Fix Broken Lollipops

The face of a two-year-old weeping over a broken lollipop is nearly unbearable. That angelic face led me to the Internet a few days ago in search of a way to repair the shattered confection. So here you go, in the event you encounter the same emergency.

1. Heat oven to 325°F.
2. Crush candy bits inside a Ziploc bag with a rolling pin, hammer, or similar whacking tool. The smaller the bits, the faster they will melt, but bigger bits we've prettier colors. Decide which you prefer.
3. Spray nonstick spray in cupcake liners or cupcake pans or candy molds or whatever you choose for your shape. I used cupcake liners, even though I knew that would leave a ridged edge.
4. Pour crushed candy bits into your molds.
5. Bake in preheated oven approximately 10 minutes. Keep an eye on it, because time will vary depending on the size of the mold and the size of your crushed candy bits.
6. When the bits are melted, take them out and let them cool couple of minutes. Then either insert the sticks into the molds, or wait until they are cool enough to handle, but still soft, and pop them out to stick the sticks in. (I did not have any lollipop handles, so I used chopsticks from the Chinese restaurant I found in the back of my silverware drawer. I snipped a tiny hole in the paper cupcake liners and poked the sticks through it into the candy.)

I assume this technique would work well for leftover bits of any hard candy. May the joy return to the face of your little one!

Whipped feta? Yes, please!

A friend inspired my bedtime snack this evening - home grown Heirloom tomatoes with whipped feta and black Hawaiian sea salt on crostini. Delish! Next time, I think I'll try whipped goat cheese. (For the whipped feta, I blended 8 ozs. room temp feta with 3 ozs. room temp cream cheese and a little splash of olive oil in the food processor until creamy.)

Rosemary

I love the flavor of rosemary, but I hate the little woody twigs in my food. I have texture issues - my husband teases me relentlessly. My solution? I put the rosemary into my coffee grinder and pulverize it to a fine powder. Hurray! Delicious flavor without the annoying twigs.

Costco Dipped Ice Cream Bars

Did you know that the Costco snack shop does hand-dipped ice cream bars? I remember seeing them on the menu near the frozen yogurt sundaes, but have never ordered one, and have never seen anyone else with one. My secretary brought some into the office today, and these things are incredible. They are huge and delicious. Definitely worth a try!

Tomato poachers

Something is eating my tomatoes. Squirrel, maybe? Has anyone had luck deterring squirrels? If so, how?

Corn Dog Dip

Pathfinders Corn Dog Dip

• 2 oz jar pimientos (optional)
• 1 C. mayonnaise
• 4 green onions, with tops (or equivalent red/yellow onion)
• 1/4 large bell pepper (green or orange)
• 1 t. salt
• 1 t. lemon juice (fresh)
• 1 pint (2 C.) cottage cheese
• 3 T. dill pickle relish 
• 2 t. yellow prepared mustard
• dash garlic powder
• dash onion powder
• dash cayenne pepper
• 2 t. worcestershire sauce 

You can also add some turmeric for color and extra nutrition. Blend all ingredients in food processor until smooth. Makes about a quart. Super yummy.


For a vegan version, replace Vegenaise for mayo, silken tofu for cottage cheese, and Bragg's Aminos for worcestershire.

I used Loma Linda Linketts for the dogs, per Adventist tradition, but it'd be great on meat dogs or other veggie-foods, too. This is the batter recipe we used. Very delish.

Today's Magic Loaf

Still cooking, so have no idea how good it is -- might be terrible!

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup cashews
• 2 TB olive oil
• One onion, diced
• One large garlic clove, minced
• One large carrot, peeled and grated
• Two celery ribs, diced
• 2 cups cooked garbanzo beans, partly mashed
• 1 cup uncooked quick oatmeal or oat bran
• 1/4 to 1/2 cup tomato juice, as needed
• 3 TB tapioca flour
• 1/2 tsp. dried sage
• 1 tsp. dried basil
• 1/4 cup minced fresh parsley
• 2 TB nutritional yeast flakes
• Several dashes vegetarian Worcestershire Sauce
• Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 1 tsp. vegetarian chicken-style seasoning

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350º. Spray a loaf pan or 8x8 square baking pan with nonstick spray and set aside (an 8x8 pan makes a crisper loaf).

Grind the cashews into a coarse meal using a food processor or spice/coffee grinder. Place in a large mixing bowl and set aside.

Sauté any vegetables you've chosen in the olive oil until soft. Add to the large mixing bowl along with all the remaining ingredients. Mix and mash together well, adding only as much liquid as needed to create a soft, moist loaf that holds together and is not runny (you may not need to add any liquid if the grains and protein are very moist). Add more binder/carbohydrate as needed if the loaf seems too wet.

Press mixture into the prepared pan and bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until cooked through.

Let the loaf cool in the pan for 10 to 15 minutes, then turn out onto a plate or platter and slice. Serve with potatoes, vegetables, and vegetarian gravy, if desired.

Cold leftover slices of make a great sandwich filling.