Home Sanctuary

Perfect Cold Brew Coffee Recipe

 

My newest obsession is cold brew coffee. In a word: YUM.

 

Perfect for summer afternoons when you need a little pick-me-up, this recipe will make you happy because it's simple, makes plenty, and tastes divine. Because it is literally brewed cold, (as opposed to brewing hot, then pouring over ice) it has a mellow flavor and a greatly reduced acidity factor.

 

Not many things fall into the "This Changed My Life" category for me, but this cold brew coffee would qualify - it's that good.

 

So, with a shout-out to my son-in-law, Nathan, who shared his technique with me, here goes:

 

1. Make a Concentrate.

Measure 3 parts water to 1 part coffee.

I happened to have Starbucks on hand, but any dark roast coffee will work.

I use 1 1/3 cup coffee for 4 cups of water. This tests my math skills, for which I need more coffee. See how this works?

 

 

2. Stir well, and let brew on counter overnight, or up to 12 hours.

 

Make sure those grounds are all mixed in! That's goodness, right there. 

 

 

3. Pour your brew through cheesecloth or coffee filters to remove coffee grounds.

 

I use a coffee filter in a small colander over a bowl. Note: It drips through verry slowly, and it's difficult to be patient at this point. 

 

 

4. Pour your strained concentrate into a pitcher or jar.

 

 

 

5. Dilute the concentrate with equal parts water. 

 

I add about 4 cups of water to my 4 cups of concentrate. 4+4 adds up to 8 cups of deliciousness...plenty for several afternoons worth of enjoyment.

Feel free to adjust the ratio according to taste.

 

 

6. Serve over lots of ice, leaving plenty of room at the top for Half and Half and sugar. Or sweetened cream.

 

 

 

I like lots of cream and sugar. YUM.

 

 Pioneer Woman (who makes a huge vat at a time) highly recommends sweetened condensed milk and I can only imagine how heavenly THAT must be.

PS I tried PW's recipe too, but again...my math skills. Reducing a gigantic quantity to a manageable scale was too much for me.

 

 

Enjoy!

 

 

 

Have you tried cold brew coffee yet? I promise you it will change your life, or at the minimum, your outlook on it. It's possibly the best thing I've accomplished this year.

Best Ever, Super Easy, No Fail Menu Planning Guide

 

"Boy, we sure eat a whole lot better when Grayson is home," my husband winked at me as he dished up a serving of tender pot roast, mashed potatoes, carrots and gravy. He balanced a piece of french bread on top and headed to the table with his plate. Grayson's plate was already piled high with enough food to keep him going for at least a couple of hours, before he'd return to the kitchen for a second full meal.

I laughed, oh hahaha, but it was a fake laugh. It's true. Now that our crew has dwindled from five, to four, to three, and now two, it's hard for me to get motivated to cook. 

Like, at all.

I'm not proud of the turn my menu-planning has taken. After 28 years of fixing food for ravenous people, I'm tired. I've taken about a two year break from any serious meal planning. What can I say? I love cereal for dinner.

But food - good food - is important. Not just for filling hungry bellies around the table, but (if I may be so poetic) for soothing tired souls. 

 

The smell of something delicious simmering on the stove makes a powerful memory of home, and gives families a sense that all is right in their world.

 

McDonald's just can't do that for you.

Tom's teasing comment stung just a little, because I know I can do better. Just because there are only two of us doesn't mean I should throw organization out the window. I mean, when you can't remember the last vegetable you ate, you know you should make some changes, right? Our tired souls need some soothing.

But have you ever tried making a menu plan? They're so pretty, and so involved. Ugh. That's why I always used to fail - I can't color code meals, people! C'mon, man.

 

It's time to pull out my best ever, tried and true, super easy, no fail menu-planning guide.

 

If you've been around Home Sanctuary awhile, you'll recognize the instructions here. They work because they are SIMPLE, and that's why I've mentioned them over and over again.

 

What would you do if I told you that you could EASILY come up with a whole month's worth of dinner plans without burning up any of your precious brain cells?

 

Today, we will do it together and by the time we're done, you will be congratulating yourself for being so very clever. Grab a cup of coffee, or some sweet nectar of your choice, and let's have some fun.

 

Let's Plan a Monthly Menu! 

 

1. First, take out a couple of pieces of paper. So far so good, friend.

 

2. Next, start writing down BROAD CATEGORIES  (themes) of meals - all you really need is 7:

Examples....

• Crockpot meals
• Ethnic
• Grilled Foods
• Soup N Sandwich
• Seafood
• Breakfast for Dinner
• Gourmet
• Try Something New Night
• Eat Out Meals (yes, this is a category)
• Paper Plate Meals (also a category)
• Leftover Meals (a very important group)

 

3. Now, see if you can come up with at least 4 individual meals within each category.  Por ejemplo:

Ethnic:  Tacos, Spaghetti, Pizza, Enchiladas, chicken stir-fry
Breakfast for Dinner: Waffles, Pancakes, Breakfast Casserole, Bacon and Eggs

This is getting really cool because, if you just take the above categories, with 4 items each, you already have enough meals to cover almost two months!!  You're off to a great start.

 

4. Now, here's how to start plugging the meals into your family calendar.  Take (or make) a blank calendar page - you can use this little worksheet:

Download MenuPlan

 

A. First, you'll take a look at standing obligations that affect your family dinner: piano lessons on Tuesdays and Thursdays, Soccer on Fridays.  Volunteer at the Homeless Shelter on Wednesdays. Etc. Write them into the top row.

 

B. Next, working across the second row of the calendar, begin assigning meal categories, or themes, to days of the week.  For example, If you are home all together on Monday nights, that would be a perfect night for a Sit Down Meal on Real Plates.  Write that category above Mondays.

On Piano nights, I used to assign Crock Pot Night and Sandwich Night - both are quick and easy with little clean-up required.

On Sport Practice night, I might assign Drive Through (Oh. Yes.) It makes me feel better to plan this into my menu than to feel like a loser because I can't do any better than this.

Saturday nights might be a perfect Breakfast for Dinner night. My family would love it if I made waffles EVERY Saturday night, so no creativity is even required!

 

C. Once you have a category for each day of the week, you will then work your way DOWN the calendar.  Take your four individual dinners and throw them under each theme. So if Mondays are your Sit Down meals, you take your Baked Chicken and Rice, your Beef and Cabbage Rolls etc. and plug them into the individual Mondays. Right now you are simply penciling in your ideas, so you don't have to be too picky until the next step.

 

D. Once you have a meal penciled in per day, you can start to refine and perfect your masterpiece. If I see that on the first Wednesday I am grilling chicken, I could grill up some EXTRA chicken for Thursday's Chicken Enchiladas. So I start moving the meals around into an order that makes the most sense. A huge pot roast on Sunday might make great BBQ sandwiches on Sandwich Night, so I'll put those two meals into the same week.

 

Note: If your family has several favorites, don't be afraid to repeat them often. Spaghetti? A weekly favorite. Waffles? Done. The idea that you have to magically come up with 30 different things each month is completely unnecessary. And you don't have to stick to your plan like a religious zealot.

A menu plan gives you options and TIME, because you'll have general ideas right at your fingertips. 

Now......

How many meals can you come up with? Can you think of some interesting categories?  Why not share your ideas and recipes! Leave a comment and/or link to your menu ideas so we can all be inspired!

 

 

Busy Family Menu Planning

Thank you all so much for your sweet comments, emails and Facebook posts! I had a WONDERFUL birthday weekend and just enjoyed every minute with my husband and kids. I'll share some pictures once I get them uploaded.

