Day 4: Seven Layer Cookies

Day 4: Seven Layer Cookies

This is a recipe I borrowed from my Momma.  She makes these every year, and they are so good.  They are also, uber easy.  You just layer everything and bake for a total of 30 minutes.

Ingredients

1 stick of butter
1 cup Graham Cracker Crumbs
1 - 3 1/2 oz bag of flaked Coconut 
1 pkg Butterscotch Chips
1 pkg Chocolate Chips
1 can Sweetened Condensed Milk
1/2 cup Chopped Nuts

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 F. Melt Butter.  Pour into a 10x13" pan.  Press Graham Cracker Crumbs into bottom of the pan.  Layer the Chocolate chips, Butterscotch chips, and Coconut.  Pour Sweetened Condensed Milk evenly over the layers.  Bake for first 15 minutes, sprinkle nuts on top then bake for the remaining 15 minutes.

Christmas Cards for Soldiers

Kindness Project: Christmas Cards for Soldiers

An easy and inexpensive way to show some Christmas Kindness this year would be to send some Christmas cards to our U.S. military, veterans and their families, many of whom will be far away from home this holiday season. The Red Cross is collecting and distributing Christmas cards to American service members, veterans and their families in the United States and around the world for their Annual Holiday Mail for Heroes Drive. Sending a “touch of home” to American men and women who serve our country is the perfect way to express your appreciation and support during the holiday season.  There are some guidelines you need to be aware of below.  For instance, do not use cards with glitter because some cards will be given to wounded soliders.

Card Guidelines:
Every card received will be screened for hazardous materials by Pitney Bowes and then reviewed by Red Cross volunteers working around the country.  Please observe the following guidelines to ensure a quick reviewing process:

• All cards being sent in for 2011 Holiday Mail For Heroes program should be postmarked no later than Friday, December 9, 2011.
• Ensure that all cards are signed.
• Use generic salutations such as “Dear Service Member.” Cards addressed to specific individuals can not be delivered through this program.
• Only cards are being accepted. Do not send letters.
• Do not include email or home addresses on the cards, as the program is not meant to foster pen pal relationships.
• Do not include inserts of any kind, including photos, as these items will be removed during the reviewing process.
• We encourage participants to mail as many cards as they are comfortable sending. If you are mailing a large quantity, please bundle the cards and place them in large mailing envelopes or use a flat rate box from the post office. Each card does not need its own envelope, as cards will be removed from all envelopes before distribution.
• Please refrain from sending holiday cards with glitter. Many of these cards will be delivered to military and veterans medical facilities and the glitter could interfere with a patient's recovery

      Mail Cards to:
         Holiday Mail For Heroes
         P.O. Box 5456
         Capitol Heights, MD 20791-5456

         For more information visit: Holiday Mail for Heroes Website

Day 3: Peanut Butter Cookies

Day 3: Paula's Peanut Butter Cookies


Peanut Butter Cookies are a favorite of some of my friends; I turned to the queen of anything with the word "butter" in it for this recipe.


Ingredients

1 large egg

1 cup peanut butter (creamy or crunchy)

1 cup sugar 1 1/3 cup sugar replacement (recommended: Splenda)

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease a large baking sheet or line the baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.  In a mixing bowl, beat together the egg, peanut butter, vanilla, and sugar until a dough forms.  Roll the dough into balls the size of walnuts.  Place the balls on the prepared baking sheet.  With a fork, dipped in sugar or splenda to prevent sticking, press a crisscross design on each cookie.  Bake for 12 minutes, remove from the oven, and sprinkle the cookies with some of the remaining sugar or Splenda.

Cool slightly before removing from pan.  A thin metal spatula will work best.

Day 2: Banana Walnut Chocolate Chunk Cookies

Day 2: Banana Walnut Chocolate Chunk Cookies




On the second day of cookies... Combine the deliciousness of Banana Bread with Chocolate Chip Cookies and this hearty little cookie is what you get. 



Ingredients

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup whole-wheat flour

1 teaspoon coarse salt

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup packed light-brown sugar

1 large egg

1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

1/2 cup mashed ripe banana (about 1 large)

1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats

8 ounces semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped into 1/4-inch chunks

1/2 cup coarsely chopped walnuts (about 2 ounces), toasted

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Whisk together flours, salt, and baking soda in a small bowl; set aside. Put butter and sugars into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment; mix on medium speed until pale and fluffy. Reduce speed to low. Add egg and vanilla; mix until combined. Mix in banana. Add flour mixture; mix until just combined. Stir in oats, chocolate chunks, and walnuts.

