Chocolate Dipped Orange Spritz Cookies

You know those chocolate oranges that start showing up this time of year. The ones you hit on the bottom and all the sections separate and then you can eat the entire chocolate orange and pretend it is a fruit? I love those. Or those chocolate covered orange sticks? I love those too. One year my secret santa at school gave me a box of orange and a box of raspberry. I ate the whole box of orange in about 2 hours (school is stressful around the holidays) and was a little hyper so my administrative assistant hid the second box from me until it was time to go home! It turned out she was my secret santa and said she would never give me chocolate orange sticks ever again, and warned everyone else to keep them away from me.

So needless to say, I love chocolate and orange together. I found these orange spritz cookies and thought they would be perfect with a little chocolate. Genius! They are so delicious that it is a good thing I got 7 dozen from this recipe because I think I ate 3 dozen before I could pack any away for the kids and work.

Enjoy these, they are a perfect little bite.

Chocolate Dipped Orange Spritz Cookies
adapted from Taste of Home Cookie Swap
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 (8 oz) pkg. cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
orange zest from one large organic orange
1/2 tsp. orange extract
1.5 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp. salt

dark melting wafers (I used Ghirardelli)
orange colored sanding sugar - optional

In a large bowl, cream the butter, cream cheese and brown sugar until light and fluffy.  Beat in orange peel and extract.  Combine flour and salt; gradually add to creamed mixture.

Using a cookie press fitted with the disk of your choice, press cookies 1 in. apart onto ungreased baking sheets.  Bake at 375˚F for 6-9 minutes or until lightly browned.  Cool for 2 minutes before removing to wire racks.  Cool completely.

Melt chocolate in 30 second increments in microwave, stir and repeat heating until chocolate is melted and smooth.  Dip half cookie into melted chocolate, scrap extra chocolate off bottom.  Place on parchment lined sheets.  Sprinkle colored sanding sugar on top if desired.
makes about 7 dozen

1 year ago:    Crock Pot Chocolate Lava Cake and Playing in the Snow
3 years ago:  Fig Bars and Counting all the Dogs
5 years ago:  Caramel Rolls and Not Shopping on Black Friday

November 30, 2016  Sunrise 10:18 am  Sunset 3:01 pm  Temp. H -8/ L -18˚F

The Season of Eating

I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving.  We had our 4 month old Grandson come up for the holiday, he brought his parents with him.  It was a great time of eating, laughing, sleeping in (only kidding, the Grandson got us all up early!) and checking out the Curly Haired Boys favorite eating places.

We always have to go to Pagoda, a Chinese place in North Pole, we took the baby for his first Santa visit at the Santa Clause House, and before they left on Friday we went to the Food Factory for cheesesteaks.

We ate way too much on Thanksgiving, and then had pie for breakfast the next morning.

Pumpkin

Apple

Cherry

The baby also had his first experience with snow.  I got a snowsuit for the occasion and he was not too sure about it.

Looking a little terrified with the new snowsuit.

Once we got outside, he loved it.

All that fresh air and making snow angels wore them out.  So naps were in order.

Yes, he has found his thumb.

They left Friday afternoon so we went to a movie (to keep me from crying too much) and then started with the Christmas decorations.  I'm almost finished putting up my 27 storage crates full of Christmas decorations.  Dave did an amazing job with the lights on the house and he put up my outside nativity. We are getting in the holiday spirit.

I have also started planning my Christmas cookies.  Dave is having surgery on his shoulder Monday morning, so I have a couple extra days at home to take care of him, drive him to physical therapy, and make sure he is taking his meds.  I'm sure he will mostly be in a drug induced sleep, so I plan on cranking out some Christmas cookies to send to the Blond Boy and DIL in San Diego and the grandbaby (he can share with his parents if he wants).

So, on through the season of eating!  Get your cookies going.

1 year ago:    Crock Pot Steel Cut Oatmeal with Pears

3 years ago:   Thanksgiving Treats; Pumpkin Granola

5 years ago:   Gingered Carrot Cake and New Silver Cups

November 27, 2016   Sunrise 10:09 am  Sunset 3:08 pm   Temp. H -3/ L -14

Sex on a Snowbank - Drink of the Week

I've been gone for way too long.  I had a 17 day work trip and that was about 7 days longer than I really like.  But, the fall travel is done and I'm home until about March, and very happy about it.  It is nice to sleep in my own bed, shower in my own shower, pet my dogs, and see my husband.

Which brings us to Sex on a Snowbank, it is a drink my niece saw on Facebook.  Get your mind out of the gutters. It is way too cold for any of that real stuff on a snowbank!  This is Malibu rum, coconut cream, and ice.  A little garnish of flaked coconut and you have one pretty drink.  Besides, we really haven't gotten enough snow to have a snowbank for fooling around on.

Sex on a Snowbank
1.5 oz.  Malibu Rum
3 Tbsp. Coconut Cream
6 ice cubes

For Garnish:
flaked coconut
corn syrup

If desired, pour a little corn syrup on a small plate, pour flaked coconut on another plate.  Dip rim of martini glass in corn syrup and then in flaked coconut.
In blender, measure rum, coconut cream, and ice cubes.  Blend until smooth.  Carefully pour into prepared glasses.  Drink in moderation, you don't want to find yourself on a snowbank in a compromising position!


1 year ago:    Home again and Hot Buttered Rum
3 years ago:   Kentucky Kiss and Falling Down the Stairs
5 years ago:   The beginning


November 22, 2016   Sunrise 9:52  Sunset 3:21  Temp H 9/ L 4˚F

Halloween Oreo Truffles and Falling Down the Stairs

It finally happened, I knew it would, it was just a matter of time.  I fell down the stairs.  I am a pretty clumsy person and falling down the stairs is something I do a couple times a year, falling up the stairs I do a couple times a year too.  So, it has been way past due, to fall down the stairs, because I haven't done it since I had my hip replaced 10 months ago.

I was in a hurry, it was early in the morning, I wasn't hanging on to the railing because my hands were full, and I slipped on the carpet with my socks.  I banged down about 7 steps and landed on my butt close to the bottom of the stairs.  I had to sit there for just a minute to make sure everything was o.k. and Dave comes rushing out of the bedroom all upset.  I was fine, it was really more of a slide than anything, but I had to get the lecture of "you are so clumsy in the morning, you need to slow down..."

I won't admit to Dave, but I was a little sore the next day, not "oh my, I've hurt something in my hip." type of sore, but the "oh my, I'm in my mid 50's and I just fell down the steps." type of sore.  Getting old is not easy.

Well, we had a fun weekend and getting ready for Halloween I made these little treats for the office. They are Oreo Truffles  and just decorated with colored candy melts, sugar eyes, colored sugar, and cookie pieces.  It was a fun project and a nice treat for the office on Halloween.

I hope you enjoyed your trick or treaters!

1 year ago:    Computer Crash and Three Layer Bars
2 years ago:  Pumpkin Martini and Signing on the Magnetic Strip
3 years ago:  Spiced Nuts and the Dish Room
4 years ago:  Death of A Sewing Machine and Vanilla-Chocolate Martini

October 31, 2016   Sunrise 9:38 am  Sunset 5:30 pm  Temp. H 33/ L 21°F