Do the Fondue!

We don't actually so much *do the fondue*, but rather whip these up on the stove and transfer to a mini-crockpot and then use the cheese fondue as a spread for crackers, pita bread and veggies. Very delicious!

Cherry Fondue - this is more of a true fondue as it is thinner in texture

4 oz butter (1 stick)
1 Tbs of minced garlic
1 cup of all-purpose flour
2 cups of milk
2 cups of shredded Gruyere cheese
2 cups of shredded Provolone cheese
1-1/2 cups of cherry wine (or cherry hard cider)
Salt to taste

Instructions:
Melt butter with garlic in medium saucepan.
Add flour with a whisk and cook for 2 minutes.
Slowly add the milk and bring it to a simmer while whisking.
Add half the cheese and half the cherry wine while slowly stirring with a wooden spoon.
Add the remaining cheese and wine until melted.
Salt to taste.

Serve with fresh vegetables, crackers or bread.



















The following is my favorite cheese fondue recipe of all time!

Jarlsberg Crab Fondue - this actually works well as a spread as it has a thicker consistency.

8 oz Jarlsberg gheese
8 oz Gruyere cheese
2 Tbs corn starch
2 cups dry white wine (such as Riseling)
3 Tbs dry sherry
1-1/2 cups shredded crab meat
Dash of freshly grated nutmeg Salt and white pepper (optional)

Directions:
Shred cheese coarsely or dice into 1/4 inch pieces.
Toss shredded cheese lightly with corn starch until evenly coated.
Pour wine into fondue pot.
Set over low heat until bubbles rise.
Gradually add the cheese a handful at a time, stirring each time until cheese is completely melted.
Avoid letting mixture come to a boil.
Stir in the sherry and crab meat.
Sprinke with nutmeg and season with salt and white pepper.
Makes 4 to 6 servings.

Recommendations: Use crusty bread for dipping

So yummy!

Sorry, no pic until Thursday when I make it for Christmas Eve.

*For Amy*

Minute Moves toward Christmas Decorating

Making small advances in the Christmas decorating, at least on the inside. The outside decorating is done, very nice, very minimal. You wouldn't believe some of the Christmas shrines in some of the front yards in nearby neighborhoods. In fact, I think I'll photograph a couple of them tomorrow to post with our outside decor just so you can see how absolutely restrained we are.

Meanwhile, indoors: Table decor:



Christmas tree, partially decorated:



We're getting there. We're getting there!

Baby, It's Cold Outside

But I've got my fur to keep me warm!

How We Stole a Lamp by Mistake

I know it's Christmas and all, the heathcare reform bill debate rages on, unemployment continues to rise and yet I'm going to talk to you today about my......lamps. I haven't started Christmas decorating yet. We've only moved the furniture around in preparation which is why I decided to write about the lamps. I opted to paint my living walls a deep burgundy and as a result, it is a very dark room, even with three lamps. The room probably needs a chandelier at this point, but as nobody seems to be complaining, I suppose we'll make do with the lamps.

"Delaware" Lamp is my all time favorite lamp. I found it at the back of a dusty Delaware antique store and despite it having a crack, the wiring seemed sound, so I bought it and kept it safe all the way back to Michigan. I then proceeded to go to a Grosse Pointe lamp shop and purchase a new lamp shade that cost more than the lamp. Of course. This lamp has moved everywhere with me. It has been through four moves and the crack has broken open at least twice in the last few years. I am always frantic that one time it won't be able to be repaired and thus don't want anyone touching it except me. You won't be able to see the cracks in this picture; they're too high up to see easily. I truly love this lamp.


"Grosse Pointe Estate Sale" Lamp is my second favorite lamp. I love it's colors. I even love that some of the color has rubbed off. Since the rest of my furniture has been around since the 80's and has incurred its' share of dents and scratches, I feel it fits in well.


And then we come to "Mystery" Lamp aka "I thought it was your lamp!" "No, I thought it was your lamp!" "Who the hell's lamp is this?!"

It appears we have been dragging this lamp around since 2000 when we left our Grosse Pointe flat rental and moved to a house in Saint Clair Shores. This lamp never made an appearance at our other two St. Clair Shores' homes, but was finally noticed when we moved to our present home. I plucked it out of the basement, set it on a new (old) table and then asked my hubby how he came to be in possession of it as it is, in my opinion, not a very attractive lamp (hence why I thought it must be his). I can't remember ever seeing this lamp before moving to our current home in 2004, and actually it was a few years later than that before I actually noticed it at all.

After some thought, hubby discovered we must have inadvertently taken this from our Landlord's basement storage area when we were moving. It's certainly similar in design lines to my other lamps, so hubby thinks he just up and packed it, assuming it was mine. In his defense, the basement of the flat was filled with all kinds of stuff, so I can see how this might have inadvertently happened. I believe we also have a piece of filched art work that neither one of us will own up to as well, so we have inadvertently stolen a lamp and a medium size painting.

Filched lamp. Next to First Communion photo of my daughter. Yeah.

