Kris Kringles

I have been asked for this recipe many times. The secret is in how you mix it and a Kitchenaid is a must.

Kris Kringles- Loretta Ambuske

1.5 cup powdered sugar

1.5 cup unsalted butter- (in tbsp. sized pats)

2 tsp. vanilla

1/8 of almond extract (I like a bit less than the 1/4 tsp. called for)

2 egg

4 cups flour

Use a Kitchenaid mixer- Combine sugar and flour in bowl, "cut" the butter in 1/2 cup of pats at a time like you would a pie crust until crumbly, add eggs then extracts and mix until the dough forms a ball. Pat into rounds and chill before rolling.  Roll out into 1/4-1/2 inch thickness.  Bake at 375 (on silpat if you have it) for 9 minutes- 1 -2 minutes more if the shapes are large.  This dough does not get "brown" you know it's done when the dough looses it's sheen on the top.  Cook for 9 minutes and let sit on the silpat on top of the oven for 2 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack so they don't break. Let completely cool before icing (preferably overnight) because it is a fragile dough.  You don't cream the butter and sugar on this recipe so that the cookies stay flat and don't get bubbles in them.

I drink wine while I bake...so pre-measuring all batches is a good idea!  I have been known to leave the ground meat out of goulash before and not notice until I am 1/2 way through eating it.

1- Four and Sugar

2- butter

I haven't timed how long to let the butter sit out (I should do that) but a good rule of thumb and description is that it is soft to the squeeze, not the touch.  It's still uniformly whiter than yellow in color.  It sticks to the paper but not enough to need a knife to scrape it off as you dump into the bowl.  It's not the temperature that would be perfect for spreading on toast, it's one step cooler and firmer than that.  

3- mix on medium to reverse cream

4- check the "lumps" of butter.  You want lumps the size on my ring finger and not as big as what is at the base of my pinky finger.

5- Mix on Med/High each egg, 1 at a time.  I love how eggs keep all their own stuff together, even when put in a bowl with other eggs!

6- 1/4 way there- keep mixing

7- 1/2 way there! The mixture will all of the sudden pull away from the sides of the bowl and form a ball on the whip.

8- YOU MADE IT!!!  Once the mixture starts spreading back out and sticking more to the bowl than the whip, you are done!

9- PERFECT!

The dough will plop out with just your hands, no spatula needed.  Place it in the middle of a piece of Saran Wrap and form it into a disc that is flat and round for rolling out.  Chill over night.    You will need to take the rounds out about 20 minutes before you want to roll out the dough unless you are married to Thor and he or she likes rolling out dough.  Once the dough is rolled and shapes are cut out I always bake on silpat for perfectly done cookies.  Remember- this dough doesn't get brown and you want the cookies to bake evenly....silpat is great for that!

Bake at 375 degrees for about 9 minutes.

Busy Bee

I am going to stop saying that I am busy.  Period.  Bee's are busy.  But, bees are also productive.  Why? Bees are singularly focused.  Period.  They work on one thing and work every moment of the day for survival.  I am so fortunate to not have to "work" much for survival.  The job that pays me money is the least important "job" I have.  I AM going to try to be more singularly focused at work so that I can be more productive so that I can leave that "job" at work so that I can focus on being the best mother, partner, friend and the human being that is a positive force in the world.  "Stop Saying How Busy You Are!"

"We need to work smart, not (just) hard.
Just because you clocked 15 hours at your office, with likely dry eyeballs and a complete lack of focus, doesn't mean you've accomplished things in a smart way. Many people have written or spoken about this. Typically, you have 90-120 minutes before you devolve into Internet fodder or social media. If you're putting in 15 straight hours at your desk, without breaks, how good is your output? How much time are you wasting?"

Slip & Slide FUN.

Click HERE to see more pics!

Super Cape

Trevor is going through a serious super hero phase...or just the beginning of a lifetime of obsession.  He spent 4 days in a Batman Cape, 3 days in a Spiderman suit- with muscles and a few nights as Captain America so far.  Iron man makes short appearances.  He has taken a Wonder Woman from my office (I have a few to chose from!).  His collection is pretty good, but he does not have anything Superman.  He cried like crazy last night after I told him that he would not be getting a Superman suit anytime soon.  It's not Christmas, it's not his birthday...and we are REALLY trying not to buy him everything he asks for.  He has so much already.  This new resolve has kept me busy "making" things like a Batman belt out of duct tape and a hand drawn detail on paper for the front, painted foam paper for Batarangs...why not a Superman cape?  I have been wanting to sew something and this was a perfect excuse.  So, here it is...a couple hour sewing project to give Trevor a stand-in Cape until he can get a Superman suit for Christmas.

Trevor was a bit concerned because Superman's cape "is not blue, it's red" and the Super Logo goes on his chest and not on the cape.  I explained that once he gets a Superman suit, I would make him a plain red cape to go with it...this is just something for fun.  He is a real stickler for detail.  He always asks for babysitters and grandma to pull up pictures of Super Hero's so that he can color them correctly!

1. Red & Goldenrod Fat Quarters- on sale for $0.99.  Iron on Wonder Under adhesive before cutting.  Trace the Super Shape and exacto the "S"

3.  I had some trouble squaring off such "silky" fabric but a little patience paid off.

4.  Use 2 triangle seams at the top to add darts for the shoulders.

5. I hemmed all the sides with a simple straight stitch.

6. Wonder Under is AWESOME but I wanted to zig zag around the Super Logo to give it a finished look.  The straight edges are easy compared to sewing letters on pillow cases.

