Speaking of Chocolate

Public service announcement.

Even though these look like little discs you could melt and dip things in to coat them in chocolate, these little things are made to melt.  Not to coat.  If you melt these and coat things with the melted chocolate you will have to eat them directly from the refrigerator.  Melts in your hand.  Not in your mouth.  

These little yummies look and melt similarly.  Except they set up nicely.  Designed for candy making and dipping.   Moral of the story:  read the bag.  Use appropriately.  

Appropriately used you could end up with this.  Not bad for my first attempt at replicating my Mom's crunch. 

The Real Cookie #6

Coconut Macaroons

Recipe I Used:  This one from Taste of Home.  Because it was prize winning.

Why I made these:  They are easy peasy.  They are slightly unusual.  They are naturally gluten-free.  I wanted something to dip in chocolate.

How they turned out:  A little dry. I added an extra egg white. I will try them again but I will use a fresh bag of coconut--not an already opened bag I had in the cupboard.  I might also try this variation and use some of my dried apricots.  I will still dip them in chocolate.

Who ate them:  Me.

The Goob

Two of the Goob's friends.

The STP

Some friends.

Cookie #6

Yeah, not really cookie number 6. but I don't think you've seen the moose in the snow.

Cookie #5

Thumbprint cookies:  Buttery shortbreadish cookies with thumbprint indentation filled with your favorite jam.

But what if I have three favorite jams?

Homemade sweet cherry, apricot, and peach.

Recipe I used:  This one from Martha Stewart.   Because, say what you will about Martha Stewart, she has a good thumbprint
cookie recipe.

Why I made them:   I saw a picture of them in a magazine.  That's all it took.

I used my food processor to process the almonds.

And my mixer with the wisk attachment to froth the eggwhites.

After I read the comments, I divided my dough into thirds, and then each third into half.

Then each half third into sixths.

So I got three dozen cookies from the recipe.  Just like Martha said.

Rolled little balls, dipped in eggwhites, and rolled in almonds.

Used my thumb to make the indentations, cause I don't have a wooden spoon, and because they are called thumbprint cookies after all.

I baked them 10 minutes before I indented them again and filled them with jam.  Because I was committed to following the recipe.  

I think I may have overfilled them, but it didn't seem to make a big difference in the end product.

How they turned out:  Wonderful two bite bits of yum.  I like these because they were small and could be baked on just two cookie sheets.  I would make these again.

Who ate them:  Not the Goob (nuts)

Not the STP  (wheat flour)

Me.

The Goob's Science teacher.

Me.

The people I cut up pigs with.

The Front Porch

Changed up the front decorations this year.  Started with this Pottery Barn inspired sign.

(As if the moose needed an explanation)

Instead of the snowflakes, I hung a few garage sale ornaments.  (50 cents worth.)

I decorated with my tubs and buckets. Grew those red sticks myself.

Do you recognize the pine cones?  Number 26 on the non-resolution list.  So nice to pull them out of box all ready to go.  Had a friend with a chainsaw custom cut those logs for me. Everything else I had on hand.

I love it when a plan comes together.

Kisses 4 the STP

Peanut butter kisses--finally a gluten free cookie

Recipe I used:  this one from taste of home.  I originally got this recipe from my Aunt Louise, but it is easier to look it up online than sort through my recipes.   So simple that I should know it by heart. And, yes, there is no flour in this recipe.

Why I made them:  Kiss cookies look like Christmas.  On a plate of cookies there is always at least one with the kiss missing.  Stolen by a child who wasn't interested in eating the cookie.  Stealing the kiss is wrong.  But I always wanted to do it.  Plus this flourless version is gluten free without tasting gluten free.

How I changed the recipe:  I rolled the balls in sugar before I baked them.

Because it makes the cookie as appealing as the kiss. You know, less likely to have it's kiss plucked out and left kissless on the plate. 

I also experimented by using caramel kisses, which worked fine and reportedly tasted fine as well.

How they turned out:  Fine

Who ate them:  The Goob

The STP ( I put half a dozen in the freezer to tide the STP over until I bake another gluten free cookie)

Me

People at the fellowship dinner.

How Sweet It Is--Cookie #3

The Sugar Cookie--Rolled, cut, baked frosted bits of yum.







Recipe I used:  This one:

Our first family vacation to New England was when the girls were 2,4, and 6 years old.  We drove in the little red Subaru through 8 states in 10 days.  We budgeted $5 each for souvenirs.  This, along with the dolphin shaped cookie cutter was my souvenir. Not sure I spent all of my $5 on it, but it was worth every penny.  This ended my search for the best sugar cookie recipe ever.

Why I made them:  Every year I plan to make these.  Most years I don't actually get around to it.  I had everything I needed in the house to make these.  No year of the cookie would be complete without them.

