Morning Coffee & Afternoon Tea

New Year's Resolutions

I'm not ready for it to be a new year already.  I think we should adopt the Mayan tradition and celebrate the new year in July.  Did you know the French used to celebrate it on March 25, until 1582, when they finally adopted the "reformed" calendar? That would be fine with me, I'd have another few months to slouch around.

Oh well.  It's here, whether I'm ready or not.  Time for looking back, and for planning ahead.  A time for making fresh starts.  I wondered who it was that started all this New Year's Resolution stuff anyway.  According to infoplease.com's New Year's page:

It is believed that the Babylonians were the first to make New Year's resolutions, and people all over the world have been breaking them ever since. The early Christians believed the first day of the new year should be spent reflecting on past mistakes and resolving to improve oneself in the new year.

Lord.  A friend of ours declined to join our New Year's gluttony and debauchery this evening.  She's going to spend the night all by herself, reflecting, ruminating, revising and resolving.  Criminy, what a waste of a good Saturday night.

Ok, ok, I'll do a list.  But this year I'm going to be realistic about it.  I usually set impossible goals, try to climb ginormous mountains, and give up after a few weeks.  Why set myself up for failure yet again?

My 2006 New Year's Resolutions
1. Drink more good coffee
2. Drink at least one new flavor/kind of tea every month
3. Try a new decadent chocolate recipe at least once a month
4. Have a splendiferous fancy schmancy tea party once a month
5. See one new release movie each month
6. Do some exercises and yoga ... sometime or other
7. Eat something healthy ... once in a while, when I feel like it
8. Stop judging myself or comparing myself to others
9. Spend more quality time with my inner child
10. Do something creative - often

Now, there's a list I can live with. 

So, my friends and relations, here's a tip of the cup to you and yours.  I wish you all the best of all possible futures, and the warmest possible memories, for "auld lang syne".

New Year's History & Traditions:
   * http://www.fathertimes.net/traditions.htm
   * http://wilstar.com/holidays/newyear.htm
   * http://www.infoplease.com/spot/newyearcelebrations.html

Missouri Mud Balls

This week's Carnival of the Recipes will be all about balls, so for Chocolate Friday, I give you Missouri Mud Balls. 

This recipe was given to me by a boyfriend's ex-girlfriend, but it never worked right.  Come to find out, she wrote the amounts all wrong.  My guess is she still had a thing for the boyfriend (who turned out to be a bit of a player, but that's another story), and she may have been trying to sabotage me.  Or maybe she was dyslexic, who knows.  She and the boyfriend are now long gone, so I have nobody to ask, and I've had to play with this recipe a lot to get it to work.  Following is the latest revision.  I'm on my way to the store for peanut butter (and latte), and I'll add pictures later today. UPDATE: Pictures added.

Missouri Mud Balls
2 cups sugar
1/2 cup milk
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 cup butter
1/8 tsp salt
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
1/2 - 2/3 cup crunchy peanut butter
2 cups quick cooking oats

Mix sugar, butter, vanilla, milk, cocoa and salt in a sauce pan.  Bring to a rolling boil and cook for 1 minute. 

Remove from heat and add peanut butter and oatmeal, in small amounts, stirring well between additions.  Drop by teaspoons onto waxed paper on a plate or cookie sheet and use your fingers to form them into balls.  Chill and serve.

I think I'll try these balls with a lacing of marshmallow creme as well and see how they turn out.  Will update post later!

UPDATE:

It's been a while since I made these, and I'd forgotten how gloopy they can be.  In fact, as you can see from this photo here, they look more like Mississippi Cow Pies when you first slap them down on the wax paper. 

Since I wanted balls, though, not cow patties, I added more oats to make the batter much stiffer.  Almost 2 more cups than the recipe called for!  This allowed me to form the dough into balls, finally.

Also, the dough is quite hot right out of the pan, so don't try to form the balls right away.  In fact, I put the trays in the freezer for 5 minutes.  The dough was much easier to shape into balls.

I'm going to heat them a smidgy before serving them.  I like my balls warm.  Hot is even better.

*sigh* I tried to make it through this post without any potty humor, I really truly tried... but I just couldn't do it.

