First of all...
Showing posts with label #christmas. Show all posts
Showing posts with label #christmas. Show all posts

Tuesday, December 21, 2021

A Spin-Off from the Rylie Cooper Mystery Series! Mistletoe Malarkey, A Shayla Murphy Mystery


 I very much enjoyed this new book starring Rylie Cooper's best friend Shayla Murphy.  This book takes place in Ireland at Christmastime. Shayla is meeting her boyfriend Seamus's family for the first time. There are a couple of surprises for Shayla before we even get to the murder. In fact, I was far enough in that I was beginning to wonder if there was going to be a murder at all--seeing as there was already a few potential non-murder mysteries happening.  But Stella Bixby was just building up the tension and soon enough a body had dropped, literally.

I believe this book is the start of a new series and I will be waiting for book two with much anticipation!  In Mistletoe Malarkey we are introduced to a small Irish town and Seamus's quirky family, it was fun to spend time with them and I look forward to future adventures.  I like that in this series there can be a nice partnership of sorts with Shayla and Molly the constable.

5 Stars!  If you have Kindle Unlimited make sure to add this to your Kindle!




Monday, December 21, 2020

Why Did I Buy Pie Crust? And Why You Should Read Mrs. Claus & The Santaland Slayings!

 Sometime in late October, I thought 2020 would be the year I made a pie from scratch, or rather the year I would buy premade crusts and then make the rest of a pie from scratch. I was thinking of pumpkin or sweet potato or apple.  I never got around to it, in part because I don't even like those pies that much.

Fast forward to now and I have pie crust that is going to expire in January and no desire to make any pie. I asked my Facebook group, Let's talk about food, beverages, books and more and a few members suggested quiche.  I didn't feel like doing a whole quiche so I looked around until I found an easy mini quiche recipe. What is nice about Add a Pinch's recipe is that it included instructions on how to start with a premade crust or you can use her recipe if you want make your own crust.   Here is the recipe

What I did was make 6 mini quiches with 3 eggs, 1/2 a cup of almond milk, and 1/2 a cup of mozzarella cheese for The Hubs who doesn't like much dairy.  Then I made 6 with 3 eggs 1/2 a cup of heavy cream and 3/4 cup of shredded extra sharp cheddar cheese.  In the almond milk quiches, I added bacon bits (fake bacon) and all the quiches have diced mushrooms, onion, and celery. 
 Here is one of my mini quiches served with a serving of shaved Brussel sprouts & spinach salad. The salad is tossed with olive oil/freshly squeezed lemon, salt, and pepper.  Using the premade pie crust is a very handy shortcut and if you prefer you can make the quiches crustless.  A nice weekend breakfast or lunch or brunch without spending a ton of time in the kitchen. 

Christmas week is here!  Do yourself a favor and pick up this holiday mystery, I know you will like it--heck judge it by its cover! 
 

Mrs. Claus and the Santaland SlayingsMrs. Claus and the Santaland Slayings by Liz Ireland
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I hope that Liz Ireland had as much fun writing this cozy mystery as I did reading it. Ms. Ireland takes the stories of Rudolph, Frosty, Santa so many of us grew up with and creates Santaland. April is the fish out of water, having married Santa himself just three months and is not used to the cold, or the expectations of being a Claus. Add to that the bizarre murder of an Elf, and the whisper campaign that Santa is the killer, and we are off on a wild ride.

Sometimes in the first cozy in a series, readers can be overwhelmed by the size of the cast of characters. Liz Ireland avoids that problem here, and I don't know how she manages to do it, but she gives each of the side characters enough time on the page that they are fully fleshed-out characters.

And for foodie fans, there is a wonderful Croquembouche scene. Good stuff!

If you like Christmas movies or Cozy Mysteries, you have to read this book!

View all my reviews

Tuesday, December 15, 2020

Want to Get Away? Escape This Christmas

 Is it just me or is this month going rather quickly?  We are almost down to single digits on the advent calendar and there are only 16 days left of the year. 

