holiday

mom’s famous sugar cookies

December 20, 2011

You didn’t think I’d leave you hanging without this cookie recipe did you?

I’d like to think you trust me more than that.

We are friends after all.

Here you go!

Mom’s Sugar Cookies

Ingredients:

2.5 cups of sifted flour

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

C of butter, softened

1 1/4 tsp vanilla

1 C of confectionary sugar

Directions:

Mix the flour, baking powder, and salt together and set aside

Cream butter and vanilla until butter is softened

Add confectionary sugar gradually, cream until fluffy after each addition

Mix in the dry ingredients (my mom doesn’t add all the flour because it gets too stiff and is hard to roll out)

Then, take half the dough and roll it out until 1/4 inch thick.

Put some confectionry sugar and flour down when you roll the dough out (and sprinkle on top so it doesn’t stick to the rolling pin).

Bake at 350 degrees for 12-15 minutes. Watch them, too, because they burn easily.

Enjoy!!

Do you have a favorite christmas cookie recipe? Or some other favorite treat that’s your go-to for the holidays? My grandmother makes loads and loads of different types of Christmas cookies every year. She puts them in little holiday tins and the whole time I’m visiting I’m basically just munching and munching on cookies till my teeth hurt.

It’s a once a year thing and I’m happy to indulge in it.

“Let them eat cookies!”

1 Comment · Filed Under: family, food, holiday, nostalia ·

christmas party time

December 13, 2011

Zan and I threw our very first party on Saturday! We invited his whole family; aunts, uncles, and cousins too. Saturday morning and afternoon were super jam packed as we diligently planned out all the party essentials. Throwing a party is not an easy task. We were moving all day long right up until the very last minute. I felt a lot like my mom as I feverishly rolled out the cookie dough just seconds before the guests were supposed to arrive. HA! Like mother, like daughter I guess.

We made my Grammy Jean’s homemade chicken noodle soup (noodles and all!), finished putting up the final decorations, and of course, I made my mom’s best sugar cookies for dessert.

It was such a fun time and it went off without a hitch!

Me with our adorable little tree.

Bing Crosby all the way!

Zan made shrimp wrapped in bacon for appetizers. The guy has skills.

Bowls ready for the soup!

So incredibly tasty. We done good.

Me and my true love, Rue. She just leaned in so close and fell asleep on me. I died! It was so cute.

The cookies came out PERFECT. Butter and sugary goodness. Like a little piece of heaven that melts in your mouth.

And if the cookies weren’t enough, we had enough after dinner treats to last for weeks and weeks (only they were all gone by the end of the night).

Happy Nell.

And we ended the evening with a new game called Charoodles. Think Charades with a twist. It was hilariously fun and silly. Just the way a good game should be and it was the perfect way to finish off the party.

After everyone went home we cozied up on the couch for Home Alone. That movie is TOO funny. Have you watched it lately? We were laughing out loud so much of the time. Macaulay Culkin’s facial expressions are priceless. That kid was gold for that roll.

Hope you had a nice weekend too!

8 Comments · Filed Under: celebrations, holiday ·

gift giving guide {5}: things i saw, things i love

December 9, 2011

So today, I bring you my favorite gift guides from the internets far and wide. Making a gift guide is HARD work. You have to do research, and make the layout look pretty, and insert links upon links upon links. Here are some of my very favorite bloggers and their wonderful gift guides for you to view and appreciate and soak up awesome ideas on.

And because, I just can’t think of it all…

Here’s a link to Design*Sponge’s 2011 gift guides. They have TONS of ideas all of which are original and lovely.

Grace Bonney also posted this post, about skipping the stores and using your hands: gift that will create great memories. I absolutely love this idea and think it’s really about what’s from your heart that counts the most during the holiday season.

Oh Joy! also has quite the incredible spread of gift ideas.

For the collected naturalist

For the sweet treat lover

For the California girl living in NY

For the girly utilitarian

For the host

For the silly sophisticate

Oh so amazing! And fun! Visit this link for even more gift ideas from Oh, Joy!

Poppytalk is another one of my favorite reads. There is so much inspiration over there it’s like stepping into one of the best hidden shops in Boston. You know those ones you discover by chance? Poppytalk is one of those places.

Here is their Holiday Gift Guide 2011

Dear Santa gift guides via E-Tells-Tales:

So far she’s got a ladies and babies guide etsy-style. And the newest: Her favorite Amazon picks {for all the people on your list}. I love all of her ideas– I feel like we have very similar taste in things (clothes, products) so these guides are ideal for me.

Also, a few weeks ago she posted about this awesome company, which I have already purchased for my sister for Christmas. What a great idea! I’ve been really wanting to share this, but feared that because my sister reads this little blog, that the gift would no longer be as fun.

SO, If your name is Meg Kathleen Burns DO NOT click on that link up there. You will spoil the surprise and that’s no fun at all. So, don’t! Don’t do it!

Joanna Goddard over at A CUP of JO has got her annual gift guide in the works! I love her blog and was pleasantly pleased to find we had some of the same ideas. Beer of the month club? Yeah, I knew that was a cool one.

A CUP OF JO’s Gift Guide 2011

There’s so many ideas you’re head will start spinning! (in a good way)

Another blog that I love is Oh Happy Day, written by Jordan Ferney over in Paris, France. Can we say DREAM?! I think so.

She has 2 gift-giving posts that are worth taking a look at:

10 Things to Give

10 Experiences to Give — again, I love this idea. To give an experience that will make a memory is the best gift of all!

And lastly, the Bloesem Kids gift guide is absolutely incredible for kiddos under 10. Here are some ideas for those tiny people in your life. The ones who make you see things through a whole new set of eyes and the ones who make snuggling just that much better. And to a certain extent, looking at this array of goodies makes me want to be little again!

(Does anyone remember Little People? Dang, I LOVED those. I could play for HOURS with my little people and their little cars and little houses in their little little town. Nostaaaaaalgia.)

Good luck with the gift giving, everyone!! And Happy Holidays to you and yours!! ♥♥

P.S. I’m linking up with E Tells Tales today!

9 Comments · Filed Under: blogging, gifts, holiday, holiday gift guide 2011, things i saw things i love ·

gift giving guide {3}

December 7, 2011

I’m having fun with this, you guys. I’ve been wracking my brains all day and night trying to think of interesting gift ideas and I think today’s might be some of my favorite.

Check ’em:

Now, of course your options for this depend on the area in which you live. I know lots of you readers do live around Beantown, but I also know I’ve got some friends that are quite the distance away. For those of you across the miles, just do a quick google search on your city. There should be options and reviews that come up (on yelp or the like) and then you can be on your way.

For those of you luckies in New England, here are some ideas for cooking classes in the Boston area:

Stir {South End} — this place got amazing reviews!

ArtEpicure Cooking School {Somerville} — also terrific reviews

The Cambridge School of Culinary Arts