HAM AND CRANBERRY CREAM CHEESE SANDWICHES

1/2 Cup Cream Cheese, best if using the tub cream cheese
1/2 Cup Whole Berry Cranberry Sauce
4 Slices Cinnamon Swirl Bread, crust removed
6 Slices Thin Slice Smoked Ham or Turkey around 11/2 Lbs.

Combine cream cheese and cranberry sauce, mixing well. Spread a heaping teaspoon of the cream cheese mixture onto each bread slice. Top half of the bread pieces with two slices of the meat. Place remaining bread, cream cheese side down, onto meat. Cut each sandwich into four trianles using a sharp knife.

HOW TO HANG A GROUP OF SMALL PICTURES

Do you have a group of small pictures you would like to hang but hat to make so many holes in the walls trying to get them hung right and spaced out right.
Take and measure the wall where you want to hang them, the with and length.
Then take some wax paper and tape it together to make the wall size you want to use.
Put the pictues on the wax paper ever how close together or far apart.
Work with them until you get them right.
Flip the pictures over so that the hangers are faceing up. Now take another piece of wax paper and put over the pictues the size of the bottom one. Put a dot with a marker where the picture hangers are.
Take the wax paper and put a piece of scotch tape on each side of it. Hang this on the wall after you have got it straight.
 Make sure the tape will not damage the wall. Take a nail or screw where the dots are drive it into the wall. Take down the wax paper and then hang up the pictures. They should be the way you want them to look.

BANANA BUNDT CAKE WITH CARAMEL GLAZE AND WALNUTS

11/2 Cup Sugar
1 Cup Sour Cream
2 Eggs
4 Tablespoons Butter, softened
4 Mashed Over Ripe Bananas around 11/2 cups
1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
2 Cups Flour
1/2 Teaspoon Salt
1 Teaspoon Baking Soda 

Caramel Glaze
Candied Walnuts for garnish

Prepare the candied walnuts. Sit aside.
 Position rack in center of oven. Preheat oven to 350°F. Prepare a 10-1/2-cup Bundt pan by spraying with cooking spray. Set aside.
With a mixer, cream together sugar and softened butter. Add eggs one at a time and beat until well incorporated. In a medium mixing bowl, mash bananas. Add vanilla and sour cream. Combine flour, salt and baking soda. Add flour mixture to creamed mixture alternating with banana mixture (beginning and ending with dry ingredients) until well combined. Do not over mix. Pour into prepared Bundt pan. Bake for 45-50 minutes, until a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool on rack for 5-10 minutes, then turn cake out onto serving plate. Cool completely. When cooled, prepare glaze and pour over cake. Sprinkle glaze with chopped candied walnuts.

Caramel Glaze:
4 Tbsp butter
1 cup brown sugar, packed
1/4 cup evaporated milk
1 tsp vanilla

Bring brown sugar, butter, and milk to a boil in a 2-qt. saucepan over medium heat, whisking constantly; boil 1 minute, whisking constantly. Remove from heat; stir in vanilla. Whisk for 3 to 5 minutes or until mixture begins to cool and thickens slightly. Pour immediately over cooled cake.

Candied Walnuts:
½ lb walnuts halves
½ c granulated sugar
1/8 tsp salt
1 tsp ground cinnamon
3 Tbsp evaporated milk
1/2 tsp vanilla

Preheat oven to 350°F. Spread nuts in a single layer over parchment-lined baking sheet. Roast for approximately 8 to 10 minutes, or until the nuts start to turn brown and the smell of roasting nuts fills the kitchen. Stir together sugar, cinnamon, salt, and milk in a medium saucepan. Cook over medium-high heat for 6-8 minutes, or until the mixture reaches the soft ball stage of 236°F. Remove from heat, and stir in vanilla immediately. Add walnuts to syrup mixture, and stir to coat well. Spoon nuts back onto parchment-lined baking sheet, and immediately separate nuts with a fork. Cool, and store in airtight container.

BROKEN GLASS JELLO

4(3oz.) Boxes Assorted Jello (in coordinating colors)
2 Packets Unflavored Gelatin
14oz. Can Sweetened Condensed Milk


Spray 4 small food storage containers (like Gladware/Rubbermaid) with non-stick cooking spray. Set aside. Bring 4 cups of water to a boil. Combine 1 c. boiling water with 1 package of Jello, stirring until dissolved. Place the dissolved Jello in one of the prepared containers. Repeat with the remaining packages of Jello. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours, or overnight.
When the Jello has set, bring another 1 1/2 c. of water to a boil. While the water is heating, sprinkle 2 packets of unflavored gelatin over 1/2 c. of cold water. Allow to stand for about 4 minutes. When the water is boiling, pour 1 1/2 c. boiling water over the dissolved gelatin and stir to combine. Add the sweetened condensed milk and mix well.
 Allow to come to room temperature. Lightly spray a 9x13" pan with non-stick cooking spray. Carefully cut the colored Jello into cubes and gently toss to combine in the 9x13" pan.
Pour the cooled milk mixture over the colored Jello and, if necessary, rearrange some of the colored Jello to make sure it is evenly distributed and not sticking out of the white mixture too far. Place the 9x13" pan in the refrigerator and chill overnight. Cut into squares, rectangles, or various shapes and serve.

