2011 Favorites

It's the last week in December and I'm spending lots of time thinking about
this past year.  I started this blog in January and had no idea where I was
going with it.  I was scared to death and felt inadequate (still do).   I follow
some great blogs and I'm continually learning from them.  My Year of Fifty
is really just a journal of my life and a source of accountability for my goals
for the year.  I'll keep working on my goals because I have until April before
I start my year of fifty-one.  But I have to say 2011 has been one of the best
years!  I'm humbled that there are people who are interested enough to read
along and follow my adventures.  Thanks for the ongoing encouragement.
It means a lot to me.

Now to the list.  Here's some of my favorites from the past year:

Favorite Books

Being the bookworm that I am, of course I would start

this list with my favorite books.  Since January I've read
56 books.  I know....that's a lot of books.  I just can't help
myself.  I love to read and it is the thing I do when I have
a minute of free time.  I carry a book with me every time
I step out my door.  I read instead of watching tv.
I read while I'm having breakfast and lunch.  Not
dinner though.  That would just be rude to my husband!
I read in the early and late hours of the day, in the bathroom, 
while drying my hair, at stoplights(but not while driving!)...
you get the idea, right?


As I'm thinking about this list, I realize I can't just pick one favorite book.  
That would be impossible.  So, here are my top five:

I love this book.  I'm on my third reading right now.
At first I found it a little hard to read because Ann's
style is poetic...and I'm not poetic.  I had to reread
sentences and think about what she was saying.
But it's worth the extra effort because what she is saying 
is sooooo good.  She inspires me to keep my gratitude
 journal daily and to look for the beauty in the common place. 

I like Michael Pollan.  I liked his book,
The Omnivore's Dilemma and that's probably
why I pulled this one from the shelf.  His research
concerning the economics of the food industry and
government involvement is fascinating, if not downright
scary.  This book will guide me in making better
food choices in the coming year.  In fact I hope to 
completely overhaul my diet and I'm using this
and a couple of other books (more on this later)
to help me do it.

This book is the one that made me think the most
this year.  It's short.  I read it in a few hours on
a Sunday afternoon.  It's classified as Juvenile 
fiction - but all the adults I know who have read it,
loved it!  I understand a lot more about Aspergers 
Syndrome as a result of reading this.  Thanks to
my sister Cindy, for loaning it to me.   Great read!!!

What can I say, except, Francie Nolan you are my hero!!

This was a reread and remains one of my 

favorite books of all times.  It inspires me to no end. 

I listened to this book on CD while I was taking a

summer road trip and I became so immersed in the story

that I was almost disappointed when I arrived at my

destination and hadn't finished the book. The narration

was amazing.  This story about five southern women

from NC (can we hear a shout out for good ole NC?)

had me laughing out loud one minute and crying the

next.  It was a great journey.  Read it, I think you'll 

like it.  Better yet, get a copy of the book on CD

from the library and listen to it like I did.    

Favorite Movies

Okay.  So this list is a little pathetic.  Because as you

know, I read all the time and rarely go to the movies.

But I did see a couple of movies that I loved this year.

This came pretty darn close to being as good

as the book, which is a rare thing.  I had a heck

of a time getting to the theatre to see it.  I planned

to go with my sister, my daughter, and my friend

and every time something would happen and

we weren't able to go.  Finally, I said, "I'm

going by myself" and I did.  I loved it.

I first watched this with my friend Shannon when

I visited her this summer and then came home and

watched it again with Mark.  And then recommended

it to friends.  It was that good.  The R rating comes

from a little swearing tirade in the middle of the movie.

Feel free to recommend good movies.  I could stand to

see a few more films this next year.

Favorite Blogs and Websites

I can sure get sucked in to my computer if I'm not careful.

There are so many great things on the internet that inspire

and uplift me.  I have to discipline myself here, but when 

I want a reward at the end of a long day, I sit down with my laptop

in my cozy chair with my cozy blankie and read my favorite blogs. 

 Here are my top ten places to hang out (in no particular order):

Ann's Blog -  always inspires.  Love her photography. 

I want to take pictures like Ann when I grow up.

Jenny's blog- My kid's babysitter is all grown up and has

a family of her own.  She's a talented writer. I love reading 

her work and seeing the pictures of her cute kids.

Great Photography- all of these blogs have great photography

and content. this one, and this one too.  I really want to

improve in this area, so I'm always looking at pictures trying

to figure out how they do that - how to blur some things, how to

focus in on others, how to frame a picture, etc.  So much to learn. 

Cooking Blogs - like this one are fun to read and I like

this one too.  Actually I have a whole file of cooking blogs

 that I read on occasion.  It was hard to pick just two.

