Cookie Swap

Jack and I attend a weekly rotating playgroup. Next week it will be a cookie swap! I have actually never been to a cookie swap but the idea of lots of cookies and an excuse to eat them all is very exciting.

Jack + Oreo 

Now the hard part... what to bake... I don't have a "traditional" treat I make every year so I raked my mind for cookies and candy that have been apart of my family. Even with my gourmet Grandma Marj, nothing comes to mind! My maternal grandmother, GiGi,  made a 50's concoction called minted walnuts- which taste exactly like sound.. minty and walnuty- no thank you.

With the purchase of our first home, Jack old enough to eat cookies, and another little cookie monster on the way- the pressure is on to find a family favorite for the holidays. So I turned to 'ol faithful, The Joy of Cooking. As I browsed the pages I noticed there are ALOT of Christmas cookies. I narrowed my search down to recipes that were A, relatively easy to make B, somewhat festive and C, a little different from the usual. Some of the runners up were Angel Slices, which has a description stating "these are the cakes that St. Peter gives children at the gates of Heaven, to get them over the pangs of homesickness". While at first glance this seems sweet, I realized this is a cookie for dead kids- not exactly a great treat to bring to a playdate. Another bar that peaked my interest was Lebuchen, German Honey Bars. Bars are easy to make, and this recipe includes honey, cardamon and candied citrus peel - the uniqueness I was looking for... but are they festive?

 Lebuchen, one of the oldest forms of cookies... but not festive... sigh... 
www.whatscookingamerica.com

Then I came across chocolate crinkles. I vaguely remember having them at some point in my childhood and that I liked them. They have a dusting of powdered sugar which gives a wintry appearance and they seem relatively easy to make. All I need now is a twist to give them a personal touch. Peanut butter? Chili? Hazelnuts?  Hopefully I will be inspired by Sunday afternoon... I forecast a stop at Penzey's Spices in the near future.

(www.ericasweetooth.com)

Will keep y'all posted on my crinkle progress!

Half way there...

Today I am 20 weeks along in my pregnancy, 20 to go baby.

(not quite the cute pumpkin belly like Bri... more like I swallowed a pot)

As most of you know, I had an ultrasound this week and discovered we are expecting a baby girl. The ultrasound went relatively smoothly. Everything looks great, all the parts are where they are supposed to be and mama is healthy too. But this little one is VERY active and kept moving so the technician couldn't get the right angles. I actually had to do yoga type movements TWICE to get her to move in the right spot.

Due date is still projected for April Fool's day but since I will be doing a repeat C-Section, it will be a week before.... kinda weird to schedule our daughter's birthday!

So far I'm still feeling great, been blessed to have another morning-sickness-free pregnancy. I've been pretty tired still and REALLY hungry but other than that, no complaints! Craving lots of salty foods, this week it was steamed rice and soy sauce and oh god it never tasted so good...

Jack Update...
Jack is doing well, running around like a one year-old should. Luckily he listens (sort of) and I don't have to run after him too much. His latest trick is using everything like a phone- socks, blocks, remotes, whatever. He also started saying "No",  he knows what it means but doesn't use it in the right context. Still signs "all done" and "more" although I think more means eat in his mind.

(Jack "texting")

He really enjoyed the family that has come out to visit in the past few weeks, its been fun enjoying this unusually awesome fall weather with our loved ones.

Looking forward to seeing Auntie Amanda and Uncle David at Thanksgiving and Great Gramps at Christmas.