Holiday Baking: Peppermint Snickerdoodles

Peppermint Snickerdoodles was an exciting new recipe for me to try. I have had snickerdoodles, and although wonderful cookies, I find the peppermint snickerdoodles quiet extraordinary. The candy cane gives the snickerdoodles spunk or wham.  You can't miss the taste of the peppermint candy cane.

English: A candy cane. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Perfect for a holiday gathering, perhaps one this weekend.
I followed Baking Bites recipe for Peppermint Snickerdoodles. It was very easy.

Food, family and friends are what makes the holidays special. Food is what brings them together. The next best thing to do is to share.
All ready for Christmas!

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Holiday Baking: Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Simply Delicious!

Starting new traditions can be fun. I love oatmeal cookies, and my boyfriend loves chocolate chip. So what do we have Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies for Christmas. You could say it's magic. Give the people what they want.  There is also plenty to share with friends and family and for holiday parties.

This recipe is a Nestle Toll House recipe.


Choc-Oat-Chip Cookies
Yields:48 cookies (4 dozen) - it yields at least 5 dozen
Prep:15 mins
Cooking:10 mins
Cooling:1 min

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt (optional) - I used less
1 1/4 cups packed brown sugar
1 cup (2 sticks) butter or margarine, softened
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs _ I used extra large eggs
2 tablespoons milk - I used almond milk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups quick or old-fashioned oats
2 cups (12-oz. pkg.) NESTLÉ® TOLL HOUSE® Semi-Sweet Chocolate Morsels
1 cup coarsely chopped nuts (optional) - I left these out
PREHEAT oven to 375° F.
COMBINE flour, baking soda and salt in small bowl. Beat brown sugar, butter and granulated sugar in large mixer bowl until creamy. Beat in eggs, milk and vanilla extract. Gradually beat in flour mixture. Stir in oats, morsels and nuts; mix well. Drop by rounded tablespoon onto ungreased baking sheets.

BAKE for 9 to 10 minutes for chewy cookies or 12 to 13 minutes for crispy cookies. Cool on baking sheets for 1 minute; remove to wire racks to cool completely.

The cookies fresh out of the oven.
You can tell I live in a little apartment. The kitchen is the size of a galley on a boat. The pantry was made out of a coat closet. How else do you make a small kitchen bigger?

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Starbucks Hot Cocoa for Christmas

Recently I purchased Starbucks Hot Cocoa from the supermarket. I couldn't wait to try it.

Look at what it says on the side of the box about their vanilla brulee hot cocoa.

I make the Hot Cocoa  and the great thing, it is perfect with milk, Almond milk actually.

Here is the packet with the directions right on it, although I have to tell you, I made it backwards. I heated up the milk in the microwave and then added the Hot cocoa and stirred. It was still terrific.

I even added whipped cream and it was low fat.

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A Child’s Christmas In Wales…Past And Presents

Tis the season for Christmas Cheer...Come and attend A Child’s Christmas In Wales…Past And Presents at the Ivoryton Playhouse. The last show is on December 16.

The press release for this show which can also be found at this link


A Child’s Christmas in Wales…Past & Presents
A new adaptation by the National Theatre of the Deaf
at The Ivoryton Playhouse
December 6th –16th

Ivoryton: The National Theatre of the Deaf takes a nostalgic journey back into time through the eyes of poet Dylan Thomas. Based on Dylan’s classic poem of “A Child’s Christmas in Wales ,”this new adaptation has been expanded into a very special evening. Performed in both the beauty of American Sign Language and spoken word, it will prove to be “poetry for the eyes and heart.”

Holidays are filled with our childhood memories; family gatherings, games with friends, the excitement, the anticipation and the special quiet moments. Dylan Thomas captures the magic of the season in this beautiful story filled with crazy aunts and uncles, snowball fights and sibling rivalries and one very special gift that changed his life.

The evening will also include stories and songs of the season, games and a whole lot of family fun! Don’t miss this opportunity to see and hear this holiday classic in the historic Ivoryton Playhouse.

Directed by Brian Jennings and Betty Beekman, the cast includes Christina Stevens, Joey Caverly, Christina Cogswell and Taylor Curtis as well as a chorus of local singers. Production designed by Marcus Abbott.

A Child’s Christmas in Wales opens on Thursday, December 6th and runs thru December 16th for 2 weeks. Performance times are Saturday and Sunday matinees at 2pm. Evening performances are Thursday, Friday and Saturday at 7:30pm.

Tickets are $30 for adults, $28 for seniors, $20 for students and $15 for children and are available by calling the Playhouse box office at 860-767-7318 or by visiting our website at www.ivorytonplayhouse.org (Group rates are available by calling the box office for information.) The Playhouse is located at 103 Main Street in Ivoryton.

Sponsored by Citizens Bank.

Tickets for press are available – please call for details (860.767.9520)

Getting Back into the Swing of Things

It has been slow getting back into the swing of things. It is hard to believe that I haven’t written since before Thanksgiving.
 

I downloaded a journal, which I started using. I like the setup because it allows for compartmentalization. It also allows me to put in info about the weather.

For Christmas I took my mother to see Mamma Mia! At the Bushnell thanks to Quinnipac University. It was absolutely excellent. I loved to see the dancers dance and boy can they jump. Everyone cheered and there was a standing ovation.

That same week my Mother volunteered at the Ivoryton Playhouse and saw The Greatest Christmas Pageant Ever. It was fun with all the kids performing.

The next day I went with my Mother to visit Mark Twain’s house in Hartford. Upon entering the house we were greeted with carolers. In the museum entrance they have a Mark Twain made out of LEGO®, and in another room they had his home made out LEGO®. It was beautiful and full of so much detail work from the wood to the stenciling.

We then went to the Harriet Beecher Stowe house which was right next store. Her life was amazing. Her husband was a professor and she was home raising her kids, but she wanted to make some money on the side so she wrote books. In 1852, Uncle Tom’s Cabin was published and she made $10,000. Because of her work there was the underground railroad into Canada.


For the holiday I made a number of recipes. For thanksgiving, I went to my boyfriend’s brother’s home in New York. I brought as a gift a Cider Pumpkin Bread.

And here is the recipe which I found in the 12th Anniversary A.R. Mazzotta

I also made a Cranberry-Orange Brie which I do not have a picture of but is a family favorite.

I made Salmon Dill Dip for the company party. For my brother's birthday on Christmas Eve I made Ultimate Fudge Brownies. They are a cake-like brownie.

This recipe came from The Brownie Experience Cookbook by Lisa Tanner. Here is the recipe.

These brownies were a hit!! 


That is all for now.


Be adventurous in all things!


Cassandra