Happy New Year!

Yup, I'm checking out again for a couple days (what a slacker, huh?) It's nearly New Year's eve and that means staying up way too late, eating way too much and doing so many things besides blogging. If you're wondering what we'll be consuming you can see them here:

Garlicky Baked Fries
Pizza in a Bite
Cheese Bites
Diablo Verde Shakes
Bittersweet Chocolate Caramel Cracker Cookies

Yes, we're fried food junkies.

I figure you'd welcome a bit of a break, right? But do not despair, rest assured I'll be back on Saturday with another giveaway, this time it's a scrapbooking treat (retail value $75) followed by more posts Sunday and next week (I'm already working on the line up if you don't believe me).

But for now, I'll share one of my favorite clips that still cracks me up. If you go to YouTube there's a whole series by the same production crew and you can find your day's allotment of laughs there.

Hope you have a wonderful New Year, see you January 2nd!

Sponsored by Color Incorporated Digital Prolab for your digital printing needs

What Did You Get for Christmas?

I'm showing off my Christmas present. Every year something ceramic shows up under the tree and this year it was a . . . a . . . frog?

Yup, I'm pretty sure it's a frog and actually I find this little guy strangely appealing. In a mutant-amphibious-gapingly-terrifying way. And I can guarantee it's one in a million--no other mom got one of these guys.

He's sitting on my kitchen counter staring at me as I do the dishes, waiting to receive an sos sponge into his open jaws.

***

Congratulations to Stacy of Peachtree City, Georgia who walked away with the three-Lego pirate package from this weekend.

An Inconvenient Truth

What do you do about that whole pesky Santa issue? I've never given it much thought--believe in Santa if you want, kids, enjoy it while you can. They all ask for the truth sooner or later.

But our youngest has been really odd about the whole thing. She's seven and a half--is it me or is that getting kind of old to still be fooled by the whole holiday-induced home invasion plot? I mean I remember putting two and two together in first grade when one of my classmates let it slip that the Easter bunny was a scam and if a giant bunny lugging eggs over the world wasn't on the up and up then maybe, just maybe, the eight flying reindeer scenario was suspect as well.

So I expected Lillian to ask if the man in red was real but I forgot I'm dealing with a youngest child who has two older brothers on a mission to make her life difficult and they've taken great pleasure in tormenting her on the issue. She came to me and asked if Santa was real and in this super-sweet mom voice used to dish out disappointment I told her something like "Well, sweetheart, he's a magical part of Christmas and lots of fun but who do you think really brings the presents?" and she nodded and mumbled something about "Oh, so Santa isn't real is he?" and I went back to work.

But then her brothers thought it would be especially fun to conspire and to keep it all going--because nothing conveys the warmth of the holidays like torturing your sister and mother simultaneously. Usually you get kids who find fulfillment by breaking another child's reality and crushing their hopes of magic and goodies but no . . . MY boys get more of a thrill from lying to their sister and keeping her strung out on false Santa hopes.

It's gotten completely irritating and it went on and on throughout the holidays, me telling her Santa isn't real, the boys telling her that Santa was too real and that Mom was an idiot, trying to steal the toys for herself. Back and forth it went until it reached the Official Last Straw on Christmas Eve (of course--the odds of having a full-blown episode increase exponentially the closer one gets to the holidays).

We were piled in the car, racing from place to place under constant pressure and as is usually the case the kids in the back were getting louder and louder, more and more annoying and increasingly difficult.

At which point Lillian asked me yet again, "Mom, is Santa real?" so I sighed--or maybe grumbled, I can't quite remember--and gave my memorized answer as I felt the headache coming on. The boys started shouting over the top of each other to tell her that once again I was lying when someone hit the radio button (rule is: it's MY car and until you pay for gas I choose the stations) and switched off my Christmas music.

That was is. The fighting, the whining, the racing through Christmas traffic on slick streets and now I had the grinding pain of the Black Eyed Peas. Before I could hit the button it mercifully ended and the new station's DJ came on to say that Santa had been spotted somewhere over Eastern Europe and that if we wanted to check up on the Elf Himself we could go to the Norad website.

"See? See?" the boys yelled, clapping and hooting. "Told you! Santa is TOO real Lillian. The radio doesn't lie."

"I knew it!" she squealed, clapping with joy. "I knew he was real. See Mom? The boys were right--not you."

I'd had enough. I pulled over and stopped the car. And while I'm ashamed to admit it I turned around in my seat and in a louder-than-that-which-good-moms-use-voice said something like:

"This is ridiculous! It's a stupid radio ad! Santa is NOT real. He's NEVER been real, your Dad and I play Santa every year and WE buy the presents. EVERY. YEAR. Got it?? Got it good? Because I'm not going to go over this again. Santa is a big fake, the Easter Bunny is fake, the Tooth Fairy is fake, it's ALL FAKE. And if I hear one more word from you boys trying to convince your sister that I'm lying you're not getting one stinkin' present at all this year--birthdays included. Do you hear me?? Do you??"

Which kind of brought the conversation in the car to a halt. But I do think I got my point across.

"So Santa is really you and Dad?" She asked timidly.

I didn't answer. By then the guilt of having crushed my last child's Christmas hopes and dreams made me feel rather squeamy but at least the subject has been put to a rest once and for all and Christmas came without further incident.

And guess who got a lump of coal in her stocking? I kind of deserved it I suppose.

Sponsored by Pak Naks--decorate your stuff!

Good Luck Dumplings

We've got a new year coming and in celebration here we usually fix something a little out of the ordinary--the last few years we've got in the habit of fixing raclette for New Year's Eve--but it's a great time to do something a little different, maybe fix something together as a family. Cooking can be a great family activity and these are easy for adult to start and kids to finish and who doesn't like noodles I ask??

