Sin, Sin, Sin on a Sunday: Frozen Hot Chocolate

One thing that I have noticed in my foodie blogging experience so far, is that there is a bond between foodie bloggers.

This recipe has linked three times that I know of.

1. Mel, at My Kitchen Cafe

2. Rachel, at Recipe Indulgence

3. Angie (myself), at A'lil Country Sugar

And we all help and support each other.

The photos of the finished recipe were very hard to decide on. They are all beautiful and look so tempting.

I spotted this recipe on a favorite blog (Recipe Indulgence), once again over there <----- on the left of the screen, and just had to tell my daughter about it.

She is a chocoholic, and any kind of chocolate beverage....she goes nuts over.

She tries to keep a pitcher of iced coffee in the frig at all times (if I allow her).

The iced coffee is very easy to make. 1 can sweetened condensed milk to 8 cups of strong coffee, crushed ice, and WALLA.....iced coffee at home. We even sneak in a touch of chocolate syrup once in a while. ICED MOCHA.

OK, back to the Frozen Hot Chocolate....

My daughter just had to make this.

We had some left-over dark chocolate mixed with a little peanut butter. That is what she used for her melted chocolate ingredient.

The hint of peanut butter made this treat even more rich than it already is.

But when this recipe is complete, and you start drinking it, OH MY GOODNESS!!

This is definitely a sinful experience. It is so chocolaty and creamy, and chocolaty. Did I mention chocolaty?

Now the question is; Why am I posting a frozen beverage when the snow is about to start?

Because you can always enjoy this in front of a nice cozy fire. Keep your feet warm and all is good.

Frozen Hot Chocolate

1 c. (or 4 ounces) of your favorite chocolate (milk chocolate, dark chocolate, or even the flavored chocolates (raspberry, orange, etc...))

2 tsp hot chocolate mix

1 1/2 TBS sugar

1 1/2 c. milk

3 c. ice cubes

whipped cream

chocolate shavings (opt)

Melt chocolate in double boiler. Next, add hot chocolate mix and sugar. Stir until smooth and thoroughly blended.

Remove from heat, SLOWLY (my daughter poured it all at once) add 1/2 c. milk, and stir until smooth. Cool to room temperature.

In blender, place remaining 1 c. of milk, ice, and melted chocolate mixture.

Blend on high speed until smooth and ice is finely crushed.

Good Luck~Happy Eating (Drinking)~Enjoy
This recipe is linked to:
Foodie Friends Friday

Thinking About Thanksgiving: Pumpkin-Cran-Cherry Up-side Down Cake

Are you a recipe buff like I am?

I have recipe newsletters (many) that come into my email, and I can spend hours reviewing the recipes.

It's kind of like getting absorbed in a really good book (which I haven't done for a while).

When I run across a recipe title that seems odd or questionable, I just have to review the recipe in depth and detail.

I ran across this recipe yesterday and imagined what all the different flavors would taste like.

Really? Pumpkin, cranberry, and cherry?

All the flavors of Thanksgiving....and with Thanksgiving approaching quickly I just had to give this a try. The up-side down cake just may be worked into my holiday feast.

Or maybe the (local) non-bakers out there would like to order one, or two, or three, OK, OK, maybe I'm getting carried away.....

The recipe called for cherry preserves, but I have a wonderful (I'm going to call her relative) relative that makes home-made jams, jellies, and preserves.

This beautiful jar of Bing Cherry home-made preserves came from Amber Coressel.

I have already contacted her with a request for more.

She sells her wonderful home-made products for $3.75 a jar, and let me tell you, they are worth every penny.

The recipe said to use a 9x13 baking pan, but I do not own a platter (pretty enough) big enough to hold that size cake.

So I grabbed the 9 inch heart shaped pans that my wonderful Grandmother gave me, and divided the recipe into two.

The pans are suppose to be lined with foil, and I had a sweating attack when I realized I was almost out.

I'm holding my breath.....

Whewwww.....just enough to line both pans.

Pans are lined, sprayed with cooking spray, and ready to go.

The goopy-goodies that end up on the top of the cake have to be heated and placed in the bottom of the foil lined pans.

When my preserves, dried cranberries (crasins), and butter was heated, I poured the goopy-goodies in my pans equally, and then sprinkled sweet flaked coconut on top (maybe 1/4 c. each).

I spread the pumpkin cake batter on top of the goopy-goodies equally and placed them in the oven.

The reason the picture is taken in the oven is because I almost forgot to take a picture.

I placed the pans in the oven, turned around, and there sat my camera.....DUH!!

As you can see, this cake is very good.

My daughter and granddaughter were fighting over the last bite.

This is what I did:

Pumpkin-Cran-Cherry Up-side Down Cake

1-10 oz. jar home-made Bing Cherry Preserves, or store bought cherry preserves

1 c. dried cranberries (crasins)

1/3 c. butter, softened

1/2 c. sweet flaked coconut

2 c. all-purpose flour

1 1/2 tsp. baking powder

1 1/2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/4 c. butter, softened

1/4 c. shortening

1 c. sugar

1 tsp. vanilla extract

2 eggs

1/2 c. canned pumpkin

3/4 c. buttermilk

1/2 c. chopped walnuts (opt)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line 2 - 9 inch cake pans with foil; grease foil.

Set aside. In a small saucepan, combine preserves, crasins, and 1/3 c. butter. Bring to boiling, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Pour mixture equally into baking pans, spreading evenly. Sprinkle equal amounts of coconut on top. Set aside.

In a medium bowl, stir together flour, baking powder, pumpkin pie spice, and baking soda; set aside. In a large bowl, combine the 1/4 c. butter and the shortening. Beat with an electric mixer on medium to high speed for 30 seconds. Add sugar and vanilla; beat until combined. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in pumpkin. Alternately add four mixture and buttermilk to butter mixture, beating on low speed after each addition just until combined. Stir in (opt) walnuts. Carefully spread batter over preserve mixture in pans.

Bake for 30-35 minutes or until toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean (mine took 30 minutes). Cool in pans on wire rack for 5 minutes.

Carefully invert onto serving platters, remove foil. Spoon any preserve mixture remaining on the foil onto cakes. Serve warm.

Good Luck~Happy Eating~Enjoy

Just Having Fun: Mini Oreo Cheesecakes

Have you walked into your kitchen and thought, "I really feel like making something fun today."

What could be more fun and tasty then mini Oreo cheesecakes?

Everyone loves cheesecake, and Oreo's on top of that....YUMMMMM-O

I used the Halloween Oreo's in the bottom of my cupcake liners.

To match the orange in the cookie I wanted my cheesecake to be orange (a simple request).

As I am digging through my bakery cupboard looking for orange food coloring, and not having any success, I suddenly remember the last baking party my daughter had.

A memory that I really wish would not come flooding back.

Just to paint you a picture: Colored frosting everywhere. I even found it on my front door and utility door handles. I am kind of picturing a frosting fight, but quickly remove it from my thoughts. My daughter and her friends would never do something like that (I keep repeating).

I just keep asking myself, "How in the world can 5 girls manage to get frosting on door handles?"

Believe me I don't want to know.....but orders were given to CLEAN UP.

Yup, good old MOM spoiled the fun....

I have quickly learned that when my daughter is home alone with friends, it is best give her a heads-up on my arrival time.

She knows I truly dislike messes.

This little guy was still a little warm when I tested it.

What can I say? I just couldn't wait for them to chill in the frig overnight.

But they are a lot better when they are chilled.

Mini Oreo Cheesecakes

21 Halloween Oreo cookies, 15 left whole, 6 crushed

16 oz. cream cheese, softened

1/2 c. sugar

1/2 c. sour cream

2 large eggs, room temperature and lightly beaten

1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

ORANGE food coloring

Preheat oven to 275 degrees F. Line a cupcake pan with cupcake liners.

Place 6 whole Oreo cookies in a food processor or mini chopper and grind them up. You can also crush them with a plastic bag and rolling pin.

Put 1 Halloween Oreo in each cupcake liner.

In a large bowl with paddle attachment (a hand mixer works fine) on medium speed, beat the cream cheese until smooth.

Add in the 1/2 c. sugar and mix until combined.

Mix in vanilla extract.

Slowly add in the 2 lightly beaten eggs and continue mixing. Add the sour cream and mix to combine.

Add in a small amount of orange food coloring and stir with a wooden spoon.

Stir in the Oreo crumbs and stir to combine.

Fill each cupcake liner (with the cookie in the bottom) with the cheesecake batter, almost to the top.

Bake at 275 degrees F. for 22 minutes. Halfway through baking time, rotate the pan.

Allow the cheesecakes to cool on a cooling rack. Then refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight.

Good Luck~Happy Eating~Enjoy

When You Have Left-Overs: Make Meatloaf

I was looking in the refrigerator the other day, and like always, noticed all the left-overs that were not being eaten.

OK....when you have left-overs, MAKE MEATLOAF.

That is exactly what I did.

I started pulling things out of the frig that I thought would be tasty in a meatloaf. Salsa, spicy brown mustard, Worcestershire sauce, and sauteed yellow squash and zucchini would be perfect.

I grabbed 1 pound ground turkey and 3 pounds ground beef.

WOW!! 4 pounds of meat? Quickly think, what am I going to do with all that meatloaf?

Freezer, cold meatloaf sandwiches the next day? Oh my gosh!! Another left-over....

Alright, I know what I am going to do. I am going to make two meatloaves and send one home with my daughter. Problem solved!!

I dumped everything together and began mixing (with my hand of course).

Who mixes meatloaf with a spoon?

Did you see the yellow squash and zucchini in there? Right there in the picture above. See it? It's there.

Who puts yellow squash and zucchini in their meatloaf?

I do!!

When I took the picture of everything mixed together, I didn't realize I left my hand-print in it.

Kind of funny. And when you live with someone with an imagination, a history buff, comic book collector, and video game player, his first reaction to this picture was, "One small step for man, one giant leap for meatloaf-kind."

Too funny!!
After my meatloaf mixture was shaped into loaves and placed in pans, I topped them both with Sweet Baby Ray's BBQ sauce. YUMMMM-O

I couldn't just give my daughter a loaf of meatloaf, so I completed the meal by making mashed potatoes and corn.

That is the care package I sent home for her and her family.

Made Out of Left-Overs Meatloaf

1 lb. ground turkey

3 lb. ground beef

1 c. left-over sauteed yellow squash and zucchini

2 eggs

1/2 tsp. crushed garlic

1/4 c. spicy brown mustard

1 c. salsa

2 TBS Worcestershire sauce

1 sleeve smashed Roasted Vegetable Ritz crackers

Topped with Sweet Baby Ray's BBQ sauce

Mix all ingredients together except for BBQ sauce and mix well (with hand). Place in two loaf pans equally. Squeeze on BBQ sauce and bake at 350 degrees F for 1 hour.

Good Luck~Happy Eating~Enjoy

Making Memories and Shortbread Cookies

This is the best shortbread cookie I have ever had.

This one is definitely going to be added to my holiday cookie gift box.

One of my favorite cookies is the shortbread cookie, but it can't be a dry shortbread. I like the ones that are so buttery they just melt in your mouth.

That is exactly what this cookie does.

I have been spending this week with my granddaughter Lydia.

I don't get to see her very often, and when I do, I like to make the visit memorable.

Wouldn't it be nice if you could just freeze time, or go back to the beginning of your life? There are so many things I would do differently. I would never redo the birthdays of my children, but I sure would use the time I had with them better than what I did.

I spent so much time working trying to support them, that I didn't slow down and enjoy their achievements, their happy times, and their worries.

I have always had great communication with my kids, but was I really there for them?

Being given the opportunity to spend time with my grandchildren is a must in my book. THEY WILL MISS ME WHEN I'M GONE!!

Lydia and I have made cookies, visited the Defiance College, and made a special trip to Dairy Queen.

I am trying to keep things fun for her.

And a three year old....always curious.

Look at this mom, I am finally using (for the first time) the snowman cookie press that you got for me (I think) 5 years ago.

I placed it on my year round snowman shelf and used it for decoration instead of making cookies.

I knew this would be the perfect tool for Lydia.

Here is my beautiful granddaughter Lydia helping me make shortbread cookies.

The first tray of cookies, grandma had to help to make sure she knew what to do, so placing my hand on top of hers, I showed her how to press the cookies and dip the press back into the cinnamon and sugar mixture to press another cookie.

This is what I got after about four times helping her; "I can do it by myself gramma. I am doing a good job."

And she did just that.

Look what a good job Lydia did pressing the cookies.

A perfect snowman on each cookie.

Here is Lydia showing off her hard work, and she wants to share the recipe with you.

Oh, and while I was taking this picture I told Lydia to smile. She said, "SMILE" for the picture (goofy girl).

Shortbread Cookies

1 c. butter, softened

1/2 c. packed brown sugar

1/2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice

1/8 tsp. salt

2 1/4 c. all-purpose flour

Nonstick cooking spray

Cookie press

Granulated sugar and cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper, set aside. In a large bowl, beat butter with an electric mixer on medium to high speed for 30 seconds. Add brown sugar, pumpkin pie spice, and salt. Beat until combined, scraping side of bowl occasionally. Gradually beat in as much of the four as you can with the mixer (I got all of it mixed in). Using a wooden spoon, stir in any remaining flour.

Shape dough into 1-inch balls. Place balls 2 inches apart on prepared cookie sheet. Coat the bottom of a cookie stamp with nonstick cooking spray and dip the stamp in granulated sugar and cinnamon mixture. Flatten each ball of dough, imprinting the press pattern on the cookie.

Bake in preheated oven for 12 to 15 (mine took 16) minutes or until lightly browned. Transfer cookies to a wire rack; let cool. Makes about 36 cookies.

To Store: Layer cookies between waxed paper in an airtight container, cover. Store at room temperature for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months.

Good Luck~Happy Eating~Enjoy

Keeping Fall In Mind: Caramel Apple Pork Chops

That looks like a mess right there, doesn't it?

But that mess right there was oh, so good....

Looking out the window and seeing that most of the leaves have fallen off the trees, leaving the trees bare and ready for winter, I get in the mood for apples.

Not just dessert apples like, apple pie, apple crisp, apple dumplings, but apples for a main course.

I have been searching for the perfect apple and pork recipe for months. I finally located it at Just a Pinch.com.

This Web site is amazing, and the interaction is most beneficial when you are looking for feedback on a certain recipe.

Jennifer McConnell and Malinda Coletta helped me out with my dilemma on pork and apples.

Thank you very much ladies. This recipe will definitely be made again.

It is very nice when you can ask someone how a recipe tastes, what tips and tricks they use, and how much they like it.

I was told by Jennifer, "You will not be sorry." And you know what? She was right.

Receiving first-hand feedback makes you look forward to creating and experimenting.

There are some things I did differently to this recipe.

I left out the pecans and added onion with my apples.
This is what I did:

Caramel Apple Pork Chops

2 c. apple cider

2 TBS Worcestershire sauce

4 med. pork chops (I used boneless loin chops)

1 large tart apple, cored and sliced (granny smith)

3/4 c. sliced onion

2 tsp. olive oil

2 oz. apple cider marinade (from chops)

2 TBS brown sugar

2 TBS butter

1/8 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg

salt and pepper to taste

Marinade pork chops in apple cider/Worcestershire sauce for 4-6 hours, or overnight.

Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat, add oil. Season chops with salt and pepper and place in hot pan. Brown chops on both sides add apples/onions and 2 oz. marinade. Cover and cook for 5 to 6 minutes, turning occasionally, or until done.

Transfer chops to a dish leaving the apples/onions in pan, add to apples, brown sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg. Stir until sauce thickens and coats apples. Remove from the heat and add butter, stir till melted. Plate chops on platter and spoon apple mixture and sauce over the chops.
This was absolutely marvelous!!

Other options that go through my mind is: On a bed of rice, noodles, mashed potatoes with seasoned pork/apple cider gravy, mashed sweet potatoes.....Oh my, the endless possibilities.

To accompany my Caramel Apple Pork Chops I sauteed sliced yellow squash and zucchini in a little olive oil with Italian seasoning.

What a great light meal that was busting with flavors galore.

I should have been sitting on my deck, surrounded by the brilliance of Fall, eating this meal.

Does that show you how good this meal was? Every last bite was savored and enjoyed....MMMMM!!

You have got to give this one a try.

Like Jennifer said, "You will not be sorry."

Good Luck~Happy Eating~Enjoy

Not So Serene Sunday: Jack'O Cran Muffins (low sugar)

I am so sorry I have been away for a couple days.

I am one of the lucky ones that caught the Fall head cold....UGH!!

Friday morning I woke up with the sorest throat ever. I had an appointment Friday morning, and while I was out I picked up my "best known cure", Alka-Seltzer Plus Cold.

One thing that I absolutely hate is being sick. Normally when I take Alka-Seltzer Plus Cold fizzy tablets, every four hours for twenty-four hours, it will wipe-out any cold symptoms I have.

Ha, this time the medicine back-fired....Did you notice how I said, "NORMALLY?"

My grandmother graciously gave me her allergic reaction gene. She is 90 years old and medicine free, because everything she takes she has a reaction to.

THANK YOU SO MUCH GRANDMA!!

I was nearing my twenty-four hour mark when I noticed my ears were itchy and plugged, my eyelids were swollen, and my equilibrium was off.

Good thing I didn't have to bake a cake or anything. The outcome could have been a catastrophe.

My kitchen floor was tilted, felt like I was walking side-ways, and the normal sounds in the house seemed to be echoing....HA, I experienced a haunted house illusion right in my own home, and I didn't even have to pay for the attraction.

Today, Sunday, I think I am going to let my body get back to normal and leave the cold medicine alone.
I went crazy with the pictures of these muffins because I think they are just beautiful.

This recipe comes from one of my blog favorites (<----- over there at the left of the screen), Angela's Unique Recipes . I contacted her and asked her if I could share.

I love to visit and keep up with my favorite blogs, and when I ran across this amazing looking muffin, I just had to try it. Thank you Angela!!

The tops are beautiful on these muffins, and what is the most impressive when it comes to muffins? Of course, the tops.
Jack'O Cran Muffins

Ingredients:

1 1/2 c. all purpose flour

1/2 c. whole wheat flour

1 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. nutmeg

1/3 c. vegetable oil

2 large eggs, beaten

1 TBS packed light brown sugar

1/3 c. honey

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1 tsp. orange extract

3 oz. low fat cream cheese, softened

1 c. canned pumpkin

1/2 c. dried cranberries (crasins)

1/3 c. or 1 individually packaged maple and brown sugar instant oatmeal

1/4 c. sweet flaked coconut or chopped walnuts, for topping (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Fill 12-muffin pan with cupcake liners or spray with non-stick cooking spray.

In large bowl, combine flours, baking powder, baking soda, nutmeg and mix well.

In a medium bowl combine oil, eggs, brown sugar, honey and extracts, mix well. Stir mixture into the dry ingredients just until batter comes together. Don't over mix.

Do you know what happens to muffins if you over mix the batter? They become tough. You should only mix until dry ingredients are wet.

In a small bowl add 2 TBS of the batter the cream cheese, mix well and set aside.

Add pumpkin, cranberries, and oatmeal to the large bowl of batter and fold in gently until combined.

Spoon and spread about 2 or 3 tsp. of batter into a muffin cup in pan. Then spoon and spread about a tsp. of cream cheese mixture on top. Add another 2 or 3 tsp. of batter to top off the paper-lined muffin. Batter should be a little below top of paper liner. Repeat for remaining muffin cups. Top with coconut or walnuts, or both if you like.

Bake in preheated oven for 25 minutes until nice and golden brown and a toothpick inserted comes out with a few moist crumbs clinging to it.

Remove pan from oven and cool in pan for 10 minutes. Serve either warm or at room temperature.

*Baker's Note: I have been told that you should not bake muffins with empty cups in the pan. This recipe gave me 11 muffins with one empty. Instead of putting it in the oven empty, fill it with water. It is said that the water filled muffin cup will help with the rising of the batter filled muffin cups.
In Angela's recipe the tops are sprinkled with walnuts.

We are only half-way into Fall and I'm already tired of pumpkin and walnuts.....How about you?

So, I topped mine with sweet flaked coconut.

The coconut was perfect.

It toasted nicely while the muffins baked.

I took these muffins to the United Methodist Church in Stryker, Ohio when I went to help make apple dumplings.

They were a nice treat for everyone, and with the crew being mostly elderly, the low sugar content was perfect.

I left the muffins cool and then cut one of these "bad boys" open.

They look moist, don't they?

I think these would make the most perfect breakfast muffins.

When I was reviewing the recipe, the 1 TBS of brown sugar caught my attention.

A muffin with only 1 TBS of brown sugar. How can they even be edible with the sugar content being that low?

To my surprise, the muffin is just perfect.

And with the low sugar content, that means there is room for pumpkin butter, apple butter, fruit preserves, or jelly. YUMMMMM-O

As you can see, I ate mine with pumpkin butter. What a great treat....

PERFECT!!
GORGEOUS!!

Good Luck~Happy Eating~Enjoy

What Did You Say? 800 Apple Dumplings?

