Cookie Factory

Hello, Sweet Friends. It's been a cookie factory around here! Last weekend I baked one of my favorite cookies-- sugar cookies!! I never was able to get my fix at Christmas, so with Valentine's Day around the corner, I figured I could break out the rolling pin, and have at it.

Yeah... and it's an excuse to break out the sprinkles too. I love these jimmies-- don't the colors just make you happy? Color in the winter makes me happy. Making things in the winter makes me happy too, so this was the perfect combination of happy.

This recipe has been in the family ever since my sister-in-law, Monica, joined the family and shared it with the rest of us. I'm so glad she joined the family. The girl can bake, and these are the best sugar cookies ever. They are rolled out thick and they're really cake-ety. (Yes, that's a real word. At least among my friends, it is. It's usually used in a sentence as in "Mmmm... I love chocolatey cake-ety".)
I don't usually do tutorials or recipes on my blog, but I know that you are going to ask for this fabulous recipe. Therefore, I will share it with you. Yes, I will take the time to type a recipe out. I guess it is less tedious than having to write it out, so I won't complain. Here it is:

Yummy Cake-ety Sugar Cookies

(This recipe is easy to roll out and makes wonderful Valentine and Christmas cookies!)

1 Cup Shortening*

2 Cups Sugar

2 Eggs

1 teaspoon Vanilla

1 Cup Sour Cream

1/2 teaspoon Baking Soda

4 teaspoons Baking Powder

1 teaspoon salt

4 to 5 cups flour

* In some countries shortening is called "white vegetable fat", in case the word "shortening" sounds foreign to you. Yes, it's that ingredient that I try to avoid thinking about when I'm eating one of these yummy cookies! (Thanks Susan, for asking! I wondered if anything in the recipe would be "lost in translation" for my friends abroad!)

Cream sugar and shortening. Add eggs one at a time. Add sour cream and vanilla. Add in dry ingredients. Refrigerate for about one hour. Roll out to about 1/4 inch thickness and cut in desired shapes. Bake at 350 degrees for about 10 minutes or until slightly brown around the edges. Bake on ungreased baking sheet. (I bake them on parchment paper.) Let cookies cool, then frost and decorate!

These are a fun cookie to decorate~ the possibilities are limitless! I made this batch of cookies to bring to Lisa's Creativi-Tea, so I decided to back stitch them! Yes, those are jimmies. No, it was not as tedious as it looks, but I would only go to the trouble for something special. It helps to have a friend come over and help. Beverages help. My friend Kathy and I often get together on Friday nights for an "Artist Date". We try to do something or go somewhere creatively inspiring to kick-off the weekend. Sometimes we go to an art gallery. Sometimes we play with clay. Sometimes we go vintage shopping. Sometimes we get pedicures. We try to go to restaurants we haven't been to-- or sometimes we just "picnic". We love our "picnics". Our picnics are simple and usually consist of yummy cheeses, fruit, olives, a good crusty bread, and beverages. Our picnics involve no cooking, and we can get right to playing.

Since I made part of this batch as a hostess gift for Lisa (and Sean, her hubby who loves sugar cookies), I made a little tag for the container. I made a "belly wrap" for the container using shelf liner that I bought to line my dresser drawers and shelves. It worked out great because I could just slice a strip to the length I needed. Then I just used a simple di-cut, and some of my Cath Kidston labels to embellish. Viola! Ready to gift.

I also used part of the batch of cookies to give to my sweet next door neighbors to thank them for helping me out when I locked myself out of the house. I used my special valentine sprinkles for these. Damn, I love sprinkles. Lovelovelove them!

Well, I hope this post wasn't too long and rambly. (Yes, that is a real word-- in my vocabulary!). I'm trying to be better this year about posting about projects and the crafty shenanigans that I've been up to. I hope that you can try out this cookie recipe sometime, and enjoy it's yummy, cake-ety goodness for yourself!
Hugs,

Halloween Yummy Time

I always get into the baking mood around Halloween. I have my favorite things that I like to bake for Halloween, but this year I went a different direction after seeing these adorable candy corn cupcakes on a few blogs. This is my version~

I decided to bake these to bring along to a Halloween party tonight. I don't like to show up for a Halloween party empty handed. Besides, I needed to make up for the fact that my costume was, uhm... just a hat.

