Cookie Swap

I am so excited!!!!  I just signed up for the "Great Food Blogger Cookie Swap!"  You can, too.  If you are a food blogger and want to make cookies for others, then receive cookies others made, then sign up quick!  You have until November 5! 

Here is the link: The Great Food Blogger Cookie Swap 2012

Cancer

So this has been quite an ordeal from my last post to today.  Let me update to what is going on.

On the night of August 10, my mom was sent to the James Cancer Center in Columbus, Ohio by ambulance.  By this time she had been in Blanchard Valley Hospital for five days.  She was having her pain managed by intravenous dilaudid.  She handled the trip well and my dad followed in the car.  She was admitted that Friday night and tests commenced quickly on Saturday.  CT scans and blood draws.  As the week progressed, she had more tests, a PET scan among them.  I arrived on Tuesday after a long but uneventful drive from the Chicago area.

On this evening when I came, she looked good.  Tired, a little worn out, her hair was dirty from not having a proper shower, but otherwise, good.  She was happy to see me.  Got out of bed, hugged me, talked to me about what was going on.  We were waiting for the diagnosis/ prognosis that the doctors would deliver on Thursday.  We were hopeful, despite knowing the situation was grave. I stayed for about three hours before heading over to my sister's house to see my Dad.  He was preparing for prostate surgery the next day.  He had been diagnosed in the Spring with prostate cancer.  Despite putting off the surgery a few times, at my mom's urging he went ahead with it.  He had his surgery at Riverside Hospital in Columbus, less than 5 minutes away from the James Center.

Wednesday was a good day, too.  I stayed Tuesday and Wednesday with an old friend from high school whom I hadn't seen in about 13 years.  She opened her home up to me and was the most amazing and gracious host.  I left her house after filling up on pancakes and bacon to spend the day with my mom.  My brother Mark and his daughter Hannah and my sister Leanne were taking care of my Dad during his surgery.  We wanted someone to be with Mom.  I was happy to take the job.

We talked and reminisced.  We joked and giggled.  We worried and cried.  We were relieved when someone from the desk came and checked my mom's phone in the room, it was off the hook and my brother couldn't call us with updates.  (I had turned my cell phone off due to hospital regulations.)  My Dad's surgery went off without a glitch.  The cancer had not spread to the lymph nodes and was completely contained within the prostate.  Except for some difficulty in the recovery room with low blood pressure, he came through with flying colors.  How I wish we could have stopped time on Wednesday.  Wednesday was such a good day.

Living Far Away From Those You Love

When I moved to Aurora, IL 12 years ago, I didn't think about how hard it would be to be away from my family in Ohio.  I knew we wouldn't get to see each other as often s we had when we lived in Cleveland, but we would make it work.  And we have.

We go home at least three times a year and my parents come out here at least three to four times a year.  My sister used to come out every summer with her three girls when they were younger and my brothers have been out a few times with their families when they were making a trip to Chicago.

But now that there is a health crisis with my parents, it feels like there is a million miles between us instead of the mere 300 from here to Findlay.  In the Spring of this year my Dad was diagnosed with early stage prostate cancer.  He scheduled his surgery in July, but then my mom came down with what we thought was pneumonia.  Turns out it wasn't.  Her left lung filled up twice with fluid, but no pneumonia.  The doctors don't know why this is happening.  (Don't get me started on her general practitioner - aaargh!)

What has been discovered are two large growths on her spleen.  She is due to have a needle biopsy today.  I wish I could be there with all my might.  But I have responsibilities and 300 miles between us.  It doesn't make sense for me to go until we know what is going on.  For now she is stable and doing okay.  My dad is there and capable of taking care of her.  My sister and brother are going to go up and be with her.  I am so thankful that they will be there.

I sure wish I was.

New Favorite Drink!

I spotted a recipe in a coupon circular and saved it until I could gather the necessary ingredients.  I had to shop around and had a hard time finding a few of the things I needed, but I'm glad I found everything.  This smoothie is not only delicious, but healthy, too!  And the best part - you only need three ingredients!!

Pineapple Coconut Smoothie - only 3 ingredients

Pineapple-Coconut Smoothie

1/2 cup Pineapple Orange Juice (I used Dole brand)
1 cup almondmilk coconutmilk blend (I used vanilla Almond Breeze brand)
1 1/2 cups frozen pineapple chunks

Place all ingredients in blender and blend until smooth. 

Yield: 1 large or 2 medium smoothies

By my own calculations, making this as one serving is about 266 calories, so for two it is only 133 calories!!! 

The original recipe only called for pineapple juice, but I wanted to buy the small cans and my grocery store only had pineapple orange juice in the small cans. 

Enjoy staying cool this summer with this smoothie.  Or make it into a low cal pina colada  by adding some rum.  Yum!

Marinated Flank Steak

This recipe is for the best steak marinade, EVER!  Once we had this, I stopped looking for a great marinade for steaks.  This one is it.  So easy and so delicious!!!

I got this recipe from The Weber grill cookbook that came with our first Weber kettle grill we bought after we bought our first house.  That grill was a traditional black kettle grill, we used Kingsford charcoal briquettes (we didn't know there was anything better out there) and lighter fluid to start the grill.  We've since graduated to a gas ignited, hunter green Weber kettle grill and we now use hardwood lump or chunk charcoal.

Every time I make this steak, my husband hugs me and the kids dance around singing, it is that good.

Flank Steak

Flank Steak Marinade

½ cup vegetable oil
⅓ cup soy sauce
¼ cup red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon dry mustard
1 clove garlic, minced
¼ teaspoon pepper
1½ pound flank steak

Combine marinade ingredients in shallow nonmetal container. Place steak in marinade turning to coat completely. Marinate covered in refrigerator for at least 4 hours or overnight. Remove steak from marinade and grill as desired.

Let steak stand for 10 minutes and cut across the grain into thin slices.  Enjoy!

Father's Day Dinner 2012 - Marinated Flank Steak, Taffy Apple Salad, and Red Potatoes

Father's Day 2012

Brendan with the three kiddos!

 Father's Day is always a fun one around our house.  This year was no exception.  With no where to go (went to church in Saturday night, my Dad is fishing in Canada and Brendan's Dad is in Turkey) we had a relaxing morning of Breakfast in bed and hanging out together. 

Emma and Zoe made ties from the Chicago Tribune for Brendan to wear.

The kids got up and made cards for their Dad while I went and bought doughnuts for breakfast.  When I got back I took the dog on a half hour walk.  The girls wrapped Brendan's gifts for me in DC superhero wrapping paper and finished up their special cards.  We then got out the tray, put two chocolate frosted cake doughnuts on a plate along with some orange juice in a glass, and went upstairs to "surprise" Dad with breakfast in bed. 

The morning was a success!  Brendan got an Emerald Isle Classic Notre Dame t-shirt, the new Sherlock Holmes DVD, and a bag of M&M's. 

Flank steak, buttered red potatoes and taffy apple salad

For dinner I made some of Brendan's favorite foods: marinated flank steak, taffy apple salad, buttered red potatoes and ice cream cake.  Definitely dinner fit for a king!  I will share the recipes soon!

Father's Day Ice Cream Cake

Capture The Moment - Maid of the Mist

I was asked to substitute in my daughter's 2nd grade class while her teacher went to Florida to celebrate her 5th anniversary.  I spent two days with the students and was asked to model some writing for a "Slice of Life" assignment where the students were asked to bring in a picture from an event in their life, then capture the essence of the experience in their writing. 

I chose a picture from our summer vacation when we went on the Maid of the Mist boat at Niagara Falls.  I had forgotten how much fun writing like this could be, and decided I would make myself write one capture the moment experience every month from the photos I have on my computer.  Here is my first installment, written in front of 2nd graders.

Me on the Maid of the Mist - Niagara Falls

It was a warm day as I waited in line to get onto the Maid of the Mist.  I was very excited to see the Horseshoe Falls up close.  When the man working at the front of the line told us we could get on, I rushed up the stairs to the top level of the boat.  I wanted to have a good spot to see the waterfall. 

I heard lots of giggles and nervous chatter as we waited for the boat to move.  Across the river happy, wet people waved at us as they came back form their trip to the Falls. 

The boat moved forward and I saw the Bridal Veil Falls and the hundreds (maybe thousands) of seagulls.  We got to the Horseshoe Falls and the boat swayed drunkenly in the churning river.  I couldn't hear my husband talking over the crashing water.  By the time we turned to go back, I was soaked!