Using a 1 1/2-inch ice cream scoop, drop dough onto baking sheets lined with parchment paper, spacing about 2 inches apart. Bake cookies, rotating sheets halfway through, until golden brown and just set, 12 to 13 minutes. Let cool on sheets on wire racks 5 minutes. Transfer cookies to wire racks; let cool completely. Cookies can be stored in airtight containers up to 2 days.  Yield Makes about 3 dozen

Cook's Note

Use a ripe banana, which has more concentrated flavor than an unripe one.

Day 1: Mudslide Cookies

Day 1: Mudslide Cookies

Mud Slide Cookies

Of course I had to start with something Chocolate! These are now on my To Bake List.  If you decide to give these a try, let me know how they turn out.  Enjoy!

Recipe Ingredients

• 2/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 6 ounces unsweetened chocolate, coarsely chopped
• 1 pound semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 5 large eggs
• 1 3/4 cups sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 1 pound milk chocolate, coarsely chopped

 

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Line baking sheets with Silpats or parchment paper; set aside. In a small bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, and salt; set aside.
2. In a heatproof bowl, or in the top of a double boiler, set over a pot of simmering water, melt together unsweetened and semisweet chocolates and butter; set aside to cool.
3. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat eggs, sugar, and vanilla on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add cooled, melted chocolate mixture, and combine on low speed. Add flour mixture, and continue to beat on low speed until almost combined, about 1 minute. Remove bowl from mixer; stir in milk chocolate by hand.
4. Using a 1/2-ounce ice-cream scoop, drop dough onto prepared baking sheets about 3 inches apart. Bake until set, 12 to 15 minutes. Let cookies cool completely on baking sheets.

Wrap your words with Love

Over the past weekend, I have began attempting various Christmas craft projects to pair with some of the gifts year to hopefully add a more personal feel.  Which really translates into: I got way to excited and have about 20 projects lined up, at least 5 started, 4 weeks til Christmas, 2 projects nearly finished, and 1 very "in-over-her-head" me.  The whole experience has been a lot of fun, but I have spent way more time researching ideas, watching how-to videos, and finding supplies than I have actually making gifts. 

Earlier today I stopped in a craft supply store to pick up some Christmas fabric.  As I was waiting at the fabric counter for the clerk to finish attending to the person in front of me, I overheard the customer in front of me being speaking to the clerk in a very degrading way about something that wasn't her fault.  I tried to get the customer's attention off of the poor clerk, but this person continued.  The other customer finally walked away, but the clerk was frustrated and near tears.  After a few minutes of light-hearted conversation the clerk seemed to be feeling better.  I was very thankful for the gift of being there, but I don't always seize the opportunities I'm given.  Sometimes, I am the grumpy one.  We all have grumpy days and I am sure that in any other situation that customer is a very nice person.  Through all of this, I was reminded once again that our words... my words, are so very important and that they really do make an impact especially at Christmas.

Christmas is such an incredible time.  There are so many extra opportunities this season to give.  The entire community has been pooling their resources and creativity together to help their neighbors.  We fill our days with trying to find the perfect gifts, make the perfect dinners, and rushing from one gathering to another all while balancing our daily responsibilities.  It is very easy to let all of those good intentions stress us to the point that we lose our cool and unintentionally hurt those around us.

As a on-going kindness mission for us both, let's remember to wrap our words in love.  Use Christmas as an opportunity to be intentional with your words.  Find at least 5 people each day to speak kindly to, and make at least 3 of those a stranger.  Merry Christmas :)

"Kindness in words creates confidence; kindness in thinking creates

profoundness; kindness in giving creates love." - Lao Tzu

Unusual Uses for Salt

This morning's Fact or Fiction was all about Salt.  With winter creeping in and snow fall likely we all know that salt helps whisk away unwanted snow driffs, and that salt is an excellant seasoning.  Here are some of Salt's lesser known uses that may be useful around your home.


NOTE: I have not personally tested these.  They are from the article referenced below except for the first three.

