Thursday, December 10, 2009

Potlucks, Cookie Swaps, and Gatherings Oh MY!

It's that most wonderful time of the year when you have to rush home from work and whip up something for a holiday party.

One big piece of advice from me--don't ever let your co-workers know you bake from scratch. You are forevermore destined to bring homemade baked goods to every party no matter how busy you are and no matter how much you would rather sign up for drinks. Trying fitting in baking between working two jobs and it's even more of a (ahem) challenge.

Second piece of advice--get thee a Kitchenaid stand mixer and a Cuisinart food processor. You will love them!

We are having an office potluck/party at my day job tomorrow so I came home and made Russian tea cakes (or Danish wedding cookies or Mexican wedding cookies or whatever other name they go by...)
I also made molasses spice cookies.
This recipe (a new one for me from the new cookbook Gourmet Today) has just about every spice in the cupboard in it--cinnamon, cloves, ginger, and allspice and is not very sweet. Yum!
Here's the finished cookies. Rolled in sugar and perfect with a cup of coffee. While I was baking away, I thought I would whip up a coffee cake for a little gathering on Saturday.
Voila! Sour cream coffee cake
A bunch of friends and I are invading Sweet Home Quilt Co. on Saturday for a day of sewing. I thought I'd bring along a cake as a thank you to Melisa for letting us take over her upstairs and to keep us in a sugar high so we can do some major sewing.

Next weekend is our Silver Thimble Quilt Club cookie swap. I still have to decide what cookies I'm going to bring. But that's next week. For now, hurry up Saturday!!!!

9 comments:

Cathi said...

Oh, those look delicious!! I'm getting ready to bake starting this weekend.

Wendy said...

Oh my your baking looks great, my daughter is going to help me bake on Monday. I love the Glory Bound quilt pattern, I really need to make that one.

dianne said...

don't you just love all the names for Russian Tea Cakes ... i am too lazy to get out the BIG cookbook, so i use the recipe in my old BH&G Mexican Cook Book for Polvorones - it always falls open to the page cuz that's the only time i use the book ... those molasses spice cookies look mighty tasty ... and coffee cake, too - ooooo!!!

sewprimitive karen said...

You baked such beautiful things. Where are the kitties???

Carol said...

Oh how I wish we could have a smell option on the computer. I love gingersnappy/molasses cookies...and that sour cream coffee cake looks yummy...is there a recipe for that one? Have tons of fun sewing!

Unknown said...

Yum ..that coffee cakes looks great. I know it will taste as good as it looks. See you bright and early Saturday

Unknown said...

You are sending me a small box of cookies, right? I want you to adopt me....please.

Everything looks sooooo yummy.

Karmen said...

Super yummo! Karmen

*karendianne. said...

The cookie monster is dying here!!!