National Oreo Cookie Day

By the numbers:

Approximately 34 billion OREO cookies are sold each year – 92 million cookies per day – with 10 billion of those cookies sold in the U.S. annually. An estimated 500 billion OREO cookies have been sold since the first OREO biscuit was developed in 1912. 

Snackers like to dunk while others pull their cookies apart before eating. How about you? 

Chocolate Mint Oreo Cookies

Who knew there could be one more cookie recipe out there to try. This one is a keeper and I declare it absolutely delicious! Raise your hand if you like a cookie with chocolate and a wee bit of mint flavor for the month of March. The cookies are rich and decadent. They have a few fun mix-ins with chocolate chips and chopped-up mint Oreo cookies. The refreshing mint twist is SO good!

 The recipe is adapted from twopeeasandtheir pod and makes 2-1/2 dozen cookies. 

Chocolate Mint Oreo Cookies
Ingredients

• 2-1/3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
• 1 cup butter at room temperature
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 cup light brown sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 1-1/2 cups chopped mint Oreo cookies (can use Oreo Thin Mint Cookies) 

• 3/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 3/4 cup Guittard mint chips or chopped-up Andes mints
• Optional sea salt for sprinkling on cookies

Directions:

• Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or a Silpat. Set aside.
• Sift flour, baking soda, salt, and cocoa in a medium bowl. Set aside.
• With a stand mixer or hand mixer, cream the butter and sugars together until smooth. Add in eggs and vanilla and mix until well combined.
• Use a food processor to coarsely chop the cookies.
• Add the dry ingredients and mix on low until just combined. Don't over-mix.
• Stir in the chopped Oreos and chips.
• Place in the freezer for 15 minutes. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
• Roll cookie dough into 2-inch balls and sprinkle with sea salt. Bake the cookies for 9 minutes or until the cookies are set around the edges but still soft in the center. Don't overbake. Remove from oven and sprinkle with sea salt if using. Let the cookies sit on a baking sheet for 3 minutes before moving to a cooling rack.

A couple of my favorite Oreo Cookie Recipes 

Grasshopper Pie https://sockfairies.blogspot.com/2014/01/grasshopper-pie.html

Salted Caramel Oreo Cookie Icebox Cake

https://sockfairies.blogspot.com/2020/01/salted-caramel-oreo-oreo-icebox-

cake.html

 

Oreo Mint Cookie Brownies

https://sockfairies.blogspot.com/2021/03/national-oreo-cookie-day.html

Lenten Special Creamy Lemon Shrimp

 

Creamy Lemon Shrimp 

Cook's Notes: Roasted red peppers would make a colorful and flavorful addition to this dish. The recipe is adapted from  cookingclassy.com and serves 3-4. Pair with a side of asparagus.  

Ingredients: 

• 12 oz. dry linguine or angel hair pasta
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 lb.. large shrimp (or extra large) uncooked
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic (3 cloves)
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 2 teaspoons lemon zest
• 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes (to taste)
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 tablespoon dried parsley 
• 1-1/2 cups finely shredded parmesan cheese 
• 2 1/2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, divided
• 1/4 cup dry white wine
• 1 tablespoon parsley and lemon slices, for garnish (optional)

Directions: 

• Bring a large pot of water to a boil (with about 4 quarts of water). Season water with salt and cook pasta to al dente according to the directions listed on the package. Before draining, reserve 1 cup pasta water. Add drained pasta back to the pan. Cover and set aside.  
• Meanwhile, heat olive oil in a large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat.
• Dab shrimp dry with paper towels, season with salt and pepper. Add to skillet in a single layer.
• Let shrimp cook until pink on bottom, about 1 - 2 minutes. Add garlic, turn shrimp, and continue to cook until cooked through (shrimp should be opaque).
• Transfer the shrimp to a sheet of foil and wrap it loosely to keep it warm.
• Wipe the skillet clean and heat the cream, lemon zest, and red pepper flakes over medium heat. Bring to a simmer, then reduce heat to low and let simmer until reduced slightly, about 2 minutes.
• Add in butter and whisk until melted. Add in wine and lemon juice. 
• Remove skillet with cream mixture from heat. Stir in 1 cup Parmesan cheese, salt, and pepper to taste.
• Return the skillet to the burner on medium-low, toss it with linguine, and heat it through.  The sauce can be thinned with some of the reserved pasta water if needed. Toss in shrimp.
• Garnish with fresh parsley, 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, and lemon slices.

Book Club February Selection The Forest of Vanishing Stars

"The Forest of Vanishing Stars" is a historical fiction novel by Kristin Harmel. It was our February Book Club choice.

