THURSDAY – DECEBER 11, 2014

THE WORLD TURNS RED VELVET AT HOLIDAY TIME

When Christmas is close at hand, it seems the whole world turns a lovely shade of Red velvet.  Probably from all those lovely red Velvet cakes that are being baked in home after home.  They truly are beautiful, but SO MUCH TROUBLE to make!  Why mot simplify your Holiday baking by serving up some similar treats.  Red Velvet Cake Bites or Red Velvet Cookies! 

You’re probably a lot like me. Once this time of year rolls around, we imagine ourselves in the kitchen each day, whipping up cakes, cookies, and all manner of holiday confections for our loved ones, neighbors, and friends.

And that is where these recipes come in. No fuss, no muss and you end up with big, beautiful, perfectly shaped chewy red velvet bite or cookie studded with white chocolate – with just one dirty bowl, 5 minutes, and a couple of baking sheets.
And THAT makes our days more Merry!

RED VELVET CAKE BITES

1 box red velvet cake mix (cook as directed on box for 13 X 9 cake)
1 can cream cheese frosting (16 oz.)
1 package chocolate bark (regular or white chocolate)
wax paper
After cake is cooked and cooled completely, crumble into large bowl. Mix thoroughly with 1 can cream cheese frosting. (It may be easier to use fingers to mix together, but be warned it zwill get messy.)
Roll mixture into quarter size balls and lay on cookie sheet. (Should make 45-50). Chill for several hours.
Melt chocolate in microwave per directions on package.
Roll balls in chocolate and lay on wax paper until firm. (Use a spoon to dip and roll in chocolate and then tap off extra.)

RED VELVET COOKIES

1 box Duncan Hines Red Velvet Cake Mix  

1/2 cup vegetable oil

2 eggs

1 cup Toll House white chocolate morsels

In a mixing bowl combine cake mix, eggs, and oil. Mix with an electric mixer until well blended. Stir in the white chocolate morsels.

Spoon cookies a little smaller than golf ball size onto ungreased cookie sheets.

Bake at 350 for 10-12 minutes or until very lightly browned on the edges. Allow to cool completely before removing from cookie sheet.

Makes about 2 dozen.

TUESDAY – DECEMBER 9, 2014

I collect TempTations by Tara, a stoneware freezer-to-oven-to-table set of cooing/storage vessels sold on QVC.  I have collected it for eleven years and each piece that is brought out seems to get more beautiful with each one.  The company is oiwned ad the products are designed by Tara McConnell.

Besides beg on QVC weekly, Tara is also on Pinterest and FaceBook, where she shares some wonderful recipes to use on the various pieces in her collection.  Today I’m sharing one that she gave for a beautiful Christmas cookie.  Hope you enjoy it!

HOLIDAY PINWHEEL COOKIES

1-1/2 cups unsalted butter, soft

2 cups sugar

4 eggs

1/2  teaspoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon mint extract

5 cups flour

1/2  teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4  teaspoon red gel food coloring

1/4  teaspoon green gel food coloring

1 (6 ounce) jar white nonpareils

Note: Gel food coloring works best because the color is highly concentrated.  You can purchase it at any craft store that sells baking supplies

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Cream butter and sugar together in a large bowl. Slowly mix in eggs, vanilla and mint extract until smooth.  Blend in flour, salt and baking powder until dough comes together.

Remove dough from bowl and divide into four equal parts.  Place one part back in the mixing bowl along with red food coloring.  Blend until the color is evenly distributed.  Scrape out of bowl onto a piece of plastic wrap.  Wrap up tightly in a ball.  Add another 1/4  piece of dough to mixing bowl.  Repeat process with green food coloring.  Wrap in plastic.  Wrap the remaining two pieces of dough in plastic as well.  Place all four wrapped dough balls in the refrigerator for one hour.

Unroll each dough ball.  On a floured surface roll out each one into a ¼ inch thick rectangle.  Brush both the red and green rectangle very lightly with water.

Carefully place one of the white rectangles on top of each colored rectangle.  Lightly press down with your hands to help them stick.  Roll up each rectangle into a log, starting with the long side.  Brush the edge with water to help log stick together.

Place nonpareils in a long shallow dish.  For easy handling, cut each log in half and brush lightly with water.  Roll in nonpareils until completely coated.  Wrap each log in plastic wrap and place in 13" x 9" pan.  Chill for at least 2 hours.

