VIDALIA ONION CASSEROLE

5-7 large onions sliced
Butter
Grated Parmesan cheese
Crushed Ritz cracker crumbs 

Separate the sliced onions into individual rings.
In a skillet melt enough butter to saute the onion rings. 
In a large casserole dish place a layer of the sauted onions. 
Sprinkle with the grated Parmesan cheese.
Top with crushed Ritz crackers.
Repeat the onion, cheese and cracker layer.

Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.   

HOT CHICKEN SALAD

4 cups cooked chicken, diced
3 cups chopped celery
2 cans cream of chicken soup (undiluted)
1 cup mayonnaise
4 T. fresh lemon juice
1/2-1 cup slivered almonds (toasted)
2 T. grated onion (can chop rather than grate)
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 cup bell pepper, chopped
4 T. pimento
1 cup grated sharp cheese
3 cups crushed potato chips

Mix all ingredients, except cheese and potato chips.  Place in 9x13 baking dish.  Bake 30 minutes at 350 degrees.  Top with cheese and chips, return to oven until brown.  Garnish with paprika and parsley.

MEET EMMA

Before

 

Hubby has been working diligently on this tractor that he "saved from the junk pile" (his words not mine).  He has sanded, scraped and painted the exterior and our trusted lawn mower repairman did a major maintenance on the tractor. 

After

The tractor even got a new horn.  Now the little boy that lives over the fence from us has  discovered there is a REAL tractor just over the fence and wants to come over all the time to ride on it.  Last weekend he had friends over to play and they begged his dad to take them all over for a ride.  They came over and all five of them loved the tractor rides, even the little girls. 


Last week a friend helped Hubby build a shed for the tractor, so she has been moved from a temporary tent made out of a tarp to her permanent home.  Last night we decided the ole girl needed a name, so let me introduce Emma to you. 

Say Hi to EMMA!

Emma's new house.

EASY COCONUT CAKE

1-Box yellow or white cake mix
1-Can Sweetened Condensed Milk
1-12 oz. Cool Whip
Coconut

Prepare cake mix as directed on box.  Bake in a 9" x 13" pan.
After baking, punch holes in the top of the cake with a wooden spoon handle.  Allow to cool for a little before pouring the sweetened condensed milk over the top of the cake.  Allow to cool completely.  Top with Cool Whip, then sprinkle with coconut.  Store in refrigerator.  The cake is better if made the day before serving.  

KATIE'S 95

Today my mom turned 95.  We had a little party for her this afternoon and she had a ball.

She has seen a lot of changes in her lifetime, from living in rural Georgia as a share cropper's child with only a wagon and mule for transportation, raising all their own food, living through the depression, and WWII to the present.  She is certainly part of the greatest generation and is a tough lady.  She has outlived all of her four siblings, even though she is the second oldest.  She says she's going to live to be 100.    
   

MEMORIAL SERVICE

Today was the memorial service for Denny, Hubby's brother and only sibling.  It was at the Carillon at Stone Mountain down by the lake.  It was overcast, but not cold, which was nice.  

Becky, Denny's only child made all the arrangements.  At 2:00 p.m. the Carillon began playing some prearranged music, romantic and religious.  As soon as the music started I could not stop crying. 

Becky shared about her dad.  A long-time friend and former co-worker shared as well.  The friend nicknamed him Hammer.  He made some very kind and moving remarks about Denny, then he pulled a hammer, minus the handle, out of his back pocket and shouted, "SO LONG HAMMER, I'M GOING TO MISS YOU."  He then hurled the hammer in to the lake. 

Becky had a photo of her mom and dad when they were 44 and 47 respectively.  She said that was the way she remembers both of them.  Their ashes had been mixed together and equally divided between two biodegradable containers.  She poured one container of ashes into the lake and Hubby poured the other container into the lake.  Becky read a prayer she had written.

