Leftover Magic - Velveeta Weenies

There's something so deliciously creamy and cheesy about Velveeta isn't there?! It was a staple in our home growing up, and my children loved grilled cheese sandwiches with Velveeta slices. I haven't bought any for about 10 years or more though because I thought it had more calories and was more expensive than regular cheese. At least that used to be the case.
I found out over the holidays that Velveeta actually has 1/3 less calories than regular cheese, and now, it's as inexpensive or less than cheddar depending on the week. We used it for our Christmas Eve bash when we usually have cheesy bean dip. I like to use Cheez Wiz so the dip is nice and smooth but the local store was out so I decided to use Velveeta, oh yum! Okay, I realize it's a cheese product, but hey, why split hairs when going for taste and creaminess?
What is this all leading to? In my quest to not let food go to waste I had some leftover items in the fridge that needed to be used. Nathan dogs, Velveeta, leftover sour cream and yogurt, potatoes, and onions that we bought way back in October at 25# for 3.84. Can you see where I'm headed? Well here's what my hubby dubbed Velveeta Weenies.

Velveeta Weenies
2 T canola oil
3 Nathan dogs or any other hot dogs sliced into coins
3 medium potatoes, cubed
1 onion, chopped
1 1/2 cupped cubed Velveeta
1 can Mexi corn with liquid or 1 cup frozen corn plus 1/2 cup water
1/2 cup sour cream or plain yogurt
Tabasco, a dash or two
pepper

In a large frying pan over medium heat, saute onion in oil for 5 minutes. Add hotdog pieces and brown lightly. Add the cubed potatoes and corn liquid. Cover and turn down heat to medium low and let simmer for about 10 minutes or until potatoes are done. Add cheese and corn. Stir to melt cheese. Add sour cream or yogurt and stir in with a dash or two of Tabasco. Taste and season with a dash of salt and pepper if needed. Serves 6.

Okay, Play My Game

Take these two words WARM and COLD and by changing only one letter each time to make a new word , see if you can go from WARM to COLD in just four steps. This is part of a game you can play to keep your brain functioning and improve mental agility, especially as you age. Aging has it's ups and downs, the upside is that you no longer have to worry about looking like a top super model, just being able to fit in a decent size should win you model of the year I say. And have you noticed that there must be some direct correlation between hair on men and women, as men start losing the hair on their heads, women get more on their face. Thank goodness our eyesight starts to fade as we get older as well, as my husband doesn't seem to see the tiny lines starting to find their way across my forehead and around my eyes. He still thinks I'm a "babe"...lol.
So back to mental agility, as we age and our bodies are not as agile as we like, we can still keep our brains sharp and maintain that brilliant wit we are known for...okay, maybe not me, but there are some out there that are quite witty. crossword puzzles, word games, count games, lists, are all ways we can keep sharp. We can also improve mental agility by moving our posteriors around a track or the block several times a week. We don't have to run, walking is great. This can help decrease the risk of dementia as well. Eating right can also help. Eat your fruits and veggies as well as fish to stay alert as well. For more information on this check out www.brainagility.com.
Oh, and yes this was a test....did you get it right?

Greyson's Gift

I originally wanted to share a recipe and some reflections with you today, but decided this was far more important. Earlier this year a dear friend's daughter lost a baby. The mommy, Meryntha, has turned her heartache into a positive though by starting a volunteer project to make preemie blankets for hospitals. Please visit Meryntha's site and see how you can help. If you can sew you can do this! Thank you! http://greysonsgift.blogspot.com

Warm Wishes & Cranberry Butterscotch Ring

As I left the apartment early this morning the mist over the desert had me feeling I'd been transported to Oregon. The light filtered through the wet moist air in soft shades of pastels like a sugary fairy land. The excitement of Christmas is coming back as we end the week and know that we have a couple of weeks to re-group and rest.
For my internet friends I want to share a wonderful recipe that's been sitting in my recipe file for many years as my Happy Holidays gift. I tried this for the first time this last week at the prompting of a radio show host who shared some of her rules for the season:
1. Don't count calories from December 1 to January 2nd.
2. Try a new holiday recipe.
3. Be a secret Santa or do the 12 days of Christmas for someone new this year. ( Okay the last one is mine, but for the life of me I can't remember the rest of her list...lol) So here's one new recipe to try!
Here's to a Merry Christmas for my Christian friends. Happy Hanukkah to my Jewish friends, and best wishes to all of you. May you be blessed with all the good things that have been put on this earth for our happiness. May the love you send out be returned an 100 fold.

