Crepes

Growing up in Virginia Beach there was a restaurant named Le Crepe and it was one of my favorite places to go for a meal. When I was about 13 I learned how to make crepes and I've been preparing them ever since. 

Frequently, I will have a hankering for them and jump up and make them. They are quick and so easy AND so yummy.

The batter is runny and smooth

Pour batter into a small pan and swirl around the pan until it is all covered

Heat for about a minute on a medium heat

Flip and heat for another minute

I stack the finished crepes on a plate with pieces of wax paper separating them

For this crepe, I just spread a little sour cream

Then I added some red raspberry jelly

And then just roll them up!

These crepes can be made with a sweet or a savory filling. There are so many options for crepe fillings. The recipe below is the one I use and the cheese filling is really tasty. Try them and enjoy!!!

Fudge

Here's another little something for the holidays. As long as I can remember, my dad has prepared this fudge recipe at Christmas time. He would make pans and pans of the fudge and share it with his co-workers. He sticks with the stove method, but I attempted the microwave version and it comes out just as yummy and is super easy. I made a pan for John to take to work and then another that I am putting together for the ladies in the office at Lily's school, as well as, the principal. Tomorrow, I'll share some photos of the prepared plates of fudge. For now, enjoy the recipe:

This is the original Fantasy Fudge recipe from the back of the Kraft Marshmallow Creme jar.

Makes about 117

3 cups sugar
3/4 cup margarine
2/3 cup evaporated milk
1 12-oz. (340 g) package semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 7-oz. (198 g) jar Kraft Marshmallow creme
1 cup chopped nuts
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Traditional method:Combine sugar, margarine and milk in heavy 2-1/2 quart saucepan; bring to full rolling bail, stirring constantly. Continue boiling 5 minutes over medium heat, stirring. Remove from heat, stir in chocolate till melted. Add marshmallow creme, nuts & vanilla beat till blended. Pour into greased 13 x 9-inch baking pan. Let cool and cut into 1-inch squares.

Microwave method:Microwave margarine in 4-quart microwave-safe bowl on HIGH (100%) 1 minute or until melted. Add sugar and milk; mix well. Microwave on HIGH 5 minutes or until mixture begins to boil, stirring after 3 minutes. Mix well; scrape bowl. Continue microwaving on HIGH 5-1/2 minutes; stir after 3 minutes. Stir in chips until melted. Add remaining ingredients; mix well. Pour into greased 13 x 9-inch baking pan. Cool at room temperature; cut into squares. Makes 3 pounds.

Dog Sitting & Video Chat

Wow, didn't realize how long it had been since the last post!!! First, way to go Giants!!! That's my little (late) shout out for Eric and Ron (my nephew and BIL).

Next, this week (from Saturday night until Wednesday) we were dog sitting for a neighbor. The sweet little dog came to our home to stay. Lily was such a good care taker. I was very impressed with her. Shelly never really warmed up to Sadie, but we worked out a way for them to co-exist and all was fine. The dog sitting kept us all busy.

After Sadie moved on to her next home for a visit, I got down to hooking up our camera to the computer for video chats. I have owned the camera for about two years and just never really got around to figuring out the whole process. We got my mom and dad a camera at the same time and thought that it would be fun for all of us to see one another and talk! Well, I put it off and put it off. Finally, I hooked it up and tried it out with my SIL, Mary, and we had success! Then I walked my mom through the steps to get a Windows Live Messenger account and again SUCCESS!!! So, now we can chat and see one another. So glad I finally did this. Procrastination is a terrible thing.

My parents are on their way for a visit. They'll be here this afternoon and I just made this recipe for dinner tonight! YUM!!!

Have a wonderful weekend.

Super Sunday

I got out of the house for about 4 hours all by myself today. This is beyond monumental. John has been refereeing quite a bit lately and that makes me the non-stop adult in the house for the entire day. So, it was a nice change of pace to be alone. I came back refreshed and ready to do it all over again.

We are dog sitting until Wednesday. Lily is so thrilled and Shelly is so ready to have heart failure. We are working out ways to make everyone happy and safe. Lily has done such a good job with her responsibilities.

We went to a Super Bowl party for about 3 hours and the girls and I came back home at half time. The current score is 10 - 7 Giants. I made an old recipe for the party. Cheesy Bacon bites from Pampered Chef, circa 1996. I remember the year vividly...living in my cute little apartment ALONE and spending time with my sister and her family and baking appetizers non-stop!!! Fun times.

08.30.07

A very BIG HAPPY BIRTHDAY goes out to our other nephew named Erik whose birthday is today! And, he also turns 16!!! Wow. Hope your day is great!

Today, I am entering into the Tasty Thursday entries from the Pumpkin Patch. Be sure to check it out for other great recipes. This recipe has been the topic of so much discussion this summer. So, I thought I'd post it here. It originally came from John's aunt Leni in April and now it has been passed around the family. Here it is:

Italian Appetizer Bites
2 pkgs. (8 oz. each) refrigerated crescent rolls

1/2 lb deli salami

1/2 lb sliced provolone cheese

1/2 lb sliced boiled deli ham

7 eggs

1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

2 jars (12 oz. each) roasted red peppers, drained

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Coat a 13x9x2-inch glass baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. Unroll one package of the crescent rolls and use dough to line bottom of prepared baking dish. Pinch seams together with fingers.

Cover rolls with half of the salami, provolone and ham. Lightly beat together 6 of the eggs and the Parmesan cheese; pour half evenly over the top. Top with half of the roasted red peppers. Repeat layering with remaining salami, cheese, ham, egg mixture and peppers. Top with remaining package of crescent rolls.

Lightly beat remaining egg and brush over top. Cover dish with foil; bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake 30 more minutes. Cool for 1 hour; cut into 32 squares and serve.

This is great served warm or cold. Also makes for a great dinner when served with a salad. Yummy!!!!

08.14.07

Yesterday, I decided that I wanted to create this yummy looking pie recipe. I used my computer as my cookbook and arranged the ingredients for preparation.All went perfectly...until...the girls wanted me to play school with them. So, with the timer on I headed upstairs for a little schooling and reminded myself to check on the pie at 6:05. Well, at about 6:15 I finally heard the timer going off downstairs. I flew down and pulled out the pie that no longer had a pretty golden crust, but now was looking pretty dark and there was absolutely no jiggle to the custard in the shell. I prepared it for a treat last night...leaving out the overcooked information for John. At the end of the dessert eating, we both agreed this one needed to hit the trash...oh well, I tried...maybe next time.

So, today I decided that I would do a little sewing. I made Shelly two embroidered shirts (by hand...the embroidering not the shirt!). I think their kind of cute. I still need to wash them and then evaluate the workmanship. I must add that I have only embroidered one other item and that was a shirt for Shelly one week ago!!! So, these little creations are lacking lots of technique and skill, but they suit me just fine.