🔥 Around the Campfire (week 51)

Dear Campers ~

Here's a recap of what happened at camp last week in case you missed anything:

Posts ~

12/12: 🔥 week 50

12/13: nantucket cranberry pie

12/14: snowman poop

12/15: hambone soup

12/16: melting snowman cupcakes 

12/17: grilled shrimp tacos

12/18: cherry pecan chews

What's Cooking ~

• tuna noodle casserole, green salad
• shake and bake pork chops, gnocchi with tomatoes, roasted broccoli
• grilled shrimp tacos, mexican rice
• baked salmon, parmesan couscous, roasted asparagus
• macaroni and cheese, roasted green beans
• grilled chicken breast, breaded and baked eggplant, caesar salad

Check out this funny coincidence - last week I posted this cute picture: 

And then my sister gave me this towel, and says she ordered it a while ago for me and swears she didn't see me put the hamster picture on the blog! Weird, right? We obviously have the same sense of humor! 

Hope everyone had a great week - we went from 60' and sunny, to 30' and snow in the space of 2 days. Just in time for Christmas if it sticks! Last weekend we lost power for 3 days so I had some blog work to catch up on - I posted last Sunday's recap a few days late if you want to go check it out. 

I read a great book recommended by both Mark and LeDonna - 'A Superior Death' by Nevada Barr. It's one in a series of books about Anna Pigeon, park ranger. In this one she's stationed in the UP, it's full of twists, interesting characters, suspenseful moments, and loved her descriptions of life, conditions, land and water up north. And I learned some things about Lake Superior I didn't know, including how many shipwrecks are there, how deep the water is, what it's like to dive in the extreme cold, and it's so cold there are still bodies in some of the wrecks that have been preserved  by the temperature. So interesting, it's a great read.  ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Bye!

Sincerely ~

Jill

camp counselor

12.19.20: candy cane bag closure 

12.19.19: grinch fruit kabobs

12.19.18: curled paper wreath 

12.19.17: making a holiday newsletter and printing labels

12.19.16: snowman shadowbox

12.19.15: melting snowman cocktail

Cherry Pecan Chews

We were at Al and Cathy's when she opened her fridge and said 'oh my gosh you have to try these cookies, they are my all time favorite, Al's mom used to make them...' and handed me what appeared to be a fruitcake cookie. Um...no thanks? But she insisted and I bit into it and immediately took another cookie before finishing the first one hahaha. These are great! Not fruitcake, and great. 

Cathy says lots of people ask for the recipe but then get intimidated because you have to beat egg whites and fold in other ingredients so it seems hard - I'm here to tell you this is not hard at all! I made 2 single batches and 1 double batch in two days, gave them out as neighbor gifts and took some to dance class (and yes, squirreled some away for myself!). 

One batch I omitted the pecans so Dave could try them, the cookies turned out good but don't have as much flavor or density. One batch I didn't want to wait for them to chill overnight, so I cooled on the counter and popped them in the fridge for a couple hours, then froze them for about an hour. No difference to the ones I left in the fridge overnight. 

• 3 egg whites
• 3/4 cup sugar (plus more for rolling after they're baked)
• 1 t. salt
• 1 t. vanilla
• 3/4 cup flour
• 1/2 cup butter, melted and cooled
• 3/4 cup pecans, chopped
• 3/4 cup candied red and green cherries, chopped

Directions:

Beat egg whites with sugar, salt and vanilla adding a little at a time until it holds a firm peak. Fold in flour and the cooled melted butter. Mix until batter is smooth. Fold in nuts and cherries. Turn into a well greased 9x9x2 pan. Bake at 350' for 30-35 minutes or until done. Cool and cover with foil, let set overnight in refrigerator. Cut into 1x2" bars and roll in granulated sugar. 

my notes: It takes quite a while for the egg whites to form firm peaks, I beat them in my standing mixer with the whisk attachment and it took at least 10 minutes, probably longer. I melted the butter in a glass measuring cup in the microwave when I started the egg whites and then set it aside on the counter; by the time the egg whites were firm the butter was cool. I had a hard time removing the baked bars from the pan, after the first batch I lined the pan with parchment so I could lift them out using the paper. The recipe says to cut into 1x2 bars but Cathy does 1x1 instead so that's what I did. 

For neighbor gifts: I lined small paper boxes with waxed paper, filled with cookies and wrapped wax paper over top. I made simple little tags I designed at avery.com and printed front and back on 3x5 index cards. Put the card on top of the wax paper wrapped cookies, closed the box and tied with a big white ribbon. 

12.18.20: candy bows by B

12.18.19: how to make gift bows

12.18.18: melting snowman chocolate bark

12.18.17: stabilized whipped cream

12.18.16: cocoa snowballs

12.18.15: gift paper wrapping bag

Grilled Shrimp Tacos

Flipping thru my recipe file/book the other day looking for inspiration - cuz even tho I love cooking I dislike thinking of things to make every.single.day.of.my.life! Who's with me? - and came across this recipe for shrimp tacos that I used to make often and for some reason haven't made in a long time. These are SO good, not sure why it's fallen out of rotation. It's back in for sure.

The recipe calls for grilling the tacos, but I usually bake them instead. Toss in the garlic butter, season with salt and pepper, bake for a few minutes on each side until done. Oh, and I don't grill the lime either, we just squeeze it overtop of the shrimp. 

Here's the recipe from Real Simple 30-Minute Meals in case you want to make the dish as written:

• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 3 T. mayo
• 3 T. milk
• 1/2 t. ground cumin
• 3 T. melted butter
• 2 cloves chopped garlic
• 1 1/2 lbs large shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 4 limes, quartered
• 1/2 t. salt
• 8 (6") corn tortillas
• 3 cups shredded green cabbage
• green salsa for serving
• wood skewers soaked 30 minutes

Whisk together first 4 ingredients and set aside. Combine butter and garlic. Heat grill or broiler. Place shrimp and limes on skewers, brush with garlic butter. Grill 3 minutes per side until cooked thru. Season with salt. Grill tortillas until warmed, 30 seconds per side.

Serve tortillas with shrimp; top with cabbage, sour cream mixture, and salsa; limes on the side.

4 servings

12.17.20: cork gingerbread man by B

12.17.19: TT: powdered sugar (how to turn granulated sugar into powdered)

12.17.18: wine cork angel ornament

12.17.17: cream of mushroom soup

12.17.16: chocolate dipped pretzel rods

12.17.15: homemade dog cookies

Melting Snowman Cupcakes

Mark sent me a cute picture of melting snowman cookies that are different from the last ones I made (click here for that post), I had leftover cupcakes last week from making the santa gnomes so I used his pic as inspiration to make these cuties. 

Thin some white buttercream frosting with a little milk, until it's easily spreadable but not runny (you don't want it to run off the cake top but close to it). Spread a little bit on the front of a mini marshmallow and stick on sprinkles for the eyes and nose. Put a little of the thinned frosting on top of the cupcake and spread it around a bit so it looks like it's melted a bit, then top with the mini marshmallow. While the frosting is still wet, add sprinkles for the stick arms and a couple candy balls for buttons. Put all of it on randomly to represent the snowman melting. I found it easier to add the sprinkles using tweezers but your fingers will also do the trick. 

12.16.20: peanut butter kiss cookies by B

12.16.19: felt poinsettia napkin rings

12.16.18: 🔥week 50

12.16.17: reindeer cupcakes

12.16.16: candy cane mice

12.16.15: sea salt body scrub

Hambone, Bean, and Vegetable Soup

If you have a hambone leftover from Thanksgiving or are planning to have ham for Christmas this is an easy recipe for hambone soup that turned out great - comforting, warming, and very flavorful. Yum, it's been cold here and this really hit the spot (for breakfast, lunch, and dinner hahah, it makes a lot). 

• 1 leftover hambone
• 1 T. oil
• 1/2 onion, diced
• 3 carrots, diced (I don't bother peeling them, just give them a good scrub)
• 2 russet potatoes, diced (again, I don't peel)
• 1 can Great Northern beans (or any white beans), rinsed and drained
• 1 cup frozen corn kernels
• 1/2 t. thyme
• 1/4-1/2 t. garlic powder
• 2 bay leaves
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 1/2 cups leftover ham, diced
• grated parmesan for serving, if desired 

1. First make ham stock by placing the hambone in a large pot or Dutch oven, add water to cover the bone about halfway. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer for 1 hour; remove the hambone and set aside. Strain the stock to remove any chunks of ham that have fallen off the bone. 

2. Heat the oil in the same large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add onion, carrots, and potatoes; cook stirring occasionally, until onions become translucent, about 2-3 minutes. Add the ham stock (I had about 7 cups), beans, corn, thyme, garlic powder, and bay leaves; season with salt and pepper to taste. 

3. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer until carrots and potatoes are tender, about 15 minutes. Meanwhile, pick off any bits of ham from the boiled bone and cut into small pieces. If you don't want to use the meat still on the bone you can use other diced ham or omit it. 

4. Once the veggies are tender stir in the diced ham and simmer until heated thru. Remove bay leaves and serve. I like to sprinkle with grated parmesan but it's good as is!

12.15.20: TT: holiday phone case by Brooke

12.15.19: 🔥week 50

12.15.18: rolled paper Christmas tree

12.15.17: Brooke's homemade ice cream/shake

12.15.16: sugar and spice mixed nuts

12.15.15: travel jewelry pouch

Snowman Poop

This is from long ago when I was helping Ronda at her Stampin' Up business, I took pictures and then forgot to share this adorable project - hopefully she doesn't mind my posting her craft after all this time! 

I don't remember exactly what she wrapped up in the mugs other than hot chocolate mix and a little bag of 'snowman poop'. There's probably a stamp for the poop poem but you could also either print it out on the computer or handwrite it - then decorate the bag of miniature marshmallows however you like - see what she did for inspiration. If you are making the mugs for gifts, place hot chocolate mix and the snowman poop inside a mug and wrap with clear cellophane, attach a cute tag if you like. Isn't this cute? 

