Oplatek Wafers

The Christmas wafer is a central European Christian, Christmas tradition celebrated in Poland, Lithuania, and Slovakia during the Christmas Eve Vigil.  Oplatki are unleavened wafers identical in composition to the alter bread that becomes the Eucharist during a Catholic mass.  Being only a reminder of the Body of Christ used in private homes, Oplatki lack sanctification by priests or bishops.  The wafers are embossed with Christmas related images.
Wigilia (pronounced [vee-GEEL-ya] in Polish) is the traditional Christmas Eve vigil supper in Poland, held on December 24. The word "Wigilia" derives from the Latin verb vigilare, "to watch", and literally means 'eve'. Before partaking of the Christmas Eve meal, the family gathers around the table. The eldest member holds a large wafer and breaks off a piece to begin the ritual. The remaining wafer is passed on to another member while a prayer for loved ones is said. This continues until everyone at the table has a piece of the wafer. Finally, the family members consume their share quietly.

Wafer
1 c. Flour
1 c. Water
Mix into a smooth paste. Cook tablespoon sized chunks of dough on special oplatek plates, or you can use an electric pizzelle machine as well.

Christingle

Advent is the beginning of the liturgical year.  The name “Advent” actually comes from the Latin word adventus which means “coming.” It was given to this time of year in December because Christians are waiting for the coming of Jesus Christ, who they believe is the Messiah or Son of God. This season is traditionally seen to be a time of waiting expectantly and happily and preparing for the Christmas season at the end of December. It is also a reminder of how the Jewish nation waited for the Messiah and how Christians are now waiting for the return of Christ.  One of Advent’s most prominent symbols is the candles lit at the beginning of each week. There are 3 purple or blue candles and one pink or rose candle – four total with one for each week. A fifth white candle may be added to be lit on Christmas day.  During mass at the beginning of each week, a special ceremony is performed to light that week’s candle. The candles’ fires burn during each mass so that by the end of Advent, all of the candles’ lights shine.  A Christingle is a fancy Advent orange that was designed with children in mind to teach them the symbolism surrounding the season.  The orange represents the world, a candle pushed into the center of the orange, then lit, represents Jesus as the Light of The World, a red ribbon wrapped around the orange represents the blood of Christ, and dried fruits on cocktail sticks pushed into the orange represents the fruits of the earth and the four seasons.

Melted Slices Cookies

2 sticks butter (1C.)
1/2 C. white sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 tsp. almond
1 egg
2 1/4 C. all purpose flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 C. chopped pecans
1 oz (3 bars to box, 1/2 of 1 bar) melted baking chocolate
2 Tb. maraschino cherries, chopped and drained
1 Tb. poppy seeds

Cream butter and sugar in mixing bowl. Add vanilla, egg, salt and flour, and beat until smooth. Divide dough in three. The first section will be poppy seed. Add the poppy seeds. Wrap in saran and refrigerate. The second section will be cherry. Add the almond extract, chopped cherries, and 2 drops of red food coloring. Wrap in Saran and refrigerate. The third section will be chocolate. Melt chocolate in microwave, add to cookie dough, and a extra teaspoon of flour and the chopped pecans. Beat until smooth. Wrap and refrigerate. Use a rolling pin to make layers of cookie dough in a rectangular shape. Cookies are slice and bake. Bake 375* 10 minutes until smooth.  After cooled, top cookies with a basic thin powdered sugar and milk icing.

OSU Bottle

Viking blood mead bottle spray painted matte silver. Decals applied with Mod Podge. Festive Christmas ribbon. Happy Birthday, Shanna.

Orange Pork Tenderloin

12 oz pork tenderloin
1 oz dried cranberries
3/4 C. wild rice (I've seen par-boiled or even heat and serve~)
1 oz pecans
2 green onions
2 Tb. white wine vinegar
1 orange
1 Tb. honey
1 Tb. vegetable broth concentrate
a bunch of kale (Tuscan)
2 Tb. olive oil - divided
1 tsp. butter

Boil the wild rice until tender. Thinly slice onions. Juice the orange into a prep bowl. Remove ribs from kale and slice into ribbons. In an oven safe pan, heat olive oil. Pat pork tenderloin dry on paper towel, and salt and pepper both sides. Sear pork tenderloin in the pan on each side for about 1-2 minutes. Then transfer pan to oven and roast for 8-10 minutes until pork comes to temp and no longer pink. Set aside to rest. In a salad bowl, combine half the orange juice, vinegar, and honey, and some salt and pepper. Whisk in 1 Tb. olive oil. Once combined, add rice, cranberries, kale, and scallions. Toss to combine. Plate the salad first. Back to the skillet. Add the remaining orange juice, 1/4 C water, and stock concentrate. Heat and whisk. Reduce by half. Add the pat of butter and stir until creamy. If you reduce it too much it gets chewy, loses its orange color, and it isn't bad, but it does not look pretty.

