Showing posts with label Kwanzaa. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Kwanzaa. Show all posts

Friday, December 26, 2014

It's a New Year for Eating

Greetings everyone and welcome to The Magical Mystery Blog.

Ah yes, the day after Christmas. It’s time to shake off that hang over (until next week), celebrate Boxing Day and Kwanzaa, delve deeper into the functions of your Christmas presents, and snap yourself out of that food coma.

With just five days away until the new year, here are some recipes to lift your spirits regardless if you’re alone in welcoming 2015 or with friends and family.


5. Kahlu-hoo
Chocolate milk is a classic childhood staple. As an adult, a glass of Yoo-hoo is good every now and then, but why not shake it up for New Years? Simply fill your glass with Kahlua and Yoo-hoo. The best thing about this beverage is you can regulate how much you want of both ingredients. If you’re a featherweight, you can have a little Kahlua and a lot of Yoo-hoo. Or if you want an even balance, you can go half and half.


4. Bacon Jalapeño Cornbread
Not too long ago, I was given Fleischmann’s Cornbread Mix because I love baking. I also love bacon. Put those two together and you have a match made in the kitchen. You start off by making the cornbread mix (instructions are found on the back of the box) and throw in chopped up bacon and chopped up jalapenos. Make sure the seeds are out of them and proceed to bake as the instructions inform.

If you feel like adding a little cheese (whichever one you prefer, in this recipe I usually use cheddar) to your cornbread, there are two methods you can use. The first method is to allow your cornbread finish baking and remove it from the open. While it’s still hot, spray cheese wiz all over the top. The second method is to add cheddar cheese (bagged or sliced (I usually use the bagged one)) to the top layer of your cornbread while it’s almost done baking. If you add cheese to this recipe, sour cream would be a great for spreading onto the finished cornbread or dipping.


3. Pesto Dip
Pesto is what bacon is to chocolate: amazing; just like this recipe. Mix together 1 cup of mayonnaise, 1 cup of sour cream, 7 ounces of pesto sauce, ½ teaspoon of salt, and ¼ black salt in a bowl. Chill it until you’re ready to serve or eat it no sooner you’re done making it.


2. Cream Cheese Candy
I think this is by far the easiest candy recipe I’ve ever seen in my life. It could be made by children, procrastinators, adults, dragons, anyone.  All you need to do is mix 1 (3 ounce) package of cream cheese, 3 cups of confectioner’s sugar, and ¼ teaspoon of peppermint extract in a bowl until smooth. If you have any confectioner’s sugar left over, proceed to knead it into the dough. Afterwards, take the dough and shape it into ½ inch balls. Place them onto baking sheets, flatten them with a fork, and allow them to set up for an hour and twenty minutes. Proceed to eat them up when they’re nice and firm. For storing them, use an airtight container and put them in the refrigerator.


1. Snow Punch
Winter is the magical season where half the world freezes and is sometimes enchanted by the white wonder that is snow. Snow is a curse and a blessing for driving, school, and shoveling.  So who would want to drink this wintry weather? You do, of course!

Simply take 6 chopped up bananas, 2 cups of half and half cream, 1 cup of lemon juice, and 1 cup of white sugar and blend until smooth. Proceed to pour this concoction into a punch bowl and slowly stir in two liters of lemon-lime flavored soda. Top it all off with a scoop of Dumbeldore’s password (aka lemon sherbet) and serve it up.


If there is anything you like to read about on this blog, feel free to comment or PM me. Feedback is always welcome and I am always open to writing about new topics and ideas. Happy Holidays and here is tonight’s question:


What do you enjoy baking for the holiday season? 

Monday, December 9, 2013

Oh the Weather Outside is Frightful...

Welcome to another start of the week at The Magical Mystery Blog.

Yesterday New Jersey received the first snowfall of December 2013. Schools were closed, finals were halted, and people awoke to a white wonderland just outside their homes.  Some even tossed themselves into the wintry world and probably started a snowball fight or constructed snowmen from the freshly fallen snow.

I love snow but there are times when I would love to take a flamethrower to it.  Below are the reasons why I have a love/hate relationship for snow.


The Love

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  • No school, no finals, no work. Who doesn't love to not work?
  • Snowball fights, snow forts, snowmen, snow sculptures, and other excellent snow creations.  People can also partake in other snow related activities such as skiing, snowboarding, snow tubing, tobogganing, ice skating, and many more fun things.
  • It gets you in the mood for the upcoming holidays, especially Christmas. Christmas is often associated with snow by way of songs, movies, and television specials. They have given us the idea of a perfect Christmas or anything December related is usually perfected with snow. Snow is meant to be seen as beautiful and festive, just like Christmas. Other holidays like Kwanzaa and Hanukkah are sometimes depicted with snowfall, also giving them a glorious glow.


The Hate

howstuffworks.com

  • Driving in it is like piloting a plane on an uncontrollable slip ‘n slide. Because of this, chances are you won’t be able to hang with your friends at the mall, go Christmas shopping, or travel to anywhere of dire importance. Sometimes if the conditions are unbelievably terrible flights will be cancelled, certain roads will be closed off, and even establishments will be closed.
  • It’s too cold, much like the rest of winter. You could say it’s cold as ice.
  • If temperatures drop even after the snowfall, the snow could freeze, and change into ice or even sleet. Ice makes conditions even worse, freezing power lines, and sometimes breaking them. Ice also makes roads extremely slick to slide on and even runways for airplanes.  Snow can pile up on power lines and also cause them to collapse.


So what are your thoughts on the white, wintry wonderland? Do you love snow, hate snow, or happen to fall in between? Feel free to leave your comments below and as always, feedback and followers are welcomed.