Not the Fruitcake!!

Just for fun, a musical Christmas offering: Christmas Dinner (No, Not the Fruitcake!).  My aunt is a children's choir director and songwriter extraordinaire.  She wrote this song for one of her Christmas pageants a few years back, and it's always cracks me up.  Warning, this song can get into your brain and refuse to go away. You'll find yourself singing it in the shower. 

Listen to the mp3

CHRISTMAS DINNER
By Janet Allyn
Copyright Spirit Song Prod 2001

1)  Mother makes a lovely Christmas dinner ev'ry year.
     Turkey, dressing, rolls and salad, ev'rything is here.
     Cookies, pies and special puddings I will eat it all.
     But when she sets this one thing on the table, you will hear me call:

Chorus:
"No, not the fruitcake!"  "No, not the fruitcake!"   "No, not the fruitcake!" 
"No, not the fruitcake!"  "No, not the fruitcake!"  "No, not the fruitcake!"
"No, not the fruitcake evermore!"

2)  I don't mean to be ungrateful, mother works so hard.
    Yet this fruit cake looks like something found out in our yard.
    Little bits of this and that all mashed in to a pile:
    Oily, brown - all squishy, flat and round.  It's really awfully vile!

Chorus:
"No, not the fruitcake!"  "No, not the fruitcake!"   "No, not the fruitcake!" 
"No, not the fruitcake!"  "No, not the fruitcake!"  "No, not the fruitcake!"
"No, not the fruitcake evermore!"

Part 1
We like cookies.  We like cookies.  (Sing 6 times)

Part 2
Give us lots of turkey.   Give us lots of turkey.  (sing 5 times)

Part 3
Love that dressing.  Love that dressing.  (sing 4 times)

Part 4
No more fruit cake, no more fruit cake!  (sing 3 times)

A Very Chocolatey Christmas

Sick of Christmas stuff yet?  Tuff.  I've got a few more Christmas recipes to share, and today being Chocolate Friday, is all about the sweet brown ones. 

First, from our friend the KeeWee: Afghan Biscuits, a "deceptively decadent chocolate biscuit ideal with coffee, after dinner or as a small treat".   

Next, the traditional Christmas cake in France is a log: Chocolate Logs.  This recipe is like an extended cookie sandwich.  It says to use "sweet biscuits" (that's a cookie for us 'mericans), but it doesn't say what kind, so I suggest using the most chocolately cookies you can find.  Go Choco!

An easy Christmas recipe for kids from Nestle: Chocolate Christmas Tree.

From Italy: Christmas Chocolate Bread.  This recipe actually sounds a lot like fruitcake, with a chocolate twist.  Which reminds me, I'm going to post a funny little song my aunt wrote, and her church kids recorded, about fruitcake.  If we can get it converted to mp3.

Ok, last recipe is from the Olympic Chocolate Festival website: Crazy Chocolate Cake, made with no eggs or butter.  I was surprised to find out there's a Chocolate Festival held in Sequim (that's pronounced skwim), WA every year.  Another good reason to visit my home state.  I'm marking the date for the next one - April 22, 2006.  Thanks to Cynthia for letting me know about this!

Merry Chocolately Christmas!

Almond Sugar Cookies

Yesterday's cookie baking was a minor success.  A few of the brown ones ended up on my plate, and I'm here to tell you that having cookies for breakfast is a wonderful thing.  As long as you have time for a mid-morning nap from the inevitable sugar crash.  I didn't really modify the recipe that much, just added a little of my flavoring.  And I made some of the regular kind as well, since some strange folx don't like almond.  Anyway, here's the recipe:

Almond Sugar Cookies
3 1/2 cups flour
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
1 cup softened butter
1 1 /2 cups sugar
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp almond flavoring
Almond paste / filling
Chocolate sprinkles

In a large bowl, beat the butter and sugar together until fluffy (3-4 minutes).  Add the eggs, almond and vanilla extract and beat until combined.  In a separate bowl, mix together flour, salt, baking powder. Add flour mixture to creamy mixture and beat until you have a smooth dough. Cover and refrigerate for an hour or so, to make the dough easier to handle.  (For basic sugar cookies, just leave out the almond flavoring.)