Shepherd's Pie

12 oz. ground beef
1 yellow onion
4 oz peas
1 Tb. flour
1 Tb. chicken stock concentrate
2 Yukon golden potatoes
1/2 C. milk
1 Tb. butter
1/4 Parmesan cheese
salt and pepper

Peel, cut and boil potatoes until tender. Cut onion in half. Mince one half of the onion, and cut the other half into slices. In your skillet, cook ground beef with minced onion, salt and pepper meat to taste. When beef and onions are cooked, add peas and heat through. Transfer meat mixture to a plate. Add a drizzle of olive oil to skillet and saute the onion slices with 1 Tb. flour for a few minutes until onions get soft. Add the chicken stock concentrate and 1/4 C. water. Stir until well combined, then reintroduce meat mixture. It should be much more saucy now. Spoon meat mix into oven safe dish. Mash the potatoes will milk and butter. Top the meat dish with the mashed potatoes. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and broil for a few minutes until it has a golden crust. I served mine with oven roasted carrots and steam and serve edamame.

Individual Cookie Bag

One monster chocolate chip cookie and one iced sugar cookie in a bag with decorative tag.

Gingerbread Boys

After rolling and cutting ginger boys, place on a cookie sheet. Top each cookie with a pre-made icing decoration, gently fold cookie hands around icing decoration to hold in place. Bake as directed. Frost when cooled.

Best Icing Recipe
1 C. powdered sugar
1 Tb. corn syrup
1 tsp. flavoring (I like almond)
1 Tb. water to thin frosting to preferred consistency

Acapella Holiday Music

Oh Holy Night - Elipse 6 Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy - Pentatonix

Angels We Have Heard On High - Home Free Come All Ye Faithful - Greg Sykes

It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year - Committed Song Medley - Indy Dang

Soft Caramels

4 C. sugar
2 sticks (1/4 lb) butter
2 C. white Karo syrup (a whole bottle)
2 13 oz cans (carnation) evaporated milk

Use an 8 qt pan or larger. Melt butter, add Karo, then sugar. Cook until boils well. Add milk a little bit at a time. It will over-boil and foam up. This is a delicate and dangerous process, and it may take 15 minutes to add all the milk because you have to go slow. Do not let the mixture stop boiling or it might get weird crystal structures in your finished candy. Stir constantly. After both cans of milk are added, set up your candy thermometer. Cook to 238* for soft caramel and 240* for firm caramel. If you have a problem with sugar creep, you can wash down side of pan with a brush and a little bit of water. They should be done in about 45 minutes. Pour finished caramel into a dish lined with parchment. I used a half sheet (baking pan). If you like thick caramel, I suppose you could use a 9x13 casserole. Finished product is super sticky. To aid in cutting, dust with a little powdered sugar and use a very very sharp knife.

Salsa

4 small Tomatoes
2 jalapenos
1 bunch cilantro
2-3 tomatillos
1 lime
1/2 tsp. salt

Cut jalapenos open and remove seeds. Remove papery skin from tomatillos, and quarter them. Broil jalapenos and tomatillos for up to 15 minutes until they show charring lines. Set aside and let cool. Combine peppers, tomatillos, tomatoes, and cilantro ingredients in a blender or food processor and gently chop until all ingredients are smooth and uniform in size. Strain off liquid, season with lime and salt.

Brie Stuffed Chicken

2 lbs chicken breasts
1/4 lb brie cheese
2 Tb. dijon or brown mustard
fresh thyme
salt and pepper to taste

Filet chicken breasts open, pound to uniform thickness. Sprinkle breasts with salt and pepper. Brush with mustard, sprinkle with thyme, and then a piece of cheese for each. Pin shut with toothpicks. Heat skillet with oil, brown chicken on both sides. Transfer to baking safe dish and cook for 20 minutes or until done. If you try to cook these on stove top, the cheese leaks out and burns to the pan before the center is done cooking. Also, mustard is a little salty, so don't go overboard.

Las Vegas

 

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Fossils

I added some new fossils to my collection. I think it's like a sardine or something.

Wild Bamboo

Linden Tree

Caramel Apple Cookies

Caramel, dried apples, coloured chocolate chips. I made a basic Tollhouse cookie dough, and then added 1 package of dried apples, chopped, one package of Kraft caramels, cut in half, and one bag of chocolate chips. Bake 350* for about 9 minutes. The caramel begins to run away when they are done. The caramel burns before the cookies do.

