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My post about dog biscuits got me thinking about all the wonderful things you can do with cookie cutters. You can take a cookie cutter - lets say a heart - and cut out the middle of a sandwich. Then take the leftover sandwich and cut it into four pieces. Then you have a puzzle sandwich that you can reassemble and eat. I got this idea from FamilyFun Cookbook from the folks at FamilyFun magazine.

FamilyFun Cookbook calls the sandwich a "Peanut Puzzler" since they use peanut butter, but you can use banana slices, honey and cream cheese, apple butter, ham and cheese - just use your imagination and have fun.

Another fun way to learn your ABCs is to make letter cookies. Nigella Lawson is coming out with a very attractively packaged letter/number metal cookie cutters set next month. Or you can go to a local crafts store and get Wilton’s plastic letter/number set.

FamilyFun.com has a recipe for gingerbread ABC cookies. In Colonial days, when children learned the alphabet, their families celebrated by making gingerbread letters.

Gingerbread ABC Cookies

Ingredients:

1. 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
2. 3/4 cup brown sugar
3. 2 eggs
4. 1/2 cup molasses
5. 1 tsp. vanilla extract
6. 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
7. 1 tbsp. cinnamon
8. 1 tsp. ginger
9. 1 tsp. baking soda
10. 1/2 tsp. salt

Directions:

1. In a large bowl, cream the butter and brown sugar. Beat in the eggs one at a time. Mix in the molasses and the vanilla extract.
2. In another bowl, combine the remaining ingredients. Then add the flour mixture to the butter mixture a little at a time, stirring well each time. Cover the dough and chill for at least 2 hours.
3. Heat the oven to 350 degrees. On a floured surface, roll the dough flat to a 1/4-inch thickness. Now your kids can cut out large letters with a butter knife.
4. With a spatula, set the letters on a lightly greased baking sheet. Bake for about 10 minutes or until the cookies are set. Yield varies depending on the size of the letters.

Pictures from the Flickr account of chalk sbair.

It’s been very challenging to find recipes to celebrate Women’s History Month. Instead, I found a culinary history book called, Dinners with Famous Women: From Cleopatra to Indira Gandhi. In it, Eugenia Van Vliet writes about women from different centuries and recount the meals of their time. You can enjoy dinner with Cleopatra, Annie Oakley, and Mata Hari. Or learn about a meal Anne Boleyn relished at Hampton Court with Henry VIII, eat a meal with Emily Dickinson, and celebrate Passover with Emma Goldman. Sounds fascinating!

But did you know that chocolate chip cookies were invented by a woman - Ruth Wakefield? Before 1930 chocolate chip cookies didn’t exist. From the Lemelson-MIT Inventor of the Week website:

One of Ruth’s favorite recipes was for Butter Drop Do cookies. As she prepared the batter one day she discovered she had run out of baker’s chocolate. She found a semi-sweet chocolate bar that had been given to her by Andrew Nestle, and so she cut it into tiny bits and added them to the dough, expecting them to melt as the cookies baked in the oven. However, the chocolate did not melt. Instead, it held its shape and softened to a delicately creamy texture. Needless to say, the cookies Ruth had created became very popular with guests at the inn, and soon her recipe was published in a Boston newspaper, as well as other papers in the New England area.

Meanwhile, Nestle saw sales of its Semi-Sweet Chocolate Bar jump dramatically, and Ruth and Nestle came together to reach an agreement that would allow Nestle to print the “Toll House Cookie” recipe on its packaging. Part of this agreement included supplying Ruth with all of the chocolate she could use for the rest of her life.

Nestle, meanwhile, began scoring the Semi-Sweet Chocolate Bar, and packaged it with a special chopper for easily cutting it into small morsels. Then, in 1939, Nestle had a better idea, and began offering Nestlé Toll House Real Semi-Sweet Chocolate Morsels. The rest is “chocolate-chip” history.

Some one call the Pope and make this woman a saint. What would we all do without the comfort of a good chocolate chip cookie? Here’s the world-famous recipe. Thanks Ruth and Mr. Nestle.

Original Nestlé Toll House Chocolate Chip Cookies
Estimated Times: Preparation - 15 min | Cooking - 9 min | Cooling Time - 15 min
Yields - 60

This famous classic American cookie is a treat no matter what the age or occasion. Enjoy it with a glass of cold milk.

