Do you feel wanted?

[saffronhare]

Wanted: six dozen cookies
Princess Boredom and I have been invited to Cookie Exchange this Saturday morning (December 11th, 10:30 a.m., brunch to be served) at the home of one of her friends from school. This girl is in gymnastics with her and we carpool with the mom, who seems pretty cool. We'd really like to go.

I've called on the grandparent contingent to provide babysitting for the younger princesses (who are not invited; cool mom is exporting her two younger girls for the party as well), so I'm hoping child care is taken care of.

What I need help with is a nifty cookie recipe. See, we're supposed to bring six dozen of our favorite Christmas cookies. Um. My cookie repertoirs is quite thin -- but I'd still like to bring something yummy and unusual. Any ideas? (Rum is probably right out...unless I bring a few just for the moms.)

Possible bonus: I am hoping that attendance will get me in touch with the mothers of some neighborhood families who have babysitters on staff.


Wanted: one babysitter
Princess Boredom's first gymnastics meet of the season is on Saturday, December 18th (aptly called the Snowflake Meet). I don't have a solid time yet, but her group usually goes early in the day -- needing to be at the gym for 8 a.m. or so, then finishing up by 11:30 a.m.

The grandparents are invited to this extravaganza of sparkling, bouncing girls, so it would not work to ask them to babysit. It's also important to her that one of the parental units be present for the meet, but agrnmn will be working; zylch will be at work and is therefore unavailable for tike patrol. Are there any volunteers to keep Princesses !Kaboom and Sticky entertained/alive for a few hours? I am willing to barter some favors in exchange for this service.

Have your people call my people if you can help. Smooches,
me

Comments

[pete3great.livejournal.com]

i'll babysit, just wrap the spare kids up and mail them to me. make sure to punch holes in the box.

[saffronhare.livejournal.com]

I don't care what the parole board says, you're a sweetheart.

Cookies

[featherynscale.livejournal.com]

The White Trash Tea Cakes I brought for (some ritual) are the supereasiest, and one recipe makes about 4 dozen cookies:

1 box cake mix (any flavor, but not the pudding-in-the-mix kind)
1 8-oz tub cool whip (thawed)
1 egg
Confectioners' sugar

Mix together 1st three ingredients. Chill. Roll dough into balls, roll balls in sugar. Bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes.

If what you're going for is more "exciting" than "easy", I can dig up some others - let me know.

mmmmm, good

[saffronhare.livejournal.com]

Easy is always good, but those are also very yummy and customizable. For instance, I could add red or green food coloring to the batter, or drizzle some icing on them.

More than anything, I'd rather not bring something that everyone else will be bringing. What would be the point of an exchange then, right?

Re: mmmmm, good

[featherynscale.livejournal.com]

Yeah - I would go for red or green crystal sugars in addition to or instead of the confectioners' sugar more than the icing (they're pretty craggy cookies), and I would stick to a paste food coloring for the batter rather than a liquid. Really, as far as customizing these goes, I wouldn't add any liquid to the dough at all. It's pretty sticky as is.

For other options try here (http://www.cookierecipe.com).

Re: mmmmm, good

[saffronhare.livejournal.com]

Excellent points all. I consider the problem solved, and the Mean Green Sewing Machine machine well-bartered-for*, if you decide you want it.

* Received: an appropriate and simple recipe when I needed it, as well as the assistance with not tripping over my own cleverness as I considered altering the recipe.

Re: mmmmm, good

[featherynscale.livejournal.com]

Glad I could be of service.

Re: mmmmm, good

[saffronhare.livejournal.com]

Yay, service. I should ask you to do more things for me.
.
.
.
hm. the mind, it boggles.

Re: mmmmm, good

[featherynscale.livejournal.com]

You may as well. I'm talented, efficient, creative, and unemployed.

Re: mmmmm, good

[saffronhare.livejournal.com]

May as well get your help with some Nine Fires stuff, then. Incidentally, our favorite Kick-Ass Lawyer may be passing some copy/layout work our way -- not specically design stuff, more making a PowerPoint look interesting. I'll let you know when I have more...

Cut out cookies?

