Granini's Shortbread Sugar Cookies with frosting

Granini's Shortbread Sugar Cookies with Frosting

Ingredients

3/4 cup margarine
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt

Directions:

1. Sift together the dry ingredients.
2. Mix the margarine and sugar together until creamy.
3. Add a large spoon full of the dry ingredients to the margarine/sugar mixture.
4. Add in the eggs, one at a time, until fully blended together.  Add in the vanilla.
5.  Then slowly add into the wet ingredients a little at a time until fully incorporated.
6. Put plastic wrap over your dough and chill for at least an hour.
7. Using 1/3 of the dough at a time, roll dough out about 1/4 inch thick onto a heavily floured surface. Don't roll the dough out too thinly. Cut into shapes with cookie cutters. Place on parchment paper - lined cookie sheets and bake for 7-8 minutes.
8. Cool on a rack until completely cooled. Then frost!

I will have lots of other cookie recipes to share this holiday season...
but thought I'd start with one of my all time favs!

Here are a few more:

Granini's Yummy Treats

Salted Caramel Apple Cakeballs

Cinnamon Sugar Cookies

Fudge

Gingersnaps

Lemon Crinkle Cookies
Oreo Truffles (Oreo cakeballs)
Peanut Butter Rice Krispie Treats with chocolate on top
Pecan Tassies (Mini Pecan Pies)
Raspberry Thumbprint Cookies
Shortbread Sugar Cookies with frosting (one of my all-time-favs)
Snowballs
Sugar Cookies
Thin Mint Truffles (Thin Mint cakeballs)

Lemon Cookies          Raspberry Thumbprint Cookies

Rocky Road Fudge               Sugar Cookies

Granini's Desserts and Sweet Treats

(From left to right: Shortbread sugar cookies with frosting, oreo cookie truffles dipped in white chocolate, white cakeballs dipped in white chocolate, butterscotch fudge,  butterscotch chocolate chip fudge, lemon cookies, snowballs, rice krispie peanut butter bars, Rocky Road fudge, Girl Scout thin mint truffles, gingersnaps)

(From left to right: Girl Scout thin mint truffles, candy cane fudge, butterscotch chocolate chip fudge, lemon cookies, white cake balls, short bread sugar cookies, Rocky Road fudge, rice krispie peanut butter bars, a mixed row of 1/2 pecan tassies (mini pecan pies) and 1/2 peanut butter gooeys dipped in chocolate, and finally a mixed row of oreo cookie truffles dipped in white chocolate and caramel apple cake balls). The salted caramel apple cakeballs are a white or yellow cake mixed with homemade applesauce and formed into balls, then dipped into salted caramel coating.

DELISH!

* * * * *

For those of you anxiously awaiting book number 2, it is currently on hiatus until the holiday season has passed. I am knee-deep in holiday bliss at the moment, and Jack and his friends are just going to have to wait until January to pick up where we left off ... scrambling around chapter 8.

Meanwhile, if you *HAVEN'T* yet read Jack Diamond book number 1, you can buy it below. Click on the picture, and it'll pop you straight over to Amazon where you can buy the paperback (great stocking stuffer!) or  you can buy a copy for your kindle!

Now who doesn't love to read a great murder mystery while snuggled up under the Christmas tree, cocoa in hand, fire blazing away?

* * * * *

I not only bake and cook, I write murder mysteries too!

Both books are available in paperback and kindle versions

Diamonds for Diamond 
(Book 1 in the Jack Diamond Mystery series)
and
No One Noticed

(Book 2 in the Jack Diamond Mystery Series)

Granini's Holiday Dessert Platter

Granini's Holiday Dessert Platter

Yummy Treats

Salted Caramel Apple Cakeballs

Cinnamon Sugar Cookies

Fudge

Gingersnaps

Lemon Crinkle Cookies
Oreo Truffles (Oreo cakeballs)
Peanut Butter Rice Krispie Treats with chocolate on top
Pecan Tassies (Mini Pecan Pies)
Raspberry Thumbprint Cookies
Shortbread Sugar Cookies with frosting (one of my all-time-favs)
Snowballs
Sugar Cookies
Thin Mint Truffles (Thin Mint cakeballs)

(From left to right: Girl Scout thin mint truffles, candy cane fudge, butterscotch chocolate chip fudge, lemon cookies, white cake balls, short bread sugar cookies, Rocky Road fudge, rice krispie peanut butter bars, a mixed row of 1/2 pecan tassies (mini pecan pies) and 1/2 peanut butter gooeys dipped in chocolate, and finally a mixed row of oreo cookie truffles dipped in white chocolate and caramel apple cake balls).

