Sunday, December 14, 2008

The Most Satisfying of All Cookies!


This is undoubtedly my most very favorite cookie!
It is sweet, it is salty, it's texture is perfect, and....it's Chocolate!

Chocolate Thumbprints

1 cup of sugar
1 cup of confectioners sugar
6 sticks of butter
8 cups of flour
Sprinkles
Fudge Icing (I use pre-made)

Cut butter into pats
Mix sugars
Cut butter into the sugars
Mix in flour until batter holds shape.
The only way to really do this is by hand as I have KILLED 6 food processors trying to make it easier.

Take a big handful of dough, roll it into a ball.
Roll into cylindrical shape about 6-8 inches long.
Roll log into a plate (oval platters work best) of sprinkles and press firmly so that they stick.
Cut log into 1/2 - 3/4 in slices (I like mine thick)
Place cut pieces onto a parchment lined cookie sheet about 1 inch apart and stick your thumb in each cookie to make a nice indentation.
Bake for 45 to 1 hour on 275
Cool completely!
Fill pastry bag with fudge icing and liberally fill in your thumbprint with a nice swirl of icing.
Let set completly before storing, as fudge will become firm and store and ship very nicely if left overnight uncovered.

You will have dozens of cookies that you can give as gifts and will become a family favorite!

Saturday, December 13, 2008

Being Sick Really Sucks


You know last week I wrote how sorry I was was that I wasn't keeping up to date my blog and I that I would get back into the swing of things.

So Much for that Intention....it's almost as bad as me not going to church for six months.

Earlier this week, my daughter and I started preparing to make Christmas cookies.
It took us nearly a day to procure all of the ingredients, but by the time we finally did, we were beat.
I then became ill, and she ended up doing most of them alone, and she did a beautiful job I might add, all with tips and advise from me from my room.

I promise that I will take pictures of the delectable creations and provided recipes for anyone interested.

They turned out really beautiful, and I am very proud of her for going through with this huge project and getting so many done.

I'll keep you posted

Monday, December 1, 2008

It's Been a Long Long Time...


I just couldn't get it together. The fam and I went away on a working vacation to Wyoming in September and were gone for the entire month.
Wyoming is a place that I could stay forever.
It is the Wild West alive and well. The mountains are so incredibly large and majestic that cause one to pause to just take it in. Just going to the grocery store can be a majic moment. especially, when a group of hangliders were cruizing over the parking lot of the store heading to their landing field.
It is so busy with interesting things that people engage in. People walk a lot, or they ride a bicycle, and in the winter, they cross country ski, every where they go that they go on their bikes in the summer they ski to in the winter.
There is a buzz of energy there, that inspires one to take part in all of the outdoor activities.

The sky is almost always blue, and when there are clouds they are large and volumonous, but the sky is so much larger than the sky that we se here, as we just can't see it all. With such low elevation, one doesn't get the sense of openeness that one gets in the mountains and on the plains.

The town where we stayed has a beautiful community center that boasts a 12 lane Olympic size pool that is also equipped with the diving platforms and low and high diving boards. They also have a water park inside as well it has 8 different slides and play areas for all ages including adults.
The Community Center also has a sauna and steam room, full gymnasium for all gym sports, a couple of racket ball and squash courts, and a full weight room and palates room.
Why am I telling you this? Because I was stunned when my son wanted to go and I took him in to get him signed up. I asked how much it would be for him to hang out in the pool and use the diving boards and water park and play in the gym if he wanted.
The Grand total.....$2.00 per day for out of towners! $12. per year per person if you ar a resident!
This is absolutely unreal. The place is beautifully kept, it is open every day all day long and close at 9 every evening.
We were staying about 1 mile from the center and with town being so pedestrian and bicycle friendly I allowed the 9 year old to ride his bike to and from the the Communtiy Center. Usually, his ride home pushed him over the edge as he played hard all day long that he didn't have much energy to attack the hill that our home was on. But he insisited on riding the bike and getting home on his own. He really enjoyed the leverage we gave him there, and liked his independance. He met some skate kids and they taught him how to skate hills. He also hooked up with some kids who are on the swim team and we hung out with them and he did the things that they did to train.
It was a beautiful time. In a place where I feel a huge sense of personal safety, and excitement to do more.

I would like to go back and make a home there. At lease a part time home.