Sunday, December 6, 2009

The best gingerbread recipe ever

These make very soft cookies and the flavor is mild...not to intense (like some gingerbread I've tried).

Gingerbread Men

1/4 c. boiling water
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. ginger
1/2 c. baking molasses
3 c. flour
1/2 c. butter or margarine
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. ground cloves
1 egg
1/2 c. brown sugar

Melt butter in boiling water. Add all the other ingredients. Then chill the dough for 2 hours. Roll out and cut into shapes. Bake at 350 degrees for 8 to 10 minutes. Cool and decorate. Makes 24 cookies.



Thursday, December 3, 2009

Holidays In Hand Days 1-3

This year I decided to to Jessica Sprague's Holidays In Hand class and document every day in December. Let's see if I can keep up!

December 1

Did: Holiday Hoopla at Bowsher. It was pretty much a bomb so we managed to salvage the evening by stopping at Speedway for some hot chocolate. Then we drove around the neighborhood looking at Christmas lights. The girls notice so much more this year. The best house was on Sherwood hear River Rd...giant pine tree decorated with LED lights. Very impressive.

December 2
Made: Ornaments at our Daisy meeting
Remembered: Making gingerbread cookies...the three of us girls. The girls want to do it again this year. Made plans to do some baking this weekend.

December 3
Made: Christmas pictures/list for Santa using my Christmas stamps. The girls are so good with the stamps this year. Gretchen made a whole list for Santa and Heidi made a picture. So cute. Gretchen asked if her list was "too greedy" and I told her it wasn't. How sweet that she was concerned about it.

Remember: a Christmas filled with joy.
I can't remember a Christmas that wasn't filled with joy, really. But I think the most joyful one would be 2001. I knew I was pregnant a few days before, but on Christmas Eve we got the official word from the doctor. We shared the news with the whole fam damily at Grandma's house. They were literally pulling out of the driveway when we yelled and told them to stop. I was so excited I couldn't keep the news inside. Grandma cried. I had never seen her cry before. That night as we sat in church at the candlelight service, I felt joy, peace, relief, excitement...and so many other things I can't even describe. It was the greatest Christmas gift I had ever received.

Of course every year since then with the girls has been wonderful, and they "get it" more and more every year.

Plans for the weekend: watch the Phineas & Ferb Christmas special on Friday night, work on Christmas cards, bake cookies, some shopping, attend event at botanical gardens.