You can get an assembly line going--once the filling is ready someone spoons it out, the next folds it and seals it.

It works best to steam them if you have a steamer but as it happened my steamer died so I ended up having to boil them which worked fine--though when you boil them you're pretty much guaranteed that at least two or three will pop open and give you dumpling soup.

1 pound ground pork
4 green onions, finely chopped
½ teaspoon minced ginger
1 teaspoon soy sauce
¼ teaspoon sesame oil
½ teaspoon sugar
¼ teaspoon salt
dash of freshly ground black pepper
1 egg white, beaten
1 package (about 50) dumpling wrappers

Dipping Sauce
4 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons vinegar
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1 ½ teaspoons toasted sesame seeds for garnish

Fry up ground pork until browned. Drain and add ginger, soy sauce, sesame oil, sugar, salt and pepper. Mix and drop 1/2 teaspoon-1 teaspoon on each wrapper, fold in half and by rubbing a bit of water on one edge seal thoroughly.

Steam for 8-10 minutes or boil 2-3 minutes. For sauce combine all the ingredients, sprinkling sesame seeds on top. Dip dumplings in sauce and have a great new year!

Sponsored by Beau-Coup for unique baby shower favors.

Norah Jones Pirate Giveaway

I promised you Norah Jones and Legos giveaway didn't I? Well here's the deal.

Norah Jones has her new album The Fall out with the "Chasing Pirates" single (which we happen to LOVE here) and to promote it she's teaming up with Legos in a fun pirate-themed way that will make my boys truly jealous (we also happen to LOVE Leogs too).

They've offered three Lego pirate packs including:

• Lego Soldiers' Fort set
• Lego Loot Island set
• Lego Kraken Attackin' set

A $100 gift set! (You can find more info on their pirate sets at the Lego website).

In case you aren't familiar with the song here's the video:



And even better news--itunes is offering her song "December" from The Fall as the free itunes single of the week and it's wonderful. I downloaded it when my sister noticed it and I've been listening to it all weekend and feeling oh so relaxed and wintery--consider that my extra bonus, free of charge, totally unsolicited opinion as a glowing endorsement.

Now besides this enviable Lego prize package Ms. Jones is also hosting another giveaway where one winner gets the following fabulous prizes:

• 1 Martin LX1 Little Martin Acoustic Guitar ($299)
• 1 Ludwig 5-Piece Junior Drum Set with Cymbals ($279)
• 1 Schoenhut 49 Key Pro Baby Grand Piano ($2,008)

To enter that separate contest go to the Norah Jones Contest on this page (only for U.S. participants--sorry!) but to win the three Lego pirate sets simply follow the directions below and keep your fingers crossed!

Hope you all had a Merry Christmas.

Here's how to win:

Before 12 am Monday morning go to the giveaway entry form on this page and enter your name and email. I will pick one of the names at random, contact the winner via their email and publish the winner's first name and home town in next Tuesday's post. See the bottom of the entry form for more details.

This giveaway is open to all U.S. and Canadian readers! Good luck!

Merry Christmas

I'm going to be taking a break for a couple days until Saturday when I'll have a special Norah Jones and Lego giveaway (doesn't THAT make you wonder a bit? Because when you think Legos doesn't your mind just naturally jump to the thought "Oh, yea--Norah Jones!")

But in the meantime I'm going to leave you with a couple treats from Christmases past. First, from Christmas 2008, these sweet little jam sundaes for which the directions are here: How to Make Jam Sundaes.

Then, from Christmas 2007 an anecdote that still makes me giggle:

I was doing the Christmas Eve preparations in the kitchen, baking pies and getting ready when I commented to Andrew that I'd eaten so much that I was like Santa. David perked up at this and asked, "What do you mean?"

"Well I'm starting to 'shake when I laugh like a bowl full of jelly'."

"OH!" He said happily, "My nipples shake when I laugh!"

It brought conversation to a halt. What does one say in response to that revelation?

Then it made me wonder if Santa's are shaking too.

And then finally from Christmas 2006, "Alternative Christmas Songs":

Lillian: (singing Angels We Have Heard on High)
"GloooooooOOOOOOOO--ria!
In-ex-pen-sive Day-O
GloooooOOOOOOOO--ria!
In-ex-pen-sive Day-AY-O!"

David: (singing Jingle Bells with his distinctive lisp)
"Oh what fun it is to ride
In a slippin' slippin' sleigh-AY!"

Spencer: (singing Let It Snow, Let It Snow and knowing full well what the correct words are)
". . . and since there's no place to go,
yellow snow, yellow snow, yellow snow."

David: (singing Frosty the Snowman and no he doesn't know what that word means)
"Frosty the Snowman was a jolly, jolly ho--
With a cock-eyed pike and a runny nose and two eyes made out of coal . . ."

Hope you all have a Merry Christmas!

Sponsored by Color Incorporated Digital Prolab for your digital printing needs

Day One

You know what today is don't you? It's the day when we officially start accumulating day light. A few seconds each day at first and then slowly we'll work our way into grabbing a few minutes more then finally we'll be up to nearly half an hour each week.

Somehow life is easier when there's more light.

I went out to collect my mail at 4:15 yesterday and this is what it looked like.

But tomorrow, it will be just a tiny bit lighter a tiny bit earlier and that is progress. Happy Solstice, folks!

***

Congratulations to Gina from Cambridge, Minnesota for winning last weekend's Snapgifts.com giveaway and to Anne from Greenville, South Carolina for winning the beautiful red earrings from Alison Kelley Designs this weekend! May your days be merry and bright and may all your Christmases be white.

Sponsored by Pak Naks--decorate your stuff!

