MommyCoddle

Crispy, Buttery, Crunchy: Sugar Cookie Perfection

I had no idea that somewhere between the apartment and the move to Thomas Run, my set of very small cookie cutters disappeared. When I went searching for them in the drawer that holds "all odd kitchen things that I'm looking for", they weren't there. I could only find a cow, a scottie dog, a jumping deer, and a small circle I use to make clay buttons. So these will have to do.

These aren't exactly the most festive of holiday cookie shapes. In my mind, I kept thinking about "maids a-milking….cows?" in order to classify the cookies as "Christmas-y". But the girls were downright demanding that they be "cows jumping over the moon". And is it just me, or does a Scottie Dog not just scream Christmas to you? Okay, maybe I'm pushing it. Oh well, red and green sprinkles, seemed to do the trick.

Anyway….I've always thought of myself as a chewy, soft cookie kind of girl. But these cookies when rolled out paper-thin and cut with small cookie cutters are buttery, crisp and crunchy.

This is a family recipe. I hope I don't get ostrasized for sharing it….

2 1/2 cups flour
1 1/4 cups sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup butter
1 egg
2 teaspoons of vanilla.
(You can also add a drop or two of almond extract. Almond flavor makes my stomach turn. I leave it out.)

Mix the butter, eggs and sugar. Add the flour and vanilla. Divide into 4 balls, wrap, and refrigerate over night or at least 3 hours. Roll out thin–(this is the key). You may need extra flour. Decorate. Bake at 350, for about 8 minutes. (but watch them carefully)

And if I remember, I've also frozen a few balls of the dough for later. I set them out in the morning to come to room temperature and they are ready by mid-afternoon.

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PS. I've somehow managed to royally screw up my blog in my attempt to change domain names–all this technical stuff is bogging me down. So if your feed is not working, or if no one shows up to read my post, I'm going to blame it on technical difficulty. I hope I have some answers tomorrow.

Anyway….I've always thought of myself as a chewy, soft cookie kind of girl. But these cookies when rolled out paper-thin and cut with small cookie cutters are buttery, crisp and crunchy.

This is a family recipe. I hope I don't get ostrasized for sharing it….

And if I remember, I've also frozen a few balls of the dough for later. I set them out in the morning to come to room temperature and they are ready by mid-afternoon.

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Country Living Christmas

Two years ago, when one of Emma's favorite farm cats was killed, my uncle's first words to her were, "Emma, life on the farm is tough." This summer when one of our guineas"disappeared", again his words to her, "Emma, life in the country is tough."

And so this afternoon when I looked out from the upstairs window and saw a large red-tailed hawk sitting in the juvenile oak tree in our backyard, staring at my five clueless guineas scratching in the flowerbeds below him, those words started playing on a loop in the back of my head.

But, I didn't let it stop my attempts to save my poor guineas from a traumatic attack or even death. I called for the dog and flew down the steps and out the door, ripping the scarf from around my neck, flinging it over my head and making all kinds of growly, intimidating shooo-you-big-mean-red-tailed-hawk kinds of noises as I came busting out the front door.

And then he jumped…in a downward swoop towards my guineas. It was like slow-motion. And if it hadn't been for my trusty dog, who was 20 feet ahead of me, heading out towards the field, I think we would have lost one.

Life on the farm is tough. But you better believe I'm going to do everything in my power to keep my little outdoor brood from harm. Phew.

Now if they'd just stay off the road, I might be able to relax a little more. I've come to get used to a car passing by the house, hearing it slow down, honk it's horn and then carry on. And peeking out the window I see the guineas and the rooster casually walking from the roadside, business as usual.

Moving on to less traumatic thoughts, I'm really excited about having our first Christmas here in the Thomas Run house. I haven't decorated a house for Christmas since we were living in Wisconsin three years ago. And even more exciting is that this house is so much more, "me", closer to my true style, not the Victorian, "closest thing I could find to east coast charm in Wisconsin" house that we used to live in.

My favorite way to decorate, especially on a budget, is with lots of natural materials–greens, dried flowers and seed pods, holly berries. Baskets, fabric, candles in the windows…oh, don't get me started.

Here are few pages from this month's issue of Country Living that I clipped (tore wildly) from the magazine, full of inspiration:

Life on the farm is tough. But you better believe I'm going to do everything in my power to keep my little outdoor brood from harm. Phew.

Here are few pages from this month's issue of Country Living that I clipped (tore wildly) from the magazine, full of inspiration:

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babycenter / holidays

top secret (and a giveaway)

The things inside this notebook are top secret. But it's a good thing I don't have a house full of readers because I've been known to leave it open on the kitchen table. Although I will have to keep a close eye on Emma this year. There are a few things I'm sure she could figure out.

I've been keeping this Christmas notebook for the last three years, following the tradition of my mother and my grandmother. Both had black books full of Christmas lists, presents purchased, filed neatly under years and names. It was always so tempting to peek into my mom's book. It had all the answers. But I never did. I am such a good daughter.

We have looked back in recent years though, remembering what we got in Christmas of '86 or '92. It gets me all nostalgic for roller skates with keys and snoopy snow cone machines. (Okay, never got the snoopy snow cone machine, but boy did I want it.)

So my Christmas journal is pretty simple–a list of names down the side of people I need to buy or make gifts for. A column for ideas and a column for the actual gift that will be given in the end. I tell you, that idea column has come in handy many times, especially when birthdays roll around and I'm out of ideas. There is a nice list of things that were not purchased or made and it gives me fresh ideas.

In the back of the journal I tuck the Christmas cards from the previous year so that I make sure I don't miss anyone on my list. That top card is my sister's family. They definitely win the award for best card almost every year. That's my niece there in the picture hanging on the neck of their donkey, Noah.

I'll be back tomorrow with some more Christmas inspiration. Can you tell I'm excited about our first Christmas in the Thomas Run farmhouse??

And speaking of holidays and giveaways….I'm giving away a PALM CENTRO over on the babycenter blogs. I feel like santa claus. Don't miss your chance to enter and win it! I'd love to see one of you all win!! (but that will be completely up to the random number generator, of course!!)

I'll be back tomorrow with some more Christmas inspiration. Can you tell I'm excited about our first Christmas in the Thomas Run farmhouse??

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