Snickerdoodles, Anyone?

Snickerdoodles.  Who doesn't like Snickedoodles?  I don't think I've ever known anyone who didn't like them.  It has been many years since I made them, so I thought it was time to get busy in the kitchen.

I made the dough after dinner on Thanksgiving and put it into a Ziploc bag and placed it in the refrigerator overnight.  The next morning, I took it out and started preparing the cookies.

A little bit of dough pinched off and rolled in my hand.  Then rolled in a sugar and cinnamon mixture and placed on a cookie sheet lined with a silpat.  These are about 1" in diameter.  Into the oven they go for 8-10 minutes.  The idea is not to cook them too long because you want them to be chewy.

And this is what emerges.  Beautiful Snickerdoodle cookies.

I let them cool on the silpat for just a couple minutes.

Then I moved them to stacking cooling racks to cool completely.  After a couple minutes out of the oven you can move them to the cooling racks by hand.  I prefer to use my fingers to do this rather than a spatula.  The spatula drags along the underside of the cookie or catches on whatever surface they are on and they end up misshapen.  I don't like that.  If you use your fingers you do not have that problem.

A beautiful container of cookies.  I lined the container with parchment paper and then filled it to the brim with cookies.  I did not put a Hershey Kiss in the center of each as some people do.  Either way they are delicious.  I will give you the recipe in this post.  I shut down the Food and Entertainment pages because I did not like the way they worked.  All you could do was add a recipe to a long list of recipes rather than making a separate page for each recipe.  If I just give the recipe in the related post, then you can do a search within the blog posts and find it much easier.  We are all about streamlining and making things easy at WTCA.

Snickerdoodles

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup shortening
1-1/2 cups white sugar
2 eggs
2-3/4 cups sifted all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons cream of tartar
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons white sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

DIRECTIONS:

1.  Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

2.  In a large bowl, mix together the shortening and 1-1/2 cups of white sugar until smooth.  Stir in the eggs one at a time, blending well after each.  Combine the flour, baking soda, cream of tartar and salt; stir into the batter until blended.

3.  Roll the dough into balls the size of small walnuts.  Roll in a mixture of 2 tablespoons sugar and 2 teaspoons cinnamon.  Place 2 inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet.

4.  Bake in the preheated oven for 8 to 10 minutes or until lightly browned, but still soft.

Order Finished and Mailed

I finished the order of wedding favor boxes.

That's 130 boxes embossed with bubbling champagne flutes.  So incredibly cute.

Each box had a square of ivory tissue and a square of silver tissue.

I had a fast turnaround on this order.  I was 30 boxes short so I placed an order for 400 boxes on Sunday, December 1.  That would give me enough to finish this order and to built up my inventory for the next order. The boxes were supposed to be delivered on Wednesday, but bad weather in the west delayed the expected delivery until Thursday.  Continuing bad weather further delayed the delivery until Friday.  On Friday I checked the status of the delivery and they were on the truck.  The business day closed on Friday and still no boxes.  Finally, at 11:00 PM on Friday, the Fedex guy arrived with the package.  What a relief.  I finished the order Saturday morning and got the post office just before closing.  The package should be delivered today.  I think I would like to experiment with these champagne flute boxes embossed in Egyptian Gold.  Let's see how those turn out.

Order Finished and Mailed

I finished the order of wedding favor boxes.

That's 130 boxes embossed with bubbling champagne flutes.  So incredibly cute.

Each box had a square of ivory tissue and a square of silver tissue.

I had a fast turnaround on this order.  I was 30 boxes short so I placed an order for 400 boxes on Sunday, December 1.  That would give me enough to finish this order and to built up my inventory for the next order. The boxes were supposed to be delivered on Wednesday, but bad weather in the west delayed the expected delivery until Thursday.  Continuing bad weather further delayed the delivery until Friday.  On Friday I checked the status of the delivery and they were on the truck.  The business day closed on Friday and still no boxes.  Finally, at 11:00 PM on Friday, the Fedex guy arrived with the package.  What a relief.  I finished the order Saturday morning and got the post office just before closing.  The package should be delivered today.  I think I would like to experiment with these champagne flute boxes embossed in Egyptian Gold.  Let's see how those turn out.

A Cheese and Grape Board

On the Saturday after Thanksgiving, we got together with Bob and Bette to have our Thanksgiving celebration since we were in two different places on Thursday.  I decided we would have a cheese and grape board.

