Christmas Cookie Day 13

Krumkake

This is on the back of the iron box.
2 eggs                                        1  tsp cardamom
1 cup sugar                               1 1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup butter, softened          1 scant cup milk

Beat eggs well. Add sugar, butter and cardamom, beat well. Add flour and milk even parts at a time beat until smooth.  Heat the iron until drops of water sizzle on it.  The recipe said put a tsp on the griddle.  That is not enough.  I did one Tlbs.

Okay so the first thing was what in the H is scant.  I had to google it.  I means just barley.  So I did not fill with milk all the way to the 1 cup line.  I was afraid that the cardamon spice would be to spicy like ginger bread or something like those kind of cookies so I only used 1/2 tsp cardamom.  I wish I would have used the whole tsp.  I like it.  I got my iron off of ebay.  If you go looking for one of these, I recommend starting with an antique store first.  After I bought mine I found some in the Swiss town New Glarus.  Duh.  I know that this whole area that I live in was settled by Scandinavians.  The shipping on ebay will kill you.  My iron, even though old, was very gently used.  The cone thing was missing.  I have not had a chance to find one or jury rig one.  It is hard to clean.  There is a learning curve to getting these cookies right so I really can't give any pointers.  You just need to mess around with it until you get your cookie mojo.  I never did get the pretty design to show up on the cookie except for the burnt ones?  This was fun but messy and the design is not the best.  The handle gets hot.  I need to get one of those little pot holder things like they put on the cast iron skillets.  Also be careful when you squeeze the irons together I did get burned a little so I hold my hands kind of to the side when i squeeze it.  The picture on the back of the box shows a child making these I think?  I wouldn't let my kid.  

Hold your hand to the side.  Don't grip it or the steam will come out and burn you.

Christmas Cookie Day 12

• Paula Deen's Snowflake Cookie Recipe

• 
  
• 1 cup butter, softened
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon almond extract
• 3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

In a large bowl, beat butter and sugar at medium speed with an electric mixer until fluffy. Beat in eggs, vanilla and almond extract until combined.

In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder and salt. Gradually add to sugar mixture, beating until smooth. Wrap dough in heavy-duty plastic wrap, and refrigerate 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.

On a lightly floured surface, roll out dough to 1/4-inch thickness. Cut with assorted snowflake cookie cutters and place 2 inches apart on prepared baking sheets. Chill dough 15 minutes. Bake for 10 minutes, or until edges are very lightly browned. Let cool for 2 minutes on baking sheet. Remove from pans and cool completely on wire racks.

Paint cookies with Edible Paint Icing. Garnish with silver dragees, sugar pearls and sparkling sugar, if desired.

Icing Recipe

• 1/4 cup cold water
• 3 tablespoons meringue powder
• 2 cups confectioners' sugar
• Food coloring, optional
• 
  

In a medium bowl, combine water and meringue powder; whisk until foamy. Whisk in confectioners' sugar until smooth. Add food coloring, if desired. Use immediately.  We added a 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla and almond extract.

I have been asked by Rhonda to be a guest blogger! It is fun to be doing this for her because I share her love of cookies and baking.  My boyfriends sister came over last night to make cookies for a family holiday party we are attending on Sunday.  We did get a little carried away with the Corona Light and eventually had to break into Jim's stash of Summer Shandy.  So as you can imagine there was a lot of laughing and girl talk to go along with the drinking and baking! Oh I almost forgot the pictures we took to post them on Facebook because we thought we were hilarious.  The only problem with the Thirsty Thursday festivities was going to work the next day.

We rolled these out to be about a 1/4 inch in thickness.  If you roll them thinner you really have to watch them or the cookies crisp up quickly!  I personally like a soft cookie over the crispy crunchy cookie.  This is by far one of the BEST sugar cookie recipes I have ever had.  I really love sugar cookies.  Julie bought the Betty Crocker icing in Red, White and Green.  I will say what a great idea that was because it has the best flavor (not the powdered sugar flavor homemade icings have) and we did make home made frosting and those were Yellow and a Light Blue.  Away we went with the decorating.  As you know we were celebrating the upcoming holiday season with the Corona Light and Shandy and eventually Jim and Julie's mom joined in the fun (she was tired and wanted to go home) and then the decorating became very creative.  What a great time we had last night baking cookies.
I hope you enjoy these as much as wee did and it really has been great that Rhonda asked me to be her guest!
Lisa

