Chocolate Crinkles

Hands down these are my family's favorite cookies.

We had these every Christmas when I was growing up. When my brother got a job 2000 miles away and came home for a brief vacation over Thanksgiving weekend, his one cookie request was Chocolate Crinkles. When I ask my kids which cookies to make at Christmas, these are the first on the list. I make at least a double batch and often a triple. They're still the first to disappear - usually before Christmas day! When my son was earning a reward for good behavior - these were the cookies he requested.

They are sweet chocolaty yummy goodness.

But, BE WARNED: They are not healthy. They will not last long. And they are messy.

Chocolate Crinkles
(printable recipe)

Ingredients:

• 4 ounces unsweetened chocolate (melted)
• 2 Cups flour
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/2 Cup vegetable oil
• 2 Cups granulated sugar
• 4 eggs
• 2 tsp. vanilla
• ~1 Cup powdered sugar

Directions:
1. Melt chocolate in double boiler over low heat.
2. Combine: flour, baking powder, and salt in medium size bowl.
3. Mix together: melted chocolate, oil, granulated sugar in mixer.
4. Blend in eggs, 1 at a time until well blended.
5. Add vanilla.
6. Stir in dry ingredients.
7. Chill several (at least) 4 hours or overnight.
8. After chilling, drop by teaspoon-size balls into powdered sugar and roll to coat.*
9. Place about 2" apart on well greased baking sheet.
10. Bake at 350° for 8-9 minutes.
11. Remove to cooling rack.

Yields: about 6 dozen cookies.

Notes:
* I use a small cookie scoop to make the balls and drop into the powdered sugar. The dough is extremely sticky, so if you're rolling them by hand, be prepared to scrape your hands every few minutes.
As the cookies bake they spread, the powdered sugar creates cracks or "crinkles" and the chocolate shows through.
To store these, layer in an air-tight container. Place a sheet of waxed paper between each layer. They do not store well in ziploc bags.

Please visit LifeAsMom for more great cookie recipes.

And for more great recipes visit: Tasty Thursday @ SouthernFriedMama.
For more great stuff, visit Things I Love Thursday @ The Diaper Diaries.

Bluebird

This is why I love Spring! Our bluebird returns.

I'm sorry I couldn't get a picture of him in flight. He's gorgeous!

For more Wordless Wednesday, visit 5MinutesforMom.

And for More stuff people love visit Things I Love Thursday@ TheDiaperDiaries.

Best Kitchen Tool #2

Last week, I introduced you to one of my favorite kitchen tools, the microplane.

This week I have another tool that I just love. It is this pair of kitchen tongs. I think this pair of tongs, shown in the picture, is by Oxo Good Grips. I've had them for several years and I can't remember exactly where they came from. It is not the pair of Oxo tongs sold on Amazon or on the Oxo website.

I use this pair of tongs for lots of things:

• sicking up hot chicken to turn
• serving spaghetti noodles
• picking up hot porkchops.
• serving any pasta
• picking up hot steaks
• picking up hot, almost, anything

I use them on the stovetop. I use them on the grill. I love the way they grip without crushing the food. I love the non-slip handle. I love that they're long enough to turn hot food without burning my hands. I love that they goes in the dishwasher. I REALLY love that I can open or close them with only one hand.

See that thingy on the end (where the arrow is pointing)? That is the magic of this pair of tongs. Turn them down, that thing falls in and the tongs open. Turn them up, that thing pops out and the tongs stay closed. If my other hand is holding something, which happens frequently, I don't have to set one thing down in order to open the tongs. They're wonderful. I do not know why Oxo changed the design. I really think that was a mistake. The ones they sell now require a second hand to pull or push the nob on the end in order to open or close them. It really stinks. I was given a pair like that. I sold them at a yard sale.

Kitchen tools can be very personal. What do you look for in a pair of tongs?

This post is linked to Kitchen Tip Tuesdays at Tammy's Recipes and to Things I Love Thursday at TheDiaperDiaries.

Best Kitchen Tool

I confess I am a bit of a kitchen gadget collector. For several years, if Pampered Chef came out with a new tool, I wanted it - even before I had a kitchen of my own, I would buy some of these great kitchen gadgets they have. It really got bad for a while. My husband would groan whenever I was invited to another Pampered Chef party.

I've kinda gotten over my kitchen gadget obsession; partly because I've gathered so many tools and partly because I've finally figured out which ones I really need, which ones will do multiple jobs, and which ones just make one more dish to wash instead of actually being helpful. And in fact now, most of my kitchen gadgets are not Pampered Chef tools!

The microplane is one of my favorite kitchen tools.

This gadget is most definitely one of my very favorites. It helps me with so many small quick jobs, and yet it also handles several large jobs very well also. I'll admit I don't use it every day, but I do use it at least once/week, sometimes more often. I use this baby for:

• adding a bit of cheese to my daughter's tomato soup.
• grating fresh ginger and garlic for my stir fry.
• grating carrots for salad.
• grating parmesan or mozzerella into spaghetti sauce.
• grating chocolate to garnish a dessert.
• zesting a lemon, lime or orange.
  
• grating a 1/2 cup of fresh ginger for Indonesian Ginger Chicken (recipe posted soon).
• and more.
• and even more.
  

I love the way it grates so easily. I love that I can easily scoop off whatever is sticking to the underside. I love that it goes in the dishwasher. This tool just helps me get the job done faster and better in so many ways. It really is fantastic. I think every home cook should have one.

I have a few other favorite kitchen gadgets which I will share over the next several weeks. I'm curious. What are your favorite kitchen gadgets?

For more great kitchen tips visit Amy's Finer Things and go visit DiaperDiaries for more things other people love.

Cornstarch with No Mess!

I have a new favorite product!

I have been making this stir-fry recipe for more than 12 years. And for more than 12 years, every time I made it I had a mess on my kitchen counter. Every time I measured out the cornstarch it made a mess all over the counter. I tried several different brands with a varitey of packaging - it didn't matter. I still had a mess. The closer I got to using up a box or container of cornstarch, the bigger the mess. There just didn't seem to be any way to get a spoon of any type into the container and back out with the cornstarch without ending up with cornstarch everywhere. Very frustrating.

But no more. I have discovered the wonders of the new Argo Cornstarch container. I was nearing the end of one container, so about a month ago I bought a new container when it was on sale and I had a coupon. I finally opened it this week and have used it several times already.

Let me just say -- "I love this new container!" I managed to make my family's favorite stir-fry without having cornstarch all over the counters and floor. It's wonderful. If cornstarch is on your grocery list. I strongly recommend this.

And no, I didn't receive compensation of any kind for my use or admiration. I'm just very happy to now have a cornstarch container that doesn't leave me with another job to do.

Check out more Things I Love over at the Diaper Diaries.