Granny Camp 4 Me -- Celebrating Christmas

Welcome to Granny Camp 4 Me  ---                     HolyCow it’s mid-December already!

    As we fly through the month of December, our heads often spin--- especially when children are involved in our lives.  And especially, especially if we really want to do some fun creative holiday activities with them.  Do you find it hard to get the tree decorated in the midst of a swim meet week end?   Or hang the lights outside and go pick out the tree when I pours down rain most of the week?  Or decorate the banister railing in between the extra shopping, taxiing youngens, going to basketball games for 3 children?  And of course this all happens amidst the day to day laundry, meal preps, homework ... we could go on & on & on.  Enough said! It's not like you don't already know all this.

   In the middle of it all, I did get TheJoy to help pick out the tree.

This is the one, Granny!

 

    Making sugar cookies with the grands has been a special tradition through the years.  We use the same old faithful recipe I used when our boys were young.  It came with my Tupperware cookie cutters and I'll post it at the end.  We don’t try to be perfect or fancy  ---  just fun and tasty.

 

      We learned a super fun game during a Christmas visit with the out-of-staters.  The goal is to get the gingerbread guy from your forehead, into your mouth without using your hands --- or the wall, or someone else, or etc.  Hope you’ll try this one.  The pictures will tell how to play:

So, the daddy demonstrates...

On your mark --- Get set ---   GO!



And the winner is ...!

I don't know if this game has a name but it's fun for all ages.

 

 

 

 

The very best of times is when all 8 of our grands can be together.  It doesn't happen very often, but oh when it does, they have a blast!  They are more fun than a barrel of monkeys!  So during the holidays we hope to accomplish this again.

 

<~<~ TODAY'S GRANNY CAMP RECIPES ~>~>

Olive Dip

1  lg. 8 oz.  cream cheese  (low fat)

3  boiled eggs,  cooled & chopped

1/3   cup chopped green olives

1  cap lemon juice

½ - 1 sm. jar pimento, drained

¼  c. Miracle Whip Free (add more in need for consistency)

Serve with large corn chips. 

Variations – green onions  or  tiny shrimp

Marshmallow Puffs

36 large marshmallows

1-1/2 c. semisweet chocolate chips

½ c. chunky peanut butter

2 tbsp. butter

Line a 9-in. square pan with foil; butter the foil.  Arrange marshmallows in pan.

In a double boiler or microwave-safe bowl, melt chocolate chips, peanut butter and butter.

Pour over the marshmallows. Chill completely. Cut between marshmallows.   Yield: 3 dz.

Granny’s Sugar Cookies          (Cut-out Cookies From Tupperware)

Cream together:   ½ c. butter & 1 c. sugar.    Blend in 1 egg.  

Sift together & add to mixture:                        

                             2 – 2 1/4 c. all-purpose flour

                             2   tsp.  baking powder

                             ½  tsp.  salt

                             ½  tsp.  vanilla

Divide dough into two parts. Chill 1 to 2 hrs. so it will be easy to handle.

Roll dough,  one part at a time,  to ½" thickness & cut with cutters.  Keep other part of dough chilled until ready to roll.   Transfer onto baking sheet and bake 8 – 10 min. at 375*.   Baking sheet should be shinny  metal.   (Dark baking sheets cause cookie bottoms to over brown.)   When done, edges will barely begin to brown.  Do not over bake.   Cool, ice & decorate w/Buttercream Frosting.

Buttercream Frosting*  (For Cookies or Cakes)

1 lb.   Confectioner’s Sugar

1  stick butter (softened)

1 t.   vanilla extract or almond extract

3 T.  milk

dash of salt

food coloring ( optional)

Mix all ingredients until smooth.

Yield frosting for one cake or 1 to 2 batches of cookies.