Cookie Bookie IV for your Little Monsters

Post Edit: I'm taking a day of rest-so I'll be back Monday. See you then. Welcome back to Cookie Bookie, the week long celebration of the sweet and the spooky. Follow along today and everyday by clicking the link in the upper left hand corner. Scroll down if you've missed Christie and chocolate, Austen and maple, or Noyes and candy corn. But why should grown-ups have all the fun? Today's Cookie Bookie is dedicated to the wee little ones. Today I'm sharing some of my favorite Halloween picture books and an adorable, easy to make cookie. Let's get started with The Little Red Hen-oops, I mean The Little Green Witch by Barbieri McGrath. What should a pint-sized witch do when her lazy companions refuse to help her make pumpkin pie? She'll take a cue from the little red hen, eat it all up herself and cast a suprise spell of revenge on her feckless friends. The Little Old Lady Who Was Not Afraid of Anything, by Linda Williams, is the tale of a lone woman pursued on a path in the dark of night . Gather up some random articles of clothing and turn this book into a reader's theatre. When you're done reading, you'll have a dandy scarecrow and only the mildest case of the shivers. The darling illustrations in Ghosts in the House by Kazuno Kohara make it an inviting read, but it's the clever use for unwanted ghosts that make the book worth reading again and again. A new book, Matthew McElligott's Even Monsters Need Haircuts will delight the whole family with a clever peek into the minutia of Monster Life. Even ghouls have to wait in long lines (yawn!) to get their locks trimmed. One of my favorite spooky reads comes from Dr. Seuss. What Was I scared of? tells the story of two dissimilar beings scaring the daylights out of each other. One of them just happens to be a spooky pair of pale green pants with nobody inside them. I followed the lead of my college buddy, Johanna Wagner, who memorized the entire book to recite to her siblings. I shared it with my little sisters Mary Kate and Catherine and then with my baby-faced nephews Jacob and Jordan. They're all grown-ups now (waah!), every last one of them, so I tell it to my charges and they're starting to memorize it too.

AND-I hope to be reading a Halloween book sometime soon from my supremely talented niece, Kit Chase. She just signed a lucrative book deal with Penguin Books, so maybe next year, I'll be able to feature one of her stories on Cookie Bookie. For now, if you want a shot at winning this oh-so-cute print, head over to her blog and leave a comment.

Let's get started with our cookie today. These are an answer to a busy mother's prayer. I love making frosted sugar cookies with the charges, but let's face it: they take forever! The kids love it and want to make them for every holiday, right down to Arbor Day and Grandparent's Day. But I get tired of the mixing, the rolling, the cutting, the baking, the frosting, and don't even get me started on the dishes. Ay, mamacita. I spotted a tinted dough snowman recipe in a Taste of Home cookbook, and I doubted it would really work. It was worth a try, but I had my reservations. To my suprise, the cookies were fantastic. The dough has only five ingredients and mixes up in minutes. There are no eggs in the dough, so the tots can nibble as they go. Tinting the dough was simple enough with standard liquid food coloring. The charges had a blast shaping the dough into pumpkin shapes and beyond. Sailor made sweet little well-behaved pumpkins and West made feisty rabble rousers. Hey-I was having fun, too with a minimal amount of work. I was still nervous that the cookies would spread too much in the oven, or lose their bright colors with baking, but no! They were still bright, compact, and firm. And buttery-yummy, too. I have a feeling we'll be making these often. They're so fast that you'll have plenty of time to do the things you love, like read another spooky Halloween story with your little ones.

Pumpkin Butter Cookies

adapted from Taste of Home

Estimated Cost: $3.00 for about 3 dozen

1 cup butter, softened (not melted!)

1/2 cup sugar

1 tablespoon milk

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 and 1/4 cups all purpose four

orange and green food coloring

sprinkles of miniature chocolate chips

In a large mixing bowl, cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add milk and vanilla and mix well. Add flour. Separate dough into desired portions and tint with food coloring. Shape into balls and flatten for pumpkins, or use your imagination to create other shapes and figures. Bake at 325 for 13-16 minutes on ungreased cookie sheets, or until cookies are set. Let cool for two minutes and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Tip: Use toothpicks to etch lines in the raw dough. Retrace the lines immediately when the cookies come out of the oven.

