“MY MOM’S AMAZING SOUR CREAM COOKIES”

“For Christmas, I had received a box of home-made “Cookies” that looked,  just like these (see PHOTO below)  –   they tasted so good that,   I had  to ask the party giving these to me – for the recipe – and they said that they would get it for me!”

“Well, I  did wait,  and was not going to ask again – so in checking out the wed site,  found this recipe and the PHOTO of the finished cookies – looks just like those that I received – so NOW,  all I have to do – is to make these and of course will use some other  “cookie-cutters” –  may be something,  for all and or any time of the year – but, what I will be looking for – and hoping for – is that these will taste as good and even better – as I am always looking for the perfect tasting cookie – that just makes “DREAMS” come true –  – remembering just how good a “COOKIE” tasted when I was just a small child and my “DAD” would bake  all kinds of sweet treats for us kids – and during those “WWII” years – DADDY would send boxes of his home-made cookies and candy to the men in the “SERVICE ” – as he had received  –  the same good treats from his MOTHER – way back and then!

“Good EATS are what we make –  so  good DREAMS come true on!”

 

Author: Jillee’s Mom

INGREDIENTS:

  • 3 cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 cup shortening
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 cup sour cream
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

INSTRUCTIONS:

  1. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
  2. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the shortening and sugar together on medium-high speed until soft and fluffy.
  3. Beat in the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition.
  4. Add the sour cream and vanilla and blend together until creamy.
  5. With the mixer on low speed, add in the dry ingredients (I add it 1/3 at a time) mixing just until incorporated and evenly mixed.
  6. CHILL THE DOUGH FOR AT LEAST 1-2 HOURS.
  7. Divide the dough into two portions. Roll out one section at a time. It’s easier to work with a smaller piece.
  8. Roll out with plenty of flour on your board to avoid sticking issues. But don’t work the dough TOO much or it will get tough. Also make sure to flour your ROLLING PIN and COOKIE CUTTERS as well.
  9. Once you have cut out as many shapes as will fit, scoop them off the board with a spatula and transfer to a cookie sheet. It helps if you nudge a little bit of flour under the cookie as you lift it off the board.
  10. Bake the cookies for between 10 and 12 minutes at 350 degrees.
  11. Allow the cookies to cool completely before frosting.

 

Powdered Sugar Frosting Recipe
Ingredients
  • 2 cups powdered sugar
  • 2 tablespoons softened butter
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 2-3 tablespoons milk.
  • food coloring (I usually use about 4 to 5 drops of just the regular kind you buy at the grocery store)
Instructions
  1. Start with 2 tablespoons of milk and keep adding about a teaspoon at a time after that until the frosting is at just the right consistency. Not too thick, but not too runny.
  2. Spread on cookie

 


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“Bread Pudding with Vanilla Sauce”

Call this “Comfort Food” on a day,  when it is cold outside”

 

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Grease a 2-quart baking dish.
  2. In a mixing bowl, whisk 3 eggs, white sugar, 2 tablespoons of light brown sugar, 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon, 1/4 cup of butter, and 3 cups of whole milk together, and gently stir in the bread cubes and raisins. Lightly spoon the mixture into the prepared baking dish.
  3. Bake in the preheated oven until browned and set in the middle, 50 to 55 minutes; cover the dish with foil after 30 minutes to prevent excessive browning. Let the pudding stand for 10 minutes before serving.
  4. For vanilla sauce, whisk 1/2 cup of light brown sugar, the flour, a pinch of cinnamon, 1 egg, 2 tablespoons of melted butter, 1 1/4 cups of whole milk,and salt together in a heavy saucepan until smooth. Heat over medium heat, whisking constantly, until thickened and the sauce coats the back of a spoon, 10 to 12 minutes. Stir in the vanilla extract. Pour sauce over warm bread pudding, or serve on the side in a bowl.
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Best Bread Pudding with Vanilla Sauce

A sensational, old family recipe for rich and delicious bread pudding.

Footnotes

  • Cook’s Note
  • For extra richness, substitute heavy cream for milk; for a lighter dessert, substitute 2% milk for whole milk.

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“Man’s BEST FRIEND- Will LOVE YOU Forever”

Since this is “STORY DAY” – Have to start with … “Once upon a time” and,  as you can see this PHOTO of me and little  “Miss Chloe” was taken some time back – shortly after my  getting home from the HOSPITAL – just had to have  “surgery”  and everyone knows –  that you are just plum worn out,  after so many stitches here and there – and when you are older –   “You just do not get around,  as fast as you  once did,  when you were a very young girl,  at the ripe  and  “old age”  of being  eighteen!”

Sure is good to have a  “cane”  to help  – something to lean on and this particular  “cane”  did belong to my husband, Lee – as he also had his fair share of surgeries  after having been shot  – when on  the Police Department – some fifty +   and, or  more years ago. Good to hold on to  those old  “CANES”  – never know when you  just, may need one?

“Little Miss Chloe”  is  most  attentive and concerned with doing everything just so and so – when she knows,  that she is helping a poor ole GRANDMA – and for that,  everyone  LOVES  “Little Miss Chloe”  just because she helps every one,  get “WELL”  faster and better,   than ever before – “if… I say so, myself!”

 

https://fourgrandmas.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/IMG_0917.jpg

       “Grammy with our favorite pup, Chloe!”

 

“Just have to add this little sweetie pie – with a very special message to and for  everyone – when you are not feeling real good – clip this  message and have it hanging right where you will see it – early in the day – just to know – that “LOVE”  is always right where you want it – and when you want it – to make each and every day – just the “best dog-gone day”  that you ever had – and,  will always have,  from now on, and   for all  TIME,  and that’s  forever!”

“Just have to THANK our Almighty Yahweh, because He gave us these wonderful , loving animals – to give their LOVE to us, humans – for the healing purpose – so that we will also care for them as they care for us – sharing the LOVE,   that only our wonderful  CREATOR can give – to all of  HIS creations – now and forever!”     D.V.


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“| NATIONAL TELL A FAIRY TALE DAY |”

“Tell me a story – and be sure to start with, “Once upon a time” – so that,  I will know that this story is going to be really good!”

FEBRUARY 26, 2019 | NATIONAL TELL A FAIRY TALE DAY |   also……. SPAY DAY USA | NATIONAL PISTACHIO DAY

National Tell A Fairy Tale Day - February 26

NATIONAL TELL A FAIRY TALE DAY

On February 26, have a happily ever after kind of day. It’s National Tell A Fairy Tale Day!

What were once oral histories, myths, and legends retold around the fire or by traveling storytellers, have been written down and become known the world over as fairy tales.

The origins of most fairy tales were unseemly and would not be approved or rated as appropriate for children by the Association of Fairy Tales by today’s standards. Most were told as a way to make children behave, teach a lesson or to pass the time much like ghost stories around a campfire today.

Many of the stories have some basis in truth. For example, some believe the story of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs is inspired by the real life of Margarete von Waldeck, the daughter of the 16th century Count of Waldeck. The area of Germany where the family lived was known for mining. Some of the tunnels were so tight they had to use children – or small people such as dwarfs – to work the mines.

Margarete’s beauty is well documented, and she had a stepmother who sent her away. She fell in love with a prince but mysteriously died before she could have her happily ever after.

As the stories evolved, they took on a more magical quality with fictional characters such as fairies, giants, mermaids and gnomes, and sometimes gruesome story plots.

Toes cut off to fit into a slipper, a wooden boy killing his cricket or instead of kissing that frog prince his head must be cut off, but those are the unrated versions.

The brothers Grimm collected and published some of the more well-known tales we are familiar with today. Jakob and his brother Wilhelm together set out on a quest to preserve these tales at a time in history when a tradition of oral storytelling was fading. In 1812, they published their first volume of stories titled Household Tales.  Their stories had a darker quality and were clearly meant for an adult audience.

Rumpelstiltskin is one of the tales they collected. There were several versions, and the little man went by many names in different parts of Europe. From Trit-a-trot in Ireland to Whuppity Stoorie in Scotland, Rumplestiltskin was one difficult man to identify.

While some storytellers have a long and sometimes ancient history such as Aesop (The Fox and the Goose, The Ant and the Grasshopper), others are more recent like the Grimm brothers.

Hans Christian Andersen, first published in 1829, brought to us written versions of the Princess and the Pea, The Ugly Duckling, The Little Mermaid and many more. Where Grimm’s tales could take on a darker cast and unmistakably written with adults in mind, Andersen’s stories are sweet and warm.

HOW TO OBSERVE

How to Tell a Great Story:

  • Engage your audience. Children like to participate. Have them quack every time the Ugly Duckling is mentioned, or make the motions of climbing Jack’s beanstalk.
  • Use repetition. Repeated stanzas, syllables or movements will keep the kids engaged. It not only helps them to remember the story but sets them up for the next round of the repeated phrase or stanza.
  • Give your characters a voice. Nobody likes a monotone storyteller. Buehler, Buehler, Buehler. No, not even children like the monotone. Varying your voice for each character and inflecting excitement, sadness and disappointment will create drama and stimulate the imaginations of the little minds listening to you.
  • Ask questions as you go. It’s an excellent way to keep your story flowing and to gauge the children’s listening skills.
  • Find out if someone has a story of their own. You might be in the presence of a great storyteller!

Share your favorite fairy tale with friends and family.  Try relating them from memory as this has long been a tradition.  Visit a library or local bookstore for story time.   Use #TellAFairyTaleDay to post on social media.

HISTORY

Within our research, we were unable to find the creator or the origin of National Tell A Fairy Tale Day.


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“When YOU do not feel good – WHAT do you DO?”

 This first PHOTO is of my husband, Lee and a very good friend,  being a very good customer, that would come into the “Dobbs  House Snack Bar ”  – just across the street from the “Broward General Hospital in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

Back then, you did notice that date on the PHOTO – “this “Dobbs House” was the first in Florida to be opened and we were LUCKY to be the operators  as Lee’s brother, Al was operating  a “Dobbs House in Birmingham, Alabama and with his wife Thelma – they were doing very well and thought that since “LEE” was retiring from the “Police Dept.” this would be a nice work plan and to live in Florida – what a great LIFE to look forward too!

 If my brain will start to recall the  “friend’s name” I will add it here. 

Every day Lee’s friend came in – he would have something quick and  light  with coffee – and just loved  to talk – and talk about everything – as he seem to know so much – with which,  to keep everyone entertained.  Lee and I would work the first shift  together – and then take off  for home – then later on –  in the evening when the next shift would  be changing,  “LEE”  going and  without me, would be there for a while  and or as long as he was needed, to see that everyone was there  promptly, and everything clean and  ready for  all  of the night shift  workers to  do  everything,   that their schedule called for.

 The man in the white shirt and shorts, sitting on the right in the above PHOTO – is the same good friend of “LEE;s” – and  is looking out to the “Parking Lot”  – where I am standing – as he knows that I am  taking some PHOTOS for my “memory book.”

On some days  that the “FRIEND” would stop by – and maybe it was not too busy –  the good  “FRIEND” would say something to  “LEE” about  “not feeling too well”  – and maybe if he would go and get a “SHOT” or something –   just  “MAYBE”  he would feel better? Of course that sounded so natural – since the “Broward General Hospital”  was  just across the street  – and there was a “Doctors’ Office next door – and further  on down the block,  there were other Doctor Offices – as far I knew?

So, every so often the two of them went to get a “shot”  to feel better – as they said – and what would I know – it seem that if you can feel better – and there are  “Doctors” all around – may as well get  your problem fixed – or so I thought!

Well, one day they were talking of going to get a  “shot” to feel better – so I said, “I can leave right  NOW, with you and get something, too  – as,  I am not feeling as well as usual – maybe  they have a Doctor to see me too!”  So we all get into  the car and off we are  driving  down, the back way of the street –  so,  I ask if this was a better way to go to the Doctor’s office?”  One of them answered,  “We always go in,  the back- way!”  And then, here we are – pulling into  the back parking lot,  of a “Tavern” – and when I see this  –  I said, “But, This is a TAVERN” – how can you get well,  HERE?”

One of them said, “You only need one “SHOT”  – to feel good!”


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“The word “Goober” was a common slang word for peanut.”

“So let’s make some good  ole – Chocolate covered  NUT Candy, tomorrow.”  “It is soooooo… gooood… for YOU!”

NATIONAL CHOCOLATE COVERED NUT DAY – February 25

National Chocolate Covered Nut Day - February 25

NATIONAL CHOCOLATE COVERED NUT DAY

National Chocolate Covered Nut Day is observed each year on February 25th.  It is a day for the delicious crunchy nut to be enjoyed once it has been covered in chocolate.  The possibilities are endless as there are so many different types of nuts, as well as different types of chocolate.

For thousands of years, nuts have been a staple of the human diet.  The walnut was a favorite of the ancient Greeks and Romans, while the pecans were a favorite of the Native Americans.

Both chocolate and nuts can be good for you.

Dark chocolate seems to possess a substantial amount of antioxidants, while the nuts contain the essential fatty acids and linolenic acids.  The fats in nuts, for the most part, are unsaturated fats, including monounsaturated fats.  Nuts also provide arginine, a substance that may help make the walls of the arteries more flexible and less prone to blockage from blood clot formation.  Many nuts are good sources of vitamins E and B2 and are rich in protein, folate, fiber and essential minerals, such as magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, copper and selenium.

The first chocolate covered peanut candy were Goobers which were originally sold in 1925.  The word “Goober” was a common slang word for peanut.

One of the more recognized chocolate covered nuts is the M & M. These chocolate covered peanuts or chocolate covered almonds have become a favorite of many.  The peanut M & M was introduced in 1954.  They were tan until 1960 when the colors red, yellow and green were added to production.

HOW TO OBSERVE

Whether it be unsweetened chocolate, sweet chocolate, semisweet chocolate, white chocolate or dark chocolate mixed with peanuts, cashews, almonds, macadamias, pecans, or any other nut, enjoy your favorite combination!! Use #ChocolateCoveredNutDay to post on social media.

HISTORY

Within our research, we were unable to identify the creator of National Chocolate Covered Nut Day.


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