Sean

“Peaknut” Crinkles

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Each December for the last several years, I’ve dreamed up a Christmas cookie for the blog. This time, I might have found my very favorite–just in time for your weekend last-minute baking.  “Peaknut” Crinkles are a twist on the always-favorite Chocolate Crinkles so often made at holiday time.

My own crinkle recipe– pictured above–and this is a riff on that– is one I’ve made for years and I have no idea from whence it came.  More than once, I’ve really searched to discover its provenance, but the crinkle recipes I find are not like mine and so I have no idea. Thanks to that cookie baker I’ve never found!! Now, just so you know:  the difference between “my” recipe and the others is this:  mine uses melted chocolate and ALSO chocolate chips; every other one I locate is made with only cocoa.  So.   “My” Chocolate Crinkle Recipe.

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Mom’s Turtle Cheesecake for a Special Son’s Birthday

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Welcome to the new More Time at the Table on WordPress.  Just moved from blogger and will post in both places for a while, but not for long.  Change your favorites and links.  Do Follow me here on WordPress!!  Please be patient while I work out the kinks on the posts that need help after the move. Great thanks to my beautiful daughter, Emily Morgan, who managed the migration.  Great to have smart kids!!  Follow Emily at FIGHT THE BEES.

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80eee-img_4348When your children are growing up, if you’re a baker (and sometimes even if you’re not), you bake a cake for their birthdays.  I wonder if that’s still true?  Most of the time my kids’ parties were simple affairs—celebratory and fun, to be sure–but sort of cake and ice cream parties for a bunch of their buddies or maybe even just the family and neighbors.

(below:  Sean, a marvelous cook, making his world-renowned pizza–one of my frequent requests.  He’s also a fine brewer.  Nice combination, huh?)

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As they grew, and our budget expanded, we might have extended the celebration a bit to include supper out (pizza) or to have a sleepover with pizza ordered in.  But the cake remained.  Mom made the cake.  And it wasn’t always a cake, per se.

Sometimes there was a request for pie, cupcakes,  or even for lemon bars.  My famous brownies came up on the list.  Actually, they still do.  At one time, I taught myself to decorate cakes; I couldn’t afford the class.  My cakes always tasted better than they were decorated, but at least I could get someone’s name written and a border piped.  I did learn — somewhat — to draw on cakes and that’s incredible since I can’t draw at all. A carrot that looks like a carrot still appears on my carrot cake.  Leaves show up come fall and so on.  And my friends all know I’m good for a birthday sweet if they only say the word or tell me what they want.  I just like to have an excuse to bake.

(right, above and below:  Sean, the dog whisperer)

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