Science v. Religion: It's So Yesterday

A couple of weeks ago I was listening to my good ol' NPR on the way to pick up my kids at school (a weekday ritual) and the guest was Brian Dunning who runs Skeptoid.com, a site that produces podcasts dedicated to promoting critical thinking.

Their point was that while we're in a miraculous age of heart transplants, super sonic travel and nano robotics that people are also loosing the ability to think clearly and see truth even in the most blatantly illogical and fallacious situations. I myself happen to be a naturally born skeptic, when I hear or read something I can usually be found testing it out and looking for ways that it's all hooey so when both men recommended reading Carl Sagan's book The Demon Haunted World: Science As a Candle in the Dark I put it on my list.

I picked up the hefty 400+ page book, anticipating smooth, stylish prose with an engaging argument for critical thinking and promoting science in a world where psyhic hotlines are paradoxically brought to the masses via fiber optic cable but instead it was a colosal waste of time. Can I say I'm glad I borrowed it from the library? Don't waste your money on this one.

I don't understand how people today can believe in things including but not limited to: the Loch Ness Monster, megavitamin therapy, Big Foot, urban legends, astrology, ghosts, Holocaust denials, food irradiation poisoning, "faith healing," guided imagery therapy, psychics and any number of "facts" commonly held as truth. Besides plodding along chapter after rambling chapter filled with repetition Sagan's book debunks without being revelatory or original. I'm afraid I don't believe in witchcraft, crop circles or alien abductions so it wasn't as if he had a hard time convincing me of how wrong they are--I was with him from the first paragraph--and as I got deeper and deeper into the book I noticed a strange lack of continuity--unless you count a continuous railing against conspiracy theorists continuity.

While I'll admit I'm a skeptic I also have the dual nature of being a person of intense faith and what struck me right away was how Sagan includes religion in the list of false beliefs. An agnostic himself, Sagan doesn't believe in God or creationism or life after death and instead of taking the more difficult and rewarding task of sorting through the issue of faith v. superstition he throws out religion entirely as if believing in God is comparable to believing the world is flat, that science has proved there is no God just as surely as it's proved that the world is a sphere and to believe in the eternal nature of the soul or Intelligent Design is a debilitating weakness.

I'm so very tired of the science v. religion debate. There is no debate, truth is truth no matter how it's discovered and pure religion and pure science are two lanes on the same road, heading in the same direction. Take the subject of miracles. To medieval England an airplane would be a full-blown miracle but since, thanks to Mr. Bernouli, we can explain it with words like "thrust," "lift" and "drag" it's commonplace and quite unmiraculous. A miracle is simply something that science hasn't quite been able to explain yet and the ability to work miracles is merely the knowledge of and the ability to follow the rules of science with perfect precision.

Can the open-mindedness that science claims as its god honestly exclude existence of a greater God that cannot yet be proved empirically? We only recently understand flight, black holes, anti matter and circulatory theory so it's arrogance to suppose that because we don't yet understand Intelligent Design or life after death they don't exist.

And at the same time should the faith in God that religion claims break down just because it bumps up against the changing theorems of another fallible human being once in a while? True faith in God says that believing that He was behind the creation of our universe is enough--though it's nice to know the details they may not come all at once, there are many possibilities of how it was done besides a rigidly literal translation of a few sentences from one ancient text and the pursuit of knowledge is a godly virtue. It's all just pieces of the same big puzzle coming together in different ways and believers and scientists alike should welcome truth however it finds a place among what we already think we know.

Anyway, instead of the religion v. science non-debate I would much rather see a discussion of faith v. superstition--because if we're talking about enemies here, what threatens both faith and science universally are the counterfeits: astrology, alchemy, phrenology, spiritualism, a study of the occult or even believing in karma or luck over individual will. And frankly, the line between faith and superstition can be thin and hard to discern. For example, it's so much easier for people of faith to throw up their hands and say "it's God's will" when something unexpected happens rather than taking the spiritual and mental effort to determine what God's will really might be that it comes uncomfortably close to superstition rather than true faith.

So, getting back to the book with the unintentionally ironic subtitle, I'm sorry Mr. Sagan. You spent so much time crying about how alien abductions can't possibly be real (uh . . . d'uh) that you miss the much more intellectually and spiritually pertinent question of the division between truth and superstition. But then when you've thrown out the possibility of any intelligence higher than your own I suppose it wouldn't have occurred to you.

Sponsored by Beau-Coup for unique baby shower favors.

Chicken Caesar Lasagna

After so many fattening, tasty treats this week I'm leaving you with a recipe for a main dish that got happy reviews. Of course it's noodles and cheese so what's not to like, right?

It's called Chicken Caesar Lasagna and adapted from a Better Homes and Gardens recipe but I couldn't actually taste that much of the "Caesar" in there. It was good and easy to put together but if you're trying it for the Caesar angle your efforts might be better spent elsewhere.

Just to warn you.
1 box lasagna noodles (about 15 noodles)
2 bottles light Alfredo sauce
3 tablespoons lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
3 cups cooked chicken breast, diced or shredded
2 tablespoons olive oil
5 ounces chopped frozen spinach, thawed and drained
1/2 cup diced onion
1 red bell pepper, diced
2 carrots, diced
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cook noodles according to package directions, drain and rinse with cold water; drain again.

In a bowl combine Alfredo sauce, lemon juice, and black pepper. In a skillet saute onion, pepper and carrots in olive oil. Once onions are translucent (five minutes) stir in spinach and cook one minute more. Stir in chicken and spinach mixture into Alfredo sauce.

Lightly grease a 13x9x2-inch baking dish with cooking spray. Add a scoop of sauce mixture to the bottom of the pan and smooth around to coat. Arrange 5 noodles in bottom of dish. Top with one-third chicken mixture then 1/2 cup grated cheese. Repeat layers twice more, using all the extra cheese on the last layer.

