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December 21, 2008

My Christmas cards (Rachelle's)


These are my Christmas cards this year. I usually do all of mine the same, but I decided to use printed paper & didn't have enough of one so I did 3 different versions. I really haven't had time to do the work that I usually put into my cards & I wanted to keep them very simple anyway! I ended up making 60 cards this year!




December 19, 2008

This Year's Christmas Cards!

Hello All!

I make my Christmas cards every year, it's fun and it saves me tons of money, plus they are much cuter than anything you can purchase in the store.

So each year I pick 3 or 4 different style of cards, then duplicate each card 30-40 times, I usually make about 100 cards.

Here are this years creations:


Tea-n-Hot Cocoa


I love Peppermint Tea before I go to bed, it helps me sleep
I also love Hot Cocoa, with Peppermint Stick in it.
So I just tried this last night. I steeped myself a mug of Herbal Peppermint Tea, let it sit for a minute, then squeezed the bag and tossed it. Then added 1 packet of Cocoa to my mug of tea and stired. It was way different then adding the Candy Cane to the Cocoa but it tasteded great and it didn't have the added sugar from the candy that I don't need, plus I get the benefit of the Herbal tea.

So If you like tea and you like Cocoa, you must try your favorites together!
Its really great on a cold night!


If you don't like tea, you can also try Peppermint Extract -Or Your favorite flavor in an extract - get the Flavor without the sugar!

December 05, 2008

Cookies & More Galore!

Hello all, Bridgette here!

My friend Keith from VA sent me this list of hyperlinks for all different types of cookie recipes.
I thought that it was just about the coolest thing so I thought I'd share it will all y'all!

There are seriously a lot of cookies here, if you click on the hyperlink of one that sounds good to you it will pull up the website with the recipe.

You can bake to your hearts content!

1-2-3 Cookies
7 Layer Cookies
Almond Crescent Shortbread
Amish Sugar Cookies
Andies Candies Cookies
Angel Crisps
Applesauce Cookies

Aunt Edy's Molasses Crinkles
Auntie Linda's Ginger Gems
Bakeless Dream Cookies
Banana Drop Cookies
Best Chocolate Chip Cookies in the World
Boiled Chocolate Oatmeal Drop Cookies
Brown Sugar Shortbread
Brownie Cookies

Brownie Delight
Brownies
Buried Cherry Cookies
Butter Cookies
Butter Nut Balls
Butterscotch Haystacks
C.O.P. Cookies
Candy Cane Cookies

Candy Cookies
Caramel Shortbread
Cheesecake Brownies
Cherry Buns
Cherry Crowns
Cherry Winks
Chewies
Chewy Noels
Chinese Chews/Haystacks
Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars
Chocolate Chip Cookies


Chocolate Chip Meltaways
Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Cookies
Chocolate Christmas Trees
Chocolate Crinkles
Chocolate Mint Snow-Top Cookies

Chocolate Snowball Cookies
Chocolate Streusel Bars
Chocolate Sundae Cookies
Chocolate Walnut Crumb Bars
Choco-Scotch Crunchies
Choose A Cookie Dough Recipe
Christmas Crunch Bars
Christmas Ginger Snaps
Christmas Mice Cookies
Christmas Shaped Cookies
Church Window Cookies
Coconut Cookies

Congo Squares
Cookie in a Jar
Corn Flakes Cookies
Cornflake Christmas Wreaths
Cowboy Cookies (oatmeal)

Crème De Menthe Chocolate Squares
Crème Wafers
Crescent Cookies
Crispy Crunchies
Date Nut Balls
Date-nut Pinwheel Cookies
Diabetic Peanut Butter Cookies
Doodles

Double chocolate chip cookies
Double-Chocolate Crinkles
Eatmore Cookies
Eggnog Cookies
Elizabeth's Sugar Cookies

Elves Quick Fudge Brownies
Emily Dickinson's Gingerbread Cookie Recipe
Famous Oatmeal Cookies
Firemen Cookies
Fluffy Shortbread Cookies
Forgotten Cookies
Frosted Peanut Butter Brownies

Fruit Cake Cookies
Fruitcake Squares
Fry Pan Cookies
Gems
Ginger Crinkles
Gingerbread Baby
Gingerbread Men

Gingerbread Men
Ginny's Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Cookies
Glory's Golden Graham Squares
Glory's Sugar Cookies
Gramma Chapman's chocolate coconut drops
Grandma Elsie's Zimt (cinnamon) Cookies
Grandma J's Butter Cookies
Grandma Olson's Parkay Cookies
Great Grandmothers Sugar Cookies
Gum Drop Cookies

Gumdrop Gems
Haystack Cookies
Ho-Ho Bars
Holiday Cereal Snaps
Holiday Chocolate Butter Cookies
Holiday Raisin Walnut Bars
Holly Cookies
Ice Box Cookies

Italian Cookies
Jam Bars
Jessica's Famous Brownies
Jessie's Chocolate Chip Cookies
Jubilee Jumbles
Juliet's Peanut Butter Blossoms

Jumbo Chocolate Chip Cookies
Kentucky Colonels
Kifflings
Lacy Swedish Almond Wafers
Lemon Angel Bar Cookies
Lemon Bars
Lemon Cake Cookies
Lemon Cream Cheese Cookies
Lemon Squares


Linzer Tarts
Log Cabin Cookies
M&M Cookies

Magic Cookie Bars
Melt in Your Mouth Cutout Sugar Cookies
Melting Shortbread
Meme's Cream Cheese Cookies

