Debbie Delozier :: A Casual Affair

I didn’t get around to posting about the bon bons last night but I guess better late than never.

These  are very (make an appt with your dentist) rich. The teenager and her friends love them and gobble them up. They are easy to make; so lets get started.  Remember to use a nice quality wine in this recipe (you’ll see why a bit later).

First you’ll need a package of Oreos (this is why they are called Oreo Bon Bons).

We’re going to throw the cookies in the food processor and grind them all up:   

We also need 8 oz of cream cheese at room temperature and cut into chunks:

We toss these chunks of cream cheese into the mixer (or food processor) with the cookies.

  Now,  mix it all up until you have  an ugly, messy ball of dark brown goop:  

We are now ready to make the bon bons.  Take somewhere around a tablespoon full of the brown goop, roll the goop around between your hands to make a round ball; place the ball on a parchment paper covered tray.   Continue to do this until you have used all the brown goop.

   Put a toothpick into each ball (this will come in handy later) and put the tray into the refrigerator for at least 45 minutes.

This is a good time to do a number of things; put your feet up, watch that soap opera you like, have a glass or 2 of that fine wine, call a friend to chat or take a nap (or do the wine and the nap).

Now that  the bon bons have chilled an adequate amount of time we are going to make them even richer and a whole lot prettier.

For the next steps you’ll need a package of white almond bark and a package of chocolate almond bark.  Chop the almond bark up (you’ll need 3/4 of the white block and 1/4 of the chocolate block, unless you make 2 batches of the Oreo Bon Bons and do one batch in white and the other in chocolate).

Toss the chopped almond bark into a bowl and melt it in the oven according to package directions.

Once the almond bark is melted we cover each bon bon, this is where those toothpicks are going to come in handy.  We use the dip and swirl method here.

  Don’t worry about trying to cover all of the top, because you are going to cover that with the chocolate almond bark.  After dipping each bon bon, return them to the refrigerator to chill and harden (here again is an opportunity for another friendly phone chat or another glass of wine).

This next step you are going to have to do without visual instructions (I forgot to take pictures, must have been the wine).  Once the bon bons have hardened remove the toothpicks and melt the chopped chocolate almond bark.   Pour the melted chocolate into a quart sized baggie.  Snip the teeniest little hole in the corner of the baggie and squeeze the melted chocolate over the toothpick holes in the top of the bon bons.  Swirl it around in a pretty design.  Try to snip a smaller snip out of the baggie corner than I did, because my chocolate came out so fast it was hard to control, as you can see by my globby design.

These are better when they are cold than they are at room temperature.  Hope you like them too.

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This is one of the ice cream cone cupcakes I made for Tuesday’s Rotary lunch.  I used the new cake pan I purchased here while back; notice the ice cream cone design in the cake. I think they are just too cute.  The cupcakes are so big that each one is actually 2 servings.

It has been a busy (but fun) running week around here.  On Monday (first thing) I ran to the grocery store so that I would have the items I needed to prepare Tuesday’s lunch among other items we needed here at the house.    When I returned home the concrete guys were here working.  They were doing the dirt work and framing needed to be able to pour the concrete pads for the carport & shed.

Once the groceries were put away I began working on the cupcakes.  After I had baked them and they were cooling I cut off the tops of the top & bottom pieces so they would fit together.  J had dropped by to see how the guys were doing outside before he headed to Oklahoma City for 3 days.  He came in to tell me bye, saw the cake tops and  took them all out for the concrete guys to eat.  It was a little cool out and the cake was still warm so they really liked getting them.  After the cake pieces had cooled completely I iced the top of the bottom pieces and sat the tops on and finished icing them.

Monday evening I fixed one of the teenagers favorite “when Daddy is gone dinners”, tuna in macaroni and cheese.  We only have this when Daddy is gone because J does not like tuna cooked in things such as casseroles and such.  I’m not too crazy about this particular meal either but the teenager likes it, so I fix it.

On Tuesday the Rotary members were wanting to have lunch at Dad and Mom’s apartment as Dad has not been able to attend any of the meetings since his surgery.  I had prepared a Peasant Bean Soup and a ham & cheese baked inside a loaf of home-made bread and then, of course, the cupcakes I had made on Monday.  So after I loaded all this in the car and drove to town I carried it all upstairs to Dad’s apartment.  Since J was out of town and we wouldn’t have our regular Tuesday lunch date Mom and I stayed and ate with the Rotary members.

