SNOW!

Sunday I woke up and felt the urge to hit the road as soon as my feet hit the floor ;-) We traded our 4x in last week and bought a Highlander off-road car and I wanted to see what it would do on a long drive … and I wanted to visit Lake Tipsoo too before it was too late this year. So hubs made a fresh pot of coffee & filled the thermos while I dressed and started packing a lunch; I got the cream of the crop when I married this man :-D

At Packwood I needed a sugar lift, so I nipped into the store parking lot – and walked out with an 8 piece chicken order as well as the candy bar I went in for; LOL. Even though there was a lunch tucked behind the passenger seat, the chicken smelled soooo good, I just had to have some of that too :-)

Mt. Rainier seen from Packwood, WA

Packwood is the gateway to the Mt. Rainier National Park; the 3 Passes (White Pass, Chinook Pass & Cayuse Pass) are a little past the Park entrance. We’ll be taking Chinook Pass to reach the Lake, then going through Wenatchee National Forest before heading home via White Pass - this all makes a beautiful scenic loop back through Packwood.

I was anticipating the scenic beauty of the Lake, but I was not prepared at all for THIS sight! I squealed with delight, and Hubs laughed as he always does when I get excited about snow: I’m a genuine snowbaby … born in the snowy month of December; snow is in my blood and I am always happy to see it …

FRESH SNOWFALL!

SNOW, SNOW, SNOW; I am a happy day-tripper.

Mt. Rainier seen coming into Chinook Pass.

This is bear country – last time we were day-tripping up here, a black bear ran across the road right in front of our 4x pickup truck as we were approaching the parking area at Lake Tipsoo.

The snow at the lake was melting in the hot sunshine, but it was still icy and slick due to all the foot traffic, and there was still quite a bit of snowfall on the ground – fairly deep in some places – so there had been a significant snowfall earlier in the week. I wish we had been up here when it was falling! But, this pleasant surprise is better than nothing …

Fresh ice-packed-snowfall at Lake Tipsoo.

This little foot bridge leading out of the parking lot makes me smile every time I see it because I used to pantomime Billy Goats Gruff here with our granddaughter Alyna when she was about 3 years old. I had hoped to be able to bring Azariah here and replay the whole thing at the same age, but that doesn't look like it will ever happen - it's a complicated situation.

Little pond before we reach Lake Tipsoo; overflow from Lake Tipsoo also drains into this pond under another footbridge.

Upper end of Lake Tipsoo.

Second footbridge; here we begin our mile and a half long hike around the Lake.

Have I mentioned how excited I am to see all this fresh snowfall? In all the visits we’ve made here over the years, we've never been here when there was snow on the ground. I felt like a kid visiting a mysterious wonderland even though this place is a familiar place … today it feels wonderfully brand new and mysterious:

Hubs saw a little dark colored frog duck under a corner of the crusty snow here and pointed it out to me; it will probably be digging in and hibernating in the lake’s mud by the end of next week ...

Fresh snow hugging the watery bank of the Lake.

Had we known there was fresh snowfall here, we would have brought our boots with us. But it wasn't too bad - our feet stayed relatively dry the whole hike with strategic foot placement:

Slick icy snow patches and deep watery puddles were on the trail all the way around the lake – it was treacherous in places for soft sided sneakers, so careful footing was of paramount importance.

Brilliant red Fall foliage. So pretty against the blinding white snow in the bright sunlight.

I slid a bit on the slippery trail here, and torqued my back some; the sunshine had turned the trail to a thick ice hazard. I made a mental note to make sure our walking sticks are always in the car from now on for occasions like this where they are greatly needed. It was encouraging to hear that I was not the only one squawking when my feet slid on the slick stuff – the hills resoundingly echoed with other excited and unprepared visitors having the same trail issues …

Walking the trail got increasingly riskier ... but we managed okay.

Mt. Rainier peeking over the prettily frosted alpine meadow surrounding Lake Tipsoo.

The Lake is already experiencing seasonal shrinkage; in the Spring and early Summer months it is full of water lapping at the edges of the walking trail.

Mt. Rainer from the bend of the Lake ... heading around the backside.

Such a pretty place to be today. Despite the snow, it is actually fairly warm with a 65-degree temperature.

I could live in the mountains and never feel like I was missing anything. Solitude suits me just fine - and the alpine beauty is breathtaking.

Unfortunately my husband does not share my sentiments for tranquil solitude (he likes bright lights and social activity), so I have to console myself with periodic visits to the preferred high country:

Coming to the end of the loop hike; this is my favorite spot on the whole trail.  For months I long to be PART OF this captivating atmosphere ... and for 5 minutes – in this moment, in this place – I am.

And then, too soon, we are on the road again leaving Lake Tipsoo behind and heading towards White Pass via the Wenatchee route. Typical snow closures for this Pass usually begins sometime in November, so I am glad we got to visit Lake Tipsoo this past Sunday before it is closed for the season. We'll see Mr. Rainer again in 2018 sometime. As early as possible - as soon as the Winter snow melts and the roads open again …

And then just up the road a piece and around the corner we ‘girded our loins’, so to speak, as we headed into Sasquatch country. Seriously - this is the region we heard him in. Mockers can scoff all they want to, but we are bonafide believers after that hair-raising camping trip in the Pleasant Valley Campground of Chinook Pass (https://jeastofeden.blogspot.com/2017/10/sasquatch-garlic.html):

This is where the Sasquatch event took place.

I had planned to snap a few pictures of the desolate wilderness area to post, but the access was locked up tight …

Pleasant Valley Campground closed for the season. Sasquatch will have solitude for a few months. LOL

Moving on, and relieved to be doing so; I was momentarily stunned and positively awed by the sudden sight of the brilliant bright yellow and softly muted gold of the seasonal turning of the Larch needles and the quaking Aspen leaves. 2 wonderful surprises in 1 day! Elohei certainly was favoring me this past Sunday :-D I should have taken pictures of all those beautifully brilliant trees a lot sooner than I did (by the time I did snap pics the trees had pretty much dwindled to nothing), but to be honestly truthful, my mind was so held captive by all the unexpected color that it took me a while to snap out of the astonishment – I think Fall will be my favorite time to come this way again, I mean, snow and bright leaves! Yes, definitely a Fall mini-vaca to schedule for future daytrips this way ;-)

Natches Aspen trees in all their golden Fall splendor; I was LOVING this road trip!

We left the forests behind and entered the high desert area. Both places have their own beauty, and both gladden my heart.

In White Pass we were rerouted to a detour along the Tieton Reservoir Road; it appears the reservoir is extremely low on water - this entire upper end is practically bone dry.

I was loving the bright golden leaves among the ever evergreen forests.

Pretty golden leaves were showering down on us along the way ...

Looping back towards home through Packwood, I caught sight of this weirdly papered building in my peripheral vision as we drove by …

WHAT on earth is up with that monstrosity!

And then the house behind it spoke volumes – NOT HAPPY at all to see this traitorous and hateful attitude taking root here!

aryan nations appears to be taking up residence in Glenoma.

On the brighter side of things – aside from the awesome scenery we enjoyed on our 8 hour drive ... we got 24.8 miles to the gallon with our new car on our 332 mile day-trip :-D Hands down, that beats what we got with the 4x pickup we traded, so Hubs isn’t grousing so much anymore; LOL. It was a difficult decision to make when we made the leap to downsize from our luxury high-end pickup to a tighter, run-of-the-mill-road-hugging car again (it still has a LOT of perks, but it is not nearly as luxurious as that pickup was), but we no longer have that spacious 2 car driveway we enjoyed at the last house … we have a tight fitting car port now and it freaked me out thinking about trying to park that massive pickup if I ever had to go into town alone – I need a football field to park any pickup; I’m just not good at it if the space is tight – so downsizing to a smaller vehicle makes sense all around. And Hubs is slowly accepting that logic. The mileage factor goes a long way in soothing the pain of the loss. That 4x was awesome; but that time in our life has passed, and the truck served it's purpose and had a good run of things even though the 4x was only 3 years old. When we bought this house in June … just a few months ago, we had no idea how much would change; but it’s all for the best in the long run – and that’s what we have to keep in mind. We are aging; and we need to make allowances for that. Sacrificing the eye-catching Sunset Bronze Toyota Tundra 4x for the Shoreline Blue Pearl Toyota Highlander was one of those logical allowances (no pictures until it’s washed again).

Not only is the mileage great, but it’s spacious (I can get all my Bazaar bins in the back; or a full load of groceries: these things were hard to do with the truck when the weather was bad), and Azariah – when he’s visiting us – won’t be packed into his car seat among it all like a canned sardine; the monthly payments aren't as steep as the 4x was; and more importantly ... I feel comfortable parking it in the carport: when Hubs isn’t riding shotgun and ‘helpfully’ nagging me to do it the way he ‘would do it’ (eyeroll).

