Rachael Ray! I was on her show!!!

27. My daughter went on-line and reserved tickets for the Rachael Ray Show in NYC. So we invited a friend to come along and made our plans, where to eat, take a cab...don't take a cab.... We were very excited, when this past Friday my daughter received a phone call from the studio asking if she would like to help in a segment of the show. She turned it down, not feeling comfortable in front of people but suggested her mother!!! So, of course, they called me and it went something like this...

"Hello, is this Lilly?"

"Yes, who is this?"

"This is Carina from the Rachael Ray Show. We know you have tickets for the show this Tuesday and we would like for you to participate in a special segment, 'Gifts I Got For Christmas'. Would you be interested in helping us? We need someone who is comfortable talking in front of people and has a bubbly personality. "

"Why, yes, I would love to help you out! What do I need to do?"

"Well, we will provide you with a product and you will explain how it works to Rachael Ray!!!!!!! "

(At this point my heart began to leap) "Sounds great!"

"Ok, my producer will be calling you tomorrow to tell you more about the product." "Thank you so much...good bye."

So, today was the day... I was excited to go into NYC to a taping of the Rachael Ray Show.

I know opportunities like this do not come around that often...so I jumped at it!!

When we arrived, they took me upstairs into hair and makeup, (that is so much fun to say) and then myself, with three other guests rehearsed our lines and were introduced to the products we would demonstrate. I did not want to be nervous, but take in the whole experience! We then went into a holding room and they fitted us with mics. Minutes before the taping started they brought us out and placed us in the audience. I was so glad I was able to sit next to my daughter, and her friend Caitlyn, in the second row. It was awesome to be so close to the front! It is not a live show, so in between segments it is very relaxed. The special guest was Diane Sawyer. What a lovely, interesting guest she was. Then Rachael cooked mini deep-dish Chicago Pizzas and then it was time to do our segment. How much fun this was!!! My product was called "Wallies", adhesive chalk boards. I had to walk up to the left of the set and stick a Wallie on the door next to the stove and explain to Rachael what they were and how to use them. It was surreal and of course seemed to happen lightening fast...but how exciting to talk to her and help out in the show!!! They taped several segments for two additional shows...one with exceptional children and a make-over show...a Benjamin Buttons theme of not looking your age. We were in the second row on the right! It was an awesome experience...but even more awesome than that, we all received the four gifts that were highlighted...and one of those gifts was an HP Vivianne Tam Digital Clutch Mini 1000. It is worth $700.00...how awesome is that!

So, the show will air this coming Monday, MLK Day. Tune in and see my television debut! Or watch it here: "Stuff I Got For Christmas"

And, Rachael signed my cookbook!

Oh...and...we went to Alice's Tea Cup on the upper East side after the show for wonderful scones, tea and sandwiches. My tea was Rooibos Wedding Chai...it was terrific!

"God knows how to bless our lives in the most perfect ways!"

Shrimp Newburg

26.  Have you ever had the delicious opportunity to try Seafood Newburg?  I recall, the first time I enjoyed this rich, succulent dish was my first year in college.  My roommate invited me to her home in New England for Thanksgiving.  Her mother was a phenomenal cook and made Lobster Newburg...the memory has stayed with me to this day.  

So this new year, I am cooking through my favorite cookbook, The American Country Inn and Breakfast Cookbook.   The first recipe that I made was for Shrimp Newburg.  It was amazing!

My family raved during the entire meal.  What a gem of a recipe!!!  This would be a lovely meal to make for a special dinner.  

Shrimp Newburg

Oregon Caves Chateau, Cave Junction, Oregon

1 Tablsp minced shallots

1 Tablsp butter

❇     ❇     ❇

1/2 cup butter, melted

flour, approximately 1/4 cup

❇     ❇     ❇

1 quart whipping cream

1 quart milk  or half and half

❇     ❇     ❇

2 Tablsp butter

2 Tablsp minced celery

1 Tablsp minced shallots

if you so choose (2 oz Marsala wine)

salt to taste

1/8 tsp paprika (I added 1 Tablsp)

pinch cayenne pepper

pinch nutmeg

❇     ❇     ❇

2 to 3 pounds frozen large shrimp, thawed, shelled, and deveined

❇     ❇     ❇

Croutons

In medium saucepan saute' 1 Tablespoon of shallots in 1 Tablespoon butter until soft.  Prepare a roux with 1/2 cup melted butter and flour in a small bowl smoothing all the flour lumps with a fork. Add the roux to the saute' shallots and cook.  Add the whipping cream and milk.  Bring to a boil, continually blending with a wire wisk.  Cook till the mixture thickens.  Pour through strainer (I did not do this...I like the little bits of shallots).