Just because they make me happy- The Happiness Project

is kind of self explanatory, but these others make me

happy for different reasons.  This one and this one remind

me of the importance of great women who choose to make

homemaking and raising children their life's work.  Both

are mothers of large families and I love their practical insights

and wisdom.  And one more just for fun.  Because she's my

friend and she's funny!

Favorite New Music

Well, who else?

Old North State of course.

I love to hear my boys play.  Check them out

here.  Listen to some music here.  Buy some music here!

Favorite New Product

When I went to Israel, we visited the Ahava factory store.

I had never heard of this Dead Sea minerals product line and

just picked up a few things to try.  Oh, my gosh!!!  This foot cream

is amazing.  And I consider myself a pretty good judge of foot

creams, because I use them every night. I've tried lots of different

brands and this is my favorite so far.  And I just found out I can

order it online.  So happy about that.

Favorite New Food

I know this is really boring, but I love my steel cut

oats.  This year I've discovered an easy way to cook them

and I eat them three or four times a week. 

I'm so excited that my favorite new food is actually

good for you!!!   You can find my recipe for them here.

Favorite Quote

"Wherever you are, be all there!

Live to the hilt every situation you

believe to be the will of God."

Jim Elliot

I'm really trying to be more mindful of the present.

I'm trying to slow down and enjoy every gift that a

new day, a new hour, even a new minute brings.

This quote helps me remember to do that.

So that's my list.  I'd love to hear some of your favorites this year.

Christmas Snapshots

By the time Christmas arrived I had cooked and cleaned 
myself into a state of exhaustion. Don't get me wrong, I 
enjoyed it. I totally get into all this Christmas stuff. Well the

 cooking that is, the cleaning, not so much. As a result of all the 
preparations for the merry making,I was too tired to jump around 
and take pictures of the merry making. But I did manage to 
snap a few of the family on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.
 It was wonderful to have all the kids home.  I felt very blessed.

Here's how things looked at my house.

Christmas morning gift exchange

Jantzen- what is he thinking?

Travis in a food coma?

Travis, Kenzie, Dillon and Jantzen

(Kinda weird the way Travis and Kenzie were dressed alike 

and Dillon and Jantzen were dressed alike.  Totally unplanned.)

My sweetheart and the "dad" to this awesome group.

Cecil playing in the empty boxes.  

Dillon taking a little rest.  This seat seems to pull people

into the horizontal position.

Kenzie and Dillon

Travis and Chima playing a little tic tac toe with the 

snowmen and santa game board.

Kenzie and Chima (her fiancee- yes, she has a ring on her

finger and yes, I'm in complete denial.)

Mark and the boys watching something on u tube and

singing old Crash Test Dummies songs.  This was funny.

Kenzie and Mom

Love these crazy kids.

*MYOF Goal # 26- Improve photography skills.

White Chocolate Raspberry Cheesecake

If you're a fan of cheesecake, I think you're going to like this one.  I'm of 

the opinion that it's as good as the dessert of the same name at Olive Garden. 

Kenzie says it could hold it's own with any of the cheesecakes at Cheesecake

Factory.  She used to hang out there a lot when she lived in Atlanta.  Ahhh, 

to be young, thin and able to eat cheesecake whenever it strikes your fancy.

This is a recipe that my friend Tara gave me a few years ago.  I've had it  

filed away and for some reason decided to get it out and try it over the holidays.

Well, I've made this dessert five times since Thanksgiving, for different

occasions, and I'm almost over it.  But I'm guessing you haven't and you 

might like to make it, maybe for a New Year's Eve party or something.  

One last, good, indulgent dessert before the January diets begin.

The goodness begins with the crust.

I use my heavy duty meat mallet to crush Oreo cookies into crumbs.  It's

a good way to release any pent up frustrations.

Mix the crumbs with melted butter  

and press into the bottom of a pan.  The recipe calls for an 8x8 square
pan, and that's usually how I make it.  But this time I wanted to try out
my new mini spring form pan.  I've been strangely attracted to small
versions of bake ware lately.  I have cute little pie plates and now spring
form pans.  I'm also eyeing some mini bundt pans.  With only two people
at home, it's not such a good idea to make full size desserts.  It's better
to make two small desserts - one for us and one to give away.

The cheesecake is the typical combination of cream cheese

sugar and vanilla

and eggs, with the addition of white chocolate.

I melted the chocolate in the microwave and added it to the batter.

The first time I made this I used a more expensive chocolate and 

had the hardest time getting it to melt properly.  Now I go with

the supermarket brand and it works much better.  I don't think the

taste is compromised in the least.

When everything is mixed together nicely, I pour it into the pan

and spread it out evenly.

After baking for about thirty minutes (no water bath required)

I take it out of the oven and spread raspberry preserves on the top.

