Five Minute Fudge

2 tbsp. butter
2/3 c. evaporated milk
1 and 1/2 c. sugar
1/4 tsp. salt
2 cups (4oz.) miniature marshmallows
1 and 1/2 cups chocolate chips
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 cup chopped nuts



Combine butter, evaporated milk, sugar and salt in saucepan over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Bring to full boil. Cook 4 to 5 minutes, stirring consistently. Remove from heat. Add rest of ingredients. Stir vigorously for 1 minute (until marshmallows melt and blend). Pour into buttered 8-inch square pan. Let cool. Cut into squares. Enjoy!





We had our traditional Family Christmas Program this month! We made made the fudge (mentioned above) and also some shaped sugar cookies for refreshments. After dinner we sang Christmas songs and read scriptures that told about the story of Jesus' birth. It was a neat time!














We pre-wrapped and labeled the pieces of the nativity scene in tissue paper to be revealed by my two younger brothers, and placed in the stable, when the piece was mentioned in the Bible story. :-)













On Sunday we enjoyed a gathering with relatives (on my Dad's side of the family) and then on Tuesday we enjoyed another gathering with the relatives (on my Mom's side).


This picture was at the Sunday get together.
Pictured here is Chloe (Me) :-) Lauren (cousin)
and on the next row starting on the left is Travis (brother) and Dacy (cousin). :-)

Here is another recipe. :-) We tried it recently and thought it was very good! :-)









Cinnamon Bread

1/4 cup sugar
1 and 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
(Mix sugar and cinnamon together and set aside.)
1 cup sugar
2 cups flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 egg
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 cup milk
3/4 to 1 tsp. vinegar added to milk to make it sour

Combine sugar, flour, salt, baking powder, soda, egg vegetable oil and milk, which has vinegar mixed in it. Beat with mixer 2 minutes.
Spoon 1/3 of batter into greased 9x5x3-inch loaf pan. Sprinkle with 1/2 of the cinnamon sugar and repeat with batter last. Use a knife to cut and swirl the mixture.
Bake about 50 minutes at 350*.

Note: We had to cook the bread a little longer....until a toothpick inserted came out clean. Also, I saved a little of the cinnamon/sugar mixture and added it on top which added a nice touch. :-)

Here is a picture of some delicious blonde brownies (that we made last year but never got to post). :-) Mmmmm!

The day after Christmas it snowed! We had lots of fun playing in it! :-)



Hope you have a blessed New Year!

~Chloe~

But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever! Amen.

2 Peter 3:18

~Holiday Creations~

While we were out shopping yesterday, we ran on to this cute little gingerbread man and thought he would be a really nice seasonal decoration for this time of year! Doesn't he have a sweet smile? :-)













Last year Mom and I decided to try making a pumpkin roll, two actually. :-) The swirl shape was pretty and festive and the roll tasted good too!


























I got a pattern and directions off of "Better Homes and Gardens" on how to make these four mini pillows (pictured on the left). I really enjoyed making the pillows and I was pleased with the way they turned out!














I also finished off this sheep ornament this year!
:-)






Have a blessed week!

In Christ,
~Chloe~

"Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil."

Eph. 6:11

Happy Thanksgiving!

Hello everyone! I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving! :-) On Thanksgiving day we enjoyed visiting with relatives around a wonderful traditional Thanksgiving meal....turkey, dressing, sweet potatoes corn, green beans, creamed potatoes, hot rolls etc. :-). And for dessert there were several different kinds of pie and also sugar cookies! Mmmmm! :-) It was good! :-)

While we were there, two of my cousins, my younger brothers and I worked on a craft! I had traced leaf shapes on to paper and then made copies of the design onto colorful construction paper. We then could cut out a "leaf" of each color and paste the edges of the "leaves" together in a circular shape like a wreath.....creating a "Thankful Wreath". After that we wrote on each leaf things for which we were thankful. :-)

In years past we have done a "Thanksgiving Puppet Show" which has been lots of fun! (We have purchased a few of the puppets and others we made. :-D ) It is done to the story of the pilgrims and is "told" by one puppet and "acted out" by the other puppets! It's pretty neat. :-)

This picture is of one of our lovely bushes as it's leaves began to change going into the Autumn season. I thought it was so pretty! :-)

Psalm 118:1
O give thanks unto the LORD; for he is good: because his mercy endureth for ever.