In a small saute' pan melt 2 tablespoons butter; saute' the celery and 1 tablespoon shallots until soft. Add wine and flambe', if you so choose.  (I did not use wine and it was just fine.) Add this mixture to the cream sauce, blending with a whisk.  Add the seasonings and blend.

Place the shrimp in a large casserole dish or heat proof serving casserole.  Pour the cream sauce over the shrimp.  Bake in a 350º oven until done, about 8 minutes.  Sprinkle parsley and garnish with croutons or place crouton toast on plate and pour Newburg Sauce over.

Serves 8   Serve over rice.

You have to try this recipe...you will be very pleased with the results!  Just wait to hear the ooh's and aahh's.

I am on my way to the Rachel Ray Show in NYC  with my daughter Emily, tomorrow morning...I can't wait to see what Rachel cooks!

Blessings!!!

Handmade Card

25.  This Christmas I spent some time making special handmade cards for some very special girls.  I teach a girl's club class for 3rd, 4th and 5th Grade girls every Friday evening at my church.  We have so much fun together and it is always a highlight of my week!

Each week I like to prepare a craft for them to do together.  Sometimes, it goes along with our lesson...most of the time, it is just for fun.

So our last class before Christmas vacation, we had a snow storm and had to cancel...leaving me with a winter craft...for no one to do.  Well, I got to work and made them personal for each girl and sent them the craft to construct at home.  I found this idea in the Family Fun Magazine several years ago.  You can find the instructions here.   It really would be fun to make any type of make-your-own card...maybe for Valentines Day and fill the bag with items to decorate a card with hearts.  

Here are pictures of my handywork.

Cutting out the shapes...I needed a Martha Stewart circle cutter gadget!

I placed each item in a zip bag and then taped the bag to a window card.

Here is the finished product.    The girls had fun making them! 

It is Friday, and tonight we are talking about Grooming.  You know body shapes, face shapes, clothing and cleanliness.  My friend, who helps me in class, is a beautician by trade.  She will be giving the girls hair makeovers tonight!!!   Exciting!

"The moment one gives close attention to any thing, 

even a blade of grass it becomes a mysterious, 

awesome, indescribably magnificent world in itself. "

 ~Henry Miller

Scones

24.  My sister made a request for my scone recipe. Esther, this is for you!   I think you will enjoy them.  This recipe is delicious and easy to make.

  There is an attractively unusual tea house in Manhattan that my daughter Emily discovered called Alice's Teacup, Chapter I on West 73rd Street.  It is quite a charming spot and their scones are excellent.  We love to order the "Mad Hatter" that arrives at your table as a three-tiered server.  Each level a delightful selection of tea sandwiches, scones, muffins, cake, cookies accompanied with butter and preserves.  Of course, the tea is the main event, but I always look forward to the scones!!

I have experimented with several recipes for scones.  The experts all have their own idea of what makes a perfect scone and whether they are Scottish or English.  Just hop on-line and type in "scones" and you can read a variety of "do's and don'ts" in scone making.  Some say oil is best, others say shortening or butter.  In my opinion...it depends on what taste and texture you desire.

My recipe is from (my most favorite cookbook!!) The American Country Inn and Bed and Breakfast Cookbook.  Although it is out of print, you can still find it on the web.

The Madison Inn Buttermilk Scones

3 cups all-purpose flour

1/3 cup sugar

2 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

3/4 tsp salt, omit if using salted butter

1 1/2 sticks cold butter, cut in small pieces

3/4 cup chopped pitted dates, raisins or currants

1 tsp grated orange rind

1 cup cold buttermilk plus 1 Tblsp

1/4 tsp cinnamon

2 Tblsp sugar

In a large bowl, stir together the flour, sugar, baking powder, soda, and salt until thoroughly blended.  Using a pastry blender or 2 knives, cut the butter into the flour mixture until it resembles course cornmeal.  Stir in the fruit and orange peel.  Make a well in the center of the butter-flour mixture; add the buttermilk all at once. Stir the mixture with a fork until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl

.  With your hands, gather the dough into a ball; turn out onto a lightly floured board.  Roll or pat into a 1/2-inch thick circle or rectangle.  Using a 2 1/2-inch heart, circle or star cutter, or simply cut into triangles the individual scones.  

