Double Chocolate Cookies with a Peppermint Patty Surprise

The cookies from the Christmas Meeting on Tuesday...AMAZING!

From "Everyday" with Rachael Ray Dec. 2011

• 24 Servings
• Prep: 30 min (plus chilling)
• Bake: 15 min

30 15 45

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups flour
• 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup light brown sugar
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 1 1/2 sticks (6 oz.) unsalted butter, slightly softened
• 1 egg
• 24 miniature (about 1 1/2-inch) peppermint patties, such as York, unwrapped and chilled
• 6 oz. white chocolate (not chips), chopped
• Peppermint candy canes or candies, crushed or finely chopped

Directions:

1. Using an electric mixer, beat the flour, cocoa powder, both sugars, salt and baking soda on low speed. Beat in the butter, then the egg. Turn out the dough onto a large piece of plastic wrap and flatten into a disk; seal. Refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour.

2. Preheat the oven to 350°. Line 2 large cookie sheets with parchment. Working with 1 tbsp. of dough at a time, use your fingers to evenly encase each peppermint patty with dough. Place on the prepared pans and smooth the dough with your fingers. Bake, switching the pans halfway through, until just firm to the touch, about 15 minutes. Remove the pans from the oven and let cool slightly. Transfer the cookies on the parchment to a rack to cool completely.

3. Meanwhile, in a double boiler or small, heatproof bowl set over a small saucepan of simmering water, melt half of the white chocolate, stirring until melted. Remove from the heat and stir in the remaining white chocolate until smooth. Using a large spoon, drizzle the white chocolate over the cookies. Sprinkle immediately with the crushed peppermint candies. Let set completely before serving or storing.\

Ways to Relieve Stress

Here are some ideas to help you relieve-stress and thus be more patient, and a better mom! (This was from our meeting 10/18/11)

Exercise- To work away your tension and help fortify you against the negative physical effects of stress. Even something as simple as taking a walk.

Eat right- What you eat can promote or relieve stress and help or hinder the body in how it handles the physical stress response. Take time out for meals, eating at regular times, avoiding sugars and fats. Eating something every 2-3 hours keeps your blood-sugar level and helps your body to better deal with stress. This is good for your kids too…It helps them to better deal with stress and thus behave better.

Take time for yourself- Read a book, do a hobby you enjoy. Take a bath and use your bath fizzie or just a shower. The warm water helps to relieve tension in your muscles and doing something you enjoy helps you relieve stress.

Write your feelings down- Writing your feelings down in a journal can help you relieve emotional-stress. This is especially helpful for those who have difficulty or just don’t have the time to talk about problems. It helps you to sort through how you’re feeling and get those feelings out in a healthy way.

Slow down- Try moving, talking, and behaving in a relaxed, slower manner, and see if it doesn’t let some of the stress just ebb-away. For example, pause at the table before you eat, or let your phone ring a few times before you answer.

Practice saying “no”- That is one of the best things I have started doing is learning to say “no” more often and not feeling guilty about it. It will not only help you feel less stress, but it will help your kids to be less stressed as well. Just pick one activity on your calendar each week that really isn’t a necessisity and say “no” to it. Sometimes we think that one playdate or activity is something our kids really need, but all the rushing around from here to there is really just causing us more stress that it’s worth. I also will pray and ask for God to show me if this activity is part of his plan for our family, or just something I want to do.

So I hope some of these ideas will help you to relax, and be less stressed, and thus more patient with your kids and others in your life.

Pumpkin Patch Play Date
at Wagner's Farm in Corrales
Thursday October 13th 9:45am-12
$6 per person 2 and over
Bring a lunch!

Take a hayride to the pumpkin patch, pick your own pumpkin, try the corn maze, feed the farm animals and much more!

Invite your friends and family! They don't have to be apart of MOPS to join us.
Please reply to this e-mail to RSVP with number of adults/kids and ages.

Directions:
6445 Corrales RD Corrales, NM 87048
Take the Alameda exit West from Interstate 25. Proceed west to Corrales Rd, aprox. 4 miles. Take Corrales Rd north 4.2 miles to 6445 which is on the west side of the road.

MOPS Family BBQ

Come meet other MOPS families and our steering team for 2011-2012

Saturday, Sept., 10
5pm - 7pm

at GINA'S HOUSE:
7305 Junco Pl. NW
ABQ,NM 87114

Please Bring the following:
last name
A-J - Side-dish
K-R - Dessert
S-Z - Drinks

Please RSVP by Sept. 3
mopsatgraceABQ@yahoo.com
or call Stephanie 850-3380

Registration for 2011-2012

It's that time again...time to register for MOPS for the 2011-2012 year!
This year we are doing things a little differently to make it as easy for our moms as possible. You will have three ways to register: E-mail, snail mail, and our drive-thru event. Registering before our first meeting (Sept. 20) is very important because we need to know how many moms and moppets (kids) to expect for the year so we have enough childcare workers and volunteers. So please help us out by registering by August 23rd.

Here's how you can do it!

E-mail: print off the forms, fill them out, then scan them and e-mail to mopsatgraceabq@yahoo.com. You may make your payment through Paypal.

Snail Mail: Print off the forms, fill them out, then mail them and your payment to MOPS at Grace Church 6901 San Antonio NE ABQ, NM 87109. Or pay online through Paypal.

Drive-Thru Event: Print off the forms, fill them out, and bring them and your payment to our drive-thru registration at Grace Church 6901 San Antonio NE 87109, Tuesday, August 23rd anytime between 9:30-11:30am. The forms will also be available to fill out at the event.

PLEASE FILL OUT ONE MOPPETS FORM FOR EACH CHILD
Make checks payable to MOPS at Grace Church

You can also visit our Registration link at the top of the page to print the forms and pay with paypal.

Have Questions? E-mail us at mopsatgraceabq@yahoo.com

Only two meetings left!!

Wow, this year has gone by so fast. After tomorrow's meeting we only have two meetings left! Can you believe it? Before you get sad and are wondering what to do with your little ones this summer, we have summer events. Summer events do not have childcare but are usually fun things to do with our little ones. Things we have done in the past are zoo trips, spray park trips, and park play dates. So keep a look out for the summer activities.

On May 3rd, our next meeting, the steering team is having an Appreciation Luncheon for our Moppets workers. It's something we do for them every year to honor and thank them for taking such good care of our kiddos. It's going to be after our meeting and all you have to do if provide a little thank you gift for them from you or your kiddos. I will have a gift bag for every Moppets worker with their name on it and you can put your little gift in that bag. We will then present their bags at the luncheon. Good ideas for gifts: hand written notes from you and your child, homemade gifts or crafts, and the dollar store has great coffee cups or notepads. A list of names of the workers and the age groups they work in will be posted below and emailed to you. Find the class your child is in and the names of the workers will be underneath.

Nursery: Barbara, Eileen, Jo

Toddlers: (younger class): Becky, Phyllis

Toddlers: (older class) Denise, Jennifer

Two's: Jennifer, Connie

Three's: James, Carol

Four and Fives: Gloria, Julia

Homeschool: Carol

Thank you for taking the time to make and pick up little gifts for our childcare workers. They really love and feel appreciated when they get them. We are really blessed with wonderful Moppets workers.