This recipe has been changed as usual... :-). It was originally Cherry Butterscotch Ring but I didn't have any candied cherries so I substituted Craisins, yummy! Oh, and I substituted canola oil instead of shortening. It makes for a moist breakfast cake that stays moist. Enjoy!

CRANBERRY BUTTERSCOTCH RING

1/3 cup of butter or margarine (I used butter)
1/2 cup of brown sugar
1 tbsp. corn syrup
1/2 cup of pecan or walnuts
1/2 c. dried cranberries
1 pkg.active dry yeast or 1 scant tablespoon
3/4 cup warm water[105 -115 degrees F.]
1/4 cup of granulated sugar
1 tsp. salt
2-1/4 cups of flour
1 egg
1/4 cup of canola oil
Melt butter,brown sugar,and corn syrup.Pour into a 6 cup ring mold or baking pan 9x9x2. Sprinkle nuts and cranberries over mixture.In a bowl dissolve yeast in warm water. Stir in granulated sugar, salt, and half the flour. Beat 2 min. Add egg and oil. Beat in remaining flour until smooth.Drop dough by small spoonfuls over nuts and cherries in pan.Cover;let rise in warm place until double. 40-60 min. Heat oven to 375 degrees[F].Bake 30-35 min.or till brown.Watch as it may brown quickly. If so place a sheet of foil over the top until done. Immediately invert on to a serving platter.

Primitive NORTHWOODS Folk Art gourd Santa AHA ADSG PWGL - eBay (item 150395831406 end time Dec-12-09 13:33:44 PST)

Primitive NORTHWOODS Folk Art gourd Santa AHA ADSG PWGL - eBay (item 150395831406 end time Dec-12-09 13:33:44 PST)

Conversations & Killer Ribs

Have you ever noticed how conversations are like a creative process unplanned? You start off with one thought that, depending on the shape the initial sentence takes, can change the whole dimension of the topic. The other morning we were talking about the dutch oven Killer Ribs my husband was going to fix for dinner that night. Because it's been so cold lately he decided to cook them indoors, in the oven. He was unsure about how well they would cook outdoors. He commented on the idea that it must have been tough for pioneers to cook outdoors at times and then moved on to seasonings, that for the pioneers probably consisted of salt and perhaps pepper, where as we use such spicy flavorings as Sriracha and most locals couldn't handle the spicy heat we like in our food which evolved into gratitude that we can choose what we eat every day, that also made us grateful for his work, and what a blessing it has been for us to live in Wendover, even though neither one of us really like it here, but hey there are nice people here, inspite of their aloofness at times, and we are lucky to be able to pay for our home in Oregon because of our situation here, and God sure has blessed us! All that from where he was going to cook the Killer Ribs.


KILLER RIBS-- DUTCH OVEN

1 bottle (14 ounces) ketchup
1/2 cup apricot or peach preserves
1/3 cup orange juice
1/3 cup lemon juice
2 Tbsp soy sauce
1 Tbsp Sriracha sauce
1 Tbsp paprika
1 Tbsp chili powder
2 CHOPPED ONIONs
2 CHOPPED RED BELL PEPPERs
4+ LBS OF PORK RIBS, COUNTRY STYLE
2 T. CORN STARCH

KEEP LIQUID TO A MINIMUM

MARINATE FIRST -- THEN PLACE EVERYTHING IN DUTCH OVEN. COOK TWO HOURS

In a conventional oven, 1 1/2 hours at 375 degrees. serves 6 - 8

Natalie Cole and the Mormon Tabernacle Choir

I'm so excited to be going to the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and The Wondrous Gift of Christmas
Christmas Concert! Natalie Cole will be performing as the featured guest artist, wow! My hubby got online right when the ticket lottery opened and we found out that we got tickets! I love Natalie Cole, and the performances for the choir Christmas events are always spectacular. Even better is that it's free! So we get a top notch performer, the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, as well as twice Pulitzer Prize winning author David McCullough all in one and all we have to do is show up with our tickets. To learn more about these performances as well as others that might be coming up stop by here: http://www.lds.org/events/info/0,8197,726-1-740,00.html
Are you going to see any Christmas plays or concerts? We've been to see The Christmas Carole before at the Hale Center Theatre, as well as other concerts on Temple Square in Salt Lake City. The lights around the temple, as well as the creche displays are incredible. The conference center is decorated beautifully, and it's the perfect place to share the spirit of the season. My next years goal is to find a performance of Handel's Messiah. Or have my hubby get me the CD....lol. How about you? Are you going to see any Christmas plays or concerts? What do you like to do with family and friends this time of year?