FLOUR FOOTPRINTS...

I don't think baking cookies from scratch together is critical to a successful childhood.

However it is one of the things I want them to remember as a part of their childhood.

This sugar cookie is special enough to me to pass down.

Which means sometime along the way I must stop and actually bake cookies.

And so I practice learning how to slow down and tie many apron strings while answering questions.

I pretend I like flour in every crevice in my kitchen.

I attempt to react calmer than is instinct to a trail of white flour footprints.

I pray for the extra ingredients of kindness and patience.

I see reflections of how I roll dough and respond and details anew.
I listen to their interactions and watch their imitations of each step of the process.

I give thanks for a mom that took the time and exercised patience to teach me along the way too.

Long after the mess is cleaned up, the kitchen smells sweet.

Some days are for rolling pins and sugar cookies from scratch.

Other days I know full well the value of store-bought dough.

Listening as they introduce me to Reese, Flash, and Gingy Mae.

Even the same cookie cutter makes no two identical cookies.

I see the joy as they create and I marvel at uniqueness.

FIRST YOU TAKE THE APPLE...

...AND YOU WASH IT, YOU WASH IT.

THEN YOU TAKE THE TOWEL AND YOU DRY IT, YOU DRY IT.

i use the small granny smith apples and rinse them and thoroughly dry them ahead of time.

NEXT YOU TAKE THE CARAMEL AND YOU STRETCH IT, YOU STRETCH IT.

NOW YOU TAKE APPLES AND YOU STICK IT, YOU STICK IT.

the packages of caramel apple wraps can be found in the produce section of most grocery stores.
i like this caramel apples for dummies approach versus trying to melt caramel candies.
they also include popsicle sticks which i stick into the top of the apples which act as handles in the next step.

NOW YOU TAKE THE CHOCOLATE AND YOU MELT IT, YOU MELT IT.

THEN YOU TAKE THE CHOCOLATE AND YOU STIR IT, YOU STIR IT.

i use the chocolate almond bark found in the baking aisle of our grocery store.

i follow the directions for melting it in the microwave in a liquid measuring cup so it is deep enough

to fully dip the apple into the chocolate (i do add tiny tiny bits of shortening as needed if it's too thick).

NOW YOU TAKE THE CARAMEL APPLE AND YOU DIP IT, YOU DIP IT.

THEN YOU TAKE THE SPRINKLES AND YOU DECORATE IT, YOU DECORATE IT.

i dip the entire apple in the chocolate and swirl it around over the measuring cup until most drips have stopped,
immediately sprinkle with decorations, chopped nuts, etc. and place apples on waxed paper to cool.

THEN YOU TAKE THE KNIFE AND YOU CUT IT, YOU CUT IT.

THEN YOU TAKE A BITE AND ENJOY IT, ENJOY IT.

you can cover the apples and place in the fridge for a few days if needed,

just remember to bring to room temperature again before attempting to cut into them.

*acknowledgements: steps of the process happened in my own kitchen but the photos of finished product

are of apples made in my sister-in-law's kitchen where all desserts come together looking extra fabulous.

also, she taught me all i know about making caramel apples and i'm forever indebted.

ITSY BITSY, TEENY WEENY, SUGAR COOKIE, FRUIT PIZZAS...

one of the first recipes i learned to make was this sugar cookie recipe.

rarely can i make just one batch of it, i usually triple or quadruple it.

you can cook these ahead of time, put the cooled cookies in ziplock bags in the freezer,

and then get them out later when you are ready to add icing and serve.

i've made it for close to two decades, but it wasn't until recently my mom suggested this twist.
i shared the original recipe here and now i present to you another yummy alternative of it,
that is especially perfect for showers and parties:

CREAM CHEESE FRUIT PIZZA SUGAR COOKIES

make the regular sugar cookie dough, with these ingredients:

1/2 C CRISCO SHORTENING

1/4 C BUTTER1 C SUGAR

2 EGGS
1 t VANILLA*
2 1/2 C FLOUR**
1 t BAKING POWDER
1 t SALT

directions:

1) BLEND SHORTENING, SOFTENED BUTTER, SUGAR, EGGS, AND VANILLA
(*our motto is you can never have enough vanilla, so i don't measure it, just pour it on it).

2) ADD DRY INGREDIENTS AND STIR UNTIL WELL BLENDED.

3) PLACE DOUGH IN THE REFRIGERATOR UNTIL FIRM.

