A Christmas Tradition

Christmas time again and baking cookies is a 

family tradition that my mom passed down

to my sisters and I. She would make all the

different doughs...and triple them up for giving

as well as eating! We would help her decorate 

the sugar cookies, but she would go through so

much to make everything perfect... I sure do 

feel for her. This is a recipe out of an old,

'really' old Betty Crocker Cookbook which she

sent to me after I asked her to leave it to me

in her will... omg... It is all ragged and old, but I LOVE IT!!

It brings back so many fond memories of Christmas'

past. What wonderful memories they were... I try

to keep with traditions but now with just my son

and myself it's not like big family gatherings or all

the fuss any more. I used to make all the same cookies

that my mom did when I was a child... they included

Ethel's Sugar Cookies, Russian Teacakes, Almond 

Crescents, these are all from this cookbook she had.

Well, I tell you, I'm tired!!! I only made Ethel's 

Sugar Cookies and didn't even make the icing and go

through all the elaborate decorating this year. 

First of all, the store was out of all the decorations

and I had to use what I had on hand... They aren't

as pretty as the cookies my mom, sisters and I made

years ago...but it was enough work for me. I was

in the kitchen for about 6 hours. These cookies

need a lot of chilling time, first the dough is made, (I 

tripled the recipe because my son will be taking some to

his school tomorrow for the class party). After

the dough is mixed it needs to chill for an hour,

after this, it needs to be rolled out between waxed

paper sheets and chilled again, then it needs to be

cut out into the shapes with cookie cutters and chilled again,

then you must carefully and quickly get the cookie out

and place it on the cookie sheets, decorate, put in

the oven for 7 minutes at 400F and chill the rest of the 

dough left and repeat the whole process again.

Well, I had many sheets going and tried to roll, cut, decorate

and get it ready to go by the time 7 minutes was up.

I was on a roll! lol   Now I'm on my bed, worn out.

One year I made them with the icing and all, that took

2 days to make!  Remind me next time to thank my mom for

passing this recipe down... LOL!! That cookbook is older

than me and I KNOW they have quicker methods to make

these, but, everyone LOVES Ethel's Sugar Cookies and 

this is the choice my son wanted to share with the school. 

First sheet done...

So many cookies... I will not be making any more,

no Teacakes, no Crescents, no Biscotti or any

others that I've made through the years.

My family is so small now, but I had to make

it special for my youngest son. Notice the bone 

cookies above?  LOL  His request, he loves dogs!!

9:00 pm.... relaxation time. 

Santa better like them... ;)

I just had to add some photos of the infamous

Betty Crocker Cookbook that this recipe came out of

... 

So many wonderful memories of my mom's delicious

cooking and baking... look how worn out it is!!