Brent Nyitray
Fairlington Blade
Let the mutherfuker burn!
jnc4p
Kevin S. Willis
Michigoose
lmsinca
markinaustin
Memetrics
novahockey
quarterback
ScottC
yellojkt
I didn’t have time to take a fancy photo or do a collage like my daughter did but wanted to get these other recipes out before the weekend blows by. Upper left is Vanilla Bean Shortbread, top center is variation of Apricot/Oatmeal cookie made with cherries and chocolate, top right are cookie cutters (my grandma’s recipe), bottom left aren’t very fancy but they’re awesome tasting Christmas Crinkle sugar cookies (variation is on first photo the half pink/half white Cherry Crinkles, bottom right are Peppermint and center bottom are yummy Snowball Chippers (coconut and chocolate that tastes more like candy).
VanillaBean Shortbread Cookies
Makesabout 60 (I think)
Ingredients:
4 cups flour
½ tsp baking powder
¾ tsp sea salt
1 lb. unsalted butter
1 cup powdered sugar
½ tsp vanilla
1 vanilla bean
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350
Beat butter until light andfluffy. Add the powdered sugar, bakingpowder, salt and beat again. Add thevanilla and paste from inside the vanilla bean. Add flour in to additions and stir until everything comes together in athick dough.
Divide into two equal parts, wrapand refrigerate for one hour. Roll outto ¼” to ½” thickness and cut with cutters and place on parchment lined cookiesheets and decorate with colored sugar(Iuse gold) or cinnamon/sugar and a square fluted edged cutter.
Bake for 7 to 10 minutes.
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Rolled Sugar Cookies
Makes about 6 Dozen
Ingredients:
2 1/3 cups flour
¼ tsp soda
¾ tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt (scant)
½ cup butter plus 1 tbs
½ tsp orange extract
¼ tsp lemon extract
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1/3 cup sour cream
Directions:
Cream butter, then add extracts and sugar. Beat in egg until fluffy. Stir in flour, soda, baking powder and saltalternately with sour cream. Chill in fridgefor about an hour then roll out on floured cutting board and cut intoshapes. Decorate as desired. Bake about 13 minutes at 375.
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White ChristmasCrinkles
(See variation belowfor cherry cookies)
Makes 48 cookies
Ingredients:
4 ounces white baking chocolate or chips
2 cups flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/3 cup butter
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1/4 cup buttermilk or sour cream
1 tsp vanilla
Sugar and red sprinkles
Melt white chocolate over low heat and set aside tocool. Stir together flour, baking sodaand ¼ tsp salt and set aside.
Beat butter with electric mixer on medium speed for about 30seconds. Add the sugar and beat till wellcombined. Add buttermilk, whitechocolate, egg and vanilla until well mixed. Cover and chill for about an hour.
Shape dough into 1 inch balls and roll in coloredsugar. Bake at 375 for about 10 minutes.
Cherry cookie variation: We add chopped maraschino cherries to the batter and omit rolling themin sugar. After baking dip ½ of cookieinto melted white chocolate and roll that edge in red sugar.
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SnowballChippers
Makesabout 6 dozen
Ingredients:
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 cup sugar
1/3 cup sour cream
2 TBS butter, melted
1 large egg white, lightly beaten
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
4 cups shredded coconut
1/2 cup mini chocolate chips
4 ounced semisweet chocolatesquares (for dipping)
Directions:
Beat sugar, sour cream, butterand egg white in large bowl. Add flourand baking powder until just blended. Beat in vanilla and coconut and then stir in chocolate chips.
Heat oven to 325 and line cookiesheets with parchment paper, lightly coated with vegetable spray. Shape dough in ¾ inch balls and pace 1 inchapart on cookie sheets. Bake one pan ata time for 18 to 20 minutes until coconut begins to brown. Cool
Lay out wax paper on cookiesheets and dip bottoms of cooled cookies in melted chocolate and place on waxpaper. Place cookie sheets in fridgeuntil the chocolate hardens.
Filed under: recipes | Tagged: Christmas cookies |
All Things in Moderation 
LMSForgive the real world intrusion, but you will find this unbelievable.In the "How Stupid Can They Be Dept" administration officials show that they are simply incapable of learning, no matter how many times a lesson is repeated to them: "President Barack Obama supports a compromise payroll tax deal reached in Congress on Friday but Republican insistence on including a demand to speed a decision on a controversial Canada-to-Texas oil pipeline means it almost certainly will not be built, a senior administration official said. The Obama administration believes that while an agreement to extend payroll tax breaks for just two months is not ideal, it would be inconceivable that Republicans would consent to that and later refuse to renew the cuts for rest of the year." http://www.cnbc.com/id/45705694 What is "inconceivable" to the admnistration, is meat and potatoes to the GOP. They are going to wind up looking like fools on this again.
