Cookies

At Christmas, my mom and I spend a weekend baking Christmas cookies. It is about this time of year, we start thinking of which cookies are going to make the list to bake. Every year there are a few standards like sugar cookies, molasses and date and nut bread. Then the other cookies are ones we always choose different ones. Slowly through the years, ones have become standards. Three years ago, we made a black forest cookies that was out of this world good. It is now one we make every year. Last year we made a bar cookie with raspberry jam and dark chocolate chips that we really like. I think that one will be making it back on to the list. Then there are ones that don't make it back even though they were good. We made an apricot empanada. That was good but too much grief. We try to have a mixture of chocolate, nut, fruit that way they aren't all chocolately. Here are two cookies that are up for contention. They are the Boot Tracks Cookie and the One Nutty Date Cookie. Here are the recipes:

Boot Tracks

1/2 cup salted butter

2/3 cup granulated sugar

2 Large eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup whole-wheat patry floor

6 tablespoons cocoa powder

2 tablespoons canola oil

1/2 teaspoon espresso powder(optional)

Confectioner's sugar for dusting

1. Prehieat a nonstick (not Belgian) waffle iron.

2. Cream butter sugar in a medium bowl. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Add flour, cocoa powder, oil and espresso powder(if using). Beat until thoroughly combined.

3. Drop the batter by rounded teaspoonfuls about 1 inch apart onto the preheated ungreased waffle iron. (to avoid burnt fingers, use two spoons, one to scoop and one to scrape dough onto waffle iron.) Close and cook until cookies are puffed and cooked through, 1 to 1 1/2 minutes. Waffle irons vary so watch closely and don't let the cookies get too dark. Transfer to a wire rack to cool until just warm. Dust the cookies with confectioner's sugar while still warm.

Variations: Instead of confectioner's sugar, drizzle cooled cookies with melted bittersweet and/or white chocolate. Or make a peppermint drizzle. Mix 1 cup confectioner's sugar, 4 teaspoons water and 1/4 teaspoon peppermint extract.

One Nutty Date

1 Cup packed light brown sugar

1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened

1/2 cup smooth natural peanut butter

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 large egg

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

8 ounces pitted dates, chopped

1/3 cup walnuts, chopped

Drizzle

8 ounces white chocolate chips

1 tablespoon canola oil

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

2. Beat brown sugar, butter, peanut butter, and cinnamon in a large bowl with an electric mixer on medium speed until well mixed. Add egg and vanilla; continue beating until well mixed. Reduce speed to low. Add flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt; beat until well mixed, scraping the sides of the bowl as necessary. Stir in dates and walnuts. Refrigerate the dough for at least 1 hour before baking.

3. Using a small scoop (1 3/8 to 1 1/2 inch) and drop balls of dough 2 inches apart onto an ungreased baking sheet. (If you do not have a scoop, shape the dough by hand into 1 to 1 1/4 inch balls.) Gently press each ball to flatten slightly.

4. Bake the cookies until the edges are lightly browned, 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer the wire racke to cook completely.

5. To decorate: Place white chocolate and oil in a small microwave-safe bowl and microwave on Medium, stirring every 30 seconds, until the chocolate is melted and smooth. To drizzle, dip the fork in the chocolate then wave it over the cookie to create a lacy finish. Let the chocolate set for at least 1 hour. Variation: Instead of drizzling, dip the top side of the cooled cookies in melted white or dark chocolate and spinkle with chopped walnuts.

Sounds delicious to me!

Gardening

Jimmy and I love to garden. In spring, we notice the first sprouting of our perennials. We find a lot of joy in seeing things that we have planted bloom and continue to bloom with care of the plants. I love to watch the parade of white butterflies the flutter about all summer long. Even weeding, let's me see up close the beauty of the garden. It is this time of year when plants are giving their last hurrah that I find so sad. Plants that I have nutured for months now are slowly dying. Yesterday, we did a final weeding and cutting back of plants. We put in our potted plants. So now the wait begins for my beautiful garden to return.

