Christmas 2014

December 29, 2014 by Elizabeth Leave a Comment

Merry Christmas to you! I hope your holiday was filled with as much love, laughter, feasts, and memories, as ours. The last two weeks have sure flown by. A business trip for Andrew, a day/night date for both of us, cooking, wrapping, planning, and getting ready for the big day. We loved spending quality time with our family and friends. Here are a few pictures from our wonderful Christmas season. 🙂

Kifflings

December 14, 2014 by Elizabeth Leave a Comment

Soft, nutty, delicate mounds of goodness. Lightly rolled in powdered sugar, and ready to eat. Kifflings are super easy to make, and are the perfect cookie for any holiday occasion. Packed with heart healthy walnuts, these classic cookies are a lightly sweet holiday treat that everyone will enjoy.

Welcome back! The countdown to Christmas is officially on. With only 11 days left until the big day, I guess it’s only fitting that life is a bit on the hectic side. This week was probably one of the busiest/craziest for us in a while. Monday morning our painter came and started painting our kitchen! As excited as I am to have it (almost) done, I definitely wasn’t thinking about the ripple effect that it would have on our entire house and family. The boys and I either packed our lunches, or just went out to lunch most days. Thankfully, I was able to use our kitchen at night and in the morning, but still, it made for some interesting challenges. I am so glad we are all surviving, and will soon have a sparkling new kitchen 🙂

Wednesday morning we headed to the doctor for check-ups for all three boys. I am happy to report that they are all healthy, growing and doing very well. William and James were so brave after their shots. (James didn’t even cry!) After their appointment, we went to TCBY to get ice cream for lunch! It’s amazing the power that a cold, sugary treat will have on a child’s attitude towards a shot 🙂 William was deathly afraid of shots last year. However, after I implemented our new house “rule”, that any boy who has to get a shot, can have a special treat for lunch, the fear suddenly disappeared. Definitely a win in my book!

Wednesday afternoon William and I even managed to sneak out for a bit to go to a birthday party for one of his friends at Chuck E. Cheese’s. I haven’t been there since I was little! What fun! William thought it was the best place ever, and loved all of the games and fun! On Thursday, I had a hair appoinmtent, and was supossed to leave the older boys at home, but a last minute change of plans had me dragging all three along. I was SO proud of them! They were such little angels to sit so patiently for my entire 2 1/2 hour appointment! Yes, lunch and lots of treats were given out, but still, what a wonderful afternoon for mommy and her boys!

Yesterday morning we took the boys to see Santa. I just loved seeing their little eyes light up when they sat on his lap. Such a fun time of the year with our little guys!

Here are a few pictures from our week:

It just wouldn’t be Christmas without COOKIES!!! Some for friends, a few for Santa, and TONS for eating! Kifflings have always been a favorite in our house ever since I can remember. The original recipe for these cookies came from Betty Crocker’s Cooky Book. I sure love this cookbook, and the recipe, but it needed a few improvements. After a few simple changes and updates, I am happy to share this great recipe with you!

Put your feet up, grab a tall glass of milk and your plate of Kifflings, and get ready to savor the goodness of these cookies, and the holiday season. The sweet coating of powdered sugar, paired with the richness of the walnuts, makes these simple little treats one of a kind. Be sure to add these Kifflings to the top of your cookie baking list this year!

Kifflings

Yield: 26 cookies

Ingredients

2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 pound (2 cups) walnuts, coarsely ground
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup powdered sugar

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In the bowl of a stand mixer, add butter and sugar. Cream together until light and fluffy (for about 2 minutes), scraping down sides of the bowl as needed. Mix in vanilla until incorporated.
In a medium bowl, add flour, nuts, and salt, and stir together. Slowly add flour mixture to butter mixture and mix together until combined.
Shape into small balls about 1 1/2 inches (1 1/2 tablespoons) and place 2 inches apart on baking sheet lined with parchment paper or silicone baking mat. Bake for 11-13 minutes until puffy and just set, do not brown. Allow cookies to cool a bit on pan. While cookies are still slightly warm, roll in powdered sugar and then place on wire rack to cool completely.

https://elizabethshome.com/kifflings/

Incase you missed my recipe for Snickerdoodles last week, you’ll have to check it out! We sure love our Snickerdoodles, but these Kifflings are really something special, too! At Christmas time in our house, we make them both!

