Christmas Cookies from across the Pond /How to survive it all with RA

ORIGINAL TOLL HOUSE COOKIES Preheat oven 375 degrees

2/3 cup soft shortening or margarine (half butter is great)

1/2 cup white sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar Packed well in cup

1 egg

1tsp vanilla

1 1/2 cups flour

1/2 tsp soda

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 cup chopped walnuts

1 pkg chocolate bits (chips)

Mix shortening, sugar, egg and vanilla. Sift dry ingredients and stir into sugar mixture. Add nuts and choc. chips. Drop by tsp onto ungreased sheet. Bake 8-10 mins @ 375 degrees

NOTE from Loret: To live with RA during this baking season, you really need to sit! Get all ingredients all together, all the pans, measuring spoons, mixer, wooden spoons, etc in one place. A counter height stool is best. Even better if it has wheels to scoot around the kitchen incase you forgot something.

OATMEAL - RAISEN COOKIES Preheat 350 degrees

1 3/4 cups quick cooking oatmeal

1 1/3 cups flour

2/3 cup raisens

1/2 cup walnuts, chopped

3/4 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 cup margarine ( 1 stick or 1/4 pound )

3/4 cup sugar

1 large egg

1/3 cup milk

Beat sugar, margarine and egg. Stir in dry ingredients Drop by heaping tablespoons 1 inch apart on cookie sheet. Bake 15 mins or till lightly browned

Makes approx 26 large cookies. 128 calories, 18 grms carbohydrates.

MAGICAL PEANUT BUTTER COOKIES Preheat oven 350 degrees

1 cup Peanut butter

1 cup sugar

1 egg

1tsp vanilla

lightly grease baking sheet

combine ingredients till smooth, roll into walnut sized balls, flatten with a fork dipped in sugar, Bake 12 mins sprinkle with sugar immediently after removing from oven. Cool 5-8 mins, rremove from pan to wire rack to cool completly.

This recipe can also be made with chocolate chips stirred in.

NOTE FROM Loret:

In RA patients, the secret to enjoying the holidays, or any day throughout the year, is preserving strength and energy. Take pain meds on schedule, don't get too busy and forget. Best to set timer to remind you.

Also, preserving means Keeping, so avoid doing more than an hour's activity at a time. Make the cookie dough, but make the cookies and bake them later the same day or refrigerate and bake next day.

Also, another tip: while you have all the ingredients out on the counter, or table, it saves alot of labor to make more than one recipe, put the mixed dough in plastic storage containers and put in refrig or freezer to bake when you are ready.

by doing this, you can have just one put-away session and one wash-up and clean-up session.

Have fun! Slowly!

[sylvi]

You are a busy girl loret,love the recipes, will get grace to print them off for me. I had a better nights sleep,but am still in pain. Hope the weather isn't affecting you too much as i know its cold over there,its bitter here too and boy do i know it.

Love sylvia. xxx

[helixhelix]

Lovely to have new recipes, but can you solve a big mystery for me - what is an American cup? I use pounds/ounces or kilos/grams - but cups completely baffle me! Do you just use the same cup, so things are proportional, or is it a specific measure? And shortening? What does that look like? Polly x

[LavendarLady in reply to helixhelix]

According to my book, a cup is 8 oz approx (400 g).

Shortening is margerine which is the nearest thing to american shortening. Hope that helps. LavendarLady x

[laney84]

love the recipes! im soo maikng the peanut butter cookie one liked your blog this morning as im on my last day of my steroids so back in work- have a lovely day and enjoy the holidays over the pond

[LavendarLady]

Hi Loret, thanks for the recipes. Will send a separate message. LavendarLady x

[Hidden]

Hi Loret,

Thanks for the recipes, I don't ever really bake anymore but you've got me enthused about the cookies! I've got 3 girlfriends coming to visit on Saturday [plus one new baby, v exciting] and I've been wondering what to have with coffee - so perfect for me:-}

Your words about 'pacing' ourselves are very timely too - I've got my tasks delegated as much as possible [ daughter goes food shopping with me, oldest son cooks the holiday meals and youngest son wraps the majority of my presents:-}] and everything else spaced out over about 4 weeks with 'things to do' that I can do on a good day or leave on a poleaxed day!

Happy Holidays!,

Cece x

[Gina_K]

Hi loret,

Same as above, love thevrecipes, and am goingbto try them out.

Sound advice re pacing, just popping some pain killers now, as temps have dropped suddenly here in Dublin Ireland,

Keep em coming,

Kind wishes, Gina.

[Hidden]

Right on Lavendar lady: A cup is 8oz. 1/2 cup 4 oz. so on.

Hope you have teaspoon and tablespoon measures, I have no clue how else to describe

Shortening can be a few different. Some is white, comes in a can and is always soft, flavorless. For baking, I usually use margarine for more flavor. Stick margarine, comes in 4 sticks of 1/4 lb, each equals 1/2 cup or 4 oz. So for baking purposes, we use the least expensive brand.

Hope this helps. Good luck, enjoy results, have fun.

Cinnamon is anti-inflammatory, so eating 6 oatmeal cookies with cinnamon should perk you right up

[Hidden]

Wow im hungry after reading those lovely recipes xx

[essexgirl]

sounds yummy ...but alas im a celiac so no cakes or cookies for me

[Beth58]

What a wonderful post, great recipes and great advice.

It took me a long time to learn how to manage my conditions but I eventually got there, your so right about finding a balance between work rest and play.

Take medications on time at the same time daily and be careful how you spend your energy and not wasting it, really does make a massive difference.

I say all this but I'm so lucky my children have all grown up and left home now so I'm on my own with the dogs and do very little in the way of housework and running around after others!

But boy do I remember the days (pre and post diagnosis) when the house was full with 4 young children and how exhausted and in pain I was all the time.

Beth xxx

[Hidden]

Good morning, Beth, Yes I remember those days too, I have 4 sons, there was a time when they were all in high school at the same time, ages 13 to 18, and (insane I must have been) I worked full time every day in a hospital lab, on concrete floors. Yikes!

I remember getting home from work at 4:00, two of the boys may have been at after-school jobs, and I had to go lay down to rest before I could hit the kitchen. They knew the rule..no loud music once Mom was home. Often there were extra boys there, friends who would come in from school for a snack or to stay over in town because they lived out in the country-side, and they all had to be back at the school for Football games and Marching Band, etc.

I just remember laying down and thinking "How can anybody hurt so much". But I did it, and Looking back, I loved those days when they were all hanging-out in my kitchen. They could wipe out cookies very quickly!

Hope you don't have any problems making the cookies. Those are the favorites, though there are so many others. You could use dried cranberries or cherries instead of chocolate chips or raisens, and have a whole new treat.

Have fun, sip something warm and tasty while you work, and be Merry! :)) Loret