February 17, 2010

BigSis and I made this Bloody Mary recipe for a big family get-together on Thanksgiving about ten or twelve years ago. This recipe is perfect for a big party or a holiday celebration since you make it the day before and it makes a full gallon. I love anything that can be made ahead of time that helps eliminate last minute preparations.

With this already chilled in the frig, all you have to do the day of the party is stir in the vodka and you’re ready to serve to your guests as they arrive. It also comes in handy if the cooks get a little thirsty while working in the kitchen.

This past Sunday, we had a big Valentine’s Day Brunch so I decided to make this recipe since we were serving a pretty big group of friends. I even ended up doubling the recipe. Since V-8 has more than enough sodium, I eliminated the regular salt and the Seasoned Salt from the recipe and just used one teaspoon of celery salt instead.

Overnight Bloody Marys
(adapted from 1994 edition of Southern Living “Our Best Christmas Recipes”)

1 46 oz can tomato juice
1 46 oz can V-8 (I used the Spicy)
1 c. lemon juice
1/2 c. water
2 T. Worcestershire sauce
1 t. celery salt
Frank’s Red Hot (to taste)
3 c. vodka

Combine first seven ingredients in container and stir well. Cover and chill at least 8 hours. Stir in vodka just before serving.

We set up a Bloody Mary bar with Tabasco, Frank’s Red Hot, celery sticks, green olives, pickle spears, horseradish, cocktail onions, and lemon and lime wedges so everyone could season and garnish their Bloody Mary to suit their own taste.

I won’t wait another ten years to make these again!

~LilSis

February 10, 2010

Star Bakery

Star Bakery Valentine Day Cupcake Gift Box. (Photo via Flickr.)

All You Need is Cupcakes

All You Need is Cupcakes

All You Need is Cupcakes (both photos via their Flickr stream)

JujyCakes

JujyCakes (photo via Flickr)

Are these gorgeous Valentines Day cupcakes or what?

I just love these cupcakes adorned with hearts of all shapes and sizes and shades of red and pink. They’re so creatively decorated. It really makes me wish that I had time to bake and decorate some for my guys for Valentines Day.

Unfortunately, the reality for me, and most of us is that we don’t have the time. I’m just hoping that these photos will inspire anyone that may be looking for ideas and might be able to find some time to make homemade cupcakes for your Valentine.

~LilSis

December 30, 2009

The weekend before we left for Chicago, I decided that I was going to make Almond Toffee to give to our friends and neighbors for Christmas. It probably wasn’t the best timing to try a new recipe as we were still finishing up Christmas shopping, wrapping, and packing in preparation for our trip to Chicago the following day.

On top of all that, we ended up spending most of the weekend in Mission Bay at HayHay’s surf competition since he made it all the way to the finals. But, somehow, in the midst of all that, I did manage to make two batches of toffee.

I’d like to give a “shout out” and a “huge thanks” to Anna of Cookie Madness for taking the time to reply to me via email regarding a couple of questions I had about the instructions.
I really appreciate it, Anna!

This recipe is one that Anna has made for many years and since the directions are a little long, I think it’s best for you to go to Cookie Madness for the Best-Ever Almond Toffee recipe. You’ll also want to read her Almond Toffee Revisited post which has more tips on making this toffee turn out “just right”.

Pecan Toffee

For my first try at this recipe, I just made the small batch so I could get a feel for it. I substituted pecans for the almonds, since I had some on hand, but I didn’t like it as much as I thought I would. Other than that, this batch was just a teensy bit thicker than I would have liked, which may have been because the temperature got up to almost 295 before I poured it out of the pan. It was still crispy and crunchy, just not perfect.

BigSis has made this toffee almost every Christmas for as long as I can remember. And, guess what? Hers is always perfect. Mine turned out pretty darn good for being my first time to make it, but it wasn’t perfect. That’s okay though, I still gave myself a little pat on the back for trying something new and not having a meltdown over a slightly thick batch of toffee.

Best-Ever Almond Toffee

For my second batch, I went ahead and doubled the recipe since I was feeling a little better about the process. This time I did use almonds, but since I discovered that I don’t like chopping chocolate, I used semi-sweet chips instead. (I shouldn’t have done that!) When I asked for a couple of expert opinions from the chocolate lovers in my house, they both noticed that the chocolate in the first batch was better.

This batch also turned out a little too thick, as you can tell in the photo, but it was still good. I don’t think anyone else really noticed, but this batch got a little chewy after the initial crunch. It wasn’t as crispy and crunchy as it should have been, but I think I know why. I panicked just a little after I poured it into the pan and I think I gave the pan one too many teeny, tiny taps, which Anna specifically advised me not to do. I knew right away that some of the air bubbles were popping and apparently that’s what keeps this toffee so crunchy.