What a ride!

Baby Cake

My husband's cousin Katie was hosting a baby shower  a few weekends ago and asked me if I would make cake for the shower.  She had a picture and wondered if I could make a similar cake.  I looked at the picture and said I would (and could) do it.

I love making new cakes and challenging myself with how I can make it.  For this cake, Katie wanted a pregnant belly (and breasts) in a fancy dress.  Oh yes, she wanted a little foot kicking the inside of the belly.

Pregnant Belly Baby Shower Cake

 I looked at what I had to work with and decided on baking the cake in my largest Pyrex bowl for the rounded belly and my smallest Pyrex bowl for the breasts.  Then I made two layers of a 9-inch round cake and one layer of a 5-inch round cake to go underneath the belly and breasts.  I ended up having to carve off the edges of the large bowl cake as they were a little too big for the 9-inch cake base, and were a little dry and hard because they cooked faster than the middle of the bowl part of the cake.  I then frosted and stacked all the layers and placed them on a cake board in the correct shape.

Close-up of the little baby foot

 The next step was to make a little marshmallow fondant foot and place it on the belly after I frosted, but before I covered the cake in more mmf.  This part went well until I covered the whole thing in the fondant.  The foot part was visible, but I hadn't made the toes big enough to see through the top layer of fondant.  I picked the fondant up off the cake (yikes!) and of course it tore on both sides of the belly.  I replaced the original toes I made with round balls of fondant and replaced the fondant dress cover.  I was able to mend the tears somewhat with water and smoothing, and covering with the black zebra print fondant pieces.  I was happy with how the foot looked now, but a little bummed with the cracked fondant.  In the end it turned out beautiful, and now I know to make the toes bigger!!!

Happy Homemade Valentine's Day!

In our family, Valentine's Day means making special valentines (that usually include some kind of candy) from paper, felt, stickers, sequins and other artsy craftsy materials to give out to teachers, classmates and friends.

This year was no different.  However with Pinterest and all kinds of ideas out on the internet, we had lots to look at and decide from.  My oldest daughter chose to make felt fortune cookies with a different silly fortune in each one.  She got the idea from her American Girl magazine and so we made 25 colorful felt fortune cookies over the last few days.  Unfortunately I did not get a picture of them.  They were, according to Emma, a hit with her class.  I also made little paper boxes that Emma filled with three Hershey kisses and decorated with heart stickers for each of her classmates.  Also, sadly, no picture.

However, I did get pictures of my youngest daughter's valentines for her second grade class.  (probably because she had hers done a week early, instead of finishing the night before like her older sister!) Zoe chose super hero valentines to make.  I found the idea here: Zakka Life.  I cut out the capes and masks.  Zoe wrote "Have a SUPER Valentine's Day" and put on heart stickers on the capes and drew the eyes on the masks.  We then taped the masks to the sucker and punched a hole in the cape and slid it up the stick in place.  I saw as the kids in her class flew them around the room and compared what color super hero they got at the class party.  Zoe was thrilled with them, and so were the recipients.

Finally, I made candy pencils for the teachers, pairing them with a Valentine's notepad for their gift.  The girls were thrilled to give these out, and I had so much fun making them! The pencil is a pack of Rolo's with a Hershey's kiss for the tip.  I found the idea for the pencils here: Simply J Studio. 

I actually made my husband  a homemade valentine, but he ate part of it before I took a picture of it!  Anyways, I think I will miss the flurry of activity at the beginning of February when we are deciding on what valentines to make when my girls get older.  I'm going to enjoy it now, while I still can!

Snow Ice Cream

Well the forecast yesterday called for lots of snow around here, and we definitely got it!  So as I ran my errands in the morning, I made sure to pick up one essential ingredient, half and half.  Whenever we get the first snows of the season, my kids start asking me when we will make snow ice cream.  I've been making it for years with my three kids, and I don't think we can have winter without making it once!

As the snow started falling, I put my biggest bowl outside on the table on the deck to start collecting snow.  My girls had a half day of school and as soon as they got home, started monitoring the fullness of the bowl.  I received frequent updates as the afternoon wore on: "There's a LOT of snow in the bowl, Mom."  "Mom, the bowl is more than half full."  "Mom!  The snow is over the top of the bowl!!!!" 

Aaaah.  Now it is time to make the snow ice cream.  I brought the heaping bowl of fresh snow in and placed it on the counter.  My eager kids gathered around as I added the ingredients.  First, some sugar.  (The sugar always gets some ooohs and aaaahs from my kids.)  Then some half and half.  A little vanilla.  Some more half and half and some more sugar.  After lots of mixing and some taste testing, we declared this batch perfect!

I pulled out the pretty sundae glasses and served up the snow ice cream.  The kids loved it!

Now, if only I didn't have to go back out and shovel again!

My Nephew's Baptism

I attended my newest nephew's baptism this past weekend.  It was quite lovely.  He wore his great grandfather's christening gown that several members of his family have been baptized in, including his mother and grandmother.  There were only four babies being baptized, so it wasn't too long.  And two of my three kids got tapped to assist the priest by holding the oils that he anointed each baby with.

My sister-in-law and brother-in-law hosted a great party afterwards.  Lots of yummy food (homemade lasagne!) and good company.  Our kids and my brother-in-law's nieces and nephews get along great.  Everyone had a good time.

As a Catholic, I take the sacraments that we can receive very seriously.  I bought my nephew a stuffed lamb and three board books about Jesus.  When I went to buy a card, the cards at the Christian bookstore were clearly not for infant baptism.  So I ran to the Hallmark store the morning of the baptism and found several nice cards that mentioned baptism and were clearly for infants.  I found one that had a sentiment that I liked and purchased it.

Fast forward to the party where my sister-in-law was opening the gifts.  She received three of the same card (not the one I bought) and that led us to a discussion of the lack of variety in Baptism/ Christening cards.  I mentioned how that is true at many stores, but not at Hallmark where there seemed to be at least five cards I liked that all mentioned baptism specifically.  One of the women there said that
 she doesn't like to buy cards where the wording is too "religiousy."  Really?  I just shook my head and smiled.  The reason for a baptism is to welcome a child into God's family and the church family.  Isn't that the point?  How can you be too religious with a baptism?  I just don't get it.

Where I Spend My Time

I have recently decided that I spend way too much time on the computer.  I think this blog is a good use of my time, and the other sites I visit can be useful, if I didn't get sucked in and spend 1/2 an hour (at the minimum) every time I log into one of these sites.  So I thought I'd share with you where I (waste) spend the majority of my computer time.

Facebook.  What a time waster.  I never wanted to get sucked in.  But I did.  Reconnected with my fourth grade boyfriend.  Reconnected with old high school and college friends.  But what I love most is being connected with family.  I am in touch with cousins who I know very little about.  They are so much younger than me, or live many states away, that I don't know them really.  Now, I know them a little bit.  Aunts and uncles.  I no longer see my aunts and uncles on any regular basis.  Occasionally, if I am lucky, I see them once a year.  More likely it is once every two or three years.  On Facebook I can chat on a daily basis.  Makes me feel a little more connected.  Brothers, sisters and nieces and nephews.  These are the people I especially love to see  on FB.  What a great way to stay connected when
living hundreds of miles away.  (Oh, and I love when people ooh and ahh over pictures of cakes and cookies I make are posted there.)

Ravelry.  I'm a new knitter.  Just learned at the beginning of 2011.  I love it.  So, I spend lots of time on Ravelry.com, a website devoted to knitting and crochet projects.  What I really love is that many of the projects are free or available for a small fee.  Also, lots of people post pictures of their projects and I can get a good idea of how something should turn out.  I save so many ideas there.  Have probably made about 28 projects this year.  Hope to make lots more (when I'm not wasting time on the computer!)

Finally, my friend Katie invited me to join Pinterest.  She told me it is a way better time waster than Facebook.  And I think she is right.  Oh the ideas, the beautiful pictures, the links to tasty food recipes.  Basically, if you have not heard of it, it is a website that creates virtual bulletin boards.  Any ideas you like, you "pin" a picture on a theme board of your choosing (say like "Christmas Ideas").  Then the picture is a link to the website where you can get the information about that item, recipe, party idea.  But here's the best part.  You can see other people's pins, and repin them to your bulletin board.  So many fantastic ideas!!!! It is brilliant.