After lunch and cleaning up Mom’s kitchen after I dirtied it all up I carried everything back down the stairs to the car and brought it all home.  The concrete guys were here working out on the shed slab and because I had extra sandwich stuff and cupcakes and I knew neither J nor the teenager would be home that evening I took lunch out to the guys.  They were happy.

I was so excited when I got up yesterday as this was the day my cousins and I had planned on having lunch together.  Cousin Brenda came to my house and we traveled to Tulsa together.  We left a little early as she needed to stop by Sam’s to pick up something for her daughter.  I was glad we went by there, I found a Christmas present for my little great nieces in the Boston area.  When I saw it I knew they would love it so I went ahead and bought it early.  I also found a new cake pan (yes, there are still designs I don’t have) and purchased it also.

When we left Sam’s we went to Cheddar’s to meet Patti and Marcy.  We had a fantastic lunch.  We really had a great time.  It ended up being a 3 hour lunch/visit.  We have decided to try to make it a monthly date, so next month they will be coming to Watova and I’ll fix lunch for them here.

By the time I returned home J had returned from the big city and the teenager was just getting back from youth group.  Having the family all at home again we just enjoyed the evening together as a family.

This morning J took his dad (and mom) to Tulsa for Dad’s appt with the heart surgeon.  I haven’t got all the details yet but J did call and say that Dad hasn’t had to use his oxygen since they left the doctor’s office.  Woo Hoo, great news!  I know these seem like little steps but to us they are giant leaps and a sign that Dad will once again be his wonderful same ol’ self.  Thank You, Lord.

Today I just hung around the house and did a few of the housekeeping things I haven’t had the time for lately.   I also made a batch of Oreo bon-bons for the teenager’s Halloween thing at church tomorrow evening.  I will post pictures and instructions for these later this evening as now I need to be thinking about getting supper for my family.

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Sunday morning in church just starts my whole week off wonderfully and this morning was no exception.  Mom D has returned to services after Dad’s surgery; we (as in the entire congregation) are still missing Dad sorely but we are so glad that Mom is back with us.  Maybe it won’t be too much longer before Dad re-joins us.

This morning’s sermon was delivered by our dear friend Merrillyn who is a very talented and gifted speaker and our sweet teenager led the Call To Worship.

M shared a story of a professor who had a group of students meet at his house one chilly Winter’s evening.  After everyone had arrived he brought out a tray of mis-matched cups and mugs filled with hot chocolate.  Some of the cups on the tray were fine china cups and some were pretty, translucent colors while some were old mugs with cracks or chips; but each was filled with the same sweet creamy hot chocolate.  He told everyone to choose a cup and grab a seat and they would get started.

The professor noticed that all the pretty china and nicely colored glass cups had been chosen and all the older, chipped cups were left sitting on the tray even though each vessel held the same hot chocolate.

M offered the idea that life is the hot chocolate and that the cup is merely the house, job, money, etc that people spend their lives trying to get.  By concentrating on what the cup looks like we fail to enjoy the hot chocolate, there by missing out on the best that life has to offer.  She suggested that maybe (just maybe) the happiest people aren’t the ones striving to have the best of everything but those that are enjoying everything at its best.

Enjoy Life

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This week and next week as I have only 1 catering job each week I have decided to dedicate these 2 weeks to stopping to smell the roses.  I am purposely stopping to appreciate the people and things I have in my life.

I am making special favorite meals like last nights chili dogs for the teenager and later this weekend baked potatoes with chili and cheese for J instead of always cooking for someone else and having the extras for our dinner.  I am making it a point to talk to my parents and J’s parents almost every day because I normally don’t have the time to do this.  I am trying to stay close to home most of the day attending to the little things that make a house a comfortable home at the end of the day for my family.  I have even made a lunch date with cousins so that we can get together and appreciate our family ties.

While most of the time I think it is admirable to work “toward” a goal, lately I’ve been thinking this is the time of my life that I need to stop, appreciate, be thankful and ENJOY the people and things that I am blessed to have in my wonderful life.

Enjoy the roses in your life.

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Okay, I’m going to admit, right here in writing, what a dunce I am.

I know in a previous blog I reported that the Governor would be present at one of the upcoming Rotary lunches.  So I’m telling J one evening that Dad D and Debbie were talking about the Governor coming to Rotary and I was fretting about what to fix for lunch that day.  I was just about to work myself into a tizzy flipping through lunch ideas and special dessert recipes, etc. when J informed me that it wasn’t the governor of Oklahoma but the Rotary Governor; which is still a big deal but not the big, big deal I thought it was.

Duh is me!