Lemon Cookies          Raspberry Thumbprint Cookies

Rocky Road Fudge               Sugar Cookies

Desserts and Sweet Treats

* * * * *

For those of you anxiously awaiting book number 2, it is currently on hiatus until the holiday season has passed. I am knee-deep in holiday bliss at the moment, and Jack and his friends are just going to have to wait until January to pick up where we left off ... scrambling around chapter 8.

Meanwhile, if you *HAVEN'T* yet read Jack Diamond book number 1, you can buy it below. Click on the picture, and it'll pop you straight over to Amazon where you can buy the paperback (great stocking stuffer!) or  you can buy a copy for your kindle!

Now who doesn't love to read a great murder mystery while snuggled up under the Christmas tree, cocoa in hand, fire blazing away?

* * * * *

I wrote a murder mystery!  Here is the link so you can buy it:

You can buy my book in both e-book and paperback on Amazon here:  

Diamonds for Diamond by Kay Nimitz Smith

* * * * *

Gingerbread Christmas Cards

Gingerbread Christmas Cards

So I finally finished this year's Christmas cards.  Whew!

I made each wee little gingerbread house through paper piecing. And yes, those wee little gum drops were hand sprinkled with sugar. Yep. Sugar.

Here are some more photos...

Next up on the Christmas To Do List is making tags for all the treats under the tree!!

Then it's on toward making a gingerbread house, and platter after platter of Granini's Christmas Treats!

Here's a peek at one of last year's platters...

Then we'll be left with wrapping presents and eating, and drinking, and eating, and drinking...

* * * * *

For those of you anxiously awaiting book number 2, it is currently on hiatus until the holiday season has passed. I am knee-deep in holiday bliss at the moment, and Jack and his friends are just going to have to wait until January to pick up where we left off ... scrambling around chapter 8.

Meanwhile, if you *HAVEN'T* yet read Jack Diamond book number 1, you can buy it below. Click on the picture, and it'll pop you straight over to Amazon where you can buy the paperback (great stocking stuffer!) or  you can buy a copy for your kindle!

Now who doesn't love to read a great murder mystery while snuggled up under the Christmas tree, cocoa in hand, fire blazing away?

* * * * *

I wrote a murder mystery!  Here is the link so you can buy it:

You can buy my book in both e-book and paperback on Amazon here:  

Diamonds for Diamond by Kay Nimitz Smith

* * * * *

The Week of Pie!

Granini's 
The Week of Pie!

So last year at Thanksgiving, I started a new tradition.

The Week of Pie!

Each year on Thanksgiving day, I eat (and eat and eat and eat) so much food that by the time dessert rolls around, I'm too darned stuffed to eat any pie. And that's just sad.

So I started thinking, what if we had pie every night for a whole week leading up to Thanksgiving? And what if it was a different pie each night?
That way, all of us would get a chance to eat our favorite pie, and none of our favorites would be omitted due to lack of space in the fridge, or room in our bellies.

It was a huge hit!

So here we are, year two, and I've compiled a list of my pies in one location for all y'all to enjoy.

Happy Week of Pie!

(More recipes to come!)

Pies
Pie Crust recipe & instructions
Traditional Apple Pie
Dutch Apple Pie with homemade caramel sauce
Blueberry Pie Recipe
Cherry Pie
Chocolate Cream Pie
Chocolate Eclair Pie
Chocolate Pecan Pie
Coconut Cream Pie
Dutch Apple Pie
French Silk Pie
Grasshopper Pie
Lemon Meringue Pie
Pumpkin Pie
Snickerdoodles recipe & instructions

Pie Crust recipe & instructions

Snickerdoodles recipe & instructions




Traditional Apple Pie and
Caramel Sauce

        

Dutch Apple Pie with  caramel sauce

 

Blueberry Pie Recipe and Instructions (with pictures) 

Triple crust (there's one in the middle!).