4) ROLL OUT WITH ROLLING PIN ON FLOURED CUTTING BOARD.

(**don't be afraid to add a lot of flour to the cutting board and the dough.

you need it to roll the dough out successfully and to be able to use the cookie cutters.)

5) USE COOKIE CUTTERS TO CUT DOUGH INTO DESIRED SHAPES.

6) PLACE ON COOKIE SHEET (i usually use baking stones)
AND BAKE AT 400 DEGREES FOR 6-8 MINUTES.

7) LET COOL FOR 1-2 MINUTES ON COOKIE SHEET,
THEN TRANSFER TO COOLING RACKS.8) ONCE COMPLETELY COOLED ADD ICING AND FRUIT.

for these instead of the traiditional butter icing i used this,

CREAM CHEESE RECIPE

8 oz CREAM CHEESE

2 C POWDERED SUGAR

1 1/2 t VANILLA

3 T HEAVY CREAM (or milk)

ANY FRUIT (washed, thoroughly dried, and chopped)

1) MIX CREAM CHEESE, POWDERED SUGAR, VANILLA,

AND CREAM TOGETHER UNTIL A SMOOTH, SPREADABLE CONSISTENCY

(add a little more powdered sugar if too runny or a little more cream if too thick). 

2) SPREAD A GENEROUS AMOUNT ON EACH COOKIE.

3) TOP WITH A FEW PIECES OF FRUIT.

most recently we enjoyed these at a community group baby shower for the english family, yay!

check out more wonderful homemade things today at

http://www.skiptomylou.org/2012/06/11/made-by-you-monday-104/

THE DEFINITION OF OVERAMBITIOUS...

OVERAMBITIOUS: 

1) having an excessive desire for success.

2) making pumpkin pie bites

with two eager assistants in the middle of nap time.

thank you bakerella, for this tasty and entertaining recipe!
it is a great one that kids can help make.
i recommend everyone adding it to your thanksgiving baking list.

the yummy fun is found here-

www.bakerella.com/pumpkin-pie-bites

WINNIE THE POOH AND COOKING TOO...

one of the activities at CAMP POPPA GRAMMY

was making YUMMY SNACKS to go along with the theme.

here are a couple of recipes below:

POOH SNAX

2 C honey nut cheerios

2 C honey teddy grahams

1 C honey roasted peanuts

1 C raisins

measure all ingredients.

pour into large bowl.

mix and mix and mix,

then dig in.

TIGGER BARS

1) make rice krispy treats as usual but
add orange food coloring to the marshmallow/butter mixture.
2) drizzle with melted chocolate.
3) cut into rectangles and insert a popsicle stick.
i hear THEY ARE T, I, DOUBLE GGER GREAT.

A MONSTER THAT LOVES DOUGHNUT HOLES AND SPEAKS THE LANGUAGE WHY...

allow me to introduce you to a monster that has taken up permanent residence at our house.

it tests my patience in giant, monster-sized ways.

it appeared at our house about a month ago.

while i appreciate it's curious nature, it has left my brain in a pile of mush by the end of most days.

it is called the "WHY monster."

it's favorite word is most definitely "WHY."
WHY? WHY? WHY?

the morning of the sip and see i meant to buy doughnut holes before church.

or let's be realistic, i meant to ask evan if he would buy doughnut holes before church.

but i forgot.

i didn't realize i forgot until 1:40pm.

the doughnut store near our house closed at 1:30pm.
i needed them to make adorable acorn desserts (RECIPE CAN BE FOUND HERE).

i was throwing a mom-sized fit about the situation in the front seat as we drove home.

as i was beating myself up for my mistake,

somebody was listening from the backseat.

and then the why monster added it's two cents.

"momma, why are you sad?"

"because i forgot to get doughnuts."

"WHY did you forget doughnuts?"

"i don't know baby, i just made a mistake.  we all make mistakes, grownups too."

"well WHY did you make a mistake?  WHY did you forget to get doughnuts?"

"I DON'T KNOW.   and i don't want to talk about it anymore."

"okay momma.  but WHY don't you want to talk about it anymore?"

"because my head hurts from thinking about it, my brain is tired."

"oh WHY's your brain tired? can i see your brain?"

"no you can't see it.  it's protected by my skin and under my skin and hair."

