More Sisterly/Brotherly Love!!

Brother Joel, in top picture, and brother Pat in bottom picture, with me of course, their older, younger, well just sister!!!

As I look at these pictures, one thing is evident!! My little Mitchy was never far from Mommy's side!!!! Here are some old, old picture, but they sure brought back some memories. :)
Here is another copy cat recipe!!

Olive Garden's Chocolate Lasagne
Pasta
1 3/4 c Flour
2 T Cocoa
pinch Salt
2 Eggs
2 t Vegetable Oil
Filling
4 c Whole Milk Ricotta Cheese
2 c Heavy Cream
6 T Sugar
1 T Orange Zest
2 T Grand Marnier
pinch Salt
12 oz Bittersweet Chocolate, chopped
Preheat oven to 425 degrees with the rack in the upper third of the oven. Combine the flour, cocoa, and salt in a bowl and make a well in the center. Add the eggs and oil in the center of the well and mix with a fork to form a the dough. Knead the dough for 15 minutes until it is smooth and shiny, adding more flour if necessary to keep the dough from sticking. Wrap in plastic wrap and let rest for half an hour. Roll the pasta out by hand or with a machine and cut into eight 4 1/2 x 11 inch strips. Cook two strips at a time in boiling salted water. Cook just 20 seconds after the water returns to a boil. Plunge the noodles into cold water to stop the cooking. When cooled, place on towels in a single layer to drain. Combine all filling ingredients (except chocolate) and mix until smooth. To assemble: generously butter an 8 x 11 x 2 inch pan. Alternate layers of noodles, cheese filling, and chocolate, ending with a cheese layer. Bake for 20-25 minutes until the top is lightly colored. Let the lasagna stand for 10 minutes to solidify, then serve warm.

Remember!! Start the year out right with Hand Made Goat Milk Soap!!!!Please pass on this blog to your friends and family!! Let them know about our blog and Burlap Babes Soap!!! :)http://burlapbabessoap.com/store/

Happy Birthday Dan!

My second to the youngest is going to be 31 years old. He was born about 3 days after the Blizzard of '78!!!! Oh, what an experience.
The trip to the hospital was a horror. The walls of snow were at least 15 feet high. They were saying there was another storm coming. After giving birth to a 10 1/2 pound baby, I went home quickly, staying a little over 24 hours. No way was I going to be stuck at a hospital in another snow storm!!! Anyway, HAPPY BIRTHDAY Daniel!!!

Here is a recipe I've not tried yet, but sounds good!

Bishop's Bread
3 eggs beaten
1 cup sugar
1 1/2 cups flour
2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup nuts
1 bar sweet chocolate, broken
1 small jar cherries
1/2 cup dates
Mix sugar and eggs. Add flour, baking powder, broken chocolate, floured dates, and nuts. Mix well. Add cherries with juice, mix. Pour into a greased bread pan. 350 degrees, till toothpick comes out clean.

Remember!! Start the year out right with Hand Made Goat Milk Soap!!!!Please pass on this blog to your friends and family!! Let them know about our blog and Burlap Babes Soap!!! :)http://burlapbabessoap.com/store/

The NY kiddo's

AWWWWWWW, Look how fast they grow!!! Ryan is now 8 and Amanda is 11!! They live in Brooklyn, we don't see them too often, but love getting pictures from their mom!!

Here is a chocolate recipe for their mother, who LOVES chocolate!

Out Of This World Fudge

4 cups sugar

1 (12 ounce) can Carnation evaporated milk

1/4 lb. butter or margarine

1 ounce bitter chocolate-cut up

3 (6 ounce) packages of semi-sweet chocolate chips

1 jar marshmallow fluff

1 cup nuts (if desired)
Bring sugar, Carnation milk, butter or margarine and bitter chocolate to a rolling boil. Boil 7 minutes. Remove from stove, add semi-sweet chocolate chips and jar of marshmallow fluff. May use 1 cup of nuts if desired. Stir until dissolved. Put into pan and cool. Cut into squares.

Remember!! Start the year out right with Hand Made Goat Milk Soap!!!!
Please pass on this blog to your friends and family!! Let them know about our blog and Burlap Babes Soap!!! :)

http://burlapbabessoap.com/store/
Email: mom5miller@aol.com or burlapbabessoap@aol.com

Snow!!! Sledding!!! Fun!!

Grab the sleds, load the cars, and let's go sledding!!

Young or old, or in between, they all love to sled!! The only good thing about all this snow, is sledding!!!