Christmas Cookie Day 11

BELLRINGER COOKIES
1 cup all purpose flour

¼ tsp baking powder
1/8 tsp baking soda

1/3 cup soft butter or margarine

1/3 cup sugar
1 tsp orange rind

2 tsp apricot nectar
1 tbsp maraschino cherry liquid

2 tsp soft butter or margarine

1 tbsp light brown sugar

½ cup finely minced nuts

Quartered maraschino cherries about 6.  Cream 2 tsp butter and brown sugar, stir n cherry liquid and nuts set aside cream 1/3 cup butter and sugar, stir in orange rind and nectar. Sift together flour, baking powder, soda. Stir into butter-sugar mixture until well blended. Make into 2 balls of dough. Roll out, one at a time on lightly floured pastry cloth to 1/8” thickness, Cut into 3” bells and place on ungreased cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Spoon ½ tsp of nut cherry liquid mixture into center place a cherry quarter at wide end for clapper bake at 375 12 to 14 min until golden about 2 dozen cookies

You really need to watch these while baking so they don't get to brown.  I use margarine because that is what my mom used and afraid to mess with it.  I cut the cherries in half because I love them.  They really don't make 2 dozen.  I have not had good luck doubling this recipe.  I don't know if there is a trick to it but seems like my favorite recipe's are unforgiving when I try to double them.  I always use parchment paper. They are one of those cookies that can brake when you try to take them off. Also I always roll out my cookies in powdered sugar instead of flour. They will not get tough if you use sugar.

Christmas Cookie Day 10

KISS COOKIES

Ingredients:
2 cups sifted flour
1 cup margarine
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup finely chopped walnuts or pecans
1 pkg kisses
powder sugar
Directions:
Beat margarine, sugar, vanilla until light and fluffy add sifted flour and nuts, mix well chill dough 30 min shape 1 level tsp around kiss completely bake at 375 10 min do not let get brown roll in powder
I used half margarine and half butter. For some reason, growing up I don't ever remember my mom using butter. So most of her recipes always say margarine or oleo. My nephews told me that not even flies will land on margarine. I keep dipping my fingers in power sugar when putting the dough around the kiss. It makes it easier and if you use powder sugar instead of flour, the cookies will not get tough. I wrap the least amount of dough around the kiss. These cookies are so good that if people gave them as gifts, there would be peace and joy for Christmas.

Fresh out of the oven before powder sugar

Christmas Cookie Day 9

Peanut Butter Temptations (on the back of the bag of Reeses miniature peanut butter cups)

Ingredients
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup peanut butter
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
36 miniature chocolate covered peanut butter cups, unwrapped
Directions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
In a medium bowl, cream together the brown sugar, white sugar and butter. Stir in the peanut butter, then the egg and vanilla. Sift together the flour, baking soda and salt, stir into the peanut butter mixture until the dough comes together. Shape into 1 inch balls and press them into the cups of an unprepared mini muffin pan.
Bake for 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven. As soon as the cookies come out of the oven, press a mini chocolate covered peanut butter cup down into the center of each cookie until only the top is showing. Allow the cookies to cool completely before removing from their pans.
These are my daughters favorite so I am making them again this year.  Okay the changes I made were I left out the salt because with all the salt in the butter and peanut butter it seemed like enough. I also put in 1 tsp instead of 1/2 tsp vanilla but that's just because I grabbed the wrong spoon. The cookies take a long time to completely cool off. I was in a hurry to clean up. The tray was cool to the touch so I dumped them out onto the cooling rack and melted chocolate got all over the rack. I hear it is kinda of hard to lick chocolate off a cooling rack. I wouldn't know anything about that personally. There was this guy I use to work with who's wife made a huge batch of a cookie similar to this one.  That guy doesn't work with me anymore. I sure do miss his wife.

The ones in the right corner were done in a regulare size muffin tin.  Still good but I wish I had more then one mini muffin tin

Christmas Cookie Day 8

White Chip Chocolate Cookies

Prep:

10 mins

Cooking:

9 mins

Cooling:

15 mins

Yields:

60 cookies (5 dozen)

Ingredients

• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 2/3 cup NESTLÉ® TOLL HOUSE® Baking Cocoa
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup (2 sticks) butter or margarine, softened
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 2/3 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 large eggs
• 2 cups (12-oz. pkg.) NESTLÉ® TOLL HOUSE® Premier White Morsels

Directions

PREHEAT oven to 350° F.

