The Sixth Day of Christmas

On the sixth day of Christmas we loaded the station wagon sled with cookie sheets, large cooking bowls, a bag of sugar and two boys (we left Tony behind for a day of peace and quiet!), and headed to Nashville to bake all of our Christmas goodies with my Mom, an annual family tradition!

She already had sugar cookie dough mixed up and ready to cook. This is a huge recipe, so you can eat lots of raw dough and still have plenty of baked goods to share with friends. After about 6 pans of cookies, we were glad to see the bottom of the bowl! These are perfect for a cookie exchange and won't be secretly tossed in the trash by any takers!

SUGAR COOKIES

Once those were under way, I started cutting up fresh oranges for ambrosia. This recipe is the guilt free dessert of the season. With only three ingredients, all being fruit, you can't go too wrong. Cut up oranges, add a can of crushed pineapple, juice and all, and stir in unsweetened, grated coconut. Okay, so the coconut is not the lowest calorie thing in the world, but it is much better than sugar, butter and flour that seems to be in all of our other delicacies!

Three generations of chefs...Me, Rick and Mom

Rick jumped in and started making turtles. These are his favorites. Since all you have to do is unwrap candy, either Rollos or Reisen and place it on top of a twisted pretzel, Rick likes the ease of these babies. Once they are compiled on a baking sheet, you just heat them up for 10 minutes until the candy melts, then push a pecan half into the melted candy. You're done! These always turn out so cute. Now, when deciding between Reisen or Rollos, decide whether you like hard chewy caramel or soft squishy caramel. Rollos are the softies!

By the time I finished the ambrosia, Will and Mom were mixing up a recipe of Seafoam. Mom wants Will to learn how to make this family favorite so she can pass the wooden spoon on to him next year. I have heard folks refer to this candy as Divinity, but the Divinity I have tasted hasn't been nearly as light and fluffy as Seafoam. Mom has to hide this from everyone because we will gobble it up without saving any for visitors and friends.

SEAFOAM

After baking up a storm, it was time for a lunch break and the addition of another chef. My niece, Erica, arrived just in time for lunch. Since the day she was born, she has had the ability of reducing my Will to a goofy, giggly, silly kid just by walking in the door. This did not change today!

TWO GOOFY BOYS!

Next came the Lady Fingers. Yum! Mom had the foresight to mix these up last night, too. We rolled them into dainty little fingers, baked them for 10 minutes, then dropped them in a ziploc filled with powdered sugar. Once they are coated, you store them in a cookie tin or just eat them as you remove them from the ziploc bag of sugar! Mom had to take these away from me!

The last recipe we prepared was cheese straws. There has to be something salty to remove the taste of all the sweet things you eat during the day! Will mushed up the cheese and butter. He struggled with the sillies while pouring flour into the measuring cup. He was downright scary when it came to adding red pepper to the recipe! Once it was all mixed up, he put the mixture in the cookie press and squeezed out four cookie sheets worth.

Mom's front porch...the kids and Doe-Wreath-a.

While waiting for all the cookie sheets to make their way to the oven, we took a photo op on Mom's front porch. Don't you love the cute aprons she picked up for them!

Snack plate at the end of the day! Seafoam, lady fingers, sugar cookies, cheese straws and turtles!

On the Seventh Day of Christmas, I'll be going to WalMart to purchase myself a pair of stretchy-waisted sweatpants to squeeze into. So, now you know why my ass is a size 16! I better get out there and put another couple of miles on my sneakers so as not to stretch into an 18 before New Years!

NOTE: If you would like to see the recipes for any of these yummy treats, just click on the name of the one you want. It should take you to the recipe!

May visions of sugar plums dance in your head and NOT on your hips!