Be Back Tomorrow (um, make that Monday) with More Cookie Bookie

Cookie Bookie III: Ribbons of Moonlight

Welcome back to Cookie Bookie, my week long homage to good reads and tasty treats. We've covered Austen and maple bars, Christie and gooey chocolate cookies. Follow along everyday by clicking the link in the upper right side bar. Tell your friends to follow along too; there's always room for more at my table.

Did you miss me? Some of you wrote me e-mails wondering where Cookie Bookie was for today. It is here, never fear. I spent the night up with Sailor and her lingering flu that has now become croup, and this morning at the Dr.'s office and then off to get a prescription filled that needed special permission since it is a "controlled" substance (read cough syrup). I'm a wee bit late, but I'm still here. E-mail me anytime to wonder about my whereabouts, dear readers. It's lovely to be missed. Without further ado...Cookie Bookie!

Except today's book isn't really a book at all. It's a narrative poem titled "The Highway Man," written in just two days in 1906 by Alfred Noyes. It spins the tale of two young lovers, an impeccably dressed, suave thief and Bess, the beautiful black haired landlord's daughter. Bess waits longingly for her black hero by the window at night, but a jealous stableman betrays them to the authorities, resulting in..... I can't spoil the ending. (Agatha Christie would turn in her grave.) You'll have to read it yourself- out loud please. Here's a little teaser. Listen to the beautiful description of the night in the first stanza.
The wind was a torrent of darkness among the gusty trees,

The moon was a ghostly galleon tossed upon cloudy seas,

The road was a ribbon of moonlight over the purple moor,

I'm sorry to interrupt, but I love the way the words "the road was a ribbon of moonlight, " and the "moon was a ghostly galleon" create such a vivid, eerie image. Breaking the lonely silence, is the dashing highway man, galloping along the road. The rythmic repetition of the horses hooves are felt in the meter of the poem, pulling the reader along for the ride.

And the highwayman came riding—

Riding—riding—

The highwayman came riding, up to the old inn-door.

What will become of this dashing villain and his gorgeous young lover? Read the poem in its entirety here to find out.

And now, a delicious nibble to accompany a delicious read. It's a hearty peanut butter- oatmeal cookie, "strung with ribbons of moonlight," in the form of melted Candy Corn Hershey kisses. The cookie is crowned with a full kiss, like the one that the Highway man plants on Bess's black hair. Hugs (and Kisses) and Happy Haunting. Kisses Candy Corn Autumn Cookies from the Hershey's website

(thanks to my friend Anna at Cookie Madness for the inspiration)

Estimated Cost: $6.00 for 4 dozen
3/4 cup REESE'S Creamy Peanut Butter
1/2 cup shortening
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
1 egg
2 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1-1/3 cups quick-cooking oats, divided
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
66 HERSHEY'S KISSES Brand Candy Corn Flavored Candies (find them at Target)
Directions:1. Heat oven to 350°F Beat peanut butter and shortening in large bowl until well blended. Add granulated sugar and brown sugar; beat until fluffy. Add egg, milk and vanilla; beat well. Stir together 1/2 cup oats, flour, baking soda and salt; gradually beat into peanut butter mixture.2. Shape dough into 1-inch balls. Roll in remaining oats; place on ungreased cookie sheet. Flatten cookies with tines of fork to form a crisscross pattern.3. Bake 10 to 12 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool slightly; remove from cookie sheet to wire rack. Cool completely.4. Remove wrappers from candies. Place 18 candies in heavy-duty resealable plastic food storage bag. Microwave at MEDIUM (50%) 30 seconds; knead bag and candies. If necessary, microwave at MEDIUM an additional 15 seconds at a time, kneading after each heating, until candies are melted and color is uniform. Cool slightly. Cut off corner of bag about 1/8 inch from point. Lightly drizzle cookies. Before drizzle sets, place candy piece in center of each cookie. About 4 dozen cookies.