There are other websites that suck me in, too.  Blogs, Allrecipes.com, Etsy, blogs.  But these three are by far the main way I spend my time on the web.  Where do you (waste) find interesting things on the computer?

Birthday Cookies

My two oldest nieces, Rose and Hannah, turned 16 this December, 6 days apart.  I wanted to make something special for the two of them.  I also had to make something that would mail safely and taste good after being in the mail for a few days.  So I came up with these sweet sugar cookies and a little birthday cash.

Here are some of Rose's cookies:

Her favorite color is blue so I chose green as a complementing color and then made these sweet little cupcake cookies. 

Hannah's cookies ended up being very similar, but I chose orange (her favorite color) and used pink as the complementing color.

 I really love how they turned out, and I'm really happy I was able to surprise them both on their special birthday!

Candy Cane Fudge

Need a last minute treat for Christmas?  This is it.  Simple, festive and tasty.  Make it. Today.

I made this last week to take to a friend's house for after caroling in her neighborhood.   Not only was it a hit, but I got several requests for the recipe.  It is so easy, and so good!

Candy Cane Fudge

2 (11 oz.) packages white chocolate chips
1 (14 oz.) can sweetened condensed milk
½ teaspoon peppermint extract
1½ cups crushed candy canes, divided

Line an 8-inch square baking pan with aluminum foil. Grease the foil.

Combine the vanilla chips and sweetened condensed milk in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir frequently until vanilla chips are almost melted. Remove from heat and continue to stir until chips are completely melted and mixture is smooth. Stir in peppermint extract and 1 1/4 cups candy canes.

Spread evenly into prepared pan. Top with remaining 1/4 cup candy canes. Press lightly into fudge. Chill for two hours in the refrigerator, then cut into small squares.

Yield: 1- 8x8 inch pan of fudge


Notes:  Make this a day ahead for the best pepperminty taste. 

I have really enjoyed taking this recipe trip with all of you.  I hope you have found a few favorites of your own that may become a tradition in your homes.  Have a very Merry Christmas!!!

Only 2 more days until Christmas!

Succotash

I actually have no idea what succotash is.  In my mind it is some crumbled meat mixed with some potatoes and other vegetables and served over toast or something like that.  I might have mixed it up with hash, but no mind.  When my sister-in-law, Elizabeth, made this for Thanksgiving dinner a few years ago, I was little skeptical.  I'm not a huge fan of many green vegetables, and ones that LOOK like lima beans are no exception.  But, I'm the polite sort and so I tried Elizabeth's vegetable dish.  I'm so glad I did.  This instantly became one of my favorite vegetable side dishes of all times.  I took leftovers home and ate them for the next three days.  It is that good.  I now make it for holiday dinners and introduced edamame (soybeans) to my Ohio family.  (Ironically, my dad grew up a farmer and my mom in a small farming town, but they had not heard of edamame - I guess it is a big city thing.)

 

Succotash

4 slices bacon
¼ cup onion, chopped
10 ounces frozen corn
12 ounces shelled edamame

Cut the bacon into small pieces and fry in pan over medium heat. After a minute or two add the onion and saute until bacon is cooked and onion is soft and golden. Drain fat.

Add corn, edamame and enough water (1/2 - 1 cup) to pan to cook vegetables. Cook until corn and edamame are cooked through and hot.


Notes: I really don't know if this is traditional succotash, but I don't care.  It is delicious.  The edamame has a nutty quality and of course the bacon adds yumminess to just about anything.  Add more onion if you are a fan.

Only 1 more recipe and 3 more days until Christmas!

Overnight Cinnamon Rolls

My family loves cinnamon rolls.  I love cinnamon rolls.  In fact for my birthday a few years ago I made myself homemade cinnamon rolls instead of cake.  What I hate about homemade cinnamon rolls is how long they take.  If you really want them for breakfast, I would have to get up VERY early, and they still probably wouldn't be ready until 10:30 in the morning.  That just won't fly with my early rising kids.  (And lets face it, I want my rolls, too!)  I found some different recipes and took the best parts of each of them and came up with this dynamite recipe for cinnamon rolls you make the night before. 

