Sunday, December 19, 2010

Happy Birthday Adam and Christmas Cookie Insanity!

December 4th marked Adam's 27th birthday. We had a very low-key celebration this year which was Amazon.com and delicious goodies-themed. This means that for about a month, we are the same age and I can't use my "I'm a year older/wiser" line to win arguments. Anyway, a very Happy Birthday to Adam, who is pretty much the best husband a gal could ever ask for. I didn't snap any birthday pictures this year, so I reached into our archives and found this one - an oldie but a goodie. It was taken by a friend in an elevator back in 2005, and showcases one of his best features - his eyebrows.

We are getting ready for Christmas this year which I can hardly believe is next week. Adam's parents are visiting us from Oregon and are due to arrive on Christmas Eve. I will actually be working but am grateful we can share the holidays together. Of course I'm also grateful for my job, and working at the hospital is a constant reminder of how lucky I am for my health and that of my loved ones. I work some late nights and really enjoy the beautiful nighttime view from our parking garage when I leave. Unfortunately my camera can't capture the full 360-degree view of San Francisco, but here is a look towards the skyscrapers downtown:

Isn't it magical? I think it's one of the lesser-known romantic spots in the city. The red-colored dome building in the second picture is City Hall, festive and lit up for Christmas. Ever since visiting here as a young girl, I've always loved San Francisco. It's strange to think that now at this time in my life I actually work here. On good days, the city can be quite picturesque, exciting and seems full of possibility.

We finally set up our Christmas tree, which we chose at the FoodMaxx lot for the second year in a row. It's nothing like tromping through the woods in the snow for the perfect tree, but it can't be beat for quality and value. We chose a nice Noble Fir, and right after we decorated half of the tree lights went out. (Doesn't that always happen?!)

This is one of my favorite oranaments, a beautiful ceramic dove made by Adam's mom.


We are baking cookies as gifts this year and have made quite a few so far. Below are the classic Jif Peanut Butter Blossoms, a favorite of Adam's. He has a special place in his heart for peanut butter and milk chocolate.

Whether or not you're a fan of Rachael Ray's 30-minute cooking style, she's got a lot of great cookie recipes I've made over the years including these Peppermint Chocolate Cookies. You basically make a simple cocoa cookie dough, and shape into a large log like this:
After chilling, it's sliced in enough chocolate disks to make about 24 cookies, and after baking, topped with melted good-quality dark chocolate and peppermint candy cane pieces:

The cookies that I most enjoy baking are these Pecan Carmel Surprises. A cup of pecans is ground to a fine consistency in a food processor, then added to a light vanilla cookie dough and shaped around chewy carmel candies which end up baking in the center. The entire cookie is then rolled in powdered sugar. The pecans give them great flavor and the carmel in the center is the best part.
To round off the bunch, we couldn't resist making a batch of rice krispy treats.

Wishing you all a festive Christmas season and lots of love.






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