Thursday, November 13, 2014

Italian Spice Cookie: EPIC FAIL!!!!

Not even close to good. I mean these were so not even close to good as to be beyond bad... I felt so sorry for the wasted ingredients!!!!!

UGH.


We'd roamed the World Wide Web in search of something as good as Tina's mother's recipe. Mind you, it has been YEARS since I ate one, and I was going on memory, and you know what memories can do to a person. So maybe Tina Russo Radcliffe's mother's cookies weren't great at all.

Maybe they were ordinary and I was just starving to death. (By the way, Tina's mother is stinkin' adorable, sweet and so kindly that I just wanted to bundle her up and bring her home with me. Tina refused to let me put her in the car. I'd have brought her back. Eventually!!!!)

Anyway, the kids had Veteran's Day off and we were doing cool things but we needed to give my buddy Christina some baking time. So we did. And so it began:

But first we had to take kitten pics to put the fall kittens on Craigs List:


There are THREE more so our measure of cute knows no bounds.  Stinkin' cute, right?

Okay, back to cookies.

No.

I refuse to go back to cookies. I'm waging war against the cookies! I can't even give them to the dogs because... sigh... they're chocolate.

Okay, enough cookie whining, because look what I had to be grateful for!!!!

THIS!!!

A Box o' Baby!!!!


And then there's THIS!!!!


"I think I'll help Grammy rake some leaves... or possibly fall in the pond. One or the other."

And then there's this bit of amazement taking place in our side yard:

This Santa and NINE FULL SIZED REINDEER are now taking over the side yard. Why, you say? On November 13th?

Well because it was nice out.

'Sall I got. Nice = Get 'er done!

The first year I set up the set, I used little metal stakes and thin wire. BIG MISTAKE. Now they're in the ground with heavy duty wire and rope and the biggest stakes I could find at Home Depot...

But today's winds said these babies aren't flying or tipping this year!!!

That's 'Lijah, our friend Angie and Finn, sittin' in the sleigh. Great-grandma Blodgett and Great Uncle Chuck made this set probably fifteen to twenty years ago. It used to be set up in their big front yard, and then when their health prevented putting the set out, Santa and his buds languished in Uncle Chuck's big barn....

And when the time came to clear out the barn and sell the small farm they called home, I was amazed that no one wanted Santa & Co.

I did!!!!  :)

And so Santa came here in several pick-up truck loads, and when he's not in the yard, he and his friends rest and recupe in our shed... The WHOLE shed. It takes the whole shed to keep them safe all year.



SO FUNNY!!!! But it's Cadillac housing for a beloved project.

So while the cookies were a bust.... sadly.... We went and got cider-glazed fried cakes from R&K Zarpentines, a jug of fresh cider and smiles at Santa and his friends.



This weekend I'll hook up the lights we use as "reins" and a couple of spotlights in the yard... and it's a Merry Christmas display for so many!


13 comments:

  1. KITTEHS.

    And this: "We went and got cider-glazed fried cakes from R&K Zarpentines, a jug of fresh cider and smiles at Santa and his friends." *sobs quietly*

    I'm so excited our Little Free Library is up and running because I wanted to have it out before Christmas because... Little Free Library for neighborhood children decorated with twinkle lights= all the things right in the world.

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    1. Oh, yes, I agree.... And why don't I know of this Little Free Library? Is it in your house? In a neighbor's house? In church? Because I'm stealing this idea RIGHT NOW for a book I'm working on. Just so's youse know that nothing is sacred, darling.... Tell us more!

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    2. http://littlefreelibrary.org/

      I'm posting about it this Friday! I didn't know it wasn't as well-known as it is here. And it helps declutter. And kids get books. And I get shelf space. So it's a win-win!

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  2. too bad the cookies didn't make it. :-( I'm not even thinking about decorating for Christmas yet...too early and I already feel like it's rushing up on me. haven't even done my shopping yet.
    Susanna

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    1. Ah, Susanna, if you lived in the north and had a project that takes hours to retrieve and then stake and tie each reindeer into the soil, you'd be doing it now, too. Some jobs are best not left for cold, snowy, windy days. So I'm not rushing the season, I'm just setting the stage! Did you know Disney and Gaylord's Opryland Hotel start doing their massive lighting displays in September and October? It's a huge task and they jump right in post-summer and get 'er done!

      I did this once in wretched weather.... I smartened up, real quick!

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    2. And how stinkin' cute are those kids????? LOVE YOU, KIDS!!!!

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    3. makes sense but I don't decorate! maybe next year...but honestly out in the country I'd be ree---alll-yyy tempted to just leave the decorations out all year long! and yes thekids are cute- glad to know Id on't know the girl because she didn't look like any of the 3 I know from the pics!

      Susanna

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  3. The kids are adorable! I love your little raking helper/box-o-baby and Elijah's smile in the sleigh says it all, he's happy Christmas is on the way! I enjoy all your kid shots and am happy to see you taking advantage of the nice day to check something off the to-do list. I was outside yesterday too, beautiful day to get a put-off job done.
    Keep shaming and poking at Tina and eventually you may get a recipe yet, lol! Maybe one will mysteriously appear in your mailbox or something. I've never had one of these heralded cookies but I'm going to look up a recipe myself.

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    1. Tracey, I've never ever had one as good as Tess Russo's. Honestly, I am a bit of a fanatic about baking so I know that about myself, but really good food is exciting!!!! You think if I PESTER TINA MORE it might help????

      I can do that!!!!

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  4. I wish blogger had a like button like FB. I would like this post like crazy. :) love the photos. Love the kids. Love Santa and his reindeer! How fun to get ready for Christmas. I think maybe ready!

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    1. Missy, stinkin' cute, right, despite the Kitchen: FAIL!!!!! Love it!

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  5. The cookies were amazing. Totally amazing. You just have a short memory. It was only 2011.

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    1. They were amazing, BRAT. I was just trying to let myself down easy. But no, along comes TINA and makes me remember that yes... the cookies are that good! Honestly, anyone who's got Italian friends or an Italian bakery or goes to an Italian wedding should understand that there are measures of degree for excellence. Tess's cookies: Surpassed the bar.

      But I have NOT GIVEN UP THE QUEST!!!!! Come on, youse know me: I never give up.

      Which is, in itself, annoying!!!

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