why exercise isnt part of my new years resolution

because this happens

oh you're on the floor! lets play!

crab rangoon bites from xmas

crab rangoon bites (think crab cream cheese wontons without the frying...)


i mixed the dip up at home, and assembled and baked them over at my parents house on xmas eve. easy peasy! i bought two packages of the phyllo/filo shells.


they were FABULOUS! every last one got eaten.


crab rangoon bites recipe
1 can crab meat, drained (6-7 oz)
8 oz cream cheese - softened to room temperature
2 green onions, chopped (i used more)
1 tsp worcestershire sauce
1/4 tsp garlic powder
30 frozen phyllo shells (2-15 count packages)

preheat oven to 350
add cream cheese, green onions, worcestershire sauce, and garlic powder to a medium sized bowl and stir until smooth. fold in crab meat.
spoon 2 teaspoons into each mini phyllo shell.
bake 10-15 minutes until mini cups are golden brown around the edges.

this recipe came from me looking at a ton of other recipes. they often had sour cream or mayo added. i skipped that - and it was a good call because it turned out fabulous just as it was!
other alternatives to add in
2 tbsp grated parmesan cheese
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/4 tsp ground ginger
other cooking advice - 400 for 13-15 minutes, or 375 for 15-20 minutes. they seemed good at 15 minutes on 350, but your oven may vary.

xmas sparkly

they dont sell xmas tank tops over here. its all xmas sweaters and long sleeve shirts. and i needed a tank top to avoid overheating. so i bought an iron-on applique and put it on an existing tank top.


its so sparkly its hard to take a picture and get all the different colors to show




because i sew, i own a little tabletop ironing board. but i do not own a regular iron. i had to borrow my moms actual iron.


my iron is a little tiny sewing seam iron, like this http://www.joann.com/clover-mini-iron/5351150.html
to iron on the rhinestone applique, you needed to apply maximum heat, and pressure, and my little iron couldnt hack that. but i didnt know that until it arrived and its instructions said i needed a heat press, not an iron, which is bullshit. i found a couple videos online, and learned i could indeed get by with just an iron. so i borrowed my moms iron and ironed it without issue (and then turned it inside out and ironed the backside like one special video said to, to make sure the adhesive REALLY was melted on good). and none of the rhinestones fell off! so i did good. i'd definitely order an iron applique again.

candy cane cookies done up pinwheel style. much easier than rolling out each little bitty candy cane shape.


the secret to success is to freeze the dough after you've rolled it up. otherwise it wont slice neatly. the colors will smear together. thats what happened last year. still edible, just not pretty. this year i rolled out the uncolored dough on parchment paper, and rolled out the red dough on parchment paper, used the parchment paper to transfer the uncolored dough on top of the red dough. its kinda hard to get them to line up exactly, but turns out perfection isnt necessary. then i rolled up the two doughs and lifted the parchment paper onto a cookie sheet and put in the freezer.


neat slices in the oven


molly says THERE IS FOOD IN THERE!


molly says well if you wont take the food OUT, i'll just lay here and wait til you do


puppy had to get in on the action too! whinewhinewhine! there is FOOD in there!


first pan of cookies, turned out pretty darn good!


be careful when you put it in the freezer. check on the dough after about 15 minutes, the roll of dough may need to be turned or adjusted slightly before it freezes all the way. this roll (i made a double batch) should have been turned forward just a bit more so the edges of the dough were more properly attached. i had to let this thaw just a little so i could squish the edge back into the dough before cutting.


dont worry what the ends look like. you'll just be slicing them off, and can kinda mash them into another 'end' to make a regular sized but funky looking cookie for the baker to taste test.


sliced up and ready to go


all done!


recipe and pictures of the cookies in the original candy cane shape here in this post http://yesididit.livejournal.com/820369.html

pictures of the rolled up dough NOT frozen and how the colors all smear together http://yesididit.livejournal.com/1428322.html

so so so excited!

the dogs get a little excited when my mom comes over. ok so they get so excited their brains fall out and they forget how to behave. so many pictures of the dogs turn out like this


a bribe and a firm hand helped molly hold still


my mom posing with both dogs after their brains came back online



the dogs keep only the bottom half of the tv screen dusted. with their tails. i have to dust the top half.

my holiday ornaments

i buy a new ornament each year. last years new ornament, a greenhouse! to celebrate my new greenhouse that my dad and i had just built!


originally i just wanted a gardening ornament. so i had bought this one first, a lovely gardening hat with a shovel and rake and watering can. and when i found the greenhouse later, i HAD to have that one too.


this year, i wanted a book ornament. so i bought this one. its a bit bigger and heavier than i realized, but i still like it.


then i came across this bookworm inside an apple ornament, and i had to have this one too.


my mr ouch or mr bump dude. cuz i'm accident prone.


beer! because beer.


when pigs fly glass ornament. one of my favorites.


eeyore!


minion love


this one is really old, the coke bear. i liked that it was inside the soda machine


old fashioned soda machine. a friends dad had one of these in their garage when i was a kid. it was neat. part of why i liked the ornament. i dont actually like coke.


a beaded star a friend gave me because i like moon and stars.


my star ball. hard to photograph because its covered in stars and the stars on the backside mix with the stars on the front side.


the angel my great gramma made. its even starched. i'm not much for putting angels on my xmas tree, but my great gramma made it.


this years tree


the lights on my tree are old fashioned bubble lights. my parents had bubble lights on their tree when i was little and i loved them.

for pictures of the bubble lights, a video of them bubbling, and MORE pictures of other ornaments, go to this post: http://yesididit.livejournal.com/1430137.html

i made potato ham soup (with lots of cheddar cheese melted into it)


it was really good! i made this back in november and i'd really like some more now.


chunky potato soup

1 medium Carrot chopped
1 stalk of Celery if desired
3 Medium Potatoes
1-2 Cups Water
1 Small Onion
3 Tbsp butter
3 Tbsp all purpose flour
Crushed red pepper flakes
Ground black pepper (i use a bouillon cube instead of pepper)
1-3 cups milk
1 cup shredded Cheddar Cheese (i use 2 cups)
1.5 cups cubed cooked ham

1. Peel potatoes and cut into 1" cubes.
2. Bring water to a boil in large saucepan. Add potatoes and cook until tender.
Drain, reserving the liquid. Set aside potatoes. Measure 1 cup cooking liquid from the reserved potato boiling water and set that aside.
3. Peel and finely chop onion. Melt better in saucepan; cook onion, stirring frequently, until onion is translucent and tender, but not brown.
4. Add flour to saucepan; season with pepper flakes and black pepper to taste. Cook 3-4 minutes. (I Substitute a bouillon cube for seasoning instead of pepper)
5. Peel and chop carrot, and celery if desired.
6. Add potatoes, the reserved 1 cup of potato water, and a cup of milk to the onion mixture in saucepan; stir well. May need to add more water or milk. Add cheese and ham and carrot. Simmer over low heat 30 minutes, stirring frequently. Store leftovers, covered in refrigerator.

how many cups of liquids you *actually* need to add depends on how many potatoes and other ingredients you managed to fit into your pan. if you add too much, its thin and bland. not enough and your ingredients wont be covered during the 30 minutes of simmering. every time i make it, its different. start out with adding the cup of reserved potato water, and a cup of milk. add more water or milk as looks necessary. its kind of an inexact recipe.

rapsberries are nomnomnom