Christmas Cookie Exchange Party!

Are there some missing?!  A moment of panic when packing the cookies.  Next time count out before nibbling!

Tiger print goes with everything - even polka dots!

These were the cookies I made for this year's Cookie Exchange Party.

I actually made these for the first time last year (click here), but it was after last year's party.  When I saw the Hershey Candy Cane Kisses at Target this year and then the tiger poinsettias and polka dot take-out boxes at Michael's Thanksgiving Night sale . . I put two and two together and got seven dozen!  I thought the tiger stripes looked like the candy cane stripes!

I improved upon the recipe this year by upgrading the sugar - I used the sanding sugar from Central Market (India Tree brand in red) and Williams-Sonoma (green) and Wilton's snowflake and green/red jimmies mix.  Surprisingly I didn't use as much, as the sugar crystals are bigger.  You get more sparkle and jazz for about the same price.


CHOCOLATE PEPPERMINT KISS COOKIES

1 ¼ cups flour
½ cup cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
¾ cup sugar
½ cup unsalted butter, softened
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
Candy Cane Hershey’s Kisses

In medium bowl, mix flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt. In large (to be covered) bowl, combine sugar and butter. At high speed, beat 2 minutes until creamy. Beat in egg and vanilla, beat 2 minutes. Beat in flour mixture. Chill one hour or until dough is firm.

Preheat oven to 350.

Roll dough in 1” balls and then roll in colored sugar, jimmies or confectioner's sugar.
Place 2” apart on cookie sheets. Bake 10 minutes, switching racks at 5 minutes. Cookies should start to have cracks. Gently push a Kiss in the center and bake for an additional 2 minutes – watch carefully before the tip starts to brown. Cool and enjoy!

Makes about 3 dozen cookies.

Wednesday Work in Progress

Burda 5223

I know, you are thinking, poor thing, does she know what day it is?!
 
Yes, I do!  This is the result of my catch up and now start new projects of the Christmas gifting nature.  But I won't be able to take too many pictures because I don't want to spoil Christmas surprises.  A few hints, yes. That's all in good fun and motivation and anticipation (hopefully)!

But in the meantime, here is good ol' Burda 5223 - finished just in time for Hubby to wear as we get a few days and nights of cooler weather this week.

Thursday Tea Time - Special Monday Edition

This week - The Spice & Tea Exchange Limited Edition Pumpkin Caramel

I am jumping the post with this because 1) it is limited edition and 2) it is so good! and 3) Why wait until Thursday if you can order it now and then have it sooner?!
And I have so many great Winter/seasonal teas waiting to be reviewed!  "Teas the Season" -- haha! I like that phrase!


Cost:  $5.89 online, $5 (3/$15) at the St. Augustine, Florida Spice & Tea Exchange store
Number of teabags:  1 ounce
Caffeine:  Yes
Type of tea:   Black
Steeping time:  5 minutes
Add ins:  Just a splash of Coffee Mate's Natural Bliss Sweet Cream.
Tea fragrance:  Caramel!!
Ingredients:  Black Tea, Cinnamon Chunks, Cloves, Cardamom, Natural Pumpkin and Caramel Flavors
Opinion:  If you can't get to St. Augustine or any of their other retail stores, order this online.  You only need 1 1/2 teaspoons in your filter teabag.  This was taken after the first one and I used two teaspoons.  The leaves really expanded!  I've already had three rounds of this and I've barely made a dent in the baggie.  (I've also re-used an earlier in the day tea bag with a little bit less of a new fresh one and couldn't tell the difference in strength or flavor.  This is good stuff!)   I would really call this more of a caramel tea.  I don't taste the pumpkin.  You can detect a spiciness but pumpkin?  No.  Just a mugful of caramel cream tea goodness.  And the advantage of a nice black tea caffeine buzz.
Rating:  4

Take As Much As You Need

Trader Joe's Pumpkin Spice Granola

I was surprised to see Trader Joe's Country Pumpkin Spice Granola Cereal still in the store as of last week.  This is pretty good sprinkled over a cup of Greek yogurt for breakfast in the morning and quite filling.  I also was able to use only 1/3 cupful instead of the 2/3 cup serving size -- Thereby also cutting in half  the calories (210), total fat (7g), saturated fat (2.5g),  sodium (15mg), total carbohydrate (34g), fiber (4g), sugar (13g) and protein (5g). And you can't beat the price - $2.49!    Only drawback I found with it, it was a little bit heavy on the nutmeg.  I'm not a huge fan of nutmeg*, but I liked all the other goodies it had, such as whole rolled oats, milled can sugar, whole rolled wheat, raisins, coconut, dried pumpkin, honey, puffed corn, cinnamon, nutmeg (!), ginger, allspice, cardamom, fenugreek and fennel.

