The End is Coming....

I will probably not be blogging for a long while after next week. I am starting classes at OU on the 19th and will be quite busy with the 13 hours I will be taking. I haven't studied in 26 years!!! Please pray for me & my family. I am excited and nervous. This week I am cooking food to freeze for nights when I'm either too busy or tired to cook. (every night :o) ) Next week is clean, iron & organize. Well back to cooking.

The Dawn Before the Day

Well today I woke up before my 5:00am alarm. Thoughts of Thanksgiving preparations were filling my head. So I got up, let the dogs out, fed them, loaded the washer and took Max for his walk (that is my walk also). Today I will be doing a little laundry in preparation for Abbie & my trip to KC with "the girls" to see Wicked. We are all really excited about that. We will also spend time at The Plaza which I hear has spectacular Christmas lights. So, back to Thanksgiving. Today I will be brining the turkey, making the cornbread for our dressing, putting together my sweet potato casserole, making the cranberry salad, cooking the chicken for chicken & noodles & baking 3 of our 10 pies. Today I am baking the pecan, cherry & Kentucky derby pies. This evening my parents , my sister Denise and her son Tyler will be arriving. I am making a pot of chili with fritoes, cheese, & crackers. That way they can have it like they want it. I also will be getting a refresher on math from my dad. I am scheduled to take 3 tests at OU on Monday to assess what I have retained since high school. Hmmmmm. For all of you that are going to be traveling today, have a safe trip and a Happy Thanksgiving.

Day 2

Well, today I set out my bread to get stale for our dressing. We make a stale bread/cornbread combo dressing. It is one of my favorite things about the meal. I also will be getting the last of my Thanksgiving groceries today. Linens will be next on the list. I am ironing tablecloths and getting the napkins ready (see picture from table setting post). I have a few other odds and ends to deal with today. Oh, I almost forgot to mention.....I scheduled my advisory and testing for OU. Please pray that the testing goes well. I haven't tested in.....well some of you know since I went to high school with you :o)

Wonderful Cookie Recipe

My mother-in-law sent me this recipe from the Pillsbury Bake-off contest. This is the million dollar winner.

Double-Delight Peanut Butter Cookies
1/4 C. Dry Roasted Peanuts, finely chopped
1/4 C. Granulated Sugar
1/2 t. ground cinnamon
1/2 C. Jif creamy peanut butter
1/2 C. powdered sugar
1 roll Pillsbury Create n' Bake refrigerated peanut butter cookies, well chilled

Heat oven to 375 degrees. In small bowl, mix chopped peanuts, granulated sugar and cinnamon; set aside. In another small bowl stir peanut butter and powdered sugar until completely blended. Shape mixture into 24 (1-inch) balls. Cut roll of cookie dough into 12 slices. Cut each slice in half to make 24 pieces; flatten slightly. Shape 1 cookie dough piece around 1 peanut butter ball, covering completely. Repeat with remaining dough and balls. Roll each covered ball in peanut mixture; gently pat mixture completely onto balls. On ungreased large cookie sheets, place balls 2 inches apart. Spray bottom of drinking glass with cooking spray; press into remaining peanut mixture. Flatten each ball to 1/4 inch thickness with bottom of glass. Sprinkle any remaining peanut mixture evenly on tops of cookies; gently press into dough. Bake 7 to 12 minutes or until edges are golden brown. Cool 1 minute; remove from cookie sheets to cooling rack.

Abbie and I made these this afternoon since she didn't have track practice. They are wonderful!

Today I finished sanding the furniture I have been working on and got the primer on the bookshelf and nightstand. The nightstand is going to be so cute when it is finished. All of this furniture was black and red. The lady I am doing this for wants it all white except for the back wall of the bookshelf which will be the same color as the walls of the room they will be in. Terry grilled tonight and I made baked beans, deviled eggs and mac & cheese. For dessert I made lemon angel food cake w/ raspberries and cool whip. It is a very easy and light dessert. Here is the recipe.
LEMON ANGEL FOOD W/RASPBERRIES & COOL WHIP
1 angel food cake mix
2 lemons
2 C. powdered sugar
1 bag frozen raspberries, thawed
light cool whip

Mix and bake angel food according to recipe but pour into a 9x13 pan. When you remove it from the oven invert onto a cooling rack. Once cooled turn over and poke holes in cake with a fork. Mix together powdered sugar, 1/3 C. lemon juice, and zest of one lemon. Pour over cake. Cut cake spoon raspberries and cool whip over cake.

Busy!!!

Wow, it has been sooo busy around here. I made 192 cupcakes for a wedding and sent and retrieved one of our son's from NYC. He had a blast! He and his friends saw Phantom of the Opera on Broadway, and a lot of other major NYC sites. The cupcakes consisted of making fondant/gum paste daisies (half yellow w/ white centers and half white w/ yellow centers). These were put on white cupcakes w/ yellow icing and yellow cupcakes w/ white icing. I am trying to finish up some furniture that I have sanded/striped and repainting for a lady at church. The weather and my schedule have not been cooperating.