COMBINE flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt in small bowl. Beat butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar and vanilla extract in large mixer bowl until creamy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Gradually beat in flour mixture. Stir in morsels. Drop by well-rounded teaspoon onto ungreased baking sheets.

BAKE for 9 to 11 minutes or until centers are set. Cool on baking sheets for 2 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely. 

I used this recipe because I like brown sugar.  The other ones only had white.  The only change I made is I had one stick butter and one stick margarine.  I just like chocolate chips this way.  I like these.

Christmas Cookie Day 7

 Milky Way Balls

Milky Way Balls are rice crispy treats with a special surprise melted in--Milky Way candy bars! The gooey, rich, crunchy balls are dipped in chocolate for a beautiful, tasty finishing touch. This recipe yields about 30 1-inch balls.

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup (2 oz) butter
• 18 large marshmallows (4.3 ounces)
• 3 large Milky Way bars (about 2 ounces each), finely chopped
• 2.5 cups crispy rice or cocoa crispy rice cereal
• 12 ounces chocolate or chocolate-flavored candy coating

Preparation:

1. Prepare a baking sheet by lining it with aluminum foil and set aside for now.
2. Place the butter and the marshmallows in a large microwave-safe bowl, and microwave for one minute. Remove the bowl from the microwave and stir until the marshmallows melt. If they are not quite melted, microwave for another 15-20 seconds, then stir until the mixture is melted and liquidy.
3. Add the chopped Milky Way bars and stir until they are mostly melted. Microwave for an additional 10-20 seconds to fully melt the candy bars, then stir until the mixture is homogenous. It will be somewhat stiff.
4. Quickly add the cereal and work it into the marshmallow mixture. Use a stiff wooden spoon or spatula, as it might be difficult to fully incorporate the cereal.
5. Once mixed, scoop small balls of the candy and roll them between your hands to get them round. Place them on the prepared baking sheet. Once cool, the balls can be eaten as-is, rolled in powdered sugar or cocoa powder, or dipped in chocolate.
6. To dip them in chocolate, melt the chocolate or chocolate-flavored candy coating in the microwave, stirring until smooth. Using dipping tools or two forks, dip a Milky Way ball in to the melted chocolate until it is completely submerged. Remove it from the chocolate and let the excess drip back into the bowl. Place it back on the baking sheet and repeat with remaining candy. If you have extra melted chocolate left over, you can place it in a plastic bag, snip off the corner, and drizzle melted chocolate on top of the dipped candies in a decorative pattern.
7. Place the tray in the refrigerator to set the chocolate, for about 15 minutes. Milky Way Balls can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a week.

Lisa made these.  They say dip using a dipping tool whatever that is.  Lisa had a hard time.  Another woman used a slotted spoon and seemed to have better luck.  I think it seemed like a lot of work for what it is.  Other people seemed to enjoy them.  To me, the texture was odd.  I would rather eat the Milky Way.

Christmas Cookie Day 6

Frogs

Makes about 36

1/2 cup cocoa
2 cups granulated sugar
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup butter
1 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup flaked coconut
3 cups quick-cooking rolled oats

Line two baking sheets with waxed paper. In a large saucepan, stir together cocoa, sugar, milk and butter. Boil for 5 minutes, then remove from heat. Stir in vanilla extract, coconut and oats. Combine well. Drop by tablespoonfulls onto prepared cookie sheets. Refrigerate 1 hour or until set. Keep refrigerated. Makes 3-4 dozen cookies.

I just noticed it said to keep refrigerated.  I didn't and they seemed fine.  I wasn't crazy about these.  I think mostly the children made these at the exchange and they seemed to like them.

Christmas Cookies Day 5

Peppermint Candy Shortbread Cookies

Prep Time:  20 minutes Cook Time:  25 to 30 minutes Yield:  3 -1/2 dozen cookies COOKIES: 1 cup butter, softened (no substitutions) 1/4 cup sugar 1/4 cup crushed peppermint candy 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract 2 cups flour 1/4 cup Argo® or Kingsford's® Corn Starch FROSTING (optional): 1 cup powdered sugar 1 to 2 tablespoons milk 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract 2 tablespoons crushed peppermint candy

Preheat oven to 300ºF. Mix butter, sugar, crushed candy and vanilla thoroughly using an electric mixer. Gradually blend in flour and corn starch. Form into 1-inch balls and place on ungreased baking sheets. Gently press down on each cookie to flatten using fingers or a flat bottomed drinking glass (dipped in sugar to prevent sticking). Bake at 300ºF for 25 to 30 minutes, or until bottoms begin to brown. Cool for 5 minutes; remove to a wire rack to cool completely. Combine powdered sugar, milk and vanilla and mix until frosting is smooth. Drizzle cookies with frosting and sprinkle with crushed candy.