Reese's Peanut Butter Cup Peanut Butter Pie
1 package of cream cheese

1 cup peanut butter

12 ounces Cool Whip

3/4 cup sugar

1 graham cracker crust

10 Reese's Peanut Butter Cups

Combine the peanut butter, cream cheese and sugar. Add Cool Whip until smooth. Pour half of mixture into crust. Top with 5 crumbled Reese's cups. Cover that with remaining mixture and crumble remaining Reese's Cups on top. Refrigerate overnight.


Remember!! Start the year out right with Hand Made Goat Milk Soap!!!!Please pass on this blog to your friends and family!! Let them know about our blog and Burlap Babes Soap!!! :)

http://burlapbabessoap.com/store/

Email: mom5miller@aol.com or burlapbabessoap@aol.com

Happy Birthday Julissa!!

Happy Birthday Julissa!!! Julissa wanted a hamster for her birthday. Ok, so we take her cousin, Ryssa, with us to pick out a hamster. For one, the pet store we got it from was not children friendly. How can you not be???? Kids are the ones that get the most pets!!! Next, these little critters were meaner than snot!!! Ok, so we pick out the one that the cashier didn't drop on the floor, and head for home. Here we are going down the highway (4 lane), during rush hour, and they decided to look at the critter. Opened the box, looking in, and the sweet, little thing (the hamster, not Julissa) bites Ryssa on the thumb. She's crying, blood everywhere, and the critter is loose!!!!!!! Shoot me now!!!
I'm driving and thinking, if this thing gets off the seat, we are never going to catch it!! I'm yelling over the girls, who are afraid to catch it, telling them to just put the box over it, so it can't get down on the floor.
Well, all ended well, thank the good Lord. We got the critter boxed, got it home, and put in its cage. Now, I pray the little thing lives longer than the month the hermit crab lived, that we got her last year for her birthday!!!! :0
Ok, so now look at our soap site, enjoy!!!
Remember!! Start the year out right with Hand Made Goat Milk Soap!!!!Please pass on this blog to your friends and family!! Let them know about our blog and Burlap Babes Soap!!! :)http://burlapbabessoap.com/store/

Time Flies!!

Awwwww, how many years ago was this??? Here are from left to right: Tyler, Matthew, Anthony, Cody, and Trevor. This had to be around 12 years ago. Cody is now 15, Matt, 14 and Trevor is 13.
How fast they grow up!!!!

Here is a recipe (haven't tried it yet), but it looks really yummy!!!
Little Lemon Tarts
Makes 24
2 cup plain flour
4 oz butter
2 teaspoon caster sugar
1 teaspoon gated lemon rind
1 egg yolk
FILLING
4 oz cream cheese (soft)
1/2 cup sugar
2 egg yolks
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk
40 minutes and refrigerate cooking time 15 minutes makes 24 tarts
1/ Preheat oven to moderate 180 C (350 F) Brush 2 12 cup shallow patty tins with oil.Sift flour and a pinch of salt into a bowl; rub in butter add sugar rind and egg yolk and 2-3 tablespoons of ice water. Mix with a knife. Gently knead on lightly floured surface until smooth. Cover in plastic wrap and chill for 10 minutes
2/ To make filling Using electric beaters, beat combined cream cheese sugar and egg yolks until smooth and thickend. Add lemon juice and condensed milk. Beat until well combined.
3/ Roll out the dough between sheets of baking paper to 1/4 inch thickness. Using a 2 1/4 inch fluted round cutter , cut rounds from pastry. Gently press into patty tins. Lightly prick each round three times with a fork, bake for 10 minutes or until golden. Remove from oven and spoon 2 teaspoons of filling in each case. Return to oven for another 5 minutes or until filling has set. Cool slightly before removing from tins. Garnish with strips of candied lemon peel, if desired.

Remember!! Start the year out right with Hand Made Goat Milk Soap!!!!
Please pass on this blog to your friends and family!! Let them know about our blog and Burlap Babes Soap!!! :)
http://burlapbabessoap.com/store/
Email: mom5miller@aol.com or burlapbabessoap@aol.com

Happy Birthday Madison

Yesterday was Madison's Birthday. Happy Birthday Madison!! She is six now. And again, dad love the Bears, so that's what she gets for her birthday!! LOL
Today is Dan's baby's birthday. Happy Birthday Emilee!!!! His baby is 5 today.

Here's a recipe to bake on these cold days:
Banana Nut Bread
Makes 1-2 loaves

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flower
1/2 cup granulated white sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar 3 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
3 tbsp vegetable oil
1/3 cup milk
1 egg 3 mashed bananas
1 cup chopped nuts
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease bottom only of loaf pan 9 x 5 x 3inches, or 2 loaf pans. Add all ingredients together; beat 30 seconds to 1 minute. Pour into pans. Bake 60-65 minutes, or until you can insirt a toothpick in the middle and it comes out clean. Cool completly before slicing. To store, wrap and refrigerate no longer than a week. *If using self rising flour omit baking powder and salt. Use slightly brown bananas.

