The Last of the Great Cookie Recipes!

'Cinnamon Coffee Cookies'

1/2 cup butter, softened

1/2 cup shortening

3/4 cup brown sugar

3/4 cup sugar

1 tbsp instant coffee crystals

2 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp nutmeg

1/4 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp cloves

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla

2 cups flour

1/2 cup chopped chocolate-covered coffee beans (or chocolate chips)

1/4 cup sugar

1 tsp cinnamon

Preheat oven to 325F.  Lightly grease cookie sheets; set aside.  In a large bowl, combine butter and shortening.  Beat with an electric mixer for thirty seconds.  Add brown sugar, sugar, coffee crystals, cinnamon, baking powder, nutmeg, baking soda, salt, and cloves.  Beat until combined, scraping bowl occasionally.  Beat in eggs and vanilla until combined.  Beat in flour until combined.  Stir in coffee beans.  Cover; chill for one hour or until dough is firm enough to shape.  In a small bowl, combine 1/4 cup sugar and 1 tsp cinnamon.  For each cookie, roll 1 tbsp of dough into a ball.  Roll balls in sugar mixture to coat and place two inches apart on prepared cookie sheets.  Bake for twelve minutes until edges are set.

'Brown Sugar Cookies' as promised...

'Brown Sugar Cookies'

3/4 cup sugar, at room temp.

1 1/4 cups dark brown sugar

1 large egg, room temp.

2 cups flour

2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp kosher salt

1/2 tsp ginger

1/2 tsp cinnamon

Preheat oven to 375F.  Place the butter and sugar in bowl and beat until creamy.  Add the egg and beat well.  Scrape down sides of bowl.  Place the flour, baking soda, salt, and other spices in separate bowl and mix well.  Add to butter mixture and beat until incorporated.  Drop teaspoonfuls of dough onto un-buttered cookie sheet two inches apart and bake for eight to ten minutes.

Another day towards Christmas! And what an awesome week it's going to be...I can tell! I'm gonna put on some pounds and I'm going to try not to think too much about it! Speaking of which, today is 'Chocolate Dipped Orange Shortbread' day (recipe to follow!)

Yesterday, we went to church and witnessed an adorable pageant called 'Operation Baby King' which was followed by a Christmas lunch and fellowship and then Dave, Landon and I went over to our friends Kandace and Cam's for a visit so we could all go together to the Live Nativity.  The Live Nativity is pretty cool! It was held at a farm and as you drive in, Roman soldiers direct you to your parking space and then a horse-drawn sleigh takes you to Bethlehem.  From there, shepherds lead you to the Baby Jesus (with real donkeys and cows!).  A flute is playing softly and as verses are read, the wisemen and shepherds lay gifts for the baby and angels sing! Next, you go through a door and you're in the marketplace at Bethlehem where you are given shekels (pennies) that you can spend on homemade Christmas ornaments, hot cider, buns, etc.  From there, you leave Bethlehem and go to a nice heated garage for coffee and food and fellowship....so much fun! And, the best part of the week thus far is that Mom will be here tomorrow! So much to do but having a blast!

'Chocolate Dipped Orange Shortbread'

1 cup butter, softened

1/2 cup sugar

2 tsp orange rind

1/4 tsp salt

2 cups flour

3 tbsp corn starch

Coating:

2 bars bittersweet chocolate, chopped

In large bowl, beat together butter, sugar, orange rind and salt until fluffy; stir in flour and cornstarch to make a smooth dough.  Divide dough in half.  Form each into 10" log; wrap and refrigerate for one hour.  Slice logs into 1/4 inch rounds and place one inch apart on greased cookie sheets.  Bake at 325F for 15 minutes and let cool completely.  In heatproof bowl over hot water, melt chocolate and let melt to room temperature.  Dip half of cookie into chocolate, shaking off excess.  Refrigerate on waxed paper for thirty minutes.

Seven Days...

Well, yesterday didn't go as planned but it was still good and Christmas-y! Crystal phoned really early and asked if I wanted to go to Yorkton with her for some last minute Christmas shopping so of course I agreed! I didn't have time in the morning to make my 'Lemon Stars' but I did make my 'Brown Sugar Cookies' in the morning before I left! They smell pretty good.  And a-Christmas-shopping we went....I didn't need anything, but Cole tipped me off on a thirty dollar espresso machine for sale in Walmart and Dave has always wanted one (plus, he just used his door prize $200 dollars to buy me a very awesome bread machine) so I picked one up and gave it to him last night.  Part of me wanted to surprise him but part of me also wanted a cafe mocha before Christmas! This will give him time to figure out how to use it.  And, we didn't make it back for the Christmas Concert, but Cole and Eric treated us to supper at BP's which was pretty cool.  All in all, a wonderful kick-off day!  Today I have not much planned but I am making some Puppy Chow for the holidays...here's the recipe:

'Puppy Chow'

1 Box Crispix

1 cup Peanut Butter

1/2 cup butter

1 1/2 cup chocolate chips

Icing sugar

Melt peanut butter, butter and chocolate chips and pour over cereal in large mixing bowl.  Mix lightly but well.  Continually add icing sugar until well-coated and spread on cookie sheet to dry. 

Let The Countdown Begin!

Alright all....eight more days until Santa comes down the chimney! Or something like that....And it's my Christmas countdown.  All of my Christmas festivities start tomorrow with Christmas baking and wrapping, reading Christmas books, crafts and church activities.  

