Cookies for Santa

Thank you to Rebekah for her guest post below. Follow Rebekah’s adventures at Girl Gets SoCal.

When my brother D was little, he used to sleep under the Christmas tree to wait for Santa. He would fall asleep under the boughs of the tree looking up at the lights and the ornaments, breathing in the heady pine scent.

I, being the older and wiser sister, would sleep in my own bed under warm flannel since I knew the whole Santa game thankyouverymuch. D never got to see Santa, but the cookies he left out were always eaten and remnants from the carrots set out for the reindeer could be found on the front porch.

This year, D made homemade Oreos to set next to the tree. Christmas morning there were presents under the tree and the milk and cookies left for Santa were almost gone.

Lucky for us, D shared some of his cookies before we went to bed on Christmas Eve. I am lucky to have a brother that knows how to share his love of Christmas is such a delicious way.

sweet treats for my valentine

day just for girls – then a sweet recipe to share

It is a girl’s Valentine adventure along the river town — inspiration, laughs and the making of memories! Two stops are tops on our list!  

Mi filled with inspiring ideas for vintage finds at Rose Mille (modeling fabulous vintage millinery feathers!)

 

 Mi, owner and designer extraordinaire at Rose Mille, is eager to show off her newly-designed haute couture handbags. With camera in tow, we set up to photo the fabulous bags, but the camera battery is dead! So, more about these amazing handbags another time.

After finding a few not-to-be missed vintage treasures, the girls are off to a romantic gardener’s dream–Camrose Hill! Cindie, gifted designer and owner, is inspiring with her beautiful bouquets that always have an added element of surprise and careful attention to detail.

Victorian Rose Basket for a Valentine

Of course, the girls can’t leave without some Valentine’s to share with those they love. One last Valentine just as they say their “good-byes”…Mary offers the girls freshly-baked Valentine sugar cookies for along the road. Who can resist on a girls only adventure?

memories of cut-out Valentine sugar cookies

The sprinkled sugar cookies bring back memories of a tucked away Valentine card I received from my grandparents long ago. Then, I read Karen’s comment on the Valentine’s Wishes post about the card her husband received from his mom. I just had to look for that card from Grandpa and Grandma Marsden. The card is inscribed with a Valentine cookie recipe that I want to share with you–just in case you need to do a last minute Valentine for someone! I am up before Bob, the rooster, looking for the card.

Viola! …I stop in my tracks …and have a growing realization that the card looks quite vintage–something from the era of some things we were looking at on the girl’s Valentine adventure! Oh, my! The little package of red sugar sprinkles is still intact and attached to the inside of the card. The instructions on the package reads, “Make a sweet sugar design on each one.”

Sweet Granddaughter Valentine (c. 1965)

“real good” Valentine cookies

1/2 cup butter (unsalted)

1 cup granulated sugar

1 farm fresh egg, beaten well

2 cups sifted all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon sea salt

1 teaspoon of Madagascar vanilla

Cream butter and sugar together. Stir in egg. Sift flour, baking powder and salt together. Add alternately with milk and vanilla. Chill in refrigerator for one hour.

Drop from teaspoon onto lightly- greased cookie sheet or Silpat. Flatten each cookie with bottom of glass covered with damp cloth. (Using a glass with a impressed design on the bottom makes a very pretty cookie.) Decorate with red or pink sugar sprinkles to make a sweet sugar design. Bake at 350 degrees for 7 to 9 minutes or until lightly browned. Makes 2 dozen.

I hope that you make a “sweet sugar design”

on the life of someone you meet today.

Happy Valentine’s!

A Valentine Wish for You (c.1893)