Week 52 Saturday (1/10/15)

Recipe Review          

Today’s Recipe and Location:           Spreads        

Found in: The Pioneer Woman Cooks: A Year of Holidays

                  Pages:  312 - 313     Copyright:  2013  Harper Collins

I figured out that there are 86 calories per serving, if 48 servings are made. (Please note that the calorie counts vary depending on the specific brands of ingredients that you choose to use.)

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I halved the recipe and made it in an 8 x8  pan.

This was he perfect amount to make for me.

         This dessert was very good. I loved the way Ree added chocolate to the top. Chocolate makes everything better, doesn’t it?  My Mom makes a similar looking dessert that she calls Scotcharoos. They are made with Rice Krispies and are out of this world. I am glad I tried these spreads because they were very good, but my Mom wrecked this recipe for me. Her outstanding dessert has made this one pale in comparison. Sorry Ree, my Mom is also a great cook.

                 

Random Reflections

       From 10 – 12 Christmas Eve, I was watching WGN-TV (channel 9) the other night, and they were celebrating three wonderful children’s shows: Bozo Circus, Garfield Goose and the Funny Company, and Ray Raynor and his friends.

       Bozo Circus was a great show. I loved Cookie the clown much more than Bozo. The first thing that pops into my head when I think of that show, is The Grand Prize Game. Every child I knew, wanted to play that game. I actually made a classroom version of that game for my students. I also loved the Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle. When I was watching the celebration show I was surprised to see all of the adult humor in the show. As they showed some replay segments, I was amazed at the comments made, that only an adult would understand.  Who knew?

       Garfield Goose and the Funny Company was the second show celebrated. First of all, I didn’t even know the entire name. I always just called it Garfield Goose. The whole goose thing was pretty silly to me, and the cartoons were strange. Clutch Cargo kinda creeped me out. It is because they had a cartoon character with a real mouth. I was always uncomfortable with that show. Romberg Rabbit and Pals, Spinner and Paddlefoot were better. At the time, it was a safe show. Now, I can’t believe it was something we watched. But then again, what else was there to watch. We only had channels 2,5,7,9,11, and 32. This show also introduced some of the original Christmas shows that I loved. Hardrock, Coco, and Jo was a great Christmas cartoon. Another show was called Suzie Snowflake. They showed this cartoon that night, and I was surprised at the poor quality. I did, however, remember the entire song.

       Here comes Suzie Snowflake

         Dressed in her snow white gown

         Bringing joy to every girl and boy…..

        

Frosty the Snowman was first shown on Garfield, too. Do you remember the original cartoons???

         Lastly, there was Ray Raynor and His Friends. I loved his duck named Chelsea. Wasn’t it this show that had Mr. Green Jeans?  I think it did.  I liked him.

         This show was a great walk down memory lane.  I don’t know if these shows were only on in the Chicago area or nationwide.  I’ll have to remember to ask someone who didn’t grow up here.

Helpful Home Hints

         One of the most important things I do to make my life easier is to have an organized freezer. My upstairs freezer is where I store all of Ree’s prepared recipes. I eat items from this freezer beginning on the right and moving to the left. That way, I eat the oldest meals first. This also insures that nothing is in the freezer for more than a month. There are times where I have to post recipes that I did not make, so I can have time to eat enough from the freezer to make room for new food.

       The downstairs freezer is organized by category. The chicken is on one shelf, beef on another, and miscellaneous has its own shelf. Pizzas, butter, ice cream, and string cheese live in the door. The only drawer is filled with every cheese known to man.

         This organization means that I check the downstairs freezer prior to going to the grocery store and save myself a lot of money and time. I do order the chicken and ground beef from Market Day because it has a specific size and consistent calorie counts.

         Try this system and you will never have to endure freezer burn or food going bad from being in the freezer for too long.