recipes from Intervention

Had friends over last night as it was my turn to host "Intervention." As always, I had a wonderful time. Thought maybe I'd share links to some of the recipes I used for last night's treats.

Brazilian Lemonade does not use lemons, but limes. It needs to be used immediately as I am told it gets bitter if it sits too long.


Mock Chili Rellenos for the crock pot was also on the menu. Next time I would add more chilis as it seemed to be the weakest flavor of all...or perhaps I shouldn't have thrown out the seeds.

Then there's Jennifer's favorites: Frosting Truffles

Aunt Trina's Pumpkin Bread/Muffin Recipe   This recipe came from 100daystoChristmas, a website countdown that gets you prepared for the holidays. The muffins are very moist. By the way, when the recipe calls for 1 can of pumpkin, they mean 1 small (15 oz) can.

I also served toffee using a recipe I've had for years...and I can't find it online, so I'll have to type it here.

TOFFEE

1 stick (1/2 cup) butter         1 cup brown sugar
1 cup pecans, chopped        1 cup  chocolate chips

Bring the butter and brown sugar to a boil over medium heat and boil for 5 minutes. Stir occasionally.

Pour over 1 cup of chopped pecans that have been sprinkled into the bottom of a buttered 9 x 9 glass pan. Then sprinkle the top with 1 cup chocolate chips (I prefer milk chocolate to semi-sweet) and let melt for a few minutes. Spread melted chocolate evenly over the top and place in the fridge until the chocolate loses its glossy appearance. Let come to room temperature and break into irregular shaped pieces.


I also served a layered dip, but I can't find the recipe online. Since it's from a cookbook and I don't want to break any copywrite laws (can anyone fill me in on that???), I will just give the general instructions.

LAYERED ARTICHOKE DIP has alternating layers of a cream cheese and ranch dip packet mix and an artichoke and roasted red pepper mix. Serve with crackers.

I also served the old stand-by of fruit and dip.

FRUIT DIP

Mix 1 (8 oz) package of cream cheese with 1 cup of packed brown sugar until the sugar dissolves. Serve with fruit (apples, bananas, grapes...) .

my washer died this morning

We've had our washer for 19 1/2 years, so I can't say I was totally surprised that it died. I put in an extra-large load. It filled with water, and then nothing happened. Luckily it was a cold water load, so no hot water was wasted. The last time that happened (which was a couple of years ago, I believe) the repairman said that if it died again that we should just buy a new one.

I was surprised the washer went before the fridge (also 19 1/2 years old), because the fridge has been acting up. The temperature controls are very touchy...trying to find the happy medium between frozen milk or warm milk. We also had it fixed a few years ago and that repairman also said that the next time it died, to get a new fridge. So, I'm planning on getting it replaced before it totally dies so as not to cause a major inconvenience. Maybe by the end of the week, even. Since I am having Intervention at my house on Friday, it would be really nice to have it by then, but we'll see.

Of course, the appliance that I have been waiting for years to die still seems to be going strong: our oven (which is only 17 1/2).

I "splurged" and bought the front loading washer and dryer. I just hope they are as wonderful as everyone says. I think my favorite feature just might be that it tells you how many minutes are left until the load is finished. Oh, and the dryer has a drying rack for shoes and things that need to lie flat when they are dried. I have already used this feature today.

On the one hand, I hate dipping into our savings. On the other hand, I am so glad we don't have to go into debt to buy new appliances.