Cookie Blitz

Need a gift idea for that special someone in the 4-7 age group? You can't go wrong with "If You Give A Mouse A Cookie," one of the many books in the popular series."

The delightful book started the series and is known for its playful, circular pattern. A boy gives a cookie to a mouse. The mouse asks for a glass of milk. He then requests a straw (to drink the milk), a mirror (to avoid a milk mustache), nail scissors (to trim his hair in the mirror), and a broom (to sweep up his hair trimmings). Next he wants to take a nap, to have a story read to him, to draw a picture, and to hang the drawing on the refrigerator. Looking at the refrigerator makes him thirsty, so the mouse asks for a glass of milk. The circle is complete when he wants a cookie to go with it.
Cook's Notes: Enjoy a week long cookie blitz!

Recently a friend asked me to help with her holiday baking. So I now have three new recipes to share with you. And she brought me all the needed supplies to bake. What a deal!
Each day this week I will post two recipes, one from Ever Ready and the other one from my friend. So...LET'S GET BAKING

Ever Ready Christmas M&M Cookies with Sprinkles
Cook's Notes: A kid friendly crisp cookie, easy to bake and decorate. Recipe makes about 26-28 cookies.
Ingredients:

• 1-1/2 cups flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup softened butter
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/3 cup brown sugar
• 1 large egg
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 1-1/2 cups M &M's holiday colors
• Holiday sprinkles

Directions:

• In a bowl whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
• Cream butter, sugars, egg and vanilla in another bowl.
• Beat butter mixture into flour mixture.
• Fold in M & M's.
• Refrigerate dough in freezer 20 minutes for easier handling.
• Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
• Line 2 baking sheets with silicone pads or parchment paper.
• Roll dough into 2 inch balls for each cookie, then roll each in sprinkles and add a few M &M's to top of dough ball.
• Place on a baking sheet and bake 11 minutes. Let cool 3-5 minutes and transfer to wire cookie rack to cool.

Sour Cream Cookies with Sprinkles
Cook's notes: These cookies have a generous dose of baking powder so they are puffy. Addition of sour cream makes for a delicious moist cookie. Vanilla icing with sprinkles make them the perfect cookie for the holiday or skip the icing and the cookie is perfect for a plate of Grinch cookies. Just need to add a candy heart (baking aisle Michaels) and Wilton White Sparkling Sugar.  

Recipe make about 38 cookies.
Cooking Tip: Make sure all ingredients are at room temperature. How much green you use is personal preference.

Cookie Ingredients:

• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup butter
• 2 large eggs
• 1 cup sour cream
• Green food coloring
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3 cups flour

Icing Ingredients:

• 2 cups sifted powdered sugar
• 3 tablespoons butter, room temperature
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• Milk as needed for frosting consistency

Cookie Directions:

• Line two baking sheets with silicone pads or parchment paper.
• Cream butter and sugar, adding in eggs and sour cream with a few drops of green coloring. Mix well.
• In another bowl whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt.
• Add to cream mixture and mix well.
• Refrigerate dough in freezer 20 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
• Roll into 2 inch balls and place 2 inches apart on baking tray.
• Bake 10 minutes. Cool 3-5 minutes and transfer to cooling rack. When cookies are cooled, add icing. 

Icing Directions:

• Add powdered sugar, butter, vanilla and a few tablespoons of milk. Beat mixture on a low speed and add enough milk to achieve frosting consistency.  

MIgas

Holiday Lights Canoa Ranch, Green Valley, AZ

It’s rare that you'll find a recipe that works for any meal in a day but migas can work for a breakfast, lunch or dinner. Since migas are made with eggs they make a perfect breakfast, but hearty enough for dinner and easy enough for lunch too. Plus, they are so delicious offering lots of versatility with add ins. 

If you haven’t had migas, let me introduce you. “Migas” means “crumbs” in Spanish, but culinarily, migas means “eggs cooked with tortilla chips, tomatoes, onions, and jalapeño then covered in melty cheese”. Making migas is a great way to use stale chips or corn tortillas and eating migas is a great way to start any day, or afternoon.

I fell in love with migas in Austin, Texas years ago. Tex-Mex migas are incredible and a traditional breakfast dish made with scrambled eggs, strips of fried tortillas (or tortilla chips for a short cut), cheese, onions, and tomatoes.

