Breakfast Quotes from Lady Bird Johnson

Today I was drinking  a delicious cup of eggnog flavored coffee from my Keurig (THANK YOU MOM!), when I noticed the quote was wearing off the side of the glass my hubby had bought me in Texas.  I squinted to read it, and this is what it said, "I hope when you consider your land, that you will cherish those places that are still wild, where you can explore.  Nature's secret places where bulldozer and highway have not invaded."  Lady Bird Johnson.  What a wonderful quote!  What a wonderful lady.  Mrs. Lady Bird Johnson is one of my favorite first ladies.  She was a very driven woman, who stepped in to help out style icon/former first lady Jackie Kennedy when she was pregnant, served on several boards, received a good education, and helped preserve and reintroduce native plants in Texas.  She was even nicknamed "Johnny Appleseed of Wildflowers".  That is a nickname I would love to have!  Her other nickname, "Lady Bird" was given to her by her nurse, Alice Tittle when she was a baby, because she was "as purdy as a ladybird" (a brightly colored beetle).   One of my favorite stories about her is when she chased down reporter Dan Rather in her car after he had a clash with LBJ, and invited him back to have punch because, "That's just the way Lyndon sometimes is".  If you want to know more about this interesting lady, check out her book , A White House Diary.  As for me, I might have to finish my coffee outdoors.

Breaking My Ceramic Cooktop and Hard Candy Like Glass....

We were invited by some friends to see their Christmas lights in the country, so I thought I would bake them each a little individual "Crazy Good Bananna Bread", as listed in an earlier post.  While it was baking, I decided I would make some hard candy on the stovetop, and while digging through my pots and pans, bam!  A pot lid fell out of the cupboard and landed on my ceramic cooktop.  Not only was there a starburst, but there was also a huge deep fault line making my largest burner sink in.  It was devastating.  What am I going to do?  I guess that is where our Christmas bonus will go.  Anyway, the light at the end of the tunnel popped out of the candy flavoring.  There was a recipe for microwave candy.  Whatttt!!!  I don't have to stir over a hot oven while doing squats and taking the candy's temp?  What do I have to lose by giving it a try?  (just some cooking supplies)  So, I went for it.  I made a batch of green watermelon and a batch of red cinnamon.  They turned out beautifully and they were fun to break (unlike my stove top).  The cinnamon was crazy hot, so if you like it a little less intense, use less cinnamon flavoring.  Here is the recipe if you want to try it.
Microwave Hard Candy.....
1 cup Granulated Sugar
1/2 cup light corn syrup
1 dram or 1/2 tsp LorAnn Gourmet Flavoring Oil (or as desired)
Liquid food coloring (as desired)
Powdered Sugar (optional)
Thoroughly mix granulated sugar and corn syrup.  Cover with plastic wrap. Microwave on high for 3 minutes.  Take out carefully remove plastic wrap (watch out for steam), and stir the sugar mixture.  Cover with a new sheet of plastic wrap.  Microwave on high for 3 more minutes.  Remove from microwave and carefully remove the plastic wrap again (STEAM).  Stir in 3 or 4 drops of desired food coloring, and then stir in your flavoring oil.  Pour it onto a greased cookie sheet(score at once to mark squares).  Let candy cool on counter (not fridge) until hardened then break apart like glass.  Dust with powdered sugar to keep from sticking.  The directions said cook on high for 3 min 10 sec each time, but I didn't want to burn it so I only did 3 minutes each time and it turned out lovely.
The real life product is pictured at the top of this post.
My real life stove top is pictured underneath.  Yes, it looks dirty, but don't judge, I don't want to cut myself cleaning it.

