Sugared Walnuts, Kringle Kisses and an Award!

I came downs stairs early this morning....so excited to use my computer. It's faster today that it was yesterday! My husband put more memory in it for me.
Now.... I didn't really want more memory, but he thought I needed it. He researched and researched ( I like to jump in and research later) and ordered memory and last night it came. He said "turn off your computer".
I was frightened....very frightened. I thought....why don't we take it to a PROFESSIONAL. But he said "have faith".
I sulked away to the TV room. I was nervous.... I kept hearing swear words coming from the computer room. And then some pacing and then some swearing. I texted my daughter-in-law warning that if HER father-in-law had ruined my computer, I was moving in with them!
I think she was more frightened than I.
BUT...it worked, he did it. My computer is faster than ever. Whew....what a relief! (I have to give him a bad time, you know.)

Okay, so I came downstairs, made coffee, put on some James Taylor Christmas music, opened my blog, and what to my wandering eyes did appear? AN AWARD!

I'm so tickled I can hardly stand it! I won an award.
Honey B. from "The Life and Loves of Grumpy's Honeybunch" ( http://shelbymaelawstories.blogspot.com/ ) gave me the butterfly award for "the coolest blog I ever know".
Hooray, whoopee...and the crowd roars!! She's way too kind, but I'll take it. It's always fun to be noticed. Thanks so much Honey.




A few days ago, I bought a whole bunch of walnuts and thought I would make these sugared walnuts. I use to make them when the boys were younger, but that's been a few years ago. My oldest baby will be 29 in February. That's almost 30! Yikes! I hope he still likes them as well as he used to, because I'm sending him a tin of them in a few days. If you like nuts and sugar and spice, these are the easiest thing to make. And they are kind of nice to have in a dish or to fill out a cookie plate, if you're giving that as a house-warming gift this holiday.

Sugared Walnuts3 cups walnut halves
1 cup white sugar
1/2 T. cinnamon
6 T. milk
1 t. vanilla

Combine sugar, cinnamon in a pot. Add milk and cook to soft ball stage. Add vanilla and walnuts and stir until mixture is grainy and thickened.
Spread immediately onto waxed paper and leave to cool.

This is what you need:

And this is what you do....it's super easy!

Put the milk in the pot.

Add the sugar.

add the cinnamon.

let it come to a soft boil unti it reaches the soft ball stage.


add the vanilla.

add the walnuts.

spread them on a cookie sheet to cool........ and......

they are ready to give as gifts!

*****
The other cookie I just made, I think deserves the award for "most common" Christmas cookie outside of Sugar Cookies. IF you made them with chocolate kisses, there were called them "Kringle Kisses", where I come from, but most of the time, my family made them with chocolate stars. I think the official name is "Peanut Blossoms" or something like that. I've already noticed these cookies on a few other blogs... but really, I think I "thought" of them first. LOL How can I not put mine on also.
Do I even need the recipe? Doesn't everyone make these? It's a cookie most everyone loves. Kringle Kisses, Peanut Blossoms.... whatever you want to call them...they are good.

Kringle Kisses

1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 egg

Cream butter, peanut butter and sugars until light and fluffy; beat in egg.

2 T. milk
1/2 t. vanilla

stir into sugar mixture

1 3/4 cups flour
1 t. baking soda
1/2 t. salt

sift together and stir into sugar mixture

48 Hershey kisses or Chocolate stars
granulated sugar

Shape into small balls about the size of a walnut. Roll in granulated sugar. Place on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake at 375 for 8-10 minutes. Remove from oven and immediately press candy kiss or chocolate star firmly into top of each cookie. Let set.