Menopause The Musical

My mom and I went to see Menopause the Musical on Saturday. It was a hilarious. We laughed the whole way through the show. The woman who wrote menopause the muscial took old songs and changed the lyrics. From the moment the four woman walked on stage to last song, the audience was laughing, cheering, and having a good time. As you would assume most of the audience was women. I think I only saw three men. I actually felt sorry for those three men. Maybe the wife wanted to let them know what menopause was like. Either that or the men were really angry at their wives that night;) Anyway, Menopause the Musical comes to a town near you I recommend it.

Magnets and Life

Some people like magnets on their refrigerators and other people don't. I am one of those people likes them. Mine refrigerator is full of them. I have some shaped like shoes, some like bottle caps, some that are Dilbert cartoons. I have the words you can make into sentences. I have some that even serve a purpose such as let me know the number to my favorite pizza place. My favorite one though is one I got in the mail. It has a cartoon boy that is pulling all these different faces under describes the feeling represented such as happy, smug, disgusted, ecstatic. Then there is a little magnet. It is shaped like a picture frame. It says I am. Then the fun part is you put it over the one you are feeling. For the longest time it has been over the one that says frightened ~ hey it amuses me. Well, one day standing at the frig. deciding what I wanted to eat. I stared at the magnet. I thought it is time I change it. I had a hard time. What was I feeling? Angry? Hopeful?Confused? Frustrated?Hysterical?Enraged?Sad?Anxious?Depressed? Happy? Gee I could honestly say yes to all of those. How can someone be angry, hopeful, anxious, sad and happy all at the same time? My emotions run all over the map waiting for the adoption. It is hard to put on the happy face when all you want to do is mope and complain. I could do that but what purpose would it serve? It won't bring her faster to me. Besides, she needs a mom that is strong not one that is going to cry at every turn because she can't cope with life's ups and downs. Anyway, my wise(don't tell her I said this it will go right to her head) mom always said the day is what you make it. If you think you are going to have a happy upbeat day, you will. If you think you will have a crappy day, you will. So go out there people and have an awesome incredible day!!!

Shopping

This weekend, Macy's had their Shopping for a Cause. For $5 dollars, you received a coupon for 20% and a $10 off coupon. My good friend Suzan works for a great organization that does a lot of good work for the needy of Pittsburgh. It is called East End Cooperative Ministry. Always one for shopping and helping those in need, I bought a couple. Needless to say, it was the beginning of a great shopping weekend for my husband and me. We decided to make a day of it. So off we set on a day of shopping and driving around in the country. We started out in Monroeville. It was a great place to start because Talbots outlet is there and they were having a $5 sale. They had racks and racks of clothes for $5. Needless to I went a little crazy. Hey for 5 dollars you can go a little crazy!!! So, three pairs of shoes, a couple of pants, jackets, and shirts later, I was a happy camper. My husband says I shouldn't tell people the great deal I got on clothes. I say it is in woman's dna. They have to let people know, "this original cost $198 and I GOT IT FOR $5, CAN YOU BELIEVE IT?!!!!" So with our shopping and driving in the peaceful countryside, it was a great weekend. What could be better you ask? Ambridge Pizza you say ~ we picked up on the way home. Oh yeah it was a great weekend.

Jack, Kate and I at Autumn Leaf

Jack scaring Kate and I!

Kate and I wearing our princess crowns!

Jimmy's first steps in the world of teaching

For those that don't know, Jimmy is going back to school to become a teacher. Tomorrow, he is coming to my school to do some observing. It has been fun watcing him go back to school. This summer, he took his first class with one of my favorite professors, Dar Huey. With lots of questions and reassuring , he made it through ~ getting an A. He has three classes this semester. Gone is the hesitant student but one with confidence having made it through the first class. In one of his classes he has to go to school and make some observcations. So, tomorrow he dives head first into the world of kindergartners and funny things that they do. He gets to see the balancing act you have with the older students. You have to be relatively cool but also have authority when there is misbehavior. The fun of third graders before they become jaded fourth graders. I told a sixth grader yesterday that Jimmy was coming. He said "Cool he is fun." I maybe biased but I think so too.