The novel is set against the backdrop of war-torn Poland. In the vast forests, the book explores themes of identity, destiny, the importance of belonging, and finding a home for the heart in even the harshest adversity. I learned about Jews who fled from the ghettos into the forest and were able to survive the German genocide by surviving in the wilderness.

I liked the beginning part of the novel with the element of magic realism or folklore and wished that some of that theme would have continued throughout the book. The novel starts with the kidnapping of a 2-year-old girl from a wealthy German household in 1922 by an old woman named Jerusza. This kidnapping, however, is not meant to harm the child but to keep her safe and on the path she was destined to take. Jerusza, who lives in the woods, has been “seeing things” and “hearing voices” that tell her that the child she names Yona is meant for a higher purpose. She will be known by the birthmark shaped like a dove on her wrist.

Yona, raised in the forest, was taught many things by Jerusza, including all that the forest had to offer in the way of food, medicinal herbs, ways to make a shelter, etc. She is taught how to hunt and cook. Yona held a map of the forest in her mind. She was also taught many languages and religions. Jerusza cautions her to stay in the forest and away from other people.

Regarding people, Yona speaks several languages and knows the depths of religious teachings but does not understand the language of love, family, belonging, or community. Yona has had no contact with any other people until Jerusza dies. Yona, now a young woman in her early twenties, feels a calling' to reach out to the people who have escaped the Germans into the forest to teach them how to survive.  Imagine how disturbing it is for Yona to learn that humans are actually hunting other humans in the forest. The children are especially poignant. The characters' interactions with Yona are insightful and revealing. As time passed, Yona realized her higher purpose was to help a group of innocent people survive, much like Jerusza had predicted.  

I really liked the author’s descriptive writing, so I was able to visualize the setting! There is an underlying theme of predestination versus choice. How much of our lives is destiny, and how much is choice? Can we choose how to react when bad things happen? So many aspects of this book resonated with me - surviving against all odds, the beauty and strength in people, the cruelty in others, grief, loss, survivors’ guilt, and the desire to live, give, and love were moving. 

In the author's notes, Harmel shares the research she undertook while writing this book, the people she spoke to, and her inspiration for writing it.  A wealth of information about who and what the author based her novel on appeared to be extensively researched by Harmel and were based on actual events. The imperative message of resilience and remembering is clearly reflected.

There were so many verses I wanted to include in the review, as I found myself highlighting memorable lines on every page. Hamel's superb writing will remain with you long after you have finished the book. 

As a sidenote, a movie from 2008 called Defiance parallels this storyline's events. Daniel Craig and Liev Schreiber are the stars of the film.

Mardi Gras 2025

Mardi Gras, also called Fat Tuesday, refers to events of the Carnival celebrations. Beginning on or after the Christian feasts of the Epiphany (Three King's Day) and culminating on the day before Ash Wednesday. Mardi Gras is French for "Fat Tuesday," reflecting the practice of the last night of eating richer, fatty foods before the ritual fasting of the Lenten season.

Popular practices on Mardi Gras include wearing masks and costumes, dancing, participating in sports competitions, parades, debauchery, etc. In many areas, the term "Mardi Gras" has come to mean the whole period of activity related to the celebratory events, beyond just the single day.

Some traditional foods include:

A king cake is a type of cake associated with pre-Lenten celebrations of the Mardi Gras Carnival in several countries. What started out roughly 300 years ago as a dry French bread-type dough with sugar on top and a bean inside is now a sweet, sugary, and iced Danish-type dough braided with cinnamon inside and a plastic doll underneath. King Cakes are made of a cinnamon-filled dough in the shape of a hollow circle. They have a glazed topping and are sprinkled with colored sugars. Hundreds of thousands of King Cakes are eaten in New Orleans during the Carnival season. The cake often has a small plastic baby (said to represent Baby Jesus) inside, or underneath, and the person who gets the piece of cake with the trinket has to host the party next year. Cupcakes with Mardi Gras Sprinkles was an Ever Ready substitution for a King's Cake.  

Jambalaya is a Louisiana Creole dish of Spanish and French influence. It originated in the Caribbean Islands.
Cook’s notes: You will need to add more chicken broth on the second day to serve the dish since the rice absorbs the broth.  The recipe is an Ever Ready Special and serves 6. 

