Game Day Recipe

 I have one more recipe for the Big Game on Sunday.  I recently came across this recipe and have made it several times.  It gets rave reviews every time.  Tonight we had a small Blue Friday party at our house to kick off Super Bowl weekend.  A prefunc, if you will.  That said, Hubby and I plan on watching the game without a party.  We don't want to miss a minute.

Sweet N Sticky Pigs in a Blanket

Ingredients:

Little Smokies sausages

Can of crescent rolls

1/2 cup chopped pecans

1/4 cup butter

3 T. brown sugar

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.  Melt butter in a 9 x 9 pan.  Mix in the brown sugar to make a butter brown sugar slurry.*

 

I'm not even sure if slurry is the right word but doesn't a brown sugar and butter slurry sound good?  *Slurry is just another word for mud.

 Sprinkle on the chopped pecans.  You can find them already chopped in the baking aisle in your grocery store or you chop them yourself.

Roll the Little Smokies up with pieces of the crescent rolls.  I cut each crescent roll into four pieces.

Place the rolled up sausages next to each other in the baking dish on top of the slurry.  Makes 32 pigs in a blanket.

Bake at 375 degrees for 25 minutes or until golden.

You can double the recipe and bake in a 9 x 13 pan.

Sweet fancy Moses, these pigs are delish!  A winner for sure.  

Now, lets just hope the Seahawks are the WINNERS on Sunday.  

I'm doing my part, I'll be laying on my lucky love seat for the entire game.

You're welcome.  

Blue Friday and Green Kettle Corn

Unless you're living under a rock you know the BiG football game is on Sunday.  The Super Bowl, which no one is allowed to say or use anymore.  The BiG game between the Seattle Seahawks and the Denver Broncos.  Of course, we are Seahawk fans.

Hubby has been making kettle corn here for many years.  I was given the whirly popper at one my bridal showers by my Aunt Shirley.  It makes the best popcorn and works great on the camp stove.

This morning Hubby is home and I got the bright idea to pop up some Seahawk kettle corn.  Kettle corn involves the magic of salty and sweet.  Salty and sweet snacks are my favorite.

Seahawk Kettle Corn

You'll need a whirly crank popcorn popper or a pan on the stove like Grandma used to do will work too.

 Ingredients:

Scant 1/4 cup oil

Scant 1/2 cup popcorn

1/4 cup sugar* just use white sugar for regular kettle corn

Salt, we just grind some sea salt into the popper, guessing about 1/2 tsp or less

I had green sugar cookie sprinkles  in the house so we used those for the green sugar.

For the blue I measured 1/4 cup regular sugar into a small bowl and added 5-6 drops of blue food coloring and mixed it through the sugar.

 Isn't it pretty?  Go Hawks!

 Pour the oil in the popper, add popcorn, sugar and salt.

 Have your stove top HoT and get ready to crank.  FAST.  Don't let up or it will burn,

 Crank fast, I'm not kidding.  Well, actually have your hubby crank, fast.

When the popping lets up be ready to dump it FAST to prevent burning.

 Jump around the kitchen when your experiment actually works.  WooT!

 The green sprinkles turn out brighter than the home dyed sugar.

 Mix your green and blue kettle corn and settle into your lucky chair for the BiG football game.

 Later I'll be sharing one more recipe for game day.  Even if you aren't a football fan everyone is a fan of the food on Super Bowl big football game Sunday.  YUM!

*I am not endorsing anything on this blog.  

I do not approve of anyone making this recipe using orange sugar.  

Go Hawks!

I Love my Mountain

 On Saturday Hubby and I went with Mark and Karen snowshoeing at Mt. Baker.  We found some snow but it is definitely low this year.  The parking lot was asphalt and gravel, which I've not ever seen in the Winter.  Once we got on the trail though there was snow and sunshine.  One of my favorite combinations.

After a tailgate lunch and some serious Vitamin D we decided to take a drive to the upper lodge and then to the snow park.

At the snow park we saw the best hoar frost or frost flowers I've ever see.  It was coming out of clumps of snow, the ground and the road.

 Definition: Hoar frost is an arrangement of ice crystals on objects on the surface of Earth. The appearance of hoar frost results from the sublimation of water vapor into ice.

When the temperature of items on the ground are below freezing, condensation of water vapor can occur. Similar to the formation of dew, moist air will be cooled when it comes in contact with the cold surfaces. The air will quickly reach the dew point temperature, which, in this case, is below freezing. The water vapor will then convert directly into ice and leave needle-like coatings of hoar frost on various objects including grass, trees, telephone wires, and more.

