Recipe for Hungarian Shortbread

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by Mary May Larmoyeux

- by Helen Austin -

My husband, Jerry, and I aren’t much on desserts so I don’t make them very often. But I’m in a book club that meets monthly for coffee and dessert, and I get to host it about once a year. That’s when I like to try out new recipes; so far ...   read more.

Let's Make a Mexican Cheesecake

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by Helen Austin

Spring is here, and you know what's in the forecast. If you have anything of a reputation for entertaining, you can count on being asked to help host a bridal shower, graduation party, even a small wedding reception!

The days when you could get away with little one-bite sandwiches and pastel mints for such occasions are long gone. Party food has ...
read more.

Chocolate Truffles

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Friday's Grand Connection Fun

by Mary May Larmoyeux

My friend Helen Austin says that making chocolate truffles is great for people who like to play with their food. She just uses her hands to roll them up. 

A recipe for Swedish Kokosbollar (Chocolate Truffles) is one of her favorites. You and your grandkids may enjoy making some Chocolate Truffles today!  

Happy Valentine's Day!

Mary

www.marymaywrites.com

© by Mary May Larmoyeux. All rights reserved.
Photo © Shebeko/Dreamstime.com

Let's make Christmas Potpourri (non-edible)

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Friday's Grand Connection Fun
by Mary May Larmoyeux

It's hard to believe that Christmas will soon be here. Does your house smell like freshly cut cedar or simmering potpourri?

At this time of year I'm reminded of Helen Austin's recipe for
non- edible potpourri. It was in the 2012 holiday issue of the ezine Encouraging Women with Hearts for their Homes.

Helen wrote: Here's a recipe for a simmering potpourri you can use right on the stove top. Just keep the saucepan handle turned away from little hands and paws and your kitchen will smell like you've been baking for days!

HOLIDAY SIMMERING POTPOURRI

3 or 4 pieces of dried orange peel (see NOTE)
1 teaspoon cinnamon chunks (available in bulk at Whole Foods Market) OR 1 or 2 cinnamon sticks
1/4 - 1/2 teaspoon whole cloves
2 or 3 pieces of star anise (also available at Whole Foods)
1/4 - 1/2 cup whole fresh cranberries (optional)

NOTE: To dry orange peel, score an orange in quarters, then remove peel and as much of white pith as possible. (Add orange sections to a fruit salad.) Place on flat surface, such as the kitchen counter, for several days.

This is not edible. Don't even use it to season cider or wine. If using cinnamon sticks, break up into 3 or 4 pieces. Then place contents in a small saucepan, cover with water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and cover loosely (vent top of saucepan slightly). Add water as needed; don't let mixture dry out. Be sure to turn off the heat before you leave the house. The fragrance will remain for awhile.

Making Christmas potpourri with an older grand would be a fun activity. For those of us with out-of-town grands, we could e-mail their parents the recipe and talk on the cell phone with grands while he/she makes it (perhaps with their mom or dad).

Have a great weekend,
Mary
www.marymaywrites.com
http://grandconnection.blogspot.com


© 2012 by Mary May Larmoyeux.
Photo Credit: © Nicolás Batista/Dreamstime.com

The Egg

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Tuesday's Grand Connection Thought

by Mary May Larmoyeux

I hope that you and your family will have a wonderful Easter.  The joy and love of Easter can continue in our lives, day in and day out.

I was reminded of this fact when I read a true story written by my friend Helen Austin. You may want to share it with older grandchildren, asking your legacy what they think the moral of the story is, and how they could apply it to their lives.

It begins: 

Once there was woman who went with her husband to live in a developing country. The husband worked for an oil company looking for untapped oil fields in a desert area near a large coastal city. After some discussion, the couple decided to put their two young children in boarding school for a year so she could go with him. It sounded like an adventure.

They had been moderately well off in their country. But in this exotic location, they soon learned, they were much more than that. They lived in a walled, guarded enclave, in a house which could have accommodated a family much larger than theirs. This enclave was populated by their compatriots, many of them associated with the oil company.

One of the first things the newcomers were told was to ignore the beggars .. read more.

He has risen,
Mary
Mary May Larmoyeux

www.marymaywrites.com

Article © by Mary May Larmoyeux. All rights reserved.
Photo © Robert Byron / Dreamstime.com

Simmering Holiday Potpourri (non-edible)

Friday's Fun

With the day after Thanksgiving comes thoughts of Christmas. Last night our grandkids actually decorated gingerbread houses and had a great time! Next week's Friday's Fun will have this recipe and pictures.

But for today, I thought we could be reminded of Helen Austin's fun recipe for non- edible potpourri. It was in the last issue of Encouraging Women with Hearts for their Homes. In case you missed it, or like me thought ... I'll make that a little later, here's it is.

Helen wrote:

Here's a recipe for a simmering potpourri you can use right on the stove top. Just keep the saucepan handle turned away from little hands and paws and your kitchen will smell like you've been baking for days!

HOLIDAY SIMMERING POTPOURRI

3 or 4 pieces of dried orange peel (see NOTE)
1 teaspoon cinnamon chunks (available in bulk at Whole Foods Market)
OR 1 or 2 cinnamon sticks
1/4-1/2 teaspoon whole cloves
2 or 3 pieces of star anise (also available at Whole Foods)
1/4-1/2 cup whole fresh cranberries (optional)

NOTE: To dry orange peel, score an orange in quarters, then remove peel and as much of white pith as possible. (Add orange sections to a fruit salad.) Place on flat surface, such as the kitchen counter, for several days.

This is not edible. Don't even use it to season cider or wine. If using cinnamon sticks, break up into 3 or 4 pieces. Then place contents in a small saucepan, cover with water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and cover loosely (vent top of saucepan slightly). Add water as needed; don't let mixture dry out. Be sure to turn off the heat before you leave the house. The fragrance will remain for awhile.

Making Christmas potpourri with an older grand would be a fun activity. If your grandchild lives out of town, you could mail their parents the recipe and talk on the cell phone with your older grand while he/she makes it.

Have a great weekend!

He is able,

Mary
www.marymaywrites.com
http://grandconnection.blogspot.com

Photo Credit: © Nicolás Batista/Dreamstime.com

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