january’s last bite!

IMG_7199
Is it time yet?
IMG_7212
How about now?
IMG_7233
Is it finally time?
IMG_7222
Can we PLEASE do it now??

Yes Helen,

now we can bake.

IMG_7215

January’s Cookie will be:

The Pepparkakor!

The Pepparkakor is a Swedish Cookie we learned to bake when our daughter, like many other young girls her age, was an admirer of The American Girl Doll Collection.  Always inquisitive our daughter was more obsessed with trying to learn as much as she could about each of the dolls in the collection, than her desire to own one! (Although she did, after two years of deciding which was the ‘one for her,’ place Samantha on her birthday wish list.)  Through her searches in libraries, book stores, and The American Girl Doll Catalog she discovered so many wonderful historical and cultural things, even the foods they would have eaten in their time period and world location.  And this is exactly how we discovered the Pepparkakor cookie, where the recipe was tucked into a cookbook of an American Girl doll!

Pepparkakor Cookies

1 cup butter, 3 1/4 cups flour, 2 tea baking soda, 2 tea cinnamon, 1 tea ginger, 1/2 tea ground cloves, 1 1/2 cups sugar, 1 egg, 2 tab maple syrup, 1 tab water

  1. Soften the butter.  Measure the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, and cloves into a sifter.  Sift ingredients into a medium mixing bowl.  Set the bowl aside.
  2. Put the sugar and softened butter into a large mixing bowl.  Use a wooden spoon to press together & stir.  Add the egg, maple syrup, and water to the butter & sugar mixture.  Beat until fluffy.
  3. Stir the dry ingredients into the mixture 1 cup at a time.  Mix well after each cup.
  4. Cover the bowl with a plate, and chill the dough in the refrigerator for at least an hour to make the dough easier to roll out and handle.
  5. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Have ungreased cookie sheets ready to use.
  6. Sprinkle flour onto a table or counter.  Divide the dough into 2 balls.  Try to make the piece about 1/8 inch thick.
  7. Use cookie cutters to cut out shapes .  Put the cookies 2 inches apart on the cookie sheets.  Bake the cookies for 8 to 10 minutes, until they are lightly browned on the bottom.  Watch the cookies carefully.  They burn easily!

What shape to choose?

nibble, nibble, nibble…

crumbs on the plate.

nibble, nibble, nibble…

it’s almost too late!

Hurry-Up!

Or you’ll miss the last bite

of something that is great!

IMG_7218
It is exhausting to sit around and wait all day!

 

hugs n’ blessings are being sent no matter what shape you are!

last bite!!!

nibble, nibble, nibble…

crumbs on the plate.

nibble, nibble, nibble…

it’s almost too late!

Hurry-Up!

Or you’ll miss the last bite

of something that is great!

IMG_6954

“Merry Christmas,” greetings are quickly changing to “Happy New Year!”
Even holiday parties are transitioning from the celebration of Christ’s birth & the twelve days of Christmas to New Year’s preparations.  

But I’m holding on to the last crumb!

I’m savoring the final nibble.

I’m lingering within the joy of our Saviour’s birth!

The celebration of Christmas and the joy which comes from welcoming others into our home, as a communal participation in the celebration of the birth of a savior, adds a BOUNCE…and a skip, to one’s step.

OH, joy! OH, joy! Let us prepare for Him!

And today I’m reflecting back on those bounces, and skippity-skips and allowing them to just sink in to make imprints on my heart.  Imprints I may run my memory over from time to time as the New Year approaches, to remember He is to be celebrated not just during the Christmas Season but the whole year through!

And with this personal revelation, this God inspired moment, Helen and I have decided to make this year…the year of more Cookies!  

IMG_6809
Helen guarding the cookie -cutter jar from potential Ebeneezer’s!

We may save baking The Dawn’s famous red-truck Christmas Cookies for the Holiday Season; however,

IMG_6816
A collection of Red Trucks decorate the kitchen each Christmas.
IMG_6818
A Red Truck Christmas Cookie Cutter purchased in 1995 celebrates a 10 year tradition this year at North Star!
IMG_6820
All that is needed is your favorite cut-out-cookie recipe & an ample supply of red, green & chocolate sprinkles!
IMG_1093
Cut out & ready to be ‘sprinkled’ on lightly greased cookie sheets!
IMG_1089
It’s Sprinkle-Time…my favorite part!!
IMG_1087
First batch fresh from the oven! Yum-yummy & so darn cute!

there will be cookies to be made & shared throughout the year, as a reminder of the continual saving grace of a God who loves us!

Please stop in around the 25th of each month to discover the cookie Helen and I will have been inspired to bake together!

IMG_6813

IMG_6813IMG_6797

Perhaps even share a nibble with us!

 Don’t be shy…Helen is good at picking up the crumbs off the floor!

IMG_6801
Helen Kowalska-Cookie Baking, Crumb Catching Wonder Dog!

 

warmed baked hugs n’ blessings until the very last nibble!!

chewin’ on bread together!

My reblog for today will have a slightly different appearance because this particular blog comes from a different hosting-site but I wanted to expose her to you because I know you will absolutely LOVE her darling site!

The name of this site is New Beginnings, Loving & Living Life after Retirement & is written by Karen, who is a fun-spirited woman enjoying retired life to its fullest!  Her side-kick-retired-too-husband is an adorable added dimension to several  of her posts!

I am sure, if you are anything like me, you will enjoy reading & visually partaking in all the many activities and explorations she shares with her reader!  And as she invites you into her personal space and expeditions during this new Chapter of Life she is embracing you will naturally expect to be sat down in a chair, with a slice of zucchini bread to share, as you spend the time chewing away together!!

Here’s one of my recent favorites you will find:

http://1973newbeginnings.blogspot.com/2015/07/z-is-for-zucchini.html