Alright
then... I have two of these posts to write tonight, so no messing about, hey!
This
is the Holiday Dessert Blog Hop...
I'm
going to share my favorite Christmas cookie recipe with you...and then you'll
have the chance to win copies of my two new holiday stories... (See Below for
details!)
This
recipe is one my grandma made every year. It was a favorite in her house, and
now I make it every holiday as well.
Spritz
Cookies
1 pound butter
1 cup of sugar
1 well beaten egg
1 tsp vanilla
4 cups flour
Preheat oven to 400. Cream butter and sugar until light and
fluffy. Add egg and beat together. Add vanilla. Sift flour into the mixture.
Beat well. Put dough through cookie press into desired shapes. Bake four 4-5
minutes on ungreased cookie sheets. Cookies are done when bottom is browned. Makes
roughly 100 bite size cookies.
Now...you know you can change that up. Use lemon or almond
instead vanilla...dip cooled cookies in chocolate...sprinkle tops with cinnamon
sugar... oh the varieties are endless...
Ahhhh...Don't forget... you need to skip down below and
leave me your favorite recipe or a link to your favorite, to be entered to win
these two books!
The Interview
When Ben learns his lover's business travel means he'll be gone
for the holidays,
he begins to rethink their relationship.
Ben's family steps up to keep him busy,
but does he dare ask Cris
to put him before the job?
EXCERPT
"Hello." I should have
checked to see who it was before I answered. It was Cris, and I had to pretend
to be cheerful and brimming with Christmas spirit when I was anything but.
"Hey Ben, I just called to
remind you to get the tree after work today. You said last night that you
hadn't gotten it yet, and I know it's one of your favorite things to do."
With you. I held the guilt inducing words back. With Cris, shopping for the
perfect tree was my favorite holiday tradition. We made an event out of the
whole thing. A thermos of hot cocoa with marshmallows in hand, we would wander
through the tree lots looking for the perfect vehicle to display the antique
and handmade ornaments that I inherited from my grandmother. We measured the
distance between branches, studied every Scotch pine and every blue spruce,
knowing all the while that we'd settle for a fragrant Douglas
or red fir with its sturdy, widely spaced branches to show off the ornaments
better.
I wasn't so much looking forward to
finding a tree alone. Or decorating it alone. Hanging crocheted snowflakes,
tinsel, and Grandma's vintage glass bird ornaments wouldn't have the same
appeal without Cris's firm grip guiding my hand to the perfect spot on the
tree. He tried very hard, my Cris, not to let his obsessive demand for symmetry
and order mar the holidays, but the twitching always got to be too much. I
confess, I deliberately placed an ornament or two in an awkward spot just to
feel his hand on mine, the heat of his body close behind me.
"Yeah. I'll go when I get done
here. Can you call me around four?" It would be a little bit better if I
could talk to him about the choices, maybe send a photo of the final product.
"Ummm. I'll try, but I can't
promise anything."
So I probably wouldn't even get that
solace. "Okay. Call if you can. I have to go. Work awaits."
I hid in the stacks all day, shelving
cart after cart of books, losing myself in the scent of leather and old paper.
It beat working the counter where the aroma of pine from the decorative
evergreen boughs—genuine, despite fire codes—and the peppermint of the candy
dish just screamed Christmas. It beat smiling cheerfully and wishing sleep
deprived teenagers a happy holiday—because it is a state funded school and
Merry Christmas is just too politically incorrect.
In the end, I didn't bother with the
measuring tape or the cocoa, just pointed my 67 Mustang straight for the
nearest tree lot. Go in, pick a tree, go home and set it up so the branches
could drop. I could do this, I didn't need Cris holding my hand to choose a
tree.
And
Donovan's Deal, Truth or
Dare #6
Making a family is harder than keeping house. Donovan's patience is wearing thin, but Mischa needs time
to make things right.
Will Christmas bring heartache or compromise?
Mischa Blake needs the relaxation of
the Blake brothers' weekly poker games now more than ever as he feels the
pressure of his responsibilities as a parent, partner, and student multiplying.
When one of his siblings proposes reviving their game of Truth or Dare, Mischa
revolts. Instead, they all agree to share a truth, and Mischa has to decide how
much of his domestic situation to share with his family.
The frantic pace of life is
overwhelming, and Mischa has begun to let things slide. With the holidays just
around the corner, he figures his current situation is a temporary thing. When
he misses one of his son's soccer game that Donovan left work early to attend,
time runs out.
Upset by the hurt in their son's
eyes, Donovan decides that something must be done. He's worried that he's
pushed Mischa into doing things at the wrong time, pushed his dreams on his
young lover, just pushed too hard for too much in general.
In a desperate attempt to get Mischa
to think about what he wants instead of what Donovan wants, Donovan issues an
ultimatum. He sends Mischa away with orders to think about his priorities.
All you have to do is leave a
copy of your favorite Christmas cookie...or a link to the recipe and you'll be
entered into the drawing!
The fine print...
You must leave an email address to be eligible to win. Prizes must be claimed
within 7 days. Winners will be notified by email after being announced on this
page on Dec 24th. Only two winners will be drawn.
