Blueberry Lemonade

Christmas is over and the new year presses upon us almost impatiently.  As 2012 begins, I hope to begin my crafting work with the definition of my spring moods; I have outlined these in my "idea journal" several times before now, so just the putting together of many thoughts and ideas will complete the cycle.

Blueberry Lemonade...............I think of it as a pale yellow, a beautiful blueberry blue and a hint of deep lavender.  This mood can be accented with cream and occasionally punctuated with a vibrant red, but only sparingly.

This lovely flower captures what I envision for this mood.

Stay tuned for more.

Blueberry Lemonade - Frozen Delight

Frozen Blueberry Lemonade

by Jessica on July 6, 2011

Click on the title to be linked directly to the creator!!

You know the commercial: a gruff voice announces that lemons always get a bad rap, as one lucky lady sips on the newest McDonald’s delight, the Frozen Strawberry Lemonade. Does it tempt you as much as it does me? I get *this* close to jumping in the car and driving down to the nearest ‘Golden Arches’ before I remind myself of all the sugar and hundreds of calories that this thing packs in such a small cup. I was craving that frozen concoction something fierce, so it was truly fate when this recipe floated through my inbox last week.
It’s not speckled with that famous red berry, but a pretty popular blue one instead. I urge you to try this as soon as humanly possible… just don’t blame me if you become as addicted as I have.

Frozen Blueberry Lemonade
Adapted from: Real Simple
PointsPlus™ Value: 0 (without the Vodka!)
Yields: 4 servings
1-1/2 c fresh or frozen blueberries
1 c Crystal Lite lemonade
1/2 c fresh mint leaves, plus more for garnish
2 tbsp + 2 tsp Splenda
3 c ice
1/2 c Vodka (optional)
In a blender, puree the blueberries, lemonade, mint, Splenda and ice (and vodka, if using) until smooth. Garnish with mint sprigs and serve!

Crimson and Holly - Ragtag Garland

I stumbled across this really cute idea off this blog site that I fell in love with ~ the site and the project idea.

My version of the project is here:

What you need for this is:

a strand of white lights (either 50 or 100 depending on the length you want)
strips of fabric, ribbon and tulle in your selected colors


about 4 hours for assembling

What I did for mine was to take old clothing I bought at a Salvation Army and cut into strips.  The ribbon was the most expensive item, aside from the lights.

Each strip should be about 3 - 5 inches.  I did a variety of lengths and widths which made it look lots fuller, more 3D.

Crimson and Holly - Oatmeal Cranberry Cookies

Yummy..........I love love love making cookies.  And even though I am not feeling really well, I just had to spend the first day of my girls' Christmas vacation doing something to make memories.  It gets harder and harder to pin them down for "family time".  Whitney protested a bit but finally came and helped me drop the spoonfuls of dough onto the sheets.  She ended up taking over the baking portion

The results were amazing.

Oatmeal Cranberry Cookies

Recipe courtesy of Beth Setrakian

Ingredients

• 1 cup unsalted butter
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cups flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon cardamon
• 3 cups rolled oats
• 1 cup dried cranberries (or other dried fruit)

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cream butter and sugars until fluffy. Add eggs and vanilla. Combine dry ingredients. Add to butter mixture and stir until well blended. Add dried cranberries. Drop by teaspoonful onto parchment covered baking sheet. Bake about 10 to 12 minutes, or until lightly golden. Cool.

Crimson and Holly

In my kitchen windowsill is a Glade candle . . spruce it up / apple cinnamon...that fills my kitchen with the most amazing smells of the season.  The spruce aroma is one I only can imagine never having been around a spruce tree.  I normally buy a spruce scent to spray on my artificial tree each year.  These scents are, however, exactly what I have in mind for Crimson and Holly.  Think of the deepest Christmas red velvet and a dark hunter green, something actually regal and expensive. After spending about twenty minutes searching the web for a picture to reflect the vision I have in my mind, I have to confess, I could not find one:  crushed red velvet with satin fringe, green glass, gold, holly leaves, poinsettias, a fireplace and deep rich wood.  The tree needs to have white lights, but only sparsely lit with green and crimson glass ornaments.  I always hear "red, gold and green" playing in a violin concerto.

Chocolate Peppermint - Santa Baby

I searched several videos looking for one that had the right sound and images I wanted. Madonna's version of this song is by far my favorite. The videos available with Madonna have more of her Material Girl video. The essence of Chocolate Peppermint are best represented with this clip from Rockefeller Center.

Chocolate Peppermint Soundtrack

For each "mood", a distinct soundtrack exists to accentuate the mood.  For my Chocolate Peppermint mood, here are the songs I have chosen:

Santa Baby
Jingle Bell Rock
It's Beginning to Look a lot like Christmas
Let it Snow
Sleighride
anything from Destiny's Child Christmas album 


I want to know what songs you thing should be added to this list..............

Chocolate Peppermint Fudge

White Chocolate Peppermint Fudge Recipe

Ingredients

• 1-1/2 teaspoons plus 1/4 cup butter, softened, divided
• 2 cups sugar
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 12 ounces white baking chocolate, chopped
• 1 jar (7 ounces) marshmallow creme
• 1/2 cup crushed peppermint candy
• 1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract
•  

Directions

• Line a 9-in. square pan with foil. Grease the foil with 1-1/2 teaspoons butter; set aside.
• In a large heavy saucepan, combine the sugar, sour cream and remaining butter. Cook and stir over medium heat until sugar is dissolved. Bring to a rapid boil; cook and stir until a candy thermometer reads 234° (soft-ball stage), about 5 minutes.
• Remove from the heat; stir in white chocolate and marshmallow creme until melted. Fold in peppermint candy and extract. Pour into prepared pan. Chill until firm.
• Using foil, lift fudge out of pan. Gently peel off foil; cut fudge into 1-in. squares. Store in the refrigerator. Yield: 2 pounds.

Editor's Note: We recommend that you test your candy thermometer before each use by bringing water to a boil; the thermometer should read 212°. Adjust your recipe temperature up or down based on your test.

Nutrition Facts: 1 serving (1 each) equals 40 calories, 1 g fat (1 g saturated fat), 3 mg cholesterol, 10 mg sodium, 8 g carbohydrate, 0 fiber, trace protein.

Originally published as White Chocolate Peppermint Fudge in Taste of Home's Holiday & Celebrations Cookbook Annual 2002, p87

Doing Time on Maple Drive

My family mediation class just started this semester, and I have 2 papers to write about what makes a family. Ironically, I watched "Doing Time on Maple Drive" as I was getting up and around this cool January morning.

Great movie that highlights some of the struggles, crises, family situations..............it is definitely a movie I want to explore as I jump into my papers.