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HOUSTON HOME JOURNAL
Some pick-up nibbles for holiday parties
Yvonne's Corner
Yvonne
Sutherland
Columnist
yvonnes@windstream.net
‘Tis the season to be jolly
and to plan that holiday
party or open house. I have
found an open house is a
great way to stretch a small
space since, at least in the
ory, not everyone comes at
the same time. For many
years, my husband and I
divided our time between
Montezuma, Georgia and
Atlanta. We have a large
house in Montezuma, but
had only a small place in
Atlanta. Our large family
had other people to see in
Atlanta on Christmas Day
so we had Christmas there.
My solution was to have
an all day open house on
Christmas Day. That way
the children and their chil
dren could open presents at
home and visit us and other
friends and family as time
allowed.
I usually had some sort
of ham or roast and rolls
to make sandwiches accom
panied by lots of pick-up
nibbles like the ones below:
Groups helping others, growing mini-gardens, some treasured recipes
Notes from AFarr
Agnes
Farr
Columnist
Today I want to bring your
attention to some ladies in
two Houston County com
munities who deserve rec
ognition... not because I
live here, but because of
what they do to help oth
ers. Bonaire and Kathleen
have always been close-knit
communities. Citizens of
the two urban towns reflect
genuine concern about the
needs of others.
For several years, a small
group of women from
Bonaire and Kathleen unit
ed to support the American
Cancer Society. Later, their
concern to broaden the
awareness of childhood can
cer became their priority. In
September 2006: Bonaire-
Kathleen Connection was
chosen as the organizations
official name. In November
2008: The BKC looked into
serious physical and/or
financial needs within the
area. The group agreed to
place future focus on specif
ic situations as needs arise.
Profits from Annual
Thanksgiving and
Christmas “Holiday Food
Sales”, Yard Sales and other
fundraisers, are designated
to offering relief to some
one in the area who needs
to know we care. The next
BKC fundraiser will be:
Holiday Food Sale on
December 20, Bam - 2pm,
Houston Hardware Store
(the Old ACE Hardware)
Judy Coleman, 923-9209 or
Evelyn Grizzle, 923-3996
are contacts if you need
more information. The
group is asking for contribu
tions of baked goods (cakes,
pies, cookies, cheese straws,
etc.) and frozen casseroles
(with cooking instructions).
If you can contribute some
baked goods, it will be great
ly appreciated. However if
you can’t or don’t cook, just
drop by and make a con
tribution and/or purchase
some goodies. It will all go
to help a good cause. Just
tell them that Agnes sent
you.
Since everyone is talk
ing about the economy
and tight and hard times
are, I thought that I would
make a few suggestions for
Christmas gifts for that
someone special or for you
Garlic/Cheese Biscuits
(courtesy of Betty
Crocker)
2 cups Bisquick mix
2/3 cup milk
1/2 cup grated cheddar
cheese
2 tablespoons butter or
margarine
1/8 teaspoon garlic pow
der
Preheat the oven to 450
degrees. Stir the Bisquick,
milk and grated cheese
together until a soft dough
forms. Drop by spoonfuls
onto an ungreased cookie
sheet. Bake 8-10 minutes
or until golden brown. Melt
the butter and add the garlic
powder. Brush the biscuits
with the garlic butter.
Smoked Salmon Rosettes
8 ounces of cream cheese,
softened
1 teaspoon dried dill weed
1/2 teaspoon garlic pow
der
salt and white pepper to
taste
1 cucumber, sliced 1/4
inch thick
8 ounces of smoked salm
on
Beat the cream cheese in
a mixing bowl. Add the dill
weed, garlic and salt and
pepper. Chill until firm.
Place a dollop of cheese on
each cumber slice. Cut the
salmon into strips about 3
to use.
Sprouting Mini-
Gardens
(A nice gift for your child
to make for his/her teach
er. I love the sprouts...so I
make for myself.) From the
Better Homes and Garden’s
‘Treasury of Country Crafts
and Food.’ Very easy.
Note: Do not buy seeds
that have been chemically
treated for planting. They
can be poisonous. (Find in
the Health Food or Grocery
Store)
Use lentils, alfalfa seed,
curly cress seed, radish
seed, mustard seed, mung
beans, garbanzos, dried
peas, lima beans, and/ or
pinto beans. Wash seeds
thoroughly and place in
separate small bowls. Soak
seeds in lukewarm water
overnight or until seeds
swell to double in size. (Use
four times as much water
as seeds.) Drain, and rinse
thoroughly.
Wash 3 one quart size
jars. Cover the tops with
two layers of cheesecloth
or nylon netting. Fasten
with two rubber bands or a
screw-type canning ring.