I love a cheese and grape board.  So simple and elegant.  These white table grapes were wonderful.. Perfectly ripe and so sweet.  The white block near the bottom of the picture is a white cheddar horseradish which is positively to die for.  The other three cheeses are a sharp cheddar, port wine and blueberry rolled in nuts.  Salt and black pepper triscuits round out the selection here.

You see we were not bothered with convention on this particular evening.  Fourth of July inspired cheese spreaders did the job as well as any other themed utensil.  If you are having a casual evening with family or friends over the Christmas season, a cheese and grape board is easy to put together and a festive way for everyone to enjoy some tasty treats while sharing stories.  I served a Frontera blended wine of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot.  Positively out of this world.  High recommended.  A good time was had by all. 

A Cheese and Grape Board

On the Saturday after Thanksgiving, we got together with Bob and Bette to have our Thanksgiving celebration since we were in two different places on Thursday.  I decided we would have a cheese and grape board.

I love a cheese and grape board.  So simple and elegant.  These white table grapes were wonderful.. Perfectly ripe and so sweet.  The white block near the bottom of the picture is a white cheddar horseradish which is positively to die for.  The other three cheeses are a sharp cheddar, port wine and blueberry rolled in nuts.  Salt and black pepper triscuits round out the selection here.

You see we were not bothered with convention on this particular evening.  Fourth of July inspired cheese spreaders did the job as well as any other themed utensil.  If you are having a casual evening with family or friends over the Christmas season, a cheese and grape board is easy to put together and a festive way for everyone to enjoy some tasty treats while sharing stories.  I served a Frontera blended wine of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot.  Positively out of this world.  High recommended.  A good time was had by all. 

Wedding Favor Boxes

I got my first large box order over the Thanksgiving weekend.  We are doing 120 boxes for a wedding event next Saturday.

This client ordered the bubbling champagne flute boxes.  Here are seventy, embossed, stacked and ready to go.  I gave her four choices.  Those choices were:

Large Couple

Small Couple

Wedding Car

Bubbling Champagne Flutes

I don't think there is a bad choice among them.  She liked the flutes, so that's what we did.  Each box is hand embossed so no two are exactly the same.  And we enclose two 4" squares of tissue in each box as a decorative way for you to present whatever goodies you want to place in each box.

*                    *                    *

Wedding Favor Boxes

I got my first large box order over the Thanksgiving weekend.  We are doing 120 boxes for a wedding event next Saturday.

This client ordered the bubbling champagne flute boxes.  Here are seventy, embossed, stacked and ready to go.  I gave her four choices.  Those choices were:

Large Couple

Small Couple

Wedding Car

Bubbling Champagne Flutes

I don't think there is a bad choice among them.  She liked the flutes, so that's what we did.  Each box is hand embossed so no two are exactly the same.  And we enclose two 4" squares of tissue in each box as a decorative way for you to present whatever goodies you want to place in each box.

*                    *                    *

How to Make a Wreath From A Little of This and a Little of That

Here's how it went.  "What am I going to do with this banged up green velveteen form?  Hmmm.  This little white sparkly wreath is too small on its own.  I think I've got some ribbon somewhere.  Get the hot glue gun."  And a little while later, BAM!  I had a new holiday wreath.

This green wreath form had originally been intended to be used to make a boxwood wreath.  The the Christmas season arrived and I wanted something nice to hang on the doors of the china cabinet, so I wrapped it in a festive ribbon and hot glued the little sparkly wreath from Pottery Barn in the middle and the rest is history.

So this proves that you can put together a new Christmas wreath probably with stuff you already have around the house.  The form could have been wrapped with burlap or pieces of leftover fabric or yarn.  You could wrap it with tinsel or garland.  You could have glued on Christmas ornaments or wrapped it in strips of Christmas wrapping paper that you cut yourself.  

This is a much nicer look hanging on the handles to this cabinet that just the tiny wreath in the middle all alone.  A very pretty wreath that basically cost nothing because it was made with things I already had in stock.

How to Make a Wreath From A Little of This and a Little of That

Here's how it went.  "What am I going to do with this banged up green velveteen form?  Hmmm.  This little white sparkly wreath is too small on its own.  I think I've got some ribbon somewhere.  Get the hot glue gun."  And a little while later, BAM!  I had a new holiday wreath.