Here's a photo of a Tex-Mex breakfast my daughter and I shared in Austin. 
The taco on the left was made with scrambled eggs, bacon, refried beans, diced potatoes and shredded white cheddar cheese. The taco on right scrambled eggs, crushed tortilla chips, Monterey Jack Cheese, cilantro, diced tomatoes and onions and topped with an avocado slice.
So you can see how easy these migas are to recreate in your kitchen for any meal.
The following recipe makes 4 migas.  

Cook's Notes: The key to the success of this recipe is the prep. Cook meat, sauté veggies, grate cheese, crush chips, dice tomatoes, and blenderize liquids ahead for faster assembly.

• Four 6 inch corn or flour tortillas
• 5 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon butter
• 1/2 teaspoon each parsley flakes, 1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning and dry mustard
• 1/4 cup half and half
• 6 slices of bacon, cooked and crumbled or 3/4 cup sausage, cooked and crumbled
• Grated Cheddar, Colby Jack or Pepper Jack cheese
• 1/2 cup diced red and yellow mini peppers
• 1/3 cup diced green onion, white scallion part
• 1/2 cup diced grape tomatoes
• 1 cup crushed tortilla chips
• Optional garnish salsa, refried beans and avocado

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees. 
• Cook meat, drain on large paper towel lined dinner plate. Wipe skillet of most of grease, reserving one teaspoon. Sauté onion, peppers and place on a paper towel plate. 
• In a blender add eggs, spices and half and half. Mix well. 
• Wipe skillet clean and melt butter. Add blender mixture plus meat, sautéed veggies, grape tomatoes to skillet and scramble at a mediums heat until eggs set. Fold in cheese and crushed tortilla chips. 
• Remove from heat set aside covered. 
• On a baking sheet warm tortillas for 2 minutes, turn over bake 2 minutes more and fill with egg mixture.  

Why Didn't I think 0f That!

A genius, but oh so simple, way to package cookies for shipping or transporting to avoid breakage using mini marshmallows.

Christmas Board-using holiday colors

 

Charcuterie Board

Some ideas include:

Rosemary crackers 
Extra sharp cheddar cheese
Boursin Cranberry & Spice cheese
Mini sliced salami
Bacon and onion jam
Smoked almonds
Apricots
Raspberries
Cheese straws
Purple grapes
Red apples
Garlic pretzels
Mini sweet pickles
Whole cranberries
Fresh sprigs of rosemary
Soft peppermints

Create it
1. Arrange all items on a serving board or platter.
2. Decorate with festive accessories.

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Week long Cookie Bonanza

Jólabókaflóð

 

 Jólabókaflóð: Meet Your Favorite New Holiday Tradition

In Iceland, the best Christmas gift is a book — and it has been that way for decades.
Iceland publishes more books per capita than any other country in the world, with five titles published for every 1,000 Icelanders. But what's really unusual is the timing: Historically, a majority of books in Iceland are sold from late September to early November. It's a national tradition, and it has a name: Jolabokaflod, or the "Christmas Book Flood."

Jólabókaflóð originated during World War II when foreign imports were restricted, but paper was cheap. Iceland’s population was not large enough to support a year-round publishing industry, so book publishers flooded the market with new titles in the final weeks of the year. While giving books is not unique to Iceland, the tradition of exchanging books on Christmas Eve and then spending the evening reading is becoming a cultural phenomenon. 

In recent years the meme has spread on social media, and bookworms around the world are grabbing on to the idea. (If you’re wondering how to pronounce jólabókaflóð, the phonetic pronunciation is yo-la-bok-a-flot.

In the spirit of Jólabókaflóð and Icelanders' amazing relationship with literature, consider book giving and supporting your local bookstores.

While you cozy up with a book and enjoy some of these warm low calorie beverages.

Minty Low-Calorie Hot Cocoa

Cook's Notes: Commercial hot cocoa mixes are hiding a secret: sugar. The average hot chocolate from the grocery store has more than 25 grams of sugar. This minty alternative has none—and the mint could be beneficial for weight loss. 

Makes one serving.
Ingredients:

• 1 cup unsweetened almond milk with added protein
• 1/2 cup water
• 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 drop mint extract
• 1/2 packet natural sweetener

Directions:

• Heat milk and water until near boiling. Stir in cocoa, mint and natural sweetener.

