[Gluten Free] Chocolate Zucchini Cake

There are days where I almost feel as if I've got zucchini coming out my ears so I've been working on recipes that use zucchini. I've substituted shredded zucchini for the spinach in my baked meatballs, made up a roasted veggie pasta dish with zucchini, and even made a GF blueberry lemon zucchini cake with lemon cream cheese frosting (which is SO delicious and you can't eve tell that it's GF). When I signed up to bring snacks for a fundraiser, I just knew that I needed to try something with zucchini. Since the fundraiser was a bike ride with three different options (10 mile route, 20 mile route, and 40 mile route), I needed to make a carb-loaded finger food. I opted to play around with my blueberry lemon zucchini cake and make chocolate zucchini cupcakes. Sorry that their isn't a picture but I forgot to take pictures before the fundraiser and they were gone afterward. I will try to get pictures the next time I make it! :)

Easter Weekend Breakfast and Brunch Ideas

I love making extra special things for holidays and Easter weekend is no exception. Many times I will bring in a special treat for our Sunday school class. I enjoy using food to be a blessing to others when I get the opportunity (although, my dear hubby sometimes wishes that I didn't as it often affects our waistlines). With Good Friday and Resurrection Sunday happening this week, I thought it would be a good time to share some of my favorite options.

Cheese Blintzes

My sister introduced me to this recipe when Jared and I first got married. It is delicious and makes for a nice breakfast, brunch, or ladies tea dish. You can play with different filling ideas as well to make different flavored blintzes, i.e. nutella, pb & j, etc.

Christmas Banquet 2013

Jared and I had the privilege of planning our church's yearly Christmas Banquet. I thoroughly enjoy planning, decorating, and cooking for banquets and things so I was really looking forward to doing it. We planned our previous church's Valentine's banquet almost every year that we were there and found that we worked well as a team. This is the first year that I have also had the opportunity to prepare the food besides planning and decorating. I had some awesome help in every aspect so I don't suggest trying to pull something like this off unless you can recruit some help at every stage.

Mom's Potato Salad

I had never made potato salad before I met Jared and the one batch that I made after we were engaged didn't turn out very well. Now Jared LOVES potato salad, but especially his mom's recipe and my attempt tasted nothing like his mom's. We got married 13 days before his birthday so I decided that I wanted to attempt potato salad again as a special birthday gift to him. I asked his mom for her recipe but she had always just made it "to taste" without a recipe. I knew how badly I'd messed up the first time and that I would need to have a recipe if I was going to be able to keep making potato salad like his mom. Then I had the perfect idea, I would have his mom come over and teach me how to make her recipe, writing down ingredients and measurements as she went, which is how this recipe came to be. I love how creamy and flavorful this recipe is so I hope you enjoy! It does make about an ice cream pail's worth so I have also included a half batch recipe below.

Motherhood Changed Christmas

Tonight as I sat and watched our Christmas program at church, I couldn't help but think about how motherhood has permanently changed Christmas for me. As I child, I thought of the things that we would do, the people we would visit, and the gifts that we would open. We would gather at my grandparents' house on Christmas eve for the reading of Luke 2, singing of carols, and opening gifts with extended family. Then we would spend Christmas Day as a family, opening gifts and, yes, cutting wood. :)

But there was something about Christmas 7 years ago that has made me view this day with different eyes, the eyes of a parent, and more specifically, the eyes of a mother. Seven years ago I was closing in on my due date with Mr. R. I'd had steady contractions for over a week and was anxiously awaiting his birth. I felt I could relate to Mary in a new way, as an expectant mother. I could just imagine her traveling to Bethlehem with Joseph, thinking of how uncomfortable it must have been to do so. I wonder if she new how close she was to delivery?

Then as each of our children came along, motherhood further changed my view of Christmas. Sitting tonight listening to our choir sing about the birth of Christ and seeing the actors portray the visit from the shepherd, I became so overwhelmed with emotion. How much did Mary understand about what her precious baby was sent to do? Did she realize the agony that He would one day feel as He hung on the cross bearing the punishment for her sin and the sin of the rest of the world - past, present, and future? Now that I have children, I cannot hope to imagine how she felt as a mother watching God's son, the son she'd carried and cared for, suffer and ultimately die. Then I think about the love that God has for me, a love that made Him willing to give His only begotten Son to save me from suffering the punishment for my sin. So, I guess, motherhood has helped me to realize how grateful I am that the God of the universe would stoop so low as to be born into the world as a human child, to live a perfect life and die a horrible death so that I might have eternal life. Thank you, Lord, for the greatest Christmas gift ever to be given, your Son.

