Refrigerator or Ice Box Cookies

Lemon Pecan Dainties

1. 1/2 c shortening
2. 1 c sugar
3. 1 well beaten egg
4. 1 T lemon juice
5. 1 T grated lemon rind
6. 2 c flour
7. 1/8 t salt
8. 1 t baking powder
9. 1 c chopped pecans

Thoroughly cream shortening and sugar; add egg, lemon juice and rind. Beat well. Shift dry ingredients and add to creamed mixture; mix well. Add nuts. Shape rolls; wrap in waxed paper and chill thoroughly. Slice very thin; bake on greased cookie sheet.

Bake 350 degrees for 12-15 minutes. 5 dozen.

Orange-Pecan Cookies

1. 1 c shortening
2. 1/2 c sugar
3. 1/2 c brown sugar
4. 1 egg, well-beaten
5. 2 3/4 c flour
6. 1/4 t baking soda
7. 1/4 t salt
8. 2 T orange juice
9. 1/2 c chopped pecans
10. 1/2 t vanilla

Cream shortening. Add sugars, egg, flavoring, orange juice and rind. Beat untill well blended. Sift flour; measure and sift with baking soda and salt. Add to creamed mixture. Add nuts. Form in roll about 1 1/2 inches in diameter. Chill. Cut in thin slices.

Bake 350 degrees for 10 minutes. 40 cookies.

This is a great way to mold refrigerator cookies. Use an empty waxed paper box. Line box with waxed paper and firmly press dough into box, making sure the dough fits into corner; chill. When you slice the dough for baking you will have neat square cookies.

Happy baking!

Paper & Scissors Craft Activities for the Little Folks

Snow Angel

During the winter months when the snow is falling outside and after the snow angels are made and the hot chocolate warms them up, check out this fantastic site for creative and unique crafts for the little folks.

Scissors Craft for Children

Some of the fun & neat activites are:

• African Art
• Mandelas
• Fold Art
• Kirigami
• Dragons
• Much More

So get those scissors, markers, crayons and paper out for those cold days!

Winter Cardinals in Oklahoma

I absolutely love Cardinals! I think both the male and female are crested beauties! The males have a black mask upon their glorious red and the females are a mellow brown with touches of reddish orange here and there. My, my, how that red stand outs against a bleak and snowy landscape.

Cardinals do not migrate in the winter and often come together in flocks to band against the winter harshness. I can look out my window on a dreary winter day and see flashes of red in the thicket in the pasture. This bird is a seed eater and some of its favorites seeds are sunflower, cracked corn and safflower. An excellent sight for birdwatchers in Oklahoma, Bird of Oklahoma.  Today I found a site for birdsongs, it’s wonderful on this arctic winter day to hear sounds of spring.

If you want to draw Cardinals into your yard be sure to plant vines, climbing roses and evergreens. Tangly, hardy vines like the clematis, honeysuckle and trumpet vine make good hiding places. Cardinals like to build their nests in shrub and climbing roses; the thorns make for good defense. Evergreens make good plants for roosting, especially in the Winter.

Alex and I made Orange Baskets treats for the birds on this wind chill factor -10 day. Turn the orange with the stem end up and cut wedges out of the top on both sides thus leaving a “handle” to hang the basket. We used recycled old ribbon for the hangers. We decided the orange smelled so good we ate the wedges or if you can resist the temptation, feed the wedges to the birds. The Orange Baskets will be hung from the Pecan tree in the backyard.

Orange Baskets for the Birds

My Impressionism era photo of Winter Cardinals.

Farmer’s Market One Yard Wonder

My Christmas Present

One of my plans for 2010 is to start a Nowata County Farmer’s Market at the Fairgrounds.  Gardening has always been my passion and therapy. I have also been involved with a series of Economic Development meetings for Nowata City/County and believe that Agritourism is an important aspect of  Nowata’s economy. I have been working on networking and planning since October 2009 for the market. Another page will be added to this blog about the market and keeping everyone updated about the progress.

Vintage Design

My very creative daughter, Holly, made this bag for my Christmas present using a pattern from the book, One Yard Wonders. She used vintage material for her creation.  I love it, love it! Holly and her friend, Audrey, have developed a collaborative creative project, Mama Says Vintage. Please stop by to read their unique blogs.

