First of all (and unrelated to this post), I have recently found several really neat websites and blogs that are fun to look at. I've included them on the sidebar to your right under My Favorite Links. If you have a few extra minutes, you can check them out. The first few listed there are the most recently added.
Now, on to this post.
Hannah just turned 15!! I can hardly take this in. I distinctly remember Ray calling to tell me (this was before we were married), that his sister was expecting a baby. It doesn't seem like 15 years ago. But obviously, it was! And Friday evening we went to a local family restaurant with Hannah and her family (and my family, too) to celebrate her big day. Happy Birthday, Hannah!
I made Hannah's cookie cake, and it turned out okay for my first try, but not impressed with the way the wording turned out at the bottom. Sometimes it would be nice to be able to erase frosting and just start over. Everyone was nice and didn't say anything about it, though. 
But after I made the birthday cookie, I had piles of frosting leftover. And, since it's the holiday time, we're supposed to make holiday cookies, right?! But since I only have one real holiday cookie cutter (Mr. Gingerbread Man), and considering that the frosting was white, yellow and pink, the so-called holiday cookies are sort of not very holiday-ish. BUT, the cookies themselves taste lovely, and my kids LOVE frosting things, so to them it didn't matter that they weren't in traditional holiday shapes.
This was Owen's apple cookie decorated to look like a monster (I'm just guessing here!)
Emily, in the process of piling on the frosting in great heaps
Lauren's gingerbread girl
my butterfly
Maybe the cookies weren't very Christmasy, but the initials of my kid's names are! NOEL! :)
Bet you can guess what the recipe post will be! Christmas cookies, of course! This cookie recipe has already been featured on several popular cooking websites this year (Bake @ 350, and Pioneer Woman), and the only thing I changed was to add a little salt. The original recipe didn't have any, and I'm not one bit sorry I added it. The cookies are really yummy all by themselves, but they are great for frosting, too, if you are so inclined. Vanilla-Almond Sugar Cookies
3 c. all-purpose flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 c. sugar
2 sticks cold butter
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 tsp. almond extract
Preheat oven to 350*. Combine flour, baking powder and salt. In a mixing bowl, cream sugar and butter together until creamy. Add the egg and extracts; mix. Gradually add dry ingredients, one cup at a time, and mix until dough begins to stick together well. The dough will be crumbly, but you want all the ingredients to be incorporated well enough to stick together. Turn out dough onto a floured surface and knead with your hands just enough to get it to stick together in a ball. Roll out with a floured rolling pin to about 1/4" thickness, or more if you want! Cut into shapes with cookie cutters and bake for 10-12 minutes. Cool on baking pan for a few minutes before transferring to a cooling rack. Do not frost until completely cooled.
**fun tip**
One of the baking sites showed how to make "hair" from dough. Squeeze a small amount of dough through a garlic press, and wa la...you have hair! Get creative with your dough. You can add eyes, noses and other things to the cut-outs, and when baked it stays together. Have fun!
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