I don't know about you, but I hope next year brings back the ability to safely be around other people. I miss live music, and free library programs, and sitting with friends at a restaurant. 

Thankfully we have our escapes, for me, that is reading and running and to a much lesser extent-- writing.  What I am working on right now is ramping up to the New Year by starting the day with an hour of writing Monday through Friday. I am hoping this low bar of writing will allow me to start the day off on a good foot and make progress in my stories.  This should also help me to blog consistently as well by using morning time to work on blog posts.  

If you are bummed because you won't be traveling this Christmas, do yourself a favor and pick up this book. You'll feel like you got to go to a cozy cabin in Park City, UT with a family as entertaining as The Griswolds. 


In a HolidazeIn a Holidaze by Christina Lauren
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

A perfect holiday romance. This book has the right amount of snow and shenanigans. Chestnuts roasting by the fireplace and tension building under the Christmas tree. I was so happy that for a change the parents of the main characters were not only alive but also in good health. Not only that, but the characters have conversations and explain things.

Also even though the romance takes place over a short period of time, the characters involved have known each other for years so it is not far-fetched.

I can't think of anything I didn't like about this book.

Maelyn finds what she is looking for and it's so much more than a holiday romance.

If you are looking for a Christmas getaway, read this book!! 

View all my reviews

Monday, December 7, 2020

Happy December! The #12daysofcozies Are Here!

 I spent November with one goal, complete Nanowrimo.  That means writing 50,000 words during the month of November. It stands for National Novel Writing Month.  I've participated in it in the past, but I've never hit the 50,000-word goal. This year I did! Do I have a book ready to share?  No, I sure don't, I still have more to write to get to THE END.  Once I get there I will have to revise, revise, revise until it is something that I would dare to share!  



Now it's time for me to enjoy the holiday season!  Instead of writing as much this month, I'm doing more reading.  It's time for The Cozy Mystery Book Club's #12daysofcozies.  If you go on Twitter or Instagram and follow @cozymysterybookclub you can enter to win books every day through December 12th.  You can also sign up to receive daily emails and when you open your email you get a chance to win. 



And if you are looking for a book to start with I recommend Cheddar Off Dead by Julia Buckley! 
Cheddar Off Dead (Undercover Dish Mystery #2)Cheddar Off Dead by Julia Buckley
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I enjoy Julia Buckley's writing so it is no surprise that I enjoyed this book. It's a great cozy and a perfect December read. This cozy has just the right amount of Christmas holiday in the mix. There is mouth-watering food talk and even a cookie making scene. Good Stuff. The setting of a small town near enough to a big city is a favorite setting of mine. There are quite a few potential killers which I like in a story, and there is a good sense of menace that fuels the amateur sleuth to keep trying to figure out the mystery.

If you like romance, I think you are in for a treat as well.

I always appreciate it when our protagonist doesn't put herself into foolishly dangerous positions. This is the second book in the series, I didn't read book one first, I read this book because I wanted a Christmas read and this book delivered!

****
One thing, which happens in too many mysteries, is that at the end (this isn't a spoiler) the killer is described as being unbalanced. I don't like when the killer in the book is presented as a rational person up to the climax, and then when the killer is revealed they are described as having crazy eyes for example. In mysteries, I prefer that the bad person is not portrayed as potentially mentally ill. I like a solid terrible greedy person who has complete disregard for anyone who gets between them and what they think they deserve.

View all my reviews

Wednesday, December 19, 2018

5 Days Left, I Recommend Eating More Cookies

We have reached the point where you can count the number of days until Christmas on one hand. This is when random people will start asking you "So are you ready for Christmas?"

Most people who ask me this are surprised when I say no. I always say no. I'm never ready for Christmas. There are always a couple more gifts I could have bought, a DIY decoration I was meaning to try to make, or a new cookie recipe to bake. 

My philosophy is to be one with the not doneness of the season. I'll do what I can, and we'll see how much I manage to pull off between now and 12/26.

Christmas: It is what it is. And just to clarify, I'm not one who has gone crazy burdening myself with expectations and complicated traditions for the holidays.  I've always thought Elf on the Shelf was creepy, I don't make handmade cards, and my decorations are a pittance of Clark Griswald's.  However, this time of year there is so much one can want to do,and I find I always have too many to-dos. Thankfully, today is the day this year that I give up on my self-imposed holiday expectations and go with the flow.

I recommend giving up as the best self-care from this point forward.  I also recommend homemade chocolate covered Oreo cookies.  Sugary satisfaction at its best!


All you need to do is melt almond bark--taking care not to  liquify the bark--if it is too hot the Oreo's will separate-- and coat the Oreo in bark, sprinkle some sprinkles and let the cookies cool. 

Merry do less Christmas!
xoxo

Monday, December 17, 2018

Avoid E. Coli! Eat More Cookies!

There is a recall on cauliflower!  Oldest sons favorite vegetable is not safe?  Ack! More cookies are needed!

When I was very small I remember having a chocolate crinkle cookie and breaking a tooth.  I think what really happened was that I had a crinkle cookie and I had a loose baby tooth, memories can be misleading. In any case, this all happened decades ago and yet, I have harbored a grudge toward  chocolate crinkle cookies.

Until now! These are a great cookie to make. You can make the balls and then refrigerate or freeze them until you are ready to bake. When ready to bake just roll in powder sugar and bake in the oven.  If you want to shortcut the heck out of the cookie making, start with this cake mix. Then you only need to add one stick of butter and an egg. Or use this recipe from all recipes to make the cookies from scratch.

This weekend I got a chance to see Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse with the boys. Pro Tip: if you go to the earliest showing at an AMC theater, the cost is just over $5 per ticket. This movie was fantastic, an engaging story, fun one-liners, and visually stunning.  It is an incredible looking movie. The movie has lots of action and chase scenes, but I did not get motion sick, so that was an added bonus.  Really, go see the movie at the theater it's wonderful.  The rating is PG so you can take younger kids and the bad guys shouldn't be too scary.

Thursday, December 13, 2018

Mom, What's Different About These Cookies?

Adventures in Cookie Baking Day 11 reporting for duty.

BMO has been surprisingly enthused about my cookie baking.  In the past he has had a strong preference for only two types of cookies.  He only cared for the eating of chocolate chip cookies and those Keebler cookies--the shortbread ones with the stripes.  Outside of that he's been patently disinterested in cookie consumption.



However, this holiday season he has embraced all that cookies has to offer and has tried--and dare I say, enjoyed every type of cookie I have made.  He has expanded his cookie horizons and now appreciates how much better homemade cookies with plenty of butter are compared to their factory-made counterparts. I mean those factory cookies don't even have a smidgen of trans-fats anymore!

On this the 11th day of Cookie making, I made small monster cookies.  Technically monster cookies are supposed to be rather large. So it's probably an oxymoron to call these 1 1/2 inch diameter cookies- 'monster.'

There are lots and lots of variations on monster cookies, you can make them with or without flour, with butter or with margarine (why though?).

I found and like this recipe.  It has a nice cheat, you use a boxed cake mix as the base.  Obviously I used butter instead of margarine--and because I believe peanut butter is an essential part of the monster cookie experience--I used 1/2 cup of butter and 1/2 a cup of creamy peanut butter.  I also used 1 cup of oats vrs 1/2 a cup.  Also, I substituted 1 cup of red and green chocolate candies instead of walnuts.  Basically, I really altered the recipe.  In any case.  The results were satisfactory for BMO and now the freezer is overflowing with cookies.

I still have a pound of butter, chocolate chips, mint chocolate candies, dried cranberries, and chopped hazelnuts, on hand- so more cookies to come!  I'm thinking I've got to make some more Spritz cookies since Youngest Child took all those to a bake sale and a shortbread cookie?  Decisions, Decisions.

xoxo

Tuesday, December 11, 2018

How many cookies is too many cookies? Let's find out!

More Adventures in Cookie Baking- Day 10! My freezer is getting very full. Youngest Daughter says what are you going to do with all these cookies?  I say for the 44th time, I'm going to give them away. This time she answers "Ok."  Apparently she wasn't listening the many other times I said I was making cookies to give away for Christmas.

Onward.

As my life has been quite busy with work, and picking up and dropping off kids and attending Holiday events; I decided if I wanted to continue baking, I needed to  chill some balls.  to that end, I rolled these lemon cookies and then let them chill in the fridge overnight before glazing and baking them.



Katie C. recommended this recipe from Martha Stewart.  She likes to make these cookies into Christmas Wreathes.  I took a cue from Katie and decided to put some festive sprinkles on mine.



Let's say you are sitting around wrapping presents and would like to indulge, I recommend these cookies with a nice prosecco. How delightful! You could even, take it to the next level by adding some fresh raspberries to your plate or to your glass.  Lemon- raspberry is such a lovely flavor combination.

And while I'm here just 4 days left to enroll in the ACA ! Get Covered!

Wednesday, December 5, 2018

What about Gluten Free?

Happy Adventures in Cookie Baking Day 9. I didn't bake for today's post because I didn't have time.  I almost had some time, but I was very tired and took a pass on cookie baking or cookie prep. 

Of course, I remain in a cookie state of mind.  To that end, I found a recipe from Food & Wine for a gluten free cookie that is probably super difficult to make.

Smores Linzer Cookies

And if that wasn't good enough, I found a recipe at Food & Wine  to make a gluten and dairy free Chocolate Crinkle Cookie!  This recipe starts with a bag of gluten free pretzels!  You can see the video below:





I think I may try making the Chocolate Crinkle Cookie recipe in the upcoming days. So many kinds of cookies, so little free time!


Tomorrow is St. Nicholas Day!  Don't forget to leave a shoe out tonight!

xoxo

Tuesday, December 4, 2018

It's Finally Here! The Day We've Been Waiting for All Year!

Happy #NationalCookieDay!  It's Adventures in Cookie Baking Day 8!

Today's cookie isn't really a cookie, although you do bake it, so it's almost a cookie.  Cookie adjacent we can call it.  What is it?  A cookie bar that loads of people enjoy!

7 Layer Magic Cookie Bars!

Here is an up close picture of the 7-layer bars cooling.  You can't see it here, but several family members have already helped themselves to a piece.  A very gooey piece of the bars because the recipe hadn't cooled off and set yet.

If you like these you can make them as directed or swap out ingredients as you wish.

7 Layer Magic Cookie Bars (See cookies is in the title; ergo, these are a perfect fit for #NationalCookieDay)

Step 1: Preheat Oven to 350



2 1/2 cups of crushed graham crackers. (I couldn't find crushed graham crackers at the store and got tired of looking so I bought graham crackers and used a cheese grater to crush them.  It worked.

1 1/2 sticks melted butter

Mix above 2 ingredients and then press evenly in a 9x13 inch pan.

Pour 1 can of sweetened condensed milk over the cracker mix evenly-don't try to smooth out, just pour it over and leave it.

Next layer each of these in order:

1 1/2 cups of butterscotch morsels

1 1/2 cups of semi-sweet chocolate chips

1 1/2 cups of coconut flakes

1 cup of  walnuts

Place in a 350 degree oven for 23 minutes and then try to let cool completely before sampling.

You could swap the butterscotch for white chocolate chips  or peanut butter chips--you could add dried cherries or cranberries. You could use pecans or hazelnuts.  It's a very flexible recipe.

Happy #NationalCookieDay!

xoxo

Monday, December 3, 2018

Do you have FOTO? Fear of the Oven? Here's a cookie recipe for you!

