He Stole the "Who Pudding"...

but, not our Roast BEAST!

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!

The beast (24 lbs.) has a couple more hours to go before he is done, then we can eat!

Hope you're having a great Thanksgiving!

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Holidays, Ornaments, and Food, Oh My!

This ornament above is the next in the custom order I mentioned yesterday. Unfortunately, I didn't check the photos before shipping it out and they didn't turn out right. Wish I would have checked them first so I could have retaken them. This one has a paisley design with one heart.

I'll be showing the third one in tomorrow's post.

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Last night for dinner I made a Cranberry Glazed Pork Roast in my slow cooker and it was fabulous! I didn't get a picture of it before it was attacked, but I will share the recipe with you so you can give it a try. :) My daughter, who is not very fond of Cranberries, absolutely LOVED it!

Ingredients:

• 1 (16 oz.) can jellied cranberry sauce
• 1 (16 oz.) can whole cranberry sauce
  
• 1/2 C. white sugar
• 1/4 C. Dark Brown Sugar
  
• 1/2 C. cranberry juice
• 1 t. mustard powder
• 1/2 t. Rosemary
  
• 1/4 t. ground cloves
• 4-5 lb. Boneless Pork Blade Roast (or other cut)
  
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• 2 tablespoons cold water
• salt to taste

1. Combine cranberry sauces with a fork, mix well. Stir in sugar, cranberry juice, mustard, Rosemary, and cloves.
   
2. Place pork roast in slow cooker. Pour cranberry sauce mixture over the roast.
3. Cover and cook on high for 6 to 8 hours.
   
4. Using a ladle, scoop out about 2 Cups of the liquid and put into a small saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Blend cornstarch and cold water and add gradually into boiling liquid stirring constantly. Continue cooking(and stirring constantly), until mixture thickens. Add salt to taste. Serve with the roast.

Enjoy! I'm going to use this same glaze on our Ham for Christmas this year too.

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New things about to come out of my studio! I'm so excited! I've been working on a couple of secret projects lately and can't wait to share them with all of you! I will be announcing their unveiling here in the blog, so be sure to check back here.

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For those of you waiting to see before and after pics of my studio organziation...It is still unorganized, but it is getting there. While I was working on it, the ideas started to flow in my head which has led to the secret projects I mentioned above. You know how it is, you get a great idea and before you know it, you are happily working on it every chance you get. :)

Right now, I must get to the kitchen and start the preparations for tomorrow's feast! My Son and his family will be joining us tomorrow for a day of fun and food!

'Till later...Have a great day!

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How Sweet it is!!

I've been baking all night now. Well actually, it is 12:35 a.m. on Christmas Eve day. I looked at what remains of my cookie supply and found that there really aren't that many left for Christmas. So, since I am baking breads and dinner rolls tomorrow, I had to do cookies tonight.

The cookies on the left are my Cherry Bon Bons, which I am totally addicted to! The red frosted ones have red maraschino cherries in them and the green frosted ones, are filled with the green cherries. Festive! I also baked some Chocolate-Toffee Cookies, some more Spritz, and made a batch of Marshmallows to give as gifts along with my homemade Hot Cocoa Mix.

Tomorrow morning I will start baking again. Cranberry-Orange Nut Bread (my Grandmother's recipe), pumpkin bread, and Clover Leaf Dinner Rolls. Oh, I nearly forgot! I have one more batch of cookies to do. I promised my Mom I would make them for her--Date Filled Cookies. They look like little turnovers and are so tasty! They too have been in our family for years.

Christmas Day, we are going to my Mom's house, which is in a very rural area and set way back in the woods. We have a lot of snow too this year so far, so maybe, we'll all go sledding down their huge hill and ride the snowmobiles for awhile while we're there. I hope I remember to bring my camera so I can share some pictures when we get back.

I really must get to bed here, or I'll never get moving in the morning!
See you all then! :)

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I Yam What I Yam & That's All That I Yam!

Haha! A few items of interest today!

First of all, I made Sweet Potato Chews for my two miniature doxies with my dehydrator and they were a huge hit! This is how I made them:
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Sweet Potato Chews

4 large sweet potatos (yams)
water

Wash the potatoes and cut in half lengthwise. Cut each half into strips that are about 1/3 inch thick.
Heat water to boiling and place cut slices, half a potato at a time into the water and blanche for 5 minutes. Remove to paper towel and dab excess water off. Place each slice, in single layer, on dehydrator tray. Repeat with remaining potato slices.

