Homemade Turtles, Book Signing, and a Challenge for you!

So you have a book signing and you want to make something because you know your mother is going to be there and she can go down the line and hand it out for you, but you’ve been sick and are really not up to a grand production in the kitchen – what do you do?

Or how about Christmas is coming up like a speeding freight train and you really want to make just – one – more – thing but don’t have a lot of time? Well let me tell ya, this candy is DELICIOUS. So I don’t care what time of year it is, how busy you are, or whether or not you really need one more thing, I do really hope you’ll make it today because you are going to love me when you do!

Special thanks to our friend Susie Braun of Pecan Pie Muffin Fame, who gave this recipe to Mama at their stitch group meeting the other night!

You’ll need: A bag of pretzels (get the square kind like these), a bag of rolos, and some pecan halves.

I thought I’d need two bags of each but here is how it turned out: The pretzels will be enough for a gazillion of these puppies and you’ll likely have plenty of pecan pieces too. What you’ll need two of (if you want to make more) is the Rolos, you run out of them before you run out of anything else.

Place a rolo on top of a pretzel and fill up a cookie sheet with these.

Notice how I had my pretzels laid out all orderly like and then it just all kinda goes into disarray. I generally start out things like that, its the good intentions that make me orderly at times, but it is not a natural state for me to be in. Ain’t life fun like that, though? Kinda crazy, kinda fly-by-the-seat-of-my-pants, and all about being who I am and enjoying it rather than trying to be something that I’m not.

Okay, so now you’re going to put these in the oven at 350 for two minutes.

Get that? Only two or you’ll have a mess on your hands.

As soon as they come out, press a pecan piece into the top of each of them.

~sighs~ Aren’t pecans expensive? Pains me to use ‘em.

Let these cool until hardened completely, which will take ten forevers.

So make them early in the day if you want to serve them or let them set up in your fridge for a while. If you live in a place that is really cold (which is always hit or miss here in Alabama) you can just set this cookie sheet outside for a few minutes.

Homemade Turtles, Book Signing, and a Challenge for you!

Ingredients

• 1 package Rolos
• 1 bag square pretzels (the waffle weave ones, such as Snyders)
• Pecan Halves

Instructions

1. On an ungreased cookie sheet, place an unwrapped Rolo atop a pretzel. Repeat until you run out of Rolos or room on your cookie sheet. Place in a 350 degree oven for two minutes. Remove and press a pecan half into the top of each one. Let cool until hardened again.

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Photos from last night’s book signing

I’ve really enjoyed getting to meet you all on the book tour. To see a list of where all I’ve been, click here. Last night’s book signing was extra special to me, though, because we got to raise money for Manna House, a local organization that helps feed folks in need. Here are some photos and more details at the bottom. Be sure to read my challenge for a chance to win one of five $20 Wal Mart Gift Cards!

I gave the kids who came little Christmas straws, and then showed them how to use them as whistles ~giggle~

I heard the line was really long but I never got to see the end of it from where I was. The event was scheduled from 3-5 and I left around 6:30 so we had a really good turnout. They had a craft table set up for the kids. If you look directly over my head, that is Katy Rose working on making a Christmas tree .

This is much later on, look where Katy Rose still is? lol

Here are some other kids at the craft table. I love to see kids at Southern Plate events!

These are my new friends Allie and Jake. They did such a great job with their Christmas trees!

We also had a cupcake decorating table. It was $3.00 each to decorate a cupcake and all of those proceeds went to Manna House (thank you Barnes and Noble!).

This is my new friend Lillian and her gorgeous cupcake!

THIS is little CJ! I met him back when I had the Southern Plate Scavenger Hunt on the day my book debuted, but he was in his Mama’s tummy then. What a THRILL to get to see this precious little boy now! (gotta love his name, too!)

So I just snatched little CJ up and went right back to signing. But Mama came in so she could get some time with him, too! Mama stole my sweet little CJ!

