C is for Cookie

 is for Cookie! And that's good enough for me...

Remember this song?


I love cookies. I especially love baking cookies during Christmastime, and I have to tell you that I am jonesing hard right now for my baking fix, since my kitchen is not ready and I have no counters, or kitchen sink...*sigh*.

So I am living vicariously through all of you, and I'm putting some great cookie recipes, including ones you've submitted to me, here for all the other holiday baking fans.

Now, on to the cookie recipes!

Chocolate Peanut Butter No-Bake Cookies are Terra H.'s favorite.

Taffy shared this recipe: Pumpkin Cookies

Lots of you love the classic original Nestle Tollhouse Chocolate Chip cookies

Snowball Cookies from She Bakes and She Cooks

Chewy Coconut Cookies from The Delicious Life

Very Best Baking's Chocolate Mini Chip Holiday Cookies

Macadamia Butter Cookies with Cranberries and Gingerbread People from MyRecipes

Smitten Kitchen's scrumptious Oatmeal White Chocolate Cookies

Buttery Melting Moments 

Seven-Layer Magic Cookie Bars

Also, Kraft has a site up right now devoted to holiday cooking (yay!), and they emailed  me with perfect timing yesterday. The video below "will give you all the information you need to make perfect cookies every time. You’ll also learn how to store and freeze the cookies so you can always have a little magic on hand."

Books, Blurays and a Giveaway!

B is for Books and Blurays!

If you're looking for books for teens or tweens, do I have some suggestions for you!

First off, if you haven't heard of the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series, check your surroundings, you may be living in a cave.  The latest book, Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Ugly Truth, hit the shelves November 9th, meaning the franchise now has a whopping 42 million books in print in the US and Canada alone. The series has been sold in 37 countries, printed in 35 different languages around the world, and has been credited with turning reluctant readers onto books (yay!).  Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Ugly Truth follows Greg into the perils of boy-girl parties, increased responsibilities, and all the awkward changes that come from growing older, with his best friend Rowley at his side (Amulet Books, 13.95, Recommended for Ages ~5-10 years).

Thanks for making this giveaway
a Prizey Editor's Pick!

And hey, we're giving away a copy of Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Ugly Truth! Read the rest of this post to find out how to enter to win!

The Book Thief, a book that's been out for a while but that I have only just discovered, is an excellent choice for teens. Though it deals with a difficult subject matter (World War II in Nazi Germany), it does so in an unique matter that will both engage teenagers' interests without patronizing them and perhaps encourage them to research this important topic with more empathy for the victims. Told from the point of view of Death himself, the Book Thief describes a young girl's relationship with her foster parents, the other residents of their neighborhood, and a Jewish fist-fighter who hides in her home during the escalation of World War II. Published in 2005, it has won numerous awards and has been listed on the New York Times Children's Bestseller List for over one hundred weeks. Thoughtful and engrossing, The Book Thief is available in paperback from Amazon.com (5.99, Ages 13 and above).


B is also for Bluray!


We've seen some fantastic Disney features come out on Bluray recently. I've mentioned Beauty and the Beast, a perennial favorite, on the blog previously, and that certainly tops my recommendations for kids.  

Another choice for the slightly older set would be Disney's Oceans, which includes stunning High Definition underwater coverage. Remember that the Disney Bluray also includes both a DVD copy and a digital copy that will play on your computer. Bonus footage for Oceans includes the music video "Make a Wave," select bonus videos entitled "Deeper in the Ocean," and a feature on Preserving the World We Share, about conservation efforts for marine life (Disney Nature: Oceans Bluray Combo, 24.99).

I'm also a big fan of Dreamworks' How to Train Your Dragon, which just came out recently on video and is an amazing 19.99 for the Bluray version! (Please note, this isn't the 3D version. If you are one of those amazingly fast-adapters who already has a 3D HDTV, more power to you, though).

And finally, coming out on DVD and Bluray tomorrow is my favorite "Adult" movie of the year, the amazing Inception. Starring Leonardo DiCaprio and written by Memento's Christopher Nolan, this movie is just too involve to summarize in a single paragraph, but I guarantee it is a worthwhile purchase for the amazing anti-gravity fight scenes alone. 'Nuff said. Plus, If you snatch it up TODAY, Amazon has this blockbuster hit on sale for the unbelievably low deal of HALF the regular price, or just 17.99. Yes, you read that right! Inception Bluray Combo deal at Amazon.com.

Okay, Here's how to win Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Ugly Truth! Just comment on this post with your favorite cookie recipe. 


Yes, I know that's crazy and completely unrelated, but tomorrow is C for Cookies, and I want to put YOUR favorite cookie in our holiday gift guide for everyone to enjoy! You can leave a link in the comment if your favorite recipe is online and I'll link it in tomorrow's post, or you can give us the actual directions for your favorite home recipe for TWO entries.


