Where it all began...

Apparently I make good cookies. Not just good cookies but awesome cookies. Not my words, the words of my family and friends. Don't get me wrong, I can follow a recipe. But I'm not really sure what makes them so delectible. I almost feel as though I am cheating my family, mostly my husband, out of the tastefulness of life when I make cookies from premade dough or pour them out of a box. They even have their own name: Shari Cookies. These "Shari Cookies" have become the only request of my family as Christmas presents and are a requirement at family parties. It all started Christmas 2005 when I tried to get a cookie exchange going. I made hundreds of cookies in my college apartment all by hand (I didn't yet have a mixer), in an oven that barely fit one pan. My roommate awoke to masses of baked goods covering each and every surface of our living space, save her bedroom and our tiny bathroom. I boxed them all up, well most of them, wrapped them in holiday flare, and placed them under the trees of my unsuspecting family members. With visions of sugar plums fleeing their dreams, they awoke to the sugar spender that has now become the traditional holiday staple. My goal is to get some practice this year. Not that I'm rusty. I absolutely adore baking. However, it seems as though I always go into the holiday cold, without the proper shoes, stretch and warmup. Not this year. This year I plan to outdo all the rest, which will be hard to do, for sure. And so, "The Cookie Project" was born. Each week I plan to make one type of cookie. It must be from scratch and have all the love and tenderness of warm homemade cookies and the subsidial milk, sans the slobber of my husband's spit on the spoon. So, one homemade cookie a week. This can't be good for our waistlines, but he's not complaining...

Sunday, December 11, 2011

Week Eleven and Week Twelve: Thanksgiving

Although I have no pictures, I can honestly tell you that I did not slack off these two weeks. It was my first year making Thanksgiving dinner in its entirety for my family as well as my in-laws. I love to cook and bake, but this was a huge undertaking. My mother-in-law had been cooking Thanksgiving dinner for the past thirty years and this was the first time she was passing on the torch. No pressure, right? I used BonAppetite.com for all my recipes and guides. It was the best, most complete guide to the entire dinner that I could find. And the recipes were amazing! I am always for easy and make ahead recipes for a big event so these were perfect. I will add the menu in the comment section and if you would like any of the recipes, let me know!
It was a great meal and everything turned out wonderful! There were many long nights in the few days prior and even the night before I was up until three am. It was amazing to have such a great, supportive family telling me how yummy it all was and made all the hard work competely worth it. I am looking forward to making Thanksgiving dinner every year from now on! Happy Holidays!!
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