[lightonthesill.livejournal.com]

I now am ?proud? to say that I have an obscene amont of cookie cutters. My mom sent me a years worth of "subscriptions" of cookie cutters. Hard to explain - but a very cutsie "get a pack of recipies, two cutters, and a jar of sprinkles a month club" about does it. (Except she sent them to me all at once.) So you name it - I prolly got it.

LEBKUCHEN

[kittenpants.livejournal.com]

Not as easy as Feathery's trashy teacakes, but I thought you'd appreciate it:

LEBKUCHEN (Spice Cookies)

Rice paper is traditionally used in this recipe, but is not essential. You can bake these cookies on buttered baking sheets instead.

Active time: 45 min Start to finish: 2 3/4 hr

For nut flour
3/4 cup hazelnuts (3 1/2 oz)
3/4 cup sliced almonds (2 1/2 oz)
2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda

For cookies
1 cup packed dark brown sugar
3/4 cup mild honey
1/2 stick (1/4 cup) unsalted butter, softened
2 large eggs
1/2 cup finely chopped fine-quality mixed candied fruit such as citron, orange, and lemon*
4 (11 1/2- by 8 1/4-inch) sheets edible rice paper, cut with scissors into 32 (2 1/2-inch) rounds

For icing
2 cups confectioners sugar
3 tablespoons water

Make nut flour:
Finely grind nuts with remaining nut flour ingredients in a food processor.

Make dough:
Beat together brown sugar, honey, and butter in a large bowl with an electric mixer at medium-high speed until creamy. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Mix in nut flour at low speed until just blended, then stir in candied fruit.

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Arrange rice-paper rounds, shiny sides down, on 2 large baking sheets. Roll level 2-tablespoon amounts of dough into balls with dampened hands, then put 1 on each paper round and flatten slightly (dough will spread to cover paper during baking).

Bake cookies in upper and lower thirds of oven, switching position of sheets halfway through baking, until surface no longer appears wet, about 15 minutes total. Transfer to racks to cool.

Ice cookies:
Sift confectioners sugar into a bowl, then stir in water until smooth. Evenly brush tops of cooled cookies with icing. Let icing set, about 1 hour.

Cooks' note:
• These cookies improve with age but icing will darken. If making ahead, do not ice until day of serving. Cookies keep, layered between sheets of wax paper, in an airtight container 1 month.

* Available at Fauchon (212-308-5919) or The Baker's Catalogue (800-827-6836).

Makes about 32 cookies.
Gourmet
December 2002

Pecan Sandies

[fionnabhar.livejournal.com]

1 cup butter
2 cups flour
1/4 cup powdered sugar
1 cup chopped pecans
2 tsp. vanilla
1 Tblsp. water

Cream butter, sugar, vanilla, and water. Add flour and mix. Add pecans. Form small curved rolls 1 1/2" long. Bake on ungreased cookie sheet until delicately browned. Roll in additional powdered sugar while hot.

Big advantage to these, besides being disgustingly yummy, is that you can get the whole batch onto the cookie sheet at the same time. They don't rise or expand, so you can put them close together.

Please don't call them "pee-cans," though. That's so gross.

[kcwitch.livejournal.com]

i just so happen to not be working that day so i can come over and watch the girls for you.

[saffronhare.livejournal.com]

You know, that just might work. I've discovered that she's competing later in the day than I thought -- we need to be at the gym for 11 a.m. and then ought to be home by 4 p.m.

That means you'd get naptime (or not, depending on the activity level...). Are you still game?

[kcwitch.livejournal.com]

still works for me. i am off on saturday so i'll get to sleep in for a bit then will come over when ever you need me. mac'll have the boys and diva is going to lawrence for the day for ku basketball clinic with her girlscout troop. so he can take care of dropping her off at the church and picking her up later when she gets home.

[saffronhare.livejournal.com]

That sounds groovy, then. Wow. Babysitting arranged more than a week ahead of time. Somebody stop me.

I won't get to see much of you, but if your schedule permits when we return from the meet, maybe we could share a cup o'tea and chat a bit.

I'll take this to email now. Thank you!

[kcwitch.livejournal.com]

i'll be free most the day so that sounds fine with me. i'll be at the bazaar sunday but because i am running a booth you will not see much of me unless you are coming to my booth.