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P h i l l y   E x p a t r i a t e






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I am an East Coast expatriate hiding out in the Midwest...

I am an urban gal living in the suburbs and occasionally hiding in the country

I am a yoga practitioner, fitness enthusiast, believer in the mind-body-spirit connection...

I am a mid-life "revert" to the Roman Catholic faith in which I was raised and which has become an enormous source of support, encouragement, inspiration, and joy in my life...

I am a mom, sister, daughter, and wife...

I am an explorer; adventurous and curious about the world and people around me...

I am educated in the formal sense but I gain insight through everyday living...

I created this blog at a time of great fear and apprehension in my life. I chose to sustain it because of the discoveries about myself and the world around me that it has revealed.



What you can expect to find here:
  • the documentation of a love-hate relationship with the greater Philadelphia area
  • reminiscing about the good-ole-days (the 80's!)
  • complaints about my various ailments and injuries, both real and imagined
  • pictures and stories of gardening, decorating, shopping, sewing
  • my love of irony
  • links to kooky news stories
  • way too much scatological musing for sane people


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    Some of my faves from the archives:

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    Orange Crush

    The Sounds of Silence and Smell of Bum Wine

    The War of the Shmatte

    Pseudo

    Channel

    The Summer of '86


    East Coast Stylin' in Photos and Words:

    More Fun on Passyunk Avenue

    Me and the Girls

    Back In Town

    Pygmalion



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    Monday, December 19, 2005
    It's All In The Mix

    As this is the week when many people take Christmas cookies to work, cookie exchange parties, or give them as gifts to neighbors and friends, I thought I'd share a recipe that allows for MANY variations. It has come in very handy this season and I've given them as gifts (in nice holiday-themed gift bags) to my duagher's teacher, ccd instructor, school bus driver and babysitter. Hubby has taken many batches of these cookies to work for his staff, and they have been well-received.

    I saw this recipe in a magazine and altered it by 1 ingredient to make it PERFECT!!!! The original recipe called for unsalted butter; I changed it to shortening (i.e. Crisco) to produce a much more appealing look and texture. It also makes them a "sturdy" cookie - one that travels well either shipped in a tin to Aunt Bessie in North Dakota, or hauled to a potluck in a ziplock bag. Semi-homemade never looked or tasted so good!

    Butterscotch Cookies

    Makes approx. 3 ½ dozen cookies
     
    These are SO easy to make AND they are DELICIOUS – the perfect "milk & cookie" cookie. You can substitute other flavored chips and/or add ½ of chopped nuts of your choice if you like to alter the flavor combinations. Variations I have tried are listed below the recipe.
     
    1 package (18.25 oz.) yellow cake mix
    2 large eggs
    ½ C. shortening (i.e. Crisco) melted
    ¼ C. firmly packed brown sugar
    1 Tbs. Cocoa powder
    1 C. butterscotch chips
    (optional) ½ C. chopped walnuts
     
    1. Preheat oven to 350°
    2. Spray cookie sheets with PAM-type nonstick spray.
    3. Combine cake mix, eggs, shortening, brown sugar, and cocoa powder in a large mixing bowl or stand mixer.
    4. Fold in butterscotch chips and nuts (if desired.)
    5. Drop by level tablespoonful onto cookie sheets.
    6. Bake for 14 minutes.
    7. Allow to cool on baking sheet for 1 minute before removing
    8. Transfer to a wire rack or platter to cool
    9. Repeat with remaining dough.
    Double-chocolate cookies:
    Substitute Devil's Food Cake Mix for the Yellow Cake Mix and Semi-sweet chocolate chips for the butterscotch chips.
     
    White Chocolate-Macadamia Nut:
    Instead of Butterscotch chips. use 1 C. white baking chips and 1/2 C. chopped macadamia nuts.

    Posted at 11:18 pm by brandy101

    Lyly
    December 22, 2005   02:38 PM PST
     
    har har chrys....

    This recipe sounds absolutely delicious. Maybe one day...
    chrysalis
    December 20, 2005   08:52 AM PST
     
    I thought you might decide to bake the Prevacid, Zelnorm and Xanax into the cookies. Sure would take the sting out of pill-popping ...
     

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