african desserts

Chocolate Dipped Crackers: Different, Delicious and Easy

This week is crunch time (no cracker pun intended). People are everywhere, scurrying to finish shopping and stock their kitchens.

Since I am a longstanding member of the "forgot I need a gift for (insert name here) and it's 11pm" club, I have devised several easy and quick gift options.

My latest and greatest is the chocolate dipped cracker, holiday style.

All you need is chocolate morsels, sprinkles and a few fresh crackers (preferably round, butter style such as Ritz).

Melt chocolate in microwave (30 second intervals, stirring after each one), drop a teaspoonful on one cracker, top with another. Roll chocolate edges in holiday sprinkles.

Set aside for at least and hour for chocolate to set.

While chocolate is setting, grab a decorative tin, and line with wax paper. Add crackers, and if you have them, Hershey Kisses are an easy and cute addition.

Another great packaging options is a jelly jar, tied with holiday ribbon.

These little 'fellas are sweet and salty. They are easy and different. And they are affordable.

Hallelujah.

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Candy Coated Crispix Snack Mix ---- Plus a Fun way to decorate a Pringle Can for your Cookie Exchanges

Crispix Mix

WARNING: This post contains a very addicting snack mix. If you are someone who doesn't have a lot of will power, (like ME!) and love sweet and salty snacks, you might want to stop reading....

But seriously folks, this stuff is SO good and SO addicting!!

I make two ice cream buckets full of it every Christmas.

I love to put it in the middle of my cookie/candy trays.

It's great to grab a bag of it or a cute baking tin and take to parties.

(or to give to your neighbor that loaned you corn syrup when you ran out

and you were baking in your PJ's!!)

The best thing, you can jazz it up however you want.

crispix snack mix

Crispix Snack Mix

2 c. brown sugar

1 cup butter

1/2 cup lite corn syrup

17 ounces of Crispix Cereal

1 pound of M&M's

2 cups salted Dry roasted peanuts

1/2 t salt

1 t baking soda

In a large bowl, empty the cereal and the peanuts.

In a saucepan on the stove melt the butter, sugar, syrup and salt. Bring to a boil and boil for 5 minutes stirring constantly. Add the baking soda, stir, ingredients will foam and become frothy.

Pour mixture over the cereal and peanuts. Mix quickly but carefully. You don't want to smash all of the cereal. Spread onto a cookie sheet lined with non-stick foil or sprayed with non-stick cooking spray.

Bake at 200 degrees for one hour, turning mix over every 15 minutes.

When mix has cooled, add the M&M's.

I usually use dark chocolate ones, because those are my favorite. But this time, I used pretzel ones and dark chocolate.

I decided to make this for my annual holiday cookie/candy exchange.

ready to exchange!

I found this cute idea on Pinterest to cover Pringles cans in scrapbook paper.

(my kids have been eating A LOT of Pringles over the last few months!!)

Didn't they turn out cute??

I doubled this recipe above and it more than filled 10 Pringles cans.

look out...this stuff is GOOD!!

I took a 12 x 12 piece of holiday scrapbook paper, and trimmed it down to size to fit a Pringle can. I added some quick drying scrapbook glue around the edges and wrapped the clean Pringle can.

I attached these recipes with the picture of the mix to each can

I adhered the recipe I made for my Crispix mix, it was backed with an actual picture of the mix itself.

I decorated each one with a coordinating bow, and each of them looks different.

So excited for the exchange this week!

Crispix Mix

WARNING: This post contains a very addicting snack mix. If you are someone who doesn't have a lot of will power, (like ME!) and love sweet and salty snacks, you might want to stop reading....

But seriously folks, this stuff is SO good and SO addicting!!

I make two ice cream buckets full of it every Christmas.

I love to put it in the middle of my cookie/candy trays.

It's great to grab a bag of it or a cute baking tin and take to parties.

(or to give to your neighbor that loaned you corn syrup when you ran out

and you were baking in your PJ's!!)

The best thing, you can jazz it up however you want.

crispix snack mix

Crispix Snack Mix

2 c. brown sugar

1 cup butter

1/2 cup lite corn syrup

17 ounces of Crispix Cereal

1 pound of M&M's

2 cups salted Dry roasted peanuts

1/2 t salt

1 t baking soda

In a large bowl, empty the cereal and the peanuts.

