Janet's House

Lemon Drop

Just in time (barely) for New Year’s Eve a delicious recipe for a Lemon Drop. I sprinkled sugar on a plate and before dipping the glass into it I ran the lemon around the rim. The sugar sticks to the glass quite nicely. Here’s the recipe. I hope you have everything you need. This makes 1 serving.

1 1/2 ounces Vodka

1/2 ounce Triple Sec

1 teaspoon superfine sugar

3/4 ounce freshly-squeezed lemon juice

ice cubes

twisted peel of lemon

Mix the vodka, triple sec, sugar and lemon juice in a cocktail shaker half filled with ice. Shake well. Pour strained liquor into sugar rimmed martini glass and garnish with a twisted peel of lemon.

       Cheers! and Happy New Year!!

                     

Happy Anniversary

 

     

 

   

 

 Janet’s House

 

 

                                      

As most everyone says after one year goes by “I can’t believe a whole year has gone by!” It has! I’ve been writing Janet’s House since last December 27th and have enjoyed every minute of it. It was a brave move for me to push that “publish” button that first day, but I’m so glad I did. I’ve wanted to write for years but back in the olden days the only alternative was to send a story or article to a magazine. Good luck with that! This blog business is just the ticket for those of us with things to say.

I’d like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who reads what I have to say. It’s so fun to run into a friend and have them tell me how much they like my blog or a particular recipe. I thank my sister for pushing me in this direction. Her encouragement was just what I needed.

My year was filled with reconnecting with many old friends, some through the blog, some through Facebook and several through the death of my father. An 88 year old friend of my dad now sends me several jokes a week. Bless his heart for finding me and reminding me what my dad was like when they were young. Using the computer at 88! Wow! Think of how his life has changed since the 1920’s!

I’ve reread several of my first posts and still feel pretty good about them. My photography has gotten better. I fell off the wagon on Lens365. Although I love my original idea of finding something wonderful to take a picture of every single day, the reality is that some days are filled with many wonderful photo opportunities and others just don’t send me. I think I’ll plan something new.

I look forward to reaching out to more readers. I’ve always got a new project going and I always need to feed someone, so I might as well be writing about it. I’ve learned to cook and sew with a camera hanging around my neck. I feel it’s so necessary to properly photograph what I am trying to say. You know that old saying, ‘a picture is worth a thousand words.’

Thank you again. Any thoughts, ideas, suggestions or clarifications are always welcome in the comments. I love to hear what you have to say too!

Mom's Recipe File - Porcupine Meatballs

 

I came across my mothers old recipe box and realized I’d really never looked inside. You see, my mom was never much of a cook so I didn’t think there’d be anything of interest. I now realize that most of those recipes are from other people; favorite aunts, old friends and even a few I’d given her, always hoping she would take up cooking as a hobby. (I was always hungry!) So, although she probably didn’t make most of the recipes in her box, there are some good meal ideas and it’s fun to see her handwriting and little notes.

Mom collected recipes like she collected everything else.  She belonged to many clubs and organizations and there was always another potluck to attend. She would usually make her famous (?) pineapple upside down cake. I always referred to it as her dump cake because it consisted of dumping a box of yellow cake mix, a can of pineapple and margarine into a pan and baking. Weird but somehow good. She’d come home with an empty casserole and new recipes to try.

My mom was always too busy to cook. I don’t think she ever really liked her own cooking so she never made the effort. She preferred to be painting, gardening or attending an art exhibit; being tied to the kitchen wasn’t her idea of a good time. If something could be cooked in one pan, that was her idea of a successful dinner. It cracks me up to read some of the recipes that call for a jar of jam and dry onions dumped over chicken breasts and baked. Mom’s home cooking!

One favorite recipe she did make when we were kids was Porcupine Meatballs. We loved having it when friends came over, just waiting for the moment when they asked if it was truly porcupine meat. Of course it wasn’t, it’s just the little rice pieces poking out of the ground beef. I’m sure you could use ground turkey if you’d like. The original recipe called for a can of tomato soup, but I prefer to use my frozen soup from last summer’s tomatoes. Other than that, the recipe is as written…from mom.