How they turned out:  Soft.  Sweet. Superb.  These are my favorite sugar delivery system ever.  I wish I had made them when the Goob and the STP were gone.  Then I would lock the doors, make myself a pot of hot chocolate, tune into the Hallmark channel, and eat the whole batch myself.

Who will really eat them:
Not the STP--still wheat flour :(
Me.
The Goob.
People at the fellowship dinner today.
The Goob's chemistry teacher.  I made a few periodic table sugar cookies.  No really I did.  It is not easy to spell things using the element abbreviations.  For some reason I can't remember right now, I tried anyway.

Hope this is worth some extra credit points.

**Note:  I did not take pictures of the ingredients.  If you don't know what sugar looks like, do not attempt to make these cookies.

Maybe I Got it at Pottery Barn

Or maybe I got it at a yardsale.

Yeah, that's right. 10 cents.

Used a couple of garage sale finds to put together a wreath for the front door. 

PB price?  $69.00

Seriously, Pottery Barn, keep those catalogs coming.

The Gigantic Reveal

Last year I thought I would like a little red deer for on my front porch.  I even put it on my non resolution list this year.  But when I was looking for a pattern, I came across a pattern for a moose.  And instead of red deer of any size, this is what I ended up with.

Hoping this gigantic moose will help me win the Dodge City yard decorating contest.

Crossing number 25 off with a big flourish.

Good Cookie Number Two

Mexican Wedding Cakes-Little crumbly cookies also known as Russian Tea Cakes or Snowballs.

Why I made them:  My Aunt Ag used to make these at Christmastime.  I think they are a wonderful traditional Christmas cookie. 

Recipe I used:  Aunt Ag is famous for leaving out an ingredient when she gives out a recipe (not to mention that my mom is currently on the outs with her), so I used Paula Deen's recipe because I trust Paula with a recipe whose main ingredient is butter. ( Like any good food blogger, I am including pictures of some of the ingredients for you.  In case you don't know what pecans or powdered sugar look like.)

 Because these are Mexican wedding cakes, I used up the last of my Mexican vanilla in them.  (I would like a new bottle of real vanilla for Christmas.)

These cookies can be shaped in balls or like crescent moons.  I did some of each, but the crescent moons looked like the slugs that Ron Weasley coughed up when his wand malfunctioned, so I didn't make many of them.  

 And now a picture of the cookies going into the oven, in case you don't know what an oven looks like.

And the final product all double rolled in powdered sugar.

How they turned out:  Just like they should.  

Who ate them:  Not the Goob--nuts again.

Not the STP--wheat flour.  Since these are already on the crumbly side I did not try them gluten free.

People at work that I shared Thanksgiving dinner with.

People who cared for my dog while I worked on Thanksgiving.

My boss, whose husband deep fried my turkey while I was at work on Thanksgiving.

Me.

Finishing This Up

91.  I'm thankful my Mom doesn't use a computer, so she will not see the pictures of the inside of my refrigerator.  Her worst suspicions confirmed.
92.  I'm thankful my parents took pictures of us when we were kids.  Both snapshots and professional pictures.
93.  Thankful for each of my brothers and sisters.
94.  Thankful for their kids.
95.  Thankful that the STP is taking the Goob on college visits.  Thankful for the relationship they have and that they are good car travelers.
96.  Thankful for the Word of God
97.  Thankful for Thanksgiving.  It is good to give thanks.
98.  Thankful for traditions.
99.  Thankful for naps
100. Thankful for dreams.

One Good Cookie

The Pecan Tassie--miniature pecan pies with lovely golden brown crusts and sweet and gooey pecan filling.

Why I made it:
I bought a mini muffin tin at a yard sale this summer.
My mom made these when I was little.
I like them.

Recipe I used:  This one from Southern Living

How they turned out:  Decent.  Certainly good enough to eat.

Who will eat them:  (Not the Goob, because they have nuts.

Not the STP because they are not gluten free)

My small group.

People working Thanksgiving Day with me.

Me.

It's Time

How you know it is time to clean your refrigerator:
Some unidentified person who lives in your house spills grape jelly on the bottom shelf.  And ignores it for two weeks.

And the same or another unidentified person inexplicably smears it on the inside of the refrigerator door.

Seriously, why?  (And why am I showing you this?)

This is the shelf that I didn't think had a problem.  Amazing what a stack of leftovers and a gallon of milk can cover up.

And this is the unidentified actively fermenting food item from the back of said shelf.

Which remained unidentified even on closer inspection.  

But by mid-morning the fermenting, moldy, outdated food was removed; the shelves were cleaned and returned. And I had moved past appalled, through adequately humbled, to accomplished.

 Even the refrigerator itself was thankful.