Welcome to the GRAND FINALE sneak peeks for Stamps and Smiles new release tonight! Jennifer  will be adding 10 new stamps sets to her  Stamps and Smiles store tonight after the blog hop is over.  For the NEW Release, Jennifer is offering a SALE!  Buy 5 of the 3x4 sets and get the 6th  3x4 set free! (this includes all of the past and present 3x4 stamps sets). What a deal!!

To play along with the blog hop, you must find the piggy bank in this post and add my piggy bank $ together with  the rest of the Design Team's piggy bank money.  Email the answer on the SAS blog!  Be sure to check out what you could win on the Stamps and Smiles Blog. The winner will be announce right after 9 pm tonight!

Here is a list of all the teamies playing along tonight:

Sue Kment  ---you are here!



I also stamped some glassine bags with Staz On (don't use any other type of ink...it won't dry on the slick paper), punched a cute little border, stapled them shut and added this fun Stampin' Up ribbon (see I told you I have a hard time staying away from polka dots LOL)


The FAVORITE family cookie recipe. I got this recipe out of the newspaper probably 30 years ago. You are suppose to make Monster size cookies with this recipe, but over the years I have downsized them a little so I don't act to piggish LOL! This recipe card is a freebie Jennifer added to the very first blog hop post. It is about 4 x 6 ish I think, so plenty big to write your info on! I am going to laminate mine because I use this recipe so much!

 Now...take this money and run...straight back to the Stamps and Smiles Blog and email  them your answer...I am the last in line tonight!  How much is in all the piggy banks...????

Oh goodness is an understatement! This fudge is heavenly! I found this recipe on the Taste of Home site.

1 1/2 lbs of white candy coating, coarsely chopped
1 can (14 ounces) sweetened condensed milk
1/8 teaspoon of salt
1-1/2 teaspoon of vanilla
1-1/2 cups chopped gumdrops(I couldn't find gumdrops but did find them in gumdrop slices-not the spice drops either)

Line a 9 inch square pan (I used a 11 x 7 pyrex), set aside
Melt candy coating, milk and salt over low heat until coating is melted. Remove from the heat; stir in the vanilla and gumdrops. (Gumdrop hint---run your knife of scissors under hot water to cut your gumdrops, makes them easier to cut and not stick to everything)

Spread into the prepared pan, cover and refrigerate until firm. Using foil, remove fudge from the pan; cut into 1-inch squares. Store at room temperature. Yields about 3 lbs.

I found these cute heart bottles at Craftwarehouse in Portland. I filled them with Jelly Belly's and made a quick nestie heart tag. The sentiment is from a retired SU! word set. Added a few red pearls and all done! I made these for my friends at work!


Frost with your favorite frosting. I use the buttercream recipe from Wilton.

Frosting

1/2 cup margarine
1/2 cup shortening(Crisco)
1 lb powdered sugar (4 cups)
1 tsp vanilla (clear if you want a crisp clear color)

add a small amount of hot water to the frosting mixture to get desire consistency. Maybe a tablespoon or two.

My frosting of preference this year was a cookie dipped in melted almond bark. I then colored some of the bark with pink paste coloring and sort of splattered it over the cookie with a fork...these are yummy! Very quick and easy!

Finally the cookies are all done and ready to give away...this is a platter that goes to Grandma's house! There are a few in there that didn't get posted...and looky, my reindeer lost his eyes...will have to work on that hehe!

Aren't these the cutest darn cookies? I am practicing making "Gwamma" cookies for next year. Because of the huge snow storm, I didn't get to spend holiday time with little Cole, but next year he will know what Reindeer are all about and really appreciate this fun cookie! I truly am done baking, and have not posted all the goodies I have made...I guess I will catch back up in 2009!

The "unfun" part of making these cookies was cutting up little pretzels to make the antlers...I had pretzel pieces flying all over my kitchen...I am still finding them LOL!...and those darn little choc chips melted faster in my hand than on the cookie...you have to work fast to give these guys eyes!(as you can tell...they all have wonky brown eyes ha!)

