I stumbled across this delightful metal cookie press quite by chance at Dragon Moon Gifts and I was just struck by it.  The online store is a family owned company run in Alberta and as always I love supporting small business and indi shops so I suggest you guys hurry up and snap up their entire cookie stamp stock!  I’d love to see how you guys use them so if you make a batch of cookies with this stamp you can send the pictures in and I’ll post them to the site to show off your work!

Enjoy this drink on a cool fall evening or on a chilly winter day.

The Winter Witch’s Cocoa

Ingredients:

5 Ounces Semi-Sweet Chocolate

2  C Whole Milk

1/2 C Whipping Cream

8-10 Fresh Mint Leaves – Bruised with a motor and pestal (Or use the bottom of a cup in a bowl.)

3 Tbls Sugar

Instructions:

1)  Over a very low heat, carefully melt the chocolate making sure to stir constantly.  Once chocolate burns, it ruins the whole batch so keep it low and be patient.  You might also wish to make use of a double boiler or metal bowl set above a pot of boiling water.  Set aside once melted but make sure to continue stirring occasionally while working on the rest of the drink.

2)  In a second pot, combine milk, cream, mint leaves and sugar.  Bring to a boil, stirring often and not allowing it to boil over, and cook until sugar has dissolved away into the milk. Turn off heat.

3)  Using a slotted spoon or a straining ladle scoop the mint leaves out of the milk brew and discard.

4)  Pour the chocolate in a little bit at a time and whisk thoroughly until blended and smooth.  Pour into four mugs and serve.

Whipped cream might be served on top as an added treat.

As an indication of my extreme geekiness here’s the birthday cake my boyfriend just brought home for me.  Some of you will get the joke, the rest of you will think I’m lame.

It’s my party and I’ll geek if I want to….

Here’s a quick and easy tip for the next time you’re making cookies. Portion off some of your batter and save it for when you’re done baking your cookies. Scoop or shape it into little balls, like tiny cookies really, roughly teaspoon sized and bake them at a slightly lower heat for a few minutes until cooked. They make mini bite cookies you can throw into lunch boxes or you can freeze them in big freezer bags once cooled off and sprinkle them on ice cream and sundaes! Super simple!

If you’re more advanced with your baking skills try making itty bitty cinnamon rolls; beats having to pay extra for the ice cream toppings at the store or buying expensive ice cream brands.

Just make sure you watch them cooking or you’ll find that they burn very quickly!

Ingredients

1 ½ C Granulated Sugar

8 Tbls Cornstarch

1/2 Tsp Salt

1 3/4 C Water

4 egg yolks – Beaten1 Med. Grapefruit

2 Lemons

1 Lime

2 Tbls Butter

1 Pie Shell – Pre-baked

Instructions

1. Juice the Grapefruit, Lemon and Lime. Keep ¾ C of the juice.

2. Combine Sugar, Cornstartch, Salt and Water in a medium saucepan, stirring often over a medium heat until it boils. Simmer and whisk frequently for 2-3 more minutes until it starts to thicken. Remove from heat.

3. Add the beaten egg yolks into the sauce pan, whisking quickly to make sure it mixes evenly. Let mixture return to heat, boiling it gently to thicken it further for about another two minutes then remove from heat.

4. Add citrus juice and butter. Whisk until smooth and let cool just a little before pouring into the pie shell.

5. Chill until pie is set and firm.

This post will be rather short and sweet.

I’m sick today.

Okay, so maybe not so sweet and just short.  However, the medicine that I’m making is delicious!  See below!

Grandma Hatchet’s Cure All Miracle Potion

Ingredients:

8 C Homemade Chicken Stock

1/2 C Forbidden Rice (Also known as Black Milled Rice.)

2-3 Chicken Breasts – Cubed

1/4 C Loosely Packed Fresh Dill

3/4 C Sliced Carrots

1 C Egg Noodles

1 Tbls Cayan Powder (Optional)

Instructions:

- Put chicken stock into a large pot and heat until boiling.

- Once Stock is boiling, add Forbidden Rice, Chicken Cubes, Dill, Carrot and Cayan Powder if you would like the soup to be a little more spicy.  (The Forbidden Rice has a fairly cool effect on anything you cook it with – it dyes food a dark indigo or burgundy.  It’s also pretty healthy for you when it comes to Iron and Vitamins.)

- Simmer the mixture for about 30 mins before adding the Egg Noodles.  Cook until the noodles are soft and then you’re done!

Pretty easy, wasn’t it?

I make a big pot of this once in a while when I’m under the weather and then freeze the soup in portion sized containers for a quick and easy dinner when I don’t have time to cook or pack a lunch!