Rolled Up to Store

The bag rolls up and has a velcro strap to secure. You could store it in your purse or glove compartment or in a milk crate in the back of your mini-van. I have a plastic milk crate that I keep the following items:

1. cloth shopping bags (from various stores)
2. newspaper for wrapping my junking finds
3. a few recycled plastic bags for multiple purposes
4. a box of baby wipes
5. hand sanitizer
6. paper towels
7. 2 small size quilted moving pads to protect my junking furniture pieces
8. 3 bottles of water
9. disposable cups/snacks
10. a box of various size plastic storage bags

My van hauls grandkids to various activities and always seems to stop at garages sales, estate sales, flea markets, etc. so the above items come in very handy. One never knows when and where one might need any or all of the items. Like maybe on a trip to Tablerock Lake through the ups and downs and curves with a 4 year old sitting in the back seat who got carsick…… which we did not have because we were in Grandad’s truck.

If you are reading this  and live within 40-50 miles from Nowata and are interested in the farmer’s market, please make a comment and I will let you know about the planning meetings, etc.

I will be a fashionista at the Farmer’s Market with my new one-yard bag!

A Poem for the New Year

A Road Not Taken

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, as just as fair
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that, the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
two roads diverged in a wood, and I –
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.

…..Robert Frost (1874-1963)

Amish Cheese House

Last month, Holly, my oldest daughter was going to Choteau to run some errands, so I offered to go along to drive and wrangle Ruby and Alex. Any excuse to spend time with my babies (no matter how old they are). One of the stops was The Amish Cheese House, a fantastic sandwich shop and cheese shop. Actually much more than cheese is sold there, things such as, meats, cheeses, candy, spices, cheese balls, jams, jellies and so on. 

I bought a few items:

• Taco Seasoning (takes two tsp. per 1 # ground beef or turkey)
• Ground Cumin
• Curry Powder
• Whole Black Peppercorns
• Ground Thyme
• Chicken Base for soups, chicken noodles, etc.
• Creamy Coleslaw Dressing Mix
• Southwest Dip Mix
• Black Raspberry Dip Mix

My Amish Spices

I suggest the cheese balls for entertaining. I bought a delicious dessert cheese ball covered in pecans and had tiny chocolate chips inside, YUM! Great served with a plain cookie and apples.

There is a Amish bakery right next door that has the best baked goods you have ever tasted! I bought caramel breakfast rolls and banana nut bread to take to a family gathering. The two-crust fruit pies looked like they should be sitting on Aunt Bea’s window ledge and there are two sizes, small (2 person) and regular.

AND everything was VERY reasonally priced. If you have a chance to go through Choteau, plan to stop for a sandwich and other goodies. The Amish Cheese House, 101 S Chouteau Avenue, Chouteau, Oklahoma. I highly recommend it because of the natural ingredients, cleanliness, variety and value.

I also bought a small jar of Unker’s Deep Penetrating Pain Relief to rub my sore muscles/joints and the usual chigger bites summer brings. It works! It has natural ingredients and is recommended for arthrtis, colds, coughs, sore throats, burns, bruises, sinus troubles, insect bites and chapped hands and feet.

Unkers Pain Relief

While in Chouteau, we visited a flea market, lunched at a Amish Restuarant and purchased fabric at an outlet shop. A great day with some of my favorite ladies.

County Fairs and Prairie Wildflowers

County Fairs are so much fun! Delicious food, fantastic exhibits, fun animals and a comforting ambiance. I am going to enter some items into the Nowata County Fair this year. I want to encourage everyone to enter some items in their county fair. The more exhibits in the Fair, the better the Fair. I will be sharing a series of my 2009 county fair exhibits.

My exhibit into Open Class Photography/Adult Division

Plant Life

Oklahoma Prairie Wildflowers

Showy Evening Primrose

Common Spiderwort

Prairie Field of Golden Coreopsis

Golden Coreopsis

Wavy-leaved Thistle

 The Nowata County Free Fair has a Stick Horse Rodeo and a Pedal Tractor Pull, doesn’t that sound like alot of fun for young and old alike! County Fairs are an integral part of our American heritage. Most county fairs are held at the local fairgrounds and the office may have the fair books or will know where to obtain the books. The booklets provide all the information about the sections, divisions and classes for exhibits. Share some news about your county fair!