Coffee Can Bread and Cookies

Hello all!

This is a wonderful decorative bread, great for a special occasion or whenever you like! With it's sweet flavor, and unique shape, Coffee Can Bread is sure to become a family favorite for years to come!

Lol! :-)
Here is a link to the recipe!




I was looking on " The Little Red Hens " a while back and discovered this wonderful cookie recipe. We thought the colors of the M&M's made the cookies look so pretty for the fall season!

Click here for the recipe. :-)

Have a wonderful week!

~Chloe~

"The LORD is with you when you are with him. If you seek him, he will be found by you, but if you forsake him, he will forsake you."

"But as for you, be strong and do not give up, for your work will be rewarded."

2 Chronicles 15:2b, 7

Oatmeal Cake :-)

Here is a wonderful cake that we had recently. Happy cooking! :-)







Oatmeal Cake

Put 1 and 1/4 cups boiling water over 1 cup Quick cooking oats, add 1 stick oleo, let stand 20 minutes.

Add:
1 cup white sugar
1 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 and 1/3 cups flour
1 t. soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. nutmeg

Stir all together and bake in large pan 35 minutes at 350*.

If topping is desired, mix while cake is baking.
6 T. oleo (melted)
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1/4 cup cream (milk will do)
1 cup nuts
1/2 sugar or brown sugar
1 cup coconut

Cook enough to dissolve, spread on cake and place under broiler until coconut is brown. About 5 minutes.


Note:
This cake is great without frosting as well! I'm not sure if we have ever tried the frosting recipe mentioned above or not, however we do add a Butter-Cream Frosting on occasion (we half the recipe). :-)


Butter-Cream Frosting

1/4 cup butter
1/2 tsp. salt
2 tsp. vanilla
3 cups confectioners sugar (sift if lumpy)
1/4 cup milk

Combine butter, salt vanilla and 1 cup of sugar. Add milk and remaining sugar alternately; mix until creamy. Add more sugar to thicken or milk to thin, if needed for good spreading consistency.


God bless!
~Chloe~

Rejoice in the LORD, O ye righteous: for praise is comely for the upright.

Psalm 33:1

Tator Tot Casserole

Hello everyone! Here is a recipe for a yummy dinner casserole. Enjoy!

Tator Tot Casserole

1 lb. sausage or hamburger meat
1 can. cream of chicken or mushroom
2/3 c. milk
1 pkg. tator tots
a little cheese

Brown meat. Mix first three ingredients together and put in a greased 9"x13" pan. Add tator tots and bake at 400* degrees for about 25 minute or until tots are brown on top. After baked, sprinkle with cheese.

Have a wonderful day!
~Chloe~

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might.

Eph 6:10

It's fall!

Hello all!

I looked on the internet for a "fall" picture and this is one I found. What beautiful colors there are in God's creation!

"Happy Fall!"

“But now ask the beasts, and they will teach you;

And the birds of the air, and they will tell you;
Or speak to the earth, and it will teach you;

And the fish of the sea will explain to you.

Who among all these does not know

That the hand of the LORD has done this,
In whose hand is the life of every living thing,

And the breath of all mankind?"

Job 12:7-10

~Just for fun!~ :-)

Look up and sing the song: "Joyful, Joyful, We Adore Thee".

Here are some rules for the house that I thought were kind of neat!

(These house rules were found on www.duggarfamily.com .)

~House Rules~

Always use soft words, even when you don't feel well.
Always display kind actions, even if you have been mistreated.
Show joyful attitudes even when no one else is looking.
Have sincere motives with no thought of self-gain.
Think pure thoughts.
Always give a good report of others. Never talebear unless physical harm will come to someone. Use Matthew 18.
Never raise a hand to hit.
Never raise a foot to kick.
Never raise an object to throw.
Never raise a voice to yell.
Never raise an eye to scowl.
Use one toy/activity at a time.
Never let the sun go down on your wrath. (Don't go to bed angry or guilty.)
Amendment J.O.Y. – make serving your family a priority – put Jesus first, others second, yourself last.

Looking to Jesus,

~Chloe~

The Children's Museum

This month our family took a trip to the Children's Museum! We had lots of fun and I thought I would share a few pictures with you of some of the activities that we engaged in while we were there! Enjoy!

