Happy New Year! Party hard-I guess?

We’ve never really celebrated New Year’s-at least, not like they do on tv. I have always romanticized what it would be like to be in Times Square watching the ball drop, bundled up in a very stylish white winter coat, with my one and only.

However, to spend that amount of money to get to some place I’ve been a zillion times before on tour, to be around that many people I don’t know (or trust), knowing it will be freezing cold…

…my pj’s, bed and fireplace sound pretty good. My New Year’s memories may not compare to a New York one, but they’re mine and they’re of course-weird.

One of my favorite New Year’s memory was the night the phone book burned. Why do phone book companies insist on not only forcing me to take their phone books-but also leave a total of 4 books on my two front porches? I had had enough of the phone company’s shenanigans.

So, a few years ago, my little brother, his wife, my dad, Biceps and I loaded up into their tiny white car and drove to a vacant lot. We sacrificed one phone book by lighting it on fire. We then drove in circles around the phone book as we watched it burn, screaming and hanging out the windows until the fire was out.

Beat that Times Square.

And many years ago, after spending hours putting on the tire chains, my sweet father loaded us kids up in the wagon-just so we could drive into town to attend a church friend’s party. It took us at least an hour to go a couple of miles, but we sang songs the whole way and still made it in time to eat way too much candy and be sick and miserable the next day.

I call this the year of the “Candy Hangover”.

And last but not least, Bicep’s band was hired to play a New Year’s show one year while we were out on tour. It was for a lock-in at a large church-complete with awkward teenage flirting, pizza and nerf guns. They paid us well, so we couldn’t turn it down.

But as the world wore sequined dresses, tuxedos and drank champagne-I was watching my hubby on stage, as he entertained screaming pubescent fans. I enjoyed my orange Fanta from a red plastic cup off to the side, knowing cold pizza awaited me for dinner.

And I loved it.

So, while the rest of the world is getting krunk and doing things tonight they’ll regret tomorrow…Biceps and I will attend a small party and then come home to our two kitties, our fireplace and our pj’s.

Call me lame, but this is how I party hard. And, I don’t wake up the next day with a hangover or regrets. Unless it’s a “candy hangover”…and then yes, I am guilty of such actions.

Ginger “Puff” Cookies-Skinny Version

It is 33 degrees outside as I write this, sitting on the back porch at 6 am. It’s still dark and my coffee is close at hand. I love this change in the weather-it means all things nutmeg and Christmas and Thanksgiving and decorating and making presents and more coffee and hot tea and….

Tasty, Skinny Ginger “Puff” Cookies-which I make without sugar, shortening and a ton of calories.

(I love the original Ginger Snap type Cookies, don’t get me wrong. But with ingredients like 1 1/2 Cups of Shortening and 1 Cup of Sugar…I wanted to find a healthy alternative that would satisfy my ginger cookie loving ways.)

Here’s all that you’ll need to make your own Ginger “Puff” Cookies (printable recipe at the bottom):

2 1/4 C Flour, plus 3-4 TBS
2 tsp Ground Ginger
1 tsp Baking Soda
3/4 tsp Cinnamon
1/2 tsp Ground Cloves
1/8 tsp Salt
3/4 C Ripe Bananas
1 tsp liquid Stevia
1 egg
1/4 C Molasses
2 Powdered Packets of Stevia to Sprinkle the puffy tops (not necessary, but nice)

Preheat the oven to 350. Makes 40-45 cookies.

In a medium mixing bowl, measure out the 2 1/4 Cup of Flour.

Enjoy the ginger scent for a moment, then add the 2 tsp Ground Ginger.

Next, add the 1 tsp Baking Soda.

Add the 3/4 tsp of Cinnamon.

Inhale, then add the 1/2 tsp of Ground Cloves. Yum.

Finally, add the 1/8 tsp Salt.

Thoroughly mix the dry ingredients together.

In a large bowl, add the 3/4 C Bananas.

Add the 1 tsp liquid Stevia.

Crack yer egg into the bowl.

Lastly, add the 1/4 C of molasses.

Blend on a low speed until mixed-about a minute.

Slowly, add the dry ingredients to the wet, increasing the mixing speed if needed. The batter will become very thick and very sticky.

If the mixer starts to bog down, add the rest of the flour mixture by hand. Then, add the 3-4 TSB of the remaining flour until the batter is very thick.

Spoon 1″ round cookie puffs onto an ungreased cookie sheet, leaving about 1-2″ in between each puff.

Sprinkle the tops of the cookies with the powdered Stevia, if desired. This makes them a little sweeter-and my hubby, the sweet tooth, desired the extra sweetness.

Bake 8-9 minutes or until the cookies are puffy and browned on the bottom. Cool on the pan on a wire rack for one minute.

Transfer the cookies to a wire rack to finish cooling.

Enjoy these Tasty, Skinny Ginger “Puff” with a hot cup of tea and without the guilt!

If these parties are up, I link to them! (Here’s my complete Linky Party Page):
Monday: Crafts Keep Me Sane, The Better Baker, Skip to My Lou, DIY Showoff, Say Not, Sumo’s Sweet Stuff, Etcetorize, Sew Chatty, Brassy Apple, Flour Me With Love, Creating my Way, Mad in Crafts, Our Delightful Home, Sew Can Do, It’s So Very Cheri, Craft O Maniac, Polly Want a Crafter, Tuesday: Craft Edition, Inspiration Board , New Nostalgia , Lettered Life , Coastal Charm, Tip Junkie , Ladybug Blessings, Hope Studios , Todays Creative Blog, Wednesday: Someday Crafts , Day2DayJoys, Jillify It , Junk in the Trunk, We are that Family , Frugally Sustainable, Sew Much Ado, Fine Craft Guild , The Thrifty Home, My Girlish Whims , Quick, Easy, Cheap & Healthy, Trendy Treehouse, Thursday: Somewhat Simple, No Minimalist Here , A Glimpse Inside, The Mommy Club, The 36th Avenue, Cheap Chic Home, Beyond the Picket Fence, Fireflies and Jellybeans , House of Hepworths , The Shabby Chic Cottage, Friday: My Repurposed Life, It’s a HodgePodge Life, The Shabby Nest, Just Wingin’ It, One Artsy Momma, French Country Cottage, Finding Fabulous, Passionately Artistic, Petals and Picots, Simply Designing, Little Becky Homecky, My Romantic Home, Bacon Time, Simply Living, Saturday: Polkadot Pretties, Tatertots and Jello, Create and Inspire, Be Different, Act Normal, Craft Envy, Funky Junk Interiors, Petites Passion, Sunday: Under the Table, Natural Mothers, Mopping the Floor