Spiced Hot Apple Cider

Directions: For a slimmer sip, simmer 1-quart apple cider with orange zest, whole cloves, and cinnamon sticks in a large pot for five minutes. It’s only 100 calories per cup!

Low Calorie Mulled Wine

Ingredients

• 1 bottle of Skinnygirl Red Wine
• 3 cinnamon sticks
• 1 tablespoon cloves
• 3 star anise
• 1 whole nutmeg cracked into two pieces
• 1 orange peel
• Agave nectar to taste

Directions:

• Pour wine into pan and cook over low heat, make a sachet with the spices, put sachet in pan and simmer for 30 minutes. Add agave nectar to taste. Pour wine through strainer. Serve in a heatproof glass. Garnish with cinnamon stick and orange peel.

Pay It Forward-Just in Case You Missed

And it warms my heart to read about how over 900 cars paid for each other's meals right in Brainerd Minnesota at a local DQ drive-thru recently. An opportune time when local businesses are struggling and we need to show community support. 

The link below is a CNN Anderson Cooper interview with DQ manager.

https://www.cnn.com/2020/12/09/us/pay-it-forward-dairy-queen-trnd/index.html

Exploring Tubac, AZ

It's that time of year where the village of Tubac sparkles with luminarias. 

Luminaria Nights, Tubac's annual celebration of the holiday season was this past weekend.

The streets were lined with luminaries, the storefronts were lit up

and opened for shopping.

There was live music nearby at the firepit bonfire and restaurants open for dining. As we strolled the streets

we came across a very svelte looking Santa in front of a shop

who was more than happy to accommodate photos and even the Grinch seemed to be in a good mood for a photo op.

The evening was a great way to get into the holiday spirit. 

A week before Tubac's annual holiday event we found another outdoor event to

enjoy The Exuberance, an artistic and botanic experience which runs from November 14, 2020 through April 30, 2021. It concludes with an auction of the exhibits.

Thirteen acres of art space showcase local artists and their creations of garden sculptures, art installations, and contemporary garden vignettes. The show runs during the park hours from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., on Wednesday through Sunday. Free guided art tours are available. 

The Exuberance is a celebration of the artistic endeavors of artists inspired by their own creativity and innovation. 45 artists explore a variety of media, current recycling practices, and meet the challenges of all weather conditions.

Tubac’s reputation for “Where Art and History Meet” is the central theme of the show. However, many artists have chosen to create pieces that address environmental issues, sustainability, climate change, naturalism, and the use of native plants. 

One of the most popular exhibits was the Potting Shed designed to replicate the same one as used by artist, Frida Kahlo. The structure functions as a storage unit for plants during cold weather months and to house garden tools. It is built with casters for easy moving. Artist Myrna York is shown with her work. 

Bunny Hill by Erich Priester.

This one put  smiles on our faces to think of something out of the normal realm, a bunny skiing on a bunny hill made out of rock. The bunny and skis were constructed from mesquite wood. In fact, the artist got the wood from a nearby mesquite tree right in the same area as the exhibition.  

Yarn Bombing by Camila Morrisey.

Who says you can’t decorate a tree with art? Tubac Presidio volunteer Sharie Shute is pictured with a tree adorned with “yarn bombing” by Carmela Morrisey of Tubac. The colorful pots are from Father Kino’s herb garden.

Fairy Garden Vignette designed and planted by Perey Riley.  

The Exuberance preserves the spirit of contemporary art in Tubac.

Buttermilk Spice Cake with Penuche Icing

Buttermilk Spice Cake with Penuche Icing

Cook's Notes: A moist cake filled with the perfect amount of all those delicious autumn spices. It uses brown sugar instead of white sugar which gives it a sweet caramel-y note and pairs so well with the spices.

I used a Penuche Icing but a cream cheese frosting works well with this cake too. 

Optional add ins include golden raisins and walnuts. 

