Recipes

Remember my Uber Confused post when I told the story of how my mother created her family favourite recipe called Butterfly Tarts?  Well today Tracey and I made 96 Uber Butterfly Tarts and a few days ago I made 120 Cross Stitch Cookies to take to our Brentwood Cross Stitch Retreat weekend.   I took a moment to Uberize ONE tart so I could take a photo to show you exactly what it was my mother used to spend so much time doing. How she found the patience, I don't know ...and I can't even repeat what Tracey said, but it pretty much rhymed with &*$%@$*%%& cookies !!!

Note to Stitching Sisters:  The first Stitching Sister who comments on this posting BEFORE they are presented at Retreat - gets a shiny sticker.


Butterfly Tarts 
Tart Shells (either home made dough, or store bought)
Add 1 teaspoon raspberry jam to bottom of raw tart shell (for variety, replace jam with canned lemon filling)
Fill with white cake mix
Bake 15-20 min @ 350
Cool - then top with butter icing
To Uberize Tarts 
Carefully slice the top off the tart, and set aside
Icing the tart and set the 'wings' of the butterfly in the icing
Sprinkle with powdered sugar 
Icing 
Cream 1/2 pound butter with one large bag icing sugar, hot water
Start by blending all the butter with a mixer adding approx 1/2 cup powdered icing at a time. 
Add 1 tsp of vanilla and sprinkles of hot water until desired consistency
Blend well until fluffy




&*$%@$*%%& cookies !!!  
Cream together 1/2 cup shortening, 1/2 cup margarine, 2 cups brown sugar 
Mix together 2 eggs, 2 teaspoons vanilla, 1 teaspoon baking soda, dash of salt
Combine 3-4 cups flour mixed with 1 teaspoon baking powder
Roll out dough on floured surface and cut with desired cookie shape
Bake 6-8 minutes at 350
Cool, Ice, Enjoy 
Icing 
To make a glazed-self leveling icing mix powdered icing with milk
I generally start with 2 cups powdered icing and approx 2 tbsps milk 
You'll have to adjust the powder/milk ratio to get the right consistency:  you don't want the icing too runny or it won't hold the shape / and you don't want the icing too thick or it won't self level


******************************************************************************
Friendship Recipe 
Fold two hands together
And express a dash of sorrow
Marinate it overnight
And work on it tomorrow
Chop one grudge in tiny pieces
Add several cups of love
Dredge with a large sized smile
Mix with the ingredients above
Dissolve the hate within you
By doing a good deed
Cut in and help your friend
If he should be in need
Stir in laughter, love, and kindness
From the heart it has to come
Toss with genuine forgiveness
And give your neighbor some
The amount of people served
Will depend on you
It can serve the whole wide world
If you really want it to

*******************************************
Dead Bunnies 

1 pound left over chocolate Easter Bunny 
1 very large bag of peanuts 
1 hammer 
1 flat-head screwdriver 
Line cookie sheet(s) with wax paper 

Lay the bunny down flat; lightly pierce it with the screwdriver; pound hard with the hammer. 
Melt the small pieces of chocolate in a double boiler.
Add peanuts; stir; drop on wax paper; chill; enjoy. 

Years ago when chocolate bunnies were on sale for 10 cents after Easter, I took advantage and picked up about 50 of them and put them in the freezer.  One day I decided to make my famous 'peanut clusters' and rather than use the chocolate chips I decided to use my bunnies that were in the freezer. 
Because it was a solid frozen chocolate bunny I had to break it up into smaller pieces so I would not burn the chocolate when i was melting it.  I was having trouble and I thought... to heck with this, get the hammer and screwdriver.  I'm pounding away on this bunny when my girlfriend walks in and says, "Why are you killing the bunny?"

Ever since then: we've called Peanut Clusters Dead Bunnies.
Super easy to make.  Super easy to devour.  They are much faster to make then it was to write this story.

Bonnie

Christmas 2016

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