After my Oatmeal Scotchies debacle, I needed a few days to recover and a couple more trips to the grocery store, and now I'm ready for another butterscotch morsel-centric cookie recipe. 

Not much is simpler than a 3-ingredient recipe and only using a microwave.  Note: you can melt the butterscotch chips on the stove if you don't use a microwave. Of course if you don't use a microwave, you probably don't eat processed items chock-full  of  sugar.

Butterscotch Haystacks

You can find many variations of this recipe on Google, Pinterest, etc.  This is what I did:

1/2 a bag of La Choy Chow Mein Noodles.
1 bag of Butterscotch Morsels
2/3 ish a cup of dry roasted peanuts.

Put the noodles and the peanuts in a bowl.  Put the Butterscotch Morsels in a microwaveable bowl. Microwave the morsels for about 90 seconds, until they are melted.  Pour over the noodles and peanuts. Mix until all is covered; then put bunches of the mix onto a tray. My tip is to use some plastic gloves to mix everything and  to put the little bunches of mix --i.e. haystacks onto a tray or cookie sheet. Next chill in the fridge or freezer.  Once the haystacks are solid you can store in Tupperware or in a plastic bag in the freezer etc.



You can put the haystacks on waxed or parchment paper and let it cool on your counter tops as well--whatever works for you.

I think Butterscotch Haystacks date back to the 1970s, so it's a nostalgic treat!

Happy Day 7 of Adventures in Cookie Baking (making)!

xoxo

Sunday, December 2, 2018

A Twist on Brownies, Tastes Great, Looks Very Homemade!

Hello!  Well here I am, Adventures in Cookie Baking day number ah, 6. The other day a random dessert thought popped into my head.  What if I melted dark chocolate orange slices on top of brownies.  How good would that be?

Today my mission was to find out how good that would be.

This is the chocolate I melted and put on top of the finished brownies. I used a brownie mix to make the brownies. I don't think I've ever made brownies from scratch.

Turns out I don't currently own any square baking dishes. I should really buy at least one 8x8 pan.  Or maybe someone could get me one for Christmas.

After I baked the brownies, Tom and I ran up to the High School for the annual A Christmas Carol dinner and show. Before the show the actors in character serve the diners dinner and then the Madrigals and Jazz Band perform and then the final show of the year takes place.  Youngest child did a great job in her part as a scoundrel.

When we arrived home much later, BMO had helped himself to some of the brownies. Frankly, I was surprised at how small a piece he took.

I cut up half of the brownies and left them plain for BMO and the Man.  The rest I frosted with dark chocolate orange.  Once the top had hardened, I attempted to cut the brownies.  It didn't go well.  But, they do taste delicious!

This afternoon I need to run out and get more butter and the adventure shall continue!

xoxo

Thursday, November 29, 2018

Taking the Guesswork Out of Cookie Baking

Welcome to day four of my adventures in cookie baking!  Today I started with a mix and whipped up a batch of delicious thumbprint cookies.  This is a mix and a recipe I've used before so I was 99.5% certain these cookies would turn out *chefs kiss* perfect.

On to the cookies,

I used the my favorite cookie sheet, which was purchased by the Man, so I'll give him credit for finding a quality cookie sheet at a good price. I don't know what he paid for it, but he loves to shop for a good deal.

The mix I used was the Absolutely Almond Pound Cake Mix from Tastefully Simple I got my box from my good friend Becky McNeill.

All you need is the mix, 1 stick of butter, an egg, a wee bit of water and the jam of your choice. I had a jar of the Tastefully Simple's Rhubarb Strawberry Fruit Spread so I used that, but in the past I have used apricot jam and the best of all jams: Currant Jelly.

You mix the ingredients and then bake for 10 minutes after which you remove the cookies from the over, make the thumbprints, add your jelly of choice and cook for another 4-6 minutes.  What sets these cookies apart is the almond flavor in the mix. 

