Snickerdoodle Squares

When autumn's chill arrives, my first thought is to turn on the oven and bake something delectable. Apple tart, pumpkin roll, sweet potato pie...and Snickerdoodles!

I fiddled with my Snickerdoodle cookie recipe, looking for a way to make it a one pan dessert that was both delicious and time-saving. I think I hit pay dirt on my first try.

While these 'blondie-type' squares baked, my house filled with the scent of warm, sweet cinnamon. The flavor was buttery and rich. These squares are wonderful! If you try the recipe, please stop back in and leave a comment. 

Snickerdoodle Squares

Ingredients:

½ cup butter

½ cup vegetable shortening

1½ cups sugar

3 eggs

⅓ cup sour cream

1 cup all purpose flour

1 cup whole wheat flour

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp cream of tartar

1 tsp baking powder

½ teaspoon salt

⅓ cup sugar

1 Tbsp cinnamon

Instructions:

1. Cream butter, shortening, and sugar.
2. Add eggs, one at a time, scrapping down the bowl between eggs.
3. Mix in sour cream.
4. Combine flour, baking soda, cream of tartar, baking powder, and salt.
5. Mix into butter/shortening/sugar mixture.
6. In a separate, small bowl, combine ⅓ cup sugar and cinnamon.
7. Sprinkle half the cinnamon sugar mix evenly into a greased 9X13 pan.
8. Spread batter on top.
9. Sprinkle remaining sugar mixture evenly over batter.
10. Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 30 minutes.

Music Makes a Walking Routine Fun

Are you searching for something that will add pizazz and fun to your walking routine? Try music! If you have a smartphone and ear buds, you can pump a little music into your workout.

You'll want to start out slow. Songs with 100 to 110 beats per minute (BPM) are perfect for warming up. Some title examples:

Just a Girl by No Doubt
Pride by U2
Stayin' Alive by The BeeGees
Ain't Gonna Hurt Nobody by Kid 'n Play

Then add a song or two that have 110 to 120 BPM. Examples:

Goodbye Earl by The Dixie Chicks
Say It Ain't So by Hall and Oates
Bad by Michael Jackson
Orinoco Flow by Enya

Walk the majority of your routine while listening to songs with 120 to 130 BPM. Any dance song is perfect as those songs are usually 128 BPM. Examples:

Only Girl in the World by Rhinna
Get the Party Started by Pink
Jump by Van Halen
Boom Boom Pow by The Black Eyed Peas

Don't forget to cool down with at least one song with 100 to 110 BPM, and then do some easy stretching. Personally, I've found it less strenuous on my muscles to stretch after a routine than before. But you should do what's best for you.

Before you know it, your exercise for the day will be done!

To find music to your taste with the BPM you need, just use Google to search for song titles with specific BPM. It's easy!

Happy walking!

How To Center Header/Description in Blogger

You can center the title and description of your blog by following these easy steps:

1. Sign into Blogger

2. Click 'Design' (top right)

3. Click 'Template'

4. Click 'Advanced' (top left)

5. Scroll down and click 'Add CSS'

6. Cut and paste the following into the text area:

.Header h1, .Header .description {

text-align:center;

}

You should end up with this:

7. Then click 'Apply to Blog'. Done!

Mountain Laurel FREE at iTunes, Oct 14-17!

I'm offering Mountain Laurel for free in the iTunes iBook Store for four days! 

Hurry! Grab your copy before this great deal ends!

What readers are saying about Mountain Laurel:

"...a delightful story!"

"The perfect, page-turning romance to read at the beach, or the mountain cabin, or in my case in a hammock!"

"I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys romance novels."

Click here to download 

Mountain Laurel 

for free in the US iTunes Store!

Slow Cooked Pork Sirloin

The weather has turned chilly here in the North Eastern US, and that's always a great time to pull out the trusty crock pot. Here's an easy and delicious recipe that will have your house smelling luscious all day, and the tender, melt-in-your-mouth results will have everyone asking for seconds.

Ingredients:

2-3 lb Pork Sirloin Tip Roast

1 10 oz can Rotel diced tomatoes with green chilies

1/3 cup soy sauce

1/3 cup Worcestershire sauce

1/3 cup Vermont Maple Syrup

1 medium onion, diced

2 tablespoons hearty mustard (Dijon, spicy brown, stone ground, etc)

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Dump the tomatoes (with juice) into the crock pot. Add soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, syrup, onion, mustard, and pepper. Stir until well-combined. Add roast and cover. Cook on low for 6-8 hrs, or on high 3-4 hrs. Pull meat apart and drizzle with juices from the pot. Mmmm-mmmm good!

♥

Passionate Cooks Available Now! Free!

I sell a few of my books through All Romance Ebooks, and the people who run the webiste have organized a new cookbook of 150 recipes submitted by romance authors. The cookbook is being offered FREE of charge. Yes! I submitted a recipe to Passionate Cooks! In fact, my After The Lovin' Lemon Bars recipe is the very first dessert listed in the book.

I've had a chance to look through the cookbook (you know how I love those things) and I have to say that the recipes look wonderful. I'll be trying a few of them in the days to come.

The book is offered in a variety of formats, so pop over the All Romance Ebooks and download a copy today!

After The Lovin' Lemon Bars

Ingredients

• 1 cup flour
• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 1/3 cup powdered sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons grated lemon peel
• 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• Powdered (confectioners) sugar for sprinkling

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Mix together the flour, butter and powdered sugar. Press mixture into the bottom of an ungreased square 8" X 8" pan, building up 1/2-inch edges (to hold in the filling). Bake the crust for 20 minutes.

3. Beat the remaining ingredients until light and fluffy. Pour lemon filling over hot crust and bake approximately 25 minutes, or until no indentation remains when lightly touched in the center. Cool and cut into squares. Sprinkle with a little powdered sugar. Enjoy these lusciously sweet lemon bars after the lovin'!