Bake uncovered for 30-40 minutes or until heated through and browned on top. Let stand 15 minutes before serving. Makes 12 servings.

Sponsored by Color Incorporated Digital Prolab for your digital printing needs

Alison Kelley Designs Giveaway

We've had snow dumped on us all week long and I feel so Christmas-y that I the only thing that would make me feel more festive would be these gorgeous beauty-red earrings.

I've reviewed Alison Kelley Designs before and I absolutely love her work--it's simple and tasteful and fits with so many styles. They're the kind of pieces where you fall in love with a necklace and then go out to find an outfit that matches because it deserves that kind of attention.

It's hard to choose my favorite from her shop--so many have beautiful natural themes--but if I had to it would be the Leaf Me Copper Necklace which is completely gorgeous. And it's really reasonably priced if you notice. Peak through some of her sold items as well because there are some amazing things that have already been purchased but you might be able to get a custom order if you ask.

The good news is that Alison Kelley Designs is offering the ruby red earrings you see above to a lucky holiday winner this weekend (also reasonably priced). If you simply can't wait until the winner is announced then you can get a 10% discount on your purchase with the coupon code SCRIBBIT10 entered in the notes to seller at checkout which will be refunded through PayPal after purchase.

I just love that copper leaf necklace . . .

Here's how to win:

Before 12 am Monday morning go to the giveaway entry form on this page and enter your name and email. I will pick one of the names at random, contact the winner via their email and publish the winner's first name and home town in next Tuesday's post. See the bottom of the entry form for more details.

This giveaway is open to all readers! Good luck!

Great Holiday Recipes

I've been baking like crazy here--I'm in the mood for it and I'm not entirely sure why. Regardless, I've been collecting recipes to try in my del.icio.us bookmarks and here is a sample of some of the best.

1. Panettone
Last year I raved about the French toast I made from this Italian sweet bread and was told that you don't really bake panettone, that it must be bought from an authentic Italian bakery. Well my favorite bread blog, Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day posted a recipe and if there's anyone that I trust it's those guys.

Bought the ingredients, will be making it this week.

2. Chocolate Cobbler
I love cobbler. I love chocolate. So I'm pretty sure I'm going to flip for this one. I'm just trying to decide if making it for breakfast would make me a bad mom . . .

3. Pizza Egg Rolls
Pretty much anything that uses the word "pizza" as an adjective is going to be A+ with me. I love pizza more than getting mail, more than my minivan, more than having all my laundry clean and folded and put away . . . I just love it.

So these got the thumbs up right away. I'm planning on making them for New Year's Eve--they'll make a great treat while we're playing games and staying up way too late.

4. Eggs en Cocotte
This is really just a pretty little baked egg in a cup but it looks so fancy and sweet that I'm going to give it a try. I've never fixed eggs like this and while it's simple the presentation is going to make it feel really fancy--which will compensate for the Lucky Charms they typically have for breakfast.

5. Pofosen
And speaking of breakfast, this too is going on the menu. It's really just jelly-stuffed French toast but with a fancy European name it feels ridiculously luxurious, like you need to eat it with linen napkins or something. Or rather you need to eat it with linen napkins on your lap. Boy, I almost messed up and got caught advocating napkin eating. Don't let that rumor get started.

6. Houdini Bars
Yes, as in Harry Houdini. And why are they called Houdini Bars? Because they disappear, silly!

7. Motherload Layered Cookie Bars
And if you haven't succumbed to diabetes yet, just wait until you see these guys.

A layer of cookie, a layer of chocolate, a layer of peanut butter then another layer of chocolate-chip infused cookie topped with stripey chocolate heaven. It does not get more decadent than that folks. My picture space is getting crowded so go look for yourselves. Picky Palate has tons of amazing treat recipes guaranteed to send you running for the insulin. Boy they look good. . . .

8. The Ultimate Brownie
It may all be a big advertising scam but with a name like that these babies sure caught my attention. Who wouldn't be interested in something claiming to be the mother of all brownies?

They supposedly have taken the original ultimate brownie recipe and made it even better--easier, healthier but without losing the ultimate flavor. If that's true people, I think we have a new World Champion.

9. Black Bottomed Mini Caramel Pumpkin Cheesecake Bites
See? Another Picky Palate recipe. Apparently the palates there aren't that picky, as long as it has lots of sugar it's good. I had to check the name about three times before I could type it properly, there were so many modifiers in that title. They're like a five-course meal in one bite.

But I dare you to say that any part of that sounds less than magically appealing. I bet you can pop five or six of those into your mouth before you even realize what you've done.

10. Dark Chocolate Creme de Menthe Cupcakes
I'm a huge fan of mint and dark chocolate together--though in an odd twist of fate and despite my addiction to ice cream I cannot stand that green stuff they palm off as mint chocolate chip ice cream at the grocery store. It might as well be full of garden soil for all I know, it tastes nasty. However, if you really want the good stuff stick with the Ben and Jerry's variety that isn't green but very naturally yummy with Girl Scout mint cookies chopped up in it (not to be confused with Girl Scouts chopped up in it--that would be very unnatural and un-PC).

So these cupcakes are right up my ally.

11. Banana White Chocolate Toffee Cookies
I'm not usually a banana fan but if it's baked in enough sugar even I will try it. Add white chocolate and I'm smitten. Add toffee and I'm yours forever. So these too are on the list to try. No picture, go check the link for yourself. They look just like any cookie and not that amazing but I'll bet they taste terrific.

12. Sausage Bread
No sugar in this one but there's enough fat to truly compensate I'm sure. Sausage, bread, I'm so there with this one. I figure it'll make for a great breakfast if I know my family. A guaranteed home run.

