Raspberry Brownies

Ingredients

1 (12 ounce) can semi-sweet chocolate chips (2 cups)
1/2 cup butter
3 large eggs
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup chopped nuts


Directions

1. PREHEAT oven to 350°F.

2. Melt 1 cup chocolate chips and butter in large, heavy-duty saucepan over low heat. Remove from heat and let cool.

3. Stir in eggs. Stir in eggs, careful not to scramble. Stir in flour, sugar, vanilla extract and baking soda.

4. Stir in remaining chocolate chips and nuts.

5. Line baking pan with raspberries and spread mixture on top. Poor from the outside in, making sure the outside is layered thicker, so that it may not dry out during backing. Batter will even itself out once done.

6. BAKE for 18 to 20 minutes.



These can be made with your own brownie recipe. Just line a pan with raspberries and poor the brownie mixture over the berries. Serve hot with ice cream. The berries stay fresh and don't dry out and the flavor is fruity and intense, but yet not over powering at all. Very yummy!

You can play with the amount of chocolate chips and nuts you use, depending on your taste. These are best when eaten the same day.

Corn Fritters

Ingredients:

1 cup of fresh corn kernels
1 cup of pureed corn kernels
1 small onions - chopped
1 small bunch of cilantro - chopped
1 small bunch of chives - chopped
1 egg
1/4 cup of milk
1/2 cup of flour
1 tsp of baking power
1/4 tsp of garlic powder
1/2 tsp Mrs Dash
salt and pepper to taste


1. Mixed all above ingredients well.

2.Drop a tablespoon of batter into the oil and cook over medium heat. Cook on both side until golden brown. Serve with a dipping sauce.


You can add chopped shrimp to it as well.

We are Walking!

Baby started walking a couple weeks ago and he's become quite good at it.

He can only walk holding on to his walker for now.

He gets very determined and takes off like he's got some business to take care of.

Wanna-be Papa John's Pizza

I found this dough recipe here and the sauce recipes here. The dough is very fluffy. I, of course, forgot to grease the dough and poke holes in... blah blah blah. This is an easy dough recipe and tastes great too. Papa John's?....almost. I topped mine with chicken, mushrooms and tomatoes. I have rewritten the recipe the way I made it:

For the Dough:

2 1/2-3 cups flour
1 tablespoons sugar
2 1/4 teaspoons fast rising yeast
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup very warm water(120 to 130 degrees)
2 tablespoons olive oil

1. In the food processor, combine 1 cup flour, sugar, undissolved yeast, and salt; blend well.

2. Gradually add water and oil to mixture. Blend at low speed until moistened, then pulse for 2 minutes. Add 1 1/2 to 2 cup of flour until dough pulls away from sides of bowl.

3. On a floured surface, knead in 1/4 to 1/2 cup flour until dough is smooth and elastic. Cover loosely with plastic and let rest in a warm place for about 15 minutes.

4. Press out dough onto (2) 12-inch pizza pans (*I would recommend using 1 larger pan, since this dough has no problem rising to the same Papa John's thickness). Prick randomly with a fork. Let rest again in a warm place for 10-15 minutes.

5. Brush crusts lightly with oil then prebake them in a 450 degree oven for 5 minutes.

6. Top as desired, then bake again in 450 degree oven for 5 minutes, or until cheese melts.

Special Garlic Sauce:

1/2 cup margarine, spread
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

1. Combine ingredients in a small bowl and mix well until completely blended.

2. Place the bowl into the microwave and cook on 1/2 power for 20 seconds. Stir to blend.

I made this with butter and fresh garlic - not the same taste.

Pizza Sauce

1 (14 ounce) can tomato puree
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon olive oil
1/4 teaspoon lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon oregano
1/8 teaspoon basil
1/8 teaspoon thyme
1 small minced garlic

1. Combine all ingredients in a small saucepan over medium heat. Stir well as bring to a boil.

2. When the sauce begins to bubble, reduce the heat and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes. Stir often.

Sweet and Sour Chicken

Chicken:

2 chicken breasts - cut into chunks
2 tbsp corn starch
1 egg white
salt and pepper

Mix corn stach, egg white, salt and pepper together. Coat the chicken in it and deep fry until golden brown. Drain on a paper towels.

