Shreveport/ Austin Christmas Invasion '08

My mother-in-law is a very patient, kind woman.



You see, not only did she let me invade her kitchen, but she let me make these.

Grace calls them Hello, Jollies. Folks in the South call them Hello Dollies. My mom calls them magic cookie bars. Others call them Texas brownies. (Recipe at bottom of post.)



I call them delicious.


I made traditional ones--pecans, coconut, chocolate chips and a graham cracker crust soaked in condensed milk goodness and Blond Duck friendly ones (since I'm allergic to chocolate) with peanut butter chips.


They're gone now, just in case you were wondering.



I also made an entire pile of my mom's pumpkin bread for everyone down there.

They're also almost gone.



And just in case I have eaten enough, with the hello dollies, pumpkin bread and peanut butter pie, but our Shreveport Christmas dinner consisted of beef tenderloin, boursin potatoes, bbq green beans, Mandarin orange salad and dinner rolls. And grilled catfish, macaroni and cheese and banana pudding from the Southfield Grill, my father in law's restaurant.

Yoga pants, Chihuahuas and apron chic.

I've spent the rest of my time on the treadmill, just in case you were curious.


In the Pond, it rarely gets below 70. But here in Shreveport, it's been 30 degrees.




The Babies were not amused when I tried to drag them on a walk. My logic was if they had lots of exercises, they'd have less time to pee on the carpet, terrorize Ace the Dog and get up in everyone's business.

It was a lovely Christmas.



I might even sneak another dolly. Or two. Or three.

Today, we're on the road to Austin to go terrorize my parents. The car is loaded almost to the ceiling with gifts received and to be given and the Babies are full of nervous energy.

My parents aren't going to know what hit them.

Stay tuned Friday for the recap of the Austin invasion! And Merry Christmas, ya'll!

Magic Cookie Bars/ Hello Dollies (from www.eaglebrand.com)

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup butter or margarine, melted
• 1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
• 1 (14 ounce) can EAGLE BRAND® Sweetened Condensed Milk
• 2 cups semisweet chocolate chips (or butter, peanut butter or white chocolate. Or both or a mixture!)
  
• 1 1/3 cups flaked coconut
• 1 cup chopped nuts

Directions

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees F (325 degrees for glass dish). Coat 13x9-inch baking pan with no-stick cooking spray.
2. Combine graham cracker crumbs and butter. Press into bottom of prepared pan. Pour sweetened condensed milk evenly over crumb mixture. Layer evenly with chocolate chips, coconut and nuts. Press down firmly with a fork.
3. Bake 25 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool. Cut into bars or diamonds. Store covered at room temperature.

Variations:

• 7-Layer Magic Cookie Bars: Substitute 1 cup (6-ounces) butterscotch flavored chips* for 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips and proceed as directed above.
• Peanut butter flavored chips or white chocolate chips may be substituted for butterscotch flavored chips.
• Magic Peanut Cookie Bars: Substitute 2 cups (about 3/4 pound) chocolate-covered peanuts for semi-sweet chocolate chips and chopped nuts.
• Magic Rainbow Cookie Bars: Substitute 2 cups plain candy-coated chocolate candies for semi-sweet chocolate chips.

Stay tuned, Invisible Friends! We'll have a fun Christmas post, a recap of the Blond Duck's Austin Christmas, a new Twirl, the end of Kitchen Magic and the reveal of what is in Samantha's box...Merry Christmas!