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J took the afternoon off yesterday as he had some extra yard work he needed to get done and as we were expecting (and are now getting) rain today he really wanted to get it done.  He used the tractor to pull out branches and limbs from the ever-lasting piles from last Winter’s historic ice-storm of the century and moved them to the hole that is behind that pile of dirt.  He then started a fire which, by the way is still smoking (even in the rain we’re getting now).

He also leveled some more of the dirt that was piled up after tearing down and burying the shed and barn.

He is wanting to get the work done because he finally (yea! finally) got around to deciding what type of shed/building/carport he wants.  He ended up ordering a carport to be put alongside the north side of the house.  It will be up against the house and then one end and the other side will be closed in and the teenager will park there this winter.  After the teenager goes away to college (next year) we will finish this area off to be a stained glass workshop (this is the plan anyway).

Out where the barn used to be he has ordered another metal building that will be enclosed to hold his yard equipment (mower, tiller, pushmower, etc) and some of his tools.  They are scheduled to be started in about 3 weeks I think.

Yesterday’s Rotary lunch went well.  I had enough left (I’d made extra to be sure that I had enough left) to take over to Mom and Dad for their supper.  After our own supper we went by to visit with them a bit and they said they had enjoyed their dinner.

While we were there, Debbie & Mike came over as well, so we all sat and visited for a while.  Dad is feeling better every day.  He said the nurse had told him that maybe (hopefully) another week to 10 days on the oxygen may be all he needs.  We pray this is so.  Dad does have an appointment with his regular heart doctor tomorrow and then another appointment with the heart surgeon in Tulsa next Thursday.  I’m sure we’ll hear good things at both of these appointments.

Today we are getting the predicted rain and a bit cooler weather.  I don’t know about you but I am thrilled with with this weather.  It does something to energize me and get my creative juices flowing.  So far today, I’ve had my workout session, my body check up and taken a shower.  I’ve also caught up on the paperwork for A Casual Affair and my other income sources.  I dug out some of my Fall decor and now have a pretty Autumn runner down the center of the table and pretty Welcoming decor on the front and back doors.  I’ve decided on our meals for the next 3 days, updated my calender for the next month worth of catering meals (Rotary and others) (still need to decide what to fix for these meals), one of which the Governor is visiting the Rotary Club so this needs to be a special lunch.  I’ve also ordered 8 Christmas presents and updated my Christmas card list.  Of course as far as housework, I’ve only cleaned the kitchen and that may be all that gets done as far as housework today.

I’m thinking that since I really liked the Pumpkin Butter I made the other day I might run to the store this evening and get some caps for my jam jars and see about making a batch for the DWF Annual Stew Dinner and Bake sale that takes place on Friday.

But for now, I’m off to fix me some lunch.

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It is Monday, J is back at work and the teenager is back to school.  Although I love having them both around and having those extra long weekends it feels really good to just have a little quiet and be able to slow the pace down just a bit.

After catching up on  a few emails and a couple cups of nice hot coffee I headed into the kitchen.  First I made a dip for tomorrow’s Rotary Club and browned the beef for their main dish.  After being sick last week and not cooking for them I thought I’d make a special little Mexican lunch.

Last Friday J and I were in the local restaurant and one of the guys from the Rotary Club came in while we were eating.  He came by the table and said he sure was glad I was feeling better because the pizza they ordered just didn’t measure up to their usual meals (boy, they can sure lay it on thick sometimes).

After the dip and the beef I decided to make a couple loaves of an oatmeal bran bread.  While the bread was on it’s first rise I called J’s mom and dad to see how they were doing since we were unable to get by there yesterday.  It sounds like Dad got a good night’s sleep and was feeling fine, not great but fine; but we will take fine for now.

Mom said she had made a roast yesterday and was using some of the leftover meat to make a beef soup.  I told her I had some bread rising and would bring her a loaf to go with their soup.

While the bread was on it’s 2nd rise I decided to finally make that pumpkin butter I have been thinking about.  Once it was ready and jarred I split the bread into halves and made 2 loaves.  I took Mom one of the loaves  (while it was rising so she could bake it herself) and a jar of the pumpkin butter and then rushed back home to bake my own rising loaf.

I called my dad and told him I’d made the pumpkin butter and he said he would be down to get a jar.  Once he was here we got out some crackers and tasted the pumpkin butter.  I hope J’s mom and dad and my mom and dad like it as much as I did.

Now my kitchen is clean again and I’ve sat down to think about what I should do for supper.  I’m thinking chicken breasts with mushrooms in a balsamic/garlic glaze with egg noodles on the side to go with my oatmeal bran bread.