Porcupine Meatballs

1/2 cup regular rice

1 1/2 pounds hamburger

1 small onion

1 can tomato soup

1/2 can (1/2 cup) water

salt and pepper

Add rice, onion, salt and pepper to ground beef. Make into small meatballs. Place meatballs into boiling soup. Cover, turn to low and cook 45 minutes.

In the olden days we served this over mashed potatoes, but yikes, two carbs at one meal, no way, so now I serve them over mashed cauliflower.

 

                 Enjoy!

 

Merry Christmas from Janet's House to You!

Wishing you peace this holiday season

Wrapping it Up- Free Stuff!

 

There are a lot of creative people out there on the web and many are very nice artists who want to share their work with us. Today I’m giving you links to free downloadable tags to make your Christmas wrapping easier. Click on the link and it will take you to their blog with the download for tags and often so much more!

 

http://www.lollychops.com/lollychops/downloadprintfreebies.html

 

 

http://orangeyoulucky.blogspot.com/2011/12/2011-holiday-gift-tags.html

 

 

http://blogdelanine.blogspot.com/2011/12/for-you.html

 

 

http://www.sharonrowanphotodesign.blogspot.com/2011/12/day-four-dangly-gift-tags.html

 

Aren’t they great?! I’ll let these nice people know I’m sharing their work with you. If you download their tags be sure and let them know where you heard about them. Merry Merry Christmas everyone!

A Re-Arrangement

I was at the market today and couldn’t help but stop and look at the beautiful floral arrangements.  I could buy a small bouquet and place it in a small vase. I didn’t want to spend the big bucks on the bigger one, but I wanted a nice, full, beautiful floral arrangement for the table near the front door.

 

I got to thinking and decided to purchase the most interesting, yet least expensive. The one I chose had this wonderful cabbagy looking flower and a good balance of bright green and pink. It was a little puny, but I didn't want to pay for filler. I took it home to see what I could add to it.

 

 

 

I went outside with my clippers but it’s been pretty cold so there wasn’t  much to chose from.  I trimmed a branch from the fir tree, and a couple of stems from a holly bush.  I found some Sedum Autumn Joy that hadn’t disintegrated.

 

 

 

 

 

   Luckily that’s all this bouquet needed for a bigger, better Wow!

See, sometime that’s all it takes. You don’t have to buy the most expensive; it can just end up looking that way.

Poinsettia Cocktail

This most delicious cocktail was served by good friends the other evening. It’s beautiful, colorful and will work well for Christmas or New Years Eve as it has the bubbles and fizz necessary for a festive time.

It comes from Nigella Lawson’s new cookbook, Nigella Christmas. It takes only 5 minutes prep so that goes along with my “week before Christmas things we can still make” ideas. Since there’s options on the ingredients this may be stuff in the back of the liquor cabinet that can be pulled together for added simplicity.

Here are the details:

1 750-ml bottle Prosecco lf other fizzy dry white wine, chilled

1/2 cup (125ml) Cointreau, Gran Marnier or Triple Sec, chilled

2 cups (500ml) cranberry juice, chilled

Mix the Prosecco or fizzy wine with the Cointreau (or Grand Marnier or Triple Sec) and cranberry juice in a large pitcher.

Pour into wine glasses or champagne flutes. Makes 5 2/3 cups.

                                  Cheers!

                          

Little Tags and Labels

I was asked recently how I made the tags I used on my Kahlua bottles. Quite simple if you take the time for the little extra details.

For this tag, I cut the size I wanted (about 3” X 1.5”) out of cardstock paper. I punched the hole first, so I wouldn’t end up punching through a word. I used a ruler to make the lines around all edges, then simply made little hash marks out from the line. I didn’t worry about making them all the same length; random is ok. When I finished I decided it still needed something, so I added a few dots. Take a bit of time to doodle a few tags. Before you know it you’ll be obsessed. If you make a mistake, so what?? It’s only a little piece of paper. Try again!

If you’re not feeling steady handed enough to tackle your own tag try worldlabel for free downloadable labels. There are several styles and you can even write in what you want on your label before printing for a totally professional look.

I printed the labels on regular paper then opted to hand write the ingredients and used a glue stick to adhere them on my homemade vanilla. They’re sized to fit blank adhesive labels so there you go.

