Virtual Cookie Exchange

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Welcome to the first, annual (I hope!) virtual cookie exchange hosted by Another Suburban Mom (affectionately known as ASM). And yes, I can say affectionately as I've shared a shower with her! No, not at the same time, but that's just a technicality!

Let me start by saying I have a new appreciation for food bloggers. It's nothing for me to string a few paragraphs of nonsense together, but putting together this post took time, and lots of it! Of course, I could have just followed ASM's directions and posted a short story and the recipe, but you know me, always a show-off an overachiever!

This is the short, sweet story behind my recipe. When Cam and I moved to Minnesota due to a corporate buy-out (Cam was 18 months old), I felt very isolated. Not only did I not know a single person there, but I didn't even know where the nearest grocery store was. Fortunately, I found a single moms email list (yes, that same email list that has since been my Achilles heal in regards to this blog) and met S and her daughter M. They became a lifeline, and dear friends, to Cam and I. S introduced us to this recipe about 10 years ago, and it quickly became a favorite of Cam's. In fact, I'm pretty sure he ate his weight in the damn things the first time he tried them. They became known as:

Cam's Chocolate Chip Balls

Ingredients:

1 cup butter
1 cup butter flavor Crisco
1 cup brown sugar (packed)

2 egg yolks (save the whites)
2 tsp vanilla
5 cups flour
1 tsp. baking soda
12 oz. bag mini chocolate chips

Chocolate sprinkles (or mouse turds as they are known in our house)

Oops! Forgot to put the vanilla and the baking soda in the ingredients picture!

Cream together butter, Crisco and brown sugar.

Add the egg yolks, vanilla and baking soda.

Mix in the flour and mini chocolate chips.

Eat some of the raw cookie dough (get over your aversion to salmonella - live dangerously). In between eating bits of the dough, roll some of the remaining dough into 1" balls. Beat the egg whites with a fork. Dip the balls into the beaten egg white and then into the chocolate sprinkles.

Place about 1" apart on a non-stick cookie sheet. Bake at 350 degrees F for 8-10 minutes.

Cool on a wire rack.

I can't imagine you'll have any extras, but if you do, these freeze very well!

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Christmas Meme

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

I confess, I just wasn't feeling inspired by the TMI Tuesday questions today, so decided to do the Christmas Meme I found over at Another Suburban Mom's place. My goal was to answer the 25 questions in less than 5 minutes. Oops! How about less than 10 minutes - barely!

Because I know some of you might not want to spend 10 minutes with me, I've included the Reader's Digest condensed version below!

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags?

Wrapping paper, preferably solid color, with curling ribbon. Or any leftover gift bags I might have!

2. Real tree or Artificial?

Real! An artificial tree? That's like non-alcoholic beer! In fact we hunt down and kill our own tree at a tree farm!

3. When do you put up the tree?

About two weeks before Christmas depending on the visitation schedule. We wait until a weekend that we have step-daughter with us.

4. When do you take the tree down?

New Years Day. By then I am tired of chasing the cats away from the tree.

5. Do you like eggnog?

Love eggnog, but not the 8700 calories/glass!

6. Favorite gift received as a child?

I was very active in band - both concert band and jazz band. In my early teens (14?) I received a Selmer Mark VII tenor sax for Christmas. I thought I had died and gone to heaven!

7. Hardest person to buy for?

Husband, because he buys his own gift every year before Christmas.

8. Easiest person to buy for?

Cam. He tells me what he wants - I buy it - we all live happily ever after!

9. Do you have a nativity scene?

Nope!

10. Mail or email Christmas cards?

Email? Christmas cards? Really? They either have a stamp on them or they don't count!

11. Worst Christmas gift you ever received?

I haven't ever had a "bad" gift, but growing up my grandparents used to get all of us girls the same item so it was only a surprise for the first one who opened hers.

12. Favorite Christmas Movie?

Christmas Vacation!

13. When do you start shopping for Christmas?

Ummm ... when I have to!

14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present?

Never recycled, but have donated a gift or two to charity.

15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas?

Soft sugar cookies with cream cheese frosting.

16. Lights on the tree?

Of course. Colored only.

17. Favorite Christmas songs:

Anything instrumental.

18. Travel at Christmas or stay home?

We stay home, although Cam really does need to get to Washington for a traditional family Christmas. He'll never be the same once that happens.

19. Can you name all of Santa's reindeer's?

I can! You'll have to watch the video for proof!

20. Angel on the tree top or a star?

Star!

21. Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning?

Usually Christmas Morning, unless we don't have husband's kids on Christmas morning, then it is Christmas Eve.

22. Most annoying thing about this time of the year?

Nasty people who seem to have forgotten what the holiday is all about.

23. Favorite ornament theme or color?

Theme? Ha! We put whatever we have on the tree. Ornaments Cam made. Ornaments that were gifts. It's a Charlie Brown Christmas Tree.

24. Favorite for Christmas dinner?

No favorite and no traditional dinner.

25. What do you want for Christmas this year?

I want my children to experience, and gain appreciation for, the gift of giving. I'd like them to truly feel the meaning of Christmas.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Indy Blogger Fun

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Why is it that blogger meets always involve too much food and too much beer? Well, maybe not too much beer for me this time, but ...

So, got to Indy around noon on Saturday. Got to see Osbasso (of HNT fame) again and got to meet M (Rumblings and Bumblings). We headed to the airport where we picked up ASM (Another Suburban Mom). Then it was time for lunch where we would meet NY Diva (mph-NYDiva), P & S (CelloBiscuit), and their wonderful little EZ-E.

Lunch was at Five Guys Burgers and Fries - a chain I had never eaten at but YUM! I had the best bacon cheeseburger I've had in a long time. And the fries? Seriously, I think the best I've ever eaten! After stuffing our faces and corrupting EZ-E with those yummy french fries, we headed back to the hotel.


ASM and I roomed together (I know I just made a bunch of you jealous - knowing that I was in the same room as ASM while she was showering). We stayed at the Hilton - on the executive floor (ASM had many tricks up her sleeve). We each got our own Hilton robe and there were Crabtree and Evelyn toiletries! WooHoo! After everyone freshened up and washed off the travel funk, we headed out for round two of food.


Saturday night was spent at the Broad Ripple Brewpub where we met up with Flyboy and A Living Diary. Fabulous food, awesome beer, and great friendships! Now, y'all know I must take pictures of the food - and the beer. I had the Spinach Melt (spinach, sour cream & water chestnuts on sourdough bread with monterey jack cheese and tomato) and the Bigger Boy Ale (can anyone say 8.4% ABV?)

After dinner and beer, it was time for something a little more crazy - the Wild Beaver! How could we not go to a bar called the Wild Beaver? Rumor has it there are some pics of some half-drunk bloggers standing around the Beaver, but my camera didn't contain any of them. ASM and M consumed Beaver Juice (yes, in public).
I decided to stick with shots of Patron Tequila, but couldn't find anyone willing to drink it with me! Hmmmm ....

I think most everyone slept well Saturday night even though M's phone was busier than a one-legged cat trying to bury a turd on a frozen pond. Yeah ... I actually did write that ...

Sunday morning it was time for one last get together - breakfast at Le Peep where we met up with American Honey and Yummy (sorry, Yummy doesn't blog, he just plays a character on American Honey's blog). More great food and interesting conversation - especially when American Honey was reminissing on a guest post she wrote where she was lambasted by a reader. Anyone want to guess who that reader was?? *slowly raises hand* Yep! It was me! Actually, although it had the potential to be an extremely difficult moment, it ended up being something we were able to laugh about.

Oh my goodness! I almost forgot the highlight of the weekend!! Right before checking out of the hotel, ASM asks, "Will you take a picture of my ass? I want to send it to Hubman so he can see what thong I am wearing." I don't think she's yet recovered from the "phone burn" she received as I swipe the phone right from her grip and then pretended like I couldn't figure out how to take a picture so that she would stand there half nekkid for just a few seconds longer *gigglesnort*

EDIT: Hubman is so good to me all of you, he and ASM have given me permission to post my handy-work!

Sorry there aren't any blogger pics. Many of those I met this weekend blog anonymously, and I wasn't sure which bloggers were OK with the faces plastered on my blog and which were not. I decided to err on the side of safety.

Wish y'all could have been there! It is always wonderful to meet the whole person rather than just the blogger!

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~