Place 1 1/2 inches apart on lightly greased baking sheets. Brush the tops of scones with cream; sprinkle lightly with mixture of the cinnamon and sugar.  Bake in a 425º oven for 12 minutes or until the tops are lightly browned.  Serve hot out of the oven.  Yield 12-18 scones

Banana Walnut Scones, add 2 very ripe bananas, 1/2 tsp vanilla and 1/2 cup chopped walnuts omitting the fruit and orange peel.

Poppyseed Lemon Scones, add 1/4 cup poppyseeds, lemon peel and 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice.  Decrease milk to 3/4 cups.  Omit fruit and orange peel.

Cranberry Orange Scones, add 3/4 cup dry or fresh cranberries, orange peel and 1/4 cup orange juice.  Decrease milk to 3/4 cups.  Omit fruit.

Your own combination  You can experiment with a variety of items:  chocolate chips, blueberries, frozen raspberries, lime, candied ginger...you are only limited by your imagination!

Lovingly for you my sweet sister!  

"The discovery of a new dish does more for human happiness

 than the discovery of a new star." 

 Antheleme Brillat-Savarin 1826

Walnut-Orange Bûche de Noël

23.  Do you shy away from challenging tasks?   I seem to gravitate to them.  But I must admit, my patience and tolerance levels have grown over the years.  Where once I would have thrown up my hands and walked away in tears, now I want to figure it out and accomplish the impossible.

On New Years Day a new challenge was taken on...a recipe 

for "Walnut-Orange Bûche de Noël" from the Martha Stewart Holiday Magazine 2008.  

You can find the recipe here.  It is a deliciously wonderful challenge!!!  My family enjoyed this tremendous treat while we played Scatergories and sipped espresso. 

 It did take a great deal of time, because of the steps involved...but it was so rewarding and absolutely delicious !

Take on a challenge this New Year...don't run and hide...make a new recipe...begin to write that book you know is in your mind...run in that marathon...read a whole book!  Or just challenge yourself to tell your family you love them every day.

"You may be whatever you resolve to be.  Determine to be something in the world, 

and you will be something.  'I cannot', never accomplished anything;

 'I will try', has wrought wonders." 

J. Hawke

I got it!!!

22.   My Christmas wish list was short this year...what more do we really need???  

With our families, friends, home and health...yet, a new kitchen gadget always makes the season bright!   :-)

So, one of the items on my wish list was a yellow lemon squeeze gadget...and I got it!!!

I now have a complete set...although my ten year old asked..."Mom, is there a squeeze gadget for grapefruits?"   Hmmmmm,  "...and what color would it be?  Pink?"

   My search continues!

"I think in terms of the day's resolutions, 

         not the year's."  H. Moore

Gingerbread

21.  Homemade gingerbread is so delicious.  Some gingerbread cookies are light and crispy and snap when you bite into them.  Others are chewy and soft in the center with crusty edges.  The recipe I have been using for years is from an old Hallmark flyer from 1982 called "Expressions".   It was filled with Hallmark products and gave ideas for..."Creative Living!" The advertisement was for Hallmark cookie cutters and partyware.  In the center of the flyer was a gingerbread cookie recipe of Fun-To-Shape Gingerbread Men.  This has been my most favorite recipe.  You can either roll the dough for cutout cookies or make hand shaped cookies.   (You can not use this recipe for gingerbread houses, the dough is too soft.) This year I rolled the dough to make gingerbread men and snowflakes.

Gingerbread Cookies

(Hallmark Expressions 1982)

3/4 cup shortening, or butter for softer cookies

1 cup sugar

1/4 cup light molasses

1 egg

2 cups flour

1/4 tsp. salt

2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1 tsp ground cloves

1 tsp ground ginger

raisins

red hot candies

Cream shortening or butter and sugar together.  Add molasses and egg; beat well.  Sift together dry ingredients and add to mixture.  Mix dough thoroughly.  Chill dough 15 minutes.

Shape gingerbread men on cookie sheet as you  would modeling clay;  Use raisins and red hot candies for eyes, mouth and buttons.  Or, roll out on a floured surface and use cookie cutters. Transfer to cookie sheet.  

Bake 350º for 10 minutes.  

Cool gingerbread men slightly and remove to rack.  Decorate with icing after cookies have cooled.

For gingersnaps, roll dough into 1-inch balls and dip in sugar.  Place 2 inches apart on cookie sheet.  Bake as directed above.

Decorate cookies by piping icing through a decorating bag.  

"Glory to God in highest heaven,

Who unto man His Son hath given;

While angels sing with tender mirth,

A glad new year to all the earth."

~Martin Luther