Tuesday, December 28, 2010

Office Coffee

Our office coffee is really bad. Its like drinking the wash water at a car wash after a snowmelt. But I love it. I'm addicted. Sometimes I drink so much that I hallucinate.

Okay, maybe I'm exaggerating a little...

It seems like when I started this post, I had more to say about the office coffee, but now that I think about it, I really don't.

***

Sometimes I like to tell random, pointless stories. This has been one.

Monday, December 6, 2010

Snickerdoodles

Bob dropped my sugar canister this morning and broke it, dumping the brand new 2lb bag of sugar in the floor. Of course, I immediately replaced said canister and sugar, and it got me in the mood to bake. Unfortunately, I had to fold laundry and put the basement back together after the painting, so I didn't get to. But in the process of cleaning, I did find my Snickerdoodle recipe. Now, not to brag or anything, but these are the BEST Christmas cookies in the entire world, and I'd like to share the recipe with you, my dear friends.

Sift together
2 c. flour
1 1/2 c. sugar
2 t. cream of tartar
1 t. baking soda
1/2 t. salt

Mix together and stir in
1 c. butter, softened (not margarine, BUTTER, and I usually melt it completely)
2 eggs (best to use farm fresh, but store-bought are fine)

Chill the dough for about an hour in the refrigerator.

While the dough is chilling, mix together a batch of cinnamon/sugar. Use a ratio of 2 T sugar to 2 t cinnamon. I use about 4 T sugar and 4 t cinnamon. You'll also want to pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees.

Once the dough is firm, but not rock hard, take it out and roll it into balls about the size of a super-bounce ball. Roll the balls in the cinnamon/sugar mix you made earlier. Coat them completely.

Bake for EXACTLY 8 minutes. No more, no less. Once you take them out of the oven, they'll be a little squishy. Leave them on the cookie sheet for 1 more minute before removing them to cool. At this point, its up to you whether you want to wait until they cool completely or burn your tongue eating them immediately. If you opt for the second choice, you may want a glass of milk handy.

Depending on how many you eat, you will end up with roughly 3 dozen cookies following this recipe.

Enjoy!

A

Tuesday, November 30, 2010

Bow Holders

Here's the link to the plaques I'm painting. Just got ANOTHER order.

http://www.facebook.com/?sk=messages&tid=1480814065621#!/album.php?aid=251322&id=132270894142

A

Monday, November 29, 2010

WOO HOO!

So one of the craft projects I have been working on is the painting of plaques, which my cousin then gussies up and turns into bow holders for little girls. I'm painting them up with the little girl's name and then adding a picture of the little girl dressed as a fairy, princess, cheerleader, or ballerina. (Those are the only designs I've come up with so far for the B4E girls, but am working on some other ideas.) I'm also making several "generic" ones that aren't personalized.

And guess what! I got my first order today! I'm getting ready to go get the wood I need to make it right now. When I get home, I'll add a link to Billie's website, so you can see the fruits of my labor for yourself.

I'm so excited!

A

Sunday, November 28, 2010

A whole new world

Well, I did it. I started my own blog. This is the place that I will come to ramble on about the things I enjoy - crafts, baking, books, music, movies. I'll probably talk about my kids, too. If you'd like to comment, please do. Just be nice. This is going to be an intellectual haven for me, and I get enough criticism and negativity as it is.

I have a pie to check on, but I will post again later.

I think I'm going to like having a soapbox!

A