In a saucepan on the stove melt the butter, sugar, syrup and salt. Bring to a boil and boil for 5 minutes stirring constantly. Add the baking soda, stir, ingredients will foam and become frothy.

Bake at 200 degrees for one hour, turning mix over every 15 minutes.

When mix has cooled, add the M&M's.

I usually use dark chocolate ones, because those are my favorite. But this time, I used pretzel ones and dark chocolate.

I decided to make this for my annual holiday cookie/candy exchange.

ready to exchange!

I found this cute idea on Pinterest to cover Pringles cans in scrapbook paper.

(my kids have been eating A LOT of Pringles over the last few months!!)

Didn't they turn out cute??

I doubled this recipe above and it more than filled 10 Pringles cans.

look out...this stuff is GOOD!!

I took a 12 x 12 piece of holiday scrapbook paper, and trimmed it down to size to fit a Pringle can. I added some quick drying scrapbook glue around the edges and wrapped the clean Pringle can.

I attached these recipes with the picture of the mix to each can

I adhered the recipe I made for my Crispix mix, it was backed with an actual picture of the mix itself.

I decorated each one with a coordinating bow, and each of them looks different.

So excited for the exchange this week!

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Amazon: Last Minute Shopping Ideas

Today, while on Amazon, I saw it is the last day to order for Christmas with "free super saver shipping".

Love Amazon, and I LOVE free shipping. Why go to the store when you can ship to home for free?

Here are my current picks for boys. I base this on my ten year old and six year old. They love video games, sports, play figures and anything "boy". Everything below we currently have, or Santa's workshop is hopefully busy assembling it for Christmas delivery.

Playmakers: Football figures for little fans everywhere

Madden 12: Who doesn't love Madden?

FIFA Soccer 12: My son doesn't even play soccer and he wants this game

Imaginext Samurai Castle: Imagination heaven

GeoTrax Batcave: Great to line up figures, have them ride on the train, and run them over

For girls, I could shop forever. I already posted Just Dance 3, which my Gymnastics Queen is begging for. I can't blame her, it's a real hootenanny.

For all day imagination play, she has decided the elves MUST make the Loving Family Christmas House. With working lights and accessories galore, I may join her on the floor if Santa brings this one.

My Moopa is a Strawberry Shortcake fan. An oldie but a goodie.

For Hubby? And men everywhere? I haven't a clue. If I could buy toys all day every day I would. They are so much more exciting than ties, travel coffee mugs and cell phone accessories.

Happy shopping to all. I feel as though I blinked and its December 19th. Scary stuff.

xo

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Almond Raspberry Shortbread Thumbprint Cookies

almond raspberry shortbread thumbprints

These are a favorite every year on my cookie platters!

Years ago, when my oldest son was in Pre-School, I made friends with a mom of one of the other students, her name was Andi. Andi used to host these amazing tea parties at her home. Her house was all Victorian decorated and she had the most intricate tea sets! These tea parties have always been a cherished memory of mine.

One tea party she made these cookies, and they were to DIE FOR.

I have made them for Christmas every year since. I also make them at Valentine's Day.

They are like little mini pastries.

I baked a batch a couple of weeks ago when I was in a baking frenzy. My husband came home for lunch when I was in the midst of baking, and I put them in the oven while we chatted. When I took them out, they looked like THIS....

yikes.

This is what happens when you get to chatting and forget the flour!! We all have our days, don't we??

When done right, they look like these below.

You won't be sorry you added these to your baking this year!

gorgeous!

I misplaced her recipe for a couple of years, and searched for it on Google.

Come to find out the recipe was on Kraft Recipes as well as All Recipes.com!

Here it is!

Almond Raspberry Shortbread Thumbprint Cookies

Cookie:

2/3 cup sugar

1 cup butter, softened

1/2 teaspoon almond extract

2 cups flour

1/2 cup seedless raspberry jam

Glaze:

1 cup powdered sugar

3/4 teaspoon almond extract

1 T milk

Combine sugar and butter until creamy. Add almond extract and flour and mix until smooth.

With a cookie 1 teaspoon sized cookie scoop, form balls. make a well into the center with your finger. I actually use a small measuring spoon or my index finger to poke a hole. (Be careful to mend any cracks, or the jam will bubble out the side.) Spoon jam into centers.

here they are filled and ready to go into the oven.

They are not teeny tiny thumbprints!

Bake at 350 degrees for 12-14 minutes, or until edges begin to brown slightly.

