MONKEY MUSINGS DAILY OPEN DISCUSSION #56 9/30/10 - 12/17/10

[Bearlyhere]

I can't take it anymore!! I give to Old Man Winter! I've been delaying calling to have my heat pump fixed, but I was freezing last night. KuBear curled up in a tight ball next to me and let me pull the covers up over us both! 

I've called and he's coming tomorrow. Geezzz....... Santa, can you get a heat pump in that bag of yours??   

 

One Day At A Time, Monkeys!! I'm just reminding you guys so I can remind myself!   

Were you going to go without heat?

 

                   Keep warm!

     


He can stay until your heat is fixed.  When will that be again?

[seahorse]

http://www.diylife.com/2007/12/05/presents-in-your-shoes-st-nicholass-day/

Presents in your shoes: St. Nicholas's Day

-------------------------

Hi Monkey's,

I found this refreshing how others celebrate Holiday's. Santa started with good old St. Nick, whose birthday was December 6.

[Monken]

I can't take it anymore!! I give to Old Man Winter! I've been delaying calling to have my heat pump fixed, but I was freezing last night. KuBear curled up in a tight ball next to me and let me pull the covers up over us both! 

I've called and he's coming tomorrow. Geezzz....... Santa, can you get a heat pump in that bag of yours??   

 

One Day At A Time, Monkeys!! I'm just reminding you guys so I can remind myself!   

We have an electric blanket, I couldn't live without it.   

http://www.walmart.com/ip/Sunbeam-Microplush-Warming-Blanket-Sage/14915051

CBB, we're having a new heating unit put in today! We always have someone come check it out before we start using the heat every year. This time they had a camera where they can look up inside & check the heat exchange, Well it has a very large crack in it & that means the possibility of carbon monoxide! We have cm detectors & we haven't been running the heat while we sleep but it's time for a new unit. The one we have is 25 years old! We have snow flurries here this morn. & snow is forcast again for the weekend! I do not like cold weather but it's nice for the holidays! Everyone stay warm!! 

[MuffyBee]

I can't take it anymore!! I give to Old Man Winter! I've been delaying calling to have my heat pump fixed, but I was freezing last night. KuBear curled up in a tight ball next to me and let me pull the covers up over us both! 

I've called and he's coming tomorrow. Geezzz....... Santa, can you get a heat pump in that bag of yours??   

 

One Day At A Time, Monkeys!! I'm just reminding you guys so I can remind myself!   

We have an electric blanket, I couldn't live without it.   

http://www.walmart.com/ip/Sunbeam-Microplush-Warming-Blanket-Sage/14915051

CBB, we're having a new heating unit put in today! We always have someone come check it out before we start using the heat every year. This time they had a camera where they can look up inside & check the heat exchange, Well it has a very large crack in it & that means the possibility of carbon monoxide! We have cm detectors & we haven't been running the heat while we sleep but it's time for a new unit. The one we have is 25 years old! We have snow flurries here this morn. & snow is forcast again for the weekend! I do not like cold weather but it's nice for the holidays! Everyone stay warm!! 

Monken -  A number of years ago, a crack was found in our heat exchanger during a routine check in a house we had bought the previous year.  This gave me an awareness not only of the need for checking out equipment, but to also add a carbon monoxide detector to our home.  I gave my parents a CO2 detector right after that, and they installed it in the hallway of their mobile home.  It kept going off (I didn't find out till later), so my Dad thought it had to do with being too close to the furnace, he kept trying to relocate it, but it kept going off.  He called and told me the detector I bought was defective so I could exchange it.  Instead, I got a technician out there, and he discovered they had a cracked heat exchanger    .  I could have lost my parents to something preventable.  I now also make certain my folks get their equipment checked annually.  The carbon monoxide detector is also important for those with fireplaces.  I give gifts of Carbon Monoxide Detectors to friends and family that get new houses, move and etc. 

http://chemistry.about.com/od/howthingswork/a/codetectors.htm
Carbon Monoxide Detectors
Different from Smoke Detectors

[Itaryl Moosee]

Hey Monkeys

I'm looking for some WOW holiday goodies - anybody have some recipes they would like to share????????  Something out of the ordinary that will be a major hit at a goodie exchange.

I once went to a Christmas party hosted by a Mexican lady and her husband. I tried two things that made me go WOW!

One was a cookie/ball called "Mexican wedding cake." It's a pecan or walnut (not sure) cookie rolled up in a ball and covered in powdered sugar. The taste was nutty and slightly sweet, great for a snack. I tried making them after that and followed the recipe, but they did not turn out too good. Mine were TOO nutty.

