GOLD MEDAL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! BETTER THAN BLUE RIBBONS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Oh my Goodness! My heart is nearly pounding out of my chest. (Fanning my face rapidly! No swooning when the news is this good, Zula! Getting a grip. Back to earth!) 

I have an announcement! 

Can you imagine anything more exciting than discovering a murder? And then the murderer? Right in our neighborhood? How about taking one "for the team?" Let's not forget my major injury! 

Well!!!! The book containing OUR STORY hit #1 in TWO that is TWO, not a typo. TWO CATEGORIES! 

Don't go look. We aren't there any more. But for shining, GLORIOUS hours in time we were the number #1! ONE!!!!! Doesn't get better than that!!! NUMBER #1 in TWO categories of Amazon Kindle book sales. (I am most offended the author who discovered this did NOT take a picture!) 

I told buyers (okay, it was a free download, but still, they had to invest!!!) that I'd give them a free Zula-extrodinaire recipe for their trouble. 

I'm going to make it spectacular. It's going to be a creation. And that takes time, and tweaking. It will have to be GOLD medal, BLUE ribbon and #1 in TWO categories good. 

In the meantime. A little teaser... a life hint that can make three ho-hum good-enough ingredients SHINE like a golden hued mirage on the dessert table. Take this token idea and own it. You deserve the treat. The GOLDEN MEDAL preview if you will. Ready? 

Grab some ice cream. Any flavor. Place it on the counter for about 10-15 minutes. Now. If your house is as cool as a crypt you might need a bit longer. If you are in the humid, hot-as-hades region of the southerly states, a little less. You want the ice cream to soften. Not melt, soften. Take chocolate-chip or sugar cookies. Those dreadful store brand in the package if you'd like. Even the ones at the Dollar Store, those crunchy, blah, semi-cardboard sugar-bombs of meh. While your ice cream is softening scrounge around for sprinkles, chopped nuts, mini chocolate chips, crushed candy bars, toasted coconut whatever you think would be a nice touch with the flavors you've chosen. Sugar cookies with orange sherbet and toasted coconut. Chocolate chip cookies with strawberry ice cream and sprinkles or mini chocolate chips. Chocolate chip with chocolate chip cookie dough rolled in mini chocolate chips. Oh my! The sea of possibilities. Chocolate chip cookies filled with oreo cookie ice cream and rolled in crushed cookie crumbs. Cookie Delight! 

Plop a scoop of ice cream onto a cookie backside. Cover with another cookie backside and squeeze just a little til ice cream comes to the edge. If too much mooshes out use your finger to remove it so you don't end up with a hump. Don't serve friends cookies with humps (you can save those for yourself!) Roll the edge with the ice cream peeking out into whatever bits you found. Place back into the freezer for a half hour or longer to let it firm back up. Then redip/reroll your cookie ice cream sandwich again, pressing a little to pick up any more goodness or to cover any bald spots! Place back into the freezer until you are ready to eat them!!!! Fake Gourmet deliciousness. 

Now if you want to truly make this GOLD MEDAL worthy make your own cookies and ice cream. That'll wow them. 

Stay tuned for "the" recipe. The queen mother of deliciousness.  And thanks for making our story #1 !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Tap! Tap! Tap! Enter the Contest! And Make a Treat to Encourage You Do Just That!!!

Don't forget to send your pictures! You know what I'm talking about, right? What? You missed it? Go HERE. Right now!!!! Not even kidding. I'm waiting. Now send those pictures. Facething them. Twirp, tweet or toot them. But just do it! 

Now. Here's a bonus, fun recipe.  So easy!!!!! And tasty!!!! 

1 bag chocolate chips
2 TBSP peanut butter
Melt together. 
Add 4 cups rice krispy cereal. 

Drop and press into greased muffin tins. Sprinkle the top with crushed candy bars or mini m&m's and press with the back of a spoon. Pop into fridge. Makes 18-24. It's like a crackle bar or nestles bar on steroids. (And not the ones to help you breathe or lessen your arthritis pain. Ha. Ha. A little retirement park humor!)

Pop them out when solid. Place in a container. Keep in the fridge so you don't have melty hot messes. Enjoy. 

Waking from the Food Coma?

So full. Are you? 

Goodness. I made such a feast. 

For Fern and me. Bob had other plans. I'm not pouting. But I will remind him as often as I feel it is appropriate to do so that he was not with me on the glorious holiday that celebrates food. And my cooking. He loves my cooking. 

I will describe in great detail the golden hue on the butter topped flaky buns and how they smelled like yeasty heaven come down when the oven released their delicious aroma. And how the stuffing I made tasted of fresh sage, celery and hickory nuts with the tiniest slivers of roasted garlic. And my pumpkin pie with the home crafted cloud of whipped cream melted in my mouth. The brown sugar glazed pecans  adding just the texture needed to complete the bite. 

Yes. 

I will tell him. 

He spent Thanksgiving in a restaurant. Have you ever? 

But, on a positive note I did get Fern to read this article and agree that she doesn't want to be a cat in the Lord's kingdom. I think she is warming to Fifi, finally.