Microwave Peanut Brittle

I have made this handy and easy recipe for years. I made three batches this morning in less than an hour while getting ready to go to town.

1 c. sugar
1/2 c. white corn syrup
1 c. roasted, salted peanuts
1 tsp. butter
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 tsp. baking soda

Stir sugar and syrup together in a 1 1/2 qt. casserole and micro on Hi 4 min. Stir in peanuts. Mocro on Hi 3-5 min until light brown. Start checking after 3 min. so you don't overbrown peanuts. Add butter and vanilla to syrup, blending well. Micro on Hi 1-2 min. Peanuts should be lightly browned and syrup VERY HOT. (Use care.) Add baking soda and gently stir until light and foamy. Quickly pour mixture onto lightly greased cookie sheet and spread with spatula. Let cool. Break into small pieces. Store in airtight container.

Our friend Loy makes pounds and pounds of peanut brittle every year and gives it out in gallon bags as gifts. His brittle is very thick but "airy". A good choice if you know someone who has trouble chewing the regular stuff. Not a good choice if you love peanut brittle, because it makes it easier to eat it more quickly.

Loy's Missouri Sky High Peanut Brittle Variation

Make as above, but use appx. 1 TBSP. of baking soda, and do not spread brittle after pouring it out onto the pan. (See picture-Loy's PB on right, regular version on left.)

Trio of Snowmen

I saw the idea for these three snowmen in an old Better Homes and Gardens craft book. They were felted wool Christmas ornaments. I thought their simple designs could be a fun winter drawing project. I used an 8 1/2 x 11 sheet of paper cut or folded vertically. A folded paper makes a nice card. (Cardstock works well.) I used a cup or lid to fit the space and outlined it in three circles in a vertical row, drawing lightly for ease in erasing.

Still using the pencil, have the kids draw the carrot noses and add eyes to each circle. On the top snowman near the "neck" area, add two short vertical lines and two curved horizontal lines to connect the vertical lines for the scarf. Add scarf designs (stripes or circles, etc.)

In the middle circle, draw a round earmuff where an ear would be, and make a curved line from the top of the muff to the middle top of the head. Curve it a little to make it look rounded.

On the bottom circle make a band for the cap brim, like the scarf, only narrower and across the top of the circle. Add a half circle above the hat brim for the top of the cap. Add a small half circle at the middle top for a pom-pom, if desired.

Erase between all overlapping pencil lines where hat, muff, scarf and noses cross over the original head circles. Most kids need help with this, but it is an important art concept to teach them. It makes things look like they are in-front-of or behind other things. After erasing overlapping lines, outline all lines with black marker. Color in details with desired colors and designs in your choice of media. I used watercolor, some of the other pictures shown used markers and colored pencils. If you are using a wet media, you might want to use a black permanent marker to outline. Kids' markers will run if wetted.

Emphasize that snowman faces need to stay white. One of my artist testers made his all gray or black, which did not highlight the snowman idea!

If desired, make a narrow frame around the outside edge of the three snowman heads (See top picture.) Coloring in the background will emphasize the snowy look. Bottom three pictures by W-7, M-10, Mira-4

Pre-Christmas Christmas

We had a little early Christmas with the The O cousins. Lissa was home, so we had a gift exchange today before the weather got icky. (They are predicting 12 inches. So far just sloppy snow and slush.) There were also gifts from cousin Piper. We sent ours up to her earlier last week. It was fun to spend some relaxed time together.

Aunts

We all stopped to see Aunt Marilyn today. We had Christmas mail from her daughter. We also visited Husband's Aunt Mary who lives in the same home.

Santa Flowers!

I went to town with Santa today, and he bought me flowers! I have to wait a couple of days for the rest of his purchases.

Winter Wonderland

The frost on Sunday chilled the church landscape. (pix by L.)

Checking the Packages

Everything's wrapped. Counting how many and for whom!

Dan and Abby

Whoever could got together at Grandma's last night to see cousin Daniel and his wife Abby. They are from Seattle and are soon to go to Germany where Abby will be a nurse in the service.

1.) W. and cousin Burke

2.)back:Cousins Daniel, Kris, A., Mike, Nathan. front:Abby, W., M., Andrea, L., and Nicholas

3.)back: Husband, Brian, Al, Daniel, Glenn. front: Myself, Dena, Lorna, Abby, Gaylin

Friends and Nutty Cousins

The best kind.

Top to bottom: 1.) Angela and A. 2.) Holly and A. 3.) W., M., Brittney, Spencer and L.

Christmas Program

A nice program. Everyone did their parts well.

L to R 1.) Landon K, Brim L., Brittney M., Laken K., L. Spencer M., M., Jacob G., Rhig L.

2.) Rhig, M, Jacob 3.) W., Brim, Landon