Sauce:

2 tbsp of ketchup
2 tbsp of sweet chili sauce
1 tsp of sugar
1 tbsp of vinegar
1 1/2 tsp of corn starch
3/4 cup water
Salt and pepper to taste

1. Whisk all but the cornstarch and 1/4 cups of water together.

2. Over medium-high heat, bring the sauce to a boil, stirring occasionally. Reduce the heat.

3. In a small cup, mix the cornstarch into the water until dissolved.

4. Stir into the sauce and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the sauce thickens, approximately 5 minutes.



Vegetables:

1 half red and 1 half yellow pepper - cut to bite size pieces
1 cup of pineapple
1 small sliced chili-more or less depending your spiciness preference
3-4 slices of ginger
1 small onions - cut into chunks


1. Heat up wok with 1 tbsp of oil. Saute the onions & ginger until lightly browned.

2. Add in all the vegetables and stir fry for 1 min.

3. Add in sauce and toss the fried chicken until it's well coated. Serve with warm rice.

Archangel Gabriel

This festive Synaxis is celebrated to the glory of the Archangel Gabriel, since he ministered to the marvelous mystery of God's incarnate dispensation.

FEAST OF THE annunciation of Our
Most holy lady, the theotokos
and ever virgin mary

Introduction

The Feast of the Annunciation of Our Most Holy Lady, the Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary is celebrated on March 25 each year. The Feast commemorates the announcement by the Archangel Gabriel to the Virgin Mary that our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, the Son of God, would become incarnate and enter into this world through her womb.

Biblical Story

The biblical story of the Feast of the Annunciation is found in the first chapter of the Gospel of Luke (1:26-39). The Archangel Gabriel appeared to the Virgin Mary, who was living in Nazareth, and said to her, “Hail, O favored one, the Lord is with you.” Mary was perplexed and wondered what kind of greeting this was.

The angel told her not to be afraid, for she had found favor with God. He said, “You will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; and of his kingdom there will be no end.”

Mary responded to the angel by asking how this could happen since she had no husband. The angel told her that the Holy Spirit and the power of God would come upon her, and that the child to be born of her would be called holy, the “Son of God.”

The angel then proceeded to tell the Virgin Mary that her cousin Elizabeth had conceived a son in her old age (John the Baptist), and affirmed that with God nothing is impossible.

In faith and obedience to the will of God, Mary replied to the angel, “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord; let it be according to your word.” Upon her response, the angel departed.

It is on the Feast of the Annunciation, that Orthodox Christians commemorate both the divine initiative of God, whereby He took on flesh from the Virgin for our salvation, and the human response, whereby Mary freely accepted the vocation offered to her. He elected to become man, and He desired to do this with the willing agreement of her whom He chose as His mother. Mary could have refused, for she was not a passive instrument, but an active participant with a free and positive part to play in God’s plan for our salvation. Thus, when on this and other feasts the Orthodox Church honors the Theotokos, the Mother of God, it is not just because God chose her but also because she herself chose to follow His will.

Icon of the Feast

The icon of the Annunciation is one that presents the joy of the announcement of the coming of Christ. It is an icon of bright colors, depicting the Archangel Gabriel (1), who has descended from heaven, and the Virgin Mary (2), who has been chosen to be the Mother of God.

1. The Archangel Gabriel presents the good news of the coming of Christ to Mary (detail).	2. The Virgin Mary, who was chosen to be the Mother of God (detail).

The Archangel is shown with his feet spread apart as if he is running to share the good news with Mary (3). In his left hand is a staff, the symbol of a messenger. His right hand is extended toward Mary as he delivers the message and announces the blessing bestowed upon her by God (4).

3. The position of Archangel Gabriel's feet suggest that he is running to share the news with Mary (detail).	4. The Archangel's right hand is extended towards Mary as he announces the blessing bestowed upon her [Mary] by God (detail).

On the right side of the icon the Virgin sits on an elevated seat, indicating that as the Mother of God she is “greater in honor than the cherubim, and beyond compare more glorious than the seraphim, who without corruption gave birth to God the Word.” In her left hand she holds a spindle of scarlet yarn (5) which depicts the task she was assigned of preparing the purple and scarlet material to be used in making the veil for the Temple in Jerusalem. Her right hand is raised in a gesture of acceptance in response to Gabriel’s message (6). Her posture expresses willing cooperation with God’s plan of salvation. The three stars on her garments (7) represent that she was a Virgin before, during, and after the birth of Christ.

