Easy Dips and Cinnamon Minis

Good Tuesday morning!

ANNOUNCEMENT, ANNOUNCEMENT - Hey, guys! The total for August (number of hits on A Simple Life) was 1,191!!! YEA! Thanks again for helping me reach my goal.

The Gallery pics are once again of Roxie's volleyball game. Mike and I are having to divide and conquer Monday nights because Josh plays his JV game the same time Roxie plays her volleyball games. Mike went to Thompson last night, and I'll get to go to his game in two weeks. We'll just have to trade off.

Roxie's team won both of their matches against Irondale and Bottenfield. The Gardendale JV team also won 26-13 against Thompson. Josh played several times during the evening and even made a tackle. They called out his number (92), but the announcer didn't have the roster so they couldn't say, "Tackle made by Faulkner Number 92" over the loudspeaker. We're so proud of him. One day at a time... one day at a time.

NOTE TO LEANNA - I didn't raise him to be a well-balanced, able-to-live-on-his-own, happy individual. I raised him to be a very miserable, I-never-want-to-leave-home-and-I'll-die-if-you-try-to-make-me, dependent kind of person. I don't know where I went wrong. (But happy or not... he's wiping that silly grin off his face next week when he leaves the house. There are some things you just have to learn to fake!)

Topic of the Day - Everyone Has a Story

I know I said I had two topics this week, but it has sort of turned into three little ones. If you'll bear with me, maybe one day I'll let you pick the topic for the week... or not.

I had the privilege of meeting several new people last week, which is very rare for me. I've known the same people for decades now, some better than others. And for me to meet AND talk to AND get to know several people in a period of two or three days is pretty amazing (Code for ODD).

Three of these women touched my heart with their stories. The stories of their lives. The stories of their families. The stories of their struggles. The stories of their perseverance. They were inspiring. And all I had to do was listen.

It has just been in recent months I've been able to focus and listen for any length of time to other people. One of my doctors said it wasn't unusual, and through the isolation of Josh's illness, I lost some of my own social skills. Although I tried to concentrate on what another person was saying, after a few minutes I would literally get a headache trying to keep eye contact with the person. It was exhausting. And I felt terrible because it seemed a very selfish way to behave. (As I said, I have improved over the last few months, but I'm still not where I need to be.)

When the idea first came to me to start A Simple Life, my main reason for doing so was to be able to talk to someone... anyone out in cyberspace. It didn't matter. I just needed to say something to someone every day. I needed to tell my story. It didn't matter if it was incredibly interesting or moving or poignant or funny. I just needed to talk... and talk a lot.

DISCLAIMER - In saying the above, it doesn't mean that Mikie wasn't a sounding board for me the past four years. He was, is and will always be my main confidante. That being said, it's a lot of pressure for a man to be the ONLY person his wife can ever talk to. And that's not even taking into account the fact he's a guy and he doesn't even understand some of the girl stuff I'm going through. (Can you say peri-menopause?) He did great, but it was too big a job for him alone.

ANOTHER DISCLAIMER - Also in saying the above, it doesn't mean I didn't pray or have conversations with God during the past four years. I most certainly did. And he answered so many of my prayers in astounding ways. But, being a woman created by God, there was a need to talk to other women. Girls are made that way. God made us that way for a reason.

In talking about stories, I just want to point out everyone has a story... and not just any old story, but a story worth sharing. Most people are like me... they just need someone who will listen. And that being said, I know I NEED to become a better listener. There is so much to gain from listening.

There is comfort in knowing you're not the only one going through a similar difficult time. There is joy in knowing there are people who think the same way you do. And there is a great, great release when the person you've been listening to stops to let you have a turn to share.

I was thinking about Steel Magnolias earlier this week. Dolly Parton's character (the town hairdresser) was talking to one of the other ladies about Annelle (Darryl Hannah's character). When Dolly was asked questions about Annelle's history she couldn't answer yet, she replied, "I don't know, but I think there's a story there."

There's a story in all of us. We just need to find the right friend to listen... and then return the favor by listening to their story as well.

"My dear brothers, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry." James 1:19.

Easy Dips and Cinnamon Minis

The following little recipes are from one of the books I mentioned during the last two Fridays, Cooking Up Fun in the Kitchen by Emilie Barnes. These are easy enough for your child to prepare with just a little supervision from mom.

