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About The Cookie Queen
HRM Pat Condelli, THE Cookie Queen, invites you to stop by The online Cookie Castle to see what her company can do to serve you. Cookies - cakes - cookbooks - cooking classes - and entertainment are her specialties.
Cookie Queen Cookies
The Cookie Queen bakes the world’s most delicious all-natural cookies. She will be happy to plan special cookie displays for your event. She is known for speedy service when cookies are needed for a funeral or a sick friend.
Entertainment
The Cookie Queen also is the director, choreographer and lead soprano for The Original Class Act, a group that has been performing together since 1992. There are 18 programs from which to choose.
About Cookie Queen Products
Cookie Queen Cookies
Cookie Queen Cookies are simply the most delicious cookies you can buy. They are made fresh daily in the spotless kitchen of the Cookie Queen's Castle in the town of New Kensington, Pa., near Pittsburgh. There are 42 varieties of Cookie Queen Cookies. E Mail The Queen for a list of current offerings and their prices. cookiequ@verizon.net.
Cookie Queen Cakes
The Cookie Queen makes wonderful-tasting cakes for any occasion .. like this cherry-infused cheesecake. Live and silk floral bouquets are the only decorations. The Queen makes only butter cream and whipped cream frostings. She does not make fondant icing (it tastes terrible).
Cookie Queen Cookbooks
The Cookie Queen has published three books: "Royal Recipes From The castle of The Cookie Queen," "Hassle Free Holidays" and "Never Scrub Another Toilet." You can order copies from the Queen at cookiequ@verizon.net or phone Word Association Publishers 724-226-1255.
About The Original Class Act
In the beginning......
Just like the old movie story - a group of friends got together to “put on a show” for the church fun fair way back in 1992. They presented a program of Cole Porter music. The 3-day gig stretched into many years and many shows as the phone never stops ringing. Everyone wants to book this group for a retirement home, church dinner, women’s club, lodge meeting, holiday party.
An Audience Favorite
HRM Pat Condelli, THE Cookie Queen, invites you to stop by The online Cookie Castle to see what her company can do to serve you. Cookies - cakes - cookbooks - cooking classes - and entertainment are her specialties.
About Our Cast
Pat Condelli
Owner of Cookie Queen Cookies,Cookbooks & Entertainment, Pat is the director and lead soprano of The Original Class Act. Pat also can be booked for a one-woman show - 20 songs in one hour.
Terry Shields
Vocal coach for this group of outstanding musician, Terry is our alto and also plays the piano, organ and guitar and does solo gigs for weddings and funerals. She enjoys spending time with her grandchildren. Terry is wearing one of our new St. Patrick show costumes which we made in January.
Bill Cellio
Ladies swoon when Bill holds their hands and sings directly to each special lady in the audience. Bill is available as a wedding and funeral soloist.
Cooking Classes At The Castle
Want to learn how to make the best pie crust in the world?
Do your homemade cookies turn out misshapen and burnt?
Can you put a gourmet dinner on the table in less than 15 minutes?
Interested in learning more about Italian cuisine?
HRH Pat Condelli, The Cookie Queen, also known as "the practical Martha Stewart," teaches all the tricks of the trade in fun-filled classes at the Castle in New Kensington, Pa.
Home Economist Pat Condelli
Pat received her degree in Home Economics at Indiana University of Pennsylvania and has been teaching cooking, baking and home making since 1968.
Choose one of the following classes or tell the Cookie Queen what you would like to bake or cook and she will plan a class specifically for you and your friends.
Pat also is available for LIVE consultation on SKYPE. If you have a web cam, message Pat on the internet for a time for a live SKYPE consult on your computer.
* Dough Re Mi - How to handle all types of doughs - yeast, phyllo, pizza, pie, biscuit. Hands on. Sampling. Take home something wonderful.
* Hassle-Free Holidays -. Save time and your sanity with easy holiday recipes. Hands on. Sampling. Take home something scrumptious.
* Kids Can Cook - Easy recipes. Lots of fun. Hands on. Sampling. Take home something to show your family what you made. Class limited to six children.
* Cookies to Die For, Cry For, Lie For - Learn to make "professional-looking" cookies that taste fabulous. Men of all ages really love this class. Hands on. Sampling. Take home some goodies.
* Yes, You CAN Make a Pie - Anyone can and I’ll teach you how.
* Intro to Cooking for the Single Man -Basic cooking skills for guys. Prepare wonderful meals for you and your buddies. Food safety. Learn how to host a party. Hands on. Sampling. Something to take home.
* Carry Me Back to Old Italia - Grand recipes from the North and South of Italy. Family-tested for generations. Hands on. Sampling. Something to take home.
