My nephew got married to a lovely young woman he had pursued for 8 years... she finally said yes! Making it doubly special was the fact that my dad officiated. It was very touching to see a grandfather performing the wedding ceremony for his grandson and namesake. Here is a picture of the happy couple and my dad.
It was truly a lovely wedding. The food, the flowers, the venue. But what really struck me was the character and maturity of the bride. You see she had planned an outdoor wedding ceremony. Mother Nature was not cooperating and minutes before the ceremony was about to take place, it poured. I mean really poured. No matter - the bridesmaids, flower girls, groom, best man and ushers all took their places (under umbrellas) and we cheered when the bride strode down the "aisle" in splendor under her own umbrella. The ceremony went off without a hitch and everyone high tailed it to the reception room. You see she could have let the weather ruin her day. She CHOSE to be happy. She knew that a marriage isn't about the wedding day - but a lot of days adding up to a lifetime. They laughed, they said their vows, they kissed. They had an absolutely wonderful time and so did we.
My Mother-In-Law makes these sugar cookies every Christmas. She calls them Merry Makers and the family cannot get enough of them.
This week I'm baking and shopping and cooking in anticipation of TBHITW's brother and family's arrival on Thursday. You may remember our 10 year old nephew Shane just completed cancer treatment. Well, the whole gang is coming for a long NYC Marathon weekend. His mom and dad raised over $14k for pediatric cancer research and will be running the marathon on Sunday. We will all be in the city to cheer them on - racing for the cure and eating cookies!
Sugar Cookie Cutouts: (makes about 6 to 7 dozen depending on thickness)
3 sticks (1 1/2 cups) unsalted butter, softened
2 cups sugar
4 eggs, room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla
5 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
Using a stand mixer, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time and beat after each addition. Add vanilla. Combine flour, baking powder and salt. Add to batter in 3 additions. Stir until well combined.
Refrigerate the dough at least one hour or over night.
Roll out on a floured board until about 1/4 inch thick. Using cookie cutters, cut into desired shapes. (I'm using bats and witches and pumpkins and ghost cutters) Transfer to ungreased cookie sheet.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
Bake one tray at at time in the middle of the oven for 6 to 8 minutes. Cool on racks.
Frost with vanilla frosting dyed to your color preference. Decorate as desired.
A Cook's Notes: When my kids were littles and middles I let them do the decorating. The easiest way to do this is to buy canned frosting and dye about a 1/4 of each can a different color - place in small bowls, buy some sprinkles and sugar crystals, line the table with some newspaper and let them have fun.
Don't forget, Shane will be pulling the winning name from the pumpkin on Sunday, November 1st. If you haven't commented yet on the Autumn Giveaway Post, do it now!!
