"Straight No Chaser" Acapella Group - Outstanding!

xmas cookie countdown - day 8

Chocolate Shortbread with White Chocolate Sauce

Ingredients

Cookies:
1 ounce bittersweet chocolate
2 ounces semisweet chocolate
1 cup unsalted butter, softened, plus a little extra for greasing the baking sheet
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 cups all-purpose flour
Sauce:
3/4 cup heavy cream
8 ounces white chocolate, chopped or shaved into small pieces
1/2 cup sour cream, preferably at room temperature

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

In a small metal bowl, combine the 2 types of chocolate and melt them gently over a pot of simmering water or a double boiler. Cool chocolate to room temperature.

Make the shortbread dough:
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, combine the butter and sugar. Blend until smooth and "creamed," 3 to 5 minutes. Mix in the cooled melted chocolate.

Sift the flour and add to the butter mixture and blend on low speed to incorporate the flour. Do not over mix. Remove the dough from the bowl and refrigerate for a few minutes to chill.

Make the chocolate sauce:
In a medium-sized pot, bring the cream to a gentle simmer. Remove the pot from the heat and whisk in the white chocolate pieces. Allow the mixture to sit and cool for a minute. All of the white chocolate should easily melt into the cream. Whisk in the sour cream and taste for seasoning. Cook's Note: Sour cream is temperamental when heated, so take care that your mixture never gets overly hot. If so, cool a little before incorporating. Set aside at room temperature.

Press the shortbread dough evenly into a 9 by 13 by 1-inch greased non-stick baking pan. Place in the center of the oven and bake for 35 to 40 minutes until the dough is fairly firm to the touch. Remove from the oven and allow the shortbread to cool for about 10 minutes. Cut into 12 rectangles, 4 by 2 inches, and then cut diagonally across rectangles to form 24 long triangles for good dipping.

Arrange shortbread wedges on a tray with the white chocolate sauce in a bowl for dipping.

xmas cookie countdown - day 7

Cherry Berry Bars

Ingredients

1/4 cup butter, softened
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
1 lemon, zested
1/2 cup lemon juice
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
3/4 cup assorted frozen cherries, thawed, drained well, pitted and chopped
1/4 cup mixed berry preserves
Powdered sugar, for dusting

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In large bowl with an electric mixer, mix butter until fluffy. Add half the flour, then add in order: brown sugar, lemon zest, juice and egg. To remaining flour add baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and cloves. Combine both mixtures until just incorporated. Fold in cherries and pour into an ungreased 8 by 8-inch baking pan.

Using a spoon, equally dollop preserves on top of batter and using a toothpick or skewer, drag the tip through the preserves to create a swirl pattern on top.

Bake for 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean; cake will be moist to the touch. Once cooled, cut into squares and dust with powdered sugar to serve.

xmas cookie countdown - day 6

Chocolate Covered Snow Peaks

Ingredients

4 large egg whites at room temperature
1 teaspoon cream of tartar
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons superfine granulated sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups dark chocolate chips

Directions

Preheat oven to 225 degrees F and line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat egg whites on low-medium speed with the whisk attachment until the whites become foamy. Add the cream of tartar and turn speed up to medium, beating until just fluffy. Add the sugar gradually, so it incorporates into the whites slowly without collapsing them. Once all the sugar has been added, add the vanilla and increase the speed to high, whisking until the meringue is firm and glossy, about 5 to 7 minutes.

Place meringue mixture into a piping bag with a medium-sized nozzle attached. Pipe 24 bite sized "kiss"-shaped meringues onto the trays and place in the oven. Bake for 1 hour undisturbed then turn off heat and leave in the oven overnight to really dry out.

Melt chocolate over a double-boiler or in the microwave on medium power for 30 seconds. Holding each meringue by the peak dip the bases in chocolate so the bottom half of the meringue is coated. Let any excess chocolate drop off before placing on a cookie sheet lined with wax paper. Allow to set at room temperature – do not put in the fridge. Once set, store in an airtight container.

xmas cookie countdown - day 5

Hazelnut Tea Cookies

Ingredients

2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon table salt
2 sticks butter, softened
1 cup powdered sugar, plus additional for coating
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 3/4 cups hazelnuts, toasted and finely chopped

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Directions

Heat oven to 325 degrees F and arrange racks in upper and lower third. Combine flour and salt in a medium bowl and whisk until aerated and evenly combined; set aside.

Place butter in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and beat on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add sugar and vanilla and continue to mix until whipped and light, about 2 more minutes.

Add half of the nuts and mix until evenly incorporated and nuts are broken up, about 1 minute. Add flour and mix until well combined, about 1 minute. Remove bowl from mixer and stir in remaining nuts.

Shape dough into 1 tablespoon balls and place on baking sheets, spaced at least 1 inch apart. Bake, rotating pans halfway through, until underside of cookies are brown, about 25 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool 5 minutes on baking sheets.

Meanwhile, place some powdered sugar in a medium bowl. Once the cookies have cooled, roll them in the powdered sugar until just coated and tap off excess. Let cool completely and recoat in powdered sugar, tapping off excess sugar, before serving.

coming to my neck of the woods.....

so ty pennington is coming to my neck of the woods... i love the show extreme makeover home edition.. they bring a lot of happiness for people who need and deserve help! ROCK ON TY and the rest of the CREW!!! And the story behind the family they chose is just heartbreaking... good luck to that family too...


Home Makeover Show Helps Voluntown Family
Family Suffered Loss When Father, Son Drowned


The show Extreme Makeover: Home Edition is in the state to replace the yellow house belonging to the Girard family, which has suffered its fair share of tragedy.

Their long road over the past year and a half has forced them to overcome a house fire and near foreclosure. Worse yet, a summer tragedy claimed the lives of Thomas Girard and his oldest son, Marc. Thomas’ wife, Carol, was left to raise their four other children.

Thomas became distressed when swimming in a nearby lake. When Marc went in to help, both drowned.

“Family means a lot to us, so I filled it out, printed it out,” said Johanna Kotecki, a family friend. “It was a daunting task, but it was worth it.”

More than 2,700 volunteers are ready to take down the house and build a new one in 106 hours while the Girards take a vacation. Everything that will go into the house will be donated, officials said.

do you like my snow?

Is it snowing on my blog when you are checking it out? I can see it but I'm not sure if everyone else can... Cute effect huh? If you would like to use it too, ahem, dawn, you can find it HERE...