give up everything to the Feds. Plus, we'll see if my theory is correct and Adriana is really alive but living in the witness protection program.

So in honor of the end of the Sopranos I decided to make my favorite banana bread recipe, and I gave it a very Sopranos-like name. I have included the recipe below in case you would like to give it a try. It is really good, especially topped with "Phil"adelphia cream cheese.

Paulie Walnuts and Banana Bread

• 1/2 cup softened butter or margarine
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup mashed ripe bananas (3 medium)
• 2 cups flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup chopped walnuts

Cream butter and sugar together. Add one egg at a time, beating until smooth. Blend in mashed bananas.

In second bowl, stir flour with baking soda, baking powder, salt, and nuts. Add to banana mixture stirring only to moisten. Transfer to greased loaf pan. Bake in 350 degree oven for about 1 hour or until inserted toothpick comes out clean. Let stand 10 minutes. Remove from pan and place on cake rack to cool. Wrap to store. Recipe makes 1 loaf.