MC’S Family Christmas decorations 2023. Part one Kitchen. I’ve decided to do this in two parts. The first one being the Kitchen. My wife and I put a lot of time and preparation into this.
Actually she does the majority of the work. I carry the decorations up from the lower level of our house up to the main floor.
Hopefully you enjoy the decorations. show us yours if you don’t mind.
Kitchen at a distance.
I’ll post the rest of the pictures in the comments. Feel free to post any Christmas decorations that you may have.
Rosemary sprigs and pomegranate seeds, for garnish
Directions:
To make the cake: Preheat the oven to 350°F. Butter a 12-by-17-inch rimmed baking sheet. Line with parchment paper, leaving an overhang on all sides. Butter the parchment.
In a large bowl, beat the egg whites, cream of tartar, and salt with an electric mixer on medium-high speed until frothy. Add 1/4 cup of the granulated sugar and beat on high speed until stiff, glossy peaks form, about 2 minutes.
In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa powder, and baking powder. In a separate large bowl, combine the egg yolks, the remaining 1/2 cup sugar, and the vanilla. Beat on high speed until thick and creamy, 3 to 4 minutes. Beat in the melted butter and coffee until combined.
Add the flour mixture to the yolk mixture and beat on low speed until well combined. Fold a spoonful of the beaten egg whites into the batter until no streaks remain. Gently fold in the remaining egg whites until combined.
Transfer the batter to the prepared pan, gently nudging the batter so it fills the corners. Give the pan a little shimmy to even it out. Bake until the top just starts to spring back when gently pressed, 10 to 12 minutes (the top might still feel a little tacky). Do not over-bake or the cake will crack.
Place a clean dish towel on a large wire rack. Dust the cake with 2 tablespoons of the powdered sugar. While the cake is still hot, loosen the edges from the pan, then turn out the cake onto the towel; carefully remove the parchment. Dust the top with the remaining 2 tablespoons powdered sugar.
Starting at one of the long sides, use the towel to tightly roll up the cake with the towel inside. Position the cake seam-side down and let cool about 1 hour.
To make the filling: In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese with an electric mixer on low speed until just smooth. Add the powdered sugar and beat until smooth, about 1 minute. Gradually beat in the heavy cream 1/4 cup at a time, making sure the mixture is smooth before adding more cream. Increase the speed to medium high and beat until stiff peaks form, 2 to 4 minutes. Add the vanilla and beat for a few more seconds, just to combine.
Carefully unroll the cooled cake and spread evenly with the filling, leaving a 1/4- to 1/2-inch border on all sides. Re-roll the cake, using the towel to help you. Cover the cake roll with parchment paper and then tightly wrap in plastic wrap. Chill for at least 2 hours.
Meanwhile, for the frosting: To a medium bowl, add the chocolate. In a saucepan, bring the heavy cream and corn syrup to a simmer, then pour over the chocolate. Let sit for 5 minutes, then whisk until smooth. Let thicken at room temperature until spreadable, about 2 hours.
Unwrap the cake on a cutting board. Cut off one-fourth of the cake on a sharp diagonal for the branch. Position the branch against the remaining cake roll on a platter. Cover the cake with the frosting using an offset spatula, then drag a fork through the frosting to create a bark-like texture. Garnish with rosemary sprigs and pomegranate seeds.
Is there a holiday cookie, bar, or baked good in your life that makes you misty-eyed? If so, you’re not alone. There’s something about the aroma and the simple act of baking and sharing that bring up nostalgic memories for people.
This year, we’d like to share with you a handful of RADA employees’ favorite recipes for holiday sweet treats. Maybe one of these will become your new favorite too. From the employees of Rada Cutlery, have a wonderful start to your holiday season!
From Sandra’s office comes this recipe from the 1959 Better Homes & Gardens Holiday Cookbook. She says it’s an old but reliable recipe she has used for many years and creates perfect dough for using cookie cutters.
Sugar Cookies
Ingredients
1 C. butter or margarine
1½ C. sugar
3 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
3½ C. sifted enriched flour
2 tsp. cream of tartar
1 tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. salt
Directions
Cream the butter. Add sugar gradually, creaming until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, beating after each addition. Stir in the vanilla. Sift together the dry ingredients; add gradually to creamed mixture. Chill thoroughly (3 to 4 hours).
On a well-floured surface, roll dough ⅛” to ¼” thick. Cut into shapes. Bake on ungreased cookie sheets at 375˚ for 6 to 8 minutes. Cool slightly on the cookie sheets before removing to a rack to cool.
Frost and decorate as you wish.
Kristi shared this recipe for Toffee that her grandma always made for Christmas. Kristi and her sister still make it as a tradition every year, but she says it never turns out as good as Grandma’s (but it’s still delicious).
Toffee
Ingredients
About ½ C. chopped pecans
1 C. butter
1 C. brown sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
About ⅔ C. semisweet chocolate chips
Directions
Line an 8″ or 9″ square pan with foil, allowing the edges of the foil to hang over the pan. Grease the foil lightly with cooking spray. Spread chopped nuts over the bottom of the pan; set aside.
In a large saucepan, bring the butter and brown sugar together over medium heat, stirring to help melt the butter. Bring the mixture to a boil and, stirring constantly, boil the mixture for exactly 7 minutes. Mixture will be thicker and caramel colored. Stir in the vanilla and pour the mixture over the chopped nuts.
Immediately sprinkle with the semisweet chocolate chips in an even layer; let sit for a few minutes until the chips are melty then spread out over toffee. Break into pieces when cool.
This recipe from Andrea is easy to make—no scooping into individual cookies—and you can make them festive for any holiday by using holiday M&Ms!
No Flour Christmas Monster Cookie Bars
Ingredients
½ C. butter, softened
1 C. brown sugar
1 C. white sugar
1½ C. peanut butter
3 large eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
2 tsp. baking soda
4½ C. quick oats
1 C. M&Ms
1 C. chocolate chips
Directions
Cream butter and sugars. Mix in peanut butter, eggs, and vanilla then add the baking soda and oatmeal. Stir in the M&Ms and chocolate chips. Press into a 12×17″ jelly roll pan (dough is sticky so I use a greased sandwich bag over my hand). Bake at 350˚ for 15 minutes. Super easy and yummy!
Mel shares this recipe from her neighbor who made these when Mel’s daughters were little. The cookies found their way over to their house many times along with stories of early morning fishing trips and camping adventures. They’ve always been a family favorite.
Peanut Butter Toffee Chocolate Chip Cookies (a.k.a. “Fishing Cookies”)
Ingredients
¾ C. Parkay or butter
1 C. sugar
1 C. brown sugar, packed
½ C. peanut butter
2 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla
2½ C. unsifted flour
1 tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. salt
½ pkg. Heath toffee chips
1 (11.5 oz.) pkg. milk chocolate chips
Directions
Mix butter, sugars, and peanut butter until fluffy. Add eggs and vanilla and mix. Mix in flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Stir in toffee and chocolate chips.
Bake at 350˚ for 10 to 12 minutes on ungreased cookie sheets.
This recipe from Sue has been on friends’ and relatives’ Christmas cookie trays for as long as she can remember. They’re delicious—just don’t eat them above your pretty velvet party dress.
Pecan Snowballs
Ingredients
2 C. flour
¾ tsp. salt
2 C. chopped pecans, divided
1 C. unsalted butter, softened
⅓ C. sugar
1½ tsp. vanilla
Powdered sugar
Directions
Preheat the oven to 325˚ and line cookie sheets with parchment paper.
Mix the flour, salt, and 1 cup of the pecans. Finely grind the remaining pecans in a food processor, then stir them into the flour mixture.
In a separate bowl, cream together the butter and sugar. Beat in the vanilla and the flour mixture until mixed. Roll into scant tablespoon-sized balls and bake for 18 minutes or until the bottoms are golden. Cool on the pans for 2 minutes, then move to a rack to finish cooling.
Roll cooled cookies in powdered sugar. Let stand about an hour, then roll again in powdered sugar.
What’s your favorite Christmas/holiday sweet treat?