"Here we "go" in a Model T! See you later!" :-)

(Pictured are my two younger brother's, Mom and Dad.)

In this picture we were at the "News Center"!

"And today's forecast will be......"

In one room of the museum there were several mirrors. Some of them would kind of distort your look....such as making you look really long...as you can see in this picture. It was pretty funny!!!!!!! (lol!) :-)

Here my brother is peddling a small bicycle. When he peddled the skeleton behind him would peddle, showing how the skeleton works! It's pretty neat! :-)

There was a large maze that you could climb up and either slide down a long slide (which when sliding down it, sometimes you would slide so fast that you slid out on a soft landing pad at the end of it! :-) ) or you could continue climing! It was fun! :-)

The Museum also had a station where you could see how you can funnel water with dams etc. It was pretty neat! (Our family spent a while in this area!) There were also rubber duckies that could float down stream and later you could scoop them up in a net (like the kind you would use to strain a swimming pool).

These are just a few of the many activities you can get invovled in at the Children's Museum!

We had a great time while there, and hope to go again sometime in the neat future!:-)

Blessings,

~Chloe~ :-)

Psalm 100
Make a joyful noise unto the LORD, all ye lands.
Serve the LORD with gladness: come before his presence with singing.
Know ye that the LORD he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.
Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name.
For the LORD is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations.

Seventeen!!! :-)

Hello all!

This month I had my seventeenth birthday! :-) I had a blessed day with my family, and later in the day with some of my extended family as well!

Pictured here is the cake mom so graciously prepared for me. It was a fudge marble cake with chocolate frosting...very yummy! :-)

Later in the day we visited with relatives at my grandparents house. My Grandma had a delicious chocolate cake prepared, topped with chocolate pie filling and whipped cream. Mmmm! It was good! :-)











Featured in this picture, from left to right, are Chloe (me) , my two brothers and my Grandma and Grandad.





On a later date, we had a get together at our house with a few family's......we visited, played volley ball, had a meal, visited some more, and played more volley ball! It was lots of fun! :-)

Well, I better sign off for now. Hope you all have a blessed week!

In Christ,
~Chloe~

"Trust in the LORD with all your heart

and lean not on your own understanding;
in all your ways acknowledge him,

and he will make your paths straight. "

Proverbs 3:5,6

~Apple Pie~

Hello everyone! I hope you all are doing well! :-)

The other day we had some of our relatives over to our house for a visit. :-) For a special treat, my great Aunt brought a delicious, homemade, apple pie, along with some apples and pears which she had gotten from her fruit trees . The pie and fruit were so pretty I thought I should post them on my blog. So here they are!

Have a wonderful day!

~Chloe~

A word aptly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver.

Proverbs 25:11

Back to School Muffins

Well, with school just around the corner or perhaps recently started, I thought I would share this great muffin recipe with you! It's not quite an apple for the teacher, but it's close. :-)

Here's the recipe...

Oatmeal-Applesauce Muffins

1 c. quick oats

1 c. all-purpose flour

1/2 c. brown sugar

1/2 c. raisins (optional)

2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/4 tsp. baking soda

1/4 tsp. salt

3/4 c. applesauce

1/3 c. vegetable oil

1 egg

1 tsp. vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 400* F. Grease or paper line 12 (2 1/2-inch) muffin cups. Combine oats, flour, sugar, raisins. baking powder, cinnamon,baking soda and salt in large bowl. Add all at once to oat mixture, stirring just until moistened. Divide evenly among prepared muffin cups. Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until tester inserted in center comes out clean. Makes 12 muffins.

Note: These muffins freeze well.

That's all for now. May you all

"... grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ To Him be the glory, both now and to the day of eternity. Amen."

1 Peter 3:18

><>Chloe<><

Birthday Time Again and Cake Recipe

But who can find a trustworthy man?