Valentine Caroling, maybe a new family tradition?

At Christmas, Mr. R was so excited about caroling to our neighbors, but alas, we all got sick and stayed sick through New Years. He was quite disappointed over missing out on caroling. Fast forward to Valentine's Day... I decided that we were going to make up Red Velvet Brownies, cut them into large hearts and deliver them to our neighbors along with homemade Valentines. When I told the kids about the idea, Mr. R got a big smile and said, "We're going Valentine caroling." I told him that I wasn't really thinking about singing to the neighbors (since that is what caroling is all about, singing). He declared that they could sing as they delivered their valentines. I asked what song and they unanimously decided on "Jesus Loves Me". So that's what we did.

First, I took some white cardstock and I printed our Valentine message on it. Here is a link to the PDF that I made. Then, I cut the cardstock in half and had the kids glue heart shaped foil paper doilies to the front. They wrote their names on the back.

Finally, we cut our brownies into large hearts (they look small because I forgot to pick up little paper plates so we had to use large paper plates), and placed them on plates covered with plastic wrap.

The kids LOVED visiting each of our neighbors, delivering a Valentine, treat, and song to them. I think our neighbors enjoyed it as well. 

Red Velvet Brownies

This was our version for "Dinner at 8pm"
and I also did a smaller version of this for the kids' dessert

I saw an idea on Pinterest the other day and decided that I HAD to try it for Valentine's Day. It was a recipe for Red Velvet Brownies. There were a couple of reasons that I wanted to try it. One, they're red, which worked perfectly for V-Day, and two, I had gotten 3 boxes of red velvet cake mix for $ .65/each (store sale + doubled coupons). I decided to make two pans and cut them into heart shapes using a couple of different sized cookie cutters. We used some for the kids' dessert, we took some to our neighbors, and then we had some for our "Dinner at 8pm" date. They were quite yummy and I've listed the recipe below with my changes.

Dinner at 8pm: Valentine's Day Dinner

Steak Gorgonzola Alfredo
with a Balsamic Reduction

We decided to spend Valentine's "in" this year. So we fed the kids some spaghetti, mixed veggies, and French bread, then put them to bed a bit early and made ourselves a delicious dinner.

One of our favorite restaurants used to have a dish on their menu called "Steak Gorgonzola Alfredo with a Balsamic Reduction". It was my favorite "date dish" to order (i.e. a dish to order when it is just Jared and I) so I decided to attempt a copycat recipe for February's Dinner at 8pm. It turned out pretty good. I paired it with garlic herb cooked carrots and roasted garlic French bread. We then had red velvet brownies with fresh strawberries, whipped cream, and a chocolate drizzle. I also made skinny caramel lattes with whipped cream and chocolate drizzle.

We ate dinner on the couch, chatted, and watched a movie while the kiddos all slept. It is always a nice time to enjoy each other's company without spending a fortune on dinner, dessert, and a babysitter!

[Gluten Free] Chocolate Zucchini Cake

After finding out a few months ago that our Pastor's wife can't have gluten, I have been experimenting with some gluten free recipes. I am a huge fan of cakes, breads, and pretty much anything else "gluten" so I truly feel bad for those who can't have it. Today I decided to attempt my own recipe for GF chocolate cake and it turned out very well if I do say so myself. :o) It actually looked like a regular ol' chocolate cake and tasted delicious. I think that this would also make a good muffin/cupcake recipe...but I'll have to attempt that later.

Pumpkin Spice Bread Bites with Spiced Cream Cheese Dip

There is something about pumpkins that make them almost completely inseparable from fall, especially as it gets close to Thanksgiving. It's hard for me not to think in "pumpkin" mode when it comes to baking during this time of year. You know what I mean, don't you? The memories that fill your mind as the smell of pumpkin, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger wafts through your house when baking a pumpkin pie or even pumpkin bread. If you are like me (when it comes to pumpkins and fall), than this recipe is for you. It's a marriage of Monkey Bread and Pumpkin Quick Bread served with a side of Pumpkin Cheesecake.

