The Kitchenettes' Hospitality Club ~ October

October Kitchenettes

October was a fabulous month for the Kitchenettes! We were treated to the most magnificent day at Mr. Henry's restaurant ~ Maria Bonita's. I absolutely love this place - the food is delectable specializing in Mexican and Cuban cuisine. Mr. Henry could write a book on hospitality...he could go on tour speaking about the art of serving...he exemplifies a true spirit of excellence in everything he puts his hands to. We were so blessed by his kindness and generosity!

We were given a tour of the restaurant and then the girls got to roll up their sleeves and go to work! Mr. Henry taught us how to make homemade guacamole ~ cheese, chicken and steak
quesadilla ~ and to top it all off....drum roll please...da ta ta da.... ~ fried ice cream!!! Can you say food bliss...heaven in your mouth...the tasty treat of all treats???
After learning to chop vegetables, saute meat morsels, use professional chef tools, mix fresh ingredients, use spices and seasonings, make cheesy wonders, roll frozen ice cream in cereal and fry to golden goodness ~ we all sat down to a feast!!!! Oh what a day ~ what a glorious day!
The Kitchenettes also celebrated 4 birthdays!

Thank you Mr. Henry - we love you!

Kitchenettes at Maria Bonita's Restaurant

D'Lisa~Andrea~Bryn~Arianah making fried ice cream!
Homemade Quesadilla

Fried Ice Cream!

Birthday Time

Making guacamole: Bryn~Arianah~D'Lisa~Andrea

Bryn~Arianah~D'Lisa

Mr. Henry & The Kitchenettes

Guacamole

Cooking at the stove!

Chicken Quesadilla

Mr. Henry

Andrea~Arianah~D'Lisa~Bryn~Ashley~Kimmy~Jordan

The Famous ~ Mr. Henry

Mrs. Nancy (Mr. Henry's beautiful wife-standing)

Andrea-Bryn-Arianah-D'Lisa-Jordan-Ms. Michelle

Victoria-Ashley-Kimmy-Ms. Jen

Gift Bags ~ Prizes for The Kitchenettes

Cranberry Christmas Cake

Cranberry Christmas Cake

This is the most delicious cake! It is the perfect holiday dessert to serve anytime, anywhere and for any occasion! I like to make them into cupcake size as well - little individual gems of goodness for everyone to enjoy!

Cranberry Christmas Cake

2 c fresh cranberries
1/2 c sugar
1/2 c walnuts

Chop together in a food processor.
Place in the bottom of a glass pie plate or cake pan.

Batter:
3/4 c butter, melted
1 c flour
1 c sugar
1 t almond extract
2 eggs

Mix together until well blended.
Pour over cranberries.
Bake @ 350 for 30 minutes.
Invert cake on your prettiest platter.

Christmas Cranberry Delight

Christmas Cranberry Delight

This delicious side dish is a specialty of my beloved grandmother ~ Nanny. This was at every holiday table growing up and I have carried on the family tradition. It is so beautiful presented in a glass bowl and will make your celebration truly memorable!

Christmas Cranberry Delight

2 large packages raspberry jello
1 1/4 c hot water
1 c pecans, chopped
1 can crushed pineapple
1 can whole cranberry sauce
1 c ice water

Dissolve jello in hot water, mix well.
Add ice water.
Stir in pineapples, cranberry sauce and pecans.
Mix well and pour into glass bowl.
Let chill until set.

Topping:
1 8 oz. cream cheese, soft
1 c sour cream

Beat together until smooth.
Spread on top of cranberries.
Garnish with pecans.

Peanut Butter Cookies

It has been quite the day of baking in my home! I have made dozens of Peanut Butter Cookies, Chocolate Chip Cookies and a lovely Brown Sugar Pound Cake w/ Vanilla Glaze.

These Peanut Butter Cookies are the simplest to make with only 4 ingredients! They are the best cookies with an intense peanut butter taste! My children love them!