Looking for folks to write some good articles on Food, Music, and Feel Good stories. We here at Koda invite folks to add articles to our website. These are non political articles.
We feature Music, Food, and feel good articles. If you would like to try, contact me at
ledbed12345@gmail.com
We use wordpress here, if not familiar we will teach you.
The more flavor you can cram into a wrap, the better. Loaded with chicken, dried cranberries, and all the flavorful, crispy, chewy, tangy ingredients imaginable, these rollup pinwheels are the best! Let’s dig in!
What Makes the Best Wrap?
FLAVOR! Check out the ingredients in our recipe:
chicken
dried cranberries
celery
red onion
lemon zest
dried tarragon
water chestnuts
walnuts
alfalfa sprouts
Rounding out the list of flavor-bomb ingredients is a combination of Greek yogurt, mayo, and Dijon mustard.
Cranberry Chicken Wraps
INGREDIENTS (Makes 4)
1 T. vegetable oil
¾ lb. boneless chicken breast, cut into small pieces
1 (5.3 oz.) container plain Greek yogurt
¼ C. plus 1 T. mayo
1½ tsp. Dijon mustard
⅓ C. dried cranberries
2 celery ribs, diced
1 red onion, finely chopped
Zest from 2 lemons
1½ tsp. dried tarragon
1 (6 oz.) can water chestnuts, drained & chopped
½ C. chopped walnuts, toasted if desired*
Salt and black pepper to taste
4 (10ʺ) flour tortillas
Alfalfa sprouts
DIRECTIONS
Heat the oil in a skillet and add the chicken, cooking until no longer pink; set aside.
In a medium bowl, combine the yogurt, mayo, mustard, dried cranberries, celery, onion, lemon zest, tarragon, water chestnuts, and walnuts; stir in the set-aside chicken and season with salt and pepper.
Heat the tortillas according to package directions. Divide the chicken mixture among the tortillas and add some sprouts.
*To toast, place walnuts in a single layer in a dry skillet over medium heat, stirring occasionally, for about 10 minutes or until golden brown.
Food is more than a simple snack or meal: It symbolizes comfort, connection, and care, and we’ve been using it to nurture social relationships since at least the Bronze Age. So when Rhiannon Menn found herself yearning to make an impact as the COVID-19 pandemic caused layoffs, school closures, and illnesses, she started cooking.
“I just thought, well, what do I love to do? And what do I know how to do? And for me, that’s cooking; it’s my happy place,” the mother of three told Nice News. In March of 2020, Menn began making extra pans of lasagna, then got on Facebook, found a few “mom groups” in the San Diego area, and offered to drop them off to anyone in need. She delivered seven meals her first week and quickly began getting messages from other people inspired to help. “All of a sudden I found myself managing this network of amazing volunteers who all wanted to feed people in their community,” Menn said.
Just over two years later, Lasagna Love has become a registered nonprofit with over 35,000 volunteers — or “Lasagna Chefs” as they are called — in all 50 states, as well as Canada and Australia. Altogether, they’ve delivered more than 250,000 lasagnas, feeding over one million people in total. The organization has been featured on Good Morning America and The Kelly Clarkson Show. And Menn believes it’s all a testament to how many people are looking for an outlet to show kindness and help others.
Lasagna Chefs are matched with families based on distance and dietary restrictions. Once a match is made, all communication occurs directly between those two people. “We do feed families, and that’s important, but really what we’re doing is spreading kindness and strengthening communities, and it’s through those one-on-one bonds that it moves the needle on connectedness,” said Menn.
Lasagna Love
And there are no eligibility requirements to request a meal or nominate a family. One of the nonprofit’s core values is zero judgment. “We can’t say what needing help looks like,” Menn said, “only you, as a recipient, know what it means to need help”
Virginia resident Jan Delucien, who experienced a traumatic brain injury that left her unable to work, requested a lasagna after hearing about the organization in a support group. For the 64-year-old, the smiling volunteer handing her a home-cooked dish at her door meant much more than just a free meal. “It really was a gift of love,” Delucien told the Associated Press through tears.