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John, as a follow up from last nights PL conversation, you give cef too much deference:Is Obama's 16-month withdrawal timetable slipping?
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No problem john, consider this an open thread. I only posted these because Mike asked for cookie recipes. I don't have time right now to think or worry about politics too much. I have people coming by today and tomorrow to pick up about 30 lbs. of toffee and I still have to make tomorrows orders. Busy, busy. And we just had, for two days running, the top selling product on Amazon in our sports category………..so we're also working on parts to send one more shipment on Monday.I do agree this tax cut two month extension is pretty bone headed from what I've read.See y'all later………..peace
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LMS, thanks for the recipes. The oatmeal cookies, both variants, intrigue me.Recent BHO decisions that Piss Me 0ff:1] The 2% tax cut for any length of time is BS pandering.2] The sand tar oil is being shipped from Canada through the St. Lawrence, along our Atlantic and Gulf Coasts, to the Texas refineries, right now, and they are building special off loading facilities for the tar. Canada is going to extract this oil. We are going to refine it – because most of the existing sludge refining capacity in the world is in TX.If the proposed pipeline spills, the spill will become a tarball in hours, and not "spread through the water table". There is not as much environmental hazard from the proposed pipeline as from the regular sweet crude pipelines into Houston. So we know that pipeline will be built and should be, IMHO. So postponing the decision to 2013 is a giant copout. 3] The Admin backed the proposal in the DOD bill that gives POTUS the power to designate "enemies of the state". In contravention of the Bill of Rights. If this is ever tested, I hope the court system comes through for our freedom. This POTUS won't.
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jnc:He gets upset over anything military related. Otherwise, he's a worthy poster. I have a high tolerance for everyone but the three amigos.
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lms, WOW! Kudos to you for all of these cookies.mark I'm one who truly appreciates the payroll deduction. I live paycheck to paycheck and find savings (that all conservatives think I should have) more difficult every year because every year I have less disposable income — and I live more frugally than most beleve possible. My savings get smaller every year. WHY BE PISSED OFF AT OBAMA FOR THE PAYROLL DEDUCTION?
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Mark:As you know, but others elsewhere don't seem to get, the State Dept already did a positive environmental study. There is no impediment to a 60 day decision, despite what many are saying. I'm not talking about the enivronmental concerns now, but just the falacious reporting.
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Fallout from the TX redistricting court fight[s]:http://www.statesman.com/news/texas-politics/texas-delays-primaries-until-april-2037210.htmlNow I am off to the UT – Temple bb game with my son.Hook em, 'Horns!
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"As you know, but others elsewhere don't seem to get, the State Dept already did a positive environmental study. There is no impediment to a 60 day decision, despite what many are saying. "The impediment is an unwillingness to take political responsibility for a decision (regardless of what it is) prior to an election.
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jnc:just so
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The D spin is that Obama will just cancel the pipeline. That doesn't sound plausible to me as the Unions really want this. I'm still rather stunned they only got a 2 month extension.
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okiegirl, don't write a response, just think whether 2% of your paycheck funding your SS retirement benefits is really a backbreaker for you; and if it is I ask whether you think a nation deep into red ink should make up the difference for your retirement planning?UT beat Temple 77-65. Satisfactory.
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TMWThe extension equals the timing for the pipeline. No pipeline, no more payroll tax cut.
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John,Thanks for that. Jeebus, it sure looks like he got rolled.
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lms,Those cookies look fantastic. They remind me of the ones my mother used to make only more photogenic.
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The whole payroll tax-pipeline debacle just confuses the hell out of me. I really don't know why or how Republicans chose this particular pound of flesh for America Held Hostage Round 34. And the whole concept of paying for a stimulus tax decrease just seems counter-intuitive beyond belief. Plus all this does is kick it two months down the road for another round of sturm and drang.This whole farce has been pure political posturing on both sides over silly side issues. I really want to bang heads together.
