Creative Homemaker

This recipe has been a favorite in our home for years.  Mom always made them every Christmas. Mom and Dad also had them made by the hundreds for their 40th wedding anniversary in 1988. They are printed in The Durrant Family Cookbook "A Home-Cooked Heritage" page VIII-1 (cookie section) Book published in 1991, reprinted December 2010.  I don't know when they became a holiday staple in our house, but I have to make them every year too.  These cookies just seem to say Merry Christmas to me.  This is a three-step cookie, but it really couldn't be easier.  It has a brownie base, a creamy frosting filling and a bitter-sweet dark chocolate topping.  Yum! I double this recipe to fit in a large, 12x14 sheet pan. 2 eggs, beaten 1 c. sugar 1/2 tsp peppermint extract or 5-6 drops of peppermint oil 1/2 c. margarine melted (I use butter) 2 squares melted unsweetened baking chocolate 1/2 c. sifted flour 1/2 c. walnuts, chopped small Beat e...

My cousin asked me today if people still really do this, well, yes, I still do. My hubby regularly rips holes in knees and so do my four boys.  Buying new jeans is just not an option for us. I have even been known to pick some up at the thrift store and repair them as well.  Boys size 10-12 jeans are hard to come by so I'll take what I can get.   Here's a little tutorial on how I accomplish this task without the use of those yucky iron-on patches. First of all, I keep any lower pant legs that I cut off from making denim shorts out of the "too-bad-to-mend" pairs.  This is my "patch" material. Step one: Open up the leg seam about 8 inches past the seam on both sides.  Give yourself plenty of room to get into the leg area. Step two: Cut your patch about 1-2 inches bigger than the size of the hole. Make it a nice square or rectangle in proportion with the hole. Step three: Turn your pant leg inside out and stick a large ruler inside or a p...