kimberly

Buttercream.....aaahhh. To 5 lbs. of buttercream I add 4 oz. of salted butter and 4 oz. of unsalted butter. It has to be butter, not the fake stuff. Have both butters at room temperature. I chop them up together. I take a couple handfulls of fondant (I work on the slab, work on whatever you have to help prevent sticking) break it up, take a handful of butter rub it into the fondant. You literally have to knead the butter and fondant together and work out the little clumps of fondant. Make sure it is incorporated. The fondant will be very sticky for a while. But as you work the fondant and butter together it will take on the form of properly kneaded bread dough. You know how when you first start to knead dough it is sticky but the more you knead it it will become less sticky. Making buttercream (and fondant for that matter) works the same way. I set that ball aside then go on to the next little batch until I have all the fondant worked together in a few buttercream balls. Then I put it all together to make one big ball and knead all that together to make sure all is incorporated. It will not be sticky and the buttercream will pull together perfectly leaving the work surface clean. When I first started making fondant and buttercream the process took me 3 hours for one batch. Now I can cook the fondant and make buttercream in one hour. Not only can the buttercream be used for cakes but for the centers of candy.

This is how I make fondant: 3 lbs. sugar 3 cups water (I use distilled) 1/2 cup light corn syrup Put all in a heavy duty stainless steel pot. Bring to a boil. Stir at first a couple of times when almost to a boil to help incorporate mixture and sugar to dissolve. Boil (a medium high, you don't want it splattering out of the pot) until the temp reaches 230 degrees. This will take about 10 or 15 minutes. During the boiling process you will need to keep the sugar off the side of the pan. Use a boar's hair brush, dip it in a cup of water just to barely wet the bristles and wipe around the inside of the pot as the mixture cooks down. You have to stay with this cooking mixture!!! When the temp reaches 230 degrees (it will still be a clear mixture) you have to pour it out into a form that will contain it while it cools down. I stapled together oak slats (UNTREATED) used for molding that are 1/2 inch high. The form is 18x12. I place the form on a granite slab. If you don't have a granite slab a silicone pastry pad will work. Do not use wax paper. Pour the mixture into the form. The mixture will begin to cool and change color. When it starts to become solid and cool enough to handle you have to pull it like taffy. That is the best way I know to explain it. As it cools it will turn white. It will come to a point when it becomes a solid mass and you can not pull it anymore. It will be solid white. For those wondering what to do for upper body exercise this is it. At this state it will keep 3 months in an airtight container. If your enviroment is dry the fondant will appear hard, dry and crumbly. Do not fret. It warms up with body heat as you touch and knead it. If your enviroment is humid the fondant will take on that quality. I prefer that as it is quite a bit easier to work. So when I am pulling the fondant as it is originally cooling I have a pot of water boiling on the stove. After you knead it to a soft stage you can roll it out and "ice" cakes. Do not despair when first trying this. It will take some work and arm muscle at first. I assure you the quality is far superior to store bought stuff. Now out of this fondant recipe you can make buttercream.

I think it is funny.....flipflops and underwear. That would be truly feelin' free indeed. Geico might be interested in them.

Cooks Illustrated, Jan./Feb. 2008 issue has a recipe very similiar to this although not speedy, yet almost no knead. The website has a two minute instructional video. What is so fun about baking bread is that you can make it what you want. Lots of dill or basil or salt or any herb or combination makes it something different everytime. Yummy, yum, yummy, yum.....

Well, the beans, peas, squash, peppers, onions, potatoes and jalapenos produced prolifically. We won't go hungry this winter. I planted the tomatoes in a new spot. That spot must not have been limed well enough. Usually, I can judge better than that without having a soil sample tested. The maters were smaller than usual. Tons and tons of small maters. They canned up nicely, though. The fall garden has done quite well due to MUCH needed precipitation here in the rain starved southeast, though we need much more. The lake is down 20 feet. The collard and mustard greens have been plentiful. I told you I was a southern girl!! We cut the lettuce and it keeps on coming back even though we have had several frosts. For the first time I planted snow peas in the fall and they have produced wonderfully. Well, homegrown farmers/gardeners, it is near sleepy time for the soil here. I won't be plantiing again until February. I so look forward to spring. And for those of you who live in southern California or Florida or Texas or other closer to the equator states who get to garden and grow all year long...I am jealous.

I like this i. e., saying what we think about a verse without being called posessed or tripped out or out of fellowship. Anyway... cman, I think the answer you may be looking for is in the verses following verse 18. DWW, Moses did not change anything to law, their Lord Jehovah changed it. The law was rigid only to those such as stated in vs 32. The Law had to come. Jesus Christ fulfilled all the Law. "I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth." 3John 1:4

7 years, $161 mil.....I am in the wrong business.

Mary Ann Hendricks turned me on to Spike Seasoning. I love it, love it, especially in squash casserole.

Dagdurndabbit, if I ever have me some grandbabies the whole world will know it.

HAPe4me, you don't have to apologize for anything. You are helping a friend give the parents something they want. Geez, anything my mama or daddy wants I see to it they have regardless if I agree with their likes or dislikes. HAPe4me, you are a good person, you are a good friend.

Gophers and moles and voles, OH MY!!! Who needs lions and tigers and bears, huh? Ain't we funny.