Remember!! Start the year out right with Hand Made Goat Milk Soap!!!!
Please pass on this blog to your friends and family!! Let them know about our blog and Burlap Babes Soap!!! :)
http://burlapbabessoap.com/store/

Shower Favors

We have started to make gift boxes for shower, baby, bridal, wedding, and well, just about anything you want. Personalized boxes with names, dates for co-workers, your children's class mates, birthday parties. If you have a picture you want on it, the choice of color of ribbon, etc., we will do it.

We are putting in a full bar of soap (our) in each gift box. Special prices are listed on our site burlapbabessoap.com .

Remember!! Start the year out right with Hand Made Goat Milk Soap!!!!

Please pass on this blog to your friends and family!! Let them know about our blog and Burlap Babes Soap!!! :)http://burlapbabessoap.com/store/

Email: mom5miller@aol.com or burlapbabessoap@aol.com

Da Bears!

Do you think Daddy likes the Chicago Bears??
From left to right Mitch's children: Madison, 5, Makennize, 10, and Alex, 8.
Here is another copy cat recipe. I have not tested all these recipes, but I'm sharing them with you.

Olive Garden's Andes Mint Pie
Mint Mousse
1 c Andes Mints, chopped
6 Eggs, separated
3/4 c Heavy Cream
In microwave, for about 15 seconds, melt mints. Put egg yolks in top of double boiler and whisk until pale yellow and frothy. Add melted mints and mix until combined. The mix will get stiff. In a seperate bowl using a mixer, beat egg whites until stiff. Fold the egg whites into the mint and egg yolk mixture a little at a time. Whip up the heavy cream with a mixer until thick. Fold this into the mint mixture a little at a time.
Pie
1 box Brownie Mix
1 c Semi Sweet Chocolate Chips
1/4 c Milk
1 pkg Andes Mints
Mint Mousse
Prepare brownies according to package directions. Pour batter into lightly greased springform pan. Bake according to package directions. To assemble pie: Top cooled brownie with mint mousse and refrigerate. Heat the milk in a pan on the stove. Add the chocolate chips and melt, constantly stirring over low heat until it makes a chocolate sauce. Top the cooled pie with the chocolate sauce. Decorate with Andes Mints.
REMEMBER TO START YOUR NEW YEAR OUT RIGHT!!!Start the year out right with Hand Made Goat Milk Soap!!!!Please pass on this blog to your friends and family!! Let them know about our blog and Burlap Babes Soap!!! :)
http://burlapbabessoap.com/store/

Field Trip

Julissa is the ham with the little pooch, Tony. Alex is in the tree, and another before he had the unfortunate accident with the hair buzzer!! Poor boy, daddy Mitch just won't leave his hair alone!!
Went on the big yellow bus with Julissa and Alex on a field trip. It was in the old Miles Buildings. You know where they used to make Alka Selzer, Bayer asprin, and all that good stuff. They have turned one of the warehouses into a Science Lab, so to speak. They have a mini Omni Theater like thing. Did not go in it. Looked like instant clausiphobia to me!!!! But, I guess this is not very good advertisement for the Ethos. Sorry!! It was a very nice place that the kids looked at the moon and it's phases, stars and constilations in the mini omni theater. Very nice!!

Here are some of my favorite Copy Cat Recipes.

Bob Evan's Colonial Dressing--

1 Cup Water

1/8 Cup Cornstarch

1/2 Cup Vinegar, light or dark

1 Cup Sugar

1 Teaspoon Onion powder

1 Tablespoon Salt

1/4 Cup Butter or margarine

1/2 Teaspoon Pepper

1 Teaspoon Celery salt

1 Tablespoon Celery seed

Put water and cornstarch into blender on high speed for 1 minute or untilsmooth. Transfer to a 2 1/2 qt. saucepan. Cook mixture over Medium Highheat, stirring constantly as you begin to add each of the remainingingredients, stirring well after each addition. Cook and continue stirringuntil it begins to thicken and become quite smooth. Let it cool completelybefore pouring into a refrigerator container. Cap tightly.--

Bob Evans Peanut Butter Pie--

1 5 oz. pkg. Jell-O Instant Vanilla Pudding

2 cups cold skim milk (you could use any milk you like)

1/2 cup whipping cream, whipped1-

1/4 cup creamy peanut butter

1 prebaked pie shell of your choice (use a ready made, refrigerated crust, or you can bake your own), lightly browned

1 - 8 Ounce container of Cool Whip (or store brand equivalent)

Garnish: chocolate syrup & crushed peanuts

Whisk together pudding mix and cold milk in bowl until creamy. Add 1/2 cup whipped whipping cream, peanut butter. Whisk until completely blended. Pour into baked pie shell, cover with generous layer of Cool Whip whippedtopping. Put in freezer for 1 hour until set. Remove from freezer, drizzlewith your favorite chocolate syrup & crushed peanuts. Cover, chill 2 hours,serve.

