Moon Magic

Welcome to another Tasty Tuesday! 

Today's recipe is in honor of  the Chinese Moon Festival, which coincides with the full Harvest Moon (which occurred this past weekend). For some reason, the elementary school my kids attended was very big on Chinese culture. Why I don't know. Proximity to San Francisco, perhaps? It was never made clear. But, as a result of this focus, we all learned a lot about various Chinese traditions and, every year, someone was sure to bring in mooncakes to share with the class. 

Actual mooncakes are gorgeous and require a lot of ingredients that most people here don't have read y access to. However, the internet is a wondrous place and I was able to find a simplified version. I bet you'll enjoy them just as much. 

Chinese Mooncakes 

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup butter
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 2 egg yolks
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 can red bean paste or 1 cup jam

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. 

2. Cream butter and sugar in a mixing bowl

3. Add one egg yolk and beat until combined

4. Add the flour and mix until dough forms a ball

5. Refrigerate dough for 30 minutes.

6. Form the chilled dough into small ballls with your hands.

7. Make an indentation with your thumb in the center of each ball

8.  Fill  each indentation with approx. half a teaspoon of  the red bean paste or jam and place on greased cookie sheet.

9. Brush each cake with beaten egg yolk.

10. Bake the mooncakes for about 20 minutes or just until the outside edges are slightly brown. 

Makes about 24 moon cakes.

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Be sure to check out these other fabulous Tasty Tuesday treats:

Sinfully Delicious Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies by Kimberly Troutte

Shepherd's Pie by Nancy Lauzon

Two Hours to Thinner Thighs by Selena Robins

Aunt Maxine's Spiced Applesauce Cake by Renee Wildes

And here's a Full Moon Magic scene from A Sight to Dream Of:

Daylight was dying in the air when Marsha arrived at the cabin.  It was still a little early in the day for a full moon ceremony, but she just couldn’t handle the trip both ways in the dark.  It would be hard enough driving back, but her need to come here tonight--to ground herself and find peace and balance--had overwhelmed even the fear she harbored of being on the road at night.

            It was Alex’s fault.  Try as she might to forget about the scene with him earlier this evening, she had not been able to let go of the nasty, painful emotions he had stirred up.  Grief and loneliness had roiled around inside her all evening, pushing her ever closer to the edge of a seemingly bottomless well of despair.  Even after all this time, even after all her vows of indifference, he still could get to her.  She was still tied to him with emotional threads she had woven herself—with spells and prayers and incantations.  Threads she couldn’t seem to sever no matter how badly she might want to. 

            Never again, she swore, taking a couple of slow, deep breaths.  Never again would she make herself so vulnerable.  Never again would she allow herself to become so dependent on anyone that the fear of losing them would lead her to make the kinds of mistake she had made with Alex.

            Never again would she use magic to hold someone—she’d seen firsthand the damage it could do.

Read more HERE