Leave on cookie sheet for a couple minutes. Remove and cool for about 10 minutes more. While they are cooling, mix up the glaze. Drizzle over the warm cookies, glaze will set like a glazed doughnut.

Makes about 2 1/2 dozen

So yummy!!

almond raspberry shortbread thumbprints

These are a favorite every year on my cookie platters!

One tea party she made these cookies, and they were to DIE FOR.

I have made them for Christmas every year since. I also make them at Valentine's Day.

They are like little mini pastries.

yikes.

This is what happens when you get to chatting and forget the flour!! We all have our days, don't we??

When done right, they look like these below.

You won't be sorry you added these to your baking this year!

gorgeous!

I misplaced her recipe for a couple of years, and searched for it on Google.

Come to find out the recipe was on Kraft Recipes as well as All Recipes.com!

Here it is!

Almond Raspberry Shortbread Thumbprint Cookies

Cookie:

2/3 cup sugar

1 cup butter, softened

1/2 teaspoon almond extract

2 cups flour

1/2 cup seedless raspberry jam

Glaze:

1 cup powdered sugar

3/4 teaspoon almond extract

1 T milk

Combine sugar and butter until creamy. Add almond extract and flour and mix until smooth.

here they are filled and ready to go into the oven.

They are not teeny tiny thumbprints!

Bake at 350 degrees for 12-14 minutes, or until edges begin to brown slightly.

So yummy!!

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The Dog Shelter

This past weekend we visited a local "no kill" dog shelter. My daughter's gymnastics school held a fundraising meet for the shelter, utilizing all entrance fees to purchase new dog beds for the cages.

After competing in the meet, the girls were invited to the shelter. Each girl was asked to bring a new blanket to give to one of the shelter dogs.

It was their little canine Christmas.

When the girls arrived at the shelter they chose a picture from a basket. The picture was of one of the dozens of dogs living in the shelter. Attached was a candy cane "thank you" from the dog and the dog's name.

My daughter chose "Dozer".

We waited in a small office area until our group was brought back to the kennels by one of the volunteers. The girls were eager, and their smiles were bright.

The room smelled and it was rather cold. The girls didn't notice and if they did they didn't care.

Kids are miraculous, loving human beings who have a genuine gift of seeing the bigger picture. Their hearts are pure and ready to help anyone or anything in need.

No smell or amount of mushy dog poop could damper their excitement.

Some of the dogs in the shelter are kept in a separate area because they are not "sociable". They have signs on their cages that indicate they are not to be around people.

Or other animals.

"Dozer" was one of those dogs. We were able to meet him from afar and he was definitely strong. And paranoid. He barked uncontrollably and it wasn't his fault. He was one of the many pitbulls who would most likely remain in that shelter for a very long time.

Maybe forever.

Our shelter visit has forever changed my Gymnastics Queen. She has always been an animal lover, but now she is determined to be an "animal saver".

We brought those dogs blankets, but they brought us so much more. And this Christmas, I wish them all a "forever family".

Mommyhood Footnote: The shelter is completely non-profit, and depends 100% on volunteers. Support "no kill" shelters in your area, because they most definitely need the assistance.

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My Great Aunt Vern's Sugar Cookies

my great-aunt vern's sugar cookies

When I was growing up these were the only sugar cookie that I knew existed!

It wasn't until I got out in this big wide world of ours, did I know that people even FROSTED sugar cookies?!?

Hey, don't laugh.

We had 3 TV channels, 4 if you count PBS that came in fuzzy.... but we watched Electric Company anyway!

But that's another story.

Most Christmases we cut these out with cookie cutters. My Mom waited until Christmas break, so that my brother and I could help.

We colored our own sugar with food coloring and sprinkled them before we baked them. If we were feeling crazy, we might add a "red hot" or two!

These days, my mom makes them just plain 'ol round cookies, and I am pretty sure she still colors her own sugar. Who needs those silly sprinkles anyway?

(shhhhh....don't tell her.... I have an entire DRAWER full of sprinkles!!

It's an addiction...kinda like shoes and lip gloss.)

She sprinkles them with red and green sugar, and she makes them for her friends and for her twin sister, and for my brother and I.

She gave me mine Tuesday night.

(again....shhhhh .... my kids don't know that they are here.)

Is that wrong that I hide them from my children??

Well, I am not TOTALLY mean, I will share SOME of them. But if I put that tin out on my counter, it'll be like the Cookie Monster said "Hey look over there! It's Snuffalupagus!" and by the time I looked back ALL of them would be gone.