Cherry Pie

Chocolate Cream Pie

Chocolate Pecan Pie

Coconut Cream Pie 

French Silk Pie

Grasshopper Pie

Lemon Meringue Pie

Pumpkin Pie

Links to all Granini's Desserts and Sweet Treats

Pie Crust
Traditional Apple Pie
Dutch Apple Pie
Blueberry Coffee Cake
Blueberry Pie
Caramel Sauce
Cherry Pie
Chocolate Cream Pie
Chocolate Pecan Pie
Cream Cheese Chocolate Chip Chocolate Cupcakes
Cinnamon Sugar Cookies
Cinnamon Rolls and Caramel Sticky Buns
Coconut Cream Pie
Coffee Cake
Danish Pastry Dough
French Silk Pie
Grasshopper Pie
Lemon Almond Cake
Lemon Breakfast Cake
Lemon Crinkle Cookies
Lemon Meringue Pie
Lemon Pound Cake
Oreo Cheesecake
Oreo Truffles
Peanut Butter Rice Krispie Treats with chocolate on top
Pecan Tassies (Mini Pecan Pies)
Pumpkin Pie
Raspberry Thumbprint Cookies
Sugar Cookies
Snickerdoodles (Cookies made from leftover Pie Crust)
Thin Mint Truffles

* * * * *

Find other tasty Thanksgiving Dinner dishes here:

And tasty pie recipes here:

* * * * *

I not only bake and cook, I write murder mysteries too!

Both books are available in paperback and kindle versions

Diamonds for Diamond 
(Book 1 in the Jack Diamond Mystery series)
and
No One Noticed

(Book 2 in the Jack Diamond Mystery Series)

A wee little book signing

Getting excited for my wee little book signing this weekend!!

A big box of my books arrived for the sale...

I must say it's a bit thrilling, and a bit terrifying,
 to know I'll be sitting in my wee little booth signing books this weekend.

*Squee!*

* * * * *

I wrote a murder mystery!  Here is the link so you can buy it:

You can buy my book in both e-book and paperback on Amazon here:  

Diamonds for Diamond by Kay Nimitz Smith

* * * * *

Writing...

So I haven't updated my blog lately...

I've been a bit busy.

Here's a quick update for those of you who may be interested.

Book number two in the Jack Diamond murder mystery series is underway!

If you haven't yet read the first book, click here, or go to the link below.

Jack Diamond is about eight chapters into his investigation into a missing person's case at this point. That's very exciting. The writing is going very quickly, and is only interrupted by, well, life. Busy, busy life. Alas. He sits there and waits ever so patiently for me to finish my regular day-to-day stuff so that he can go on and find out what's happened to our poor missing person.

 I won't provide spoilers about Jack and Claire or the missing person's investigation or any of that, because some spoilers simply spoil the fun.  But I will tell you that in this next book, on the sidelines, you're going to get to go and hang out with Jack's brother (ooh! He's still alive!). And you're going to meet Andi, with an i, not a y, an i. She's amazing, and you're going to love her. And no, she's not a love interest for Jack. Just sayin'. Didn't want any die-hard Claire/Jack fans to freak out. :)

I am hoping to have the book finished and ready to be published this Spring. 

All signs point to this being very, very probable. 

Maybe even sooner, if I can stop being ever so busy and just sit down and write!

But for now, the Week of Pie is coming (aka Thanksgiving), and Christmas isn't long after that. I'll try to post a few recipes here and there for those of you who enjoy that kind of thing. 

Meanwhile, I'm off to go bake a cake!

* * * * *

I wrote a murder mystery!  Here is the link so you can buy it:

You can buy my book in both e-book and paperback on Amazon here:  

Diamonds for Diamond by Kay Nimitz Smith

* * * * *

2017.8.21 Solar Eclipse Photos

Had fun watching the eclipse today!!

I jerry-rigged the camera to take some pics, and this one was my favorite.

Will upload more photos as they come along!

The shadows on the ground were amazing:

My favorite one:

* * * * *

I wrote a murder mystery!  Here are the links so you can buy it:

You can buy the paperback version of my book here:

Diamonds for Diamond by Kay Nimitz Smith

Or, you can buy either my e-book or the paperback version on Amazon here:  

Diamonds for Diamond by Kay Nimitz Smith

* * * * *