Unwrap each log and slice into 1/2  inch pieces.  Lay 12 cookies on baking sheet, 1 inch apart.  Bake for 15 – 18  minutes.  Allow to cool slightly before removing.  Continue until all cookies are baked.

TREATS FROM THE SWEET SHOPPE

When I worked at (and attended) Friendship United Methodist Church in Wyoming Ohio, the annual fundraiser for the UMW (United Methodist Women) Group was Mrs. Santa’s Sweet Shoppe, which was open each Sunday of December in the Fellowship Hall.  All the ladies baked their Holiday cakes, cookies, candy, cocoa mixes and festive things for the perish members to purchase and enjoy throughout the Christmas Season.  

 

Also available was taking orders all Fall for a Christmas delivery of Gingersnaps.  Orders were taken early because they sold so well that we needed to know how many were needed.  The Homemade Gingersnaps came in a gift bag for $8 a Dozen.  Below is the FANTASTIC old fashioned Friendship Gingersnap recipe, and if your Church or other organization has a Holiday Fundraiser, this is a for-sure money maker!

GINGERSNAPS

These Gingersnaps are slightly crispy on the outside and soft and chewy on the inside and oh so good. They also freeze very well so make up a batch or two for the freezer and pull them out when you assemble cookie plates for friends and neighbors.

3/4 c. shortening

1 c. sugar

1/4 c. light molasses

1 egg

2 c. flour

1/4 t. salt

2 t. baking soda

1 t. cinnamon

1 t. cloves

1 t. ginger

Cream shortening and sugar. Add molasses and egg and mix well. Sift in dry ingredients. Mix well.

Roll dough into quarter sized balls. Dip into sugar. Place on greased cookie sheet. Bake at 350 for 8-10 minutes.  

 

MY BROTHER-LAW

What wonderful memories Mom, Linda & I made on our many visits to the Navajo Reservation in Kayenta, Arizona and Monument Valley, Utah.  Visiting the trading posts and even attending all-Indian rodeos!  We developed a friendship with an Indian family which continues to this day. 

Somewhere along the line, my sister Linda met and married a local from the Reservation.  Although they divorced about two years later, they met up again after thirty years and remarried in 2007 and today they live on the Navajo Reservation in New Mexico. 

  My brother-in-law is Native American actor-now-minister Wil Yazzie.  Like me, Wil is a football fan AND a Diabetic, and I have chosen some fun Holiday Diabetic recipes which I think he will love.

First, this fry-bread recipe came from the reservation newspaper, The Navajo Times.  We had it at every meal we ate in Arizona and New Mexico.

NATIVE AMERICAN (NAVAJO)FRY BREAD

1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
milk (enough to mix)

Mix all ingredients. Divide the dough into parts and shape each into round pone about the size of your skillet and 1/8th of an inch thick. Fry the bread in about 1/4 inch hot cooking oil until golden brown on each side. Cut into wedges and serve hot. Delicious with butter, jams or other sweet spreads.

Diabetic Butter Cookies

1 c. butter
3/4 c. splenda
1 egg
2 1/2 tsp. vanilla
2 1/4 c. flour

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cream together the butter & Splenda, mix well.   Add egg and vanilla, mix well.  Blend in flour until dough forms, 2-3 min. cover & chill dough for 45 min. 

Sprinkle flour onto counter & rolling pin.  Roll dough to 1/4 inch thickness 

Cut out shapes with cookie cutter.  Place cookies on an ungreased cookie sheet for 5 min.  Cool cookie sheet between batches

Diabetic Cocoa Mix

2 c. nonfat dry milk powder
1/2 c. lower-fat powdered nondairy creamer
1/2 c. unsweetened cocoa powder
10 packets Splenda or 1 tablespoon Splenda Measure
1 tsp. ground cinnamon (optional) 

Mix together all ingredients. Transfer to a self-sealing plastic bag. 

When ready to use, place 1/3 cup of the mix in a heat-proof mug. Add 3/4 cup boiling water and stir. (Makes 2-2/3 cups, enough for eight 3/4-cup servings) 

Per serving: 104 calories, 8 g protein, 7 g carbohydrate, 2 g fat 

Diabetic exchanges: 1 carbohydrate (nonfat milk)