Lisa's from the cookie exchange

Argo's

Lisa made these.  I really don't know about making shortbread with cornstarch?  Neither of us liked them.  I made shortbread for my blog last year from my Good Housekeeping Cookbook and they were good.  I guess a lot of people don't mind the cornstarch.  Lisa and I our going to try these with a different recipe and then use the same frosting recipe from this one.  They are really cute and would taste good without the soapy taste from the cornstarch.  Also 3 1/2 dozen?  Forget it.  It did not make that many so I would say not a good choice for an exchange.

Christmas Cookie Day 4

 This was my second cookie I made at the exchange.

Candy Cane Cookie

Makes about 30

1 cup butter or margarine
1 cup sifted confectioners sugar
1 egg
1-1/2 teaspoon almond flavoring OR 3/4 teaspoon peppermint flavoring
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup crushed peppermint candy
1/2 cup white sugar

Preheat oven to 375 F. Mix butter sugar, egg, and flavorings thoroughly. Add flour and salt, Mix well. Shape dough into a disk and wrap with plastic wrap; chill for at least 2 hours or until easy to handle. Roll into 4 inch strips; place on baking sheet. Curve top down to form handle or cane. Bake 9 minutes. While still warm, remove from pan and sprinkle with candy and sugar mixture.

Dough may be divided in half and colored with 1/2 teaspoon red food coloring if desired. Roll each color into strips, place side by side, press together lightly and twist like a rope.

Where to begin.  This recipe needs tweaking.  The dough was hard to work with.  First when I make this again I will use 1/2 cup regular 1/2 powdered sugar. I think that might help.  I forgot the vanilla which it needs and I would increase the peppermint to a teaspoon.  I also put the crushed candy canes on before baking and I did not mix it with sugar and it needs the sugar and putting it on before is a bad idea.  I don't get how they say it makes 30 cookies?  It does not make very many which was not good for a cookie exchange.  The children at the exchange really like the look of this cookie.  If I go next year, I will make a double batch of this dough as soon as I get there and let the the kids have at it.

There is also a picture of Lisa's Shortbread cookie.  I will blog about that one later.

Christmas Cookie Recipe Day 3

 These were made by a couple of people at the cookie exchange.

Lemon Bars

Makes about 24

3/4 cup butter
1 1/2 cups flour
1/3 cup powdered sugar
4 eggs
2 cups sugar
4 tablespoons flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
dash salt
6 tablespoons lemon juice

Cream together butter, 1 1/2 cup flour, and powdered sugar. Pat in a 13x9x2 inch baking pan. Bake 18 minutes at 350 F or 325 F if using a glass pan. Beat together the rest of the ingredients and pour over crust. Bake an additional 25 minutes. Sprinkle with powdered sugar.

These are quick, easy and tasty.  I would not change a thing.  I will make these.

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Christmas Cookie Recipe Day 1

Me and my bff work friend (and hopefully guest blogger) went to a Cookie Exchange.  It was at the high school near my work.  It was from 4-7 which was just the right amount of time to make and share the cookies.  Lisa made 2 different kinds.  I made 2 different kinds with Lisa's help with the second one.  Here is my first one.

Chocolate-Raspberry Thumbprints

2 cups  flour

1 tsp.  baking soda

1/4 tsp.  salt

4 squares  BAKER'S Unsweetened Chocolate

1/2 cup  butter

1 pkg.  (8 oz.) PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese, cubed, softened

1-1/4 cups  sugar, divided

1 egg

1 tsp.  vanilla

1/3 cup  red raspberry jam

Make It
MIX flour, baking soda and salt. Microwave chocolate and butter in large microwaveable bowl on HIGH 2 min.; stir until chocolate is completely melted. Add cream cheese; stir until completely melted. Stir in 1 cup sugar, egg and vanilla. Add flour mixture; mix well. Refrigerate 15 min.
HEAT oven to 375°F. Roll dough into 1-inch balls; coat with remaining sugar. Place, 2 inches apart, on baking sheets. Press your thumb into center of each ball; fill each indentation with about 1/4 tsp. jam.
BAKE 8 to 10 min. or until lightly browned. Cool 1 min. on baking sheets; transfer to wire racks. Cool completely.
Who doesn't like a cookie right out of the oven?  Stop!  Don't eat that warm cookie!  In fact put them away until the next day.  When we ate these we were almost ready to spit them out.  I took some to work the next day and tried them again and they were good.  I might make these again but i think I would use preserves or my favorite Solo filling instead of jam.  My picture was bad.  This is from the kraftfoods website. Which is were this recipe is from.

