Gooseberry Patch Early Review: Meals in Minutes — 10th Anniversary Edition — Butterscotch Brownies (Plus a giveaway!)

I echo Jen’s earlier post on how excited we were to be asked to be Early Bird Reviewers for new Gooseberry Patch books.  I collect cookbooks, and have been a fan of Gooseberry Patch since my sister-in-law, Rhonda, gave me my first as a gift many years ago (I think it was Celebrate Autumn).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I love their cookbooks (I’ve got 14, and can’t begin to tell you how many I’ve purchased as gifts!) and “cook booklets” (too many to count!).  Unlike most of the cookbooks in my collection (many of which are purchased during our many family travels as souvenirs, and to be honest, contain ingredients I would never purchase and include directions I would never take the time to tackle), the Gooseberry Patch cookbooks are put to good use. I think it is because most of the recipes come from people much like you and I — busy and trying to eat well on a budget! So, Meals in Minutes — 10th Anniversary Edition was perfect for my turn to be a reviewer!  I’ll be posting several recipes this week which are the result of the sneak peek we’ve been privileged to have for this new book which will be hitting the bookstores soon, and we will even have a copy to give away!  Read through this post to find out how to enter to win a Gooseberry Patch cookbook before it hits the stores.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As soon as I heard from Jen that the books had arrived I started bugging her to get them to me so I could start my review process.  As you can see from the picture below, I didn’t have any trouble finding 2-3 recipes to try-out … the problem was actually deciding what to try!  Best of all, I already had all of the ingredients on hand to try every single recipe I tagged.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And, because life is short, I started with dessert first!  These things were so good that I proceeded to make a second batch to take into the office – I doubled all ingredients and baked in a 9″ x 13″ pan which made the bars just a little bit thicker.

Butterscotch Brownies

(page 197)

Alice Flood

Dallas, TX

 

Ingredients:

 

 

¼ cup butter

1 cup brown sugar, packed

1 egg, beaten

¾ cup all-purpose flour

1 tsp. baking powder

½ tsp. salt

½ tsp. vanilla extract

½ cup chopped nuts (I used pecans purchased at Priester’s, one of our favorite stops when roadtripping north on I-65)

Directions:

Melt butter in a small saucepan over low heat; remove from heat.  Stir in brown sugar until dissolved; set aside to cool to room temperature (cool enough that the eggs don’t start to cook when you add them!).  Blend in egg; add flour, baking powder and salt, mixing well.  Stir in vanilla and nuts; spread in a greased 8”x8” baking pan.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bake at 350° for 25 minutes; let cool.  Makes 9.

Note:  I melted the butter in a small glass mixing bowl in the microwave oven, and then mixed all ingredients with my Kitchen Aid mixer.

 

Do you want a copy of Meals in Minutes — 10th Anniversary Edition before it hits the bookstores?

How to Enter

We will be giving away ONE copy of the cookbook.  If you would like a chance to win, leave us a comment in this post and tell us what your favorite soup, salad or sandwich is.  Leave your comment before March 10 at 9:59 CST.  Don’t worry about being creative in your comment, the winner will be chosen by a random number generator.  Please make sure that you fill out the required fields by putting your first name in the name field and your email address in the email address field.  We do not share email addresses and you will not receive emails from Threaded Together unless you win.

Winners

We will choose ONE winner randomly and announce the results here on Threaded Together on March 11, 2012.

Rules

One comment per person per giveaway post.  Duplicate comments and anonymous comments will be discarded.  Please make sure that the email address in your comment form is valid so that we can contact you (email addresses are never made public).  Winners must claim their prize within three business days after the date of notification of such prize.  We will disqualify any entries that we believe are generated by scripts and other automated technology.  No substitutions including for cash are permitted, except that Threaded Together reserves the right to substitute a prize of equal or greater monetary value for any prize.  Winners shall be responsible and liable for all federal, state, and local taxes on the value of their prize.  Relatives of Threaded Together are not eligible to win.

Because this is a family site and we get a lot of spam comments, all comments on this site are moderated.  If you comment doesn’t show up right away, don’t worry!

Enjoy!!

 

Tags: Baking, brownies, Debbie, Giveaways, Gooseberry Patch

Valentine’s Day Sugar Cookies

As I surveyed our pantry, I realized that although we just went grocery shopping we did not have much by way of snacks.  I decided to make sugar cookies with the kids and we had a blast.  I absolutely love the way the kids wear flour and powdered sugar and don’t bother trying to hide the fact that they are sneaking sugar cookie upon sugar cookie as soon as they hit the plate. 

This is the sugar cookie recipe that my mom has used since my sister and I were little girls.  It is just the perfect flavor.  We make these cookies every year for Christmas but this is the first time I have made them for another holiday.

Ingredients

1 1/2 cup powdered sugar

1 t. vanilla

1 egg

1 t. cream of tartar

1 cup margarine, softened

1/2 t. almond extract

2 1/2 cup flour

1 t. baking soda

Mix powdered sugar, margarine, vanilla, almond extract, and egg.  Stir in the remaining ingredients.  I usually start with my Kitchenaid mixer and then finish mixing the dough by hand.  Cover and refrigerate for at least three hours.  When it comes out of the refrigerator, it may seem crumbly.  Mix it up and knead the dough by hand.  Roll out on a lightly floured surface (or my favorite Pampered Chef pastry mat!) and cut with cookie cutters. 

