Tag: Costco

Daily Thoughts · Uncategorized

Princess On The Porch? Or Golf Course

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Well, this past Monday, I found myself with a dear friend, joining our community golf team. We are called the Hits & Giggles, and upon going and playing, I understand that this is the perfect team for me. Many more giggles than hits. It had been more than 15 years since I had picked up a golf club (I don’t count the times I picked one up to threaten a grandkid or Randy). But when Teresa called last week and said that she had been thinking that we had, at most, 20 years to fulfill some things before leaving this world, I began to think about that. How many years had I told myself that I wanted to get back to golf, but always had an excuse. Excuses like, “will bending over to pick up my golf ball make my butt look big?” or “What if I get on a team that doesn’t have to pick up their balls because they actually don’t need 8 times to get to the green” Or my favorite, “what if I am actually good and they want me to go on tour, how would I manage being gone all the time and leave poor Randy at home?” I decided to take a chance, leave my rocker on the porch and go for it.
So off Teresa and I go to buy some cute clothes for our first day. We both decided that because we would be so bad, that if we looked cute, maybe the others wouldn’t notice how bad we hit the ball, if we indeed did hit the ball.

We arrived at the golf course and was immediately put on separate teams! WHAT? We had counted on riding the cart together and at least knowing that we were playing together so as to have at least one other person who was as bad as each other. So off she goes to play with some friends we know. I was teamed with a lady who is 82 and has hit 2 holes in one and plays 3 times a week. Plus 2 men who play every week, for years. AND…guess who is on team 1 and is the first to hit? Yep, me. You are kidding me. I had just bought new clubs last week and had never even had them out of the box until Sunday night. And I am up first on the tee box. Well, they always say, “look confident like you know what you are doing and that is half the battle.” oh my gosh, how do I look confident when it has been 15 years. People do lie. It’s not like riding a bicycle. You do forget how to do it. It took me 5 minutes to get the stupid tee in the ground. So here we go. I bowed my head and prayed and promised God that I still had some good years left and I would gladly go to Africa to be a missionary if He would just not let me miss the swing at the ball and it would go farther than 10 feet. I leave next month for Africa. IT went about 30 ft.

About the 3rd hole, I went to get my driver out of the bag and it wasn’t there. Had I inadvertently put it in one of the other bags. So after accusing the other 3 members of not looking very good in their bags to find my driver, here comes a golf cart driving up to where we were with a man holding my driver saying, “did anyone leave this on the ground back there?” What had I done? Had I in a fit of rage thrown it down without realizing it? Had I dropped it? No, that is impossible, how do you drop a driver without knowing it? So I guess I laid it down on the ground to take the flag out of the hole. Senior moment, I never could remember why or how it was left on the ground.

All in all, I didn’t embarrass myself too much so that I am excited to go back next week. Have had little sensors put on my clubs so that if I leave one behind again, my phone will alert me. Went back to Costco for more golf shirts. I didn’t improve enough this past week not to have to look cute when playing.
Neither Teresa or I won any of the “closest to the pin or longest drive” but if there would have been a prize for dressing the part, maybe we would have at least been in the running. Thank goodness for cute golf clothes!

Breads · Breakfast · Chocolate · Cookies · Daily Thoughts · Desserts · Uncategorized

Chocolate Peanut Butter Biscotti

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Rediscovering some of my Christmas with Southern Living books (this one was 2001), I found several recipes which I want to make this season. Since it is so much fun to make biscotti and I have a friend who I will not name (but looks like she stuck her finger in a light socket to style her hair), that continues to ask me to bring her more biscotti every time I see her. So Spikey Hair Lady, will try this recipe to see if get meets your approval.
This is my friend who Randy tells her that he has to sit in front of her at church as he can’t see the preacher if he sits behind her. Of course, after she sees this post, we probably won’t be friends much longer and I will get to keep all the biscotti for myself.

1/3 cup creamy peanut butter
1/4 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1 1/2 cups flour
1/3 cup cocoa
3/4 teas baking soda
1/2 cup finely chopped peanuts (they tested with cocktail peanuts, I will use my Virginia peanuts I buy at Costco)
1/2 cup mini semisweet chocolate chips
*I deleted the 1/4 teas salt recipe called for since the peanuts were salted

Ingredients for Dipping Biscotti in
1 cup semisweet chocolate mini chips, divided
1 1/2 tables creamy peanut butter
1 1/2 tables shortening

Beat 1/3 cup peanut butter and sugar at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy. Add eggs, beating until blended
Stir together the four, cocoa, baking soda, and salt.(if using salt). Add to peanut butter mixture, beating on low speed until blended. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface; knead in peanuts and 1/2 cup mini chips.

Shape dough into a 13′ x 3″ log on a lightly greased baking sheet (or ungreased parchment lined sheet). Bake at 325 for 40 minutes or until firm. Remove to a wire rack to cool for about 20 minutes.
Cut log diagonally into 1/2″ thick slices with a serrated knife using a gentle sawing motion; place slices on uncreased baking sheets. Bake at 325 for 7 minutes; turn slices over and bake an additional 7 minutes. Remove to wire rack to cool.
Combine remaining 1 cup chocolate chips, 1 1/2 tables peanut butter and shortening in a small saucepan. Melt over low heat and stir to mix.
Dip one end of each biscotti in chocolate mixture. Place biscotti on wax paper until chocolate hardens.
Yields about 28 slices

Cakes · Desserts · Fruit · Uncategorized

Lemon-Blueberry Crumble Bars

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In the middle of August, when we struggle to find a spot of shade and a refreshing cold drink, our thoughts go to anything light and cool. On the outside of the Philadelphia Cream Cheese box ,(the 3 lb box)this recipe caught my eye.