I saved this recipe out of the 2007 December issue of Ladies Home Journal and boy was I determined to make them this year...by golly I had to keep track of that dang magazine for a year! It is basically a peanut butter blossum cookie all decorated up. I don't have time to type out the recipe today, so if anyone needs it asap, please email and I will try to find time to type it up.



I have been stalling in posting my annual wood project because some of the people I give too are going to read this post, but it is time. I will post it tonight! See you then.

Oops, I didn't schedule this one correctly...no recipe typed up yet...oh well-- maybe after work today! Sorry. These are such cute kids cookies and they have a nice cinnamon flavor. Watch for the recipe...coming soon!

ETA:

Here it is!

Cinnamon Polar Bears

1 cup sugar

1 cup butter or margarine-softened

1 egg

2 1/4 cups flour

1 tsp cinnamon

powdered sugar

1 tablespoon mini chocolate chips

red cinnamon candies

Beat sugar and butter/margarine until fluffy. Add in egg and beat well. Add flour and cinnamon. Blend well. Cover dough with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 1 hour for easier handling ( I think overnight would have been better)

Heat oven to 350° (to get the degree symbol press ALT 0176...just a tip there).

Shape each cookie into a 1 inch ball. (I used my #60 scoop, which makes a slightly larger ball I think). Place 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheet (I use my silpat baking sheet) Flatten slightly. (Not too much here...I just used the bottom of a flat glass to flatten...it doesn't take much) Shape some dough into 3 (1/4 inch) balls. Place 2 balls above and touching larger ball for ears and 1 ball on top of cookie to resemble snout. Flatten slightly. (just a wee bit here)

Bake 350° for 11-15 minutes (I baked mine 10 minutes) or until firm to the touch. Immediately remove from cookie sheets. Lightly sprinkle cookies with powdered sugar. Press 2 chocolate chips into each cookie for eyes and 1 cinnamon candy for nose. (Important to do this while cookie is still hot or the candy won't stick )

This recipe says it makes 48, but count on about 24 or so. I made a double batch.

Cream Wafers

1 cup butter or margarine
1/3 cup whipping cream (35% butterfat)
2 cups flour
granulated sugar

Creamy butter filling-see below

Mix butter, cream, and flour thoroughly. Chill 1 hour ( Again, I always chill overnight)

Heat oven to 375°. Roll dough 1/8" thick on lightly floured board. ( I use a floured pastry cloth and rolling pin cover also). Cut into 1 1/2' inch rounds. Transfer to waxed paper heavily sprinkled with sugar, turning to coat both sides. Place on ungreased baking sheet.(I use my silpat sheet) Poke with a fork 4 times.(Don't forget this step--your cookies will explode LOL)Bake 7-9 minutes (I think I bake about 6 minutes with my oven). Put two cooled cookies together with filling. Makes about 5 doz cookies (from Betty Crocker Cookie Cookbook)

Filling

I use a standard frosting recipe.

1 cube(1/2 cup) margarine
1/2 cup shortening
4 cups powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla
several tablespoons of hot water

Cream margarine and shortening, add sugar and vanilla. Add enough water (1 tablespoon at a time) until desired consistency. Split up batch and color half red and half green. Fill inside of cookies. I use a decorator bag with tube #22 or #32 and give a big squirt on one cookie and then top with another. This makes for a very pretty inside edge of frosting.

Notes: One batch of frosting will fill a double or triple batch of these cookies. I use a rolling pen cover as well as rolling this dough out on a floured pastry cloth...just as you do with sugar cut out cookies. These are very delicate cookies, much like pie crust, so handle carefully. These are pretty cut as tiny hearts for Valentines Day too. These are my least favorite cookie to make because they are so time consuming, so these are the first cookies I try to bake during the season, just to get it out of the way! Erin (my oldest daughter, would be mighty upset should I skip these cookies)

Erin likes to eat these without any frosting!