Turn dehydrator dial to 135 degrees F (58 degrees C) and run for up to 48 hours. I did mine for 2 1/2 days. I made a lot, and wanted them to be crunchy.
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My two dogs absolutely LOVE them! I'm going to try cooking sweet potatoes, mashing them well and mixing them with tuna, and green beans (also mashed) and make a thick paste. Then I'll spread the paste in strips on the plastic sheets for my dehydrator and make Chew Strips for them next time. :) I may even be able to make my kitty, Mister Fuzz, some of those as little treats too.

If you try this recipe, let me know how it turned out and if your dogs liked them too!
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A long, long time ago when my sisters and I were still at home, one of my sister's assignment for class was to write an "Ode". She wrote one of the funniest things I had ever read back then, "Ode to a Dishcloth". Hilarious! I wish I still had a copy of it to share with all of you.

So, today, while I was visiting blogs that are on Entrecard I came across this post written on the blog "Black Tie & Sneakers" which reminded me so much of the piece that my sister wrote way back when.

You really should stop by his blog and read his post entitled, "A Guest Post by Ignored", I think you'll love it. :)
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Later this afternoon, I will be posting pictures of the Giveaway Gourd and I'll also have some pictures of the leather jackets and boots I am making my doxies. :)

So, until then...have a wonderful day!

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Upcoming Giveaway Announcement

So lots of little bits to mention today. First of all, it is very, very cold here. It is -1 degree and wind gusts to 25mph which drops the temp down to -21. The wind hasn't stopped at all, it is pretty constant. So, it's a great day to bake! Don't you agree? :)

I am just about ready to upload a few more things to my Artfire shop. I have 3 gourds and one wood plaque ready to go. Just need to finish editing photos. I hope to get that done this afternoon so I can start listing them tonight.

Ahh, and speaking of the shops...I am going to be putting together a new Giveaway! I'm working on the details now and should have this up and ready to go later today/tomorrow
at the latest so stay tuned! It is tied in to my Art Fire referrals. So if you are thinking of signing up at Artfire.com please use my referral link (small banner in this post) and leave a comment here so you can also be entered to win. :) I wouldn't want to leave anyone out.

Cookies I will be baking today are Cherry Bon Bons, Date Filled Cookies, and if time allows--Spritz. :)

Till later....

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Homemade Pizza Tonight!

Pizza is comfort food!

I've made hundreds of pizzas in my life so far and with many different crusts! This recipe makes a wonderful thick and crispy pizza crust! If you'd like to try my families favorite quick & easy crust recipe, here it is!

Quick & Easy Pizza Crust
Preheat oven to 450 degrees

1 Tbsp. yeast

1 1/3 C. warm water

1 tsp. sugar

1 1/2 Tbsp. oil, preferably Olive Oil

1/8 tsp. garlic powder

1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. oregano
1/4 tsp. Rosemary, crushed between your fingers

3 1/4 c flour

In a large, glass bowl, dissolve yeast & sugar in warm water. Let sit until foamy.
Then add the Oil, garlic powder, salt, oregano, & rosemary. Add and mix in the four, then turn onto a floured surface and knead until elastic. Let rest while you grease/oil a large bowl.

Put the dough into the bowl turning over once so that the top of the dough is coated with the oil or shortening. Cover with a towel, set in a warm place and let rise till doubled (about 45 minutes). Punch down, turn out onto a floured surface, cover with towel and let rest about 5 minutes.

Now you can either roll it out with a rolling pin and place it in a large cookie sheet being sure to work the edges up all the way around, or prepare the crust the traditional way of flipping it in the air and placing it on a large round pizza pan.

Prebake for 15 minutes in a 450 degree oven. Remove and put your favorite sauce & toppings on top.
Return to oven and bake for about an additional 25 min. until cheese is melted and edges are browned. For a less crispy crust, omit the first baking time. Just put your toppings on it and bake for about 25 minutes. :) Enjoy!

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My First Time

Good Morning!

As you can see, I've been working on the formating of this blog. Things are coming along quite well I think. Still a lot to do here and more to be transferred...all in good time.

SUSHI!!

Last night I made sushi for the first time in my life! It turned out great! Of course, you can see I may have placed a little to much filling in them so the rolls aren't as small as the ones in the store, but they sure were good! Of these pictured, some have a combination of crab, cream cheese, green onion, green pepper, and cucumber in them.

The only sushi I'd ever had in my life was the sushi that you can buy frozen in the Walmart Superstore. There isn't one single diner up here that makes sushi so my choice was very limited. After trying the frozen ones, I looked them up online and found amazing recipes too! Last night I made them for the first time and loved them. Problem is, the recipe for the rice makes a lot and no one else in the house will eat them so they are all mine. Muhahaha!

Have a great day!

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