Green Bean Casserole with Porcini Mushroom Sauce

It went pretty quick

As my sisters and I were prepping Thanksgiving dinner at my parents, my youngest sister sadly informed us that she had grabbed the wrong cream soup for her green bean casserole, which is her hubby's favorite Thanksgiving dish. My sis' had all the other ingredients but sadly my mom had no cream of mushroom soup on hand. Just then I remembered repinning a recipe for homemade condensed cream soup. I exclaimed, "We can make our own! I just saw a recipe on Pinterest for it so we can at least try." It turned out fabulously and is really quite simple.

Favorite Kitchen Gadgets

Here is a list of my favorite kitchen gadgets and appliances, things that I would have a hard time living without. With Christmas coming up, these are some good gift ideas for that someone special in your life who likes to cook.

Aerobie AeroPress Coffee and Espresso Maker - I have fallen head over heads for my aeropress. It is really easy to use and even easier to clean, which is great for this busy mom who dislikes doing the dishes. We use it to make delicious Americanos every morning for breakfast and I even use it to make lattes and mochas since it's way cheap than buying a good quality espresso machine.

Slow Cooker - I have a whole month's worth of crockpot meals and they really do make the day a bit less stressful. I have several sizes but my 6-quart programmable gets used the most.

KitchenAid Mixer - the hubby bought it for me with his first big Christmas bonus the second year we were married, I was due any day with our first child and he wanted to really surprise me. It gets used a TON in our house with all the baking that I do. I use the whisk attachment to make up some killer whipped cream, the bread hook for all kinds of homemade breads (pretzels, dinner rolls, breads), and the paddle attachment for pretty much everything else. We just recently purchased the pasta roller attachment (which is really fun to do with the kids) and I'd love to get the food grinder and sausage stuffing kit.
From 11/24/14-11/28/14, Kohl's is having a HUGE pre-Black Friday sale on these babies!

Coffee Grinder - fresh ground coffee tastes incredible, so much better than pre-ground.

Large Griddle - these come in handy for French toast, pancakes, grilled cheese sandwiches, etc. when you have a larger family or company.

Large Sauté Pan, cast iron skillet or stainless steel pan with a lid  - we use one of these three items every Saturday morning when the hubby cooks up his traditional breakfast skillet.

Meat Mallet - I finally got one of these and I love it.

Waffle Maker - you have to make waffles from scratch or sweet potato waffles but do not use a pancake mix as it just does not taste as yummy. There is also a recipe on Pinterest for hashbrowns using your waffle maker. Who woulda thunk it?! :o)

Cuisinart Food Processor with a cheese grater attachment - I hate how long it takes to grate a block of cheese and my wonderful hubby bought me one for our anniversary in 2011. I use it for way more than just the grater as it is amazing!




Disclaimer: I have not been paid to advertise any of these products. I just really, really love them and think that you will, too! Of course, this post may contain affiliate links in case you choose to increase my meager income by your purchase. :)

Fingerprint Christmas Cards

We had a wonderful Christmas spent with family and friends. I thought that I'd share a quick project that the kids and I did together this year. I'd have posted earlier but time got away from me.

Mr. R., Miss E., Miss A., and I made up some fingerprint Christmas cards as one of our 12 days of Christmas activities.

First, I printed up 2 cards with this text onto one piece of cardstock. 

Then I cut it in half using a paper cutter and folded it.

Our Christmas Tree Fingerprint Cards

Step 1: draw a zigzag line for the tree with green permanent marker, colored pencil, etc.
Step 2: draw the outline of the tree's trunk in brown
Step 3: fill in the trunk with zigzags
Step 4: using yellow paint, place a fingerprint at the top of the tree for the star (I later painted the outline of a star in black over this but forgot to take a picture)
Step 5: using all different colors, place fingerprints all over the tree for ornaments

Mr. R and Miss A painting their tree cards

Miss E painting hers.

We also painted the front of a Christmas card to look like Christmas lights. Yes, this was another idea that I found using Pinterest.com. The original creator's instructions can be found here. I liked the the original "landscape" format better than my "portrait" format but forgot to plan accordingly when I printed the text for the inside of the card. 

Step 1: using all different colors of finger paint, place fingerprints all over the front of the card.
Step 2: draw lines connecting each finger print, so they look like a strand of Christmas lights.