This green wreath form had originally been intended to be used to make a boxwood wreath.  The the Christmas season arrived and I wanted something nice to hang on the doors of the china cabinet, so I wrapped it in a festive ribbon and hot glued the little sparkly wreath from Pottery Barn in the middle and the rest is history.

So this proves that you can put together a new Christmas wreath probably with stuff you already have around the house.  The form could have been wrapped with burlap or pieces of leftover fabric or yarn.  You could wrap it with tinsel or garland.  You could have glued on Christmas ornaments or wrapped it in strips of Christmas wrapping paper that you cut yourself.  

This is a much nicer look hanging on the handles to this cabinet that just the tiny wreath in the middle all alone.  A very pretty wreath that basically cost nothing because it was made with things I already had in stock.

Christmas Poinsettias

I love Poinsettia.  I do not have good luck with them after the season is over.  That is, I do not claim to be able to keep them alive much after the new year.  But I think they are pretty and I think they look nice around the house.  This year I bought white.

As you can see, I also bought a loaf of marble rye bread.  But for this post, we will be talking about the poinsettias.  These look green, but they have more of a white color when you see them first hand.  I placed two on the fireplace mantel, one at either end.  The others I have already given as gifts.  If you are looking for something easy to add some cheer to your home decor, a few poinsettias will do the trick.  These are medium sized and were $6.96 each.  The small were $3.00 and the large were $15.99.  Choose the size that works best for you depending on your space.  Tall ceilings and large open spaces will take the large sizes.  Preferably several areas with them grouped together to add more volume.  Smaller houses with 8' ceilings and small rooms can do with the medium or small.  Again, grouped together to add fullness.  Keep them watered.  Once they start to get dry they drop leaves like crazy and then you end up with a stem with 3 or 4 leaves.  Not a good look.  Test the soil daily.  If the top of the soil is dry, add some water.

Christmas Poinsettias

I love Poinsettia.  I do not have good luck with them after the season is over.  That is, I do not claim to be able to keep them alive much after the new year.  But I think they are pretty and I think they look nice around the house.  This year I bought white.

As you can see, I also bought a loaf of marble rye bread.  But for this post, we will be talking about the poinsettias.  These look green, but they have more of a white color when you see them first hand.  I placed two on the fireplace mantel, one at either end.  The others I have already given as gifts.  If you are looking for something easy to add some cheer to your home decor, a few poinsettias will do the trick.  These are medium sized and were $6.96 each.  The small were $3.00 and the large were $15.99.  Choose the size that works best for you depending on your space.  Tall ceilings and large open spaces will take the large sizes.  Preferably several areas with them grouped together to add more volume.  Smaller houses with 8' ceilings and small rooms can do with the medium or small.  Again, grouped together to add fullness.  Keep them watered.  Once they start to get dry they drop leaves like crazy and then you end up with a stem with 3 or 4 leaves.  Not a good look.  Test the soil daily.  If the top of the soil is dry, add some water.

Sometimes Things Aren't What They Seem

One day last week I was doing a little Christmas shopping and I came across this bag of hollow milk chocolates shaped into Santa's and ornaments.

I thought this was such a cute idea.  I would separate the contents of the bag and put the ornaments in a bowl and set them out for guests to enjoy during the Christmas season.  The Santa's would be included in gift boxes for my niece and nephew.

Then, I unwrapped a Santa.

We will be finding another type of candy to include in the gift boxes this year.  I can hear my sister right now, "Uh, . . . where did you buy this candy?"

Sometimes Things Aren't What They Seem

One day last week I was doing a little Christmas shopping and I came across this bag of hollow milk chocolates shaped into Santa's and ornaments.

I thought this was such a cute idea.  I would separate the contents of the bag and put the ornaments in a bowl and set them out for guests to enjoy during the Christmas season.  The Santa's would be included in gift boxes for my niece and nephew.

Then, I unwrapped a Santa.

We will be finding another type of candy to include in the gift boxes this year.  I can hear my sister right now, "Uh, . . . where did you buy this candy?"

Pringlepalooza

Who loves Pringles?  I do!  And what a neat thing to find this morning on the way to work but these small cans of Pringles to keep at my desk.

An easy convenience.  There are two and a half servings per can, so one can will be enough for lunch for a week.  I paid $2.58 for the two cans so that is .26 cents per serving.  You can't even get a bag of chips from a vending machine anymore for .25 cents.  So this is a pretty good deal and they fit easily into my lunch bag. Little Pringle cans - a good idea.