 My iphone pictures don't do it justice.  Really it was some of the prettiest jewels I've ever seen.  Sparkly, crystal diamonds in the snow.  A stunning garden of frost flowers.  Yay God!

We stopped at Chair 9 for an early dinner and then drove home, taking the long way.  It was such a beautiful day we couldn't resist.  Then home and a flop on the sofa for the evening.

Good stuff.

Blue Friday

Last Friday I was in Seattle for the Seattle Gift Show, buying for the museum store.  It was fun to be in Seattle on a Blue Friday before the big game.  We saw some crazy fans!

Hubby went with me to Seattle.  He is my support staff for three days.  Hubby drives, carries the catalogs, knows when I need a break, reminds me to drink water and to eat.  And he is the best company in the evenings after a long day.  I found so many great things for the museum shop and I'm excited for the new year.

My plan is to paint the store this month so most orders are for late February, early March.

I set the table Tuesday evening for dinner and when Hubby came home he wanted to go to Tavern Tuesday at Red Robin.  If the Seahawks score in the red zone on the weekend then it is Tavern Tuesday on Tuesday.  That means BOGO burgers.  We called friends, hopped in the car and left my feeble plan for dinner behind.

Last night Hubby had a salad and I had peanut butter toast so this morning the table was still set...

Oh my, how my dinner planning has left the station since the guys left the nest.  Maybe tonight I'll cook. 

Danny mentioned to me my lack of blogging and recipes while we were chatting on the phone this week.

It's pretty difficult to post recipes when I am not cooking.

That said, I am planning a Super Bowl series of recipes.  It's just been a busy time at work and with volunteer commitments.  I apologize and hope to make amends.

Speaking of the Super Bowl, do you have a party, go to a party or stay home so you can watch every play, every replay from the comfort of your own sofa?

I just can't decide.

I was home alone for the game against the '49er's on Sunday and it was a good thing.  I might have embarrassed myself if  I hadn't been alone.  There was a lot of jumping, yelling, throwing myself on the sofa and running in place to relieve stress.

What are your Super Bowl plans?

GO HAWKS!

It's January blahblahblah

Every January I begin the Eat Less Move More campaignbattleresolutiondietathon.  It's the wood stove, the cookies, the family dinners, the wine, the appetizers, the chex party mix that get me every holiday season.  By the way I don't eat the wood stove but I do lay, lounge and sit by the fire rather than walk or run.  So, here I go again filled with good intentions, ambition and lofty goals.

Whatever fattening food and goodies that were left in the house I gave to Sam and Max yesterday.  They were happy and I have less temptation to finish things.  I'm a Dutch lady therefore I do not waste.  Ever.

So much to motivate me this year.  I can't share all of the trip itineraries just yet because you'll hate me.  I do have  several sunny vacations in 2014.  How many is several, well, it's more than two.  Don't be a hater.

And of course, I am on the wedding diet.  Sam and Angela are getting married in 2014.  I don't want to be filled with regret every time I go through that photo album.

Are you on an Eat Less, Move Move this year?  Do tell.  What works for you?

I have taken down five Christmas trees and have one to go, a small one.  Whew.  That was a whole lotta fun being on the Christmas Homes for the Holiday Tour but no one tells you just how grueling the take down is going to be.  I am resolved to finish today.

Our guys were all home for Christmas and it was fun.  The best pictures were of the kids in their pj's sitting by the tree but alas I was told I couldn't share them.

Sam was the BiG winner of left,center,right at my folk's party.  The winnings are a  nice addition to the wedding fund.

 Christmas morning brunch after church and then opening gifts was pretty traditional.  Christmas Eve eve a new tradition began.  I love adding new traditions to the mix.

Now the guys are all back to their homes and Hubby and I will settle back into the empty nest routine beginning today.

In between all of the fun and frivolity there were funerals, flu and an oral surgery.

But overall, it was about the best Christmas ever.  It always is.

Mount Baker Day 2013

When our guys were little we had many family days at the beach, at the zoo or a park.  Hubby and I realized as our guys got older that if we wanted to spend time with them that we needed to meet them where they were at in life.  And that we should bring food.  Good food.

Tailgating at Mt. Baker is a great way to have a fun family day where everyone gets to do what they love.

 Mama's special cocoa helps keep everyone warm.

 Danny, Sam and Max had an early morning start to go skiing and boarding.  Hubby and I drove up with Angela and Reagan a little later.

 After lunch, Angela went snowshoeing with us.  The snow was heavy on the trees and so beautiful.  Reagan was with us on her leash or in a scarf in front of Angela.  She is really the sweetest little puppy.

I love snow, my family, good food, snowshoeing, and being outdoors so this really is my happy place.