Menu: May 9-15

I just realized that I've been blogging about my menus and favorite recipes for just over 2 year! I hope that you've enjoyed trying some new things during that time as I know that I have enjoyed sharing them with you. With summer just around the corner (though it may not seem like it right now), we are starting to see lower prices on fresh veggies, which we have missed terribly after just about living off them exclusively last summer. I cannot wait until it is warm enough to put my garden in!

This weekend is also Miss E's 3rd birthday and we plan to have a simple party with family.

• Grilled Pork Loin (see the master list for instructions), mashed potatoes, and steamed broccoli
• BBQ Chicken Pizza and side salad
• Chicken Alfredo, steamed broccoli, and French bread (I swapped this with the Zuppa Toscana from last week's menu) 
• Sloppy Joes, potato wedges, and corn on the cob (6/$1.98 @ Pick'n Save 5/8-5/14). 
• Kid's Birthday Party Idea (Miss E's 3rd birthday)
• Veggie Tray (homemade Ranch dip)
• Cheese and Crackers
• Ham/turkey and cheese sandwiches on buns
• Pasta Salad or Potato Salad
• Jello Salad (jell-o + fruit + whipped cream)
• Birthday Cake - I usually do something creative but we shall see how much energy I have this year.
• Birthday party leftovers for a quick fix on Sunday afternoon 

Need some other mealtime inspiration? Check the "Master List".

Mother's Day Ideas

It's always nice to spoil your mom on Mother's Day. Once in a while when I was a kid we would make a special breakfast for my mom the day before Mother's Day or dinner on Mother's Day. I always loved getting to cook on those occasions. Here are some ideas for the hubby and/or kids to do for Mother's Day:

Breakfast/Brunch Ideas:

• French Toast (buy an uncut loaf of day old bread or make your own bread the day before), scrambled eggs, and fresh fruit
• Quiche, potatoes (O'Brien, american fries, hashbrowns, etc.), and fresh fruit
• Waffles (regular or sweet potato), fresh fruit, and scrambled eggs
• Cinnamon Rolls and fresh fruit
• Cheese Blintzes and fresh fruit
• Assorted Quick Breads/Muffins and fresh fruit

Lunch/Dinner Ideas:

• Mother's Day Picnic - deli meat (ham, turkey, chicken salad, etc.) & cheese croissants, pasta salad, fruit salad and carrots sticks.
• Grilling - Steaks, baked potatoes (or even baked sweet potatoes), bacon wrapped grilled asparagus, etc.
• Roasted Chicken, cheesy mashed potatoes (I always try to keep some instant potatoes on hand because they're fast), steamed veggies, and dinner rolls.

Church Valentine Banquets

This year will be year number six that the hubby and I have been planning our church's Valentine Sweetheart Banquet. In that time we've done almost every game imaginable. Being I am knee deep in planning for this year's banquet, I thought that I'd share a few things I've learned or done. I should note here that we only invite married and engaged couples attend.

Location - In the years that we've organized the banquet, we have never held the banquet on our church property. I know that this is more expensive for the couples attending, but it is also less work. Our church does not have a fellowship hall or any other room that is a large enough in size AND aesthetically appealing. We have an old gymnasium that takes a LOT of work to transform it into something even remotely romantic. This will not work for everyone, it is just what our church does. We do charge $45 per couple and usually still have 30-40 couples attend.

Program - We usually have 3-5 games throughout the evening, sing a couple of songs as a group, and have some special music. We also get a special speaker and have a big prize drawing at the end. The hubby is and always has a been quite the entertainer (he'd thought of going into comedy before God called him into the ministry).

Games - We've done several different games in the past and try to do completely new ones each year. Although, we may end up reusing a few of the old ones this year as we are getting low on game ideas. Please comment if you know of another game or two that you or your church has done.

