I know you have probaly seen these on every blog already this year, we make these EVER year. Personally they are my least favorite cookie but my mom really enjoys them so we make them every year.

I am also submitting this to this months tasty tools event. I think everyone uses a baking sheet in the month of Dec! This is the same recipe we use every year, but I wanted to post it along with all our baking.

Peanut Butter Blossoms (From: Better Homes and Gardens New Cook Book)

• 1/2 c. shortening
• 1/2 c. peanut butter
• 1/2 c. sugar
• 1/2 c. brown sugar
• 1 t. baking powder
• 1/8 t. baking soda
• 1 egg
• 2 T. milk
• 1 t. vanilla
• 1 3/4 c. all-purpose flour
• 1/4 c. sugar
• Herseys Kisses

Beat shortening and peanut butter with an electric mix 30 seconds. Add the 1/2 c. sugar, brown sugar, baking powder, and baking soda. Beat until combined, scraping bowl. Beat in egg, milk, and vanilla. Beat in as much flour as you can. Stir in any remaining flour.

Shape dough into 1-inch balls. Roll balls in the 1/4 c. sugar. Place 2 inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake in a 350 oven for 10 to 12 minutes or until edges are firm and bottoms are lightly browned. Immediately press a chocolate kiss into each cookie’s center. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool

As soon as I saw that whoopie pies were this months cookie carnival recipe I was excited. I honestly have never heard of whoopie pies until I started my blog and started reading other blogs, lots of people had made them. Ever since seeing them I wanted to make them, but needed the perfect reason, this was it. It was the cookie recipe. And I have to say we really liked them

I also decided to make half pumpkin filling and half pink cherry filling and submit this to the power of pink challenge blogging event. So please do your monthly self breast exam this month!

Mini Pumpkin Whoopie Pies (From: Martha Stewart)

• 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (not Dutch-process)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, softened
• 1/4 cup vegetable shortening
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup packed dark-brown sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 cup whole milk
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

FOR THE FILLING

• 4 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar
• 1/4 cup canned solid pack pumpkin
• Pinch of cinnamon
• Pinch of nutmeg

Prepare cookies: Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Sift together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt into a medium bowl; set aside.

Place butter, shortening, and sugars into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on high speed until smooth, about 3 minutes. Add egg; mix until pale and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Mix in half the flour mixture, then the milk and vanilla. Mix in remaining flour mixture.

Drop about 2 teaspoons dough onto baking sheets lined with parchment paper, spacing 2 inches apart. Bake until cookies spring back when lightly touched, 12 to 14 minutes. Transfer baking sheets to wire racks and let cool 10 minutes. Remove cookies from baking sheets and transfer to wire racks using a spatula; let cool completely.

Prepare filling: In the bowl of a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, whip together cream cheese, butter and confectioners’ sugar on medium speed until smooth, about 3 minutes. Add pumpkin, cinnamon, and nutmeg; whip until smooth, scraping down the bowl as necessary. For the cherry filled ones I omitted the pumpkin, cinnamon, and nutmeg. In it’s place I added cherry flavoring, and pink food coloring.

Pipe or spoon about 2 teaspoons filling on the flat sides of half the cookies. Sandwich with remaining cookies, keeping the flat sides down.

I actually used this focaccia for the panini’s I made with our soup. This was a very simple recipe. I mixed it up I got home and could pretty much just leave it and it worked itself out.

Today is also world bread day. Go enjoy some bread today

Blitz Bread: No-Fuss Focaccia (Inspired By: Amber’s Delectable Delights From: King Arthur Flour)

• 1 1/2 cups (12 ounces) warm water
• 3 tablespoons (1 1/4 ounces) olive oil (plus additional for drizzling)
• 1 1/4 teaspoons salt
• 3 1/2 cups (14 3/4 ounces) King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
• 1 tablespoon instant yeast

Lightly grease a 9″ x 13″ pan, and drizzle 1 to 2 tablespoons olive oil in the bottom.

Combine all of the ingredients, and beat at high speed with an electric mixer for 60 seconds.

Scoop the sticky batter into the prepared pan, cover the pan, and let it rise at room temperature for 60 minutes, till it’s become puffy.

While the dough is rising, preheat the oven to 375°F.

Gently poke the dough all over with your index finger.

Drizzle it lightly with olive oil, and sprinkle with pizza seasoning, and/or the dried herbs of your choice, if desired.

I did the Omivore 100 a few weeks ago, but anyone that knows me knows that I am MUCH more a baker then a cooker, so when I saw this knew I had do it.

What’s your score?