5. Her left hand holds a spindle of crimson yarn depicting the task that she had of making the veil of the Temple in Jerusalem (detail).	6. Mary's right hand is raised in acceptance of Gabriel's message (detail).
7. The three stars on the garments of the Theotokos represent that she was a Virgin before, during, and after the birth of Christ (detail).	8. A depiction of the divine realm and the Holy Spirit coming upon the Theotokos (detail).

At the top of the icon the segment of a circle represents the divine realm (8), from which three rays emerge. This demonstrates the action of the Holy Spirit coming upon her.

My Perfect Thai Dinner

What a delightful dinner this was! I had to use the rest of my veggies and kind of threw everything I had in the wok. I turned out to be the best dinner this week.

Here is what I used:

Chicken, julienned carrots, green pepper, onion, chilly pepper, sprouts, scallions, garlic, ginger and cilantro. AS for the sauce, I used soy sauces and a spicy ginger teriayki sauce. Served it with Jasmine rice and egg.




Now this might not be considered a Thai meal to some but these are the flavors I remember from dinning out.

My Garden

Sweet Basil
Tomatoes


Jalapeño - bloomed after only a few days!!

Parsley


Rosemary

Failure!

I found this test on this website. Hilarious!!! ....And I thought I was doing 'ok'....

19 As a 1930s wife, I am Very Poor (Failure) Take the test!

Chinese Scallion Pancakes

I am so delighted with these goodies! We ate them with sour cream. The ideal dipping sauce would be a ginger soy sauce or even a sweet and spicy jelly. I can't say enough about how great these turned out!

Ingredients:

3 cups flour
1 cup hot boiling water (or little more or less if needed)
1 1/2 tsp vegetable oil
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 cup scallion, sliced thinly
vegetable oil for brushing and cooking

1. Combine flour and salt in a food processor. Add the oil and the boiling water to the flour. Mix thoroughly to form a dough then knead by hand for 5 minutes. Let rest for 20 minutes.

2. Form the dough into a log and cut into 12 - 16 pieces. Roll each piece into a round disk.



3. Brush disk with oil, sprinkle with scallions and roll it up like a cigar. Pinch pinch the ends closed.

4. Coil the cigar into a snail-shaped disk. Cover with a wet paper towel and let rest for 15 min.

5. Flatten the snail like dough with the heel of your hand into a disk and roll it into a flat pancake.

6. Heat a non stick skillet over medium heat and fry in vegetable oil.

Classic Tote

I recently won these fabrics here. I tried to follow this tutorial online to make a tote but that didn't really work out. I eye balled my measurements and got rather inspired by it.



This turned out better than my first project.

Peach Season

I got this great recipe and pie picture from here. My camera was dead at the time and we just couldn't wait that long and risk the pie getting cold. :p

Ingredients:

6 firm-ripe white peaches, peeled and sliced (about 2 pounds)

1/3 to 1/2 cup granulated sugar

2 tablespoons flour

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/8 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg, or to taste

1 teaspoon lemon zest

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice1/2 (17.3 ounce) package frozen puff pastry, thawed

1 large egg lightly beaten with

1 teaspoon water and a pinch of salt (for egg wash)

Almond Crunch Topping (recipe below)

Powdered sugar, to taste

.

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400°. Combine first 7 ingredients in a large bowl.

2. Unfold 1 puff pastry sheet, and roll to 1/8-inch thickness on a lightly floured surface. Fit into a 9-inch pie plate, allowing edges to hang about 2 inches over rim. Add peach mixture, mounding in center of pastry. (Cup your hands around peach mixture, and push it toward center.) Bring corners of pastry to the center, leaving some filling exposed. Brush pastry with egg wash.

3. Press Almond Crunch Topping into pastry. Place pie plate on baking sheet, and bake at 400° for 40 to 45 minutes or until pastry is golden and filling is bubbly. (Lay a sheet of foil over tart if it begins to overbrown.) Cool slightly, and dust with powdered sugar. Serve warm with ice cream or frozen yogurt, if desired.

ALMOND CRUNCH TOPPING

1/3 cup sliced almonds

2 tablespoons sugar

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl.