November Holiday Preperation for Make and Take Gals!

The Make and Take Gals gathered at Poh's today to stock up on appetizers and gifts for the holiday season. As she does every year, Poh showered us in new recipes that had us nibbling the whole day! Tucked inside in a cozy warm kitchen, it was bitter cold outside as Portland received an early cold snap from Canada this year. 

No worries for us, because Poh had hot tea and blueberry crumble bread waiting to greet us. Then it was down to work! We made Bourbon Spiced Pumpkin Seeds, Spiced Pecans, Cranberry Curd, Peanut Dipping Sauce, and Poh's famous 3-layer spread!

We worked up quite the appetite. Poh was ready with some peanut sauce with a kick to try on a yummy bed of chicken, rice and vegis! Delicious! For dessert... brightly presented parfaits with pound cake, cranberry curd, whip cream and spiced pumpkin seeds sprinkled on top.

After getting our fill we headed back to the work table and packaged up our creations. Another holiday prep in the bag! Thanks Poh!

Recipe: This is a keeper! Recipients have been asking for more! Enjoy!

Make and Take, December 12, 2010

Dec. 2010 Make and Take

Our favor was the Arizona only state signature bag!

Friday was a fun filled day at Poh's as we stocked our refrigerators for the holidays!  We made spiced nuts, Parmesan and rosemary pin wheels, and a festive layered cream cheese/pesto/sun dried tomato dip!  After whipping these up, we enjoyed a tasty and indulgent lunch of the famous Harry & David Chicken Pie that Oprah made famous...  I think I moaned through the whole experience as it is everything Oprah said it to be! Our monthly adventure ended with a goodie bag from Trader Joe's Arizona and a ribbon poinsettia, beautiful!  Thank you Poh for a wonderful day amidst all your moving!

 Our spiced pumpkin pecans!

 Jean discovered a darling treat for an underground Make and Take!

Poh scored one of the hard to get H&D Chicken Pies...It was out of this world!

~ MJ
Copyright 2010 MJ's Table Talk

Recipe, December 3, 2009

Fridged Temperatures in Portland and MJ's Peppermint Pound Cake!

What do you do at home when it is 29 degrees outside and if you take your 90 year old mom out in the elements she will turn into a Popsicle? Well, we bake! Christmas music playing, fireplace crackling, and hands are busy in the kitchen! That's what we did yesterday morning, baking up a storm for my cookie exchange party this week. Also, I owed a dear friend her birthday dessert. I like to make a dessert that is named after the birthday gal and have the recipe reflect their tastes.

Premiering Pam's Peppermint Pound Cake, and it is a keeper! I whipped up several loaves of this tasty treat that surprises your taste buds on the first bite. Refreshing and invigorating, can a pound cake do all that? This one can!

Peppermint Pound Cake
Preheat oven to 350 degrees

3 cups sugar
3 sticks butter
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp peppermint extract
5 eggs
1 cup milk
3 cups of flour
Crushed candy canes
Frosting optional

Mix all the ingredients (except the candy canes) until well blended. Pour into one tube pan or several small loaf pans. Bake 80 min if in one pan. 5 minutes before done baking lay a whole candy cane across the top and sprinkle with crushed candy. Serve warm and watch it disappear! Next time I will add white chocolate chips! You can also frost with white frosting or chocolate :)

~ MJ
Copyright 2009 MJ's Table Talk

Flashlight Easter Egg Hunt, April 11, 2009

Pam had her annual flashlight egg hunt last night, what fun! I had to miss out, but she reports a huge success! The night time bandits, aka: young adults, found over 700 eggs...wow! Below are the details of how to have your own night time hunt!

Celebration: Late Night Bunny Hunt

Easter time has always been a big celebration at our house. After church we share a delicious potluck buffet with friends and family and then have our traditional egg hunt. This year however, my twelve year old decided she was too old for the traditional egg hunt, so we found ourselves in search of a new tradition.
In comes Pam, my very clever friend and neighbor, who I do believe out performs me in the art of celebrations and traditions. She has a gift for taking the ordinary and making it extraordinary! Well in my plight to replace the traditional egg hunt I sent out an S.O.S. and it was Pam who called just days before the big event and said she had the idea to save our Easter. A late night Easter egg hunt with flashlights! Yes, I know, it was brilliant.
So our new tradition was launched at Pam’s house with several other families. We gathered around 7:30pm for an Easter dessert party. The kids had a ball planning their strategies for the hunt and the adults enjoyed watching their glee and anticipation. Our group of 15 kids ranged in ages from 10 to 16. At about 8:30pm the fathers all disappeared and went to the neighborhood park and hid all the eggs, about 25 eggs per kid. Then at 9:00pm, after a cell phone coordination, the mothers and kids hiked over to the park where it was now pitch black outside. The walk over was as adventurous as the pending hunt. George, Pam’s husband, explained the rules to the kids: stay in the perimeter of the park and collect about 25 eggs each. As George yelled to begin the hunt he reminded them to look high and low, the eggs were everywhere, even in the trees! The parents were placed at key locations around the park with flashlights so no one would get lost.
Well I have never laughed so hard. Here were all these flashlights covering the park and appearing as if aliens had landed. The giggles and sheer joy lasted for a long 30 minutes. It was a blast! Each kid was successful in filling their Easter basket full of treats. Pam also made the kids yummy chocolate bunny suckers for their party favor and encased each sucker in a large colored plastic egg. She has provided the recipe below for your enjoyment. Another clever idea Pam passed onto me was that the local recreation center was having a “diving for eggs” hunt at the community pool. So very FUN!
Pam’s Chocolate Bunny Suckers

Ingredients:
• 1/2 lb. melting chocolate discs*
• 1 tsp. Paramount crystals*
• 1 chocolate bunny sucker mold*
• 12 lollipop sticks*
• 12 cellophane wrappers
• ribbon or twist ties

*available at cake decorating/candy making shops
Place melting chocolate discs in microwave safe glass bowl. Add paramount crystals. Melt at 50% power in the microwave for 1 minute, stir, and if needed, put back in the microwave for an additional minute at 50% power until chocolate discs are melted. Stir. Carefully spoon melted chocolate into clean, DRY sucker mold. Place lollipop stick into each sucker mold, twirl stick to coat with chocolate. Then tap filled mold on counter to release air bubbles in candy mixture. Place filled mold into the freezer for about 5-10 minutes or until candy is firm. Flip mold over onto wax paper and tap lightly to release chocolate suckers from the mold. After chocolate has come to room temperature, place each sucker in a cellophane bag and finish with a festive ribbon or twist tie. Enjoy!

~ MJ
Copyright 2009 MJ's Table Talk