Chocolate Candy Cane Cookies for Cookie Club/Murder Mystery Cooking

Good Evening all,  It has been a very busy day.  But as I promised I would have the x-mas cookies posted today.  The recipe qualifies has a murder mystery cookie recipe because it comes from Joanne Flukes book the candy cane murder.  I read the book along time ago and don't remember the plot line but you know her stories are fabulous just like her recipes.  So lets get right to it and have some yummy chocolate with candy canes in it.

Cookie Dough

4 oz unsweetened baking chocolate

1 1/4 cups chilled butter

2 cups white granulated sugar

2 beaten eggs

2 teaspoons baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/3 cup corn syrup

2 tablespoons water

1 tablespoon vanilla

4 cups flour

Topping

1/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup crushed mini candy canes

Melt the butter and chocolate together on the stove on low heat better control so you don't burn the chocolate. You can melt in microwave, but I prefer stove top. Once done melting set aside to cool.

In your mixing bowl add the sugar and the eggs until the color is pale yellow.

mixing in the baking soda and salt once done proceed to adding the corn syrup, water and vanilla.  Mix it up thoroughly.

Check to see if the chocolate pot is cool to touch.  If its cool  then pour into the batter and then put in 2 cups of flour.  Mix it all in and then add the last 2 cups flour.  After mixing it in put plastic wrap on it and set aside to breathe.

Make sure you spray your cookie sheets with cooking spray melted candy cane is very sticky. Proceed to crush your candy canes.  Unwrap them and put them in a bag and use a rolling pin to crush them.  Mix the sugar and candy canes together.

Now your ready to roll the dough.  A little trick I found spray cooking spray on your hands and rub together the dough does not stick.  Roll the dough into balls and put in topping covering with mixture. Place on cookie sheet don't make them too big Conor got a little overzealous on the size.

Bake cookies at 350 for 8-10 minutes I ended up cooking mine a few minutes more.  Don't let them sit to long in the pan for cooling they will stick because of the candy canes.  Bon Appetite and Enjoy.

Free Milk and a lot of Cheap Meat at Save Mart

Good Morning all,  this is one of my favorite type of blog post-saving money.  Save mart is having their pick 5/25 meat sale going on and another great deal buy 3 Kellogg's cereals and get free milk.  I was able to use the coupons.com buy 3 Kellogg's  get $2 off a second gallon of milk without having to get more cereal.  I like that deal.  Here's what I got with the sale going on.

16 packages of meat

2 gallons of milk

3 boxes of candy canes got to make those cookies

3 boxes Kellogg's corn flakes

2 little bottles of soda (Conor came with me)

2 bags circus peanuts

1 can friskies for the fur nut

total before sales/coupons/discounts  $152.13                     O.O.P  $99.74    Saved  34% not bad for meat

frankies corner for nov 8th

                                     
                                       Frankie stop taunting that dog aw! mom she's funny.

                                     I don't care what the boys say I want to watch this movie.

                                        Hand over the cheese flavored cat food then we'll talk.

                                   I don't care if its called a baby quilt I'm still a baby and therefore its mine.

I'm in the sauna that mom made for me to get over this cold.

ooops heres the links http://www.facebook.com/lorraine2448

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Frugal Family Food-Stuffed Pepper Soup

Good Afternoon all,  this weeks recipe I think everyone needs--soup.  Everyone in my household even Frankie as had to deal with upper respiratory issues.  What better way to make everyone feel better is a hot bowl of soup.  This soup is so easy to make.  You make it using convenience foods.  The added bonus of using the convenience foods their are coupons on most of them out in the stores.  That makes this an inexpensive meal.  So here's what you'll need for this recipe.  I got the original recipe from taste of home and have altered it for my family.

2 boil in bag success rice packages

2 lbs ground beef

1 8oz bag frozen peppers and onion (I used recipe ready)

1 jar ragu chunky sauce (I used chunky peppers and mushrooms shh..don't tell Conor he hates mushrooms)

2 cans beef broth (14 oz.)

