Creative and Crafty Days...

We have been snuggly and warm with family and friends these past few day. :) Nothing is better than that. With three days off in a row from "normal" school studies we are enjoying each other and our free time. Fun times!

I made cookies without help from my overly helpful little men. They usually are involved in all the meal preparations here at home. Remy can make his own egg now and Elijah is wanting more freedom from my watchful eyes. I just wanted to try out a cookie recipe for gift giving during Christmas. These are so good!

Pistachio - Cherry Sandwich Cookies

ingredients:

1 1/2 cups shelled pistachios

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened

1 cup sugar

1 large egg

1 Tbs. lemon juice

3 cups all-purpose flour

2 tsp. grated lemon zest

1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/4 tsp. salt

1 1/4 cups cherry perserves

1. Process the pistachios in food processor 1 minute, or until finely ground. Transfer to bowl, and set aside.

2. Cream butter and sugar in food processor 30 seconds, or until fluffy. Add egg and lemon juice; pulse 15 seconds, or until combined. Scrape down. Add pistachios, flour, lemon zest, baking powder, and salt. Pulse 15 seconds more, or until combined and dough starts to clump together. Divide dough in half, flatten into 2 disks, wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate 1 hour, or until firm.

3. Preheat oven to 350. Roll out 1 dough disk on sheet of lightly floured parchment paper, to about 1/8-inch thick. Transfer parchment and cookie dough onto cookie sheet and cover with plastic wrap. Place in freezer 5 to 8 minutes to firm up.

4. Cut out cookies with 2-inch cutter, and place 1-inch apart on parchment paper-lined baking sheets. Reroll scraps, and repeat. Bake 12 minutes, or until edges are golden. Transfer to wire rack to cool. Repeat with remaining dough disk.

5. Spread 1tsp. preserves on each of 24 cookies. Top with remaining cookies.

Per cookie:

248 calories

4 gram protien

11.5 grams total fat

34 grams carb

29 mg cholesterol

41 mg sodium

1 gram fiber

19 grams sugars

Let me know if you try them! Remy said they "ROCKED", and Eli said he almost passed out with the first bite. Hee hee...

Remy has driven me crazy waiting on that check for his new books. So I have a new printer/copier and I made that baby some school work. It was so nice to not have him trailing after me and begging for a worksheet. He is so strange. I love that he loves it.

I made him some worksheets, a little reader we made together, and a phonics game. He had it all done in a few minutes, but it hit the spot. He was on to reading whatever he fancied the rest of the day.

Elijah found this book at the library:

Remy and I stayed home and daddy took him to get felt and thread today before he left to shoot a wedding. Eli made this lizard.

He now understands why I hate to cut out patterns and that sewing takes time. Whew! That was a good one for him to learn. It took him hours to put this little guy together.

Remy and I made this monkey. He says he will do the next one all by himself. This little monkey is named King Kong and he is Abu's (Remy's best friend Monkey's) little brother. :)

I made Mikey a leaf matching game and this box to put them in.

I even made up new chore charts. The others were dated. :)

I make them up at:

www.dltk-cards.com/chart

Matthew had a wedding Friday and today, but he is off tomorrow! YAY! :)

Remy was sick one time this morning and he didn't have another instance the rest of the day. I doped him up on vitamins and herbs. :)

Now I am looking forward to my Tofu-Turkey I make on Thanksgiving! YUM-YUM!