Patriotic M and M Cookies

Scroll down for a complete Fourth of July Menu with recipes and a shopping list.... Whiz! Bang! Boom! and Happy Fourth Of July. I wish my older sister/writer Leslie was here with me. She's the best companion for a neighborhood fireworks show because she renames every pyrotechnic after it begins to explode. Red Devil should hire her since she really does a much better job than they do. "Peach Cobbler Crisp and Crackle" and "Fizzy Grape Soda Explosion" are really so much more descriptive than "Mini Fountain" or "Butterflies and Flowers." Or maybe I just like her names because they all have to do with food. Food..my favorite. Enjoy your food, along with freedoms, friends, family, and firecrackers tonight.Here's a fun and super delicious cookie recipe that's just perfect for any holiday. (Vary the M and M colors to adapt.) Have a safe and happy holiday- and give the fireworks rename a go! M and M cookies
Estimated Cost:$4.50 for four dozen
Notes: The secret to pretty M and M cookies is to press in extra M and Ms AFTER the cookies have baked. The colors will stay true and vibrant.1 cup butter, softened
1 cup packed brown sugar (I prefer dark, but light works well also.)
1 scant cup sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon each salt, baking powder, and baking soda
3 cups flour (I used all whole wheat)
1 (11 ounce) bag M and Ms, divided
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large mixing bowl, combine butter and sugars. When creamy, add in eggs and vanilla. Sprinkle salt, powder, and soda over the top. Add flour, 1 cup at a time, mixing until well blended. Stir in HALF of the M and Ms. Shape dough into 1 inch balls and place on cookie sheets. Bake for 8-10 minutes, or until puffed and just beginning to brown on the edges. Remove from oven. IMMEDIATELY press a few M and Ms into each cookie, tucking them into the dough a bit so that they will stick.
I never found Patriotic M and Ms this year. It seems that Indiana Jones M and Ms wedged them out. I had to pick and sort, so now I've got a baggie full of orange, yellow, green and brown.
Coming This Weekend:
Extreme Leftover Bonus: Peach and Barbecue Chicken Cobb Salad

Pineapple Rasberry Orange Sherbet

Feliz Cinco de Mayo!

I always overdo it when it come to Mexican food. Maybe it's because chips and salsa come in big baskets and bowls, and not in 100 calorie foil bags. Maybe it's because I grew up in southern California and I'm yearning for the flavors of my childhood. Maybe it's because I'm greedy and I can always get a lot of chow for my dollar.....Or maybe it's just because the food is so darn good! The times that I have been the fullest in my life have not been on Thanskgivings. No, they've been after the chimichanga combo platter. So when it comes to dessert, I want something (and yes, I still want something-even when I'm full) that is light and refreshing. Something fruity to play off the spiciness of the meal. This sherbert is a delicious and fitting choice. It's tropical, creamy, orange, and soft with little bits of rasberry, banana, and pineapple. (Please don't tell my sister Leslie that you put in a banana. She'll curl up in a little ball.) Just a little scoop will hit the spot that your spicy dinner missed.
Pineapple-Rasberry-Orange Sherbert

Estimated Cost: $4.50 for about 1/2 gallon

Notes: You can make this without an ice cream maker. Just freeze the mixture in a big bowl and give it an occasional whisk while it's firming up. It works well, albeit the end result is a little less creamy than with an ice cream maker. Just be sure to let it thaw a bit and stir in a bit of extra orange soda before serving. (If you're short on time, make it even easier by mixing the fruit into store-bought orange sherbet.)
Leftovers make a spiffy punch mixed with some extra soda.
1 (14 ounce) can condensed milk
4 cups orange soda (diet works, too)
1 (8 ounce) can crushed pineapple with juices
1 small banana, chopped
1 and 1/2 cups frozen rasberries, slightly crushed
In a large bowl, stir together milk, soda, and pineapple. Process in ice cream maker until almost set; add in banana and raspberries. Freeze until serving time.

Great Movie Choices for Cinco De Mayo
Nacho Libre-Hilarious Jack Black goes from spartan robes to stretchy pants.
Giant-Rock Hudson and Liz Taylor in a multi-generational Texas epic.
Three Amigos-Silly Chevy, Martin, and Steve in Mariachi gear.
Three Caballeros-Disney's animated tribute to Latin America
Did I miss any? Leave a suggestion in the comments section!

Cinco De Mayo Shopping List

Hay Caramba, it's almost time for Cinco de Mayo. I hardly need an excuse to glut myself on Mexican food. I'm loco for the stuff. (It should really be loca since I'm a girl, but I didn't want to confundir/confuse everyone.) I'll be making Mexican favorites for the next five days, from chips and fiery tomato salsa, to grilled flank steak tacos with cilantro slaw, classic rice and beans, and pineapple-orange-raspberry sherbet for dessert. (By the way, the picture is from my recipe for Salsa Picante on CookingLight.com) Here's what you'll need from the grocery store if you want to follow along. It's going to be fantastico. No le va a costar mucho, tampoco. (It's not going to cost you too much either.) See how much you're learning over here at Prudence Pennywise? Think how much money you're saving on your Spanish lessons!

4 white onions

1 head garlic

4 hot chili peppers, either jalapenos or serranos

2 fresh tomatoes

1 big bunch cilantro

3 limes

1 large Haas avocado

a very small banana (please don't tell my sister Leslie-she'll cry)

1 lb. flank steak or skirt steak, or premarinated carne asada or meat of choice (or grill some mushrooms and go veggie)

1 (14 ounce) can fire roasted tomatoes

lots of chicken broth

1 lb. sack dried pinto beans

1 cup long grain rice

olive oil

corn tortillas

tortilla chips

6 ounces angel hair cole slaw (in a bag)

8 ounce can crushed pineapple

frozen raspberries

4 cups orange soda

1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk