I am just going to go ahead and say it, I am damn proud of my baking efforts this Christmas.  I'm not much of a baker, chef, or candlestick-maker, but I put forth the effort this year and I'm just going to go ahead and boast.

While my family was visiting, I felt like a powerful woman with all the "free time" (aka someone else was watching the dog and the baby) and I went to the kitchen like one of those women you see in old movies that bake because they're nervous.  Brandon said, "holy crap, why do you keep baking more?"  I just couldn't stop myself, I was overcome with the ghost of christmas bakers past.

I started my baking journey with the ever favorite sugar cookies & boiled icing; both recipes from my late Gram Adams.  When we were little girls, every holiday we would make the trek two doors up the street to my grandma's house to bake sugar cookies and ice them.  It was a full day event and all the granddaughters would join in the fun.  The table was caked with flour and our bellies full of raw dough be the end of the day, but we sure cookie-cutter'ed and ice'd the heck out of about 10 dozen cookies.  After four years of Gram's passing, I am still trying to perfect the icing, just can't get it yet - but I'm getting a little better each time.  I made the dough and icing earlier that morning, and then slapped my sisters in some aprons and put their behinds to work!


By the end of all that flour mess-making, laughing, and creating of weird designs; we had ourselves 5 dozen of delicious sugar cookies.  here's to you gram; my best attempt at your icing - miss you everyday.



Know that your great grandson is enjoying your icing recipe, Gram!

I also got a deliciously amazing recipe from tasteasyougo.com called Montana whoppers.  They are basically chocolate chip oatmeal cookies on uppers, and by uppers I mean with milk chocolate & white chocolate chips AND mini m&m's.  The recipe is here if you feel like totally blowing your diet before your new years resolution kicks in.


waah!  messy kitchen!!

Then it was a quick toss in the oven for our store-bought sugar cookies for our December kindness; deliver cookies to St. Mary's of Asbury's.  Those are no trouble, but are much appreciated by the folks over at St. Mary's. 



final products!!

Later in the week, I hesitantly baked up some pumpkin roll.  I know, one holiday too late, but Brandon has been pleading with me to try it out since before Thanksgiving (oops) and I finally caved and tried it out for the first time.  It was suprisingly easy and delicious.  I even threw in some coconut into the cream cheese filling for my hubs.  best wife ever?  yes, if you don't count the fact its a month late.