I don’t have much memorized about cooking, but if you were to ask me the 2 things I know off the top of my head, it’s that most cookies bake at 350 for 10 minutes and the ingredients for Cake Mix Cookies are 1/3 cup of oil and 2 eggs. Something else my mama always taught me was that everything was worth celebrating. The end of a big project, cleaning the whole house on a Saturday, making it to the end of a hard work week, getting straight A’s on your report card, anniversaries, promotions, and even half birthdays if you were my sister.
The big and the small, it’s all worth celebrating. My parents sometimes feel bad when they get ready to pull a party together and invite their friends because we realize we have had much in life to celebrate. Heck, one year, not that long ago, we had 5 years cancer-free, a teacher of the year, a graduation, a big move and a retirement all in the same year. Not all of them had a party, but each one called for its own special celebration!
When I first lived on my own, I didn’t have much surplus in my budget, but I still loved to celebrate. I wanted to carry on this tradition I had learned from my parents to make every moment count and to celebrate all the small victories along the way. So, playing on my memory of baking growing up, and my often “famous” style of cooking, I decided to start experimenting with something I knew well.
Cake-Mix-Cookies. They were one of my favorite treats growing up. Always perfectly chewy, sometimes not too sweet and ever the easy go-to quick fix for just an afternoon toast with a cup of milk.
I’ll admit there are many varieties (and I’ll share them at the bottom), but the ones that always taste the best are the Confetti Celebration Cookies. Maybe it’s the sprinkles. Maybe it’s the fact that they taste like ice cream. Or, maybe nostalgia wins every time!
A homemade cookie with a cup of milk or a pot of coffee really is the best way to celebrate almost anything.
Congratulations Keisha! We are so excited for you guys. #Celebrate
Mix together all ingredients by hand or in a stand mixer.
Scoop dough with a cookie scoop or make 1-1/2 inch balls.
Bake for 10 minutes or until edges get a little brown.
Cookies should hold shape and not flatten out. If you want flat cookies pat them to ½ inch thick before baking) Let cool to room temperature before serving.
Optional: Make ahead and keep in an airtight container in refrigerator for an afternoon snack. Or, roll into a log and put in your freezer when you need to just cut and serve quickly. Baking process is the same.
Variations: Strawberry cake mix with butter cream icing, Red Velvet cake mix with cream cheese icing, Dutch Chocolate or Milk Chocolate cake mix and roll balls in powdered sugar before baking, Lemon cake mix with cream cheese icing, Pineapple cake mix add ½ cup shredded coconut to the mix before baking.
Keisha Pittman can be found over at bigpittstop (bigpittstop.com), a blog started when she was brushing up on her superpowers kicking cancer’s butt. Eight years later, it’s a chapter book of a 30 something navigating life and learning lessons along the way. She is a self-proclaimed nerd and every once in a while lets us have a little glimpse into her recipes-for disaster, Saturday scenic drives, “big sister chats” and thoughts about living the good life in Northwest Arkansas. In the meantime, she is busy planning her wedding to her fun loving chicken man and planning her new life in South Arkansas.
There are just certain foods you expect at every family gathering, am I right? Certain standby recipes, if you will. At Thanksgiving there will always be turkey, dressing and pumpkin pie. At Christmas there will always be ham and homemade candy. I could go on and on but I think you get the picture.
In my family, something we have always come to expect is my sister’s Dot Cookies. My sister is the baker in our family. I love to cook but baking is just not my thing. The taste is always there but the presentation, not so much! Oops!
Dot Cookies are tiny sugar cookies with just a “dot” of icing on top and are just the perfect size to pop in your mouth and eat! Or, if you are my niece Paycen, you lick the icing off and give the cookie to your Aunt Ricci to eat. HA!
I believe the Dot Cookies came about when my aunt worked at a local bakery that made them. She started making them for our family get-togethers and then my sister started making them when my aunt didn’t want to any more.
The recipe has been tweaked a few times throughout the years but I love them no matter how they are made, HA!
I think these cookies are just adorable and I love these cookies are completely customizable in that you can make the icing whatever color you want to match your event. These cookies are perfect for holidays, birthday parties, baby showers, wedding showers, potlucks, really just whatever! They also travel well which is always a plus in my book!
While they may be a little time consuming, only in that they have to chill for a few hours, I think Dot Cookies are the perfect addition to any celebration!
The Foodie Friday 2016 theme is #Celebrate. Come join us as we focus on a different way to #Celebrate each month. In January we are all about “Celebrate Celebrations.” I can’t think of a better way to kick off a brand new year than with this Ding Dong Cake from Rhonda Bramell of Bramell: Party of Five.