Oh goodness...I first made this recipe 2 years ago when my longtime craftin' friend Jill West sent it to me...it immediately became a big hit with everyone that tried it. It looks pretty impressive for as easy a recipe as it is to make and the flavor is DELICIOUS! Of any goody I have posted, let me recommend this as an instant favorite!

Now Jill West and I have been busy finishing up our annual woodcraft project, so you will get to see that soon--------along with some more tasty recipes if I find the time to post them.


Rocky Road Fudge

1- 12 oz bag of chocolate chips(oops the semi sweet type)
1- cup butterscotch chips(1/2 of a bag)
1- cup crunchy peanut butter
1- Tablespoon margarine or butter
1- 10.5 oz bag of mini marshmallows

Grease 8x8 or 9x9 pan (I use an 11x7 pyrex dish) and line with plastic wrap. In a 4 qt pan, combine all chips, butter/margarine, and peanut butter. Cook over medium heat until melted (2-3 minutes)(mine takes a little longer than this, but be careful not to overcook or the chips will harden). Remove melted chip mixture and quickly stir in marshmallows and spread in dish.

Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate. Remove plastic wrap and cut into squares.

TIP: Jill substituted chocolate caramel chips one time and says this was tasty too!

I had my monthly Desserts Cookbook Scrapping Class last night and I wanted to show you another one of Jill McHale's(still?) wonderful goody creations. These were pretty yummy--- although I did eat one at class and Jill let me bring one home to photograph...I made a deal with my son --take a picture and get the goody! Sounds like a good deal for me and for him! Thanks Matt!

I used to make something similar with a basic frosting mix in the middle and colored some red and some green and flavored the frosting with mint flavoring...tasty and festive!

Be sure to check out Jill's other creations under the Cookbook label on the right of my blog.

These are yummy! I don't know what they are officially named, but they are so colorful and add some fun to your cookie tray!

Candy Cane Kisses or Hersheys Hugs
Bag of Waffle Pretzels
Christmas mix of Plain M and M's

Heat oven to 200°. Place pretzels on your cookie sheet and add a Kiss to the top of the pretzel. Bake for 5-6 minutes. The kiss should then be very melted. Add an M & M to the kiss, pushing the point down with the M & M candy piece. DO NOT overcook as the Kiss will set up and never melt!

Tip: It usually takes two bags of Kisses to one bag of pretzels

For a different version of these --visit Sarah's blog here!

Dipped Gingersnaps

2 cups sugar
1-1/2 cups vegetable oil
2 eggs
1/2 cup molasses
4 cups all-purpose flour
4 teaspoons baking soda
1 tablespoon ground ginger
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt
Additional sugar
2 packages (12 ounces each)
vanilla baking chips
1/4 cup shortening
I prefer to use 6 cubes of almond bark instead of the bags of chips and shortening-much faster!


In a mixing bowl, combine sugar and oil; mix well. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Stir in molasses. Combine dry ingredients; gradually add to creamed mixture and mix well. Shape into 3/4-in. balls and roll in sugar.(I use my #60 scoop on these) place 2 in. apart on ungreased baking sheets. Bake at 350 deg. for 10-12 minutes( I prefer 8-9 minutes at most-I like my cookies soft) or until cookie springs back when touched lightly. Remove to wire racks to cool. Melt chips with shortening in a small saucepan over low heat (Again, I melt almond bark in my microwave for dipping). Dip the cookies halfway; shake off excess. Place on waxed paper-lined baking sheets to harden. Yield: about 14-1/2 dozen.(Yeah right...more like 7 dozen beauties)

Recipe from Taste of Home Dec/Jan 1997 issue.

Thanks Matt (my son) for typing up the main recipe and taking the pic for Mom! Ha! He pretty much did this post for me...aren't children wonderful?