According to Menn, when asked if they felt inspired to pay the act of kindness forward, 97% of Lasagna Love meal recipients said they did, and a quarter responded that they already had. “I deliver a lasagna to you, and then you’re inspired to go donate a bag of clothes, or maybe share the meal with somebody, or maybe volunteer at the local animal shelter. So, all of a sudden, those million people that were fed — how many acts does that actually result in? And that’s where we have the power to really shift communities,” she said.
The founder hopes that one day the world won’t need Lasagna Love anymore and that people will help each other entirely organically. But until then, Menn and her team will keep spreading kindness one lasagna at a time.
A friend of mine was honored. He made the Ohio Veterans Hall of Fame. A retired Youngstown police officer was inducted into the Ohio Veterans Hall of Fame. The only local inductee. A career law enforcement officer, attorney and 30-year veteran who has dedicated his life to public service. Had served as an officer at the federal then local level for 30 years. Some of his accomplishments.
Did volunteer work as a police representative at the Youngstown Veterans Treatment Court. After completing an active-duty tour in 2006, he served in the Army Reserve until honorably retiring in 2012 at the rank of Lieutenant Colonel.
Finished his police career with YPD as a detective then commander, retiring in 2019. He is the recipient of the Silver Star for Bravery (Valor), the Excellent Police Duty Award, the John Edgar Hoover Memorial Gold Medal, the Distinguished Police Service Award, was recognized by the National Association of Chiefs of Police and has been inducted in the American Police Hall of Fame.
Completed the degrees of Juris Doctor and Doctor of Law and Policy. His public service contributions include giving back to the community by providing meals to elderly, disabled and persons in need.
As an attorney, he provided free legal assistance to the community and Ohio Veterans Home residents. He has conferred on the Tennessee Comprehensive Emergency Management Plan and the Veterans Home in Cleveland, Tennessee.
He protected the public from fraud by serving on the Mahoning County Bar Association Certified Grievance committee and the Ohio State Bar Association Unlicensed Practice of Law Committee.
Veterans selected for the Ohio Veterans Hall of Fame served our country honorable and continue to serve their communities, state, and nation through volunteerism, advocacy, professional distinction, and public service.
Killing it. Cait Miers/World Surf League via Getty Images
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43-Foot Wave Lands Pro Surfer Laura Enever in the Record Books.
After conquering a giant wave in Oahu, Hawaii, in January, Australian pro surfer Laura Enever is officially a world record holder. Enever broke the record for the largest wave surfed paddle-in by a woman, tackling a crest that reached 43.6 feet.
“I knew when it picked me up that it was a massive wave,” Enever told The Washington Post earlier this week, after the wave was certified as the biggest by the World Surf League. “But then when I looked over the edge and saw how far I had to go down and how big the drop was, I was like, ‘OK, this is the biggest wave you ever caught.’”
The 31-year-old athlete said she didn’t set out that day to make history, but nevertheless considers the achievement a “monumental” part of her surfing career. She told the World Surf League she hopes the next generation of female big wave surfers continues to push the envelope and smash records.
“I would never be in this position if it wasn’t for all the big wave surfers who have come before me and paved the way, especially the really brave, courageous females who have always inspired me and made me feel like I could get out there and give it a crack,” she said.
If nothing says Thanksgiving to you like a wobbly red blob with the can lines still on it, you’re not alone—Ocean Spray (whose farmers produce 65% of the world’s cranberries) told the Wall Street Journal that Americans will consume 80 million pounds of the tart berries next week. Though the holiday makes for the 93-year-old farming cooperative’s biggest sales, it’s been innovating for decades to keep cranberries on your mind even when you don’t have a turkey or a UTI: The company pioneered juice boxes in the 1980s and coined the term “craisin” in the 1990s.
As the sun rose in California yesterday morning, so, too, did a new airship backed by Google co-founder and dirigible fanatic Sergey Brin.
Pathfinder 1 flew its first test flight on Wednesday after 10 years spent developing the next-gen airship full of “blood, sweat, and tears,” according to LTA Research CEO Alan Weston. With funding from the billionaire Brin, LTA (“Lighter Than Air”) has claimed huge breakthroughs in modernizing the old-fashioned technology.
