Wedding Cookies!

My cousin got married last weekend up in Conneaut Lake, PA. Gorgeous wedding, perfect weather, and beautiful bride (the groom was also very dapper looking!). In our family--as in many western PA families, it's tradition to have a cookie table on display for the guests. Well, this wedding went above and beyond. I truly think there were no fewer than 10 tables FULL of cookies. Of course, I forgot my camera, so just imagine--if you will--a scene from Willy Wonka's chocolate factory come to life.

Here are the HUGS&COOKIES that were made for the event. Well, some of them were made for the event. Others, not so much! It appears that my "pregnancy brain" forgot that MAY is the fifth month, not the fourth. Odd, since my birthday is also in May. Perhaps not pregnancy brain after all...just old age! Anyway, the "wrong date" cookies still tasted good...in the privacy of my own home.

Slight Diversion

Sometimes when your house is full of cookies, it's necessary to find a diversion away from the temptation of butter, sugar and flour. Thankfully, the road in front of our house is being repaved and there are tractors everywhere. If there is one thing a little HUG loves, it's a tractor.

Cookie, schmookie. More tractor?

"Are you serious?"

A little tentative at first

It's real! He touched it!

 

 

Best friends...

Decorate Your Own Cookie!

What better way to have people enjoy HUGS&COOKIES than to let them experience the process! Two top-performing cookie decorators really put their skills to the test at the MOMS Club Spring Bazaar on May 14.

Seriously, does he EVER stop talking?

O getting some help from his daddy

Cookies on display

Finished products

Cookies...here we go!

Two events coming up:

1. MOMS Club spring bazaar
2. My cousin David's wedding

Both of these call for one thing:

1. HUGS&COOKIES

Since I'm working from home today, see home office below:

I decided to make some cookies as I worked. I decided on the traditional polka dot and also to use a smaller sized cutter than usual because the bazaar only calls for small samples and a cookie table at a wedding can be very overwhelming. One hour later, I had 153 cookies....yes, it only took one hour! In this time I also managed to fix 3 issues at work, complete a load of laundry, and talk the door installation man into fixing our garbage disposal. I pretty much handled the 10-11am hour.

Cookies still have to be iced and decorated, but that will have to wait until after hours. I DO have work to do!

the dough

cutting the dots

God bless SILPAT!

153 cookies

cookies as far as the eye can see

Banana Bread, Take Two

I'm a little bit obsessed with making banana bread...and making it as healthy as possible. This morning I had an idea that was inspired by one of my very best friends who puts chocolate chips in her banana bread....so instead of chocolate chips, I just added 2 tsp of cocoa to the batter. Turns out it's not a world changing improvement, but I kind of like it.

So, here's what I did...

Instead of oil or butter, I used vanilla yogurt.
Cut the sugar from 1 cup to 1/2 cup and used brown instead of white
Used whole wheat flour instead of white
Added about 1/2 of wheat germ (I have no idea why/if this is healthy....I just know it's in my fridge and I use it in my granola recipe)
Added an extra banana

Here's the end result!

Happy Mother's Day!

We spent Mother's Day both in the kitchen and at Grandma's house. Kitchen first, of course...we can't go to  Grandma's empty handed! This calls for chocolate cake, right...someone else thought so too! Perhaps not the best sous chef, but the VERY best partner in crime!