 Ingredients:

• 1 box Zatarains's New Orleans-style Jambalaya Mix
• 2 large chicken breasts
• 2-3 cups diced Andouille sausage
• 2  tablespoons olive oil
• 1 can low-sodium chicken broth (14.5 oz.)
• 1 can (14.5 oz.) diced tomatoes (basil, oregano, garlic)
• 3 oz. tomato paste
• 2 cups of water
• ¾ cup diced onion
• 3/4 cup mini red and yellow peppers, diced
• 3/4 cup celery, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• ½ teaspoon Cajun seasoning
• 1/2 teaspoon sugar
• 1 teaspoon each of dried parsley flakes and basil 
• 1 bay leaf
• Optional: substitute 2 cups of cooked shrimp for chicken and add in the last 15 minutes of cooking time. 

Directions:

• Cook chicken breasts at 350 degrees for 35 minutes and sausage for 20 minutes.
• Cool and dice both meats; set aside.
• In a large skillet, sauté onions, celery, green pepper, and garlic.
• Add in water, broth, spices, jambalaya rice mixture, sugar, tomato paste, canned tomatoes, bay leaf, and diced meats.
• Simmer for 45 minutes on low heat, covered.
• Remove bay leaf before serving.

Happy Birthday Dr. Seuss

 March 2 is the birthday of a man considered to be one of the most popular, best-selling children's book writers in American history and a man who revolutionized the way children learned to read, Theodor Seuss Geisel, better known as 

He was born in Springfield, Massachusetts, on this day in 1904. Geisel is the author of more than 60 children's books, including Horton Hears a Who! (1954), One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish (1960), Green Eggs and Ham (1960), Hop on Pop (1963), Oh, the Thinks You Can Think! (1975), The Butter Battle Book (1984), and of course the ever-popular, The Cat in the Hat (1957). 

One of my favorites is Oh, The Places You'll Go (1990) makes great gift for a graduate.

In 1937, Geisel published his first children's book, "And to Think That I Saw It On Mulberry Street," which he said was inspired by the rhythms of a steamliner cruiser he was on. He wrote the book, and much of the rest of his life's work, in rhyming anapestic meter, also called trisyllabic meter. The meter is very alluring and catchy, and Seuss's masterful use of it is a big part of why his books are so enjoyable to read.

William Spaulding, a publisher from Houghton Mifflin's educational division, thought that maybe a guy named Dr. Seuss, who'd published a few not-well-known but very imaginative children's books, might be able to write a book that would be really good for teaching kids how to read. He invited Dr. Seuss to dinner and said, "Write me a story that first-graders can't put down!"

Geisel spent nine months composing "The Cat in the Hat" which uses just 220 different words and is 1,702 words long. He was a meticulous reviser, and he once said: "Writing for children is murder. A chapter has to be boiled down to a paragraph. Every word has to count."
Within a year of publication, "The Cat in the Hat" was selling 12,000 copies a month; within five years, it had sold a million copies.

How about making a pan of green eggs and ham to mark the day? (scrambled eggs with bits of ham and green food coloring is quite good) 

or a stack of your favorite pancakes turned green tastes just as delicious. 

Today is the day to revisit one of your favorite Dr. Seuss books.   This photo shows my daughter sharing a Dr. Seuss book with her dog Sadie for Read Across America Day.  

Happy March 1 and National Pig Day

Let the celebrations begin...start the month of March out by learning about some famous pigs today, as we know several lovable, fictitious pigs! Read a book or watch a movie about some of America’s favorite and most famous swine. The top 10 most famous piggies include Wilbur from the book Charlotte’s Web, Porky Pig, Plopper, Homer Simpson’s adopted pig, and of course, Miss Piggy!

An all-time favorite children's book, "Charlotte's Web" by EB White, is where we meet the adorble, loveable Wilbur, the pig who is the novel’s central protagonist. The runt of his spring litter, Wilbur is rescued from slaughter when Fern Arable insists that her father let him live. Fern raises Wilbur as if he’s a human baby, feeding him from bottles and taking him for carriage rides alongside her dolls and toys. Wilbur is saved from a grisly fate and given a plush life full of love and plenty—but when he begins to grow too large for life in the Arable home, he is moved to the Arables’ relatives’ farm, and must adjust to life among other animals rather than humans.

Another favorite are shows and books that feature the antics of Miss Piggy and her Muppet friends. 

Some fun facts for National Pig Day

There’s no better time to learn about these adorable, resilient, and intelligent animals than today.