Longer than three Boeing 737s, the electric aircraft could usher in a new, greener era in flight:
LTA’s airships could eventually carry 200 tons of cargo each—roughly 10 times as much as a Boeing 737, according to Weston, making them a viable alternative to freight planes, ships, and trains.
Weston and Brin want to use the airships for humanitarian relief missions since the aircraft doesn’t require much infrastructure to take off or land.
Looking ahead…Pathfinder 1 has a long journey of tests before it can fly irl. The plan is to move the operation from Cali to Akron, Ohio, where LTA is already planning to make a larger version of the craft. The airships will be among friends—Akron serves as the headquarters of Goodyear and its dwindling fleet of advertising blimps.—CC
Youngstown Ohio. Home of Youngstown Ohio. I was born in a city that at one time was known for its Steel Mills, and Italian mobsters. But the city had five local lads that won world champion boxing titles.
Five world champions are lightweight champion Harry Arroyo (40-11-0), cruiserweight titlist Jeff “Prime Time” Lampkin (39-19-1), lightweight champion Ray “Boom Boom” Mancini (29-5-0), middleweight champ Kelly “The Ghost” Pavlik (40-2-0) and bantamweight titlist Greg “The Flea” Richardson (31-8-1).
“These aren’t minor belts won, but belts from the big three which is the IBF, WBA and WBC. Another local boxer who never won a world title but came so close was Ernie Shavers.
A dump cake is a cross between a cake and a cobbler. Basically, all the ingredients are dumped into a baking dish and then baked until golden brown. This Pumpkin Crunch Dump Cake is a delightful combination of pumpkin pie and cake with a crunchy pecan topping. Serve with some whipped topping for a pumpkin dessert that will knock everyone’s sock’s off!
Pumpkin Crunch Dump Cake
Ingredients 2 (15 oz.) cans of pumpkin 16 oz. evaporated milk (2 cups) 4 eggs 1 cup sugar 2 tsp cinnamon (or 1 tsp of pumpkin pie spice and 1 tsp cinnamon) 1 1/2 sticks of butter 1 box of yellow cake mix 1 cup chopped pecans Instructions In a large mixing bowl combine pumpkin, evaporated milk, sugar, eggs, and cinnamon.
Stir until smooth. Pour into a 9 x 13 baking dish. Sprinkle cake mix over pumpkin mixture and then add the pecans. Cut butter into slices and lay all over the top. Bake uncovered in a 350 degree oven for 1 hour or until top is golden brown and center is set.
Whenever I was in Dana Point California, there was a small Italian Restaurant where I always ordered the Shrimp Piccata. It’s been closed for about 10 years now, but I always remembered how this was one awesome dish. Here’s a recipe that’s similar.
Prep Time:
10 mins
Cook Time:
25 mins
Total Time:
35 mins
Servings:
4
Ingredients
1(16 ounce) packagelinguine pasta
¼cupolive oil
¼cupbutter
1pounduncooked medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
10baby bella mushrooms, sliced
2clovesgarlic, chopped
1(6 ounce) jarmarinated artichoke hearts, chopped, with juice
½lemon, juiced
3tablespoonscapers with juice
1splashdry white wine (Optional)
salt and ground black pepper to taste
Directions
Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook linguine at a boil until tender yet firm to the bite, about 11 minutes; drain.
Heat olive oil and butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add shrimp, mushrooms, and garlic; cook and stir until fragrant, 1 to 2 minutes. Add artichokes, lemon juice, capers, and white wine. Cook and stir until shrimp is tender and mixture is bubbling, about 10 minutes.
Spoon shrimp piccata over individual beds of pasta. Season with salt and pepper.
It’s Wednesday. Hump Day. So let the music flow. This used to be the middle of the work week for me, but since I’m retired, every day is a weekend day. But enough. Play the music that you enjoy.
My favorite car. There’s nothing special about it. It’s a 2014 Malibu. 40,000 miles, clean. So if you have a favorite, post it. You don’t have to own it, just like or love it.
