I sat staring at the shamrock cookie cutter in my hand, hoping for a different IRSIHistible design to magically pop into my head. Gratefully, I flashed back to Patti Paige’s/Baked Ideas‘ many clever and sensational out.of.the.box cookies (MUST buy her book “Can’t Judge a Cookie by its Cutter!”). Okay, look, some flashbacks are a positive thing. At least I hope YOU think so…. Here is my simple and funky wee leprechaun (and a little ‘how to’):
Hope this day is all that you would hope it to be- whether you are in it for love, hate, or simply the massive quantities of candy. Sorry for the late posting. I realize that it is almost
ValenTIME… This is FOURm me TWO you.
Our daughters are amazing young ladies; they are the BALM diggity! Here’s how I let them know.
Okay, I am not KITTEN around anymore. These were for my cat loving friend. My take on the retro ‘smitten kitten.’
If you haven’t ever visited Buffalo New York, you really should. Not this week as it is bitter cold but go most any other (Chicago is colder and you’d go there…). No really, I mean it! The park system was designed by Olmstead (same guy that sculpted and landscaped Central Park, NYC). He also designed the grounds around the old mental asylum made from Medina red sandstone built by architect HH Richardson; it will knock your socks off. Explore the Albright Knox/Burchfield Penney ART Museum area or try ice bicycling on the Erie Canal in downtown (or kayak in the summer). Study Tiffany stain glass windows in our churches, learn the history of making Carrousel horses at the Herschell Museum, or tour one of several Frank Lloyd Wright designed homes in the area. Niagara Falls is a quick 30 minutes north; try the jet boat ride up the lower rapids in the summer. Feast at any of the many places Diners, Drive Ins and Dives has visited, eat Lake Effect ice cream, or go to the home of the original chicken wing, the Anchor Bar (some natives like Duff’s better– let me know which you think is best). Come celebrate Dyngus Day, tour Millionaire Mansion row decked out for the holidays, or sip your way through one of the many pub crawls.
To all of this, our family says a fond farewell. Our friends here are exceptional. We will miss you so very much. The moving van is loading, blowing snow and frigid cold and all.
Our next adventure begins in the new state of …. well, that’s a post yet to come.
Um. Essential to life. Right? What’s not to love about coffee? As I paid homage to tea, I felt it necessary to compliment my other hot beverage of choice. The word “coffee” entered the English language in 1582 via the Dutch koffie, borrowed from the Turkish kahve, in turn borrowed from the Arabic qahwa, a truncation of qahhwat al-bun ‘wine of the bean’.
Here’s how the cookies for my caffeine-addicted friend turned out.
Not all cookies make the grade. To prove the point, here are some ideas that I played around with that did not turn out as I had hoped. Whomp whomp. Please try to remember only the ones that made the grade. 🙂
I was invited to go over to a friend’s house for tea, which made me think of a tea party (all proper with pinkies extended), and then Boston, and then the yellow flag with a snake that says “don’t tread on me”, and then all of the possible mutations of “T”, tee, tea, bag, etc? My mind works in mysterious ways. And “works” is a questionable categorization. These are but a few of the possibilities:
(PS: Thanks to the magnificent Arty McGoo for allowing me to personify her on a tea bag cookie. With utter jaw-dropping talent and a playful nature, Liz has the whole package; I am ever grateful for her inspiration and hysterical sense of humor.)
Again with the small bites for many people. I’m hoping to spread cookie kindness like confetti tonight. Lots of food will be offered so these little guys will fit the grazing mentality. Here’s to a delectable and delightful start to 2015! Cheers!
I belong to a couple of fitness clubs, as I have exercise ADD and adore this instructor over here and that type of class over there… Over the holidays I bring in cookies, including a a bakers box of cookies to one large group. The incredible fitness instructor for this group, April, motivates you to work hard while finding balance and humor in the daily grind; thus, she has a HUGE following. These exercisers, however, may or may not eat cookies on a regular basis. So I like to bring in a lot of cookies that are only a bite or two each. I kinda missed getting it done before Christmas this year so I went for a New Year theme.
Do you make a resolution for the start of a new year? If so, do you quantify it (try 3 vegetables you never had before), make them broad and fuzzy (be more patient), or keep it short and sweet (dance in a puddle)? No matter; I just hope you find something in 2015 that puts the fire in your belly to make something positive happen.
Hope your Christmas is splendid. This platter of trees was made to serve many people little bites (because there were lots and lots of different cookies on that dessert table!). Inspiration was from the 2013 post by Melissa Joy’s Cookies. Melissa’s creative juices flow in abundance; she is a playful and brilliant cookier!
Now a cookie can put someone in their place! um. at the dinner table. A dear friend has used my cookies for years to personalize her Christmas Eve table scape. Trees seemed to be my theme for Christmas 2014 and so it was for her place cookies.
These merry minions headed to NYU for a PhD Christmas party. Included some ornaments and lab coats befitting the host and the theme!
Mama Mayer Bakery 