When in Chicago, my mother-in-law happened to pull out some toffee that her brother-in-law had sent to her from Florida. Even though I usually bypass the sweets, I was curious to try it because of my recent attempts at toffee making. This toffee was even thicker than my second batch but somehow was still really crunchy and crispy. It’s supposedly made at some special store and our uncle loves it, so if I ever end up with a perfect batch of toffee, I’m going to send some to him and my mother-in-law. I’m sure they’d both be surprised!

All in all, in the end, I did learn a few things about making toffee.

First of all, toffee making is not for wimps. I never knew how long it took to get candy up to 290 degrees and with constant stirring, it’s a bit of a workout. Secondly, I would invest in a new thermometer before attempting this again.

This is the thermometer that I used, which is the “attach-to-the-pan” type that Anna advises not to use. It’s all I had and I didn’t have time to go get a new one, so the fact that both batches turned out thick probably means that my thermometer was a bit off.

Lastly, just stick exactly to Anna’s Best-Ever Almond Toffee recipe! Don’t make substitutions, use a good thermometer, and follow the instructions to a tee and I bet you end up with a perfect batch of toffee!

~LilSis

December 29, 2009

For the first time since 1926, Dallas got a White Christmas!   It snowed all day Christmas Eve, and we ended up with around 3 or 4 inches of blowing little flakes.  Our weathermen actually called it a blizzard!  I think that folks up north who know what a real blizzard looks like would have laughed their butts off to hear that!

For us, the snow caused lots of traffic problems since it turned to ice just as everyone in the area was on the road, but it was gorgeous and we thoroughly enjoyed it.  Here are some images from my Christmas this year…

After a day of snow, still snowing.

We hope you had a wonderful Christmas, and that it had a few surprises for you as ours did!

~BigSis

December 28, 2009

We hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas!!

I’m sure that lots of you had snow on the ground for Christmas morning, but if we had stayed in California, we definitely would not have had a White Christmas. I think I mentioned earlier that HayHay was really hoping for a White Christmas, and, as the saying goes, you better be careful what you wish for because it just might come true!

A week ago, Sunday before we left for Chicago, he was doing this!

And two days later, he was doing this!

It really was beautiful though.

We wouldn’t have seen icicles like this in San Diego!

We had a great time with all the family and are so thankful that we were able to spend Christmas together this year.  It was 15 degrees when we left Chicago on Sunday so I have to say that I am glad to be back in the San Diego sunshine again, even though we do already miss everyone!

And, in case anyone was wondering, HayHay was back on the surfboard at 8:00 this morning!

~LilSis

December 24, 2009

From BigSis and LilSis, we’re sending you warmest wishes for a wonderful Merry Christmas!

We’re taking off a few days to celebrate Christmas with our friends and family, and will be back soon.  Til then, Merry Merry Christmas!

December 22, 2009

I like for things to be perfect.  If I had my way, Baby Jesus would have been born in a nice temperature-controlled room, on clean smooth sheets, with a nice cozy fire in the corner fireplace, and maybe some lovely candles burning and peaceful music playing softly in the background.  Oh, and how about some nice snacks for the 3 Wise Men to munch on after their long trip; homemade of course!

That’s not how it happened though, and guess what?  Things worked out like God intended, even though they didn’t appear perfect to us; whatever our definition of perfect is.

I’ve been running and rushing around like crazy for a month, and will probably run as fast as I can to finish my To Do List before Christmas.  I’ve had my little holiday meltdown, and I confess to getting wigged out over things that really don’t matter that much.  I’m stressed that while I take a few days off to celebrate the holidays, the work accumulating in piles on my desk at the office will grow taller and taller.  I’m thinking about this itty bitty Christmas detail or that one.  All in an effort to make things perfect.

I just have to stop right now, and give myself a little shake.  What in the world do I have to be worrying or freaking about, and why aren’t I being grateful beyond words to just have this Christmas with lots of my family?  I am thankful, but I think the stress of the details can get in the way of the spirit of the season for me and lots of people.  I don’t want it to be that way.

Is it going to matter if someone wants a Cream Soda on Christmas Eve, and I only bought Dr. Pepper?  Who will care if I buy the guacamole instead of making it?  Will it be the end of the world if the cat hacks up another fake Christmas tree needle hairball in front of my guests?  Nope, nope and nope.

So today, I’m reminding myself that Christmas is about the birth of the Baby Jesus, and how grateful we are for that gift.  It’s about spending time with friends and family, and being thankful for that opportunity. It doesn’t matter if every single little detail about the celebration isn’t perfect.

Merry Christmas to you all!  Enjoy your friends and family, and don’t worry about all of the teeny weeny details!

~BigSis

December 20, 2009

I’ve been around the house a lot for the last 4 weekends; busy with all my bake sale baking, and Christmas stuff. I like to have movies on in the background when I’m home, and these are my Christmas favorites that I’ve been watching over and over and over.

• It’s a Wonderful Life

• Elf

• National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation

• A Christmas Story

• Planes, Trains and Automobiles

• The Santa Clause

I’ve also been watching “Dirty Dancing” and “Liar Liar”, just cause they make me happy, not because they’re Christmasy.

So, did I miss any of your favorite must-watch Christmas movies?

~BigSis

December 19, 2009

Today, I’m sharing with you one of my favorite TomTom Santa photos. I did publish this one last year, but just in case you missed it, here it is again. Doesn’t he look festive?

BigSis still hasn’t been able to convince her two little furkids to pose in their new Christmas outfit she bought for them this year.  Since there’s only one December ‘Caturday’ left this month, I thought it might be fun to invite our readers to share any Christmas photos of their kitties dressed up for the holidays.

If you have a photo that you’d like to share and would love to see posted on our final December ‘Caturday’ next Saturday, just send it to me as an attachment in an email to lilsis at bigsislilsis dot com. Make sure the photo is already resized to no larger than 450 x 340. I know this isn’t much notice, but if I have the photos by Wednesday, December 23rd, I’ll promise to have them up on Saturday the 26th!

Come on…it’ll be fun. Don’t tell me that BigSis and I are the only ones who dress up their furkids in Santa Hats and Reindeer Antlers!

~LilSis

December 18, 2009

You know what freaks me out? Don’t laugh…but, the baking isle at the grocery store really, really freaks me out.

I know that sounds weird, especially on the ‘tail end’ of BigSis talking about her huge Bake Sale success! Once again, proving the point that we are as different as we are alike.

BigSis probably gets excited when she shops for baking supplies.

Me; I’m on the verge of an anxiety attack.

AND, I’M NOT KIDDING!

I’m not even exaggerating.

I shouldn’t even admit to this.

I’m completely intimidated.

I don’t know where anything is.

I’m nervous as a cat.

I feel like a total moron!

Every. Single. Time.

Yesterday, on my list of things to do was to buy the ingredients for the goodies I was going to make for our neighbors. I was going to make the Peppermint Bark recipe from Culinary Concoctions by Peabody and the Almond Toffee recipe from Anna of Cookie Madness.

Both of these recipes did NOT require very many ingredients. You’d think it would be simple. I usually have better results with candy making versus baking, so I was feeling pretty good about my choices until I read over the recipes a little more closely. I got a little nervous when I realized that I needed to temper the chocolate for the Peppermint bark, so I had to email BigSis a question about that. Then, I read where Anna even admitted that she sometimes screws up her toffee after having made it for over 20 years! Yikes! I’m thinking I’m in over my head, again.

Yet, I was determined to make these two candies so I made a special trip to the store and I was in a hurry, as usual. I quickly picked up the candy canes and the parchment paper, which was luckily on an end cap, then I head down the baking isle. First of all, there are way too many different types of chocolate to choose from and they’re all expensive! I needed 14 ounces for the bark so I did my best to pick the right bittersweet chocolate and grabbed four of the 4 ounce bars.  Last on my list for the bark was the white chocolate. Where the heck is the white chocolate? Why isn’t it right with the regular chocolate? Did regular grocery stores not carry it? Did I need to make another trip to find Michaels for the special kind of chocolate that melts? I dunno.

Now, I’m irritated. I started to call BigSis, like I do 90% of the time I find myself on the baking isle, but I realized she was still at work and it would be really dumb to bug her with such a stupid question. So, I put the candy canes and the bittersweet chocolate back and scratched the bark off my list! I already had pecans at home, so I grabbed baking soda and two bars of semi-sweet chocolate for the toffee and checked out.

So, when I finally got home from the store, I started some chicken and veggies for homemade soup and got out some garlic, rosemary, olive oil, and Camembert cheese to make an an appetizer version of a Jamie Oliver recipe I found in Food Network Magazine.

Ahhh…back in my comfort zone.

The Baked Camembert turned out so good that SirHoney and I single handily devoured the entire thing before dinner! Hopefully I got a few decent photos that I can share with you later!

I have to make the toffee today when I’m not rushed and don’t have two hungry guys hovering over me acting like they haven’t eaten in weeks.

If you don’t see a post about the toffee in the next few days, you’ll know that I screwed it up and my neighbors will probably be getting fudge for Christmas. (I don’t think I’ve ever messed that up.) But, then again, that would require another trip to the baking isle and I don’t think I’m up for that!

~LilSis