D02 -- Baking

I don't cook. As DH says, I can hardly boil water (which is untrue by the way). But I do like to bake. Around the holidays, I usually choose a new recipe to try out. In the past, I have made gingerbread, mint chocolate layer candy, and oatmeal cookies. This year, I found a recipe in a Taste of Home magazine insert for iced gingerbread cookies.

I decided that it would be fun for DD and I to make these cookies, because they are the kind that you roll out with a rolling pin, cut out shapes with cookie cutters, bake, and frost when cool.

Let's just say I outdid myself. Even I was impressed with how they turned out. :)

Christmas isn't Christmas without some kind of cookie tray. Last year, I exhausted myself making different kinds of goodies for Christmas Day, and no one seemed to appreciate all the hard work I did. After that experience, I made a silent vow to NOT wear myself out for other people again. People don't appreciate it.

So that was another reason I decided to make just a small batch of cookies, something that DD and I could do together that wouldn't take too much effort -- I like to do things that are easy. DD enjoyed helping me -- she got to dump the ingredients into the bowl for the frosting, and she also liked the cookies. She wanted to lick the mixer beaters, so I let her. :) It was cute. I have a lot of happy memories helping my mom make cookies, so I hope DD will remember this fun thing we did together. I wouldn't have traded it for the world.