Now there’s nothing stopping you from adding that bit of detail to your homemade gifts. It’s those little extras that add to the presentation. It’s totally okay if they look handmade; that’s the point.

Toffee Roca

All week, this week before Christmas I plan to post something we still have time to make. This candy is just like the one that comes in the pink tin and has the word Almond in front of the word Roca. That said, and not wanting trouble I will now refer to it as Toffee Roca. It’s really so simple and honestly, you might already have all the ingredients you need in your kitchen. I did.

Here’s the recipe along with a little step by step showing the batch I made the other day. By the way, it goes great with Kahlua.

Toffee Roca

1 cup sliced almonds

1/2 cup (or more) ground almonds (can opt for ground walnuts)

1 large (3-4 oz.) chocolate (preferably dark) candy bar (or chocolate chips in a pinch)

1 cup sugar

1 cup softened butter (2 sticks)

 

Add sugar to butter and cook on medium heat. Bring to rolling boil and cook 5 minutes. Add almonds boil for at least 5 more minutes.  Stir constantly; timing is important, it should be golden brown. **see note below**

 

 

Pour on cookie sheet. Working quickly to spread evenly. 

 

 

Cool in fridge until hardened. This won’t take long. While it’s cooling, break chocolate into a measuring cup and place cup in a pan of near boiling water to melt.

 

 

When chocolate is spreadable and toffee is hardened work quickly to spread chocolate over toffee. Sprinkle with the ground nuts while chocolate is still warm. Work in sections to spread a little, then sprinkle. Place back in fridge for a few minutes chill (maybe 5 minutes)

 

Flip over. It doesn’t matter if it breaks when you’re turning as you’ll be breaking it into pieces anyway. Repeat chocolate and nut process so there’s coverage on both sides.

 

 

Who wouldn’t like to get this for a Christmas gift?? Don’t make it too far ahead or you won’t have it to give away; you’ll have eaten it!

 

**Note: When you’re stirring the sugar butter mixture it often takes longer than the 10 minutes suggested. This batch took at least 15 minutes. Keep stirring; the mixture will change texture and become almost fluffy. Keep stirring. It will begin to change golden, but keep stirring (get it??). When it really is golden brown remove from heat and proceed to the next step. This is the only hard part (and it’s not too bad).

                            Enjoy!!

Down to the Wire-Last Minute Gift Ideas

With Christmas just over a week away there’s not much time to pull together a complicated handmade gift. People often say that it’s difficult to give a gift to someone who’s creative. Personally, I love receiving gifts that involve a little work on my part. Even when I was a kid I liked the kits, sets and puzzles that lasted longer than the opening. When I’ve received a gift of yarn or fabric I think of the person who gave it to me with every stitch. You’d be surprised if you walk into a fabric or yarn store and ask someone to help you pick out a gift for your creative friend. There will be all kinds of ideas and the receiver will appreciate the effort. With that thought in mind, here are a few ideas that I think will help you satisfy your creative friends while tapping into your own creative side.

 

Food items can be made in an evening to give the next day. A loaf of wonderful banana bread baked in a new pan makes a useful and tasty gift. They’ll think of you every time they bake a loaf of bread. Here’s my favorite recipe (be sure to include it with your gift!).

 

 

Got a dog lover on you list? How about a basket or bowl of dog items? Pull together a new leash, chewy, biscuits, cute picture frame and maybe a good book for day hikes. Wrap it all up in a big dog bowl or basket. Don’t forget a movie they can enjoy together.

 

 

 

For that person on your list who has everything, consider gifts she or he will use up during the year. We don’t always buy wonderful soaps or lotions for ourselves, but receiving them is great fun. I found a beautiful selection at one of my favorite shops, Peggy Sunday’s. The soaps are wrapped in beautiful papers and smell delicious. They come with their own matching soap dish. Perfect! Peggy also has an awesome selection of candles, dishware, barware and loads of lovelies. Truly something for everyone.

