Greetings my friends! Yes, the  Holidays are almost here!

Quick update:  for those of you who have read any of my previous blogs and listened to me whine about my old clunker stove,  I am happy to announce that my landlord had mercy on me, and after mentioning my concern about a possible explosion, he agreed to purchase a brand spanking new shiny black gas range! I am so excited to have a new stove I can hardly contain myself.  Not only is it nice to look at, it has a timer, and 2 high powered burners!  Now I can boil water and fry up some yummy pot stickers without having to find the matches:)  I must admit it is truly the best gift this girl could have received this holiday! So I am now happily back in the kitchen and baking away!

The weather here in New Mexico has blown in some chilly days and my daughter and I have been hunkering down trying to keep warm during our recent cold spell. I mean …cold for Albuquerque is when it drops below 40f during the daylight hours!  This is when transplanted folks from the East coast and Midwest like mom and dad whine that they moved from Boston (circa 1973) to NM to get out of this cold weather and “it’s not supposed to snow here anymore.”

So when a small crop of white flakes fall from the sky and start to gather on the ground and stick for more than an hour a lot of folks start to panic and run indoors.  I myself think that the sight of snow is euphoric. It warms my heart and reminds me of my childhood days in Chicago and Boston.   We kids bundled up in assorted hand me down sweaters and jackets, mis- matched mittens and gloves,  old hats and scarves that we usurped along the way from friends and neighbors.  I could hardly move as I tumbled through the snow with my friends spending hours outside building snow forts, and rolling snowballs and turning them into giant snowmen!

I reminisce and wonder what it would be like to once again live in a part of the country where it actually snows all day and the white stuff sticks to the ground and doesn’t melt by noon when the sun comes out?

Yet now instead of the East coast I think of the western slopes like Silverton, Colorado where my little brother and his family live year round at 9000  ft elevation.  Yep,  up in the mountains where the sky opens up and snow seems to cover the earth in a white blanket!  Great  place for skiing, snowboarding , drinking micro brewed beer from Silverton Brewery silvertonbrewing.com , and………………warmer indoor activities like playing in the kitchen!

I have found that the cold weather is a great time to fix some soup and bake some cookies and sip hot chocolate! Currently I am focusing on my holiday baking and doing my best to keep things easy this year.

I ran across a great recipe for a basic cookie dough that can make 4 different kinds of cookies.  Its easy to prepare and great fun for kids of all ages to get their hands dirty in the baking process. So with that being said, I am posting my new favorite cookie dough recipe for you and your family to play with over the winter break!   Bake some cookies and have some fun as you gather indoors and take time to enjoy

All in One Cookie Dough:  (courtesy of Everydaycooking.com)

I really enjoy this rich buttery cookie dough. Its simple to make and can be used to make several different  cookies.  Just change the shapes and add different toppings and you have an assortment of delicious cookies!

Ingredients

• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 large egg yolks
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled)

Directions

1. In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat butter, sugar, and salt until light and fluffy. Add yolks, one at a time, scraping the bowl after each addition. Add vanilla. With mixer on low, add flour; mix just until combined. Wrap in plastic; chill until firm, about 1 hour. To make ahead: Refrigerate up to 2 weeks, or freeze up to 3 months.
2. Citrus or Spice: Whisk 1 tablespoon grated lemon, lime, or orange zest (or a combination), or 1 tablespoon pumpkin-pie spice into the flour before adding it to the butter mixture.

• Make thumbprint cookies by rolling into tablespoon size balls and pushing a spoon in the middle to create a hole and fill with preserves or  chocolate.
• Pretzel cookies: Roll into 8 inch snakes and twist into pretzel shapes and decorate with nuts, coconut or colored sprinkles
• Make refrigerator cookies by carefully shaping into a 8 inch log and rolling into plastic wrap and rolling in your desired topping ( we like crushed pecans or walnuts)  refrigerating for 2 hours. See directions below:

1. On a large piece of parchment or waxed paper, gently form 1/2 recipe all-in-one cookie dough into an 8-inch log.
2. Fold one short end of paper over log; wedge a baking sheet against log. Holding other end of paper at an angle, push baking sheet against log while pulling on paper, creating a smooth, compact log.
3. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Gently roll log in desired topping to coat; wrap in parchment. Refrigerate until firm, at least 2 hours.
4. Unwrap log, and place on a cutting board. Using a serrated knife, slice into 1/4-inch-thick rounds.
5. Place rounds on parchment-lined baking sheets, 1 inch apart. Bake until pale golden, 13 to 15 minutes, rotating sheets halfway through.

From Everyday Food, December 2008

I hope this blog finds you well, and  everyone out there is focusing on the joy and reason for the season!

Another Holiday Season is here!   Hanukkah  is already over and  Christmas is on its way!

I guess I have been a little preoccupied and busy worrying instead of  keeping the Holiday Cheer!

I heard a great sermon on the radio today and the gentleman discussed American society  in this present age.  I thought I would share what he said. The comment  was made that Americans tend to be very self centered, and think of themselves as number one. The typical   ME Generation. You know,  everyone wants what they want now, and think of themselves first above anyone else.  Now I am not saying that is you or I, but we all know that its happening all around us, and we see it daily.  Especially with our microwave youth society who has technology in their back pocket, and the ability to fulfill their every desire with the click of a button and a credit card!

The tendency to focus on ourselves  rather than others  is quite common in this country.  However, every year in December something changes in our country and in our economy that is striking.    The average American is willing to spend huge amounts of money.  On the average, approximately $780/ pp   during this time of year to purchase gifts for other people.   Its amazing that so many are willing to go into debt and charge up their credit cards and give extravagant gifts to their friends and loved ones.   Its a wonderful thought and it definitely pumps up our economy and the pocket books of retailers and small businesses all over.   Money is moving and people are opening up their wallets and pulling out cash!      We all know that this time of year, the spending frenzy keeps many of our businesses alive for another year.  But the question posed, is whether we can keep that spirit of giving and caring MORE than just ONE time of year?  Can we do it year round without putting ourselves into debt?

What if folks started realizing how great it is to share and give to those around them on a daily, weekly, monthly basis?  How much would that change our culture?  What if people really understood what the Spirit of the Christmas was really about?   Yes, the birth of the Savior of the world was met with gifts but He gave back the biggest gift in return.    He shared his Love with us, and redeemed us through His Son.   We should all be grateful and humbled this time of year.

Gifts are great……. anytime of year, but they don’t need to be expensive or  extravagant!  How about note cards (oops showing my age) or emails,  telling your family and friends how special they are.   Let someone know you  love them by baking them cookies or making a delicious dinner from scratch! How about picking up the phone and calling someone you haven’t seen in a long time, or thanking the person at work who you may take for granted.  Appreciate your co workers, and the people you bump into each day.  Give them a gift……the gift of your smile, your kind words and your kind thoughts.  Those gifts daily can change our nation and boost our economy in more ways than you know!  Health and wellness would probably improve and people would want to continue the feel good gestures all the time.

I pray all of you enjoy the Spirit of the Season with your families and friends.  May the Season bring you Great Joy and Holiday Cheer as you share your gifts with all those you touch    Misslane