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Monday, Monday…oh to be young again and off for the Summer. OK, maybe not the young part but I would love to be off for the summer. Luckily we have weekends.
How was your weekend? Mine was great! Although it was toasty outside for the most part I managed to beat the heat.
Lucky for me there was nothing on the schedule this weekend, leaving lots of time to read, bake, read some more, visit the farmers market, and go for nice long walks with my husband and pup. It was the perfect.
Speaking of perfect, What do you think of these flowers? Zinnia’s in a simple mason jar are just the thing to brighten a day and the house. Sadly I did not grow these but my farmer’s market had tons of them and I snagged this bunch. According to the gardener they will last 10 days if I change the water daily, I will let you know.
This weekend I was experimenting with Christmas recipes. Yes, I know that Christmas is 5 months(157 days) away but I have been seeing an inordinate amount of Christmas pins on Pinterest and I thought , why not a little Christmas in July?
These cookies are the BEST sugar cookies EVER, and I do not say that lightly. I have made a ton of recipes and these are the best. That being said, if you like soft cookies these are not for you, as these are crunchy with a hint of almond and a sprinkling of sugar. By the way, these cookies are not new, I have been making them since I was little, I jut thought while I was baking I might as well make something that I knew was good and would turn out. I will show you the other stuff later.
Aunt Mary’s Sugar Cookies
Recipe from Betty Crocker
1 cup butter, softened
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon Neilsen Massey vanilla
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon cream of tartar
granulated sugar
Using a mixer with paddle attachment, mix together sugar and butter. Add egg, vanilla, and almond extract; mix well. Blend in flour, baking powder and cream of tartar. Cover and chill for at least 2 to 3 hours. Heat oven to 375 F. Divide dough in half. Roll each half 3/16 inch thick on lightly floured cloth-covered board. Cut into desired shapes; sprinkle with granulated sugar. Place on parchment lined cookie sheet. Bake for 7 to 8 minutes or until light brown on edges.
Note: If you are going to frost or decorate than leave of the sprinkle of sugar.
Tell me, what did you do this weekend? What are you reading? Were you at the beach? A barbecue? Relaxing? Doing things with friends and family?
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Whatever you did I hope it was great. Enjoy your day!
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Hi Elizabeth, just stopping by to say how delightful your blog is. Thanks so much for sharing. I have recently found your blog and am now following you, and will visit often. Please stop by my blog and perhaps you would like to follow me also. Have a wonderful day. Hugs, Chris
http://chelencarter-retiredandlovingit.blogspot.ca/
Love zinnias and those are beautiful! Mine are growing and blooming well. They make the prettiest bouquets for the house. I read and weeded the garden belayed with the dogs and cooked a bit this weekend. I finished The Lake of Dreams last night. I'm going to dive into Rudard Kipling today. Free downloads from Free Ebooks. Have a great week!
teeheee…….what an adorable little weiner dog to pose the questions!!!!!!
Well my dear, we had a splendid weekend. It was cooler than average (we did have our two-three days of humidity!) and I spent yesterday on our covered deck, writing my poetry. BLISS, let me tell ya.
Oh these sugar cookies remind me of my mother. She made the best (of the crispy sort) every Christmas. Treasures….
Hugs to you and I LOVE ZINNIAS! Anita
The zinnias are gorgeous and the cookies look scrumptious! I am glad you had a nice weekend!! xoxo
Elizabeth it still sounds liike you did a lot this weekend. Your zinnia's are beautiful and your pup is cute…name please. Don't worry about mentioning Christmas as I picked up the husband's big gift last week. I shop all year round for gifts as it's easier time wise for me. We worked outside all weekend and thankful the heat finally broke yesterday.
XXX
Debra~
Sounds like you had a wonderful summer weekend. Love the zinnias! And the cookies! I never tire of thinking about Christmas.
xx Sunday
Oh Elizabeth, your sweet pup is precious. Zinnias are some of my favorite summer flowers. I especially love the really big blooms. FYI…it is never too early to plan for Christmas. Have a wonderful week. Bonnie
Sugar cookies are always welcome!