*Maybe it was the fenugreek and fennel?!

Friday Flowers - December edition

Thursday Tea Time

This week:  Zhena's Gypsy Tea - Pumpkin Spice and Caramel Apple


Cost:  $8.99 at Kroger
Number of teabags:  22
Caffeine:  No
Type of tea:   Herbal/Rooibos
Steeping time:  5 minutes
Add ins:  Natural Bliss Sweet Cream
Teabag fragrance:  Pumpkin Spice - Cinnamon/fruity
Caramel Apple - Apples and cinnamon, definitely
Ingredients:  Pumpkin Spice - Rooibos, ginger, cinnamon, vanilla and natural flavors
Caramel Apple - Rooibos, cloves, cinnamon, natural flavors
Opinion:   This was Pumpkin Spice's one to lose.  I actually would have thought quite the opposite.  I preferred the Caramel Apple over the Pumpkin Spice.  Maybe because the Twinings Pumpkin Spice Chai was in the stratosphere, none have compared.  You could taste the spice, but just barely, only if you used two tea bags, the pumpkin.  So if you are looking for a warming spice tea, you would probably like this.

The Caramel Apple was very good - you could definitely detect the caramel and apple flavors.  The Twinings Spiced Apple Chai still wins out for a great apple tea.  But this with a splash of milk is a nice after dinner treat (no caffeine) or anytime you want a little something sweet.
Rating:  Pumpkin Spice - 2 (deducting only because of lack of pumpkin flavor), Caramel Apple - 3.5

A Very Martha Christmas

Martha Stewart Home Office with Avery wrapping supplies from Staples in Austin, Texas.  And I finally found the red and white baker's string at The Container Store. A cone spool of 1,000 yards was $8.    Bonus find -- the roll of double row of rhinestone sparkle trim!

Some of my bounty from Michael's.  I'm thinking about putting some of the snowflakes on my car windows! Those sparkly glitter paints are Multi-Surface Peridot, and Mother of Pearl and Copper Glass Paint.  I am loving that shade of green - it is everywhere this year as a fresh take on a nice Christmas green.

New Obsession - Dunkin Donuts Peppermint Mocha

I'm not a coffee drinker, but I will get and enjoy the Starbucks Peppermint Mochas, sigh -albeit in the smallest size.

On a whim heading out of St. Augustine last week, we saw a Dunkin' Donuts and a display of their Limited Edition Peppermint Mocha Keurig K-Cups.  So I bought a box to try at home and figured if I didn't like it, off it would go to hubby's workplace.  Well, I did like love it!   (Even better than Starbucks)
And bonus I can control the carbs/sugar by just using a little bit of skim milk, or a splash of CoffeeMate Natural Bliss Sweet Cream.   Saving money and calories and being able to enjoy this at home and not flip out my nutritionist* over the holidays -- Win-win!
(*Though I did find those white chocolate peppermint coated snowflake shaped pretzels at Costco again this year...shh!)

However, there aren't a lot of Dunkin Donuts in Texas.  While in Austin over the weekend, I Googled Dunkin and there was one store.  I called and they said they had three boxes left and offered to set them aside for me.  Sorry, Austin!  Hopefully they will restock and you will be able to get more, too.  And I shall return to the ATX in a few weeks to pick up my daughter for Christmas break and cross fingers, a few more boxes of Peppermint Mocha, also!

Christmas Holiday Music 2012

In addition to adding to my "Oh Holy Night" iTunes/iPod playlist (How many versions am I up to now?!  At least 16.  It's my favorite Christmas carol), here are this year's additions to my Christmas holiday music collection, so far.   "A Very She & Him Christmas", Christina Perri "A Very Merry Perri Christmas", Yanni "Winter Light" and Colbie Caillat "Christmas in the Sand".    I heard Colbie Caillat's "Mistletoe" in the store last week (thank you, Shazam app!) and was delighted to find it and a CD from her.  What a talented and beautiful voice!
Please, no jokes about Yanni - I love to skate/fly around the rink to his "Song For Antartica"

To Do List

She could not but rejoice in the joy of the small thing

And with a bagful of sparkle!

