Cookie-Making Extravaganza Update: Day 2

Saturday was day two of the cookie-making extravaganza. Only it was a short day because Conservative Boy (or Hubby—which do you prefer?) and I had to go Christmas shopping.

It's probably for the best that the cookie-making portion of the day was short. It turned out to be rather disastrous.

You see, I decided that I would make Christmas tree cookies for C.B. They're another of his favorites that he requests every year. Usually, somehow, I skip making them. But this year I decided to oblige. I think that's what you're supposed to do when you marry someone, right? On occasion at least?

So I borrowed the all-important cookie press from Conservative Mom. It's the secret to making Christmas tree cookies and has been around for forever.

Although I've borrowed it before, I've never actually used it. But it looked like a relatively easy process, so I set to work.

First, you need the ingredients:

1 cup shortening
3/4 cup sugar
1 egg, beaten
1 teaspoon almond extract
green food coloring
2 1/4 cup sifted all-purpose flour
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking powder

You begin by creaming the shortening and then adding the sugar gradually. Next, add the egg and almond extract and beat the mixture very well.

Then it's time to sift the flour, baking powder, and salt.


Gradually add it to the first mixture and stir until blended well. Don't forget to add green food coloring too!


Then comes the important part: filling the cookie press. Once it's filled, you simply place the press on an ungreased cookie sheet, turn the handle and, magically, a little Christmas tree cookie appears.


Or at least that's how it's supposed to work.

The cookie press takes a bit of getting used to, so my first couple of cookies were either scraggly or smushed. (Yes, I know smushed isn't a word. But it's my story so I'll use it if I want to.)

Then I got the hang of it. The next couple of cookies were easy to make and quite Christmas tree-like.

Only then I hit a snag. The top of the press, the handle you hold when turning it, fell off.

And try as I might, I couldn't get it back on.

About 20 minutes later, C.B. arrived home from the gym to find me in a rage. I was still trying to get those cookies made, after trying all manner of ways to hold the handle in place, to turn the press with pliers, anything I could think of. It. wasn't. working.

So I resorted to making little Christmas ornaments rather than trees. (At least, that's what I decided to call them in an attempt to be festive, even though I really just wanted to throw them at the wall.)


With C.B.'s help (I held the press, he twisted the handle with pliers) we made a couple more deformed trees. But then we called it quits and went back to Christmas balls for the rest of the dough. Not nearly as exciting as Christmas trees, but they taste the same.

And so day two of the cookie-making extravaganza ended in defeat. I vowed to redeem myself on day three, however.

Did I? I guess you'll just have to wait and see.

Gratitude: Lemon Echinacea Throat Coat Tea

When I am sick or my throat is a bit scratchy or I'm even just craving something warm and soothing, I make a big cup of lemon echinacea throat coat tea by Traditional Medicinals Tea.


A good friend of mine recommended the tea a few years ago when I was feeling under the weather, and since then I always make sure to have some around.

Even if you're not a tea fan, if you have a sore throat I think you'll find it makes life much better—or at least makes swallowing more bearable.

I finally got Conservative Hubby to try it a few evenings ago. Of course, I had to give him my germs first. But then, for the first time in what may be the history of our relationship, he asked if I would make him some tea.

Tea! This is the fellow that until about a year ago hated all hot beverages and refused to drink coffee. Now he regularly drinks coffee in the morning and requested hot tea. I thought I was going to pass out from shock.

So I made him some lemon echinacea throat coat tea and he drank it all without a word of complaint. When I asked if he liked it, he even nodded. Perhaps not the emphatic yes I was hoping for, but he didn't say it was nasty and slam the mug down in disgust.

See? So you'll like it too. I'm just sure of it.

Plus each tea bag comes with an inspiring message. And you can't beat that.

Cookie-Making Extravaganza Update: Day 1

Friday was the first of three days in my cookie-making extravaganza. Or, perhaps a better phrase would be holiday-treat extravaganza, as it's not all cookies.

First, I made fantasy fudge. It's a long-standing tradition in my family to make this fudge at least once—if not twice—during the holiday season.

Then I made Conservative Boy's favorite (well, one of them anyway): peanut butter blossoms.

And finally, I finished the day with a brand-new holiday cookie, that I first spotted after I completed my cookie-baking foray last year and vowed to try this year. They're chocolate candy cane cookies, courtesy of the lovely Pioneer Woman (whose photos are oh so much better than mine and cookies are considerably more perfect—alas, I try).

Don't they look tasty? They are.


You can get the full low-down on the cookie recipe on her site, but essentially it goes like this:

Cream 2 sticks of slightly softened butter with 1 cup powdered sugar.

Add 1 whole egg and 2 teaspoons vanilla. Mix to combine.

Add 2 1/2 cups flour, 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, and 1 teaspoon salt. Mix until dough comes together. Refrigerate, covered in plastic wrap, for 2 hours.


While the dough is chilling, unwrap peppermint candies or small candy canes (I used the latter), place them in a plastic bag, and beat them with a mallet until they are crushed.

Use the rest of your two hours to give yourself a pedicure (PW's recommendation) or make homemade chicken noodle soup (that's what I did).

