MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Here it is Christmas Morning, 5:00 AM to be exact, and I am up and blogging.  What is going on?  I couldn't sleep much last night.  I am sore from all the baking we did today.  On Wednesday morning I went to my folks house to start the holiday baking.   Each year I say we aren't going to make as much, and I do cut down, but it is still a lot.  Guess I need to teach my recipes to my nieces so they can take over.  At least most of the dinner will be cooked at my niece's house! 

Anyway, my dad made peanut butter fudge and peanut brittle earlier in the week.  On Wednesday, I mixed up a double batch of butter cookie dough.  Part was made into ladyfingers (butter cookies with candied cherries in them), which got baked.   The other part was refrigerated for use on Saturday to make cookie cutter cookies.  I also made a batch of marshmallow fudge.  Peanut butter blossom cookies were next (peanut butter cookies with chocolate kisses on them).  I tried something new this year, pretzels with Rolo candy warmed in the microwave and a nut pressed into it. I used pecans, walnuts and macadamia nuts.  Really good.  We planned out the rest of our goodies for Saturday baking.  Mom had made a large pork roast so we warmed that up for dinner.

On Saturday we made the cookie cutter cookies and decorated them.  We also made Rice Krispies Treats(Mom bought some brown rice krispies, wonder if the family will know the difference?).  Another batch of fudge, this time with nuts and coconut in it (Dad did a lot of the beating involved).  Deviled eggs were also created.  Mom baked an apple and a cherry pie.  I made a pumpkin and banana cream pie (which Bill helped with by making the pudding).  I made a dish called 24 hour salad, which is a family favorite fruit salad.  Is that all?  I think so but who knows?  It seems like all we did was cook and do dishes all day long!  Oh yeah, we had lunch (tuna salad sandwiches) and dinner (spaghetti and garlic bread) also.  Thank goodness we are done!  I hope everyone enjoys it.  I packed some up to take to Nick and Aimee.

So now I am waiting for the world to wake up and get going.  We plan on visiting Nick & Aimee and Lola for a couple of hours this morning and then heading to Vanessa's house for dinner and goodies.  I hope traffic isn't too bad!  I think I have plotted a route that should be fine. 

I hope all of our family back East and up North have great days and a very Merry Christmas!