The batter is enough for a layer cake using 2 cake pans or 1-9 x13 pan 

Recipe adapted from cookingclassy.com

Ingredients:

• 2-1/4 cups all-purpose flour (scoop and level to measure)
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2-1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon or 1-1/2 teaspoons Saigon cinnamon 
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon allspice
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1- 3/4 cups packed light-brown sugar
• 3/4 cup vegetable oil
• 3/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
• 4 large eggs
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1 cup chopped walnuts or pecans (optional)
• 1 cup golden raisins (optional)

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray two 9-inch round baking pans well with non-stick baking spray then lightly dust with flour and shake out excess or use a 9 x 13 pan following same directions. 
• In a mixing bowl whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, allspice and cloves for 20 seconds, set aside.
• Pour brown sugar into the bowl of an electric stand mixer. Break up brown sugar with fingertips until no clumps remain.
• Pour in vegetable oil and applesauce, blend until well combined (occasionally stop and scrape bowl throughout mixing process).
• Mix in eggs and vanilla.
• Add in 1/2 of the flour mixture and mix on low speed until combined, then blend in buttermilk, then add remaining 1/2 of the flour mixture and mix until well combined.
• Divide mixture evenly among prepared pans. Bake in preheated oven until toothpick inserted into center comes out clean, about 26 minutes for a 13 x 9 pan or 22 minutes for cake pans. 
• Allow to cool in cake pans about 5 minutes then run a knife around edges to ensure cake is loose and invert upside down onto a wire rack to cool. 
• If making a 13 9 pan leave cake inside dish. 
• Cool completely and frost.

Cooking Tips

• You can adjust the amount of spices used here to suit your taste. 
• If you don't have buttermilk you can make your own by mixing 1 tablespoon  lemon juice or white vinegar with enough milk to equal 1 cup. Whisk and let rest 5 minutes before using.
• Frost cake and sprinkle with crushed nuts. Store the cake in refrigerator in an airtight container. Let rest at room temperature before serving.

Penuche Icing (recipe below enough for a 9 x 9 cake double if frosting a 13 x 9 cake or a layer cake)
Ingredients:

• 3 tablespoons butter
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup milk (may need more)
• Dash salt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 2-1/2 cups powdered sugar 

Directions:

• In a saucepan melt butter on low heat, stir in brown sugar, milk, salt and vanilla.
• Use a whisk and stir on low heat until sugar dissolved and smooth about 2 minutes.
• Remove pan from heat and stir in powdered sugar.
• Use a hand mixer to beat frosting in the saucepan until smooth or whisk ingredients. You may need to add more milk for right consistency.

viewing these recent author events called Moving Words, a program of

It is made possible in part by the State of Minnesota through a grant to the Minnesota Department of Education. Additional support is provided by the Harlan Boss Foundation for the Arts, Hognander Family Foundation, and Education Minnesota.

The following is a link to the September 10, 2020 discussion featuring Minnesota Book Award-winning authors Karen Babine, Heid Erdrich, Peter Geye and Kao Kalia Yang. The program was made possible by the Friends of the St. Paul Public Library Each author read a short piece from their book followed by a a lively panel discussion. Park Rapids MN Area Library, part of Kitchigami Regional Library, co-hosted this virtual installment of the popular Minnesota Center for the Book program.

The youtube video of this virtual installment lasts about an hour and 15 minutes.

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLi7MBmCGKslVyUoFoMri02sEEPVDUuVeC

To see the whole series of Club Book author discussions, go here:

https://clubbook.org/authors/

Oh, and if you’re an F. Scott Fitzgerald fan, be sure to check out our Fitz Bits series here: https://thefriends.org/fitzgerald/

Baked Ham and Cheese Croissants

 

BAKED HAM AND CHEESE CROISSANTS

Cook's Notes: This recipe requires a mom story first.

At the height of my mom's bridge playing she belonged to 13 different groups when we were growing up. It was not uncommon for her to try out the recipes on us (we were a group of 8). Some we've fond memories of such as Chocolate Wafers and Whipped Cream Icebox Cake

and then some not so much like pimento cheese with green olives bread roll-ups. 

One recipe I really liked were these ham and cheese sandwiches slathered with a mustard, butter and poppy seed sauce, foil wrapped and baked in the oven. I even blogged about this sandwich in 2016. Little known fact-out of 8 kids I'm the only one who likes mustard.

https://sockfairies.blogspot.com/2016/07/celebrating-two-notables.html

Baked Ham and Cheese Croissants runs a close second to mom's recipe with buttery toasted bun, melted cheese and ham-what's not to like. These croissant sandwiches are perfect for a weeknight meal or lunch and are absolutely delicious.  The recipe below is for 10 sandwiches. I used a 9 x 9 pan and made just 6. Remember we are only a party of 2. But I could have easily added 4 mini croissants to the pan. Extra sauce can be saved for making the recipe another time. 

