Animal Cookies

They look just like the cookies that come in a circus box.
Ingredients:
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg
1/8 tsp. mace
12 Tbs. (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla extract

Directions:
Over a small bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, salt, nutmeg and mace. Set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the flat beater, beat the butter on high speed for 2 minutes. Reduce the speed to medium, slowly add the sugar and beat for 2 minutes, stopping the mixer occasionally to scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the egg and vanilla and beat for 1 minute, stopping the mixer once to scrape down the sides of the bowl. Stop the mixer and add half of the flour mixture. Beat on low speed until most of the flour has been absorbed. Add the remaining flour and beat until all of the flour has been absorbed and the dough starts to pull away from the sides of the bowl, 2 to 3 minutes. Turn the dough out onto a work surface and divide into 2 equal balls. Shape each into a disk and wrap separately in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours or up to 2 days.

Let the dough stand at room temperature for 5 minutes. Place each dough disk between 2 clean, large pieces of plastic wrap. Roll out the dough to 1/8-inch thickness. (If the dough cracks while rolling, let it stand at room temperature for 5 to 10 minutes more.) Remove the plastic wrap and place the dough on a floured work surface. Lightly dust the top of the dough with flour. Preheat an oven to 350°F. Line several baking sheets with parchment paper. Dip circus cookie cutters into flour just before using and cut out the shapes. Hold each cutter over a prepared baking sheet and lightly depress the plunger to remove the cutout; the plunger will also imprint the tops of the cookies. Freeze the baking sheets for 15 minutes, or refrigerate for 30 minutes. Gather up the scraps, reroll and cut out more cookies.

Bake the cookies until very light golden brown, 14 to 16 minutes. Transfer the baking sheets to wire racks and let the cookies cool to room temperature. Makes about 20 cookies of each shape.

Cell Phone Socks

I knit a sock for my cell phone so that I had an alternate carrier. I might felt and embellish it, too. I haven't decided yet.

Grilled Shark Steak

1/2 C. Italian salad dressing
1/4 C. water
1 1/2 tsp basil
1 1/2 tsp parsley
1 1/2 tsp lemon juice
1 1/2 tsp dry sherry
1/8 tsp garlic powder
6 (1/2-inch-thick) shark steaks(1 1/2 pounds)
Vegetable cooking spray
Lemon slices

Combine first 7 ingredients; stir with a wire whisk until well blended. Rinse steaks with cold water; pat dry. Brush shark steaks with dressing mixture, and place on a hot grill coated with cooking spray. Grill 3 to 4 inches over medium coals 6 to 8 minutes on each side or until fish flakes easily when rested with a fork. Transfer to a serving platter, and garnish with lemon slices.

Elk Steak

Using a fork or other tenderizing tool, puncture both sides of the elk steaks. Place elk steaks in a pan or dish. Sprinkle 1/2 C. Italian dressing over the steaks. Turn to coat the opposite side of the steaks. Sprinkle McCormick's Brand Montreal steak seasoning to coat one side of the steaks. (You could sprinkle seasoning over both sides, but if you use too much seasoning, you'll overpower the taste of the meat.) Cover the steaks with foil and place in the fridge. Marinate at least an hour, overnight if possible. Grill steaks over medium heat approximately 5-6 minutes on each side depending on the thickness of the steaks and the desired doneness. Serve with mushrooms.

Snake Stew

Gather and dice vegetables (carrot, celery, parsnips, onions). Capture one snake. Remove head, skin and organs. Dice meat. Size of it determines number you will need as well as number of guests and size of pot. Amount of vegetables should equal amount of meat. Add water enough to just cover ingredients. Season to taste with local seasonings (salt, pepper, parsley, chives). Bring to boil, allow to simmer off of flame for 5 to 10 minutes. Serve.