Bloody Mary

I love an occasional Bloody Mary. I'll tell you there sure is a wide variety of recipes, but this is my favorite version. I'm picky about my Bloody's and I have tasted them in many different places. The oddest one of all was in an Italian restaurant, as soon as I took one sip I knew something was off. Then I had my Stud Muffin taste it, he said it tasted fine. I took a few more taste testing little sips until I realized that there must be some rum in there. I approached the bartender and guess what, low and behold someone moved the rum to the vodka spot. I can see that happening because I used to tend bar and you never read each bottle, a good speedy bartender knows where every bottle is without looking. Trust me rum in a Bloody Mary is just plain old awful, so go for the vodka or the tequila, but, for this drink, avoid the rum like the Plague.

Bloody Mary

• Martini shaker
• mini skewer, the disposable kind
• 1 large beer glass
• 3 slices pepperoni
• 1 grape tomato
• 1 mozzarella string cheese stick, only using a 1 inch piece cut off
• 1 lime wedge, room temp
• Old Bay seasoning
• ice
• 2-3 oz. Belvedere Vodka
• 1/4 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
• Tabasco, a few drops
• dash of freshly ground black pepper
• dash of celery seed
• one 5.5 oz. can V-8 juice, regular or spicy hot flavor, chilled
• 1 disposable straw, the bendable kind

Prepare skewer by alternating pepperoni slices, tomato and cheese, set aside. Slice a lime wedge and cut across the middle so that you can wet the rim of the glass with lime juice. After wetting glass rim you may now add some Old Bay to a bowl or small plate and dip the rim of glass into Old Bay, coating glass rim evenly like you would a Margarita glass with salt, set aside.

In a martini shaker add some ice, vodka, Worchestershire sauce, Tabasco, black pepper, celery seed and the whole can of V-8. Put the lid on and shake a few times to mix well.

Pour mixture into prepared beer glass and place on top a lime wedge and prepared skewer, then add the straw. Enjoy!

If you would like to drink a Bloody Maria just substitute tequila for vodka. Or how about a Bloody Virgin, just eliminate the alcohol.

Chicken N Dumplings

Now this recipe is a stick-to-your-ribs comfort food that will warm you up from the inside out. These babies are the lightest, fluffiest, melt-in-your-mouth dumplings that you will ever eat. It's the best cure-all of a cold dreary Winter day. Give it a try and make your fat cells smile.

Chicken N Dumplings

• 18 cups or 4 ½  qts. water
• 1/2 cup chicken base
• 1 Rotisserie chicken, whole
• 1 ½  cup diced celery hearts
• 1 ½  cup diced sweet onion
• 1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper     

In a large 8 qt. soup pot add water and base. Mix well with a wire whisk breaking up base. Add chicken and bring to a boil, then lower heat to a simmer and cook covered for 15 minutes.

While chicken is simmering, dice celery and onion. After chicken has simmered for 15 minutes remove chicken from pot and place on platter and set aside to cool. Strain broth from soup pot through a fine wire mesh. Return broth back to a clean pot. Add diced celery, onion, & black pepper to pot. Bring to a boil and cover, reduce heat to simmer.

Meanwhile remove skin from chicken and discard. Pull chicken meat from bones and cut into bite size portions. Add chicken to soup pot and simmer for 30 minutes. Now prepare dumpling recipe below and add dumplings to soup pot.

Dumplings

• 2 cups sifted all purpose flour
• 1 tsp. salt
• 4 tsp. baking powder
• ¼ tsp. freshly ground black pepper
• 1 egg beaten
• 3 Tbsp. melted butter
• 2/3 cup milk

Sift together dry ingredients. Add egg, melted butter, and milk to make a moist stiff batter. Drop by teaspoons  into boiling liquid. Cover and simmer for 18 minutes. Do not open lid or stir while dumplings are cooking.

This is a very old recipe for dumplings and they are called feather dumplings. They are the lightest and fluffiest dumpling that I have ever eaten and they will melt in your mouth.

Asian Steamed Dumplings

Steamed dumplings oh how I love thee. I used to make these many years ago and decided to dust off my old recipe to share. You know how you just get a craving for something.

Many moons ago I would go over to visit my friend Becki when her son Nathan was just a little guy. Without fail he would ask his Mom if Debra was bringing the dumplings. So I mastered this recipe many times over for the little guy. To this day I can not make or eat a dumpling without thinking of that little guy Nathan that stole my heart so many years ago (he's a young man now). My they grow up so fast. Enjoy!

Asian Steamed Dumplings

• 1/2 lb lean ground beef or ground turkey (93% lean)
• 1 tsp. garlic (chopped in jar)
• 1 tsp. freshly peeled and grated ginger root
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1 green onion sliced thin (green top too)
• 1 Tbsp. finely chopped fresh cilantro
• 1 1/2 Tbsp. Teriyaki Sauce (Kikoman) and extra for dipping
• 1 ten count pack Pillsbury buttermilk biscuits 7.5 oz. can

Mix above ingredients together well, except for biscuits and flour, set aside. Meanwhile roll out one pack of the biscuits on a lightly floured surface into 4 inch rounds.

Add 1 heaping Tbsp. of meat mixture to center of biscuit round. Moisten 1/2 of biscuit edge with water and fold in half then press down and seal edges with a fork. Now you will have a half circle. Refrigerate up to 4 hours in advance or you may steam immediately.