 

 

photo via flickr 

I got home from my celebration weekend to an empty refrigerator and the knowledge that I've got a busy couple of weeks ahead. As much as I'd love to order takeout each night, I know that's not going to happen so I pulled out my menu planner instead. And you know what? It's been awhile since we've even talked about the importance of planning for food! It's like it's hard or something! But it's really not.

Now, the idea of having a weekly menu plan seems like a real good one.  That is, until you actually sit down to create one.  Week after week.  Month after month.  After awhile you're just staring at your blank piece of paper, wondering if driving through McDonald's every night wouldn't be so bad after all.

What would you do if I told you that you could EASILY come up with a whole month's worth of dinner plans without burning up any of your precious brain cells?

Today, we will do it together and by the time we're done, you will be congratulating yourself for being so very clever. Grab a cup of coffee, or some sweet nectar of your choice, and let's have some fun.

First, take out a couple of pieces of paper.

Next, start writing down broad categories of meals (all you really need is 7):

• Crockpot meals
• Ethnic
• Grilled Foods
• Soup N Sandwich
• Seafood
• Breakfast for Dinner
• Gourmet
• Try Something New Night
• Eat Out Meals (yes, this is a category)
• Paper Plate Meals (also a category)
• Leftover Meals (a very important group)

Now, see if you can come up with at least 4 individual meals within each category.  For example:

Ethnic:  Tacos, Spaghetti, Pizza, Enchiladas, chicken stir-fry
Breakfast for Dinner: Waffles, Pancakes, Breakfast Casserole, Bacon and Eggs

This is getting really cool because, if you just take the above categories, with 4 items each, you already have enough meals to cover almost two months!!  You're off to a great start.

Now, here's how to start plugging the meals into your family calendar.  Take (or make) a blank calendar page - you can use this worksheet:

Download Monthlymenuplan

First, you'll take a look at standing obligations that affect your family dinner: piano lessons on Tuesdays and Thursdays, Soccer on Fridays.  Volunteer at the Homeless Shelter on Wednesdays. Etc.  Write them in.

Next, working across the top of the calendar, begin assigning meal categories to days of the week.  For example, If you are home all together on Monday nights, that would be a perfect night for a Sit Down Meal on Real Plates.  Write that category above Mondays.

On Piano nights, I used to assign Crock Pot Night and Sandwich Night - both are quick and easy with little clean-up required.

On Sport Practice night, I might assign Drive Through (Oh. Yes.) It makes me feel better to plan this into my menu than to feel like a loser because I can't do any better than this.

Saturday nights might be a perfect Breakfast for Dinner night.  My family would love it if I made waffles EVERY Saturday night, so no creativity is even required!

Once you have a category for each day of the week, you will then work your way DOWN the calendar.  Take your four individual dinners and throw them under each category.  So if Mondays are your Sit Down meals, you take your Baked Chicken and Rice, your Beef and Cabbage Rolls etc. and plug them into the individual Mondays.  Right now you are simply penciling in your ideas, so you don't have to be too picky until the next step.

Once you have a meal penciled in per day, you can start to refine and perfect your masterpiece.  If I see that on the first Wednesday I am grilling chicken, I could grill up some EXTRA chicken for Thursday's Chicken Enchiladas.  So I start moving the meals around into an order that makes the most sense.  A huge pot roast on Sunday might make great BBQ sandwiches on Sandwich Night, so I'll put those two meals into the same week.

If your family has several favorites, don't be afraid to repeat them often.  The idea that you have to magically come up with 30 different things each month is completely unnecessary.  And you don't have to stick to your plan like a religious zealot.

A menu plan gives you options and TIME, because you'll have general ideas right at your fingertips. 

How many meals can you come up with?  Can you think of some interesting categories?  Why not share your ideas and recipes!  Leave a comment and/or link to your menu ideas so we can all be inspired!

Laura, my favorite Organizer, hosts Menu Plan Monday every week.  It's a great meme to be involved in because you'll find excellent recipe ideas and meals that work for other busy families!  Go check it out!