Then I melt a little more of the chocolate and drizzle over the preserves.

I'm thinking it would look a little nicer if I had put the chocolate in a

sandwich bag with the end snipped off.  Then I could have piped the 

chocolate in a nice design.  Oh well, I lose a few points for presentation.

Into the refrigerator it goes for about four hours or overnight.

And this is the finished product.  It's especially yummy with a

little (or more than a little) freshly whipped cream on each slice.

White Chocolate Raspberry Cheesecake

12 oreo cookies, finely crushed

2 T. butter, melted

3 squares Baker's White Chocolate, divided

2 packages (8oz. each) cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup sugar

1 t. vanilla

2 eggs

1/2 cup or more raspberry preserves

Heat oven to 350 degrees.  Mix cookie crumbs and 

butter; press onto bottom of 8 inch square pan.  Melt

2 chocolate squares as directed on package.

Beat cream cheese, sugar and vanilla with mixer until

blended.  Add melted chocolate; mix well.  Add eggs, 

one at a time, mixing on low speed after each just until 

blended.  Pour over crust.   Bake 25-28 minutes or

until center is almost set.  Cool 5 minutes; spread with

preserves.  Melt remaining chocolate square; drizzle over

cheesecake.  Refrigerate 4 hours.  Cut into bars.

Baking Frenzy

Some of the most thoughtful gifts can come from a kitchen, where tasty things

are crafted with sugar, spice and everything nice.  Each package is filled with

love and the gift of time as well as something delicious to be enjoyed by the 

recipient.  A few days ago, I turned the Christmas music up nice and loud and

pulled out the recipe cards.  Then I went into a baking frenzy.  Kenzie was my

assistant and we had a great time together in the kitchen.

Freshly ground wheat turned into whole wheat bread was the first thing 

to go into the oven.  Nothing smells as good as yeast bread baking.  And

a warm slice with butter and honey is pure heaven.  The bakers had to

sample to make sure it was good enough to give away.

This bowl of Reese's Peanut Butter Cups went in the center of "right out

of the oven" chocolate chip cookies baked in small muffin tins.  Chocolate

chip cookies and peanut butter cups?   What a great combination.

Oatmeal Craisin cookies with white chocolate drizzled over the top

My cookie press broke before I could make any of the Spritz cookies

that are so pretty on a cookie tray.  Not too sweet, but full of butter and

sugar, they are a simple shortbread that my husband enjoys.  With a double

recipe of dough mixed up, I had to figure out something to do with them.

So I rolled them in little balls and pressed designs on the top...not nearly as

pretty, but it worked.  Note to self- replace cookie press before next 

Christmas.

Sugar cookies are the taste of Christmas for my kids and the one thing they

all ask for each year.   They also take the most time and make the biggest

mess, so I was especially happy to have Kenzie take over with these.

I loved watching and coaching from the other end of the kitchen, 

while I worked on another project.

She did a great job.

Yum!!!

We also made poppy seed bread, pumpkin bread and rocky road fudge. 

Oh, and I made butternut squash soup, which of course doesn't fall into 

the catagory of baked goods, but was the perfect accompaniment for the bread.

A full day in the kitchen produced lots of gifts for the family and

friends.  We took these plates of goodies to our neighbors

and made large trays for our family and hid them in safe places with notes 

that said, "Do not eat until Christmas Eve."  Then we pulled them out to go

with all the finger foods we indulge in on that night.  Cheese ball (from my

Dad), seven layer Mexican dip, shrimp and fiery cocktail sauce, hot wings

(a new addition to the menu this year), veggies and dip, baked brie en croute

with apple and pear slices.  It has become an eclectic mix of everyones

favorite snack foods.  

Here's the tried and true sugar cookie recipe that we've been making for 

years.  It's one of the few recipes that I've been completely satisfied with

from the first time I made it and I've never looked for a better one.  

Christmas Sugar Cookies

1 1/2 cups powdered sugar

1 cup butter, softened

1 egg

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/2 teaspoon almond extract

2 1/2 cups plain flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon cream of tartar

Mix powdered sugar, butter, egg, vanilla and 

almond extract.  Mix in flour, baking soda and

cream of tartar.  Cover with plastic wrap and 

refrigerate at least two hours.  Heat oven

to 375.  Remove dough from refrigerator and 

let sit a few minutes to soften.  Roll 3/16 inch

thick on floured surface.  Cut into shapes. 

Bake for 7-8 minutes until barely light brown

on edges.  Do not over bake.  When cooled,

dip into powdered sugar glaze and decorate

with sprinkles.  For glaze- mix powdered

sugar with water until proper consistency

for dipping the tops of the cookies.

Hope you had a sweet Christmas.