Oh, and speaking of pumpkins:

   Courtney carved her first jack-o-lantern.

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This is a picture of the present J and the teenager gave me.   I totally love these  beautiful, large, precision tuned chimes.  The overall length is 7 1/2 ft with the longest tube being 5 1/3 ft long.  The tubes are 1 1/2″ in diameter and they weigh 15 lbs.  This is the Westminster size and are known as “the Stradivarius of Windchimes” and are handcrafted by Music of the Spheres.  They sound just like cathedral bells.  I wish you could see and hear them, they are absolutely gorgeous.

On Friday (my birthday) I slept late, until the first of my birthday phone calls came (calls & texts that kept coming until 11:23 that night).  After getting up and around and getting my beautiful windchimes I wanted to go for an all day drive around the country side, looking at fall colors (which are very slim this early) and just enjoying the day.  We drove down by the Illinois River and then drove over to Western Hills State Lodge.  At the wild animal rescue we enjoyed lots of wild animals who had been saved, rescued or healed in one way or the other.

This is an opossum (which the teenager petted, see her hand there on the left) named “Itty Bitty Opossum”.  He was rescued when he was a baby and his mom had been killed.  He is tame and housebroken.  He goes to the door when he wants to go out and returns when he is finished.

  Isn’t this owl just beautiful?  I don’t know his rescue story.

This bald eagle had become entangled in some power lines.  After he was rescued they ended up having to remove one of his wings, so he will never soar again.  They take really good care of him at this sanctuary though.

  This coyote came right over to the fence and the teenager (after being told it was safe) reached her hand through and petted and rubbed him.  He loved it and begged for more after she quit.

There were beavers, bobcats, gray foxes and many snakes and yucky bugs and spiders too.  We had a really nice day, stopping at a favorite BBQ joint for lunch and also stopping by a local Amish cheese and bakery while in that area.  Believe me, we were worn out by the end of the day.

On Saturday we were invited to the young married couple’s house for a German birthday dinner.  Cassie prepared schnitzel and Travis prepared some German potato salad.  Everything was very yummy and we ate our fill.  They also gave me gifts (Yea!!  I love gifts).

Isn’t this a gorgeous deep blue casserole?

I totally love this platter;  I used it at lunch today too.

The whole birthday weekend actually began on Thursday evening when J treated me, the teenager, the young married couple and my parents to a yummy dinner at Pei Wei (one of my absolute fav places).  We had a really good time too.

Of course, today (Sunday) will bring an end to the birthday weekend (however not the whole birthday celebration; as J likes to say, I normally begin celebrating my birthday on the 1st of October, but as we had a slow start to October and other pressing matters I have decided to celebrate later and longer than usual;  so I am “willing”  to extend the celebration and also to accept gifts, kisses and hugs until, oh, let me see. . . I think Thanksgiving Christmas will be a good cut off date).

J’s mom was back in church this morning.  I know everyone was really glad to see her and hopefully Dad will get the all clear at his doctor’s appointment on the 30th.  J’s niece, Lacey and her 2 boys (Braiden and Graham) attended church with Mom this morning. It was really good to see them.  I know the teenager loved keeping Graham in the nursery too.

Well, I think I’ve used this whole “it’s my birthday” enough for today so I best be getting up and doing a few things.  I’ll visit with you next week.

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As you loyal readers know, it has been a little while since I’ve checked in with you.  It has just been a bit topsy-turvy here for the last few days (last few weeks, even last month dare I say).  I’ll try to catch you up just a bit.

First:  the leaf dish with the special treats are a pre-birthday gift from a wonderfully, dear friend of mine.  I can tell you the treats went fast.

Speaking of my birthday:  tomorrow is my 49th birthday.  How great is that!  My younger sister, who turned 48 on the 12th of October (yes, you have it correct folks, we are both the same age from October 12 through October 17th of every year, this year we are both 48) called this morning singing Happy Birthday to me.  I started laughing before she was even done.  I asked her if she knew what today was and she replied (in indignation might I add) “yes, it’s Friday the 17th”.  I giggled and snickered (probably hooted and snorted a bit too) as I told her “nope, it’s Thursday the 16th”.  Ha!!!  To be fair to her, her week has been a bit messed up with business travel and all and hey, now I can say I got a birthday call from San Antonio.

On Monday & Tuesday of this week, this was my chosen fare:

  as I was dealing with a virus/bug (yucky stuff).  As I wasn’t feeling well and was sure I was carrying a good share of germs I backed out of cooking for the Rotary members (who I was told dined on pizza with cookies for dessert) on Tuesday and also the bank board members today (I hear they have ordered from Camille’s in Bartlesville).  I feel great today and could have cooked for the board members but I would have had to do the grocery shopping yesterday morning and done most of the prep yesterday also and I just didn’t know if I was up to cooking for 12.

Yesterday I had 2 butternut squash in the fridge and as it was pretty chilly here I thought I would make a butternut squash chowder.  So I started out by roasting the butternut squash:

Once the squash was done I finished with the rest of the soup.  As always happens with me and soup (stew, chili, etc) I keep adding stuff and the pot grows and grows and grows.

I thought it would be a good hearty chowder for J’s mom and dad, so I called and told them I was bringing it, a salad and corn bread over for supper.  As the soup kept growing I called J’s sis Debbie and invited her and Mike.  I decided to add canellini beans and then ended up calling sis-in-love Lori to invite her and Ed over to Mom’s for supper.  Their lives are busy right now too so they ended up not coming, so J, the teenager and I, Mom and Dad, Debbie and Mike did our best to make a dent in the chowder.

Dad is doing better every day.  Yesterday was a really good day, he did a bit of walking up and down the hall, his breathing is getting easier everyday (as a matter-of-fact, some of his walking was done without the oxygen, unbeknownst to him at the time).  He had a few visitors drop by yesterday along with his nurses aide (who helped with a bath, hair wash and shave), the oxygen people (who fit him for a portable oxygen tank that he can carry as he walks), his physical therapist (who helped him with a few breathing exercises) and the nurse (who checked his vitals, breathing, oxygen, etc).

I took them some cheeseburgers with fries and onion rings for lunch today and Dad wasn’t as peppy as he was yesterday.  Some  nights he isn’t able to get a good night’s sleep and last night was one of those nights.  He said it seemed he was just fitful, restless all  night.  Hopefully he can rest throughout today and feel a little better.

Now, at the end of the week, things are looking up:  I’m feeling better, Dad is home and gaining strength and tomorrow is my birthday.

I know you probably think I’m nuts being happy about my 49th birthday.  But I love birthdays and age is just a mind thing, honestly.  I look at my life and I am blessed;  I have J (who for some reason thinks I’m wonderful)  the teenager (one bright, fantastic young woman who makes me laugh every day), the married daughter and her husband, (the most marvelous, smart, capable young couple around and I am so proud of both of them and am so happy they have each other),  my mom and dad, my sisters and their families, my brother and his family, J’s mom and dad, his siblings and their families.  We all have our health, for the most part, only little set backs here and there.  We have a roof over our head (just a little over a year of payments left).  We are able to share what we have and help others who might not have as much.  And at the end of the day; my Lord knows me, knows what is in my heart and holds me and mine in the palm of His hands.

My cup runneth over.

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This photo was taken last October on Dad’s 77th birthday.  Although he doesn’t feel this great quite yet he is on his way back to some-what of a normal life.

J, the teenager and myself went to Tulsa to help them get checked out of the hospital.  J’s mom doesn’t really like driving in mid-town Tulsa anymore (she used to do it all the time), so J drove Mom and Dad (and Dad’s oxygen tank) home in their car while the teenager and I drove back in ours.

It was a long day of making sure they had all the medicine, all his shots, all his instructions, all the after-care scheduled, next few doctor’s appointments and the home oxygen set up (J’s sister Debbie was at the home end taking care of that).  We finally got him home.  J and I got him from the car to the chair-lift, then J and sister Debbie got him situated in the chair lift and headed up the stairs while I unloaded the car.   J’s brother Ed arrived and helped get everything situated and Dad into a comfortable chair in the apartment.  Once we had him comfortable and hooked up to the home oxygen we all felt a bit better.  We even shared some pizza and a slice of low-sugar birthday cake.

He is doing “okay”, not quite as well as he was on Friday, but still yet okay even after yesterday’s long, anxious, waiting day.  He slept off and on last night in one chair or the other (not able to lay back yet) but Mom didn’t sleep a wink.  She was anxious I know.

This morning Mom asked if we could come over after church so that she could get a much deserved, sort-of restful bath.  J sat with Dad while I fixed lunch and Mom took her bath.  Sister Debbie arrived and she is staying with them for a bit this afternoon so that Mom can get some rest.  Debbie has to be at church for an evening service and J has to be in Tulsa this evening so I will return to the apartment and fix their supper.  Maybe, Mom will go to the evening service (just so she can get out a little bit) and I stay and visit with Dad a while.

It might be this way for a week or so, it is a long road, but we’re making our way down it together, with help from above.

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