WHAT DO YOU LOVE ABOUT THE HOLIDAYS?
The holidays are here! We are thinking of all our wonderful patients and wanted to send our holiday wishes to you.
Holidays are meant to be joyous times of the year but sometimes they can come with stress – overcrowded parking lots, jammed freeways, long waiting lines, and so on. So to put us all in the mood we thought we would share what we love about the holidays.
One of the first things I love is holiday music – whether it is upbeat tunes like “Frosty the Snowman” and “Rudolf the Reindeer” or emotionally moving like “I’ll be Home for Christmas.” I enjoy the nostalgia of the music. And what would the holidays be without shows like “The Abominable Snowman, “Charlie Brown’s Christmas” and the all-time classics “Miracle on 34th Street” and “It’s a Wonderful Life.”
Another thing I love is the holiday spirit we can share. It seems we all lead very busy lives these days. But I think the presence of the holidays helps us take a little time out to acknowledge those around us. Like wishing family, friends, co-workers, patients and even people you pass on the street you don’t know a hearty “Happy Holidays!” feels good. Giving little gifts or baked goods to neighbors and friends is fun too.
And of course I can’t leave out the baking. Baking is just plain fun and fun to eat the goodies too! There are those recipes you don’t usually get to enjoy the rest of the year. So it’s a pleasure to rummage through my recipes and pick out my favorite ones. Here’s one I’d like to share one with you:
I love to make the traditional Toll House cookies and add peanut butter, oatmeal and walnuts. Here is a recipe from www.thespruce.com:
What You’ll Need
- 1 1/2 cups flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup butter (softened)
- 1 cup peanut butter
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 cup packed light brown sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 cups quick cooking oats
- 2 cups semisweet chocolate chunks (or chips)
- 1 cup peanuts (coarsely chopped; or pecans)
How to Make It
- Preheat the oven to 350 F.
- Lightly grease a baking sheet or line with parchment or a silicone mat.
- Combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
- In a large mixing bowl, beat butter and peanut butter with granulated and brown sugars until creamy. Beat in vanilla and eggs until smooth. Stir in the flour mixture, then stir in oats, chocolate chips, and peanuts or nuts.
- Drop cookie dough by teaspoonful onto the prepared baking sheet
- . Bake for 10 minutes, until lightly browned.
- Store cookies in a tightly covered container or food storage bag.
Variations
- Replace half of the semisweet chocolate chips or chunks with candy coated chocolate pieces or peanut butter chips.
- Instead of chopped peanut or pecans, use brickle chips.
- Use raisins or craisins in the cookies instead of chocolate.
Come on by the Smile White Dental office any time. We’d love to see you and your teeth and help make sure you and your family’s oral health is at its best!
