The end

 

...about 25 years ago, 50 of my closest friends and family, who had been on an

  e-mail forum with me, sent in recipes in different categories and we compiled a cookbook.

I decided to count those down!

Why?

because one night I was looking thru the cookbook and I said, "I should make every recipe in here for my blog."

The Handyman/Mayor, who thinks he knows me better than I know myself, said "you'll never EVER do that."

Well, maybe I will!  Maybe I'll show him!

Which brings us to recipes #355, 356, 357 and 358

THE END!

I did it! I showed him, didn't I?

What exactly did I show him?

Hmmmm--well, lots of good food and fond memories for a couple things.

And remember how I said that thinking of stories was so hard to come by and I struggled with it after recalling so many of them thru the years?

Well--now tons more memories come flooding back into my brain.  I have so many stories left to tell!

I am relieved and sad... but more about that later. 

For now, here are the last four recipes of the whole cookbook.

I held these until the very end for my own reasons.  They are from 

Traci Marques--because her's was the very first recipe I made for the cookbook.

Shelly Noble--because she has made me beautiful 'cookbooks' of all these blog posts from Shutterfly

and

Barbarba Brown, who typed up and printed the original Friday Friend Cookbook.

(she was the editor and chief) 

Let's start with a little appetizer from our Editor Barb.

Barb and her husband Doug.

I was going to say Barb and her better half, but everyone knows that Barb is the better. 

(sorry Doug)

All of Barb's recipes can be found if you click here

Do it now!

And then we'll also have some beverages to go with our appetizers,

 Traci Marques' champagne punch.

(and yes, we had this entire menu as our meal--it was great)

Traci and her husband Larry.  She too is the better half. 

Larry has to know that, right?

LOL

All of Traci's recipes can be found by clicking here--right here!

Do it now!

  

And the main dish--spaghetti from Shelly Noble!

Which in a way is fitting because we have a total of 26 spaghetti sauces in the Friday Friend Cookbook Countdown.

Twenty-Six!  

I begged the Friday Friends to turn in their spaghetti sauce recipes.  I've always found it funny, how you can take the same basic ingredients, and they all turn out so different.  And they did.   All were good--but how can you go wrong with pasta and sauce?

But Rich (I just said his name!  I've called him the Handyman or the Mayor during the past 11 years of this project.) and I do have a couple that stand out as the best for us. 

We don't feel we are prejudiced, but his mom's and my mom's spaghetti are it for us!

And finally, Lorin and his better half Shelly!

I got that right, didn't I?

And you can find Shelly's entries right here--click now.

And to end this fabulous meal we have some of Traci's 

Saltine Cracker Cookies

(which I call Toffee with a Twist)

Wa-Lah!

I'm done.

No more!

I can't even think of a funny story right now.

I think I deserve a prize!

That was a lot of stuff to make-- and a lot of $$$ just to prove my husband wrong.

It's only taken me 11 years.  My first post was in September of 2013.

I wrote this:

I know that my blog has an interesting name.  A name/title that no one gets, because there are no 'friends' writing posts every week. There is only me. 

Long before I knew what a blog was, I had a group e-mail forum that included my friends from near and far...and originally I would ask them a question on Fridays, cut and paste their answers and  share with all.

So there is the history of my name.  Well, not MY name, (that would be 1950's Debbie Reynolds popularity) but rather my blog's name.  It started as a joke, when I thought that only they would be reading this blog.  Now, over 800 posts later, a few other people do read my blog.
It's nice to have made other friends thru this.  But too late to change my name (my blog's name ) to something catchy like " Debbie's Dishes"  or  "Dining with Debbie" or even "Debbie is a hot dish".   Okay, we can leave the last one out, but you know what I mean....you are stuck with the Friday Friends.

I have about 50 of my closest friends on the e-mail forum.  At first, most of them didn't know each other, (they knew me) but over the past 15 years, we've answered and shared silly--and serious---questions,  exchanged Secret Santa Christmas gifts,  had a dieting contest in which we paid a $1 a week and that money went to a scholarship fund for a Friday Friends son's memorial scholarship, and we went on a great vacation for my 52 birthday.
AND,  we contributed recipes for a cookbook.

I was looking at the cookbook the other night and I said, "I should make every recipe in here for my blog."
The Handyman--who knows me better than I know myself (this happened to be a question on the Friday Friend forum once---does your spouse/partner know you better than you know yourself? said, "you'll never, EVER do that."

The reason I said I was relieved and sad at the same time is because

1)  Relieved that I hit a goal

2) Sad because it was fun to 'remember' all those fun times and write them down.  No what'll I do?

3) Sad because a few of my FRIDAY friends and family are no longer with us.  But what great and fun memories I have.

I'm going to pick a new goal.

I think I mentioned that I stole my mother-in-law's recipe box when she passed, and we were cleaning out her home? 

She has index cards with menus on them!

Maybe I'll make the Mayor some of his childhood menus!

They were written back in the day of four:

1. main dish/meat

2. veggie

3. a starch -- potatoes, rice or noodles with every meal.

and 

4. a salad.  My MIL would write 'green' salad or 'tossed' salad

I wonder if she had a difference.? 

I am meandering now....

but this is it--I'm going to recreate and modernize my mother-in-law's menus 😁😁

As I've said before---this feels like I'm saying goodbye to my friends.
I am so sappy sentimental!!

It's ridiculous.

Anyway--this has been fun!

Bye!

Cookbook Countdown #84

 

 

 

I've never taken part in a Bloggiesta  Weekend, but I probably should.   I have so many posts to clean up in my drafts....as you can tell by this Fall colored fudge.  Yes, I made this back in October and it has sat in my drafts ever since.

I thought I was so smart in making 2 recipes from The Pioneer Woman's newest cookbook the moment I bought it.  And I made the two easiest recipes, so what took me so long to post?

I don't know.

 

BUT here it is now....  Cookbook Number 84!

It's been a while since I've recorded a cookbook for my cookbook countdown.

I'm up to 84 and I've made the decision to clean out and get rid of some.  Since I'm well over 300 cookbooks now, it's okay, but I do feel a little guilty --I feel it's cheating to toss them before cooking.

The Handyman says it's okay.  What do you think?

 

Cookbook 84!

 

 

 The Pioneer Woman Cooks: Dinnertime is a beloved collection of all the scrumptious supper recipes that make their way through my kitchen in regular rotation, from main dish salads to satisfying soups to hearty casseroles to comfort food classics . . . and everything in between. I lay out all the different ways I tackle dinner in my house, from super-quick 16-Minute Meals to make-ahead Freezer Food to irresistible pastas and a bundle of brand-new favorites of my crew.

 

To be honest, I love Ree Drummond's cookbooks most of all.  I love her photographs and how each one is kind of a mini memoir or mini auto-biography.

Plus she makes real people food.

 

Real people food that the Handyman likes.

Altho, he would have loved this fudge plain better. I sprinkled candy corn M&M's on it.

I would have liked to add some chopped walnuts to it, but he doesn't like nuts.

(weirdo)

 

 

Quick Fudge

 

3 cups good-quality chocolate chips

1 16oz can sweetened condensed milk

cooking spray--like pam

 

 

Before  you begin, line a square 8x8 pan with foil and spray with Pam.  In a medium saucepan or double boiler, over medium heat, melt the chocolate chips.

And pour in the condensed milk.  Stir them as they melt, taking care to scrap the bottom of the pan to avoid sticking or burning.

Once you can no longer see bits of chocolate chip, remove them from the heat.

Immediately transfer to the prepared pan, pressing it into a single layer.

Cover the pan with foil or plastic and refrigerate for 2 hours.

Once it's all set, pull the edges of the foil to remove the whole thing from the pan and peel off foil.

Cut into 2-inch squares.

 

*you can add a variety of crushed candies or nuts top off the fudge.  Just sprinkle and press them lightly into the fudge.

Suggested toppings:

M&M's

crushed peppermint candies

nuts

sprinkles

And then...

there is  "The Bread"

It's so stinky unbelievably easy that I can' believe she put a recipe for it in her cookbook.

Except that then I would never have made bread this way and now I do and it's

DELICIOUS!! 

The Bread

1 loaf of French or Italian Bread

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened

 

Put an oven rack on the lower level on the oven and preheat to 325F.

Slice your loaf in half lengthwise and lay them cut side up on a baking sheet.

Smear I stick of butter on each half.  Yes she said 1 stick of butter per half.

Cover every inch.

Bake for 5-10 minutes until the butter melts and the bread has a chance to warm up.

Then crank up the broiler and return the oven to the pan and let it broil until the bread is a deep golden brown and almost starts to blacken.

Immediately cut The Bread into strips

and enjoy every bite!

 

Ree says there is no variation.  That this recipe is as good as it gets,

BUT,  you can add a bit of garlic to make it garlic bread and it's good too.

 

These are 2 of the easiest recipes in the book, but they are both great and something I'd make again and again.

 

 

I am going to link up with Weekend Cooking at Beth Fish Reads!  YOU can too!

Weekend Cooking is open to anyone who has any kind of food-related post to share: Book (novel, nonfiction) reviews, cookbook reviews, movie reviews, recipes, random thoughts, gadgets, quotations, photographs. If your post is even vaguely foodie, feel free to grab the button and link up anytime over the weekend.

 

 

 

Christmas Cherries

When I was little, my mom would make a few treats at Christmas, that I just wouldn't eat.  I wouldn't touch them with a 10-foot pole!  Now, as an adult, I hunger for them.  It's that nostalgic feeling that comes over me during the holidays.  I'm still not sure that I love them, but I liked them very much. (maybe I should have tasted one when I was a kid)  They make me think of home and my mom.

