Kidz Korner - Starfish Cookies

Here's a great summer treat for you and the kids when you can't get outside. Bring the beach inside with these easy peasy cookies. Meaghan at The Decorated Cookie has all the info you need to get you and the kids in a beachy mood! Click on the photo above, grab all your ingredients, cookie cutters (don't forget the kids!) and start baking these Starfish Cookies today!

Needles-n-Pins Stitcheries: Christmas Cookies

Well we are getting down to crunch time for the Christmas holiday. I have all my packages in the mail and on their way so now I can get busy with the baking! :)

This is my recipe for sugar cookies. I have had this recipe for.... I can't remember how long and these have always been a big hit at Christmas time. I think what makes them so soft is that you use powdered sugar for them. So here is the recipe..........

CREAM TOGETHER:

    1 ½ CUPS OF SIFTED POWDERED SUGAR

    1 CUP BUTTER OR MARGERINE (TUB STYLE)

ADD & BLEND IN:

    1 EGG

    1 TSP VANILLA

    ½ TSP ALMOND EXTRACT

STIR IN:

    2 ½ CUPS OF FLOUR

    1 TSP CREAM OF TARTER

    1 TSP BAKING SODA

REFRIGERATE AT LEAST 2 HOURS. HEAT OVEN TO 375 DEGREES. DIVIDE DOUGH IN HALF-ROLL AND PUNCH OUT COOKIE SHAPES. BAKE APPROXIMATELY 5 MINUTES.

Frost with your choice of frosting. I use powder sugar frosting. And then...walla....you have sugar cookies! :)

Enjoy the Christmas season and have fun baking!

Colleen :)

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Needles-n-Pins Stitcheries: Fall Recipes

Now that fall is here it is time to get busy and use all those fruits and nuts that you harvested to make some delicious pies. Unless you are like me and have to go to the grocery store to get the fruits and nuts! LOL! :)

First I think we will start with blueberry. We do have some wild blueberries in our back fields, but didn't get enough picked this year for pies. We use them in pancakes, but Sifting Focus has  pretty good looking pie recipe. 

Next pie is fresh raspberry. We do pick lots of wild raspberries up here, but I use them for jelly and syrup....maybe next year I will pick extra for a pie. I found this recipe once off of pbs.org, but haven't tried it yet. Maybe you can try it for us. :)

I don't know how many of you have fresh pecans to pick, but if not you can do just like me and go to the grocery store to get them. Actually I have never made a pecan pie, but this recipe from Todays Mama for little mini pies looks pretty good and the pies look like a good individual serving. 

Now I do make pumpkin pies especially for Thanksgiving. Years ago I grew the pumpkins and had fresh pumpkin pies, but I haven't grown any pumpkins up here, but maybe when I get my greenhouse built I will grow them again. Nothing better than a fresh pumpkin pie with fresh pumpkin, but until then I will have to use canned pumpkin. This recipe from Inspired Tastes uses pumpkin puree, but I am sure canned pumpkin would work. 

Boy all this talk about making pies makes me hungry. Guess I need to get to the grocery store and get busy making a pie. :)

Happy Baking! 

Colleen :)

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Needles-n-Pins Stitcheries: Let's Make a Twinkie Cake

THERE BACKKKKKKKKKKK!!! Many of you know that the famous Twinkie went away for a little while. On November 21, 2012, Hostess filed for bankruptcy and therefore, temporarily ending Twinkie production. On March 12, 2013, it was reported that Twinkie would return to store shelves in May of that year. Twinkies, along with other famed Hostess Brands, were purchased out of bankruptcy and Twinkies returned to U.S. shelves on July 15, 2013. Now, I haven't seen them at my stores yet, but we are a bit slower getting things up here, but my daughter assures me they are at her store. :)

Here is a little background of the Twinkie.

Did you know that it was invented in 1930 by a baker in River Forest, Illinois? The company used their machines to make strawberry shortcakes, but when the strawberries were out of season they needed a use for the machines so they made the snack cake and filled them with banana's. During World War II banana's were rationed so they switched to the cream filled we see today. They have been a hit ever since.

What better way to celebrate the return of Twinkies than to make a Twinkie cake!

1 pkg cake mix (any flavor)                                             1/2 cup margarine
1 cup water                                                                         1/4 tsp salt
5 tbls flour                                                                          2 tsp vanilla
1 cup white sugar                                                              1/2 cup solid Crisco

Bake cake mix as directed in jellyroll pan. Cook until thick, the water and flour. Cool. Mix together sugar, margarine, salt, vanilla and Crisco. Beat together with cooked mixture until like whipped cream. Cut cake in half. Spread filling on half of the cake. Cover with the other half of cake. Frost or sprinkle with powdered sugar.

Stock photo

I actually haven't gotten around to making this cake yet, but it really sounds good so I plan on trying it one of these days with my free time....oh wait....I don't have much free time. :) Give it a try and let us know what you think.

Enjoy!

 

Colleen :)

 

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