Great Holiday Deals

I just have to share this site I found. This web site has amazing prices on some gorgeous counter stools. As you stroll around the site you can see they have slashed prices and are offering Free Shipping. There are so many different styles to choose from. This is the style stool I have in my kitchen. The wood tone seat matches the surrounding cabinets and the black matches all my appliances.

You can check out all the fabulous counter stools at
www.allbarstools.com/Counter-Bar-Stools-C134097.html

A boys new best freind!!! No, not a dog.

I love to document these great moments. With children and their fast growing years everything goes by in a flash. Here is where we can remember for years all the wonderful things they say and do. Join me in "What would your children say?" Wednesday.


This boys new best friend is wikipedia. The chief and the Cisco Kid have been wikipedia junkies. everytime the Cisco Kid askes my husband a question ( and there are alot of them.) they go to the computer and look it up on wikipedia. Now the Cisco Kid wants to look up everything on wikipedia. This brings me to tell you this story.

I was driving the Cisco Kid to school and he was asking why are there white blinking lites on top of the school bus. I told him I think it is for safety reasons. It lets drivers know there is a school bus ahead and not a regular public bus. He said well.... maybe it is so plains can see them, because on top of all the towers there are white blinking lites. I explained that the tower light are very high and the bus is not, so that couldn't be the reason. He then said..... Mom we have to look it up in busipedia!

Off to the Races

Over the weekend we went out with some great friends and had lots of fun at Adventure Landing. We raced go carts, played 18 holes of golf and ending the evening with a good dinner at Sonny's BBQ.

The little rascals were so happy to see each other.
All buckled in and ready to race.


Watch out!! The wild woman is on the road and racing to the finish line, at a snail's pace.
It’s time for the little rascals to ride a go cart all by themselves.

The mom squad ran out of batteries in our cameras and we were unable to take pictures of the golfing and dinner. It really worked out for the best we were able to talk and catch up with each other instead of acting like the paparazzi.

Biscotti Cookies

This is the last posts from my Family Heritage Christmas cookie recipes. Every Monday I was sharing my Christmas cookie recipes that I bake every year. I am going to start preparing for Thanksgiving. I will show all the preparation, foods of our traditional Thanksgiving dinner.

I have already posted about my Connoli, Strufalas, Almond Crescents, no cook S’mores, Almond cups , Coconut Macaroons, Crisp sugar cookies, Chocolate Dipped Lady Fingers, and Oat Rageous Chocolate Chip Peanut butter, Neapolitan Cookies and Almond Rugalas Cookies.



These are a very tasty, dense crispy and twice baked cookie. Perfect for dunking in coffee.  They will hold their shape. 

Ingredients:
4 ounces semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped. Omit the chocolate and add vanilla chips for a vanilla biscotti.
1 cup light brown sugar
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa. Omit for vanilla biscotti.
1 tablespoon instant espresso powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 large eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 cup hazelnuts (toasted and coarsely chopped)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees,
To toast hazelnuts: spread on a baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes or until lightly browned and the skins begin to flake. Remove from the oven and place nuts in a dish towel. Roll up the towel and let the nuts 'steam' for 5 minutes and then briskly rub the towel (with nuts inside) to remove the skins from the nuts. Cool and then chop coarsely. Set aside while you prepare the dough.
Reduce temperature of oven to 300 degree. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a food processor fitted with a metal blade, combine the coarsely chopped chocolate and brown sugar and process until the chocolate is very fine; set aside.

Sift or whisk together the flour, cocoa, espresso powder, baking soda and salt into a bowl; set aside. In the bowl of your electric mixer combine the eggs and vanilla extract and beat to blend, about 30 seconds. On low speed mix in the chocolate/sugar and flour mixtures until a stiff dough forms, adding the hazelnuts about half way through mixing.

On a floured surface divide the dough in half. Form each half into a log 12 inches long. Do this by rolling the dough back and forth into a cylinder shape with floured hands. Transfer the logs to the baking sheet, spacing them well apart (width-wise on the pan), and pat to even the shapes. Bake until almost firm to the touch, about 35 - 40 minutes (logs will spread during baking).
Remove from the oven, place on wire rack, and let cool for 10 minutes.

Using a long spatula transfer the logs to a cutting board. Using a serrated knife cut the dough into slices 3/4 inch thick on the diagonal. Arrange the slices cut-side down on the baking sheet. Bake 15 minutes. Turn the slices over and bake until crisp and dry, about 15 minutes longer. Remove from oven and let cool on wire rack.

Makes about 20 biscotti

Very easy Biscotti cookies.
This recipe is for a nice light crispy cookie.  Not for dunking in Coffee.
3-1/2 cups of flower
1 cup brown sugar or Splenda Brown sugar.
1- egg
1/2 cup of oil
1/4 cup of butter or margarine
1/4 cup of water
2 tea spoons of Baking Soda
1 teaspoon of vanilla
Optional dry ingredients: 
1-1/2 cup of your favorite nuts and or 1-1/2 cup of chocolate chips. 
Optional wet ingredients: 
You can add just one of these Items to transform these Biscotti's into really great flavors.
1 cup of Nutella, or 1 cup of peanut butter, or 1/4 cup of your favorite liqueur.   

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees,

Put everything in a bowl except for the nuts.  (If you want to add nuts, put them in at the end).  Mix together until everything is incorporated.  Split in half and form a log.  flatten the top of the log and put in the over for 35 minutes.  Let cool for about ten minutes and across the log cut one inch pieces.  Stand side by side not letting the cookies touch.  Back again for another 10 minutes. 

Makes about 28 biscotti

Dinner and a fire

With our busy schedule we enjoy any family time we can get. One of our favorite moments are spending it in the yard with a roaring warm fire. We took our dinner outside and ate it in front of the fire. Afterwards we roasting marshmallows and made smores.

Putting out the fire before we go inside.

Tiger Cubs

Last week we completed Making Our Family Special requirement.

We are on track with the Tiger Cub Trail. We have worked on making our family special. There are 3 requirements that have to be completed.

1, Doing a chore as a family
2, Make a family scrapbook
3, Discover how family life was the same and how it was different from many years ago. Homework: Go to a library, historical society, museum, old farm, or historical building or visit an older person in your community.

I purchased some books, paper and had some festive cutouts for the boys to decorate the front cover of their scrapbook. Since I am a dedicated scrapper and I love to document events. I will have the boys make several pages throughout the year so they could put in their new photo album.
I started this meeting by discussing how important it is for the boys to help around the house and participate in the family chores.
I then discussed how life was so different many years ago.
I explained the difficulties of building with the standard screw driver versed the electric/cordless drill. The difficulties of making your own hand made pasta verses buying a box of pasta in the store. Last, how things were secured with hand turned wire verses using a lock wire tool.

I had three separate tables set up with parents guiding the boys on how to use and operate the machinery safely.

We talked about how someone invented these tools and made life much easier. I encouraged them to be imaginative and try to invent soemthing that will help make working easier.

All the boys practiced drilling in the screws and reversing the drill to remove the screws.
Lasagna noodle maker Gnocchi pasta maker
I had dough so the boys could make some pasta.

We discussed how things were secured with hand turned wire verses using a lock wire tool.

The Chief was in charge of this and all the boys now know how to make a secure turned wire.

They were so excited to use these machines and tools. I was happy to give the experience.

This week we are doing a Go See It. We are going to the Fire Department.