Overnight Cinnamon Rolls

2 (.25 oz) packages active dry yeast
2½ cups warm water, 110ºF
1 (18.25 oz.) package yellow cake mix
7 - 8½ cups all purpose flour, divided
3 eggs
⅓ cup vegetable oil
1½ teaspoons salt
6 tablespoons butter, softened, divided
¾ cup sugar
1 tablespoon cinnamon
Cream Cheese Frosting
1 package (8oz.) cream cheese, softened
8 tablespoons (1 stick) butter, softened
3¾ cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Let stand for 3 minutes. Add cake mix, 1 cup flour, eggs, oil and salt; beat well. Stir in 6 cups flour until soft dough forms.

Put dough hook attachment on mixer and knead dough until smooth, about 5 minutes. Add more flour, 1/4 cup at a time, while kneading if dough is too sticky. Place in greased bowl, and turn to coat top of dough. Cover and let rise until doubled in bulk, about 45 minutes.

Punch dough down. Divide into two equal parts. Roll out each part on a lightly floured surface to a 12x16-inch rectangle. Spread 3 tablespoons softened butter onto each rectangle. In a small bowl, mix sugar and cinnamon. Sprinkle half of cinnamon mixture on each rectangle.

Roll up from long side of rectangle, pinching edges to seal. Cut each rectangle into 12 equal rolls with a piece of dental floss or knife. Place in two greased 13x9-inch pans (12 rolls in each pan). Spray plastic wrap with vegetable spray and tightly cover each pan. Place in refrigerator to rise overnight.

In the morning, take rolls out of refrigerator and let sit on counter for at least 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 350ºF. Remove plastic wrap and bake for 25-35 minutes or until golden brown. Let cool 10 minutes, then frost with cream cheese frosting.

To make frosting:

Place cream cheese and butter in mixing bowl. Blend with electric mixer on low speed until combined. Add powdered sugar a little at a time, blending with mixer on low until sugar is incorporated. Add vanilla extract and increase mixer speed to medium and blend until frosting is fluffy, 1 minute more.

Yield: 24 rolls

Notes:  This makes a lot of rolls.  Often, I only make 12, then freeze the other 12.  To do this, follow directions in recipe for one pan.  For other 12 rolls, after cutting, place on parchment lined cookie sheet so that rolls are not touching.  Place cookie sheet in freezer until rolls are hard, about 1 hour.  Take rolls off of cookie sheet and place in a freezer Ziploc bag.  Freeze for up to 2 months.  Get out of freezer day before and proceed as above.  Know that the rolls may not rise as much as the unfrozen rolls, but they will still taste great!  Remember to cut the frosting recipe in half, too.

Only 2 more recipes and 4 more days until Christmas!

Rolo Pretzel Turtles

 Apparently this recipe has been around for a few years, but it was introduced to me three years ago and it has since become a family favorite.  I especially love to make these when we have guests over because they are so pretty and so yummy, but so ridiculously easy!  If your kids don't like nuts, press an M&M in the top instead of a pecan.  It's not quite a turtle, but still a tasty candy.

Rolo Pretzel Turtles

1 package (11 oz.) Rolo candy, unwrapped
small pretzels
pecan halves or M&M candies

Preheat oven to 350ºF.

Place pretzels in single layer on parchment lined cookie sheet. Place one Rolo on each pretzel.

Bake 3-5 minutes or until caramel begins to soften, but not melt. Remove cookie sheet from oven and immediately press pecan half or M&M into top of Rolo, pushing down so the Rolo fills the pretzel. Let cool completely.

Yield: about 45 candies

Notes: I love the square pretzels for this the best, but if you can't find them, the little twists work fine, too.  I love buying M&M's in the season's colors, making this treat adaptable to almost any holiday.  (This would be a great treat for your Valentine's Day sweetie!)

Only 3 more recipes and 5 days until Christmas!

Mint Ravioli Cookies

When I saw this recipe, I knew I needed to make it.  These are such fun little cookies. It is essentially two sugar cookies with a chocolate mint sandwiched between the layers.  A truly fun and delicious cookie.  I didn't buy enough mints for this batch of cookies, so if you look closely in the picture with the mints lined up, you will see pieces of a Hershey's milk chocolate bar.  This actually worked out great for us, as my youngest daughter does not like minty foods.  So, feel free to substitute chocolate squares for the mints if you prefer, it will still taste delicious.

