Read This

I love to read.  Escape seems to be a recurring theme in my chosen activities.  I can read two books a week.  Mysteries are a favorite not just for books but also movies and TV shows.  I grew up with Perry Mason, knew all the episodes by heart.  My close friend, Mark, actually called me with condolences when Raymond Burr died. 

picture posted with permission: http://www.funnysigns.net/

Reading allows us to fully focus on a story someone has taken the time to tell us,get lost in that story and stay as long as we like.  It requires us to be present, not like TV where you can be doing something else while watching.  I read to be entertained but I‘ll step out of my comfort zone if someone recommends a different genre.  Frequently I’ll be glad that I did, but I always return to my first love, mysteries.  Evanovich, Grafton, Coben, Brown, Kellerman, love them all.

The thing about this genre is that it’s engaging on another level.  The reader gets to take the information given, in the order it’s offered, and try to figure out who-done-it.  The author cunningly leads us down the wrong path, but that’s OK, we can change our minds as often as we want.  There’s nothing to lose, we’re engrossed in a story and trying to solve a puzzle.

I think my love for mysteries is why I’ve taken to baking.  A new recipe is not just any story, it’s a mystery.  I take the information given, in the order it’s offered and try to figure out who-done-it (or if-I-can-do-it).  I’m engaged and involved.  It can take a lot of twists and turns and sometimes I’ll go down a wrong path.  In the end, whether I’m satisfied with the results or I throw the recipe in the trash, the trip has served his purpose. 

There are all kinds of mysteries playing out in my home every day as well.  Who ate all the Oreos?  Mystery.  Why did I have to get the boys cell ph0nes, yet they never answer when I call?  Mystery.  Who left the garage door up all night long (resulting in the GPS being missing from Husband’s car)?  Mystery.  Why does the main floor bathroom never have any toilet paper?  Mystery.  Who changed the channel when I got up to get a drink?  Mystery.  With all this real life mystery it’s surprising I have time to read.


But the biggest mystery is this: one of my kids is in his last year of High School and the other is a Junior.  Like it or not, ready or not, this pivotal chapter is nearing its end.  When raising young adults, you can guess at where they’re going, but they can completely change direction without so much as signaling their turn.  With all the twists and turns, information and misinformation, open road and wrong paths, these authors have got the best of me.  I really haven’t a clue who-done-it.  I'm just hoping I don't get killed off in the last chapter. 

"Jr." and "Sr." Star cut-out Cookies

Cut-out Cookies
                                ©www.BakingInATornado.com

Printable Recipe

Ingredients, Cookie:                                                          

1 stick butter, softened                            
1 stick margarine, softened                      
1 cup sugar                                                 
1 egg                                                       

1 tsp vanilla                                                

3 cups flour

1 tsp baking powder

Ingredients, Icing: 
3 cups powdered sugar 
3 Tbsp milk (may need more)
3 Tbsp corn syrup  
1 tsp of flavoring (almond, vanilla, or lemon)
food coloring  
 

Directions, Cookie:

*Cream the butter, margarine and sugar.  Beat in egg and vanilla.  Mix in the flour and baking powder until it forms a dough.  Pour onto counter and knead a few times.

*Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for an hour and a half (I have left overnight).

*When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Cover baking sheet with parchment paper.

* Roll out the dough, half at a time, to desired thickness and cut with cookie cutters.

*Bake approx. 10 minutes.  Cool for 2 minutes on pan before removing to cool completely.

Directions, Icing:

*Mix all ingredients.  Add more milk, 1 tsp at a time until the icing reaches the consistency you need.

*Separate out and add food coloring.

*Dip, brush on, or pipe the icing onto your cookie.  Icing should be thinner for flooding the cookie, thicker for writing or doing more intricate decorating. 

*If decorating with one color on top of  another, let the first set before applying the next, or they’ll blend together.



Adapted from Rolled Sugar Cookies by glorioustreats.blogspot.com