Helpful nagging aside … have I mentioned that my gentle giant is the greatest husband?

He IS! For sure :-D

Hey Stoopid

cnn anchor twits can’t take what they dish out … so they throw childish temper tantrums and wonder why no one takes them seriously or considers them adults.

Stone was punished for his {offending tweets apparently violated the company’s policy against harassment and intimidation}, BUT R.A.C.I.S.T. black nationalist, lemonhead lemmon who openly condemns Caucasians and Jews from his cnn ‘host’ stool can continue to spew his racial dribble? I find it ironic that lemon would whine and bitch like the queen he is about Stone’s tweets when HIS ARE THE SAME AND SO MUCH WORSE. And tapper’s claim to fame? Basically that he dated monica lewinsky a few weeks before the blue dress made National Headlines – seriously, 2 political whores whoring for the media; hardly noteworthy to anyone but them … and I’m sure Stone was onto something with his tweets about tapper. As for the growling, sneering, rabid navarro who thinks 'republicans need to grow a spine' - why doesn't she? If a simple tweet from Stone can bunch her pullup (as in baby diaper) panties into a painful twist, maybe she should leave the playground, sit down, SHUT UP, and "grow a spine"; in short, be the  adult she thinks everyone needs to be, and act accordingly instead of behaving like a sniveling, bitching, racist crybaby like lemonhead lemmon and political whore tapper. Where to start on bloated-faced, whiney-voiced, sissified kristol? It is crystal clear that cnn's chubby buddy kristol isn't too bright ... maybe if HE got OFF twitter and stopped feeding on obamanite BS, he'd shed a few pounds and clear the paranoid racist cobwebs from his addled brained mind. In short: squat, crybaby, sissy-voiced, chubby, angry, racist kristol isn't too crystal when it comes to reality - Stone nailed that one too. bernstein is a traitor - e learned a LOT from his watergate years, and has been implementing those tactics ever since. That he {contributes} that 'knowledge' in every way imaginable to cnn is scandalous behavior, not heroic antics. bernstein is a 'malignancy' in the journalistic arena; and like any cancer, when disturbed, it spreads its poison like wildfire - infecting everyone and everything it touches. And blow? he's a rabid obamanite with a bone of racial contention stuck in his craw.

In summation … these political media whores are all amped up and outraged because their political gods’ clay feet were shattered and their FAKE gold plated characters are tarnished, underscoring the rot beneath the façade. cnn’s staff of woefully ignorant and blatant arrogant racist queens and wannabe kings are throwing a temper tantrum. And like any red faced brat that has been spanked, they plot revenge, too stupid to realize that they, themselves, will reap the karma they think to avoid. Brats are an annoyance, but they are never taken seriously, and wise ADULTS never give them free rein to do as they please. These brats will be brought up short in sort order. The obamanite reign of insanity is coming to a close; they may win a few skirmishes, but in the end, they WILL LOSE the war they started. It's in the writ they refuse to see.

So consumed by the raw hatred they feed on and pass off as journalism and real news, cnn's brainwashed minions and the rest of the obamnites are too stupid to realize they are stoopids being taken for a ride on a crazy train that’s gone off the rails …

http://deadline.com/2017/10/roger-stone-tweet-don-lemon-jake-tapper-ana-navarro-cnn-severe-punishment-1202196664/

ROSBURG BAZAAR 2017

Well, today was the 1^st of my scheduled Fall/Winter Bazaars – I am only doing 3 this year; 9 was just too much last year, so I decided to cut them back since I am in it for the fun and socialization more than I am for the $$$. I get a kick out of seeing people admiring and buying my original designs … and I like putting one day every week or so aside from the end of October to the start of December each year to chat with strangers and visit with long-time friends ;-)

This morning, while dawn was breaking, we started the adventure early since it takes roughly an hour or so to drive from our home to Rosburg Hall; depending on the traffic. The highway was pretty open and the drive was fairly peaceful until the other side of Cathlamet, where we met an army truck crawling slowly along our lane ahead of us – what on earth was an army truck doing in the boonies? That was a strange sight to see on a dark highway shrouded by the shifting specter of low-lying river fog. We passed it and continued on, drinking our coffee and talking about everything and nothing in general to stay alert and clear the cobwebs. And then – about 40 minutes further on, as we were entering Graysriver; just the other side of the Covered Bridge turnoff, we met another army truck crawling along. It was getting downright freaky to be truthful: I didn’t like it. 2 army vehicles silently creeping through the dark fog-shrouded-early- morning hours on desolate dawn-rising country backroads just doesn’t set right with me. It was kinda sinister. And just plain weird. Why were they there? What purpose were they serving? Why all the secrecy and covert action? Too much activity and too many question for such a sleepy head … so we passed that one too. And reached the Hall mere minutes later.