Ingredients:

1. 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
2. 1 teaspoon baking soda
3. 1 teaspoon salt
4. 1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
5. 3/4 cup granulated sugar
6. 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
7. 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
8. 2 large eggs
9. 2 cups (12-oz. pkg.) NESTLÉ® TOLL HOUSE® Semi-Sweet Chocolate Morsels
10. 1 cup chopped nuts

Directions:

1. PREHEAT oven to 375° F.
2. COMBINE flour, baking soda and salt in small bowl. Beat butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar and vanilla extract in large mixer bowl until creamy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Gradually beat in flour mixture. Stir in morsels and nuts. Drop by rounded tablespoon onto ungreased baking sheets.
3. BAKE for 9 to 11 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on baking sheets for 2 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely.

PAN COOKIE VARIATION: Grease 15 x 10-inch jelly-roll pan. Prepare dough as above. Spread into prepared pan. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown. Cool in pan on wire rack. Makes 4 dozen bars.

SLICE AND BAKE COOKIE VARIATION: PREPARE dough as above. Divide in half; wrap in waxed paper. Refrigerate for 1 hour or until firm. Shape each half into 15-inch log; wrap in waxed paper. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.* Preheat oven to 375° F. Cut into 1/2-inch-thick slices; place on ungreased baking sheets. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on baking sheets for 2 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely. Makes about 5 dozen cookies.

* May be stored in refrigerator for up to 1 week or in freezer for up to 8 weeks.

FOR HIGH ALTITUDE BAKING (5,200 feet): Increase flour to 2 1/2 cups. Add 2 teaspoons water with flour and reduce both granulated sugar and brown sugar to 2/3 cup each. Bake drop cookies for 8 to 10 minutes and pan cookie for 17 to 19 minutes.

Cookies photograph courtesy of of Publications International, LTD.

Women’s History Month is a great time to share stories of inspiring women with the girls and boys in your life. For more information on Women’s History Month check out the National Women’s History Project, a wonderful website. Not only can’t you find great sources for students, teachers, and parents, but you can learn about:

• Women’s History Month
• Great Women Who Changed History
• International Women’s Day

More resources on Women’s History Month:

• The History Channel
• Time Magazine for Kids
• About.com
• SocialStudies.com

A terrific book to share with older children is Lighting the Way: Nine Women Who Changed Modern America written by Al Gore’s daughter, Karenna Gore Schiff. In this highly readable, illuminating narrative that spans the 20th century, Schiff tells the remarkable stories of nine influential women. These women recognized our country wasn’t living up to its promise and fought to alter it.

The women she’s selected - like Dr. Helen Rodriguez-Trias, an activist for reproductive rights (pictured here) - are as varied as they are inspirational:

• Ida B. Wells-Barnett, who was born a slave and fought against lynching
• Mother Jones, an Irish immigrant who organized coal miners and campaigned against child labor
• Alice Hamilton, who pushed for regulation of industrial toxins
• Frances Perkins, who established our social security program
• Virginia Durr, a high society Southern belle who fought the poll tax and segregation
• Septima Clark, who helped to register black voters
• Dolores Huerta, who organized farm workers

These women serve as a guiding light for activists and leaders of today and tomorrow, as well as our daughters and sons.

Did I tell you that Jenn’s Journal is doing a virtual cookie exchange? And did I mention that I was dumb enough to sign up to participate?

First, let me tell you what Jenn’s up to. First, leave a comment over at Jenn’s Journal that you plan to participate. Then follow these steps:

1. On December 11th, post your favorite cookie recipe on your blog.
2. TrackBack to her virtual cookie exchange blog post. (If you can’t or don’t know how to track back, go to her blog and leave a comment with a link to your post.)
3. Jenn will post her recipe on the 11th and list everyone who is participating.
4. Go over to Jenn’s Journal and read all the entries.
5. Get more ideas for cookies baking activities.
6. Bake until the utility company calls to complain that you are using too much gas/electricity.

Now why was I stupid enough to sign on to participate? After moving Colorado - where I’m at a slightly higher elevation than the city of Denver - I cannot bake any more. My biscuits turn into hockey pucks, and my cookie baking is usually a disaster.

Just check out what happened a couple of years ago when I tried to make pinwheel cookies. I’m not even going to tell you about my meringue kisses. (O.K. they turned into wafer thin, burnt, baked egg white discs - yuck!)

While I’m going to blame the whole pinwheel cookie debacle on Kraft Foods and their crummy recipe, I obviously didn’t learn my lesson. You see this year’s cookie recipe - the one I’m going to submit because I’m actually making it for two parties - is from Kraft Food’s food & family magazine (which you should sign up for since it’s FREE and full of terrific ideas).