• Love Bingo - Use the conversation hearts candies as markers. We usually play a few rounds and have small prizes for each winning couple.
• Candy Count - We've done this every year except our first. Place a giant jar of candy hearts (kisses, m&m's, etc.) at the entrance to the party room. As each guest walks in, hand them a slip of paper and encourage them to write down their name and the number of hearts they guess might be inside the jar. Toward the end of the evening, announce the name of the one who guessed the closest amount and give him the candy as a prize.
• Newlywed Game - Pick 4 or 5 couples. Have the wives sit on one side of the room and the husbands on the other side. Ask each group a different question about their spouse. Then have the other group write down the correct answer.
• The Most Romantic Husband - We had each of the wives at the banquet fill out a questionnaire about how romantic their husband was. Each question had to be answered by a number. The wives then added up the numbers to get a total. Then the 4 husbands who scored the most "points" were given a love poem. The husbands had to read this poem to their wife as romantically as they could. The crowd then voted on which husband did the best job. Many of the "shyer" husbands scored higher romance points and had to read poems to their wives.
• Love Songs - have each table pick one husband to participate in this game. Give each husband a kazoo and have them play "Jesus Loves Me". The crowd decides who does the best job.
• Verse of Love Match - make up a list of verse and have guests try to guess what the reference is. They get one point for book, 1 for chapter, and 1 for verse. 
• Proposal - each table picks a couple, then the wife sits in a chair while the husband gets down on one knee. The husband must then "propose" to his wife all over again. The crowd picks their favorite proposal. 
• Pudding Head - Each table picks one couple to participate in this game. The couple is then blind folded. The wife has to feed a pudding cup to her husband. The other couples at the table can help by telling the wife to move her hand up, down, left, or right. The first couple to finish the pudding is the winner. Bibs are a must for this game. :o)
• Love Trivia - Make up a list of questions about Love, Valentine's Day, Marriage, etc. and have the couples try to answer them correctly.
• Will You Be My Valentine? - The hubby came up with this idea last year as a starter game. We put card making stuff at each table (crayons, markers, scissors, constructions paper and completely blank cards and envelopes). As the guests arrived, the husbands were told to make their wives a valentine. They had till the end of the dinner portion of the evening to finish. Then all of the guests voted on which Valentine was the best. It was really fun and everyone enjoyed it (at least they seemed to).
• How Well Do You Know Your Wife - This is a variation on the Newlywed Game. Most of the paid staff at our church attends the Valentine banquet each year so one year we played a game involving only those on staff. A few weeks before the banquet we gave the wives of 3 staff members a questionnaire about themselves (15-20 questions about their favorite food, favorite Bible verse, etc.). The night of the banquet we had the different husbands sit and answer the questions from the questionnaire. It was lots of fun to see how many of the questions that the husbands actually got wrong.
• Baby Picture Match - A month or so before the banquet collect baby pictures of different couples at church. Then print copies of the photos (in either black and white or sepia to keep them uniform). Put together a poster or display board with the different pictures giving each a number. On the game sheet put the couples names like this:
• Husband _____ & Wife _____ Last Name
  Then tell those playing the game to match the numbered baby pictures with the corresponding husband or wife. I like to have pictures for 12-18 different couples (24-36 pictures total). Couples get 1 point for each correct match (24-36 possible points). 
• Engagement Stories - A month or so before the banquet talk to 12-18 different couples and get some info on how they got engaged. Ask them to answer 5 different question about their engagement: where, when, how, how long had they been dating, and wife's maiden name. We then wrote up a short story of each couple's engagement. At the banquet, each team (couple) had to try to guess which couple went with which engagement story. We had a list of the couples and numbered the stories for matching purposes.
• Candy Necklace - I know it's an odd name for a game. Have each wife here a candy necklace around her neck and the husband has to eat the candies off the necklace without using his hands (this may not work if your group is on the "stiff" side).
• Pickup Lines from Song of Solomon - pick some outlandish verses from Song of Solomon (i.e. SS 4:1b, "...thy hair is as a flock of goats, that appear from mount Gilead." keep the choices G-rated), give one to each husband. The husband has to come up ith some sort of pickup line to use on his wife based on the verse. Each table picks a winner and then the winners from each table read their lines to the audience and they vote on a winner. Here's the winning line from this year's banquet,
  Verse: SS 7:4a, "Thy neck is as a tower of ivory;"
  Pickup Line: "Your neck is fair and slender like an ivory tower, and I want to climb it."
• What would you do for your wife's affection, would you...? - Each husband picks a number out of a hat, which corresponds to an activity (see the list below for ideas). The husband must then complete the activity for a prize.
• Whistle at your wife after eating crackers
• While blindfolded, identify your wife
• Change a “stinky” diaper in 30 seconds (plastic baby doll + chocolate pudding filled diapers)
• Burp “I Love You” to your wife 
• True or False Question (must verify with the wife) 
• What style cut is the stone on your wife’s ring? 
• Where did you and your wife go on your first date? 
• Where would your wife say that you went on your first date? 
• In 30 seconds, name 10 things your wife keeps in her purse.
• Wedding Picture Match - This game is much like the Baby Picture Match game except you get wedding pictures from 12-18 different couple (make sure the copies are in black & white or sepia). Then for the game have people match the wedding picture with the couple AND guess the correct month and year, like this:
• ______ Husband & Wife Last Name - when _______ (month) ________ (year)
  The teams (couples) get 1 point for each part of the question that they get right (1 for correct picture, 1 for correct month, 1 for correct year).