"oh, okay."
"momma, WHY did you forget the doughnuts?"

luckily grandma chic found a different doughnut store that was open later.

she delivered four dozen doughnut holes to our doorstep soon there after.

and then the why monster and i had a lot of simple, fun making this adorable fall treat.

they took no time at all to complete.

i spread chocolate icing on the top of the doughnut holes, then my assistant dipped them in toffee bits.

next she broke pretzel sticks into pieces and i added one to the top of each acorn doughnut for a stem.

as we worked our conversation went a little something like this:

"momma, WHY do we break the pretzels?"

"because we need them to be shorter for acorn stems."

"oh.  WHY do we need them to be shorter?"

...

when it comes to our conversations,

i think they are best described by these words of the avett brothers, "it goes on and on and on."

but i truly can't wait to do it all over again tomorrow.

WE DID THE MASH...

the following trail mix is a part of my heritage. it has been served in our family for decades. my mom's mom, grandma bobbie, filled easter eggs with it (using the pastel candy corn instead of orange ones). i'm glad my mom followed in her footsteps. and now the tradition of mixing peanuts, candy corn, and m&m's continues at our house to this very day. adelaide and graham are the fourth generation who will eat this deliciousness. this is one of my favorite "comfort foods." it is like a chocolate-coated-payday candy bar. it is the perfect mixture of salty and sweet. and for the record i think getting dry roasted peanuts is the most important thing to make this recipe perfectly. other than that, you cannot mess it up. there are no exact amounts needed. so get mixing!in the spirit of halloween this month, i decided to call the trail mix "monster mash." one evening i asked adelaide if she would like to make some and she eagerly pulled her stool over to the counter.

1) pour peanuts into a large bowl.

2) add candy corn.

3) add m&m's.

someone needs to be in charge of quality control and sample a few along the way.

4) stir.

5) pour monster mash in a big bowl, and dig in by the handful.

some optional/additional activities:

make a kid-friendly recipe using pictures to practice following directions.

in an old egg carton, draw 1, 2, or 3 dots on the bottom of each section. help your child count out the correct number of pieces and place in each, then eat it. (idea from productiveparenting.com)

decorate labels for your "monster mash" (or whatever you decide to call the trail mix).

pour into containers and share with friends or neighbors.

enjoy!

CHOCOLATE CRINKLES...

i have only made this recipe a handful of times,

but i have eaten it many, many times.
it has been in my wooden recipe box since the beginning of its time.

it can also be found in the acu cookbook, tasteful traditions.

ladies and gentlemen, i'm entrusting you with one of my favorite desserts.

my mom makes it the best so i usually don't even attempt it.
i just enjoy it when visiting her.
a few weeks ago though i got brave and made it myself.

i was making dinner for friends with an adorable newborn and wanted to take cookies too.

first i was going to make smores cookies, but i was out of chocolate chips.

then i was going to make snickerdoodles, but i was out of shortening.

i thumbed through the other cookie recipes and landed on this one.

conveniently it doesn't need chocolate chips or shortening.

it was the obvious recipe choice.

upon tasting the cookies i brought over,
the big brother of the house requested his mom get the recipe from me.

that was just the affirmation i needed that i can make these tasty treats too.

i will be making these goodies again soon!

CHOCOLATE CRINKLES

the taste of these cookies reminds me a little of eating brownie batter,

which might explain why i love them so much.

INGREDIENTS
3/4 C margarine  (melted)
1/2 C cocoa
2 C sugar
4 eggs
2 t vanilla
2 C flour
2 t baking powder
1/2 t salt
1 C powdered sugar

DIRECTIONS
1) mix margarine, cocoa, and sugar.

2) add eggs one at a time, mixing well.

3) add vanilla.

4) add flour, baking powder, and salt.

5) mix until well blended.

6) put the dough in the refrigerator for several hours or overnight (VERY IMPORTANT).

7) roll the dough into balls (about a teaspoonful of dough for each ball).

8) drop each ball into a bowl of powdered sugar and roll until fully coated.

9) bake 8-10 minutes at 350 degrees F.

THE COOKING LIFE...

i'm honored to be a "featured friend"

on the cooking life blog today!

i was excited when the author asked me to be a guest blogger

(and humbled because her intro. of me is way too nice

and when it comes to cooking she actually knows what she is talking about).

click on over to the cooking life

to see a throwback for one of the first blog recipes i shared,

and more importantly to check out her yummy recipes!

for the record, i will be trying those baked peaches with goat cheese asap.

bon appetit!