I’m not going to tell you which recipe it is, just that I’ll be cheating big time and using a mix (thank you Duncan Hines).

Instead, I’ll be sharing a Kraft recipe for Baked Crab Rangoon that I’ll be making Friday night for my annual MOMS Club holiday party. These are always a big hit with the kids when we go to a Chinese restaurants. (I love them, too!)

This recipe is easy enough for the kids to help with, plus it’s been made a bit healthier than what you get at the restaurant (lower fat cream cheese and mayo, and baked not fried). If your kids don’t like crab, make a veggie rangoon instead with shredded carrots and some diced celery. Also, if you’re nervous about using wanton wrappers, you can watch the online cooking school video to see how it’s done.

Baked Crab Rangoon
Prep Time: 20 min
Total Time: 40 min
Makes: 12 servings, one wonton each

Ingredients:

1. 1 can (6 oz.) white crabmeat, drained, flaked 4 oz.
2. (1/2 of 8-oz. pkg.) PHILADELPHIA Neufchatel Cheese, 1/3 Less Fat than Cream Cheese, softened
3. 1/4 cup thinly sliced green onions
4. 1/4 cup KRAFT Mayo Light Mayonnaise
5. 12 wonton wrappers

Directions:

1. PREHEAT oven to 350°F. Mix crabmeat, Neufchatel cheese, onions and mayo.
2. SPRAY 12 medium muffin cups with cooking spray. Gently place 1 won ton wrapper in each cup, allowing edges of wrappers to extend above sides of cups. Fill evenly with crabmeat mixture.
3. BAKE 18 to 20 min. or until edges are golden brown and filling is heated through. Serve warm. Garnish with chopped green onions, if desired.

For Mini Crab Rangoons use 24 won ton wrappers. Gently place 1 won ton wrapper in each of 24 miniature muffin cups sprayed with cooking spray. Fill evenly with crabmeat mixture and bake as directed. Makes 12 servings, two appetizers each.

(Cookie Monster picture courtesy of BerryBurger.com)

Technorati tags: cookies, food, recipes

According to WhatsCookingAmerica.net, "Early American settlers made pumpkin pie by filling a hollowed out shell with milk, honey and spices, then baking it in hot ashes. The Native Americans brought pumpkins as gifts to the first settlers, and taught them the many used for the pumpkin. This is what developed into pumpkin pie." In fact, what we think of as pumpkin pie - a pumpkin pudding baked in a crust - wasn’t being made until the late 1700s.

Nowadays, pumpkin desserts come in many varieties, from cookies and pies, to mousse and cake. So to celebrate and give thanks for pumpkin, I’m going to feature several desserts this week and next. I still haven’t decided what kind of pumpkin pie to make for Thanksgiving, so maybe all this blogging will help. (And if you have a favorite pumpkin pie or dessert recipe, and have blogged about it, leave a comment and a link below.)

Our first pumpkin dessert is the low fat pumpkin pudding that was featured in the November 13, 2006 edition of The Denver Post. Monday’s are when the paper’s lifestyle section features exercise and healthy living, and this recipe fits the bill - low fat plus pumpkin puree is high in fiber, too.

Pumpkin Pudding
Start to finish 1 hour, 5 minutes active.
Makes 8 servings.

Ingredients:

1. 14-ounce can pumpkin puree
2. 1/2 cup light brown sugar
3. 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
4. 3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
5. 1/4 teaspoon ginger
6. 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
7. 1 cup whole or fat-free milk
8. 3 eggs or 3/4-cup egg substitute

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 425 F. Bring a large teapot of water to a boil.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the pumpkin puree, brown sugar, nutmeg, cinnamon, ginger and cloves. Set aside.
3. In a small bowl, whisk together the milk and eggs, then add them to the pumpkin mixture and whisk until smooth.
4. Arrange 8 ramekins in a shallow baking dish (about 2 inches deep) or lasagna pan. Spoon or ladle the pumpkin mixture into the ramekins. Place the baking pan in the oven. With the oven open, carefully pour the hot water into the baking pan until it reaches about halfway up the ramekins. Push the baking pan to the center of the oven and bake 20 minutes.
5. Reduce heat to 350 F and bake another 30 to 35 minutes, or until pumpkin is set. Carefully remove pan from oven and remove the ramekins. Serve warm or cool.

Picture courtesy of Aimee’s Adventures.

Technorati tags: giving thanks, pumpkin pie, Thanksgiving, recipes