Ah, the holidays are here and the potential for fun with your family is endless. Unless you’re crazy a little uptight, a terrible cook/baker/example in patience and suffering from one of your roughest days of morning sickness thus far. Somehow we made it through and even had some yummy treats to enjoy together…turns out this once my not following the directions actually didn’t ruin the dough. Merry Christmas to me!
Lesson #1:
DO read the directions carefully when making the dough. If you don’t….
DON’T be surprised (or offended for that matter, because—let’s face it—he’s right) when your sassy kid says, “You’re not a mom. Moms know how to cook!”
Lesson #2:
DO let your kids help measure and pour the ingredients. (If you’re really sneaky, you can teach them some math along the way.)
DON’T leave the spices open (especially next to dinner) or leave the extra butter on the counter (unless you’re actually ok with your 2-year old opening it and eating it like a popsicle appetizer).
Lesson #3:
DO choose gingerbread cookies if you’re in the throes of morning sickness. The dough smells so bad you won’t be tempted to eat it, but the finished product is really tasty and has nausea-fighting properties.
DON’T rely too heavily on those nausea-fighting properties.
Lesson #4:
DO forget everything Martha ever taught you. No, really. Everything.
DON’T look when your 4-year old is “carefully” spreading frosting and applying sprinkles.
Lesson #5:
DO plan to stick to the floor for awhile.
DON’T forget to enjoy the moment (even if it does make you cringe from time to time).
Has your family enjoyed any holiday decorating/baking/celebrating? Do you have any funny or sweet moments to share in the comments? I certainly hope so!
if it makes you feel any better, i have like 5 things i can make. literally. one of which is pasta because really, who can’t make pasta? there’s a dessert i make that was my grandmother’s recipe. it’s a whipped cream torte (called “kiss torte”). my mother used to make it and then i started making it years ago. it’s mainly for the Jewish holidays. i used to always make sure i had enough ingredients to make the shell twice because it would always burn. always. granted i’m not a mom, but as my cousin said to me just yesterday after we fessed up (on her FB page no less) that between the 2 of us we’ve mastered pasta, boxed mac ‘n cheese, grilled cheese, toast and chicken soup. she said “we’re Jewish. Shouldn’t we inherently be amazing cooks??? What happened there?” clearly i did not get that gene.
Who can’t make pasta? Me. I seriously messed up our spaghetti sauce last week. Didn’t know it was possible. Your menu sounds a lot like ours. It’s good to know I’m not alone!
Every year for as long as I remember, we make cookies with a cookie press. But in the actual mixing of the dough, it is always a contest whether the mixer or the dough will win. There is always this temptation – adult or child – to lift the beaters while mixing because it just seems like the dough may be winning the fight. Because the dough is green, when you lift the beaters (and of course, you don’t turn the mixer off when you get this urge) – little flicks of green dough go everywhere, and I mean everywhere. Your hair, the child’s hair, the floor, in plants. It is an odd year that I do not find a blob of hardened green cookie dough lurking somewhere a couple of weeks after the initial “cookie extravaganza.”
In the last couple of years we started including grandkids, especially sprinkling on little balls on the cookies. They may not be Martha Stewart pretty but they are beautiful to anyone under eight years old, or over sixty (this because you love your grandchildren more than the cookies). So now we have very green, very sprinkled cookies. ENJOY!!!
I don’t know if I told you this, but Big said that he was really sad we wouldn’t be with you on Christmas because you make the BEST cookies. I’m afraid I’m not doing you justice from afar. Enjoy the green deliciousness and know that we’ll be thinking of you!
Amy, having had a delicious meal delivered to us by you in the past, you’re being much too hard on yourself! Wanted to share the joy of making our traditional peppermint bark with the kids, which you know of well. While I tempered and stirred the vanilla chips, the kids would unwrap either Starbrights or candy canes into a large ziploc. Then, they would take charge of breaking the candy with a hammer or meat tenderizer….they loved that part. They’d stir the candy into the melted vanilla chips and I would spread it out on foil. When it was all set, the kids would break apart the bark. This was always a quick and constructive holiday project for two destructive boys!
Ooh, Lenny’s been tempted to give your delicious bark a try. Now that I know what’s involved, I’ll be sure he does. (When I’m not around, of course.)
Your’e a super mom Amy. I didn’t even attempt to try gingerbread cookies. Cooper and I tried to bake brownies lat week… not really for the holidays yet… but probably a good practice to get to the holiday cookies perhaps. Ha. Obviously, I’m not a good baker… and we have no idea why the brownies turned out… um… kinda wet on the bottom… or was it still not baked throughly? I can’t figure out which one. Here’s our baking pics: http://mylittlecooper.wordpress.com/2010/12/14/fri-1210-friday-fun/
I hear you, my friend! Have I told you the story about the first year we were married and I made Lenny a (boxed) cake for his birthday? I forgot to add 1 of 3 ingredients (water, I think) and it was as hard as a rock. I guess we both just need a bit more practice baking (even 7 years later, in my case). And I’m sure our little soux chefs wouldn’t complain. Enjoy your next kitchen adventure with the boys!
I remember your dad taking over any Christmas baking that would take place in our happy home. He specialized in peanut blossoms and his famous chocolate chip cookies. You kids were always a part of it and when I got home EVERYTHING was a sticky mess (of course, he was smart enough to wait till I was out shopping!) You all had a wonderful time, delicious home-baked cookies and your uptight mom well out of the way. I’m so happy for those memories.