We are having some new friends over tomorrow night for dessert and since Randy mentioned that he is in the mood for a pecan pie, I found a recipe for a pecan pie cheesecake. So thus the 3 lb box of cream cheese. Will be posting that new recipe after I get it baked this afternoon and can take a picture. In the meantime, this crumble bar sounds easy and yummy, so wanted to post it this morning. After I make it back to Costco for more cream cheese, will be making this.

1/2 cup butter

1 box (2 layer size) yellow cake mix (I love Duncan Hines brand)

2 eggs, divided and at room temperature

16 oz softened cream cheese

1/2 cup sugar

1 tablespoon lemon zest

3 tablespoons juice from 1 or 2 lemons (usually takes me 2 to get that much)

2 1/2 cups fresh blueberries, washed and allowed to dry on paper towels

Heat oven to 350.

Line a 13×9″ baking pan with foil, with ends extending over sides. Microwave butter in large bowl until melted. Add dry cake mix and 1 egg to melted butter; beat with mixer until blended. Press 2/3 of this cake mixture onto bottom of baking pan.

Beat cream cheese and sugar with mixer until blended. Add remaining egg, zest and juice. Pour over crust; top with blueberries. Pinch small pieces of the remaining dough between your fingers; press lightly into cream cheese layer.

Bake about 55 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

Cool completely . Use foil handles to lift dessert from pan before cutting into bars.

Makes 12-15 servings (or if you are in our family, would make about 4)

 

Daily Thoughts

Bacon It Right

Chocolate Castles2 Comments

Yesterday on Face Book, (and of course if it is on FB you know it is true!) I watched a video of the correct way to fry bacon. Since our grandson, Sevy is addicted to bacon and always check to see if we have it on hand before he says he will come over, I want to find the perfect way to cook his favorite food. Who knows, as he grows into his teen years in just a couple of years, the smell of bacon might just keep him coming over to see his Nana and Pops. Well, that and the fact that he knows that there is never a short supply of chocolate in the house. But when we watched the video of how to make the perfect bacon, we paid attention. I don’t remember who the chef making the video was, but he said that when you put the bacon in the skillet, add enough water to almost cover the bacon. Then, over medium heat, fry the bacon until all the water is absorbed. Then when the water is gone, just turn the bacon until it is browned on both sides. So that is how we fried our bacon today for BLT sandwiches. I have to say that the bacon was not dry and tough one bit. It was actually very flavorful and it also has another upside. Grease didn’t splatter all over the store as it fried. Great discovery. Sevy, it’s safe to come over, we went to Costco yesterday and have a fridge full of bacon. And plenty of chocolate…and yes, you can play games on your phone and not talk to us and we will give you money to go to Dave & Buster’s. (OK, I admit, we are beginning to have to bribe him to come see us. He is discovering a world of friends where they might be just a touch more fun that watching Sponge Bob with Nana and Pops).

Daily Thoughts

VBS Is A Life Saver

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photo-6My daughter called this morning on her way home from dropping Caleb, our 3 year old grandson off at Vacation Bible School. I asked her, ‘oh I thought he went last week to VBS” and she politely told me he did, but this was another one.  In the sweetest little voice she could muster, she remarked, “mom, don’t judge me”. Now, I began to think that maybe she was just wanting Caleb to have a definite idea of if he might want to be a preacher when he grew up and she was showing him what it would be like to be around the church all day, every day. But before I could begin to quote the Ten Commandments, she told me that she had signed him up for 4 different VBS’s this summer, as a way to keep her sanity. Now, I do admit that Caleb is rather, hum…how do I put this? a very “active child with a great and very active imagination” but I’ve got the feeling that Caleb is going to have the same reputation around Phoenix church’s as Randy does around our area Costco’s……don’t let him in.

While Randy eats Costco’s profits up walking around the store “snacking” on all the “free” samples, churches will be having teachers retire before their time. The positive outlook on his being taken from church to church this summer is the fact that by the time he is older, he will think that going to church is just the normal thing to do and maybe will realize that that is a better place to hang around, rather than the mall. Just a thought and a hope. Jodi then began to tell me how excited she is about a friend of hers calling and telling her about a VBS that is at night. I am jealous that I didn’t think of that when Jodi was growning up. I’m smiling thinking about all the “crafts” from all the VBS’s  that Jodi will be having to display around the house; the gold sprayed macaroni necklaces that she will have to wear to not hurt Caleb’s feelings, the popcicle stick house she will have to dust around, in order not to knock it down and my favorite, the potholder that is so thin, you get burned every time you use it.

So moms, if you are going crazy this summer already wondering what to do with the little ones, get that church directory out and enroll them in every VBS you can find. It is a great babysitter and it is free and who knows, they might just actually learn about some of life’s important facts, that God is real and that He loves each and every one of the little darlings, no matter how many VBS’s they attend…….and that’s the truth. Saint Caleb called me when he got home today and told me.