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One Hundred Dollars a Month

I am your typical housewife living in high maintenance suburbia. I have a handsome husband, 2 kids and a flock of pet chickens. I try and feed my family with $100 a month. With the help of coupons, gardening and bartering I am able to squeeze the most out of our grocery budget and still manage to have a little fun along the way.

25 Days Of Christmas Cookies – Gingerbread Man Recipe

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I posted this recipe last year and I’m posting it again.  Why? Because this recipe is the best one I’ve ever tried for making gingerbread men.

Who can say no to a Gingerbread Man cookie?  I know I can’t.  I’m not sure if it’s my animal instincts or what, but I tend to go for the right arm first. Then the legs.  And once I have eaten all his limbs… I bite off his head.  This is exactly why I don’t like to decorate my cookies.  After all, what kind of sicko wants a helpless Gingerbread Man staring back at her with his mini chocolate chips eyes?

Poor Gingey…It must be terribly traumatic to be a Gingerbread man…

Ingredients

  • 3/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
  • 1 stick butter or margarine, softened
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1/4 cup molasses
  • 3 1/4 cups sifted all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting work surface
  • 2 teaspoons ground ginger
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda {15 Cool Uses for Baking Soda}
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt

Directions

Using an electric mixer at low speed, cream the sugar and butter until thoroughly combined. Add the eggs and molasses and mix until combined. Sift together the flour, ginger, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture and combine with a spoon or spatula.

Remove the dough from the bowl and wrap in plastic wrap; place in the refrigerator until firm, about 1 hour.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Line cookie sheets with parchment paper (I like to use silpats). Allow the dough to sit at room temperature for about 15 minutes, until pliable. Take about 1/2 cup of dough at a time and roll onto a floured board until about 1/8-inch thick. Cut out with gingerbread boy and girl cookie cutters. You can re-roll the scraps. Using a spatula, transfer the cookies from the board to the prepared cookie sheets.

Bake for 10 minutes, until just beginning to brown at the edges. Transfer to wire racks to cool. Recipe By Paula Dean

A few of my favorite things…

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25 Days of Christmas Cookies – Cranberry Shortbread Cookies

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If you love shortbread, then you’ll love this recipe for cranberry shortbread cookies.  This recipe only makes 12 cookies.  2 sticks of butter for 12 cookies?  Oh yeah, they are going to be good!  I promise.

Ingredients

  • 1 cup {2 sticks} unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 3/4 cup sifted powdered sugar
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 cup chopped dried cranberries* {dried cherries work well too.

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Combine the butter, powdered sugar, vanilla, flour, and salt in a large mixing bowl {I like to use my KitchenAid  for this} and mix until creamy,then fold in the dried cranberries.

Line an 8-inch square baking pan with parchment paper.  Press dough evenly in the baking pan and bake for about 20 minutes or until the dough just starts to turn golden brown.

When to cookie dough is finished cooking, cool the pan on a wire rack for about 10 minutes.  Carefully lift the parchment paper {and cookie dough} out of he pan and place on a cutting board.

Use a 2-inch heart shaped cookie cutter,* and carefully remove the cookies.  Store in an airtight container for up to 5 days {if they last that long Ha!}. Recipe Credit: Martha Stewart

Traverse Bay Fruit Co. Dried Cranberries, 4-Pound Box $22.50 shipped when you use the subscribe and save option at checkout.

* Direct link to Amazon.com products

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25 Days of Christmas Cookies – Chocolate Pomegranate Cookies

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I want to say a very big THANK YOU to Erika for telling me about these pomegranate cookies earlier this year. Seriously, you need to find yourself 2 pomegranates and make a batch.  And then hide them, because you’ll want then all for yourself.

Ingredients {adapted from Danamadeit}

1/2 Cup unsalted butter
1/2 Cup Crisco vegetable shortening {I LOVE Crisco}

3/4 cups white sugar
3/4 cups brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups flour
3/4 cup Hershey’s cocoa powder
1 tsp baking soda {15 Cool Uses for Baking Soda}
3/4 tsp salt
1 cup pomegranate arils {about 2 pomegranates}

In a large mixing bowl cream together the butter, shortening, 2 sugars, vanilla, and eggs.

In a separate bowl sift together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt. Combine it with the butter mixture and mix until everything is incorporated.

Carefully fold the pomegranate arils into cookie dough.

Using a 2-inch cookie scoop* place 6 balls of cookie dough evenly apart on a silpat* or on a parchment lined cookie sheet and bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes.

When I said you’ll need to hide these cookies.  I meant it. They are freakin’ awesome!

Looking for new cooling racks? Amazon currently has the Wilton Excelle Elite 3-Tier Cooling Rack* in stock and ready to ship.  This set of cooling racks has great reviews!

*Direct link to Amazon.com products

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25 Days of Christmas Cookies – Cranberry Pistachio Cornmeal Biscotti

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I originally posted this biscotti recipe back in June, and wanted to post it again in case anyone missed it. Biscotti is a little different than your traditional Christmas cookie, but it’s oh so delicious.

Now, I wouldn’t normally associate cornmeal with biscotti, but the cranberries and pistachios really seem to work well with the cornmeal in the recipe.

Trust me, this is good.  Really, really good.


Adapted from a Martha Stewart Recipe

Ingredients

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/4 cups yellow cornmeal
1 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 1/4 cup dried cranberries
1 cup shelled pistachios, chopped

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees with rack in center. Whisk together flour, cornmeal, baking powder, and salt.

Add everything but the cranberries and pistachios in a large bowl and combine well.  fold in the cranberries and pistachios.

Drop dough on to a parchment lined cookie sheet {I prefer using silpats because I am a snob} and shape it into a nice fat log that is roughly 12 by 4 inches. Bake until firm, and slightly cracked on top, 30 minutes. Let the log cool about 15 minutes.

Transfer the biscotti log on to a cutting board. Using a serrated knife, cut on the biscotti log into 1 inch-thick slices. Carefully place the sliced biscotti back onto the parchment lined cookie sheet {or silpat} and bake for 12-15 more minutes or until they begin to brown.

Let cookies cool completely.  Serve with coffee, tea, or just lock yourself in the closet and eat the whole stinkin’ batch.

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Mavis Butterfield Etsy