Christmas Cherries--that's how I think of these, altho, my mom's recipe says "Quick Cherries".  I can't find anything like them when I google the recipe. To be fair, tho, I only spent about 10 minutes on Google.

Five little ingredients--that's all you need.
One being maraschino cherries with stems  (and when all else fails and you can't find them in your little town call your friend Karen, from Karen Cooks!  Thanks Karen)

Christmas Cherries
maraschino cherries with stems
1/2 cup butter
1 tsp almond extract
2 cups powdered sugar
graham cracker crumbs

Whip the butter, powdered sugar and extract together until it is of a consistency you like and you can wrap around a cherry.  Kind of like a good stiff frosting  (you may have to add or subtract a bit of powdered sugar).

Take a tablespoon  (I didn't really measure) and wrap around a cherry.
Roll in graham cracker crumbs
Refrigerate.
Eat.

These are super sweet, so you only need one or two with a good hot cup of coffee, but they are pretty and nice to have setting on a holiday plate.
A different take on a candied cherry, if you will.

Thanks Mom!  (and Karen!)

(the trick is to not get too much 'candy' around the cherry, but of course I kinda flubbed on that part. Still if you like the taste of  almond,cherry flavor, you are going to love one of these)

Sugared Walnuts, Kringle Kisses and an Award!

I came downs stairs early this morning....so excited to use my computer. It's faster today that it was yesterday! My husband put more memory in it for me.
Now.... I didn't really want more memory, but he thought I needed it. He researched and researched ( I like to jump in and research later) and ordered memory and last night it came. He said "turn off your computer".
I was frightened....very frightened. I thought....why don't we take it to a PROFESSIONAL. But he said "have faith".
I sulked away to the TV room. I was nervous.... I kept hearing swear words coming from the computer room. And then some pacing and then some swearing. I texted my daughter-in-law warning that if HER father-in-law had ruined my computer, I was moving in with them!
I think she was more frightened than I.
BUT...it worked, he did it. My computer is faster than ever. Whew....what a relief! (I have to give him a bad time, you know.)

Okay, so I came downstairs, made coffee, put on some James Taylor Christmas music, opened my blog, and what to my wandering eyes did appear? AN AWARD!

I'm so tickled I can hardly stand it! I won an award.
Honey B. from "The Life and Loves of Grumpy's Honeybunch" ( http://shelbymaelawstories.blogspot.com/ ) gave me the butterfly award for "the coolest blog I ever know".
Hooray, whoopee...and the crowd roars!! She's way too kind, but I'll take it. It's always fun to be noticed. Thanks so much Honey.




A few days ago, I bought a whole bunch of walnuts and thought I would make these sugared walnuts. I use to make them when the boys were younger, but that's been a few years ago. My oldest baby will be 29 in February. That's almost 30! Yikes! I hope he still likes them as well as he used to, because I'm sending him a tin of them in a few days. If you like nuts and sugar and spice, these are the easiest thing to make. And they are kind of nice to have in a dish or to fill out a cookie plate, if you're giving that as a house-warming gift this holiday.

Sugared Walnuts3 cups walnut halves
1 cup white sugar
1/2 T. cinnamon
6 T. milk
1 t. vanilla

Combine sugar, cinnamon in a pot. Add milk and cook to soft ball stage. Add vanilla and walnuts and stir until mixture is grainy and thickened.
Spread immediately onto waxed paper and leave to cool.

This is what you need:

And this is what you do....it's super easy!

Put the milk in the pot.

Add the sugar.

add the cinnamon.

let it come to a soft boil unti it reaches the soft ball stage.


add the vanilla.

add the walnuts.

spread them on a cookie sheet to cool........ and......

they are ready to give as gifts!

*****
The other cookie I just made, I think deserves the award for "most common" Christmas cookie outside of Sugar Cookies. IF you made them with chocolate kisses, there were called them "Kringle Kisses", where I come from, but most of the time, my family made them with chocolate stars. I think the official name is "Peanut Blossoms" or something like that. I've already noticed these cookies on a few other blogs... but really, I think I "thought" of them first. LOL How can I not put mine on also.
Do I even need the recipe? Doesn't everyone make these? It's a cookie most everyone loves. Kringle Kisses, Peanut Blossoms.... whatever you want to call them...they are good.

Kringle Kisses

1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 egg

Cream butter, peanut butter and sugars until light and fluffy; beat in egg.

2 T. milk
1/2 t. vanilla

stir into sugar mixture

1 3/4 cups flour
1 t. baking soda
1/2 t. salt

sift together and stir into sugar mixture

48 Hershey kisses or Chocolate stars
granulated sugar

Shape into small balls about the size of a walnut. Roll in granulated sugar. Place on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake at 375 for 8-10 minutes. Remove from oven and immediately press candy kiss or chocolate star firmly into top of each cookie. Let set.