Christmas Butter Cookies

Christmas Butter Cookies C Is For Cookie…

This weekend I am having a couple dozen kids over for a cookie decorating party ‘cause who needs their sanity? Am I right?

This is the third year we have hosted it, and despite the craziness, it really is a lot of fun. If you ever want to get in the spirit of Christmas or just re-live it through the eyes of an eight year old—have a cookie party.

In the past I have made a massive amount of sugar cookies and gingerbread men/woman for the kids to decorate as they see fit. This year I was thinking about mini gingerbread houses. but as the weekend fast approaches, I’m realizing that would be a one way ticket to crazy town. I might just provide some graham crackers for the kids who want to try their hand. I am also cheating by purchasing the cookie icing instead of making it and coloring it myself. I did that the first year. #Rookiemistake.

The hardest thing about making the cookies is finding a recipe that actually tastes good. There are plenty of sugar cookie recipes, and most make cookies that are easy to decorate, but are too hard and have little flavor. This year I am going with a butter cookie instead, because the whole purpose of making and decorating cookies is to eat them. By the handful…

This recipe originated with America’s Test Kitchen. I played around with it. It makes a great cookie sturdy enough for icing, and with plenty of butter for tastiness. Yay for butter! Read more…

Pie Month — Bonus Post

Pink Pearl Apple Pie November is Pie Month at Piedmont Grocery, and we have been posting a pie a day to our social media feeds. Here is the compilation of the pies so far. We will update the list again at the end of the month.

Happy feasting!

Old-Fashioned Apple Cake with Brown Sugar Frosting

Something Wicked This Way Comes…For Now

Halloween has me a little concerned this year. In the past, costume planning started in January. This year serious planning didn’t start until September. Well, except for my daughter; she still started planning in January. She will be going as a hamster. Without the human-sized hamster ball though. She’s totally bummed…and, yes they do make human-sized hamster balls.

The boys were seriously less enthusiastic. Getting them to commit was worse than pulling teeth, and the ideas kept changing from day to day. Scooby Doo and Shaggy were their first options. Frankly, I thought it was an awesome idea, but my opinion may be why it was nixed immediately.

One of the boys wanted to be this blow up ostrich thing—just too weird. (Really? Who comes up with these?) The other one was first thinking about being a caveman, and then the lime green unitard guy…ummmm, no!

The good news? No blood and guts for 2014. Instead we have a Spartan (that in no way resembles Tommy Trojan. I made sure of that. Go Ducks!), a nerd, and of course a hamster named Peanut—complete with a bag of peanuts. (This is an essential part of the costume as is the sign that says: Hi, my name is Peanut. My daughter is nothing, if not thorough.)

All of this semi-drama leads me to believe that it might be the last year for Halloween fun, at least for the boys. This goes way beyond the usual complaining when I take pictures of them in their costumes before school. Next year they hit Middle School and the innocence of the Buzz Lightyear costume morphs into I’m too cool for school. What-evs! And bring on the T.P. mischief.

I’m not ready for it to be over. Next thing you know we will loose Santa, the Tooth Fairy and the Easter Bunny. Total childhood anarchy. I refuse to accept it. So I have been self-medicating with cake.

I made this one over the weekend. It seemed to help… Read more…

Inside-Out Pumpkin Muffins

Goin’ Out of My Gourd
Maybe it’s the weather. Maybe it’s the fact that Fall is officially here. Then again maybe I’m just impatient since it’s not even October yet, but I have done gone pumpkin crazy.

I’ve noticed recently that any time I am in a position to be choosing a flavor for something, like a latte or a cookie, I find myself choosing the pumpkin option without fail or forethought.

This past weekend, I was overcome with the need to make pumpkin bread. Yes, the temperature was in the low 90s but I needed a pumpkin fix and it was worth a hot kitchen to get it.

Fall is my favorite time of the year so some version of my fall food mania is an annual occurrence. Of course, similar mania happens in the Spring with its fresh peas, and Summer with the arrival of stone fruit. I guess it’s fair to say that I’m just a year-round lunatic.

The intensity of my pumpkin craving is turned up a notch this year, and I am laying the blame at the feet of my flock. Thanks to the girls, there are no more squash plants of any kind. I am feeling a bit desperate.

The good news? There are many possibilities out there to satisfy my need for pumpkin. This recipe for Inside-Out Pumpkin Muffins is from my King Arthur Flour newsletter and is a perfect way to soothe any pumpkin addiction as well as a craving of equal intensity… Read more…