Mint Ravioli Cookies

½ cup butter, softened
½ cup shortening
1 cup sugar
1 egg
2½ cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
3 dozen Andes Creme De Menthe thin mints, unwrapped

Beat butter, shortening, sugar and egg in a large bowl with electric mixer until fluffy. Stir in flour, baking powder and salt. Cover and refrigerate about 1 hour or until firm.

Heat oven to 400ºF. On a lightly floured surface, roll half of dough into a rectangle 13 x 9 inches. Place mints on dough, forming 6 uniform rows of 6.

 Roll remaining dough into a rectangle 13 x 9 inches on floured wax paper. Place over mint-covered dough. Cut dough between mints with a pizza wheel.

If edges of cookies are not sealed, gently press edges together with your fingers to seal. Place 2 inches apart on parchment lined cookie sheets. Bake 7-9 minutes or until light brown. Remove from cookie sheet to wire rack to cool completely.

Yield: 3 dozen cookies


Notes:  If you want sprinkles on your cookies, add them before baking to give them a festive touch.

Only 4 more recipes and 6 days until Christmas!

Classic Crumb Cake

 When I was a kid, I loved those Hostess Crumb Cakes.  You know, the little yellow cakes covered in cinnamony crumb goodness.  Definitely a special treat on the rare occasions when my mom bought them.  This is the adult version.  Actually, it is the Martha Stewart version.  And as with so many of the Martha Stewart recipes I have tried, it is a keeper. 

I made this for the Bible Study ladies and their kids, as well as my own kids.  It was a big hit.  One of my friends begged me to send her the recipe, while my kids devoured what was left when they got home from school.  Unfortunately for me, I only had one piece (a corner piece) left to take a picture with.  The middle pieces were prettier, but you get the general idea of how this cake looks.  It is a simple sour cream coffee cake, topped with a mountain of cinnamony crumbs.  Soooooooooo good.

Classic Crumb Cake

10 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
2½ cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup sugar
3 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1¼ cups sour cream
 

Crumb Topping:
3 cups all purpose flour
1 cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon kosher salt
3½ sticks (1 3/4 cups) unsalted butter, softened

Preheat oven to 350ºF. Generously grease a 13x9-inch baking pan; set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 4 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating until well mixed. Mix in the vanilla. Add the dry ingredients and the sour cream; beat just until combined.

Spread the batter evenly in the prepared pan. Sprinkle the crumb topping evenly over the batter. Bake in preheated oven until cake is golden brown and toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 40-50 minutes.

Before serving, sprinkle with powdered sugar if desired.

To make the crumb topping:
In a bowl, stir the flour, sugar, cinnamon and salt until well combined. Add the butter and cut in with a pastry blender until large, moist clumps form.

Yield: 1- 13x9-inch cake

Notes:  This was really delicious.  My picky kids loved it because there was no "chunks" in it.  My friend Lisa ate the cake out of the bottom of her piece and saved the crumbs for last.  It is so tasty and so good.  A real treat for a Christmas brunch or New Year's Day breakfast.

Only 5 more recipes and 9 days until Christmas!

Grandma Van's Salad Dressing

My husband's maternal Grandma, affectionately known as Grandma Van to her grandkids, was known for several recipes.  One was her famous gingersnaps, one was her Bohemian rye sugar cookies, and another was her salad dressing.  Everyone who has ever tried this dressing loves it.  No kidding.  It is that good.  And even though Grandma Van is no longer with us here on Earth to spend the holidays with, Thanksgiving and Christmas just wouldn't be the same without some of her salad dressing on the table.

Grandma Van's Salad Dressing

1 slice onion, chopped
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon dry mustard
1 teaspoon celery salt
1 teaspoon paprika
1 cup sugar
½ cup white vinegar
1 cup vegetable oil

Put all ingredients except the vegetable oil in a blender. Blend until smooth. Add 1 cup vegetable oil and blend again until mixed evenly. Pour into salad dressing container.  Store in refrigerator.

Yield: 1 pint


Notes:  This is a sweeter salad dressing, but oh so yummy.  It is really easy to cut the recipe in half if you don't need 2 cups of dressing. 

Only 6 more recipes and 11 more days until Christmas!