13. Grown up Pop Tarts
I will not eat pop tarts, they're little more than glorified cardboard and they taste horrible but these? Now these look like something I'd be willing to waste some empty calories on.

14. Sticky Apple Butter Biscuits
And finally, biscuits. I love apple butter--I'd have it more often around here if it wasn't such a pain to make. I bet you could even use applesauce in a pinch though it would certainly give it a different flavor. Boy they look good though.

Sponsored by Pak Naks--decorate your stuff!

Cranberry Kuchen

Do you buy those bags of fresh cranberries they have in the produce section? I will usually buy a couple bags each holiday season and use one for cranberry onion sauce which is so much better than the jellied nasty stuff you get from a can that it's not even funny. Then I'll usually use a second bag to make this wonderful breakfast treat.

I think "kuchen" is the German word for cake? Maybe? and with whipped cream on top and a mug of hot chocolate on the side it's one of our favorite holiday treats.

Oh, and those bags of cranberries freeze very well too so you can have this even when the cranberries have left the stores for the season.

For cranberry sauce:
2 ½ cups fresh cranberries
½ cup maple syrup

For cake:
2 ¼ cups flour
½ cup sugar
2 ½ teaspoons baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
1/3 cup butter
1 egg
½ cup milk

For topping:
½ cup sugar
1/3 cup flour
½ teaspoon ginger
¼ cup butter
1/3 cup sliced almonds

To make sauce, in a saucepan cook berries in maple syrup over medium heat until berries just beginning to pop.

To make cake, mix all dry ingredients (flour, sugar, baking powder and salt) then add wet ingredients (butter, egg and milk) and mix until well combined.

Spread half of batter in 9x9 greased pan. Top with berry sauce then drop remaining batter by spoonfuls onto top. Combine the sugar, flour and ginger for the topping then cut in butter and add sliced almonds. Sprinkle on top of cake.

Bake at 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean and top is golden.

Sponsored by Beau-Coup for unique baby shower favors.

Creamy Cheesy Dinner Rolls

Continuing with a week of recipes I'm including an updated version of my favorite dinner roll recipe.

Rolls are Andrew's favorite part of Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner and he declared these guys to be extra tasty.

I made the basic dough recipe up (a double batch) then cut it into three sections, one section I filled with bacon bits and grated Cheddar (a fine combination) but the other two got special treatment.

I was sent a box of cheeses from Alouette to sample--two were soft, spreadable varieties and I used each one in a separate batch of rolls. On the first batch I spread the sweet pepper medley and on the second I used the berry version. One sweet, one savory and they both turned out wonderfully--I'd highly recommend them.

So here's the recipe and general instructions, you'll love them!

For dough:
1 1/2 cups warm water
4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1-1 1/2 tablespoons yeast
2 1/2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons powdered milk
2 teaspoons salt
2 tablespoons butter

For fillings:
Alouette sweet pepper medley spreadable cheese
Alouette berry medley spreadable cheese
1 cup grated Cheddar and 3 tablespoons bacon bits

You can make these in a bread machine which means you'll add the dough ingredients in the order given and set the machine to "dough" cycle. Remove dough and shape.

If you make them the traditional way, add the yeast to the water and allow to sit for a few minutes until it begins to bubble, then add sugar, milk, salt and butter and finally the flour, mixing it together until it forms a ball of the right consistency. Allow to raise for an hour then punch down and shape.

To shape, cut the ball of dough in half and roll it out into a circle about 10" across (maybe smaller). Then slice it into eight slices pizza style and on each section of dough spread one of the selected fillings. Roll each section up wide end to point and allow to raise for half an hour before baking at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until golden and tasty.

Sponsored by Pak Naks--decorate your stuff!

Nanaimo Bars

You can tell we're living in darkness here because my food pictures are so grim. Nothing like photographing a noodle under a flickering incandescent bulb to make it look unappealing.

But I think you still get the general idea and I'm willing to brave sad photography for the sake of these amazing treats. I came across a recipe for Nanaimo Bars (of Canadian fame) and couldn't believe I'd never heard of them before. Because, you know, I can see Canada from my house.

The story goes that these are a common delicacy from our neighbors to the east and there were so many raves about how wonderful they were that I just had to try them. When was the last time you heard anyone raving about Canadian cuisine? Brings out the curiosity, doesn't it?

So I figured it would be irresponsible not to give these a try and, I assure you, the effort was well worth it. Don't let the list of ingredients put you off, there aren't that many things as so many are repeated in the list and, not having to bake them, they're not very time consuming or hard to make. The biggest thing is that you must chill them before cutting and that might take some time. Because heaven forbid you get a giant chewy, eewy, gooey mess that sticks to your fingers and coats your fingers with chocolate ecstasy.

The square pan ends up making quite a few bars because they're rich enough you'll want to cut them small. Plus, cutting them small has the added benefit of making you think you're not consuming any calories of note and therefore you can eat these babies in bulk--and trust me, you'll want to.

With a brownie-ish no-bake bottom layer that incorporates walnuts, coconut and graham cracker crumbs followed by a middle custard-frosting layer and a top coating of chocolate they're half-way between a brownie and a candy bar and Andrew claimed that they have officially made it into the "top five best desserts you've ever made." They'd be great to make with kids because they're so easy and I suspect that they'd also be easy to convert to a gluten-free version because the cracker crumbs are the only objectionable ingredient.

Impressive, eh?

So tell me . . . anyone out there have any kind of a clue as to how to pronounce "Nanaimo"? And where on earth did it come from?

Bottom layer:
1/2 cup unsalted butter
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa
1 egg, beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups graham cracker crumbs
1 cup shredded coconut
1/2 cup walnuts, chopped

Second layer:
1/4 cup unsalted butter
3 tablespoons skim milk
2 tablespoon cook-and-serve vanilla pudding powder such as Jello brand
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups powdered sugar (I used 1 cup and it made the frosting slightly less firm)

Top layer:
3/4 cup semisweet chocolate, chopped (or use chocolate chips)
1 tablespoon unsalted butter

Grease a 9x9 square pan.

In a sauce pan melt the butter over a low heat, stir in sugar, cocoa powder and then slowly whisk in the beaten egg. Cook, stirring constantly, 1-2 minutes until the mixture thickens. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla, graham cracker crumbs, coconut and nuts (I used 1 cup graham cracker crumbs because I was a little short and it still worked but the full amount would be better).

Press evenly into the pan. I usually slip my hands into plastic sandwich bags for this kind of thing, using them like plastic gloves so that my hands don't get all dirty. Just a tip. Allow the crust to cool slightly.

For the second layer, cream the butter then beat in the milk, pudding powder, vanilla and sugar. You can thin it down if you must with a bit more milk. Spread custard frosting over the bottom layer and refrigerate until cool, 30 minutes.

For final layer, melt the chocolate in the microwave on a low power (taking care that it doesn't burn) and add the butter to smooth it and thin it a bit. Then spread over bars and allow it all to cool again. Once it's firm, cut with a knife into bars. I got 25 out of my pan.

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Seven Layer Dip

My kitchen has been hot lately--hot I tell you. It's all that pre-Christmas rush to get goodies baked so I'm going to take a bit of a break this week and post recipes each day.

Of course from the things I'll be posting you'd probably assume we eat nothing but good ol' fashioned, gut-destroying refined sugar and artery-clogging fats but that's just for special occasions. Normally we eat healthily but I figure we all need a break now and then from the rules and what better time to give in to complete self-indulgence and gluttony than during the religious observance of Christmas?

Here's one of my favorite appetizers because, as we all know, Tex-Mex always hits the spot. Of course with seven layers to this thing there is something to offend everyone in the house unless you're like me who likes it all.

More recipes tomorrow . . .

1 10-ounce can bean dip
1 cup sour cream
1 package taco seasoning mix
1 tub guacamole
1 large green onion, sliced
3 medium Roma tomatoes, diced
2 3-ounce cans sliced olives
1 cup shredded sharp cheddar
taco chips

Layer the above ingredients on a plate one by one starting by spreading out the bean dip on a round dinner plate then mixing the sour cream and taco seasoning together and spreading it over top of bean dip then spreading a layer of guacamole, onions, tomatoes, olives and cheddar.

Dig in with taco chips and you'll be eating more than you probably should.

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Snapgifts.com Giveaway

How's that Christmas list coming along? Got everything yet? Well if you're still looking for last-minute ideas I have a site that is perfect.

Allow me to share Snapgifts.com, a place where you can easily purchase gift cards to all sorts of places from restaurants to book stores to theaters to sports equipment stores. I know because they offered me a free chance to try it out for myself and I was highly pleased.

You can shop for services by city (say you want a gift card that will work in SanFrancisco or Boston or L.A.) by category of services (see left side bar) or by brands such as Lowes or Borders or Cold Stone. It's easy to pick out what you want then set the amount you'd like set on the card then once you pay for it and tell them where to send it you're set. It took me five days to get my card from the time of purchase to when it showed up in my mailbox and how pleased I was.

You can get the card shipped for free throughout December just by adding the "freeshipping" at checkout. Go ahead, give it a try.

If you follow the directions below you might get lucky and win a $25 gift certificate for Snapgifts.com for yourself just in time for the holidays--treat yourself or someone on your list whose hard to buy for. Merry Christmas!

Here's how to win:

Before 12 am Monday morning go to the giveaway entry form on this page and enter your name and email. I will pick one of the names at random, contact the winner via their email and publish the winner's first name and home town in next Tuesday's post. See the bottom of the entry form for more details.

This giveaway is open to all readers! Good luck!

Movies to See Instead of Going to the Theater

I'm always a fan of a good movie and usually the summer and Christmas movie runs are eagerly anticipated around here but this year? Pretty disappointing. There isn't really anything I'm particularly interested in seeing--certainly not Robert Downey, Jr. butchering Sherlock Holmes as dramatically as Stephanie Meyer butchered vampires and werewolves. Apparently the pen is definitely more destructive than the wooden stake and poor Bram Stoker must be rolling in his grave.

But ah me, it's just as well--tickets are nearly $10 and there are only a handful of films that could possibly qualify as being worth that kind of money.

SO . . . we'll be watching movies at home this Christmas and enjoying a comfy sofa and popcorn that doesn't cost $17 per ounce of buttery goodness.

The hardest thing about watching movies at home, however, is that with six people in the room it's hard to find things that are appropriate for all. So today I'm listing some of the movies that we all enjoy for a family movie night together. Some of them are good for younger children but most are things I'm comfortable letting my 10, 13 and 15 year olds see. If you have any recommendations of your own please let me know because I'm always on the lookout.

1. The Guns of Navarone
Not for small children but if you happen to have a teen boy in the house this is a must-see. Gregory Peck, David Niven and Anthony Quinn form part of a World War II special-ops team assigned to destroy the gigantic guns guarding the Greek island of Navarone in time for the British to come to the rescue of the doomed prisoners.

It's one of my favorite macho war movies, right up there with The Dirty Dozen and The Great Escape (also great films) and while not everyone in the house is a war movie aficionado it's still a great movie. Suspenseful and well-acted as you'd expect with a cast like that. No rating on this one because it was made in 1961 though it is in color, don't worry. If I try to throw a black and white classic at them it's complete and total anarchy, I do know my limitations.

2. Castaway
I'm partial to Tom Hanks movies with the kids because so many are clean and well-made. We watched Joe v. The Volcano the week of Thanksgiving which is quirky and odd but strangely appealing. Probably because Meg Ryan has some lines to hoot over.

"I have no response to that."

But I digress. The subject is Castaway, the movie that takes Robinson Crusoe to the level of reality television and succeeds marvelously. My boys like it for the adventure angle and my girl likes it for the romance (plus adventure). It is rated PG-13, which you can't dismiss lightly, but it's for intense action sequences (like a ginormous plane going down in a scene that rivals the train wreck in The Fugitive for intensity--man I nearly went into labor with Grace right there in the theater when I saw that for the first time. Not a good movie to see while 9 months pregnant.) Otherwise it's clean.

3. Silverado
Another manly movie. I like westerns okay, it's not as if I'm haunting Clint Eastwood or anything, but this . . . THIS movie is a favorite. The cast is all-star: Danny Glover, Kevin Costner, Brian Denehy, Kevin Kline, Jeff Goldblum, John Cleese, Scott Glenn and others I can't quite recall right now. All westerns are essentially the same--guns, shooting, revenge, injustice followed by eventual justice, the savagery of nature and the savage nature of men--and this one follows the formula wonderfully.

Again, it's PG-13 so it's not good for small kids, but it's rated that for the shooting that goes on and the cowboys do occasionally have colorful cowboy mouths but it's not heavy stuff and my boys loved the movie.

4. The Man Who Knew Too Little
If you're a Hitchcock fan you'll recognize the pun in the title and it ought to give you an idea of the fun you're in for. Bill Murray can be sooooo funny and this is my favorite movie he's made. It's full of hysterically quotable lines and funny scenes that we'll still laugh about.

Murray plays a dingaling guy (which I know is a given) come to visit his brother (Peter Gallagher) in London as a surprise. The surprise comes at a bad time so the brother unloads Murray for the night by buying him tickets to an experimental theater show called "The Theater of Life" where people can pay to participate in a scripted spy caper--kind of a live-action version of choose your own adventure.

The only problem is (and there's always a problem, right?) Murray gets twisted around and gets himself involved in a real spy caper, thinking it's fake and he bungles through as only Bill Murray can. Rated PG.

5. Apollo 13
See? Another Tom Hanks movie. Told you I liked him (but then who doesn't?).

You probably remember this film about the 1970 Apollo 13 moon voyage where the famous "Houston, we have a problem" line was uttered but if you haven't seen it you must. A great movie and historical films are always good for talking about afterward and inspiring further study. I'd also recommend Spartacus, A Man for All Seasons, Amadeus, Ghosts of Mississippi, Gandhi and Memphis Belle as good historical movies and I'm sure there are plenty more that I just can't recall right now.

Rated PG

6. Operation Condor
James Bond is always fun but Jackie Chan is even more fun (unless we're talking Casino Royale, then forget it, James Bond is definitely better).

The problem is, Bond isn't exactly the greatest role model for children and you know what I mean. Try Jackie instead--and while there's plenty of punching and dodging and kicking and bullets flying it's not gory and you won't see him with a martini or a babe in bed. Other martial arts movies tend to take themselves way too seriously but this one is played for the comedy (I still do not get Crouching Dragon Hidden Tiger--what was up with that flaky ending???)

Operation Condor is his best movie, while some of the others are fun they tend to fall into this tumble mess of Hong Kong city scenes and dubbed second-rate actors. It's PG-13 for the action.

7. Sky High
Okay NOW we've got movies for smaller kids though the great thing about this one is it's enjoyable enough that adults can watch it too. The premise is that this kid is the child of two superheroes and just like Harry Potter gets called into Hogwarts at age 11 this young super guy gets to go to the high school for super heroes: Sky High.

Honestly? It's Kurt Russell's funniest role and the lines actually get you chuckling. There are sappy kid movies that are a drain to sit through and then there are those that take pity on us as parents and give us something we can enjoy too.

As with all Hollywood successes the film inspired a knockoff called Zoom which stunk. Don't bother with it, stick with this one and enjoy. Rated PG.

8. The Kid
The movie where Bruce Willis made his transition from hardened NYC cop fighting super bad guys to sensitive leading man not afraid to show his vulnerability though the real star of the movie is the kid himself. The boy who plays Bruce's younger self with all his lisping, chubby cuteness.

Bruce goes back in time to meet up with his younger 10 year-old self to determine why his life hasn't turned out quite the way he'd originally intended and of course goes through all that self-discovery, repentance and resolution that you'd expect from the screen writers guild.

Again, a movie that's good for adults and kids alike, rated PG.

9. Secondhand Lions
Don't be fooled and think that because this is possibly the sweetest most endearing movie ever made that it's just for kids or that it's all cheese and sugar. With Michael Caine and Robert Duvall you can expect that it's a first-class production and it is a fabulous movie for the whole family.

A boy on his way to being a man is foisted on his elderly uncles living in the middle of the Heartland. The men are eccentric but wise and full of stories and advice that is just what the boy needs and just what we need to keep us watching and chuckling and enjoying ourselves when we watch it.

I don't know why movies like this are considered "family" movies, they ought to just be considered "excellent" and leave it at that. I see no reason why they should be shoved off into a separate category merely because they're devoid of offensive material. End of tirade.

Definitely an A movie, rated PG.

10. Willow
Another Ron Howard film and a favorite from the 80s. Not at good as Lord of the Rings but then what is? And while it's not as good it's funnier, which I do appreciate--thanks Ron.

I've tried to hit all sorts of genres with this list and here's my nod to fantasy, this mini epic (is that an oxymoron?) follows our heroes (including Val Kilmer) as they try to save the world from the evil queen while rescuing the child of which it has been prophesied that salvation would come. Got it?