This is a better snap of the actual cupcake. It was difficult to get a really good shot that showed the colors of the cupcake. I just tweeked a box mix to make it yummier (add sour cream), and then split the batter. I mixed in orange coloring to one bowl, and yellow to the other. Next, you fill the bottom of the white paper cupcake cup with about a tablespoon of yellow batter. Add about a tablespoon of orange batter on top. Bake and cool. I frosted the cupcakes with a mock whip cream frosting, but you can use whatever white frosting you prefer. It just needs to be white, to carry on the yellow-orange-white look of a candy corn. Garnish cupcake frosting with a candy corn and... viola! You've got a cute, simple Harvest/Halloween cupcake! (I have fallen in love with these gummy candy corns from Target, so that's what I used.)

Last weekend I brought these simple, yummy oatmeal cookies to a Halloween party. The recipe is no big secret~ it's printed on the inside of the lid on the Quaker Oats box. They're called "Vanishing Oatmeal Cookies". They are soft and chewy, just the way I like them. I added craisins, raisins, and golden raisins to this batch. I love walnuts in them also, but left them out for this party batch.

Just a little show n' tell here... no photo styling here folks. I've totally enjoyed having these pumpkin trees in my kitchen window. I found them at Trader Joe's and I love, love, love them! I sorted through all the bouquets in the store to find the perfect batch. I like when they have a few green "pumpkins" on them.

Well, I've got to get going. I hope that you have a wonderful Halloween weekend~ stay safe and have fun!!

Hugs,

Happy birthday dear Hagrid

Hagrid turned two this week, so figured a party was in order. Who doesn't love a party? We invited some friends from the dog park, and our new neighbor pup.

The guests were greeted with balloons and a banner...

There were streamers, party hats, bubbles, and a wading pool...

I found this bubble machine at Wal-mart in the wedding section-- isn't it great?!

Charlie was eager to party with his hat on. The silly boy kept that hat on almost the entire time! Amazing!

My friend Krista and I baked cupcakes for the people-guests... we even made dog-themed chocolates to adorn the cupcakes!

We hand-dipped dog treats for the goodie-bags... note, each baggie has a bottle of bubbles tied to it with paw-printed ribbon! I served people food indoors, safe from the fur-babies. The dips were served in stainless steel (sterile) dog dishes!

(If you are wondering what's up with the blue stripes around the bookshelf and windowsill, I'm getting ready to paint the walls so the edges have been masked. I'll be sure to share "after" photos when the painting is completed.)

This is my new neighbor and friend, Krista, and her sweet Nellie...

I made "pupcakes" for Haggie and his friends. They're topped with peanut butter-cream cheese frosting and kibble sprinkles!

Charlie made himself at home and tried to sneak up onto Krista's lap... she looks a little surpised at his sly attempt! He's such a love!

I love this shot of Nellie licking the frosting off of her pupcake!

This is Gracie enjoying Haggie's pupcake! So sneaky!

Here's Charlie enjoying Gracie's pupcake! (Notice: hat intact!)

Okay, Charlie's sporting a new look with his hat! What a party hound! I think this might be the dog version of "wearing the lampshade"!

Oh, happy birthday boy! I think he had a really great time with his friends. Thanks for stopping by his birthday party!

Saucy Sprinkles, I am not...

... but I wish I had even an ounce of her talent and style! For those of you who aren't familiar with her blog, she is a wonderfully fun writer and fabulous cupcake diva-- check her out. (Check out her flickr site to see her beautiful laundry room, complete with chandelier!) For you miniaturists out there, she has a darling dollhouse too-- and get this, the electricity goes on when you turn the little fire hydrant by the doghouse!

Anyway, you're probably wondering what this giant melting cupcake is all about and who it's for! The other day when I was slaving away painting my bathroom, my sweet neighbor Krista came over with dinner. Talk about awesome... the girl can cook! But you know what really warmed my heart? No one has ever brought me a homemade dinner- ever. I always thought those delivered-to-the-door-steaming-under-tinfoil-dinners were reserved for mommies with new babies or ailing grandmas. I was so touched that she would think to do something so sweet for me. I guess in a way, this new little home of mine is "my new baby" after all.

The other day I realized that it was time to return the tray and dish to Krista, so I decided that I should be a gracious, good neighbor and bake her a cake to return with them. It happen to be about a hundred degrees out but I thought, "Oh, I have air conditioning!" and baked that cake anyway. It gave me an opportunity to try out my new giant cupcake pan, and I really felt the need to do something creative. (I had put off creative endeavors since the move.) Everything went well, but I noticed as I was taking pictures that it was melting. I stuck the little flag (it says, "A little yummy for your tummy") and ran that cake over as fast as I could!

Luckily, it didn't collapse until after it had been sliced into! (Whew!)