* Ethnic Cooking With American Flair - You’ll get a little bit of everything in this class - Italian, Greek, Polish, German, Mexican, Dutch, Indian, Chinese. Six sessions.$300. Come for dinner. We eat first. Then I’ll show you how to make it. And you can take some home for your family to taste. Class size limited to six students.
All classes feature hands-on (not just watching me do it) experience. And everyone gets to take home something they themselves made.
Most classes are just one 2-3-hour session. There are morning, afternoon, evening and weekend sessions available.
Individual Classes: $40-$60 (depending on items being prepared), which includes recipes and something delicious to take home.
To register for a class, phone the Cookie Queen at 724 339-0920 or E Mail: cookiequ@verizon.net
Recipe Of The Week
Mince Meat Amaretto Pie
Ten years ago I spent a fortune and many hours making REAL mincemeat pie - you know - the kind with beef in it. The recipe made a LOT and it said it would keep frozen or if jarred properly for 10 years and I wanted to find out if that were true. I frozen enough to make two more pies and I recently came across them in my freezer. (Honestly, I had forgotten about them.)
So I made a mincemeat pie.
It was wonderful. Now - having done it myself, I wouldn’t recommend making mince meat yourself. It takes forever. But you can buy a jar of mincemeat and add the stuff in this recipe and I’ll bet it tastes great too. If you try it, message me with the name of the mince meat you use so I can have it for future reference.
Ingredients
9 inch unbaked pastry shell
3 cups mincemeat
1 apple chopped (I used Honeycrisp)
2 Tbsps. amaretto liqueur
6 ounces sliced almonds
How To Make It
* Place rack in lowest position in oven, preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
* Combine mincemeat, chopped apple and amaretto.
* Pour into pastry shell.
* Top with almonds.
* Bake 25 minutes or until bubbly.
You can serve this warm or cold - my favorite is warm….for breakfast.
A View From The Castle - News Blog
Maxine Waters Wastes Time Of Seven Bank CEOs
My planned commentary for this week was going to be about one of the Democratic Presidential contenders - Robert Francis “Beto” O’Rourke - and how he fantasized about running over and killing children with his car.
Yes - I know he wrote about this when he was a teenager - but age is of no consideration here. I wanted to discuss why a psychopath shouldn’t be running as a Democrat for President and how Beto should be in a mental hospital.
But I choose instead today to talk about something that is in one sense hilarious and in another sense pathetic and almost as tragic as the Beto fantasy.
This episode also concerns a Democrat - Rep. Maxine Waters who is chairman of the House Financial Services Committee.
You may have missed a hearing she held this week and if you did you also missed seeing a perfect example of why there should be term limits.
Because I am in my kitchen baking most of the day I amuse myself while working by listening to congressional hearings. They are always good for a laugh or two.
This one on Wednesday was no exception.
Waters was interviewing seven of this nation’s top bankers. She called them to come before “her majesty” and take time away from their important businesses to answer her questions.
Her line of questioning dealt with student loans and how they have spiraled out of control in the past 10 years. Student loan debt has skyrocketed from $155 billion in 2009 to about $1.1 trillion at the end of 2017.
She demanded that the bankers explain this to HER - the chairman of the House Financial Services Committee. She wanted to know what they planned to do about this travesty.
As she questioned each one of the men they all quietly and calmly explained that banks have been out of the student loan business for 10 years.
The federal government took over the student loan industry in 2010. At the time, President Barack Obama heralded the move as a good thing that would save billions for taxpayers by “cutting out the middleman,” in reference to the banks.
The fact that a member of congress did not know this was horrifying. The fact that the chairman of the House Financial Services Committee did not know this is mind-boggling.
Those bank CEOs were much more polite than I would have been. Had I been on that panel being asked such a ridiculous question by such an obtuse person I would have stood up, picked up my papers and briefcase and walked out of the hearing….with no explanation.
Dim-witted Maxine does not deserve an explanation. What she deserves is my disdain and that of every single American taxpayer.
This brain-dead cretin represents California's 43rd district and has been a member of congress for 15 years. Those voters should recall her immediately and put her in a home where she can do no more harm to this nation or its banking and finance institutions. Term limits might have prevented this.
If you don’t believe me and want to watch this debacle for yourself - just type into your browser ‘Maxine Waters makes a fool of herself during banking committee hearing 4/10/2019.’ There are dozens of videos of her stupidity on display. It’s Must-See TV.
President Donald Trump often refers to Maxine Waters as “a very low IQ individual.” And he is proven to be absolutely right yet again.