Looking ahead to 2008...

Due to the Superbowl, there won't be a Chinese Groundhog Gras this year.
Now we're looking ahead to Abe Lincoln's Birthday Party on Feb 17.

December 16, 2007!

Thanks to all for another successful (albeit wintery) COOKIE & TREAT SWAP.

As promised, the recipes are HERE!

Julie's Super-Intense Brownies were found online, here!

Diane's Christmas Bark
1 sleeve Saltine Crackers
1 cup butter
1/2 cup light brown sugar
21oz semi-sweet chocolate morsels
1 cup chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 350.
Place crackers in a single layer on a parchment-lined baking sheet with sides.
Melt butter and brown sugar in a medium saucepan, then cook over med-high heat for 3 minutes (until bubbly), stirring constantly.
Pour butter-sugar mixture over the crackers and spread evenly.
Bake for 15 minutes.
Remove from oven and sprinkle with chocolate morsels. When they start to melt, spread evenly over entire layer of crackers.
Sprinkle chopped pecans on top and refrigerate for 1 hour.
Remove from fridge and break into pieces. Yum!

October 27, 2007

Theme: Mad Science

Who was there/what they brought:
Julie: chocolate chip pumpkin bread
Scott & Maria: Lucifer's Lemon Lentils
Jason & Amy: Sweet & Salty Bugs
Jay & Kelly: Bloody Eyeball Cake
Shawn & Kaylie: Dracula-Got-Them-First Cupcakes & Bowl-o-Eyeballs
Amy & Stamatis: Mad Monster Mash Muffaletta, Squash Soup, Speciman CT-427, Lizard Liver & Bile Berries test tubes

Lucifer's Lemon Lentils (actually Ismail Merchant's) can be found here (scroll down)

it's coming baaaaaaaack!

look for news soon on an august bbq!
theme will be jamaican/carribean.

2007 PLANNER

LOOK NO FURTHER FOR UPCOMING DATES and THEMES!

Feb 25: The Oscars! THEME: Hollywood Food
March 18: Erin Go Bragh. THEME: the Potato
April 22: THEME: Foods of Your Forefathers (a recipe from your own nationality/heritage/family)
May 20: Get Ready for Summer! THEME: RAW foods

HAPPY ELVIS' BDAY!!!!

who was there: what they brought

rick: apple butter baked beans
dana: boston creme pie (after valiant blue suede shoe cookie attempt)
zach/sarah: amaretto fluff with dipping fruit
michael: "elvis pretzel" (pretzel-crusted jello & strawberry-topped dessert)
diane/ed: peanut butter & nanner cupcakes
stamatis: biscuits & gravy, plantains & peanut sauce ala indochine
amy: sweet & sour meatballs a la king

PRIZES!!!
Dana kicked butt on the quiz, for a lovely elvis paint-by-number

AMY's MEATBALL RECIPE
(special thanks to Tana for the recipe)

ingredients:
2 jars heinz chili sauce
1 large jar concord grape jelly
24 frozen meatballs (in this case, trader joe's turkey meatballs)

place all ingredients in a pot.
you might try a crockpot, if you've got one, since you're going to cook them for awhile and you might want to keep them warm.
mix thouroughly.
heat over low heat for 1 hour, stirring occasionally.
make sure sauce is well mixed, it should be a very deep red-brown.
keep meatballs warm up to the time of serving.
serve with white bread for sopping up the extra sauce (or maybe making a small sandwich).

2006 COOKIE X-CHANGE SMASHING SUCCESS!!!


GET YOUR RECIPES HERE!!!


From Julie: Three Layer Brownie Bars

Ingredients:

Brownie Mix
Mini marshmallows (about 2 cups)
12 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 cup peanut butter
4 cups rice krispies

1. Prepare brownie mix as directed in a 9x13 pan. As the brownies finish baking, remove them from the oven and cover with an even layer of marshmallows. Turn off the heat and return the brownies to the oven until the marshmallows melt, but not brown. Cool the brownies.

2. Melt the chocolate chips and peanut butter together, then add the rice krispies. Spread the krispy mixture over the cooled brownies. Chill the brownies until the rice krispy layer is firm.















From Amy: Carmel Corn

Ingredients:

½ cup unpopped popcorn
½ cup karo syrup
½ cup butter (or Smart Balance)
1 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 250 degrees.
2. Pop popcorn in air popper or however you normally do
3. Place karo, butter, & brown sugar in a pan.
4. Heat (medium flame) until melted and bubbly at edges
5. Heat (lower flame) for another 5 minutes, stirring constantly.
6. It’ll be very bubbly.
7. Remove from heat, add baking soda & stir
8. Place popcorn on parchment lined cookie sheet (with sides)
9. Drizzle mixture all over the popcorn and mix thoroughly
10. Bake for 15 min.
11. Stir
12. Repeat steps 10 & 11 until it's baked for an hour total
    

Let cool, break it up, & enjoy

Kim's Holiday Penguin Extravaganza

Ingredients:

cream cheese
pitted black olives
carrots
cheese ball igloo
crackers
toothpicks












From Diane: Christmas Balls


Ingredients:

1 cup margarine
2 tspn. vanilla
1/3 cup sugar
red & green sugar
2 tspn. water
2 cups flour
1 cup chopped nuts

Directions:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees
Cream margarine and vanilla; add sugar, creaming mixture until light n fluffy. Blend in water. Stir in flour, mixing well. Add nuts.

Shape into 1" balls. Roll in colored sugar. Bake 1" apart on ungreased cookie sheet.
Bake for 10 min.

COOKIE X-CHANGE IDEAS

click here for very wholesome ideas from your friends at Betty Crocker

click here for tons of xmas ideas from our friend Martha