Christmas Eve Eve

You know it’s the day before Christmas Eve when my kitchen table looks like this:

You probably recognize these since I just made them a few weeks ago.  ’Tis the season to overdose on lard and sugar, is it not?  I made four dozen cookies (not counting the “snowballs”) and plan to bring 2 dozen to my parents’ tomorrow and 2 dozen to Husband’s parents’ on Christmas.  They are loved by young and old alike!  Really, the true test of a good cookie is my very picky 9-year old niece.  She has a very refined palate (i.e. is picky), and this is one of the few things I bake that passes her barometer of tastiness.

Speaking of tastiness (nice segue, eh?), last night I tried something new!  Angie brought over Halva:

I’ve seen this before in the cheese section of my grocery store, but never thought to buy it.  When Angie described it as a flaky, less sweet fudge, I knew I’d like it, especially since tahini is the main ingredient.

It was delicious!  The tahini gave it a real “heft”, which is probably not an adjective one wants used when describing their ideal dessert, but I am a huge fan of heft (my thighs can attest to this.  Badump cha!).  It was sweet, but not overly so like fudge.  It was flaky and delicate.  In conclusion, I am now a fan of halva (bonus is that it’s fun to say.  HALVA HALVA HALVA).

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Well, the wee man and I are getting ready for Christmas today!  Now that the cookies are decorated, our next step is to pack our overnight bag.  We will spend Christmas Eve day and night with my side of the family (it’s also my dad’s birthday!), we’ll spend the night there (Henry’s first night away from home!), and then drive to Husband’s side for Christmas day.  A lot of running around, but I wouldn’t have it any other way (…says the person who doesn’t do the driving!).

Since I won’t be blogging until after Christmas, I wish you and yours a very Merry Christmas!  Remember:  the frugality and fitness can wait until December 26th (or January 1st if we’re really being honest with ourselves here).

Henry says: “Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night!  Now change my diaper, Woman”.

Getting sick?

I woke up in the middle of the night to feed Henry and I felt that very specific feeling in my throat that a cold is coming on.  I just had a cold two weeks ago that Henry is STILL getting over, so if I am sick again – mere days before Christmas – I am going to be royally bummed!  After feeding Henry, I gargled with warm salt water.  This morning, instead of coffee, I had green tea with lemon and honey as well as an orange and scrambled eggs.

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My green tea doesn’t look nearly this good.

Now I am chugging water.

Please Lord, or whatever deity is in charge of dispensing common colds…

Please do not let me be sick!  I am so looking forward to Henry’s first Christmas and don’t want it impeded by anything!

Sincerely, Frugal ‘n’ Fit.

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It has been a very busy and social few days, which explains (BUT DOES NOT EXCUSE!!!) the lack of posts.  As Gilly says on Saturday Night Live, SORRY.

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Today’s planned goals involved making sugar cookie dough but I don’t want to strain myself.  Ideally, I would still be in bed, but a little man that shares half of my DNA will not be having it, and he is actually strapped to me in my Moby fast asleep!  But we shall see…

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As Christmas Day approaches, I have been receiving lots of beautiful Christmas cards, so much so that my mantle is full.   I actually gave up displaying them and just piled them on the coffee table.  How very anti-Martha Stewart!  After the holidays, I pack them away with my leftover wrapping paper and ribbons and use them as gift tags the following year.  Do you have any way you recycle greeting cards? Some of the cards are so beautiful they could be framed!  I have often thought of reconstructing old Christmas cards into new ones instead of buying them.  A frugal move, but time-consuming!

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TODAY’S GOALS:

1.  Try try try not to let my cold progress

2.  Make sugar cookies???

3.  Bathe

My to-do lists are pathetic!

Sugar Cookies

What’s this?  Two posts in one day?  It’s like it’s June 2010 all over again!

I guess I am just excited to show off the sugar cookies I made today.  I completed these in a series of steps timed with Henry’s naps.  He is still in the nap he started when I iced these babies, so I’ve got to make this quick!

If there is one recipe I bake at Christmas, it is this one.  I think I have officially decided that these are going to be the cookies that I am known for, the cookies that Henry will immediately associate with all the Christmases of his childhood.  The only problem is that it’s not my recipe.  It’s my friend Sarah’s!

Here she is innocently holding Henry, not knowing that his mother is a cookie-recipe-stealer!!!

With her permission, I am sharing the recipe with you.  All together now:  THANK YOU, SARAH!!!

Sarah’s Sugar Cookies

Makes 2 dozen

1/2 cup butter or margarine (I’ve only ever used butter)

1 cup sugar

1 egg

2 tablespoons of milk

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 1/4 cups all purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1.  In a medium bowl, beat butter, sugar, egg, milk, and vanilla until light and fluffy.  Add the flour, baking powder and salt and beat until blended.

2.  Divide dough into two equal portions, wrap in saran wrap, and refrigerate until firm (about an hour).

3.  Before baking, allow the dough to stand at room temperature until soft enough to roll out.  Roll the dough out and use your favourite cookie cutters to cut them into shapes!  Place on ungreased baking sheet and bake at 350 degrees for 7-10 minutes.

Trees, stars, and stockings:  It must be Christmas!

Ready to be iced, iced baby

It is not natural to eat food with these colours, and yet it feels so right

I made little “snowballs” using the leftover dough

Sarah has a different recipe for icing.  I found mine online a few years ago and like it because:

1.  It has a subtle almond flavour

2.  It hardens so storing these cookies is a bit easier (icing doesn’t get all over the place)

Here is my recipe for 2 dozen cookies:

2 cups of icing sugar

4 teaspoons of milk

4 teaspoons of corn syrup

1/2 teaspoon of almond extract

Assorted food colouring

1.  In a small bowl, stir together the icing sugar and milk.  Beat in corn syrup and extract until icing is smooth and glossy.  If it’s too thick, add more milk.

2.  Divide into separate bowls and add food colouring.

3.  Decorate as you see fit!  Sprinkles are welcome.

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I hope to bring these cookies to Henry’s first Christmas party tomorrow, but I’m not sure they will last that long.  Indeed, they are that good.  Again, thanks Sarah!