Close Enough

So I really only made 23 cookies, but isn't that close enough?  I just didn't want to make any cookies on Christmas Day.  And so I didn't.  The house and the kitchen were busy enough, and I just enjoyed the day.  The kids were so sweet about their gifts.  We played and ate and rested.  It was wonderful.

This is most of them.  Some, in the general chaos of Christmas, were eaten too fast to be saved.

Santa brought sugar cereal.  My kids have never had those little boxes, so this was a hit.  And an easy breakfast!

Eating with his stocking gifts all lined up beside him.

Love this one.

We gave my parents a shutterfly calendar.  What grandparent doesn't love a calendar full of pictures of their grandchildren?

Opening presents and eating a ring pop.  Does it get any better when you're 2?

This year we did something different that I think we will continue for years to come.  We gave the kids each 4 gifts... something you want, something you need, something to play with, and something to read. We gave less than in past years, and I felt like the kids were more grateful.  They knew just what to expect, and were even (somewhat) happy about a box of socks.  Then we made the stockings from Santa.  It was simple.  In past years, we have agonized over finding a "big Santa gift" for each child.  We skipped that this year, and they didn't even notice.  $6 worth of sugar cereal in the Christmas tree, and they forgot all about it.  Thank you to some sweet friends who passed on this idea to me.

25 days of cookies {Cookie 23}: Chocolate Chip

Merry Christmas Eve everyone!  It's finally all done.  Presents wrapped under the tree, stockings ready to be filled (waiting until everyone is good and asleep), dishwasher humming, 5 little boys in their jammies, listening to Christmas music on the coach with Chris beside-- he on his phone, me on the computer.

"Santa" wanted some chocolate chip cookies today.  Classic.  Chocolate chip cookies may be my favorite.  Just straight up chocolate chip, the recipe from the back of the chocolate chip bag.  I love them.  Chris loves them.  Everyone loves them.  Especially Santa.

Aren't they all so handsome?... including the cookies.

Could there be any more cooking going on.  Samuel & Chris making a Chocolate Chip Pecan pie (gasp), Grandma making soup, me making cookies.  Love hanging out in the kitchen together on Christmas Eve.

Have I told you how much I love my Pampered Chef scoops?  You don't have to touch the dough at all. And it's quicker.

For Santa.

We opened presents from Grandma & Grandpa last night.

I love when they get in that intense new-toy play mode.

Samuel loves playing "money."

Asher got to his art project right away.  I took him to Hobby Lobby the other day for the first time and he said, "Mommy, this is the best store I have ever been to.  Can you even believe all these art supplies in here?"

Camera man.

Christmas Eve dinner.  With their very own can of grape pop.  Yeah, we say "pop."

Chris & Samuel's pie.  The first thing I have ever seen Chris bake.  Ever.  And it was amazing.  Although he did ask in the process:  "how in the world do you figure out what half of 2/3rds is?"  Scott, Doug, someone, please make fun of him for this.

Our dinner guests thoughtfully brought each boy an envelope with a crisp $5 bill in it.

A good Christmas Eve was had by all.

Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 cup butter

3/4 cup sugar

3/4 cup brown sugar

1 tsp vanilla

2 eggs

2 1/4 cups flour

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

1 bag semi-sweet chocolate chips

Cream butter and sugars.  Add vanilla and eggs.  Add dry ingredients.  Fold in chocolate chips.  Bake at 375 degrees for 7-9 minutes.

25 days of cookies {Cookie 22}: Soft Ginger Cookies

Greetings to you and yours on this Christmas Eve eve!  We are having a splendid day making Soft Ginger Cookies.  This recipe would make great gingerbread men too, but I don't have a gingerbread man cut out.  Maybe I will try to snag one of those on the 26th.  We had a wonderful time making these.  The boys enjoyed making their creations.  I like how decorating cookies is something both boys and girls like to do.  Putting sugar on top of sugar is fun for boys, girls, moms, and dads alike.

This is Asher's special creation.  He is very proud of this one.

You make the dough, divide it into 3 parts and chill.  I chilled mine overnight.

Roll dough onto floured surface.

He LOVED doing this.  This may be his love language.

Our decorations.

Our pretty plate.

Asher really wanted you to see this one up close.

View on my counter.  Want to come over and get some?

The kids' creations. 

Soft Ginger Cookies

(from this cookbook)

1 cup butter

1 cup sugar

1 egg

1 cup molasses

1 cup buttermilk

2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp ginger

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp cloves

1/4 allspice

1/4 nutmeg

7 cups flour

Beat butter.  Add sugar.  Then add egg and beat well.  Add molasses and buttermilk.  Stir in dry ingredients, adding flour last.  Divide the dough into thirds and chill thoroughly.  Roll out dough on floured surface and bake for 6-8 minutes at 375 degrees.  I baked mine for 6 minutes.  For buttermilk, I added 1 tbsp vinegar to 1 cup milk.  Decorate as desired.