Milk Chocolate Florentine Cookies
Mincemeat Cookies
Mincemeat Goodies
Molasses Cookies
Molasses Forest Cookies
Molasses Sugar Cookies

Mom Mom's Crescent Cookies
Mom-Mom's Ginger Cookies
Mom's Nutmeg Sugar Cookies
Monster Cookies

Moravian Christmas Cookies
Nitey Nite Cookies
No Bake Chocolate Cookies
No Bake Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies
No Bake Cookies
No Bake Cookies

No Bake Peanut Butter Cookies
No-Bake Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies
No-Bake Cookies
No-Bake Vanilla Waffer Balls
Norwegian Sugar Cookies
Nut Balls
Oatmeal Coconut Crisps
Oatmeal Cookies

Oatmeal Scotchies
Old Fashioned Sugar Cookies
Ooey Gooey Caramel Chocolate Dunk
Ooey Gooey Squares
Orange Slice Cookies
Parking Lot Cookies
Peanut Blossoms
Peanut Butter Bars


Peanut Butter Blossoms
Peanut Butter Cereal Cookies
Peanut Butter Chocolate Bars
Peanut Butter Cookies
Peanut Butter Cookies
Peanut butter fingers
Peanut Butter Reindeer

Peanut Butter Surprises
Peanut Marshmallow Cookies
Peppermint Snowballs
Persimmon Cookies
Persimmon Cookies
Petey's Yummy Spicy Almond Thins
Pfeffernuesse
Pineapple Filled Cookies
Potato Flake Cookies
Praline Cookies
Praline Strips
Pterodactyl Nests
Pumpkin Bars

Pumpkin Bars
Pumpkin Chip Cookies
Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies
Pumpkin Cookies
Queen Biscuits
Quick Cookies
Raised Sugar Cookies
Raisin Filled Oatmeal Bars
Raspberry Meringue Bars
Reese`s Brownies

Rich Flavor Christmas Cookies
Ricotta Cheese Cookies
Royal Almond Christmas Bars
Russian Tea Cookies
Russian Teacakes
Samantha & Kelsey's Chocolate Chip Cookies
Sand Art Brownies

Santa Claus Cookie Pops
Santa Claus Cookies
Santa's Butterscotch Melts
Santa's Shorts
Santa's Special Squares
Scotch Cakes
Scotch Shortbread
Scotcharoos
Scotcheroos
Shortbread

Skor Squares
Snicker Doodle Cookies
Snickerdoodles
Snickerdoodles
Snow Balls
Sour Cream Apple Squares
Sour Cream Christmas Cookies

Special K Cookies
Spice Cookies
Spicy Oatmeal Raisin Cookie
Spritz Cookies
Stained Glass Window Cookies
Stir & Drop Sugar Cookies
Sugar Cookies
Sugar Cookies

Sugar Cookies
Swedish Pepparkakor (Pepper Cake) Cookies
Swedish Sugar Cookies
Sweet Marie's
Taralle (Italian Cookies)
Tea Time Tassies
The Best Shortbread in The World
Thumbprint Cookies Thumbprint Cookies

Toffee Squares
Traditional Christmas Sugar Cookies
Traditional Gingerbread Men Cookies
Triple-Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ultimate Chocolate Chip Cookies
Walnut Butter Cookies

November 30, 2008

My Homemade Pizza/French Bread

This is one of our families favorites & we make it about once a week.

Homemade Pizza Dough/French Bread
(This makes 2 large pizza's or 2 loaves of bread)

2-1/2 c. very warm water
2 Tbsp. yeast
2 Tbsp. sugar
6-1/2 c. white flour
5 Tbsp butter/margarine
1/2 tsp. salt
Pizza Sauce
1 tall can or 2 sm. cans of tomato sauce
1 Tbsp. Italian Seasoning
1 Tbsp. Garlic Powder
(if you like your sauce thick then add a can of tomato paste as well)

Mix water, yeast & sugar (in that order) together in a bowl. Place aside & let it "proof" for about 5-10 min. The picture above is what the yeast mixture looks like when it has proofed. (I usually place it in front of the vent on my stove so the heat from the oven preheating will help "proof" the yeast mixture.) Mix the flour, salt & butter together. Then when the yeast mixture is done proofing add it to the flour mixture & mix well. If the dough is a little dry you can add about 2 Tbsp. of Olive Oil. Sometimes the amount of flour will depend on the weather. If it's wet (humid) then you'll need a little more flour (but be sure to not add too much). I will usually add about 1/2 cup at a time until it looks/feels right. If it's dry outside then use a little less. Put on a floured surface to rise & cover with a dry towel. If the dough still feels a little sticky then put a little flour on the dough & knead it into it by hand until it's not sticky anymore. Let rise for about 10 min.

While the dough is rising, mix the sauce.

When the dough is done rising, break it into 2 pieces & roll one out on your pizza stone/pan. You can bake this on a cookie sheet if you don't have a pizza stone/pan. Spread sauce on top, add cheese and any other toppings. Bake at 400 degrees for 20 min. You can freeze the remaining dough to use later if you'd like or bake an extra pizza to enjoy now or for leftovers.

French Bread

Use dough recipe above. When dough is done rising seperate into two & place in greased loaf pans. Bake at 350 for 30 min. Remove from pans & place on cooling racks.