Recipe adapted from damndelicious.com

The sandwiches were served with fruit and a slice of  Old Fashioned Buttermilk Spice Cake.

 Ingredients:  

• 1/4 cup butter, at room temperature
• 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
• 2 green onions, thinly sliced
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1o mini croissants, halved horizontally or use Hawaiian Sweet Buns
• 3/4 pound thinly sliced smoked deli ham
• 6 slices Swiss cheese, diagonally sliced or Sharp Cheddar White Cheese
• 1 large egg white
• 2 teaspoons poppy seeds, divided

Directions: 

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Lightly spray a 9 x 9 baking dish with a nonstick spray.
• In a small bowl, combine softened butter, Dijon, green onions and honey,
• Spread butter mixture on each side of the croissants; fill with ham and cheese to make 10 sandwiches.
• Place croissants in a single layer onto the prepared baking dish.
• In a small bowl, whisk together egg white and 1 tablespoon water. Brush tops of croissants with egg white mixture; sprinkle with poppy seeds.
• Place into oven and bake until golden brown and toasted, about 12 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes. Serve warm.

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Old Fashioned Buttermilk Spice Cake

Holiday Ideas

Champagne Toast

Looking for a holiday brunch idea? Here's one of the most unusual ideas surely to dazzle your guests. Try a champagne toast with Wild Hibiscus Flower Syrup. This product can be found at Total Wine. The jar contains a syrup with 11 hibiscus flowers. Place one flower in the bottom of a flute glass and then fill with champagne. Not only was this a wonderful added flavor but also a festive looking addition to the the champagne flute. 

DIY Santa Sock Cupcake-Imagine getting a cupcake with no calories!

See how festive this looks-too bad it's inedible. Last year I was at a brunch where the guests all received their own cute Santa cupcake. You too can recreate this treat with the following simple deconstruct directions.
You will need the following ingredients (most found at Michaels or Dollar Tree).

• clear plastic bag-Michaels
• ribbon
• large sturdy cupcake holders (this Santa suit like is a cupcake holder from Michaels in baking aisle)
• electrical tape (belt and buckle)
• 1 pair of ankle socks-Dollar store
• 1 lip gloss with a red top-Dollar store 

Deconstructed Santa Sock Cupcake

The bottom of the cupcake holder was cut out though I have seen others where the bottom was kept intact as pictured below.
 

The Santa belt and buckle were made with electrical tape.

Directions:

• Roll the socks together and fit snugly into the cup.
• Add lip gloss in the middle.
• Place sock cupcake in a plastic bag and tie with a ribbon.
• Other holiday options include:

Valentine's Day using a glittery red cupcake holder, glue hearts on the cupcake holder.
St. Patrick's Day using glittery green cupcake holder, glue shamrocks on cupcake holder.
Shower prizes

Enjoy another holiday option but an edible one Gingerbread Muffins

Cook's Notes: A moist, flavorful muffin bursting with holiday spices, a hint of lemon to create a hearty breakfast or mid-morning treat.
Muffin Ingredients:

• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1 teaspoon Saigon cinnamon or 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon allspice
• Dash ground cloves
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
• 2 teaspoons grated lemon peel
• 1/2 cup butter, room temperature
• 3/4 cup light brown sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 cup molasses, unsulphured-mild flavor
• 1 cup buttermilk

Topping options: 1/4 cup sugar mixed with 1 tsp. cinnamon or Sprinkles (crystallized sugar found in baking section at Michaels)

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Stir together the flour, baking soda, salt, grated lemon and spices in a small bowl. Set aside.
• Cream the butter and sugar until fluffy.
• Add in the eggs one at a time, beating in between.
• Beat in the molasses.
• Add the flour mixture to the creamed butter and sugar alternately with the buttermilk, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients. Don't over beat.
• Spoon the batter into 12 muffin cups, lightly greased or lined with muffin papers.
• Sprinkle with a little cinnamon mixed with sugar on top of each muffin before baking or use a product from Wilton called Sprinkles.
• Bake for about 16- 18 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean. Add a few more Sprinkles while warm.
• Cool for a few minutes in the pan and then turn out onto a wire rack.
  
  The recipe makes 12 enough to package up and deliver to a few friends. Be sure to save two for yourself.