Bob Evan's Sausage Gravy--

1 pound Bob Evans Farms Original Recipe Bulk Sausage

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

2 cups milksalt & pepper to taste

8 prepared biscuits

Crumble sausage into a large skillet. Cook overmedium heat until browned, stirring occasionally. Stirin flour until dissolved. Gradually stir in milk. Cookuntil thick and bubbly. Season with salt & pepper.Serve over hot biscuits.

Ok now. Here is where I say:

Remember!!!Start the year out right with Hand Made Goat Milk Soap!!!!Please pass on this blog to your friends and family!! Let them know about our blog and Burlap Babes Soap!!!http://burlapbabessoap.com/store/

Sisterly Love!!

These two little ones are our grandkids in NY. Ryan is 8 and Amanda is 11, brother and sister.

I just love copy cat recipes. Here is one for Kit Kat Bars!!
Kit Kat Bars
3 pkgs Club Crackers, divided
1 c Butter
1/2 c Sugar
1 c Brown Sugar, packed
2 c Graham Cracker Crumbs
1/2 c Milk
1/2 c Semisweet Chocolate Chips
1/2 c Butterscotch Chips
2/3 c Peanut Butter
Coat 13 x 9 pan with nonstick spray and line with a single layer of crackers.Combine butter, sugars, graham cracker crumbs, and milk in saucepan.Bring to boil over medium heat and boil 5 minutes.Pour 1/2 of sauce over layer of crackers.Place another layer of crackers over sauce.Pour remaining sauce over crackers.Place 3rd layer of crackers over sauce.In medium pan combine chocolate chips, butterscotch chips, and peanut butter until smooth.Pour over top layer of crackers.Refrigerate until sauce is hardened.Cut into squares.

Remember!!!

Start the year out right with Hand Made Goat Milk Soap!!!!Please pass on this blog to your friends and family!! Let them know about our blog and Burlap Babes Soap!!!http://burlapbabessoap.com/store/

Ryssa's Science Project, None other than SOAP!!

Ryssa has started her Science Project.
First she measure the milk and lye. Heated the oils, mixed the oils and lye mixture, put in the fragrances , poured into the mold, cut them into bars.

She made Lavender Citrus! She chose this because it has Orange and Lemon, with Lavender petals. Next week she will start on the written part of her project. She did a great job!!!!
These bars will be ready in 2 weeks, so put in your order now!!!!! LOL

REMEMBER TO START YOUR NEW YEAR OUT RIGHT!!!Start the year out right with Hand Made Goat Milk Soap!!!!Please pass on this blog to your friends and family!! Let them know about our blog and Burlap Babes Soap!!! :)

http://burlapbabessoap.com/store/

Embroidery Art!!!

One of my many hobbies, is embroidery on an embroidery machine. But, my most favorite thing to do on the embroidery machine is pictures of my kids and the grandkids. I take a picture, make it black and white and then work on it until I am able to embroidery the outlines in one continuous line. These pictures, left of Ryssa and Bailee and right of Emilee, are the beginnings of my work to get it to where I need it.
I just got my embroidery machine up and running again, after a computer crashed, a part repaired ( that they no longer make but they can set me up with another program for only 500 dollars!!!) and numerous other little problems. But, I am up and running and will be digitizing my designs again, finally!!!
Tomorrow, Ryssa, Catherine and I are going to be making a batch of soap. We will take step by step pictures. We are doing this batch for her science project. The chemistry between the lye and the fats make this a perfect science project!!!
REMEMBER TO START YOUR NEW YEAR OUT RIGHT!!!

Start the year out right with Hand Made Goat Milk Soap!!!!Please pass on this blog to your friends and family!! Let them know about our blog and Burlap Babes Soap!!! :)http://burlapbabessoap.com/store/

Tooth Fairy!!

Madison lost her first tooth and here's the proof!!!!!! She is Mitch's 5 year old and was really excited it was loose this afternoon, and must have been talked into getting it out this evening. Good Job Madison!!!!!http://burlapbabessoap.com/store/Start the year out right with Hand Made Goat Milk Soap!!!!Please pass on this blog to your friends and family!! Let them know about our blog and Burlap Babes Soap!!!
http://burlapbabessoap.com/store/