Additional Entries:

• Follow this blog or subscribe to our feed (see top left sidebar)
• Put the Holiday Gift Guide button on your blog! (middle sidebar) (2 entries)
• Blog about this contest (3 entries)
• Follow me on Twitter!
• Tweet about this contest or our Hickory Farms contest (3 entries each!)
• That's TEN extra entries! And TWO entries if you gave me your recipe, for a total of 12 chances to win a copy of Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Ugly Truth. Deadline for entries is Monday, December 13th.

Good luck!

We're Joining Giveaway Scout to Get the Word Out!

In conjunction with our ABCs and Giveaways Holiday Gift Guide, we're using Giveaway Scout to get the word out about all the giveaways we'll be featuring in our guide.

Bloggers, Giveaway Scout is a free service that posts a widget you can add to your own blog listing current giveaways (including any you are running).

I learned about Giveaway Scout through another blog I'm following, Mom Fuse, so I'd like to give her a shout-out as well!

Welcome to Our Holiday Gift Guide!

A is for Apps!


I love my iPhone and iPad, and my kids love their various techie devices, and even the Engineer has an iPad these days, so here are my picks for some of the most fun apps out there for Christmas!


Christmas Apps!

This holiday season will be full of extra cheer because Oceanhouse Media has just released the Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer digital book for the iPhone/iPad and iPod Touch. I just love the Misfits! One of my favorite Christmas tales ever. Available here: http://www.oceanhousemedia.com/products/rudolphbook/ 

MakeAStocking.com is a new website application where you can design customized Christmas stockings, complete with photos, text and more. The easy-to-use app allows users to upload photos, create personalized greetings and determine colors and layout in a matter of moments online. The completed stockings cost only $19.95 to purchase, including tax. Plus, $1 from each purchase will benefit the Burn Institute.

Apps for Little Ones!

Priced at only $6.99, ArtRage for iPad is the perfect holiday stocking stuffer gift for a budding artist delving into mobile art with the iPad.  “Once you experience ArtRage, you cannot live without it anymore,” said Sarah Brody, Principal, Sarah Brody Design. "With ArtRage, you can almost smell the paint and feel the paper’s texture.”  ArtRage is actually used in schools around the world, from China to the U.S., to teach artistic kids how to create digitally. Just look at this example of "Star War Boy", created using ArtRage!  

Keep an eye out for Astrojammies, a ridiculously cute interactive book app coming out soon for the iPad. Astrojammies is about an ordinary boy named Jimmy whose hooded pajamas suddenly transport him to the far reaches of space.  Readers interact and guide Jimmy along the way, helping as he encounters characters, explores strange new worlds and dodges the many dangers of cosmic travel including speeding comets and a wily space baboon! I've been reading the buzz about this and it sounds amazing.

I know many parents out there will be happy to hear about the new Animals: Slide and Find and Trucks: Slide and Find apps, based on the highly popular and award-winning board books, created by Priddy Books. These interactive first-word apps combine fun and visually stimulating content with familiar voices and sounds, designed to keep little ones entertained and engaged on-the-go or while at home. 

These apps will be available for $1.99 at www.itunes.com/appstore on December 7, 2010. 

The Kung Fu Panda Holiday Storybook App (2.99), based on DreamWorks Animation's Kung Fu Panda Holiday, is packed with original movie images and audio clips featuring the movie's vocal talents; including Jack Black and Dustin Hoffman.

The story follows Po who is invited by Master Shifu to be the host of the "Winter Feast." Po's excitement runs short when he discovers that he can't invite his father, with whom he spends every Winter Festival. The obligation leaves Po torn between his family traditions and the job he loves.

Kids will absolutely love the beautiful imagery, excitement and comedy this storybook offers, parents will surely relate to its moral values, making this storybook app a perfect virtual stocking stuffer.

Apps for gamers!

I love hidden object games, and I most recently tried out the Collector's Edition of Twisted Lands: Shadow Town.  I highly recommend this game, which gave me personally HOURS of enjoyment as I found the objects and solved the problems to complete the story. And yes, you DO want the Collector's Edition, which includes bonus levels that...well, I don't want to give away the story, but if you liked Red Dead Redemption's latest add-on (gamers will know what I'm talking about here), you WANT those bonus levels to Twisted Lands: Shadow Town. Available through http://www.alawar.com and http://www.bigfishgames.com for 19.95. Not sure if you want to buy it yet? There's a trial version to convince you, and it's FREE!

In Braveheart, players assume the role of Richard, a brave knight searching for the Holy Grail. The King has promised a hearty reward for Richard's success, but this quest will not be easy. Numerous enemies and monsters stand in Richard's way, with the Grail itself guarded by a massive dragon. To succeed, players must progress through a series of touch-controlled missions with help from 10 different weapons, plus power-ups and perks uncovered during combat. Braveheart sells for $1.99 for iPhone / iPod Touch and $2.99 for iPad, with a free lite version also available for iPhone / iPod Touch.


Apps to Make YOUR Life Easier!

For holiday shopping, you can't beat Sccope, www.sccope.com,  a pricing comparison and barcode scanning mobile app, now available on iPhone and BlackBerry smartphones.

Shoppers are using Sccope to compare prices on products from hundreds of top retailers including Best Buy, Amazon, Walmart, Circuit City and more.  Moms can use Sccope to quickly and easily find the best prices on holiday gifts such as computers, electronics, clothing and toys. 

Good Housekeeping is the go-to resource for millions of women – and now the magazine’s expert advice is available on the App Store with the Good Housekeeping @Home App. Good Housekeeping’s first app features do-it-all cleaning tips, in-depth stain removal advice, simple and elegant decorating ideas and a complete directory of Good Housekeeping Seal products.

Hickory Farms GIVEAWAY to kick off our Holiday Gift Guide!

Happy December, Everybody! 

How was your Thanksgiving? 

Did the leftovers hold out for a few days?  Good. Probably gone about now, right? Or this is right around the time when you are getting a little tired of good old turkey sandwiches.

As I've written here earlier, we are in the process of remodeling our whole kitchen, which means we are really short on things like, oh, I don't know, a microwave/oven/stovetop/kitchen sink these days, so we actually went over to visit the relatives and have Thanksgiving dinner.  I also went shopping on Black Friday with my Mom, at FOUR IN THE MORNING, and came out to the parking lot to find someone dinged our van and took off. *sigh*

Anyway, Mom sent me home with some sandwich fixings and pumpkin pie, thank goodness, but the Rhino, for some reason I cannot fathom, won't eat sandwiches.

Which is why I thank the heavens for Hickory Farms.

Hickory Farms has the best cheese in the world. Seriously. The Rhino goes nuts for the stuff! It's so creamy and there's all these varieties--well, I'm getting ahead of myself here. Let me back up.

I am extremely fortunate to be a part of the Mom Central Hickory Farms blog tour. Which means (prepare to envy me, readers) I received not one but TWO fantastic gift items from them to review:

The Perfect Picnic Basket, which is filled with Hickory Farms Summer Sausage (including turkey sausage, which I didn't even know they had!), the aforementioned creamy cheeses, crackers (these are excellent, with sesame, caraway and a touch of garlic) and two different mustards, one a little spicy and one sweet.  It also includes Melt Away Mints and Famously Thin Peanut Brittle, all beautifully wrapped up in a Peterboro Basket (one of those that has a hinge in the middle so the lid flips up on one side, which I plan to reuse for my own gift-giving or maybe just keep for myself, it's so pretty)! 

The Home for the Holidays Gift Box has Hickory Farms signature beef as well as Italian Recipe Summer Sausage. An array of 4 cheeses (The Rhino was in heaven!) and sweet hot as well as honey pineapple mustard, with those same delicious savory crackers to bring it all together.  

We've made Hickory Farms foods a regular holiday tradition in our house because we all love those cheeses (including our cat, Cheddar, also known as "The Fats" who thankfully cannot open boxes). The little strawberry candies sprinkled in the gift boxes also make a nice small indulgence for those with a sweet tooth. 

And, for your friends in the military, you'll be glad to hear that all the gifts found in the “Military Gifts” category of the Hickory Farms website (which includes the Home for the Holidays giftbox above), include free military shipping to military APO/FPO addresses, allowing our troops across the globe to enjoy the holidays in style. Yay!

You know what else, which didn't occur to me before writing this post? The packaging is eco-friendly. Really not a lot of padding, 'green' filler, the whole deal. That's a nice touch.  

And since we are starting our Cool Moms Rule Holiday Gift Guide, "ABCs and Giveaways for the Holidays!" on Friday, we're going to kick off December with a fabulous giveaway-- a Home for the Holidays Gift Box, valued at $50, to one of our readers from Hickory Farms!  

Here's how to enter:

• Head to the Hickory Farms website and tell me what your favorite product on the site is. This is required for all initial entries in the contest.

Additional Entries:

• Follow me, coolmomsrule, on Twitter.
• Tweet about this contest and link to your tweet.
• Subscribe to our feed (top left sidebar).
• Put our Holiday Gift Guide button (left) on your blog, Facebook or Twitter page and link it to cool moms rule! (FIVE extra entries!)  You can use the code under the button in the sidebar to do this if it would be easier for you. 
• Blog about this contest (FIVE extra entries!).
• That's it!  Contest ends at noon EST, December 10th, so get those entries in!

Good Luck!

I wrote this review while participating in a blog tour by Mom Central Consulting on behalf of Hickory Farms and received two signature gift boxes from Hickory Farms to thank me for taking the time to participate.