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lms:Thanks for the recipes! I'm going to have to do some of those tomorrow or Monday night. Got the pfefferneuse and gingerbread done today, but I'm running out of time …
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All the cookie recipes look fantastic. If I had an oven & a functional kitchen…
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Mike, you're welcome. I'm under the gun here to get everything done as well, and my sister comes in today. Thank God I have a helpful husband who isn't afraid to put an apron on and help out. Anyone remember my grating onions and goggles story? lol I've been reading the comments re the payroll tax cut and two month extension. Thanks for all the updates everyone. I read yesterday though that the House may not pass the Senate bill anyway………guess we'll find out tomorrow.Okie, I totally get where you're coming from and know lots of people in the same boat. I don't really notice it one way or another in my paychecks because I rarely cash them. They usually go right back into the business and we just pay bills through owner's draw. The only reason I pay myself at all is so we can get small group health insurance.
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Also mike, I hope you saw the recipes in Part one, that's where the two cookie press recipes are.Now, back to work for me, I'm still boxing up candy. Maybe by tonight I'll be able to relax a little………..haaaaaahaaaaaaa.
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lms:Yep, I saw part one — I'm collecting ingredients right now! Looks like I'm going to have to go to the store. For your snowballs, do you use the sweetened shredded coconut or the unsweetened variety?
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mike, looks like sweetened (I had to check the bag with the leftovers in it), I don't think I've ever tried the unsweetened variety. Might be worth a try except these literally taste like a bite of a mounds candy bar.I'll check in off and on today to see if you have any other questions. Enjoy your baking.
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http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2011/12/16/us/politics/state-jobless-rates-in-order-of-primary-dates.html
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John Boehner, leading from behind: "Boehner Says House G.O.P. Opposes Deal on Payroll Tax By RON NIXON Published: December 18, 2011 WASHINGTON — A day after the Senate overwhelmingly approved legislation to extend a payroll tax cut for two months, House Republicans made clear Sunday that they would not support the measure. Speaker John A. Boehner, who had urged his members on Saturday to support the bill, seemingly did an about-face on Sunday and said he and other House Republicans were opposed to the temporary extension, part of a $33 billion package of bills that the Senate passed Saturday. In addition to extending the payroll tax cut for millions of workers, the legislation extends unemployment benefits and avoid cuts in payments to doctors who accept Medicare. The measure would be effective through February. But in an interview with NBC’s “Meet The Press” on Sunday, Mr. Boehner said the two-month extension would be “just kicking the can down the road.” " … "Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, Democrat of Nevada, said that Mr. Boehner had asked him and the minority leader, Senator Mitch McConnell, Republican of Kentucky, to work out a compromise on the tax cut and that it had been agreed to by both political parties. “Neither side got everything they wanted, but we forged a middle ground that passed the Senate by an overwhelming bipartisan majority,” Mr. Reid said in a statement. “If Speaker Boehner refuses to vote on the bipartisan compromise that passed the Senate with 89 votes, Republicans will be forcing a thousand-dollar tax increase on middle-class families on Jan. 1.” Senator Charles E. Schumer, Democrat of New York, said Mr. Boehner’s comments called into question his ability to lead. “This is a test of whether the House Republicans are fit to govern, and it is a make-or-break moment for John Boehner’s speakership,” he said in a statement. “You cannot let a small group at the extreme resort to brinksmanship every time there is a major national issue and try to dictate every move this nation makes.” " Boehner Says House G.O.P. Opposes Deal on Payroll Tax The Democrats are right on this one. Boehner should bring up the Senate bill for a vote in the House and let the chips fall where they may.
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jnc, thanks for your presentation of Widen-Bennett for Shrink's benefit. I do not understand why he equates "universal" with "single payer". I thought of having that discussion with him the other day, but had no time and not much inclination. Thanks again.
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"jnc, thanks for your presentation of Widen-Bennett for Shrink's benefit. I do not understand why he equates "universal" with "single payer". "It allows him to be in favor of Wyden-Bennett previously and also allows him to castigate Wyden for "selling out" now.
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lms:Thanks. I usually have both sweetened and unsweetened coconut in the pantry — the German chocolate cake recipe I use calls for unsweetened coconut. I tried to substitute sweetened coconut once and my teeth hurt from the sweetness of the filling.We had houseguests so the cookies didn't get done yesterday … tonight's going to be busy.
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Mike, maybe you have a cavity,lol. The recipe is mostly coconut as you can see from the ingredients so I'd stick with the sweetened as it could be advertised as a candy rather than a cookie. I took these to an extended family Easter party last year and they were a big hit.I'm finally done cooking, baking and packaging the stuff up. Now I just have to get it all out the door and I can focus on the family and the joy of the Season. I promised my husband yesterday that next year I was going to cut back…….I do that every year.Good luck baking.
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