Crocheted Beach Bag for my Director at work who is retiring

I try to make a handmade gift for people when they are retiring from our department at work.  I started out wanting to make this super cool crocheted Tree of Life pillow in a hot pink but messed up the pattern toward the bottom and decided it was something to make when I felt no pressure and time restraints and that was definitely not the time!  Then I happened to come across a blog post for this beach bag and immediately fell in love with it.  I liked the design and colors a lot and felt it would fit her perfectly since it's her taste I am sure, and she will be spending time in Florida in the winters going forward.  I started it a month ago, right before we took a 2 week vacation with our camper out west, so it's been worked on in South Dakota, Wyoming and Montana along with Minnesota.  It took a lot more hours than I thought, but I like the result.  I also got her a white monogrammed beach towel in Navy writing to match and a bottle of her favorite wine to tuck in..hoping she'll like it, I do!  The pattern was on the Little Monkey's Crochet blog and there is also a child sized one that she used aqua and white and gray in..it's adorable. 

Taco filled Pasta Shells

Today I was thinking about what to make for dinner with some hamburger I had thawed out and needed to use.  Somewhere in the mental list of things I could make, I remembered these taco shells.  I thought at some point I had made them and posted them, so I looked for the recipe, and lo and behold it appears I never posted it, so must have been a while since I made them.  They are great for a meal with a salad, or even just a side veggie of Mexican style corn, or both!  It was in an old Taste of Home Magazine as a make one, freeze one style dish, but when I used to make it I'd make the whole thing up because some of the family really liked it and wanted it.  Now it's basically just a few of us, so I make the recipe in half.  it makes about 12-14 shells, so plenty to even have for leftovers around here.

Here's the process:

TACO FILLED PASTA SHELLS: can easily double for a crowd.

1 pound ground beef
1 envelope taco seasoning
4 ounces cream cheese cubed
12-14 jumbo pasta shells, cooked according to package, drained and a little butter mixed in to prevent sticking.
1 cup salsa
1 cup taco sauce
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 cup shredded Monterey Jack or Mozzarella cheese
1-1/2 cups crushed tortilla chips (I substitute nacho doritos a lot)
1 cup sour cream
3 green onions, chopped.

In a skillet, cook hamburger until no longer pink (season a little with salt and pepper).  Drain is needed.  Add taco seasoning and prepare as directed on package.  Add cream cheese and stir until incorporated into hamburger mix.  Set aside to cool a little to handle easily.  Stuff each cooked shell with about a Tablespoon of meat mixture and put in a baking dish that has the salsa added to the bottom.  When finished stuffing all the shells, sprinkle the taco sauce over the top, cover with aluminum foil and bake in a 350 degree oven for 30 minutes.  Then uncover and sprinkle with the crushed chips and cheeses and return to oven for about 15 more minutes or until melted and heated through.  Serve with chopped onions and sour cream.

Apple Dumplings

When I was in a meeting at work yesterday for some reason we started talking about apple dumplings.  It is the season after all, but I was amazed at how many people (the majority) had never heard or tasted them!  It really goes to show how old I am compared to them I guess!  Anyway, when I was young, later teens and 20's, I used to make these quite often because my dad and husband really liked them with a big scoop of vanilla ice cream slowly melting over the warm dumplings.  Me too, of course.  Anyway, the recipe was from my Better Homes and Gardens cookbook from that 70's era..I think it was my first official cookbook, that I still have, but is in sad shape after 45 or so years of use.  I has a lot of good recipes in it that I still use actually.  Anyway, the page for the dumplings was ripped out from wear, and I knew that I had rescued it and put it in a "safe" place, and after searching in all the most logical places I finally found it and am going to post it on here along with a picture of the finished product once I make it to bring in to work to educate these kids on good apple desserts!  Next time I won't have to dig forever either!

APPLE DUMPLINGS:
1-1/2 cups sugar
1-1/2 cups water
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp ground nutmeg (the recipe calls for 1/4, but I am not a big nutmeg fan)
8 drops red food coloring
3 Tablespoons butter

2 cups sifted all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
2/3 cups Crisco
1/2 cup milk

6 medium, whole apples, pared and cored:  I like Haralson apples the best, but any pie apples work.  (I actually slice the apples because I don't care for whole apples baked- in this case you need 1/2 apple sliced for each dumpling..I like the sugar more distributed throughout and I like apples fully baked and not hard at all, but it's up to you and your taste which you do)

extra sugar and cinnamon for sprinkling the apples before wrapping (just an fyi-the sauce is sweet on this, so I sprinkle them, but don't overdo it so it's sickeningly sweet)

FOR SYRUP: mix first 5 ingredients; bring to boiling to dissolve sugar.  Remove from heat; add butter and stir. Set aside.

CRUST: (just an fyi, if you are scared to make this, just make your own pie crust version or buy some premade crusts.  it all works out fine).  I use my crust that is posted on my blog, but at first I used this and it's good.
Sift together dry ingredients; cut in shortening till mixture resembles coarse crumbs.  Add milk all at once; stir just till flour is moistened.  On lightly floured surface, roll to 18 x 12 inch rectangle.  Cut in six 6-inch squares.  Place apple (or piled up apple slices) on each.  sprinkle apples with sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg if you like it.  dot with butter.  Moisten edges of pastry, bring corners up and pinch together to close around apple.

Place 1 inch apart on ungreased 11 x 7 x 1-1/2 inch baking pan.  Pour syrup over the dumplings; sprinkle with sugar if desired.  Bake at 375 degrees for 35 minutes or until apples are tender.  Serve with vanilla ice cream while warm or whipped cream.