Last issue of Everyday Food : (

No More Day Food

My and everyone else's last issue of Everyday Food.  It was one of my, if not THE favorite recipe magazine ever.  I was a subscriber from the very beginning in 2003. I thought the recipes were innovative, tasty and most importantly - easy to create in my own kitchen. "Martha Light", if you would.

Per the "Dear Everyday Food Subscriber" insert, Martha Stewart Living magazine plans instead to incorporate it in their subscriber issue copies (apparently not the newsstand ones?!) five times a year, beginning with the March 2013 issue.  And content will also be available on YouTube and as a video newsletter "Everyday Food with Sarah Carey".

But it just won't be the same without that cute little magazine I would either stuff in my purse or have on my coffee table, waiting to be flipped through for inspiration and feeding my family.

Upcoming Jo-Ann's Pattern Sales - ALL of them are going on sale!

Super Weekend Sale - December 7/9
$1.99 Simplicity
$2.49 Burda (!)

December 14/15
$1.99 McCall's
$3.99 Vogue

December 15/22
$1.99 Butterick

Super Santa Sale - December 21/24
$6.99 Kwik Sew
Gutermann 26 spool thread box - $15 (a $49 value, regularly $29.99)
(I have this, great and usable colors for last minute thread run-outs and regular sewing projects!)

Thursday Tea Time

Double feature this week!
The Republic of Tea Life of Pi Mango Black Tea

Cost:  $11.99 at Cost Plus World Market
Number of teabags:  50
Caffeine:  Yes
Type of tea:   Black
Steeping time:  5 minutes
Add ins:  Just a splash of Coffee Mate's Natural Bliss Sweet Cream.  It's quite good by itself, too.
Teabag fragrance:  Mango
Ingredients:  Black tea, apple bits, sweet blackberry leaves and natural mango flavor
Opinion:  Normally I don't really like fruity teas in the cooler months, but the Life of Pi tea just came out along with the Life of Pi movie.  Maybe it will taste better when the weather is warmer and/or iced.  Maybe the movie is better.  It had a nice mango scent, but I thought it had a strange aftertaste I couldn't quite put my finger on.  Not bad, just unexpected.  I also brewed two bags and had eaten earlier white chocolate peppermint popcorn.  Well, that could be it right there - there's an unexpected and strange combo!
Rating:  2

Thursday Tea Time - Chai Apple

This week - Twinings Chai - Spiced Apple

Cost:  $2.69 at Publix in Jacksonville, Florida
Number of teabags:  20
Caffeine:  Yes
Type of tea:   Black
Steeping time:  5 minutes
Add ins:  Just a splash of Coffee Mate's Natural Bliss Sweet Cream.  It's quite good by itself, too.
Teabag fragrance:  Apple cinnamon
Ingredients:  Black tea, natural apple, chai, cinnamon and ginger with other natural flavors, cardamon and clove.
Opinion:  I finally found this!  Albeit in Jacksonville, Florida.  Definitely worth the search. I only knew it existed because it was listed on the side of the Ultra Spice Chai box, "If you enjoy...try"  And on this box it says "try French Vanilla Chai"  OK, the search is on!  So far I've been beyond impressed with Twinings Chais!   Again, just like the Ultra Spice Chai, this can sip alone.  But add that Natural Bliss Sweet Cream and OMG!  You have hot apple pie a la mode in a mug!   Whoa!  Think I will change this rating to 4.5.  And maybe go back to Jacksonville.  It's that good.

Rating:  4  4.5

Purple Haze

Snapped these in the front seat on the way home!

Friday Flowers a few days early.  I couldn't resist these beautiful Purple Haze roses at Central Market on sale today.  Purple anything always makes me happy!

White Christmas

In a mug!  Yes, that is what Mod Coffeehouse calls this.  It's gingerbread white mocha and it is wonderful!

Today's Favorite iPod Workout Song

Phillip Phillips - "Home" - 3:30
Great beat!

Shop Small

I love to support my indie stores and crafters - and what better place than Austin's Renegade Craft Fair - Winter edition!

I love to collect the cool cards from the vendors!

Got a new scarf to add to my Little Minnow Collection --  LOVE the animal print!

Framing these!  They match my new bedroom colors!

Of course!  Chickened out buying the "Unicorn Puke" scent!  Maybe next time?!  (It actually smelled pretty good!)