{NewNew} for Good:Disaster Relief in Haiti

in , , , , ,

I work for a non-profit Foster Care/Adoption agency which has many clients from Haiti, and as such we have been given suggestions to donate for Haiti's disaster relief.

In addition to my independent donation, I have discovered a way that perhaps more could be contributed for the relief effort in Haiti.



And so for the months of January and February, I pledge to donate a percentage of The Original Beadscarf net Etsy sales to The Red Cross in order to contribute to Haiti's disaster relief. Please visit http://beadscarf.etsy.com for more details.

Lingua Nigra is also running a similar campaign for Haitians in distress for the month of January.

Please feel free to comment here if you are doing any similar charitable effort within your own Etsy shop!

Thank you for your support.

Cinco De Mayo Chocolate Peppermint Cookies

in ,

Okay, I will admit that these cookies have nothing to do with Cinco De Mayo, a regional Mexican holiday celebrating the Mexican defeat of French forces during the Battle of Puebla on May 5th, 1862.

I will also admit that these cookies have more to do with my fabulous birthday, which is also Cinco De Mayo ( the best day ever!)

These cookies are really a treat and can be enjoyed anytime, but they are especially great during springtime because the peppermint is such a nice and cool surprise. The recipe is also very easy and can be created using only one bowl and one measuring cup.

Here is what you will need to create these great festive cookies:

1/2 cup of butter (1 stick)
1 1/4 cup of raw sugar
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups of whole wheat pastry flour (if you cannot find whole wheat pastry flour, you can substitute it for 3/4 cup of whole wheat flour and 3/4 of regular pastry flour)
1 teaspoon of baking powder
1/2 teaspoon of sea salt or kosher salt
2 teaspoons of peppermint (I give a whole tablespoon!)
1 bag of semi sweet chocolate chips
large microwavable bowl (preferably glass)
wooden spoon

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

2. Place the entire stick of butter in the large bowl and place in microwave for about a minute until it is soft , but not fully melted.
3. Add in all of the sugar with the butter until fully mixed.
4. Beat in the 2 eggs until mixed. Afterwards, if you have a sifter, place the flour, baking soda, salt and sift this mixture into the bowl. If you don't have a sifter, you can dry mix these items in a separate container and then toss them into the wet mixture.
5. Add the peppermint oil and chocolate chips. I usually add about half the bag, but it's up to you and your Cinco de Mayo sweet tooth.
6. Take a spoon and place spoonfuls of the dough on a lightly greased baking sheet--about 2 inches apart. Bake for about 8-10 minutes or until brown. You can really tell when they are ready by the great peppermint aroma coming from the hot oven.

7. Take them out and place on a cooling rack until cooled.

8. Eat and enjoy! Happy Cinco de Mayo! This recipe yeilds about 25 cookies.

Alicia
linguanigra.etsy.com