Kris Krinkle

Who knew that when my dearest friend, Cameron, gave me some homemade Christmas treats that it would turn into my latest addiction. They are called Molasses Crinkles, a heart-warming cookie that is good for the soul. I decided to give it a go and try making them and am sure glad I did! As I smell them baking now, my thighs are plumping and my bum is widening. Ah! The joys of Christmas!


You will need:
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup packed brown sugar
3/4 cup shortening
1/4 cup molasses
1 egg (room temperature)
granulated sugar for coating

Sift together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, cloves and salt. Set aside.

Combine the brown sugar, shortening, molasses, and egg in a mixing bowl and mix until blended.

Mix in the flour mixture.



Cover and chill in the refrigerator (you can chill for a few hours or overnight)






When ready to bake:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Shape the dough into 1 inch balls and dip the tops in granulated sugar.


Arrange the balls with the sugar side up on your greased baking sheet.


Sprinkle each with 2-3 drops of water.


Bake for 10-12 minutes or until light brown.
(I bake right at 10 minutes and then take them out and set on the stovetop for a few minutes to warm!)



(by the way, my pan looks super nasty, but I swear it is clean...) I like to call this look, "distressed."

I like to take them out earlier, while they're still soft, and put them on top of the hot stove to warm there. I also give them a tap with the spatula to flatten them.



ENJOY

and

Merry Christmas!





I'm off to run these crinkles off.......

**Recipe courtesy of Cameron Scott Stimson, via the Junior Auxiliary of Jonesboro, AR; Rendezvous on the Ridge cookbook.

Jack in the Boxty

I wasn't planning on blogging another post tonight, because my rear is getting numb from sitting for so long. But I got wrapped up in looking at old pictures on my laptop. Do you ever do that? Start looking at photos and get lost in them all? Well, I do it often - I love remembering what was going on in the photo and how I was feeling when the picture was taken.

I opened up the file folder from my trip to Colorado back in September. I never posted any of the pictures from our day trip to Pueblo. Dad took me up to the HARP (The Historic Arkansas Riverwalk of Pueblo - http://www.puebloharp.com/). Emily was headed back up to Denver that day - but she joined us for a little fun. The Riverwalk is amazing, it is in the historic downtown of Pueblo. The Arkansas River runs right through the middle of downtown. All sorts of fun shops and stores run alongside the river. Emily and I sought out a coffee shop right away! Here are some photos:

Me and Emily enjoying yummy coffee on the Riverwalk.

Me and Dad on the bridge, looking over the river.

Soon after all of the walking we did, we got hungry! Dad said he knew of an Irish pub he'd been to that was tasty. We made our way the the Shamrock Brewing Company in downtown Pueblo.

It was way too early for a beer. Instead I had my first Boxty... what is a boxty? My thoughts exactly. I usually don't branch out on foods that I am unsure of, but the description was intriguing:

"Boxty: Irish potato pancakes, or Aran Boct Ti, has been around almost as long as the potato itself. A part of a unique tradition in Irish food. Our boxty are stuffed with some of the freshest Irish ingredients and topped with unique sauces."

And unique my boxty was ... I ordered the Vegan Boxty, which contained artichoke hearts, roasted peppers and spinach; topped with sundried tomato pesto cream. I keep kicking myself for not taking a photo of the beautiful boxty, but found a photo online that looks pretty similar to what I had that day...

I'm fairly sure that boxtys did not look or taste this good back in the days of the Irish potato famine. So next time you step into an Irish pub, I hope you order a boxty - at least you'll know what they are.... all 2 of you who read this ;)

Rolling in the Dough

Since I've been out of school and had a lot of time at home, I decided to get into my susie-homemaker outfit and start baking! When I was out in Colorado in September my sister, Emily, made some amazing homemade pizza - dough and all! I have been dreaming of that pizza ever since. I decided today was the day...

The dough recipe is courtesy of Emily Conley, super easy and super fast!

Click on the link for the full recipe: http://www.finecooking.com/recipes/easy_pizza_dough.aspx

The dough right after mixing ingredients. Put in the microwave to rise...

It had RISEN!

Added the toppings: sauce, pepperoni, bell pepper, artichoke hearts, and shrooms!

Mmmm the delicious product!

Long Time, No Post...

I just can't hardly believe that it is December 7th and 2011 is right around the corner!

