So, in an effort to reduce my apparent grinchiness, I actually bought an ugly Christmas sweater to wear to school yesterday. I hit the jackpot of tacky Xmas attire at Macy's...70% off! But, I couldn't decide which hideousness to buy...the black cardigan with a beaded tree & Santa, the black tee with sequined snowflakes & fuzzy reindeer, or the red shirt with a black & gold ornament pattern and black beading? I decided to go with the cardigan, as it was the best bargain...normally $56, on sale for $13. Who in their RIGHT MIND is paying $56 for this thing?
Instead of recognizing the gaudiness of my outfit, which was a far cry from my usual black or tan pants and various neutral-colored turtlenecks, some students actually complimented me on my new sweater. No one seemed to realize the irony of my bedazzledom. They must have seriously thought that I was finally in the Christmas spirit. Not likely, kids.
Though, it's been a pretty good holiday so far. For the second year in a row, we cut down & put up a ginormous Christmas Vacation-esque tree (sans squirrel). I made a gingerbread house at work...complete with a stripper pole in the yard.
Last weekend, we went to our friend Andy's annual cookie baking party, where we drank a little too much for a school night (thankfully, we ended up having a snow day the next day) and made raunchy comments to each other.
This year, I baked some Pistachio Cranberry Biscotti, one of my favorite holiday treats. Liz brought Bird Nest Cookies, and Faith made Pecan Spritz Cookies. They were all really delicious, but my favorite recipe of the night was Phil's Lemon Ginger Cookies.
Phil said that his mom has had this recipe for at least 25 years. He's not sure exactly where she got it from. I'm guessing it's from cousin Helen. ;-)
Cousin Helen Heavenrich's Lemon Ginger Cookies
Makes 4 dozen cookies
2 ½ cups sifted unbleached all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
½ teaspoon salt (optional)
2 - 3 teaspoons ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
¾ cup (1.5 sticks) butter, softened
1 cup firmly-packed dark brown sugar
1 egg
¼ cup unsulphured molasses
1 tablespoon grated lemon rind
¼ cup granulated sugar
- Preheat oven to 350.
- Sift flour, baking soda, salt, ginger and cinnamon onto wax paper.
- Beat butter with brown sugar and egg in a large bowl until light and fluffy. Beat in molasses and lemon rind until well blended. Stir in dry ingredients, half at a time, blending well after each addition.
- Roll dough, one level tablespoon at a time, between palms of hands, into balls; roll in granulated sugar. Place 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheets.
- Bake in a preheated moderated over for 10 minutes. Do not over bake. Cookies will be soft in the center. Cool completely on wire racks.
Here are some of my other favorite holiday cookies:
Ginger Oatmeal Rum Raisin Cookies
World Peace Cookies
Lavender Faerie Cookies
Buttery Jam Cookies
Noel Nut Balls
Classic Spritz Cookies
Sugar Cookies
Sables
2 comments:
Thanks for linking all those cookies! I've been wanting a few new recipes :)
Those lemon ginger drops sound fantastic! And - I think the ears are more spirited than the sweater. People should give you credit for them.
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