  

Semi Homemade Christmas cookies.

I thought I would start my Christmas cookie blog with some semi homemade recipes.  My thought was this might be an option for busy people who still want to make some holiday cookies.  I hope to do much better this Christmas season keeping up on my blog.  I might have some guests on the blog.  I think having guest on my blog is a wonderful idea.  So here we go. 

I have used the Krusteaz Belgium waffle mix before and it is delicious.  So when I seen this cookie mix, I bought a 5 LB box at a GFS.  It cost around 8 dollars.  It will make 7 dozen cookies.  I thought this might be an alliterative for busy people who still would like to make cookies for the holidays.  The problem was the box gave vague directions for small batches.  I emailed them asking for some small batch recipes.  They immediately emailed me back with 7 recipes.  It is nice to receive such wonderful customer service.

Apricot Bars

1 lb (3 cups) Krusteaz Deluxe Cookie Mix

4 oz (1 1/2 cups) quick oats

4 oz (1/2 cup) butter or margarine, softened

8 oz (1 cup) apricot preserves

Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly grease 13x9x2-inch pan. Place Krusteaz Deluxe Cookie Mix, oats and butter in mixer bowl.  Using a paddle, mix 30 seconds on low speed or until crumbly.  Reserve 1 cup.  Press remaining mixture firmly into bottom of pan.  Bake 8-10 minutes.  Remove from oven and spread apricot preserves evenly over hot crust.  Sprinkle with reserved mixture. Bake an additional 15-20 minutes. Cool completely and cut into 2x1-inch bars. Makes about 54, 2x1-inch bars.

Variation:  Other fruit preserves:  raspberry, peach, blueberry, blackberry may replace  apricot preserves.

So here is what I did when I made them.  In my typical ADD way I did not read all the way to the end of recipe.  I put it totally together and baked in one step.  I did not use preserves.  We love Solo Apricot filling which is 12 oz instead of 8 oz.  On the back of the Solo label is a similar bar recipe and they bake in one step so its all good.  My husband likes them.  I could take them or leave them. 

 

Chocolate Chip Cookies  ( 3 cup mix and 9 T. water)

1½ cups chocolate chips, 1/3 cup chopped walnuts and 2 tablespoons brown sugar. Bake at 375°F 12-14 minutes.

I didn't change much except I did flatten slightly with the bottom of a glass.  They don't spread out very much. Also used peanuts instead of walnuts.  I am not a big fan of nuts in chocolate chip cookies but love them in brownies?  Everyone at work ate these up.

I will not being making any more cookies from a starter mix.  I think they are just okay.  Last year for my blog I made Domino's starter mix.  I did not care for those cookies either.  

The next mix my daughter made.  It was Nestle Toll House, Cookie-Brownie Delight

• Makes 1 Dozen Bars or Cups
• Just Add Eggs & Butter!

Kit Includes:

• 1 Cookie Mix & 1 Brownie Mix
• 1 - 6 oz bag of Nestle Toll House Semi-Sweet Morsels

For Brownie Batter You Will Need:
4 tablespoons butter or margarine, melted
2 tablespoons water
1 large egg

• Stir Brownie Mix, melted butter, water and egg in a large bowl until well blended.
• Add half of the Nestle Toll House Semi Sweet Morsels. Stir in morsels with a spoon.

For Cookie Dough You Will Need:
5 tablespoons butter or margarine, softened
1 tablespoon water

• Beat softened butter in large bowl with mixer until creamy.
• Add Cookie Mix; mix until small crumbs form (about 1 minute).
• Add water; beat until dough forms (about 60 seconds).
• Stir in remaining morsels with spoon.

Cookie-Brownie Delight Bars:

1. Preheat oven to 375°F.
2. Grease 8 x 8-inch baking pan.
3. Prepare brownie batter and cookie dough as instructed above.
4. Spread brownie batter into pan. Drop cookie dough by rounded tablespoon evenly onto brownie batter.
5. Bake for 23 to 27 minutes or until cookie dough is golden brown.
6. Cool completely in pan on wire rack. Store tightly covered.