MANDARIN ORANGE JELLO SALAD

1 Large Pack Orange Jello
3 Cups Water
1 Large Box Cook and Serve Vanilla Pudding Mix
2 Small Cans or 1 Large Can Mandarin Oranges, drained
1 Pint Whipping Cream, whipped or (8oz.) Cool Whip

Cook together in a saucepan the pudding mix and water. Add jello and  stir good and then refrigerate until thickened, but not set. Add whipped cream or Cool Whip. Fold in mandarin oranges. Refrigerate until set.
You can also make this using sliced strawberries(fresh or frozen)  but not in syrup and bananas together.

POP BOTTLE SHOES

When going to our cuz sight on fb, as they are ministers, I was so shocked at a picture I saw on there.
It was a picture of a person across the water with a pair of shoes on. Now just what kind of shoes was these. They had took plastic drink or pop bottles and crushed them. They had got some string and made some straps on the shoes to hold them on like a pair of sandles. This is what they had to wear to keep their feet from getting so hot on the ground.
So how many pair of "REAL" shoes do you have to wear. Most of us ladies have a pair to match each outfit. All kinds of sandles to wear in the summer. Boots to wear in the winter. How thankful are we to have these. It really got to me to see this picture.
They do missionary work across the water and it is so sad that people do not have clothes and shoes like we do in Americia and also food to eat. We all may have hard times sometimes but our hard times is nothing compared to what they have to face in the third world countries.
 We should be so glad that we are able to have what we need and want.
I say want, as we can go out and eat about anytime we want to, have anything in our homes that we want, go out shopping any time we want and we really just take all of this for granted because we live in Americia.
 How many pairs of shoes, pants, dresses do you own. How many times do you clean out your closet each year during spring and fall. We just don't truly appricate what God gives us.
So when you see the Salvation Army ringing their bells for people at Christmas , put something in the pots as there are so many people that really do need help.
I have worked with non-profit org. that help people and it is sad that there are people who do not even have money to pay the huge electirc bills in the winter and have to get it cut off because of this.
There are people who do not have food and not get any food stamps. There are people who do not have coats to keep them warm.
So don't never take life for granted.
You could have a house fire and lose everything you own or maybe a flood come and lose everything that way.
I have been thu a flood and know all about losing everything. You are glad just to get back clothes and shoes to wear. You are glad to get back a bed or couch to sit on or a stove and ref. to use. This shows you what can happen in just a hour or two. And you never get back all that  you lose.
So don't forget to always lind a helping hand because we don't know from one week to the other what can happen to us.

GEARING UP FOR BLACK FRIDAY

Well it is that time of year again. Black Friday. It makes you feel like that you are way behind in your Christmas shopping even tho that is when it is supposed to began.
 With all of the stores opening up around here around 3 o'clock in the morning that means not much sleep for all us ladies.
My husband says you have got to be crazy to get up this early to go shop. Just like a man lol.
My daughter and I decided we would get up early last year as most stores were opening at 5. So here we go, grap us a parking place in front of Belk's to wait. We were the only ones there that early and was sort of scared. We pulled out our throws and got comfy. It did not take long for the car to get all steamed up and boy what a laugh we had.
But in just a little while in rolled more and more cars sitting waiting.
Then when it was about time to open we found out we had to go into the mall to get in.
So it did not pay us much good to sit and wait as there was a line aready almost out the door. But at least it was warm in there.
We went from there to Walmart. Found us a buggy and waited. She was wanting some DVD's and was in line and they started pushing her and her friend as they were up front and they both about got tramped on.
So that taught us a lesson. Don't be up front in no line because people will tramp you down.
 It was so hot we both got sick and just gave it up and left. But I have learned that the small Walmart's are better to go to and not the Super Centers. You can get what you want without all the hassle. I am sure it is like this at all stores including Target and all the major stores.
So this year I think we will wait and not get up so early as most of the time you can still get the bargins you want later on.
 I like to shop on Thanksgiving Day as there are not many people out and they have good sales that day also. I like to go to Walgreens as they always have good sales on for Thanksgiving day.
 Just be carefual and do not be up front and watch your bags as our friend was paying for a expensive camera and they had put it up on the top of the pad where you check out and a lady came along and grabbed it and ran out the door. They caught it on tape and they had to let her have another one.
 If it is dark don't be by yourself walking as we had a friend who got knocked down and they took her purse and she had to go to the hospital. Lucky she was not hurt to bad and recovered from being dragged in the street.
Don't forget to get that big cup of coffee to keep you pumped up because if you stood on your feet and cooked Thanksgiving I am sure you are very, very tired. I always take a vitiam b12 that day for sure. It will really help and give you some energy.
Make sure you were light clothing. It may be cold but trust me when everyone gets in the stores it gets so hot you can not hardly stand to stay in line. Hope everyone has a good Thanksgiving and Christmas.