Be Back Tomorrow with more Sweet and Spooky good times.

P.S. Some readers will remember the poem from Anne of Green Gable's recitation at the White Sands Hotel. Here's the link on youtube.

Cookie Bookie: Maple Bars and the Macabre

Welcome back to another edition of Cookie Bookie, the week long celebration of nail-biting stories and mouth-watering treats. If you weren't here yesterday, scroll down for Agatha Christie's Suprise, Surprise and some suprisingly delicious chocolate cookies.
Today, I'm sharing a book from another of the world's most celebrated authors. Jane Austen wrote about love, romance, and class distinction...but did she write about anything frightening enough to be included in Cookie Bookie? Well, yes. And no. And maybe so. Let's get started with the slightly frightening and work our way up to the downright eerie. Northanger Abbey has all of the rosy charm that readers have come to expect of Jane Austen. Heroine Catherine Morland is torn between the demands of her heart and the demands of her family's pocketbook in the form of two potential suitors. Typical Austen fare. But Northanger Abbey is also a spoof on the chilling gothic novels that had become so popular during the Regency Period. Our heroine spends a good portion of the day with her nose stuck in a spooky novel, and then superimposes eerie gothic mystery into everyday situations, to the point of suspecting her lover's father of being a murderer. Think Walter Mitty with a death wish. Catherine craves the horror and suspense, the drama and the intrigue that are standard fare in her favorite books. As Catherine wanders the dark halls of Northanger Abbey, you won't be immune to her spine-tingling perspective. Before Catherine can give herself over to true love, she must learn to respect the boundaries between truth and fiction. It's the perfect read for those who are looking for a mild case of the shivers. But look what they've done to dear Jane now. (Don't look, Mom.)
Can this pulp fiction even count as our proper Jane Austen now? I'm not sure. Have you read Pride and Prejudice and Zombies yet? It's gruesome, but I couldn't resist. Elizabeth Bennett stretches beyond proud and witty literary heroine to become bonafide bad-mama zombie fighter. The notion is amusing. If you think you enjoyed her pithy banter with Mr. Darcy, wait until she uses her muscles to express her annoyance. Hi-ya! But...after awhile I got a bit bored with the slash um' up gimmick. It just couldn't hold my attention in the effortless way that a true Austen can. Still, I did get more than one good chuckle out of it. Listen to the first line...."It is a truth universally acknowledged that a zombie in possession of brains must be in want of more brains." Fans of Austen will remember the first line of the true Pride and Prejudice as "It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man inpossession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife." Pride and Prejudice and Zombies is not for the squeamish, but it will do well enough for those who want to be scared silly.
Whichever Austen (or Austen-ish) book you choose to devour this October, I've got the perfect treat as a companion: A tender brown sugar bar cookie, studded with toasted pecans and tempered with a slightly salty maple glaze. It's a little fancy, a bit on the high brow side, since Austen deserves our utmost respect (tut, tut). But it's also playful, with a little touch of salt thrown over the top, to ward off superstition. Just in case the macabre really is lurking around the darkest corner of your attic. Mwah, ha, ha. Until tomorrow.
Maple Glazed Brown Sugar Bars
adapted from Taste of Home Baking Book
Estimated Cost: $5.00 for 12 squares
1 and 1/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
1/2 cup melted butter
2 teaspoons maple flavoring
2 eggs
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 and 1/2 cups flour
1 cup chopped toasted pecans
For Frosting:
2 tablespoons softened butter
2 cups powdered sugar
2-4 tablespoons cream
1 and 1/2 teaspoons maple extract
1/4 cup chopped, toasted pecans
pinch of salt
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, combine sugar, butter, and maple flavoring. Add eggs and mix until well combined. add baking powder and salt. Stir in flour, then nuts. Pour into greased 9 inch square baking pan. Bake at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into center comes out clean. Cool on wire rack. Prepare glaze by combining butter and powdered sugar. (Mixture will be a little lumpy.) Slowly stir in cream, as needed. Stir until smooth. Add maple flavoring. Pour glaze over almost cool bars. Sprinkle with pecans and salt. Serves nine.

