Icing for Sugar Cookies!

I have been busy starting a cookie decorating business on the side. I love to bake and decorate cookies. For the past 7 years I had been making these wonderful cookies, but was not happy with any of the icing I had been using to decorate them. I wanted something that tasted great, looked shiny, and would not smudge when you stacked them. I tried many recipes and many different consistency. Finally I changed everything around and came up with a recipe that works for me. I hope you try this recipe and let me know what you think.

Ingredients
2 lbs powdered sugar
1/4 - 1/2 cup warm water
1 tbsp. meringue powder (substitute 1 egg white if you don't want to buy it)
2 tbsp. corn syrup

I recommend using a heavy duty mixer if you have it as this recipe can be very stiff. In mixing bowl combine powdered sugar and meringue powder and combine so meringue is evenly distributed. (If you substitute an egg white add it after you add the water) Then slowly add the water a tbsp at a time until you get the right consistency. Add 2 tbsp of corn syrup and continue to mix for 4 minutes. The consistency you are looking for is Elmer's Glue. Seperate and add gel or paste food coloring. You can spread with a knife or a use cake decorating bags to decorate your cookies. Leave the cookies sit out about 12 hours and they should be hard enough to stack. Even though this will dry hard, it is not hard to bite into. It just forms a nice crust on the outside.

Christine presents http://memykidandlife.com/recipes110407.html">All Natural Honey Mustard Dressing: No Sugar Added posted at http://memykidandlife.com/">Me, My Kid and Life: An American Single Mom Living in France, saying, "Spicing up your green salad with a fabulous all natural sugar-free Honey Mustard Dressing! It also makes a great dip for vegatables."

Kalyn presents http://blog.lifeedit.net/2007/11/easy-savoury-party-food-ideas.html">Easy Savoury Party Food Ideas posted at http://blog.lifeedit.net/">LifeEdit.net.

Sagar presents http://www.airlinecreditcards.com/travelhacker/top-50-vegan-and-vegetarian-restaurants-in-the-world/">Top 50 Vegan and Vegetarian Restaurants in the World posted at http://www.airlinecreditcards.com/travelhacker">Travelhacker.

Christine presents http://memykidandlife.com/orange-juice-and-honey.html">Hot Orange Juice and Honey for the Holidays! posted at http://memykidandlife.com/">Me, My Kid and Life: An American Single Mom Living in France, saying, "This is a great, simple, sugar-free, all natural recipe that is perfect for the holidays! It'll put a smile on the kid's faces and warm your soul!. The perfect holiday dessert drink for you, your kids and your friends refraining from alcohol."

Chef Andrew presents http://therecipebank.blogspot.com/2007/11/black-eyed-pea-dip.html">Black Eyed Pea Dip posted at http://therecipebank.blogspot.com/">The Recipe Bank, saying, "Great Recipes to Share with Our Friends!"

Lucynda Riley presents http://quietlyintothenight.com/?p=576">Roasted figs with honey and Rosemary posted at http://quietlyintothenight.com">Quietly Into the Night.

The Career Counselor presents http://askthecareercounselor.com/blog/archives/208">Holiday Season: Simple Ways to Increase Morale and Happiness at Your Office posted at http://askthecareercounselor.com/blog">ask the CareerCounselor.

Sagar presents http://www.airlinecreditcards.com/travelhacker/worlds-best-chocolate-a-chocoholics-travel-guide/">World?s Best Chocolate: A Chocoholics Travel Guide posted at http://www.airlinecreditcards.com/travelhacker">Travelhacker.

The Columbia Foodie presents http://columbiafoodie.blogspot.com/2007_11_01_archive.html#6930940364577061768">Mascarpone and Pecan Stuffed Dates posted at http://columbiafoodie.blogspot.com/">The Columbia Foodie, saying, "Elegant, easy, and in season dates make for a delicious creation."

Lucynda Riley presents http://a-public-diet.com/?p=30">Sugar Free Fat Free Jello Pudding. posted at http://a-public-diet.com">A Public Diet.

James D. Brausch presents http://weightlossdude.com/?p=190">My Crab Cake Recipe posted at http://weightlossdude.com">Weight Loss Dude.

Roger Haeske presents http://rogerhaeske.com/?p=100">Having Trouble Staying Raw, It May Not Be Your Fault posted at http://rogerhaeske.com">Raw Food Diet, Bodyweight Fitness and Peak Performance Living.

WhatWorksForUs presents http://whatworksforus.blogspot.com/2007/12/holiday-slush-no-not-me.html">The Holiday Slush. No, NOT Me. posted at http://whatworksforus.blogspot.com/">What Works For Us.

Appetizers

Jami Leigh presents http://jamileigh.com/blog/2007/12/10/festive-foods/">festive foods posted at http://jamileigh.com/blog">Jami Leigh.

Chef Andrew presents http://therecipebank.blogspot.com/2007/12/remoulade-sauce-recipe.html">Remoulade Sauce Recipe posted at http://therecipebank.blogspot.com/">The Recipe Bank, saying, "a great sauce recipe for your party - try this with shrimp"

Dessert

Carol Bentley presents http://www.copywriting4b2b.com/archives/54">An enjoyable experience. . . posted at http://www.copywriting4b2b.com">Carol Bentley.

Chickens in the Road presents http://suzannemcminn.com/blog/2007/12/16/clotted-cream-fudge/">Clotted Cream Fudge posted at http://suzannemcminn.com/blog">Suzanne McMinn, saying, "I fell in complete, enamored, adoring love with castles, old rocks, sheep, and clotted cream during my trip to England. I couldn’t bring the castles, rocks, or sheep back with me, but I did bring back some clotted cream fudge. My kids loved it and we had to have more!"

Drinks

Priya Jestin presents http://www.airlinecreditcards.com/travelhacker/drinking-across-america-a-look-at-the-25-best-microbreweries-in-the-country/">Drinking Across America: A Look at the 25 Best Microbreweries in the Country posted at http://www.airlinecreditcards.com/travelhacker">Travelhacker.

Main Dish

blue skelton presents http://blueskeltonproductions.blogspot.com/2007/10/its-spiderman-pizza-delivery.html">It’s Spiderman Pizza Delivery posted at http://blueskeltonproductions.blogspot.com/">Blue Skelton Publications, saying, "Well Peter Parker is delivering pizza again and this time as Spiderman. No its not that superhero work doesn’t pay the bills anymore. Spiderman man will descend upon the Nasdaq Spider-Man will descend upon the NASDAQ MarketSite in Times Square today. He is not there to save lives but to deliver pizza, one hero to another."

That concludes this edition. Submit your blog article to the next edition ofcarnival of party foodusing ourhttp://blogcarnival.com/bc/submit_1738.html">carnival submission form.Past posts and future hosts can be found on ourhttp://blogcarnival.com/bc/cprof_1738.html">blog carnival index page.

Technorati tags: carnival of party food, blog carnival.

The Cupcake Courier

I found a new product on the market for transporting cupcakes, 'The Cupcake Courier'. What a great find. What I like best is that is actually holds 3 dozen cupcakes. I don't know about anyone else, but it is very rare that I can send only 2 dozen cupcakes anywhere. My kids are required to have either 25 or 30 treats when sent to school and this is the perfect solution. It is stylish and doesn't take up a lot of room.

Unfortunately, I can't get a photo to copy to my site. Here is a link to the product Cupcake Courier. This has definitely been added to my wish list.

Christmas Tree Cookies

Christmas Tree Cookies
Originally uploaded by gensler97

Normally I like to cook, but at Christmas time, my focus tends to be on cookies and candies. These cookies were created for a family party last week, but never made it. These accidentally ended up at class with my son because he told my hubby mom had promised to make treats for them. I did promise, but I ran out of time.

So, 9 kids and one adult enjoyed 4 1/2 dozen cookies. That is a lot of cookies. Sorry mom and dad! I hurried up and remade the cookies and then we had an ice storm. No party. Oh well, they will keep another few days.

Red and White Christmas Cookies

Red and White Christmas Cookies
Originally uploaded by gensler97

Just some Cookies I created last night. I really like the modern look to the snowflake.

3-D Winter Scene Cookie

I loved making this cookie yesterday. I had so much fun. I have been making regular cut-out cookies and decided it was time to make something different. I saw someone else make one like this. I bet if I bring these to a party this weekend, no one will eat them.

Molasses Cookies

I will never be able to make these cookies as good as my Grandmother. She had been making these since the depression years, so she had a lot of practice. Her cookies were always soft and always perfectly cracked. They looked like a picture from a bakery. She made dozens at a time and kept about 4 dozen constantly on hand for visitors. Remember that they were always soft. I know very few people who even like Molasses, but after eating these cookies, many people changed their mind. I wish you luck and hope yours will turn out that perfect. Here is that special recipe.

Ingredients
3/4 c. shortening
1 c. sugar
1 egg
4 tbsp. molasses
2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. salt
2 c. flour
2 tsp. baking soda

In a bowl, creme shortening and sugar. Add in egg, molasses, cinnamon, salt, and baking soda. Finally, add flour. Refrigerate at least 4 hours. Roll into 1" balls. Roll balls in sugar and place on a cookie sheet. Flatten with fingers and bake in a 350 degree oven for 8 to 10 minutes. Remove from oven, and place cookies on a cooling rack or counter until cool.

Multi-layer Salad!

I was in charge of salad this year. I rarely bring salads, so we wanted to find something unusual to bring. We found a few ideas in a book and blended them with what we personally liked. Here is what we came up with.

Ingredients
1 Head of Romaine Lettuce
Grape Tomatoes
Bacon cooked and crumbled
Feta Cheese
Avocado (cubed and sprinkled with lime juice to prevent browning)
3 eggs
Sliced Mushrooms
Italian Seasoning

We cut up the Romaine and added all the other ingredients. Let is sit in the fridge for an hour before serving. Make sure you sprinkle the avocado with lime juice to prevent it from browning. I could barely taste the juice in the salad or the avocado. Add a little pepper for flavor. Yum!

The salad was a hit. I can't say I eat avocado, ever. But, I loved it in this salad. We were suppose to add diced chicken, but we figured it was not the main course and we already had turkey with our meal. Like all salads, you can omit whatever you don't like, but I recommend trying everything. You can always pick out what you don't like.

November Blog Carnival

Welcome to the November 21, 2007 edition of carnival of party food. A lot of great submissions from everyone this month. Check out the links below for great recipes and holiday food ideas.

Bart Van Honsté presents WinePhabet - A of Amarone posted at Fylloxera, saying, "Learn something more about an astonishing party wine from la bella Italia: Amarone."

Mama Duck presents 13 outdoor birthday food ideas posted at Lil Duck Duck.

Israel Cruz presents Frijoles Charros posted at Authentic Southern Mexican Food.

Trent presents Ten Frugal Tips For A Great Grilling Experience posted at The Simple Dollar, saying, "Ten great money saving tips for tasty, easy barbecuing for your next party."

Meredith Mathews presents Happy Birthday Ice Cream Cone Cupcake Treats! posted at Lemonade Stand.

presents Its all about the amount of wine posted at The best wine blog - new wine posts daily.

James D. Brausch presents Why I'm Not A Vegetarian posted at Weight Loss Dude.

Frugal Fanny presents Thanksgiving on a Budget posted at Frugal Fanny's Everyday Money Saving Tips.

Host Bee presents Turducken posted at Busy Bee Lifestyle.

Tiffany Washko presents Peanut Butter Carob Balls Recipe posted at Natural Family Living Blog.

Appetizers

Katy presents Butternut Squash Toasts posted at sugarlaw, saying, "Delicious, super easy, and requires only a few ingredients. Every time I make it, someone asks me for the recipe!"

Chris presents Snack Idea: Apples and Cinnamon posted at The Healthy Snacks Blog.

Phil B. presents Spicy Hot versus Temperature Hot « Phil for Humanity posted at Phil for Humanity, saying, "When someone tells you that the food is "hot", do you assume temperature hot or spicy hot?"

Cookies

TherapyDoc presents Hoo-du ya love, Substances, and The Bake Sale posted at Everyone needs therapy, saying, "Here's a warning for the label of your cookie jar."

Desserts

Stephanie presents Elementary Chef » Blog Archive » Pecan Pie posted at Elementary Chef. I always wanted to know how to make this dish, but haven't tried it yet. I hope to soon.

Summer presents Yummy Pumpkin Pie! posted at Mom Is Teaching. Today is Thanksgiving and I can hardly wait for the Pumpkin Pie.

Drinks

Heather Juma presents Throw A Fast, Fabulous and Fun Cocktail Party! posted at Girls Who Network Diary.

Main dishes

Annette Berlin presents Easy Pizza Dough posted at Frugal Journey, saying, "Pizza is always a favorite main course at casual parties. Unfortunately, if you have a lot of big eaters, it can get expensive to order take-out. Here's a simple recipe for a do-it-yourself version of pizza dough."

That is the end of this edition. Submit your blog article to the next edition of
carnival of party food using our carnival submission form.
Past posts and future hosts can be found on our

blog carnival index page.

Technorati tags:

carnival of party food, blog carnival.

Potica...A Long Lost Tradition.

I was watching TV the other day and a bakery was making Potica. I grew up with this dessert in my family and at every party all my life. Unfortunately for me, I never gave it a try until I was in college. Now I love it and I don't have the opportunity to eat it anymore.

This is a sweet bread roll, kinda a cross between a cinnamon roll and a bread, with lots and lots of walnuts. There are not a lot of desserts that people will pay $40 for a loaf of it. My Uncle use to sell dozens every year. As I get older, I hope to one day make this dessert myself, but I have a lot to learn before I am ready for that.

A bakery in Minnesota sells them on-line. They are the Italian Bakery. I can't imagine it being the same, but maybe I should give it a try. One patron remarked that, "Once you try it, everyone loves Potica." That is very true. At one social event outsiders huddled around the beer and everyone who knew what we were eating, sat down and begged for a piece. Growing up I thought it looked horrible, but I was so wrong.

As the holidays grow near, I long for those traditions of years past. Hope everyone has a great holiday.