We always enjoy spending time in that neck of the woods: Hubs is related to nearly everyone in that region, and I spend many, many, summer days in that region, walking for hours from my mother’s house in Skamokawa to Graysriver, Altoona, Pillar Rock, and Naselle when I was a teenager: I’d literally be gone all day long. In those days, one could walk freely along the highway and byways without being accosted or molested – I would never have allowed my children or grandchildren to walk hours from my home to another county today! It would not be safe.

Anyway, while there today … we enjoyed the festive atmosphere, the customers, the relatives, the new faces, and the profits ;-)

In short, we had a great time and came home richer than when we left :-D A lot of older stuff sold; but I do not have pictures of those items to post – my last laptop ate them when it went crazy. I am glad, though, that they sold, because now I can make NEW things to replace them. LOL!

And the cute crocheted UFO & MOD Aliens that I worked up and tagged a few days ago, was one of the items that SOLD right off … some lucky little boy will get it for Christmas: (https://jeastofeden.blogspot.com/2017/10/ethnic-roots-winter-soups-country.html).

All in all it’s been a good day.

Next week we’ll be setting up in Rose Valley, a little closer to home; it will be our first show there. We spend a lot of time in Rose Valley, but I've never done their Bazaar: I'm excited - I like a change of scenery.

HOMEMADE PORK SAUSAGE PATTIES

We get our meat in bulk packages from an old-fashioned meat market that raises, butchers, and sells fresh butchered meats. We make the 5 hour long drive twice a year, but we are thinking of cutting our meat consumption in half this year, so we’ll only be making the drive every Spring from now on.

Due to the meat packages we purchased in May this year, we have an over-abundance of pork sausage. So while looking over the freezer fare the other day and seeing the stacks of pork sausage, I thought of this recipe and decided to make it this morning. I like sausage when the weather turns chilly – I like it fresh fried with eggs and toast/pancakes or waffles … or fried ahead and packed into an impromptu lunch with hard-boiled eggs and challah bread either at home or quickly packed up for a spur of the moment daytrip.

These patties are heady with fall/winter spices and they smell heavenly while being put together and fried. And the taste is, of course, wonderful!

If there are any leftover patties … they can be wrapped tightly and frozen for up to 3 months.

Homemade Pork Sausage Patties – 24 patties

¼ cup dry Red Wine * 2 teaspoons Pickling Spices * 5 pounds ground Pork Sausage * 2 TBSP Salt * 1½ TBSP ground Black Pepper * 1½ teaspoons ground Cinnamon * ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg

In a 1-2 quart pan over high heat, bring wine and pickling spices to a boil; remove from heat and let cool to room temperature – about 45 minutes. Pour through a strainer into a large bowl; discard solids.

Add ground pork, salt, pepper, cinnamon, and nutmeg to bowl. Mix very thoroughly with your hands to distribute spices evenly.

Shape about 1/3 cup (about 3 oz) pork mixture into an oval patty about ½-inch thick. Place on waxed paper-lined baking sheet. Repeat to shape remaining mixture into patties, stacking them in layers separated by sheets of waxed paper.

Fry patties in a 10 to 12-inch frying pan over medium heat, turning as needed, until browned on both sides and no longer pink in the center – about 10 to 15 minutes total. Serve and enjoy!

Per Patty: 226 calories - 72% (162 cal.) from fat; 15 g protein; 18 g fat (6.4 g sat); 0.4 g carbo (0.1 fiber); 629 mg sodium; 66 mg cholesterol

HEBREW WORD FOR THE DAY – RAVEN

Because it fits the season ;-)

And the raven has a very important mention in Scripture … I, particularly, am reminded of Elijah when I see a raven.

A raven is not to be confused with a crow – the raven is considerably larger (the size of a chicken), while the crow is much smaller.

http://hebrew.jerusalemprayerteam.org/raven-crow/

THURSDAY BIBLE STUDY

I am going to be posting Scripture – chapter & verse - to my Page every Thursday in preparation for the Sabbath Rest which begins on Friday: if that offends anyone, feel free to leave: no hard feelings.

