Hot Chocolate Cookies

Well it's here, our 4th week of "12 weeks to Christmas". and what a delight these little cookies are, I tested them with mini marshmallows on half the batch but I prefer without.

Here is WHAT YOU NEED:

2 sticks room temperature butter
1 cup sugar
2/3 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 1/4 cups flour
5 oz.hot cocoa
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup each white and milk chocolate chips

Cream together both sugars and room temperature butter.

In another bowl whisk or sift all dry ingredients except chocolate chips.

Beat in eggs and vanilla extract.

this part was the hardest. I tried mixing with my mixer but preferred (for the safety of my mixer and self) mixing it by spoon....and of course I indulged in a couple licks too, I know I know, its not safe to do but it sure is good.

Preheat your oven to 350.

the recipe calls to chill the dough for 1 hour, you dont have to if you're short on time. I used a 1 inch cookie scoop and placed 8 cookies on each cookie sheet. Bake 9-11 minutes and cool on wire rack.

Here is the half batch I made with marshmallows... to add these you add the mini marshmallows about 7-8 minutes into baking and bake for the remaining time ( 1-2 minutes) . cool. ENJOY!

Date night at The Can Can

 My husband and I decided that it was about time that we went out together and without the children so I Googled some places and came across the Can Can Seattle, they've been rated the top most entertaining Burlesque shows in Seattle. We purchased our VIP tickets ( cause we're ballin like that- not really) at $45.00 each and were placed on the VIP list...which means we got to practically sit up on stage, it was a great spot.

So we hoped on the ferry to Seattle, cutting it close I might add. grabbed the Valet and dashed down the stairways at Pike Market area and into a sheek little place below the streets. Ordered a lemon drop and began to relax.

 our $34.00 Lemon Drop drinks.....the place is a bit pricey on the drinks so if you plan on going there bring about an extra $80.00 for drinks. Overall the place was wonderful and a perfect spot for a date.

 Welcome to the Show Pony at The Can Can. There were skits,dance routines that would WOW you, and funny gayness and some burlesque fun. now there are no more Show Pony shows but I'm sure all their featured shows are just as good if not better.

 They brought us back to the 80's a couple of times with cute aerobics and skits but this guy topped it off with the "connor" moves, which I swore up and down to my husband that he must have stolen from our son.

would I go back?! YES and I might even bring the lady's next time too especially if it was someones birthday!! so thats what I did this past weekend.....well that and did some baking ( of course )

Pumpkin Pie Yummys

 (sorry about the unfocused picture)

 What is Fall without the classic pumpkin pie? For me pumpkin pie opened the season of leaves dropping, turkeys, crisp cool breeze, and of course pumpkin carving and with pumpkin carving you must make pumpkin pies.
 My family loves bustin' out 5-8 pies this time of year. We've tested many different recipes and this is the one we seem to love the most.

 WHAT YOU NEED:

• 1 baking pumpkin
• 1 (14oz) Sweetned Condensed Milk
• 2 Eggs
• 1 tsp Ground Cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp Ground Ginger
• 1/4 tsp Ground Nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp Allspice
• 1/2 tsp Salt 
• 9'' Deep Dish pie crust ( ya we cheat ) - if you want to try out your own pie crust making skills, go ahead.

                   Cut the Baking pumpkin in half w/o stem. Scoop out the seeds and string.

                           Cover baking sheet with foil and place pumpkin cut side down.

                           Bake at 350 'til tender ( about 25-35 mins) Let cool.

    Scoop out flesh and mash with potato masher or food processor until smooth. Drain if it's to watery.

                                   Combine the Milk,Eggs until smooth.

                       Add the remaining ingredients and process the heck out of it,ha!

                        I like the poke the bottom of the pie crust before I pour the mixture but you dont have to. Bake at 425 for 15minutes. Reduce temp to 350 and continue baking 35-45 minutes or until knife inserted 1  inch from crust comes out clean. Cool.

                                                                         ENJOY!!

Candy Corn Cookies

Where did I get this amazing Candy Corn Cookies recipe? Bree has been an inspiration to my house time boredom with her wonderful and bright recipes. go check her out www.BakedBree.com. My husband grew up in a family of "cookie bakers",where pushing out 4 dozen cookies in what seemed like 15 mins was the norm. As a military family we often lose our day to day interactions with family members from all over the country. We both have a sense of strong family values and well...cookies bring part of that to our house.

So to start a tradition for the holiday seasons I've decided to start "12 weeks to Christmas", every week I will bake a different recipe that our family enjoys or something new we'd love to have....I bake all the time anyways so why not share it with you all?

WHAT YOU NEED:

1 cup butter room temperature
1 cup sugar
1 egg
2 Tablespoons orange juice
2 teaspoons orange zest
1/8 teaspoon salt
3 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
orange gel food coloring ( in my case I used red and yellow food coloring)
yellow gel food coloring
sanding sugar or natural sugar
baking loaf pan
parchment paper
measuring spoons
measuring cup
forearm muscles OR a mixer
sharp smooth knife
and 2 good ol baking sheets

Cream together butter and sugar until fluffy ( about 3-4 minutes ). Then add egg, orange juice, zest and salt mix until even yummier ( is that a word?). slowly add 1Cup of flour at a time and baking soda. Beat until combined. Line a loaf pan with parchment paper and divided cookie dough into three parts

Add the first third of the dough to the loaf pan pressing it evenly in the bottom. Add a few drops of orange to the second third of dough and press that into the pan. Do the same thing and make yellow and press it into the pan.
Wrap the cookie dough in the parchment and chill in the refrigerator until firm. I chilled mine overnight and it was a perfect firmness.

Unwrap the cookie dough and slice into 1/4 inch slices. Slice the dough into triangles. you can get about 5-6 triangles from each slice.

Dip one side of the cookie into the sanding sugar.

Arrange on the cookie sheet and bake in a preheated 375 degree oven for 7 to 10 minutes.

Cool on a cooling rack.

You will be amazed at the taste, the orange really pops in your mouth! it reminds me of the cookies you get around Christmas time that come in a blue tin...friggin YUMMY!!
Try is and let me know how they turned out and what did you do differently if anything different?