POINTS: This is a big one and worth a whole gob of points.  So I will give you through Wednesday to complete it, and award 100 whoppers for it!  So worth it.

 

 

Christmas Cutout Cookies Video

I thought ya'll might like to see how our Cookie Decorating Night went. We've decorated cookies now for over twenty years - we started when the kids were toddlers - and we still have fun. Back when we first started, the decorating parties were little more than complete chaos: sprinkles and frosting EVERYWHERE, cookies that looked like monkeys decorated them, and little people licking their fingers while working, blech. Today you'll see that this has evolved into a very classy affair, if you don't count the plastic plates, knives and tablecloths.

Special thanks to my daughter, Lauren, who captured some scenes on her phone and put them to some music! 

 

Cookie Night 

Just in case you missed the recipe, here it is again:

 

Christmas Cutout Cookies

1 1/2 c butter, soft

3/4 c sugar

3 1/3 c flour

Mix in large mixing bowl at low speed.  Roll out 3/8 inches thick, cut into desired shapes Bake at 300 for 20-25 min (ours never go that long, so watch for browning).  If dough doesn't stick together, add drops of evap. milk or half and half.

Icing:  Mix about a bag a powdered sugar with 1 stick of soft butter (or less)  Add small amounts of milk until it is a smooth (not too thick) consistency.  Add 1-2 tsp. almond flavoring, the secret of cutout cookie deliciousness.  Divide up into bowls and stir in food coloring (red, green, blue, yellow, leave one bowl with white).  Have colorful sprinkles on hand, along with toothpicks and small plastic knives for swirling designs around.  Give each person a paper plate to work over, to keep the sprinkles from going EVERYWHERE.

Hint:  Toothpicks make great decorating tools: you can dip one in frosting, then touch a sprinkle and it sticks to it!  Then you can place those itty bitty sprinkles in perfect places to make stunningly perfect patterns.  Your friends will be wowed.  When you get sick of such attention to detail, then just sprinkle away.  It's all good.

 

 

Kristina's Nutella Banana Eggrolls - and a Small Thing

These Nutella Banana Eggrolls from The Ambush Cook, Kristina Kuzmic, look delicious AND easy! Even I could make these!

NUTELLA BANANA EGGROLLS

Recipe courtesy of Kristina Kuzmič

8 eggroll wrappers

1 cup Nutella

1/3 cup chopped peanuts

1 to 2 bananas, sliced into ¼-in. slices

Canola oil

 

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a large baking sheet with foil.

Combine Nutella and peanuts. Place about 2 Tablespoons of the Nutella mixture on the bottom third of one egg roll wrapper. Top with 2 to 3 banana slices. Lightly wet the edges of the wrapper with water. Fold sides of the wrapper toward the center and roll tightly. Brush all sides of the eggroll with canola oil, and place on the prepared baking sheet. Repeat with 7 more eggroll wrappers.

Bake for about 8 minutes, or until golden. Flip over and bake for about 3 to 4 more minutes, or until crispy and golden.  (Or you can go all out and deep fry them until golden on all sides.)

Note: For a fun presentation, serve these in a Chinese take-out container. 

 

Yields: 8 eggrolls

 

 

Today's Small Thing is to try something new in the kitchen.....sometime this week.

You know I wouldn't spring an impossible task on you by asking you to come up with a new recipe TODAY, but with a few days to think about it and decide what you'd like to make, I know you can do it. These dessert eggrolls would be an easy one to do, but you can use your imagination and find a dish that will work for you and your family.

In the spirit of the Ambush Cook, break from your cooking rut and LIVE, dangit! LIVE!

What will strike your fancy?? I'd love to hear about what you're going to create in the kitchen!

