Strawberry Cream Jelly Roll

3 eggs                                                                1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup white sugar                                               1/4 cup confectioners' sugar for dusting
1/3 cup hot water                                               1 cup fresh strawberries
1 teaspoon vanilla extract                                   1 cup heavy whipping cream
1 cup sifted all-purpose flour                              1 teaspoon unflavored gelatin
1 teaspoon baking powder                                1 tablespoon white sugar

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Butter a jelly roll pan.  Line it with buttered parchment paper.
Beat the eggs until thick and lemon colored, (5 minutes).  Gradually add 1 cup white sugar, beating constantly.  Stir in water and vanilla extract.  Mix flour, baking powder and salt and fold into batter until lumps are all gone.  Fold into prepared pan. Bake for 15 minutes.  It should be springy to the touch and begin to shrink away from the sides of the pan.  While baking prepare for the finished cake by laying out a tea towel and sprinkling it with confectioners' sugar.  Once the Jelly roll is done and still hot turn the jelly roll out onto the towel.  Take off the paper and cut away crusty edges.  Roll the cake up using the towel then move the cake to a long piece of wax paper.  Roll the jelly roll into the wax maker and let cool completely.
Meanwhile
Whip the cream.  Add unflavored gelatin and 1 tablespoon sugar.  Fold in cut up strawberries.
Now unroll the cake and spread with the strawberry cream mixture and roll up again.  Chill for at least and hour before cutting.  Add more whipped cream to each slice to serve.

Macaroon Cookie Bars

3/4 cup butter melted
12 ounces graham cracker crumbs
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons powdered sugar
12 ounces flaked coconut
1 1/2 cups sweetened condensed milk
2 ounces semi-sweet chocolate
1/2 teaspoon vegetable shortening

Spray 9x13 inch baking pan with non-stick spray and set aside.
In a small bowl, melt butter, set aside.  In another bowl combine graham crackers crumbs and sugar.  Add melted butter, mix together well.  Press mixture firmly on bottom of baking pan to form a crust. Sprinkle coconut over crust.   Slowly pour condensed milk evenly over coconut.  Bake at 350 degrees for 18 minutes or until set but not brown.  Cool.  Meanwhile in a small saucepan over low heat, melt chocolate with vegetable shortening.  Drizzle chocolate on top of cooled Macaroons and once chocolate is set cut into bars.
Makes 24 bars

Blond Brownies

This brownie is very decadent....so cut into small squares!
Crust:
1 box (3 cups) Pillsbury Plus Yellow cake mix
1/2 cup melted butter
1 egg

Filling:
3 1/3 cups powdered sugar, sifted well
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
9 ounces cream cheese (three 3 oz packages) softened
1 1/2 cups Powdered Sugar, sifted well

To prepare crust
Generously spray a 10x15 inch jelly roll pan with non-stick spray.  Using an electric mixer blend dry cake mix, melted butter and 1 egg on low speed until moist.  Pat onto bottom and sides of prepared pan.  Set aside

To prepare filling
Using an electric mixer on low speed, mix 3 1/3 cups sifted powdered sugar, 2 eggs, vanilla and cream cheese until ingredients are moistened.  Turn mixer to high speed and beat for 5 minutes.  Turn mixer to low speed and add remaining 1 1/2 cups sifted powdered sugar and mix until well blended, then turn mixer to high speed; beat for 5 minutes.  Pour mixture over prepared crust in pan and spread evenly.

Bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes, or until golden brown.  When completely cooled, slice into squares.

Baby Bald Eagles living in a tree behind our home.

There are 3 baby bald eagles behind our house.  They are not nesting but are still being fed by mom and dad.  The nest is still in the tree but the birds sit in the surrounding trees and on top of the telephone poles.  Bald Eagles have white heads when they are adults and ready to bread.  Baby or juvenile Bald Eagles have brown heads.  These are pictures of one of the babies.  He/she screamed for an hour for his dinner, this is why we noticed him/her.  Sorry the pictures are not very clear, it's the best I could do with the camera I have.  :(