A righteous man who walks in his integrity-- Proverbs 20:6b, 7a

This month my Dad had a birthday! We celebrated with a special dinner (and cake!). :-)

This is a picture of my Dad and two younger brothers. :-) Here, my brother's were presenting Dad with their delightful gifts. :-)

Now as for the cake, we decided to make a nice and cool one. :-) The recipe is called: "Strawberry Soda Pop Cake". ( To add some color to the top of the cake, as well as a birthday message, I used dessert sprinkles! ) Here's the recipe for the cake. :-)

Strawberry Soda Pop Cake

1 box white cake mix

1 can strawberry soda pop (optional)

1 3 oz. box strawberry Jello (mixed with one cup hot water)

Bake cake in 13" x 9" pan according to directions on box. As soon as cake is removed from oven, punch holes in it with a fork. Pour soda pop over cake slowly so it will seep into holes. Then pour Jello mixture over cake in the same manner. Set

in refrigerator to cool. When cake is cool, ice with the following:

Icing

1 package instant vanilla pudding

1 cup cold milk

1 large tub of Cool Whip (at room temperature)

Mix pudding and milk. Fold in Cool Whip. Mix together and ice cake. Return to refrigerator. Serve cold. Cut in squares and serve.

Later in the day we played a game or two of Domino's, one of my Dad's favorite games. It was an enjoyable time.

Keep your eyes on Jesus!

~Chloe~

More Blossoms! :-)

We have several lovely plants in bloom right now, one of which is this little crepe myrtle :-) Our cat, Fluffy, just had to smell the blossoms! lol!

Here's a close up picture of the blossoms of our light pink crepe myrtle. :-)

And this is what's growing in our flower garden. Mom thinks it might be a hollyhock.

Well, that's all for now. God Bless!

><> Chloe <><

~1 Corinthians 15:58~

Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your toil is not in vain in the Lord.

~Flowers~

We are growing sunflowers!!! Isn't this one so cheerful looking? This was the first sunflower we got this year and there have been many that have followed! Some of the sunflowers are a dark, more vibrant yellow, and some, like the one pictured here, are more of a pale yellow.














We also planted some wild flowers in the Spring and they have come up too! Yellow is such a nice color in the garden. :-)





Have a wonderful day!

"It is good to give thanks to the LORD
And to sing praises to Your name, O Most High;

To declare Your lovingkindness in the morning

And Your faithfulness by night..."

Psalm 92:1,2

Garden Produce and an Angel Food Cake

Well, we have recently begun to get some fresh produce from our garden. Hooray! :-) It has been really neat! It has been fun to go outside each day to see what's ready to be picked. :-)

Here's a look at the yellow squash that we picked the other day. It was very tender and flavorful. Mmmmm! I'm looking forward to when some more squash is ready.

We also had some bush beans! They were good as well. :-)

The other day I made an angel food cake. I got the recipe from the Better Homes and Gardens New Cook Book Special Edition. (We were recently gifted with this book and are thoroughly enjoying it!) We haven't ever made a angel food cake from scratch before but when some friends of ours sent us home with several dozen eggs (some of which were turkey eggs), we decided that we should try a hand at it.









Angel Food Cake

1 1/2 cups egg whites (10 to 12 large)
1 1/2 cups sifted powdered sugar
1 cup sifted cake flour or sifted all-purpose flour
! /1/2 tsp. cream of tartar
1 teaspoons vanilla
1 cup granulated sugar
1. In a very large mixing bowl allow egg withe to stand at room temperature for 30 minutes. Meanwhile sift powered sugar and flour together three times; set aside.
2. Add cream of tarter and vanilla to egg whites. Beat with an electric mixer on medium speed until soft peaks form ( tips curl). Gradually add granulated sugar, about 2 tablespoons at a time, beating until stiff peaks form (tips stand straight)
3. Stir one-forth of the powered sugar mixture over beaten egg whites, fold in gently. Repeat, folding in the remaining powered sugar mixture by fourths. Pour into an ungreased 10-inch tube pan. Gently cut through batter to remove air pockets.
4. Bake on the lowest rack in a 350* oven for 40-45 minutes or until top springs back when lightly touched. Immediately invert cake; cool thoroughly in pan. Loosen cake from pan; remove cake.

Note: We used a light glaze on top of our cake which was a nice addition!

Powered Sugar Icing

Combine 1 cup sifted powered sugar, 1/4 teaspoon vanilla and enough milk for drizzling.

Note: I also added a 1/4 teaspoon of almond flavoring to this recipe.




~Fun in the Kitchen~

When I separated the egg yolks from the egg whites, I put the yolks in this bowl. I thought they kind of looked like a flower. :-)

God bless!
Chloe :-)

Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things.

