White Chip Orange Dream Cookies

If you are looking for a different variation of a chip cookie, this may be for you. I got this recipe many years ago at a cookie exchange. These cookies are almost better the next day when the orange flavor settles in. Enjoy!

White Chip Orange Dream Cookies

• 2 1/4 cups flour
• 3/4 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 cup butter, softened
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1 egg
• 3 tsp grated orange peel
• 1 package (12 oz) white chips - I used Nestle Premier White morsels

Combine flour, baking soda and salt in a bowl and set aside.

Beat butter, sugar and brown sugar in a large mixing bowl until creamy.

Beat in the egg and orange peel.

Gradually add the flour mixture and stir until just combined.

Stir in the chips.

Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 10-12 minutes.


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My Most Special Christmas Ornament

In 1980, when I was 11 years old...okay did I just admit my age...anyway, my great-grandmother, known as Grammy, handmade me this crocheted Christmas ornament.

My Grammy was a crafter, seamstress, and crocheter and she always made her gifts. I still have the clothes that she made for my Barbie dolls when I was a young girl. Unfortunately the crafty gene didn't trickle down to me. I think it stopped at my mother.

Every year when I take out this ornament, I think of her. It is my most favorite Christmas ornament. I am so glad I heeded my mother's advice and kept the handwritten gift tag. This ornament takes a special place towards the top of our tree, so little, inquiring hands can't reach it.



...and yes, that is a fake tree in the background...

What is your most special Christmas ornament? Let us know in the comments.


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This post is linked to:

• Finer Things Friday at Amy's Finer Things

Twas Ten Days Before Christmas and My House is A Wreck

What moron schedules a major home improvement project 2 weeks before Christmas?



Oh, I guess that would be me. It seemed like a good idea 2 months ago when we scheduled the project. "It will be done in time for Christmas", we thought.

GRRRRRRR...I didn't factor in all of the cleaning that would need to be done after the project was complete.


Double GRRRRRRRRR......

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What Type of Christmas Shopper Are You?

Do you shop all year round? Does your shopping begin at 4am on Black Friday? Or do you wait until December 20 to even start?

My husband and I just sat down together last week to go over our gift list. For some reason, we are 'fly by the seat of our pants' type people.

We spend about the same amount on each person on our list every year and we have money set aside, but as far as the shopping goes, we have a lot to do.

I did a little bit on Black Friday weekend and that was mostly in the comfort of my home, in front of my computer.

We'll be busy over the next week and a half, but we'll get it done. And next week I'll say to myself, "I really need to do more through out the year". But next December, I'll be in the same place, with less than two weeks to go and a lot of shopping to do.

What kind of Christmas shopper are you?

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About the photo: That is not my home, I don't have a creative or decorative bone in my body. That display was at a local gift shop last year and I thought it was festive and cute.

Gingerbread Men Cookies ~ A Fun Holiday Activity for Kids

Tis the cookie season and the first batch we made this year was Gingerbread Men cookies. I wasn't sure how my girls would like them, but I knew they would enjoy making and decorating them.

I have been looking for inexpensive Christmas activities to do with the kids for the month of December. This idea came to me as I was leafing through a holiday magazine. I knew my kids would enjoy decorating the cookies.

I didn't own a gingerbread man cookie cutter, so I bought one at Michael's where coupons are abundant.

I used this simple recipe to whip up the batter, although there was a four hour gap between making the dough and baking because the dough had to be refrigerated. My oldest had a hard time understanding that since all she wanted to do was decorate the cookies.

Finally it was time to cut and bake the cookies. I have a hard time with a rolling pin most times, but this dough was easy. It just needed a lot of extra flour and to be kept cold.

It was finally time to decorate. I used this recipe for the royal icing. It does call for an ingredient that I didn't have: Meringue powder. I found it at Michael's and used a coupon. The icing was so easy to use that I will probably use this recipe for our Gingerbread houses that we are going to decorate next week, so this powder will not go to waste for me.

I used sandwich bags to pipe the icing, which was easy for little hands to maneuver.


We topped the cookies with M&Ms, which was probably my baby's favorite part. One for her, one for the cookie, one for her, one for the cookie...


My kids and I had a lot of fun making these cookies and in the end we all enjoyed eating them too.

Do you make Gingerbread cookies at this time of year? What do you use to decorate them?


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This post is linked to:

• Tasty Tuesday at Balancing Beauty and Bedlam
• Frugal Friday at Life as MOM