My, how time flies when you are busy...

I haven't posted anything in so long, so much has been going on. This Fall season has been trying on our family, but we just hold onto each other and keep going.

Tomorrow is my last day of student teaching and I couldn't be happier - it has been a long road, with a few bumps along the way, but I am almost there! I presented my final portfolio about 3 weeks ago and received an A in my final portfolio class at Christian Brothers. After tomorrow I will be hoping for a job... I have interviewed with the county school system and am hoping something pops up! If nothing pops up, I can always substitute and that will definitely keep me busy. With a lighter work load in the recent few weeks Greg said he feels as if he has his wife back.

Christmas will be here before we know it. Mom will fly in from Colorado in a couple of weeks and we'll all enjoy Christmas here (although Em & Kevin will stay in Denver and Dad is still in Afghanistan, so we'll be missing them!!) Greg and I are both going to be off the whole week between Christmas and New Years, so we are looking forward to some down time and relaxation. Dad will arrive here in January for a short R&R from Afghanistan, looking forward to that.

The picture I posted is of me and my sweet, precious nephew - Aidan. Have y'all seen him before? I don't know if I talk about him enough or show you enough pictures (ha!)...

This picture was taken last weekend at the Arlington town square, the train was passing by and Aidan was amazed, as you can tell. Happy Christmas, here is to more posting...

Pumpkin Love

The cuteness ...

Zucchini Love

Here is the first fruit of my earth box labor.

While away to Colorado, Greg took care of the plant and when

I got home Monday evening this was waiting for me!

I can't wait to make some zucchini bread :) Yum!

Colorado in September

Last Thursday I headed out to Colorado to visit my Dad, while on his R&R from Afghanistan. Emily (sista) and Kevin (hipsta) visited from Denver and we had a great time! This was one of the greatest trips I have had out there, although it would have been better if Mom, Greg and the rest of our family had been able to make it... maybe next time! On Friday, Em and I went to Walsenburg to check out some of the antique/junk stores and found some killer $4 rings - best buy of the whole trip! Then we headed to Cuchara with the boys and ate at the infamous Dog Bar, did a little shopping, and then drove up to the Cuchara pass to look at the beautiful Aspen leaves changing. Saturday we headed to Antonito, CO to catch the Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad Train to Osier where we ate lunch and headed back. Along the way we saw Aspen trees, deep gorges, transvestites, holey sweatpants, and sut. All in all, it was a 6 hour trip that was amazing! Some photos are below. Sunday was the day Em and Kevin headed back to Denver (sad!). Kevin headed back on his bike while Em followed Dad and I to Pueblo, CO where we walked the Riverwalk and found a local pub to eat lunch. If you've never had a boxty from an Irish pub, I suggest you try one.... delish! If it hadn't been before noon, I would have tried one of their brews... maybe next time! Later that day Dad and I did some shopping at Lowe's where I saw my first ever "unisex" labeled bathroom... still pondering that one.

We had a grand visit in a short amount of time. Hope to get Greg out there with me next time... but someone has to work around here!

Enjoy the photos below...

Dad and Kevin on the Cumbres & Toltec Railroad Ride through the mountains.

View of the Aspen changing from the outdoor train car.

Shamrock Brewing Co. in Pueblo, CO.

Laverne and Shirley ... oops,

I mean Katie and Emily getting on the train.

Most often we find ourselves dressed alike.

Me and Dad at the bridge in Cuchara, CO.

Me and Em up at the Cuchara overlook, breezy...

Hilariously striped sisters.

Em's attempt at the Titanic pose...

"Weeeeeeeeeeeee"

Me, never wanting to leave!

Sad Bird

Do you think Birdie is sad I'm leaving?

Heading out to Colorado tomorrow morning to visit my Dad while he is home on a short break from Afghanistan. I will also get to see my sister Emily and Kevin while I am out there! Looking forward to a break from school and student teaching - a breath of fresh mountain air will do me good. Wish I could squeeze Greg and Birdie into my carryon...

Massive Zucchini

An updated photo of our HUGE zucchini plant that is growing in an Earth Box on our deck. There are two separate plants growing and they are out of control. There are 4 baby zucchini that have developed and we'll get to eat the fruits of our labor before too long!

Zucchini and Katie (please disregard our distressed deck!)