1. There are around 675 million pigs in the world.
2. Pigs can be found on every continent except Antarctica.
3. Female pigs without babies is called a gilt, and mother pigs are called sows.
4. Pigs spend a third of the day sleeping. (But so do you!)
5. Fully grown pigs can weigh between 300 and 700 pounds (that’s 140 and 300 kilograms).
6. Pigs have an excellent sense of smell. A pig’s sense of smell is around 2000 times more sensitive than ours!
7. Male pigs (and wild pigs of any gender) are called boars.
8. Adult pigs can run at speeds of up to 11 miles per hour.
9. The scientific name for pig is sus.
10. Pigs are also known as hogs or swine.
11. Pigs have large heads, round bodies, and short legs.
12. Pigs are omnivores, which means they eat plants and animals.
13. In the wild, pigs eat everything from leaves, roots, and fruit to rodents and small reptiles.
4. Domestic pigs in the United States eat diets of mostly corn.
15. In Europe, pigs eat barley-based diets.
16. Pigs are usually black, yellow, or brown. Some pigs are pink.
17. In 1933, a pig from Tennessee named Big Bill was declared the world’s heaviest pig at 2.552 pounds.
18. Pigs have poor eyesight.
19. Pigs help the earth by sniffing for food. The pig’s snout is very sensitive and used to search for food or roots. When pigs root for food, they move the soil around with their snouts, encouraging new plant growth. This is good for the earth!
20. A feral pig is a domestic pig that now lives in the wild. Feral pigs are mostly found in the Americas and in Australia.
21. Because of their amazing sense of smell, pigs can be taught to hunt for valuable truffles and sniff out landmines.
22. A pig has 44 teeth.

DISCLAIMER: Out of respect for the day, I chose not to post a ham, pork or bacon recipe.  

BE MARCH READY

 

May you have warm words on a cold evening, a full moon on a dark night, 

and a smooth road all the way to your door.

Add a wee bit of Irish to your cooking recipes to kickstart the month of March. Use Corned Beef Puff Pastry as an appetizer or pair it with a bowl of potato cheddar cheese bacon soup.

https://sockfairies.blogspot.com/2022/01/creamy-cheesy-potato-soup-with-bacon.html

Corned Beef Puff Pastry

Cook's notes: The filling is enough for 12 puffs, so you will need 1 pastry sheet plus half of another sheet. The puff pastries can be served as an appetizer or as a side with soup. Ham could be substituted for corned beef.
This recipe was inspired by pamperedchef.com

Ingredients:

• 1-1/2 puff pastry sheets
• 6 oz. deli corned beef chopped
• 3 tablespoons diced green onion
• 1 cup shredded Swiss cheese
• 3 tablespoons mayonnaise or Miracle Whip
• 3 tablespoons pickle relish, drained
• 1 tablspoon Dijon mustard
• 1 egg and 1 teaspoon water
• Sesame seeds
• optional 1/3 cup drained sauerkraut

Directions:

• With a pastry wheel, cut one sheet into 9 equal squares and 3 squares from another sheet.
• Use a food processor to combine the filling ingredients.
• Add 1-1/2 tablespoons of filling into each pastry square. Fold pastry over filling by bringing up corners diagonally. Press the corners together to meet in the center.
  
  
  
• Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Beat egg with water in a small bowl. Brush pastry with egg wash (this will give the pastry a nice sheen). Sprinkle with sesame seeds.
  
  
  
• Place in medium-sized muffin pans. Bake until pastry is golden brown and puffed, about 14 minutes. Note: I did not have a medium-sized pan (wish I did) and had to use a large muffin pan that really was too big for this recipe, but I made it work.
• Let pastry puffs cool in the pan for 5 minutes. Run a sharp paring knife around the pan edges to loosen; turn out puffs onto a rack to cool slightly before serving.

Reuben Quesadillas
Cook's notes: This is A simple twist on the classic Reuben sandwich.
Cooking Tips: To prevent quesadillas from getting soggy make sure you press the sauerkraut dry on a paper towel. So the cheese melts, and the corned beef gets heated through. Cover the quesadillas with a baking sheet on the griddle. Cook one side of the quesadillas, uncover, flip the sandwich over, and recover with the baking sheet.
Use a prepared light Thousand Island dressing.
And yes, one more thing- Don't forget the Guinness! Who needs dessert anyway?
The recipe makes 4 sandwiches and was adapted from cuisineathome April 2017.
Ingredients:

• 2 cups shredded Swiss cheese
• 8 oz. deli Corned beef, sliced thin
• 1 cup sauerkraut, drained
• 1 teaspoon caraway seeds
• 4 whole wheat flour tortillas
• 4 tablespoons light Thousand Island dressing

Directions:

• Heat griddle or fry pan to 400 degrees and lightly grease.
• On one half of each tortilla arrange in the following order: 1/2 cup cheese, 1/4 cup sauerkraut, 2 oz. Corned beef, 1/4 teaspoon sp. caraway seeds, and 1 tablespoon dressing.
• Fold in half and transfer to griddle. Cook until quesadillas are golden on each side and cheese is melted, about 5 minutes per side.
• Slice into wedges.