It's the most wonderful time of the year, and if you ask me, the reason is that you can eat cookies all season and not feel at all guilty. At least, I don't. I know that I will be making at least a dozen different cookies this Christmas and I am starting with this very easy sugar cookie recipe. I made this cookie for the first time two weeks ago and I got so many compliments and requests for the recipe, I decided that this should be the first for my Christmas cookie series.
These cookies are soft and chewy and the reason why is the shortening that I substitute in for butter. I love the way that butter tastes, don't get me wrong, there is no substitute for that, but what I don't like is a thin, crusty cookie, which is what using all butter will give me. I got this recipe from Pinterest and if you would like the original recipe, you can find it pinned to the Cookies board at My Mama's Cheap on Pinterest. It is a delightfully delicious cookie!
This easy cookie dough can be put together in minutes, in fact, I was able to make four dozen cookies in a little less than an hour. In addition, my seven year old daughter can easily make this recipe, it is just that simple!
I'm sorry for the lack of pictures lately! I find taking them and posting them to be extremely time consuming, and right now, I just don't have time to post pictures for everything that I want to share. Please bare with me...some recipes will have complete picture tutorials, and the simple ones, like this, will be without. Hopefully this will give me more time to post and share ideas with you every day.
Thank you for stopping by!
Drop Sugar Cookies- Makes 3-4 dozen
1/2 cup butter (softened)
1/2 cup shortening
1 1/4 cup sugar
3 egg yolks
2 tsp. vanilla
2 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. cream of tartar
1/4 tsp. salt
1/3 cup of sugar in a shallow dish (for rolling cookies)
Directions- Preheat oven to 350 degrees
1. In a large mixing bowl, cream together the butter and the shortening until whipped and smooth. Add the sugar and cream until the mixture is light and fluffy. Add the egg yolks, one at a time, and cream until thoroughly mixed. Add the vanilla, baking soda, cream of tartar, and salt. Mix well, scrapping the sides as you go. Add the flour, in one cup increments, and stir until completely combined.
2. Using a teaspoon, roll the dough into 1 inch balls. Roll the balls through the shallow dish of sugar and place them approximately 2 inches apartment on a cookie sheet that is lined with parchment paper. Bake for 8-10 minutes or until the edges are slightly golden and the top is cracked. Pull from the oven and allow to sit on the cookie sheet for 2 minutes. Remove to a wire rack and allow to cool completely.
These cookies are perfect shared with coffee and great friends!
Happy Holiday Season!
Wednesday, December 2, 2015
Tuesday, December 1, 2015
A Homemade Christmas
It's Christmas time!! I love Christmas and because I have young children, the magic of Christmas is in abundance around our house! However, the beauty and peace of the season can be lost for a family that is living close to the vest. Christmas has become so commercialized that the focus of the season is shifted from what matters (the birth of our Savior) to a season of cranky parents looking for the "perfect" gift. Now, I want to set the record straight...I'm not bitter, I love giving gifts to our children on Christmas morning. I love to see that look of wonder in their eyes as they gaze at the tree and wonder if Santa is real. I love to watch them open the gifts and the excitement in their eyes when they get something that they really wanted. To me, this is a very special time of year, but not only for the gifts that they are receiving, but also in the gifts that we give to others. This time of year, as beautiful as it is, can also be extremely stressful, especially for families that only have one income. I can remember, when my boys were really little, my husband and I didn't have much money because I had just left my full time job to stay home, and we only had two gifts under the tree for each child and a few items in their stockings. My children were unaware of our struggles, and they were grateful for what they had.
Today, I want to share with you some of the ideas that I have for saving money on gifts around Christmas. I know how difficult and stressful it can be to make Christmas special for your children when you have so little to spend. The following ideas are things that I have done in the past or am currently working on this year. I hope that by sharing these ideas, you will find your Christmas season to be less stressful and that you will find the peace and hope of the season, as it is supposed to be.
1. My children only get one gift from Santa every year. I explained to my children that if Santa carried multiple gifts for everyone on his sleigh, that he would be too heavy to fly and so he brings one gift and the stockings, and that is it. My children have accepted that, and they only expect one gift from Santa. Santa listens very carefully to their wish list, and chooses one, very reasonable gift, to give. Last year my daughter asked for an American Girl doll. Santa brought her an Our Generation doll from Target, she didn't know the difference. In addition, Santa never brings a high ticket item for the children. If we choose to give the kids an expensive gift, then we put our name on the tag. This is important because it sets a reasonable expectation for the children. They won't expect Santa to bring an expensive gift every year, so if you have a little more to spend this year, you won't feel obligated to spend the same amount next year if your financial circumstances change.
2. Set a budget before you shop and look for sales- This is a very important strategy. When my children were small, we had a budget set for the them that was reasonable for their age, $30 per child. I have four children and our total budget for Christmas was just $250, and that included Christmas dinner. I spent a lot of time researching gifts and purchased everything on sale. It wasn't hard for me to find at least 3 gifts that would fall into that budget reasonably. Now that my kids are older, the gifts are more expensive. Our budget is now $75.00 per child. Our total budget for Christmas is $500 or less, including our Prime Rib dinner on Christmas day. This budget has been set for a year and we have been carefully saving since last Christmas. By setting the budget an entire year in advance, we are able to put aside small amounts of money into a Holiday Club account at our bank throughout the year. In November, the bank issues us a check for the total amount and we start over again for the next year. This strategy takes the pressure off of us and we don't have to charge anything to a credit card. Unfortunately, Black Friday is the best day to find the greatest deals, especially on new toys. However, most websites offer the same deals as the brick and mortar locations, so if you have to work or you don't want to go out in the crowds, simply go online and make your purchases. You can usually save on shipping and it comes straight to your door.