Philippians 4:8

Rose of Sharon and a Recipe

Hello Everyone! :-)

This is a picture of our little rose of sharon that we planted last year. It hasn't yet bloomed this year, but last year it had such a pretty blossom! It was so nice!









Well, here at our house we like to have pancakes fairly often.....just plain or topped with peanut butter or blueberries, raspberries and sometimes pecans. They are quite good! :-) Here's the recipe.






Pancakes

2 c. flour
4 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
2 T. sugar
1 egg
1 1/2 c. milk
1/3 c. melted fat or oil


Mix flour, baking powder, salt and sugar in a large bowl; set aside. Beat egg and add milk. Add fat or oil. Add to flour mixture and stir just until mixed, leaving batter lumpy. Cook pancakes on greased and heated fry pan until covered with bubbles. Turn pancakes and brown the other side. Makes 12 medium-size pancakes.

Alterations: We like to use 1 1/2 cups of white flour and 1/2 cup cups of whole wheat flour. Also, if the batter is a little bit too thick, just add a few tablespoons of milk. :-)

Note: This recipe also makes great waffles!

Our garden has been doing pretty well! It shouldn't be too long until our squash and bush beans (or green beans) will be ready for harvest. :-) We also have some wild flowers that are coming up. The baby's breath has bloomed along with another kind of flower...I'm not sure what kind it is. They are really pretty! :-)


Looking to Jesus,
~Chloe~

"How blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked,

Nor stand in the path of sinners,

Nor sit in the seat of scoffers!

But his delight is in the law of the LORD,

And in His law he meditates day and night.

He will be like a tree firmly planted by streams of water,

Which yields its fruit in its season

And its leaf does not wither;

And in whatever he does, he prospers."

Psalm 1:1-3

Another Birthday!

Last week we had another birthday at our house....my older brothers! For his birthday we made him a delicious chocolate cake. It almost tasted like brownies with a frosting on top. Mmmmmm! :-) Here's the recipe.


Chocolate Sheet Cake
2 cups flour
2 cups sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
2 sticks butter
1 cup water
3 Tbsp. cocoa
2 eggs
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 tsp. vanilla

Mix sugar, flour and salt in mixing bowl. Heat butter, cocoa and water to boiling point. Pour hot mixture over dry mixture. Add buttermilk with baking soda, then eggs and vanilla; mix well. Pour into greased and floured 11x15-inch pan. Bake at 375* for 10 to 15 minutes.

Icing

1 stick butter
3 Tbsp. cocoa
6 Tbsp. milk
1 lb. powdered sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 cup chopped pecans

Mix butter, cocoa and milk. Heat until mixture begins to boil. Remove from heat. Add powdered sugar, vanilla and pecans. Pour over hot cake.







We had sausage biscuits for the birthday breakfast!
They were a tasty treat. :-)


Have a blessed day!
Chloe :-)

Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship.
And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.

Romans 12:1, 2

Hello! :-) Here's a recipe for a delicious sweet bread called scones. Enjoy!

Scones

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1/3 cup sugar

2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

3/4 cup whipping cream

2 tsp. finely shredded lemon peel

whipping cream

sugar

1. Preheat oven to 375* F. In a large mixing bowl combine the flour, the 1/3 cup sugar, the baking powder, and salt. Make a big dent or well in the center of flour mixture. Add the 3/4 cup whipping cream and lemon peel.

2. Stir until mixture is crumbly. Coat hands with a little flour. Use your hands to gently knead the dough in the mixing bowl until it can be formed into a ball. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface.

3. Gently roll or pat the dough into a 7 1/2-inch circle. Using a table knife, cut the dough like a pizza into 6 or 8 wedges to make scones. Place scones about 1-inch apart on an ungreased cookie sheet.

4. Lightly brush scones with additional cream; sprinkle with additional sugar. Bake about 18 minutes or until scones are golden brown on the tops and the bottoms. Use a wide metal spatula to remove the scones from the cookie sheet. Serve warm . Makes 6 to 8 scones.

And to the left is a glimpse into a portion of our garden! We have revised it a bit (since the last picture I posted of it), after viewing a Saturday gardening show that gave us the inspiration for the new design! With that plan in motion in this area, it should make it much easier to weed the garden, without having to get in the garden. :-)

"...but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ To Him be the glory, both now and to the day of eternity. Amen. "

2 Peter 3:18