1. Red Velvet Cake
2. Princess Torte
3. Whoopie Pie
4. Apple Pie either topped or baked with sharp cheddar
5. Beignet
6. Baklava
7. Black and White Cookie
8. Seven Layer Bar (also known as the Magic Bar or Hello Dolly bars)
9. Fried Fruit pie (sometimes called hand pies)
10. Kringle
11. Just-fried (still hot) doughnut
12. Scone with clotte cream
13. Betty, Grunt, Slump, Buckle or Pandowdy
14. Halvah
15. Macarons
16. Banana Pudding with nilla wafers
17. Bubble tea (with tapioca “pearls”)
18. Dixie Cup
19. Rice Krispie treats
20. Alfajores
21. Blondies
22. Croquembouche
23. Girl Scout cookies
24. Moon cake
25. Candy Apple
26. Baked Alaska
27. Brooklyn Egg Cream
28. Nanaimo bar
29. Baba au rhum
30. King Cake
31. Sachertorte
32. Pavolva
33. Tres Leches Cake
34. Trifle
35. Shoofly Pie
36. Key Lime Pie (made with real key lime)
37. Panna Cotta
38. New York Cheesecake
39. Napoleon/mille-fueille
40. Russian Tea Cake/Mexican Wedding Cake
41. Anzac Biscuits
42. Pizzelle
43. Kolache
44. Buckeyes
45. Malasadas
46. Moon Pie
47. Dutch Baby
48. Boston Cream Pie
49. Homemade chocolate chip cookies
50. Pralines
51. Gooey butter cake
52. Rusks
53. Daifuku
54. Green tea cake or cookies
55. Cupcakes from a cupcake shop
56. Creme Brulee
57. Some sort of deep fried fair food (twinkie, candy bar, cupcake)
58. Yellow cake with chocolate frosting
59. Jelly Roll
60. Pop Tarts
61. Charlotte Russe
62. An “upside down” dessert (Pineapple upside down cake or Tarte Tatin)
63. Hummingbird Cake
64. Jell-O from a mold
65. Black forest cake
66. Mock Apple Pie (Ritz Cracker Pie)
67. Kulfi
68. Linzer torte
69. Churro
70. Stollen
71. Angel Food Cake
72. Mincemeat pie
73. Concha
74. Opera Cake
75. Sfogliatelle / Lobster tail
76. Pain au chocolat
77. A piece of Gingerbread House
78. Cassata
79. Cannoli
80. Rainbow cookies
81. Religieuse
82. Petits fours
83. Chocolate Souffle
84. Bienenstich (Bee Sting Cake)
85. Rugelach
86. Hamenstashen
87. Homemade marshmallows
88. Rigo Janci
89. Pie or cake made with candy bar flavors (Snickers pie, Reeses pie, etc)
90. Divinity
91. Coke or Cola cake
92. Gateau Basque
93. S’mores
94. Figgy Pudding
95. Bananas foster or other flaming dessert
96. Joe Froggers
97. Sables
98. Millionaire’s Shortbread
99. Animal crackers
100. Basbousa

31/100 I have some fresh dessert ideas

I participated in this round of the WC Recipe Exchange. I have been a horrible procrastinator and finally got around to making my soup today.

Sadly Adam doesn’t like squash so I most likely wouldn’t make this again, but it was very good for me and I liked the texture the beans gave to it. Sadly my camera batteries died as I turned it on to take a picture of the soup, so no pictures this round

Thank you for whomever submitted it.

Butternut Squash Soup

• 2 squash, chopped into 1″ chunks
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 celery stalk, chopped
• 4-6 c. chicken broth
• 2 cans Goya pink beans, rinsed and drained

Sauté onion and celery until starting to brown.

Add chopped squash and sauté until squash is browning. Add approximately 4-6 cups of chicken broth, just enough to cover.

Keep on lowest heat possible and simmer for approximately 1 hour; add beans and cook for about 5 more minutes.

Add salt and pepper to taste.

Elizabeth at Elizabeth’s Cooking Experiments has awarded me a blogging for purpose award. I was very honored to be awarded this as I feel like I am just a normal Midwestern cook. I like to make the family favorites as well as go out on a limb.

It’s my job to nominate five other bloggers whom I feel deserve this award.

Amber at Amber’s Delectable Delights. Amber’s pictures and bread recipes get me every time. I have noticed whenever I am searching for a recipe I always start at her blog.

Joelen at Joelens Culinary Adventures. I love reading about all the events that Joelen does around her community and all the interest things she puts in her blog.

Melissa at Meli can cook. Meli definitely can cook, almost everything in her blog makes me drool, I love her food and pictures.

Jamie at Good Eats ‘n Sweet Treats. Whenever I log into my google reader I look at her blog first, I love all her posts and desserts!

Michelle at Sugar and Spice. I love reading about all the events Michelle participates in, and all her dessert recipes.

Now, here’s what you five have to do

Nominate 5 blogs that haven’t had this award before

Each of the blogs must have a purpose

The nominated blogs must have a link back to this blog

The logo from this award must be displayed in your blog

I had so much fun participating in last months tasty tools I made a promise to participate in every month no matter what the tool was. I was so happy to see that this month was the scoop, I have recently bought the medium and large Pampered Chef scoops, and hope to buy the small soon.

My problem was solved M & M cookies, I picked up a bag of regular M & M last week, but today when I stopped at the store they had mint so I grabbed those and made 2 batches.

M & M Cookies (Found On: Delish a Food Blog From: The Cookie Bible)

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 eggs
• 1 1/3 cups M&M’s, divided
• 1 cup chopped pecans (I omitted)

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Stir together flour, baking soda and salt; set aside. Beat butter, brown sugar, granulated sugar and vanilla in a large bowl until well blended. Add eggs; beat well. Gradually add flour mixture, beating until well blended. Stir in 3/4 cup M&Ms and all the nuts. Drop by rounded teaspoons onto cookie sheet. Press 5-6 of remaining M&Ms on each cookie before baking.

Bake 9-11 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool slightly; remove from cookie sheet to wire rack. Cool completely. Yields about 3-3 1/2 dozen cookies.