Christmas Traditions

I love traditions. For as long as I can remember on Christmas eve my mom would prepare a full spread of snacks for us to graze on all night.....till we couldn't keep our eyes open for Santa anymore! We continue that tradition in our house - actually, since the man and I moved back home my mom has spent Christmas eve at our house so we can all wake up together on Christmas day....and so we can graze on delicious snacks all night! Of course, we always have way to much food! I had a pretty major surgery on December 20th, and I haven't had much of an appetite, so it just figures that we bought lots of good stuff and of course didn't prepare half of it!! To say the least, I haven't had to cook at all this past weekend!

We also have a tradition of having Christmas with my moms side of the family the Sunday before Christmas. When my grandma on my moms side was still alive we'd go to her house on Christmas day. That was until my cousin Katie started having kids. Once she had kids, grandma decided to switch Christmas at her house to the Sunday before Christmas. That way no one had to leave their house, OR their toys on Christmas day to come to her house. It was the best idea she had had in a long time! This year my cousin Katie and her husband Ian hosted Christmas. They have a gorgeous home with an amazing great room and kitchen that Ian added on - and it's perfect for our huge, loud, sometimes obnoxious family! We eat, chat, some of us nap (snoring included!) and this year we played catchphrase. I think everyone had a great time! The photo above is of all of the grand daughters and spouses of grandchildren over 18 - we got cookie exchange cook books and have vowed to have a cookie exchange next year - maybe a new tradition?!?!

Here's hoping that whatever traditions you and your family have, they are done with lots of love and laughter.

~xoxo

Peppermint Meltaway Cookies

Nothing says Christmas like to smell of pine and peppermint! Since I don't think pine flavored cookies would taste very good, I thought I'd share my all time favorite peppermint cookie recipe ( compliments of Land-O-Lakes)! They are SO easy to make and one batch yields about 50 bite sized bits of deliciousness.

COOKIE

1 cup of butter, softened

1/2 cup powdered sugar

1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract

1 1/4 cups all purpose flour

1/2 cup cornstarch

GLAZE

1 1/2 cups powedered sugar

2 tbsp butter, softened

1 -2 tbsp milk

1/4 teaspoon peppermint extract

couple drops of food coloring if desired

DIRECTIONS

Mix the butter, powdered sugar and extract in a large bowl until creamy and smooth. Slowly add the flor and cornstarch. Once well mixed, cover and refirgerate for 1 hour.

Preheat over to 350, remove dough and form in to small 1 inch balls. Place them about 2 inches from each other (although they do not flatten or expand much) and bake for 12 - 15 minutes or until edges are slightly browned. Remove from cookie tray and cool completely before icing.

**some people like to drizzle the icing on top. I prefer to make my icing a bit thinner and "dunk" the cookie in the icing to create a delicious layer that covers the top of the cookie.

ENJOY!

Babies are coming

As many of you know, the moto at our house when it comes to having babies is ONE AND DONE and, as much as everyone would like that to change, we continue to live by that moto! Not so for my TWO sister-in-laws! Within a few days of one calling me to tell me she was pregnant, the other was telling me while standing in her kitchen. I could not be happier for these two girls and their families! I could not be happier that it is THEM and NOT me!!! I can't think of a better Christmas gift, can you?! Here's to spoiling new babies in 2011!!!

Congrats girls (and families!) - I love you both!!!