I liked these and she didn't.  I would make these again.

We also made Reeses Puffs Muffin Mix so I thought I would go ahead and review it even though it is not a cookie.  Only one person who tried them thought they were good.  And that was my daughters boyfriend.  We both suspect he was just being nice.  One word describes them.  Blah.  You would think a muffin with candy in them would be good.  

My Newest Halloween Decoration

My husband took me to Seventh Avenue Outlet in Monroe Wisconsin.  They had this beautiful owl.  My husband spotted him and bought him for me.  I am shocked and delighted.  He usually complains about my massive collection of holiday decorations.  He said that he has never seen anything like him and I totally agree.  I went to the Seventh Avenue on line and could not find him. 

Halloween Wreath

It looks better in person.  There are black and purple roses with glitter on them to the left. 

I have just pulled out all my Halloween stuff.  I threw all my outside stuff away.  It was so old and worn and to cutesy because when I first bought it all my daughter was very young and was afraid of scary decorations.  I want my front porch to look like a witches kitchen or whatever you would call were she makes her potions.  So far all I have done is put up this wreath that I made last year.  I think it turned out pretty good.  I bought a premade bow because of  many reasons.  The main one being that Micheal's has so many to choose from.  I really like that store.  The Halloween decorations this year are so pretty.  They look Victorian but more sparkly and shining.  People who read my blog know how shiny will get my attention every time.  My mother is the queen of holiday decorating with wreaths.  As her health deteriorate, it still allows her to make her house festive.  They are so lightweight.  My mom showed me this trick.  I tied fishing line around the top of the wreath.  I opened the door and put a thumbtack at the top in the middle.  Even though the door is steel, in the middle is something softer maybe wood or fiberglass.  Then I just played with the length of the fishing line until it hung perfectly in the middle of the front storm door window.  When it comes to packing away the wreath, just hang it on a hook in the back of a closet or whatever. 

Catelyn Stark Doll

I have taught myself to sew.  I am not really very good at it but it does not stop me.  This winter I want to make a castle and dolls of the Stark family.  I have not started the castle yet but here is my first Stark doll.  They will not work in the castle but I think I might still make the whole family in this size doll anyways. 

Fried Green Tomatoes and French 75

Only in my world do these two co-exist.  Someone at my work left some huge, perfect green tomatoes.  Since I almost always get to work early (not because I am dedicated I car pool) I called dibs (Chicago term) and brought them home.  We started out with six, but procrastination left us with two because they turned red and they ended up in my husbands tasty Pico De Gallo.  While I cooked the tomatoes,  I started to think about the history of both of these wonderful culinary treats.  My Italian Grandfather use to make fried green tomatoes, which made me wonder why he knew how to make a southern dish.  I did some research and it turns out that Jewish/Italians not sure if that means Jewish and Italians brought the dish here to America.

 Now I have been only drinking French 75's for only a few years.  I like gin so I was looking in my drink recipe book for gin drinks and this one jumped out at me.  I have always loved champagne and this drink has both.  As soon as I read the recipe I was like the guy who invented this is a frigging genius and why didn't I think of this?  My only complaint of champagne is that you start to get sick before you get buzzed.  This is the perfect solution.  I guess the French and English both like to take credit for inventing the French 75.  Both can agree that it was during World War I.  The French like cognac and the English like gin.  Both agree with me champagne needs to be fortified.

Fried Green Tomatoes
2 big green tomatoes I sliced thin but I think I will cut thick next time
1 1/2 cup flour
3 eggs beaten
2 or 3 cups Panko bread crumbs
Italian seasoning eyeball it
Parmesan cheese eyeball it (hubby's idea and a good one)
Salt and Pepper
Cooking oil heated to between 350 and 375
Mix the bread crumbs, Italian seasoning, Parmesan cheese, salt and pepper
take a slice of tomato and coat it in flour then dip in egg and then coat in Panko mix.  Then do the rest.
Then fry a couple of minutes on each side.  You will want to eat right away but they taste better if they sit for a minute or two.

French 75 (my lazy version)
1 1/2 oz Gin
1/2 or 1 oz Margarita mix
Crushed ice
Shake and put in tall glass with some more crushed ice
Pour champagne over
I like cherries so I put some in along with some of the juice with mine