From Our House to Yours

Wishing you the sweetest Christmas!

Love, Anna + Frances

Cookies for Santa (and other special people)

Christmas in my household is a fairly simple affair: minimal decorating, gift giving, party going, shopping and traveling. Not because I don't love the holiday. I just choose to focus on a few things rather than all of those things. It makes life so much easier this time of year, and I certainly do not miss the 'hustle and bustle' of the Christmas season.

So, while I avoided the mall and forewent the tree, I spent time in the kitchen baking cookies. The same cookies I baked last year. And the year before. Not because they are traditional Christmas cookies, but because they are pretty to look at and lovely to taste (in my opinion!). And make beautiful, homemade gifts for some very special people.

I started with these cookies, then moved onto these. I ordered peanut butter balls from here. I adapted a recipe and coined the cookies 'Chocolate-Mint Snowcaps' (see below for the recipe). And lastly tried a new recipe this year after some inspiration from a friend.

After only a couple headaches, the cookies came out great.

And some people are going to be very happy.

Chocolate-Mint Snowcaps

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

4 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature

2 cups sugar

3 eggs

4 ounces unsweetened chocolate, melted and cooled

1/2 cup chocolate mint chips

1/2 cup confectioners' sugar, for coating

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt. With an electric mixer, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in egg until well combined; mix in cooled chocolate. With mixer on low speed, gradually add dry ingredients. Mix chips in by hand. Flatten dough into a disk; wrap in plastic. Freeze until firm, about 45 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Shape dough into 1-inch balls. Place confectioners' sugar in a bowl; working in batches, roll balls in sugar twice.

Bake, rotating sheets halfway through, until cookies have spread and coating is cracked, 12-14 minutes; cookies will be soft to the touch.

Visions of Sugar Plums

What's a trio of girls to do on an especially cold winter's night two weeks before Christmas? Eat candy, drink wine... and make gingerbread houses! Or, in our case, one gingerbread barn, one gingerbread house and one gingerbread church.

My friend, Amanda, gets all the credit for coming up with the idea and executing it perfectly. My skills, however, left a little to be desired -- who knew squeezing frosting out of a piping bag could take such skill? I was the first to give up finish, and was satisfied to nibble on some of the decorations.

Not quite a Martha, I still had a great time making my little creation. Oh, and any guess which was mine?

Winter is Here

You probably wouldn't want to come out from your favorite hiding spot either, if it meant going out in snow up to your belly.

Market Saturday

One of my favorite things to do on a Saturday is visit the local public market -- a true gem in the city of Rochester. Even now, with winter approaching, there is plenty to see, smell and taste. Sticking with our regular routine, I met up with a couple of friends this past Saturday seeking warm coffee and Christmas greens. We woke up with the sun -- not even the cookie lady was at her shop yet.

But the display and cookies looked fabulous!

The market is always changing from one week to the next, and is so reflective of the time of year. I love how the market ushers in each season.

Nothing reminds me more of Christmas than the scent from pines. This, more than anything, gets me in the mood for the holidays. Just a whiff, and I'm remembering treks through the forest, looking for the perfect tree with my family. Bringing it home, setting it up, judging which is the best side for showing. Pulling out ornaments and sharing stories of where they came from. Sitting in front of the lit tree, squinting so hard that the lights all glow together in starry clusters. Thinking that nothing is better than Christmastime.

It's going to be rush rush rush for the next couple of weeks. I am certainly glad to have moments, like Saturday morning, when I can slow down and take it all in. Revisit old memories. Make new ones. Share in the joy of the season.

Giving Thanks, Quietly

Thanksgiving was a quiet affair for my family this year. With both brothers and extended family spending the holiday in their own hometowns, the grand affair was comprised only of three: my parents and me. I have to give my mom a lot of credit, though. She still pulled off an amazing dinner with all the trimmings.

Her table is always set so beautifully. This Thanksgiving was no exception.

It was so nice to linger over this delicious meal. As day turned to dusk, the warmth of being with family, (albeit, small) seemed to take over. Or maybe that was just the wine??!

I love lingering over a meal, whether it's at home or at a restaurant. It is something I do so rarely. Slowing down over a meal always takes a little bit of effort for me, but makes the preparation and work so much more worthwhile. And gives me a chance to really enjoy the food and company. This was certainly the case on Thanksgiving. Thank you, mom and dad.