Honor, Pets and the Beginning of Christmas Cookies

This past Friday, December 9th, my husband's mother passed away.  It has been a difficult and emotional week, but there is a feeling of calm, too, knowing that she is in a long-sought place of peace.  I won't go into detail about this, because I want to respect the privacy of Tommy and his family, but I do want to say how impressed I am with the sense of love of family that I witnessed and felt.  The support each person showed for the other was amazing, beautiful, and honorable. 

Because of the recent family events, Bender spent some time with Lyn and Roxy again.  Even though I *know* how naughty my little dog can be, Lyn has assured me that she enjoys having him there.  He is a certified thief, and he has eagerly demonstrated this talent to Lyn by stealing her socks, slippers, or other items that he deems of value, and then makes sure that he is seen with said treasure in the grips of his cute little mouth before dashing off in hopes that a chase will ensue.  It really is cute when he does this, but it can also be panic-inducing if he has something of real value.

When I stopped to pick him up tonight, I was greeted very enthusiastically - licks, jumps, more licks - and it made me feel good to be missed.  While I was sitting on the couch talking to Lyn, I commented how I have to keep my purses zipped closed because Bender will put his whole head in there, root around until he finds something exciting, then off he goes with whatever it is.  No sooner do I say this, and Bender jumps on the couch next to me with something poking out of his mouth before dashing up the stairs.  What did he have?  Well, although I am careful to zip my purse, I left a little tiny side pocket unzipped, which had my chapstick in it, and Bender got his little snoot down in there and dug it out, ran upstairs and chewed it up so much that it looked like it had been run over by a car.  And, still, I missed him!!! 

While driving home tonight over the I-5 bridge that goes over the Columbia River, I saw the Christmas boats floating around out on the water.  It's a pretty cool sight to see and if there was a place to pull over on the bridge, I would have done so, even as tired as I was.  Click here to learn more about the Christmas boats being a long-time Portland tradition.  And seeing this made me think that maybe it is time, finally, to post a few Christmas cookie recipes and pictures!! 

The first cookie I am going to share is Chai Tea Cookie with Eggnog Frosting.  This is currently my very favorite cookie.  It has such a nice soft texture and a perfect eggnog and spice flavor.  Love them!!  If you like eggnog, you're going to enjoy these immensely, as the eggnog flavor is surprisingly distinct. 

I also want to share these delicious drop cookies.  If you like coconut, you have to try these out.  The nieces really liked these.  White Chocolate Oatmeal Coconut Cookies are easy to make and have a very nice, fresh coconut flavor to them.  Tommy does not like coconut (he claims to be allergic to it, although I know for a fact he is not!), but these were a hit with everyone else that appreciates the fine taste of coconut. 

Also on the list are Strawberry Jammer Cookies, a nice pastry cookie that is filled with fruit jam and then sprinkled with powdered sugar after baking.  These are beautiful, delicate cookies that can be made with any flavor fruit jam you'd prefer and will add a lovely look to any cookie tray. 

Do not worry, my friends! This is not the end of the list... I have more scrumptious cookie recipes up my sleeve that I am just itching to share!  For this posting, though, I'm hoping that these three fabulous cookies have us off to a good start! 

Enjoy!

"With the right combination of passion, fearlessness and butter, anything is possible."- Julia Child