Homemade sugar and all.

(and yes...busted...I watched Sesame Street, too)

So, I am going to share these delightful little bites with you, my virtual friends.

If you are a tea drinker...I highly recommend you brew yourself a pot when you sit down to eat all of these at once. errr... I mean...have a cookie.

If you like those chewy cookies with the icing...well, I have a recipe for you, too...coming in the next day or so.

But in the meanwhile, these are crisp and flaky and just plain MELT in your mouth delicious!!

Great Aunt Vern's Sugar Cookies

2 sticks unsalted butter
2 cups sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup vegetable oil
5 cups flour
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp cream of tartar

Preheat over to 375.
Cream the first 5 ingredients together. Stir the next 5 ingredients together and fold into the butter mixture and stir to combine. Form dough into small balls and place on ungreased cookie sheet. Dip the bottom of a glass in sugar and press cookies to flatten.
Sprinkle with colored sugar and bake for 10-12 minutes.

Makes approximately 10 dozen cookies.

my great-aunt vern's sugar cookies

When I was growing up these were the only sugar cookie that I knew existed!

It wasn't until I got out in this big wide world of ours, did I know that people even FROSTED sugar cookies?!?

Hey, don't laugh.

We had 3 TV channels, 4 if you count PBS that came in fuzzy.... but we watched Electric Company anyway!

But that's another story.

Most Christmases we cut these out with cookie cutters. My Mom waited until Christmas break, so that my brother and I could help.

We colored our own sugar with food coloring and sprinkled them before we baked them. If we were feeling crazy, we might add a "red hot" or two!

These days, my mom makes them just plain 'ol round cookies, and I am pretty sure she still colors her own sugar. Who needs those silly sprinkles anyway?

(shhhhh....don't tell her.... I have an entire DRAWER full of sprinkles!!

It's an addiction...kinda like shoes and lip gloss.)

She sprinkles them with red and green sugar, and she makes them for her friends and for her twin sister, and for my brother and I.

She gave me mine Tuesday night.

(again....shhhhh .... my kids don't know that they are here.)

Is that wrong that I hide them from my children??

(and yes...busted...I watched Sesame Street, too)

So, I am going to share these delightful little bites with you, my virtual friends.

If you are a tea drinker...I highly recommend you brew yourself a pot when you sit down to eat all of these at once. errr... I mean...have a cookie.

If you like those chewy cookies with the icing...well, I have a recipe for you, too...coming in the next day or so.

But in the meanwhile, these are crisp and flaky and just plain MELT in your mouth delicious!!

Great Aunt Vern's Sugar Cookies

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Dance Club

A few months ago, my Sports Fanatic brought a permission slip home to join the Dance Club. His interest in joining caught me by surprise.

I was concerned because in my "heyday", a Dance Club screamed "girl". It was the kind of club myself and my chatty Kathy girlfriends would join. And I can guarantee that not one boy would be in the club with us.

Well, maybe one or two.

Before I signed the slip, I inquired about this club. I wanted to make certain some of his friends were joining since it was twice a week after school. I wasn't about to listen to complaints about going to club two weeks into his commitment.

He assured me that he had friends joining this club. I took his word for it and signed his permission slip.

For the next several weeks Hubby was on Dance Club pickup Mondays and Wednesdays. We heard bits and pieces about his routine, but never saw much.

He was much too embarrassed to break into dance in our living room.

All we knew was that he loved his afternoons at Dance Club, and he never once complained. He told me on more than one occasion that he was thrilled he joined. And that was all I needed to know.

This afternoon, after weeks of extended practices and questions from us, we packed into the family car and drove to his school. It was "performance day". I was nervous for him, a dance performance is certainly not a football game. He had never performed for anyone unless we count his mandatory third grade holiday concert.

I was ready for this routine to be rather interesting.

But what we saw was an entertaining, well choreographed hip hop routine that had us smiling from ear to ear. And it was snazzy to see that the boys outnumbered the girls, and those stinkers had some "moves".

Times sure have changed since I was in school. The stiff side rocking slow dance may just be a thing of the past.

It takes some guts to branch out and try something new, and many of these kids (boys especially) had never tried an organized dance class. Watching them perform today was certainly the highlight of my week.

This Mama left that gymnasium very proud of all the kids. They did "Dynamite"!

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