Lots of Babies!

November has been filled with baby cookies. I have to thank Amy Garmer Huff from Ohio for her ideas about the techniques for the Very Hungry Caterpillar cookies. I don't usually use Royal icing, so that was a challenge, but fun to try!
Enjoy!

Wedding Bells

This was my greatest accomplishment yet! Wedded bliss was in the near future for my best friend, Chrissy. I was overly excited when she asked me to be part of the wedding, but I was even happier when she agreed to let me make her favors! While teaching full-time, and working part-time at the after school program I managed to successfully bake and decorate 150 cookies in my single-oven kitchen. At one point I thought for sure I would lose the motor on my kitchenAid! In the end, the favors looked fantastic and the wedding was an even bigger success.

Congratulations to Chrissy & Jay and thank you for letting me (and my little hobby of a business) take part in such a special time of your lives!

Check out some more pics of the cookies on my Flickr page. I have also posted some belated images of some baskets I made to brighten a few co-worker's days! My next projects include another baby shower, a baby's first birthday, and a charity basket to be raffled off.

P.S. I'm taking suggestions on what theme to use for the charity basket!

Birthday Party!

I am very proud of my latest creations, mostly because they were quite last minute. My niece just turned 3 and, of course, the theme for her party was Disney Princesses! My original intention was to make her a bunch of fairy princess wands (stars on a stick!) and possibly some princess crowns. However, when I mentioned wanting to make cookies for the party to my sister she asked if I would make Tinker Bell cookies. My gut reaction was "how the heck am I going to recreate such a recognizable face when I can barely draw a decent stick figure?" I finally created a stencil that was pretty accurate. While the process was time consuming and a bit tedious (I actually repeatedly chanted: "I love my niece, I love my niece"), I am thrilled with the results. Fortunately the birthday princess and her guests agreed and the cookies were a hit!

Next up: Get well cookies, more baby cookies (this time it's a girl!), and monogrammed wedding favors. Stay tuned!

Bridal Shower

I had the distinct pleasure of making the favors/centerpieces for my friend's bridal shower this weekend. The party was fantastic and the cookies looked adorable! All of us bridesmaids had fun planning the event. However, I am not disappointed that it is all over!

Congratulations to Chrissy and Jay, I can't wait to celebrate your big day!

Click the Flickr link to the right to see the new pics!

Family Traditions

Every family has at least one sacred recipe that has been passed down from generation to generation. Being Italian, my family has many recipes that have been carried on. I have been given the coveted recipe for Nana's Italian Cookies. Actually, it was given to me over a year ago as a Christmas gift from my aunt who, in my opinion, is the guardian of all our families most delicious, and 'secret' recipes. I'm not sure exactly why it has taken me so long to make these cookies. I think part of me was afraid to make them. Yes, I was afraid to make cookies. I feared my cookies would not taste as good as I know they should; and then there is the fact (yes, fact) that if this recipe was to be exposed to anyone outside of 'The Family' I would be haunted forever by my relatives who have since passed on and be banished from my existing family. Ok, that may seem a little extreme, but I did mention that I came from an Italian family!

Well people, I was able to push my fears aside, and make the cookies. My father's suggestion of posting about more than just sugar cookies also helped me to get passed the fears I had and the end product was just as delicious as I can remember. Now, if I can only get my hands on more of those family recipes...are you reading Auntie Gemma?

There's A First Time For Everything

I met with a friend to discuss the types of cookies she wanted for her sister-in-law's baby shower. I showed her all the cutters that I had, which proved to be a bit overwhelming. I think my binge shopping trend has shifted from shoes to cookie cutters! However, we did manage to narrow the designs down to 4; carriages, onsies, ducks, and blocks. I didn't have a block cookie cutter, but I thought 'how hard would it be to make a square, right?' Well...

In the process of drawing up some design ideas, I realized the blocks were not going to be as simple as cutting a square out of dough. It could have been, but come on, a 3D block is way cuter than a 2D square! I needed to make a template. After a mini panic (which usually happens when I realize I'm not as prepared as I thought I was. Any of you reading this who know me are well aware of my need for things to be organized and planned!), I focused and was able to generate a decent template out of card stock. Then, with a sharp knife, I was able to cut out the block design from the dough. I have to say, I like my results! Ok, so a cube may not be the most difficult shape to recreate, but it's a start!

I added some more pictures from this order to my flickr page, check them out. The onsies are my favorites, I love adding designs to them! There is also a picture of my most delicious chocolate chip cookies, my mouth is watering just looking at them. I'm glad I made some extras for me and my husband!

My First Blog

Blogging is something completely new to me, so bear with me! I've always enjoyed baking in my spare time. It was something that kept me busy and always seemed to calm me down. Friends and family seem to like what I make, and if I can get my hands on one of my creations before they are devoured, I do too!

I started to focus on cookies almost a year ago. It all began when one of my girlfriends had her first baby. On my way to visit her in the hospital I stopped at one of those corporate cookie shops (it will remain nameless, although I'm sure you already know which company I'm talking about!) to get a gift basket. I walked out with a bouquet of 4 hand-decorated cookies and a dozen assorted cookies. While my hands were full of beautiful cookies, my wallet was empty. That's when I thought to myself, "hey, I bet I could do this." Sure enough, I could.

Ok, so maybe I'm not as skilled with a piping bag as the professionals, but I'm practicing. I think that I get better with each batch. I've had family, friends, and coworkers request my cookies for special event in their lives, which has inspired me to continue practicing, and has also been the reason for starting this blog. I hope to remain inspired and to continue posting my stories and pictures for you all to enjoy!

P.S. I love to learn new tricks and techniques and I am grateful for constructive criticism, so feel free to comment on anything and everything.