Here is my finished product.  I ate a couple and the kids had a couple and now the rest are in my garage freezer--safe from easy consumption and ready to be added to holiday cookie trays.


What cookies will I make next?  Stay tuned!
xoxo

Wednesday, November 28, 2018

They Claim to Be the Best Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe, Let's Find Out!

Welcome to my adventures in cookie making day three. Today I tackle, with the help of Ms. Anna, everyone's favorite cookie, the chocolate chip cookie.  I found a recipe that calls itself "Best Chocolate Chip Cookies" and I had to try it. What did I have to lose right?


We followed the recipe exactly, and I think the one instruction that sets this recipe apart from other chocolate chip cookie recipes I have used is this:

"Dissolve baking soda in hot water. Add to batter along with salt."

After making the first dozen, Anna lost interest and left me to my own devices. Out of the goodness of my heart, I proceeded to make two dozen more walnut free cookies.  By the time I had finished with the last of the plain cookies, Bryce had eaten the first dozen.

The last two dozen cookies are the best of the batch because those cookies have delicious walnuts in them. Walnuts, as you may know are not cheap but add a richness and crunch the the basic chocolate chip cookie.  Nuts are also good for you; therefore, adding nuts makes the cookie more of a health food than a treat.

This recipe did deliver excellent results.  The cookies are a little crispy on the edges and soft and gooey on the inside, but not too gooey.

Tomorrow's recipe is going to be super easy for me because it starts with a mix! We won't even need the Kitchen Aid.

xoxo



Monday, November 26, 2018

It's Christmas...Cookie Time!

Recently, I got it in my head that this year I'd like to make many different kinds of Christmas Cookies.  Thanksgiving has passed and the time is here. Plus there were a couple of really good sales on butter, and I have a bunch of butter on hand.  Is there a better way to use excess butter beside cookie making?  I think not.

For my first batch of cookies I got out my cookie press and made these spritz cookies. The recipe is very short and simple. I used almond extract instead of vanilla because that is the flavor I expect in my spritz cookies. 

As I was sampling my work, I pondering a key question. What beer or wine would pair best with these bites of goodness? 

Here is what Food & Wine has to say: 
 Simple Cookies: Prosecco
I don’t mean “simple” in a bad way here; these cookies just don’t have a lot going on: sugar cookies, spritz cookies, shortbread cookies, basically anything light in color and straightforward in taste. There are no mix-ins, no fillings, and no complex flavors from caramelization or browning. Not surprisingly, these cookies pair well with simple, light, even sparkling beverages. 


Now on to beer, the internet says spritz cookies and a nice pilsner pair well. If you would like to actually put beer in cookies, here is a round up of some beer cookie recipes.

Happy Baking!  Next up I'll share my attempts to make oatmeal scotchies.  

xoxo! 

Wednesday, October 24, 2018

The Incredibly Silly Thing I've been Doing

Nostalgia is a very effective means of stress reduction. Note, I have no scientific basis for that first remark.  Life is stressful!  The news is stressful, people are bonkers.  And let's not forget it's unseasonably cold in my area.  I hate turning my heat on before November.  I gave in and started wearing my winter coat a week ago.  It's madness I say.  Also stressful is being the passenger as BMO works on reaching 50 hours of driving time to get his driver's license!

I bet there are tons of happenings in your own life stressing you out.  If you are like me, you really can't afford to take up a daily drinking habit--so what is a girl to do?

Some people turn to ASMR on YouTube.  I have turned to watching old commercials.  To be more specific holiday commercials.  Did you know there are hours and hours of commercials from the 70s, 80s, and 90s curated on YouTube right now? 
Yes Virginia, hours and hours of Christmas Commercials awaits you!



I know it's silly, but it's so relaxing to revel in the Nostalgia of childhood.  Try it! You'll like it!  

Happy Wednesday!

xoxo