Song of the Day: Hey Good Lookin', Jimmy Buffet (and a bunch of other country stars)

Making an EASY Menu Plan that Actually Works for Busy Families

The idea of having a weekly menu plan seems like a real good one.  That is, until you actually sit down to create one.  Week after week.  Month after month.  After awhile you're just staring at your blank piece of paper, wondering if driving through McDonald's every night wouldn't be so bad after all.

What would you do if I told you that you could EASILY come up with a whole month's worth of dinner plans without burning up any of your precious brain cells?

Today, we will do it together and by the time we're done, you will be congratulating yourself for being so very clever. Grab a cup of coffee, or some sweet nectar of your choice, and let's have some fun.

First, take out a couple of pieces of paper.

Next, start writing down broad categories of meals (all you really need is 7):

• Crockpot meals
• Ethnic
• Grilled Foods
• Soup N Sandwich
• Seafood
• Breakfast for Dinner
• Gourmet
• Try Something New Night
• Eat Out Meals (yes, this is a category)
• Paper Plate Meals (also a category)
• Leftover Meals (a very important group)

Now, see if you can come up with at least 4 individual meals within each category.  For example:

Ethnic:  Tacos, Spaghetti, Pizza, Enchiladas, chicken stir-fry
Breakfast for Dinner: Waffles, Pancakes, Breakfast Casserole, Bacon and Eggs

This is getting really cool because, if you just take the above categories, with 4 items each, you already have enough meals to cover almost two months!!  You're off to a great start.

Now, here's how to start plugging the meals into your family calendar.  Take (or make) a blank calendar page.

First, you'll take a look at standing obligations that affect your family dinner: piano lessons on Tuesdays and Thursdays, Soccer on Fridays.  Volunteer at the Homeless Shelter on Wednesdays. Etc.  Write them in.

Next, working across the top of the calendar, begin assigning meal categories to days of the week.  For example, If you are home all together on Monday nights, that would be a perfect night for a Sit Down Meal on Real Plates.  Write that category above Mondays.

On Piano nights, I used to assign Crock Pot Night and Sandwich Night - both are quick and easy with little clean-up required.

On Sport Practice night, I might assign Drive Through (Oh. Yes.) It makes me feel better to plan this into my menu than to feel like a loser because I can't do any better than this.

Saturday nights might be a perfect Breakfast for Dinner night.  My family would love it if I made waffles EVERY Saturday night, so no creativity is even required!

Once you have a category for each day of the week, you will then work your way DOWN the calendar.  Take your four individual dinners and throw them under each category.  So if Mondays are your Sit Down meals, you take your Baked Chicken and Rice, your Beef and Cabbage Rolls etc. and plug them into the individual Mondays.  Right now you are simply penciling in your ideas, so you don't have to be too picky until the next step.

Once you have a meal penciled in per day, you can start to refine and perfect your masterpiece.  If I see that on the first Wednesday I am grilling chicken, I could grill up some EXTRA chicken for Thursday's Chicken Enchiladas.  So I start moving the meals around into an order that makes the most sense.  A huge pot roast on Sunday might make great BBQ sandwiches on Sandwich Night, so I'll put those two meals into the same week.

If your family has several favorites, don't be afraid to repeat them often.  The idea that you have to magically come up with 30 different things each month is completely unnecessary.  And you don't have to stick to your plan like a religious zealot.

A menu plan gives you options and TIME, because you'll have general ideas right at your fingertips. 

How many meals did you come up with?  Did you think of some interesting categories?  Why not share your ideas and recipes!  Leave a comment and/or link to your menu ideas so we can all be inspired!

Laura, my favorite Organizer, hosts Menu Plan Monday every Monday.  It's a great meme to be involved in because you'll find excellent recipe ideas and meals that work for other busy families!  Go check it out!

POINTS: This is a big one and worth a whole gob of points.  So I will give you through Wednesday to complete it, and award 100 whoppers for it!  So worth it.

Rachel Anne's Chicken-Veg Medley

There are a bunch of variations on this theme, but if you stick the word "medley" in the title, it always works.  I usually use rotisserie chicken for this...because I like EASY.