The other was coconut pudding, called "tembleque"... it was set in a cute dessert glass. To make it, you need coconut milk, sugar, pinch of salt and cornstarch and let it boil for two or three minutes. Then put it in dessert cups, and freeze it. Sprinkle with cinnamon before serving.

It sounds too simple, but it's very tasty. I have made this like once a year for Christmas and it always comes out okay.

The coconut milk is better when you get a coconut, grind it in the food processor, add water, then pass it through a cheesecloth or old sock (kidding, any cloth will do) and get the milk.

But, the coconut milk from the Asian food isle, the one that comes in a can, is good too.

One good thing with this dessert is that the hair and eyes look shiny and bright for two or three days after eating.

Well, maybe that's just in my mind, I think.

I'll get the recipes and post them, though the pudding is hard to exchange in a goodies-exchange.

[Itaryl Moosee]

The recipe is in the linked page below, there are many other recipes online.

http://www.joyofbaking.com/Mexican%20Wedding%20Cakes.html

------



The Tembleque recipe I got is from a book and it's similar to this one, the only difference is that mine adds 2/3 cup sugar and this one 1/2 cup. I don't add vanilla, some recipes call for it, others for orange flower water.

http://latinfood.about.com/od/desserts/r/tembleque.htm

Writing this much here cause I ain't got much going today.

[SuzieQ]

Speaking of vanilla (sort of )

How to make Homemade Vanilla Extract: The Big Bottle Method

750 ml bottle of vodka
12 whole vanilla beans
dark rum (optional)

Using kitchen scissors, cut vanilla beans in half lengthwise, leaving about an inch connected (not cut) at one end.

Now simply push the beans into the bottle. The beans are going to displace some of the vodka. This is not a problem! Get some orange juice and drink it! (I’m just kidding! Maybe.)

Screw lid on tightly and store in a cool, dry location. Shake the bottle once or twice a day at first, then just whenever you think about it. It will take a month or two to steep good, but you can use it sooner if you’re in a rush. Stored properly, it will be good for years, and in fact, get better all the time as it grows stronger.

Use a small funnel to transfer the extract to smaller bottles.

I like the extra kick of dark rum in my vanilla extract, so when I poured the first small bottle out, I added rum to the big bottle, using a funnel. The first few times you take out from the big bottle, it doesn’t hurt to add some extra rum or vodka to stretch your vanilla beans–if you let it steep again, it will be just as strong.

Tie raffia or ribbons around small bottles to give as Christmas gifts. Add a handmade or home-printed label. Or, if an avid baker is on your list, they’d love an entire big bottle, and be sure to make one for yourself!

So you can….

….make lots of cookies.


You can order whole vanilla beans over the internet or specialty food stores. This is a lot cheaper than buying vanilla in those little bottles at the grocery stores.

[Kermit]

We are asking everyone to say a prayer for "Darkhorse" 3rd Battalion 5th Marines and their families. They are fighting it out in Afghanistan & they have lost 9 marines in 4 days.

One of the Marines killed has a wife who is expecting their first child. So please, during this
holiday season, remember the servicemen fighting for freedom.

[crazybabyborg]

We are asking everyone to say a prayer for "Darkhorse" 3rd Battalion 5th Marines and their families. They are fighting it out in Afghanistan & they have lost 9 marines in 4 days.

One of the Marines killed has a wife who is expecting their first child. So please, during this
holiday season, remember the servicemen fighting for freedom.

Thank you, Kermit. I am saying prayers now for these young men and their families. God keep and protect them.

[no rose colored glasses]

We are asking everyone to say a prayer for "Darkhorse" 3rd Battalion 5th Marines and their families. They are fighting it out in Afghanistan & they have lost 9 marines in 4 days.

One of the Marines killed has a wife who is expecting their first child. So please, during this
holiday season, remember the servicemen fighting for freedom.

I do everyday, my youngest daughter's fiance is a medic over in Afghanistan, and will be home in February thankfully. 

[Kermit]

Thanks guys. I use to send stuff every month to one unit in Afghanistan for them and little stuffed animals for them to give to the children of Afghanistan. I was shocked when I rec'd a letter from the commanding officer thanking me.

The more we spread the news to pray for our military soldiers and their families - the better.
Please remind everyone.

[Monken]

I can't take it anymore!! I give to Old Man Winter! I've been delaying calling to have my heat pump fixed, but I was freezing last night. KuBear curled up in a tight ball next to me and let me pull the covers up over us both! 

I've called and he's coming tomorrow. Geezzz....... Santa, can you get a heat pump in that bag of yours??   

 

One Day At A Time, Monkeys!! I'm just reminding you guys so I can remind myself!   