Why is there a picture of my shoes?

I will tell you.

My mom contacted me a couple weeks ago and asked if I would be interested in helping the United Methodist Church in Stryker, Ohio make apple dumplings.

"How many apple dumplings are you talking?" I asked

My mom said, "Well, (and she kind of held onto the word well for a while) last year we made over 1,000."

"ARE YOU SERIOUS!?!" (and I held onto the word serious for a while)

So, as I was getting myself ready today for a full day of apple dumpling making, my first thought was comfortability. If I am going to be on my feet most of the day I want to wear something comfortable on my feet. I chose slippers.

Also the thought of sticky apple juice, sugar, flour, and shortening went through my mind.

Did you notice how clean they are before I leave the house?
20 bushels of apples.....

And I'm saying again, "ARE YOU SERIOUS?"
This is my first year helping with the apple dumplings, and the fourth year for the church preparing them.

This church congregation really knows what they are doing.

That is April Sloan in the kitchen cooking up the sauce that is poured onto the apple dumplings before baking.

They offer the customers their choice of baked or unbaked. The sauce is being created for the baked orders.
When I said the congregation knows what they are doing, that's what I meant.

They had an assembly line starting with the dough ingredients right down to the packaging and labeling.

Two tables for dough ingredients, then passed on to two tables of dough mixers and cutters, three tables of apple peelers, dough rollers, and apple wrappers, one table for dry ingredient bagging, and three tables for the packaging, labeling, storing, and shipping.

So each station was a department.

Mary Lou Barnum in the picture above was in the dough ingredient department. She measured the flour, baking powder, salt, and shortening.

Way to go Mary Lou!!

Helen Bell was working in the dough cutting department. She cut in the shortening, and then cut the dough into squares for the apple wrappers.

Awesome job Helen, awesome job.

Bob Luke in the background with the bucket was an apple peeler.

The next four pictures are of the apple peelers, dough rollers, and apple wrappers (kind of sounds like a rock band, huh?)

Well, let me tell you, this church was rock'n alright.

We threw out (no, no, produced) over 800 dumplings today....HANDS IN THE AIR, HANDS IN THE AIR...

WOOP, WOOP!!

In this picture is Bev Wheeler, Rena Garber, and Carol Sloan.

Great work ladies!!
In this picture is Midge Clark (and I'll have you know, she is 92 years young), Helen Grisier, Carol Sloan, Arlen Horton, Maria Cruz, Jack Kroa, Rena Garber, Gene Garber, and Bev Wheeler.
This picture holds the hard workers of Nancy Woodcox, Cliff Weigle, Susie Smith, and Maria Cruz.

And that right there folks is my beautiful mother, Mary Luke working along side of Kenny Bell.

I would have missed out on this great experience if my mother wouldn't have invited me.

One of my favorite books in the Bible is Psalm. "Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!"
Psalm 133:1

And that is exactly what we did today.

This is Gene Garber. He was the go between from the wrapped apples to the shipping department. He would load up his utility cart with foil pans of apple dumplings and make sure they were delivered to the packaging and shipping department.

He was so full of energy, he made me tired just watching him.

Bob Clark (93 years young) and Dan Short were in charge of the bagging spices department.

They packaged the ingredients that get put in the unbaked orders.

This is Vernon Sloan. He worked in the labeling and shipping department.

The bagging spices department and shipping department is where all the orders came from.

When I say orders I mean, "HURRY UP!!", "A LITTLE FASTER WITH THE APPLES!!", "IF YOU GO ANY SLOWER YOU ARE GOING TO GET LAID OFF!!" That type of orders, with the instigating help of Ken Culler who missed the photo....Where did you disappear to Ken?

All in fun though, all in fun.

What a great day to be able to congregate and have loads of fun.
This is the shipping department.

That's a whole lot of apple dumplings there, and they still aren't done.

Sunday they have make 600+ more.
This is at the end of our apple dumpling assembly day.

WHAT A MESS!!

Would I do it all again?

I sure would!!

I spent the day with some amazing people and had loads and loads of fun.
Ah, back to my shoes.

They are not clean anymore.

It looks like I spent the day making 800+ apple dumplings.

If you ever get the opportunity to congregate with great people, a great church, and be creative, do not pass it up. One thing our world is lacking today is the joy of congregation.

Live Large~Love Much~Laugh Often