My week was fairly busy as we’ve been doing workshop more regularly, because we give tray favors once each week in December, rather than once a month. The patients seem to like them. This year, we made one that could be used as an ornament, and the next one can also be used the same way. Saturday my sister and I did some Christmas shopping (mostly me), and she picked up stuff she needed for a Christmas meal at her home. This year, I only addressed about 20 Christmas cards as compared with the 50 or more I usually send, the price of postage has become ridiculous!
Our Auxiliary is counting down the days until our annual bake sale. I’ve made a cake and two different types of seasoned crackers and have started a batch of the Rolos® with the pretzel under them. One more cake and I will be done, we have such a shortage of members that most of us have doubled up a bit and are making more. Tuesday, we will have a workday and put together some jar gifts, as well as Christmas mugs with hot chocolate in them. We’re working on the theory that more hands make light work and will be doing an assembly line. We will also pack the seasoned crackers the same way using the zip lock snack bags.
Here is a little bit of Christmas trivia for you. It appeared several years ago during Christmas week in the Victoria Advocate. They state that it is from Old Icelandic tales that give the following as the names of Santa’s elves: Askasleikir, Bjugnakraekir, Faldafeykir, Stekkjarstaur, Gattathefur, Giljagaur, Gluggagaegir, Ketkrokur, Og Kertasnikir, Pottasleikir, Skyrjarmur, Stufur and last but not least Thvorusleikir! (This is the source that was listed at the end of the article: Source, didyouknow.cd).
Since I haven’t given y’all any cookie recipes this year, here are a few that are tried and true and have been printed before. The following recipe for mini-muffins is from a friend of mine. She made them recently for the bake sale at her church and said they sold quickly.
Peanut Butter Mini-muffins
1/3 cup creamy peanut butter
¼ cup butter (do not substitute), softened (1/2 stick)
¼ cup granulated sugar
¼ cup light brown sugar, firmly packed
1 large egg
¾ cup buttermilk*
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1½ cups all-purpose flour
¾ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
1 1/3 cups “M&M’s”® Milk Chocolate Mini Baking Bits**
Chocolate glaze
Preheat oven to 350ºF. Line 36 mini muffin cups with foil or paper liners and spray lightly with non-stick spray, (I put my liners on a cookie sheet and spray so I don’t get so much spray on the muffin tins).
In a large mixing bowl, cream together peanut butter, butter and sugars until light and fluffy; beat in egg. Add buttermilk, oil and vanilla and mix to combine. In separate bowl, stir together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt and gradually blend into creamed mixture. Divide batter evenly among prepared cups, filling 2/3 full. Sprinkle evenly with ¾ cup of the “M&M’s”. Bake 15 to 18 minutes or until toothpick inserted in centers comes out clean. Cool completely on wire racks.
Glaze: In top of double boiler, over hot (not boiling) water, melt 2 squares of semi-sweet chocolate with 1-tablespoon butter. Stir until smooth, allow to cool slightly and drizzle over the muffins from the tip of an iced-teaspoon or regular teaspoon, and decorate with remaining
“M&M’s”. * If you don’t have buttermilk, pour 1-tablespoon lemon juice or vinegar into your measuring cup and add milk to make ¾ cup. Stir to mix and allow to stand about 5 minutes before using. **At this time of the year, you may be able to find the mini-M&M’s in red and green.
The following recipe for Bess’s Messes if from a very dear lady who used to live in Devine, she always brought us samples of these to the office and named them herself as it was a combination of several recipes and she was making them healthy!
Bess’s Messes
2/3 cup canola oil
1½ cups firmly packed brown sugar
2 eggs
2 tablespoons milk, (skim is OK)
1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon vanilla
¾ teaspoon salt
1/ teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
2½ cups quick-cooking oatmeal (not instant, nor old-fashioned)
¼ cup dry, oat bran, high fiber hot cereal (use dry)
1 cup raisins
Heat oven to 350ºF. combine oil and brown sugar in large bowl; stir to mix. Lightly beat eggs, milk and vanilla, and add to first mixture. Stir together to mix well. Stir together flour, salt, baking soda and cinnamon and add to above. Mix well until all dry ingredients are incorporated into mixture. Stir in oatmeal, oat bran and raisins. Drop by rounded tablespoonfuls onto lightly sprayed baking sheets. Bake for 9 to 10 minutes or until bottoms are lightly browned, tops will not brown. Allow to cool on baking sheets 2 minutes. Remove from pan, place on rack and cool thoroughly.
This recipe is a very old one that was in a Wesson Oil® cookbook that I had when my children were small, it was handy because you could make them quickly.
Stir and Drop Cookies
2 eggs
2/3 cup cooking oil
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 teaspoon grated lemon rind
¾ cup granulated sugar
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
Preheat oven to 400ºF Beat eggs with fork until well blended. Stir in oil, vanilla and lemon rind. Blend in sugar until mixture thickens. Sift together flour, baking powder and salt; add to egg mixture. Dough will be soft. Drop by teaspoonfuls about 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheets. Flatten each cookie slightly by pressing lightly with a glass dipped in sugar. (Lightly spray or oil glass, dip in sugar, flatten a couple of cookies, continue dipping in sugar as you do each cookie sheet. Bake 8 to 10 minutes. Remove from cookie sheet immediately. Cool completely.
Delicious Oatmeal Cookies
¾ cup butter or margarine
½ cup granulated sugar
1½ cups brown sugar, firmly packed
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1½ cups sifted flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2½ cups quick-cooking oats
1 cup pecans
1 cup coconut (optional)
Preheat oven to 375ºF. Cream butter and sugars thoroughly; add eggs and vanilla. Sift together the dry ingredients and stir in until well mixed. Add the oatmeal, pecans and coconut (if used). Drop dough by spoonfuls on lightly greased or sprayed baking sheets. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes. Cool thoroughly, store in tightly covered container.
Snickerdoodles
4 tablespoons granulated sugar
4 teaspoons cinnamon
Mix together and set aside
2 cups shortening (I use 1 cup shortening and 1 cup margarine)
3 cups granulated sugar
4 eggs
5½ cups flour
4 teaspoons cream of tartar
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
Thoroughly cream together the shortening, sugar and eggs. Combine the flour, cream of tartar, baking soda and salt. Mix into the shortening mixture. Mix well and chill dough overnight. Shape into walnut sized balls; roll each one in cinnamon/sugar mixture. Place 2-inches apart on ungreased cookie sheet and bake at 350ºF until lightly browned, but still soft. They will puff up and then flatten out.