Here are a couple of other game ideas that we haven't used before but I've found while looking for new ideas.

1. Bible Sweethearts Matching Game
2. Valentine Word Scramble

Prizes (for the games) - I put together inexpensive gift baskets for the different game prizes (yes, I do use double coupon days to get much of the filler items). We try to have 2-3 prizes for each game. Here are a few of the different baskets that I've done:

• Breakfast Basket - pancake mix along with syrup or muffin mix, coffee packet, mugs, hot chocolate packets, and tea.
• Romance Basket - sparkling juice, candles, chocolates, goblets, love poem book or something similar.
• Movie Night Basket - microwave popcorn, candy boxes, root beer, and root beer mugs.
• Game Night Basket - some small games like Uno, Skip-Bo, Boggle, etc., small bags of chips, candies, etc., and tumblers.

Favors - We want everyone who attends to go away with some type of prize so we've tried to include favors each year. Most years we just do little candy bags at each place but last year we got fresh cut roses for the centerpieces and then let the wives each take one home with them. This year I'm trying to come up with something different. Any ideas?


Prize Drawing - 5-8 weeks before our banquet we start contacting local businesses about donating items for our prize drawing. We offer them advertising in return and place a "Thank You" page in our program with the names and addresses of the different donors. We also encourage those attending to stop in and thank the different businesses. We usually end up with around 10 different prizes ranging from free Culvers ice cream to a nice hotel room.

Menu - Being we've always had the banquet at a restaurant or banquet facility, I've never had to make up a menu from scratch. One thing we try to do is stick to a chicken entrée and then a beef or fish option. Also, when picking a veggies we usually go with a California medley veggie as most people like at least one of the veggies in the blend.

Decorations - Usually the only decorating we do is centerpieces for the tables. One year I was able to get roses for $10 a dozen from Walmart the day before the banquet so we put 4 roses in a bud vase and then let the ladies each take one home. We've done little glass bowls with floating candles and glass beads sitting on top of mirrored tiles.
I've also taken cylindrical vases; filled them with the glass "rocks", valentine party wire, water and floating candles; and placed them over mirrored tiles.

    

One year, I was able to get a bunch of terracotta pots for free from a nearby florist. I then painted them dark brown, sponged them in a bronze metallic paint, and filled them with fake flowers (that I got for 75% off a few weeks after Christmas at Walmart) and large pillar candles (50% during a Hobby Lobby sale). Everyone thought that I had purchased them. 

This past year (2012), I was able to dress up some simple clear glass vases with ribbon and a flower. The vases had decorative glass stones and pillar candles in them. I added some 2.5" brown burlap ribbon and then secured the ribbon with a floral/feather hair clip.

Merry Christmas!

We wish you a Merry Christmas. We wish you a Merry Christmas. We wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

We've had a very enjoyable Christmas spending time with family both yesterday and today. I enjoyed cooking the hubby yesterday for Christmas Eve dinner with his family. The adults enjoyed conversing while the kids had lots of fun playing with their cousins.

Gifts are not the main focus of Christmas for us but here are a couple of cooking-type gift ideas that were a big hit -

• For the hubby (a big Bobby Flay & Throwdown fan), I got Bobby Flay's Throwdown! Cookbook.
• For our 5 year old niece who is starting to get into cooking we got the Usborne First Cookbook and I made a pink Barbie apron.
• My BIL collects Star Wars items and so we got him Wookiee Cookies: A Star Wars Cookbook. We were really pleased with how well the cookbook was put together. It was very creative and fun.

Cookie Swap 2010

I happened to see a book while doing some Christmas present browsing. The name of the book was along the lines of the Great Cookie Swap Cookbook or something like that, and it made me think... Wouldn't it be fun to have a ladies get-together sometime around Christmas and exchange our favorite holiday cookie or candy?