25 days of cookies {Cookie 21}: Jam Thumbprints

This recipe is from Ina Garten.  Don't you love her?  I want to make just about everything she cooks.  To tell you the truth, I never have cared for these kinds of cookies, the jelly in the middle types, to be exact.  But I thought, if Ina thinks they are delicious, they must be.  And they really are.  The dough isn't too sweet and the combination of the toasted coconut and jam is tasty.  Graham and Asher both had a doctors' appointments today, and we brought a couple plates in to the office.  I hope 2 smiling boys delivering cookies added some Christmas cheer to their day.

The finished product.  Yummy and pretty.

You make the dough and then chill it for 30 minutes.

Roll into balls, dip in egg, then coconut.  Make a "thumbprint" and add jelly.

Bake until they look like this.

Look at that cute blonde in the background, just waiting for his cookie.

Here is the link to the recipe.

25 days of cookies {Cookie #20}: Butter Pecan Turtle Bars

These are another one of my favorites.  They are a great dessert to bring to a party.  I also like that they are made with ingredients I normally have in my pantry, so no having to run to the store to make these bars.  Today we had the privilege to bring these to a friends' mother who lives in a senior high rise here in Fort Worth.  I so wanted to move in... meals served in the dining hall, people sitting around doing puzzles, beautiful holiday decorations, gorgeous views of Fort Worth.  It seemed like college life, but with no homework.  And to top it off, we made it in and out without breaking a single thing.  There were breakables everywhere within their little reaches, and Cry Cry was behaving like the Tasmanian Devil.  We escaped calamity, went to the zoo, made them tired, and now naps... whew!

Yum!

Before pouring on the caramel layer.

My helper making the caramel layer.

Right before baking.

Adding the chocolate chips.

In the lobby ready to make our delivery.  This was just before Nathan decided he was going to try his mother's patience.  Can you see that gleam in his eye?

Isn't she a beautiful lady?  Thanks for letting us stop by!

Butter Pecan Turtle Bars

from the Colorado Cookbook

Crust

2 cups flour

3/4 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup butter, melted

1 1/2 cups pecan halves

Caramel Layer

1/2 cup brown sugar

2/3 cup butter

1 1/2 cups milk chocolate chips

Mix flour, brown sugar and butter in small bowl and press in the bottom of a 9x13 pan.  Place pecan halves evenly over crust.  Put remaining brown sugar and butter in pan and bring to a boil for 1 minute, then pour over crust.  Bake at 350 degrees for 18 -20 minutes or until caramel layer bubbly and crust is light brown.  Sprinkle chocolate chips evenly over the dessert.  Let cool before serving.

25 days of cookies {Cookie #19}: Candy Cane Cookies

These are my brother's favorite.  My grandma used to tell us to eat them slowly because they were so tedious to make.  My mom made these with Samuel yesterday while Chris and I escaped for a quiet night away at a hotel here in Fort Worth.  I am returning from 24 hours filled with silence and non-kid friendly places.  I watched tv in bed this morning, spent some time writing our Christmas letter, checked out of the hotel and then enjoyed lunch with Chris.  It was a great Christmas present, Mom & Dad.  Thanks for keeping the kids so we could enjoy some time away!  And for making my cookies for today.

This is the favorite part of being the helper.

Twisting the red and white together.

Anticipation.

The finished product.

Candy Cane Cookies

1 cup butter

1 cup powdered sugar

1 egg

1 1/2 tsp almond flavoring

1 tsp vanilla

2 1/2 cups flour

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp red food coloring

Mix together butter and powdered sugar.  Add egg, almond flavoring and vanilla.  Add flour and salt.  Divide dough in half and put red food coloring in one of the halves.  Take 1 tsp dough of each color and roll on counter until about 4 inches long.  Then put the two colors side by side and twist them together.  Shape them like a candy cane.  Bake at 375 for 9 minutes or until lightly brown.  Dust with powdered sugar.

25 days of cookies {Cookie #18}: Cake Balls

I have heard of these through her website, but I have never attempted any of the fancy things she makes.  My friend told me about these and they sounded easy enough.  In my personal opinion, their cuteness outweighs their taste.  Next time, I may try it with homemade cake and frosting and see if I like it a little better.  Since this was more of an experiment, I didn't go to all the trouble.  I could see how you could get very creative with these, changing up the kinds of frosting, cake and sprinkle types.  They really could be made for any holiday.  I am sure bakerella's website has tons of ideas.

This is how I made mine.

I have one of these scoops from pampered chef and love it.

Cake Balls

Bake a cake from a box mix according to the directions.  

Mix the warm cake with a container of frosting in the mixer.  Roll into balls.

Put in the freezer until hard enough so they don't crumble when you dip them in almond bark.

Melt almond bark in microwave.  Dip the balls in with a toothpick.  Sprinkle them with whatever you desire.  Put on wax paper to dry.

Samuel and my mom may have the same love language.  Quality time and putting stamps on newsletters.

Asher playing 'Jingle Bells' at his piano open house.