We have an electric blanket, I couldn't live without it.   

http://www.walmart.com/ip/Sunbeam-Microplush-Warming-Blanket-Sage/14915051

CBB, we're having a new heating unit put in today! We always have someone come check it out before we start using the heat every year. This time they had a camera where they can look up inside & check the heat exchange, Well it has a very large crack in it & that means the possibility of carbon monoxide! We have cm detectors & we haven't been running the heat while we sleep but it's time for a new unit. The one we have is 25 years old! We have snow flurries here this morn. & snow is forcast again for the weekend! I do not like cold weather but it's nice for the holidays! Everyone stay warm!! 

Monken -  A number of years ago, a crack was found in our heat exchanger during a routine check in a house we had bought the previous year.  This gave me an awareness not only of the need for checking out equipment, but to also add a carbon monoxide detector to our home.  I gave my parents a CO2 detector right after that, and they installed it in the hallway of their mobile home.  It kept going off (I didn't find out till later), so my Dad thought it had to do with being too close to the furnace, he kept trying to relocate it, but it kept going off.  He called and told me the detector I bought was defective so I could exchange it.  Instead, I got a technician out there, and he discovered they had a cracked heat exchanger    .  I could have lost my parents to something preventable.  I now also make certain my folks get their equipment checked annually.  The carbon monoxide detector is also important for those with fireplaces.  I give gifts of Carbon Monoxide Detectors to friends and family that get new houses, move and etc. 

http://chemistry.about.com/od/howthingswork/a/codetectors.htm
Carbon Monoxide Detectors
Different from Smoke Detectors

Hey Muffybee! It took them all day but our new heater is working great! We just recently moved our cm/fire detectors down to 24 in. from the floor after reading that that was the proper location for them! I don't know how i didn't know that already  but if anyone doesn't already know this please move your detectors, cm stays close to the floor! Love you all 

[no rose colored glasses]

Thanks guys. I use to send stuff every month to one unit in Afghanistan for them and little stuffed animals for them to give to the children of Afghanistan. I was shocked when I rec'd a letter from the commanding officer thanking me.

The more we spread the news to pray for our military soldiers and their families - the better.
Please remind everyone.

Yes, and at my daughter's work, they are all donating items for the group her fiance is with, which I thought was very nice. I'm sure they all appreciated goodies and things coming there way 

[crazybabyborg]

I'm not loosing my mind or hearing things.............

Is anybody else hearing drums and some screeching on occasion when they refresh a page???     

[SuzieQ]

I'm not loosing my mind or hearing things.............

Is anybody else hearing drums and some screeching on occasion when they refresh a page???     

No drums here, or screeching. Hope your computer is alright. It scares me to death when mine makes noise.

[seahorse]

Speaking of vanilla (sort of )

How to make Homemade Vanilla Extract: The Big Bottle Method

750 ml bottle of vodka
12 whole vanilla beans
dark rum (optional)

Using kitchen scissors, cut vanilla beans in half lengthwise, leaving about an inch connected (not cut) at one end.

Now simply push the beans into the bottle. The beans are going to displace some of the vodka. This is not a problem! Get some orange juice and drink it! (I’m just kidding! Maybe.)

Screw lid on tightly and store in a cool, dry location. Shake the bottle once or twice a day at first, then just whenever you think about it. It will take a month or two to steep good, but you can use it sooner if you’re in a rush. Stored properly, it will be good for years, and in fact, get better all the time as it grows stronger.

Use a small funnel to transfer the extract to smaller bottles.

I like the extra kick of dark rum in my vanilla extract, so when I poured the first small bottle out, I added rum to the big bottle, using a funnel. The first few times you take out from the big bottle, it doesn’t hurt to add some extra rum or vodka to stretch your vanilla beans–if you let it steep again, it will be just as strong.

Tie raffia or ribbons around small bottles to give as Christmas gifts. Add a handmade or home-printed label. Or, if an avid baker is on your list, they’d love an entire big bottle, and be sure to make one for yourself!

So you can….

….make lots of cookies.


You can order whole vanilla beans over the internet or specialty food stores. This is a lot cheaper than buying vanilla in those little bottles at the grocery stores.

SuzieQ,

Thank-you.

[seahorse]

The recipe is in the linked page below, there are many other recipes online.

http://www.joyofbaking.com/Mexican%20Wedding%20Cakes.html

------



The Tembleque recipe I got is from a book and it's similar to this one, the only difference is that mine adds 2/3 cup sugar and this one 1/2 cup. I don't add vanilla, some recipes call for it, others for orange flower water.

http://latinfood.about.com/od/desserts/r/tembleque.htm

Writing this much here cause I ain't got much going today.

Itaryl Moosee,

Thank-you! 

[klaasend]

 

[trimmonthelake]

How sweet!   

[BabsKats]

She is so adorable..