Once the 2 hours is up (or close to it, if you're impatient like I am), preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

Roll the cookie dough into walnut-size pieces and place each piece on a cookie sheet. Gently press the balls flat with a plain, smooth surface (I used a Christmas mug to stay as festive as humanly possible).


Bake for 7 to 9 minutes. Be careful not to burn them.

Once you remove the cookies from the oven, place them on a cooling rack and cool them completely.

Meanwhile, melt 4 ounces of almond bark or white baking chocolate (I used the chocolate, although PW recommends the almond bark).

Dip the cooled cookies into the chocolate, coating half the cookie. Immediately sprinkle crushed peppermints on both sides of the chocolate. Gently set the cookies on a nonstick surface and allow them to cool.

Try not to eat them all at once. Then again, it's the holidays.

Go ahead and do it.

A Cookie-Baking Sidekick

I'm in the throes of day two of the cookie-making extravaganza right now.

And at various points during the past couple of days, this fellow has made a point of following me around and licking the floor after me, just in case any particularly delicious morsels miss the counter and end up on the floor. (Admittedly, they often do. I'm not tidy when it comes to baking.)


As you can see, Butter has gotten into the Christmas spirit a bit himself. Yesterday, he wore these festive beads around most of the day. I am sure they made him look particularly handsome when he sat in the window next to Larry and Mo.

(And no, the beads weren't my idea. Conservative Boy found them in his pocket and put them on Butter at lunch yesterday.)

Gratitude: Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup

I have never made my own chicken broth before.

I know this statement will garner a mix of reactions. Some of you will be amazed, shocked, appalled. Others will say, "Umm ... why would you? That's what Campbell's is for." And at least one of you will say, "Dirty chickens."

Regardless, it's something I've been meaning to do. I even thought I might do it yesterday. But then I got distracted embarking on my cookie-making extravaganza (more on that later) and, in a quest to make homemade chicken noodle soup with our leftover herb-backed chicken from Wednesday night, I settled for purchasing some tasty broth from the store to complete my recipe.


Despite the lack of homemade broth, the chicken soup was good. Very good. And I am incredibly grateful for it.

There are few things as wonderful as homemade chicken noodle soup. Particularly when you're sick (which I am), it's cold outside (it is), or it's a day that ends in y.

Anything warm and hearty and homemade is reason to celebrate.

Gratitude: My Garlic Press

'Tis the season to be grateful for things large and small.

So I've decided over the next couple of weeks I'll share (sporadically, of course), some of the random things I am grateful for. Some are rather inconsequential, but—in my world at least—fun. Others are much more important and much less tangible.

Today I am grateful for this swell garlic press. Guess which category this falls into?

It was a birthday gift from one of my lovely friends, who heard me lamenting the fact I didn't have one all the way back in June ... and managed to discover I still didn't have one by October and buy this beauty for me.

Life is so much better when your garlic is ready to go in mere seconds, as opposed to the minutes it used to take this perfectionist to dice garlic sans press.

Most kitchen gadgets are overrated and unnecessary (and often forgotten). But I'm pretty sure this garlic press will be an often-used friend for many years.

New Friends for Butter

Meet Larry and Mo.


This holiday season, they're hanging out at Butter's window to keep him company.

He doesn't usually give them the time of day, because he has more important things to do like keep an eye on the neighborhood. But they sure do look good sitting on either side of him.


And when intruders threaten and he's on guard, they make good sidekicks. These penguins look sweet, but they're fierce I tell you. Fierce. Just like precious Butter.

I'm thinking there's a good chance their nighttime presence will draw passersby down our street.

What do you think?

Getting Hitched

Yes, it's official. Conservative Boy and I got married on Friday, November 27.

It was the perfect, low-key day ... just what we were hoping for. The weather was sunny (albeit chilly), we got to celebrate with our immediate families, and Conservative Boy's childhood friend (and the pastor for the big day) made it to Georgia without any problems.

We had a talented musician, a stellar photographer, homemade pies, and lots of smiles. What more could you ask for?

More details, perhaps. But those will have to come later. This promises to be a crazy week at school for me, so I likely will post rather sporadically.

However, in the meantime, I do have a very special sneak peek of the big day for you, courtesy of our photographer, Melissa Williamson. (By the way, if you know anyone getting married in Georgia, I highly recommend her. She's terrific!)

Enjoy!

A Note to Brides

Dear Brides:

I would like to issue a warning. It's a good idea to avoid getting married the day after Thanksgiving. Or, if you must, at least make sure you don't try your dress on half an hour after Thanksgiving dinner. Trust me, it's not a good idea. Unless your mother knows how to work a needle and thread. Then, I have learned, you're OK.

That is all.

P.S. I am getting married tomorrow. That really is all.

The Marriage License

This is the marriage license.

And this is the Greene County Courthouse, where we got our marriage license.

The Location

This is the view from where we will be standing. (Cell phone photo, dreary day.)

This is a sign near where we will be standing. (It makes me happy.)

The Toasting Flutes

These are the toasting flutes. (Thanks, Mom and Dad!)

The Rings

These are the rings. (Sort of.)

The Tie

This is the tie.

The Shoes

These are the shoes.