Nut 'n' Honey Dip

1/3 cup peanut butter
1/3 cup honey
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

Mix all the ingredients together in a bowl. This dip is great for apples, pears and carrot sticks. You can also try spreading it on bread and eating it as a sandwich.

Sweet Cream Dip

1 8-ounce package of cream cheese
1/3 cup undiluted apple juice or orange juice concentrate
Pinch of cinnamon
2-3 tablespoons chopped pecans (optional)

Put cream cheese in a bowl and mash it with a fork until it is smooth. Stir in juice, nuts and cinnamon and stir until combined. Try this one with pineapple chunks, strawberries, bananas and grapes.

Chocolate-Berry Dip

1 can prepared chocolate frosting
1/2 jar raspberry or strawberry jam

1. Spoon frosting and jam together into the bowl or cup.

2. Microwave on high about 3 to 4 minutes or until the jam is dissolved, stopping the microwave every minute to stir.

3. When the frosting and jam are completely mixed, put the bowl into the refrigerator to chill. This dip is great with berries and cherries, or try dipping vanilla cookies or angel-food cake chunks.

Cinnamon Minis

1 package refrigerated biscuit dough (the kind that comes in a round can in the dairy case)
1 stick butter, softened
3 tablespoons cinnamon
3 tablespoons sugar
A little flour for rolling the dough
1/2 cup powdered sugar for icing
Water

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Sprinkle a little flour on the surface where you are going to roll the biscuits and on the rolling pin. Tear off a sheet of waxed paper and put it on another counter.

2. Open the can of refrigerated biscuit dough and take out one of the biscuits. Put it on the rolling surface and roll it flat with the rolling pin. Don't worry if it rolls around the pin; just peel it off. Pretty soon you'll have a flat, oval pancake.

3. When the biscuit is pretty flat, pick it up and stretch it with your fingers until it's a rectangle instead of an oval. Pull at the corners. You want a rectangle about the size of a 3 x 5 index cared. Put it down on the waxed paper and spread it thickly with softened butter.

4. Mix the cinnamon and granulated sugar together in a bowl. With a spoon, carefully spoon some of this mixture onto the flattened-out biscuit. Try to sprinkle it evenly and thickly and cover the whole biscuit up to the edge.

5. Start at one of the short edges of the biscuit rectangle and carefully roll it up into a sausage shape. Lay it on the waxed paper with the "seam" down and gently stretch it with your fingers to make it a little longer and skinnier. Then use a sharp knife to cut the "sausage" into 6 pieces. Pick them up with your fingers and put them around the edge of an ungreased cake pan, sides touching. Don't worry if one of them "unwinds"; just roll it back up again.

6. If you want a Cinnamon Mini snack, you can go ahead and bake these six now. If you're cooking for a crowd, repeat steps 2 through 5 until you've used up all the biscuits. You will fill the whole of one cake pan and maybe part of another. Let them touch, but don't crowd them.

7. Bake your pan of Cinnamon Minis for about 8 minutes, until they are puffed up and golden brown. Take them from the oven and put on a heatproof surface to cool while you make the icing.

8. To make Cinnamon Mini icing, put 1/2 cup powdered sugar in a small bowl. Add a few teaspoons of water and stir with a wire whisk. Add more water a little at a time, stirring after every addition, until you have a thick white frosting. (It doesn't take much water.) When the icing is mixed, use a knife to dot a little on every warm Cinnamon Mini. Let the icing set, then use a spatula to remove them from the pan to a serving tray.

And that's just a small sampling of the good stuff in all of the Emilie Barnes books. Enjoy a dip today!

Have a lovely Tuesday. In case you missed the news, it is in the 50s outside this morning... FALL WEATHER. Just a tease... I know, I know. But I still don't want to miss it. We may have chili tonight... from my Power Cooking Class... that I talked about on Monday. (I'll have to make my own cornbread, but I'm not complaining. I know I sound like it, but I'm really not!) Check in tomorrow for a Seasonal Tradition, another challenge for ALL of us (me included), and a little randomness here and there.

Take care, and I'll talk to you tomorrow.

Sincerely,

The Enchanting Belinda