Happy cookie recipeints

Here's a picture from the office after some of the crew were happily eating cookies.

The box is almost finished. Did these unlikely suspects pilfer them all? or did they find the box in this condition and are merely happy there were SOME left for them? no matter-they have smiles on their faces....

This from Carsten in the office in Reston. A picture of the defunct box of cookies (I believe it was about an hour till decimation of 250 cookies).

"Wow! Told ya, it was like a flock of vultures! Or would that be piranhas? Not sure... ;]"

and his attached picture.

TIME TO VOTE!!!

I sent an email to all of you who got cookies asking you to sign on and vote for your favorite cookie. I am posting pictures of most of them for you to tell me which one is your favorite.

here are pictures of the stars:
first picture (a little blurry I know)
that is the raspberry marzipan
next picture -from left to right:
Italian chews
fig walnut bars
dark chocolate cashew bars
raspberry marzipan
dark chocolate/orange rugulech
Dark chocolate rosemary nut caramel bar
raspberry marzipan (again-they are the one's with the white tops).

Next picture on the left:
chocolate/three pepper milano
next to it-the melting moment (pale yellow disk)
lime coconut button (looks like traditional wedding cookie with lots of powdered sugar on it)
next row:
orange almond slice
hazelnut
lemon ginger
then in the last row-taking up top and bottom is the honey orange cookie

next picture is a close up of lots of ginger lemon cookies
last picture:
the bar cookies in a different configuration.

so figure out which one you like and tell me in a post. just go to the bottom of this posting and hit comment and you will be allowed to vote!
thank you! and i hope you are enjoying your cookies! I enjoyed making them.
jb

Recipes and tips

FOr those of you who have been patiently waiting-starting wednesday I will be going recipe by recipe with tips, pictures, etc., so your holiday baking does not have any diva disasters. :)

Soon you'll be able to post

HI,
I am going to load in everyone's email that has gotten cookies or is following so you can post to the blog as well now that i have completed the process.

I am in need of a cocktail this evening so won't be doingit straight away-but tomorrow....

So what's so tough about shipping right?

When I tell people it takes about six hours to physically ship the boxes they think I am nuts. but trust me. this year it was 4 1/2 because I was really organized and have been doing this for so long I went in there ready to roll with everyone in there helping (I gave the FedEx folks some cookies as enticement).

So one of the joys of this is writing your name, account number, address, phone number etc., over and over and over again. And then to really annoy me-everyone has decided that my cookies MAY be a threat to their countries security , so I have to fill out yet another form.

Of course if you really wanted to send something you shouldn't you would be well aware of the rules and not write something like:
bombs or drugs or whatever it is they are trying to keep out-right on the slip. Yes, I guess they think those terrorists are that stupid. anyway-it means I have to write everything TWICE! so on it goes for 30 or so packages.

Here is a photo of the forms I fill out.

Why do I do this?

The next question is: "Why would you do this???"

Well-that's simple. Cooking or baking - and doing it well- brings joy to people. Each of those little morsels I send give people a little moment in their day to savor something a little special. You pop a little bite size flavor cube in your mouth and think its going to be something ordinary and what you experience is maybe "oh-that's rosemary with the chocolate" or "wow-there's pepper in there" or "I thought this was a wedding cookie-but it has coconut and lime". the list goes on-they surprise and hopefully delight.

To not do them would mean that I would have missed an opportunity to spread some happiness. They are my way of sending a smile and a sense of caring. IF you received my cookies-I am hoping you will experience, smile through and enjoy each little one.

And that is yet another reason I make them small. You should be left wanting another one-not feeling burdened by the cookie sitting in front of you that is giant size.

If you have a talent-it is wise to exploit-particularly if it makes people happy!

And that is the point of my diva classes. I try to impart on every person that comes a sense of food and making food for others that will bring joy to the recipient as well as the giver. for ultimately-it is a selfish thing that I do-because it makes me happy too!

My mother was going to name me Joy-but my grandmother stepped in and asked her to name me Judy-I would have liked to have been named Joy. However the cat got that name instead. :>.