 Sometimes the best treats are those you make to share with others! Find the recipe for these easy and delicious Chocolate Cut Out Sugar Cookies HERE. :-)
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 Easter 1964, Mom with my two brothers and me in her belly. :-) This is how I picture Mom in heaven now-- beautiful, laughing, and free! As I was baking yesterday and coloring Easter eggs (things we did together) I pictured Mom baking with Maxine, Evan's mom, who he describes as a "queen of desserts", LOL. Sounds heavenly! Blessed Passover and Happy Resurrection Sunday!
 A few cookie cutters from my childhood A Better GiftChristmas cookies were big in my house growing up. As a young sweets lover I loved to bake, or do anything in the kitchen with Mom. I’m not sure which was better – the act of baking itself or the pleasure of eating the treats! Cupcakes, birthday cakes, cookies—they were all so much fun to make! In our family each child got to choose what flavor or style his birthday cake would be each year. Biiiiig stuff! We enjoyed a variety of Christmas cookies, but decorated sugar cookies were Mom’s favorite. She joyfully told the story that when she was a little girl, they inadvertently misplaced a box of sugar cookies and found them at Easter time-- It was like finding GOLD! Knowing she loved these also made gift giving easy, because they were such a treat for her. As she grew older and couldn’t bake anymore, ANY holiday was a good time for her favorites!  Toymakers made children’s dreams come true when they introduced the Easy Bake Oven in the 1960s. One Christmas, my seven or eight year-old self circled and highlighted it in our Sears Christmas Catalog for my wish list. This was my kind of toy! MUST HAVE Easy Bake Oven! Think of all the treats I could make, and eat! Mom said, “No, it’s too dangerous.” TOO DANGEROUS?!! What was she talking about?? I still remember my deep disappointment. Instead, my thoughtful and caring mother gave me a shoebox filled with little Washington cake mixes, frosting mixes, a pair of hot mitts, a few mixing tools, and the promise that she would help me with my baking endeavors. Wow, thanks, Mom. (Womp, womp)  Mom at Christmas, 1968 (age 29) But it was a great decision on her part. Not only did I not just bake treats for myself and possibly get injured with a “too dangerous” oven, but I got to spend time with Mom, baking like a big girl. She instilled in me a confidence that “I can do this” with baking. This continues to be a blessing as I still enjoy experimenting and trying new baking projects, not just for myself, but to share with others. Mom loved my poem, “Cookies In Heaven”. I wonder now, this Christmas, if she’s enjoying decorated sugar cookies heaven? And if so, what they must taste like?? As an adult I’ve thought of buying myself an Easy Bake Oven, but the luster is gone. But oh, what I would give to bake with Mom again.   Easy Bake Ovens in the late 60's, early 70's (source: Wikipedia)
M E R R Y B A K I N G !I had some fun in the kitchen trying these new (to me), very easy and delicious recipes! They're awesome! How about you? Try anything new? How did yours turn out? (Click on link underneath photos for recipes)  Refrigerated Sugar Cookies (Tastes of Lizzy T) (I didn't add sprinkles to the outside edge)   Christmas Fudge (Recipe Boy) (I added crushed candy cane on top) 
Christmas Oreo Pops (Chelsea's Messy Apron) (I omitted the sticks)  I hope you take some time for yourself, |
 Liz Curtis Higgs  What a joy to meet Liz in Chesapeake, VA! | Liz Curtis HiggsIf you like historical fiction, I recommend one of my new favorite author's-- Liz Curtis Higgs. I recently finished her book, Mine Is The Night, and LOVED it! I went to her website and found she has another whole website devoted to her Scottish-themed books, www.MyScottishHeart.com. I had the absolute pleasure of hearing Liz speak in April at the "It's Good To Be Queen" Women's Conference at River Oak Church in Chesapeake, Virginia, AND got to meet her. It was such a blessing! She's just as fabulous in person as she comes across on her CDs and YouTube videos-- crazy-smart and crazy-fun! I love her, and look forward to reading more of her work! I highly recommend everything she does, and there's a LOT to choose from--nonfiction, historical fiction, video Bible studies, contemporary fiction, and children's books. A former "bad girl" herself, she wrote a cool series called Bad Girls of the Bible. Our local library has several of her materials, and yours might, too. At the end of her Victorian Christmas novella A Wreath of Snow she shares a recipe for Scottish shortbread. Below is a copy of the recipe and a photo of the ones I made. This is THE BEST shortbread ever. Please try it yourself and see, and check out one of her books! |
 I LOVE her cover designs! (I read this book for free through Amazon Prime) |  Her book, "It's Good to be Queen" was the theme of the conference. (I purchased the book on CD -- Liz is the narrator and it's such a pleasure to hear her speak! |
 Recipe at the end of her delightful novella "A Wreath of Snow" |  Simple, and soooo delicious! |
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