Sock Monkey Cookies

My latest cookie adventure involved these Sock Monkey Cookies

Now, from this photo the little guys don't look that bad right?  

Well, unfortunately this Photo was taken before things went terribly wrong for us ("us" meaning me and the monkeys).  

The icing wasn't drying, and I was *running out of time*.

  

By Friday morning I was certain these little guys wouldn't be dry in time for delivery (They were for that evening), but I crossed my fingers and carried on.  By the afternoon, I thought things were looking up as they seemed dry enough to package... I mean they had been drying for a couple of days. 

I packaged all the cookies individually in cellophane bags and tied them with pretty ribbons, and I was pretty happy with them... until I looked down and noticed the red mouth was sweating and the black icing had smudged all over the place. 

They looked like The Joker... and I almost cried.

{insert word of choice here}... What. A. DISASTER!  

I found out afterwards that the cookies did not need to be packaged.  (I know... had I asked in the beginning, the joker face could have been avoided all together!)  

But, not having to re-package the monkeys, allowed me to carefully rub off the black and re-draw the mouth.

The bleeding red icing is a whole other story..  

Do you have any tricks for working with red icing, and icing that won't dry?

Utensil Organization

When we purchased our house we had the intentions of renovating the kitchen within the year.  Of course one year led to another, and {finally} after five years we took the plunge.

The original kitchen was a fairly decent size, but it just did not function well at all.  I'm not going to lie, it drove me absolutely bonkers!

What started out as a kitchen reno, quickly turned into a kitchen/living room/dining room renovation.  Walls and cupboards came down.  Tile and carpets came up.

It was utter chaos, and I was so excited!

It has been over a year since we moved back into the kitchen, and although the renovation has not yet been completed, it is a gazillion times better than it was. 

One of my favorite new additions was a 2 level custom cutlery drawer, which I turned into a storage drawer for my baking utensils.  Spatulas, piping tips, couplers, brushes, etc. all in one spot.

You don't need a custom drawer to achieve this.  There are many companies that make cutlery inserts that you can simply slip inside your existing drawers.  

I know it has made my life so much easier!

Posted on I'M LOVIN' IT FRIDAYS!

Frosting for the Cause

I am so excited to be guest posting for Frosting for the Cause today.  Please click Here to come for a visit.

Frosting for the Cause is a 365 day project to raise money and awareness for women's Cancer.  Every day, a new blogger bakes cookies or cupcakes, and agrees to donate them to a local Women's Hospice.  Additionally each participant also agrees make a personal donation to Cancer research.  By the end of the year $9125 will be raised.  


I'm so thrilled to be a part of this project.  If you're interested in participating, click here for more information.  Do it! it's fun, and it's for a great cause!

Annie~part 1

A few years ago, my Mother was diagnosed with 2 Brain Aneurysms.   This is the story of her journey. 

Tuesday September 4th, 2007.

My mind is racing like crazy.


The opening of the aircraft door is like the gunshot signaling the start of a marathon.  The hum of rolling suitcases and the clicking of shoes through the airport terminal fills my head, and I can't think. 


Being stuck at work {on an airplane} for the past 12 hours, and having no communication with the outside world,  is enough to make you crazy when you have things going on at home.  Every second matters when you step off the aircraft.   


The race is on. The mad dash through the terminal seems agonizing, as the anticipation of this moment has been consuming me all day.


I need to get out of the airport.  I need to make the phone call.

My mother had an appointment earlier that day with a Neurologist, and I desperately needed to hear the diagnosis.

My beautiful Mother, Paty

The symptoms started a few weeks earlier (August 13th) during a family luncheon.  A mild, unusual headache would begin around lunchtime and last throughout the day, and in to the next.   


An appointment with the Doctor for an evaluation, would turn into many, and the diagnosis would change from one illness to another.  


During her initial visit with the Doctor, she was told it was nothing serious.  Advil or Tylenol, along with rest should do the trick.


And, the headache continued.

A day later, blurred vision would send my Mother to the hospital.  Following a CT scan which returned clear, she was sent home with a prescription for what they called a severe sinus infection.

By now the fear began to set in. 


She had Never experienced a sinus infection before, but my Mom was certain it was not her sinuses.  


Then came the diagnosis of a Migraine.

New symptoms were beginning to emerge and her vision was slowly becoming compromised.  Her left eye was gradually beginning to droop and by the end of the week she was unable to open it.

I began to feel sick, as suddenly there was the realization that there was definitely something, seriously, wrong.

It was now September 4th... 3 weeks since the initial headache began and she was diagnosed with the following.  Headache.  Sinus infection.  Migraine.  Optic Neuritis. And now the possibility of MS.


It wasn't until she was referred to an ophthalmologist who saw something wrong neurologically and he immediately sent my Mom for a MRI and a CT scan with contrast dye... and then on to a Neurologist.


I finally make it to my car...

"Mom, what did they say?"

"Well." She said.  "I have 2 brain Aneurysms"


Just like that.

My heart fell to the pit of my stomach.  I tried to keep my composure while on the phone, but as soon as I hung up, the tears began flowing, uncontrollably down my face.


To be Continued...

For Part 2 of this story click here

Learning from Mistakes

"The only real mistake is the one from which we learn nothing."  ~John Powell

You know you're having a bad day when...

You wonder if you added the cheese to the macaroni, when you are supposed to be making Royal Icing for your cookies.

I just had one of those days...

Suddenly, the amount of water I needed for that perfect Icing was accidentally doubled,  because what I thought was a 1/4 cup was actually a 1/2 cup... and by the time I realized it, it was too late.  

No problem, right?!  Just double the other ingredients?  

Sure.  

No big deal if you have more icing sugar, time and patience.  

Let's see.  

Icing sugar... check

Time... 1/2 check

Patience....I don't want to talk about it. 

A problem that could have easily been fixed turned into The Absolute Worst icing I have ever made in my life.  

It was actually inedible...  

(No it wasn't the extra water.. it was everything else I did afterwards to try to fix it.)

The icing was super duper gritty and the taste was dreadful.  (Sound appealing?) 

So, I was left with two options, as I was now completely out of icing sugar.  

1. Ditch the Valentine's cookies this year and use this icing as a cookie lesson.
2. Drop everything, bundle the kids up,  get in the car and run to the nearest grocery store for more icing sugar to start all over again.

Well...  I went with option one as it seemed like the most logical choice.  

But, instead of doing a cookie lesson myself, I gave it to my two and a half year old Daughter Amelia to (play with) do her own cookie Tutorial.

So, get ready to be inspired... because here are some of the most fabulous cookie decorating tips you could ever dream of.  :)

Start with some super gritty, inedible Royal icing 

Spoon some Royal Icing on the counter.  Use it as finger paint, and then put your cookies on top. 

Begin to Decorate

If you are unhappy with the design you have piped on your cookie, you simply wipe it off with a dish sponge.

Oops!  If it drops on the floor {the cookie or the sponge}, don't worry.  Just lick it off and continue

Add Green Colouring to your Icing, (Because green is such a lovely Valentine's colour) and spoon it on your cookie.  This method is so much quicker than flooding.

Cookies for her teacher. I know... you're totally wishing she was your student!!  

For more cookie decorating tips from Amelia click Here