#1 Son - Christmas 1988

Word of the Day

Effeet - Having feet that exhibit feminine characteristics.


I haven't opened Christmas Calendar Door #14 yet. I know what I'm going to find there so I've decided to wait until after breakfast to take a peek. In the meantime, I found a new recipe (new to me) on the Internet which I'm going to try when I make the spritz today. If it turns out alright, I'll post the recipe. You may have noticed that I didn't post my brown sugar cookie recipe. I know. That's one that I don't share with anyone but family. If you're family...you already have the recipe.

Just because I haven't opened Door #14, it doesn't mean that I've been lingering in bed sipping on hot chocolate and popping chocolate bon-bons into my mouth. Actually, that sounds kind of nice. Oh well...maybe some other time, in some other place, in some alternative dimension and universe. Gypsy woke me up at 6 AM. She wanted to go outside. And when Gypsy wants to go outside there is no sleeping. I bundled myself into my warmest jacket (it was 39°F outside), turned on the outside lights (just because the sun sleeps in doesn't mean Gypsy sleeps in) and I took my baby outside to do her thing. She did. I brought her back inside and put her back to bed in her kennel. Then I went back to bed...for an hour. I needed the extra sleep to get ready for what's behind Door #14.

Anyway, I'm up. Gypsy is up. Gypsy has been fed. I brought the newspaper inside. I heated up a cup of coffee from yesterday's pot for myself. Oops. I still need to brew a fresh pot...after I blog. I took the sheets off my outdoor plants which I covered last night just in case it froze. It didn't freeze but I think maybe it will tonight so I'll have to cover them again after supper. Sheet dance. I've been doing the sheet dance for a couple of nights now. Just in case. I don't have too many plants anymore that are sensitive to freezing temperatures, having replaced those that have died with more cold hardy plants, but...I do still have a few that I'd hate to lose. And now...Gypsy is napping at my feet in her basket under my computer desk as I blog and check my e-mails. After blogging I'll get that fresh pot of coffee started and then I'll sit in the living room and work on a Sudoku puzzle with Gypsy at my side as I listen to morning talk radio until HTP wakes up, at which point I'll have to make breakfast and face what's behind Door #14.

****

Spritz Update

I just finished making my spritz cookies. The new recipe worked well with my cookie press. I got the recipe from allrecipes.com. However, after tasting the first recipe, I would not recommend adding the salt...possibly this is because the butter that I used was already salted. I did sift the flour. My trees and wreaths only took 6 minutes. My ribbon cookies took only 4 minutes. I used 1/8 tsp. of green food coloring for the trees and wreaths. I used my KitchenAid mixer to make the dough. I wouldn't want to try to make these without it.

Butter Rich Spritz Butter Cookies

Submitted by: Sheri Lipp
Rated: 5 out of 5 by 64 members Prep Time: 10 Minutes
Cook Time: 6 Minutes Ready In: 18 Minutes
Yields: 36 servings

"These are wonderful cookies from the press. They are rich in flavor. My mom has made these cookies for years for all of the holidays. She even used food coloring for the different designs, like green trees,etc. The kids love to decorate them as much as they love to eat them."

INGREDIENTS:
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup butter, softened
1 1/4 cups confectioners' sugar
2 egg yolks
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Sift together the flour and salt; set aside.
2. In a medium bowl, cream together the butter and sugar. Stir in the egg yolks, almond extract and vanilla extract. Gradually blend in the sifted ingredients. Fill a cookie press with dough and shoot cookies about 1 1/2 inches apart onto an ungreased cookie sheet. If you like, decorate with sugar or sprinkles at this time.
3. Bake for 6 to 8 minutes in the preheated oven


Murphyism of the Day

Hutchins's Law

You can't out talk someone who knows what he's talking about.

Noteworthy Quote of the Day

It is always the best policy to speak the truth--unless, of course, you are an exceptionally good liar.

- Jerome K. Jerome (1859 - 1927)