Be Back Tomorrow with More Cookie Bookie

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Cookie Bookie Kick Off-The Element of Surprise

Mwah, ha, ha. Welcome to Cookie Bookie 2010.
I've been bursting with excitement for this, my third annual installment of Cookie Bookie. For my new readers, one week each October, I review spooky stories for perfectly chillingly fall reads, and provide a scrumptious cookie as a suitable literary companion. I've had an entire year to read, shiver, bake, eat, and ponder. So let us begin.

Six months ago the charges and I went on a field trip to see the play, "Mousetrap" at a local high school. I didn't really expect to be frightened by a bunch of teenagers with mock English accents and developing talents, but I was wrong. Dead wrong. The charges and I held hands through the second act, and they never knew that it was my grown-up sweat that made our hands clammy. Thus began my timorous love affair with Agatha Christie. If you haven't read Agatha Christie, get started with some short stories. One of my favorites is Suprise, Suprise! an eclectic collection of some of her famous characters, like Miss Marple and Hercule Poirot.

As the title implies, one of Christie's greatest strengths is her mastery of the suprise ending. (Die-hard fans are even rallying to have her endings removed from plot summaries on Wikipedia.) Her grandson reported that old Agatha would be angry at any critic that gave away any of points of plots in a review. The well-guarded suprises pack a suspenseful punch and keep the reader biting her nails till (and beyond) the last page. One of my favorite stories from the collection is Double Sin, a short and suspenseful story of Hercule Poirot and his Captain Hastings on a train ride to solve a mystery, only to encounter another mystery in the form of a gorgeous victim of petty theft. I won't spoil the ending for you, but I will provide something for you to gorge yourself on besides your own fingernails. It's this Doubly Sinful Suprise Chocolate Cookie. The suprise is a puffy marshmallow hiding between two evil layers of chocolate. Bite down and your mouth senses the tender cookie, the smooth glaze, but then your teeth can't quite take hold of the molten marshmallow, stretchy and sweet. It's perfect for reading with Agatha Christie. You'll want to sink your teeth into the plot, but there's some element of mystery that will slip deftly away from your understanding...until the end. But then it's too late, because Agatha will have you right where she wants you. And you'll have to go back for more, both stories and cookies.

Double Chocolate Suprise Cookies

recipe from Martha Stewart-Suprise Cookies

Estimated Cost: $4.00 for 2 dozen

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1 large egg
1/2 cup milk
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
12 large marshmallows, cut in half horizontally
See below for Chocolate Frosting recipe

Halloween sprinkles
Directions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt; set aside.
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add egg, milk, and vanilla, and beat until well combined. Add reserved flour mixture; mix on low speed until combined.
Using a tablespoon or 1 3/4-inch ice cream scoop, drop dough onto ungreased baking sheets, about 2 inches apart. Bake until cookies begin to spread and become firm, 10 to 12 minutes.
Remove baking sheets from oven, and place a marshmallow, cut-side down, in the center of each cookie, pressing down slightly. Return to oven, and continue baking until marshmallows begins to melt, 2 to 2 1/2 minutes. Transfer cookies to a wire rack to cool completely before frosting.
Spread about 1 tablespoon of frosting over each marshmallow, starting in the center and continuing outward until marshmallow is covered. Sprinkle with Halloween sprinkles.

For Frosting
2 cups confectioners' sugar
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1/4 cup milk
1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Directions
Place confectioners' sugar in a medium bowl. Whisk in butter and cocoa powder. Add milk and vanilla, and whisk until well combined.

Be back tomorrow with More Cookie Bookie!

P.S. If you like this post, become followers (upper right link) and tell your buddies. I think we could get up to at least six hundred followers this week, don't you think? Thanks for reading!

Cookie Bookie, First Thing Tomorrow Morning!

I'm so excited-I just finished my first post for Cookie Bookie. If you like chocolate and mystery, be here at 5:30 AM sharp. Oh, all right, you can sleep in a little. It'll be here all day. Cheers and Happy Haunting. Until tomorrow....

You can't win it if you're not in it....

Sailor and I have been working on the Jif Most Creative Peanut Butter contest this weekend. We're having a ball, even when the recipes aren't exactly prize winning material. Remember last year when my Westy boy went to NYC (thanks to your votes) to compete for a 25 grand scholarship? Well, it's time again to get your kids cracking on their most creative peanut butter sandwiches. Come up with an original recipe before October 22nd and enter for a chance to win. You never know, so give it a try! Click here to get the details, and while you're there check out the video and get a peek at my Westy boy.
But that's not the only contest worth crowing about right now. Look at this one for Smuckers. Share a recipe that's been in your family for at least two generations for a chance to win $20,000 for a family reunion. (How's about a family reunion in Hawaii?) Time to go digging for buried treasures in Grandma's recipe box! Click here for all the important info.Now, I'm not a coffee drinker, so I'm not going for this one. But you enter it! For my readers who love their morning cup of joe, write up your special morning memories for this Folger's Home for the Holiday's recipe contest. Five winners will each win a trip home for the holidays. Next Up: Cookie Bookie Week-the week when I share a cookie recipe and review a Halloween book every eerie day... stay tune and tell your amigos!

Buttery Crescent Rolls

The fall weather finally made its way here. We had wild lightening and thunder storms and three days of intermittent rain. I think sometimes I forget how dangerous lightening can be. I'm so dazzled by its beauty, by the coziness inside the house caused by storms outside. I was reminded this week that they are spectacularly perilous. The kids and I had twice put on all our raingear to go for a midday puddle stomp, but when we got outside the thunder pounded around us, forcing us back inside. West begged to be let out of the house. He just wanted to walk across the street to Grandma and Grandpa's, for Pete's sake. But I held my ground. I was using the old watch the lightening-count till thunder trick, and determined that the storms were too close to risk it. About that same time.... sadly, just a few miles up the road, two 17 year old boys from my community were struck by lightening as they waited (just four feet) outside of the high school for a ride home. Both are expected to survive, thanks to other saavy high school students who jumped in to render CPR. The families are requesting prayers for their boys, so please keep them in yours. It's a good reminder to hunker down and stay inside when there are electrical storms outside.

O.K.-I've got something cheerier to share today: my recipe for buttery crescent rolls. They're perfect for days when you've got to be inside for a few hours. They aren't difficult to mix together, but you've got to be around for rising and baking times. The end result is buttery, flaky rolls that your family will love. Stay safe and Happy Fall Baking!

Money Saving Tips: While you've got the oven on, you might as well bake up a double or trip batch and freeze them for later. You'll save on time and energy-which means money.

Buttery Crescent Rolls

Estimated Cost: $1.50 for a two dozen

4 and 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast

3/4 cup warm water

1/2 cup sugar

6 tablespoons butter, plus 2 tablespoons, softened, divided

2 eggs

1 teaspoon salt

4 and 1/2 cups flour

Dissolve yeast in water. Add sugar, 6 tablespoons butter, eggs, salt and 2 cups flour. Beat until smooth. Stir in remaining flour. Turn onto surface and knead for 6-8 minutes, or use free standing mixer for about five minutes on medium. Place in a greased bowl and let rise until doubled, about 75 minutes. Gently punch down the dough and divide in half. Roll each half into 12 inch circle. Spread with one tablespoon butter and cut each circle into into 12 wedges, Roll up wedges and tuck under. Place on greased cookie sheets. Cover and let rise until doubled, about forty five minutes. Bake in preheated 375 degree oven for 8-10 minutes or until golden brown. Let cool on racks. (To freeze, cool completely, wrap tightly and freeze. You can freeze them before or after baking.)

Next Up:

Italian Tomato and Basil Crock Pot Steaks