Rachael Ray~Five-Minute Fudge Wreath

This is my all time favorite recipe for fudge. Tastes great and is quick to make.
I make some for my house & for family members as gifts, everyone loves these!

Cook Time: 5 min Level: Easy Yield: 32 servings (2 pounds)

Ingredients

• 1 (12-ounce) bag semisweet chocolate morsels
• 9 ounces (3/4 of a 12-ounce bag) butterscotch morsels
• 1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 (8-ounce) can walnut halves
• 1/2 cup (a couple of handfuls) currants
• 8-inch cake pan, lightly greased with softened butter
• Candied cherries, red and green, for garnish, optional

Directions

Place a heavy pot on the stove and preheat it over low heat. Add chips and milk and stir until chips are melted and milk combined. Save the empty condensed milk can. Stir in vanilla and remove fudge from heat. Add nuts and currants and stir in immediately.

Cover empty condensed milk can with plastic food wrap and center it in the greased cake pan. Spoon fudge into pan around can, making sure to recenter can if it drifts.

The fudge will set up almost immediately. Garnish can only be added in the first minute or 2 the fudge is in the pan, so work quickly. Decorate your wreath with "holly" made from cut candied red and green cherries. A wreath left plain can be garnished with a pretty fabric bow when serving. Chill covered in the refrigerator and slice fudge very thin when ready to serve, a little goes a long way.

How to preserve your sewing patterns

With all my sewing patterns, especially patterns for clothing I never cut the patterns out from the manufacturer as I might want to do a different size or style in the future so I keep them all intact. I use tracing paper to trace the originals and have also used tissue paper which is even cheaper in price and works just as well.

I keep them stored in Ziploc bags or small envelopes clearly marked. For patterns I use on a regular basis for my business I buy the big poster boards and trace the patterns out on them which keeps the patterns very sturdy and easy to trace on to my fabric.

Pick your own pine cones

This is the perfect time to head out and pick pine cones and get a jump start on holiday craft projects. I spent the weekend visiting my parents and their neighbor has a big beautiful tree, she allowed us to go in her backyard and pick pine cones. I washed them up today and have them drying on a screen.

They sell pine cones in craft stores for about $5-$6 a bag so I saved some money by picking them and cleaning them myself. I cannot wait to make some cool items out of them. I plan on doing some wreaths, add some to baskets, endless ideas for them. Will post pictures at a later time when I've completed my projects.

** There are 2 methods you can do bake them or wash them.
I washed mine in the kitchen sink 3 times in very warm water and laundry detergent. Let them soak each time for 20 minutes, drained the sink and filled it up with soap and water again. Rinse well when they are no longer sticky. Washing them gets rid of all the sap, small bugs and dirt. The pine cones petals will close up, but they will open again as they dry.

The bake method I didn't do as there is a chance of starting a fire in your oven and you really need to watch closely and stay in the kitchen.

Chop Suey Cake

Oh, my this is one of my all time favorite cakes. If I could just bake this up and serve for dinner once a week I'd be a happy camper. Lol! Thought I'd share the recipe with you all it will be your favorite too!! Yum!!

This delicious cake recipe has been around a very long time.
It was the rage in the 40's! during WORLD WAR 2 era.
Why is it called a "CHOP SUEY" cake ??
I can not find an answer, but I believe
it is because it looks a little like...CHOP SUEY!

2 cups sifted flour
1 cup chopped nuts(any) I use walnuts
2 tsp baking soda
2 cups sugar white or brown
2 eggs
1 large can of crushed pineapple juice and all

Preheat oven 350

Mix all ingredients together, pour into a greased and floured 9 x 13 pan
Bake until a golden brown about 30-35 minutes.

FROSTING:
1 8 oz pkg cream cheese
1 stick of butter or margarine
2 cups of powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla

Mix all ingredients in bowl until mixed well.

Frost while cake is slightly warm.
Refrigerate when cake is cool, it freezes well too!

Peanut Butter Cookies

This is one of my all time favorite cookie recipes they are fast and simple to make. I make these up for the holidays to take to parties, they are a big hit. Also this recipe is kid friendly and they enjoy making these cookies as well, they are fun! 

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What You'll Need:1 cup peanut butter smooth or chunky
1 cup sugar
1 egg

Heat Oven to 375F. Stir together the peanut butter, sugar and egg in a large mixing bowl.

Roll dough into 1- inch balls. Put some sugar on a plate and roll balls in it to coat. Place 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheets.

Press each ball down with a fork to make a crisscross design. Bake for 10 minutes or until cookies just start to brown on the edges. Remove from the oven and let cool on wire racks.

**I also like to make these with thumb prints in them and fill them with peanut butter once cooled. Can also use colored sugar in red, green etc to go with the holidays.

Leftover Rice - Rice Pudding

We eat a lot of rice in our house at least 3 times a week. Perhaps you family is like mine and always has leftover rice in the refrigerator which after a couple days starts to get dried out and doesn't taste good. I hate wasting food and throwing out, so here is a recipe I use. It is simple, quick and makes a great dessert.

Recipe:
2 cups leftover cooked white rice
3 cups milk(any kind)
1/2 cup sugar
small pinch of salt
1/2 cup raisins
1 teaspoon cinnamon(optional)
pinch of nutmeg(optional)

Combine cooked rice, milk sugar and salt in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat to a simmer and stir in the vanilla and raisins. Cook until just about all of the milk is absorbed(30-45 minutes,depending on how absorbent your rice is). Stir in cinnamon and/or nutmeg, if using.

Divide rice pudding into individual serving dishes serve warm or chilled.

Makes 4-6 servings.

* Note: Sometimes I add a extra 1/2 cup of milk, if the rice seems unusually form or dry, to make it creamier. You can add a bit of extra if the pudding is not as creamy as you like it. You can use nonfat, whole or soy milk in this recipe.

My favorite sewing tip~Make your own patterns

When clothing gets worn out and can't be worn anymore. I cut them and use them as patterns to make myself new clothes. My favorite clothing of choice to wear/make is scrub pants, since I work from home they are comfy to wear during the day and also make great pj's for night time use. Making scrub pants myself is not only way cheaper than buying, but I can choose the material and print I want to use, making them custom made just for me. Which I find fun!

Here is why I use worn out clothing as patterns:
Saves me time as I don't have to do any hunting for just the right pattern.
I save money no need to buy patterns.
I know the items I make will fit me perfectly in length and fit as I am using the original item as a pattern to make a new one. No alterations needed. Big time saver!
I do this with scrub pants, skirts and shirts the most.

I store my cloth patterns in Ziploc bags that are clearly labeled so I can use them again for future use. I store them safely in my sewing cabinet. This prevents them from accidentally being used as cleaning rags by me or other members of my family.