Sweet Treats and Sandwiches

Today is National Sandwich Day, so celebrate by sampling something you’ve never tried before; inventing a new kind; or simply enjoying your favorite. Did you know that the first sandwich is said to have been made by the ancient Jewish sage Hillel the Elder, who is said to have put meat from the Paschal lamb and bitter herbs inside matzo (or flat, unleavened bread) during Passover?

There are so many types of sandwiches: Au jus, Club, Cheesesteak, Dagwood, Fluffernutter (one of MY favorites!), grilled (as in cheese), PB & J, Po ‘boy, Rueben, Sub and Tea sandwiches, just to name a few.

The craziest sandwich I ever heard about was a “Mustard/Chocolate Star” combination between two slices of white bread. Today on the program a listener called in to say that her sister has always loved “mayonnaise and pickles”. What’s your favorite sandwich? Or the craziest combo you’ve ever eaten?

A listener shared a "sweet treat" idea for the holidays. (See photo above.)Very easy to assemble and young helpers in the kitchen would have fun making - AND EATING! these! They are "adorable". Almost too cute to eat.
Christmas Mice
1 (12oz,) pkg. of semisweet chocolate chips
1 jar 10 oz maraschino cherries with stems, drained and patted dry
36 milk chocolate Kisses with stripes (“Hugs”)
Sliced almonds
Place chocolate in microwave safe bowl. Microwave on HIGH for1 minute stirring twice.
For each mouse, dip cherry by stem into melted chocolate to coat. Place coated cherry on a large baking sheet. Immediately press the flat bottom of a chocolate kiss up against the cherry to form the head. Insert two almond slices between head and body to form ears. The stem will become the tail. Use a toothpick and dip in melted chocolate to make eyes & on the tip of the kiss to make a nose. (Or use a plastic bag, snipped, filled with chocolate and squeeze the amount out to form eyes and nose). Chill mice in refrigerator about 15 minutes or until chocolate is set. Remove from pan with a thin spatula. Put in airtight container and cover. (Store for up to two days in refrigerator). Yield: 36 mice.

Hassle Free Holiday Tip:
Use boxed cake mixes or pre-made cookie dough to jump start your holiday baking. Better Homes and Gardens http://www.bhg.com/ has a great website with 100 days of Holiday Ideas. Baking, cooking, decorating and other tips all available at their website. See recipe below for “Chocolate Chip Kisses”.

Chocolate Chip Kisses
1 (18 oz.) pkg. refrigerated chocolate chip cookie dough
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
¼ tsp. ground cardamom
¼ tsp. ground nutmeg
32 milk chocolate kisses
Powdered sugar
Preheat oven to 375. In large resealable bag, combine cookie dough, cinnamon, cardamom and nutmeg; seal bag. Using your hands, squeeze and knead dough mixture together in bag until combined. Remove dough from bag. Shape dough into 1” balls. Place 2” apart on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake for 8-10 minutes or until edges are light brown. Immediately press a kiss into center of each cookie. Transfer to wire rack and let cool. Sift powdered sugar over cooled cookies. Makes 32 cookies. (To store: layer cookies between waxed paper in airtight container; cover. Store at room temperature for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months).

"Sandwiches" and Simplifying

August is National Sandwich Month and August 2nd was Ice Cream Sandwich Day. Of course you know that ice cream sandwiches are frozen desserts composed of a layer of ice cream (any flavor) "sandwiched" between two cookies or slices of cake.
In the United States, a slice of ice cream, (commonly vanilla), sits between two rectangular wafers, usually chocolate. And alternatives to the chocolate wafer are usually chocolate chip cookies.
In Australia, they're called "Giant Sandwiches" or "Monaco Bar"
In Scotland they are known as "sliders"-usually served as vanilla ice cream sandwiched between two rectangle wafers.
In Singapore, common flavors often include: Ripple, Red Bean, Yam, Sweet Corn, Honeydew, Peppermint, Chocolate and Chocolate Chip and is known as "wafer" ice cream
In Ireland, England and Wales an ice cream wafer, consisting of a small block of ice cream between two rectangular wafer biscuits was a popular alternative to the ice cream cone up until the 1970's. Since then it has declined and is now rarely seen.


It is "SIMPLIFY YOUR LIFE" week. What can you do to de-stress and make your life easier? Why not...

• Set a designated time (or couple of times) during each day to check your email. Reading and replying to email wastes a lot of time!
• Unsubscribe to email newsletters, ads, etc. Keep only those that you read and are really of interest to you.
• Take a long relaxing bath: candles, scented oil, your favorite music and put your worries away for about 30 minutes. You'll feel refreshed, relaxed and will sleep much better. Pencil it into your calendar if you need to.
• Get a sitter. Especially if you work from home. What could you do with an extra 3-6 hours/week?
• Purge your regular mail on a daily basis. Toss/shred anything that is junk mail, place items that need to be filed in one bin or basket and bills needing to be paid in another. You'll be much more organized when it comes time to pay bills.
• Make a list at the END of the day for tomorrow. You won't need to waste time in the morning figuring out what you need to do first.

Have you got any other ideas? Feel free to share......

I spoke with Dr. Fred Mandell, author of BECOMING A LIFE CHANGE ARTIST: SEVEN CREATIVE SKILLS THAT CAN TRANSFORM YOUR LIFE". He co-wrote the book with Kathleen Jordan and it is for anyone looking for a new spark in life, a path toward reinvention or anyone in the midst of transition. The book takes a unique approach to becoming a life change artist by studying famous artists throughout history. Dr. Mandell also discusses our creativity. I always thought that you were born with the creative talent to draw, paint, etc. However, this isn't really the case.

Creativity is actually the act of bringin into existence something that did not exist before.

The book also talks about the 7 key skills that you need in order to make a life transition: Preparation, Seeing, Using Context, Embracing Uncertainty, Taking Risks, Collaborating and Applying Discipline and he relates these principles to the lives and characteristics of Picasso, Monet, Rembrandt and others. A facinating look at making a change... check it out.