Hubby read a store out of his book that he has written about Denny and how he help their family during really rough times and then read John  11:25, "Jesus said to her, 'I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me shall live even if he dies, and everyone who lives and believes in Me shall never die.'" and then he read John 14:1-4, "Let not your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father's house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you.  And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also.  And you know the way where I am going."  Hubby talked about how Denny knew the Lord and he was with Him in a perfect place and he was with his beloved wife and all the other loved ones and friends that have gone before him.  Then Hubby prayed. 

Lots of tears.

Ken (Denny) and Bev at their prime

Containers with mixed ashes

Becky pouring ashes into lake

Hubby pouring ashing into lake

Hubby reading his story about Denny helping their family during hard times

L-R:  Family friend, Tee, Hubby, Joel (Bec's husband) Becky

RAT COOKIES AKA: Christman Mice Cookies

These little cookies are always a huge hit at any function.  I have named them RAT COOKIES, but they probably were originally Christmas Mice Cookies.  They are rather easy to assemble.

 Ingredients:
Chocolate kisses (1 bag)
Chocolate chips (2 bags)
Almond slices (1 bag)
Chocolate covered graham crackers/cookies (2 bags)
Whole cherries with stems (2 jars)
                                                    Gel frosting (black, red & green)

This made approximately 52/54 mice cookies.  

 

 Drain the cherries well on a paper towel.  I used two jars of cherries, about 52 (there were actually 54 cherries, but two had been separated from the stems so I had to eat those since they couldn't be used).

 Melt chocolate chips in a double boiler.  I used one bag of milk chocolate chips and one bag of dark chocolate.  There was leftover melted chips, but in the past I have only used one bag of chips and it wasn't enough and the chocolate got too stiff before finishing the coating process.   I don't have a real double boiler so I used a 2 qt. sauce pan for the water and placed a 1 qt. sauce inside the larger pan.  It worked well.  Once the chips melted I stirred them well to mix the milk and dark chocolate.  The two bags of chips were sufficient to coat the two jars of cherries. 
 

While the chips are melting assemble the other parts.  Removing the foil from the kisses will be the most time consuming thing you do.  Pour out a pile of almond slices and line up all the cookies for the number of cherries you will coat.

 Dip each cherry into the melted chocolate.

 Immediately place the coated cherry onto the chocolate covered cookie.  I can no longer find Keebler chocolate covered graham crackers, so I resorted to using the small Great Value (Walmart brand) chocolate covered mint cookies.  There are also chocolate covered fudge and peanut butter cookies.  I could never find the chocolate covered graham crackers.  Make sure you use the small cookies.  I have a friend that made these but used a larger cookie.  She said it made the mouse look really small on that large cookie.
  

 Push the chocolate kiss onto the covered cherry while the chocolate is still soft.  When it cools it will stick together very nicely. 

  

Add two pieces of almond slices for the ears.  Push down between the head and body (kiss and cherry).  Set aside to cool.  After assembling several of the mice I place them in the refrigerator so the chocolate will harden faster.  I don't want the head to separate from the body or the ears to sag.
 

  
These are ready to be placed in the refrigerator.





 
 
After the mice have cooled and are firm, using BLACK frosting gel make dots for the eyes and nose.  Test the gel first on a paper towel so the gel will be firm and not runny.  You can use red gel for the nose, but I much prefer the black so it looks like a rat/mouse, it's more disgusting with the black.

They are taking shape looking like little mice.

With GREEN gel add a sprig of greenery (I know that green looks like a little worm) behind the ears (almond slices).

Be sure to test the gel on the paper towel to avoid putting clear runny gel on the mice.  

Using RED gel, place one dot at the center of the green gel.  You are trying to put a sprig of holly on the little guys.


You might have a problem finding the red and green gel around Christmas because of the demand for those colors.  I shop early.

Close up of the decorated mice.





Place in tightly covered container and store in the refrigerator for several hours.  This will allow the chocolate and gel frosting to harden properly.

 

This will be the hit of any party.