Hi, I'm Torrey. Welcome to Left Field, where creativity runs amok and imagination is ALWAYS more important than knowledge. Shoes are not allowed but ties are optional. This is a repository of snippets from my life out here in Left Field. One never knows what shiny bits of creativity will be found here... cards, scrapbook layouts, photography, poetry, recipes, ponderings, rantings and musings. It could be anything! Life in Left Field is always changing, always real, always ...interesting.

August 14, 2015

High Tea, Texas Style--Part 6...Mint Mania

Hidy ho, crafty peeps!

We're nearing the end of our TEA-rrific journey. Today starts what is probably the MOST-anticipated part of the Tea Party coverage...The Sweets.

Savory foods have their place...but the headliner is ALWAYS the sweet stuff. If you're just now joining me on this tea-laden adventure, you've missed out on the first 5 chapters! Here are links to all of them so you can get caught up.
Without further filibustering, I bring you...SUGAR (and its partner in crime, cream cheese).

The first character in our sacchariferous lineup (how's that for a $20 word?) is all thanks to my BFF, Jodi. I wanted to serve those fancy butter mints alongside the salted nuts, and then it came to me...JODI'S WEDDING MINTS. Jodi has been making THE MOST AWESOME wedding mints for as long as I've known her. So, I called her up and asked her for the recipe. I was SHOCKED at how simple it is. I mean REALLY simple.  OH MY, are they SOooooooooo delicious! Before I move on to the recipe, I have to tell you a hilarious story about one particular batch of these delectable morsels. 

Jodi had made like 400 mints for a wedding and they were spread out on cookie sheets all over her kitchen to dry. She left the house for awhile and when she returned...the mints were GONE. 

ALL 400 of them. 

GONE. 

 Turns out, her dog (Dakota--a VERY smart, and as a result, very sick Border Collie) thought they were yummy too. He had eaten the mints, right off the cookie sheets...and left the cookie sheets on the counter. He devoured them ALL. Let's just say, I'm glad I didn't have to clean up after that dog...if you know what I mean. 

 That also reminds me that Dakota also once ate half a Pineapple Upside Down Cake and a whole package of donuts that had been in their plastic "clamshell" bakery box...which he somehow opened and left, unmangled, on the counter. Smart dog. Smart dog with a sweet tooth.

 So, here are those infamous mints--considered absolutely yummy by both humans and, apparently, dogs.
Jodi's Infamous Cream Cheese Wedding Mints
(I shortened the name so it would fit on the placard)
 
Ingredients: (for 150 mints)
  • 4 oz (1/2 package) cream cheese, softened
  • 4 cups powdered sugar
  • 5-10 drops Flavoring....IF DESIRED. I used pure Peppermint oil (don't use cheapy extract--it will ruin the consistency of the dough)
  • Food coloring (paste type) if desired--I didn't use any
  • 1/2 cup of sugar (in separate bowl) 
  • Candy moulds --the flexible silicon/rubber kind--you want small, simple form shapes (about 1-inch big). Stars, hearts, roses, leaves...those work well.
Directions:
  • First off...notice the ratio of powdered sugar to cream cheese is ALWAYS 1 cup to 1 oz. Makes it easy to increase your amount.
  • In bowl, mix cream cheese until light and fluffy.
  • Add flavoring and food coloring now.  Mix thoroughly. NOTE: you want to use high-quality flavorings...the concentrated stuff. I used Peppermint oil that I bought at my health food store in their "essential oils" section.
  • Add powdered sugar, 1 cup at a time, mixing after each addition. This will form a VERY stiff dough. I did this by hand and it wasn't too bad. It doesn't seem like it will be enough for 150 mints...but it totally is.
  • Pinch off tiny bit of dough and roll into SMALL ball (I mean SMALL...like penny/nickel size) 


  • Roll dough ball in sugar (this will allow it to release from mould)
  • Press sugar-coated dough ball into mould...make sure it JUST fills the mould


  • Turn mould over and and gently pop out mints onto parchment paper-lined cookie sheet.
  • Allow mints to THOROUGHLY dry for 2-3 days (flipping them over after a day or so)
  • Once dry, mints will store BEAUTIFULLY in an airtight container (or ziplock bag) in the freezer
  • Even when dry, these mints stay SOFT! Oh my they're good.

 
Thank you, as always, for finding your way out to Left Field. Tune in tomorrow as I continue the sweet stuff with...."Lemon Curd". You won't want to miss it! 

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