(I actually dusted my entire front yard in powdered sugar this morning, just for effect)
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Hey, happy December 1st to you! My mind is sort of all over the place this morning, because I think I've had a little too much caffeine--you got a problem wit dat?
Right on cue, we had a lovely little dusting of snow last night, just enough to make everything look pretty and Christmas-ey.......
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In my last post, I promised to share my oh-so professional "photo shoot" from a cocktail party we attended last weekend, of my dear friend Diane M's incredible mountain lakeside home. Well, what is that old expression? Something like, "God laughs while we're busy making plans"? Yeah well ....thought I had some awesome photos all ready to share with you, then discovered that I DELETED them all, quite by accident, when I forgot they were even on my camera. Only one word will suffice: DUH. Maybe I can blame my blunder on my "chemo-brain", a phrase my father in law just loves to pieces . Well, whatever--I blew it, and now you are missing out. Maybe if Diane invites me back over I can try again, but I don't think they'll be back in town for awhile. They live full-time in New Jersey. The nerve!
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So this year, I've decided that the best holiday gift I can give to myself is the gift of simplifying Christmas. Because last year I was THIS close to being hospitalized with bronchitis / pneumonia, and it scared me. This year, something's gotta give, so here's Leslie's way of scaling back....
***No Christmas cards. To anyone. Period.
***More time snuggling on the sofa, watching the fire, with this guy......
(In case you think B.A. always looks this sweet, well, here's a photo I took of him on a black, black day recently, when his beloved football team was losing. Oh and I know, the photo is sideways because I took it with my I Phone, and couldn't fix it, for some lame reason................
***I'm going to do as much shopping as I can on the great World Wide Web....because in my current immuno-compromised state of affairs, it probably isn't a great idea for me to be around malls anyways.
***My annual cookie party extravaganza is for KIDS ONLY this year.....sorry neighbors and friends! My friend Leslie B., giver of the famous Gingersnap recipe, is probably going to stick her head in the oven when she reads this, because she gets as excited as a little kid, each and every year, over the shin-dig ; sorry Les! I'll make it up to you, promise.
***I am doing as much as I can in advance of the holiday this year, including freezing cookie dough. I attach baking and decorating instructions to each plastic wrapped and frozen cookie dough ball, so that all I'll have to do is the FUN stuff later on, like frosting cookies and sipping hot chocolate with my daughter and her friends....
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SPEAKING of cookies...here's Part 2 of my holiday baking series. And can I just say that IF you are as big a choco-holic as I (I have seriously been known to jump in my car and drive to the local pharmacy when it's 40 below ZERO outside for a Dove chocolate candy bar), you are going to simply ADORE these Chocolate Chunk Mocha Cookies. I've made these for years and years, and they are always a huge hit--especially the espresso frosting!
To begin, combine flour, cocoa, soda and salt in a bowl..............
Beat butter, white sugar, brown sugar and GOOD vanilla (please, I beg of thee to never, ever again buy the vanilla "flavored" stuff--I know it's less expensive, but remember : better ingredients, better results!)...........
Add eggs, one at a time..............
Add flour mixture gradually, then stir in chocolate chunks. So am I the only one that can't resist a bite of this oh so chocolate batter? Hmmmm?..........
Drop dough by heaping tablespoonfuls onto paper or silicone lined baking sheets, fire up the oven, and bake for about 12 minutes. Please do not judge my by my scungy oven that is in desperate need of a cleaning......
Now here's the most important part of the whole recipe................
That's right, instant espresso, for the frosting. Take a heaping tablespoon, add about 1/ 4 cup water, and microwave until boiling hot. Mix well, then add 1 / 4 cup of this to some unsweetened cocoa, a little bit of melted butter, and more vanilla.............
Sift powdered sugar into this mixture............
Stir until really creamy....mine needed a little more liquid, so I added a few teaspoons of half and half. Once cookies have cooled, frost with this heavenly frosting goodness..............
I tell you WHAT--these cookies are DA bomb! Here's the recipe......
CHOCOLATE CHUNK MOCHA COOKIES
Makes about 3 dozen cookies
2 and 1 / 4 cups flour
2 / 3 cup unsweetened cocoa
1 tsp. baking soda
1 / 4 tsp. salt
2 sticks butter, softened
3 / 4 cup white sugar
2 / 3 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 large eggs, warmed to room temperature
1 11.5 oz. package semisweet chocolate chunks
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine first 4 ingredients in a bowl. Beat butter and next 3 ingredients at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating just until blended after each addition. Gradually add flour mixture, beating at low speed until blended. Stir in chocolate chunks by hand. Drop cookie dough by heaping tablespoonfuls onto parchment or silicone lined baking sheets and bake for 10-12 minutes or until puffy. Cool on baking sheets for 2 minutes--let cool on racks completely before frosting with Mocha Frosting, below:
Mocha Frosting
1 / 4 cup unsweetened cocoa
1 / 4 cup prepared hot instant espresso
1 / 4 cup butter, melted
1 tsp. vanilla extract
3 and 1 / 2 cups powdered sugar, sifted
Stir together cocoa and next 3 ingredients until smooth. Gradually add powdered sugar, stirring until creamy.
TODAY I'M SO THANKFUL FOR.....
***Only 17 days until Little Miss Thing flies home for her short but precious winter break, before flying off to France for her Spring semester.....
***That I'm feeling well enough these days to even think of hitting the school gym tonite with B.A., even if just for a little while....
***How much I'm truly looking forward to the big fun we'll be having in 2012...more to come!
Now you've got my attention, chocolate AND coffee food? Win:win!
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