The Bald Eagle is a sacred bird in some North American cultures, and its feathers, like those of the Golden Eagle, are central to many religious and spiritual customs among Native Americans. Eagles are considered spiritual messengers between gods and humans by some cultures. Many pow wow dancers use the eagle claw as part of their regalia as well. Eagle feathers are often used in traditional ceremonies, particularly in the construction of regalia worn and as a part of fans, bustles and head dresses. The Lakota, for instance, give an eagle feather as a symbol of honor to person who achieves a task. In modern times, it may be given on an event such as a graduation from college. The Pawnee considered eagles as symbols of fertility because their nests are built high off the ground and because they fiercely protect their young. The Kwakwaka'wakw scattered eagle down to welcome important guests. The Choctaw explained that the Bald Eagle, who has direct contact with the upper world of the sun, is a symbol of peace.

Dinner Aprons for the Elderly

Today I'm going to work on my dinner aprons.  I want to have about 20 woman's and 10 men's aprons ready for Christmas.  I'll work on the women's today because they need to be ready so we can embellish them.  Laura Love offered the suggestion of embellishing them with bead so they look like the ladies are wearing necklaces.  I've made a quick one yesterday for Mrs. Hunter because her apron came up missing last week.  I would post a picture of that one but I'm not too proud of how well I did so I'll wait till I have one that I am proud to say I made...<S>.  I'll post pictures as soon as I have them made and then after they are embellished....I'm hoping they will be so cute!

Mrs. Hunter is getting organized....

I finally finished Mrs. Hunters new wheel chair bag.  There really isn't a pattern out there that has all the pockets I required for all her "good stuff"  So I found a pattern I liked and altered it a bit.  Here is Mrs. Hunters new wheel chair bag....there is even a velcro strap to hold her blood presser checker....and the handles are on the sides so that they will not slip down and make the back of her wheel chair bend down making it so uncomfortable to sit in all day!  Update, She loved her bag!!!!

Christmas Project

I'm calling for the help of any and all kind hearted crafter's to help me with a Christmas Project.

I would like to give the residents at the Tomball Retirement Center a blessed Christmas this year. I know it's early but I think starting early will give us the best chance at making the holiday's a little brighter for them all this year.
I am looking for Crafter's that make jewelry and might have some extra necklaces to donate ( they should be long enough so they will fit over their head) about 100 needed
Also Adult Bibs for men and women 40 needed
Lap Blankets 20-30 needed
Large print Puzzle books 20 needed
Adult PJ's in all sizes  5 in small, 5 in med, 5 in large, 5 in xlarge
Walker Bags 10 needed
Wheel Chair Bags 10 needed
Sun Glasses 20 needed
If you are able to donate any of these items I would be so thrilled, and you can message me on Facebook, I will be happy to come by and pick up or even pay the postage.
Thank you and may God bless you.

Mrs Salgy loved her quilt

Brought Mrs. Salgy her quilt today.  She loved it.  I took this picture, she had just woke up...

Pictures of Mrs. Salgy's Quilt

Goodies for the Retirement Center

Today is Tuesday and I go to the Tomball Retirement Center on Wednesday to pass around some smiles.  Today I made a few tasty treats....  Lemon blueberry pound cake with lemon glaze, Oatmeal cookies with toffee bits, raisins, chocolate chips and of course walnuts.. peanut butter cookies, and of course one of my favorites Coconut Macaroons!

So you like Macaroons do you...well I have an absolute fantastic recipe for Chewy Macaroons that will blow your mind and here it is:

7 oz flaked coconut or about 2 2/3 cups
2/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
4 egg whites
1/2 tsp almond extract
1/4 tsp salt
2 ounces semisweet chocolate Melted (this is for the chocolate drizzle)

Preheat oven to 325 degrees .  Lightly grease and flour large cookie sheet or use parchment paper
In a medium bowl combine all ingredients except the egg whites and extract.  Stir in egg whites and extract till mixed well and no lumps are remaining.
Drop rounded teaspoon fulls of mixture onto prepared cookie sheet about 2 inches apart.
Bake in preheated oven for about 20 to 25 minutes or until edges are golden brown.  Transfer cookies to wire racks to cool and cool completely.
Drizzle each cookie with a little of the melted chocolate and place cookies in the fridge so the chocolate will set.
Store for up to three day room temperature or up to 3 months in the freezer.  Should make about 20 cookies.