Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup Cookies

Another yummy recipe! 

                                            Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup Cookies

Filling -- 1/2 cup peanut butter

           1/4 cup powdered sugar

Cookie -- 1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar

                1/4 cup sugar

          1/2 cup margarine, softened

          8-oz. pkg cream cheese, softened

                reserve 2 oz. for frosting

          1 tsp vanilla

          1 egg

          2 cups all purpose flour

          1/4 cup cocoa

          1 tsp baking powder

Frosting -- 1 cup sifted powdered sugar

            2 tbsp. cocoa

            1-2 tbsp milk

            reserved 2 oz. cream cheese

Combine peanut butter and powdered sugar, blend until smooth. Chill while mixing cookie dough.

Cream brown sugar, sugar, margarine and 6 oz cream cheese until light and fluffy. Blend in egg and vanilla. Blend flour, cocoa and baking powder into creamed mixture. Shape dough into 1 inch balls, place 2 in. apart on cookie sheets. With thumb, make imprint in center of each cookie. Fill with 1 tsp filling. Bring dough around filling to completely cover. Bake at 350 for 9-12 minutes. Cool.

Mix frosting ingredients together and spread over cooled cookie.

 

Cookie Recipe -- Crunchy Jumble Cookies

These cookies are so good! Chewy and the crunch with the Rice Krispies. Enjoy! 

1 1/4 cups unsifted flour                   1 egg

1/2 tsp. baking soda                        1 tsp vanilla

1/4 tsp salt                                2 cups Rice Krispies

1/2 cup softened butter or margarine        1 cup sugar

1 6-oz pkg (or 1 cup) choc. chips (I use milk choc. chips)

Combine flour, soda, salt and set aside. In mixing bowl blend butter and sugar till creamy. Add egg and vanilla and blend well. Beat in flour mixture. Stir in Rice Krispies and choc. chips. Drop by level tablespoon onto lightly greased cookie sheets. Bake at 350 for 10-13 min.

Sometimes better to just double the recipe!!

Horace Goes Yule Shopping

"Where did all these new people to buy presents for come from?" Horace grumbled as he surveyed his shopping list. "Like I'm made of money." He thought of the bag of gold coins he had secreted away on his stone person that he hoped to use most of it on himself and not others. Looked like that wasn't going to happen.

Gargoyles tended not to wear clothing with pockets. Actually, gargoyles didn't wear clothing at all, so secreting the bag wasn't easy and wise to never ask just where it might be. Although Horace did sport a jaunty purple and gold knitted scarf wrapped around his throat. Since he was cursed to be grayish stone, he liked to look colorful when he could.

The Magick Mall was as colorful as the shops on either side of the stone road with fragrant spices scenting the air that even drifted from one color to the other like a never-ending rainbow.

Horace rubbed his horns in thought as he traveled down the main road of Dragon Lane that forked at the end with a 100-foot fiery fountain. What else do you expect from a road named Dragon Lane?

"Stasi gets wyrm weave silk shawl, Blair, one of those funky pieces of jewelry from Fastan's Jewelers," he muttered, pausing every so often to look inside a shop window. The warm yeasty scent of zerxe bread drifted out of the bakery and reminded him he hadn't eaten since he came to the magickal plain that offered every item known to wizard, witch and sorcerers the world over. "Guess Jazz wouldn't appreciate thong underwear. Come to think of it, Nick might. Nah, he'd just try to strangle me with it."

The Magick Mall was one of the few places Horace could visit and not worry about being stared at. Gargoyles that walked and talked were plentiful here along with every creature known to man and many they'd never seen nor would they if the creatures had their way about it.

"Hey, baby, so what do you look like without all the robes?" He grinned at a shapely witch who passed by him. As one who appreciated the female form, even more so when he hung out in one of the dressing rooms in Stasi's lingerie boutique, he never let a good looking female pass him by without offering up an opinion. He left the less than good looking ones alone after one crone turned covered him with a nasty smelling slime that he couldn't get off for a good month.

She cast him a glare, and luckily didn't cast anything else.

"Treats for Bogie," he continued reading his list. "Polish for Felix," he named Blair's retro Kit-Kat clock that not only kept excellent time, but enjoyed offering an opinion whether it was wanted or not. "Bunny slipper shampoo for Fluff and Puff. At least I don't have to shop for Irma and Sirius." He stopped and studied a shop sign that read they had the latest gadgets for the recently deceased. "The old lady isn't even close to recently deceased."

Since Horace hadn't been to the Magick Mall for some months, he was determined to enjoy his day before he got down to serious shopping. Plus, there were a lot of new shops and items that tempted him to investigate.

"I'll get their gifts," he vowed, ducking into the bakery for a thick slice of bread warm out of the oven and a tankard of ale.

And after that, Horace found himself in a gaming hall, betting on which crimson midnight roach would reach the finish line first and having a bit of slap and tickle with a sexy female gargoyle.

Before he knew it the day was almost over and he still hadn't picked any gifts and his sack of gold was a lot lighter.

"Oh man." He ducked down another road and peered in shop windows, looking at those that advertised major sales.

It wasn't until he reached the last shop that a brightly colored window display caught his eye.

"Perfect!" He ran inside before anyone else saw it.


*****

"Wait 'til you see what I found!" Horace announced, dragging a heavy canvas sack behind him.

"What have you been doing?" Stasi asked, hurrying to help him but he waved her off.

"Don't tell me. You went to the Magick Mall," Blair said.

"I got you and Blair the perfect gift. You can share it between your shops." He carefully set the bag upright then lifted it off with a flourish. "Ta da!"

Silence reigned in the shop as Stasi and Blair stared at Horace's find.

"Is that what I think it is?" Blair asked in a low voice.

"Only if you're thinking what I'm thinking," Stasi squeaked. "Horace, why did you buy this?"

"What do you mean? What's wrong with it? How cool is it? A pretty statue that's tall and sort of undulating but with that double base." He beamed with pride.

"It's a penis!" Blair clapped her hands over her mouth.

"We can't have a six foot high penis on display here," Stasi pointed out, sounding as choked as Blair.

"It's not a –" Horace moved backward to get a better look. "Oh wow, it is." He ignored the two witches who made gurgling sounds. "And here I was told it was a modern version of a baby dragon. Maybe they used a baby dragon penis as an example."

He turned around and found Stasi and Blair hunched over and holding back shocked laughter.

"So you're serious? We can't use it in one of the display windows? Maybe if we put a Santa hat on it?" He suggested then backed away. “Uh, so that’s a no?”

Holiday Magick

"It's listing to the right."

            "It's straight."

            "You call that straight? I called it old man crooked." Jazz shot Krebs a look that said 'fix it or else!'

            Her housemate blew out an exasperated breath as he stepped back a few paces and studied the tree. She was right. It was leaning a little too far to the right.

            "I'll have to secure the damn thing to the wall," he muttered. "You had to have a ten-foot tree, didn't you?"

            "The room cries out for a large tree." She held her arms out to encompass the huge living room that was bright with twinkle lights threaded through green garlands decorated with red velvet bows. Holiday music played in the background.

            Krebs grunted as he struggled with the heavy tree. He shot a glare toward the man lounging on the couch. "You could help, you know. Vampire strength. Pick the tree up as if it was a toothpick and all that."

            "This is your tradition, not mine." Nick grinned. "Besides, I'm enjoying the show you and Jazz are giving me as you argue about decorations and a tall tree." But he took pity on the human and went over to help steady the tree. "Perhaps someone will add her magick to the tree." He lifted an eyebrow at Jazz.

            "What would you guys do without me?" She held her hands out. "Getting close to the date. Want the tree to be long. So stand up straight and stand up strong. Because I said so, damn it!" To go with the holiday spirit her magick left her fingertips in red and green sparkles, traveling to the tree and wrapping it in power. The tree immediately stopped listing to the right. "And no holes in the wall," she told Krebs.

            "That works for me. Think you can do the lights too?"

            "Putting lights up is guy work! I put up the ornaments and icicles." She held up a silvery strand of tinsel.

            Krebs gritted his teeth as Jazz directed the placement of the strands of lights. "I thought this was guy work."

            "It is, but you still need to know where they go." She handed him the star tree topper.

            "What did you do before you had me to boss around?" Krebs asked.

            "I had a three-foot tabletop tree, but this is so much better." Jazz sorted through the ornaments until she found the one she wanted and carefully placed it on a branch.

            Fluff and Puff slid into the room, chattering away to themselves. They headed for the red basket filled with candy canes and grabbed one, growling and snapping at each other as they fought over the peppermint treat until it broke in half. Each retreated to an opposite corner to enjoy their booty while keeping an eye on the other to make sure it wasn't taken away from them.

            "No, the angel has to go up there." Jazz pointed up and up and up.

            Krebs sighed. "I'll get the ladder."

            "I can take care of that." Nick levitated to the branch Jazz indicated and carefully hung the ornament.

            Between Jazz's direction, Krebs and Nick doing her bidding the tree was decorated from top to bottom.

            "Any reason why you couldn't do the witchy thing and just send the ornaments onto the tree?" Krebs asked.

            "Sure, but it's not as much fun as making sure they're where they belong. I do great work." She beamed as she studied the tree.

            Nick and Krebs exchanged a look. "Who does great work?" They asked in unison.

            "I was the brains, you were the brawn." She waved off their words. "It's a beautiful tree."

            With the drapes open, the tree was perfectly framed in the huge bay window that faced the street. With icicle lights decorating the house, twinkle lights blanketing the shrubs and lighted lollipops and candy canes along the cement walkway, the house was a holiday confection.

            "Let's go outside and see the full effect!" Jazz grabbed the men by the hand and pulled them outside. They stood on the sidewalk to admire the final effect.

            "Even prettier than last year," she pronounced.

            "I have to admit you do good work." Krebs hugged her.

            "Jazz has always loved the holidays," Nick said.

            "Especially presents." She looked from one to the other.

            "You know the rules. We wait until the morning of December 25 and not one minute sooner. It's cold out here. I'll make Irish coffee," he offered, heading for the front door. "You can drink that, right, Nick?"

            "Thankfully, I can." He slipped an arm around Jazz's waist as they walked up the walkway.

            "Gross!" Krebs stared at Fluff, or maybe it was Puff. "They ate peppermint and that came out of them?"

Jazz held her nose as she waved her hand through the noxious air that grew worse by the minute. "I should have remembered that peppermint doesn't agree with them."

"I guess we'll be drinking our Irish coffee in the kitchen." Krebs led the way toward the back of the house. “Hey witchy roomie, can you conjure up some gas masks?”