homemade christmas

WOW tomorrow is Christmas Eve!!  We celebrate tomorrow at my inlaws house and have a big ol party!!  We exchange gifts and this year like all the others LOL I have a little surprise for my sweet sister in law!! ROFL!!   One year she wrapped up a huge box, yes she probably needed 2 rolls of wrapping for this box and inside was all papers rolled up and a pkg of toilet paper.   We all laughed as he unwrapped box after box and dug thru all the wadded up papers.  SOOOOOOOOOO we have gotten her each xmas with various gags.  This year being no exception!!!  I wont go into all the details right now as she may read this before tomorrow but it will be fun for her!! 
So I made most of my xmas gifts and this was an order for a dear friends father.  Make the rest of your life the best of your life is the quote on it and I just love it!! so made him one also for his house!!

I made this super soft chocolate thumbprints and filled them after baking with some homemade chocolate ganache then top with a bit of holiday "bling" the xmas sprinkles.

I tried a new recipe from my newest better homes and gardens cookie holiday book and they were a bit hit with hubby!! He ate almost all of the first batch of them so I had to triple the next batch.   Love the cane shape, the only alteration I made to thier recipe was to eliminate the peppermint exratc (we dont do minty things here ) and used pure vanilla extract instead. and added some red sanding sugar before baking for "bling"

You mix in a few drops of red food color and very lightly incorproate into your dough so you get a marble effect. 

With a filled pastry bag fitted with a large large (number 21 tip worked good) pipe out the dough unchilled into canes. 

With that same recipe I made some round rosettes topped wtih sanding sugar and holiday nonparielles. 

AND here are my boys with SANTA!! to wish yall a VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY NEW YEAR!~    LOL my favo pic of them with Santa.  The only one that they are all looking straight ahead and Buster is smiling of cource!! he LOVES his picture to be taken!!  Barney the baby isnt quite sure why his mommy is across the room and not holding him!! and Bubba was trying to stretch to see daddy who was around the doorway watching~  Oh they are my sunshine on a cloudy day kids!!!

I do hope yall have a blessed holiday~!~  And please dont forget to remember all the fine young men and women who are sacrifising their holiday at home with famly to ensure our safety and our country overseas in the military and also please try to give a little something to your local shelters.  I wish so I could tale all the unwanted strays home and give them a happy happy life they so deserve!!!  One day when I get that pot of gold at the end of a rainbow I am opening a shelter rescue here at home for animals!! promise that!!

 Dogs and Cats count on us to take good care of them and God entrusts us with their lives!!  and they really give alot of unconditional love in return for nothing!!

Candy cane spritz cookies

3/4 cup softened butter

1/2 cup sugar

1 tsp baking powder

1 egg

1/2 tsp peppermint extract

1 3/4 cup all purpose flour

red food coloring

(white chocolate and crushed peppermint candies)

preheat oven to 375 degrees, in lg mixing bowl cream butter for 30 seconds, mix in sugar and  baking powder.  Beat until well combined.  Beat in egg and extract.  Mix in flour.

Divide dough in 1/2 add 3 drops of red food coloring to dough mixing only enough to marble the dough.  Fill a fitted pastry bag with dough (I used the large #21 star tip) pipe out candy canes or just straight lines if you prefer onto  cookie sheet.   Bake for 8-9 minutes until golden on edges.

Dip each end into melted white chocolate and sprinkle with candy cane pieces.  (I didnt do this on mine

Makes about 60 cookies. 

Have a great night!~ Talk more this weekend!!

HUGS

Darlene and "the boys"

~~LIVE LIFE JOYFULLY~~and SIMPLY~~

Santa and my boys!!

Here is the pic of my boys~~ they had so much fun and of cource we did too!!

And yepper IT IS SNOWING!! and today we are under a severe winter storm starting this afternoon with possibly up to 20 inches coming!! I say BRING IT ON!!

seems like whenever we are suppossed to get alot it blows over and hits more inland from us!! so we will see!!

~~LIVE LIFE JOYFULLY~~and SIMPLY~~

I saved this pic of a decorated store and wanted to share it !! LOOK at that beautiful garland!! I love it!!
So i am off to the kitchen I promised the boys I would make them some cookies today and also have to bake some things for market friday!!
HAVE A GREAT SNOW FILLED DAY!! keep warm! and be safe out there!!

HUGS!
Darlene

SANTA and 3 dogs!!

We took the boys to see SANTA yesterday in Douglas!! He is such a great guy and a super wonderful SANTA!! The boys told him they have been very very good and I am sure they will get LOTS of xmas pressies to open~~ They all were so good!!
Dogs by Design is a store in a nearby town and every year now they have a fundraiser for a local organization called Wishbone!! a great organization that helps dogs in need!! In fact Sunday december 13 th they are havin a bake sale and WE WILL BE DONATING SOME GREAT BAKED GOODS!! I will post on here and twitter as soon as I get the info!!
We have them emailing us a pic of the boys and will post it on here as soon as I get it!! IT WAS A GRREAT PIC TOO!! all 3 boys looked so happy and my Buster is smiling!! as usual he is always happy happy happy!!

Hope yall have a great night!! I am off to finish a nice big special dinner for my special hubby!! Baked ham, sweet taters, green beans and mushrooms and some homemade bread!! It is gonna be a busy week with the Kalamazoo Bronson Hospital market starting up on on friday!! and a show on sat wont leave me much time to make nice suppers so tonight it is!! LOL leftovers the rest of the week dont ya know!!
Talk more soon!!
~~HUGS~~
Darlene

~~LIVE LIFE JOYFULLY~~and SIMPLY~~