Apple Butter-mmmmm GOOD!

Wash, peel, core and cut up your apples-amount doesn't matter at this point.
Place them in a heavy bottomed pot.
Add 1½ cups of one of the following-apple cider(best), apple juice, water.
Cook on very low heat with the lid on.
Occasionally stir. They will break down into mush.
At this point, measure the apple mush.
For each cup of apple mush add ½ cup sugar and 1 teaspoon of cinnamon. You can adjust these two ingredients to your own tastes and the type of apples you are using.
Put back in heavy bottomed pot and cook till thick.
Put in hot jars. 


Process in a water bath 15 minutes for pints.

Hot Honey Mustard

18 Small to medium hot banana peppers (or jalapenos or habaneras, or a combination)

1 Tbsp mince garlic

2c apple cider vinegar

Wash peppers & remove stems. Place in food processor with a bit of the vinegar & process till almost all liquid.  I leave the seeds. Pour pepper and vinegar mixture along with rest of vinegar and garlic in pot and slowly bring to a boil. Keep at a boil 7-10 minutes.

Remove from heat and add:

2c honey

2c prepared yellow mustard

2tsp Worcestershire sauce

 1½tsp ground Cayenne pepper

1½tsp onion powder

Stir well with a fork or use a wire wisk. Return to heat. Do not boil again but cook well to blend flavors about 20 minutes.

In small bowl combine:

¼c corn starch

¼c water

Stir till smooth.

Wisk mustard mixture  while slowly pouring in corn starch/water mixture. Cook just until thickened.

Pour into hot sterile jars (pints or half pints) and seal.

Makes 3½ pints.

This will be great as a mustard based barbecue sauce for pork or chicken. It will go well as a sauce for sliced roast beef or with the addition of a some horseradish for Corned Beef Brisket. Fish comes to mind also-maybe add some dill for fish.

Oreo Cookie Truffles-YUM! YUM!

I have a newly discovered sweet wonder! A lady came through my check-out line at Wal-Mart in Dickson, TN and told me about making truffles with Oreo cookies. At the next break I got online and discovered the easy recipe and proceeded to buy the ingredients when I clocked out that night.

Many thanks to this un-named lady!!!

Here is my recipe with variations:

While shopping I bought the Great Value brand of regular Oreo type cookies and the Oreo Berry Burst Ice Cream (strawberry) and Oreo Mint and Cream flavors.

I also procured strawberry Flavoring, Mint Flavoring, 1 8 ounce package of cream cheese per bag of cookies and various sprinkling toppings (finely crushed pecans, colored sugar, coconut) and Hershey's Dark Chocolate Chips, regular chocolate chips for melting and dipping.

You will also need wax or parchment paper.

At home I took one flavor of cookies (strawberry), crushed them in my non-electric food processor (it is very similar to the one seen here.) Then I dumped it into a mixing bowl, added a teaspoon of strawberry flavoring and the room temperature cream cheese. After trying to mix this with a wooden spoon, I decided to put a disposable exam glove on and mixed with my hand.

I sat the bowl in the fridge for about an hour while the cookie sheet lined with wax paper was in the freezer getting cold.

Then I used a small ice cream scooper/cookie dough scoop-it looks like this-to scoop the dough out onto the cold, lined cookie sheet.

I then set the balls in the freezer and proceeded to melt a bag of Hershey's Dark Chocolate Chips-adding just a touch of paraffin.

I took the very cold truffle dough and rolled in the melted chocolate and paraffin, placed back on the cold, lined cookie sheet then sprinkled with red, white and green candy sprinkles from the cake decorating department. Do the sprinkles while the chocolate is still warm and sticky!

These were then placed back in the fridge to harden.

I will be making these smaller--most recipes I found on the Internet said "walnut sized balls"--I think about half that size is better for party trays or even to give as gifts.

I used regular, alcohol based flavorings but feel that the oil based ones sold in the cake decorating section would be better.

You could use white chocolate for dipping and add food colorings to suit your taste or the occasion.

The plain ones, just regular Oreo cookies will have coconut sprinkled over some and finely chopped pecans sprinkled over some.

Colored sugar doesn't look exactly right on dark chocolate but may on white chocolate.

You could also dip in melted peanut butter chips or butterscotch chips.

You could dip in dark or sweet chocolate, let harden then drizzle with melted white, dark or milk chocolate, peanut butter or butterscotch chips. Please-if anyone could have a peanut allergy do not even consider opening anything with peanuts or a peanut warning on the label in your kitchen for several days before you make these or until after you have removed these from your kitchen.

I can see these in so many ways! This just may become as popular and famous as my Two Handed Oatmeal Cookies!

Oatmeal Cookies

I started making these cookies for our first daughter's first Christmas. We have done them ever since. The men and children in the family start requesting them in October. I always make these the last of my Christmas baking and make at least 5 batches. I buy all the ingredients but I use up the left over dried and candied fruits from the other items to make up the 2 cups of chocolate pieces. My brother had not been home for a Christmas, in years. I gave him a bunch of these the year he made it home for Christmas. He called me in January asking for more. He had taken ice cream and softened it, spread a thick layer between two cookies and frozen them!