Watch the brownies, they're a crack-up. And while the costumes, set and cinematography aren't exactly Peter Jackson it's a fun movie that gives you plenty to enjoy--rather like The Princess Bride. Rated PG.

11. Without a Clue
If you're going to mess with Sherlock Holmes then THIS is how you do it. Take notice Robert Downey, Jr--Michael Caine takes on the role with Ben Kingsley as the ever-present Dr. Watson but the twist is that Holmes is a complete idiot and Watson is the brains of the operation. Holmes, an out-of-work actor, is hired by Watson to increase his street cred with the guys at Scotland Yard and things go off from there.

Great comedy, AND it includes the bonus of having Ed Rooney (remember Ferris Beuller?) playing Inspector Lastrade, the only man possibly as stupid as Holmes himself.

Rated PG. And if you like this you might try Dirty Rotten Scoundrels with Caine and Steve Martin, another classic comedy that I love love love which is also PG.

12. The Rookie
Sports movie? Check. This one's good though there is also Rudy, Remember the Titans, Rookie of the Year, Cool Runnings and Little Big League as well, depending on the age you're trying to entertain. Oh, and Invincible is pretty good too--though that's for older kids.

I like sports movies well enough, they're all pretty much the same, and this one follows the tracks with reliability.

Rated G though and I have to at least give it a mention--when was the last time they made a G movie at all, let alone one that adults could sit through as well? You kind of have to go back to the Disney princess era for that.

13. Ever After
Speaking of Disney princesses, here's the girliest movie on the list and it's a great one. Ever After is the live-action Cinderella story, told with plausibility as if you were trying to explain how it could have really happened.

Drew Barrymore is fun, the clothes are beautiful, the movie is romantic without being saccharine and I give it two thumbs up. It's rated PG-13 for "brief intense language" but honestly? I can't remember ever hearing anything at all like that--I must have missed it because it seemed squeaky-clean to me.

It even has it's fun lines and chuckles too.

14. Galaxy Quest
Can you tell I'm more inclined to a movie if it's funny? This one is great, it's really a spoof on Star Trek and it cracks me up.

Tim Allen, that guy from Monk, Sigourney Weaver, Alan Richman--great cast, funny lines, clever scenario, it's all there and if you haven't seen it you're missing out.

Oh, and it also has that guy from the Mac commercials (I don't know his name) that makes Macs look cooler than PCs. He's in it.

Though I warn you, you'll never look at Gilligan's Island the same way again (inside joke--watch the movie). Never. Rated PG.

15. Nicholas Nickleby
And my nod to period movies. This one is touching, sweet, well-made, and thoroughly a thrill. And while it has those typical moments of Dickensian squalor and abject human suffering it's not a bad movie to watch together because you can then talk a bit about what you saw. My kids got pretty choked up over the plight of poor Smike.

I'm talking about the 2003 version with Anne Hathaway and Allen Cummings and the rest of the fabulous cast. And if you like period movies then there's always of course Pride and Prejudice and the whole Jane Austen collection but this one is probably the best for younger kids. Just an opinion.

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Alaska Inside and Out

I haven't felt very festive at all lately, it doesn't seem as if it could possibly be December 9th already, and I've found myself wishing that I could get a bit of a delay on the whole holiday thing--you know, push it back a week or two so that I could be good and ready. Apparently I need to brace myself for impact.

Nonetheless, we went out Monday to cut our Christmas tree. Instead of doing our traditional breakfast binge at IHOP this year we did the dine-in option. To make it more fun we pretended as if we had menus and everyone ordered whatever they wanted including but not limited to: cherry covered pancakes, sausage, scrambled eggs and omelets and somehow they all thought it tasted better than if we were eating out (though I think they were just being kind).

The fog was heavy on the inlet as we drove south but on the return trip this is what we saw coming down from the pass back toward Portage:


And by the end of the evening this is what we saw:


And suddenly I felt more in the mood.

Lillian and I sat down to finish the beaded crystal snowflakes I started nearly a year ago but didn't quite finish in time for Christmas 2008 so our windows are decorated, our tree is up and we are officially Christmas-worthy. Bring it on.


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More Sewing Projects and a Few Mistakes

I had another post lined up for today and wouldn't you know it? I messed the entire thing up. Long story but you can bet I let out a wail when my hour of work went down the drain. I'll have to try it again for next week but to hold you over I'll share this instead.

I was kind of proud of this one because I had an old dress pattern from several years ago (New Look 6748 if you're interested) that I'd been holding onto and then I happened to have yards of fabric left over from Grace's Halloween costume last year.

So I put the two together and came up with this. Kind of like the peanut butter/chocolate marriage thing and I think it works--at least I felt kind of fun wearing something that felt a little more exotic than my standard dark winter wear.

However, the whole thing was not without its irritations as well because the pattern called for a knit fabric. I was worried that my normal size would be too small for a woven pattern so I cut it larger and when I was done it looked like a tent on me.

Great. So I spent the next day taking the whole thing apart and cutting it down to size (the good news and the bad news, right?) Well after I'd spent a second day of sewing putting it back together I realized I'd messed up yet again and cut it too much--it was now too small. I could hardly breathe.

So I took it off, took a deep breath (trying not to say the words that came to mind) then I took it all apart yet again and spent a third day of sewing to put it back together, complete with hidden inserts for expansion. It was quite an ordeal.

So how did I know it was a success? When my daughter wanted to borrow it for the dance. Nice try Grace.

***

As for last weekend's VTech toys giveaway, I ended up having to redraw a winner which was Karen of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. Congratulations to her and to Stephanie at Metropolitan Mama who won this weekend's TOMS Shoes Giveaway.

Sponsored by Beau-Coup for unique baby shower favors.