Last night we got together (9 ladies total) and shared Christmas memories and traditions. We played some games, ate some goodies (cold veggie pizza, ham & cheese kabobs, crackers and cheese, chili garlic chex mix, and cranberry punch), and had a nice time of fellowship. Each person attending brought 4 dozen of their favorite holiday cookie/candy to exchange and a copy of their recipe(s) for me to post here (listed below). We really enjoyed it and are definitely planning to make it a yearly tradition! Maybe you could get one together in your area and among your friends. Or have you already hosted one of these over the holidays?

Cookie Swap 2010 Recipes

Cookie Dough Truffles (by Tanya and Sarah)

• 8 tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 3/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
• 2 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 (14 oz.) can sweetened condensed milk
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup mini semisweet chocolate chips
• 1 1/2 lb. semisweet (or bittersweet) chocolate, coarsely chopped
• Mini chocolate chips or M&M's (for garnish)

Directions

1. Cream the butter and sugar on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Beat in the flour, sweetened condensed milk and vanilla until incorporated and smooth. Stir in the chocolate chips. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until the mixture is firm enough to form balls.
2. Shape the chilled cookie dough mixture into 1 inch balls. Place on a wax paper-lined baking sheet and freeze for 1-2 hours.
3. When ready to dip the truffles, melt the chopped chocolate in a double boiler (or in the microwave at 50% power, stirring frequently). Using a toothpick, dip each chilled truffle, one at a time, coating in chocolate and letting the excess drip off. (If the cookie dough balls become too soft, return them to the freezer to chill for 30 minutes.) Transfer the dipped truffles to a wax-paper lined surface. If using mini chocolate chips for garnish, sprinkle on top quickly after dipping each truffle before the chocolate sets. 
4. Store in the refrigerator and serve cold. These can also be frozen for longer storage.

Heath Bit Peanut Butter Cookies (by Tanya)
Recipe coming soon.

Oatmeal Cranberry White Chocolate Chunk Cookies (by Chariti)

• 2/3 cup butter, softened
• 2/3 cup packed brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 1/2 cups rolled oats
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 1/4 cups dried cranberries
• 2/3 cup coarsely chopped white chocolate

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. In a medium bowl, cream together the butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs one at a time. Combine oats, flour, salt, and baking soda; stir into butter mixture one cup at a time, mixing well after each addition. Stir in dried cranberries and white chocolate. Drop by rounded teaspoons onto ungreased cookie sheets.
3. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes in preheated oven, or until golden brown. Cool on wire racks.

Oreo Truffles (by Melissa)

• 1 pkg. (8 oz.) cream cheese, softened
• 1 pkg. (1 lb. 2 oz.) oreo cookies, finely crushed (about 4-1/4 cups), divided
• 2 pkg. (8 squares each) BAKER'S Semi-Sweet Chocolate, melted

Directions

1. Mix cream cheese and 3 cups cookie crumbs until well blended.
2. Shape into 48 (1-inch) balls. Dip in melted chocolate; place on waxed paper-covered baking sheet. Sprinkle with remaining cookie crumbs.
3. Refrigerate 1 hour or until firm. Store in tightly covered container in refrigerator.

Peanut Butter Bonbons (by Beka)

• 1 cup peanut butter
• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 2 cups confectioners' sugar
• 1 cup coconut flakes
• 2 cups crispy rice cereal
• 12 ounces semisweet chocolate chips
• 1/4 bar paraffin wax

Directions

1. In a large mixing bowl, cream together the peanut butter, butter, confectioners' sugar, and coconut flakes. Stir in rice cereal. Roll tablespoonfuls of the mixture into balls and chill.
2. In the microwave or in a double boiler, melt chocolate chips and paraffin wax together, stirring frequently until smooth. Dip the peanut butter balls into the chocolate using a toothpick. Place onto waxed paper to set.

Pecan Tassies I (by Anna)
Filling

• 1 to 1 1/2 cups chopped nuts (very fine)
• 1 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 2 tablespoons melted butter
• 1 teaspoon vanilla

Batter

• 2 sticks butter
• 6-8 ounces cream cheese
• 2 cups flour

Directions

1. Mix filling ingredients well, and set aside.
2. Blend batter ingredients by hand until all flour is mixed into butter and cream cheese.
3. Place dough (about the size of a walnut) into mini muffin pans. Press into bottom and sides.
4. Into the center put a teaspoonful of mixture. Press down with fingers (not too firmly). 
5. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Lift out with a fork. Makes 4-5 dozen.