12.14.20: plant pot bells by B

12.14.19: caprese chicken

12.14.18: Christmas pinecone wreath

12.14.17: bacon jam
12.14.16: Georgian cheese bread
12.14.15: Christmas bell door hanger

Nantucket Cranberry Pie

Mary gave me this recipe years ago, I kinda forgot about it and haven’t made it in a long time. I needed a dessert and the weather was soooo bad that I didn’t want to go to the grocery store so searched for recipes using what I have on hand, rediscovered this one for cranberry pie. It’s not really “pie”, more like a thin cake - although it isn’t really cake either haha - it’s fruity, sweet/tart, the bottom is slightly crisp but the fruit and cake are soft. Yum, we all love this! I served it with cool whip, ice cream would also be good (and it’s also a delish breakfast!).

1. Preheat oven to 350’. Chop enough cranberries to make 2 cups, and enough walnuts to make 1/2 cup.

2. Toss chopped cranberries and walnuts with 1/2 cup sugar and put in a buttered 10” pie plate or springform pan. (Note: if using springform place on a cookie sheet first).

3. Mix 2 eggs, 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) melted butter (cooled), 1 cup sugar, 1 cup flour, 1/4 t. Salt, 1/4-1/2 almond extract. Stir batter until it’s smooth and pour over cranberry-walnut mixture. Bake in middle of oven for 40 minutes or until a tester comes out clean.

4. Invert onto a plate once it’s cool. 

Note: I omitted the nuts and added a few more cranberries (I used most of an 8oz bag), substituted vanilla for the almond extract. 

12.13.20: 🔥 week 50

12.13.19: candy cane reindeer

12.13.18: felt Christmas trees

12.13.17: wood reindeer and snowman

12.13.16: glass block winter scene

12.13.15: cinnamon roll sugar cookies

🔥 Around the Campfire (week 50)

Dear Campers ~

Our internet was out last weekend (high winds + train = lines down, fires, police, no internet for days!) so I wasn't able to give you the weekly recap, and then I forgot that I didn't do it until just now. I'm posting days later just so I have it on record, and I'm back dating it so it's in the right place. Maybe you forgot what happened that week and this will be a helpful reminder hahahah.

Posts ~

12/5: 🔥 week 49

12/6: Christmas tree/wreath mash up

12/7: TT: cheese

12/8: catalina cranberry chicken

12/9: jar ring gift topper

12/10: santa gnome cupcakes

12/11: roasted sausage and grapes

That's it - now I'm caught up! Bye!

Sincerely ~

Jill

camp counselor

12/12/20: how to make a looped bow

12.12.19: santa gift card holder

12.12.18: Mary's painted ornaments

12.12.2017: coincidentally, I posted the adorable pillow Mary me one year ago today!

12.12.2016: marquee letters  (using paper mache letters and christmas ornaments)

12.12.2015: fireball hot toddy

 

Sheet Pan Roasted Sausages and Grapes

If it wasn't for Al making that delish goat cheese and roasted grape appetizer for us I probably wouldn't have looked twice at this recipe I saw at thekitchn.com for sheet pan roasted sausages and grapes, but knowing how great roasted grapes are I decided to make this for dinner. I can't really give it a fair review or criticize anything because I didn't follow the directions exactly, we liked it just fine but not stellar - I'd make it again with a couple additional tweaks and suggestions. 

We didn't think it had a lot of flavor, and the recipes notes say there will be a "bold pan sauce begging for crusty bread on the side to sop all that sauce" but there was no sauce to speak of after roasting. I only used 1/4 the amount of shallots and didn't toss it together with the grapes and seasonings, maybe that's the difference that would add flavor and sauce? Also I felt like the grapes needed to roast longer but the sausages were done at 25 minutes - next time I will start the grapes ahead of adding the sausage. 

Overall it's a good dish, it just needs to be played with a little!

this is what 1 1/2 pounds of grapes looks like

• 1 1/2 pounds seedless red grapes (about 3 1/2 cups)
• 3 medium shallots, thinly sliced (1 heaping cup)
• 2 sprigs fresh rosemary, strip the leaves and coarsely chop (1 T.)
• 2 T. olive oil
• 1 t. fennel seeds
• 1/2 t. kosher salt
• 1/4 t. black pepper
• 1 1/2 pounds uncooked hot or sweet Italian sausage links (6-8 links)
• 1 T. balsamic vinegar

Arrange a rack in the middle of the oven and heat the oven to 425'

Remove the stems from the grapes and place the grapes on a rimmed baking sheet. 

Add the shallots and rosemary to the grapes, drizzle with the olive oil; sprinkle with the fennel seeds, salt and pepper, toss to coat. Spread out in an even layer.

Prick the sausage links all over with a fork and nestle them among the grape mixture. Roast, flipping the sausages and tossing the grape mixture halfway through, until the sausages are browned and cooked through and the grapes have blistered and burst, 25-28 minutes. 

Drizzle the balsamic vinegar over the sausages and grapes, toss to coat. 

serves 4-6

12.11.20: gingerbread cookie hugs by B

12.11.19: cucumber ranch salad dressing

12.11.18: bath salt ornaments

12.11.2017: tinsel wreath

12.11.2016: chicken marsala

12.11.2015: tomato cage Christmas tree