I have chosen Friday, the sixteenth as baking day for 'Lemon Stars' and is also the night I go out with the girls to see the Mennonite Christmas Concert.  I'm very excited!  

On a side note....21 days to start a healthy lifestyle is definitely doable...but not this close to the holidays! I've already had brunches, Christmas parties and a birthday party! The best I can do until January is keep off the pounds! But, I'm not going to let it bother me...I'm going to enjoy the season! 

Lemon Stars

1/2 cup butter

1 cup sugasr

1 1/2 tsp lemon extract

1/2 cp sour cream

1 tsp lemon peel

2 3/4 cup flour

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

Frosting:

1 1/2 cups icing sugar

6 tbsp butter

3/4 tsp lemon extract

3 drops yellow food colouring

3 to 4 tbsp milk

In large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy.  Beat in egg and extract.  Stir in sour cream and lemon peel.  Combine the flour, baking soda and salt; gradually add to creamed mixture and mix well.  Chill for three hours.  Remove a portion of dough from fridge, roll out to 1/4 inch thickness.  Place 1" apart on cookie sheet.  Bake at 375 for 6-8 minutes until edges are lightly browned.  Mix icing and spread on cooled cookies.

Put Your Best Finger Forward

The first thing I'm tackling this month in the pursuit of fabulousness (that's a word now, don't worry) is the weekly mani/pedi and finding a nice colour for those delightful digits.  I don't meant that we should go down to a salon every Thursday afternoon and spend a hundred bucks (although do treat yourself sometime, it's fantastic) I mean something simple...choose a day out of the week where you can give yourself an hour; mine is Sunday.  Then, soak your toes and fingers in warm water (if you have massage tubs for them, use those-I have one for both and I love them!) and pat dry.  Do some upkeep to the nails and cuticles (mine are always hazardous and hard to keep up) and then paint on your fave colour.  Right now, I've become a huge fan of both bright, bright colours or plain neutral.  This week, I'm going neutral in attempt to strengthen my nails.  I've gone with gel for years because my nails are super soft and as soon as they grow, they strip.  But now, with such a tight budget, I'm fending for myself.  So, I picked up Sally Hansen's Major Growth which is supposed to harden nails as it is worn.  I'm pretty sure that it just means that it creates a protective layer but since I know there's no miracle cure...I'm going with it.  It's in a beige colour which I'm going to coat with a clear Diamond Finish top coat.  And that's all for this week...nothing too fancy (that's for the Christmas Party and my son's birthday party next weekend).  If your like me, and wear and tear your hands from house cleaning and changing diapers (or whatever), touch-ups are needed and lots and lots of hand cream!  I'm always running and forgetting so my hands, especially in the winter, start to feel dry.  My goal is to apply lotion after every long-submersion and any time they're feeling a little thirsty.  That's why I've got lotion in my purse, my car, my nightstand and my bathroom.  I really should put some in my kitchen, as well!  I realize that wear and tear may not be as bad as in the summer when we're outside and if your like me, gardening! But, that is where the fabulous gloves come in...which hopefully, if I ever remember, can be discussed during planting season.  Instead, just pick a fabulous pair of gloves for your winter wear and flaunt those fingers!

Check it out:  http://www.canadianliving.com/style/beauty/6_healthy_nail_habits.php

21 Days To Form A Habit

At least, that's what I've read.  And so, being December 1st, the epic journey begins.  Unfortunately today, I'm just going to be talking about kicking off my new weight-loss goals (I promise, it'll be quick) but the first step to fabulous is coming soon!  

So, hopefully, in twenty one days, I'll be strong enough to make it through the Christmas season! I realize you're all probably laughing at me now so I'll wait a moment for you to get it out....

Okay, so Christmas Day, will be a total freebie, I admit it right now.  But, my plan is to indulge over the holidays but only within my calorie range which I'm putting at around 1300/1500 (along with 40 minutes of cardio Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays and 20 minutes of strength and 20 minutes of cardio on Tuesdays and Thursdays.)  And the way to keep track? Journal.  Apparently, one of the best things you can do is to write down everything that goes in the mouth (even four sneaked fries) because then, when you see it in black and white, it makes everything clear (that is one weird colour analogy).  It's also a huge kick to your self-esteem, I'm thinking but I've learned to take things with a grain of salt.  It's gonna be hard, I know, but in a weird way, I'm looking forward to the challenge.  I should note as well, that water plays a huge part in a diet...it helps shed built up water weight, gives you needed hydration, etc, keeps you feeling full and gives you a boost.  So, my goal is to be drinking 10 cups a day (that being half my body weight in ounces).

Also, on a side note; Dave and I are Christmas paupers, so that adds two elements to being fabulous.  Firstly, it makes it darn hard to spend money on junk food or eating out (which is great) but secondly, it also makes it hard to spend money on anything else so our challenge isn't just being fabulous, but doing so on a very strict budget.  It could be fun.  Or depressing: like window-shopping.

So, here goes...I won't bore you with any details of food I'm eating, etc.  I'm just going to give you some stats and a picture (I shake my head at my own audacity) and call it a day.

Weight: 165 lbs

Bust: 41 "

Waist: 39"

Hips: 38"

Okay, I promise, no new diet info until January, 2012.