• Remove stains from your coffee pot: Fill the coffee pot with 1/4 cu of table salt & a dozen ice cubes.  Swish the mixture around then let it sit for 30 mins; then fill the pot with cold water rinse.  Your coffee pot will look brand new.
• Remove unwanted grass and weeds growing in the cracks of your driveway by sprinkling salt on the grass then pour very hot water over it.  Not only is this highly effective way to kill weeds, it's also eco-friendly & cheap.
• Remove onion smell from your hands: After cutting an onion rub your hands with a salt scrub from your favorite beauty item store or soak your hands in warm salt water. 
• Drip-proof candles: Prevent your candles from becoming a drippy mess by soaking new candles in a strong salt solution for 2-3 hours.
• Clean smelly food spills: A little cinnamon in a pinch of salt will make dripped-on messes in the oven easier to clean, and prevent them from stinking up the house. Sprinkle the mixture onto the drip soon after it occurs, while the oven is still hot. Once it has cooled, brush away the salt and the mess will come with it.
• Test egg freshness: Add two teaspoons of salt to a cup of water, and drop in the egg. If it’s fresh, it will float; if it’s past its prime it will sink right to the bottom.
• Sanitize sponges: Used sponges harbor bacteria. To restore them and kill some of those germs, suds them up, rinse them thoroughly and then soak them in cold, heavily salted water for an hour or two.
• Kill poison ivy plants:  Three pounds of salt mixed with a gallon of soapy water, applied to the leaves and stems of poison ivy with a sprayer, will kill this tenacious pest of a plant.
• Extend broom life: Natural fiber brooms can last a lot longer if you use this easy trick: soak them in hot, salty water before their first use.
• Soothe a bee sting: Remove the stinger, wet the sting and immediately shake on a paste of salt and water. Let it dry, and it will reduce inflammation and relieve pain.
• Remove soot from chimney: A handful of salt thrown onto the flames in your fireplace will not only produce pretty, vivid yellow flames, it will help loosen soot in the chimney, preventing chimney fires and improving air flow.
• Relief for canker sores: A saltwater gargle will take the bite out of a toothache and ease the pain of canker sores and sore throats. Dissolve two teaspoons of salt in 1/4 cup of warm water and swish it around in your mouth for at least 20 seconds, gargling if you have a sore throat. It will likely burn at first, but it works.
• Keep clothes from freezing on the line: Add a little salt to the rinse water when washing a load of laundry to keep the clothes from freezing stiff on the clothesline. Soaking the clothesline in salt water will also prevent clothes from sticking to it in cold weather.
• Restore artificial flowers: Just toss the flowers in a gallon-sized zip-lock bag along with about a cup of salt. Shake the bag well, and the salt will whisk away the dust and debris.
• Keep milk fresh: Sour milk is the worst, especially if you don’t realize it’s gone bad until you’ve already poured it into your cake batter or coffee mug. Keep it fresh longer by adding a pinch of salt to the carton, pinching the spout closed and gently shaking to mix.
• Make coffee less bitter: Over-brewed coffee that has taken on a bitter taste can be much improved with a tiny pinch of salt, which will also enhance the flavor.
• Remove stains: Blot up spills and then pour salt on top to absorb what’s left, pulling as much of it out of the fabric as possible. To remove perspiration stains from clothing, dissolve a teaspoon of salt in a cup of hot water and sponge it on.
• Prevent sliced fruit from turning brown: Dip sliced apples, pears and other fruits susceptible to browning in lightly salted water to preserve their fresh look. If your apple slices have withered, salt water will also perk them up.
• Keep windows frost-free: To keep frost from accumulating on the windows in your home and your vehicle, dip a sponge in salty water and run it over the inside and outside of the glass, then rub dry with a soft cloth.
• Deodorize shoes: Zap the stink-worsening moisture out of canvas shoes by sprinkling a little salt inside them and then wiping it out. NOTE: Don’t use this trick on leather or synthetic shoes, as it could dry them out too much and cause them to deteriorate.
• Reduce eye puffiness: Mix a pinch of salt in a little hot water and applying it to puffy, swollen areas around your eyes with a cotton pad. The salt will help draw out the moisture and tighten the skin.
• Give your skin a glow: Massage a mixture of salt and olive oil into your skin in circular motions, leave it on for a few minutes and then wash it off. The massage increases circulation to your skin, the olive oil moisturizes and the salt buffs away dead skin cells.
• Brighten yellowed linens: Dingy whites can be brought back to their crisp, white best without the use of bleach. Boil cotton or linen items in a big pot of water with a few tablespoons of salt plus a few tablespoons of baking soda.
  
  
  Article Referenced