Comic Book Enthusiasm

Book page markers, decorative pins for your book bag, and refrigerator magnets.

Towpath Clinton

Happy 10 Year Anniversary

Happy Anniversary to Dave and I on ten wonderful years of marriage. In celebration, in addition to taking a week off of work and sharing a new walk location each day, we have been cooking dinner together. Tonight I made petit filet mignon. I started with two fillets, wrapped the outside in two strips of bacon, and secured the meat with a piece of butcher's twine. I made an compound butter with roasted garlic, fox point seasoning, finest herbs seasoning, and fresh ground black pepper and kosher salt flakes. The butter was allowed to chill in the freezer for about 30 minutes until it was firm. To cook the steaks, I preheated the oven to 400*. I used my small cast iron skillet. Generously season both top and bottom of fillets with salt and pepper. In the skillet over medium high heat, melt 4 Tb of butter and 2 Tb olive oil. When melted, add steaks and sear for two to three minutes per side until a crust is formed. I also cooked the bacon exterior in the same way. At this point I added the roasted garlic and mushrooms. Transfer pan to the oven and bake for 6-10 minutes. Steak will be ready when it is approximately 135 degrees in the center, or when you push lightly on the top center of the steak and it gently and slowly bounces back. Watch carefully especially if your steaks are thinner. Top with compound butter

Furnace Run Rock Creek

Wood Hollow Downy Loop

In 2009, a generous yet unexpected gift of 150 acres was made to Summit Metro Parks. Purchases of several adjacent properties brought the park's current size to a little more than 300 acres. It includes the 1.2-mile Downy Loop, with several bridges and boardwalks. The trail's name is a nod to the small woodpeckers that are among the species inhabiting "wood hollows" in the area's beech-maple woods and wetlands.

Silver Creek Phesant Run

Springfield Bog Prarie

Key Cards

Yes, the hotel can tell when you "recycle" your keys at a different hotel.

Veggie Tray

Hummus with zaatar seasoning, snap peas, carrots, provolone stuffed pepper, pickled garlic, and bluecheese stuffed olives.

Vegetable Terrine

1 head of cabbage
2 zucchini
1 head of cauliflower
1/4 C. Parmesan cheese
1/2 Lb asparagus spears
1/2 C. carrots
2 baby eggplant
4 eggs
1/2 C. heavy cream

Preheat oven to 350*. Bring a large pot of water to the boil. Salt it and boil several outer leaves of the cabbage for 2 minutes. Remove the leaves and immediately rinse under cold water to set their color. Gently lay flat on tea towels, and pat dry with another towel. They should be completely dry. Butter a glass casserole square. Neatly lay in the cabbage leaves to cover the bottom and sides completely. They should dangle over the sides a bit so that they can be folded over the completed terrine later. Cook the cauliflower, carrots and asparagus one at a time in the same pot of boiling salted water, until very tender. Remove them and immediately rinse in ice-cold water to preserve their color. I grilled my eggplants.
This terrine has five layers, so work one vegetable at a time. First put the cauliflower in the blender with 1/4 cup cream and 1 egg and the Parmesan cheese. Pulse to a smooth puree. Pour into a small bowl and set aside. Rinse the blender and proceed with the remaining vegetables in the same manner, pouring their purees off into bowls and setting aside. Season each mixture with salt and pepper. Do not puree asparagus!
If you pour one mixture on top of the other into the terrine, they will run together, so spoon them in instead. Start with the zucchini, spooning it into the terrine and smoothing it out to the edges. Next, spoon over the cauliflower, followed by the asparagus, carrots, and eggplant. If one leaks through to another layer, fear not: some think it is even more beautiful that way and in any case it will taste delicious. Fold the overhanging cabbage leaves over top to cover. Bake in a water bath until set, one hour.
Remove the terrine from the bath. Let it cool completely on a wire rack, and, if possible, chill in the refrigerator overnight so it sets well. At least half an hour before serving, turn the terrine out onto a cutting board or platter for serving in slices.

English "Muffin"

2 Tb. (natural) peanut butter
1 Tb. unsalted butter
2 Tb. almond flour
1/8 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 Tb. unsweetened almond milk
1 egg

[recipe] Recipe uses one ramekin (I used a small corning ware round bowl), and a dish or measuring cup to mix ingredients together. After microwaving, I was amazed that it resembled bread. Slicing did indeed reveal English muffin-like nooks and crannies. I toasted it for good measure. It tastes a bit like pb toast. For being gluten-free it had amazing texture.