Place dumplings in a steamer basket sprayed with cooking spray above boiling water, cover and steam them for 20 minutes. Do not open lid. I like to use a stackable steamer, be careful not to let the dumplings touch or they will stick together.

After they are done remove immediately to a serving plate and use more Teriyaki sauce for dipping. Enjoy!

Fresh ginger is easier to grate if you keep it frozen. This makes 10 dumplings.

Norma's Brownies

When I was a little girl my Mom made these brownies for our family and it was my Mom's friend Norma that gave her this scrumptious recipe, hence the recipe's name. So this recipe came all the way from Oklahoma City, just a mere 5 decades ago. Oh how times flies! I cringed when my Mom first gave me this recipe because it called for Crisco in it. I thought this would be much better with butter, but trust me, butter does not work. So with an open mind try these babies. I'll tell you it spoiled me and I was never able to enjoy a brownie mix baked from the box. These brownies are moist and chocolatey in the center but with a light thin crisp of a top. Spoil yourself.

Norma's Brownies

• 1 1/2 cups cake flour
• 2 cups sugar
• 10 Tbsp. powdered Hershey's cocoa
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 cup Crisco
• 4 eggs, beaten
• 2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1 cup nuts (optional) pecans, walnuts or macadamia nuts

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

With an electric mixer cream together Crisco, sugar and eggs. In a large bowl whisk together flour, salt and cocoa until mixed well. Then add to Crisco mixture along with the vanilla extract, mixing until well blended.

Spray a 13" x 9" x 2" Pyrex dish with cooking spray, evenly spread batter into dish (the batter will be thick) and bake for 30 minutes or until pick into center come out clean.

Let cool for one hour then you can cut into squares and store in an air tight container.

Do not use margarine or butter.

Frozen Dog Treaties

I am a big dog lover and always try to find a way to give them different treats. If you have a dog that loves to eat peanut butter and ice then this will be a win-win for you and your beloved pooch. I went to the Dollar Store and picked up some ice cube trays for my boy Teddy. He's a loveable knucklehead.

Frozen Dog Treaties

• Peanut Butter
• Water
• Ice cube tray

Place a small dollop of peanut butter into each ice cube tray section and top off with water.

Place in freezer until frozen solid.

Empty into a Ziploc freezer bag and store in freezer. Pull out a cube for a treaty as needed.

The Healthier Nacho

• 1 Tbsp. chili powder
• 1 tsp. onion powder
• 1 tsp. paprika
• 1 tsp. garlic powder
• ½-1 tsp. ground chipotle powder
• ½ tsp. cumin
• ½ tsp. salt
• ¼ cup ketchup
• ¾ cup water
• 1.3 lb. Shady Brook Farms ground turkey, 99% lean
• 1 medium sized diced sweet onion
• 1 can fat free refried beans, 16 oz.
• 1 jar pickled jalapeño slices
• 1 bag Utz Baked Tortilla chips
• 1 (8 oz.) pkg. Sargento 4 Cheese Mexican reduced fat cheese

In a small bowl mix together first 7 ingredients. In a 2-cup measuring cup put ketchup, water and spice powders. Whisk together and set aside.

Brown ground turkey and onion in a medium nonstick skillet sprayed with cooking oil and cook over medium heat. When meat is no longer pink and is cooked through add spice mixture to meat while stirring well until all meat is coated. Add refried beans and simmer uncovered for 5 minutes. Preheat oven to 450º at this time if you are going to bake them.

You need to decide whether or not you would like to bake or microwave them.
• Option #1: Bake at 450º on a cookie sheet for about 8 minutes or until cheese is melted.
• Option #2: Microwave on plate until cheese is melted, my microwave took 60 seconds.

Now that you have decided whether or not you want to microwave or bake, prepare the munchies. Place chips in a single layer on a plate or cookie sheet without any gaps and a spoonful of the turkey/bean mixture onto each chip then top with grated cheese and some jalapeños.

You may make the turkey/bean mixture aday ahead if you wish, just heat mixture up before preparing Nachos. Also you may add additional toppings such as sliced black olives, freshly chopped green onion, fat free sour cream, etc.

DIY Kissing Ball Project

Supplies list

1. Five to six inch wet foam ball, clink on this link to see.
2. Decorations such as: pine cones, red berries, mini X-Mas balls, ribbon at least 3ft long, and wire.
3. Bucket.
4. 4 large pine branches cut into pieces into 6-7 inches long with about a 2 inch stem to stick into foam ball.
5. Wire to hang ball, I recommend bending an old wire coat hanger.
6. Make sure you wear long sleeves and gloves because the pine is very prickly.

Directions

1. Soak foam ball in bucket filled with cool water for about 10 minutes.
2. Send your Stud Muffin outside to cut the pine branches.
3. Place wire through the wet foam ball leaving a 3 inch stem at bottom then bend it at a right angle. This will stop the ball from slipping back out and you will have a spot to hang the ribbon on the bottom wire. I recommend you do this over a sink or a bucket as it will drip the whole time.
4. Start at the bottom of the ball and start sticking pine cutting into the ball in a random order about an inch apart.
5. After the ball is full of greens then randomly add decorations.
6. Attach ribbon onto the bottom of wire sticking through the ball.
7. Hang outside and spritz with water everyday. Last year our lasted for many months.

      This is a messy project and it would be best done in a utility sink, basement or garage.