Grandma's Spritz Cookies

Spritz have been a cookie that I have liked to make for a while now.  They are simple, delicious, butter cookie that I are somewhat Norwegian.

The first time I had these, or the first time I remember having these, was in fifth grade.  My family and I were visiting my grandparents out in Virginia for Christmas.  I discovered that my grandma had made these spritz.  They were so good - I ate a ton!

This is the spritz cookie press that I use.  It is the really old kind and I like it.  I have tried the newer versions that make the cookies into Christmas trees and such, but I prefer this one.

Sometimes people like to add food coloring to the dough and add sprinkles, but I like to just keep these cookies plain.

When I was younger, I remember my friends and I used to like to make these into fun shapes.

This is my grandma's recipe.

My grandma always makes spritz in an 's' shape.  I guess the name of the cookie starts with 's' and my grandma's name starts with 's', so it works.

I usually make these into little circles, or an 's' shape like what my grandma does.

Spritz Cookies

1 cup butter
3/4 cup sugar
1 egg
2 1/2 cups flour
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. almond extract

Cream together the butter and sugar.  Add egg and almond extract.  Sift in the flour, baking powder, and salt.  Fill the cookie press and use the star shape, press, and make cookies in little circles or 's' shape.  Bake on a parchment paper lined cookie sheet at 375 degrees for 8 to 12 minutes.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Krispie Treats

Peanut butter.  Powdered sugar.  Rice krispies.  Chocolate.  Yum.  What a great combination.

These are one of those cookies that I remember having as a kid.  I don't think we had them often, but for some reason I remember them.  Who couldn't though?  Peanut butter, powered sugar, rice

krispies, and chocolate.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Krispie Treats

1/4 cup melted butter

2 cups peanut butter

3 cups powdered sugar

3 cups rice crispies

Cream together butter and peanut butter.  Mix in powdered sugar.  Add in rice crisps. 

Form into balls.  Don't make them too small or else they are more likely to fall apart.

Melt chocolate chips in the microwave.  You will need at least 2 packages.  You can do dark, semi-sweet, milk, or a combination - whatever you prefer.

Dip the peanut butter balls in the melted chocolate and roll them around with a fork.  Lift the balls out of the chocolate using two forks, let the excess chocolate drip off, and slide onto a parchment paper lined pan.

You can refrigerate the balls to help the chocolate harden faster.  If you would like, you can drizzle extra chocolate over the balls once the chocolate has firmed up some.

These chocolate peanut butter krispie treats can be stored on the counter.

White Mice

I said I was going to have a few Christmas cookie recipes, so here is the first one.  White mice.  I blogged these last year, but with not very good pictures.  This is my grandma's recipe and they are so good!  And, I think they get better with age.

I am back in school now.  It actually feels kind of nice to be back.  Over Thanksgiving break, I got an email from the hall director.  The room that I was planning on moving into, which had a two person contract, but had all the furniture for three people, was finally switched to a three person contract.  Since the beginning of the semester, I have been waiting for the Department of Residence to make this room a three person contract so that I could in (I had to be out of the den by the end of the semester).

It finally happened.  The hall director recommended that I move in as soon as possible.  So, on Sunday when my mom dropped me back off at college, I started to  move all my things into my new room.  Right now, I am all moved in, but I have still need to finalize it with the paperwork.

It is nice to have a real room now, but I am going to miss the girls from the den.  I am definitely going to visit them a lot!

Whenever I go home, I always come back to college with a lot of goodies and I have also baked a couple times at college.  My roommates from the den told me that I could share anything besides with them.  But, I like sharing.

Well, yesterday, after I moved into my new room, two of them came to tell me that now it is ok to share.  They still want me to share goodies with them.  And, of course I will.

Ok.  Well, back to the cookies.  These cookies are super easy to make and they are delicious.  And, totally worth sharing them.

White Mice
Makes 24 cookies

1 cup butter
1/4 cup powdered sugar + extra for rolling
2 cups flour
1 t. water
1 t. vanilla
1 cup pecans, chopped

Mix ingredients together.
Form into balls, maybe a little smaller then a walnut.
Bake at 300 degrees for about 30 min.
When cooled, shake/roll in powdered sugar.

Thanksgiving 2014

Happy Thanksgiving!

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving.

At Iowa State, we don't get a fall break, so we get a full week off for Thanksgiving.  And, it is actually really nice!

This week I have been doing lots of baking and cooking, relaxing, and hanging out at home.  I have had some homework to do, including a research paper, and I am making it take the entire week to do.

The day before Thanksgiving I made a very large batch of lefsa.  I learned how to make lefsa a couple years ago from my grandma for a 4-H project.  I have now made it a tradition to make lefsa each year for Thanksgiving and Christmas.  I will make one big batch and then freeze it in smaller portions.

I think the batch I made this year was the best it has ever turned out for me.  I think the trick is to make sure the surface that you are rolling the lefsa out on is well floured.  I also found that rolling the lefsa out in just an outward motion helps, not to go back-and-forth, and to flip the lefsa over a couple times when rolling it.

For Thanksgiving, we went to my uncle George's, my dad's brother, in Cedar Rapids.  I, of course, brought some lefsa, I made a pumpkin pie (I should have made two), and a pan of apple bars.

We had a relaxing afternoon playing games with my cousin and her husband.

P.S.  I will be back with a few Christmas cookie recipes!

Living in the Den

Since I didn't decide to attend Iowa State this fall until May and didn't register for campus housing until then, I was put in interim housing - a residence hall den.  The university didn't have enough housing for everyone (even though I know they could have made room and put more people in dorm rooms), so they started putting us late registers in the dens.

We are only supposed to be in the dens for the first semester.  It is up to us to find where we are going to live next semester.  At first, it was stressful thinking that I was going to have to find a place to live, and once you find a place they have you move out quickly.  But, since we can stay in the dens till the end of the semester, why not just stay there until then since everything is working out fine with the roommates?  At the end of the semester there will be people moving out and others switching rooms.  So, there are going to be openings for us and for us to stay right on our same floor!

Luckily, I think I know where I am going to be moving to next semester... right down the hall!

I really like the residence hall that I am in and the location of it on campus.

Living in the den hasn't been all that bad.  It is a bit more crowded... with 4 girls living in one pretty small room - but it isn't too bad.  I basically have my own little corner, where no one else has to go through.  I find that I have quite a bit of storage space, or at least enough.  I have my own dresser, a little hanging space, and a storage area above the hanging space, plus the drawers in my desk.

Another plus to being in the den is that we are offered a free tutor for a class of our choice!  It is the university's way of saying they understand that being in the den can be stressful.

My mom made me this super cute bunting.  Thanks Mom!

On my dresser, I have 2 baskets.  One is for my bathroom stuff and the other is for extra notebooks, folders, and that sort of stuff.

Next to my dresser I have 2 crates, my laundry bag, and my yoga mat that I sometimes roll out to stretch on.

I got the laundry bag at TJ Maxx and I love it - it is so cute!  It has been a bit floppy lately though.

The top crate mostly has cleaning things in it - detergent, dish soap, garbage bags, and paper towels just to name a few things.

And, in the bottom crate, I have some baking supplies!  There isn't a kitchen in my residence hall, only a kitchenette, which is a counter space with a kitchen sink and microwave.  But, in a residence hall next to me, there is an unlocked door, so I can get into there kitchen.  I have used that a couple times.  In my baking crate I have a some flour, sugar, chocolate chips of course, and more.

This is my desk.  I sit here a lot.

I keep my books, notebooks, folders on the top shelf, along with a weekly dry erase calendar.

In 2 of the drawers on my desk, I keep lots of random school supplies (markers, pens, paper clips, etc.).  In another drawer I keep cords for my laptop and phone.  And, in another, have beauty supplies - lotion, make-up, extra kleenexes, ect.

Next to my desk, I have my fridge with another crate on top that is filled with food!

Here is my little hanging area with some storage area above.  This hanging space isn't in my little corner, but behind the door. 

That is my little corner back there!

Sometimes I do wish that I had more than a corner to live in, but I guess this is what I've got.

I like to try to keep my place clean and organized.  I have been making my bed every morning because it is way nicer to get into a nicely made bed at night.  It is hard to make a bunk bed though.

Honey Wheat Bread

  

I have been finding myself with a bit of free time... so, I look at recipes.  And, then I want to make everything... but, I can't.

This last weekend I went home from college.  It was a short visit, but it was so nice.  I have been home four times now since coming to college.  This last time was the longest I have been ever been  away from home - one month. 

I got home Friday afternoon and made supper.  Then, right away Saturday morning I started baking.  And, I baked so much that I didn't even get out of my pajamas until it was time to go to bed!

The is one of my two favorite honey wheat sandwich bread recipes.  I blogged my other favorite here.  There isn't much difference in the recipes besides that this one has canola oil and the other one has butter.  Also, I make them differently.  This one I make in an electric stand mixer with a hook attachment and the other one I make in a large mixing bowl with my hands/spoon/electric hand mixer.

This bread is super easy to make and having soft, fresh bread is so delicious!

Adjusting to college is getting better.  At first, college was overwhelming, but now it feels a lot better.  My dorm is starting to feel like home.  I am still counting down until Thanksgiving break though... only two more weeks left!  I have been really in the mood for Thanksgiving and even CHRISTMAS!  I think it is the being at home, baking, decorations, and just coziness that I am looking forward to.

Honey Wheat Bread
Adapted from:  lifeingrace

2 cups warm water
1/3 cup canola oil
1/3 cup honey
1 T. yeast
1 t. salt
2 cups whole wheat flour
about 5 cups all-purpose flour (add until the dough pulls away from the sides and is no longer sticky)

Pour 2 cups warm water into mixing bowl (of electric stand mixer with hook attachment).
Add oil then honey.
Start mixer on low.
Then add yeast, salt, and 2 cups whole wheat flour.
After mixed, start to add white flour, until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl and is no longer sticky to the touch.
Knead 5 - 10 minutes.
Put dough in an oiled bowl to rise.
After doubled, divide it into 2 loaves and shape.  I sometimes make just one big loaf using 3/4 of the dough.
Put into loaf pans and let rise.
Bake at 375 degrees from 25 - 30 minutes.

Enjoy!

College Life... So Far

At, the beginning of the school year I was feeling very overwhelmed with college.  I couldn't wait until the semester was over, but first I couldn't wait until mid-term.  I had 2 course that would only last for the first half of the semester.  So, at mid-term they would end.
I can't believe last week was already mid-term.  Those two classes are now finished.  I am not feeling so overwhelmed with college.  Time has gone by really fast... but, slow at the same time.  I do find myself bored a lot and then time goes by slowly.  But, overall time has gone by really fast.

I have been home 3 times and my family came down to visit me on family weekend.  I gave them a tour of the campus, we went out to eat, and went to the church that I have been going to.

The one thing that I have gotten involved in, is the SALT Company.  The SALT Company is a campus ministry.  On Thursday nights we gather at Cornerstone Church for worship and a message.  (Cornerstone Church is the church I have going to on Sunday mornings.)  I would say there are about 2,000 students that attend SALT, so it is HUGE!
But, it doesn't feel that big.  Throughout the week there are connection groups all throughout the dorms and all across Ames.  Students can pick the one that works best with there schedule.  I am in a connection group that meets right in my building.  At connection group we discuss the message that was given on the previous Thursday night.

This is one of those pictures that I didn't know if I should post or not.  But, the sasquatch hunt was so much fun that I decided I would.

Also, for just the freshman, there is Freshman Group on Sunday nights right on campus.  There is worship and a message.  I have gone some, but lately I have had other things going on.  On the first night of freshman group, we had a fun night.  We had a sasquatch hunt.  It was so much fun!  In small groups, we ran all around campus, doing silly things (picture above) and taking a picture at different places.  One person tweeted or put the picture on instagram.  Once your group got through the list of places to go, we were sent a text of a hint where the sasquatch is.  The goal was to be the first to find the sasquatch.

One night my connection group went out for pizza.

There is a retreat for the freshman that I went on.

The school work load seems to go up and down.  Sometimes I feel so overwhelmed with everything to do and other times I feel so bored at college.  For my one food science class, I have had to go to the store (Target) and look at food labels.  This is "fun" homework.

I have ventured out to find the farmers market on a couple Saturday mornings.  I have gotten some DELICIOUS Honey Crisp apples.  The second time I went, two of my roommates, Soup and Saniya, came with me.

There is a stand at the farmers market that sells hamburgers and a few other things like that.  Once I got a hamburger.

The resistance hall that I live in doesn't have a kitchen.  But, the one next to me does, and one of the doors into the building is unlocked.  I have invested in a cake pan and an apple peeler.  Once I made 7-layer bars for my of my roommate's birthday and another time I made apple crisp.
(The kitchen in the other building doesn't have a 9x13 pan, so that is why I had to get one.)  The kitchen is kind of dirty, so I hesitate to use it, but I make sure to work in a very sanitary way.

I went over to one of the C-Stores and got a little container of ice cream.... I had to have ice cream with my apple crisp.

I am also in the Food Science Human Nutrition Learning Community.  This is a group for freshman who are in food science, culinary science, nutritional science, dietetics, and diet and exercise majors.  We have 5 peer mentors.  We do fun things together and the peer mentors occasionally hold study sessions and workshops for working on a particular assignment that everyone might be needing help with.

We have taken the Cy-Ride to Panera Bread for supper.

We did the Run for the Roses 5k or 10k.
 I did the 10k.  This was a really fun run with a yummy omelet breakfast afterwards.

Not everyone has to sign up for these events, so the groups that go are usually pretty small.

The food here at college is nothing great and I would rather go grocery shopping to get food to have in my dorm.  But, living in the dorms, I have to have a meal plan.  I am so glad that I got the smallest meal plan.  Breakfast is easy to eat in my dorm.  Then between going home a few time and coming back with a lot of home cooked food, my family coming once and bringing me some food, and doing the little grocery shopping I have done, I have a lot of meals left (I am way over the number that I am supposed to be at for the meal plan I have).

Sometimes, I will eat something that is actually kind of good from the dining centers, but other times I will eat something that just doesn't make me leave with a great feeling.  And, basically everything in the dining centers is something between bread.  Hot or cold, everything comes down to being a sandwich.  I love sandwiches, but really good sandwiches with homemade bread and high quality meat and toppings.

There have been some BEAUTIFUL fall days.  Just BEAUTIFUL!

And, campus is getting really pretty.
It has been a beautiful fall:)

One thing that I love about campus is that it is some so big.  I love the walks to all my classes.  And, sometimes they can be a bit long - which is great exercise!

Now, college hasn't been all fun.  So far, I sometimes find college life to be quite boring.  And, I really would like to have a actual house or apartment to live in.  A place where my home isn't just a desk in a corner of the the room, a place where I can move around more, and a where I can bake and cook.

P.S.  The pictures have just been taken with an iPhone, so that aren't great quality.