 

 

For the cook in you life; who doesn’t need more olive oil?  Remember The Oilerie for a wonderful selection. They have recipes and ideas on how to use each oil. A bottle or two in a basket lined with a new dish towel and you’re all set. For extras, consider artisan salts and herbs tucked in with the bottles. There are wonderfully handmade cruets and bowls. Need more? Maybe a beautiful apron or napkin set.

 

 

      

    

Cook baskets are great fun to do. How about cupcake tins with sprinkles and liner papers in fun colors. Add a brightly colored spatula and you’re set. For an extra pop, add a cookbook.  Sweet!

 

For that guy who’s hard to buy for, consider a movie night basket. Depending on how much you want to spend you can do this in a couple of different ways. One fun idea is to get a couple of DVD’s, a fuzzy, warm throw and a jar of popcorn. A bit less expensive idea is to purchase a gift card from the local movie theater and wrap it with a couple of candy bars. Christmas and date night in one gift.

 

 

A stitcher in your group of friends? Most fabric stores have a wonderful selection of what are called ‘fat quarters’ (18” X 22”). It’s fun to pick out companion fabrics and they’re the perfect size for a pillow front (buy 2 matching for the whole pillow). Look for a pattern for pillows or a table runner and you have a simply perfect gift.

 

 

     

Most knitters love to get yarn. There are beautiful hand dyed yarns out there for socks and small projects. Of course the yarn shops have patterns and books to include with the yarn. A few of my favorite local shops are Twisted, Knit Purl and Close Knit. You can even go to Ravelry, an online knitting community for free patterns and ideas. With a free pattern and a beautiful skein of yarn you’ve got the perfect thoughtful gift for a knitter.

 

See, you can be creative even if you don’t think you’re creative.  It’s all about looking at things in a different way. Think of how pleased your recipients will be when they see themselves reflected in the gifts you’ve chosen.        Have fun with it!!

And the Winner Is...

Congratulations to #2 (Bonnie) and #4 (Nancy)!  Email me your address so I can send them to you. janetbrown503@gmail.com. Everyone had such nice things to say and I appreciate each and every one of you.

Watch for my post tomorrow. Continuing my holiday gift ideas, I know we’re getting down to the wire so I’ve come up with some fun, creative ideas that include favorite shops as well as money saving tips on how to pull together a great presentation.

Thanks again for entering. I always love the comments. They make my day!

A Classic Cookie

My daughter needed to take something to a holiday party and decided to go with the classic chocolate chip cookie. She’s the baker in the family and we all agree that her cookies are the best, so why not share them with her co-workers. I made sure she left a few at home on the pretext that I needed a photograph, but of course we wanted to eat them.

I believe the trick to a good cookie, as well as baking is the ability to follow directions. Apparently, my daughter is more skilled at following cookie directions than I am. I’m always substituting and adjusting which I’ve now learned doesn’t work for baking. Anyway, here is the classic recipe from Debbi Fields Cookie Book, which I have happily turned over to my daughter.

 

Blue-Ribbon Chocolate Chip Cookies

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup dark brown sugar, firmly packed

1/2 cup white sugar

1 cup salted butter, softened

2 large eggs

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

2 cups (12 oz.) semisweet chocolate chips

 

Preheat oven to 300 degrees

In a medium bowl combine flour, soda and salt. Mix well with a wire whisk. Set aside.

In a large bowl with an electric mixer blend sugars at medium speed. Add butter and mix to form a grainy paste, scraping down the sides of the bowl. Add eggs and vanilla extract, and mix at medium speed until just blended. Do not overmix.

Add the flour mixture and chocolate chips, and blend at low speed until just mixed. Do not overmix.

Drop by rounded tablespoons onto an ungreased cookie sheet, 2 inches apart. Bake 22-24 minutes or until golden brown. Transfer cookies immediately to a cool surface with a spatula.

Yield: 3 1/2 dozen

 

                          Enjoy!

 

Don’t forget to enter the giveaway on my previous post. Leave a comment on that post by Wednesday December 14. I’ll randomly draw 2 names then send you a dishtowel as my gift to you. Good luck!!

A Gift From Me to You!

Welcome to my first ever contest. I made these cute dish towels and decided to give them away! I feel it’s a nice way to thank you all for reading Janet’s House. I wish I could send one to each of you but a drawing will have to do for now.