I am a Messianic Christian. I am an Evangelist. 40 years ago I was called to verbally get The Word out; as a Christian since 1966, it is my DUTY to ‘spread the Good News’. I do not push The Gospel on people, but I DO talk about my God, my Lord, and my Savior every day; every hour of the day: if anyone doesn’t want to listen, or is offended to the point of violent anger, they can walk away. This is MY Page and I speak my mind on it. In any and ALL cases Elohei is a major part of my life and on my mind 24/7/360; and I speak (or write/type) as the Ruach moves me to speak, write or type.

When Yeshua walked this earth and spoke to the masses of people in public and they were offended, He simply walked away. I do that too. However, this is my Blog, and this Page is MY space; and here I do not walk away … I speak freely, and I speak openly. YOU are free to listen … or to leave.

I hope you will pull up a chair and sit a while - there's lots of interesting characters to learn about and to learn from, knowledge to be gleaned, and wisdom to be shared ;-)

~Shalom

**********

THE GOSPEL ACCORDNG TO MATTHEW

Chapter 3: The time arrived when John the Baptist appeared, preaching in the wilderness of Judea. “Repent!” he said, “for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand.” This is the man who was spoken of by the prophet Isaiah when he said “Hark! A voice is heard in the wilderness crying out, ‘Prepare the way of Adonai; make His paths straight!” (Isaiah 40:3). John wore clothing made of camel’s hair, and he wore a leather belt around his waist. For food he had locusts and wild honey.

Then Jerusalem went out to him, as well as Judea and all the country around the Jordan. Those who confessed their sins were baptized by him in the Jordan. When he observed that many Pharisees and Sadducees were coming to his baptisms, he said to them, “You offspring of vipers, who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? Then bring forth fruit proving that you are penitent! And don’t think that you can get by with saying, ‘We have Abraham as father’, for Elohei is able, I am telling you, to make children for Abraham out of these stones. Yes, even now the axe is being applied to the root of the trees. Every tree, therefore, that does not bear good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire. I baptize you with water for repentance, but the One Who comes after me is so far above me that I am not fit to carry His sandals. He will baptize you with the Ruach and with fire. In His hand He is holding His fan, and he will cleanse His threshing floor. He will put His wheat into His granary, but He will burn the chaff in unquenchable fire.”

Then Yeshua came from Galilee to John at the Jordan, to be baptized by him. But John hesitated, saying, “I ought to be baptized by You; then why do You come to me?’ Yeshua answered, “Do it now, for it is right that we thus fulfill all righteousness.” Then John consented.

When Yeshua had been baptized, He came out of the water at once, and see! The heaven was opened, and He saw the Ruach of Elohei coming down like a dove, and resting on Him. And a voice out of Heaven spoke, “This is My Son, the Beloved. I am well pleased with Him.”

Demoncrat Hypocrisy Unveiled

And YET dimwitted, dumbed-down, brainwashed, illegal, amoral, and arrogantly ignorant morons posing as Americans will STILL CONTINUE to parrot the demoncrat party line.

Unveiling the hypocrisy and fraudulent charges of the left points to a complete breakdown of the government, evil barak hussain obama’s coup installation & his wicked administration’s agenda, the crooked clinton campaign, and the totally racist and anti-American DNC ... and don't forget the traitorous directors of the FBI, CIA AND NSI parading before Congress and LYING about the integrity of the dossier - using it for personal political purposes in misguided and hypocritical attempts to undermine the election process and bring down innocent people and hold hostage a political campaign with masterminded political BS that the leftists gleefully spread with a party fertilizing machine run by obamanites that spew racial divisions and national hatred.

Also note that the wiretaps were gotten illegally and they were used illegally for political purposes to spy on PRIVATE CITIZENS: muslim minion barak hussain obama – the moronic ILLEGAL squatter of the Oval Office and White House – gave power to government agencies in his demonic grip the complete (illegal) power to unmask those individuals and divulge (illegally) their names and suspected "crimes" to the media for national exposure. barak hussain obama’s government, and its agencies, together with the demoncrat political party and doomed campaign, USED GOVERNMENT to ILLEGALLY spy on private persons for political reasons.

