Carolling (Recipe: Peppermint Shortbread)

Two little girls, parents trailing behind, arms full of holiday baking, and lots of noise. Sorry, lots of singing. My girls took it upon themselves to go carolling to our neighbours last year. And while The Monster at one point this month suggested getting an iPod and just playing that as we walked instead, we are already planning this year's carolling.

Carolling means baking. Christmas usually means baking, but in our house it is the carolling that brings it on. If Christmas was my only reason to bake this Mama would eat nothing but cookies for a month. I wouldn't complain, but I think the doctor might have something to say about that. So, we plan the carolling and the baking hand in hand.

This year I've added two treats to the repertoire that have me wishing I could eat them all month long. This week I want to share with you this Peppermint Shortbread.

For most folks it doesn't feel like Christmas without shortbread. I am one of those people. In any form shortbread is a very good thing. While I do like the traditional Scottish Shortbread or my mom's light as air whipped shortbread, this is a great update. Just a subtle peppermint flavour to refresh the cookie and add to the Christmas spirit.

Peppermint Shortbread

Makes 16 bars or 32 cookies

1 cup butter

1 tsp pure peppermint extract

3/4 cup icing sugar

2 cups flour

1/2 tsp salt

Glaze

1/2 cup icing sugar

1 tbsp water or milk

1 candy cane, crushed

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter or spray a 9’’ by 13’’ baking pan with non-stick spray.

2. Whip the butter with an electric mixer for 2-3 minutes until fluffy. Add the peppermint extract. Then gradually add the sugar and whip for 2 minutes more.

3. While the butter is whipping put the flour and salt in a separate, large bowl. Whisk gently a few times to incorporate the salt. Gradually add the flour until well incorporated. Pat all the dough into an even layer in the prepared pan. Pat down firmly.

4. Bake for 22-25 minutes until the edges are lightly golden. Let cool for 10 minutes then cut into 16 rectangles or 32 squares. If you don’t cut them while warm you won’t be able to cut them at all.

5. Once the cookies are cooled completely mix together the icing sugar and water/milk for the glaze. Stir until smooth. Drizzle over the cookies then sprinkle the crushed candy cane on top.

(recipe for Chai-Spice Pistachio Bark next week)

Bunnies

Easy sewing, right? A great project for beginners, right? Apparently Lotta Jansdotter doesn't know my kids.

At Market, Lotta Jansdotter gave out these cute little charm packs, pre-printed with a pattern for a little bunny stuffy. Even she commented that they would be a great first-time sewing project, or at least a fast one for the experienced sewer.

So I thought I would bring my little packets out one cold afternoon. The Monster has been begging me to teach her to sew after all. We reviewed our lessons from playing with sewing cards and embroidery hoops. We redrew the pattern, marking dots for where the needle would go in and out. We picked a giant needle to make it easier for little fingers.

I'm happy to report that there were no tears. This, in an of itself, should make it a successful venture. When The Monster is learning something new and can't do it perfectly from the very first effort there are almost always tears. No tears and only minor frustration, but frankly, they were bored. They kept asking if I could just do it or could they try on the machine. At that point I should have put the project aside, to be picked up later. Did I do that? No, of course not. I made them finish, by helping a lot. We had the distractions of pins, scissors, and the red pen we used for marking. Oh, and tiger costumes. When it got to stuffing their interest was renewed. And after I closed them up they went to town with a pen to draw on a face.

And they haven't asked me to sew again.

November 1

It's hard to get any work done when the dining room table/desk looks like this.

It's the day after Halloween and the day after I returned from Quilt Market in Houston. I want to share a lot about Market, but I'll save that for another post. Today, it is recovery day, clean-up day, follow-up day, and try not to eat all the Reese Peanut Butter Cups day.

(My tiger and leopard. Tiger costume courtesy of some fake fur and even some sewing by my husband. That sewing which required me sitting on the Market floor walking him through threading my sewing machine from Houston. And she's a real tiger, thank-you very much, not Tigger.)

Another Announcement

Because my life isn't crazy enough...

In March the book is coming out.

Our basement is on it's way to becoming a functional and beautiful space, but not without the noise, chaos, mess, and extra people in my house all the time. All. The. Time.

And now I've gone and got myself knocked up.

(That's me in the top left, complete with an airplane/baby in my tummy and my growing boobs. Thanks to The Monster for this family portrait.)

I'm complaining about none of it.

Okay, I might complain about the reno stuff more than I should and I really dislike being pregnant. So, if you see me in person there is a good chance I will whine about something. And me, such a process person, I'm only interested in the end result with both these scenarios.

Because I need a little bit of order in my crazy life...

My new website launched. www.cherylarkison.com. This is a landing zone for all things about me, including a portfolio and quilt gallery. It is a live site and will get updated as I photograph more quilts and write more articles. My teaching schedule is also on there. Let me know how you like the site.

This blog will be changing over the next little while. Many of you were reading me over at Backseat Gourmet as well. In an effort to streamline the work I do that I don't get paid for, I am consolidating my two blogs. You'll see the new name up there and a few other changes. This space will become something that combines all the things I do as I survey the world from my dining room empire - quilting, crafts, parenting, writing, cooking, and generally being crazy. And I'm going to be sharing it all here. Especially the crazy part!

I am pregnant after all...