Peanut Butter Cookies

1 cup creamy peanut butter

1 c sugar

1 egg

1 t vanilla

Mix all ingredients together until well blended.

Scoop into 1" balls and place on a cookie sheet.

Dip fork in sugar and press cookies in 2 directions.

Bake @ 350 for 12-15 minutes.

I always double and triple the batch!

Chocolate Chip Cookies

Brown Sugar Pound Cake w/ Vanilla Glaze

Buffalo Chicken Dip

A creamy ~ dreamy delectable dip for your entertaining!

Buffalo Chicken Dip

2 packages cream cheese, soft

2 cans chicken, large (shredded rotisserie chicken is delicious)

1 c ranch dressing

1/2 c hot sauce (I use Frank's)

2 cups sharp cheddar cheese, shredded

Mix cream cheese, ranch dressing and hot sauce with beaters until well blended and fluffy.

Fold in chicken.

Bake in a glass pan sprayed with oil @ 350 for 15 minutes.

Top with cheese and bake 15 minutes more.

Serve with tortilla chips.

Easy Holiday Appetizers

Here are a few ultra easy appetizer ideas to make your holidays more festive and stress free.

You can turn the simplest ingredients into something magnificent! It is all about the presentation. A beautiful platter, a glass pedestal, a touch of greenery and attention to detail is all it takes!

Crudites Platter

Crudites Platter

Arrange sliced vegetables, tomatoes and olives on a colorful tray. I love to use my wavy cutter for intricate designs on cucumbers or cheeses. Serve with a delicious quick dip made with: 2 cups sour cream and 1 package dry Italian dressing mix.
You can also take this over the top by adding artichoke hearts, roasted red peppers and cheese cubes - then drizzle on a balsamic vinaigrette for an instant antipasto!

Holiday Cranberry Spread Holiday Cranberry Spread

Place a brick of cream cheese on a beautiful serving plate.

Top with homemade cranberry sauce and surround with

crackers, shortbread or ginger snaps for dipping.

You may also top the cream cheese with chutney or green pepper jelly.

So easy and so delicious!

Bleu Cheese Stuffed Celery

Bleu Cheese Stuffed Celery

This is our family's favorite quick appetizer and it is served at every holiday table!

We have had this yummy dish ever since I was a little girl and I love it! I like to have a relish tray of olives, sweet midgey pickles and savory dills to go along with this tasty treat!

2 bricks cream cheese, soft

1 package bleu chees

celery

paprika

Mix cheeses until well blended. Prepare celery by peeling skin and cutting into strips.

Stuff each celery with cream cheese mixture and sprinkle on paprika.

Sweet Potato Recipes

I have 2 delicious recipes featuring

glorious sweet potatoes!

Perfect for your holiday table or any occasion!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Roasted Sweet Potatoes

5 lbs. sweet potatoes, peel and cut

2 sweet yellow onions, slice into 1/2 moons

olive oil

kosher salt

fresh cracked black pepper

Place cut sweet potatoes and onions on a baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil until coated well - sprinkle on salt and pepper generously. Bake @ 350 degrees for 45 minutes or until the sweet potatoes and onions are golden brown and caramelized.

Sweet Potato Casserole

Mix the following until fluffy and place in a buttered oval baking dish or a 9x13" pan.

3 c mashed sweet potatoes
1/3 c butter, soft
1/2 c evaporated milk
1 c sugar
1 t vanilla
2 eggs

Topping:
1 c pecans, chopped
1 c brown sugar
1/4 c flour
1/4 c butter, melted

(I double the topping)

Crumble topping over sweet potatoes. Bake @ 350 degrees for 30-45 minutes until browned and bubbly.

YUM!

