Yep…this is year 20 for us.  I am not EVEN kidding.  We have been at it that long.  TWENTY years.  WOW.  That sounds amazing even to me and I have been here almost every day! This is a video I found on youtube.  Perfect response to all the jabbing we have endured over the years.  I will be the first to tell you homeschooling isnt for everyone…but neither is school. Enjoy.

I am going to a sock exchange party tomorrow night at my friend Michelle’s house.  This is the cookie I am taking.  They are YUMMY!

You know…I think I am going to see about adding a link to some of my recipes in printable format…doesnt that sound like a good idea?  So many good ideas…so little time!  I really REALLY need to sew some tomorrow too.  I would like to get some ready-made aprons in my shoppe by the end of the week…best laid plans!

There’s a cookie exchange going on…here’s our favorite!

This is by far my family’s favorite cookie. People have always assumed they are extraordinarily hard to make because of the delicate pastry and WOW, the butter cream filling. But quite frankly…they are a breeze to make. Keep that to yourselves, K?? When we ran our catering business, Kneadful Things, we probably made well over 10,000 over the 12 years we were in business. Below is a picture tutorial/recipe. As always gather all your ingredients before you start.

You will need:

• 2 cups flour
• 1/3 cup heavy cream
• 2 sticks butter at room temp (do not substitute)
• sugar for coating cut outs
• cookie cutter of your choice (the fluted ones like shown work BEAUTIFULLY)
• flour for dusting your work area
• Set your oven to 375

For Filling:

• 1 stick softened butter
• 4-5 cups confectioners sugar
• flavoring of choice (I use 1 tsp vanilla extract, and a 1/2 tsp coconut & lemon)
• Coloring if you like

I use parchment lined cookie sheets.

Cut the butter into the 2 cups of flour with a pastry cutter or fork until it is mealy…like cornmeal. Add cream all at once and mix until thoroughly incorporated.

Roll 1/3 the dough out adding just enough flour to keep it from sticking to the surface (I use a silicone mat). DO NOT over work your dough or your cookies will be tough. Cut what you can from this rolling and set the scraps to the side to use ONE more time. After the second rolling, discard the dough - too “used” to use, ya know?

Place your cut outs into a plate of sugar to coat.

Place the cookies on a parchment lined baking sheet and prick each one with a fork (3-4 times- no need to get “creative” like Husband!).

Bake about 10-11 minutes until set…not browned. Remove to a wire rack till cooled.

Mix your filling ingredients with a mixer until light. Spread one cookie and top with another. Makes a YUMMY sandwich cookie and delish with a great cup of Farmhouse Blend Coffee!

We are working on getting completed in the next few days.  I had considered doing a DVD but what the heck, I will just post it and if you want it, it will be yours to view and hopefully it will be of some use to you.  So stay tuned….