And...it all makes more sense

While helping my Mom pack up and clean the house she has lived in for almost 30 years, she gave me this scrapbook.  She said "here, you can have this, it was made for both of us".  

"To Sherry & Kerensa

In hope

That our lives may merge

for a while

That our hearts may be one 

Forever

That our dreams and Fantasies

maybe become daily fare

That the Gods smile upon the time

we share

That the memories we build together

should always warm our hearts"

-Jack the Carpenter

Monte Rio, CA (in the Redwood Forest on the Russian River)

This is the part that all makes sense!  I remember our bus breaking down in Wyoming (mainly because I cried at having to leave my toys on the side of the road) and was always told that we were on our way back to the Russian River when we ended up in Colorado instead.  I vaguely remembered a man who had built a house in the woods with a shower that was glass enclosed in a grove of Redwoods.  Whether that is from stories or real memories, I am not certain.  We ended up in Ft. Collins, CO because my Mom had picked up a hitch hiker who had a sister who lived there.  His sister came to pick him up and let us stay with her.  Real hippies were amazingly warm, generous and welcoming human beings.  My Mom has had a school bus either in her possession or wishes as long as I have known her.  Buses are not the most reliable of vehicles but not many people can say that they learned to drive a stick shift on a VW bus.  A VW bus is not the easiest stick shift to maneuver and I have been stuck in a parking lot with the inability to get the bus into reverse on more than one occasion.

In Colorado, my Mom and I lived in Pouder Canyon in a tiny cabin in the Rocky Mountain National Forest.  She worked as a waitress at the Mishawaka Inn.  I remember sitting in the kitchen and sorting silverware.  It's where I learned that silverware goes in the following order O-W-L, Spoons, Forks, Knives.  I was 4 years old.  Our cabin had a wood burning stove in the living area, a loft big enough for the bed we slept in together and a front room where Santa Claus delivered a cardboard Holly Hobby kitchen in 1977.  I left CO to live in CA with my dad when I was 7.  My Mom never left Colorado and didn't keep up with Jack the Carpenter.  She can't remember his last name.  When I asked her why she never made it back to live with Jack, she said that she fell in love with Colorado.  She was searching for a place and a home and he was "nice"- which for the women in our family is the kiss of death.  

So, even though I don't really remember Jack the Carpenter, I am grateful to find this treasure.  It is hard to find treasures from my childhood with such a vagabond life.  I am hoping that one of my Mom's friends from the Russian River days remembers him and I can tell him the joy that his book brought to me...37 years after he created it.

Bride Running Gear

A friend is running the Boston Marathon with her fiancé and then getting married in Boston later that day. Girls Craft Night with wine and some yummy food and this is what we came up with!!

Stencils
Freezer Paper
Acrylic Glitter Paint
Sequins Ribbon
Fabric Blingy flowers

Simple basting stitch and button knots were the only sewing skills necessary!

OCD

Some have found my method of eating M & M's entertaining so I thought I should document it for posterity!

A few FAQ's-

1. - first separate by color
2. - put them 2 by 2 in a line
3. - eat any odd man out first
4. - proceed to eat them 2 by 2, largest line first...until you are left with only 2 of the least represented even numbered color

-yes, that is a "sharing size" bag and it sits in my desk drawer.  It usually lasts for about 2 weeks or 3 really bad afternoons

Sound Credits:
-"All The Pretty Girls"- Fun.
-Glenn- hard at work!

The end!

Bread Crumbs & Seasonings

I was shocked when I saw the exhaustive list of things I couldn't even pronounce on my bread crumb tin (check out the long list on the label).

So, I dumped them out and made my own.

I save leftover ends of bread or 1/2 loaves in the freezer to reheat and eat with olive oil, salt and pepper. It's a good tide you over snack while you are cooking. I buy a lot of ciabatta type breads from Central Market and Whole Foods so I always seem to have bread around that won't keep very long. My body would not like if I downed a loaf of bread with dinner even though my mouth might think it's a good idea.




What you need-

4 C day old breads cubed
1/4 C good parmesan cheese
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp of Italian Seasoning and a food processor

I put mine back in the canister and put the canister in a zip lock back and put them in the freezer since there are no preservatives in the mix.  I need breadcrumbs that are toasted and not toasted, depending on the recipe so I left these raw and will toast them if needed as I go.

I have found several alternatives to seasoning mixes for fajita's, tacos and salad dressing.  It's so simple, cheaper and better for you.  You would be surprised how many things have MSG in them. 

Is Santa Real?

I am overly emotional these days.  The Sandy Hook Elementary School children and teachers are ever present in my mind and I cry at the drop of a hat.  I haven't even watched a moment of news coverage on the tragedy, other than what was on in the airport or restaurant screens while we were in Arizona.  I didn't talk about it with my friends because our own beautiful children were running around with their keen ears reminding us, every moment, how devastating it could be to lose something so precious.  So, when I received this today, after a weekend of The Polar Express and the first Christmas that Trevor has really grasped and believed in Santa Claus, I cried at my desk.  Good thing I invested in some great waterproof mascara this holiday season.

Believe.  Believe that, at this moment in time, my life is good and that the world has more to offer than heartache.

Cookie Fandango