Pecan Tassies II (by Shannan)

• 1 (8 oz.) pkg. cream cheese, softened
• 1 cup butter, softened
• 2 cups flour
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1 1/2 cups packed brown sugar
• 2 tsp. vanilla
• 1 1/2 cups chopped pecans

Directions

1. Combine cream cheese and butter, mixing well until well blended. Add flour; mix well. Chill. 
2. Divide dough into quarters; divide each quarter into 12 balls. Press each ball onto bottom and sides of miniature muffin pans. 
3. Combine eggs, brown sugar and vanilla; stir in pecans. Spoon into pastry shells, filling each cup. Bake at 325 for 30 minutes or until pastry is golden brown. Cool 5 minutes; remove from pans. Sprinkle with powdered sugar, if desired. Makes 4 dozen.

Peppermint Patties (by Sarah)

Recipe coming soon.

Puddin' Head Gingerbread Men (Mrs. P)

• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
• 1 (3 1/2 ounce) package regular butterscotch pudding mix
• 1 large egg
• 1 1/2 cups flour
• 1/2 tablespoon baking soda
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• assorted decorative candies (optional)

Directions

1. Cream butter, brown sugar and pudding mix. Add egg and beat well.
2. Combine flour, baking soda, ginger and cinnamon; stir into creamed mixture and chill for 1 hour.
3. Roll part of chilled dough out on floured surface to 1/8-inch thickness.Cut with 4-inch gingerbread man cookie cutter. Place on ungreased cookie sheets and bake in 350° oven for 6-8 minutes.
4. Remove from cookie sheet to rack and cool. Mix up your favorite frosting and frost cookies. Decorate with candies if desired.

Yummy Chocolate Chip Cookies (by Star)

• 1/2 cup butter
• 1/2 cup shortening
• 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 teaspoon baking sode
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips
• 3/4 cup white chocolate chips
• 2 cups all purpose flour

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Combine flour, baking soda and salt in a bowl. In another bowl, cream softened butter, shortening, sugars, and vanilla. Beat in egg. Gradually add flour mixture and mix well. Stir in chocolate chips.
3. Place in refrigerator and allow to rest for 30 minutes. Bake on ungreased cookie sheet for 8-10 minutes. (If you take them out they start to get dark they are nice and chewy. Just bake them a bit longer if you prefer crunchy cookies.)
4. This dough freezes very well. I like to form it into balls and flash freeze them on a cookie sheet and then put them in freezer bags and take a couple out whenever we want warm cookies.

Menu: December 20-26

With this week being Christmas, I haven't thought much about what to make during the week. I've really only thought about what I'll be making for Christmas. I'll be filling in the rest of the week as I get a chance, but here are some things that we'll be having...

• Monday - Chicken Soup and fresh bread
• Tuesday - Chicken Pot Pie
  A friend and I will be hosting a cookie swap at out Church tonight and I plan to make some Peanut Butter Bon Bons. We will also have a cheese & cracker tray, veggie pizza, veggie tray, cocktail wieners, cranberry punch, etc. 
• Wednesday - We'll be at my MIL & FIL's house as usual. :o)
• Thursday - Meatball Subs, fresh veggies, and a side salad
  I will be making some homemade "gingerbread" cottages (made out of graham crackers) with the kids and getting the house ready for Christmas Eve dinner with the hubby's side of the family as it is our turn to host this year.
• Christmas Eve Dinner - Steaks (hamburgers for the kids), baked sweet potatoes, grilled asparagus, steamed broccoli, glazed baby carrots, dinner rolls or homemade bread, salad, and I am still deciding on a dessert...thinking about a yule log cake or the usual cheesecake.
• Christmas brunch - Cinnamon Rolls (with raisins instead of nuts), scrambled eggs, turkey bacon, and fresh fruit.
  Christmas lunch - steak fajitas
  Christmas dinner - Baked chicken, mashed potatoes, and mixed veggies.
• Sunday -  Sweet Potato Muffins for breakfast;
  Lunch - ???