Place jars with seeds on
their sides in a warm, dark
place (68 to 70 degrees)
I put the jars on a layer
of newspaper on the kitch
en counter and lay news
papers on top. This keeps
it sorta dark and lets the
air circulate. Once a day
rinse the sprouts buy pour
ing lukewarm water into
the jar, swirling to moisten
all sprouts, then turn jar
upside down to pour off
the water. (Curly cress will
develop a gelatinous coat
ing, don’t remove it.) In
3 to 4 days, the sprouts
should be 1 and 1 / 2 to 2
and 1/2 inches long. Snip
off tops and add to main
dishes and salads or sub for
lettuce on sandwiches.
Fruit Juice Jelly
(Use unsweetened com
mercial processed juice.)
4 cups unsweetened apple,
grape, or orange juice
1 package (1 3 /4 oz size)
powered fruit pectin (Sure-
Jell or store brand)
1/4 cup lemon juice
4 1/2 cups sugar
In an 8 to 10 quart ket
tle combine your choice of
juice, pectin, and lemon
juice. Bring to a full roll
ing boil. (A boil that can
not be stirred down.) Stir
in sugar and return to a
inches long. Starting at
the larger end, roll into a
rosette shape and secure in
the cheese mixture.
This can also be “fancied
up” with a variety of gar
nishes. A small bit of cav
iar if you are feeling rich,
a caper in the center or a
sprig of fresh dill..
Coconut Shrimp
(courtesy of Kraft Foods)
2/3 cup Baker’s Angel
Flake Coconut, toasted
1 packet Shake’n’Bake
Chicken Coating Mix
1 teaspoon curry powder
1/4 teaspoon ground red
pepper (cayenne)
1 egg
2 tablespoons water
1 pound extra-large shrimp
(16 to 20 count), peeled
and deveined
To toast the Coconut:
Preheat the oven to 350
degrees. Spread the coco
nut in shallow baking pan.
Bake 7 to 10 min. or until
golden brown, stirring occa
sionally.
Preheat the oven to 400
degrees. Combine the coco
nut, coating mix, curry
powder and pepper in a pie
plate and set aside. With
a wire whisk, beat the egg
and water in a separate pie
plate with until well blend
ed. Dip the shrimp, one at
a time, into the egg mixture,
then in the coconut mixture,
full rolling boil, stirring as
it cooks. Boil hard for one
minute (uncovered) stir
ring constantly. Remove
from heat and quickly skim
off foam. Ladle in hot steril
ized jars, leaving 1/4 inch
headspace. Seal with metal
canning lids and rings or
paraffin. This will make 6
half-pints.
Apple Marmalade
1 medium orange, quar
tered, seeded and slice
very thin.
6 medium apples, peeled,
cored and chopped
3 Tablespoons lemon
juice
5 cups sugar
In a kettle, mix prepared
orange, apples, lemon juice
and 2 cups of water. Slowly
bring to a boil and gently
boil for 10 minutes. Add
sugar and stir until mix
ture comes to a full rolling
boil. Cook and stir until it
reaches 220 degrees. Ladle
into clean, hot one half
pint jars, leaving 1/4 inch
headspace. Wipe jar rims
and seal with canning lids.
Process in a boiling water
bath for 15 minutes. Makes
6 half-pints.
Pickled Beets
(From the kitchen of
Agnes Farr)
4 cans sliced beets (store
brand) drained and liquid
reserved
2 cups sugar
2 cups vinegar
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turning to evenly coat both
sides of each shrimp. (Make
sure each shrimp is well
coated with the egg mix
ture before dipping in the
coating mixture.) Press the
coating mixture firmly onto
shrimp to secure. Put the
shrimp on a lightly greased
baking sheet.
Bake 10 -12 min. or until
the shrimp are cooked
through
Marmalade Dip for
Shrimp
1/2 cup orange marma
lade
1/4 cup spicy brown mus
tard
1/4 cup honey
5-6 drops hot sauce
Combine all the ingre
dients and let stand for 1
hour before serving.
Delicious dips
And, of course, dips
are a must. Here
are a few favorites:
Cheese and Bacon Dip
4 slices bacon
1-ounce package cream
cheese, softened
1/2 cup mayonnaise
9 ounces shredded Swiss
cheese
1/4 cup grated Parmesan
1 teaspoon hot sauce
2 cups reserved beet liq
uid
3 drops of oil of cinnamon
or oil of cloves (use only
drops)
Put drained beets in a
large container with a lid
or in pint jars. In a pot put
the sugar, vinegar, and beet
liquid and bring to a boil.
Simmer about 5 minutes
and add the oil of cinna
mon or cloves. Simmer for a
few more minutes to blend
the spice. Pour over the
beets; wipe rims of jars and
seal. If canning, process in
a boiling water bath for
10 minutes. Otherwise, seal
and refrigerate. (I use a
large mouth one-half gallon
jar that has a good lid)
Canned pecans
(From Mildred Warren’
Cook’s Nook)
To can pecans use only
fresh shelled nuts and
screw top jars that a clean
and dry. Pack pecans in jar
and put a crumbled piece of
brown paper in jar on top of
nuts. Seal and place jars on
a baking sheet.
DO NOT LET JARS
TOUCH!
Put in a cool oven and
set on 225 to 250 degrees.
Count time from time you
set the oven and close oven
door. Cook for 45 minutes.
Do not open oven door. Let
cool in oven before you open
the door and take them out.
The jars should be sealed.
These nuts are delicious
eaten as is, used in recipes
’ Monograming*
& FREE •
yGift Wrapping^
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 10, 2008 ♦
1/2 teaspoon garlic pow
der
2 green onions, finely
chopped
4 buttery round crackers,
crushed
I think bacon cooked in
the microwave is easier to
crumble. Place the bacon
on microwave-safe plate
and cook on high for 2 min
utes. Turn and cook anoth
er 11/2-2 minutes. Put on
paper towels to drain and
set aside to cool.
In a mixer bowl whip the
cream cheese and mayon
naise until smooth. Mix in
the Swiss cheese,
Parmesan, hot sauce,
garlic powder and onions.
Crumble the bacon and
mix in. Put the mixture
in a microwave-safe serving
bowl. Microwave on high
for 2 minutes. Remove the
bowl and stir. Cook another
2-4 minutes or until bub
bly.
Hot Crab Dip
1 8-ounce package of
cream cheese
1/3 cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoon lemon juice
2 green onions, sliced,
greens included
3 tablespoon dried parsley
1 tablespoon prepared
horseradish
1/4 teaspoon
Worcestershire sauce
1/2 teaspoon of hot sauce
that call for toasted nuts
and by tossing in a table
spoon or two of melted but
ter or margarine and salt
Bledsoe on the holidays
From Page iC
rest.
• Keep fit. Eat healthy, exercise regularly and get plenty
of sleep. -
Find something to laugh about. Humor is great medi
cine! Laughing releases hormones which work to physi
cally reduce anxiety. Find the funny side of life.
•Enjoy the moment. Rather than reliving the frustra
tions of the past or anticipating the stresses of the future,
focus on the present. Use the five senses to enjoy the here
and now.
•Build a strong support network. The best way to
develop a support network is to be a support to others.
Everyone wins when support is accepted graciously and
extended freely.
•Write in a journal. This often puts your stress into
perspective.
Relax. When you feel the uptight feeling building, do
something you love to do. Breathe deeply.
•Prepare. A task, event or crisis is most stressful when
we are unprepared to address it. Take time to prepare
and lessen the stress.
•Look at things differently. We can manage stress by
the meaning we give to an event. Rather than expecting
the worst, we can hope for the best. Much stress is the
result of worrying about things that never happen.
Peggy Bledsoe is the Houston County Extension
Coordinator working in the area of Family and Consumer
Sciences with the University of Georgia Cooperative
Extension. She can be reached at 478-987-2028 or
pbledsoe@uga.edu
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A Taw arrentina reservations for Christmas
Warner Robins - 4027 Watson Blvd.
478-971-4528
or more to taste
2 cans of crab meat,
drained
Preheat the oven to 350
degrees. Beat together the
cream cheese, mayonnaise,
lemon juice, onions, and
parsley until smooth. Mix
in the Worcestershire sauce,
hot sauce, and horseradish.
Fold in the mixture into an
oven-proof casserole serv
ing dish.
Bake until fmbbly and
heated through, about 20
minutes. Serve with crack
ers or crostini.
Classic Spinach Dip
(courtesy of knorr.com)
1 10-ounce package baby
spinach, chopped
or 1 10-ounce package
frozen chopped spinach,
thawed and squeezed dry
1 16-ounce container sour
cream
1 cup Hellmann’s or Best
Foods Real Mayonnaise
1 package Knorr
Vegetable recipe mix
1 8-ounce can water
chestnuts, drained and
chopped (optional)
3 green onions, chopped
(optional)
Combine all the ingredi
ents and chill about 2 hours.
Serve with your favorite
dippers to your favorite
ing. Also make nice gifts.
Have a great week and
will see you at the Farmers
Market. .
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