December 14, 2024

WEEKLY MENU 12.15.24

Eating easy during the Weekly Menu 12.15.24 because we’re leaving time for the really GOOD stuff ~ Christmas Cookies!

We’re not making ALL the cookies during the Weekly Menu 12.15.24, but we are getting a start! I’m a little bit of a cookie monster during the holidays: I adore Christmas cookies.

So we make a ton of them.

The secret is not making them all at the same time and being judicious with quantities. Growing up, my Mom always insisted on a quadruple batch of sugar cookies. You read that right. A quadruple batch. Even the industrial-size mixer she had couldn’t handle more than a double. As if that weren’t bad enough, I had to wrangle the littles into rolling and cutting them out. They never lasted much past the first batch, because Christmas television, the little stinkers. Guess who had to finish them all up? Yep. Assembly line cookies for the win. I was very proficient at making stars, bells, and trees. Quickly.

Single Batch, Baby

Our key is to make a single batch of each of the cookies. Grandma Dolly’s Sour Cream Drops are a slightly chewy, chocolate walnut cookie that we can’t celebrate the holiday without. I’ll whip up a batch of sugar cookie dough early Sunday and force coerce to invite the boys to roll, cut, and decorate. We only have one rolling pin – it’s a marble one that usually doesn’t get much action. (Affiliate links precede and follow – see Disclaimer Page for details) This one is our second marble rolling pin. When the marble pin hits the floor, it shatters all over. Whoda thunk?

We make one batch of sugar cookies. (Otherwise, we’d miss out on the anatomically correct snowman and his misses.) And we have a secret for the Baklava—we use phyllo cups to make darling little bites.

I’ve tried to cut down the list.

But the whining!! Everyone has a favorite, and honestly, it’s just not Christmas without each and every one. Of course I print out the list and attach it to the fridge. Then I decide which to make when, and make sure to check them off when they are complete. I usually make the White Trash early on – it makes a great snack to put out if someone stops over to visit.

The Rum Balls are next – they’re better the longer they get to marinate. Hick. One of the last things I make is the Sugared Cranberries. They don’t last as long as some of the other sweets, but they are spectacular on a platter or in a Cranberry Margarita. They’re nature’s answer to Sweetarts.

I like to put the Rum Balls in a decorative relish tray with some candy or pretzels in the other compartments. They don’t need to take up an entire platter, and they look great in a grouping. How cute is this tray?

You can never go wrong with a Santa Platter!

Fill with Favorites!

SUGAR COOKIES

SEVEN LAYER BARS

OREO TRUFFLES

ALMOND CRESCENTS

WHITE TRASH

RUM BALLS

BISCOTTI

SUGARED CRANBERRIES

I might make a batch of cookies on a Tuesday afternoon, or on a Saturday morning. Whatever time I can find. I get burned out if I bake too many things at once. (Nice pun, huh?) I usually lasso in the boys and Bert the Sunday before Christmas for the Sugar Cookies. I can’t have all the fun!

Remember though, it’s not supposed to be a huge chore – it is supposed to be something you enjoy. If you hate baking cookies – buy them! The possibilities out there are endless. Christmas should be a judgment free zone.

Completely unrelated, but the Winter Solstice is this week too~

Which is only remarkable in that it’s Bert’s least favorite day of the year. How short the daylight is varies by location though. Remember – it’s not the shortest DAY of the year – it’s the shortest DAYLIGHT DAY of the year. All the days are the same length.

State College, Pennsylvania (near us) has 9 hours, 14 minutes of daylight
Portland, Oregon has 8 hours, 42 minutes of daylight
Tucson, Arizona has just over 10 hours of daylight (winning!)
Glasgow, Scotland has about 7 hours of daylight
Fairbanks, Alaska only has about 4 hours of daylight, and
Barrow, Alaska doesn’t have any daylight AT ALL on the Winter Solstice

So, Bert, it could always be worse. Not coincidentally, Saturday is also “National Short Girl Appreciation Day.” So I’ve got that going for me.

What are we eating during the Weekly Menu 12.15.24?

Glad you asked. When we aren’t baking cookies, we’re thinking about popping a chicken and some potatoes in the oven to bake for Sunday dinner. And we’re starting out with a nice Baked Brie with Walnuts. As you can probably tell, we have plenty of walnuts in the house ready to be baked. We’ll just grab a handful.

Monday is a fun sheet pan dinner. Did you know you can bake gnocchi? It’s a delight!
Taco Tuesday is easy as pie. Pizza Pie that is – Taco Pizza is fast and easy to get on the table after a batch of cookies warms up the oven.

Baby Boy will be excited by our Soup on Friday since it’s his favorite. It’s a little pain in the behind, but for him, it’s worth it.