Autumn is coming

Most people know fall is coming by the changing of the leaves, squirrels running around with cheeks stuffed with acorns, and people decorating their homes with pumpkins, mums, and corn stalks. At my house we have an entirely different gauge. Autumn is the beginning of the fight for the bed covers. The weather turns colder and it is everyone for themselves. I tug, then he tugs and so on. For most of our married life, I have been on the losing end of the battle ~ waking up in the middle of the night to find myself shivering without so much as a sheet to cover me. Unfortunately for him, last year he let me in on a little secret. He and his brother shared a bed growing up. Luis suffered much the same fate that I did. Now I do what Luis does, I put a death grip on the covers. I hold on and don't let go. Last year's battle went to me!

Autumn Leaf Festival

What a fun weekend! Craft fair, parade, funnel cake, carvival rides, and spending time with family~what could be better. JJ, Jack, Kate and I went up street on Friday. It was so hot but we had fun going to our favorite spots. Then coming home to grandma's for a great meal of chicken, mashed potatoes and gravy, broccoli salad, and califlower with cream cheese. As Rachael Ray would say "YUM-O!" Of course my grandma said she just can't cook like she used to. If could cook like that I would think I was doing great! On Saturday when Jimmy and I came up, there were now 15 of us! Fourteen of us went up for the parade. Thanks to JJ who got up early we had fabulous seats. We even got to see the ZemZem's crash right in front of us. For those that don't know what Zem Zem's are. They are part of the Shriner's. They ride these little cars. Some are antique looking, some are sporty. Then they do all the intrique riding. It is everyone's favorite. After the parade we went back to my grandma's for yet another amazing meal. I had a great time with my cousins. I had so much fun playing with their little kids. So much fun that I need a vacation!

Nate's Birthday!!!

My nephew is 12 today!!! I still remember the day he was born. We were all so excited. It was my first nephew and my parent's first grandson. It was Columbus day and my mom had off that day. So when we got the call early in the morning, my mom got in her car and speed away to Harrisburg. Probably in record time. When she got home that night we made her go to the hour developing just so we could see him. I remember when he learned to say tia, when he gave his preformance when he was two, when I went down when Camille was being born and how he cried when I had to go back to Pittsburgh. So many memories...beach, mini-golf, riding a camel. It is hard to believe that he is all grown up. I still see the little boy...a little boy I love with all my heart.

The Weekend is coming a little early this week. Tommorrow I am taking the day off to go to Clarion. I can't wait spend time with my cousins, Aunt Mary,Uncle Dave, and my grandma. It is Clarion's annual Autumn Leaf Festival. I have been going since I was a child. It is so much fun. The last couple of years I have been going on Friday too. JJ, Aunt Mary and I spend the day uptown at the Craft Festival. It takes up about 8 blocks of main street. We have a blast talking, laughing and most of all eating. There are tons of vendors selling all kinds of delights. My cousin always goes for Vinnie's Pizza. I always mix it up. Some years it is wings other years it is stromboli. On Saturday is the parade. I never tire of the bands, all the little dance and roller skating teams and my personal favorite the Zem Zem's. I love the sites, sounds, the smells. All of it reminds me to take life a little less seriously and to just go out enjoy all that life has to offer. To remember to slow down and to be child like in my delight of life.

Waiting For Sofia

It has been many months (25 months) since my husband and I started this journey for our Sofia. We began our paperwork in August 2005 and once everything was completed it was February 2006 before all the paperwork got to China. In the meantime, we have waited and waited. It has been heartbreaking for me to wait. There are have many times I have been reduced to tears. Crying for this child, I have waited not only 25 months for but a lifetime. I don't like to talk about the heartbreak with people because I don't want to come off as ungrateful for the full life God has blessed me with. I have a husband that I love more than words can describe, a job that is enjoyable to go to everyday, a home, food on the table, and my health. What more could a girl ask for. Just a little girl to call my own. Our time will come I know. This blog will be a way for me to talk about my everyday life, my days when I think the wait will go on forever, and at last our journey to China for our Sofia.