Fiddledeedee

It’s that time of year again. Time to break out the Rum. No, not because the children are driving me insane (which admittedly is a very brief drive), but because it’s time for the Rum Ball Rhumba.

Every year I publish this recipe at about this time. It may very well be Fiddledaddy’s favorite. Which is saying something since my recipe file is quite extensive.

I’ve noticed a number of folks googling “Rum Balls”, so I knew it was time to post this recipe yet again.

And happily, it does not require the use of an oven. Which is good, because of the recent oven fire experienced in the House of Fiddle. I’m still too traumatized to go into intimate detail.

So, enjoy! And remember, this is a adults only type recipe. And a word of warning, don’t blow out any candles after imbibing. Just sayin’.

Enjoy!

1 Cup Powdered Sugar
2 T. White Corn Syrup
1/2 Cup Rum

2 1/4 Cups Vanilla Wafer Crumbs
3 T. Cocoa
1 Cup Chopped Walnuts

Combine vanilla wafer crumbs and pecans. (You can moosh them up by placing them in a baggy and then beating the cra crumbs out of ‘em with a meat tenderizer, or using a food processor.)

Combine with other ingredients and mix thoroughly. Roll into 1 inch balls and then roll in extra powdered sugar or finely chopped nuts.

It’s a good idea to make these up to a week or so ahead of time and seal them in an airtight container. They “age” that way. However, this has never worked for me, since they don’t last long enough to make it into an airtight container.

You may have to re-form balls when you are ready to serve them.

My love affair with chocolate dates back to the time when my mother discovered me eating the contents of my diaper.

I’ll give you a moment to recover.

Imagine my mother’s horror. She refused to kiss me for the two weeks following. I, thankfully, have no memory of such an event. But, my mother felt it necessary to relive the atrocity often. Especially in front of my peers. Which paved the way for some good natured ribbing.

As adolescents are wont to do.

I segued to chocolate rather easily. My whole hearted devotion to chocolate continued into adulthood. When I was single, I would make up a batch of Betty Crocker Chocolate Cake Mix, and then dine on it in one sitting. Without the benefit of having used the oven.

I called it dinner.

My metabolism called it suicide, and the practice came to an abrupt halt many years ago.

Shannon’s Works for Me Wednesday is themed. A recipe. Any recipe. Five ingredients or less. While a cake mix would fit the qualifications, I immediately thought of my Quick & Easy Brownie recipe.

I have been known to whip up a batch of these during times of stress, PMS, pregnancy, boredom, well, you name it. A girl just needs a quick and easy chocolate recipe to cure what ails her.

Quick & Easy Brownies

4 Eggs
2 Cups Sugar
1 1/2 C. Flour, Unbleached
1 C. Margarine, Softened
4 T. Cocoa

Throw all ingredients into a bowl and stir like mad. Then pour it into 9×13x2” pan, that you’ve first shot with a little cooking spray. Lick the spoon clean. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes (if you must). Oh, and you could throw in a cup of chopped walnuts prior to baking for a little texture. But then, that would be “six ingredients.”

I apologize to those of you who come here looking for my health conscious and allergen free recipes.

This Brownie recipe is for when I fall off the wagon. And it runs me over.

Bon Appetite! For more Five Ingredients or Less recipes, head over to Works for Me Wednesday at Rocks in My Dryer.

This week is a themed Works For Me Wednesday. The following question was posed by one of Shannon’s readers:

“It’s 5:15 pm, the kids are hungry, you have a headache, hubby is almost home, and the pantry has three things in it. What is your BEST last-minute meal recipe?”

Here’s what I do in the House of Fiddle. I pick up the phone and hit #2 on speed dial. I’m placed on hold for about 15 seconds, and I get a quick lesson in Italian. For free. Then. before I can repeat “Where is the bathroom?” in Italian, I’m speaking with the takeaway service at Carrabbas.

Now, if we could only afford to do that whenever we wanted. Alas, I have a couple of other practical ideas.

Hopefully, I’ve had the good sense to thaw out 4 chicken breast (halves) earlier in the day. Before the children and their bickering caused the headache. This is one of the easiest and most impressive chicken recipes I’ve ever come up with. I adapted it from a recipe I found in Suzanne Somer’s Eat Great, Lose Weight.

Chicken Piccata

4 Chicken Breasts (Halves)
Salt & Freshly Ground Pepper
2 Tbs. Olive Oil
1/2 Cup White Wine (plus a little extra for the chef)
2 Tbs. Capers
1/2 Fresh Lemon
1 Tbs. Butter (or Margarine)

Rinse the chicken breasts and pat dry. Place each breast flat on a chopping block. With your knife parallel to the chopping block, slice the breast in half through the middle to make it half as thick. Season each breast with salt and pepper.

Heat your skillet over medium to high heat, add the olive oil and as many of the chicken breasts as will fit in the pan without overlapping. Brown for 2 to 3 minutes on each side, then set aside covered in foil to stay warm.

To make the sauce, reheat the skillet over medium heat. Add the wine and reduce for 2 minutes or so, stirring constantly to scrape the brown bits off the bottom of the pan. Stir in the capers and the lemon juice. Remove from heat and add the butter, stirring until melted. Adjust salt and pepper to taste.

Pour the sauce over the chicken and serve with brown rice. Uncle Ben makes a great brown rice in a bag that just has to be boiled for about 10 minutes.

While your rice is boiling, beam some frozen veggies in the microwave with a little water for about 7 minutes.

Dinner in a dash. But it will taste like you’ve been slaving all day. But that will be your little secret.

For more Works For Me Last Minute Dinner Fixins’, head over to Rocks In My Dryer.

This is a collection of some of my favorite Halloween riddles. As found on the world wide web.

Because I’m juvenile.

•Why didn’t the skeleton cross the road?
Because he didn’t have any guts.

•What kind of music do mummies listen to?
Wrap!

•What has webbed feet, feathers, fangs and goes quack-quack?
Count Duckula.

•What do you call someone who puts poison in another’s corn flakes?
A cereal killer.

•Why are monsters huge and hairy and ugly?
Because if they were small and round and smooth, they’d be M&M’s.

•What do the birds sing on Halloween?
Twick or Tweet.

•What do you get when you drop a pumpkin?
Squash.

•What does a vampire fear most?
Tooth decay.

•Where do mummies go for a swim?
To the Dead Sea.

•Where does Dracula water ski?
On Lake Erie.

•What do you get when you divide the diameter of a jack-o-lantern by its circumference?
Pumpkin pi.

•Why are there fences around cemeteries?
Because people are dying to get in.

•Why didn’t the skeleton cross the road?
He didn’t have the guts.

•What happened to the guy who couldn’t keep up payments to his exorcist?
He was repossessed.

And now, a mid-week recipe.

PUMPKIN CAKE

2 C. Flour
2 C. Sugar
1 tsp. Salt
2 tsp. Baking Soda
3 tsp. Cinnamon
1 1/2 C. Canola Oil
1 Small Can Pumpkin
4 Eggs, beaten

Icing
1 Stick Soft Butter or Margarine
3 oz. Cream Cheese, Softened
1/2 Box Powdered Sugar
1 t. Vanilla
1 1/2 C. Finely Chopped Pecans (or Walnuts)

Directions:
Mix all together. Bake in well greased and floured Bundt or tube pan. Bake 1 hour in a 350 degree oven.

Beat butter and cream cheese till well mixed; then blend in vanilla and powdered sugar, a little at a time until fluffy. Fold in nuts. Ice cake after it has completely cooled. Keep refrigerated.

This will go nicely with all the Reeses Peanut Butter Cups that you confiscate from any hapless trick-or-treaters that you may or may not be related to.

I’m just sayin’.

Me: Hello, my name is Fiddledeedee.

Everyone: Hi Fiddledeedee!

Me: I got on my scales this morning.

Everyone: What did it say?

Me: GET OFF!!!!

In the interest of full disclosure, I haven’t gone near my scales. Except to kick them out of the way to refill the toilet paper holder. But I can be fairly certain that I haven’t lost any weight. Maybe a little water retention weight, since I’ve been on my period this week. If you’re new to this blog, I talk about menstruation freely, and the havoc it wreaks on my life. And my family. And the pharmaceutical suppliers that manufacture Motrin and Extra Strength Tylenol. Okay, and Tylenol PM.

No excuses. Moving on.

I’m eating healthy, which is a miracle considering my husband bought me a package of Newman’s Own Chocolate Cream Filled Cookies for Mothers Day. And I’ve only scarfed down 3 4of them. (Cookies, not packages.) But, if I’m going to get serious about losing the weight, I need to cut back on the carbs, even the healthy whole grain ones, the cookies, and get off my butt.

That’s right. I said get off my butt. I haven’t exercised in about 8 months. Ever since Jensen stopped sleeping through the night. Well, glory be to God in the highest, I cannot use that excuse any longer. Junior has been sleeping through the night for over a week now. So, you know what that means.

Besides no more fun filled posts about middle of the night disasters.

Starting today (Tuesday), I’m back on the treadmill. And this is huge for me since I only run when being chased. My husband supports and encourages this decision, and will wrangle the offspring, while I go out to the garage and get reacquainted with my heart rate. And hopefully soon, I’ll get to say hello to my metabolism again.

And and huge GOODBYE to depression. I know from research and past experience, that exercise is a terrific way to release those endorphins that help battle depression. I found a number of terrific articles on exercise and depression, and included this one here.

Next Tuesday, I hope to have more progress to report. I considered not posting my struggles this week, but if I’m going to hold myself accountable, I must disclose the trials as well as the successes. It’s a journey.

I wanted to include a recipe for my favorite homemade cereal. This is great with fat free milk, or yogurt.

Cereal de la Fiddledeedee

3 Cups Old Fashioned Oats
1 Cup Chopped Walnuts
1 Cup Sliced Almonds
(I buy the large bags of Walnuts and Almonds at Sam’s and freeze them in smaller baggies)
1/2 Cup Sugar Free Syrup (Cary’s is terrific)
1 teaspoon Cinnamon
1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
1/2 Cup Coconut

Mix all together in a 13 x 9 glass baking dish pre-sprayed with a shot of Pam. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes or so.

Bon appetite. And see you next week.