Oklahoma Summer Livin’

Swimming

Alex & Ruby cooling off on the 108 degree heat index day this summer. This activity can last for hours and then they invade the kitchen for jell-o, popsicles, mandarin oranges, cheese sticks, etc.  This weekend Ruby had already ate two popsicles and wanted a third, to which I replied “No, we need to eat something different.” I watched her little face and could tell the wheels were turning, she said “Can I have a different popsicle?”  My reply was “Good try, Rub!”

We had a Hawaiian Culture Day with grass skirts, leis, hula, pineapple tidbits! I bought the outfits at the dollar store. We read about Hawaiian culture, ate pineapple and looked at Pineapple Plants. We watch Lilo & Stitch (a good movie for their age). 

Hawaiian Culture Day

We have had to replace the pool because Alex decided that she needed to drive her bicycle into the pool; poked a few holes. She learned a lesson. After a talk about inflatable pools and sharp objects, a new pool was purchased on sale and will be inflated today. I developed a method of keeping the pool relatively clean this summer, which I will share with you.

Pool Cleaning Process:

1. they step in and out of the pool in a plastic wash pan to lessen grass, etc.
2. once a week I pour about 5 cups of bleach into the water (a day when the pool will not be used)
3. the next day I top off the pool with fresh water
4. about every 3 weeks I empty water out and clean and fill with completely new water 
5. I use the old water for my flowers and garden ( be careful about the bleach amount)

We have lots of cool fun filled hours with a $10 pool! They have a canvas folding chair to lay their towels on for drying off and lots of pool toys.

This weekend I covered one set of my iron patio chairs while I watched the girls swimming, so I was able to multi-task. I will share the process and finished product this week. I hope you and yours have had some fun enjoying the great outdoors this summer.

Vintage Tupperware & Harvesting

Harvesting Green Bell Peppers

 My set of three “harvesting” items, a vintage Tupperware Cutting Board, a handled red garbage bowl and a washing bowl.  My garden is small so I developed a method for processing small amounts of produce. I first put a small amount of produce in the green bowl and fill it with water to wash the dirt off of the produce. The vintage tupperware piece is fantastic for chopping produce and pouring into small plastic freezer bags. The red garbage bowl is for the bits and pieces from chopping the produce and the contents go in the compost heap.

Diced Green Bell Pepper

My sweetie doesn’t really like green peppers, therefore, I only use about 1/4 cup in various dishes like chili, spaghetti, taco filling, etc.  I pour about a 1/4 cup into a small freezer bag and seal it then put the freezer. When the batch is frozen I put the bags of green pepper into a larger plastic freezer bag. When I need some diced green pepper for a recipe, I just grab a small bag from the freezer. Easy!

A Finished Batch Ready for the Freezer

I process several veggies this way, onions, other peppers and various squash (zucchini for bread, yellow for casseroles). Just adjust this process to fit your garden and family size and likes. A combo of green peppers, red peppers and onions could be processed into one Southwest Seasoning combo for stews, soups, etc. I will share my recipes for Zucchini Bread and Squash Casserole later this month.

Flowers Today

I chanced upon a favorite poem of mine today while reading and thought I would share it with all my readers (one). This poem kinda wraps up my thoughts and feelings about friends, flowers, funerals and America’s ritual of decorating graves. If decorating graves helps the loved ones accept and cope with their loss; then so be it, it is just not my belief. 

Flowers Today

I would rather have one little rose

From the garden of a friend

Than to have the choicest flowers

When my stay on earth must end.

I would rather have one pleasant word

In kindness said to me

Than flattery when my heart is still,

And life has ceased to be.

I would rather have a loving smile

From friends I know are true

Than tears shed ’round my casket,

When this world I bid adieu.

Blossoms bring to me today,

Whether pink or white or red;

I’d rather have one blossom now

Than a truckload when I’m dead.

…………..Anonymous

 

This poem has a few other names, like “Please Don’t Wait” and “One Little Rose”.

Anyway, I just wanted to share this bit of written wealth. Enjoy!