Step 1: Dig in your vegetable bin and see what you come up with.  My favorite meals start with a bit of onion and red pepper...and since you are making a medley, you only need small amounts of each vegetable: zucchini, carrots, broccoli, green beans...all are excellent candidates, use what you like.

Step 2: Slice up your veg and sautee them in a some butter or olive oil.

Step 3: Make some rice or pasta.  What do you have on hand?  Cous-cous works great, and I've been known to make packages of Lipton's Side dishes in a pinch.

Step 4: Add cut-up chicken to vegetable mix and heat through.  Season with your favorite seasonings. (A jar of pesto is awesome to have on hand to stir into your chicken/veg mix if you are serving this with pasta.)

Step 5: Make a bed of your rice or pasta, add the chicken/veg medley on top, serve with a side of toasted bread!

Elapsed time: 30 minutes, tops.

What I like about this is that you can serve it up so the little kids can separate out the things they like: they don't have to have it layered or mixed together.  My zucchini lovers pick all the zucchini for their plates, leaving the broccoli and onions for someone else.

Don't have chicken? Substitute ham, smoked sausage, turkey, roast beef....

What are YOUR "default" dinners?  This one is definitely mine.

New Recipe Round Up

Before we get to Today's Small Thing, let me announce the winner of the Starbucks gift card:

Tracey (Pink Monkey) at Aloha Monkey!  Congratulations, Tracey...email me with your address and enjoy a cup or two of coffee on me!

Did you get to read all the great money saving tips in the comments and coffee links from Friday?  I hope you'll take a few minutes to get all the way through the links...they were all inspiring!  Melissa even had to pop back in for a second round of coffee to get her awesome tips in!

Now, all that frugal inspiration made me realize I could take a few more steps to save some dough for my family.  One of the best things I'm considering is getting rid of my phone land line...using more grocery coupons, and making my own bread.  Notice how most things in this world come back to food?  Yeah, I noticed that, too.

Speaking of food, since Monday is often the day that many of us get our recipes together for the week, I thought I'd challenge all of us to try a new recipe.

Don't panic! You don't have to try and come up with something TODAY!

But sometime this week, before next Monday, our Small Thing will be to create some kind of culinary delight that you have never tried before.  I don't know about you, but if earning some points will get me out of my skillet rut, I'm all over that.  A great place to start looking for something fabulous to cook is at Menu Plan Monday.

POINTS: 40 for trying a new recipe

ADDITIONAL 20:  for posting your recipe on your blog or in the comments.  If you blog about it, be sure and let us know so we can see what recipe you rounded up!  You can do it any time this week.

Making An EASY Menu Plan that Actually Works for Busy Families

The idea of having a weekly menu plan seems like a real good one.  That is, until you actually sit down to create one.  Week after week.  Month after month.  After awhile you're just staring at your blank piece of paper, wondering if driving through McDonald's every night wouldn't be so bad after all.

What would you do if I told you that you could EASILY come up with a whole month's worth of dinner plans without burning up any of your precious brain cells?

Today, we will do it together and by the time we're done, you will be congratulating yourself for being so very clever. 

First, take out a couple of pieces of paper.

Next, start writing down broad categories of meals (all you really need is 7):

• Crockpot meals
• Ethnic
• Grilled Foods
• Soup N Sandwich
• Seafood
• Breakfast for Dinner
• Gourmet
• Try Something New Night
• Eat Out Meals (yes, this is a category)
• Paper Plate Meals (also a category)
• Leftover Meals (a very important group)

Now, see if you can come up with at least 4 individual meals within each category.  For example:

Ethnic:  Tacos, Spaghetti, Pizza, Enchiladas, chicken stir-fry
Breakfast for Dinner: Waffles, Pancakes, Breakfast Casserole, Bacon and Eggs

This is getting really cool because, if you just take the above categories, with 4 items each, you already have enough meals to cover almost two months!!  You're off to a great start.