Eggnog and Squats

I found a tempting eggnog recipe on punchbowl.com.  Since my daughter and I were baking cookies, I thought we could make this as well.  We put the cookies in the oven and began stirring the egg/milk/sugar mixture over the stove.  The goal was for this mixture to stick to the back of the spoon, but it was slow going.  The cookies came out, my daughter went downstairs, and I was still stirring....and stirring...and stirring.  I started doing squats while stirring to detract from the calories I would be putting in my body while eating the fresh baked cookies and drinking the eggnog.  The recipe said, "be patient", and "Set your burner on the lowest possible setting".  After my squats, the stove setting slowly went from Low to 2 to 3 to 5.   I was doing toe raises, leg lifts, my arms were getting tired from stirring.  Doing leg lifts while stirring a pan is like walking and chewing gum.  I almost lost my balance, and I hadn't even had any spiked eggnog yet.  Finally, after about 1/2 hour total stirring time, and turning the burner to 6, thickness occurred!  I was elated, and it made the whole experience worthwhile.  The verdict on the taste...My husband and I loved the spiked version, my daughter liked the regular version, and my son was napping after a busy day of playing.  Will I make it next year?  I think I might, however, I do see why there are so many ready made versions on the shelf of the store.  For those of  you who may like to do my eggnog exercise regimen, the recipe follows...
Use an electric mixer to beat 6 eggs in a large bowl. Gradually add 3 cups milk and 8 tablespoons sugar to your mixture until it has thickened slightly. Set your burner on the lowest possible setting and heat your ingredients in a pan until the mixture is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Be patient! Next add 3 teaspoons vanilla essence and ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until chilled. To make the low-fat version of this easy eggnog recipe, you can substitute with egg beaters, skim milk, and artificial sweetener.
Now to spice it up! To make an eggnog recipe with alcohol, add 1 ½ ounces spiced rum per glass to 4 ounces of eggnog, stirring together. Top with a pinch of either nutmeg or cinnamon. Serve and enjoy!
You can, of course, make non-alcoholic eggnog for kids and other guests by using rum flavoring from the spice aisle. Another delicious eggnog recipe is eggnog punch. This is typically made by mixing a quart of eggnog with a pint of vanilla ice cream. Then, slowly add a quart of 7-Up or Sprite.

Thank you Pandora and Madame Hoel for a beautiful breakfast

Today is the first day of our school's holiday break.  Although I love my job as a school librarian, I am so excited to have two weeks of bliss with my family.  Yesterday after school, my daughter asked, "Will you please make crepes for breakfast tomorrow?"  Of course I couldn't turn that sweet request down, so this morning I took out a folded recipe written in the beautiful cursive of my late high school French teacher Madame Hoel to begin the crepe making.  Madame Hoel was always happy, and she loved all things French.  She had a big bouffant hairstyle sometimes decorated with little bows.  She wore pastel clothing, lots of pastel makeup and costume jewelry, and even rocked grown up braces for a couple years.  She would bring little candies to class and walk around to each student asking if they would like a candy in French, and we had to reply in French.  She taught us to make crepes, played Don McClean's song about Vincent Van Gogh for us, and had us make little commercials in French.  I'm so thankful to her for all the fun culture and high school memories she gave me.  I'm also thankful that when my daughter asks me to make crepes, I now know how.  So this morning, I brewed some French roast coffee, and began the task of crepe making with thoughts of Madame Hoel.  I also turned on my Edith Piaf Pandora station, as I love to listen to music to match the mood of whatever I am cooking or eating.  If you don't know about Pandora, you must join.  It is free.  All you need is an email address.  At this time of year, you can make Christmas, Hannukah, or Kwanzaa stations and they will play a wide variety of songs.  If you do celebrate Christmas, I would like to say to you as Madame Hoel would say, "Joyeux Noel!"

The Art Of Going To Bed

There are many things I love in this world, but as embarrassed as I may be to admit it, sleep is up towards the top of the list.  Wintertime morning gives me the blues, because it is still dark and extra cold when the alarm goes off.  However, I relish the evenings.  Rituals are a fun part of life, and they can make even the most menial tasks seem important.  Bedtime.....ahhh...bedtime.  Pretty bed gear is a must, be it matching flannel or silk button down jammies with slippers, or vintage silk nighties with a robe cover for warmth.  Then, after dressing the part, remove any gross traces of the day by washing the face with some cold cream and a warm washcloth, and brushing the grime off your teeth.  The warmth feels so good on biting cold winter days.  Next, rub some cream on your face in upward circular motions.  You can even close your eyes and pretend a massage specialist is massaging your face.  After your face is taken care of, head to the slumber spot.  As noted earlier in my blog, mine is extra naughty and yummy smelling.  If you would like an extra naughty, yummy smelling bed, wash your sheets once a week, and use a fabric softener in a scent that comforts you.  Plus, don't skimp on comfort.  Get some cozy bedding, and replace your pillows if they need it.  Ok, then get cozy under those covers, turn on the bedside lamp, and make sure you have a carafe full of water to keep you hydrated(I love the one from Victorian Trading Company shown below).  Then, do something calming you enjoy for a few minutes.  I like to rub lavender vanilla lotion on my feet and sometimes read for a few minutes.  I wish I could blog or look at the internet, but I hear electronic media makes you want to stay awake because of the light, and I have noticed for me that is true.  However, it may not be true for all, so if that is how you destress and forget the day, do it.  Another handy thing for bed is a sleep mask.  It keeps the light out, and makes you feel like Holly Golighty from Breakfast At Tiffany's.  Sweet dreams, and I want to give a shout out to a coworker of mine who believed in me, read my blog, and put some post on pinterest.  Thank you Caren!