Letti Thursday

Pastry Ambitions

I was looking back at my blog to get some inspiration as to what to make for Letti Thursday. I didn't realise that this "tradition" of me cooking and bringing food over to my FIL's for dinner with the boys was already 3 years old! Anyway, one of the things that I saw, that I hadn't made in a while, were Cream Puffs. So THAT went on the menu along with these...



Baked Seasoned Chicken





Scalloped Potatoes with Cheddar Cheese





Green Beans with Red Potatoes




And for Dessert, TA DA, Cream Puffs.




They're super easy to make, and take no time at all.

I got the recipe from Kraft ( They called it Luscious Cream Puffs )

So here are the things you need....

1 sheet frozen puff pastry (1/2 of 17.3-oz. pkg.), thawed
1 cup cold milk
1 pkg. (4-serving size) JELL-O Vanilla Flavor Instant Pudding & Pie Filling ( I used the fat free sugar free version )
1/2 cup thawed COOL WHIP Whipped Topping ( I used the fat free version )
1 square BAKER'S Semi-Sweet Baking Chocolate, melted

Firstly,

PREHEAT oven to 400°F. Unfold pastry on lightly floured surface; roll pastry out to 10-inch square. Cut into nine circles with 3-inch cookie cutter or rim of glass. Place on ungreased baking sheet. Bake 10 min. Remove to wire racks; cool completely.





MEANWHILE, pour milk into large bowl. Add dry pudding mix. Beat with wire whisk 2 min. or until well blended. Gently stir in whipped topping. Cover. Refrigerate 15 min.



CUT pastry circles horizontally in half.





Spoon pudding mixture evenly into bottom halves of pastry;







I had the chocolate melting in the microwave while I was doing this.







Cover with tops and Drizzle with chocolate



Serve immediately, or cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Letti Thursday

Abridged Version

Didn't manage to get pics while cooking. But here's one pic to remind me of what I made 2 weeks ago.

Chicken Fried Chicken, Corn Casserole, Mashed Potatoes and Gravy, Rolls, Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies.

Saturday Excursion with Grandad

Small towns, big surprises.

We drove over to Eola ( population 218 as of the year 2000, and is said to be "at the junction of Farm roads 381 and 765" ) and Paint Rock ( population 320 as of 2000 with a total area of 1.7 square miles ) the other day.




It was one of those cool and rainy summer days, a much welcome reprieve from the heat. I know it's officially not summer yet, but it sure feels like it out there.





David always catches the coolest sights even while he's driving. Here's a old house out in the middle of a wheat field, oozing with character.





We stopped by the Barrow Foundation Museum in Eola, Texas. Grandad had a wonderful time and he especially enjoyed the area where older farm equipment were exhibited. Among the many things that Grandad had done in his very industrious life, was farming.





The exhibits at the museum were so varied and far-ranging, which made it a very interesting visit indeed.





There was a STONE picnic table on the grounds, where we took a few minutes to have our packed lunches.










I even spied a cactus up in a tree!





Then it was off to Paint Rock








We didn't get to see the Indian Rock Paintings that this place is famous for, but we found an awesome low water crossing/spillway.











Then it was off to O.H.Ivie Lake/Dam/Reservoir. There's just something about Lakes that draws us to them :)

Ooo Look What I found

Haw Flakes




I saw this lonely package in our little Filipino store, and I didn't have to think twice before snatching it off the shelf.






What exactly ARE Haw Flakes? I have to admit, I grew up eating these like Candy, and yet had NO idea what they were made of. I mean, what in the heck is HAW, anyway?






Wikipedia says they're made from the Chinese Hawthorn Berry/Fruit. Sweet.

They can be bought on Amazon.

Someone made a stop motion video about them!

It even has its own Facebook fan page. Seriously.





Their packaging makes them look like fat squatty firecrackers. Colorful ones, nevertheless.






I read that some people liken them to fruit rollups, but not having tried any of the aforementioned rollups, I can't really give an opinion whether they are similar or not.






They DO taste like candied plums or prunes, though. Their texture is kind of between crispy, crumbly and chewy. It's one of those things you'd have to sink your teeth into, to know what I mean.






One of my favourite ways of eating it when I was a kid was to nibble at them with my front teeth like a mouse or something. I know.






Sometimes I'd attempt nibbling several discs at once.








I wonder who first came out with the idea to make them into disc shapes. If I were Catholic, I'm sure that I would have grown up using it to "play Communion".




They're yummy, tho.




I wonder if I'll be successful in getting David to try one. :)

Saturday Excursion with Grandad

Abilene Zoological Gardens

A couple of weeks ago, before the freaky cold front and 3 days of seemingly continuous rain, we had some glorious days. It was then that we decided to visit the Zoo. I'd been there several times with Cindy and her grandchildren, but David and Jaxon hadn't.

We usually try to call ahead and ask the different places we go if they have a wheelchair available for Grandad. David would push Grandad along, and I would push Jaxon around in his stroller.






3 Generations of Woods men.






The ducks are lovely, but I think I'm only here to act as counter-weight for mummy's heavy purse and diaper bag.



They had a bridge over the giraffes so that you could stop above the giraffes and feed them. Very cool.



David : ewwwwwwww.
Jaxon : GIMME CRACKER!!!






You're not getting any of my good water, tortoise. I'm not going to be intimidated by your steely stare.




On the other hand, you DO look kinda thirsty, tortoise. Your skin's all wrinkly and whatnot. Fancy a sip?



Then we came to some fish that stubbornly refused to acknowledge that they couldn't breathe air, and refused to stay below the surface of the lake.



David : Man, that's freaky looking.
Fishies : GULP GULP FEED US GLOP GLOP SPLISH SPLASH





Part of the Zoo was fenced off due to construction, so there were exhibits that we did not manage to see. Jaxon did get to see Lions and Tigers and Bears though, along with a bunch of monkeys, zebras, bison and lots more.

I'm glad we have a zoo in town. We'll be back for sure.

Letti Thursday

Tex Mex Edition

Usually I have to cook from scratch, seeing how sodiumized just about everything is, out there. But for this Letti Thursday, I subscribed to the Sandra Lee Semi Homemade School of Cooking.

"In an atmosphere as inviting as her recipes, Sandra Lee, author of the best-selling cookbook Semi-Homemade Cooking, shares her techniques for combining fresh ingredients with specially selected store-bought items. The results: mouthwatering meals and desserts, prepared in minutes, that taste like they were made from scratch."

Chicken Enchiladas

Spanish Rice





Refried Beans





Guacamole