Season of Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is almost upon us and I am so excited to spend the holiday with my bigger family this year! We will be traveling up to my parents on Wednesday evening to begin the festivities! I am looking forward to waking up Thursday morning to the delicious smells that always seem to fill my Mom's home. My Mom has requested that I make homemade mashed potatoes - BUT, she will be making the gravy!! It is a given truth no matter who makes what on whatever occasion happens to be at hand. Pure heaven. She can make any kind of gravy for any accompaniment and it comes out perfect every time! Can you tell I love her gravy. The little boat of goodness sits in front of my place setting during dinner. I would put a straw in it if I could get away with it. I begrudgingly pass it when forced and then quickly snatch it back as soon as possible. One year my Mom had just gotten out of the hospital before our family celebration - my sisters and I happily planned and cooked the whole feast - we waited on my Mom and let her rest. When everything was completed and it was almost time for our meal, I promptly walked over to my Mom and said "I don't care how sick you are - you will make the gravy!" This has been a family joke now for years!! Do you know she went into the kitchen and made her award-winning delight? She could bottle this stuff - it is addicting!

There are many scrumptious dishes served at on our Thanksgiving table: turkey, of course, and this year it will be smoked - my parents are also smoking 2 pork roasts - sweet potato souffle, green beans with almonds, stuffing (oh, my Mom's other specialty!), corn, creamed spinach, mashed potatoes, cranberry delight, fruit compote (a blend of apples, cranberries, apricots and other fruits cooked down and transformed in to bliss) - plus a myriad of appetizers (stuffed celery being the most traditional and our favorite) - a relish tray and assorted pies and cheesecake. My mouth is watering!!!

We will all talk about God's blessings in our lives and how thankful we are for His goodness. This year, I am especially thankful to enjoy this holiday season with my beloved family.

SUNDAY POST

Dear Beloved Bloggers,
It has been 2 weeks since I have been able to take a moment to write on my blog of life. The days go by so quickly and we have been so busy! So many things have happened and are still in the process that I am concerned about getting everything journaled. I am on a mission to settle down and continue my daily postings as soon as possible!

I have so many things to share....where to even begin? The best way I know is to start by saying....This is the day the Lord has made - I will rejoice and be glad in it! He has made every day - and He has made everything beautiful! So, when you are frazzled (which I have been as of late) and overwhelmed with all the things you must accomplish...take a moment to remember that nothing is impossible with God - you and I are in the palm of His hand and He will guard our hearts and minds with peace that passes all understanding!

Now....for a little preview of the happenings in the Young home. Well, first of all the Young home is moving to a new home at the end of the week! For more than a month our family has been diligently packing and planning for the awaited day that we move to "Forever Young Farm" - 18 glorious acres! There will be goats, chickens and peacocks in our future...not to mention a little pink pig for my darling daughter. Although the pig is not officially with us yet...it feels like he is because he is already named....Luke Pigwalker...can you guess what inspired that name???

Besides dreaming of animals for our farm and what their names will be....we have been painting, cleaning the barn, and getting the property ready for the big day!!! I am so excited...and there will be lots of pictures and posts - soon!

I am at my sister's home right now so there will be no visuals attached with this post. We had a wonderful weekend honoring our other sister's daughter...she is having her first baby and we gave her the most magnificent baby shower! I spent the day hand-dipping chocolate spoons, setting the gourmet coffee bar and creating platters of delicious food for the big event! My niece, Ashley, was blessed beyond measure from her family and friends who love her very much! In 2 months, my little great-niece, Savannah Marie, will be here with us all. I can't wait!

In the midst of all of these festivities - my daughter, Arianah, turned 13 years old! We had a big bowling bash for her last weekend. She requested "dirt cups" as her cake so each guest enjoyed their own individual cakes in clay pots! Adorable! More on that later as well....

As you can see my life has been very full - with the addition of cooking, taking care of my one year old, working, cell group and all the other things that make up my daily world!!

I am traveling back home in a few hours...so stay tuned for more to come soon!

LIFE SCRIPTS

Revelation 3:20

Behold, I stand at the door and knock.

If anyone hears My voice and opens the door,

I will come in to him and dine with him,

and he with Me.