Snow Baking

There are some things one just MUST do when the weather is cold.  Baking is one of them.  Today I baked oatmeal cookies.  I had some crystallized ginger I bought at Christmas time that was sitting on the counter staring reproachfully at me, so I chopped it into bits and threw it in.


I gotta tell you, these are the BEST oatmeal raisin cookies I've ever made.  And I put the recipe into Sparks.com and it turns out each of them is *only* 87 calories.  So, go ahead and enjoy!

Oatmeal Raisin Cookies With Ginger Twist

1 cup butter, softened	1 1/2 cups white flour
1/2 cup white sugar	1 tsp baking soda
1 cup packed light brown sugar	1/2 tsp salt
2 eggs	3 cups Quaker Old Fashioned Oats
1 tsp vanilla extract	1 cup raisins
	2 oz chopped crystallized ginger

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Cream sugars and butter together.  Add eggs and vanilla, combine thoroughly. Add flour, baking soda and salt.  Combine thoroughly again.  Mix in oatmeal, raisins and ginger.

Drop on ungreased cookie sheet in spoonfuls.  Be sure to space because they will spread.  Bake for 10-12 minutes.  Let cool on sheet for 2 minutes, then transfer to wire rack for cooling.  Build fence to keep teen son from inhaling all as he walks through kitchen.

Christmas Tradition

Will never say "YES" to sleepover during Christmas season again.

Discovered Fringe Benefits of Helping LONG AGO!

Getting close to the end.

Sample of finished work.

One of our traditions is to make decorated cookies. Another is to drag some poor unsuspecting soul into helping us. Yesterday evening it was my daughter's friend "A". As my daughter, like her mom, slapped icing on these hummers working towards a goal of GETTING FINISHED, "A" meticulously outlined exactly what she wanted to do on each cookie...with toothpicks. TWO hours later, they were finally all either finished, or part of the reserve without icing that we maintain for someone around here who likes them better that way.

I have to say, these do not live up to the artistic standards of one of my favorite food blogs, but you can tell that kids did them, and had fun doing so. And they taste good!

These cookies are so easy. Even Thom could make them because they do not require using the OVEN! They taste like rice krispie squares but they're festive! We call them Holly Cookies because that's what they're supposed to look like. "A" says they look like red-eye tree frogs. Um . . . yeah, I guess if red-eye tree frogs have multiple eyes! They most certainly TASTE better than red-eye tree frogs would. . . I think.

Holly Cookies

1 stick margarine (1/2 cup)

30 large marshmallows

1/2 tsp green food coloring

4 1/2 cups corn flakes

red hot candies

Melt margarine and marshmallows together over low heat, stirring frequently. Add food coloring. Add corn flakes. Once corn flakes are coated, drop by spoonfuls onto waxed paper. Add red hots before the lava cools. (It helps to spray the spoons and the waxed paper with non-stick spray)

As for me, I'm pretty sick of cookies and icing at this point. I am going to re-make those truffles though. Stay tuned for photos.