John Knapp posted a new topic on TheWay thread dated the second of this month. I was logged in last night and two nights before that, yet the topic did not show up until I logged in tonight. This has never happened before. What could be the reason for that?

Holy smacks, WordWolf, thank you for explaining so simply. I believe I can do it now. Thanky, honey..... Now i am going to practice on your reply to me.....

There was much funk, bunk and junk going on in twi and some major issues with leadership trying to boss us around. The few twigs I was in was a haven. We were a close family. That part of the twi.....I loved the ride. Have never found fellowship like that since.

So you are living in Florida celebrating your birthday....let me worship at your feet!!! Florida my birth place. Florida, the place I love the most. You go birthday girl!!!!!

Last year son and daughter-in-law (well, last Christmas she wasn't daughter-in-law, yet) gave me a a large frame of different pictures they had taken of all of us at different family gatherings. One photograph I had repeatedly asked for a copy. I finally quit asking. When I unwrapped the gift low and behold right smack dab in the middle of the frame was that picture blown up. I sobbed. That was the most beautiful and thoughtful gift. The frame could have been made of gold and it would still be far less precious to me than the photos of my children throughtout the year and the love and thought that was put into it. It still brings me to tears. We decided to start a tradition with that.....taking pictures during the year and putting them together for a gift at the end of the year.

Well, bro, Ron G, I didn't realized I missed your burfsday until I finally paid attention to this thread. Many more marvelous birthdays to you.

Rocky, you booger, keep on being you. Happeezzee burfdazzzz and many much more. I am so sorry I missed this thread before now.

How do I highlight what someone posts and put it in my post?

Cynic, Cheranne has passed you in posts and she just became a member this year!

Years ago I had a recipe for making ornaments out of corn starch. Mix it with a one other ingredient, a little water, roll out dough, cut out with cutters and bake. Then paint or use glitter.....decorate how ever you want. My sister and I still have most of these ornaments from 20 or more years ago. I am sure the recipe can be found on line somewhere. You can even use that mixture (plaster of paris?) the schools have the children make their handprints out of. Hey, there's an idea!!! About 10 years ago we were really broke due to hubby's illness. I went to Goodwill store and bought a couple of toys for our 5 year old. I cleaned them up and he thought he had new toys. Last week I was in there and bought a Little Tikes baby stroller WITH the baby doll and two sets of doll clothes for $4.00. I swear all must have just been taken out of the box and never played with. They are perfect!! This along with a couple of other gifts will be given to our little Abigail from Angel Tree Ministries. Nursing homes.....the residents love when children visit. It is amazing how sensitive and intuitive children are with the seniors. Call ahead and make an appointment to just go in and talk to the seniors. The children could draw/paint pictures for them or just simply read to them. They love it when you bring family pictures. My youngest plays piano. He goes several times a year and plays for them. Many nursing homes have an adopt a senior program. Not just for Christmas but all year long. It is heartbreaking how many of them are forgotten by their families or do not have families. This is what I am doing for my grown sons.....I am cooking for them. I am making Italian sauce, vegetable soup, chicken noodle soup, tomato florentine soup, chicken/broccoli/rice casserole, macaroni/cheese pie, squash casserole, and chicken-n-dumplins for gifts. I cook two of everything, wrap, label, and date. I have done this the last two years and they love it!!! And so does daughter-in-law! Expensive? NO! I have a deep freezer so I start stocking up on certain items in June or July. I garden and do a lot of canning and freezing of the vegetables. Dumplins and pasta are homemade, so pshew, flour and water with an egg or two cost next to nothing. Like the Grinch said tonight....."maybe....Christmas doesn't come from a store." Bramble you are making memories for your children. They will always treasure that.

I wish I knew how to highlight what another posted and put it here...but what Geisha said in the entire paragraph that starts with..."In part sickness CAN be..." is so profound. We can and do bring a lot of stuff on ourselves. Example.....eat KFC everyday, tater chips, processed foods, drink a six pack of soda pops, smoke a gazillion cigarettes everyday and never exercise. We have health problems? Noohh??? Go figger... God "allowed" it? "Allowing" would be more fitting in the doctrinal forum as I re-think about posting here concerning that issue. TWI would not win a humanitarian award for reaching out and touching the leper. We remember that teaching.....it was in word only. Really, were we taught application...heart of that? TWI had no flippin clue...it would first have to be analized to find out who committed the sin then analized some more.

LindaZ, thanks for the memory lifter. Geez, that was some time ago. Fuzzy, yes fuzzy. I think that was the last year the ROA was at the Sydney fairgrounds. Matilda, your post reminded me of my helluva good time. Some not so..but for the most part. ".....there was a very strong sense of community among us, very real and very abiding. I miss the heart and soul of that." I echo those sentiments. Jackie and I were talking about that today. Geez, we were young, innocent and just wanted to do what was right in the sight of the Lord.

You know what I remember about my first ROA? Elvis died. That is what I associate with my first ROA. I don't remember any teachings, songs, who I camped with (now that I am racking my brain I think it was Jackie and Cheryl. I will have to call Jackie tomorrow and ask her) or how I arrived there. Fuzzy, yes fuzzy. No, I was not on drugs...funny, har, har...I was in a laundrymat in New Knoxville??? Yeh, I know you don't know where I was either. It came on the television in the laundrymat that Elvis had died. Kuhraaazzzyyy, Elvis died while I was at my first ROA. That was a sign of things to come.