Bake on a lightly greased cookie sheet at 375 degrees for 7-8 minutes.  The longer they cook, the crispier they will be.  Cool on a baking rack. 

Once completely cool, frost with your favorite frosting.

I usually use a buttercream frosting, but this time I used a powdered sugar frosting.

Ingredients

2 cups powdered sugar

2 T. vanilla

2 T. milk

food coloring if desired

Mix the vanilla and milk and add powdered sugar.  Continue to mix until it is almost a pourable consistency but not quite. 

I also made a chocolate powdered sugar recipe.  Following the above directions, I just added 2 T. of cocoa powder to the powdered sugar before combining with the liquid.  Next time, I will probably not add the vanilla or only add about 1/2 teaspoon.  I felt like the frosting was much overpowered by the vanilla.  The kids don’t have a problem with it though!

Once you cover the cookies with frosting (it will be messy!!), allow to dry for at least an hour.

Tags: Baking, Cookies, Decorating, dessert, frosting, Holidays and Events, Jennifer, Valentine's Day

Swiss Meringue Cookies

Swiss Meringue cookies make a sweet delicate Valentine’s treat.  For these cookies, I used Martha Stewart’s Swiss Meringue recipe. 

Ingredients

4 large egg whites

2 cups of sugar 

2 pinches cream of tartar

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

Using a double boiler, combine egg whites, sugar and cream of tartar whisking constantly until the sugar is dissolved and mixture is warm to the touch (you don’t need to boil it).  Transfer ingredients to mixer and beat with the whisk attachment.  Begin beating on a low setting and eventually increase speed.

Beat for about ten minutes or until stiff peaks form.

The egg mixture should stay at a peak when you lift the whisk attachment.

Add in the vanilla and food coloring. 

Drop or pipe on to a parchment covered cookie sheet.  Bake at 175 degrees for 2 hours or until they lift off of the parchment easily.

Aren’t these a sweet treat for your favorite Valentine?  I made mine a light shade of pink and I also made this chocolate meringue recipe, too. 

 

 

 

Linking to:

 

Tags: Baking, Cookies

Easy Chocolate Peanut Butter Patties

It is holiday cooking baking time!!  These “patties” are easy to make, don’t actually require any baking, and little people can help out!  They lend themselves particularly well to cookie exchanges … easy, fun & fancy looking, and package well!! Just be sure that you label them as “containing peanut butter” for anyone that might have nut sensitivities/allergies.

 

Ingredients:

2 boxes Ritz crackers

l large jar Peanut butter, creamy or chunky

2 large packages Chocolate melts/bark

Decorations/sprinkles

Makes: A whole bunch!! (more than 100 sandwiches – but I lost count after making what I needed for the cookie exchange)

 

Directions:

Spread peanut butter on the inside of a cracker; put a top on it to make a little sandwich

Heat chocolate melts/bark in the microwave until smooth (check after 1 minute). If the chocolate is not thin enough for coating purposes, melt a bit of shortening and mix in well (do NOT use milk or water).

Using tongs, dip each sandwich in the melted chocolate mixture.  Let excess drip off and place on cookie sheet lined with parchment or waxed paper.

Decorate before chocolate has a chance to set (I usually add the decoration/sprinkles after dipping 4-6 sandwiches). Can set up quickly by placing cookie sheet in the refrigerator.

 

Store in an airtight container. 

Tags: chocolate, Christmas cookies, Cookie Exchange, Cookies, Debbie, peanut butter, Ritz crackers

Molasses Sugar Cookies

Update:  The Pioneer Woman , one of our very favorite bloggers, is sponsoring a holiday give-away.

I’m thinking this might be like the new printer Marissa was posting about on FB the other night!! All you have to do is go to the Tasty Kitchen section of her blog and post your favorite holiday dish — since this cookie is a family favorite I’m going with this recipe!

Every year at this time, our mom would break out her Molasses Sugar Cookie recipe and would start rolling those balls out, coating them in sugar and baking them to that perfect finish where they have just enough crunch but are soft and chewy at the same time.

I have a little secret to admit…somehow in the ten years I have been married and on my own (immediately after college), I haven’t made these cookies once.  Not once.  It isn’t like I haven’t wanted them every holiday it is just that every time I head over to my mom’s or my sister’s they have already made the cookies and I go home with a bag full!  This year, though, I got to send my mom home with a bag of cookies!

These are the perfect cookies for a cookie swap or to put out for Santa!

Molasses Sugar Cookies

Melt 3/4c shortening in large bowl (microwave).  Cool.  Add 1 cup sugar, 1/4c molasses and 1 egg.  Beat well.  Add 2t baking soda, 2c flour, 1t ground cloves, 1t cinnamon, 1/2t ginger, 1/2t salt.

Form into 1 inch balls and roll in granulated sugar.

Place on greased cookie sheet.

Bake at 375 for 8 to 10 minutes.  Cool on a rack.

Tags: Baking, Cookies, In the Kitchen, Jennifer, Pioneer Woman