3. Make your own Christmas gifts. Pinterest is your friend here! I have found some really great, homemade Christmas gift ideas on Pinterest! This year I am making 90% of the gifts for my daughter, my friends children, and my nieces. I made this apron set for my niece and between fabric and trim, this set cost me about $10 to make. In addition, I am making some cookie mixes in a jar to give her as well. She will be getting a very unique gift, made even more special as she creates memories while using it. Now, if you are really busy, or you don't know how to sew, that is okay! There are a ton of other things that you can make that aren't time consuming or difficult. For example, there is an idea for a fort in a bag. The fort is basically a sheet, you add some clothes pins and other accessories for building, a flash light, and a pack of cards. This gift is about $10 to make, but wouldn't a little boy just love that! I will be posting more homemade gift ideas throughout the season, so check back and maybe there will be an idea that is perfect for you!
In addition to receiving gifts, it is vitally important to give to others as well. Every year I choose two or three tags from a "giving" tree and my children go with me to choose gifts. I try to choose children that are around the same age of my own so that the kids can choose something really special. Our finances dictate our budget for these gifts and I try to choose items that are at least $10. $30 of our Christmas budget feels like a lot, but it is worth it because my children are learning that Christmas isn't the same for all families, and that while we aren't rich, we have more than enough, and we should be helping others before we help ourselves. Now this tradition has taken on new meaning as my older children are willing to spend some of their own money on these gifts, making them so much more special.
Do you have Christmas ideas that you would like to share or a strategy that works for your family? Please share them with us! I would love to know how other families celebrate the holidays!
Happy Christmas Season!
Today, I want to share with you some of the ideas that I have for saving money on gifts around Christmas. I know how difficult and stressful it can be to make Christmas special for your children when you have so little to spend. The following ideas are things that I have done in the past or am currently working on this year. I hope that by sharing these ideas, you will find your Christmas season to be less stressful and that you will find the peace and hope of the season, as it is supposed to be.
1. My children only get one gift from Santa every year. I explained to my children that if Santa carried multiple gifts for everyone on his sleigh, that he would be too heavy to fly and so he brings one gift and the stockings, and that is it. My children have accepted that, and they only expect one gift from Santa. Santa listens very carefully to their wish list, and chooses one, very reasonable gift, to give. Last year my daughter asked for an American Girl doll. Santa brought her an Our Generation doll from Target, she didn't know the difference. In addition, Santa never brings a high ticket item for the children. If we choose to give the kids an expensive gift, then we put our name on the tag. This is important because it sets a reasonable expectation for the children. They won't expect Santa to bring an expensive gift every year, so if you have a little more to spend this year, you won't feel obligated to spend the same amount next year if your financial circumstances change.
2. Set a budget before you shop and look for sales- This is a very important strategy. When my children were small, we had a budget set for the them that was reasonable for their age, $30 per child. I have four children and our total budget for Christmas was just $250, and that included Christmas dinner. I spent a lot of time researching gifts and purchased everything on sale. It wasn't hard for me to find at least 3 gifts that would fall into that budget reasonably. Now that my kids are older, the gifts are more expensive. Our budget is now $75.00 per child. Our total budget for Christmas is $500 or less, including our Prime Rib dinner on Christmas day. This budget has been set for a year and we have been carefully saving since last Christmas. By setting the budget an entire year in advance, we are able to put aside small amounts of money into a Holiday Club account at our bank throughout the year. In November, the bank issues us a check for the total amount and we start over again for the next year. This strategy takes the pressure off of us and we don't have to charge anything to a credit card. Unfortunately, Black Friday is the best day to find the greatest deals, especially on new toys. However, most websites offer the same deals as the brick and mortar locations, so if you have to work or you don't want to go out in the crowds, simply go online and make your purchases. You can usually save on shipping and it comes straight to your door.
3. Make your own Christmas gifts. Pinterest is your friend here! I have found some really great, homemade Christmas gift ideas on Pinterest! This year I am making 90% of the gifts for my daughter, my friends children, and my nieces. I made this apron set for my niece and between fabric and trim, this set cost me about $10 to make. In addition, I am making some cookie mixes in a jar to give her as well. She will be getting a very unique gift, made even more special as she creates memories while using it. Now, if you are really busy, or you don't know how to sew, that is okay! There are a ton of other things that you can make that aren't time consuming or difficult. For example, there is an idea for a fort in a bag. The fort is basically a sheet, you add some clothes pins and other accessories for building, a flash light, and a pack of cards. This gift is about $10 to make, but wouldn't a little boy just love that! I will be posting more homemade gift ideas throughout the season, so check back and maybe there will be an idea that is perfect for you!
In addition to receiving gifts, it is vitally important to give to others as well. Every year I choose two or three tags from a "giving" tree and my children go with me to choose gifts. I try to choose children that are around the same age of my own so that the kids can choose something really special. Our finances dictate our budget for these gifts and I try to choose items that are at least $10. $30 of our Christmas budget feels like a lot, but it is worth it because my children are learning that Christmas isn't the same for all families, and that while we aren't rich, we have more than enough, and we should be helping others before we help ourselves. Now this tradition has taken on new meaning as my older children are willing to spend some of their own money on these gifts, making them so much more special.
Do you have Christmas ideas that you would like to share or a strategy that works for your family? Please share them with us! I would love to know how other families celebrate the holidays!
Happy Christmas Season!
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