Dukkah chicken

Sauteed Brussels sprouts with citrus sour cream, jalapeños, and toasted hazelnut topping

Whole Wheat Oat Bread

[recipe]

I made two loaves of bread and a tray of rolls. I recommend reducing the baking time by a few minutes. Spraying the oven for steam produces a crispy crust not suitable for dinner rolls.

Sand Run Metro Park

There are 41 miles of the multipurpose Ohio and Erie Canal Towpath Trail in Summit County. The 995-acre Sand Run Metro Park opened in 1929, but the area has been welcoming visitors for centuries. The land surrounding Mingo Pavilion was a campsite for Mingo Indians. Portage Path was once an important Native American trail between the Cuyahoga and Tuscarawas rivers; later, it was the western boundary of the United States. A high ridge above the Wadsworth Area was a lookout point for General Elijah Wadsworth, who made his camp near the present-day Old Portage Area during the War of 1812. In the 1930s, Sand Run Parkway and many of the surrounding shelters and structures were constructed by the Civilian Conservation Corps.

The Flats

Card Box

This was the card box I made for my friend's wedding.  It was a blue, old fashioned suit case.  I ripped out the satin lining.  The top was replaced by a mural of map-like paper, enhanced with music note washi tape, and embellishments of their planned destinations in Europe.  For the bottom of the suitcase, I loving hand stitched in lace and tuelling ruffles.  I finally found a use for my upholstery needles! 

Happy Birthday

I made this lovely leather journal for my mother. I am enjoying leather working as a potential new hobby. I got excited, and forgot to take pictures of the finished product. The motif is acorns and oak leaves with a fox on the front. I sewed in two sets of pages. It has also been dyed brown and  has a string closure.

Work flag

Our quarterly Hampton work project was designing a flag that shows our regional "Hamptonality", the thing that makes our hotel special, the reason people visit us. Nobody had any "good" suggestions so we went with generic Cleveland things. Malley's chocolate (4 miles away from us), the Christmas Story house (12 miles), and a football for the Browns. I was careful not to use any copywrited images like the Browns logo or the NBA trophy, or the Captain America shield (for the Marvel movies being filmed here).

Lemon Cashew Tart

Coconut milk
1 envelope gelatin
2 cups raw cashews soaked in a bowl of cold water overnight
4 dates
1 cup dates
1 cup raw almonds
1 cup raw pecans
1 lemon tested
1/2 c. Lemon juice
1 tsp. Vanilla
Can of coconut milk
Make crust. Puree cashews, milk, salt, vanilla, dates until smooth. In a saucepan heat maple syrup with gelatin. Add to blender. Firms up in about two hours. This does not have the consistency or mouth feel of cheesecake. It has a definite coconut milk after flavor. It makes an interesting nut tart, but a horrible cheesecake replacement.

Garbage disposal tablets

1 c. Baking soda
1 Tb. crushed lemon verbena
1 Tb. Kosher salt
4-5 drops lemon essential oil
1 tsp. Dish soap
1/4 C water

Slowly combine Ingredients. Only use enough water to form a paste. Add more baking soda if necessary. Scoop into little balls and allow to dry. Use them in your garbage disposal to freshen up the smell.

Banana Bread Muffins

1 stick softened butter
1 cup sugar
2 eggs, beaten
4 bananas, finely mashed
1 1/2 C. flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. vanilla

Mix well. Bake at 350*, 60 minutes for a loaf and about 20 minutes for muffins.

Grape Jelly

Cook down grapes until you have four cups of juice. Boil juice with 7 cups sugar and 1 envelope of liquid pectin.

Concord Grapes

Bug Bites

Household ammonia is dilute ammonium hydroxide, which is also an ingredient of numerous other cleaning agents, including many window cleaning formulas. Ammonia is a base, or alkali, and alkalies neutralize acids. Most bug stings are acid based, like wasp and ant venom. So dabbing ammonia on the sting (or baking soda) will help neutralize the acid. But contrary to popular belief, honeybee stings will not be helped by this method. Honeybee venom is a protein, and amazingly, meat tenderizer works for this. The itch from mosquito bites is caused by histamine, the body's chemical reaction to the bug's saliva. Best remedy for this is hydrocortisone cream. Many natural remedy websites call for simple table sugar.  Sugar pastes, or honey help facilitate wound healing by reducing the amount of water within the wound, which significantly retards bacterial growth.  This can reduce scarring from scratching.  Wash all bite area with soapy water first.  Apply a cold compress if you need to reduce swelling. Take an allergy tablet and then apply one of the methods above. 

Labor Day

Beer boiled bratwurst grilled with brussels sprouts.  We played 9 holes of Frisbee golf and had a nice time.  Just, stay out of the water.