Katy Rose loved him. She said “Mama, wasn’t that little bitty baby so cute?”

Katy Rose put a baby brother or sister in on her Christmas wish list this year. While that isn’t happening on this end, if y’all happen to have one already born I will gladly accept baby donations:) (don’t you think I’m kidding here!).

My family got to sign a few books as well. This is Katy Rose signing a book. She thought that was neat.

This is Miss Holly, she was Katy Rose’s first dance teacher, back when Katy said she was “a ballerino!”

This is Jason. He was the senior editor of our high school literary magazine and I was the junior editor. That was a verrrrry long time ago but Jason keeps telling everyone we graduated ten years ago, which is yet another reason why I’m gonna keep him around! He was kind enough to take all of these photos for the event for me. I’m tellin’ ya, it just doesn’t pay to be in my inner circle of friends these days, because eventually I’ll put ya to work!

This is Buck and Valerie. I know them from the bygone days of being a teller at the credit union for the city of Huntsville’s employees and yet, knowing me, they STILL stood in line to see me! hehehe

And this is my whole family. Daddy (Bill Davis, retired from the Huntsville Police Dept), Janice Davis (Mama, retired to pursue a career as Grandmama), Me (I’m smiling because some folks in this world actually take me seriously these days), Ricky Jordan (the guy lucky enough to have married me a little over twelve years ago ~snort~), Katy Rose (who currently has a sign on her bedroom door that reads “Welcome to Princess Fairy Wonderland”), and Brady (who has a sign on his door that reads “Welcome to Abbey Road Recording Studio).

Yup, that’s us.

To view all of my photos from the book signing, click here.

This is Fran from Manna House in Huntsville and I am so very grateful to her for giving me the opportunity to do something extra special with this book signing. A percentage of all books sold tonight went to Manna House as well as money from the gift wrapping table and cupcake decorating table. We also had folks bring in canned goods as well to help support Manna House.

Manna House gives food to families in need in our area and so many people rely in it.

It was such a privilege for me to be able to help with this, even though I know it was just in a small way. Thank you to Barnes and Noble for hosting this great event and orchestrating all of the wonderful activities along with it. Between Barnes and Noble and Manna House I hope we helped make a few more Christmases special.

We were also fortunate to be able to repeat something we did last year. We chose a local nursing home and bought bottles of body wash for each resident – the nursing home staff said that was the one thing everyone could have and they were always in need of. We’re going to wrap each of the 78 bottles individually because I know that for some of them it will be the only gift they get to unwrap this year, and deliver them on Christmas Eve to let the staff pass out. I don’t personally know anyone at the nursing home but I have seen how loving the staff is towards them and I know it will mean a lot to them to get to give their patients gifts. Thanks to everyone who bought a Southern Plate Gratitude Basket this year for helping us be able to do this.

And now I challenge you.

~grins~ I challenge you to do something this year to help others. If you already do, then I challenge you to post what it is you do or have done in the comments below to help inspire others. It doesn’t have to cost money, it doesn’t even have to take a lot of time, it just needs to come from your heart. I know times are tough for a lot of us right now but you know my Mama always said that when times were tight, it was more important than ever to find a way to help someone else out and I have seen the wisdom in her words more times than I can count.

If you are looking for a way to help, with just a few dollars, please click here to read about Santa’s for Seniors.

So tell me, how do you help others at Christmas time?

I want to thank you for inspiring me every day and I look forward so much to these comments. I get to see first hand what good hearted people you are every day by your comments here and on facebook and I know that we will all be touched and moved to more acts of kindness by getting to read yours.

Merry Christmas.

Gratefully,

Christy

I am only one, but still I am one.

I cannot do everything but still I can do something;

and because I cannot do everything, I will not refuse to do

something I can do.

~Edward Hale

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Posted by Christy Jordan on Dec 20 2010. Filed under Dessert, Holiday Favorites!, Life at Bountiful. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry