Some Fun Things To Do This Month

 

Holiday Candle Light Tours, Hollywood, MD- http://sotterley.org/news_sotterley.htm

Evening Planetarium Show: Mystery of the Christmas Star, Frederick, MD- https://sites.fcps.org/essl/category/catalog/planetarium-shows/mystery-christmas-star

hiSTORY Hour, Frederick, MD- http://hsfcinfo.org/

Gingerbread House Contest and Show, Upper Marlboro, MD- http://www.pgparks.com/Things_To_Do/History/Darnall_s_Chance_Museum/Events_and_Programs.htm

Holiday Tour, Westminster, MD- http://ccgovernment.carr.org/ccg/farmmus/docs/holiday-visit.pdf

The Christmas Revels, Silver Spring, MD- http://revelsdc.org/revels2011/

Parade Of Lights Cruise, Annapolis, MD- http://www.watermarkcruises.com/eventsParadeofLightsCruise.htm

Christmas in Crisfield, Crisfield, MD- http://www.crisfieldevents.com/crisfieldevents.com/Welcome.html

Holiday Market, National Harbor, MD- http://www.nationalharbor.com/consumer/entertainment.htm#holidaymarket

ICE! Featuring Madagascar- National Harbor, MD- http://www.gaylordhotels.com/gaylord-national/christmas-on-the-potomac/ice-experience/index.html?intcmp=gn-pl=banner-cid=cotp-ice

Wine Country Christmas, Hydes, MD- http://www.boordy.com/events/events-at-boordy

Symphony of Lights Group Walk, Columbia, MD- http://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/howard_county_general_hospital/ways_give/howard_hospital_foundation/foundation_events/symphony_of_lights/index.html

Breakfast with Santa and his Elves, Chesapeake Beach, MD- http://www.chesapeakebeachresortspa.com/files/209/SantaBreakfast_2011.pdf

Gaithersburg Winter Lights Festival, Gaithersburg, MD- http://www.gaithersburgmd.gov/winterlights/11_main.html

Holiday Festival of Trains, Baltimore, MD- http://www.borail.org/HFOT.aspx

Holiday Train Garden, Lutherville, MD- http://firemuseummd.org/

The Trains of Christmas, Hagerstown, MD- http://www.roundhouse.org/christmas.shtml

Victorian Christmas, Berlin, MD- http://www.oceancity.com/events/Victorian-Christmas-in-Historic-Berlin--Maryland-December-1-2011.html

The Nutcracker Puppet Show, Glen Echo, MD- http://www.thepuppetco.org/

Festival Of Lights, Upper Marlboro, MD- http://www.pgparks.com/Festival_of_Lights.htm

Winterfest Of Lights, Ocean City, MD- http://oceancitymd.gov/Recreation_and_Parks/specialevents.html

White Christmas Dinner Theatre, Columbia, MD- http://www.tobysdinnertheatre.com/tobyscolumbia_003.htm

Some Secret Weapons For Your Cookies Parties!

Root Beer Float Cookies

Cookie Ingredients:

1 cup granulated sugar

1 cup packed brown sugar

1 cup butter or margarine, softened

1/2 cup buttermilk

2 eggs

2 teaspoons root beer extract

1 teaspoon vanilla

4 cups flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

Frosting Ingredients:

2 cups powdered sugar

2 Tablespoons half-and-half

4 teaspoons butter or margarine

2 teaspoons root beer extract

Directions:

Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees F. Lightly grease cookie sheets. Set aside. In large mixing bowl combing sugars, butter, buttermilk, eggs, root beer extract, and vanilla.

Beat at medium speed until well blended. Add flour, baking soda, and salt. Beat at low speed until soft dough forms.

Drop dough by heaping teaspoons 2 inches apart onto prepared cookie sheets.

Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until just set. Cool completely.

In small mixing bowl, combine frosting ingredients. Beat at low speed until smooth. Spread on cookies, let dry completely before storing.

White Chocolate Candy Cane Blossoms

Ingredients:

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature

1 cup sugar

1 egg

3 tbsp white chocolate liqueur

2 cups all purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

Green and red sugar crystals

1 bag of Hershey’s Candy Cane Kisses

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 F degrees.  Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, salt and baking soda. Cream together, with an electric mixer, the butter and sugar. Add the egg and beat on high for 2 minutes or until smooth and fluffy.  Scrape the sides and beat again for 1 minute. Mix in the white chocolate liqueur. Add the flour and mix on medium speed just until combined.  Scrape the sides of the bowl to ensure all the flour is incorporated.  Do not over mix. Roll 12 1-inch balls of dough in the red sugar crystals and place on cookie sheet. Roll 12 1-inch balls of dough in the green sugar crystals and place a cookie sheet.

Bake one cookie sheet at a time for 8-10 minutes. Cool on pan for 1 minute then place an unwrapped Candy Cane Kiss in the center of each cookie. Remove to a wire rack to cool completely.

Chocolate Pile-Up Cookies

Ingredients:

2 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt  

1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature

3/4 cup white sugar

3/4 cup brown sugar

2 eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 tablespoons coffee-flavored liqueur

1 cup finely chopped toasted hazelnuts

1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

1 cup milk chocolate chips

1 cup white chocolate chips

Directions:

Preheat an oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Line baking sheets with parchment paper. In a bowl, mix the flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt. Beat the butter, white sugar, and brown sugar together in a bowl with an electric mixer until soft and creamy, then beat in the eggs, vanilla extract, and coffee liqueur. Gradually beat the flour mixture into the butter-sugar mixture until well combined. Stir in the hazelnuts, semisweet chocolate chips, milk chocolate chips, and white chocolate chips until evenly distributed through the dough. Drop by rounded teaspoons, about 2 inches apart, onto the prepared baking sheets. Bake in the preheated oven until the edges are slightly browned, 8 to 10 minutes. Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 1 minute before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.