TWD: Pecan Powder Puffs

Pecan Powder Puffs, Mexican Wedding Cookies, Pecan Sandie... This cookie is called many different things, but regardless of the name it is delicious. Tender, melt in your mouth cookie speckled with ground pecans, and sprinkled with powdered sugar. Yummmm... You can't eat just one.



Mixing these cookies was quick and easy, especially since I took Dorie' suggestion and mixed the dough in a food processor.



But I did have a little trouble with the baking. I chilled the dough for about 3 hours, but I guess my hot little hands softened the butter as I formed the balls. The cookies spread like crazy. Poor little Pecan Powder Pancakes.



For the second batch I rolled the dough into the little balls first and then chilled them for a few hours. This time they baked up perfectly round little domes of puffy pecan delights.



I baked these gems for my Mom's 77th Birthday on March 20th. She got a laugh from the 77 candles I had on her cake. She had no trouble blowing them all out, and no, the smoke alarm did not go off.

Steve's Pecan Parline Bars

This last week has been a nightmare. On Monday, March 21st my younger brother, Steve, went in for a colonoscopy and they found a mass the size of a baseball on his colon. The doctor said it have been growing there for 10 years. On Wednesday (his birthday) he had a CT scan that found spots on his liver. The whole family is numb with shock and disbelief, he is only 44 and has three kids.

On Saturday we had his birthday party, and I made him his favorite dessert: Pecan Pralines Bars. Here is the recipe I used, but I subbed half the white sugar for brown sugar.


Here is my brother, always happy, always smiling. He is having surgery on Wednesday, March 30 to remove a part of his colon. He will start chemo right after that...


If you are over the age of 40, please, please go and get a colonoscopy. Even if you don't have any symptoms. Most doctors say you don't need it until you are 50, but don't risk it. You are playing Russian Roulette with you life.

I scheduled my appointment (I'm scared to death about what they might find), now you schedule YOURS!!!!

TWD: Corniest Corn Muffins

I always seem to be running late these days: no time exercise, to time to garden, and worst of all no time to BAKE. (I also don't have time to clean the house, but in my mind that is a good thing.) So here I am 4 days late with my Tuesday with Dorie post. Sorry fellow TWDers.

This week's selection of Corniest Corn Muffins (page 4 of Dorie Greenspan's Baking From My Home to Yours) was made by Jill of My Next Life.



Over my life time I have baked a lot of Corn Bread and tried a lot of different recipes but I've always gone back to Martha White's Sweet Yellow Corn Bread (yes a box mix). Everyone in the family loves it and it is always the first thing to go at gatherings.

But I have to say Dorie's Corniest Corn Muffins recipe may have Martha's box mix beat. The CCM's texture was great, it was full of fluffy air pockets and crunchy corn. It was moist and slightly sweet, and almost perfect. Next time I'll add more corn, maybe a little more sugar, and bake it a little less. I baked for 17 minutes and mine came out a little too brown.

So thanks Jill for making a great selection. I have a new favorite Corn Bread recipe!

On a different subject take a look at the roses I found at Walmart of all places. You can't really tell in the picture, but they have a greenish-yellow color. Very unusual and beautiful. And only 8 bucks for a dozen. What a bargain.