Sometimes I think about replacing the lamp and leaving the old one on my old landlord's front porch, with the painting as well (I don't know where that is at the moment) as I lack the backbone to call and ask "Are you missing any lamps or art work?" Knock me over with a feather if this woman could remember anything in her rental home basement, which was cluttered and packed to the ceiling. It's amazing I was able to negotiate a small corner in which to store my few boxes. So these two possibly acquired items remain in my possession. I suppose I could regift them to the St. Vincent de Paul Society, but that certainly doesn't make this wrong right in my book, if indeed there was a wrong done at all.

Any ideas on how to proceed, blog readers?

A Little Late, But We'll Take It

On Thanksgiving I posted about Father Gerry Bernier's and Anissa Mayhew's hospitalizations and the perilous condition they were in. While we were hoping for a Thanksgiving miracle, it came a little later (but we'll take it!), and as of this last weekend, both Anissa and Fr. Gerry are awake! This is such great progress!

For up-to-date information on Anissa Mayhew:
http://www.hope4peyton.org/2009/friday-was-a-big-day/

For up-to-date information on Father Gerry:
http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/frgerrybernier
(scroll down to the 2nd entry where the real update information resides)

Reflections on Pain and Chocolate Crinkles

The two subjects in this title are not related. I just happened to have a few other thoughts regarding Lainy's pain episode that I didn't relate at the time.


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In the midst of the whole pain episode at school, there was a staff member that I couldn't remember having met before. She kept patting my shoulder and back, telling me what a good job I was doing. She said she could see that Lainy had confidence in me. And I remember being irritated. Lainy has confidence in me? I can't even get her to focus on me, no matter what I say. She screamed at me twice for breathing on her and she was screaming before I even set foot in the school. So, no, this wasn't a win or a good job. This was a major med failure and I was pissed off.


Before EMS got to the school, the Social Worker asked me if we could try some techniques to draw the pain out of Elaine. She was making a gentle wave pattern near Elaine and sweeping out. I thought she was trying to brush Lainy's aura or something and I did not want this woman's hands anywhere near Lainy lest she brush her by accident. I think, perhaps, if we all had background in this new age technique it might have been worthwhile to try for a calming effect. But when you're dealing with seizures that set off God knows what neural receptors and confuse the brain as to what is really happening, well, I think brushing an aura isn't going to have much effect. I found out later she was the school Social Worker. Well thank God for small blessings that I hadn't had to have any interaction with her before. Nobody wants to be on close terms with the school Social Worker, I think.


No repeat episodes and Neuro appointment today. Ought to be interesting to say the least.

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Regarding my Chocolate Crinkles: Technically I made the cookies last night, but couldn't bake them because they required 3 hours chilling. So this morning I am baking the cookies and casting about as to what to make next. Once again, this is quite an easy recipe, and the cookies are pretty and delicious!

Chocolate Crinkles

2 cups granulated sugar
1/2 cup vegetable oil
4 ounces melted unsweetened chocolate (cool)
2 teaspoons vanilla
4 eggs
2 cups all-purpose flour*
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspon salt
1 cup powdered sugar

Mix granualted sugar, oil, chocolate and vanilla. Mix in eggs, one at time. Stir in flour, baking powder and salt. Cover and refrigerate at least 3 hours.

Heat oven to 350. Drop dough by teaspoonfuls into powdered sugar; roll around to coat. Shape into balls. Place about 2 inches apart on greased cookie sheet. Bake until almost no indentation remains when touched, 10 to 12 minutes. (My personal note: Do not overbake due to "touch test").

New Note: Do not remove cookies from cookie sheet until well cooled, otherwise they will fall apart. They need time to set; at least 10 minutes.

About 6 dozen

*If using self-risng flour, omit baking powder and salt.

Aren't they just gorgeous? Although I admit I'm becoming averse to powdered sugar as it leaves such a sticky mess!

Delectable Russian Teacakes

Ah, tonight was a no fail for NaCoBakMo. The Russian Teacakes look beautiful and taste divine!


I have to admit, if I had known years ago how easy a stand-alone mixer would make cookie baking - well, I wouldn't have waited so long to steal this lovely mixer away from my Dad's basement.


The only difference with tonight's cookies that I did from the usual is that half were rolled in powdered sugar after baking, and half of the recipe was rolled in colored sugar before baking. The powdered sugar, I believe, is the traditional recipe.


And here is a lovely picture of the colored sugar Russian Teacakes:


And a picture of the confectioner sugar Russian Teacakes, cooling, and awaiting their next delightful roll in the sugar.



The recipe is super easy, but it does have nuts, for those of you with allergies:


Russian Teacakes

1 cup margarine or butter, softened
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 1/4 cups of all-purpose or whole wheat flour (do not use self-rising flour)
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 finely chopped nuts
Powered or colored sugar


Heat oven to 400. Mix butter, 1/2 cup powdered sugar and the vanilla. Stir in flour, salt and nuts. Shape dough into 1-inch balls.


If using colored sugar decoration, roll 1-inch balls in colored sugar prior to baking. Place on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake until set, but not brown. 8 to 9 minutes.

If using powered sugar decoration, place on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake until set, but not brown. 8 to 9 minutes. Roll in powdered sugar while warm. Cool. Roll in powdered sugar again.


About 4 dozen.

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Also, no pain emergencies today. Lainy made it through the full day of school without incident and is feeling much better. We'll be following up with her Neuro later in the week.