Pringlepalooza

Who loves Pringles?  I do!  And what a neat thing to find this morning on the way to work but these small cans of Pringles to keep at my desk.

An easy convenience.  There are two and a half servings per can, so one can will be enough for lunch for a week.  I paid $2.58 for the two cans so that is .26 cents per serving.  You can't even get a bag of chips from a vending machine anymore for .25 cents.  So this is a pretty good deal and they fit easily into my lunch bag. Little Pringle cans - a good idea.

Thanksgiving at Crest Avenue

Thanksgiving 2013!  We had a very nice day at Crest Avenue.  A fire in the fireplace and the Macy's Day Parade on the television.  A pitcher of Tomato-Beer Coolers and good company.  A really spectacular day. First up, the Tomato-Beer Coolers.

These are so good.  I find them very refreshing.  It's like making a Bloody Mary with beer instead of vodka. You see here that I started out with a large bottle of Campbell's Tomato Juice and a six-pack of good old Budweiser beer in the 12 oz. cans.  I used celery in mine but the recipe calls for green onions as stirrers. Either will work.  Make sure the green onions are not too ripe.  You want to be able to swirl the drink around with them and you want them to look pretty in the glass.  Over-ripe ones will be wilted and sad looking.  Not a good look for the bar.

Here we have the celery thinly sliced and the first Beer-Tomato Cooler mixed and in the glass.

The celery makes a nice presentation.  I think this is so pretty.

And another shot of that same glass.  You want to make sure that your tomato juice and beer are sufficiently cooled.  I had both of them out of the refrigerator for awhile, so I added a couple small ice cubes.

As the evening wore on, I switched to a larger glass and added a lemon wedge.  The lemon wedge eventually made it's way into the drink which only enhanced the flavor.

I am supplying a copy of the recipe for these on this page.  This picture was taken directly from the book I used to make these.  Basically it is 1-1/2 cups tomato juice mixed with 2, 12 oz. cans of beer.  They suggest green onions for the stirrers.  I say green onions or celery, but celery only in thin strips.They say "if desired" add red pepper sauce, salt and pepper."  I say definitely add Texas Pete pepper sauce (a few drops to your liking), salt and a tiny bit of black pepper.  They do not mention adding the lemon wedge, but I suggest you do just to give it a little extra zing.  You could also add horseradish.  I did not this time, but will experiment with that in the future.

So that was our drink of the day on Thanksgiving.  We will talk more about the dinner part of the day later.

Thanksgiving at Crest Avenue

Thanksgiving 2013!  We had a very nice day at Crest Avenue.  A fire in the fireplace and the Macy's Day Parade on the television.  A pitcher of Tomato-Beer Coolers and good company.  A really spectacular day. First up, the Tomato-Beer Coolers.

These are so good.  I find them very refreshing.  It's like making a Bloody Mary with beer instead of vodka. You see here that I started out with a large bottle of Campbell's Tomato Juice and a six-pack of good old Budweiser beer in the 12 oz. cans.  I used celery in mine but the recipe calls for green onions as stirrers. Either will work.  Make sure the green onions are not too ripe.  You want to be able to swirl the drink around with them and you want them to look pretty in the glass.  Over-ripe ones will be wilted and sad looking.  Not a good look for the bar.

Here we have the celery thinly sliced and the first Beer-Tomato Cooler mixed and in the glass.

The celery makes a nice presentation.  I think this is so pretty.

And another shot of that same glass.  You want to make sure that your tomato juice and beer are sufficiently cooled.  I had both of them out of the refrigerator for awhile, so I added a couple small ice cubes.

As the evening wore on, I switched to a larger glass and added a lemon wedge.  The lemon wedge eventually made it's way into the drink which only enhanced the flavor.

I am supplying a copy of the recipe for these on this page.  This picture was taken directly from the book I used to make these.  Basically it is 1-1/2 cups tomato juice mixed with 2, 12 oz. cans of beer.  They suggest green onions for the stirrers.  I say green onions or celery, but celery only in thin strips.They say "if desired" add red pepper sauce, salt and pepper."  I say definitely add Texas Pete pepper sauce (a few drops to your liking), salt and a tiny bit of black pepper.  They do not mention adding the lemon wedge, but I suggest you do just to give it a little extra zing.  You could also add horseradish.  I did not this time, but will experiment with that in the future.

So that was our drink of the day on Thanksgiving.  We will talk more about the dinner part of the day later.