Feel free to take a peek at the first version of Kifflings on my old blog!

Snickerdoodles

December 8, 2014 by Elizabeth 1 Comment

Soft little puffs of dough, rolled in cinnamon and sugar, and baked to perfection. Crispy on the outside, with a fluffy, cake-like interior. One bite and you’ll be hooked. These Snickerdoodles are sure to become your new holiday favorite!

Happy Sunday to you! I hope you had a wonderful week. I can’t believe how fast December is already starting to fly by. With all of the parties, birthdays, and appointments, our December calendar is looking quite full. I just love this busy, yet amazingly fun, time of year. William turned five on Tuesday, and the boys and I celebrated by going out to a special surprise lunch at Firehouse Subs. They just love fire trucks, so it was the perfect birthday lunch spot. They even got new fire hats, too! A fun meal out, presents, cupcakes and a special delivery of cake pops rounded out a wonderful fifth birthday for William.

Here are a few pictures from our week:

Now that the birthday festivities are behind us, we’ve been getting into the holiday spirit around our house today! Between blasting Christmas carols, baking cookies, putting up our tree, and decorating our house, it’s definitely feeling a lot like Christmas around here. I even cooked up a big batch of this Slow-Cooker Pulled Pork and Coleslaw for dinner tonight. Yum!!!

There is just something so special about spending quality time with the ones we love. From playing games, to sitting by the fire, and taking in all of our many blessings, I especially love seeing this time of year through the eyes of my little guys. They are so excited for it all, and it just warms my heart to see their sweet spirits and kind hearts.

Christmas time often brings with it tons of new and old memories. These Snickerdoodles have been a family favorite ever since I was little. I love thinking back on all of the times that my sister and I would gather in the kitchen to help my mom make them. It just wouldn’t be Christmas in our house without a good old-fashioned snickerdoodle. These are some of my all-time favorite cookies, and I know my dad would definitely agree. 😉

The making, baking, tastes and the smells. I guess it’s the whole process that is just so special this time of year. I just love having my house bursting with cinnamon goodness as I’m (not so patiently) waiting for batch number one to finish baking. There’s nothing like that first (giant) bite into a fresh, hot, little mound of snickerdoodle heaven! It’s childhood all over again. The memories, the magic, the innocence of the season.

The original recipe for these cookies came from Betty Crocker’s Cooky Book. I made a few modifications, and clarified the instructions. The end result is simple, delicious, and even better than when we were little. These Snickerdoodles are fairly fast and easy to make. Just a few ingredients and a little bit of effort, these great cookies are sure to please all of your family and friends this holiday season!

Snickerdoodles

Yield: 32 cookies

Ingredients

1 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 eggs
2 3/4 cups flour
2 teaspoons cream of tartar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon cinnamon

To Double:

2 cups unsalted butter, softened
3 cups sugar
4 eggs
5 1/2 cups flour
4 teaspoons cream of tartar
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons cinnamon

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Add butter and sugar to bowl of electric mixer, and beat together until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Slowly beat in eggs one at a time, until combined.
In a medium bowl, add flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, and salt, and whisk together. With mixer set to low speed, gradually add the flour mixture to the butter mixture, until just combined. Place bowl of dough in refrigerator for 5 minutes.
While dough is chilling, add 3 tablespoons sugar and 1 tablespoon cinnamon to a small bowl, and stir together.
Shape dough into 1 1/2 inch balls, then roll in cinnamon and sugar mixture until evenly coated. Place dough 2 inches apart on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or silicone baking mat. (Return bowl of dough to fridge when not using.)
Bake for 8 to 9 minutes, until puffy and just set. Do not over bake. Cool on baking sheet for 2 minutes, then move to wire rack.

https://elizabethshome.com/snickerdoodles/

Feel free to check out my earlier version of Snickerdoodles on my old blog.

If you’re looking for another great Christmas recipe, you’ll love these Simple Glazed Scones!