SARAH'S BLOG OF FUN: December 2017

Saturday, December 23, 2017

Merry Christmas Everyone!!


First and foremost, I want to wish you all a very Merry Christmas!! Please enjoy this time with your families.

This has been a tough holiday season for me so far.  I spent Thanksgiving week in the hospital.  I was diagnosed with Pseudo Tumor Cerebri and Intracranial Hypertension.  I had to have a lot of excess spinal fluid removed through a lumbar puncture in my spine.  Due to the conditions, I have lost a lot of vision in my left eye, and all though the doctors are not sure of the exact cause, I have also lost complete hearing in my left ear.  

For the last couple of weeks, I have been going to multiple doctors appointments, and having quite painful shots directly into my ear to try and give me back some of the hearing.  So far there has not been much improvement, but I am still hopeful.

I am going to enjoy spending Christmas Eve with my Husband, kids and Kevin, and Christmas Day with my whole family.  This Holiday means even more to me now then usual.

May you all have a safe, happy and most importantly a healthy Christmas, and bless you all.



This post is written by Sarah Coulsey . She is a Wife, and Mother of two boys living in New England. This post may contain affiliate links.

Homemade Fudge Made With Eagle Brand Condensed Milk


Gail Borden introduced Eagle Brand in 1856 to fight food poisoning and other illnesses related to lack of refrigeration and preservation techniques. The Civil War helped Eagle Brand become a household name. The military needed milk that would keep well, and Borden’s products filled that need. Eagle Brand Sweetened Condensed Milk was credited with significantly lowering the infant mortality rate in North America. Gail Borden’s discovery provided milk that would remain safe and wholesome, at the time an important contribution to the nourishment of infants and children.

Anyone who does a lot of baking knows and uses Eagle Brand.  Their sweetened condensed milk is a steeple in this house.  Elsie the cow is one of my all time favorite characters, and she hasn't aged a bit in her 78 years!!

Eagle Brand sent me some condensed milk, and other products to make a fun recipe, and I just had to make my Moms fudge!!

My Mom makes this every year as a Christmas treat for us.  For years and years, she would not share her recipe.  Finally she let it slip!!

To make her peanut butter and chocolate fudge you need-




1- 12 oz bag of peanut butter chips
1/4 cup margarine or butter
1- 14 oz can Eagle Brand Sweetened Condensed Milk
1/2 cup chopped peanuts
1- 6 oz bag of semi-sweet chocolate chips

In a heavy saucepan, melt peanut butter chips, 2 tablespoons butter, and 1 cup of sweetened condensed milk.  



Remove from heat; stir in peanuts.  Spread onto a wax paper lined 8" pan.  In a small saucepan, melt chocolate chips, 2 tablespoons butter, and remaining milk.  



Spread chocolate mixture on top of peanut butter mixture and chill for 2 hours.



This fudge is creamy and delicious.  If you love peanut butter, then you will love this!!  

Thank you Eagle Brand for helping us make this yummy treat!!  Make sure you follow them on Facebook and Instagram to learn more about new promotions and recipes.



This post is written by Sarah Coulsey . She is a Wife, and Mother of two boys living in New England. This post may contain affiliate links.

Christmas Dinner Wouldn't Be Complete With Out Cranberries!!



Cape Cod Select and Edgewood Bogs (the sole supplier for Cape Cod Select) are owned & operated by the Rhodes Family.  Edgewood Bogs LLC is a 4th generation independent cranberry grower with over 800 acres of producing bog and associated support land in Southeastern Massachusetts, the heart of "Cranberry Country", and the same place cranberry farming began in the early 1800’s.

In case you didn't know, I am from Massachusetts.  We are known for a couple of things; Boston, fish, maple products, tea and of course cranberries!!  

Some of Ben's family lives near Carver, and when ever we go out to visit them, we are always amazed at all of the cranberry bogs.  

With Christmas literally days away, we have already started to prepare for our dinner.  This is my favorite time of year because I get to eat, eat and eat!!  We are having braised beef, turnips, green bean casserole, new potatoes, and of course Cranberry Sauce!!!  Last year, Ben and I made our first ever homemade cranberry sauce, and it was delicious!!  We did it again this year.

I used a very simple recipe.  It called for cranberries, orange juice and sugar.

12 ounces cranberries 
1 cup white sugar 
1 cup orange juice 



In a medium sized saucepan over medium heat, dissolve the sugar in the orange juice. Stir in the cranberries and cook until the cranberries start to pop (about 10 minutes). Remove from heat and place sauce in a bowl. Cranberry sauce will thicken as it cools.



I found that I had to cook it about 30 minutes to get it to be less chunky.  My Husband prefers smooth.  I also blended the mix in our Vitamix to remove the last remaining lumps.  



Besides Cranberry Sauce, The Cranberry Marketing Committee’s Guide to Entertaining with Fresh Cranberries provides hosts and party-goers with innovative recipes and ideas for decorating with fresh cranberries. With so many forms of cranberries – fresh, frozen, dried, juice or sauce – the options are endless!

Take a look at the guide and see for yourself all the terrific recipes you can make for your Christmas and New Year's dinners!!




This post is written by Sarah Coulsey . She is a Wife, and Mother of two boys living in New England. This post may contain affiliate links.
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