From the Kitchen (From Jodi's Kitchen Actually)

I have not been trying new recipes lately.  It's a busy time of year with one or the other of us being busy/out for one reason or another. 

So, I have been sticking with quick and easy favorites, and stuff that makes enough extra for lunch and dinner the next day.  On nights I'm out I cook a big dinner the night before so Mark and Sky still have a good meal that he can heat up easy for the two of them. 

I did however make Christmas cookies this year and it was a new recipe.  Had I known how much work they were I would have picked something different, but they did taste yummy.

Thankfully Jodi was willing to let me make a mess in her kitchen and we made cookies together.  Hers were yummy and so much easier! 

White Chocolate Cherry cookies.  They were supposed to be half dipped in white chocolate and then the white chocolate edge rolled in red glitter...very pretty, very labor intensive.  Since they tasted good as is, and it had already taken a lot of time and work to get to a basic baked cookie, I didn't worry about making them look fancy. 

The girls pulled up chairs to stand and watch what we were doing.  I know it's blurry...those two are really hard to get a clean pic of...constant motion!

Educational piece for the day...

If a recipe calls for a pastry blender this is what it looks like.  Used a lot to cut in cold butter to dry ingredients. 

I'm thankful someone I know has a very well outfitted kitchen and let me snoop around just to verify the existence of a pastry blender.  I'm also very thankful she ended up having one...forks don't work nearly as well!  :)