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Is there anything more Americana than Snickerdoodles? My first try didn’t turn out and Paul called them Cinnamon Toast Cookies. I’m really sad to say that the taste a lot better with Sugar than Frutose. Its much more in the texture than in the sweetness. I had no idea that they were a christmas cookie. As a teenager I used to make a killer Snickerdoodle from the How to Catch a Man Cookbook. The recipes were pretty good, however I think the illustrator was obsessed with Daisy Duke.

Lauren Helton’s Snickerdoodles

1 C butter
1 1/2 C Sugar
2 eggs

2 3/4 Cups Flour
2 tsp cream of tartar
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt

Mix Butter, Sugar, Eggs until creamy. Add rest. Chill dough, roll into walnut sized balls. Roll in mixture of 2 tsp sugar & 2 tsp cinamon.
Place 2″ apart on ungreased sheet. Bake at 400 for 8-10 min.

(adapted from Cindy’s Itty Bitty Baking Book)

8 T (1 stick) butter
1/4 C sugar
3/4 C brown sugar
1/2 C peanut butter
2 T Milk
1 tsp Vanilla
1 Egg
1 3/4 C Flour
1 tsp Baking Soda
1/2 tsp Salt

1. Preheat the oven to 35o degrees. Line sheets with parchment paper.

2. Cream Butter, Sugar until light and fluffy. Add peanut butter mix well. Add milk & vanilla mix some more. Ad the egg and mix completely.

3. Add remaining ingredients to butter mixture until a dough forms.

4. On a lightly flowered surface, roll the dough into 1/2 inch logs. Slice into 3/4 in lengths. Flatten the cookies, they will come out the shape they went in.

5. Bake in the middle rack of the oven for 8-10 min. (I all ways underbake everything)

Semi-Sweet & White Chocolate Chips for decoration. Instead of fork marks I used a celtic cookie press. (if you want them to taste like your childhood use Skippy)

I feel convinced that the key to domestic harmony is warm breakfasts. This is the year of the pancake since we invested in a $20 griddle.

(4 servings)

1 cup all-purpose flour
1 Tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 beaten egg
1 cup buttermilk
2 Tablespoons oil
Mix the dry ingredients together. Mix the egg, buttermilk and oil together and add all at once to the dry ingredients.

Stir until slightly lumpy. Cook in a hot non-stick and lightly-greased or buttered skillet.

Three Cheers for Jack Johnson

• The first cheer is for making happy, enjoyable music.
• The second is for making music that i think is cute when my husband sings it.
• The third is for turning us on to Banana Pancakes.

You hardly even notice
When I try to show you this
Song it’s meant to keep you
From doing what you’re supposed to
Like waking up too early
Maybe we could sleep in
I’ll make you banana pancakes

Banana Pancakes

INGREDIENTS:
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon white sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 egg, beaten
1 cup milk
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 ripe bananas, mashed

DIRECTIONS:

Combine flour, white sugar, baking powder and salt. In a separate bowl, mix together egg, milk, vegetable oil and bananas.

Stir flour mixture into banana mixture; batter will be slightly lumpy.

Heat a lightly oiled griddle or frying pan over medium high heat. Pour or scoop the batter onto the griddle, using approximately 1/4 cup for each pancake. Cook until pancakes are golden brown on both sides; serve hot.

I spent the afternoon (3.5 hours) of my birthday at Jade Sauna, a Korean Bathhouse in Beaverton. It’s a couple of doors town from Elite Hot tubs were Paul & I used to get couples massage in the days he was too self conscious to do it alone.

I work with a woman who is a fan of Jade Sauna. She gave me the run down of what to expect. I have never been treated so roughly in my life. I had things exfoliated I didn’t knew could be. The massage style reminded me a bit of an MXC episode.

I chose the Delux Package 1: (Entry, Exfoliation, Moisture, Massage)

1. Lockers and Pink Robe
2. Shower
3. Salt Room
4. Wet Sauna
5. Exfoliation
6. Shower with Hair Washing
7. Dry Jade Sauna
8. Moisture Massage
9. Shower no soap (no sweat)

Korean Bath House Milk Mask
Materials:
2 tsp of almond oil
1 tsp honey
1 tbs of grated cucumber

Instructions:
This is a very hydrating and cooling mask suitable for all skin types.

To apply to this mask begin by massaging the oil into your face, then apply a layer of honey followed by a gentle pressing of the cucumber into the skin. Allow it to sit on the face for 20 mins.
Rinse off

(my moisture massage had warm milk after the oil and cucumber slices)

1 ½ C Flour
3 sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt
3 eggs
6 oz Vanilla Yogurt
¾ C water
3 T butter melted
1 ¾ c sliced fresh strawberries
1 C strawberry syrup warmed

Heat griddle or skillet over medium heat (375) Grease griddle with vegetable oil if necessary.

In a large bowl, mix flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, yogurt and water with wire whisk; beat in butter. Pour egg mixture all at once into flour mixture; stir until moistened.

For each pancake, pour slightly less than ¼ cup batter from cup or picture onto hot griddle. Cook pancakes 1 to 2 minutes or until bubbly onto puffed and dry around edges. Turn and cook other sides 1 to 2 minutes or until golden brown. Top each serving (2 pancakes) with ¼ C sliced strawberries and about 2 T syrup.

Apparently Soda bread is part of Paul’s Irish birthright.

White Soda Bread
4 cups (16 oz) of all purpose flour.
1 Tsp baking soda
1 Tsp salt
14 oz of buttermilk
Preheat the oven to 425 F. degrees. Lightly crease and flour a cake pan.
In a large bowl sieve and combine all the dry ingredients.
Add the buttermilk to form a sticky dough. Place on floured surface and lightly knead (too much allows the gas to escape)
Shape into a round flat shape in a round cake pan and cut a cross in the top of the dough.
Cover the pan with another pan and bake for 30 minutes (this simulates the bastible pot). Remove cover and bake for an additional 15 minutes.
The bottom of the bread will have a hollow sound when tapped so show it is done.
Cover the bread in a tea towel and lightly sprinkle water on the cloth to keep the bread moist.

Crust

2 cups Chocolate Wafer crumbs

5 tablespoons Butter, melted

or

Oreo Cookies Pulverized in a Food Processor

Filling

3 packages (8 ounces each) Cream Cheese, at room temperature

1 cup Sugar

5 large Eggs

2 ounces (2 squares) Semisweet Chocolate, melted

Frosting

6 ounces (6 squares) Semisweet Chocolate, melted

1/2 cup Sour Cream

Making the Cheesecake:

1. To prepare crust, in a medium bowl, mix together chocolate crumbs and melted butter until well blended. Press into a 9-inch springform pan.
2. Preheat oven to 300 degrees.
3. To prepare the filling, in a large bowl, beat together cream cheese, sugar and eggs at medium speed until smooth and fluffy. Spoon half of cream cheese mixture into crust.
4. Stir chocolate into remaining cream cheese mixture until well blended. Drizzle over batter in crust to make swirls.
5. Bake cheesecake for 50 minutes. Transfer pan to a wire rack. Cool completely.
6. Transfer cheesecake to a serving plate, cover with plastic wrap, and chill for 2 hours.
7. Uncover cheesecake and carefully remove the side of pan.
8. To prepare frosting, in a small bowl, mix together chocolate and sour cream. Spread over cheesecake. Chill briefly until frosting is set.

Cheesecake Tip:
Cheesecake can be made 2 to 3 days in advance and kept, covered with plastic wrap, in the refrigerator. Or, the cake can be frozen for up to 3 weeks. Defrost before serving.

Paul said this is the best Banana Bread he has ever had. Make sure you have really black, really smelly bananas.

½ C Butter

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp vanilla

1 tsp cinnamon

1 Cup White Flour

1 Cup Whole Wheat Flower

½ Cup Sugar/Fructose

½ C Brown Sugar

1 tsp baking soda

¼ tsp salt

2 eggs

2 very ripe bananas

Grease pans well with butter. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour.

I needed a break from oatmeal cookies. Plus I had 1/2 a package of cream cheese in the fridge.

INGREDIENTS:

1/2 cup butter, softened

1 small package (3 ounces) cream cheese

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1/4 cup light brown sugar, packed

1 egg

1 teaspoon finely grated orange peel

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 cup sifted all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Cream butter, cream cheese, and sugars; beat in egg, orange peel, and vanilla. Sift together the flour and salt; stir into creamed mixture. Stir in chocolate chips. Drop by teaspoonfuls onto lightly greased cookie sheet. Bake at 350° for about 12 to 15 minutes, until lightly browned around edges. Makes about 3 dozen cookies.