recent happenings and a new favorite christmas cookie

I have been the most absent blogger ever--nearly a full month since my last post!  And I have about 6 drafts started where I started a recipe but never got around to actually finishing.  So sorry to any of you who may be curious as to where I am!

Life has just been crazy.  I thought that this year--my first year since the age of 16 not working at the doctor's office--I would have all kinds of time to read my Christmas baking magazines, make treats, and get things done in a leisurely manner.  Well...I was wrong. I'm not sure exactly why things have been so crazy.  I've hosted a few Christmas parties & had several cookie tray & cake orders, but I guess it has been the meetings w/college students that takes the most time.  Crazy as it is--I ADORE what I'm doing now!

Here are some pictures from the past month or so:

 me with my fabulous Bible study after our group Christmas party

I also hosted the CRU women's Christmas party at my house--about 25 college ladies packed into my living room!!

 we made ornaments (yes...that's 25 girls shaking paint-filled ornaments in my living room...)

 then played dirty santa

and of course I've made tons of food:

for the Christmas parties












and all those cookies yesterday for orders:

It's been wonderful, but definitely enough to make me exhausted!

i'm feeling a bit jealous of this lazy one:

 

But I know that you are interested in the cookies right??  I made these for the first time right before the CRU party and love them!  If you don't like peppermint, these aren't for you, but I think they're wonderful! They are not too sweet which is really during the holidays.  They actually have a bit of a delicious saltiness.  My favorite way to make them is to crush the candy canes in my food processor, then pour the crushed candy out, and mix the dough in the food processor.  Doing it this way means less uniform chunks of peppermint--some of it is powdery, so your dough will be more pink, but it also incorporates more peppermint flavor into the cookies and I think it's easier. 

Peppermint cookies

adapted from Taste of Home magazine.

yield: approx 7 dozen

1 1/3 cup butter
1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs
3 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
1 cup crushed peppermint candies or candy canes (about 1 regular box of candy canes)

-in a mixing bowl, cream butter & sugar.  Beat in eggs.  Combine flour, baking powder, and salt; stir into the creamed mixture.  Fold in the candy.

Drop by teaspoonfuls onto a greased baking sheet.  Bake at 350 F for 10-12 min. or until cookie edges just begin to brown.  Cool on wire racks.