Banana-Walnut Chocolate Chip

Pretty good cookie, the gang likes them. I think they could use more nuts or more chocolate....one of the two. Silpat makes it so much better. Here is the recipe.

Baci di Dama

Yummie! I made up these cuties today. Baci di Dama, which I believe is Italian for Ladies Kisses. My husband found them to be too crunchy, but I think they are suppose to be on the crunchy side. I am trying to temporarly quit coffee, but I am sure that these would go fabulously with coffee. The recipe said to use a pastry bag to form the cookies, but I just used a spoon. It made them more uneven shaped, but I think they are cute that way. The recipe is on Martha's site, but they are called "Chocolate Kisses".

Red Box

I LOVE LOVE LOVE Red Box. We have two of them in Winona - one in Wal-mart, one in Walgreens. It's super cheap and super easy. For $1 a night you rent a movie out of a vending machine. You have to use a credit card, and if you give your email address, it instantly emails you a receipt. And, on Monday nights - there is a code for a free rental. Just check out their blog - http://www.insideredbox.com/. Even though we do Netflix, it's still nice to be able to go out and rent a movie for cheap, and not deal with a store. Only downsides are those stores are all the way across town, and only have DVDs. Not Bluray or HD-DVD. (does anyone else still use HD-DVD?)

Soft and Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies

I am back making cookies! I skipped a head a bit, because I knew I would have all the ingredients for these gems, plus it's Con's birthday this week, and I thought these would be good to share with his little friends. It turns out, I did not exactly have all the ingredients. It calls for 2 eggs, and I only had one (for some crazy reason, Hy-vee had a shipping issue, and there are no eggs to be had). I read online to try smashing up half a banana instead. So I did! The banana added some crazy flavor, but one that worked.

Silpat

Normally, I hate the French. I mean, they are rude and whiney. But, they did something right. The Silpat. I don't know how I did my baking before. You know how fabulous parchment paper is for baking cookies, this takes it to the next level. They are expensive, like $15 a piece, but worth it. I have a Wilton silicone sheet, but this is far superior to that. I got mine at Linens-n-Things, but they are now out of business, so you probably have to buy them online now.

Cherry Berry in the Snow

This is my Grandmother's recipe.

• 6 egg whites
• 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 3/4 cups sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 2 cups cream, whipped
• 2 cups mini marshmallows
• 8 ounces cream cheese
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 package frozen strawberries
• 1 can cherry pie filling
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice

Day 1: Heat oven to 275 degrees. Beat egg whites, cream of tartar and salt until frothy. Gradually beat in 1 3/4 cups sugar. Beat until stiff and glossy. Spread into buttered 9 x 13 pan. Bake 60 minutes Turn off and leave in oven until cool - overnight.

Day 2: Mix cream cheese with cup of sugar and vanilla. Gently fold in whipped cream and marshmallows. Spread over meringue. Refrigerate at least 12 hours.

Fruit Topping: Mix frozen strawberries, cherry pie filling and lemon juice. Spoon on top.

Serves 15-18

Whipped Cream

I finally made my own whipped cream. I took 2 cups heavy whipping cream, and put it into my chilled Kitchen Aid mixer bowl. I used the whisk attachment, that I also had chilled in the freezer for about 2 hours. I started the mixer out slowly, but worked my way up to medium-high speed. It took little less than 5 minutes, and turn out beautifully. The secret was chilling the bowl and whisk. I think this really helped move the process along faster.