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December 2019 @live.com
THE BEACON Page 13B
By
Melanie
Alexander
For as long as I can
By
remember, baking Maxine cookies
for Christmas Klump has been part
of our family traditions. My
mother always Community made sure
Correspondent
we baked sugar cookies cut
into many shapes and then
maxineklump.thebeacon@yahoo.com
“painted” them with thin
confectioners sugar icing
tinted in several colors. I
was fortunate to inherit my
mother’s set of cookie cutters.
As my grandchildren have
grown, we always gather to
make sugar cookies cut with
those same shapes. During
the years we lived in Bright,
we were blessed with a large
kitchen and a mammoth
kitchen island (purchased at
an auction of a bakery near
Sunman IN- but that’s another
story). We set up a factorystyle
production. When we
were visiting Mark and family
in Sheffield England for
the holiday, we gathered in
their kitchen (yes, I packed
those same cutters in my
luggage) for baking. Soon,
we will gather with four
generations for this activity
as my great-granddaughter,
Eliana, is able to join with her
mother, Jennifer Durkin, and
my daughter, Maria Lowry.
I’m providing my current
“favorite” sugar cookie recipe
below, along with some
updated versions of other
recipes that are part of our
holiday treats.
Mary’s Sugar Cookies
1½ cups sifted confectioners
sugar
1 cup butter
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2½ cups flour
1 teaspoon soda
1 teaspoon cream of tartar
Mix sugar and butter. Add
egg and vanilla extract and
mix thoroughly. Stir dry
ingredients together and
blend in. Refrigerate dough
for 2-3 hours until well
chilled.
Heat oven to 375°. Divide
dough in half and roll to 3/16”
on a lightly floured surface.
Cut with a cookie cutter.
Sprinkle with sugar unless you
plan to top with confectioners’
sugar icing after baking.
Place on a parchment-covered
baking sheet (or lightly
greased sheet). Bake for 7-8
minutes or until delicately
golden. Remove to a wire
rack to cool. Makes about five
dozen 2-inch cookies.
Thin sugar frosting for
decorating cookies
Sift 1-1½ c. confectioners’
sugar into a small mixing
bowl. Add a small amount of
milk, and ½ teaspoon vanilla
extract. Mix until smooth.
The texture should be thin
enough to spread onto cookies
easily. If you wish, divide
the icing among small bowls
and tint with food coloring.
Hint- I buy several small
paintbrushes at the craft store
and wash thoroughly to apply
the icing. Kids love to paint
creations and bright designs!
I have updated my recipe
for delicious Cream Cheese
Brownies to save time.
Instead of preparing brownies
“from scratch,” I use a mix;
two of my favorite brands are
Duncan Hines and Ghiradelli.
Cream Cheese Brownies
1 box brownie mix (8-9-inch
square pan size)
3-ounce cream cheese,
softened
2 tablespoons butter, softened
¼ cup sugar
1 egg
1 tablespoon flour
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Prepare brownie mix
according to directions on
the box. Spread ½ of batter
into the pan, which has
been lightly greased on the
bottom. Set aside.
Cream butter and cream
cheese together in a small
mixing bowl. Gradually add
sugar and cream until fluffy.
Blend in egg, flour, and
vanilla. Spread over batter in
the bottom of pan; then add
remaining brownie batter
by spoonful. Zigzag knife
through batter to marble the
batter. Bake at 350° for 35-
40 minutes. Cut into squares
after cooling.
Here is a no-bake recipe
when time is really limited.
Crispy Cereal Cookies
(no-bake)
1 cup sugar
1 cup light corn syrup
1 cup peanut butter
6 cups cereal (such as Rice
Krispies or Special K)
1 stick butter or margarine
6 oz. chocolate chips
Cover cookie sheet with
waxed paper. Heat sugar and
corn syrup in a saucepan,
stirring to dissolve sugar.
When mixtures reaching
boiling point, turn off heat. Stir
in peanut butter, then cereal.
Spread mixture on cookie
sheet. In a small saucepan,
melt butter and chocolate; stir
until smooth. Spread evenly
over cereal mixture. Chill until
set; then cut into squares.
I hope that you and your
loved ones enjoy those
traditions that are part of
your celebration. As for our
family, we’re looking forward
to cookie bakes taking place
here AND across the pond!
BUSINESS &
PROFESSIONAL
DIRECTORY
C
By
John
Hawley
Purdue
Extension
Educator
hawley4@purdue.edu
Finding Trustworthy
Gardening Resources
in Age of Fake News
Finding reliable resources,
especially through online
outlets, can be difficult. While
freedom of the press protects
the rights of websites, publishers,
and blogs to share
what they please, accuracy is
not guaranteed. Many organizations
make a habit of publishing
“scientific” information
that is neither tested nor
peer-reviewed.
In today’s article, I will do
my best to lead you toward
trustworthy information to use
in your garden and landscape.
Use Caution Online
While misinformation has
existed since ancient humans
first gossiped around their
caves, the expansion of the
internet has certainly opened
the floodgates. When looking
for resources on important
garden topics, I strongly advise
using websites that end in
.edu, .gov, or .org. While sites
ending in .com or .net can
provide useful information,
online resources published by
universities and government
agencies are the most reliable.
The recommendations
for practice included in these
publications will be tested and
peer-reviewed by experts.
Beware of Viral “Home
Remedies”
I frequently come across
posts from garden sites that
claim to have a miracle
method for controlling weeds,
killing pests, or improving
vegetable production. Many
viral posts advise using common
household products in
the garden to accomplish
these feats. Proceed with caution
when you come across
these posts. If it seems too
good to be true, it probably is.
One site I visited for this
article repeats a common
claim that a combination of
salt, food-grade vinegar, and
dishwashing liquid can be
used for weed control. While
this combo would be slightly
effective in the short-term,
the mixture has little purpose
if you’re going for a natural
approach. These products
contain chemical properties
just as toxic as many conventional
weed killers, and salt is
almost never recommended
because it can quickly degrade
soils. While stronger
concentrations of vinegar
have shown short-term effective
weed control if used on
their own, little to no research
is available showing effective
or safe use of combinations
like this.
Consult with Experts
When tough questions arise,
human nature often nudges
us to look for expert opinions.
If you want a personal
recommendation for your
farm, garden, or landscape
concerns, please don’t hesitate
to give me a call. County
extension services have
been provided in Indiana for
over one hundred years. In
that time, our methods have
changed significantly, but our
mission has mostly remained
the same: deliver practical,
research-based information
that transforms lives and
livelihoods.
Other reliable experts in
our community include The
Soil and Water Conservation
District, Natural Resource
Conservation Service, Farm
Service Agency, Dearborn
County Health Department,
FFA Advisors, and Ivy Tech
Community College faculty.
Making decisions that best
protect your property, health,
and pocketbook can be stressful.
While we don’t know
what the future holds for
improving society’s reliance
on more reliable information,
I hope the advice provided in
today’s article better informs
you along the way.
To learn more about managing
your lawn and garden
from our experts on campus,
please search “Purdue Consumer
Horticulture” on your
computer or smartphone.
For additional information
about other agriculture and
natural resources topics, email
me at hawley4@purdue.edu.
You can also reach our office
at 812-926-1189. We are
located at 229 Main Street,
Aurora, IN 47001.
Look for my next article
in the January issue of The
Beacon!
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