Should you find yourself in need of an easy (yet impressive) dessert for a special occasion, check this one out. My friends, this is the dessert that will woo your enemies and win you admirers for life. This is my go-to recipe when I need a birthday cake, office potluck dessert or just for the “lots of people coming over” occasion.
The beauty of the Ding Dong Cake is that it looks like it was completely labor intensive and difficult to make. Alas, it’s not! There are only a few ingredients and it doesn’t require a culinary degree to pull off. And, I might add, there’s nothing better than homemade whipped cream
The downside to making this cake is simply the temptation of having it in your house. As a result, I don’t make it as often as I’d like…because I would totally eat it myself. As my kindergartener demanded as I removed it from the fridge, “Give me the cake now!”
I definitely suggest making this your next celebration dessert, too. Or, at the very least, go grab a gallon of milk and a fork and celebrate your baking victory!
Rhonda Bramell is a blogger in Northwest Arkansas. She is the ringleader of a circus that includes her husband, three kids and a rambunctious Boston Terrier. Rhonda has been blogging at Bramell, Party of Five for eight years; her blog is a collection of stories about the real life joys and challenges of parenting.
2015 was an exceptionally good year for Arkansas Women Bloggers and for that we are extremely thankful. Today’s #Sunday #LinkUp focuses on celebrating our client relationships and thanking them for their confidence in our abilities. If you wrote a post for any #ARWB client in 2015, please post a link to that post here. We want to go there and thank you and our clients. Best wishes for many, many blessings in 2016.
I grew up as the child of Midwestern parents living in the South and my childhood was a perfect blend and meld of two distinct American cultures. I was born in the South and they had lived in the South for several years by then and had adopted many Southern traditions including the holiday food traditions of New Year’s Day. There is much folklore of how the food traditions of New Year’s Day started but many people celebrate the start of a New Year with a meal that includes Black Eyed Peas and Greens which ensure Good Luck and Good Fortune for the New Year.
Vegetables were always present at our meals and my Mom would tell you that we were fairly good eaters willing to try a variety of vegetables. The truth was that my Mom had a secret for ensuring that we would eat those veggies – cheese! For example, broccoli was always served with a little cheese and seasoned salt on top. While we were fairly open to eating veggies, we were not so adventurous to eat true Southern Collard Greens. Instead our Greens on New Year’s Day were cabbage and my mom’s secret weapon was present for our cabbage with a gooey cheese sauce and a little bit of spice that she combined as a cabbage casserole.
Her cabbage casserole was something she adapted from a traditional recipe for Spinach Madeline. Here is her adaption and recipe for Cabbage Madeline. It’s not too spicy and it goes perfectly with Black Eyed Peas and Ham for your New Year’s Day dinner.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a casserole dish with nonstick cooking spray.
Steam the cabbage until it is cooked and reserve the liquid.
In a saucepan, melt the butter. Whisk in the flour until it has a smooth texture.
Add the chopped onion and cook until tender and gets translucent.
Add the evaporated milk and stir constantly until it begins to thicken. (If additional liquid is needed, add in small amounts from the reserved cabbage cooking liquid.)
Stir in the garlic salt, celery salt, white pepper, and Worcestershire sauce along with the Pepper Jack cheese.
Continue to stir until the sauce is a smooth texture and the cheese is melted.
Combine the cheese sauce with the cooked spinach.
Pour into the prepared casserole dish. If desired, top with breadcrumbs and finely shredded cheddar cheese.
Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes or until bubbly.
Grilled peanut butter and jelly sandwich – this was one of my mom’s signature sandwiches and always makes me think comfort food. It’s ooey and gooey and delicious!
What is your favorite international cuisine?
Mexican – I love chips and salsa. It’s one of my favorite snacks and foods!
What is always in your refrigerator at home?
Chocolate Milk
What is your go-to ingredients that you use time and time again?
Olives – I love to add into sauces or as a pizza topping.
Do you have a favorite food indulgence?
Dessert is my favorite indulgence!
What is your most used cookbook?
Better Homes and Garden Cookbook
What is your favorite kitchen gadget?
Lemon/Lime Juicer What is your favorite food meal to cook at home?
Chili
What is a cooking tip that you would like to share with beginning cooks?
Don’t be afraid to experiment and try new things. If you like a meal at a restaurant, take note of the menu description so that you can try to recreate it.
When you’re not cooking, what are your favorite pastimes?
Running and triathlon
What else would you like us to know about you?
Food helps me fuel a healthy and active lifestyle but that doesn’t mean it has to be bland. It’s fun to play with food and it’s an important part of my training plan to keep me race ready!
I found this recipe for roasted carrots and parsnips with herb butter in a Cooking Fresh magazine years ago, and it instantly became a favorite in our family. It pairs perfectly with any holiday meal—turkey, chicken, beef, or pork—and the vegetarians will love you. No kidding.
While this is not a low calorie dish—there’s butter, y’all—carrots and parsnips are loaded with goodness including phyto-nutrients, vitamins, minerals, and both soluble and insoluble fiber. In a sea of heavy holiday dishes (many that include cream of something soup), this side will be a definite bright spot on your table.
Peel carrots and parsnips and cut into two-inch sized matchsticks for uniform roasting. (Toss all the yummy scraps into the compost.)
Since this is the most time-consuming part of the recipe, I like to do all my peeling and cutting a day in advance and store the veggies in the fridge.
Toss carrots and parsnips in olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Transfer to a cookie sheet and roast in center oven rack.
Stir every ten minutes or so until veggies are brown and tender (but not too tender), approximately 45 – 50 minutes. Keep an eye on this. Things can happen quickly at 450 degrees.
While veggies roast, combine butter, shallot, herbs, and garlic in a small bowl and stir.
Pour herb butter over vegetables, toss to coat, and serve immediately.
Notes
Note: Leftovers are fantastic in turkey or chicken potpie
A word about ingredients. You may be tempted to skip the parsnips and use only carrots. Just don’t. Parsnips add a creamy sweetness to the dish. Now, on to the shallot. Shallots are not green onions. Shallots add depth and richness, and they are sweeter than green onions. They may be hiding at your grocery store, but seek them out. And the herbs? Even though your herb garden may be finished for the year, spring for fresh ones if you can. (If you do substitute dried herbs, remember dried herbs are much more potent than fresh so adjust accordingly)
Momma’s potato soup and cornbread. It’s a simple recipe that always reminds me of home.
What is your favorite international cuisine?
I like most any food made with simple, fresh ingredients, but if I had to choose, I’d select Mexican food. Street tacos with lots of cilantro – yum!
What is always in your refrigerator at home?
Milk, minced garlic, cheese of some sort, white wine, beer, butter, eggs, cottage cheese.
What are your go-to ingredients that you use time and time again?
Olive oil, garlic, balsamic vinegar, sea salt.
Do you have a favorite food indulgence?
Chips and queso. Fried pickles and homemade ranch dressing.
What is your most used cookbook?
My family cookbook with recipes from friends and family. I also love love love The Flavor Bible, but it’s more of a reference book than cookboo
What is your favorite kitchen gadget?
My chef’s knife. What is your favorite food meal to cook at home?
Roasted vegetables (okra, green beans, field peas) served over Arkansas rice. I especially like to mix fresh mint with it. Delicious.
What is a cooking tip that you would like to share with beginning cooks?
Read the recipe and measure ingredients before starting.
When you’re not cooking, what are your favorite pastimes?
Writing, gardening, reading, and playing with my dogs.
What else would you like us to know about you?
Clutter makes me crazy. I get up super early every morning to write. I love Christmas music and sometimes listen to it in the summer. I want to get a master’s degree from the University of Arkansas so I will have my name on Senior Walk. I wish I could play the fiddle. My first novel, The Accidental Salvation of Gracie Lee, debuts January 28, 2016! Yay.
Reading. What a gift we can give to ourselves and our children. As writers, parents and teachers we know how important it is to model reading and to instill the love of that into our children. I hope you’ve been reading a holiday story to your children each day, but just in case you need some suggestions, I have a few. Fill a bagful of holiday kids’ books with these favorites:
A Christmas Treasury by Stephanie Nettell (Ed.) contains a well-chosen selection of holiday poems and stories. I especially like that it contains excerpts from Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol.
Jan Brett’s Christmas Treasury combines seven of Brett’s best-selling, beloved books: The Mitten, The Wild Christmas Reindeer, Trouble with Trolls, The Twelve Days of Christmas, The Hat, Christmas Trolls, and The Night Before Christmas. Like all of her books, this one has amazing art work and is generally recognized as one of the finest children’s books on the market today. That said, it is expensive. Consider it an investment or suggest to grandparents, aunts or uncles what a nice gift it would be. This absolutely beautiful book will become a family heirloom.
The Night Before Christmas (A Visit From St. Nicholas)- the classic attributed to Clement Clarke Moore. How could you not share this one. Don’t visions of sugarplums still dance in our heads? This one is not to be missed.
Olive, the Other Reindeer by Otto Seibold and Vivian Walsh. Olive is a quirky little dog who misunderstands the lyrics of “Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer” hearing “Olive, the other reindeer” and heads off to the North Pole to become Santa’s helper. The illustrations are computer generated and the narrative is humorous.
The Little Reindeer by author and illustrator Michael Foreman is a sweet tale about reindeer that accidentally gets wrapped up as a gift for a little boy by Santa’s elves. The little boy keeps his new pet a secret even after the reindeer learns to fly and heads back to Santa’s workshop.
Seven Candles for Kwanzaa by Andrea Pinkney. I bought this one several years ago and still enjoy sharing it. It’s a great way to introduce children to the traditions and principles of Kwanzaa.
The Polar Express by Chris Van Allsburg has been around for several years but remains one of our all-time favorites. It’s a beautiful book — both the story it tells and the illustrations it presents. Watch the movie starring Tom Hanks if you get the chance .
The Christmas Story, first published in 1952 by Little Golden Books, was written by author Jane Werner Watson and illustrated by my absolute favorite Little Golden Book illustrator, Eloise Wilkin. It’s such a beautiful little book and an excellent presentation of the birth of Jesus.
How the Grinch Stole Christmasby Dr. Seuss. Can we have a Christmas without Cindy Lou, Max and the Grinch? I never tire of reading this one out loud with its twisting rhythm and creative language. Even the youngest can grasp the truth of this one. Buy it in hardback because, if your little ones are like mine, you’ll wear a paperback out very quickly.
Snowmen at Christmas by Caralyn and Mark Buehner is a companion to Snowmen at Night and continues the adventures of the snowmen at Christmastime. Just like Grinch, this one is meant to be read aloud.
Mortimer’s Christmas Manger – by Karma Wilson is another perfect read aloud choice. When Mortimer takes up residence in a manger scene and one by one moves the nativity “residents” out. Then one night he overhears the story of Christmas and the birth of Jesus and realizes that the bed he has been enjoying really belongs to the Baby Jesus.
The Legend of the Christmas Cookieby Dandi Mackall tells the story of a young boy named Jack who learns of his family’s tradition of baking cookies and sharing the story of the birth of Jesus with needy families. In doing so, he learns to become a cheerful giver. There’s also a cookie recipe included which could be made with your children.
The Christmas Miracle of Jonathan Toomey by Susan Wojciechowski is more appropriate for younger elementary children than preschoolers even though it appears to be a lovely picture book at first. Mr. Toomey was a woodcarver who spent his days alone and always seemed gloomy. No one knows the reason why until the Widow McDowell and her son ask Toomey to carve some special characters for them — ones they had lost in a move. It’s not only a beautiful story relating the true meaning of Christmas, it’s the story of love lost and love found. I wonder if you will read it without tears.
How about these classic Little Golden Books: The Animals’ Christmas Eve, The Christmas Story, The Little Christmas Elf, The Night Before Christmas; and The Poky Little Puppy’s First Christmas and The Twelve Days of Christmas.
The Best Christmas Pageant Ever– Barbara Robinson’s classic tale of the Herdmans’ interpretation of the Christmas story. If you’ve never read and shared this one, do yourself a favor and get a copy today. It’s funny and laughable, but it’s also heartwarming. It’s a reading must.
A Christmas Carol – Charles Dickens. I’m rather partial to this one after having taught it for so many years. Find a good adaptation — not the Mickey Mouse or Barbie versions, but one that is truer to Dickens’ original allegory. While Dickens did not write A Christmas Carol as a children’s book, it can easily be understood by them. It is not a retelling of the birth of Jesus, but rather a story emphasizing that we are indeed our brother’s keeper and that mankind has a responsibility to see that no child grows up ignorant or wanting.
The Way of the Wolfby Martin Bell. While not specifically a holiday book, it does contain a story that is special to our family and one my husband shared year after year with our daughter, and one she continues to share with her children today. This is actually a collection of stories in which the wolf is a metaphor for God. The Tale of Barrington Bunny contained within this book is a parable of Jesus — the greatness of His love for us and how He died for us because of that love. Do yourself a favor, get this book; read about Barrington and share that tale with those you love.
I could go on and on with this list, but it’s a good start as it is. The emphasis is on “start.” Share the classics. Discover the sure-to-be classics. In sharing them with your little ones, you’ll be giving one of the most precious gifts you can. Reading is a magical gift we give to ourselves and share with others.
What are some of your favorite holiday children’s books? Which ones have a special meaning or tradition in your family? Why not share those in the comments?
Best wishes for a very Merry Christmas and magical holiday season.
2015 was an exceptionally good year for Arkansas Women Bloggers and for that we are extremely thankful. Today’s #Sunday #LinkUp focuses on celebrating our client relationships and thanking them for their confidence in our abilities. If you wrote a post for any #ARWB client in 2015, please post a link to that post here. We want to go there and thank you and our clients. Best wishes for many, many blessings in 2016.
