Baking For Christmas!

Hi Everyone! This week, and actually most of this month, has been spent baking. Which I love! I look so forward to this time of year because I love baking, love shopping for that special gift for those I love, and decorating the house and Christmas tree with my family is an amazing time as well! But today I'm going to write about all this yummy-ness going on around here. First I made
PEANUT BUTTER COOKIES
These are just such a simple recipe and everyone loves them so I like to include them on the plates I give away.

Next I made a batch of fruit bars. This time I made APRICOT FRUIT BARS. Usually I have to make many more batches of these lovely things because everyone eats them before I can plate enough of them to give them away! Ha ha!

And who doesn't love SNICKERDOODLES?

We also made two pans of fudge, one regular and one PEPPERMINT CHOCOLATE FUDGE.

But the regular got eaten so fast I only got a photo of the peppermint! Lastly, we made PEPPERMINT BARK.

I still have more baking to do and will continue until Christmas Day with the grand finale being Christmas dinner with ham and all the lovely side dishes that go so well together. If anyone is interested, I'll be posting recipes of these fun Christmas cookies and desserts soon! Until then may your days be merry and bright...and full of good food! And may your stove look like this.

Kisses, Taniya

A Sugar Cookie Kind of Day!

From time to time my children like to head over to their "Hannah's" house (my first born couldn't pronounce Grandma, so it came out as Hannah, so it's been Hannah ever since) for some good old sugar cookie making. And decorating! I think that's their favorite part!

Luke wanted lots of bears, but there are lots of others as well...

like donkeys, and sheep and elephants waiting to be fancied up with these.

Luke wanted to be sure to have some black too!

Alani hard at work. Of course she painting her favorite...an elephant!

At first Luke and Hannah were going to do this together,

then Alani joined in, and pretty soon I was painting them too! Who can resist?!

They all got spots and stripes and eyeballs.

And we ended up with so many, my mom packed some in a box to ship them up north to MY grandmother! This is something that is so fun and so easy peasy, anyone can do this with the kids in a snap! And it's lots of fun!! Here's my basic

 SUGAR COOKIE RECIPE:
2 3/4 cups flour (I mix white and wheat half and half)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup butter, softened
1 1/2 cups white sugar ( I always use less)
1 egg
1teaspoon vanilla
DIRECTIONS:
1. Heat oven to 375. In small bowl mix flour, baking soda, & baking powder. Set aside.
2. In large bowl cream sugar and butter until smooth. Beat in egg and vanilla. Slowly stir in dry ingredients. Now you can roll them into balls and place on cookie sheet if you just want round one. Or you can roll them out on a well floured surface till about 1/8 inch thick but ours were about 1/4 inch thick! Ha ha! Keep your rolling pin well floured as well or the dough will stick. Then cut out any shapes you want!
3. Bake 8-10 minutes or until golden.
4. Cool and decorate.
EASY ICING:
1 cup powdered sugar
1/4 tsp. vanilla
1 tbsp. milk or if you want it orange flavored use orange juice instead!
Stir together adding milk a little at a time until you get the consistency you want. Makes only about half a cup so you may need to make more. It depends on how artistic you want to be! Some little paint brushes are very helpful for making all the details on your cookies but if you don't have them, just use toothpicks! Or whatever you have available.
Now get up and go have some fun in the kitchen!

Happy decorating, Taniya

A Visit From Grandma!

My Gramsy is 96 years old and she just decided she had gone long enough without seeing some of her great grand babies! She lives in Oregon and we live in Southern California and it's been two years since we saw her. So she jumped on a plane (or pushed her walker on one!) and came down. What a fun surprise! We had a bit of a family gathering at my Mom's place (which is where Grams is staying, God bless her!) and took loads of photos.

My son, Luke, with his Great Grandma!

My sister and I with Grams. (My sister's the blonde!)

With my sissy's daughter, Ciara, on the left and my daughter, Alani, on the right. My older daughter and my sister's younger son couldn't make it but she'll be staying for awhile so they have time to see her. Here's to a nice visit with your Grams and big Grama hugs! Taniya