6 eggs
2 cups granulated sugar
2 cups packed brown sugar
2 1/2 cups chunky peanut butter
1 cup butter or margarine, softened
4 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons real vanilla
8 cups regular oats (I use organic oats the real big ones.)
1-cup candy-coated chocolate pieces
1 6-ounce package (1 cup) semi-sweet chocolate pieces

In large mixer bowl beat eggs. Add sugars, peanut butter, butter, baking soda and vanilla; mix well. Stir in remaining ingredients and mix thoroughly. Drop dough from an ice cream scoop or 1/4 cup measure onto ungreased cookie sheets. Flatten slightly with bottom of glass dipped in sugar or, you can spray the bottom of the glass with a non-stick spray instead. Bake in a 350° F oven for 14-16 minutes. Cool cookies slightly before removing from cookie sheet; cool completely. Makes about 40 (4-inch diameter) cookies.


I have made this using shortening instead of butter and I had to start using soy butter when my eldest developed a severe and deadly allergy to peanuts.  

THE WAYSEER MANIFESTO - [Official Video] (HQ)

Define Your Supreme Being

I am going to attempt to put into words my answer to the question, "How does your religion define the Supreme Being?"

Note this is my personal answer. I do not imagine myself able to answer this question for any set "religion" or any other person.

I prefer to use the word "Creator" and will do so here. 

Creator is Supreme over all things in the Universe. Some of the Native American Nations or Tribes call the Supreme Being "The Great Mystery" because He is such.

He created EVERYTHING. He is omnipotent. He is loving and truly wants only the best for all of His Creation-Earth, other planets, the stars, moon, trees, water, all animals, and humans.

He provides everything for us through His other creations. 

He expects us to treat each other and all of his creations with loving respect and reverence. 

List of Things I Like To Do

1. Read--mostly non-fiction 
2. Learn
3. Listen to music
4. Interact with people
5. Attend Pow Wows or Pau Waus
6. Sit around a fire with my closest friends
7. Camp 
8. Fish
9. Hunt
10. Cook
11. Spend time with my Significant Other just being together
12. Watch a good movie
13. Spend time with my family
14. Watch the animals and other aspects of Nature-being awed.

Native Wisdom Chapter 1 Questions

The questions posed to be answered by Ed McGaa, Eagle Man, during the speech that became the basis for Chapter One of the book are as follows:

1. How does your religion define the Supreme Being?
2. Share your thoughts on God. Did He create us?
3. How does your religion explain the unknown, such as creation?
4. Is this religion based on the existence of an immortal being?
5. How did the "higher power" become the 'higher power"?
6. How does your God manifest itself to humans?
7. Is He always watching?
8. Does your God have a gender?
9. Is your religion defined by what one thinks and does?
10. What is the underlying theme of your religion?
11. Where do you believe your Supreme Being exists?

As you read and follow my blog within a blog about these questions and the others, it is imperative you remember that I am answering from my own heart and perspective. I do not, nor am I able to answer these questions for anyone else. 

As I was copying these questions from the book, I noticed that the Humanities students are already influenced by their upbringings, the society around them, media, etc. as we all are. They are assuming the "supreme Being" is male but then they realize the assumption and ask, "Does your God have a gender?"

I am looking forward to discovering my own beliefs in more depth as I answer these questions. My hope is that each of my readers will do the same thing. 

Some of My Favorite Songs

My Way

The Candy Man

Nobody Knows It But Me

Bless the Broken Road

Questions On Spirituality We Should All Answer for Ourselves

I began reading "Native Wisdom: Perceptions of the Natural Way" by Ed McGaa, Eagle Man. I only read a few pages. I read enough to understand that the book had come out of an invitation to speak, along with others of differing belief systems, at a college. He was addressing a Humanities class and they had submitted a set of questions they wanted to be answered by each speaker.

I turned to the back of the book and found the list of questions. Reading through these I realized that it would be truly beneficial for every person to answer these questions for themselves about themselves. 

In reality, how many of us can calmly, rationally and convincingly answer serious questions about our own Spiritual Beliefs?

Most of us were taught things like, "Never discuss religion." 'Never argue about religion."  and "Never discuss religion and politics in the same conversation."

I have never understood these idioms and I prefer to use the word Spirituality as opposed to religion. Your Spirituality, or claimed lack of it, affects every aspect of your thinking and living. How are we to ever understand and accept each other, if we do not discuss it?

These questions presented to Ed McGaa are divided up into sections, the sections reflecting a general category that the answers would fall under. He addresses each section of questions in a separate chapter of the book. These are as follows:

1. Who is God?
2. How did you become involved?
3. Worldwide Philosophy
4. Good, Evil and Afterlife
5. Beseechment
6. Miracles
7. Rules, Restrictions and Conflict
8. Hierarchy, Matriarchy, Patriarchy
9. Government and Social Issues
10. Followers of the Natural Way (note the sub-title of the book)

My plan is to answer the questions under each heading/chapter, for myself and where better to do this, than my blog? I would truly love to have a true conversation here on my blog, with my readers about this. Please do join in.

I make no promises about how often I will write but will try my best to write each week.