New Year's Eve

If you are getting ready for a big or small New Year's Eve Party and you need some quick easy recipes that won't break the bank but will keep your guests full and happy, check out our party favorites.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!

Iced Coffee Like Starbucks

You can make coffee just like Starbucks for a fraction of the cost!  I've never been to a Starbucks and I never intend to for a couple of reasons: 

1 - the high prices. 

2 - their anti-gun policy.

3 - their politically correct, anti-Christmas policy.

I want tasty coffee, but my mama didn't raise no fool. I'll do it my way.

Ingredients:

Sugar

Milk

Ice

Water

Chocolate syrup

Caramel sauce

Medium ground coffee

Homemade Chocolate Syrup

If you want to avoid high fructose corn syrup, but still want chocolate syrup that tastes like Hershey's syrup, then here's the recipe. 

Your homemade syrup will actually taste better than Hershey's syrup because your homemade syrup won't have any artificial flavorings or preservatives and, it will be better for you and your family. 

Use it to make chocolate milk, hot chocolate and your favorite coffee drinks. Drizzle it over ice cream cones or pour it on an ice cream sundae or banana split. You'll need plenty of it if you make a hot fudge cake.

Ingredients:

1 cup - Water

1 1/2 cup - Sugar

1 cup - Cocoa

1/8 teaspoon - Salt

1 teaspoon - Real vanilla

Caramel Sauce

This is an all natural topping and dip for dozens of different desserts. Drizzle some on ice cream to give it a flavor boost, or dip apple slices in it to spruce them up a little bit. 

Caramel is one of the main ingredients in that fancy coffee people have been paying $10 bucks a cup for. You can pour some caramel over a cut of pie while you sip on a cup of $10 dollar coffee if that's what you're into.

Homemade caramel sauce doesn't have any preservatives, high fructose corn syrup, monosodium glutamate or any other chemicals that more than likely, are extremely harmful to your health.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup - Real unsalted butter

1/2 cup - Packed brown sugar

1/2 cup Heavy cream

1 teaspoon - Real vanilla extract

Hope For The Holidays

Contrary to popular belief, most homeless people want to work. They don't want to panhandle for a living. Of course there are exceptions, some people are perfectly content with little or no responsibilities, no family or friends...no home. But even for them, we should show them respect, compassion and love. We should do our best to feed and clothe them, and yes, give them money when we have it to give. 

Watch this short clip about a homeless man who has to beg for money just to eat or rent a flophouse for a night so that he can get off the streets. It'll bring tears to your eyes.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q-j36_9xPGY

Chicken and Rice

This was my kids favorite meal when they were growing up. I am sharing it today for my daughter Jackie's birthday. She asked for the recipe a while ago. Happy Birthday Jackie!!!

This was my mom's recipe. It was a variation of her mom's recipe and her mom's was probably a variation of her mom's. You don't have to slavishly adhere to a recipe. Tinker with it a little bit until you have it doing a happy dance on your taste buds. 

In a skillet brown:

1 lb. - Chicken tenders

1 medium - Chopped onion

1 tablespoon - Butter

1 tablespoon - Lemon juice

1 tablespoon - Honey

Add:

2 cups - Water

Bring to a boil, then add:

1 cup - Long grain rice

And Salt & pepper to taste

How To Make Chocolate Chip Cookies From Scratch

Nothing warms up a cold winter day or welcomes visitors to your home like homemade chocolate chip cookies. They are always a part of our Christmas celebrations and family gatherings. They make a wonderful gift for a friend who isn't feeling well or just to let someone know how special they are to you.

Ingredients:

2 1/4 cups - All purpose flour

1 teaspoon - Baking soda

1 teaspoon - Salt

1 cup - Softened butter

3/4 cup - Granulated white sugar

3/4 cup - Packed brown sugar

2 - Eggs

3 cups - Semi-sweet chocolate chips

1 teaspoon - Vanilla

Cream butter and sugar; add eggs and vanilla; mix in flour, baking soda and salt: add chocolate chips; scoop onto cookie sheet and bake about 10 minutes in a pre-heated 350 degree oven, cool on a rack, share and enjoy :)

Fudge Peanut Butter and Chocolate!!!

Christmas just wouldn't be Christmas without fudge. My family loves this fudge. It is a real holiday favorite. 

Chocolate Fudge

In a 3 quart pot combine:

3 cups - Sugar

3/4 cups - Real butter

3/4 cups - Evaporated milk

Bring to a full boil while stirring, continue to stir and boil for at least 5 minutes, until mixture starts to look slightly yellow, turn heat off and add:

12 ounces - Semi - sweet chocolate

1 teaspoon - Vanilla

1 - 7 ounce jar marshmallow cream

Stir until well blended and creamy, then stir a little more for good measure, pour into 8" x 11" pan, cool to room temperature, cut, share and enjoy :)

Peanut Butter Fudge

 

In a 3 quart pot combine:

3/4 cup - Evaporated milk

3 cups - Sugar

6 tablespoons - Real butter

Bring to a full boil while stirring, continue to stir and boil for at least 5 minutes, until mixture starts to look slightly yellow, turn heat off and add:

1 teaspoon - Real vanilla

1 1/2 cups - Jif Peanut butter

1 - Seven ounce jar Jet-Puffed marshmallow cream

Stir until well blended and creamy, then stir a little more for good measure, pour into 8" x 11" pan, cool to room temperature, cut, share and enjoy :)