 

I went shopping for supplies and found 100% cotton dishtowel fabric at one of my favorite fabric stores, Bolt. I went down the street to Collage and picked up a few supplies for this project and the next one.I decided to make the dishtowels with a Janet’s House design and  had fun using the printmaking skills I learned in the Collage class I took earlier this year. I carved quite a few little houses; I hope you like them.

           To enter the contest, all you need to do is leave me a comment by next Wednesday (12/14 at noon PST) and I’ll randomly draw two winners. I’d love to hear what you think or where you think the blog should go. A favorite?? Something you’d like to learn?? Where do you live? Any ideas for me?? Your thoughts?? Remember: The comment has to be on the Typepad blog page, not Facebook or email. Even if you’d just like to enter and have no particular comment, you can just say “enter me” or “I want to win;” anything! good luck!

     So, Happy Holidays to everyone from Janet’s House!   

               I’ll post the winners next week!   

                             

                            Good luck!!

Kahlua Revisited

The Kahlua has been sitting on my counter waiting and mellowing for today. A cold crisp day that called for a late afternoon cocoa. A splash of Kahlua and a peppermint stick proved perfection.

There’s still time before Christmas to make Kahlua for gift giving, entertaining or your own personal needs. Get a few jars and bottles out. You’ll need vodka, sugar, a vanilla bean and espresso powder. Check the recipe right here.  A lovely way to stay nice and toasty.

               

Cheesy Coins

This recipe comes from the Holiday Handbook special issue from Martha Stewart. These baked cheese coins are the perfect simple appetizer. The dough can be made ahead by even as much as a month if kept frozen. The little biscuit like wafers can be baked a day or two before you need them. Beware though, they are quite addictive if sampled.

 

As suggested in the recipe I used a store bought jalapeño jelly. I also opted to use just a dab of cream cheese on each one. The cool cream cheese offsets the spicy jelly nicely.

 

 

The dough is rolled in 4 separate logs and cut before baking, then cooled on a wire rack. This is when the sampling begins.

I plan on trying them again during the holidays. The amount of cayenne pepper is not overwhelming but gives just the slightest warmth.  I think they’ll become a tradition rather quickly.

 

                 Enjoy!

                    

Bleach Pen T-Shirts-Holiday Gift Idea #8

 

I think this is a great project for anyone on a tight budget. Thrift stores are full of ‘nearly new’ shirts that will make perfectly great recycled artistic gifts. We picked up a few old shirts at Goodwill and a fresh bleach pen and had such fun enhancing our finds.

We practiced on an old shirt to see how much detail we could include. Writing is a little tricky, you must keep it big; tiny script won’t work. Easiest designs were long vines, hearts, sunshine and of course a peace sign.

 

 

 

 

I suggest having a few sketches handy. Put down a plastic tablecloth and keep a paper towel handy for wiping the end of the pen occasionally. We also found a toothpick worked well to pop any air bubbles.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Take your time to work slowly and keep a steady hand. It’s difficult to do anything other than draw free hand because chalk or anything else would compromise the application of the bleach. Let your work set for about 10 minutes before rinsing. You can watch to see how bleached out you want your piece.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We worried that we’d have trouble with the bleach running into the unbleached areas of the shirts when rinsing, but we didn’t. We worked quickly, rinsing with a steady spray nozzle.The green shirt above is very dark so after about 10 minutes I washed it and the bleached area turned a beautiful bright green. The striped shirt with its bleached peace sign surprised us, turning the coolest shade of reddish pink. It looks so retro.

Have fun with this! We have all kinds of ideas. How about a pillow slip with sweet dreams or Goodnight. Maybe names or nick names on Christmas shirts.  Have fun!!

notes:

• it worked well to use old or pre-washed t-shirts
• wear an apron to protect your clothes
• the bleach gel can come out a little globby so start moving the pen along right away.
• have everything ready before you begin.
• have plenty of cardboard to slide into sleeves and body of shirt
• try to position the shirt before you begin so you won’t have to move it around to do the other sleeve. The less you move it the less chance you’ll touch the bleach to an unwanted area.
• keep designs simple. Bleach pens are not for fine work.
• make sure the bleach pen is for ‘whites’.