Now, here's how to start plugging the meals into your family calendar.  Take (or make) a blank calendar page.

First, you'll take a look at standing obligations that affect your family dinner: piano lessons on Tuesdays and Thursdays, Soccer on Fridays.  Volunteer at the Homeless Shelter on Wednesdays. Etc.  Write them in.

Next, working across the top of the calendar, begin assigning meal categories to days of the week.  For example, If you are home all together on Monday nights, that would be a perfect night for a Sit Down Meal on Real Plates.  Write that category above Mondays.

On Piano nights, I used to assign Crock Pot Night and Sandwich Night - both are quick and easy with little clean-up required.

On Sport Practice night, I might assign Drive Through (Oh. Yes.) It makes me feel better to plan this into my menu than to feel like a loser because I can't do any better than this.

Saturday nights might be a perfect Breakfast for Dinner night.  My family would love it if I made waffles EVERY Saturday night, so no creativity is even required!

Once you have a category for each day of the week, you will then work your way DOWN the calendar.  Take your four individual dinners and throw them under each category.  So if Mondays are your Sit Down meals, you take your Baked Chicken and Rice, your Beef and Cabbage Rolls etc. and plug them into the individual Mondays.  Right now you are simply penciling in your ideas, so you don't have to be too picky until the next step.

Once you have a meal penciled in per day, you can start to refine and perfect your masterpiece.  If I see that on the first Wednesday I am grilling chicken, I could grill up some EXTRA chicken for Thursday's Chicken Enchiladas.  So I start moving the meals around into an order that makes the most sense.  A huge pot roast on Sunday might make great BBQ sandwiches on Sandwich Night, so I'll put those two meals into the same week.

If your family has several favorites, don't be afraid to repeat them often.  The idea that you have to magically come up with 30 different things each month is completely unnecessary.  And you don't have to stick to your plan like a religious zealot.

A menu plan gives you options and TIME, because you'll have general ideas right at your fingertips.

How many meals did you come up with?  Did you think of some interesting categories?  Why not share your ideas and recipes!  Leave a comment and/or link to your menu ideas so we can all be inspired!

Laura, my favorite Organizer, hosts Menu Plan Monday every Monday.  It's a great meme to be involved in because you'll find excellent recipe ideas and meals that work for other busy families!  Go check it out!

POINTS: This is a big one and worth a whole gob of points.  So I will give you through Wednesday to complete it, and award 100 whoppers for it!  So worth it.

These Cookies are too pretty to eat, but somehow we manage

Wednesday night was our annual Cookie-Making Party.  Actually, it's a Cookie-Decorating Party.  In the spirit of fun competition, we gather to create the Best in Class in categories we make up as we go along.  My son-in-law, Robert, smoked us all last year with a 3D Christmas tree.  He was a rookie trying to make a name for himself, and we were stunned by his raw, newcomer talent.  We kept that famous cookie in the fridge for close to 9 months, a petrified testament to Cookie Greatness.

I won "Best Use of Shading" with this snowman. 

Em won the "Ethereal Theme Award" with her angelic creations.  Love the hair.

G.T. got the "Academic Cookie Award" with his slope intercept equation.

Elle got the "Best Use of a Classic Theme" with this fireplace scene.

Rob tried to top his 3D tree this year, but got overly ambitious and it backfired on him. 

Tough break.

Tom had a migraine and was unable to participate in the festivities, but he occasionally called out encouragement as the competition tightened.  Secretly, we were glad he couldn't pull out one of his "Best Contemporary Designs," as he has in the past.  It leveled the playing field just a bit to compete without him.

Here's the recipe we use, same as always.  The buttery cookie base is just perfect for the sweet almond-y frosting.  You will be in Cookie Heaven.

Have a great Christmas, and I will be back on the 26th!