This is no simple scandal folks; this scandal unlike previous scandals, is the most significant government misconduct in American History! barak hussain obama – with long-standing ties to terrorist organizations and the clintons was PLACED in position and did his damnest for 8  looooooooooooooooooooong years to destroy America and torment legal Americans (especially Christians and Jews) and has REFUSED to move on in private life, setting up a deep state shadow government IN PLAIN SIIGHT awhile accepting funds in the billions specifically to continue usurping American government and eroding America’s foundation by way of persuading via aimless and moraless collage age brats to instigate and actively participate in tumultuous and violent ‘protests’ generated to herd Americans towards socialism.

This is worse than Watergate. At least in that point in American History our leaders were more concerned with the integrity of the institution than party politics.

obama cover-up: http://nypost.com/2017/10/17/team-obamas-stunning-coverup-of-russian-crimes/

clinton set-up: http://www.dailywire.com/news/22762/watch-hillary-drastically-changes-her-tone-trump-ryan-saavedra

MOD HOLIDAY COFFEE CUFFS

Saturday is quickly approaching and I am burning the midnight oil in preparation. I just finished tagging these Holiday Coffee Cuffs:

MOD Holiday Coffee Cuffs. OCTOBER CUFF – Spider Web: Spider Web; NOVEMBER CUFFS – Snowflakes & Gingerbread Man; DECEMBER CUFFS – Grinch, Rudolf & Snowman. Worsted. Machine wash & dry or hand wash/dry flat. $4 EA

As you can see … I again improvised ;-)

I used the free pattern found at this link for the foundation of my designs: http://cdn.lionbrand.com/media/patterns/crochet-pattern-barista-cozy-90036ad.pdf

Ethnic Roots, Winter Soups, Country Biscuits, & UFO Aliens

This past Saturday we participated in what was billed as an indoor ‘garage sale’, but in reality turned out to be a Bazaar style happening. We sold half of what we took to display, but came home ‘in the hole’ because I simply had to have this pretty neck band as soon as I saw someone holding it up and passing on it because of the price – I do have Lakota DNA as well as Hebrew, and I have a weakness for Native American items as well as Jewish items. So I slapped down a hefty amount of $$$$ for this Lakota neckband and I LIKE how it looks on my neck :-D

Lakota neckband in its original state: the metal trim has got to because metal burns my skin like acid.

Lakota neckband without the metal trim; Hubs removed the metal trim for me so I can wear my pretty without fear of neck burn (pardon the pun). Except for the piddley amount of metal that had been removed, the entire neckband is made with leather ties, which suits me just fine ;-)

It has been raining here; Saturday it rained so hard that trees all over the place have been blown down or have collapsed under the onslaught of soaking wet wind storms. When the weather turns chilly and the rainy season sets in, I prefer hearty and heart-warming winter soups to heavier meats & potatoes meals. My husband prefers the heavier meals, but since I am the chef and the kitchen is my domain, he eats what I cook. And after 43 years of marriage, I think he is finally coming around to appreciating the Fall & Winter Menus primarily dominated by soups ;-)

As well as making these soups, I mixed up a batch of ‘Country-Fresh Biscuits’ too to go with them. These baking powder biscuits are made with a healthy dose of granulated white sugar, so they are as sweet as they are delicious :-D

While the soups simmered, I grabbed some skeins of yarn and got busy making a plump stuffed crocheted flying saucer from a freebie pattern found on the internet – I opted to leave off the button closure, and switched out the original colors to something a bit more realistic (in regards to metal coloring and hazard lights); I also designed my own aliens because the original aliens looked more like green ghosts than aliens: MOD Aliens are more fanciful, more colorful, and I’m thinking will be more fun for little tykes to dink around with. Our little prince likes “monster aliens”, so I modeled my own designs after that 3 year old mindset. LOL I think they are cute, and I am sure the kids will too ;-)

Crochet UFO. Original PATTERN Link @ http://www.katestitches.com/ufo-aliens/

Crochet UFO w-MOD Alien Monsters. I will tag this ensemble for $15

Green 3-Eyed Alien Monster

Purple 1-Eye/1 Horn People Eater Alien Monster

FRUITED BEEF STEW – 6 Servings

This hearty beef & fruit stew is stellar fare for winter Suppers. We like it with a crusty Pumpkin Bread.