CHECK OUT OTHER GREAT RECIPES AT
Silvia: http://silviaviolet.com/blog/
Hi Lee,
ReplyDeleteLove Sprintz Cookies. Can't wait to try your recipe.
My favorite Holiday recipe is one that has been passed on from my husband’s Memere.
Tourtiere (French Meat Pie)
1 pound ground beef
1 pound ground pork
1 onion, walnut size, chopped fine
2/3 cup mashed potato (NO milk or butter added)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
2 pie crusts
Preheat oven to 450.
Mix pork, beef and onions in a large skillet; cover with water. Cook, tossing lightly on medium heat, uncovered, until water is gone. If there is a lot of fat, spoon some out. Add potatoes and the remaining ingredients (except the crusts). Mix well.
Line a 9” pie plate with one crust, fill with mixture, top with remaining crust.
Bake in hot oven (450) for 15 minutes; reduce heat to 350 and cook for additional 30 minutes or until golden brown.
Happy Holidys!
Sharon
schofield726(at)Comcast(dot)net
Okay...another recipe for the kiddo and me to try...if I'm not careful people will think I can bake *heads desk giggling* <3
ReplyDeleteOh, oh, oh! I completely forgot about Spritz cookies. Man, those are yummy. Mmmm....
ReplyDeleteYummy! Look good! My fav is Buckeyes.
ReplyDelete1lb of peanut butter
1+lb of powder sugar
1.5 sticks of butter
1tsp vanilla
1bag of chocolate chip
1/4 slab of paraffin (wax)
Mix the first four in large bowl after mixed roll into balls chill
after chill melt chocolate and wax together in double boiler and dip balls chill again.
Enjoy
Cinders
Hooray, Spritz! My mom always made these, too! My favorites were the Scotty dog shapes, lol
ReplyDeleteI love cookies. These are my husband's favorites.
ReplyDeleteSnickerdoodles
Recipe courtesy Gale Gand Prep Time:20 min
Cook Time: 12 min
Serves: 35 to 40 cookies
Ingredients
For the topping:
• 3 tablespoons sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
For the cookie dough:
• 3 1/2 cups flour
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 cup butter
• 2 cups sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 tablespoon light corn syrup
• 2 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Directions
In a small bowl, stir together the sugar and cinnamon and set aside.
To make the cookie dough, stir together the dry ingredients.
In a bowl with a paddle attachment, cream the butter. Add the sugar and continue to mix, then add the eggs, corn syrup, and vanilla, and mix thoroughly. Add the dry ingredients and mix until blended. Chill dough 1 hour if it's sticky or difficult to handle.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
Roll balls of dough about the size of a walnut then roll them in the cinnamon sugar to coat. Place on an un-greased sheet pan 2 1/2 inches apart. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes until puffed up and the surface is slightly cracked. Let cool on the sheet pan a few minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool.
So good!
Donna
Hmm never tried the spritz but sound fun ( a good reason to take that cookie press out of the box)LOl. Here is mine, my daughter and oldest stepdaughters favorite holiday treat. Peanut Butter Fudge--
ReplyDeleteOne stick of butter
3/4 cup of sugar
1 bag of reeses peanut butter chips
I jar of Jif peanut butter (you can use crunchy if you like the crunch)
3/4 can of evap milk or one of the smaller cans
1 jar of marshmallow creme
melt the butter and sugar then add the milk stir constantly until a rolling boil, boil seven minutes stirring (use a very tall pan and long handle spoon so you don't burn yourself) remove form heat add the chips and stir till melted then add the marshmallow creme and stir until melted. pour immediately onto a baking sheet with sides covered in parchment or foil and lightly sprayed with plain or butter flavored spray. let cool completely (don't stick fingers in hot substance to taste.. burns badly) cut into square of your choice of size. enjoy! sugar_n_spice63830@yahoo.com
Nice excerpt. I don't bake cookies for the holidays, but my mom likes to bring Toll House Cookies to our house which I like a lot.
ReplyDeleteHere's the link: http://www.verybestbaking.com/recipes/18476/original-nestl%C3%89-toll-house-chocolate-chip-cookies/detail.aspx
Count me in please. Thanks!
penumbrareads(at)gmail(dot)com
Hi, Lee. This is my first time commenting, I think. I loved your excerpt and I can't wait to try your cookies :D
ReplyDeleteIf you don't mind I'll post a link to my favorite Christmas recipe, because the page also has a lot of useful hints and pics. It's a traditional Romanian sweet that i love making every year. it's pretty hard because it takes a lot of time. You have to knead the dough for at least 30 minutes with your hands for it to come out really tasty, but trust me, it's totally worth it.
The link had the recipe in Romanian, but lower down the page, you have it translated in English. Hope you like it.
http://www.lauraadamache.ro/2011/12/cozonac-cu-nuca.html#
Merry Christmas!
We are baking the sugar cookies from the December issue of FoodNetwork Magazine. I like pfeffernusse but can't find my recipe, guess I'll have to google it. Love the Truth or Dare series.
ReplyDeleteocanana@gmail.com