1 can water

dash garlic powder

prepare rice according to package directions

brown meat and veggies in dutch oven or big sauce pot until no longer pink drain.

Add rice, sauce, broth and water 

Let boil until heated through

Add garlic powder to taste

Serve with bread and salad.  This is a very versatile recipe you can use any kind of ground meat and even mix it up a little and use a different chunky sauce. Bon Appetite and enjoy

Don't forget we are starting cookie club on Saturday I will post x-mas cookie recipes. The first one also happens to be a murder mystery food so check it out.

Oh still having trouble with buttons so I can be reached at http://www.facebook.com/lorraine2448 or http://www.twitter.com/lorraine2448  Those of you not on google+, I've added a comment box to the end of the blog post.

Rant about Food Safety

Good Morning all,  I thought I wasn't going to post this morning because of vet appt.  Turns out they can't see him until 1pm.  A couple of weeks ago when they had the chicken recall, I went to my store and saw the bad codes.  So I told the meat person you have bad codes.  He hemmed and hawed and said some BS about it not being the dates that were bad.  I said I'm not buying them, you never know.  Well, he told me yesterday 2 hours after I left they got the call to pull the meat.  I am so glad I did not buy them.  Part of my time in the military was spent as a food inspector and when you have a recall no matter what dates, if codes match you pull it.  When I was in college before the ms set in and I was headed for work with the CDC,  I had the pleasure of having dinner with several public health officers from the CDC. They said the greatest threat to people's health was not bird flu but Food Borne Illness.  I can believe it with stupidity like this coming out of the stores.  What do you think about this going on?

What Makes You Happy

Good Morning all, I'm still getting a feel for how the blog post are going to go.  Mondays will still have an occasional health related post, but I'm loving the freedom to be creative with the post about parenting and anything related to my family.  I hope you all continue to like the mix of my Hodge Podge life on Mondays.  So on to today's post.  Here are five things that make me happy. Feel free to share 5 things that make you happy. I've added a comment box to the blog for those of you who are not on google+.  So please feel the freedom to share.  When I think of things that make me happy I think of the Julie Andrews song bright copper kettles, warm woolen mittens etc.  You get the picture.  Let your mind flow with it.

1.  My kids make me happy.  I'm a single parent and proud of it because I was in a very bad relationship and  had to get out.  I think I'm doing a good job.

2.  My blog makes me happy.  I have the freedom to be creative and share what I know and hopefully help other people with their issues.   

3.  Would you believe I love Thunderstorms.  The sound and fury of a storm in all its glory actually is very relaxing to me.  

4.  Sharing a good meal with family and friends making memories.

5.  Being creative, I've started doing little crafts around the house.  Thanks to all the blogs I read I've been inspired.  I even have a dream board.  But what I really love is dream boards have gone digital with pinterest and this makes it so easy to get really creative.

Those are the basics for me now what about yours?  

   

Still having problems with the buttons so here's my links http://www.facebook.com/lorraine2448 and http://www.twitter.com/lorraine2448.  Posting a little early taking frankie to the vet still has that wheezing going on.

frankies halloween is over thank god

Meowy morning all,  Thank god that horrible holiday is over.  My boy didn't try to put me in a costume mom wouldn't let him, but he left me alone for several hours last night.  Do your humans take all the fun away?  Mine wont let me eat those funny crunchy papers that smell so yummy.  Oh and she's taking me to someone called a vet. I wonder what that's all about? Well I'll find out on Monday.  Here's more cute pics of me mom keeps chasing me with that little red box.  HUMANS let us sleep.

                                             Chillin with my boy

                                               Hey where's that drinking fountain at mom?

    

                                            Aww! come on let me sleep.

here's the face book and twitter links http://www.facebook.com/lorraine2448 and http://www.twitter.com/lorriane2448.  thanks for visiting CATS RULE THE WORLD