Fruited Beef Stew

**NOTE: Since I make my meals ahead and refrigerate them or freeze them in specific portions, I add the fruits to this stew AFTER it is cooked in the crockpot, while it is being reheated.**

½ pound slab bacon, cut into ½ inch pieces * 3 pounds beef chuck, cut into 2-inch pieces * ¼ cup all-purpose Flour * 6 TBSP Olive Oil * ½ teaspoon ground Cinnamon * Salt & Pepper to taste * 3 medium onions, thinly sliced * 3 large Garlic cloves, minced * 6 TBSP Tomato Puree * 1-1/2 teaspoons Hungarian sweet Paprika * 12 ounces dark Beer * 1 cup rich Beef stock * ¼ cup Brandy * 4 ounces pitted dried Prunes * 4 ounces dried Peaches * 4 ounces dried Apricots * 2 Thyme sprigs * 1 Bay leaf * 2 TBSP fresh Lemon juice * 1 TBSP grated Lemon peel * minced fresh Parsley

Place sliced onions and minced garlic in crockpot.

Combine the flour, cinnamon, and sat & pepper and dust beef cubes. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add beef and bacon in batches (do not crowd) and brown. Transfer to crockpot using a slotted spoon.

Add remaining ingredients to crockpot (EXCEPT FRUITS unless you are serving same day) and set temperature at HIGH until bubbly, then reduce to LOW for 6 hours.

*Can be prepared 1 day ahead and refrigerated. Rewarm over medium-high heat, stirring frequently.*

WHITE BEAN, HAM, and LEEK SOUP – Makes 8 cups

White Bean, Ham & Leek Soup

Chef Lisa Joy of The Restaurant at 23 Beverly in Staunton created this delicious main-course soup.

 2 cups dried Great Northern beans * 1 large Onion, diced * 4 whole Cloves * 4 cups Water * 4 cups chicken stock or canned broth * 2 Bay leaves * 2 cups Leeks, chopped (white and green parts only) * 1 cup Ham, chopped * 2 TBSP fresh Rosemary, chopped or 2 teaspoons dried, crumbled * 1-1/2 TBSP chopped Garlic

Place all ingredients in crockpot and cook on HIGH until bubbly, then reduce heat to LOW and cook 6 hours.

*Can be prepared 1 day ahead and refrigerated. Rewarm over medium-high heat, stirring frequently.*

SPLIT PEA SOUP – 8 servings

I used yellow split peas because it adds color to the dreary rainy days here in the PNW, but green peas are my favorite and I do use those too as the weather changes to lighter days; either way, the soup is delicious ;-)

Split Pea Soup

8 cup Water * 2-1/2 cups dried Split peas * 2-pound smoked ham Hock * 1 medium Onion, chopped * 1 teaspoon Salt * ¼ teaspoon Black Pepper * 2 medium Carrots, cut into ½-inch pieces – about 1 cup * 2 stalks celery, cut into ½-inch pieces (about 1 cup)

Place all ingredients in crockpot and cook on HIGH until bubbly, then reduce heat to LOW and cook 6 hours.

*Can be prepared 1 day ahead and refrigerated. Rewarm over medium-high heat, stirring frequently.*

COUNTRY-FRESH BISCUITS – Makes 2 dozen

A basketful of baking-powder biscuits adds a special touch to any meal, but especially to a bean dish. And raves are guaranteed when you follow these easy steps below to make these melt-in-the-mouth type of biscuits.

This is my go-to biscuit recipe: its fail proof!

Country-Style Biscuits

6 cups all-purpose Flour * ½ cup instant nonfat DRY MILK powder * ¼ cup double-acting Baking Powder (YES; ¼ cup) * ¼ cup granulated white Sugar * 2 teaspoons Salt * 2 teaspoons Cream of Tarter powder * 2cups Shortening * 1-1/2cups Water

ABOUT 45 MINUTES BEFORE SERVING: Preheat oven to 400-degrees. In a large bowl, mix well with a fork, all ingredients except shortening and the water. With pastry blender, or 2 butter knives used scissor fashion, cut shortening into flour mixture to resemble coarse crumbs (I use my hands - it’s easier and quicker for me); stir in water until moistened (if too dry, add ¼ to ½ cup more water).

Turn dough into floured surface; with floured hands, knead 8 to 10 times until smooth. With floured rolling-pin, roll dough ¾-inch thick. With a floured 2-1/2-inch round cookie cutter, cut biscuits; place on cookie sheet, 1-inch apart. Press trimmings together – reroll and cut. Bake 20-25 minutes until golden. Serve warm.