107 Sugar Cookies

 

Yes, the title of this post is correct. 107 sugar cookies baked and decorated. Thankfully we'll have help eating them! In the past, my mom has baked the sugar cookies and we all come over to decorate them. Since my mom has been having issues with her hip and foot (and therefore, can't spend time on her feet), the boys took over cookie baking. We used a homeschool day to do the baking since it took half of the day. Minus one little mishap with the sugar and flour, the cookies turned out great. 

They followed this recipe. We made two double batches of cookies. Using a combination of large and small cookie cutters, we were able to get around 115 cookies out of it. We obviously broke a few cookies because they're super soft (which helps make them super delicious) and delicate. We'll easily use this recipe again for future sugar cookies, but I really hope we're not making 100+ cookies again anytime soon!

Transport to my parent's house was a bit tricky because all of my storage containers are housing 50+ hot cocoa bombs. We made baggies work though!

Now these cookies are accompanying us to all of our holiday gatherings. We come bearing cookies and negative Covid tests!

Back In Restaurants

 The pandemic changed a lot for our family. It's why I write about it constantly. As with so many others, we changed our lifestyle overnight and have been cautious in what we choose to do in public. Prepandemic we made a point to take the minis to all kinds of restaurants each week, to try new food, learn to order for themselves, etc. We loved it, they loved it, and we have tried many delicious meals and local restaurants this way. Of course, that was one thing to change during the pandemic.

The minis haven't sat in a restaurant in 22 months. We added patio dining to our Ok List in the spring, but have stayed away from indoor dining. The middle mini has spoken often about indoor dining once he was fully vaccinated. The top thing on his list was going to restaurants. He actually wanted to sit in a restaurant all day and order the entire menu. This has been spoken about at least once a week for the last 8 months. While we didn't quite give him that option today, we did make a point to eat in restaurants for breakfast, lunch, and dinner while we are in Chicago for our Christmastime trip.

The middle mini is one fully happy kid today!

The minis have been watching SNL clips lately and loved the Cheezborger clip, so we obviously had to add Billy Goat Tavern to our must visit list. 

Christmas Parties Are Back

 

Another reason to love homeschooling: my boys got to spend their morning baking cookies from scratch! They looked up recipes and made them. From left to right, we have: 3 ingredient sugar cookies, M&M cookies, and chocolate chip cookies made with our favorite vegan chocolate chips (the cookies themselves are not vegan).

Christmas parties and celebrations are back baby!! As a fully vaccinated family (now), we are fully embracing the holiday season with Christmas parties, family get togethers, a Christmas concert, and many celebrations. Usually I would be stressed with how busy my Thursday was. Working all day, only to scurry out of the house the minute my business was closed to be someplace, followed by spending the night at a holiday party, coming home at bedtime, and heading straight to bed. No time for anything extra.

This year, I was giddy with excitement. Even as my children spent Thursday morning baking 70+ cookies from scratch so we could bring them to the party, I was excited. Not only to spend time with people I geniunely enjoy and haven't been around much in the past (nearly) two years, but I'm simply thrilled a near normal holiday season is here. 

I've never paid much attention to the saying, "you don't know what you have until it's gone." Naturally, the pandemic made that quote a reality for us. I can say I will never again complain about the crazy schedule of our holiday season. I'm loving every darn minute of it this year. I'll talk too much, drink too much, eat too much, laugh until my face hurts, and be kept running until I collapse after the New Year and every single part of it is worth it.

Thanksgiving Prep Day And Beyond

[Pumpkin parfaits, courtesy of the middle mini and my dad. They got creative with these.]

I want to start by saying how immensely proud I am of my children. All three of them have worked hard during our Thanksgiving break, but I'm amazed at my boys. At ages 13 and 11, they are knocking Family and Consumer Sciences class out of the park. They cook, bake, clean, build, sew, and so much more. We were elated to spend this Thanksgiving with family, but it came with a price. They had to do most of the baking and cooking for it. And they did, easily, happily, and with pride in their work.

Their Thanksgiving baking began days before the actual holiday on Monday afternoon. They started easy with chocolate covered Oreos. The next night the middle mini made a cinnamon pie, which wound up being a highlight at a family gathering. The day before Thanksgiving was a our big baking and prep day.

