Almond Bars

Almonds are good for our health, right?

You can see the glistening sugar...and according to news reports recently we should try to cut back on the sweet product...BUT

You are asked to provide a treat for a funeral luncheon, so the healthy almond outweighs the sugar...Perhaps!

This is a tasty treat and easy to prepare!

Almond Bars:

1-1/4 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
3/4 cup sugar (divided)
1/2 cup cold unsalted butter
1 large egg, separated
1/2 cup sliced almonds

Combine flour, cinnamon, and 1/2 cup sugar in a medium bowl. Cut the cold butter in small cubes and add to the dry mixture, cutting in the butter with your nice clean fingers until small crumbs form (almost like a sand mixture). Add egg yolk and work until thoroughly with a fork until well blended (you can use your fingers). Press this mixture into a well greased 9 x 13" glass pan. Slightly beat the egg white and spread on top of cookie dough with a pastry brush. Sprinkle the almonds on top that have been mixed with the remaining 1/4 sugar, pressing to make sure they are not loose.

Bake at 350 degrees for 18-20 minutes. Cool briefly and cut into squares or diamond shapes with a very sharp knife. This is a very important step...if you allow the bars to cool too much, they will break apart when cutting.

You can add a little almond extract if you really enjoy the unique flavor of almond!

Do enjoy~

Ribbon Christmas Tree

I was the "photographer" in the above pic and didn't do justice to Maggie or the fun shirt!

The beautiful ribbons that are on the market today just call my name and I can't pass them up!

The chosen ribbons were arranged by color that suited my eye and then cut to resemble a tree. I used a glue stick to attach the ribbon pieces to shirt and then machine sewed each on, using a fabric stabilizer on the back of shirt .

Co-ordinating thread was used on the ribbon and the tree was topped off with a large red star button~

Such a happy little girl and modeling her shirt for everyone!

Capelet

Time for a sewing project...give the waistline a break!!!!!!!!

Maggie has arrived at the make-believe stage in her life and needed a cape of some sort . After searching the web for ideas I settled on a capelet pattern!

Maggie seems to like her capelet as she is reading to Max, her friendly dog!

Maggie attempting to tie a bow...

I found the pattern for the capelet on a blog named prudentbaby.com and then went on a hunt for some cute fabric and settled on pink and green.
Since the capelet is reversible I was able to co-ordinate the two fabrics nicely!

Barbecue Sauce

This post has been in my memory bank for some time and finally I am going to have the recipe on my blog rather than going through my encyclopedia of cookbooks...brilliant!

The barbecued meat pictured is country style pork ribs but this sauce works well on chicken too!

Barbecue Sauce:

In a skillet saute 1 cup diced onions until tender (you could add celery if desired) in a bit of olive oil

Add 1 cup ketchup, 2/3 cup water, 4 tablespoons lemon juice, 2 tablespoons EACH of brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce, vinegar, and prepared mustard to the onions. Season with salt and pepper if desired and simmer for 15-20 minutes.

Puff Pastry Stars

Puff Pastry!!!

These little stars would jazz up a Christmas buffet or perhaps a nice little gift for a shut-in!

The pearl sugar adds a pretty touch and you can't go wrong with a sprig of mint!

The above photo was taken just prior to the stars entering the oven!

Puff Pastry Stars:

1 package puff pastry, thawed according to package directions
Small amount of pie filling, your choice (I used cherry)

Roll out pastry (one sheet at a time) to measure 16 X 8"
Then cut 8 - 4" squares from each sheet

Place one scant tablespoon of pie filling in center of each square

From each 4" square, cut a slit to within 3/4" of filling

Take every other corner up to the middles (overlapping a bit) and pinch pastry together and place on pastry lined sheet.

Bake at 350 degrees for 18-20 minutes

Prepare a powdered sugar glaze and spread on stars after they have been out of the oven for a few minutes

Sprinkle with pearl sugar and garnish with mint, if desired

Cheesy Chicken Puffs

This particular recipe is going in the quick and easy file...

I had cooked chicken on hand and I always seem to have shredded cheese and a tube of crescent rolls in the fridge...so the only other ingredient was a can of cream of chicken soup and Ben graciously stopped by the store on his way home from work to pick up the necessary ingredient for me!

Sometimes the simple recipe turns out to be a keeper and this is in that category!

Cheesy Chicken Puffs:

1 can Pillsbury Crescent Rolls
2 cups cooked & chopped chicken
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 small can cream of chicken soup
1 can of milk (using the soup can)

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees

Stir soup and milk together thoroughly and set aside.
Separate the crescent rolls and spoon a few pieces of chicken on top of each and then top with 1 tablespoon of cheese.
Wrap up and seal edges by pinching the dough.
Place in a 9x13" pan and pour the soup over all.
Bake for 30 minutes.

Garnish with pepper and chopped green onions.

Enjoy~

Acorn Treats

If you are looking for a cute little edible favor for Thanksgiving, you may want to consider these Acorn Treats!

Did I mention they are quick and easy to prepare?

I just couldn't resist taking a photo of the squirrel towel along with the acorn treats~

Acorn Treats:

1 bag of Nutter Butter Bites
Chocolate Kisses
Milk chocolate chips

That's it for the ingredients!

Melt a half bag of milk chocolate chips and "glue" a kiss to each Nutter Butter Bite

When that is finished, "glue" a chocolate chip to the other end and allow to dry

That is it, you are finished~

Happy Fall Everyone!