Roll out dough on a lightly floured surface to about 1/4 inch thickness.  (If you're making shapes, press the cookie cutters down into the dough and transfer cookies to cookie sheet.) For my almond cookies, I cut the dough into 2 - 2 1/2 inch squares.  Transfer squares to cookie sheet.  Spoon a small amount of the almond paste / filling into the center of each cookie.  Sprinkle the chocolate sprinkles over the top.  Fold up the corners just a smidgy, they don't have to close over the center.

Bake at 350° for 12-18 minutes, or until the edges just begin to turn brown.

Merry merry!

Christmas in the Blogosphere

Whew, now that my frenzied rush to get the house ready for company has subsided, I can take a minute to look around me and see what's the holiday haps in the blogosphere.

I've been enjoying Kat's Christmas music postings. She promises just Christmas music from now until Christmas Day.  I'll bet there's something there you've never heard in this eclectic collection.  Go have a listen.

Speaking of music... here's a bump to the Coffee Hymn, recorded by my aunt and myself, written/arranged by D, of Third World County.  It has nothing to do with the season, just a cute worshipful tune for those of us who love the holy bean.

Cindy of Cup of Tea & a Blog is still lost, traveling in parts unknown.  We miss you Cindy!  Come home safe!

Fortune of BCCY is traveling too, doing the Tassie circuit.  I can't say I'd like to be traveling in Tasmania at Christmas-time, but ... each to their own. 

Chuck of Cafe Metaphoric must be as busy as I've been these last few weeks.  But I see he likes my Christmas Coffee recipe.  Thanks Chuck!  And he's got a good list of Coffee Lover Gift ideas for those of you who still need last minute gifts.

Vancouver Coffee is in the spirit with a recipe for Mulled Cider, and more Christmas flavorings with the peppermint post.

Here's another one from Tea Posur, who is now 24 (oh, to be 24 again!) - Earl Grey Cocoa.  Sounds interesting.  I'll have to try it.

Over at Bloggle you'll find the Best of 2005 Coffee Brewers (wonderful way to wrap up the year), and Cadmus' own Holiday Blend.  Hey Doug, put me on your Christmas list, I want some!

Audrey of Coffee Sage is back and posting, with her recipe for Swiss (chocolate) Coffee (YUM!), and a Visit from the Coffee Santa.

Steph's Cup of Tea has some great holiday posts.  Start here: Holiday Tea Table.  I just love a beautifully set table!

Well, that's all the blogsurfing I can do this morning.  I'm going to make Christmas cookies today.  Every year my mom and I used get together and spend an entire day cooking and baking.  We'd have coffee and make batches of CCCCCC for gifts (and eating) and sugar cookies for the gift baskets (and eating).  I'm hoping her spirit will join me this morning as I bake.  I've modified our sugar cookie recipe a bit, I hope she won't mind.  The big question, the really big question, is ... shall I have cookies for breakfast?

Tuesday Tidbits

Think those coffee pots with timers are new and inventive?  Check this article, showing there truly is nothing new under the sun.

To the woman who thinks my Jingle Ball humor is sophomoric: Sophomoric vs. The Giggle Monster, or How I Found My Christmas Spirit.

Hadta laugh, speaking of sophomoric humor, when I stumbled across this blog: Darjeeling in the Teapot.  Is it just me or does that image look like a diaphragm?  I was hoping for more teastuff here but couldn't find any.

This and That

Coupla items I want to mention before I get abducted by aliens again... or maybe those little creatures were really Santa's elves eh?  Hmmmm.

ANYway, firstly, the Carnival of the Recipes #69 is up at Dubious Wonder.  Great holiday themage here, go check out all the great recipes!

Next, two posts from the highly diva-ish Divas at La Dolce Diva about tea:

Holiday Tea Break - You don't need to sell me on the benefits of tea time.  Scroll down for the creme of this post, a truly delish sounding recipe for EGGNOG SPICE POUND CAKE! Oh yeah, now that's a good addition to any tea break.

Gifts for the Tea Lover -  Hmmm, not a bad list here.  A bit scant, but there are some items I might add to my Xmas list.  Like the Tea for One teaset here, now isn't that pretty?  Just right for an old broad like me sipping tea alone on a wintry afternoon.

And now, something for the coffee lover, another interesting way to make coffee while you travel: The Press-Bot, a coffee press that fits inside of the standard bottle everyone carries with them when they travel, camp, etc.

I don't know about the "standard" part, from the looks of it, I might have a bottle that would fit. I'd like to try one out to see.  Actually, this looks really familiar.  Have I blogged on this before?  Did the elves mess with my memory?  Heh.  I'd rather blame it on elves than early Alzheimer's. 

My Brother's Jingle Balls

My brother's contribution to the Annual Christmas Sugar Overload is this delicious peanut butter and chocolate candy-ish thing he calls Jingle Balls.  It seemed appropriate to share it here for this week's Chocolate Friday, with his permission of course.  After all, they're HIS balls.

Jingle Balls

This is a single recipe, which makes about 12 medium (1 1/2 inch) balls, or 24 small (1 inch) balls, but he usually triples the recipe. 

3/4 cup creamy peanut butter
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups powdered sugar
1/2 cup softened butter

Mix together until creamy, and then refrigerate for a few hours (you can't work with soft dough, Bro says, you just get mushy balls... and he HATES having mushy balls).

Melt 12 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips with 2 tbsp parawax (edible paraffin). 

Shape dough into balls, and dip into the chocolate until almost fully covered.  Bro uses a fork - he says toothpicks don't work, your balls just fall off (and he HATES it when he loses his balls).  He also likes to leave the top part uncovered, so folx can see there's something yummy inside.  (It's the closet exhibitionist in him.)

Set onto wax paper on a cookie sheet, and refrigerate until chocolate hardens.  Once hardened, you can stack them and pack them, and abuse them in a variety of ways.  Bro puts them on a pile on a small paper plate, or stacks them tall a small bowl, covers with plastic wrap, and ties a ribbon round.  He calls this a bundle of balls. 

There you go.  Jingle Balls.  Very chocolately.  Delish.  As soon as he makes them this year, I'll add photos.  Or maybe I'll just try to make up a batch my own self.

They don't actually jingle.  But you probably already figured that out.

Christmas Coffee

Ok, so I've missed several Carnivals, and a coupla Chocolate Fridays, but boy, my house sure looks nice and Christmassy.  I finished almost all my shopping and I've got the menu almost all planned.  Heh.  Now all I have to do is sit back and wait for the guests to arrive.

This afternoon I'm experimenting with Christmas coffee flavors to serve said guests upon said arrival.  Well, and for myself, of course.  Heh.

I bought some of that peppermint flavored creamer to try.  Didn't care for it.  I tried an eggnog latte at my favorite coffee shop - loved that.  LOVED it.  I was hoping to find some eggnog flavored non-dairy creamer - for that touch of lactose intolerance that age created - but had no luck.  So I just bought a small carton of eggnog, and that's good for a splash.  I'll keep the peppermint and offer both to my guests at Christmas. 

The best of the best though, which will be served separately in its own pot, is this conconction I call

Chris(tine) Cringle Coffee
Add to french press:
6-8 whole cloves
1 stick cinnamon
3 whole nutmegs
Appropriate teaspoons coffee

Allow to brew for 5 minutes, stirring gently midway through.  Remove nuts and cinnamon stick and press.  Add 1/2 stick cinnamon to cup, and pour in coffee.  Add a dollop of whipped cream if desired.  Sprinkle ground cinnamon on top.

If you're going to use a drip coffee maker, add the cloves, cinnamon and nutmegs to the basket with the coffee grounds.  After the coffee is made, remove them, rinse, and add to the carafe so the flavor can continue to be released.

I used a good strong coffee for this, as the cloves add a strong flavor. You need a rich coffee to stand up to the spices.  I tried a french roast, and an espresso, and I liked the french roast best. The whole nutmegs added a very light flavor, maybe they need to be cut in half for a stronger flavor, but I preferred it not be overwhelming.

Enjoy!