Chocolate covered Oreos are nothing new for them. We tend to make them around Valentine's Day. Harrison (the middle mini) searched cinnamon pie recipes and settled on this one. This child used my mixer more than I do!

We spent the day at my parent's house chopping things for the stuffing/dressing, prepping casseroles, baking pies, and parfaits. The next morning, that same middle mini woke up, skipped watching the parade (but spoke all about how he would like to spend a Thanskgiving in NYC, so we could watch the parade "in real life"), and instead made the corn casserole and mashed potatoes. 

My kids cooked while I ate a cookie with an audience who eventually helped me eat it.

One would think they would be done with baking, but no chance. The day after Thanksgiving, both boys helped with chocolate turnovers/Christmas tree pastry, followed by baking and decorating our sugar cookie man (we skipped gingerbread this year). They had a day off from cooking and baking on Saturday since we were busy Christmas shopping, but ended the weekend baking monkey bread and homemade chicken noodle soup.

As someone who does not enjoy being in the kitchen, I find myself there often because hello, family of five here, I am thrilled that they love baking and cooking as much as they do. I sometimes wish I had more tips to offer them when they have a kitchen question, but their consumption of baking and cooking shows helps in this area.

Pumpkin Cookie Pies

 

We started our holiday baking around here with chocolate covered Oreos, cinnamon pie, and today's creation: pumpkin cookie pies. Basically, I had a bag of pumpkin cookie mix to use up, but daycare wanted to make pies. I didn't want to serve them both pie and cookies in the same day, so I found a way to make both, but in one creation: pumpkin cookie pies. 

Using the pumpkin pie recipe on the back on the can of pumpkin, I used the cookie mix as the crust. Once assembled, I cooked the cookie pies at 450 for 20 minutes. The edges were a bit too done and tough, but the middle was perfect. I would reduce the cooking time by a few minutes, but overall, the kiddos approved of these sugary cookie pies!

Yes, the dog got a pie too. He was the first to eat his pie because he wouldn't stop crying at the stove while they cooled.

Recipe:

• 1 package Betty Crock Pumpkin Spice cookie mix (make according to package)
• 1 can pumpkin puree (make pie according to the directions of the can)
• Mini pie tins

Preheat oven to 450. Make the cookie mix and pumpkin pie according to package directions (I used the recipe on the back of the pumpkin puree, but any pumpkin pie recipe would work) in separate bowls. Soon 3 - 4 tbsp of cookie dough into each pie tin. 1 package of cookie mix makes around 8 or 9 mini pies. Mold the dough to the sides of the pie tin, then pour in pie mixture. Bake for 16-20 minutes. Once cooled, we used letter cookie cutters to put everyone's first initial in the middle.

** We found 20 minutes to be a bit too long for the cookie crust. 18 minutes would likely be more ideal **

I asked the middle mini to lay the items out for me, so I could get a picture. He arranged the cookie cutters "they only way that they spell something." That one always gives me a laugh when I least expect it!

A Weekend Eating

We pretty much spent a weekend in November eating, followed by long walks around the neighborhood before we were eating again. No, seriously that's what we did. We had a long list of things we needed to get done, so we were around home most of the weekend, but kept it interesting with the food. We kept our eating to all local restaurants. Our eating adventures included:

• Donut Hut (1 dozen cake donuts)
• Friedrich's coffee (Aztec mocha is my absolute favorite)
• Manhattan Deli (the bluebird sandwich is a must try)
• The Dam Pub (asiago chicken sandwich with tater tots)
• Bauder's peppermint bar
• Barntown Brewery (chicken strips family meal that includes mac and cheese, french fries, rootbeer, and a crowler of beer)

My sister and I went to a craft show and then dinner at The Dam Pub. I was instantly intrigued by their mimosa buckets. I didn't try it because it's more of a brunch thing and not a 8:00 at night with dinner thing. The food was amazing! 

Donut Hut is our favorite place to grab donuts. You can't find a nicer family owned business.

In the summer, we enjoy Bauder's peach and strawberries ice creams. In the winter we switch to the heavenly peppermint bars. The bars are huge, so we got three to split five ways plus extras for the next day.